Around the wild mountain where the three, including Sin Hyeok, had fallen.
In a cave near the peak of Dolsan, a little girl wearing a martial robe was looking outside with a telescope.
“Sohye, stop that and eat.”
The child with her hair braided into two pigtails did not turn around even at the middle-aged man’s call.
He, who appeared to be the child’s family, approached the intently focused girl and crouched down beside her.
“Namgung Sohye. What are you looking at so intently?”
Namgung Sohye looked at her grandfather with very wide eyes.
“Grandfather. There are people over there.”
He was indifferent.
“Yes. Stop watching and let’s eat.”
The child puffed out her cheeks and glared at her grandfather’s back.
“They’re all colorful!”
“They will die soon. Leave them be.”
At his cold tone, she trudged after him.
“Grandfather… you’re mean.”
“That’s right. Your grandfather, Namgung Jincheon, is a very evil and wicked demonic lord.”
“Hieeeng!”
He ignored the grumbling coming from behind him.
He lifted Sohye and sat her down at a table carved from stone.
“Eat.”
She ate the finely sliced fruit while constantly looking outside.
“Sohye. There is nothing we can do. If we save them, we die.”
Namgung Sohye’s face crumpled into tears as she chewed the fruit.
“That’s bad.”
“I’m sorry. To survive, there is nothing we can do. Finish your fruit.”
With a face that looked about to cry, she took a big bite of the fruit.
Chew, chew.
Namgung Jincheon deliberately avoided the child’s piercing gaze.
Eventually, he got up to leave the spot.
“Hmph!”
He deliberately ignored the child’s sulking voice that rang out clearly.
Pat, pat, pat.
Then, at the sound of her suddenly running off somewhere, he hastily stopped her.
“No!”
“I’m not going over there! I’m going to watch!”
“Good grief.”
Namgung Jincheon cleaned up the eating area and checked their food supplies.
‘We need to go out soon.’
He worried about the day they would have to move their hiding place, given their scarce food.
“Huuu. This place is relatively better than the others.”
“Grandfather!”
Namgung Sohye suddenly stood up and shouted.
“They survived!”
At those words, Namgung Jincheon approached the cave entrance with an expression of disbelief.
“No way?”
He snatched the child’s telescope.
When he checked with his own eyes, the gargoyles had been melted into pieces.
“To melt monsters that even sword qi would have trouble smashing. What kind of fire arts have they mastered!”
He was simply in awe.
Sohye tugged at her grandfather’s clothes.
“Hm?”
“Grandfather. Let’s go help them.”
The child’s eyes sparkled intensely.
In the end, Namgung Jincheon relented.
“Fine. Let’s go take a look. We might be of help if we go together.”
At those words, Sohye perked up and jumped for joy.
“Hehe! Let’s go!”
* * *
“Phew. Thank goodness it’s stone.”
Sin Hyeok, who had melted the gargoyles, let out a sigh of relief.
“Wow, hyung, your knife’s edge is ruined.”
“Aaah! My sword is the same! Damn it!”
The two made tearful faces because of the stone’s considerable hardness.
“Shall I fix it for you?”
“Hm?”
Sin Hyeok took their equipment.
‘Just melt it a little.’
When he touched them lightly, only the broken parts melted and grew soft.
He waited a moment, focusing to shape them.
Soon they hardened, and the broken parts were filled in.
“This one is done.”
He found a flat stone from the gargoyle that had been quite hard.
“Just need to sharpen it.”
After rubbing it with his hand several times, it regained its former edge.
“Oh, hyung! With this, you’re like a blacksmith.”
Ichan exclaimed in admiration.
“See? I look like I’ve learned a thing or two, right?”
“Mister, that’s amazing. Now we can ask you to make equipment for us.”
The two were happy about the restored blades.
“Let’s keep moving. This place doesn’t seem right at all.”
‘I should keep mapping too. This is scary.’
He split off mana again and sent it out.
‘Let’s keep checking the waves too.’
Doing this while walking would be difficult, but in the current situation, it seemed necessary to put in this much effort.
