Chapter 217

KWAANG—!!!

It was something from when I was young.

Back when I was tangled up with so many ghosts, living through a brutal stretch.

Back when the people around me had drifted away one by one, and the only human left at my side was my grandmother.

Back then, Kim Mincheol understood the situation.

Even I wouldn’t want to live with some gloomy, creepy freak like me.

Who would like a kid who went around every day saying he could see something on your back, telling you to be careful?

I got it. Those kids back then weren’t at fault.

If there was any fault, it was my eyes—seeing what they weren’t supposed to see.

So I ignored those feelings and just lived like a pathetic loser.

I told myself I didn’t need friends. No—I did, but. I had to think that way to make living bearable.

Otherwise, I would’ve had to keep looking at my grandmother’s guilty eyes every day.

Until the moment she closed her eyes for good, she would’ve had to stay a sinner.

The sin was mine.

That was how I lived—believing that was the only right way to think.

Then one day.

A friend asked me something.

“Hey.”

“What.”

I looked at him. He was way older than me, but his face looked my age.

I didn’t even remember his name. It was too long ago, and. I didn’t want to remember, either.

“What do you want to do?”

“......Out of nowhere?”

I narrowed my eyes at his question.

What was that supposed to mean, out of the blue?

What do I want to do?

I couldn’t understand, so I frowned at him.

“You don’t have anything you want to do?”

“What kind of thing is that.”

Having something you wanted was a luxury.

It was hard enough just living. What the hell.

“I don’t have anything like that. And I never will.”

“That’s a really boring life.”

“This bastard...?”

At his blunt words, I stared at him like he was ridiculous.

“You’re alive and fine, so go find a hobby or something.”

I sighed at what my friend said.

“Just because you’re alive, you have to have hobbies?”

“Not saying you have to. But it’s a waste, being alive.”

“Who’s alive because they want to be. You’re born, so that’s what happens.”

“Huh. Look at this guy? You’re gonna say that in front of me?”

“.......”

I shut my mouth mid-sentence. Yeah. That wasn’t something I should be saying in front of him.

Because my friend was a ghost.

Which was only natural, really. My relationships with living humans had collapsed ages ago.

So of course the only “friends” I had were ghosts.

And on top of that, even if he looked my age—

This guy had lived at least a hundred years longer than me.

“......Sorry.”

“Huh? I didn’t tell you to apologize. You can’t even take a joke?”

“.......”

A joke had to sound like a joke. Who the hell joked about that?

“Whatever. Drop it.”

It wasn’t dropped. Not even a little.

But he just smiled brightly and changed the subject.

“Still. Since you’re living anyway, go find something you want to do.”

“......If I have the room for it.”

“Room always shows up, you idiot.”

In this life, that # Nоvеlight # didn’t feel like it would ever happen.

I made an awkward face and spoke.

“Sure. If I have the room, I’ll try. If not, I’ll just find it after I die.”

“Huh? Look at this crazy bastard.”

Saying I’d do it after I died—right in front of a ghost—wasn’t exactly appropriate.

But he’d started joking first, so I just joked back.

And yet—

“Yeah. You can just find it after you die.”

“......?”

He clapped his hands like he’d just been convinced.

What the hell is that reaction.

“What is that reaction supposed to be.”

“No, it sounds right. You can find it after you die. Even if you just get through this life however you can.”

“No, that’s—”

I ran out of words at that garbage. It didn’t even feel like there was anything left to say.

I seriously wondered if he was actually insane.

“Yeah. Do what you want after you die. And in this life, if you can, try to find something you want to do.”

Even with my reaction, that bastard just smiled and said whatever he wanted.

And I didn’t answer anymore.

I didn’t have the room to answer nonsense.

CREEEAK...!!!

KIIIIIIIGH—!!!

“They’re here.”

The scene in front of me was a slaughterhouse and hell.

All I could do was sigh at the hellish scene spread out in front of me.

That’s why I hate this shitty life.

