Chapter 459: Change (Change)

What is that?

That was the first thought that flashed through Cheon-jon’s mind the moment he saw it.

What on earth is it?

Hwarureureureuk–!

His entire body was engulfed in flames, burning.

The sight of him burning madly with blue flames gave off a subtle feeling.

What on earth is that?

Udeuk-!

“!”

The silhouette’s arm moved.

Seeing that, Cheon-jon gripped his sword.

‘This is….’

His guard spiked to an extreme degree, and the moment Cheon-jon realized this, his face contorted.

The reason was simple.

He himself was on guard.

Against that unknown something. He himself.

Kkwaak-!

Energy surged from the sword he gripped and his body.

His pupils moved. His gaze fixed on the spot where that guy had just been lying.

‘Gone.’

He had definitely thrust his sword into its heart. He remembered the vivid sensation.

A fatal blow that should have caused instant death. A wound no human could possibly survive.

‘…What in the world happened?’

Not even the blood that should have spilled. Nor the traces left from falling.

None of it remained.

How could it be so clean?

Hwaruk-!

Cheon-jon turned his head towards the flames rising slightly.

The more he looked, the more questions arose. How on earth was that thing still alive?

No, more fundamentally.

‘Is that thing even the kid I killed?’

Was the young man he had killed really ‘that thing’? He had to doubt that first.

The presence is different.

Meaning the feeling he sensed was entirely different.

Cheon-jon’s heightened senses, amplified beyond his level, allowed him to know many things.

From the aura he possessed to his unique movements and even his heartbeat.

He could grasp everything and distinguish the differences.

That thing…

‘…What is it?’

Even Cheon-jon couldn’t tell.

He couldn’t hear a heartbeat, nor could he sense any scent.

Not hearing a sound should mean it’s dead.

The question was, how could a human stand and move so brazenly?

‘To begin with….’

Is it even human?

If not human, what should one call that?

Unconsciously, a word flashed through Cheon-jon’s mind.

‘A monster?’

Yes, a monster.

In Cheon-jon’s view, it was closer to a monster than a human. A trickle of cold sweat ran down Cheon-jon’s wrinkled cheek.

Sensing that, he swung his sword.

Swish-!

Seogeok-!

A sharp sword energy flew, slicing off the silhouette’s arm.

Then, with a ‘thump-!’, the arm fell to the ground.

The silhouette merely glanced briefly at its severed arm, showing no other reaction.

Staring calmly at its own arm, the silhouette slowly turned its head to look back at Cheon-jon.

What is it, is that all?

If it won’t resist, all the better.

Thinking thus, as Cheon-jon prepared to shoot sword energy towards its neck…

Deoldeoldeol….

“…?”

Sensing something strange, Cheon-jon looked at the hand holding his sword.

“…What?”

Only then could he see.

That not only his sword, but his own body was trembling slightly.

His arm is trembling.

Not just his arm, but his entire body was shaking.

Why? Why was his body suddenly trembling?

Cheon-jon tried to calm himself by circulating his internal energy, but it wasn’t easy.

What was happening?

As the question arose, Cheon-jon soon bit his lip.

Because he had realized the reason his body was reacting this way.

His own body was feeling fear.

The moment he recalled that, Cheon-jon’s face twisted like a demon’s. He was feeling fear?

It was laughable.

To feel fear towards an unknown being, not even the Demon Lord, Sword Saint, let alone the Overlord or the Little Sword Sage?

It was impossible.

It was even humiliating to feel it.

Kureureureung-!

The energy erupting from Cheon-jon’s body shot up into the sky, creating dark clouds.

He couldn’t stand it. Since ‘permission’ had been granted, there was no need to hesitate, so Cheon-jon channeled his energy and swung his sword once more.

The trembling remained, but overcoming it was not a problem.

A powerful energy imbued with the enlightenment of a warrior who had transcended levels.

Sword energy containing overwhelming power cut through the air, flying towards the silhouette. The target was the neck.

No matter what unknown thing it was, if its neck was severed, it would surely die.

Thinking so, Cheon-jon unleashed the attack. An enormous sword energy, shattering the ground, shot forward directly.

Paaaaaaah-!

A roar erupted, and the forest vibrated.

Just as he expected the silhouette to be swept away by that distant resonance…

Tzueuk.

