Chapter 327: Magic Mirror. (2)

Immediately after starting the practical training.

Cheol Jiseon’s steps were full of hesitation as he followed Jang Seonyeon.

He had felt the same way for several days.

Moreover.

‘I should quit even now….’

While following the trudging steps.

His mind was a mess.

Sinseong, who was in front, was still silent, but.

Cheol Jiseon had to continuously break out in a cold sweat from the subtle energy he felt emanating from Sinseong’s back.

Even without words, he could tell.

How deeply Sinseong’s emotions had darkened.

It was felt so clearly that.

Cheol Jiseon had to sob inwardly, silently, out of sheer terror.

‘Is this Sinseong?’

His first impression of him had already been ruined upon meeting, but.

Even so.

As the sect leader’s only son, and.

To be known as a person with such a gentle disposition, he was far too different on the inside and out.

‘If it’s going to be like this, I’d rather….’

A certain person’s face comes to mind in Cheol Jiseon’s thoughts.

He looks fierce and his personality is closer to a punk from the demonic path than a righteous one, but.

He seems like a person who, at least, isn’t different on the inside and out.

‘…Rather.’

Cheol Jiseon’s steps came to a halt.

He had told Cheol Jiseon to do everything Jang Seonyeon ordered, but.

From Cheol Jiseon’s perspective, it wasn’t something he could comfortably do just like that.

‘To open a gate directly beneath where someone is standing…?’

A handful of fragmented childhood memories graspable in his hand.

Above the burning ground.

The house being swallowed whole, and.

His father who was above it.

His own screams, screamed until his throat burst, and.

His sister, holding him like that and stifling her cries.

And even his mother, who became unable to look her son in the eye after that.

These were memories like hell for Cheol Jiseon, yet.

‘…To do that act again with my own hands…?’

His fists clenched.

Trembling came and went, and the flowing cold sweat trickled down his forehead to the tip of his nose.

Just as Cheol Jiseon’s mind was shaking, being corroded by the past like that.

“Young Master Cheol.”

Sinseong’s voice was heard.

“…!”

As if noticing he had stopped still.

Jang Seonyeon called out to Cheol Jiseon.

Cheol Jiseon, startled, looked at Jang Seonyeon.

He immediately had to cover his mouth with his hand.

Jang Seonyeon’s eyes, looking at him.

Were too dark.

“You seem to be hesitating.”

This was what Sinseong said, meeting Cheol Jiseon’s gaze.

“Ah, no.”

Jang Seonyeon, hearing Cheol Jiseon’s trembling voice.

Smiled slightly.

Cheol Jiseon found that smile creepily terrifying.

“That’s right. You shouldn’t hesitate now.”

“…”

“We both have things we desire, don’t we?”

Jang Seonyeon said that and turned his head again.

Things desired….

At Sinseong’s words, Cheol Jiseon immediately recalled in his mind.

What he desired.

‘The revival of my clan.’

For the House of Zhuge to clear its name and once again become a pillar of the righteous path.

‘…My sister’s happiness.’

For his sister to live a happy life.

It was a life that solely desired only that.

At the same time as achieving the dream his father couldn’t, and.

My sister’s….

‘I will heal my sister’s body.’

This was the reason for his journey to the Central Plains.

Jang Seonyeon had said he would help restore the House of Zhuge once again.

He hadn’t mentioned his sister, but.

If that were even included in the contract.

He might have agreed without hesitation.

‘…If I hadn’t met Jin Ryong.’

Yes, if I hadn’t met him.

Leaving aside the fact that he was a terrifying being who intended to kill him.

His presence was too immense.

Just looking at Dragon Hall was proof of that.

At first, the fact that blood relatives from the Four Great Clans had all entered the hall, and.

They were amazed, calling it the highest level cohort in Dragon Hall’s history.

More than half of the Six Dragons, Three Peaks had entered, and.

All of them, each and every one, were showing an unbelievable presence.

Was that all?

Sword Dancer, Namgung’s masterpiece, famous for her beautiful looks.

Sinseong, the sect leader’s child, about whom recent rumors circulated as an outstanding figure.

