Chapter 123: Young Goblin. (1)

I passed by the road and moved to the Central Pavilion. Originally, I should have reported to the Steward and then entered the Head Family Chamber, but I ignored it all and went to find him.

No one stopped me when I just barged in.

Upon arriving at the Head Family Chamber, I didn’t even knock before barging right in.

“What is it.”

Father greeted me, looking just the same as always. His gaze was fixed on the letter, and he didn’t look at me.

I looked at Father and asked.

“…I heard there was a problem.”

Only then did Father shift his gaze towards me.

“There was. Who did you hear it from?”

“The Namgung Head Family Lord visited.”

“Hmm…?”

Given what happened yesterday, it seemed Father was surprised that the Head Family Lord had come to see me directly.

“Was there a problem regarding that?”

“Nothing happened. He just came and gave me information.”

“That Namgung Jin?”

“Yes.”

It seemed he mistook me for something else, but I didn’t mention that part.

There was something more urgent than that right now.

“I heard it wasn’t the Namgung people who injured the attendant.”

Father looked at me quietly for a moment before answering a bit later.

“That’s what their position was, they said.”

“…Haven’t you verified it yet?”

“What are you trying to say?”

“Because I think verification is necessary.”

Rustle.

Father placed the letter he was reading onto the desk. From his slightly furrowed brow, I could tell how down Father was feeling.

“Gu Yangcheon.”

“Yes, Head Family Lord-nim.”

“You know that was an impertinent remark, don’t you?”

“…”

“If you intend to speak to me like that, don’t you know you need to come with the appropriate title?”

A drop of cold sweat trickled down. Even though I wasn’t using any Ki, the oppressive aura filling the room felt heavy.

Father was telling me. If I wanted to interfere in the matter, I should bear the title of Young Master.

As Father said, I was nothing right now.

“The Namgung side admitted that they made a mistake.”

They had consistently claimed it wasn’t them who laid hands on the attendant, but in that regard, they acknowledged their own mistake.

This was what Namgung Jin meant when he said he ensured there was no harm done to me.

“The ones treating the Namgung family’s martial artists whom you broke are none other than the Divine Healers. They said there were no issues with the treatment, fortunately.”

Because I made it that way intentionally. I didn’t just smash things recklessly even when consumed by rage.

“Even so, can you say you are without fault?”

“No.”

It was a part I had to admit. Even if things went wrong, it was still my responsibility.

“Even if the Namgung side admitted it, it’s not like we can avoid compensation and responsibility.”

Even if the external justification and responsibility were passed on, the problem wouldn’t disappear.

Father was saying just that.

“Giving compensation that they won’t find unfair, and the responsibility you must bear, are separate matters.”

It was an irrefutable point.

[Unlike you, who are utterly shameless, your father is surprisingly alright.]

While securing political justification and advantage with the Namgung family, he spoke of concrete compensation and responsibility to ensure no complaints arose from behind the scenes.

“Don’t worry about the problems that come to mind. Remember that’s not what you need to focus on.”

Father didn’t say anything about the duel with Namgung Jin, nor about the situation that unfolded afterward.

“…I will visit the injured attendant and the Namgung family’s martial artists soon.”

Father nodded at my words.

It was something I should have done even before Father spoke.

[He admits it so easily.]

‘What is there to admit or not admit?’

I don’t know whose doing it was, or what they intended to do by grabbing that attendant.

It was indeed me who intervened and caused the incident. Even if the external charges were cleared, the responsibility doesn’t disappear.

If I investigated and confirmed it, I rightfully had to take responsibility.

[…But you broke their teeth and twisted their arms, yet made sure they could still be treated?]

‘Can’t you do it, Noyanim?’

[How could I possibly do something like that?!]

‘It’s not as difficult as you might think.’

Making it look brutal on the outside, yet easy to treat.

Inflicting pain without leaving a trace.

If you practice it hundreds or thousands of times, it’s not that difficult to master.

Seeing as I use it often even in this life, it’s amusing to think it might have been somewhat useful experience.

‘I need to reduce my emotional responses even further.’

It had decreased significantly compared to my past life, but it didn’t seem like something that would be easy to achieve.

“Is that all you came for?”

Father spoke as if telling me to leave now, but I hadn’t even started my actual business.

[I only got scolded the moment I arrived.]

“…There’s still more.”

“Speak.”

“You mentioned before that you could grant my request for the Tae-seon Pill, perhaps in exchange for another favor, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Then I would like to make another request.”

Father made a strange expression at my words. I met Father’s gaze and said.