“Let’s slow the pace. We should go while continuously checking our surroundings. Arin, take point. Ichan, rear guard.”
The two immediately took their positions.
Once positions were set, Sin Hyeok continued checking their surroundings.
Then he turned his gaze to the right.
“Halt.”
With focused eyes, Sin Hyeok stared intently to the right.
“Why?”
Ichan asked with a puzzled face, following Sin Hyeok’s gaze.
“Someone… is there.”
In the direction Sin Hyeok was staring, Namgung Jincheon was hiding his presence and even restraining his aura.
‘Shhh.’
He covered Sohye’s mouth and urged her especially to be quiet.
Namgung Sohye also obeyed her grandfather’s words.
She sat quietly on a tree and watched them.
At one moment, he looked to the side and stopped.
‘No way?’
Then, the ordinary-looking man in the middle looked directly through Namgung Jincheon.
The moment their eyes met, his hand immediately went to the sword sheath at his waist.
“Come out!”
“Impossible. He saw this place? Or does he truly possess martial prowess surpassing the Transcendent Realm?”
The moment he hesitated, a stone flew in.
Namgung Jincheon could hardly believe the sight.
“Hehehe! How can this be! A spellcaster?!”
The stone melted and transformed into a sharply sharpened form as it flew toward him.
“Hup!”
He immediately drew his sword and deflected the stone.
Landing on the ground, he sheathed his sword and set Sohye down.
“I say, young friend! I’d like to have a word! Huh!”
Sin Hyeok paused his transmutation and looked at the opponent.
“A martial artist…?”
Ichan and Arin looked strangely at the adult and child dressed in very archaic ancient Chinese clothing.
“Wow. Are they martial artists?”
“Hyung, hyung, did those people come from the Central Plains or something?”
The two were fascinated one-sidedly.
“Wait.”
Sin Hyeok acted cautiously.
“#$*(@!@#%@($.”
He seemed to be saying something, but they couldn’t understand.
Sin Hyeok spoke to the two, sensing no hostility for now.
“Put away your weapons for now. We need to get information.”
At his words, the two immediately stowed their equipment.
Sin Hyeok raised his hand to signal they were safe and slowly approached them.
The two followed Sin Hyeok’s actions.
“Ah, we can’t communicate.”
Namgung Jincheon hastily rummaged through his pockets at the failed communication.
He took out three leather necklaces with magic crystals attached and held them out.
He used his fingers instead of words.
He alternated between pointing at his speaking mouth and the necklaces.
“Hyung, that must be something related to translation.”
Sin Hyeok carefully stepped forward.
“I’ll take them.”
He slowly approached and received the items.
Upon checking, the magic crystals had runes and magic circles inscribed on them.
‘Speech and mind.’
It was a magic circle with two runes as the main focus.
“It’s not dangerous.”
When Sin Hyeok said this and put it on, he could understand the other party’s words.
“Young friend, can you hear me well?”
“Yes. I can hear you.”
Once the other two put on the necklaces as well, Namgung Jincheon was relieved for the moment.
“That’s a relief. There are occasionally some people on whom that spell doesn’t work.”
Sin Hyeok gazed at the opponent and asked politely.
“Why did you hide your presence and approach us?”
Namgung Jincheon looked at the aura emanating from him and his countenance.
‘He seems fine, but appearances and hearts can differ.’
He too acted cautiously.
“I have the same mind as you all. I was merely cautious because I didn’t know if we would be enemies or allies.”
Sin Hyeok was relieved by the opponent’s attitude that was cautious yet showed goodwill.
‘At least he’s friendly.’
“Then I rather consider that fortunate. We have no intention of hostility, at least.”
Within their subtle conversation, they confirmed there was no hostility between them.
Now relieved, Namgung Jincheon first extended his hand to offer a handshake.
“Then we are allies.”
Sin Hyeok took his hand.
“That’s right. We are allies as long as neither of us betrays the other.”
“Pleased to meet you. I am Namgung Jincheon.”
Through the handshake, the two formed a temporary alliance.