Even the successor of Geomjon, who had retired and gone missing.

Amidst such a gathering of unbelievable monsters.

Two months passed.

None other than Jin Ryong showed the most presence.

Not only did he secure the top position from the entrance exam, but.

He confronted the instructor from the first day and even won.

Jin Ryong also became the center of various incidents, like a storm.

‘…Because of that, I became known as a mad dog or something, and things got weird, but.’

Just thinking about it makes my teeth grind, but that wasn’t important right now.

Jin Ryong was aloof and noble.

Rumors about him were abundant, and.

The majority of them were rumors mixed with malice, but.

Jin Ryong didn’t pay them much mind.

He would hear it once and cut off his interest, as if the chatter of those below was unimportant.

Yet, he wouldn’t overlook murmurs about the people around him.

Once, when someone spread bad rumors about Poison Phoenix.

Jin Ryong personally went to the source and destroyed it.

Did he say then, ‘If you do it one more time, next time I’ll burn your snout shut so you can’t open your mouth’?

Those who witnessed the situation at the time.

Could immediately tell those words were not false.

The killing intent Jin Ryong emitted while speaking.

Was enough to dominate the entire room.

This is what it means to say Jin Ryong isn’t different on the outside and inside.

He doesn’t care about others’ gazes.

He acts as his heart desires.

If he doesn’t like something, he breaks it.

If he likes it, he keeps it by his side.

It sounds simple and straightforward, yet.

Acting without caring about others’ gazes was a different matter entirely.

Of course, Jin Ryong seemed to have many hidden thoughts, but.

It wasn’t an unsettling feeling like Sinseong’s.

‘…In that regard, he’s better than Sinseong.’

Rumors circulated that Jin Ryong had an inferiority complex towards Sinseong, or something similar.

Even if rumors circulated about excessive jealousy.

Jin Ryong, as Cheol Jiseon saw him, wasn’t someone who cared about such things.

Rather.

‘The person right in front of me seems to care more about that.’

It would be more accurate to say Sinseong feels an inferiority complex towards Jin Ryong.

Because he was emitting energy visibly even now.

In this situation.

No matter how much Jin Ryong told him to do so.

Was it right to really point a sword at him?

Cheol Jiseon’s dilemma only deepened.

Jin Ryong doesn’t fully understand his own power.

Not just the Demonic Gate that spewed demonic creatures.

It was a power that opened dimensions in the floor, swallowing everything above and sending it somewhere.

Furthermore, if cracks were opened in the floor, those standing above them would become unable to move.

It was to a level that even peak masters couldn’t move, and.

Those swallowed by it had never returned since.

His own father was just like that.

Cheol Jiseon moved his steps, dragging his hesitation.

Before long, the two headed towards the mountain’s highest point.

As he walked silently.

Gu Yangcheon was seen in the distance.

Sinseong had truly come to find Gu Yangcheon.

He thought there might be a slight disturbance, but.

Everything was unfolding exactly as Gu Yangcheon had predicted.

“Stay here.”

This was what Sinseong said to Cheol Jiseon.

Cheol Jiseon hid himself in the bushes, following Jang Seonyeon’s instructions.

Whoong-!

As soon as he carefully sat down, an unknown barrier formed around Cheol Jiseon.

Along with a faint sense of internal energy.

A very subtle vibrating sound was heard.

It seemed to be a qi barrier.

Cheol Jiseon felt a momentary surprise at the exquisite application of internal energy felt from the barrier, but.

That was brief.

Cheol Jiseon could clearly see.

Gu Yangcheon’s gaze, confronting Sinseong far away.

Had turned towards Cheol Jiseon even for a moment.

‘Did he feel this…?’

Considering the distance.

To notice so immediately, even with the barrier spread out.

Gu Yangcheon, after briefly exchanging glances with Cheol Jiseon, chuckled and looked back at Jang Seonyeon.

Seeing that, Cheol Jiseon swallowed hard.

Jang Seonyeon seemed to have prepared a lot, but.

In the end, in Cheol Jiseon’s eyes, it was no different than a setup orchestrated by Gu Yangcheon.

