Chapter 267

“I’m afraid I haven’t had the chance to meet any of the colleagues you mentioned.”

“…Is that so?”

I had thought that with some luck, at least one of them might have already reached Jinyeonsan, but it seemed my judgment had been too optimistic.

However, given a little more time, we would surely be able to meet someone.

So, for now, we decided to have a serious conversation with the young Hochoong before us.

“Are you sure we should tell him everything?”

Cheong Joohwa whispered worriedly, but the option of not revealing the truth to Hochoong didn’t exist in the first place.

Since we needed clues about Polar Night from him, we had no choice but to explain the entire situation.

“To cut to the chase, my colleagues and I are not from this era. With the help of a special Secret Art, we have crossed time to find you, Hochoong.”

In response, Hochoong furrowed his brows with his characteristic gentle expression and replied with a serious face.

“Lately in the marketplace… are such jokes popular?”

“……”

“My apologies, Patron. It was just such a startling thing to say.”

As if sensing the sincerity in our demeanor, Hochoong finally changed his reaction and stroked his chin with his hand.

“Hmm, theoretically it might be possible, but I never thought I’d witness such a level of sorcery in reality.”

“Do you believe us?”

“I sense no falsehood in the Patron’s words. And since you don’t seem like madmen who’ve lost their reason, what choice do I have but to accept it?”

Since he had shown a willingness to engage seriously in the conversation, I cautiously proceeded to share more detailed information with Hochoong.

“I am aware of the Great Specter Mountain Sky. However, with his power alone, it would be difficult to cause such a miraculous event… It seems there must have been a renowned Collaborator.”

If so, that would likely be Hochoong himself from the future. Within the knowledge I possessed, no other figure came to mind.

“…Weren’t you shocked?”

The truth of this world, which even Shin Pyoeul had agonized over—Hochoong’s reaction upon hearing it all was unexpectedly calm.

“Well, it is surprising, but death is the end of life. Even if I am someone’s substitute and destined to disappear eventually, it doesn’t make much difference.”

It seemed he truly was a sage who had cast off worldly attachments and reached the state of Nirvana.

I felt I had glimpsed a facet of why Hochoong would later be called the Celestial Guide Master.

“By the way, do I really reach such heights?”

“At least as far as I know, no Taoist Master as exceptional as you has emerged in later generations.”

“Hmm…”

The future Hochoong I knew felt like a truly transcendent being, so this reaction was oddly refreshing.

Yet, amidst it all, I felt a certain unease.

“Hochoong, by any chance… do you have something to tell us?”

Yeon Jaki had said that at the final moment, while sealing Polar Night, Hochoong had passed Mountain Sky’s horn to her, and that’s why we had to find Hochoong in this World of Forbidden Techniques.

But now, Hochoong showed no sign of having any answer regarding that.

“Of course, I know of Polar Night’s existence. It caused great harm due to my predecessor and is likely regaining its power somewhere even now. It’s practically the nemesis of my lifetime.”

“Then…”

“But I’m not sure, Patron. Whether the present me can handle a being that the future me couldn’t defeat…”

When you think about it, it’s only natural.

There’s no way the present Hochoong could accomplish what even the future Hochoong failed to do.

However, for us who had thought Hochoong might at least have some clue, it was profoundly disheartening.

‘Why did Hochoong give up on killing Polar Night and chose to seal it instead?’

At that, I wondered if the final boss of this Hell Difficulty in the first part of Exorcism Academy might not be Polar Night but something else.

Yet, it remained a complete mystery, with no leads in sight.

“It seems the future me must have realized something at the final moment, Patron. And the fact that he passed the horn of the Secret Art surely means it could be a clue.”

“……”

Hochoong affirmed that our attempt was correct, but that alone changed nothing.

Then, as if remembering something, Hochoong stroked his smooth chin again and continued.

“Patron, may I confirm one thing?”

“Yes. What is it?”

“In the story you shared, wasn’t it someone named Yeon Jaki who told you to find me?”

That’s right. Yeon Jaki said to find Hochoong in the World of Forbidden Techniques.

“Then, is that truly a message left by the future me? From what I hear, it sounds more like that Yeon Jaki individual’s arbitrary judgment.”

Listening to it that way, it did seem plausible.

After all, in the original work, Hochoong was defeated in the final battle against Polar Night and entrusted that battle to future generations.

Mountain Sky’s horn was merely a tool for Yoo Haon to receive teachings from Hochoong in his prime, with no other significance.

But the current situation is different. It might mean we need to shift our perspective a bit.

And when I thought that far, a sudden idea flashed through a corner of my mind.

Why is it the immature Hochoong before me, not Hochoong in his prime?

Why, unlike the original work, has the era of the World of Forbidden Techniques changed?

Guessing the reason is incredibly simple. It’s because it was necessary.

