Chapter 250

The horn containing the secret art of the Great Specter Mountain Sky.

The world of the past that could be accessed through it was distinctly different from mere illusions or phantasms.

If one were to say it generally replicated the world, then everything within it would be nothing but phantoms and puppets without intellect, but Mountain Sky’s secret art was not like that.

‘A perfect replication. It’s like scanning the entire world and creating a copy, just as the words imply.’

Meaning, the lives within it also possessed replicated souls and intellect, and all of them could think and act on their own, unrelated to Mountain Sky’s will.

Even if it was knowledge or abilities Mountain Sky was unaware of, as long as the original possessor had them, they could be fully reproduced.

‘It truly can only be called a secret art.’

And that was precisely the final arrangement Hochoong had prepared for the humans of later generations.

Originally, Yoo Haon would have become Hochoong’s disciple there, trained in various powerful cursed techniques, fully prepared countermeasures against Polar Night, and faced the final battle.

However, the situation was now a bit different.

Simply dealing with the next Great Specter to appear was already overwhelming enough.

“The time limit is one year. The power of the secret art won’t hold beyond that. Even if you use the full period, less than a week will have passed outside, so don’t worry about that part.”

That was precisely my final gambit that would change everything.

The original Yoo Haon, due to the impending final battle, only received a month of instruction from his comrades and Hochoong, but I planned to use the entire year to raise my combat power as much as possible.

The world of the past within the secret art was the era of war, where Taoist Masters and Specters possessed incredibly high levels.

Furthermore, it was a time brimming with all kinds of natural qi, so there was no place more suitable for cultivating power.

“How many people can accompany me at most?”

“I heard eight is the limit. If you plan to use the full year, around seven would be ideal. Remember, if you meet death in the replicated world, you won’t be unharmed in reality either.”

“Yes. I will definitely find the answer and return.”

And so, Yeon Jaki entrusted everything to me.

Having left Hwabaek behind to allow them time for a reunion, I soon had no choice but to fall into deep contemplation.

‘Six people…’

This very moment is the turning point.

If possible, I had to precisely select only those who could become the greatest assets after a year of growth.

‘Yoo Haon, possessing the Limit Breakthrough Trait, is naturally confirmed.’

Cheong Joohwa, with her EX-Rank Art Formula stat, also cannot be left out.

That would leave a total of four spots remaining.

‘This is quite difficult.’

Let’s organize the candidates. First, the original protagonist party positions: Seoa, Baek Eunseo, and Yohan.

Alternatively, separately, Seo Jian and Arietta, who possess outstanding talent, and Hwang Jihak could also be sufficiently good choices.

As I agonized over it, I soon organized my thoughts and solidified my resolve.

‘Let’s not be swayed by the information or facts I’ve held until now.’

In the end, what’s important is my intuition and judgment.

I had to choose those who would clearly be of help according to my will.

‘Sorry to say this to the original protagonist party…’

To be honest, apart from Yoo Haon and Cheong Joohwa, I don’t feel an absolute merit in the others.

If there’s an appealing choice, it’s only Han Seoa, who possesses the Late Bloomer and Companion Traits and could aid my growth.

Objectively speaking, Baek Eunseo and Yohan don’t have that much value.

‘Then, the choices naturally narrow down.’

Seo Jian and Arietta are among those with the most outstanding talent I’ve met so far.

Furthermore, their abilities are also clearly distinct, allowing them to be helpful in different situations.

Having narrowed it down to five people, excluding myself, only one final spot remained.

And in fact, arriving at the answer was simple.

Because there was only one person whose talent was not inferior to all those mentioned before.

‘Sophia Charlotte.’

Frankly speaking, she is exceptional.

While the other five members received help from me in some form or another, she showed an incredible growth rate without any intervention from me.

I was confident that such a Sophia would be sufficiently helpful in the battles to come.

‘There’s a similar case with Cheong Soha…’

Unlike the others, she has already reached a high level, so even if given a year, achieving significant growth would be difficult.

Moreover, at this point, she is leading the Cheong Family and working herself to the bone, so taking even a week of her time itself is highly problematic.

‘It’s certain. This is the optimal selection.’

At least, that’s what I thought.

Then, now only persuasion remained.

“…Okay. I’ll go with you.”

“It’s an absurd story, but it seems to be true nonetheless.”

Persuading Seo Jian and Arietta wasn’t difficult.

Since we shared the same goal from the start, both accepted without much reluctance.

And Sophia also didn’t show any particular sign of refusal.

Rather, as soon as she heard the story, she nodded with a face full of interest, which was a welcome thing for me.

However, the problem was with Yoo Haon’s party.

‘Will they really accept my words?’

