Chapter 255

Before I could even ponder what that meant, the Taoist Masters of Daehwarim, having noticed the situation was resolved, hesitantly began approaching me.

“Are… are they dead?”

“Yes. They have been definitively exorcised.”

“Just who are you? That was clearly no ordinary Specter…”

Jang Ryeokyeong, who was leading the group, asked me with a somewhat cowed attitude, as if he still couldn’t believe what he had seen. His tone had changed completely, seeming quite troubled by the power I had displayed.

“There’s nothing special about my identity. I merely wander from place to place, exorcising Specters.”

“…First, thank you for saving our lives. If not for you, we would all have been trapped in the city, helpless, and become that thing’s meal.”

Jang Ryeokyeong bowed his head deeply. Then he continued speaking.

“I don’t know how you reached such a level at that age, but it’s remarkable. No, could it be that even your appearance is concealed by some art?”

Feeling no particular need to correct the misunderstanding, I remained silent in response.

At that, Jang Ryeokyeong sighed in admiration and, after a brief silence, spoke to me in a low voice.

If it’s not too presumptuous, please visit our Great Flower Forest in the future. We can properly repay the favor, and for a Taoist Master of your caliber, the Patriarch would surely welcome you.”

As it didn’t seem to harbor any ulterior motive, I gave a small nod.

After that, we gathered the people freed from the city’s bondage and carefully checked their condition.

“Is this everyone?”

“It seems so. Everyone’s energy is depleted, but it doesn’t seem anyone’s life is in immediate danger.”

The reason wasn’t hard to guess.

Those whose vitality had been drained to the point of being unable to recover were probably all directly devoured by that thing.

While everyone avoided mentioning that fact, Jang Ryeokyeong continued with a hardened expression.

“Even so, it’s troublesome. They’re all in a state requiring treatment, let alone being able to walk on their own. How are we to get them back to Cheongra…”

Indeed.

Considering the considerable distance to Cheongra, moving them would obviously be no small hardship.

“We could use Shikigami to move them, but we’d have to constantly alternate between rest and recovery. It’s simply beyond our means.”

Seeing his genuinely agonized expression, I somehow found myself laughing anew.

Well, for anyone who normally handles Shikigami Art, that would be common sense.

It felt like I was experiencing that obvious fact for the first time in a long while.

“There’s no need to worry. I will take charge of moving them.”

“Are… are you sure?”

“Yes. If it’s just for movement, there’s no need to summon particularly powerful Shikigami.”

In an instant, I summoned numerous Shikigami to carry the victims and their confiscated belongings, drawing involuntary admiration from the Daehwarim Taoist Masters.

And so, around sunset and dawn, we were able to arrive back in Cheongra.

“My gratitude is beyond words. As promised, I will grant your request to the best of my ability.”

To their safely rescued and returned companions, the merchants expressed their profound gratitude to me.

Especially Heo Choong-kyeong, their representative, who seemed to have heard something from Jang Ryeokyeong, was treating me as if I were some kind of immortal.

“They said without you, they wouldn’t have even dared to attempt resolving the matter. I apologize for all our previous discourteous behavior.”

“Not at all. If my companions’ lives were hanging by a thread, I would have done the same.”

After listening to their thanks for quite a while, I was finally able to convey my original business to them.

“A message?”

“Yes. If you encounter Taoist Masters matching the characteristics I described, please relay it to them as is.”

Just one phrase: come to Jinyeonsan (True Lotus Mountain).

That alone would probably allow them to realize the destination, preventing any potential misunderstandings.

“Understood. I’ll not only do that but also ask other merchants we know.”

“I would be most grateful if you could.”

Since Heo Choong-kyeong and his group were said to be quite well-known among merchants, with their help, there might be some results.

After parting with the merchants, I returned to the lodging I had secured earlier and calmly sorted through the situation.

‘With this, funds won’t be a problem for a while.’

Thanks to the merchants and Daehwarim Taoist Masters eagerly expressing their sincerity, a considerable sum of money had accumulated.

Who knows, it seems there won’t be any particular shortage of money on the journey ahead.

[Are you thinking of heading to the rumored northern city?]

“I’m considering it.”

A rumor that a city about four days’ journey to the north was recently hiring and gathering Taoist Masters.

With luck, I might encounter the group; even if not, it certainly seemed like a rather interesting incident.

[Well, you have to travel somewhere anyway.]

That was true.

Whatever it was, staying in one place wouldn’t yield anything.

Now was the time to keep moving.

After making preparations to leave, I finally met Soyool.

As I had roughly guessed last time, she had commendably found work and a place to stay.

“Yeah. I won’t have to worry for a while now. Are you leaving, Oppa?”

“I have to.”

“…Thank you for everything until now.”

With that, Soyool smiled and headed back inside the restaurant to help with work again.

I also watched her for a moment, then quietly turned and walked towards the city entrance.

