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Chapter 113

The Dark Star Blade, which was said to hold the principle of the Union of One Truth...

And the Severing Sword, which could cut through anything under the heavens.

In my memories, my eldest senior brother wore a long and flowing grey robe, his hair done up loosely and an easy-going expression on his face.

As if to contradict all that, he would wear his three monstrous mystic treasures tied to his back...

But right now, I could see neither his blade nor his sword.

Other than that, he looked the same as I remembered.

I guess... his hair looks a bit longer?

“Eldest—”

Right as I began to speak, it happened.

Frightening laughter suddenly echoed out as a green storm formed.

At the center of this storm, a round ball took shape as Tangtata reappeared.

[Ohohoho...!]

What would it take to kill him?

It was shocking, seeing him revive after getting hit directly by the Spear of Wind and Lightning.

[Steeellaaaar...!]

For a second I thought he was talking in demonic, but his expression told me that wasn’t the case.

Stellar...

Was that senior brother’s other name?

[Wh-what business do you have, in my territory...?]

“That’s what I should be asking. Why did you take my guest?”

Tangtata looked surprised.

[G-guest?]

With a neutral expression, Eldest Senior Brother responded, “You can stop that useless acting of yours. That spear strike just now was your punishment.”

[Ho-hohoho... I don’t know what you’re talking about...]

“I will take this human. Do you have a problem with that?”

[N-not at all...! I-I’m not so brave... as to f-fight you... oh, hohoho...]

Tangtata gave a thumbs up.

[H-have a good time...! Pyong...!]

With that, Tangtata jumped into the air and disappeared through the murky sky.

“Huh...”

It was an impactful departure.

I was looking up at the sky in a daze when I heard Eldest Senior Brother’s voice.

“Will you follow me?”

His expression was still cold, but his voice was warm.

The voice from my memories.

I hesitated for a second before nodding.

***

Eldest Senior Brother went into one of the many buildings in the alleyway.

The twisted building was completely empty on the inside. It wasn’t just missing furniture; the walls and floor were bare, lacking any sort of wallpaper or flooring.

A truly empty room. The alleyway looked better than it.

So effort was only spent on the outside appearance.

Tangtata talked about this place like it was a city or something, but it was clearly an empty husk with no real substance.

“...”

Eldest Senior Brother was the first to enter the room, but he just stood there in silence with his back turned to me.

Why didn’t he immediately turn to look at me?

Maybe he doesn’t want me to see the expression he’s making.

Usually, I would ask these questions before they’d even settled in my mind, but because it was Eldest Senior Brother, I couldn’t easily say the words.

“So you’ve reached the second stage of the Strongest Technique in History.”

He suddenly started talking about martial arts?

“Considering how long it’s been, it’s an incredible achievement. Congratulations.”

I was a little taken aback even as I answered, “...Thank you.”

Only now did Eldest Senior Brother turn his body—slightly—toward me.

“Tangtata...”

“...”

“...Is a dangerous demon lord. Of course, from the perspective of humans, all demon lords are dangerous, but he is the most evil. It would be right to consider everything you just saw of Tangtata a lie. I don’t know why you’re here, but conversing with him and even ‘playing’ with him was very dangerous.”

“Is that advice?”

When I asked that, Eldest Senior Brother stopped talking.

His dry eyes matched the worn-out window behind him.

Through the window, I could see the terrible sight of Hell, but the exhaustion on Eldest Senior Brother’s face was something else entirely.

He looked like he hadn’t slept in a long time.

I suddenly wondered when Eldest Senior Brother had last smiled.

“I knew you would come.”

“...”

“I didn’t know it would be this quickly or in a place like this. In many ways, it is too early for you to be here.”

“I feel the same way.”

“Baek Nogwang must have given you a time.”

At this moment, I stared directly at Eldest Senior Brother.

He didn’t show any reaction, instead continuing, “What did he say?”

“...He said we’d meet again in 10 years.”

“It’s as he says. You’re 10 years too early to kill me.”

“‘Kill you’?”

“Didn’t Baek Nogwang tell you to kill me?”

“Master... said to bring you back, Eldest Senior Brother.”

For the first time, Eldest Senior Brother’s expression changed.

It was a minor change, but there was nothing minor about the emotion in that change.

But all I could read from the shift was a small disturbance.

Eldest Senior Brother shook his head as if to shake away his exhaustion.

“...Let’s forget we met like this. Next time, I wish for you to come to me purely on your own strength.”

“Where?”

“Spirit Mountain.”

“Pardon?”

Eldest Senior Brother didn’t say anything further, so I just nodded.

“So you want me to figure it out myself? Sure, but can I ask you one thing?”

“Go on.”

“How many times have you killed?”

His reply was instant: “Countless.”

“...”

“And I will kill many more times in the future.”

“What’s your reason?”

“My reason?”

For the first time, Eldest Senior Brother laughed.

His low laughter was closer to a jeer. Personally, I didn’t think it fit him.

“I’ll ask you this instead: If I give you a suitable reason here, do you think you’ll be able to accept and understand it?”

“What do you...”

“You won’t. You only trust in Baek Nogwang’s words, you only follow him. You’d just take my words as excuses, not reasoning.”

Eldest Senior Brother paused before shaking his head.

“...Sorry. I’m not blaming you. I’m not trying to say I’m right either. I’m only saying you treat Baek Nogwang as if he’s inviolable. As if...”

Eldest Senior Brother paused. When he spoke again, there was an added weight to his words.

“As if that man is the god of martial arts.”

