EP.36 In Search of the Secret Vault. (4)
The snake was coiled up, emitting a pure white light as it looked down at us.
"T-That's a huge snake...!"
I bit my lip at Wi Seol-ah's words.
This was the worst possible situation.
'...A demonic beast?'
A snake of that size could only be explained as a demonic beast.
If the one speaking was also that snake... A demonic beast with intelligence?
I had never even heard of such a thing.
Let alone a demonic beast of that size.
What should I do? With this body, I wouldn't be able to leave a single scratch on it.
At the very least, I had to ensure Wi Seol-ah's escape.
Then how should I draw its attention...?
As if reading my thoughts, the snake spoke.
-Withdraw your power, child. I am not hungry now.
Did that mean it had no hostility?
Hiding my cold sweat at those words, I asked.
"...Can you understand speech?"
-That is why we are conversing.
"How can a demonic beast speak human language?"
-Demonic beast... How amusing.
The snake flicked its tongue.
Even that flexible tongue looked larger than me.
-So that is what they call us in this era.
Somehow it was a bitter voice.
It didn't seem hostile, but I couldn't trust a demonic beast, so I didn't withdraw my qi.
The snake flashed its golden eyes and asked me.
-...I am curious, child. One who is not of the Gold Family's bloodline, how could you reach this place?
"Gold Family...?"
Was it referring to the Geumcheon Yeon Family?
"...The Geumcheon Yeon Family disappeared hundreds of years ago."
At my words, the snake's eyes widened.
Then slowly closed them.
Srrrk.
The snake coiled its massive body even tighter.
It had only moved slightly, but due to its size, the room seemed to shake.
-...So it has come to that. It was inevitable after all.
The massive head it had been holding up slowly descended to the ground.
-But still, I am curious. Even if my power fades, this is not a place easily found. How did you reach here?
'...If it mentions power, is the formation array set up in the secret vault this demonic beast's power?'
A demonic beast with such absurd power.
It was a terrifying thought.
How should I answer the demonic beast's question?
In truth, Wi Seol-ah had basically done everything alone—searching, breaking, tearing her way in—so I didn't have much to say.
"...I just looked for it and found it."
-...Is that so.
The snake let out an incredulous voice then paused. Its gaze shifted somewhere.
It was definitely looking at Wi Seol-ah.
A slight light appeared in the snake's golden eyes as it looked at Wi Seol-ah.
Given its size, it was a face that instinctively evoked fear.
Wi Seol-ah, perhaps frightened by the gaze, burrowed further into my back.
Watching that, the snake's head pulled back slightly, creating distance.
-I see... So that's how it is.
What? Why was it understanding things on its own?
-Child, for what purpose did you seek this place?
Then the snake abruptly asked me.
I hesitated at the snake's question.
If the snake was connected to the Geumcheon Yeon Family, would it let us go after we came to raid the secret vault?
"We just happened to wander in."
Without realizing it, polite speech naturally slipped out.
At those words, the snake flicked its tongue.
It might have been my imagination, but it seemed to be smiling.
The snake spoke.
-Unfortunately, there is nothing left here that you would covet.
...Shit, it noticed we came to raid the vault.
Thanks to that, my back was increasingly soaking with cold sweat.
The snake slowly continued.
-My lifeline does not have much time left either, so the day this place reappears in the world cannot be far away.
'...Not much time left?'
At the snake's words, I felt I somewhat understood how the Tang Sect could have discovered this place.
If those words were true, the Tang Sect had simply discovered this place by chance after the formation array dissolved.
'No wonder it made no sense that they couldn't find the white maple tree for so long.'
Was it really true that there was nothing?
If so, what did Sect Leader Gyecheon obtain from here?
-Child.
"...Yes?"
I answered tensely at the snake's call.
This was no time to care about my pride being hurt by using polite speech.
-What do you think destiny is?
"What kind of bullshit question is... that?"
My original speech pattern slipped out at such a ridiculous question.
You crazy bastard, you can't do that in this situation.
-Hahahaha!
The snake burst into laughter at my response.
With that massive body laughing like that, my legs nearly gave out.
-You are right... I asked something too strange.
Fortunately, the snake didn't seem to be in a bad mood.
I wanted to ask why it kept asking only me questions, but I held it in.
