Chapter 41 – New Continent (1)

Yeon-hwa had Sun-woo sit in front of her, and when Sun-woo sat down, she began speaking calmly.

“As you know, the barriers of each stage of martial arts cannot be crossed through simple training. Each must have a kind of opportunity to move to the next stage.”

Sun-woo had heard this much before.

“Some people cross the barrier the moment they break free from form through endless training, and some cross the barrier through sudden martial arts enlightenment. I’ve also heard there are methods of letting go of firmly hardened emotions.”

Sun-woo thought of Nan-seol, whose expression had suddenly become gentle after reaching the peak level.

“Most of our cult’s martial arts cross stages by breaking down blocking barriers. Sometimes they use methods of forcibly opening blocked blood vessels, and sometimes they tear down walls through increases in internal energy close to rampage. And the <War Wheel Divine Demon Art> must also break down barriers in a similar way.”

She reached out her hand toward Sun-woo.

“The <War Wheel Divine Demon Art> uses emotional rampage as a method to cross barriers. Methods like sadness, joy, and anguish.”

Along with her words, her hand glowed and Sun-woo’s eyes became hazy.

Dream scenes began flowing before Sun-woo’s eyes. The scene where his family died, the scene where his parents and younger sister were murdered appeared before Sun-woo again.

Blood, blood, blood filling the sky.

His falling father, mother, sister, the red-eyed man smiling.

All those scenes raced through Sun-woo’s mind.

Until now he had tried to suppress his emotions as much as possible and move on, but now Sun-woo couldn’t find a reason to endure.

Sun-woo became angry.

Sun-woo’s face became distorted. And his internal energy began rampaging like mad.

Roaaaaar!

With Sun-woo screaming at the center, the ground cracked and wind began blowing throughout the cave.

As energy passed through, blood vessels swelled up and the War Wheel Divine Sword in his hand blazed red.

In the middle of the cave becoming a mess, Yeon-hwa looked at Sun-woo without moving.

“You cross the barrier through anger. The resurrected War Wheel King is the ‘King of Anger’.”

Yeon-hwa quietly closed her eyes, and Sun-woo screamed like a wail.

Time passed.

***

The light flowing in from outside was now tinged with red. Evening had approached before they knew it.

Inside the cave was a mess. The walls and floor were all cracked and collapsed, and dust was piled up thickly.

In the center of the ruined cave, Sun-woo and Yeon-hwa sat facing each other. Yeon-hwa was covered in dust with her clothes torn in several places, but Sun-woo had a rather comfortable face.

The tendons that had been bulging out had also subsided, and his clothes only had a little dust piled up with no damaged areas visible.

It was definitely sturdy clothing.

Sun-woo, who had been breathing deeply for a while, quietly opened his eyes at some moment. A sparkling light flashed through his eyes.

“I’m sorry for forcibly making you recall memories without saying anything. The stronger the shock, the greater the possibility.”

When Sun-woo awakened, Yeon-hwa bowed her head to him.

Yeon-hwa had used a sacred maiden’s ability to revive Sun-woo’s most intense memory and release his blocked emotions.

Though it was a painful time for Sun-woo, he couldn’t be angry at Yeon-hwa. It was something she had done for him, and seeing her disheveled appearance, it was rather something to be grateful for.

“Sigh… Thank you.”

Sun-woo’s expression as he expressed gratitude looked very relieved. It was because he had poured out all his suppressed emotions.

But his anger hadn’t disappeared. His goal had just become clearer than before.

“Did you cross the barrier well?”

At Yeon-hwa’s question, Sun-woo stared at her and answered.

“Well, what do you think?”

At the sudden counterattack, the corners of Yeon-hwa’s eyes slightly rose. As his mental burden lessened, Sun-woo’s mischievous true nature had popped out.

***

A deep canyon and high cliffs reddened by the sunset.

But until recently, the magnificent and beautiful scenery was ruined as if hit by shells.

The cliffs were half destroyed, and the canyon’s waterway was twisted by fallen rocks.

All were changes caused by Sun-woo’s sorcery. Sun-woo had only damaged the very top of the cliff, but the falling rocks had also damaged all the lower cliffs, ruining the entire landscape of the area.

“This would have been serious trouble if it were Korea.”

Sun-woo muttered as he climbed the cliff. If something like this had happened in Korea, it would definitely have been no ordinary commotion.

On Sun-woo’s back as he climbed the cliff using sorcery was Yeon-hwa. She looked very comfortable, and Sun-woo climbed the treacherous cliff like flat ground even while carrying Yeon-hwa.

A while later, Sun-woo was able to reach the top of the cliff. The place where they had originally fallen had already collapsed, and Sun-woo came up to the forest edge far inside.

When Sun-woo reached the top of the cliff, he put Yeon-hwa down on the ground, and she stood in front of the collapsed cliff looking down below.

“The sorcery that collapses the ground is quite remarkable. It seemed like some kind of divine power was flowing. It was divine power I’d never seen before.”

Perhaps because she was a sacred maiden, she seemed able to feel the earth spirits. She spoke and immediately moved to the opposite side. She didn’t seem to intend to hear an answer.

Sun-woo scratched his head while following behind her. She was a woman difficult to gauge.

Now the sunset was gradually passing and night was approaching.

Sun-woo, who had been continuing downward, glanced at Yeon-hwa then stopped walking.

He sat on a large rock to one side and called Yeon-hwa.

“Come here and rest a bit.”

Though she was called a sacred maiden, she was an ordinary woman. The path down from the mountain wasn’t easy for her.

Grumble.

Moreover, having starved all day, sounds were even coming from her stomach.

“You seem hungry.”

She calmly explained the sound coming from her stomach.