“It’s not certain, but somehow I think I understand.”

“…The future Hochoong didn’t want us to find him here.”

“What you’re thinking, Patron, is likely correct. If there is a key leading to the clue, it is not me.”

After taking a moment to compose himself, Hochoong, having finished his final deliberation, delivered his conclusion to us.

“What you must delve into is the World of Forbidden Techniques itself. The future me surely believed that somewhere in this era lies the clue to defeating Polar Night.”

After the conversation with Hochoong, we finally had a concrete guideline for the final battle.

First, find all our scattered colleagues and exchange the information we’ve gathered during our journey.

Then, after informing them of the dangers of this era, work together to find the clue to Polar Night that must exist somewhere.

To that end, as per our original plan, we began training with Hochoong while waiting for our colleagues at Jinyeonsan.

Even though it’s not his prime when he was called the Celestial Guide Master, the current Hochoong is still a powerhouse worthy of being called a monster.

Accordingly, with Hochoong’s help, we were able to achieve considerable progress.

“You Patrons truly possess remarkable talent. I too have met countless individuals called geniuses, but none at your age have wielded such power.”

It felt strange hearing such words from Hochoong, who himself possessed transcendent talent, but it certainly wasn’t an incorrect assessment.

After all, my colleagues and I had all undergone systematic training and real combat in the future, and our talents were at their peak.

Though a bit clichéd, we were nothing short of a suicide squad.

And so, as we trained day after day, eagerly awaiting our colleagues—by the third week, we finally encountered the first latecomers to arrive at Jinyeonsan.

“…Junior. Long time no see.”

“I’m glad you’re safe, Oppa.”

Arietta and Han Seoa had found us simultaneously.

“So, it’s not the Taoist Master Hochoong, but this era itself that holds the answer?”

Immediately beginning to share our gathered information, we finally heard about the two’s past experiences.

“…I met the little junior not long after.”

“We were lucky. We landed near each other from the start. We were able to join up while searching for a city with people.”

However, it seemed they too had faced rather rough experiences afterward.

“There was a group chasing a specific Specter using some kind of Cursed Tool, and for some reason, it reacted to Senior…”

“We kept fighting while being chased until the misunderstanding was cleared up.”

We asked if they had encountered anything similar to the Radiant Consort incident, but they said there was no such case.

“…If what you say is true, Junior, it’s dangerous. We need to be cautious.”

“We almost fought a fairly powerful Specter, but hearing this, I’m glad we didn’t.”

Surprisingly, they seemed to have encountered Kyeongkang, whom I had previously heard about from the Taoist Master Cheolwoong of Daehwarim.

They only sensed each other from a distance, so no conflict occurred, but it was a situation that could have easily turned into a crisis.

Once all information was shared, Seoa, who had been pondering something, voiced an opinion.

“Maybe we don’t necessarily have to avoid them like that—no, rather, shouldn’t we actively target Great Specters from now on?”

“Why?”

“Wherever the clue to Polar Night exists, there are hardly any beings with as much information as Specters who have lived for ages.”

That was certainly a reasonable thought.

Since Polar Night was also a being called the king of Specters, they might actually know more about Polar Night.

Of course, it would only be possible once our entire group is assembled, but the day will surely come when we must face them.

“Well, anyway, for now, we have no choice but to wait a little longer.”

Our colleagues are not all gathered yet.

So, including the newly joined Han Seoa and Arietta, we continued training, building up our strength day by day.

This era was already abundant with natural energy, and with the added benefit of Han Seoa’s Late Bloomer Trait effect, our growth rate became almost immeasurable.

‘I never imagined such conditions would align.’

Other factors aside, Hochoong’s presence was also a tremendous help.

The knowledge he possessed was truly invaluable, each piece beyond measure.

With Hochoong, who had already reached that realm, guiding our training based on his knowledge, we were able to gain profound insights even in a short time.

Thus, one month passed, then two.

And when it reached three months—roughly half a year since we fell into this world—we had no choice but to make a decision.

“…Something feels off, right?”

“Oppa, something is definitely going on.”

We had received help from merchants and Taoist Masters of Daehwarim, and during that time, we had also secured new informants, pouring effort into the search.

However, we couldn’t find any trace of Sophia and Yoo Haon anywhere, and they too hadn’t reached Jinyeonsan to find us.

Practically, we had been searching for them for about four months. The fact that they hadn’t been caught in the search network for that long was not something to take lightly.

“…Junior, I think waiting longer is meaningless.”

“I agree. It seems it’s time to move.”

We had hoped to gather everyone at Jinyeonsan if possible, but given the situation, it wasn’t the time to sit around engaging in empty talk.

And so, after months of training, we left Jinyeonsan.

To find the whereabouts of the missing Sophia and Yoo Haon.