352. Bonding (5)
●
“-I didn’t know what they were up to, so I left them alone.”
Seon Hwa-ryun thought to herself, stifling a chuckle.
The space they were currently falling into was somewhat familiar to him.
Imaginary World.
A place where the human mind is objectified and projected.
However, strolling around in someone else’s space is an entirely novel experience for him. After all, to attempt such a thing requires beings with transcendental abilities or something equally extraordinary.
“Well, it’s not like entering a place like this happens every day…”
It would be surprising to discover someone who casually wanders through a place like this as if it were their own backyard.
Take David Campbell, for example.
Of course, even he wandered around for quite a while when he first entered. The Imaginary World of the Boy King was a horribly intricate place.
He frowned as he surveyed his surroundings.
The inverted sky, the rising ground, energies swirling in various colors from all directions.
Deception, ominousness, resentment, despair, arrogance, ruin.
Such things, like threads dyed with color, like a web intricately woven into a tapestry, covered the surroundings.
Oppressive.
The resentment that the Boy King Vakasus harbored within his mind, accumulated over half an eternity, was so potent that even the experienced sorcerer Sunhwa Ryonjo could feel it.
“…”
Sunhwa Ryonjo breathed uncomfortably, wearing a displeased expression.
The laws of the Imaginary World were something he was already familiar with. Everything here flows according to the will of the one who owns it.
Physical laws, phenomena—those are meaningless in this space.
It’s only natural to feel such sensations, even for someone like him.
“-Annoying.”
However,
Of course, that’s a phrase that applies more to novices who haven’t reached that level.
“Let’s see…”
As he whistled, he removed a few Vajra ornaments attached to his body.
With the melody of a harmonious tune, the Vajras began to resonate with each other.
Funny story, really.
Despite the countless misdeeds he had committed so far, his focus on performing magic tricks displayed a noble presence that could be called pure.
-Mighty beast.
-Wicked demon.
-Flowing down from the mountains.
-Flow according to the natural order.
Sacred fire.
Banishing evil spirits.
The dark emotions lingering nearby were purified along with his incantations.
Although it doesn’t possess the same effectiveness as a holy sword that can erase all abilities, sorcerers of this kind possess a power that can be called a special antidote against these types of energies.
You could say it’s congenially compatible.
“Ah, now I understand.”
As I continue to observe, memories begin to resurface.
He was definitely a king who sacrificed an entire nation to do something.
“…But why did he evaporate the entire nation?”
However, that one thing, I absolutely cannot remember.
During the vast expanse of time Sunhwa-ryun had traversed, not even that became a monument to his misdeeds.
“It was said to refine the Dharma treasures, wasn’t it?”
The voice resonated around that time.
Sunhwa-ryun, hearing the reverberating voice within the space, let out a chuckle.
“Ah, was it?”
“All those numerous Dharma treasures adorning your body—aren’t they all forged from the souls and flesh of others?”
“Indeed.”
“…”
“What?”
“Well, isn’t there anything you want to say about that?”
The still grave voice persisted.
“It’s only natural for the weak to be preyed upon. Do I need to have any sentiments about it?”
“…”
Yeah.
This kind of person.
Born into the law of the strong, survival of the fittest—under such a mindset, those born weak are deemed worthless.
That’s why.
The moment this fellow set foot in this space, he was already a corpse.
“Being alone in a place like this makes you realize quite a few things.”
With those words, immediately, a change occurred in the surroundings.
Thanks to Seonhwa Ryun’s ability, nothing but empty darkness existed around them.
Suddenly, something revealed itself.
Eyes.
One became two, two became four, four became sixteen…
Eyes multiplied and spread, filling the surroundings with their presence.
As if plucked from a human face, magnified tens of times, and scattered all over, it was a sight to behold.
“-What is this-“
But no matter what illusion was attempted, the aura that spirits exuded in front of a shaman was always overwhelming.
With that in mind, Seonhwa Ryun raised the Buddhist prayer beads once again.
Until he realized that the “phenomenon” in front of him was different from what he had anticipated, he must have found it quite amusing.
“…?”
His movements froze.