This wasn't a situation I could salvage by losing my mind and talking back.
The snake slowly uncoiled its body.
-...When it will eventually disappear, for what did I endure.
It didn't seem like words directed at me.
Who were they directed at? The snake's body, having finished speaking, suddenly shone brilliantly.
Not the faint white light from before, but a golden light like its eyes.
Just as I was wondering if I should grab Wi Seol-ah and run immediately, something dropped from the snake's mouth.
It was a golden orb.
I picked up the orb that rolled toward me.
Then the snake spoke.
-Take it.
"...What is this?"
-It is the price for humoring this old creature. It would have ended up in another's hands soon enough anyway. It is better to give it to you, with whom I share a connection.
Despite having come from the snake's body, there was no saliva or any other foreign substance on it.
If I had to compare it, it looked similar to a demonic stone, but there was none of the ominous feeling I normally sensed from demonic stones.
Rather, the opposite—it felt brilliant and noble.
Should I say it felt sacred?
-You, who harbors such a thing within, will likely accept it more easily than others.
'Harbors? What...?'
As soon as that question arose, a scorching energy suddenly flooded into my body like crazy.
"...Kuh!"
Unable to endure the sudden agony, I collapsed.
This time too, it was because the Mado Cheonheupgong activated on its own.
I had let my guard down because there was no ominous feeling—was it a demonic stone after all?
The strange thing was that despite being a demonic stone, I couldn't feel any demonic energy at all.
The problem was that the amount of incoming energy was overwhelming.
As I was groaning, unable to withstand it, I felt Wi Seol-ah's hand stroking my back.
Then, amazingly, the violently surging energy changed direction and flowed in calmly.
The energy that had been swirling throughout my body eventually plunged into my dantian, which had been trembling in fear.
It mixed with the internal qi of the Guyeomhwa Lyungong that had been faintly generating heat within, creating a vortex inside my body.
"Ugh...!"
Because of that, the agony doubled and I felt like I would die.
At this point, didn't the snake actually try to kill me with pain? If it was going to kill me, it should have just swallowed me in one bite...!
Slowly. Then quickly.
-Bang bang bang!
There should have been nothing to hear but my groans, yet somehow I heard something exploding in my head.
Was it an illusion caused by the pain?
The energies that had been swirling together for a while finally merged into a single stream.
Eventually, what merged into a single point—
spread throughout my entire body regardless of my will.
As if something were exploding.
Reaching an agony that I couldn't endure with a sane mind.
Unable to withstand it, I finally lost consciousness.
******************
Right after Gu Yang-cheon lost consciousness, unable to withstand the energy.
Only the snake and Wi Seol-ah remained in the room. The snake chuckled as it watched.
-It seems it was too much to endure.
It was the precious orb of a being that had aspired to become a dragon, one that was just on the verge of becoming one.
Let alone swallowing it directly, even absorbing it—
would have taken a more complete amount of energy than others.
Wi Seol-ah placed Gu Yang-cheon's head on her lap and slowly stroked his fallen back.
The snake looked at Wi Seol-ah and asked.
-Are you satisfied with that?
Wi Seol-ah raised her head at the snake's question.
It wasn't her usual obsidian-like black eyes—Wi Seol-ah's eyes were dyed in golden light.
Wi Seol-ah spoke.
"It's not for me to say whether I'm satisfied or not."
None of her usual blank tone remained.
The snake looked at that and spoke in a sad voice.
-You have twisted too many things. Is that your choice?
"Why? Do you think you can't understand?"
-No, rather I understand too well, which makes it all the more painful and regrettable.
The snake slowly laid its body on the ground.
Its brightly shining scales gradually lost their light.
Wi Seol-ah, still stroking Gu Yang-cheon's back, asked.
"What about you? Why did you hand over that precious orb you treasured so much? To a human you met for the first time today, no less."
-Just a whim. There is nothing as lonely as waiting for one who will not come. I, too, have let go.
The image of a golden-haired youth smiling brightly flashed through the snake's mind.
One it could never see again.
-...Destiny is truly fleeting.
The scales gradually fell to the ground. The moment they touched the ground, the scales crumbled away.
Just like the maple leaves on the ground.
In a short while, the snake would likely disappear without a trace.
Such was the end of the spiritual creature that had handed over its precious orb.