Thinking that, I moved my body.

“Get ready.”

“Ohhh yeah yeah.”

My friend responded to my words.

Now it wasn’t about what I wanted to do, or what life was.

Right now, I had to deal with what was in front of me.

“Ah. Shitty life.”

“When it’s over, what do you wanna eat for lunch?”

“Jajangmyeon.”

“Oh! Me too!”

“You can’t even eat, you bastard.”

Sighing, I walked forward.

My life was that kind of hell.

And if there was something I learned later in life—

It was that even in a life like that, good things still happened.

And that my “friend” wasn’t just some ghost—

He was something far higher than I’d ever expected.

It’s been a while since I’ve had this dream.

As I brought up the memory, I remembered this was a dream.

Why was I suddenly dreaming about this time?

Lately, it felt like I’d been dreaming about past-life memories—ones I’d never dreamed before—every so often.

Then—

“Remember.”

My friend’s voice reached me.

“After you die, you find what you want, and you do it.”

“Got it?”

“......”

At those words, I answered.

“—”

But even though I answered, I couldn’t hear what I’d said.

And then I had to open my eyes.

*****

“......Ah.”

An unfamiliar ceiling.

What was that ceiling?

And—

......Why a ceiling?

Why was I seeing a ceiling all of a sudden?

The moment I opened my eyes, I was confused.

Hm.

This is a weird situation.

With a sour face, I slowly pushed myself up.

And at that moment—

ZZZZT—!!!

“......!!!”

I covered my mouth with my hand from the insane pain.

“......Ghhhhhh....”

It was real agony.

What the hell is this monstrous pain?

My whole body was numb, like someone had shoved in awls and was hammering them in.

“Ghh....”

I didn’t know if it was spit or blood, but it felt like something was about to spill from my mouth, so I barely held it in and kept lifting my upper body.

“Haa... haa....”

A distant, numbing pain.

While I rolled my eyes around—

“Hm...?”

I felt eyes on me.

The moment I sat up, everyone around me was staring.

The pouring gazes were seriously burdensome.

What? Why are they staring like that?

As I rolled my eyes in confusion—

“You’re awake.”

Someone approached. From the outfit, they were a Therapist.

“Ah, yes... why am I...?”

“After the match ended, you lost consciousness.”

“......Oh...?”

I passed out after the match?

I didn’t remember.

What happened?

What happened at the end? I couldn’t remember.

I definitely....

I saw Namgung Cheon’s Thunder Armor—

And I used mine, too.

The thing Yoo Cheongil told me, if possible, not to use.

The Blue Moon Sect’s secret art you had to use together with Moon-Spirit Sword Path.

Moon Heaven.

After I used it, my memory cut out.

What happened?

Did I win?

Seeing myself lying here, it almost felt like I lost.

In the middle of that flustered situation, I was about to ask the Therapist something—

“Are you awake?”

Another person came to me.

It was Tang Cheon-il.

The Therapist gave me a small bow and said—

“Then I’ll take my leave. There’s nothing seriously wrong with you, so once you’re feeling better, you may leave immediately.”

“......Nothing wrong?”

That was impossible.

Then what is this pain?

At my words, the Therapist tilted their head.

“Do you have any place that feels unwell?”

“No, it’s just.”

“If you do, you can tell staff right away, and we can proceed with canceling your next match.”

“No. I’m fine.”

“......Pardon?”

“I’m fine.”

At my words, the Therapist made a strange face and left.

As soon as the Therapist was gone, I asked the Poison Dragon.

“I won, then.”

“Pardon?”

“The match. I’m asking if I won.”

If the Therapist was talking about canceling my next match, that meant there

was

a next match.

Which meant I hadn’t lost.

“Ah, yes. You won.”

“......Damn.”

I actually won?

Looks like I somehow pulled it off.

Which meant—

This pain is Moon Heaven’s backlash.

The backlash from forcing out a technique I still couldn’t properly use.

And that burden was hitting my body.

