Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Everyone Must Stand Alone Someday (1)

The dust that had plunged the surroundings into darkness, as though night had fallen, gradually settled. But Oh Gi-o and the guards did not move. No—they could not move.

It was because of the man who had emerged from the dust.

He was like a beast. His hair was a tangled mess, and a beard covered his chest, and between them gleamed a terrifying light.

He wore barely enough tattered cloth to cover himself, and around his waist was tied a small bundle wrapped in cloth.

"Hoo!"

From the man's lips escaped a sound like the breathing of a wild animal.

In that instant, Oh Gi-o and Yoo Pyo felt their blood turn cold.

They sensed in his rough breathing the breath of a predator.

It was as though they stood naked before a fierce, savage beast. That was why they could not move.

'What manner of being…'

'Ugh!'

The man kept his eyes lowered and simply breathed in ragged gasps for some time.

With each breath he drew, the dust that still hung in the air swayed. That ghastly sight kept Oh Gi-o from finding his voice.

Then, without warning, the beast-like man raised his head and looked at them. A gaze of such intensity drilled into their eyes.

"Kugh!"

Oh Gi-o dared not meet the man's stare and hastily bowed his head.

From merely glimpsing his gaze, Oh Gi-o's heart was pounding wildly.

'What sort of killing intent is this…'

Oh Gi-o was the chief guard of the Silver Lotus Trading Company, and he prided himself on having weathered every storm. Yet never in his life had he encountered anyone with eyes like these.

A man whose gaze alone could kill—that was what Oh Gi-o believed.

After studying them for a time, the man finally spoke.

"Who… are you?"

His voice was exceedingly rough and hoarse.

Had Oh Gi-o not concentrated intently, he would not have understood the man's words. But now, they rang in Oh Gi-o's ears as loud as a bell.

Oh Gi-o answered hastily.

"I… I am Oh Gi-o, chief guard of the Silver Lotus Trading Company."

"Silver Lotus Trading Company?"

The man murmured as though hearing the name for the first time.

"We are a trading company based in Nan Prefecture. We travel primarily to the Western Regions to trade goods."

Oh Gi-o answered with desperate earnestness.

For if he did not, he feared he would lose his composure entirely.

Beside him, Yoo Pyo and Cheong-o were pale as ghosts, their hands gripping their sword hilts. Such was the overwhelming pressure of the killing intent the man radiated.

"So you are bound for the Western Regions?"

"No. We are returning to the Central Plains."

"How convenient!"

At the sound of the man's voice, Oh Gi-o realized he had answered wrongly.

"I shall impose upon you for a time."

"…"

He could not refuse. The man's gaze was too terrifying.

It felt as though his heart were being squeezed.

Cho Su-gwang, master of the Silver Lotus Trading Company, looked upon the strange man that Oh Gi-o and the others had brought and could not conceal his bewilderment.

"And this person is?"

"I will explain the circumstances later. For now, he has agreed to travel with us as far as the nearest village."

Cho Su-gwang's brow furrowed.

He saw the desperate light in Oh Gi-o's face. Oh Gi-o gazed at him with eyes that pleaded with equal urgency.

"Ah… very well."

In the end, Cho Su-gwang could only nod.

With Cho Su-gwang's approval, Oh Gi-o set to work.

"Cheong-o, find this man a set of clothing."

"Understood."

"And…"

Oh Gi-o glanced around quickly. His gaze settled on a wagon in the middle of the column.

He pointed at the wagon.

"My lord, you may ride in that wagon."

"Mm."

The man who had arrived with Oh Gi-o nodded.

On the way here, the killing intent the man radiated had diminished markedly. It was as though he had reined himself in.

As a result, though he still looked strange, he no longer seemed so terrifying. That was why Cho Su-gwang and the merchants could not fathom why Oh Gi-o and the others had been so terrified of the man.

The man took the clothing that Cheong-o brought and walked toward the wagon Oh Gi-o had indicated.

"Mm."

As the man drew near, the wagon's owner, Bang Woo-gwang, frowned. His appearance—clothed in nothing but tattered rags to cover his private parts—was grotesque enough, but it was the man's distinctly rough and wild bearing that troubled him.

But this was a man brought by Oh Gi-o, the chief guard. As a mere cook, he could not refuse.

"If you are willing to ride in the luggage compartment, you are welcome to do so."

The man nodded and climbed into the wagon's cargo hold.

"Hello."

The one who greeted him was none other than Bang Jin-bo.

Bang Jin-bo regarded the man with his strange, unsettling air and offered a bright, guileless smile.

"Heh heh! My name is Bang Jin-bo. Just call me Jin-bo. What is your name, mister… brother?"

At Bang Jin-bo's question, the man raised his head briefly and gazed at the sky, as though searching for his own name.

After a moment, he finally spoke.

"Dam Ho. My name is Dam Ho."

***

Bang Jin-bo lay on the wagon, eyes wide, gazing at Dam Ho. Dam Ho lay with his hands folded behind his head, staring at the sky.

The sky was a maddening blue. He did not know how long it had been since he last saw such a blue sky. And yet, oddly, he felt no joy.

He should have been elated, but his heart was as heavy as a stone. He seemed a man who had lost all capacity for emotion.

Suddenly, he felt Bang Jin-bo's gaze upon him. The boy was peering at him like a stray cat.