“I am Bu Sinhyeok. This little one is Hong Ichan, and that one is Baek Arin.”
The two bowed their heads in greeting.
Namgung Jincheon accepted the greeting and bowed his head.
“If it’s alright, how about moving somewhere else? It seems we’ve been out too long.”
“Ah? Yes.”
He gathered Namgung Sohye into his arms and turned around.
“Follow me well. We won’t be going fast.”
He began to walk slowly.
Sin Hyeok followed him.
Then the two also began to follow.
Sin Hyeok looked at the child who was beaming.
The child was smiling endlessly, as if extremely happy about something.
At that sight, a smile naturally flowed out of him.
‘Really, she resembles my first master.’
He thought of her, who was still trapped in the Dragon Soul Hall.
“Mister. Where did you come from?”
Sin Hyeok quietly pointed toward the center of the belt-girded world.
“There.”
At those words, Namgung Jincheon, who had been walking ahead, stopped.
“There? Earth?”
“Yes.”
His expression instantly hardened.
And holding the child, he immediately put distance between them.
At that sight, Sin Hyeok immediately signaled to the two.
“Get your gear out.”
Namgung Jincheon briefly set the child down and sent her behind him to hide her.
“You all, did you come from Earth?”
Sin Hyeok asked politely at his suddenly guarded appearance.
“That’s correct. Why do you ask?”
He placed his hand on his sword sheath and pondered.
He continued to ponder, keeping his words to himself.
“Sir, you must speak. If you act like this, it will become difficult for both sides.”
Arin gradually drew out holy power, and Ichan revealed dark mana.
Sin Hyeok was preparing to melt the entire surroundings with transmutation.
At the unusual atmosphere, Namgung Jincheon finally spoke.
“First, let’s talk with our hands away from each other. I’ll tell you.”
Sin Hyeok raised his hand as the opponent calmed down.
“Put them away again. Let’s hear him out first.”
He looked around and spoke with an increasingly urgent face.
“Come to my dwelling. It would be better to talk there. Let’s go a bit quickly. Follow me well.”
Namgung Jincheon lightly circulated his energy and began to use movement arts.
At the quickening movement, Sin Hyeok hastily thought of Fly and traced the runes.
Whoosh.
His body rose into the air.
When the three rose side by side, the other two were startled.
“Aah, not this, hyung!”
“Mister?! I’ll just run!”
“Too late. How are you going to chase that?”
Bwooong.
“Uwaaah!”
“Kkeup!”
A flight close to rampage unfolded.
Namgung Jincheon checked on the three flying with a strange method.
“You appear to be quite a capable spellcaster.”
“Wow. Is that mister an immortal?”
“Perhaps…?”
Upon arriving at the dwelling, Namgung Jincheon slipped straight into the middle of a cliff.
“Huh?”
Sin Hyeok, who had been flying in the air, was perplexed.
At that moment, their bodies flipped upside down and plunged down.
“Uwaaaaah!”
“Euhreooook!”
They stopped immediately and shot back upward.
“Kkeup!”
“Heuaaaak!”
Namgung Jincheon poked his face out and waved his hand.
“Young friend, over here. Come this way. It’s hidden by a formation, so it won’t be easy to see.”
“Aha.”
They entered the camouflaging formation immediately.
Inside, a comfortable cave appeared.
“Uuup!”
“Kkeup!”
The two barely held back their stomachs and endured.
Sin Hyeok alone asked Namgung Jincheon with a perfectly fine face.
“Please tell us the story.”
He pointed to a seat.
“Sit, and I shall.”
Leaving behind the two who were still struggling, Sin Hyeok alone sat down.
“Yesterday, a proclamation from the Great Demon was issued to every distorted world.”
“…….”
Sin Hyeok somehow had a feeling he knew what this was about.
“If you see one who comes from Earth, report them, kill them, or subdue them.”
At the brutal proclamation, Sin Hyeok’s expression darkened.
“Was it yesterday that you heard this?”
“Yes. From what I see, it seems to be talking about you all.”