“Hahaha.”

Sun-woo finally burst into laughter. He secretly opened his phone and took out water and bread to give to her.

“It’s a strangely shaped water bottle.”

She lifted up the water Sun-woo handed her and held it up against the fading sunset with a smile on her lips.

A while later, Yeon-hwa sat on the rock and began tearing off pieces of bread to eat, and Sun-woo stood up from his spot.

“Keep eating. I’ll go deal with our guest.”

“Yes.”

At Sun-woo’s words, Yeon-hwa nodded, and he walked forward.

Now the sunset had completely set and the surroundings had darkened.

Fortunately, the moon shone brightly so it wasn’t to the extent that he couldn’t see ahead, but thanks to the uneven rocks and pine trees growing low here and there, the surroundings looked very eerie.

In front of Sun-woo stood a man. A warrior with an eye patch over one eye. He was the peak-level expert who had fallen from the cliff while fighting Sun-woo.

“You seem to know many strange miscellaneous techniques.”

His blunt appearance looked very bad. His clothes had become half rags, and blood could be seen through his exposed body in various places.

Moreover, his left arm was no longer visible. Only the rag that had become his sleeve was fluttering from his shoulder.

“Thanks to you, I suffered great losses. If not for the snow cat, I really would have missed you.”

A small cat sound could be heard from behind him.

“Draw your sword. This is revenge.”

But seeing his opponent speak seriously, Sun-woo chuckled.

“You talk too much. And it doesn’t suit you either.”

At Sun-woo’s words, the warrior’s face contorted as he shouted.

“Now!”

When he shouted, two Blood Cult members in black clothes burst from the bushes on both sides of Yeon-hwa. The two immediately rushed at Yeon-hwa, and simultaneously the one-eyed warrior also charged toward Sun-woo.

There were more surviving Blood Cult members besides him.

He was in charge of keeping Sun-woo’s attention until the other Blood Cult members could approach Yeon-hwa.

Waiting until night was for this reason, and the peak-level warrior chattering away was also for this reason. If Sun-woo had been an ordinary warrior, his plan might have succeeded.

Sun-woo’s foot stamped down on the ground.

Boom!

A heavy vibration spread out with Sun-woo at the center, and

Crash!

Rock pillars broke through the ground and shot upward.

The rock pillars that rose in front of Sun-woo blocked the one-eyed warrior’s path, and the pillars that rose behind him pierced through the two Blood Cult members who had burst forth.

The warrior who smashed through the rock pillars blocking his front and stood before Sun-woo made an incredulous expression when he looked behind Sun-woo.

Various rocks had shot up high behind Sun-woo, so Yeon-hwa’s figure couldn’t even be seen.

“So it wasn’t just the ability to break stones.”

He had seen Sun-woo collapse the cliff, but had placed limits on other abilities based on Sun-woo’s martial arts being only first-class level.

“Hmph, even so, just miscellaneous techniques. I’ll kill you and take the sacred maiden.”

“You’ve been talking too much from earlier.”

“This bastard!”

The warrior rushed at Sun-woo with an angry face.

Clang! Clang!

Sparks flew in the air and swords rushed toward each other.

After several rounds of offense and defense, it was the one-eyed warrior who retreated.

“What kind of sorcery did you use?”

The reason he became talkative again was because he couldn’t grasp Sun-woo’s energy. Not being able to grasp it meant Sun-woo was at the same peak level as him.

But he couldn’t believe the situation before his eyes. Sun-woo had been first-class level just a few hours ago. For such a person to immediately reach peak level – he had never heard or seen such a situation.

But his belief was shattered as he actually crossed swords. His opponent was peak level. A warrior of the same rank as him.

As evidence, the antique sword Sun-woo held was blazing with blue light.

“Damn, did you get some legendary fortune or something?”

The warrior still believed he had a chance. His opponent had definitely just reached peak level. Traces from his first-class days still remained in his sword movements.

If it was now when he wasn’t used to peak-level martial arts, there was sufficient chance of victory.

Unfortunately, the spirit pill given by the Blood Cult Master was pouring all its efficacy into blocking the pain of his severed arm.

If only his arm had been intact, he could have sufficiently overwhelmed him now after taking the spirit pill, but he felt it was very regrettable.

He rushed toward Sun-woo once more. Since he knew Sun-woo’s weakness, there was no need for a frontal confrontation. His body sank lower toward the ground and the light flowing through his sword became more secretive.

Seeing this, Sun-woo had no intention of a frontal confrontation.

Crash!

The ground where the one-eyed warrior was running began to dance. The earth sank and rocks shot upward.

“Argh!”

In front of him as he shot upward in surprise stood Sun-woo, who had climbed an earth pillar and was waiting.

Sun-woo’s sword blazed brightly.

The dead warrior’s eyes were full of resentment, and unlike him, Sun-woo merely wiped his sword indifferently. Though he was an opponent he had killed in fear before and screaming in anger not long ago, now he only felt like he had simply done what needed to be done.

‘Is this what it means to be a warrior?’

Sun-woo thought of Nan-seol’s appearance when she defeated bandits. Sun-woo seemed to have finally reached the same position as Nan-seol.

“The problem is the cat called snow cat.”

Though he had eliminated all the pursuers, the spirit beast called snow cat might bring more pursuers again. But tracking a small cat in this night was also impossible.

“Meow.”

Just then, his worry flew away at the cat sound heard from behind.

Yeon-hwa was looking at Sun-woo while holding a white-as-snow cat in her arms.

“It’s one of a sacred maiden’s abilities.”

Yeon-hwa’s face was covered with sweat. While Sun-woo was fighting, she had apparently used divine power to call the cat to her.

Sun-woo gave a hollow smile.