Chapter 120

Whoosh.

Crackle.

‘…This is something else.’

I had felt something similar when taking the Azure Mystic Pill, but the intensity was on a completely different level.

My body twitched uncontrollably from moment to moment, and at times, it even felt as if someone was hammering away at my organs or joints.

I could now easily understand why there were cases of people dying after recklessly consuming Spiritual Elixirs of mid-grade or higher.

“Hoo.”

I did my best not to restrain it but to let it flow freely, and with the help of the Magic Circle I had set up, I began to absorb the energy of the Nine Dragons Pill.

Whoosh.

Fwoosh.

Fwish.

At first, I couldn’t control the rampaging energy. But as I endured and endured, its force gradually diminished, and I began to regain my composure.

‘Roughly half is absorbed, I suppose.’

By the time the sunset had passed and night had fully fallen, I had finally taken in every last bit of the elixir’s energy into my body.

“Hoo.”

Just like last time, I had merely transferred the energy into my body for now, so from this point on, I would need to refine it through training for a while to fully make it my own power.

In that regard, training here with Hwang Jihak would be of considerable help.

Rustle.

Thud.

Thud.

“Finished?”

“…Thanks to you.”

Hwang Jihak, sensing that the energy had been stored, returned to me. I erased all the Magic Circles I had used, and we began our return together.

‘My vision is clearer than usual.’

It wasn’t just that; the sensations throughout my entire body had become much more sensitive compared to before.

It seemed the reaction was more pronounced, likely because I had just taken the elixir.

And within those heightened senses, I detected a place imbued with a peculiar energy.

“What is that place?”

“Ah, you mean the Pass of the Solitary Shadow?”

Upon hearing the unfamiliar name and asking about it, Hwang Jihak began explaining in a meaningful tone.

“To be honest, I don’t know much about it either. It’s the same for the family members.”

“Even within the family?”

“Who knows? The Elders might know something. However, in modern times, it’s practically a forgotten place.”

It seemed to be a rather mysterious space even within the Hwang Family.

“According to an obscure old legend, something left behind by the family’s ancestor for future generations is sealed inside there.”

“Then isn’t it an important place?”

“Not exactly. Over the long years, Elders from each generation have thoroughly searched it, but ultimately, they found nothing.”

So now, it’s generally accepted as fact that either the legend is false or someone from the past already took everything.

This was a story I was hearing for the first time as well.

Not just from the original story, but also from my time as a developer.

‘It wasn’t even mentioned in the sequel.’

Then it’s one of three things.

A truly meaningless place, a place waiting to appear in some future story, or a place added exclusively for Hell Difficulty.

It seemed quite an interesting matter, so I asked Hwang Jihak for permission and decided to check out this Pass of the Solitary Shadow myself.

“This is it. Opening the entrance reveals a small space underground.”

“Is it okay to open it?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Clunk.

Grrrrumble.

Upon opening the entrance on the ground, a small cave just large enough for a few people to enter unfolded, just as Hwang Jihak had said.

It felt more like a simple attic storage room than a treasure vault.

‘Hmm?’

Then, something strange caught my eye.

Since the entrance was on the ground, opening the door should let in a fair amount of light, but strangely, not even a sliver of light could penetrate deep inside.

Noticing my gaze, Hwang Jihak, who was beside me, added an explanation.

“Natural light cannot affect the inside. However, strangely, the interior scenery can be seen with the naked eye. The reason the legend wasn’t dismissed as mere rumor was partly due to this Trait.”

In short, it seemed like there might be something, but since nothing was ever found, it became the family’s forgotten, ill-fated place.

“Shall we go in?”

“Of course, it doesn’t matter. As I said, no one cares about it now.”

Given that even the esteemed Elders found nothing, it was likely a misunderstanding, but my player’s intuition was telling me that something slumbered here.

‘Well, why else would they create such a useless place?’

Especially after going through the trouble of applying a Cursed Technique that blocks incoming light.

Thud.

Tap.

Thump.

Slowly squeezing through the entrance and stepping into the cave, I raised my Spiritual Power to the fullest, even using detection-type Cursed Techniques to examine my surroundings.

However, as expected, I found nothing unusual.

‘Well, if something could be discovered this easily, the family’s High-Ranking Exorcists would have unraveled the secret long ago.’

There was nothing to be disappointed about. Rather, this was just the beginning.

I wasn’t looking down on the Hwang Family Elders, but in this regard, I possessed overwhelmingly more knowledge than them.

Whoosh.

I began testing Cursed Techniques effective in such situations one by one, gauging the lineage of the Art Formula applied here.

I tried most of what I knew, but unfortunately, there were no results.

‘Is it beyond the level of Art Formulas of this grade?’

However, seeing that there was no reaction at all, it probably wasn’t that issue.

Looking at how the family’s High-Ranking Exorcists repeatedly failed, it was clear. Among them, there must have been those capable of using high-level detection Art Formulas or even higher.

‘Then, I need to change my approach entirely.’

The strangest fact identified so far was, without a doubt, the light.

Clearly, all light from outside was blocked, yet inside, I could perceive the surrounding scenery with my vision without issue.