“I want to visit the underground for a moment.”

Father’s eyes widened upon hearing my request. It was the most unusual reaction I had seen from Father all year.

It couldn’t be helped; he must not have expected me to say I wanted to go to the underground.

“The reason?”

“There’s something I want to see.”

“You?”

“Yes.”

I had to confirm. Whether the guy Namgung Jin mentioned was the one.

“You, who said you never wanted to go there again, what possessed you to make such a request?”

Father, who would normally have calmly agreed, was already asking twice.

The damn underground of Gu Clan held that kind of meaning.

“It will only take a moment.”

To be precise, it wouldn’t even take a moment. Because it was a place I didn’t want to be in for that long.

Why would I go there again of my own volition?

‘Even if it means doing that, I have to confirm.’

It would be useless to ask Father. Father wouldn’t know the guy’s name.

He wouldn’t know.

The one who knew more about the underground wasn’t Father, but me.

Having organized his thoughts, Father spoke to me.

“Are you saying this even knowing you can no longer run away?”

It was a statement laden with countless meanings.

“Either way, I can’t run away, can I?”

Accepting fate was unavoidable. Even if I grew tired, weary, and went astray, it was ultimately unavoidable.

‘There is one thing, though.’

It was the method I used in my past life, and something I have no intention of doing again.

“…I thought you had changed a lot…. Saying you’ve come to your senses isn’t enough to describe it.”

“I haven’t yet.”

That’s why I keep causing trouble; one regression seems insufficient.

I can’t do it twice, nor do I want to, so I have to live harder. As shitty as it is.

“…Do you intend to go right in?”

“The sooner, the better.”

Father took something out of his robes and threw it at me. Catching it, I saw it was a crimson seal. It had been a long time since I last saw this too.

“…The time is around after the Jin hour today, and the limit is exactly one moment.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll pass the message to the Steward. You’ll visit him later.”

Contrary to my expectation that Father would go with me, it seemed he intended to send me in alone.

‘Why?’

If no one was beside me, it would actually be more comfortable, but I was puzzled by the level of trust he placed in me.

As I closed the door to the Head Family Chamber, this was my biggest question.

[What on earth is in the underground to make him so worried?]

‘Couldn’t you see it?’

[Didn’t I tell you? I couldn’t see much.]

Even Noyanim, who had examined memories, seemed not to have seen anything about the underground.

‘Then you don’t need to be curious.’

[…That’s ridiculous. After seeing that just now, you tell me not to be curious? Does that make any sense?]

It was a fragment of Gu Clan’s darkness, a part of its karma. The fewer people knew about this, the better.

[Did you hide some treasure trove in the underground?]

‘Treasure? No way.’

If it were something like that, it would have been great. Unfortunately, there are no treasures in Gu Clan’s underground.

What was there wasn’t something brilliant and desirable like treasure.

‘I think there were various names for it, but from my perspective, only one came to mind.’

It was something Cheonma said after seeing it, not anyone else.

-It looks like it was made by dragging hell here.

I recalled him saying that with a wide smile. Hell, yes, Cheonma called the underground hell.

It felt like a very fitting description, even to me.

---

The sun set, and evening arrived.

I didn’t meet anyone while the sun was setting. Because I needed to spend time alone.

When the time came, I went to find the Steward as Father had instructed.

The underground isn’t located very far away. It’s right beneath the Central Pavilion where the Head Family Chamber is located.

Following the Steward’s guidance, I slowly descended the stairs.

Creak- Creak-!

Every time I descended the stairs, the sounds coming from various places gave off an ominous atmosphere.

I descended the not-so-high stairs in a short amount of time. This means the underground isn’t located very deep.

“I will wait here.”

When I reached the bottom of the stairs, the Steward said to me. He meant he couldn’t accompany me further.

I turned away from the Steward and moved forward.

Vwoom….

As I passed through the long corridor, tinnitus echoed in my ears. A barrier must have been set up around here. This is also why the Steward is waiting outside.

Only the blood relatives of Gu Clan can pass through the barrier without issue. Among them, only Father and I.

Even Cheonma, who claimed he would shatter everything and stand above the heavens, couldn’t erase the barrier. He succeeded in breaking through while sustaining immense damage, but ultimately couldn’t shatter it.

It’s truly a shitty thing that even someone of that caliber couldn’t deal with it. Because it felt like something I couldn’t accomplish no matter what I tried.

Walking along the path, I finally reached the door. On the massive door, there was a single, very small empty space.

I inserted the seal Father gave me into that space.