There, Jang Ryeokyeong’s group, also prepared to travel, were purchasing supplies from merchants, and they spoke to me as if they had been waiting.

“It seems you’re also planning to head north. If it’s alright, would you travel with us?”

“Is it because of the rumor for you all as well?”

“That’s right. It appears the Pyeong Clan currently managing that place is hiring Taoist Masters with a hefty sum. With your skills, you could likely secure a substantial share and more.”

Since Daehwarim (Great Flower Forest) is fundamentally a profit-seeking Taoist group, it seemed they had no reason not to go.

“Do you have any idea about their circumstances?”

“That, we cannot know. Perhaps a troublesome Specter has settled near the city, or maybe they have some separate business.”

However, judging by the scale, whatever it was, it wouldn’t be a trivial matter.

Indeed, the situation aligned with my objectives in several ways, so I nodded and accepted Jang Ryeokyeong’s proposal. And I set out on the road with them.

“Brother, I heard you’re looking for several people. What’s your relationship with them?”

Cheolwoong, who had amiably approached me, spoke in a gentle manner. He too seemed to have been affected by past events, as his attitude was completely different from before. Rather, his overly earnest gaze made me feel unnecessarily burdened.

“They are my companions. Due to circumstances, we were scattered, and contact was lost, so we are searching for each other.”

“Huh, are they as strong Taoist Masters as you, Brother?”

“We are roughly on par with each other.”

“That’s monstrous talk.”

Cheolwoong shook his head as if disgusted and continued.

“Brother, you don’t seem particularly interested in wealth. What is your goal, if I may ask?”

“…It’s difficult to summarize in a single word. Roughly speaking, it’s to fight powerful Specters, increase my strength, and find a certain answer.”

“Getting even stronger than that? Are you planning to take down some legendary Polar Demon or something?”

“What’s that?”

At my words, Cheolwoong tilted his head and asked me instead.

“That monster from old tales, you know. They say it might still be alive somewhere in the world even now.”

Only then did I realize the identity of the Specter Cheolwoong was referring to.

It was none other than Polar Night.

It was clearly the being signifying the king of all Specters.

‘Come to think of it, that makes sense.’

I’m not sure of the exact point in time, but if Hochoong is alive, then Polar Night must also be alive and existing somewhere in this era.

Surely, it would be nursing wounds obtained from the sacrifice of one of its predecessors, who shared the same fate as Hochoong.

In the original, Yoo Haon’s group returned after a short period of training, so there was no chance of encountering it, but here the circumstances are different.

‘If I just look for it, is it possible to face it even at this point?’

Of course, it wasn’t particularly beneficial.

After all, this is the World of Forbidden Techniques, a space separate from reality.

Also, no matter how powerful the Mountain Sky’s Secret Art was, I doubted it could recreate Polar Night, called the king of all Specters, close to the original.

‘Even so…’

It was somewhat intriguing.

Whatever the case, it was an opportunity to at least glimpse the form of a formidable enemy I would face later.

“By any chance, do you know well about the Specters that have made a name for themselves in recent decades?”

“Huh? Well, being part of Daehwarim, I know about as much as others. But I’d think you’d know better than me, Brother.”

“I haven’t been out in the world for relatively long, so unlike my other companions, I’m not well-versed in worldly matters.”

“Ah, something like secluded training?”

As if he didn’t intend to dig too deep, Cheolwoong pondered for a moment and began reciting the contents he remembered to me.

First, there’s Kyeongkang, said to reside somewhere on the mountaintop that reaches the clouds, and Kwimae, who is said to wield arts surpassing even renowned Taoist Masters. Also, the leaders of the Sadoopae (Four Headed Emblem), a Specter group from Jirikok, are said to be immensely powerful.”

“Is that so?”

“There are many others besides, but… that’s what comes to mind right now.”

That alone was quite significant information. Above all, learning that Sadoopae (Four-Headed Brand) was active in this era was sufficient.

‘Somehow, it seems the timeline is slightly different from the original…’

In fact, I had felt a strange sense of incongruity while moving around until now.

But now it seems the time period is completely different from the era within the Secret Art that Yoo Haon’s group went to.

‘I should focus on gathering information about this part as well.’

Over the course of the four-day long journey, I was able to receive a considerable amount of common knowledge and information from the Daehwarim Taoist Masters.

Frankly, it was a suggestion I accepted without much thought, but it turned out to be far more helpful than expected.

‘Perhaps visiting Daehwarim as they suggested might be a good idea…’

Listening to their stories, it seemed there were several Taoist Masters in Daehwarim superior to Jang Ryeokyeong’s group, and I could likely obtain much information from them.

Resolving to visit at least once if the opportunity arose, I finally set foot in Hoobaek (Thick Cypress), the city across from Cheongra, together with Jang Ryeokyeong’s group.