And the Therapist didn’t know.

The Therapist didn’t recognize this pain.

Which meant it wasn’t simple physical pain.

“Don’t you remember?”

The Poison Dragon asked me.

“......Not all of it. The very end, maybe?”

I answered honestly, and he stared at me with a strange look.

“Then... that appearance, what was it...?”

“Appearance?”

“Yes.”

“What appearance...?”

“......That. Your white hair, Young Lord Bang.”

“......Huh?”

White hair?

What white hair?

I frowned, not understanding.

White hair?

Are you saying I turned white-haired?

I couldn’t understand, so I plucked at my hair.

When I checked, it was still black-brown.

“Right after the match ended, it returned to your original hair.”

“......But I had white hair?”

“Yes.”

What the hell is he talking about.

How does hair even turn white?

While I couldn’t even picture it—

[It’s the form of the internal art.]

“......!”

A voice came from the ceiling.

It was Yoo Cheongil.

He was lying in midair, looking down at me.

[When the inner power of the Blue Moon Heart Art flows through the body and fully seeps in, it’s expressed as a change in the eyes. That’s the mark people call Moon Eyes.]

A defining trait of the Blue Moon Sect.

Blue-eyed masters.

Eyes that held the moon—Blue Moon Sect’s symbol.

[And what that Tang Clan kid described is a form that goes beyond that.]

......Beyond that?

[Yeah.]

Moon Heaven.

The first time I learned it was during seclusion.

At night, I lived through hell inside spirit-dreams.

In the day, I drowned in physical training.

That training was to master Moon-Spirit Sword Path.

To see the path the moon teaches.

To gain eyes that could cut even what couldn’t be cut.

That was what this seclusion meant.

But—

I learned one more thing.

It happened inside a spirit-dream.

Yoo Cheongil in his youth.

One day, while I was thrashing because I couldn’t beat him, the moment I opened Moon-Spirit Sword Path—

My body changed.

I was confused by the sudden change, but even then, I let my body ride the energy.

And then I woke up.

When I opened my eyes, I’d beaten the spirit-dream.

I didn’t even remember the details of what had happened.

So—on the day I burst out of seclusion and headed to Henan—

When I recreated that sensation and let my body ride the energy again—

[Ha!]

I remembered Yoo Cheongil recoiling in shock.

[You learned Moon Heaven...? How is that possible?]

Moon Heaven.

That was the name that came out of Yoo Cheongil’s mouth.

And—

[Kid. Don’t use this without my permission. With power that excessive, you’ll end in ruin.]

With a firm face, Yoo Cheongil warned me.

Never use it.

I said I understood.

And the first time I used it was in a fight against the Thunder Dragon.

......And even now, I don’t remember.

I couldn’t remember what happened.

But—

With those eyes... I definitely did something.

The way everyone was looking at me right now.

And judging by the Poison Dragon’s reaction, it felt like I’d definitely done something.

What the hell was it?

What happened?

I was about to ask the Poison Dragon for more details—

“Th—”

[Kid.]

Yoo Cheongil cut me off.

What?

[Looks like you’ve got a guest.]

Yoo Cheongil spoke while looking toward the entrance, not at me.

A guest?

Who is he talking about—

“......Uh...?”

STEP.

Someone walked in from the doorway.

At that sight, my eyes widened—

And everyone who had been looking at me turned their gaze to the person who entered.

They couldn’t help it.

That man was someone almost no one in the Central Plains didn’t know.

“......How...?”

Why the hell is that man here?

When I stared like I couldn’t believe it—

“There you are.”

A man who looked cold beyond measure nodded at me.

And the moment I saw that, I realized I was screwed.

“Clan Head. Wait—!”

I have to stop him before he says anything.

Thinking that, I hurriedly raised my hand, but—

“Son-in-law.”

“......Ah, damn.”

The man—

Murong Clan Head, Silk King Murong Hyeok, spoke.

And at that word, everyone around us fell silent.