Even with a well-organized mind, there was a kind of mental “lock” that couldn’t be defended against.
From Noble mtl dot com
“Actually, I pondered quite a bit when I was asked to think of a way to kill you in one strike. After all, you’re Seonhwa Ryun, the Thousand-Year Shaman, the most powerful sorcerer and enchanter in history.”
As the voice spoke.
“-!”
Seonhwa Ryun’s heart froze, and he fell to his knees.
It felt like someone had reached into his chest, grabbed his heart, and squeezed it. He couldn’t breathe, and his vision blurred.
“You committed your first murder. It was killing the mentor who tried to lead you away from the wrong path, wasn’t it?”
“…What are you, who-“
“Don’t say anything. The second one is coming soon.”
Without a moment to catch his breath, the pain that exploded in his head was etched in, relentless.
His head twisted, the cerebral fluid flowed, and that dreadful sensation was engraved in the nerves, as if in slow motion, for an eternity.
“The second person to die was an ordinary person you experimented with, using the command you first obtained. Isn’t that right?”
“-Ugh-!”
To Sun Hwa-ryun, who barely held back nausea, Vakacer’s calm words fell.
“Daud said he could surely return my experiences just as they were. The man kept his promise, it seems.”
The literal meaning of revenge is returning the wrongdoing one suffered to the other person.
So, Vakacer’s chosen method is exactly that.
Revenge, forever dwelling in the path of undesired murder, the revenge only a young king who remembers all deaths can carry out.
Death and life, both the most fundamental punishment that can be imposed on someone endlessly frivolous in the face of the logic of power.
“A thousand-year sorcerer, Sun Hwa-ryun. As casually as your relaxed demeanor suggests, it’s not entirely groundless for you to be so arrogant.”
If we consider only the accumulated strength, this man could be called the strongest among the living mortals. Even adults probably couldn’t compete in the same league.
Moreover, in terms of spiritual balance, the fact remains that he is at a significant disadvantage as a soul, even an ‘absolute’ disadvantage.
But.
That’s why Vakacer chose.
He didn’t personally punish Sun Hwa-ryun.
“It’s not me who’s going to kill you. It’s the ‘karma’ you’ve built up until now.”
Alchemy, and among them, the most basic stroke drawn by Vakacer, was ironically the ‘inner exploration’ most fundamental in both sorcery and shamanism.
Originally, it would be a technique to refine one’s mind a bit more, to accumulate virtue and skills. The first step in understanding the essence and making the world a slightly better place.
The protagonist quickly grows through various ‘unfair means’ and ‘wrongdoings’, but creating a state of mind that can only be achieved by diligently honing such things, even as an imitation, is truly a devilish talent.
It is a talent believed to be capable of accomplishing grand tasks, to a degree that cannot be refuted.
However.
“The ‘essence’ that I haven’t faced in a long time seems to be in pain. How are the memories of murder that you’ve forgotten?”
“Shut up…!”
No matter how much of an exceptional sorcerer one is, who can artificially make their own mind pure, they cannot avoid facing the ‘origin’ that they carry within.
To Sun Hwarin, writhing in the agony of death, the emotionless voice echoed once again into the surreal world of Valkasos.
“It seems… there are still about 200 years left.”
The duration of pain can range from a few seconds to several months.
200 years, soon to be 73,000 days, soon to be 1,752,000 hours, soon to be 105,120,000 minutes…
All that time, towards the sorcerer who will struggle against the weight of death they have experienced.
“You wanted to accomplish something great, sorcerer of incantations?”
Valkasos declared calmly.
Revenge has neither sweetness nor bitterness.
Only the satisfaction of completing a task that has been fermenting for hundreds of years lingered in his voice.
“You wanted to be remembered in history. Wanted to carve your name into the world as grandly as possible.”
This is similar to what Dowd said to the Vowang before.
The more grand and infinite the dreams they held, the more ephemeral their exit becomes.
“-You should have become a decent human being.”
With those words.
Countless deaths began to corrode Seonhwa-ryun’s spirit.
●
Honestly this is the first time I felf satisfied with this novel.