The first sensation I felt was cold.
A coldness that pierced my entire body.
Just how cold must it be for a body trained in fire arts to feel this chilled?
“Fwhoo.”
I exhaled briefly, and a puff of white breath emerged. Seeing it, I immediately slapped my cheek.
Smack—!
I struck it hard enough to leave it tingling.
“It hurts.”
It hurt. Which meant my senses were functioning properly.
I examined my surroundings, taking stock one thing at a time.
“Hmm.”
I heightened my perception and concentrated, but there was nothing in particular to see. Only pitch-black darkness.
How should I put it…
‘It looks like somewhere I’ve seen before.’
The sight was familiar. If I had seen it before, where had it been? After thinking for a moment, I quickly remembered.
‘It’s similar to that place.’
Around the time I fought Yeongpung in the Martial Arts Festival.
The space where I had encountered the other God, Noya, inside that bastard. This place looked quite similar to it.
The difference was—
‘The floor.’
Tap, tap.
I knocked on the ground with my toes. The floor felt hard. That was the biggest difference.
‘Back then, it was water.’
The ink-dark water that had filled the floor. It was still a black world, but this place was different from then.
‘It’s hard.’
The floor was solid. It was actual ground. Feeling its texture, I let out a sigh.
“What the hell is this place now?”
What kind of bullshit was this again? My face twisted into a frown.
Why was I suddenly here?
“All I did was eat one elixir.”
I had only eaten a single newly made Poison Heaven Pill, and this was what happened.
“Hmm.”
I turned the matter over in my mind.
‘What is this?’
Why had this happened?
This was an immediate manifestation. It was right to assume that it had activated the moment I swallowed the elixir.
‘My five senses are working properly, but it’s hard to say this is reality.’
Too many things had happened for me to regard it casually, even if I tried to think about it simply.
‘…Usually, there was always a reason when something like this happened.’
This situation had occurred for some reason.
The important thing was identifying what mechanism had triggered it.
‘Was it because of the Poison Heaven Pill?’
The Poison Heaven Pill infused with my energy. Had ingesting it caused this problem…? Or—
‘Something else.’
Was there another cause?
I pondered it, but nothing came to mind for now. There was simply too little information to work with.
If there was one fortunate thing, it was this—
‘It’s not as if there’s absolutely nothing here.’
A black sky and a black earth. An environment devoid of even the slightest trace of presence.
I wondered what could possibly be in a place like this, but—
‘What is it?’
Strangely, I could feel something.
And what I felt was—
‘Disgusting.’
An incredibly unpleasant, goddamn feeling.
It was a revolting sensation that was difficult to describe.
It felt as though bugs were crawling all over my body, and nausea rose to the back of my throat.
What kind of sensation was this?
My face twisted, and I stared toward one place. Beyond the sight that appeared only as darkness.
‘Is it over there?’
The source of this inexplicable disgust could be felt from that direction.
I immediately began walking.
I truly did not want to go there even if it killed me, but I had to go regardless. Wasn’t that obvious from everything I had experienced up until now?
I had to go there for anything to progress.
‘What is it this time?’
I had lived through all manner of absurdities, so perhaps I wouldn’t be surprised no matter what appeared now. At this point, curiosity had taken precedence over unease.
I continued walking across the ground.
As I followed the direction that seemed to agree with my thoughts, the sensation grew stronger.
What could be at the very end? What could be there to make me feel such intense revulsion?
Just as these questions continued to chase one another—
“Hmm?”
Something began to take shape ahead.
It was difficult to see properly, so I narrowed my eyes. It remained the same.
Still, I could tell I was nearing my destination.
Suppressing the growing sluggishness in my steps, I forced myself onward. After walking a little farther, the source of my discomfort finally revealed itself clearly.
The problem was—
“…What the hell is that?”
What on earth was it? Even looking at it, I couldn’t tell.
What stood before me was a door.
A very large door at that.
It was made of black metal of unknown origin. I approached and examined it more closely.
But no matter how much I looked, I couldn’t determine what it was.
All I could tell was that it was a thick, black iron door. And, for some reason, it was tightly wrapped in thick chains.
That was all I could see for now.
‘This is ominous.’
Just looking at it irritated me. At this point, I felt I might even start getting angry.
Was there something on the door? I cautiously reached out my hand.
The only sensation against my palm was the characteristic coldness of iron.