As if he knew everything from the start, showing no hesitation.

‘What on earth is his true nature?’

It remained a question.

Though younger than himself, his actions and eyes suggested otherwise.

While seeming to act like a punk or a degenerate.

His conduct and movements were such that there were no repercussions.

At first glance, he even seemed experienced.

Within that.

The way he would surely crush someone if he intended to, ensuring they could never rise again.

It was somehow twisted to call him a righteous path follower.

The same went for his intention to kill him.

If Cheol Jiseon found Sinseong unsettling.

Gu Yangcheon was a terrifying existence.

Scary.

The more Cheol Jiseon dug deeper or tried to understand, the more difficult Gu Yangcheon proved to be.

Even if their outside and inside were similar.

It was impossible to know how many stories he kept hidden inside.

In this situation.

Cheol Jiseon had to continuously hesitate, wondering if it was okay to do this to Gu Yangcheon.

As he observed Sinseong and Gu Yangcheon with anxious eyes.

The two were continuously having an unintelligible conversation.

The reason it was unintelligible was simple.

It simply couldn’t be heard.

Perhaps the barrier Sinseong had set up around him not only concealed Cheol Jiseon’s presence but also.

It seemed to block sounds from the outside as well.

Even so.

Cheol Jiseon could clearly tell the atmosphere between the two was not good.

Gu Yangcheon was chuckling, but.

Sinseong’s face was creepily terrifying.

Seeing that, he recalled.

‘Is this really okay.’

Cheol Jiseon still had doubts.

More than how Sinseong knew his secret.

Whether it was okay to use that power here in this way.

That was what he had to worry about.

In a situation where instructors were all over the place.

What on earth was Sinseong planning?

He had told Cheol Jiseon not to worry and to just do as instructed, but….

How could he not worry?

While Cheol Jiseon struggled amidst hesitation and doubt.

-“Now.”

“…!”

Sinseong sent a signal via telepathy.

Telling him to open the Demonic Gate right now.

Hearing the message, Cheol Jiseon immediately looked towards Gu Yangcheon’s direction and reached out his hand.

As he slightly waved his fingertips.

Something caught at the end.

This was the spot.

If he relied on this sensation and tore it open.

Disaster would strike.

Gu Yangcheon, his body seemingly restrained and his movements sealed.

Would be swallowed into the Demonic Gate opened in the floor.

And might never return.

Just like his own father back then.

“Kkeu….”

Enduring without opening the crack he had already caught brought considerable pain, but.

Cheol Jiseon hesitated until the very end.

Memories of that day flickered, and.

Harming another person in this way.

Even if he saved the clan and his sister.

Doing it this way.

The thought crossed his mind that his sister wouldn’t see it favorably.

-Young Master Cheol.

Sinseong called out to Cheol Jiseon once more, as if urging him.

As he shifted his gaze.

Sinseong was quietly drawing Gu Yangcheon’s attention, head lowered, as if trying to buy time.

To fulfill the promise, he couldn’t hesitate any longer.

However.

‘I really… I really can’t do it.’

Cheol Jiseon simply couldn’t muster the strength.

It was because he couldn’t possibly do something like this.

‘I…’

-“Hey.”

‘…!’

Just as he was about to release his grip and slowly lower his hand.

A rough voice pierced Cheol Jiseon’s ear.

It wasn’t Sinseong’s voice.

-“Stop being pathetic and open it quickly. What are you just watching? Do you want to die?”

The voice heard was clearly Gu Yangcheon’s.

It could be heard so clearly, piercing through the barrier Sinseong had spread out.

He couldn’t even begin to think how that was possible.

“Th-that…”

-“Aren’t you opening it quickly? If you’re not going to use them, why have arms? Should I rip them off for you?”

At Gu Yangcheon’s voice, filled with irritation.

Finally, Cheol Jiseon moved his fingertips along the sensation with trembling hands.

The hesitation that had lasted for so long.

Was pushed aside by merely one outburst from Gu Yangcheon.

Jjiiiiiik-!

