Chapter 128

In the original work, the true location of the Cheonghongyeong is revealed much later than the timeline of the first part.

Therefore, knowing this, I could naturally be certain. The Cheonghongyeong that Cheong Doyool is said to possess now is not the original.

‘In fact, Cheong Doyool himself mentioned it in passing earlier.’

His family had been entrusted with the management of the Cheonghongyeong for quite a long period, but it seems Cheong Doyool realized by chance that it was not the original but a degraded copy.

‘Of course, even that copy possesses a somewhat similar effect…’

Cheong Doyool was enraged by the fact that his family had cherished and passed down an object that wasn’t even the real thing.

That was also one of the reasons he desperately sought to obtain the Azure Dragon’s power.

Once he realized the Cheonghongyeong was fake, he wanted to obtain something comparable to the Azure-White Sword possessed by Cheong Soha to replace it.

When I relayed that fact without hesitation, Cheong Kibeom also seemed to sense I wasn’t merely lying, as his expression turned serious.

“So, you’re saying you know its location?”

“That’s correct.”

“If what you’ve just said is false, you will never set foot on Korean soil again.”

A composure emanating from his own strength.

It was no exaggeration; if I deceived Cheong Kibeom, he would pursue me to the ends of the earth to punish me. He was that straightforward and upright in character.

“Everything I said is undoubtedly true. I spoke without evasion.”

“You’re quite confident. I’m curious about the source of your information, but I’ll set that aside for now.”

In fact, by merely learning this information, Cheong Kibeom was essentially indebted to me.

He could avoid wasting effort in the wrong direction and had gained a card to pressure Cheong Doyool if necessary.

And Cheong Kibeom was not the type to tolerate being indebted to others.

In other words, combined with his original objective, the option of refusal had clearly vanished from his mind.

As expected, after a brief moment of contemplation, Cheong Kibeom nodded and conveyed his agreement.

“So, you wish to borrow my power in exchange for the Cheonghongyeong. Fine. If you truly bring the Cheonghongyeong, I, Cheong Kibeom, pledge my name to cooperate with you.”

“Thank you. If I may be so bold, would it be alright to make one more request?”

“A request? What is it?”

“I know the location of the Cheonghongyeong, but naturally, obtaining it won’t be simple. My current strength is insufficient.”

In other words, I was asking to borrow capable forces for assistance. And the person that statement pointed to was clear.

“Tch. You’re not wrong. Fine. Take Wooncheol with you.”

“Huh, I just got back, you know.”

“It would be a joke if you were captured by others before achieving your goal. Until then, stick by his side and swat away the flies.”

Cheong Wooncheol scratched his head as if annoyed, but he didn’t show any sign of refusal.

Because, as Cheong Kibeom said, it was clearly necessary.

Thus, the deal smoothly passed its starting point. With Cheong Wooncheol accompanying us, we left the territory of Cheong Kibeom’s faction and began to move.

Our next destination was none other than the place where the true Cheonghongyeong was hidden.

A place concealed deep within Cheongyeongsan, accessible only by meeting specific conditions—the Mirror Forest, which appeared as an event stage in the game.

Time had flown, and it was now the dead of night, with the sun long gone.

Following the group deep into the mountains where the Cheonghongyeong was said to be hidden, Cheong Wooncheol looked at Han Kangyoon at the forefront with meaningful eyes.

‘…He’s indeed no ordinary person.’

In fact, just before seeking out Cheong Kibeom, Cheong Wooncheol had heard from Cheong Joohwa about the crafting method of a talisman he was interested in and had somewhat resolved to cooperate in persuasion.

And to that Cheong Wooncheol, Han Kangyoon had said this:

[Ultimately, after accepting the proposal, the Elder will likely assign you, Cheong Wooncheol, to accompany us.]

[…Oh?]

[So, if you could comply with the Elder’s words then, it would be a great help to me.]

At the time, I merely thought it was a plausible possibility and moved on, but looking back now, everything had unfolded exactly as Han Kangyoon had envisioned.

Truly, not a single detail was missed.

‘…He really possesses a chilling talent.’

Having this level of skill and judgment at his age is clearly no ordinary matter.

Meeting with a clan elder, whose allegiance was uncertain, to negotiate in an already precarious situation—who on earth could undertake such a risk with such composure?

Thus, going through that process, Cheong Wooncheol thought.

Perhaps the one who would become the most renowned in the next generation of his clan might be none other than this Han Kangyoon.

‘Even I, at that age, did not possess an oppressive aura like his.’

The abilities he directly demonstrated were also astonishing, but beyond that, Han Kangyoon had an indescribable, unique atmosphere about him.

That peculiar presence one only feels when facing genuine heavyweights.

Having faced many strong individuals, including clan elders, Cheong Wooncheol was confident in his intuition.

‘This works out well. I can observe him closely during this opportunity.’

If Han Kangyoon truly was talent of that caliber, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to either draw him into his own faction or establish friendly relations with Cheong Soha’s faction, to which he belonged.