“...”

“As long as that fact doesn’t change, there is nothing I can say to you.”

I looked at Eldest Senior Brother as I said, “You’ve definitely changed. The senior brother I knew wouldn’t judge other people like this.”

“What?”

“Do you think I wouldn’t be able to understand and accept your reasoning? Of course I would. Even though I respect Master, I have my own thoughts and my own way of life. I don’t agree with everything he does.”

This was another lesson Master had taught me.

He must have given the same lesson to Eldest Senior Brother.

That was why I’d believed that Eldest Senior Brother had left the nest to stand on his own...

His eyes met mine.

We had been looking at each other the whole time, but this felt like the first time I’d truly seen his eyes.

“...Phehe.”

When Eldest Senior Brother let out a dry laugh, I felt as if I had been transported back to Spirit Mountain.

“It was good to see you, Luan.”

“What?”

Suddenly, I felt that I could no longer stay here.

It was truly an instinctual feeling, one that was difficult to describe...

How should I put it...

It was as if my body was about to leave this place.

Is this what the Martial God said about the rule from the beginning of time?

Eldest Senior Brother seemed to have noticed as well.

“And my name is Haru.”

It was a random introduction, but I understood what he meant.

“Yes.”

I realized something.

“...I’ll see you soon, Eldest Senior Brother.”

I’d ignored it because I wasn’t ready.

Although I had avoided it this time, I wouldn’t be able to at our next meeting.

I would need to clearly refer to him.

No longer as Eldest Senior Brother...

But as Haru.

* * * * *

* * * * *

Chirp chirp chirp.

The sounds of forest birds, the smell of grass, and the slightly damp feeling of lying on the ground.

I took in the senses I hadn’t been able to feel in Hell.

Beyond the cool breeze, the warm light of the sun surrounded me.

I wanted to lie down like this for a little longer.

Maybe I will.

I didn’t open my eyes, just lying there for some time.

Eventually, I went over the meeting I had just experienced.

Eldest Senior Brother had called Master by his name, and he no longer wanted me to address him as senior brother...

So he hadn’t been expelled—he’d walked out on his own.

—The end result is that First is now expelled.

—To be precise, he left of his own accord.

Only now did I understand what Master had meant.

And... although I’d finally met with Eldest Senior Brother, I still didn’t understand.

Eldest Senior Brother had definitely changed.

However, it didn’t feel like he had changed into a completely different entity from the Senior Brother Haru that I’d known.

Although he no longer smiled and his words had become much colder...

Those words had been used to reprimand me for falling down to Hell suddenly. They were the same words the Eldest Senior Brother I remembered would have used.

“Hmm...”

He’d told me to go to Spirit Mountain.

I didn’t know what he’d meant by that.

Was he telling me to activate my blessing again?

“I’m lacking. I’m lacking too much.”

In a lot of ways. I was lacking in information, and I was lacking in power.

The power I’d gained on Spirit Mountain wasn’t nothing, but my desire for strength had only become stronger.

Only now did I remember Master saying I had finally entered The World.

“...Let’s get up.”

My head was heavy, but my body felt light.

I quickly rose and let out a long sigh.

“Pfuuuuu...”

I slowly opened my eyes and looked around, revealing a silent field in the middle of the day.

I could see the marks of battle littering the area, informing me that this was where I had fought with Juan before our disappearance.

I had returned to the place I had left from.

The fact that it was day meant that a day had already passed.

Honestly, I didn’t think that much time had passed, but then again, I hadn’t been gone for a short while either.

Fwoosh.

“Ow, cold.”

My body felt cold.

My training uniform had been ripped while playing that damn game of tag with Tangtata. It was in a terrible condition to face the winds of winter with.

I quickly ran through the forest and returned to camp.

Maybe because I’d just seen all those twisted buildings in Hell, but even the worn-down young hero’s lodge looked quite good.

It looks normal on the outside.

Nothing had happened, right?

In the end, Juan had died, so the demon lord’s summoning ritual should’ve been stopped.

“...”

My heart became complicated as I once again thought about Juan.

It wasn’t that I sympathized with him. Juan had planned for a massacre, and he’d paid the price for it.

But unrelated to all that, I suddenly wondered what his final thoughts had been when he’d died to the demon lord in the world before my regression.

Had Juan always been destined to die at the hands of a demon lord?

Although I didn’t believe in destiny, those thoughts circled my mind for a second.

“Ouch. My head hurts...”

For now, I wanted to rest.

Of course, I needed to visit Calzark and Juniang to report that nothing had happened.

By the way...

Why is the camp so eerily quiet?

I couldn’t feel a single presence.

Maybe I should go and visit the other young heroes before returning to the nurse’s office?

No.

The second special test would already be underway at this point. They should be in the forest right now.

That also explained why the camp was so quiet.

The number of instructors was only half the number of young heroes.

“Hmm?”

“Uh.”

At this moment, I saw a knight instructor.

I hesitated for a moment before brushing myself off and standing straight.

They should be aware that I’m still in the nurse’s office, so it shouldn’t be weird for me to still be at camp.

Well, if they picked up on my ragged and exhausted appearance, there was nothing I could say about that.

“I was just walking around to get some fresh air! I’ll return to the nurse’s office—”

“Young Master... Luan?”

Young master?

I was still part of the training camp, though.

“I am Young Hero Luan...”

“L-Lu-Lu...” The knight looked at me with shaking eyes before shouting, “It’s Young Master Luan—!”

“...What?”

What’s with this reaction?

____