Ch.100Chapter 100 – The Wilderness (1)

Shin Jaehyuk couldn’t see anything. That was to be expected. The intense flames had melted his eyeballs and destroyed his optic nerves. Yet while writhing in agony in the pitch darkness, suddenly everything brightened before him.

“Huh?”

He blurted out in confusion as his vision returned. Surprisingly, his voice came out properly. Looking down at himself, his body was completely intact. Strangely though, he existed not in “Shin Jaehyuk’s” body, but in “Longino’s” body—wearing the familiar full plate armor he used to don in his previous life.

Shin Jaehyuk was bewildered. Could he be dead? Had he arrived in the afterlife?

But that didn’t seem to be the case. Looking around, it was far too desolate to be heaven.

A barren wasteland without a single blade of grass. The sky was pitch black, covered with dark clouds that blocked all light. A world of eternal night, an environment where no living thing could survive…

“This wasn’t described in the Bible… Wasn’t heaven supposed to be a garden flowing with milk and honey, where fresh fruit grows on trees every day?”

-Kuk-kuk-kuk, heaven, you say! Of course not!

Suddenly, a thunderous voice echoed through the dark clouds. A familiar voice.

“Belphegor?! What have you done to me? Where is this place?”

-Since you’ve amused me, I’ll tell you specially. This is my mental landscape.

Mental landscape!

That one phrase seemed to explain everything. While his physical body was burning in reality, his body was intact here in this mental realm. It also made sense why his current form was Longino. His soul had been influenced by the form it remembered.

‘So this place is Belphegor’s mental landscape?’

Shin Jaehyuk looked around. His own mental landscape had been a coastal shore at sunset. In contrast, Belphegor’s was a wasteland where nothing existed. Dark clouds in the sky and sandy dust on the ground were all that existed here. Such a desolate mindscape…

-I’ve always thought it unfair that only I experience the irrationality of time. So I created this spell. One second in reality can become one minute here, an hour, a day. You will share my perception of time.

A spell designed to let others experience the suffering he endured.

It was a spell full of malice, befitting a demon. If Shin Jaehyuk had been in a normal state in reality, it might have been different, but in his current situation—being actively tortured—to multiply his perceived time by dozens of times…

“A room of mind and time in this state? Damn it, Eloah…”

Belphegor, unable to contain his disgust at Shin Jaehyuk’s unconscious search for God, bellowed:

-How dare you seek that false god here! In this world, I am god!

Saying this, Belphegor raised the pain switch he had kept blocked. The agony from reality reflected onto his mental body. The excruciating pain of burning flesh surged through Shin Jaehyuk’s body.

“-!!!”

Shin Jaehyuk screamed silently. Savoring his contorted expression with delight, Belphegor mocked the disgusting creation of God.

-Since you so desperately want to live, go ahead and try. Learn that life is suffering. Until you beg to die of your own accord, I shall not let you perish!

With those words, Belphegor departed. Thus, in the desolate mental landscape, only darkness, dust, and one suffering paladin remained.

And so began the trial of the wasteland.

***

It was both a vast wilderness (廣野) and a night of madness (狂夜).

The eternal night without sunrise distorted his sense of time. Without knowing how many hours or minutes had passed, Shin Jaehyuk endured the burning pain in his body. It was enough to drive a person insane.

The mental world was both different from and similar to reality. Shin Jaehyuk felt human desires even here. His stomach ached with hunger, and he was overwhelmed with fatigue. But there was nothing to eat in this wasteland, and he couldn’t lie down to rest if he wanted to use his holy power to regenerate his physical body.

The darkness amplified his pain. The faint light emanating from the holy power enveloping his body was the only source of light in this world. With limited vision, his other senses unwillingly became more acute. With these heightened senses, he could feel his cells being destroyed and regenerated. It was truly a horrific sensation.

If he didn’t do something, he felt like he would lose everything. Like he would give up completely.

So he just started walking. Moving his legs could at least divert his focus from the burning pain in his body.

The wasteland was endless. However, it had a slight incline. One side was slightly lower, one side slightly higher. Shin Jaehyuk headed toward the higher ground. Walking uncomfortably made the pain more bearable. He began walking toward the rising horizon.

He walked on and on.

Without a deadline, without a destination.

Meanwhile, Belphegor was enjoying cultural activities in the real world. He had teleported an entire bookstore to himself and was devouring all the books. From the beginning, he had invaded Earth to explore various creative works like novels, movies, games, and animations, all to satisfy his own curiosity…

Belphegor would occasionally visit Shin Jaehyuk to torment him even while reading books.

He would tease Shin Jaehyuk with sweet whispers.

