Chapter 913

Following Shin Noya and the Turtle

I followed Shin Noya and the turtle as they walked ahead.

I wondered just how far we were going, but it didn’t seem like it would be that far.

We stopped outside the outer wall—precisely at the place where we had first entered this space.

It was a simple forest path surrounded by lush green trees.

We walked along it for a short distance before stopping at a midway point.

Looking around, I couldn't see anything unusual.

"There’s nothing here, is there?"

There didn’t seem to be anything different about this place compared to elsewhere, so I couldn’t understand why we had stopped here.

As I continued looking around briefly—

"What do you see?"

Shin Noya spoke, his gaze fixed on the turtle, who seemed focused on the air.

At his question, the turtle stretched out its staff and waved it through the empty space.

In that moment—

Wuuuuuuuuuu---!!!

The air rippled as though waves were forming, creating a vibration.

Seeing that, my eyes widened.

"What the hell is this?"

There was something there.

I hadn’t sensed it at all before, but as soon as the turtle acted, it became perceptible.

What was it? Narrowing my eyes, I focused intensely on the spot.

"Hmm."

The turtle let out a low hum, waved the staff a few more times, then planted it firmly into the ground.

"…What a mess."

The turtle spoke with a sigh.

"Master, didn’t I warn you to use it carefully? It seems you’ve ignored my advice again."

The turtle addressed Shin Noya in a displeased tone.

"I distinctly told you to handle it with utmost care."

"Now, hold on…."

At this, Shin Noya frowned in protest.

"This time, I wasn’t the one who did anything! Isn’t it a bit much to start blaming me right away?"

"Hmm?"

Hearing that, the turtle made a curious expression.

"What do you mean? Are you saying this wasn’t your doing?"

"That’s right. I admit I’ve broken the barrier several times in the past, but… this time, it wasn’t me."

With that, Shin Noya pointed at me.

"This time, it was that kid who opened it."

"Excuse me?"

I reacted in surprise.

Me?

"That kid?"

The turtle turned its gaze toward me.

"…What exactly did I do?"

Suddenly being blamed, I asked in bewilderment. Shin Noya elaborated further.

"Remember when we entered this place last time? Didn’t you touch the entrance?"

"…What are you… Oh."

At first, I didn’t understand, but then it hit me. He was right—I had done that.

When Shin Noya had been looking for something, I’d sensed something strange and touched it.

"And just from that, you’re saying I did something?"

If that small action caused a problem, wasn’t that strange in itself?

Frowning, I voiced my dissatisfaction.

"Hmm."

The turtle nodded as if in agreement.

"So, in the end, it’s the Master’s fault after all."

"What…? How is that my fault?"

"You’re the one who brought him here. That makes it your responsibility."

"You’re spouting nonsense, you slow-talking shellback!"

"What? You lunatic…!"

It was pure chaos.

I couldn’t understand why they suddenly started fighting each other.

This was a complete mess.

It didn’t look like they’d stop anytime soon, so I quickly intervened.

"Hey, can you both stop? Don’t we have a reason for being here?"

"…"

At my words, the two elders fell silent immediately.

It seemed they’d remembered their purpose.

"Right. We’re here for a task, and we’ve wasted enough time."

Even so, Shin Noya couldn’t resist making a snide remark, but the turtle ignored him and raised its staff again.

Though it was clear from his expression that he wasn’t happy, the turtle let his actions speak for him.

Giiiiiiiiiiing---!!!

Something began radiating from the staff. The sight of it caused my body to tense up.

Thump!

Again. My heart started pounding wildly.

It was the same sensation I’d felt earlier when the turtle had thrown me out.

Was it pain? No, this wasn’t pain—it was something else entirely. If it had been mere pain…

"I wouldn’t feel compelled to keep watching."

If it were just pain, I would’ve turned away or fled.

Thump! Thump!

But as my heart raced, my eyes focused even more intensely.

It was as though my instincts were screaming at me not to miss a single detail.

Then—

"La… Ra…."

The turtle’s murmurs brushed past my ears. Despite my heightened senses, his words were so faint they were barely audible.

What was he saying?

I wanted to strain my ears to catch more.

But—

"Hu."

With a sigh, the turtle’s murmuring ceased. It hadn’t lasted long.

In that moment—

Fwoooooooooosh---!!!

"…!"

The staff unleashed a brilliant light, engulfing the surroundings. The light contained so many colors it resembled a rainbow.

But it wasn’t just the colors that were astonishing.

"…It’s incredible."

I couldn’t help but marvel at the radiance.

My focused gaze instinctively activated my spiritual vision.

Through it, the rainbow light appeared as countless intricate streams.

"How was something like this created?"

The streams were so dense and beautiful that it was almost impossible to comprehend.

Thump! Thump!

My heart pounded even harder. What was this feeling?

I didn’t know. But I understood one thing.

