Chapter 491 - Do You Need It?
Shinui is looking for a White Demon Stone.
The branch chief had clearly said so.
'A White Demon Stone.'
An object said to no longer exist, save for remnants left behind after martial artists of that time slew the White-grade demon beasts that roamed centuries ago.
In terms of rarity, it was far more precious than a Night Bright Pearl, and existed in only small quantities.
But that wasn't all. The bigger problem was—
'It's useless.'
Demon Stones that emerged from demon beasts had no use to begin with.
They possessed beautiful colors, so one might consider cutting and setting them as jewels, but—
Demon Stones that came from demon beasts lost their color after a few days, turning into ordinary rocks, so they couldn't even be used for that.
That was precisely why I went through the trouble of personally hunting demon beasts to harvest Demon Stones myself.
'Losing their color means losing their energy.'
There was no need to bother paying attention to Demon Stones devoid of energy to absorb.
Moreover, it was only because I possessed the Demonic Heaven Absorption Art that I could even make use of Demon Stones.
For anyone else, they were merely useless byproducts.
Considering this, a White Demon Stone that had yet to lose its color and still held energy was an anomaly in itself.
And the fact that Shinui needed such a thing was quite strange.
'Why?'
Just why.
Why was Shinui looking for a White Demon Stone?
Could this be the reason Shinui had come to Sacheon?
Furthermore, even if Shinui obtained a White Demon Stone—
'Does he have a way to use it?'
It was nothing short of astounding that an ordinary human could use a Demon Stone to accomplish anything.
'Hmm.'
While thinking about that, I naturally couldn't help but recall the White Demon Stone I possessed.
The White Demon Stone I had obtained from the secret vault of the Dangje Clan—fortunately, like the Night Bright Pearl, I had taken it with me and stored it separately.
It was still in a state where it hadn't been absorbed.
'It wasn't as though I had left it unabsorbed with some special intention, but...'
I simply hadn't had the time.
I had escaped a body that seemed on the verge of death not long after reconstructing my vessel.
And because I had succeeded in completely stabilizing a previously imperfect realm at the same time, there had been no need to consume the White Demon Stone.
'I didn't need it right away.'
While more energy was always better, increasing it too much at once inevitably took a long time to settle.
If I rushed, some energy would be wasted, so I had planned to consume it once things calmed down.
'...And now, of all times, Shinui needs it...'
If someone like Shinui had gone so far as to visit a merchant guild to inquire about it, it seemed to be a fairly urgent matter.
'Hmm.'
Having grasped that much, something flashed through my mind.
A conversation I had shared with Wiseora in the past. It vaguely came to mind.
How Wiseora, at the Sword Venerable's request, had borrowed Shinui's power and the efficacy of the Demon Sealing Stone to forcibly seal away his strength.
At the time, I hadn't really understood why such a choice had been made.
'This is perfect timing.'
The very person I could ask about this had appeared; the situation couldn't be more ideal.
Better yet—
'...He's come holding a weakness. And I'm supposed to have the key to shaking him?'
It was undeniably the best possible situation.
Though I held favorable feelings toward Shinui, my situation was too urgent to rely on such shallow sentiment.
As I was thinking that far ahead and beginning to organize the sequence of what to do—
"You seem to have something urgent on your mind."
"..."
I had to snap my attention to the voice coming from before me.
Because there was someone I was facing right now.
The moon had just risen.
It was right after finishing the affairs of the White Flower Merchant Guild, taking the children and Hyeon for a brief stroll, stopping by an inn for a hasty meal, and returning.
Only one thing remained on the schedule after that.
"I came because you called, yet here you are, lost in thought right before my eyes. Tsk, tsk."
Facing Paejon.
I had met with Paejon immediately upon arriving at the Dangje Clan.
At Paejon's words as he clicked his tongue briefly, I slightly lowered my head and spoke.
"...My apologies."
There had been so many matters that I had let my mind wander for a moment. It was terribly rude of me, especially since I was the one who had asked to see him.
Fortunately, Paejon didn't seem to care much about that.
"It's fine."
I looked at Paejon as he waved his hand roughly.
Paejon seemed to have been training until just moments ago; heat and sweat filled his body.
Though my sense of smell had grown stronger, there was almost never a moment when Paejon's body didn't smell of sweat.
It had always been that way; he always seemed to be training. It was just that neither I nor others could see it.
As I was looking at him thus, Noya spat out words in my mind.
[Remarkable.]
'Are you speaking of Paejon?'
[Yes. I've wanted to say this every time I see him, but that man is no ordinary existence. He feels different.]
'Is that so?'
When I had first met Paejon, Noya had been asleep, so we hadn't been able to discuss this.
I wondered just how Paejon appeared to Noya now.
It was a sudden curiosity.
Surely Paejon had undergone rejuvenation and his physical body had declined significantly. How could he be different?
[His physical body is held together far too well.]
'Pardon?'
Doubt sprang forth immediately.
His physical body was held together well? It shouldn't be possible after undergoing rejuvenation.
The moment I showed doubt, Noya continued his explanation as if untangling the matter.
[Ordinarily, that is the norm. Meridians and bodies destroyed by rejuvenation can never return to their original state.]
The physiques of martial artists elevated before undergoing rejuvenation.
Those who had experienced it could never recover to that point.
No matter how many fortuitous encounters they absorbed or how much enlightenment they gained.
Their realm might rise, but the vessel of their body had already collapsed and could not recover.
But then, what had Noya meant?
[That his physique is well held together means that the assimilation rate between his energy and body is high. Unlike a collapsed body, to merge his energy and body so well... It is truly remarkable.]
'...Hmm.'