Wi Seol-ah carefully stroked Gu Yang-cheon's head.
"Even in this situation, all he thought about was protecting me, really... What a foolish person."
Plop. Plop.
Drops of water fell on Gu Yang-cheon's face.
He could have just run away.
Even while trembling at the sight of the snake, Gu Yang-cheon never stepped aside.
Still foolish. What was he.
What right did she have, who had done nothing but resent and despise while knowing nothing.
She recalled the figure of that person who, until their final moment, didn't utter a single word for anyone but herself.
Despicable. She resented and wanted to kill.
Not anyone else, but herself.
[...Give it back now.]
A voice echoed in her ear.
Wi Seol-ah roughly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
"Sorry, I'll borrow it just a little longer."
Not yet.
It was still dangerous.
Just a little bit more.
Wi Seol-ah carefully laid Gu Yang-cheon's head on the ground and slowly stood up.
She wanted to enjoy stroking him a little more, but—
that was a luxury unfit for her, and a selfish feeling ignoring her guilt.
Wi Seol-ah slowly stretched her body.
Though it was a young and frail body, the vessel she possessed was so large that there would be no difficulty moving as she wished.
After sufficiently loosening her body, Wi Seol-ah looked toward the entrance and spoke.
"Stop watching from there and come out."
A voice as sharp as an awl and as cold as frost.
Eventually, a man with a startled face appeared from the entrance.
"...How, since when did you notice?"
"With such pathetic skill, hiding wouldn't have done you any good."
The man was none other than Ma Cheol.
He was the man who had been serving as Namgung Cheon-jun's guard from the Tang Sect.
From the very beginning.
From the time Gu Yang-cheon left the Tang Sect until now, Wi Seol-ah had known about the one following them.
No matter how great Gu Yang-cheon's past achievements were—
with his current body, he wouldn't have been able to notice a pinnacle-level martial artist following them.
"...I merely intended to finish this quietly."
Ma Cheol sighed as if there was nothing he could do.
Before he knew it, Ma Cheol had drawn his sword.
"You have good instincts, girl. I had nothing to do with you and was only going to quietly dispose of Young Master Gu, but things got tangled up."
"Is this Lord Namgung's will?"
At Wi Seol-ah's question, Ma Cheol's brows furrowed.
"How dare you! A wench like you has no right to speak of him!"
Even at Ma Cheol's shouting, Wi Seol-ah's expression remained blank.
Wi Seol-ah quietly took out a small dagger from her clothes and drew it.
Ma Cheol clicked his tongue briefly at the sight.
"What do you intend to do with that?"
Wi Seol-ah didn't answer.
Ma Cheol changed his thoughts as he looked at Wi Seol-ah.
She was pretty.
Truly pretty.
Though her appearance still showed her youth, if she was that pretty, it would be better to take her along after dealing with the Gu family's son rather than killing her.
This secret vault, that girl, and Young Master Gu's head.
It would be quite a fine harvest.
Having finished those thoughts, Ma Cheol asked Wi Seol-ah.
"Or, how about it—if you don't resist, I won't lay a finger on you."
If she struggled trying to protect her master, that precious face might get hurt.
That wouldn't please his master.
Wi Seol-ah again didn't answer.
She merely slowly drew the dagger from its sheath.
At that sight, Ma Cheol sighed with seeming regret.
"Very well, if you insist, then it can't be helped. If you're really going to be like that..."
Thud-
"Hm...?"
Ma Cheol let out a dumbfounded sound.
Because he heard something falling near him.
Then he felt a sense of incongruity.
Ma Cheol stroked his left shoulder with a trembling hand.
Cold sweat ran down Ma Cheol's cheek.
It was gone.
His left arm, which should have been there, was gone.
Looking down at the floor, what had fallen was none other than his own arm.
'When on earth...?'
Ma Cheol hadn't even seen Wi Seol-ah swing anything.
"You're noisy."
Wi Seol-ah's voice pierced his ears.
Only then did Ma Cheol sense that something was wrong.
Wi Seol-ah took a step toward Ma Cheol.
At the oppressive pressure crushing down on his body in that instant, Ma Cheol's breathing became ragged.
"...Don't open your mouth carelessly. We can't have him waking up when he's sleeping so soundly."
As she said that, Wi Seol-ah's hair began to dye in golden light.