A slight change occurred in the silhouette’s appearance.

Cracks slowly spread across the silhouette’s mouth, and then…

Kyaaaaaaaah-!

It let out an immense roar.

Kwaaaaaaaaah-!!

That wasn’t all.

As it roared, air pressure burst forth, and the surroundings began to collapse. Cheon-jon’s sword energy scattered with the sound, and the dark clouds Cheon-jon had created were pushed away and vanished due to the air pressure.

“…!”

As Cheon-jon tried to react to the sudden change…

Hook-!

The silhouette, enveloped in blue flames, charged at Cheon-jon.

Incredible speed.

Perhaps charging purely with strength, the ground the silhouette kicked off from shattered into pieces.

Cheon-jon gripped his sword diagonally.

The speed was fast, but not so fast that he couldn’t react.

Just as he was about to bring his sword down…

Cheon-jon’s eyes widened in shock as he confirmed the charging figure.

Because the arm he had severed just moments before had somehow grown back perfectly.

Perhaps because of that.

Cheon-jon couldn’t properly counter the attack.

The silhouette’s attack hit Cheon-jon’s shoulder directly.

Immediately after.

Kwoooooooong-!

A roar erupted, and the blue flames spread in all directions.

*******************

Jjeojeojeok-!

I hear something breaking near my ears.

What’s breaking? I tried hard to check, but I couldn’t.

Because I couldn’t see anything in front of my eyes.

Is it because my eyes are closed? I don’t think so.

It just felt like the entire space I was in was dyed black.

Should I say it’s because it’s dark all around, so I can’t see even if I try?

In such an unknown space.

Jjeojeojeojeok-!

I had to keep listening to the sound of something breaking.

‘What the…’

Jjejeok-! Jjeak-!

It sounded like something was breaking, or maybe like something was being forcibly torn apart.

Whatever it was, it wasn’t a sound I wanted to keep hearing.

Deudeudeuk-!

I tried covering my ears with my hands.

Fortunately, my hands moved. I tried blocking my ears, but the sound wasn’t blocked.

Jjejeok.

‘Ah.’

Instead, it sounded even clearer.

Hearing that, I knew.

That this sound wasn’t coming from outside.

This wasn’t outside. It was a sound coming from within me.

So, the more I covered my ears and closed my eyes, the clearer it must have sounded.

Jjejeok-jjeak-!

Annoyance surged at the ceaseless sound.

What on earth is this sound? There’s no noise like this noise.

I wasn’t trying to, but my brow kept furrowing.

‘…Shut up. Just be quiet.’

Even screaming inwardly didn’t stop the sound.

Rather, it seemed stimulated, only making louder noises.

‘Fuck.’

I finally spat out a curse.

How did this sound start?

No, to begin with.

Why am I here?

I don’t know. I couldn’t remember anything.

Honestly, though the sound was loud, I felt like I just wanted to float around like this.

I didn’t want to do anything. I didn’t want to think about anything.

What was I thinking about originally?

I couldn’t remember, but judging by the discomfort in my stomach, it probably wasn’t something I wanted to recall.

‘…Just like this….’

If I disliked it this much, wouldn’t it be okay to just stay still? It was somewhat comfortable.

Thinking so, as I tried to let my body go with the flow…

Jjejeok-!

“Gulp!?”

Along with the successive sounds, I curled up.

Because this time, not only the sound but also immense pain was felt from within my body.

“Guhuh…. cough….”

It was pain enough to make me let out a dry scream without realizing it.

Jjejeokjjeojeojeok-!

As the sound grew, the shock intensified.

It wasn’t at a level where I could endure it.

If I could, I wanted to faint right away.

Why does it hurt so much? Why am I hurting?

“Guhuh… huh….”

My insides felt like they were turning upside down.

As I continuously endured the pain, I started to understand a little.

Why this insane pain was coming from within me.

‘The… vessel….’

This is the sensation of a vessel breaking. The thought crossed my mind before I knew it.

Memories gradually surfaced.

Shin-ui’s words that my vessel was at its limit. His past statement that I wouldn’t last more than a few years without medicine.

I wondered why this came to mind, but seeing this, I thought the current sensation was related to my vessel.

Which is why I became even more puzzled.

‘Why?’

Why did this situation suddenly unfold?

Why did the vessel suddenly start breaking?