I had to rack my brain to understand Noya's words a little better.
When a martial artist reached the pinnacle, the inner energy within their dantian gradually seeped into their body.
Thanks to that, their grip strength and five senses changed, so martial artists called the pinnacle a point of transformation.
I wondered if this was what Noya meant.
'But assimilation rate...'
Keeping that in mind, I examined Paejon's body.
It wasn't a body I had observed closely before, and I couldn't see anything now either.
Perhaps sensing my gaze, Paejon tilted his head slightly.
"What are you looking at so intently?"
"...Nothing. I was merely looking because you seemed to be training diligently."
"Hmm."
At my words, Paejon's gaze swept across my body.
Was he trying to check whether I had been training?
'...If so, I'm not very confident about that.'
I had been running around here and there without any training, so this was something I truly lacked confidence in.
As I endured Paejon's gaze with faint worry, I suddenly saw a strange glint in his eyes.
Grab.
"...!"
The moment I noticed it, he suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled.
The situation happened so quickly that I couldn't react properly.
"Sir...?"
Filled with confusion, I called out to Paejon, but he held my arm and began staring at me with an intense gaze.
"What is this?"
"Pardon?"
"What on earth happened? What is this body?"
"...!"
I tried to hurriedly pull my arm free at his words, but his tight grip wouldn't release.
'Don't tell me he noticed.'
Not even the Poison King had noticed the effects of the Body Metamorphosis Technique, yet Paejon seemed to have realized the moment he saw me.
'...I can't even tell when I look at myself. How did he notice?'
The difference was so minute that I couldn't feel it even examining my own body.
Did that mean Paejon had noticed this change with complete ease?
"What trouble have you caused now?"
"..."
Paejon's gaze was incredibly intense.
It was a gaze that said he would never let go unless I gave a proper answer.
Damn it.
This wasn't why I had wanted to meet.
'What should I do...?'
I considered making excuses, but one look in Paejon's eyes told me otherwise.
This wasn't something that could be resolved with a few simple excuses.
'Tch.'
I had merely wanted to ask how I should train and learn martial arts going forward, yet to be discovered the moment we met.
Had I underestimated Paejon?
While I was caught in his grip, agonizing over the situation for some time—
I finally made a decision.
I knew fleeing was impossible anyway. Moreover, it was something I would have had to tell Paejon eventually.
From the standpoint of learning martial arts, there was no hiding it forever.
Sueuuu.
I moved the energy of my heart.
Operating my inner energy according to the mnemonic verses implanted by the Dangje Clan, I immediately felt a change in my body.
Crack.
"...!"
As my bones shifted and muscles moved, I saw Paejon's eyes widen.
My field of vision gradually rose, my muscles expanded, and I felt my physique growing larger.
By at least half a span.
I had grown that much taller, and my build had become considerably larger.
This was my true, original body.
I had thought the Body Metamorphosis Technique altered the body absurdly without using much inner energy.
But reducing the body and returning it to its original state—the difference was greater than expected.
Because I could feel that the inner energy bursting from my heart had increased dramatically.
Feeling the heat that was gradually beginning to activate, I slowly opened my eyes.
The first thing I saw were Paejon's eyes, still the same.
They were the most intense gaze I had ever seen from Paejon.
Could he be bewildered at how such a situation had occurred?
Well, if I were him, I too would be shocked if my disciple appeared in such a state after not seeing him for a few days.
Then, where should I start explaining?
Even if I couldn't explain the left arm wrapped in scales, I had to explain the body.
Because I knew the path Paejon wished me to take.
He wished for me to inherit his martial arts. He also wished for me to reach the end of that path.
Because I knew well what Paejon wanted from me, it was all the more burdensome.
'Because I am no longer human.'
To break through the limits as a human and rise higher.
Paejon wished to achieve that through his martial arts.
But I was already at a point where it was too late for that.
'It's not like I knew things would turn out this way...'
There was nothing I could do simply because I felt wronged.
Regardless of my will, this was the result, so it would be offensive to Paejon, who would have expected conviction from me.
Because I knew that, it was difficult to broach the subject with Paejon.
"...The thing is."
Seeing Paejon's trembling eyes, I opened my hesitant lips to say something.
Grab.
Paejon grabbed not just the arm he was holding, but my opposite shoulder as well.
"What is this?"
He quickly examined my body this way and that as he spat out words.
"How did you do this?"
The moment I thought he was asking about the true essence of the martial art—
"What art is this? I've never seen it before? It doesn't seem to simply end at transforming the body. What principle is it based on? How does the inner energy move? Where did the dantian go? Does this mean the inner energy starts from the heart when moved? Can you fight while transformed? Then you could extend only your arms and legs to close the distance. Adjusting distance by shrinking and extending would be good for launching surprise attacks."
"..."
I was forced to make a blank expression at the rapid torrent of words.
How many sentences had he spat out in that short time...?
I couldn't come to my senses at his machine-gun-like speech.
"Why do you not answer?"
"...No... I..."
I didn't know what or how to answer.
So many questions were pouring out that my head was beginning to hurt.
Unlike what I had expected—that he would scold me, asking how I had ended up like this—Paejon seemed interested not only in my changed body but even more so in the Body Metamorphosis Technique.
This was an unexpected reaction....
As I was rolling my eyes, not knowing what to say—
[I see.]
Noya spoke to me as if he had realized something.
[They say like attracts like. Not only you, but that one is quite the freak as well. Of course. There couldn't possibly be a normal person around you, brat. Hmph.]
"..."
His words, spoken as if relieved, were filled with infuriating remarks.
But what made me even angrier was—
that I couldn't even bring myself to refute those damn words.