A contradiction arises right here.

‘……’

Thinking carefully, even when I used various Cursed Techniques earlier, the diffusion of light from Spiritual Power didn’t affect the inside of the room.

After a few more tests, I could finally draw a conclusion about the secret.

‘It seems the interior scenery I’m seeing now isn’t real.’

If an entirely different space was overlaid, then whether I lit a fire or shone sunlight, the scenery visible to my eyes wouldn’t change.

In that case, there was one being I could rely on in this situation.

Drawing up my Spiritual Power, I called the name of one Shikigami residing in the shadows.

“Sahwanje.”

It was the goblin Specter, Sahwanje, who had caused numerous disappearances at the Painting Garden last time.

Swoosh.

Poof!

[…Kieeek.]

Since it was already completely subdued when it came out of the Eternal Labyrinth, making it a Shikigami wasn’t difficult.

However, its Art Formula was inherently tricky, and its direct combat abilities were lacking, so until now, there had been no real opportunity for it to shine.

‘Despite its high Level, it even resisted orders, the nerve.’

It was a troublesome being, but after being endlessly bullied by Kongsami since then, it was now completely deflated.

Just looking at its slumped body and weary face made it clear that it no longer had any will to resist.

“Sahwanje, use your Art Formula to search the surroundings.”

[Kiaaak.]

Whoosh.

Sahwanje began moving sluggishly inside the cave, using its unique spatial-type Art Formula.

As a Specter known as a mirror goblin, it must be exceptionally skilled in this kind of Cursed Technique.

Sure enough, after swaying around for a while, Sahwanje turned its head and signaled to me.

[Kieeek.]

The place it pointed to was the lower part of the far end of the cave wall.

On the surface, nothing could be felt, but if it mentioned it, there must be some Cursed significance.

“Can you affect this space with your Art Formula?”

After radiating its Monstrous Power here and there for a moment, Sahwanje shook its head as if to say it couldn’t.

It seemed that since it was a space likely involved by the Hwang Family ancestor, a higher-level Cursed Technique than Sahwanje’s was deployed inside the cave.

Then from here on, it was my turn to solve the puzzle again.

“Good work. Go back in now.”

[Kiaaak.]

Swoosh.

Poof.

‘…Interesting.’

What’s deployed is a spatial-type Cursed Technique. And it cannot be Released by ordinary means.

Seeing that Sahwanje pointed to a specific spot accurately, it was highly likely that some special condition needed to be cleared starting from that point.

‘So, does this require some kind of key after all?’

If it were in the form of an object, there would be nothing I could do.

As I sank into thought without progress, Hwang Jihak, who had been watching the situation from above the cave, followed me inside.

“…Did you find something concerning?”

“Sahwanje showed a reaction. The goblin Specter we fought at the Painting Garden last time.”

“The one that manipulated space to create unknown passages? That is indeed interesting.”

Hearing my words, Hwang Jihak fell into thought and, after a moment, relayed another piece of information with a somewhat vague expression.

“Come to think of it, the legend also said this: ‘The one who brings light to the Pass of the Solitary Shadow shall become the owner of the object.'”

“……”

If that were true, I could roughly guess the condition.

Wouldn’t it be to somehow shine light inside this space?

Moreover, in my memory, there was a Cursed Technique that came to mind regarding this.

‘The Hwang Family’s unique Cursed Technique, Protective Radiance.’

An Art Formula of the body enhancement type that converts Spiritual Power within the body into life energy, increasing recovery and defense.

When deployed, the caster’s body is covered in a faint golden light, scattering radiance around.

Since Protective Radiance is a Cursed Technique passed down from quite ancient times, it certainly seemed plausible.

However, one point still bothered me.

‘Even within the family, only a handful have mastered it, but among Elder-level individuals, about one in two should be able to use it, right?’

If that were the key to unraveling the secret, it’s impossible that the numerous generations of Elders found nothing here.

‘……’

At that very moment, one hypothesis pierced through my mind.

‘When they say ‘ancestor,’ exactly which point in time’s ancestor are they referring to?’

Come to think of it, that’s right. People of this era wouldn’t know, but the origins of the Three Great Noble Families—the Cheong, Baek, and Hwang Families—actually hold a secret.

Namely, that except for the Cheong Family, the other two families were originally forces that were practically one body with the Cheong Family.

‘The Cheong Family was created first, and among those who existed in its early days, some split off and each established the remaining two families.’

If the ancestor who created this Pass of the Solitary Shadow refers to the founder of the Hwang Family, then the Cursed Techniques he used at that time likely had their origins in the Cheong Family.

In other words.

‘To break the seal, a Cheong Family unique Cursed Technique, not a Hwang Family one, might be required.’

And I knew one.

A Cheong Family unique Cursed Technique that fits the legend’s content of ‘bringing light’ and is likely the origin of Protective Radiance.

‘An Advanced Art that consumes a portion of one’s life force to invoke a powerful Yang energy, repelling all negativity—Bright Moon.’

That was precisely the key to unraveling the secret of this Pass of the Solitary Shadow.