Chapter 36: In Search of Vigo. (4)

In Search of Bigo (4)

The snake was coiled up, emitting a pure white light, and looking down at us.

“W-wow, it’s a huge snake…!”

At Wi Seol-ah’s words, I bit my lip.

It was the worst possible situation.

‘…A monster?’

A snake that size could only be explained as a monster.

And if that snake was the one talking… a monster with intelligence?

I had never heard of such a thing.

Let alone a monster of that size.

What should I do? With my current body, I couldn’t even scratch it.

At the very least, I had to protect Wi Seol-ah and ensure her escape.

So how could I draw its attention…?

As if reading my thoughts, the snake spoke.

-Cease your struggles, child. I am not hungry right now.

Does that mean it has no ill intentions?

At those words, I asked, hiding my cold sweat.

“…Can you understand speech?”

-That is why we are conversing, isn’t it?

“How can a monster speak human language?”

-A monster… How amusing.

The snake flicked its tongue.

Even that flexible tongue looked bigger than me.

-So the era where we are called such has finally come.

Its voice held a hint of bitterness.

It seemed to have no ill intentions, but I couldn’t trust a monster, so I didn’t lower my guard.

The snake’s golden eyes flashed as it asked me.

-…I am curious, child. How could someone not of the Yeon family’s bloodline reach this place?

“The Yeon family…?”

Was it referring to the Geumcheon Yeon family?

“…The Geumcheon Yeon family disappeared hundreds of years ago.”

At my words, the snake’s eyes widened.

Then, it slowly closed its eyes.

Swoosh.

The snake coiled its massive body even tighter.

It had barely moved, but its sheer size made the room seem to shake.

-…So that’s how it was. It couldn’t be helped after all.

Its massive head, which had been raised, slowly lowered to the ground.

-However, I am still curious. Even with my power fading, this is not something easily found. How did you manage to get here?

‘…Speaking of power, was the formation set up around Bigo powered by this monster?’

A monster possessing such absurd power.

It was a terrifying thought.

What should I answer the monster’s question with?

Honestly, Wi Seol-ah had done all the work – finding it, breaking in, tearing everything apart – so I didn’t have much to say.

“…I just looked for it, and found it.”

-…Is that so.

The snake uttered a voice filled with disbelief, then paused. Its gaze shifted somewhere.

It was clearly looking at Wi Seol-ah.

A faint light flickered in the snake’s golden eyes as it looked at Wi Seol-ah.

Given its size, its expression unintentionally instilled fear.

Perhaps startled by the gaze, Wi Seol-ah burrowed slightly deeper into my back.

Watching this, the snake’s head drew back slightly, creating some distance.

-…I see. So that’s what it was.

What? Why is it just figuring things out on its own?

-Child, for what purpose did you seek this place?

Then, the snake abruptly asked me.

The snake’s question made me falter.

If the snake was connected to the Geumcheon Yeon family, would it really let us, who came to plunder Bigo, go unhindered?

“We just stumbled in by chance.”

Without realizing it, polite speech naturally slipped out.

At my words, the snake flicked its tongue.

It might have been my imagination, but it seemed to be smiling.

The snake said.

-Unfortunately, there are no treasures left here for you to covet.

…Shit, it figured out we came to plunder Bigo.

Thanks to that, my back was getting soaked with cold sweat.

The snake slowly continued speaking.

-My lifespan is drawing to a close, so the day this place reappears in the world is not far off either.

‘…Not much time left?’

Hearing the snake’s words, I finally began to understand how the Tang family might have discovered this place.

If what it said was true, the Tang family likely just stumbled upon this place after the formation was broken.

‘No wonder it didn’t make sense that they couldn’t find the white maple tree for so long.’

Could it really be that there was nothing here?

If so, what did the Gyecheon Gate Master obtain from here?

-Child.

“…Yes?”

I answered nervously at the snake’s call.

I couldn’t afford to worry about my pride being hurt by using polite speech anymore.

-What do you think fate is?

“Why ask such a crappy question…?”

The question was so absurd that my original tone slipped out before I could stop it.

You crazy bastard, you shouldn’t act like this in a situation like this.

-Hahahahaha!

At my answer, the snake burst into laughter.

Hearing it laugh like that with its massive body made my legs tremble.

-You are right. I asked something far too strange.

Fortunately, the snake didn’t seem offended.