Dam Ho moistened his mouth briefly.

Having gone so long without speaking, he now required a certain amount of preparation simply to open his mouth.

At last, a hoarse voice escaped from between Dam Ho's lips.

"Do you know of the Demonic Cult?"

"The Demonic Cult?"

Bang Jin-bo's eyes widened. He was that startled. But he quickly nodded.

In the depths of his tangled hair, Dam Ho's eyes gleamed.

"How long has it been since the Demonic Cult was destroyed?"

Bang Jin-bo could not answer and looked to his father. He had heard the word "Demonic Cult" but did not know exactly when or how they had been destroyed.

Bang Woo-gwang, receiving his son's gaze, answered instead.

"As far as I know, it has been more than thirty years. Thirty-two years, to be precise. But why do you ask?"

"…"

Dam Ho did not answer. No—he could not.

'Then I have been imprisoned in the Thousand Gold Demonic Prison for twelve years?'

A tremor ran through his shoulders.

He had believed it to be at most five or six years. He had thought a gap of that length in one's life was acceptable.

But twelve years! It was enough time for the mountains and rivers to change and still have two years to spare.

He had come here at eighteen. He was now exactly thirty. He had spent nearly half his life in that lightless abyss.

The twenties—the golden years of one's life—had not existed for him.

"Heh heh heh!"

A quiet laugh escaped through his lips. But the moment Bang Jin-bo and Bang Woo-gwang heard it, they felt their hearts drop.

Their faces turned ashen in an instant.

That was not all.

Neighhh!

The horses pulling the baggage wagons suddenly went wild, rearing and bucking.

"Kugh!"

Even the guards, who had trained in martial arts, felt their meridians shaken and hastily raised their internal energy.

"My lord! Please, calm yourself…"

When Oh Gi-o could endure no more and made his plea, Dam Ho ceased laughing.

"Hoo!"

Only then did sighs of relief escape from various quarters. Among them were Bang Woo-gwang and Bang Jin-bo, owners of the wagon in which Dam Ho rode.

Their faces had gone white as sheets. They had never imagined that the strange man they had picked up would emit such terrifying killing intent.

'I've picked up Death himself.'

Bang Woo-gwang's face crumpled.

For the first time, he cursed Oh Gi-o for stuffing Dam Ho into his wagon.

Dam Ho pressed his lips firmly together.

Even the slightest expression, even a smile, allowed killing intent to leak forth. Whether it was because he had spent twelve years in isolation, or because of the demonic martial arts he had studied in the Myriad Demon Archive, Dam Ho did not know. No—he did not even care.

But those around him were different.

A tiger does not trouble itself with the sheep, but the sheep have no choice but to watch the tiger. So it was with them—they could not take their eyes off Dam Ho's every movement.

'Where did this demon come from? We have brought a calamity upon ourselves.'

Cho Su-gwang shut his eyes tight.

He cursed Oh Gi-o for bringing this calamity. But thinking further, he realized Oh Gi-o had likely had no choice.

No matter how skilled Oh Gi-o was as chief guard of the Silver Lotus Trading Company, he was vastly outmatched by the renowned masters of the martial world.

The aura and presence radiating from the man overwhelmed Oh Gi-o. Even if every guard of the Silver Lotus Trading Company attacked together, they would not be a match for him.

He could only pray that Dam Ho would leave as soon as possible. But contrary to their wishes, Dam Ho fell into a deep sleep.

Dam Ho did not open his eyes until a considerable time had passed.

"Brother, wake up."

Someone was shaking him. When he opened his eyes, he saw Bang Jin-bo looking down at him.

"What is it?"

"Have something to eat."

"Eat?"

Dam Ho raised his upper body. The wagons were gathered in a circle in the middle of the open field.

While he slept, Cho Su-gwang had decided to camp. People prepared quietly, wary of waking Dam Ho.

Bang Woo-gwang and his son, swept up in the prevailing mood, prepared food in silence.

The people gathered around the hearth eyed Dam Ho warily. He saw the fear in their eyes.

The object of their fear was himself.

He harbored no intention of threatening them, yet they regarded him as a threat.

Dam Ho spoke to Bang Jin-bo.

"Bring my meal separately."

"Why not eat together with us?"

"I am more comfortable here."

"Alright."

Bang Jin-bo went to the hearth with a helpless expression. When he returned, a large wooden bowl was filled to the brim with freshly prepared food.

"Father and I made this. Please, eat plenty."

"My thanks."

Dam Ho accepted the bowl.

In that instant, the spicy aroma stimulated his senses.

"We placed stir-fried pork on top of the rice. It is quite spicy in the Sichuan style, so be careful."

"…"

"Heh heh! I made it myself, so please forgive me if it doesn't taste good."

Dam Ho looked at Bang Jin-bo. The boy smiled as though he had never been afraid of Dam Ho in the first place.

Dam Ho raised his chopsticks and lifted rice and stir-fried pork together.

His hand trembled.

He carefully brought the food to his mouth. The sweet juices of the pork spread throughout.

"How is it?"

He heard the hopeful note in Bang Jin-bo's voice. But Dam Ho did not answer.

Bang Jin-bo's face quickly fell.

"Is it bad?"

"No. It is delicious."

"Really?"

"Truly."

The corners of Dam Ho's eyes trembled.

How could it not be delicious?

For the first time in twelve years, he was tasting warm food.