Click-

The sound of a mechanism moving could be heard faintly, and the door slowly began to open.

Kuwuuung…!

Kuwuuung.

Unlike the door’s size, the opening was incredibly narrow, but it was just enough to enter and exit.

I hesitated for a moment in the empty atmosphere filled only with darkness, but I shut my eyes tightly and pushed myself in.

Thump!

As soon as my body was fully inside, the door behind me closed as if it had been waiting. Unlike when it opened, the speed at which it closed was much faster.

Whooosh-!

Lights gradually turned on in the space where nothing was visible. I didn’t use the Gu-yeomhwaryun Gong. The light was coming from the space itself.

Around the time the space was half-lit.

[…What in the world is this….]

Shin Noyanim’s trembling voice reached my ears. My eyes, squinted from adjusting to the darkness, opened slightly.

The vast space remained the same. It was a huge space, making me wonder if it was even possible to create such a thing underground.

Contrary to the short time it took to descend, the space was enormous, as if we had arrived in another dimension.

Clank.

Bang-! Bang-!

As the lights came on, noises immediately erupted from all directions. Sounds of hitting walls, banging on metal, scratching with fingernails, and so on.

Countless noises rushed in as if to torment my ears, but that wasn’t all I heard.

-Ah….

Voices could be heard. And not just one, but multiple voices.

-Who is it? Who is it, who is it, who is it?? Who is it?

-It’s not a big goblin, it’s a small goblin? Ugly, so ugly.

-…Kill…kill me…kill…kill…kill.

-Let me out… hurry and let me outttttt!!! I’ll kill everyone once I get outtttt!!!!

-Baby… .Baby, come here… Come… Come heeeere!

[What in the world is this…. Where is this place.]

Bang bang! Bang!

There were dozens of prison-like spaces lining the walls. Just looking at them made my head throb. It felt less like a complex situation and more like someone was messing with me.

-It doesn’t work…. It doesn’t work… Doesn’t work? Are they the same kind?

-If, if, if you let me out, I’ll let you liveeee….

[Kid…! This is….]

‘Just a moment, please be quiet for just a moment.’

My head was already throbbing, and I couldn’t afford to listen to Shin Noyanim’s words right now. This is why I didn’t want to come here; even staying at the entrance without going to the center, the situation is already this bad.

‘…Still feels like shit.’

Directly opposite the entrance, another door stood firmly shut, facing this way. That place was the real deal. This place wasn’t that important. But I don’t need to go there yet. Because this was my objective for today.

Dozens of voices still echoed simultaneously in my head, but my body automatically started circulating Ki, making me feel slightly better.

I let out a sigh and whispered quietly.

“■■■.”

[…Hm? Kid, what did you just….]

Shin Noyanim stopped asking. Because as soon as I spoke, the sounds from all around stopped as if they had been mere hallucinations.

A brief silence descended. And the silence was broken by a voice coming from nearby.

-What are you?

I called them prisons, but there were no iron bars blocking them. Only a thin, seemingly flimsy barrier was blocking them.

In the darkness where no light penetrated, a palm pressed firmly against the transparent barrier.

-Young Goblin, tell me what you just said.

As if expecting this, I walked towards the direction of the voice.

-How did you utter my name? Where did you hear it? How did you know? What did you use to find me?

As I approached, the owner of the voice gradually revealed itself.

[…!]

I heard Shin Noyanim gasp. It was understandable. Because the being had the same face and build as me. Except for being naked, there was no difference.

The being asked me.

-When was it, when? When did we last see each other?

“It’s been about four years.”

It was probably around then. If you count from now, that is.

-Right! Right, right. I lose track of time being here, but isn’t it strange? I saw you, but you shouldn’t have seen me, so why aren’t you surprised?

I examined the being with an expressionless face. Seeing my lack of reaction, the being scowled.

-You’re not surprised by this? Then how about this?

Crack-!

The being’s face twisted grotesquely. Not just its face, but its entire body twisted, and in an instant, its build changed. This time, the being’s appearance was exactly like Father’s.

-Oh…! Ohh…Oh? You’re not surprised by this either?

That was enough to see what I needed to see. The being hadn’t escaped the underground. After confirming that, I turned my body. Because I didn’t want to be here any longer.

-Huh? Leaving already? Young Goblin, Young Goblin, wait a moment!

At the being’s call, I turned my head and looked at it. Then, it waved its hand and smiled brightly. With Father’s face and build, no less.

-It was nice meeting you, let’s meet again next time.