I wanted to argue why it kept asking all the questions, but I held myself back.

This wasn’t a situation that could be salvaged by acting recklessly.

The snake slowly uncoiled its body.

-…In the end, it will disappear. What was it all endured for?

It didn’t seem like it was talking to me.

Who was it talking to? As the snake finished speaking, its body suddenly began to glow brightly.

It wasn’t the gentle white light from before, but a golden light, like its eyes.

Just as I wondered if I should grab Wi Seol-ah and run, something popped out of the snake’s mouth.

It was a golden orb.

I picked up the orb that rolled towards me.

Then the snake said.

-Take it.

“…What is this?”

-It is payment for keeping company with this old wyrm. It wouldn’t be long before it fell into someone else’s hands anyway, so it’s better to give it to you, who fate has connected me with…

Compared to coming from the snake’s body, it wasn’t stained with saliva or any other foreign matter.

If I had to compare, it looked similar to a magic stone, but it lacked the ominous feeling I got from magic stones.

On the contrary, it felt radiant and noble.

Perhaps even sacred.

-If you carry something like that within you, you will likely accept it more easily than others.

‘Carry? Carry what……?’

Before the question even formed, a sudden, intense heat surged into my body like madness.

“…Gkuh!”

Unable to bear the sudden, intense pain, I collapsed onto my knees.

It was the Mad God Absorption technique activating on its own again.

I let my guard down because it didn’t feel ominous, but was it really a magic stone?

What was strange was that despite resembling a magic stone, I felt no demonic energy from it at all.

The problem was the sheer volume of energy pouring in.

As I struggled to breathe, gasping for air, I felt Wi Seol-ah’s hand stroking my back.

Surprisingly, the violently pushing energy changed direction and began to flow in calmly.

The energy, which had been swirling throughout my body, finally surged directly into my trembling dantian.

It mixed with the internal energy of the Nine Flame Wheel Formation, which was gently radiating heat within me, creating a vortex inside my body.

“Guhh…!”

This only intensified the agony, making me feel like I was dying.

At this rate, maybe the snake was trying to kill me with pain? If it wanted me dead, why not just swallow me whole…!

Slowly. Then quickly.

-Puh-puh-puh-puh!

Though the only sounds audible should have been my groans, I somehow heard something exploding in my head.

Was it a hallucination caused by the pain?

The energies intertwined, swirling for a long time before finally merging into a single stream.

What converged into a single point.

Spread throughout my entire body, regardless of my will.

As if something was bursting.

Reaching a level of agony that I couldn’t endure while conscious.

I couldn’t hold on and finally lost consciousness.

---

Immediately after Gu Yangcheon fainted from the overwhelming energy.

Only the snake and Wi Seol-ah remained in the room. The snake chuckled, watching this.

-It seems it was too much for him to endure.

It is the treasure of a being who sought to become a dragon, or was on the verge of becoming one.

Furthermore, since it was absorbed rather than swallowed directly.

He must have taken in more complete energy than others.

Wi Seol-ah placed Gu Yangcheon’s head on her lap and slowly stroked his fallen back.

The snake asked Wi Seol-ah, watching her.

-Are you satisfied with that?

Wi Seol-ah lifted her head at the snake’s question.

Unlike her usual obsidian-black eyes, Wi Seol-ah’s eyes were now tinged with gold.

Wi Seol-ah spoke.

“It is not for me to be satisfied or not.”

None of her usual vacant tone remained.

The snake watched her and said in a sorrowful voice.

-You have twisted too much to get here. Is that your choice?

“Why? You think I wouldn’t understand?”

-No, quite the opposite. Understanding it makes it even more painful and regrettable.

The snake slowly laid its body down on the ground.

Its brightly shining scales gradually lost their luster.

Wi Seol-ah continued stroking Gu Yangcheon’s back as she asked.

“And you, why did you give away such a cherished treasure? Especially to a human you just met today.”

-It was merely a whim. There is nothing more lonely than waiting for someone who will never come. I, too, let go.

A fleeting image of a blond youth smiling brightly flashed through the snake’s mind.

Someone she would never see again.

-…Fate is truly fleeting.

Scales began to fall onto the ground. As soon as they touched the earth, they crumbled.

Just like maple leaves on the ground.

Soon, the snake would disappear without a trace.

Such was the final moment of the divine beast who gifted the treasure.

