episode_0055

Yeom Hyeong-ok (炎炯獄)

Just like its name, “prison that confines brilliant flames,” Yeom Hyeong-ok’s basic concept is a prison.

As if trying to prevent something inside from escaping, it is full of countless traps and clockwork soldiers guarding the place.

Above all, the clockwork soldier monsters wandering around here are quite high-leveled, so if you try to enter here right at the level you can enter, you will feel the wall of monsters that oppress me with overwhelming raw level and bizarre physical resistance.

‘Especially the most annoying thing is this physical resistance…’

The units I usually use as my main force are the hero Leon, whom I have to use because he is the protagonist, and Baekryeon, who has decent performance. Leon and Baekryeon are both physical-oriented dealers or pure physical dealers, so in The Success Story of an Incompetent Hero, which is based on a 5-person party, I have to play with 2 people sealed for no reason.

Furthermore, the remaining 3 are a combination of a sub-magic dealer, a flawed magic extreme dealer, and a supporter, so it’s quite a headache to clear with these 3 guys.

‘So, the usual strategy for Yeom Hyeong-ok was to get a brush sword that converts physical damage to magic damage and give it to Baekryeon. In fact, there is no other way besides that.’

Of course, it’s not just the weapon that’s needed.

Yeom Hyeong-ok consists of a total of 13 floors, and the 1st floor is called the floor of snakes and poison, so all kinds of poison traps pop out.

Unless you’re trying to avoid them one by one, a high-grade antidote is essential.

The other floors… I’ll refrain from commenting as it’s a spoiler.

“Is everything ready?”

“Everything has already been prepared a long time ago.”

“Is that so? Haha, you’re trustworthy as expected.”

Standing in front of Yeom Hyeong-ok, the old days when I went crazy to clear this place came to my mind, and I blanked out without realizing it.

Hehe, those are fond memories.

“But, are you going alone? I thought those two bodyguards would follow you.”

“Ah, that’s what happened.”

“Those two actually let the Flame Emperor go alone.”

“Hahahaha, it was a bit difficult to persuade them.”

The Flame Emperor, smiling gently and pretending otherwise, took out a crimson key from his chest that looked like it was made of gathered flames.

A key to open the entrance to Yeom Hyeong-ok. The key of the flame.

‘As expected, the Flame Emperor had it.’

Well, considering the current flow, it’s natural for the Flame Emperor to have it.

Creak!

The heavy door of Yeom Hyeong-ok opens, revealing the dark interior.

The space inside the door is very dark, like an entrance to a prison, and is a narrow one-way path.

The Flame Emperor, who briefly looked at that space, turned his gaze to me for a moment and said.

“Actually, this is not the first time I have come to Yeom Hyeong-ok. In the past, I came here with soldiers and warriors who protected me.”

Actually, this isn’t my first time here either. I’ve been here quite a lot.

I even memorized the patterns here.

“The 1st floor is called the floor of snakes and poison. It is characterized by dangerous traps, especially poisonous fog spread everywhere.”

“I see. I’ll have to be careful of the poison.”

I know everything, but I should pretend to be surprised.

Anyway, it’s a strange flow for me to say the information about this place first.

“Then I have something to tell you.”

“You have something to say to me?”

“Yes. I said I would help you break through this place, but I won’t actually be of great help in clearing Yeom Hyeong-ok.”

“Is that so? I understand.”

The Flame Emperor nodded without saying anything else and took a step into the dark interior.

….Huh? What’s going on?

The story flow I was thinking of wasn’t like this? Why don’t you suddenly ask why??

“This is a secret palace left by the first Flame Emperor for the Flame Emperors of later generations. Therefore, you must completely explore this place with your own strength. So, you’re just saying that you’ll help me just enough so that I don’t die, right?”

“Uh….”

What? I was going for that concept, but how did you figure it out?

Are you using mind reading or something?

As I was looking at him thinking that, the Flame Emperor smiled faintly and took out a lantern containing shining stone fragments from his chest and illuminated the dark inside of the passage.

“You have a look on your face as if you’re asking how I found out.”

“That’s what I’m thinking.”

“It’s nothing. I just guessed by seeing that you didn’t bring anyone else with you.”

“Just from that?”

At my question, he stopped walking for a moment and turned to me.

His red eyes, reminiscent of red flames, seemed to deeply pierce through me.

“People’s actions and words contain much more information than they think. Whether you can figure it out and use it is a separate matter.”

The Flame Emperor said it as if it were nothing and turned his gaze away.

He strode forward.

Feeling a strange sensation in the Flame Emperor’s gaze, I ran down the hallway chasing after the Flame Emperor.

We’ve passed through the entrance of Yeom Hyeong-ok, but the real entrance of Yeom Hyeong-ok hasn’t arrived yet.

That means we haven’t properly arrived at the 1st floor.

Therefore, there are no particularly noticeable traps here, but that doesn’t mean it’s safe. If you light a flame to illuminate the darkness in this dark place, an explosion will occur due to the colorless and odorless gas spread here, and you’ll die instantly.

