NOVEL NEXT Chapter 372:
Kwaaaaa!
Yu-hyun gazed at the gigantic waterfall.
Next to him, Kang Hye-rim, who had just woken up from a deep sleep, clung to him like a child and stared at the majestic sight of the waterfall with her mouth open.
It had been a week since they met Gares.
Kang Hye-rim, who had been in a death-like slumber until then, finally woke up from her deep sleep and was able to walk on her own.
However, she was not the same person that he knew before.
Yu-hyun looked at her with a complicated expression and turned his eyes to the waterfall.
The waterfall he was looking at did not fall from the sky.
Normally, waterfalls flow from top to bottom, but the one in front of him paradoxically rose to the sky.
“It’s the Reverse Waterfall. Amazing, isn’t it?”
Gares couldn’t help but smile as he watched Yu-hyun and Kang Hye-rim marvel at the sight.
He found it amusing that even such a thorough man would show his honest emotions when he saw something mysterious.
“It’s where the territory of the Great Army of Heaven’s Thirty-Six Heavens meets the outside. Beyond this Reverse Waterfall is the domain of the Thirty-Six Heavens. The water that shoots up from the waterfall flows to the floating islands of Heaven. That’s why this place is a kind of landmark. The right side is the territory of the Great Army, so we just have to go to the left.”
“Are the other regions similar to this?”
Yu-hyun asked, pointing to the peculiarity of the Reverse Waterfall.
Gares shook his head and said that he wished it was, but it wasn’t.
“The Reverse Waterfall is so unusual that it’s famous even in the Mixed Realm, so there aren’t many like it. Each territory of the Great Army has its own unique thing, and the Reverse Waterfall is one of the things that Heaven’s Thirty-Six Heavens boasts of.”
“I see.”
“Shall we get moving? We’ll be arriving at the Union’s territory soon.”
“Let’s do that.”
It had been a week since they joined Gares.
It wasn’t a long time, but a lot had happened to Yu-hyun during that time.
First of all, the number of enemies targeting him had decreased a lot.
They didn’t completely disappear, but they didn’t cause any clashes either, as if they realized that he had killed many transcendents.
Gares’ help was also very helpful in that regard.
Gares was a third-generation Divine Spirit, but he was from Mabinogion’s Round Table, which was considered the best in terms of combat, and he was the younger brother of Gawain, the Knight of the Sun, whose power was comparable to that of a second-generation Divine Spirit.
His presence was very effective in driving away unwelcome guests.
He just showed them his sword in his sheath and most of them backed off knowing who he was.
No one in their right mind would dare to challenge a member of the Great Army, let alone one who was close to a second-generation Divine Spirit.
Thanks to that, Yu-hyun got to enjoy Gares’ favor.
As they got closer to the Union’s territory, the flies stopped bothering them.
“Collector Kang Hye-rim seems to be doing much better now.”
“…Yeah.”
Yu-hyun nodded and glanced at Kang Hye-rim who was clinging to his side.
“She’s improved a lot.”
Another thing that changed over the past week was Kang Hye-rim’s attitude.
She didn’t have a fit or anything when she saw him after waking up. However, she still seemed afraid of him and kept some distance from him.
She couldn’t speak properly after being resurrected from death.
The only thing she could utter was something like a baby’s babble.
Her behavior was like that of a young child.
Kang Hye-rim was now physically fine but mentally not.
Yu-hyun realized that it was because he didn’t have enough stories to revive her.
‘I wish I had more stories, but that was the best I could do at that time. I guess I have no choice but to live like this for now.’
He needed stories related to her to restore her to her former self.
He had used all the stories from her own book and the books she had collected through Sihwa. But her existence was still incomplete.
He soon found out why.
‘Her story is not just hers. Her companions also have stories about her.’
No one can be their own self without being free from the eyes of the world.
Even if she had her own story, her own history, she also needed the eyes of the world, the perspectives of other people who saw her.
The evaluation that the world gave her was also an essential element in forming a ‘person’.
She couldn’t be herself without it.
That’s why she still couldn’t speak and followed Yu-hyun around like a baby bird.
***
It was a small consolation that Yu-hyun had taken care of her with utmost sincerity for the past week.
Thanks to him, she, who had been afraid of him on the first day, now felt anxious without him by her side.
‘The stories that Hye-rim needs are in the books of her old colleagues.’