"This is a spell."

I’d suspected it earlier, but now I was certain.

This was a spell—one of an extraordinary caliber I had never seen before.

"It’s different from anything the Jegal family or the Divine Doctor taught me."

And certainly unlike anything from the North Sea.

It was something entirely alien to the spells I had sought to understand.

I wanted to see more. I wanted to know more.

At that moment, I realized the strange emotion coursing through me.

"A thirst for knowledge."

Call it academic passion if you will.

I wanted to delve into the secrets of this spell.

But then—

Saaaaaaa---….

The Light Fades Away

The vibrant light that had spread so magnificently quickly faded.

The sharp disappointment that followed consumed me entirely.

It wasn’t enough.

Not yet.

"I need to see more."

I wanted to keep watching. I needed more time to understand what it was.

Zzzzzt.

Pain shot through my eyes.

Was it because of my spiritual vision? Perhaps the strain of processing so much information was causing it.

It didn’t matter. Despite the pain, I needed to see—

"That’s enough."

Thunk.

"Ugh!?"

A sudden pain forced me to clutch my forehead.

Looking up in confusion, I saw the turtle had poked me in the forehead with its staff.

Rubbing my now-tingling forehead, I glared at the turtle.

"I understand your emotions, but that’s greed."

"..."

The turtle seemed fully aware of what I had been doing.

"Turtle…."

Clang!

"Ugh!?"

This time, the staff came down on the top of my head.

Strangely enough, even though I tried to block it with my hand, the strike seemed to pass right through.

"I already have to deal with that old man calling me ‘Turtle,’ but now you’re joining in? How insolent."

I had assumed it was okay to call him that since Shin Noya did, but clearly, that wasn’t the case.

"…Then what should I call you?"

"Don’t call me anything."

"What…?"

"I abandoned my name long ago. And what I gained has been lost for even longer. Don’t address me."

"Then just call him Turtle," Shin Noya interjected.

"…Master…."

"If you won’t tell people how to address you, let them call you whatever they like."

"..."

The turtle glared at Shin Noya with contempt but didn’t argue further.

Was he implying it didn’t matter because there wouldn’t be many chances to call him anything?

The turtle soon let out a weary, exasperated sigh, waving his staff dismissively as he turned away.

"The task is complete. I’ll be leaving now."

"Already? Did you just do a rush job?"

At Shin Noya’s words, the turtle shot him a sharp look.

"It’s far more precise than last time, so it should hold for three months. Unless, of course, you decide to meddle with it again."

"Hmm… So we’ll need to fix it again soon, then?"

"Are you insane?"

"Just joking."

Shin Noya laughed heartily, while the turtle heaved a deep sigh.

"…I’ll be going now—"

"Wait a moment."

Shin Noya stopped the turtle just as he was about to leave.

The turtle’s beard quivered in irritation.

"What now?"

"Do one more thing before you go."

"I’ve already completed what you asked. I’m not doing anything more—"

"One more month of plum tea."

"Let’s hear it."

It was a rather greedy negotiation.

The turtle sighed but followed Shin Noya’s gaze, which pointed toward me and Cheonma.

"Do ‘that’ for them."

That?

The turtle didn’t look pleased at all.

"Master."

"Yes?"

"I just warned you not to meddle with unnecessary things."

"Come on, what are you talking about? How is this unnecessary meddling?"

Shin Noya waved his hand dismissively, as if the idea was absurd.

"It’s just preparation for any unforeseen circumstances."

"..."

"You know it’s a necessary precaution, don’t you? Stop sulking and just do it. We’re all busy, so let’s wrap this up quickly."

"You damned scoundrel…."

"What was that?"

"I said, ‘damned scoundrel.’"

"I was going to pretend I didn’t hear that…."

Shin Noya scratched his nose awkwardly. Watching this exchange, I couldn’t help but feel amused.

"It’s so satisfying to see him get flustered."

He was always picking on others, so seeing him on the receiving end was a pleasant change.

"Kid, your expression looks odd."

"My face is always like this."

"No, it’s worse than usual. You look even more smug than normal."

"Who’s the one to talk about appearances here?"

"What was that?"

"I meant your face is very handsome."

His temper was just as bad as mine, yet he had the nerve to point fingers.

Still, he had sharp instincts, annoyingly enough.

"Anyway, hurry up and get it done. Or do you want to see me throw a tantrum?"

"An old man throwing a tantrum? What would that even look like? Flailing around on the ground?"

"I’ll do it, all right. In your quarters."

"..."

The turtle’s expression darkened instantly, while I couldn’t help but admire Shin Noya’s persistence.

"Wow."

The level of his shamelessness was truly unmatched.

The way he turned even threats into something that matched his personality was almost admirable.

And I wasn’t even being sarcastic—it was something worth learning.

"I’ll have to use that next time."

I was completely serious.