Just when I thought there was no other difference—
Rumbleeeeeee—!!!
“…!?”
Suddenly, a harsh vibration and noise came from the door. The shaking was so intense that even the ground seemed ready to tremble apart.
Seeing this, I hurriedly backed away.
“Fuck.”
What was trying to burst out this time? I raised my guard and stared at the door.
It looked strange at a glance. Should I just run away now?
‘Run where?’
There was no place to flee.
I didn’t even know how I had gotten here, so what good would running do?
Whoosh—! Instinctively, I raised my energy. I steadied myself and regulated my breathing.
“Hssssss.”
I exhaled a thin breath and activated my body. I prepared for any situation that might arise.
Rumbleeeeeee—!!!!
The iron door continued to roar for a long while.
Rumble…
As time passed, the vibrations gradually subsided. It had seemed as though the entire area might be destroyed, and I wondered if the door would explode. Fortunately, that did not seem to be the case.
Still, I couldn’t let my guard down just because it had stopped.
No one knew what might happen next.
Thus, I kept my perception fully heightened and watched the door warily when—
Clink.
The chains binding the door shifted slightly.
Clatterrr—!! Thud—! Thud, thud—!!
They came loose in an instant and fell to the floor. They were not small, and an enormous crash rang out when they struck the ground.
This, too, had happened without warning. I stared at the chains with slight bewilderment when—
Creeeeak.
This time, the sound came from the door.
The door, which had seemed as immovable as an impregnable fortress even in death, began to react.
‘It’s opening.’
Slowly. With tremendous difficulty, it was forcing a gap open.
Watching it, I narrowed my eyes and rubbed my arm. Gooseflesh had already risen across my skin.
Cold sweat ran down my forehead as well as along my spine.
It had begun the moment the door started to open.
‘This is insane.’
I wiped the sweat from my chin. My pounding heart was no longer something I could control.
‘This is driving me crazy.’
From the narrow opening in the door came something impossible. Something unfathomably deep and distant—
‘Killing intent.’
The fundamental emotion of needing to kill something, an energy that had accumulated and taken form.
Killing intent was an energy whose level differed according to the depth of the emotion behind it.
Just as a martial artist’s years were held within their dantian, killing intent revealed how much murderous will had existed throughout those years.
And the energy I felt now was extraordinarily violent and arrogant.
Violent enough to make me pour all my strength into my guard.
What kind of savage killing intent was this? What kind of twisted bastard was inside for me to feel killing intent like this?
‘He definitely won’t be normal.’
Whatever was inside, it was certainly not all right in the head. It had even made me think about running away.
“Whew.”
After taking a deep breath, I stepped forward.
I clearly didn’t want to look, but there was only one thing I could do.
Why else would that door suddenly open?
‘It wants me to look. What else could it be?’
I knew the answer, and I couldn’t turn away.
I approached. Examining the gap, I realized one thing.
‘It won’t open with ordinary strength.’
I hadn’t tried to force it open, but I could tell I would need to use all my strength.
The important thing was—
‘It can be opened.’
If I applied enough force, it seemed I could open it. I knew that much.
Paradoxically, realizing it could be opened made me feel worse. Wasn’t it as if something were pushing me from behind, telling me to open the door?
Feeling that, I peered through the opening. It was too narrow to squeeze through, but just wide enough to see inside.
‘Let’s see.’
What was inside? What could be emitting such a dreadful energy?
Curiosity mingled with my tension.
What kind of insane monster was seeking me out this time?
I steadied my breathing and looked through the gap.
‘Hmm?’
The inside of the door was filled with the same darkness as before.
My first impression was that there was nothing there. But—
‘There is.’
That thought faded within a few seconds. I could sense something beyond the darkness. At the center of a background shrouded in black mist, something was there.
‘A chair?’
It was a chair of considerable size. Why was such a chair here all of a sudden? Moreover—
‘…Who is that?’
Someone was sitting on it. The moment I saw him, I knew.
‘It’s him.’
The one who had set every nerve in my body on edge. The owner of this absurd killing intent. It was definitely him.
I narrowed my eyes, trying to see more clearly.
As time passed, the figure gradually grew sharper.
An outline that had previously been invisible began to emerge.
The first thing I could determine was this: the person sitting on the chair was human.
I couldn’t properly gauge his height, but he didn’t seem particularly tall. He appeared to be wearing a black martial artist’s robe.