Books.
Yu-hyun did not stop at reading their books, but also learned to use the stories within them.
His power from the fragment had developed deeper.
He finally understood why Oelo had scolded him for not using the power of the fragment properly.
The power of the fragment was not just that. It had an infinite potential that could blow up a planet if he wished.
And even the power to manipulate stories that he was using now was only half of the true power of the fragment. He could feel it.
However, he did not care much about how to use the other half.
The power of the fragment was like a mirage in the desert.
The more he tried to grasp it, the farther it got away.
Naturally, he had no choice but to wait for the moment when his consciousness would merge with the fragment.
‘First, I have to find people. That’s the priority.’
He planned to start asking around as soon as he arrived at the Lord Alliance.
Like Hye-rim who had changed, the others must have also become very different from what he knew five years ago.
But he still wanted to live with them as before.
Even if it was just his selfishness, he felt like he would collapse if he did not wish for that.
He might have become more pitiful.
“Let’s go.”
He left behind the waterfall of Yeokcheon and headed for the territory of the Alliance.
Sure enough, Gareth’s words that he gave him as a signpost were not wrong.
The scenery changed drastically.
The land of the Alliance was somewhat rustic for a place where lords gathered.
The land was neither barren nor rich, but it was covered with countless crops.
“Most of the people here came from Murim World, so they need to grow food.”
Gareth explained why that was so.
If their bodies became complete stories, they would not need to eat or drink, but those who could not had to eat.
Yu-hyun nodded.
He saw some farmers working here and there.
They glanced at Yu-hyun’s group and focused on their work.
“People are starting to show up.”
“Yeah. I guess this is as far as I can go.”
“…You’re leaving?”
Yu-hyun suddenly remembered that it was time to part with Gareth’s abrupt farewell.
When Gareth agreed to move with him, he said that he would guide him, but he could not stay with him until the end.
Especially when going to the territory of the Alliance.
When Yu-hyun asked why, Gareth answered like this.
The Lord Alliance was a land for the beings of Murim World, and they strictly prohibited the entry of Divine Spirits.
Their mere existence made people uncomfortable, and besides, most of the Divine Spirits were arrogant and inevitably clashed with them.
“Well, I could just blend in naturally if I wanted to, but the lords of the Alliance would not like me. So I think this is it for me.”
“I see. They must have already heard about your arrival.”
“Oh, did you notice?”
“It’s obvious from their eyes.”
The Lord Alliance was composed of various races from Murim World, but of course, compared to other territories of Daeseongun or Seongun, their power was very weak.
They were numerous, but each of their forces was too weak that they would easily collapse if they declared war elsewhere.
Yet they kept their place firmly for two reasons.
The first was information circulation.
The Alliance was proficient in all kinds of information from Honsungye.
They used even trivial secrets that others did not know as weapons to protect themselves.
‘But that’s not important.’
The second weapon of the Alliance was the existence of executioners.
There were more than 50 lords belonging to the Lord Alliance.
Among them, more than 40 were weak lords.
But not all of them were weak.
Among these lords, those who were especially strong received the title of executioner and solved problems within the Alliance territory with force.
No one knew exactly how strong each executioner was, but according to what Gareth had heard, they were at a level that even second-generation Divine Spirits could not do anything about.
There were five executioners.
Three of them could face a first-generation Divine Spirit together.
“Do you think they noticed your existence?”
“They would know my disguise unless they are blind. Especially since the Alliance has great information skills, I would be exposed even if I tried to hide my identity.”
“You have a high opinion of the alliance, surprisingly. Don’t most other Divine Spirits look down on them or ignore them?”
“Well, I know I’m an odd one. The other Divine Spirits think… the alliance is barely scraping by at the bottom, but I don’t see it that way. Anyway, the rumor of our arrival must have spread by now. Gares and the Bookstack Lord, and… the Black Thunder Lord, who was supposed to be dead.”
Kang Hye-rim didn’t realize that the Black Thunder Lord was pointing at her, and just stood there with a blank face, clutching Yu-hyun’s clothes.
Seeing her like that, Gares shrugged his shoulders and said his final farewell to Yu-hyun.
“It was fun being with you. I’ll be going back now.”
“Thanks for guiding us this far. I owe you one.”
“Ah, come on. It’s not a debt. I did it because I wanted to.”