Organizing in his mind what to report to Cheong Kibeom, Cheong Wooncheol continued to follow behind the group.

And finally, they reached their destination.

“Are you sure this is the right place? I don’t sense anything special.”

As Cheong Jiyeon, who was walking ahead, said, Cheong Wooncheol also couldn’t detect any particular energy.

The idea that a hidden place existed in such a location was hard to believe easily.

However, Han Kangyoon stepped forward without hesitation and began to perform something meticulously.

Mechanical movements, as if measuring distance or repeatedly testing something.

After completing all that, Han Kangyoon found a spot, positioned himself there, and addressed everyone.

“If we wait for a while now, the entrance will open.”

Though they couldn’t clearly understand what that meant, having no other option, the group waited in place as Han Kangyoon instructed.

And precisely at the moment past midnight when the day began to change, Han Kangyoon took out a necklace he was carrying, adjusted its angle, and placed it on the ground.

Then, something astonishing began to happen.

Whoosh.

Ziiing!

The gem on the necklace began to glow as it absorbed moonlight, and soon the reflected light pointed between two trees in a corner of the forest.

Only then could Cheong Wooncheol perceive a certain hidden space that had been concealed until now.

‘Is this… a Barrier Technique?’

The fact that it had completely fooled Cheong Wooncheol’s eyes meant that the one who created this barrier possessed skill at least on par with or exceeding his own.

“Then, let’s proceed without delay.”

Han Kangyoon picked up the necklace he had placed on the ground and led the group from the front again. Cheong Wooncheol, feeling his curiosity amplify even more, followed behind.

Continuously speculating in a corner of his mind about the utterly unfathomable identity of Han Kangyoon.

‘Fortunately, there was no issue like the entry method being different.’

Originally, this was a place characters would only reach after the timeline of Series Part 1, after finding various clues, but naturally, all of that was meaningless to me.

The method to open the entrance to the Mirror Forest was difficult yet simple.

One needed to possess one of the other two of the clan’s three great Cursed Tools besides the Cheonghongyeong—the Azure-White Sword or the Cheongsimok—and at the moment of midnight, reflect moonlight onto a designated spot.

Coincidentally, I had the Cheongsimok received from Cheong Jiyeon, so I didn’t need to specially meet any conditions.

It was truly a perfect fit.

‘After all, I intended to obtain it someday anyway.’

It was just that the timing had moved up a bit.

Although according to the deal’s terms, I had to hand over the Cheonghongyeong to Cheong Kibeom, I had separate thoughts regarding that as well.

So for now, I just needed to focus on reaching the depths of the Mirror Forest and obtaining the Cheonghongyeong.

Swoosh.

Whoosh.

As we passed through the barrier entrance that appeared between the trees, the Mirror Forest, which I had only seen in the game, finally revealed itself before me in reality.

‘It really lives up to its name.’

The scenery inside was truly bizarre.

The trees of the forest planted in the ground were reflected on the ceiling, appearing to hang upside down. Mirrors, whose origins were utterly unknown, were scattered everywhere, randomly distorting the landscape.

Seeing this, Cheong Joohwa exclaimed in disgust.

“…Ugh. What is this? It’s making me dizzy.”

“It’s a kind of maze. Like a hidden picture game.”

“This… finding the way doesn’t seem like it’ll be easy at all.”

Perhaps equally daunted by the sight, Cheong Wooncheol, who was at the back, stepped forward, drew in Spiritual Power, and deployed a detection-type Cursed Technique.

However.

Whoosh.

Zzzzzzzzong!

“Huh, how can this be…?”

The Spiritual Power that had formed a detection boundary and spread in all directions was reflected here and there by the mirrors, instantly losing its form.

It meant tricks wouldn’t work.

“…Just who could create a barrier of this level?”

This must be quite shocking for Cheong Wooncheol. Before his eyes were Cursed Techniques of a level that even his strength, bordering on Special-Rank, couldn’t dispel.

After several more attempts, concluding that simple dispelling was impossible, we had no choice but to proceed on foot toward the forest entrance.

“This is troublesome. Even if we try to leave marks, they scatter before long. Isn’t there a possibility we could get lost inside forever?”

Cheong Jiyeon’s concern was valid. Indeed, if trapped in this Mirror Forest maze, starving to death without ever finding the exit was a real possibility.

As everyone’s expressions hardened at her words, I stepped forward without a moment’s hesitation and was the first to set foot at that entrance.

Ziiing.

Accordingly, my reflections began to appear in the mirrors scattered in all directions. Before fully entering, I stretched out my hand and offered it to the group.

“Everyone must hold onto each other. As you can see, it’s difficult to distinguish actual positions with the naked eye here.”

“Hey, wait. Don’t tell me you can find the correct path even inside here?”

In response to Cheong Wooncheol’s question, filled with doubt, I calmly gave my answer.

“Yes. I can find it.”

While ordinary people would clearly struggle to navigate the maze, my case was different.

In my mind, through past experiences, the entire space of this Mirror Forest was already inputted like a complete map.