I scowled at the being’s greeting. We’ll see each other again anyway. I didn’t say anything. I just walked towards the entrance again, intending to leave.

Only after I left did the flames on the walls disappear as if they had been waiting, leaving only silence and darkness in the space. In that gap, the being whispered quietly.

-This goblin is something else, isn’t it?

There was no answer.

---

“Ugh….”

As soon as I stepped outside the door, I gagged. I barely managed to stop myself from actually throwing up, but the nauseating feeling wouldn’t go away.

[…Kid.]

After gagging a few more times, I finally staggered and leaned against the wall.

“…Noyanim, you don’t feel anything?”

[Feel what? Those bizarre voices?]

“…That’s fortunate, that you don’t feel anything.”

Noyanim seemed not to have felt anything, but it was different for me. The moment I stepped into the space, my mind began to shake. How long was I there? Subjectively it felt like much more than a full sikyeong, but it probably wasn’t even half a gak.

‘Damn it….’

Perhaps it was a side effect of regression, but it felt much more severe than in my past life. Just going up to the door, no less.

Drip, something seemed to be flowing from my nose, and when I wiped it, I saw blood. I wiped the blood away with my sleeve.

“Wow, I’m already exhausted.”

To the point where I didn’t want to do anything. As I leaned against the wall for support, Shin Noyanim said something incomprehensible.

[There was a breeze.]

“Yes?”

A breeze? There shouldn’t be any place for a breeze in that completely sealed space. As if to resolve my doubt, Noyanim added.

[I originally feel nothing. It seems the concept of senses doesn’t exist for spirits.]

“…Then?”

[However, I felt a breeze from the door on the other side.]

“A breeze, you say?”

[Kid.]

“Yes, Noyanim.”

[Can you explain it?]

“…”

I gave a wry smile at Noyanim’s question. Can I explain it? What a difficult question. Sometimes Noyanim shows consideration like this. He seems like a grumpy, ill-tempered old man, but only at times like these. Thanks to that, I felt like I was accumulating more guilt that I didn’t want to feel.

[Judging by your reaction, it seems too much for you right now.]

“I can tell you what I can.”

There’s much I can’t say, but I intend to say as much as I can. After all, I came all the way to the underground and saw a fragment; it’s impossible not to be curious.

“…However, first, I want to rest. I’m a bit exhausted.”

Noyanim said nothing to my words. It was probably unspoken consideration, telling me to do so.

With weary steps, I met the Steward I had parted ways with earlier and came back outside. I handed the seal back to the Steward and headed straight for my quarters. Originally, I should have seen Father before leaving, but I didn’t think I could meet him in my current state.

I walked along the night path. Even then, my thoughts continued.

‘It wasn’t him. Then who was it?’

As far as I know, he was the only one with such characteristics. If not him, was it a spy wearing a human skin mask? But then again, I didn’t easily notice anything, and the rumors about collective memory manipulation are also concerning.

My thoughts kept piling up. My head was already aching, and now my shoulders felt heavy too. It felt like something that had piled up to the point of disgust was all placed on my shoulders. What is on my shoulders? Karma alone should be enough, so why does it feel like there’s so much more?

[Snap out of it, your breathing is messed up.]

‘I’m trying. Working hard at it right now.’

Making sure not to lose it.

Perhaps because it was a cold autumn night, my breath escaped. Maybe it was mental exhaustion, but I felt the cold, which should have been hard to perceive after learning Hwagong.

With slow steps, I finally reached my quarters. Upon arrival, the attendants seemed to be saying something to me, but I gave a vague reply and had to go into the room. Pushing the door open with a creak, I went inside.

Two familiar people were there.

“Oh… you’re here.”

“Young Master!”

It was Wi Seol-ah and Namgung Bi-ah.

Why? Why are they here?

“…Well, uh, Father… told me to come here…”

Namgung Bi-ah said it hesitantly, almost like an excuse. She probably knew I wouldn’t like it and was trying to explain. Hearing her words, it seemed Namgung Jin had done something. At Namgung Bi-ah’s words, Wi Seol-ah, who had been hugging a pillow beside her, also started making excuses.

“Unni said she was sleeping, so….”

I feel like I saw a similar scene at the Hwasan Sect. What did I say back then? I couldn’t quite recall.

It seemed the two were saying more to me, but I didn’t have the strength to listen further, so I collapsed into their arms, exhausted. Immediately, I felt soft skin.

“…Eep!”

“Young Master….”

[I worried myself sick for you, you damn….]

I heard more voices, but unable to resist the overwhelming drowsiness, I fell asleep.