“Even so, the fact that you helped us doesn’t change. I may not be able to enter the Great Sage’s Mabinogion, but if you ever need my help personally, just call me. I’ll come right away. I mean it.”
Gares widened his eyes at that, then scratched his nape sheepishly and smiled awkwardly.
“Haha. I’m happy to hear that from Teller, who I was a big fan of. I never thought this day would come.”
Gares then reached out his hand to Yu-hyun.
Yu-hyun looked at his hand and chuckled, then shook Gares’ hand.
“Well then.”
“Yeah. Take care.”
They shook hands once and parted without hesitation.
Gares waved his hand lightly, then was soon engulfed by light and disappeared from his spot.
Kang Hye-rim waved her hand blankly at the empty space where Gares had left.
“Let’s go. Miss Hye-rim.”
Nod.
Kang Hye-rim followed him closely, afraid that Yu-hyun might leave her behind.
The two of them entered the first city that could be called the lord’s territory.
***
Lindel, the first city of the lord alliance.
There were about 50 cities in the territory that were ruled by different lords as part of the alliance.
Among them, Lindel was the most frequently visited place by outsiders who entered the alliance’s land, but also the smallest city within the alliance territory.
And, the lord who ruled the smallest city was also called by a fitting title.
The smallest lord.
The lord herself hated that name, but everyone whispered behind her back that she was the little lord.
“Little lord! We have a big problem!”
“Hey! How many times do I have to tell you not to call me little lord!”
That was what happened at the top of the building in the center of the city where the lord lived.
It was too small for a lord’s residence, so it was also rated as fitting for the little lord’s building.
The lord’s adjutant came rushing in there.
The lord was a half-blood of human and fairy race, so she looked like a little kid in her early teens even though she was over 40 years old.
She had cute wings that sprinkled light dust and glanced at her adjutant.
“What is it? Did any bookworms show up nearby? We wiped them all out not long ago.”
“No, no. That’s not it. We just got news that three foreigners came outside our Lindel city area.”
“Three foreigners? Why?”
“One of them is Gares, a knight of Mabinogion’s Round Table, and the other two are the Bookstack Lord and the Black Thunder Lord who recently stirred up the mixed world.”
“What?!”
The lord scolded him for telling her that so late.
She didn’t care about Gares or the Bookstack Lord, but wasn’t the Black Thunder Lord a notorious figure in the mixed world?
Did they come to declare war?
“I-I just heard the news and came right away. For now, Gares has left, but the two lords are coming this way.”
“W-what do we do?”
“Why are you asking me? You’re the lord, you have to decide.”
“How can I face them? They’re the Bookstack Lord! And, and the Black Thunder Lord? Why is her name here? Wasn’t she dead?!”
“I heard she lost to the Bookstack Lord and became his subordinate.”
The Black Thunder Lord was said to be on par with an executioner in the lord alliance, but he lost to the Bookstack Lord?
If it was just the Bookstack Lord coming alone, maybe she could handle it, but if he was moving with the infamous Black Thunder Lord, this was no ordinary trouble.
“Do they want to join the alliance? But they’re too quiet for that.”
“What do you want me to do? Should we let them in for now?”
“What if they cause trouble inside? Can you handle it?”
“No, I can’t do it.”
“Neither can I.”
“But you’re a Lord.”
“Not all Lords are the same, you know?”
Yoo Da Rin was barely a Lord, having just crossed the threshold from a Transcendent. She was stronger than most high-ranking Transcendents, but she had no confidence in facing the Black Lightning Lord, who was said to rival the second-generation Spirits, let alone the Book Pile Lord, who had defeated him.
She was called the Smallest Lord, not only because of her size and the city she ruled, but also because of her lack of skill compared to other Lords.
If one Lord came, Lindel would be in trouble. But two? And without any warning?
She had to prepare.
“Call the Executor.”
“What? But…”
“It’s a possible emergency. I don’t know what kind of personality the Book Pile Lord has, but I heard he hardly spared anyone who came looking for him in the last two weeks.”
The news of the people from the Holy Army who died after being rude to Yu Hyun had spread widely in the Mixed World. The Alliance, which valued information the most, could not be unaware of it.
“Call the Executor. I’ll try to buy as much time as I can.”
Yoo Da Rin said that and left her office with a heavy expression.
She had to meet the man called the Book Pile Lord.