Wi Seol-ah gently stroked Gu Yangcheon’s head.

“Even now, thinking only of protecting me… what a foolish person.”

Drip, drip.

Water droplets fell onto Gu Yangcheon’s face.

He could have just run away.

Gu Yangcheon, though trembling as he looked at the snake, never let himself be put in front.

Still foolish. What was he, really?

What was he, who only harbored resentment and contempt without knowing anything?

The image of that person, who never spoke a word for himself until the very last moment, came to mind.

Contemptible. I resented him and wanted to kill him.

Not anyone else, but myself.

[…Give it back now.]

A voice echoed in my ears.

Wi Seol-ah wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

“I’m sorry, I’ll borrow it just a little longer.”

Not yet.

It’s still too dangerous.

Just a little bit longer.

Wi Seol-ah carefully placed Gu Yangcheon’s head back on the ground and slowly rose.

If it were up to me, I would have enjoyed stroking him a little longer.

But it was an indulgence unbecoming of me, a selfish desire ignoring my guilt.

Wi Seol-ah slowly stretched.

Though the body was young and frail, its capacity was so immense that moving it as desired would pose no difficulty.

After stretching sufficiently, Wi Seol-ah looked towards the entrance and spoke.

“Stop spectating and come out from there.”

Her voice was sharp as an awl and cold as frost.

Soon, a man with a surprised expression appeared from the entrance.

“…How? When did you realize?”

“With that pathetic skill of yours, there’s no way you could hide.”

The man was none other than Ma Cheol. He was the guard who served Namgung Cheon-jun from the Tang family.

From the very beginning.

Wi Seol-ah had known about the person tailing Gu Yangcheon and herself ever since Gu Yangcheon left the Tang family.

No matter Gu Yangcheon’s past achievements.

With his current body, he wouldn’t have been able to sense even a peak-level martial artist following them.

“…I intended to finish this quietly.”

Ma Cheol sighed as if resigned.

Before I knew it, Ma Cheol had drawn his sword.

“You’re quite perceptive, kid. I had no business with you, so I planned to deal with only Young Master Gu quietly, but things got complicated.”

“Is this Namgung’s will?”

At Wi Seol-ah’s question, Ma Cheol’s brow furrowed.

“How dare you! Someone like you shouldn’t speak his name!”

Despite Ma Cheol’s outburst, Wi Seol-ah’s expression remained impassive.

Wi Seol-ah quietly took out a small dagger from her pocket.

Ma Cheol clicked his tongue briefly upon seeing it.

“What do you intend to do with that?”

Wi Seol-ah didn’t answer.

Ma Cheol looked at Wi Seol-ah and changed his mind.

Beautiful.

Truly beautiful.

Though her appearance still held a youthful trace, if she was this beautiful, it seemed better to deal with the Gu family’s son and take her along instead of killing her.

This Bigo, this girl, and Young Master Gu’s life.

It was quite a good haul.

Having finished his thoughts, Ma Cheol asked Wi Seol-ah.

“Or, how about this? If you don’t resist, I won’t lay a finger on you.”

If she struggled uselessly to protect her master, that precious face could get hurt.

Her master wouldn’t like that.

Wi Seol-ah still didn’t answer.

She simply drew the dagger slowly from its sheath.

Seeing this, Ma Cheol sighed regretfully.

“Fine, if you insist, I can’t help it. If that’s the case then…”

Thump-

“Hm…?”

Ma Cheol made a dumbfounded sound.

It was because he heard something fall near him.

Then, he felt a sense of strangeness.

Ma Cheol touched his left shoulder with trembling hands.

Cold sweat trickled down Ma Cheol’s cheek.

It was gone.

His left arm, which should have been there, was gone.

Looking down at the floor, he saw that what had fallen was none other than his own arm.

‘When did…?’

Ma Cheol hadn’t even seen Wi Seol-ah swing.

“Shut up.”

Wi Seol-ah’s voice pierced his ears.

Only then did Ma Cheol realize something was terribly wrong.

Wi Seol-ah took a step towards Ma Cheol.

The oppressive aura that suddenly weighed down on him disrupted Ma Cheol’s breathing.

“…Don’t open your mouth carelessly. I don’t want to be woken up when I’m sleeping soundly.”

As Wi Seol-ah spoke, her hair began to turn golden.