His pose had one hand supporting his chin, and his face was—
“…”
I froze completely at that point.
It felt as though the gooseflesh covering my body had penetrated all the way into my soul.
Only after seeing his face did I realize the source of the strangeness I had felt all this time.
The killing intent and disgust terrifying enough to make me panic.
They made me want to flee at once, but within them was an inexplicable familiarity.
Without that familiarity, I would never have walked this far.
What could possibly feel so familiar within this dreadful energy?
The inexplicable question was finally answered.
“Ha.”
A hollow breath escaped me.
The figure sitting on the large, thick chair was looking at me.
Purple irises and blackened sclera were directed toward me.
Creak.
The figure stirred and opened his mouth.
[I ask you.]
With every word he spoke, the killing intent grew denser.
I had wondered what kind of twisted bastard could emit such killing intent, but… damn it.
[Why]
That idiotic bastard looking at me was none other than—
[Are you still alive?]
Myself in my previous life.
*****************
Young Master…! Young Master…!
“…Young Master Gu!”
“…!”
I snapped back to my senses, my eyes flashing open at the piercing voice in my ears.
“…Huh….”
I supported my collapsing body.
I staggered as I looked around.
The first thing I saw was the Poison King’s face. He was staring at me, apparently startled.
Judging by his reaction, not much time seemed to have passed.
My body also appeared to be standing without any problem.
“Young Master Gu…! Are you all right? Hey!”
“Ah, yes, I’m fine…”
I waved my hand as I answered the Poison King. Even as I spoke, my mind was in turmoil.
Just organizing what I had experienced moments ago was overwhelming.
‘What was that just now?’
What had I experienced? Why had I gone there, and in that place—
‘That was me, wasn’t it?’
Me. More precisely, had it been me from my previous life? Could this truly have been caused by the Poison Heaven Pill I had just made?
‘If so, why…?’
Just as I was about to repeat the question and seek an answer—
“Young Master Gu. Are you really all right? Young Master Gu…!”
I had to bite my lip slightly at the Poison King’s voice.
I had said I was fine, yet he continued to ask, which was beginning to grate on my nerves.
“No, Lord Tang, I really told you I’m fine…”
I waved my hand again as I spoke, but—
“—fine… Huh?”
I stopped mid-sentence and froze.
The hand in my field of vision was extremely strange.
“…Uh?”
It wasn’t a hand. It was definitely shaped like one, but—
Fwoosh—…
My hand was burning.
No, I possessed fire arts, and I had wrapped my hands in flames many times before. But this was different.
‘It is flame itself.’
The sensation of my flesh becoming flame. It was a strange feeling beyond description.
‘If the wind blows, I feel like I’ll just be carried away.’
I didn’t even know how I was holding on to this phenomenon. I felt unstable and anxious, as if I were floating in midair.
“…Are you really all right?”
“…No. I don’t think I’m all right.”
“…”
A person’s hand had turned into this, so how could I possibly be fine? And it wasn’t only my hand.
‘My body seems to have changed as well.’
It felt as if thirty percent of my body, not just my hand, had become flame.
It was burning. Flame so vivid it was almost unreal.
I felt as though I were no longer myself. Since I had never experienced anything like this before, I had no way to explain it.
The important thing was—
‘I feel like I can do anything.’
Beyond the unease, I felt exhilaration. An inexplicable sense of superiority.
‘This.’
This sensation.
I had seen it. I knew it for certain.
Though it was a sensation I had never experienced myself, I had seen it before. Fortunately, it didn’t take long to realize what it was, because the scene was already etched firmly into my mind.
‘Father?’
It had been relatively recent, too—when I encountered a Heaven-Grade monster while traveling to the Northern Sea.
At the time, Father had told me to watch closely before crushing the Heaven-Grade monster to pieces.
And this flame—
—Nine-Flame Extreme-Suppressing Mountain, Five Forms.
The feeling was exactly the same as the flame Father had shown me then.
If that was true—
‘Could this flame be…?’
Was this the power that could only be obtained after achieving grand mastery of the Nine-Flame Wheel Technique?
Snap.
“Oh.”
The instant I thought that, the flames vanished.
My hand returned to normal, and so did the rest of my body.
The exhilaration disappeared.
It felt as though I had been floating in the sky before suddenly plummeting to the ground.