Why was I in a place like this?

I tried hard to recall, but nothing came.

All I could think of was an unknown fear, stuffiness, and moreover, chilling pain.

Koong-!

“Gulp.”

I curled up again from a vibration that burst from within my body.

Simultaneously.

Hwaruk-!

Suddenly, flames ignited all around, brightly illuminating the oppressive darkness.

My vision, which had seen nothing, suddenly brightened to the point where my eyes hurt.

But even so, I couldn’t avoid it.

“What… is this?”

Because something utterly unbelievable was unfolding before my eyes, something I couldn’t look away from.

Wooowooong.

In the now-brightened view, I saw a giant sphere floating.

In terms of size, it was about the size of a house.

Is it blue?

Or perhaps purple?

Or maybe a deep crimson?

I don’t know.

Despite being colors with a strong presence, I couldn’t quite perceive them.

What should I call this?

Even looking, I don’t understand.

If I had to say, that sphere looked like a cracking ‘egg’ to my eyes.

An egg with cracks forming everywhere, gradually breaking, its fragments falling to the ground.

That’s how it looked.

What could this be now? As I blankly stared, wondering what that egg was…

Jjejeok-!

Suddenly, a sound came from the egg.

It was the same sound that had been ringing in my ears.

It definitely felt like it was coming from inside my body, but this time it started coming from that egg.

As I watched, wondering why it was doing that…

“Gulp…!”

As a large crack formed in the egg, the shock surged within my body once more.

With a familiar pain somewhere, I reddened my eyes and thought.

‘This… could it be….’

Clutching my throbbing lower abdomen, I stared at the giant egg before me.

The egg, cracking and breaking.

The pain surging as cracks formed there. Seeing this, what I could understand was…

“…Is this my vessel?”

Did it mean that egg was the form of the vessel within my body? I wasn’t sure, but somehow it felt like it.

Hudududuk.

Fragments gradually fell from the egg.

A gap opened in the floor, and I saw strange liquid flowing into it.

At first glance, it looked like ordinary water, but its viscous texture felt utterly alien.

Just looking at it felt unpleasant, rough, and stifling.

The sight of it slowly breaking was deeply unsettling.

‘What should I do?’

Leaving my throbbing abdomen behind, I looked at the egg.

Didn’t they say I would die if that broke?

Then I had to stop it.

I couldn’t let it break.

I still had many things to do…

“…Things to do?”

As my thoughts turned, I suddenly paused.

What were the things I had to do? Why am I here?

Or perhaps.

What was I doing right before this?

My mind felt hazy.

Nothing came to mind, but my actions moved mechanically.

Is it instinct, or some unknown lingering attachment?

My body seemed desperate to prevent that egg from breaking.

I reached out my hand.

Trying to block even the slightest widening gap.

Will this even work?

It didn’t matter if it wouldn’t.

I had to do something about this right now. That’s how I felt.

Just as my slowly trembling fingertips were about to touch the egg…

“…Damn brat, you always cause so much trouble. Tsk tsk.”

I froze at the voice that came from behind me.

The moment my body stiffened…

Saralararak-!

Along with a fragrant floral scent, abundant petals burst forth from below.

The appearing petals began to fly through the air, circling the sphere, and then started to envelop it.

The light pink leaves gave off a sense of sanctity just by looking at them.

A subtle fragrance and a warm sensation.

I caught one of the falling petals to examine it.

Plum blossom leaf.

These were plum blossom leaves.

A familiar feeling somewhere. Where did I feel this…

Ppaaak-!

“Kyak!”

My head snapped forward from an unexpected impact to the back of my head.

Clutching my stinging back of the head, I turned around with a contorted face.

There stood the person who had struck the back of my head.

An old man with white hair, dressed in pure white martial attire, was glaring at me while stroking his palm.

He was an old man with sharp eyes and a seemingly ill-tempered disposition.

He didn’t seem to be seven feet tall, and compared to that, he had a slender build.

What is this? As I glared fiercely at the old man, he sighed deeply and spoke to me.

“Tsk tsk… you damn rascal. You’re always busy causing trouble no matter what you do, forcing this old man to step in.”

The old man grumbled, clearly displeased.

Hearing that voice and tone, I called out to him without realizing it.

“…Old Man…?”

Shin Old Man.

The old man was Shin Old Man.