A sensation like tearing paper was felt in the air.

Cheol Jiseon intensely hated this sensation.

And immediately.

Kuuuuuu-!

As expected, a dimension twisted beneath Gu Yangcheon’s feet, forming the Demonic Gate.

Seeing that, Sinseong wore a smile, and.

Gu Yangcheon widened his eyes as if surprised.

Indeed….

Gu Yangcheon’s body was stiffening as expected….

-“It won’t take long, so stay still.”

‘…Eh?’

Unlike Gu Yangcheon’s expression, which widened in surprise as he looked at Sinseong.

The telepathic message Gu Yangcheon sent to Cheol Jiseon was in a completely different, calm voice.

Just as he wondered what was happening.

“Hey, you can close it now.”

Gu Yangcheon’s voice, not telepathic.

Pierced through the barrier and could be heard.

“…Huh!?”

Gu Yangcheon, whom he thought would be absolutely unable to move.

Started to move on top of the Demonic Gate as if nothing was wrong.

And he moved incredibly fast.

He snatched Sinseong’s neck and dragged him onto the Demonic Gate.

“How…?”

Seeing that, Cheol Jiseon let out a sound without realizing it.

Even his own father, a peak master, couldn’t move an inch, but.

How could Gu Yangcheon move so casually?

It was a speed so fast that even Sinseong couldn’t react.

Kuuuuu-!

From that point on.

The Demonic Gate slowly began to close, swallowing the two.

Cheol Jiseon hadn’t intended to close it.

Rather, he wanted to prevent it from closing if possible.

Sinseong, caught, struggled desperately, but.

The restraint seemed to be properly applied, as Sinseong’s body, lying on the Demonic Gate, seemed to have stiffened.

That meant.

Only Gu Yangcheon could move freely.

Before Cheol Jiseon could even question how that was possible.

Kuuuuung-!

The Demonic Gate opened in the floor swallowed the two, and then.

Disappeared without a trace in an instant.

“Huh… huh?”

Thus, Cheol Jiseon could only sit there blankly, unable to comprehend the situation.

Cheol Jiseon stared blankly at the floor where the two had disappeared.

After a few seconds, he regained his senses and thought.

‘Now….

‘Now… what do I do?’

He had opened the Demonic Gate as Sinseong wished, but.

Gu Yangcheon had suddenly grabbed Sinseong and dragged him into the Demonic Gate.

His mind wasn’t working properly.

He didn’t know what to do now.

Did Gu Yangcheon perhaps want to commit suicide?

He didn’t seem like that kind of person at all, but….

In a situation like this, such a strange thought crossed his mind.

“Ah, what do I do from now on…?”

Setting Gu Yangcheon aside.

If even Sinseong, who promised to have his back, was gone….

What was he supposed to do from now on?

As Cheol Jiseon thought about the bleak future.

Just as he was about to grasp his hair in distress.

Woooong-!

“…Hmm?”

Above Cheol Jiseon’s head.

A sudden anomaly occurred in the blue sky that had been spread out.

With an unknown sense of discomfort, Cheol Jiseon looked up at the sky.

“What is that…?”

Cheol Jiseon’s eyes widened greatly as he confirmed the sky.

It was only natural.

The sky, which he had thought was particularly nice today.

Was gradually becoming stained black.

“What is that….”

That strange phenomenon.

Was at least not his own power.

He certainly didn’t possess the power to turn bright daylight into night.

In a situation that made him break out in a cold sweat just looking at it.

Sinseong’s words came to mind in Cheol Jiseon’s thoughts.

This was what Sinseong had said to him when he was worried.

-“Don’t worry. I have everything planned out.”

Recalling that, Cheol Jiseon let a drop of cold sweat fall.

“…No way.”

Could the method Sinseong mentioned.

Be that?

Cheol Jiseon forced himself up, his body trembling violently, and ran down the mountain.

It was to run to the people.

He was worried about Gu Yangcheon and Sinseong, but.

His instinct was telling him now.

Whether the incident that just happened was the starting point or not, he didn’t know.

But around him.

It seemed like something strange was starting to happen.