-Are you hungry? If you were truly loved by God, creating bread from these stones would be a simple miracle.

Shin Jaehyuk also desperately wished for a miracle. Lord, please look after your lamb. But this was Belphegor’s mental world, and naturally, no miracle occurred.

Belphegor sneered.

-What’s wrong? Not working? Your god, whose whereabouts you don’t even know, doesn’t answer your prayers? Then try praying to the god right before your eyes. If you do, I will forever free you from hunger.

Meaning to become undead. Shin Jaehyuk ignored him. If there’s no reaction to teasing, it becomes boring. Belphegor withdrew his attention from Shin Jaehyuk and focused on reading in the real world.

After reading several books, Belphegor visited again.

-Try dying once. Who knows if your god will come to claim your soul like he did four hundred years ago? Let’s see if he still cares for you.

God came to welcome his soul? This might have been an opportunity to learn the secrets of his past life, but with his reason numbed by pain, Shin Jaehyuk dismissed Belphegor’s words as nonsense.

Shin Jaehyuk didn’t fall for the sweet talk. Not only could he not believe such nonsense, but choosing death would only make him a slave to Belphegor’s necromancy. He would never make such a foolish choice.

Belphegor disappeared and returned again after finishing several more books. It was after reading a book called “Carrot and Stick.”

He overlaid an illusion on the mental landscape.

A magnificent scene unfolded in the wasteland. It was a royal palace. Shin Jaehyuk was the master of this majestic palace. The people of hell, stretching beyond the horizon, were cheering, and in the illusion, Shin Jaehyuk was waving to them.

-Look. This is the future you could grasp. I will let you rule over all souls in hell. You can reclaim everyone who died four hundred years ago, those you loved. You will be their king, their savior, and you will enjoy power by my side for eternity. If you bow before me, I will give you all this.

Shin Jaehyuk replied.

“Those I love are not in hell. They are already enjoying eternal life in heaven.”

Having confirmed Shin Jaehyuk’s steadfastness, Belphegor left. But he returned many times afterward to tempt Shin Jaehyuk. Time was something he had in abundance.

Shin Jaehyuk grew increasingly worn down. Would help come from reality? Kwak Taewoo? The Sword Ghost? Or someone else? Not knowing how long he had to endure, this indefinite waiting drove him to despair.

Every time Belphegor came, he would ask:

Paladin, have you finally broken?

And each time, Shin Jaehyuk would answer:

My faith remains steadfast in the light.

But even as he spoke, he could feel hope withering within his heart.

***

Clang-!

‘Tsk tsk. How many times is this? The eighth? Relying on my ability again, what a bad habit…’

Having narrowly escaped another crisis with a clever move, the Sword Ghost quickly retreated backward. To evade that monstrous range of swordsmanship, he had to abandon dignity and roll on the dirt.

Kyle Leonhardt, who had missed a decisive opportunity for the eighth time, tilted his head in confusion at the recent evasion. Frustrated by the situation not going his way, he swung his sword through the air a few times.

“Strange. I don’t think I misjudged the distance. How did he dodge? That attack shouldn’t have been avoidable.”

Kyle’s specialty was one-on-one combat. In single combat, Kyle never lost in tactical exchanges. Like a spider spinning a web to catch insects, he would pressure opponents with tactical moves, cut off their escape routes, and then deliver a fatal strike at the moment when evasion was impossible.

But this old man kept escaping critical moments with incomprehensible divine moves. It was a kind of talent that defied understanding. Or could it even be called talent?

It was as if he could read the future, knowing where Kyle would swing his sword.

“I don’t know what sorcery you’re using, but it doesn’t matter. I acknowledge it. You are a swordsman worthy of receiving my full sincerity.”

Kyle readjusted his stance.

“A vision that seems to read the future. But conversely, your sword talent is ordinary. Surely that swordsmanship was honed through countless attempts and failures over a lifetime. I pay my respects to your determination and effort, reaching the state of unity between god and sword with such modest talent.”

Kyle concentrated. He drew magical energy from his heart. Leonhardt—true to his name—his heart roared like a lion, pounding heavily. A blood-red aura covered his blade…

“Against such an opponent, I too need to give my all.”

“What the hell is he mumbling about…”

Sword Ghost Takahashi couldn’t understand Kyle’s words. The language barrier prevented comprehension. But he could roughly grasp the meaning from the atmosphere.

‘So he’s going to fight seriously now. Good, that’s how it should be. That makes my visit worthwhile…’

His pupils dilated, and his heart accelerated further. Oxygen pumped through his body via accelerated blood flow from a special mana breathing technique. The Sword Ghost was excited. Blood, he wanted to taste blood.