Seeing that he brought a lantern using luminous pearls, as if he already knew that, his preparation is quite thorough.

You really came here.

“It’s late to ask, but if you said you came here, how far did you go? Seeing that you said the 1st floor, it seems like there are also the 2nd and 3rd floors.”

“That’s right. I haven’t been to all of them yet, but according to the stories, it seems like there are 13 floors. And we arrived at the 3rd floor.”

The 3rd floor.

You went quite far.

You must have lacked the means to inflict magic damage.

“We’ve arrived. From here on out is the real entrance to Yeom Hyeong-ok.”

What’s in front of us is a huge iron door painted green.

As if showing the traces of time, it’s very old and rusty, but the image of the snake biting its own tail engraved on the door is still intact, showing its majesty.

That thing is more solid than I thought.

Of course, it’s not locked.

It requires considerable strength, but it’s a structure that can be pushed open with force.

The Flame Emperor seems to already know that, and said looking at me.

“Could you push this open? It doesn’t move with my strength.”

“It’s simple.”

I give it a little force and push.

Then, the door opened with a heavy sound, revealing the interior.

The interior was very bright due to the luminous pearls emitting green light. Unlike the dark hallway leading up to here.

“There are no combat puppets on the floor of snakes and poison. Instead, as I said before, there are several dangerous traps, so remember the location where I move and move accordingly.”

“I understand. I’ll be careful.”

One step at a time.

The Flame Emperor started walking carefully, unlike before.

The pattern here is random, but it’s not completely random. There is a kind of pattern, and that pattern comes out randomly.

Swoosh, Thud.

Swish, Thud.

Swish, Thud.

“Indeed, that’s the order this time.”

He takes out something like a pebble from his chest and throws it in front of him.

By throwing it 3 times, each time in a different location, he figures out the pattern of the traps on the 1st floor and continues to move.

The 1st floor is relatively simple if you can figure out the pattern of the traps and go through them.

There are no puppet soldiers blocking the gimmick from being solved.

But….

‘The path to get to the next floor will be quite long, but you’ve memorized all the patterns?’

I wrote it down in something like a notepad.

I turn on the notepad I prepared in advance when coming to Yeom Hyeong-ok to check the pattern, but right now the Flame Emperor doesn’t have anything recorded, but he figures out the location of the traps with 3 pebbles and remembers the entire pattern.

What? Is he a monster?

“The path here is long. If you avoid the traps, there’s nothing too dangerous. So, shall we have a conversation? Since it’s just the two of us, let’s put aside all the pretenses surrounding ourselves, such as Flame Emperor or hero, and talk.”

“I’m fine with that, but… what do you want to ask?”

What I’m curious about….

“Why is the influence of the Yeom family weakening? You don’t seem like that at all.”

“Haha, thank you for the compliment. The reason is… I’m half-baked.”

“Half-baked?”

I don’t know what’s half-baked.

“I… didn’t perfectly master the martial art passed down to the Flame Emperor. The Great Flame Heaven Art.”

“The Great Flame Heaven Art?”

“Yes. That’s right. Originally, the Great Flame Heaven Art is a unique martial art that the Flame Emperor inherits from the Flame Emperor. So I should have learned the Great Flame Heaven Art from the previous Flame Emperor, my father. But… unfortunately, my father died of an unknown illness.”

“!”

The Flame Emperor, who had maintained a calm demeanor like a detached hermit, revealed a faint longing and loneliness only when he said those words.

“I think the Soo-in Alliance is behind the death of the previous Flame Emperor.”

“The Soo-in Alliance?”

“Yes. The conflict between the Soo-in Alliance and the Yeom Kingdom, which has been passed down from the ancestors of the previous generation… no, even further back. The death of the previous Flame Emperor shows that the conflict has reached its peak. So I’m thinking of cutting that off in my generation.”

“If you’re going to cut it off….”

As I trailed off, he smiled.

“I don’t think all Soo-ins should be eradicated. Above all, doesn’t the Tang family of Sichuan have the blood of Imugi in them? Not all Soo-ins are good, but they’re not all evil either. And that’s the same with humans. It’s not right to apply strict standards only to Soo-ins.”

As expected, I can’t help but admire his attitude like an enlightened Taoist.

“If the Soo-in Alliance wants to surrender, I’m thinking of accepting it. Of course… until the war is over. And even if the war is over, I’ll have to watch them to make sure they don’t do anything strange.”

“Of course, that’s right.”

That’s normal.

As we were talking, we reached the end of the 1st floor.

And a steel door announcing the end of the 1st floor and the beginning of the 2nd floor. A bright green steel door with books and brushes drawn on it.

A door announcing the floor of brushes and wisdom appeared in front of me and the Flame Emperor.

The Flame Emperor, who briefly looked at the door, turned his body and said looking at me.

“But… anyway, all of that is possible only if you have power. The Great Flame Heaven Art is not just a technique to increase the Flame Emperor’s own martial arts achievement. It’s about gathering and developing the power of those who follow you and leading them. That is the true form of the Great Flame Heaven Art, and the martial art containing the spirit of the Yeom family, which united everyone under the name of flame.”