Unlike the original history, I had decided not to take half of them.

Since that place was absolutely not safe, I didn’t think the remaining comrades would readily accept Yoo Haon and Han Seoa leaving.

Furthermore, those two would also likely worry about the comrades left behind, making it difficult for them to easily decide.

But when I actually faced them, the situation flowed somewhat differently from my prediction.

“Please go and return safely. You are not one to speak idly. Our family has also received great help recently.”

Yohan, who had received my favor first, provided supporting fire, and Baek Eunseo, though looking somewhat doubtful, didn’t show strong refusal either.

“As I said last time, Haon, do as you wish. We all gathered here because of you. We’ll follow your decision.”

It seemed that through overcoming hardships together, Yoo Haon had firmly established himself as a definite leader to his comrades.

After sufficient time for contemplation, Yoo Haon, along with Seoa, gave me his answer.

“I’ll follow. If I can be of help.”

Having obtained consent from all members, I decided to activate the secret art the next morning after everyone made sufficient preparations.

Once everyone gathered, I raised my trembling hand, took out Mountain Sky’s horn, and activated the secret art.

“Everyone, get ready.”

“… …”

Whoosh.

Whoooosh!*

With an immense light, my vision flickered, and a sharp ringing pierced my ears.

When about ten seconds had passed like that, we were located in a strange space we had never seen before.

No, to be precise, I was alone.

‘What is this now?’

Calmly looking around, I soon confirmed that such a thought was not mistaken.

And I instantly grasped what had happened.

‘Damn it.’

Likely due to the Hell Difficulty’s influence, the comrades who should have moved together were clearly scattered in all directions.

‘This is dangerous.’

Some might say it’s just a world within a secret art, but as far as I know, the space here is incredibly vast.

Of course, it wouldn’t be the entire world, but it had transferred the entire scope of the world known to the Great Specter Mountain Sky.

Moreover, in this distant past era, even proper means of transportation were hard to find, so meeting each other itself became a major challenge.

‘And at this point in time…’

An era where Great Specters possessing all kinds of transcendent power lurked everywhere.

If we were together in a group, it might be different, but being alone, even guaranteeing one’s own safety would be obviously impossible.

In many ways, I had encountered a huge obstacle right from the start.

And as soon as that thought ended, I realized I too had already stepped into that danger.

“──?”

Due to panic, I hadn’t noticed, but someone was looking at me from above the strangely shaped rocky mountain I was standing on.

The girl sitting on the stone altar spoke to me, but I couldn’t understand.

Focusing my Spiritual Power and using the Interpretation Spell, I finally began to vaguely understand the girl’s words.

“Who are you, mister?”

“…I’m lost. Where is this?”

“The altar of the White Stone God. You should leave before the God gets angry.”

Even if she takes the form of a girl, I shouldn’t let my guard down. In this era, Specters capable of taking human form would be a dime a dozen.

But listening to her subsequent words, it seemed the girl’s identity was far from that.

“Why are you here?”

“I’m the God’s sacrifice chosen for this festival. So, I’m waiting for the God to come.”

I could roughly understand how the situation was unfolding.

This was the territory of a Specter called the White Stone God, and it seemed nearby humans selected sacrifices to appease it.

‘…Trouble right from the start.’

To be honest, it wasn’t the time to be leisurely. No particular aura was felt yet, so it seemed not nearby, but I couldn’t know if that White Stone God was a Specter I could handle.

If that guy possessed power equivalent to an S-Rank upper-tier Specter or a Great Specter like Bikang, even I would barely manage to keep my life.

‘Of course, such guys wouldn’t be common…’

But it was an era of chaos where Specters and Taoist Masters clashed incessantly, so I couldn’t recklessly feel at ease.

‘I need to leave this place immediately.’

That was the correct judgment.

Anyway, incidents like the girl’s were commonplace in this era, and if I interfered with the girl recklessly, the backlash could reach the villagers.

However, even if my head understood that immediately, I couldn’t help the discomfort in a corner of my heart.

It was a moment where I keenly understood why protagonists in movies or novels sometimes make unreasonable judgments.

‘Even if it’s someone I’ve never met before, is it right for me, frightened by a Specter, to abandon that girl and go my way?’

As an Exorcist, that felt somewhat wrong.

Moreover, I couldn’t help but recall the purpose for which I came to this past era.

The intent was to raise the overall combat power of our side, but of course, that applied to me as well.

I came here to obtain greater power.

Unless it was an opponent I couldn’t possibly face, fleeing without even confirming its identity didn’t make sense.

“Tell me about that guy. Characteristics, appearance, anything at all.”

At my words, the girl’s expression turned to one of incomprehension.