Coating his katana with a sword aura that extended a meter beyond the blade’s tip, the Sword Ghost licked his lips.

“My blade hungers for much blood. I’ll cut you down in one stroke, then that skeleton hiding over there, and finally go after the one called the Four Heavenly Kings.”

The moment the bluish sword aura took perfect form, the two swordsmen collided. Red and blue beams crossed. The red light was fierce and destructive. Like a storm compressed into form, the raging magical energy within the sword aura tore apart everything in the sword’s path. In contrast, the blue light was solid like a carefully constructed wall. Like a diamond structure created from magical power. With astonishing stability, it could be extended several meters.

Two manifestations of the concept of ‘sword’ clashed. Two energies contested, throwing sparks as they tried to cut each other, true to the purpose of a sword.

The red sword wrapped in storm energy slashed downward, aiming for the Sword Ghost’s knee. Kyle anticipated the next move. If he jumped back to avoid the sword, Kyle would thrust; if he jumped up, Kyle would spin and slash upward.

But the Sword Ghost stomped on the blade with his right foot, pinning it to the ground. He felt the sole of his shoe rapidly wearing away against the sword aura, but this was hardly even damage. The Sword Ghost drew his katana from its sheath with lightning speed. Battōjutsu.

As the katana was being drawn, the sword aura extending just an inch longer deceived Kyle’s distance perception. A blue sword aura rushing toward his neck. The Sword Ghost was certain of the feeling of cutting into flesh. A trick of adjusting the length of the sword aura to deceive distance. Though it seemed simple, it wasn’t something just anyone could do, and facing it for the first time, one would inevitably fall victim…

But Kyle also had an unexpected move. Sensing he couldn’t dodge normally, Kyle violently bent his back backward. His spine folded in reverse with a disturbing crack. A grotesque sight worthy of a B-movie.

The Sword Ghost couldn’t hide his surprise. Breaking your spine to avoid offering your neck? What a crude exchange…

Crack.

Kyle forcefully pushed with his hand on the ground to restore his spine to its original position. Immediately, magical energy forcibly reconnected the perforated bones and decayed muscles.

The Sword Ghost was dumbfounded. Was this also possible for an undead?

“So we’re both beyond common sense…”

While Kyle focused on recovery with caution, the Sword Ghost likewise concentrated on extending his sword aura even longer. Now the blue sword aura reached almost 3-4 meters. It was twice as long as Kyle’s.

Kyle’s sword was a zweihänder reaching 2 meters. To counter the long reach of the zweihänder, the Sword Ghost also needed to extend his attack radius.

“Good. Let’s duel again.”

The contest continued. They exchanged blows, understanding each other’s swordsmanship. Analyzing weaknesses. Predicting the next move. Breaking through special techniques. Mixing feints, disrupting center of gravity, leaving false habits to induce actions…

Masters who had reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship.

Fights between experts don’t end easily. Because each can read the best moves the other can make, the duel becomes not a mere sword fight but a well-choreographed play.

Offense and defense exchange in an instant. At a speed like light beams, impossible for the untrained to even perceive. The aftermath of sword strikes cuts down telephone poles like weeds, and the road beneath their feet collapses like a sand castle.

The Sword Ghost alternated between an upper stance disregarding defense and a shadow stance hiding the sword behind his body, switching between offense and defense. Kyle Leonhardt probed these intervals, looking for openings. If he sensed even a slight delay in movement, a deadly dagger would unfailingly touch the Adam’s apple.

The Sword Ghost felt his ability activate.

‘Nine times. Ugh, this headache… Fatigue is building up.’

The Sword Ghost rolled sideways. The red sword aura grazed his side, tearing his skin. Blood flowed. The Sword Ghost threw off his outer garment, now reduced to rags.

“…That was a haori I liked. I’ll have to buy a new one when I return to my country.”

Though he tried to appear composed, he was somewhat anxious inside.

While the current situation maintained a tense balance of power and skill, it was clear whose stamina would be depleted first. Unlike Kyle, who could regenerate wounds, the Sword Ghost, as a mana user, had no means to recover his body. The more attacks grazed him and damage accumulated, the more disadvantaged he became.

‘I need a change…’

Just then, a presence registered in his senses.

“-!”

Crash!

Someone fell, shattering the glass of a three-story building. Boldly striking down with a sword aimed at the Black Knight’s head.

In that moment, expressions of joy and sorrow crossed.

Kyle’s face contorted as he received the sword strike weighted with body mass, while the Sword Ghost’s face brightened with relief.

Who is it? Capturing the face of the intruder, the Sword Ghost voiced the identity.

“Kwak Taeho?”