CHAPTER 129
129 Ritual
"This is Master Jang, an S-class Hunter from Muryeon."
"S-class?"
He knew Muryeon as one of the top guilds in Hong Kong. It had two S-class Hunters and over 100 A-class Hunters. Including the lower-rank Hunters, their support staff, and related companies, it was top-tier in terms of size alone.
One of its S-class Hunters, Jang Rye. His height was average, and his build didn't look that big. However, like the sword at his waist, he was a sharp man with a well-honed feel.
"What business does an S-class from Hong Kong have with me?"
"Kang Jinwoo. I heard you are the swordsman who defeated Lin Shenlin. I also saw the video from the island."
"Ah, you mean that time."
The fight with Lin Shenlin and the incident in New York were quite a while ago. In terms of time, it hadn't been that long, but for some reason, it felt like something that happened decades ago. That's how much had happened.
"You are very famous. All the swordsmen in Hong Kong want to see your sword."
"I heard the talk on the internet, but I thought it was just there?"
"No. There is much interest in reality. Many passionate swordsmen stay up all night analyzing videos of your swordsmanship."
"That's... an honor."
Whatever the intention of his words, they weren't unpleasant. Why would he dislike his skills being acclaimed by the next generation?
He had thought he might get into a fight because of the Lin Shenlin incident, but surprisingly, the other party was polite.
"May I join you for a moment? I will get tea."
When Jinwoo nodded, the interpreter sent one of the other men to get tea. Jang Rye sat across from Jinwoo, and the interpreter stood by his side.
"#%#@!#$"
Jang Rye said a few words to the interpreter, who nodded and relayed the message to Jinwoo.
"Master Jang requests. May he ask for a sparring match?"
It was a request he had naturally expected, but Jinwoo shook his head.
"I have to leave early tomorrow morning. A sparring match is impossible."
"Is that so. Understood."
Jang Rye, upon hearing the words, nodded and easily accepted. He was clad in a sharp atmosphere that made it seem like he would draw his sword at any moment if refused, but his actions were sensible, unlike his aura.
"It is a shame the sparring request was denied, but I actually want to ask something else. Kang Jinwoo, do you know where Lin Shenlin is?"
"Lin Shenlin?"
It seemed there was another main point. Jinwoo expressed his doubt at being asked about Lin Shenlin's location.
"Why are you asking me that? Is he missing?"
"That is correct. The last time he was seen was on the 3rd Floor, where he fought you."
He had fought more with Kalesian and Ipril than with him, but it seemed it was known in Hong Kong that he had been the one to face him.
It wasn't that he didn't understand. It was probably because he was the one who had brought down the Sky Temple and shattered the number one rank that Lin Shenlin had been defending.
"Well, I have no idea. I heard he definitely jumped into the red portal heading to the 4th Floor back then."
"He has not returned since. We don't know if he is still in the Gate, or if he has returned and is hiding."
As the interpreter relayed the words, Jang Rye let out a deep sigh. It was a sigh filled with anguish, whether from worry or anxiety.
When he relayed his words, the interpreter flinched in surprise. After asking a few questions back and forth as if in consultation, he finally told Jinwoo.
"Lin Shenlin is suffering from Qi Deviation. He'll die if he doesn't continue his treatment."
"Qi Deviation?"
Jinwoo was surprised by this new information. He knew the term itself. It was a disease that occurred when the magic they called internal energy twisted and tangled inside the body. He didn't know the details, but he knew it was dangerous.
"He was on the 3rd Floor to stabilize his body. It's an incurable disease that can only be maintained with modern medicine, but he said it could be cured with the power of the god on the 3rd Floor."
So that's why he was defending the number one spot... No, wait, that means.
"You're saying his condition relapsed when he fled after I took first place from him."
"I don't know if 'relapsed' is the right expression... but that's what happened."
According to that, he was the one who had caused Lin Shenlin's Qi Deviation to act up again.
Of course, he felt no guilt about it. The fight back then was a life-or-death battle where they had both put their lives on the line. In fact, he was more disappointed that he hadn't been able to finish him off and had let him get away.

'So he was suppressing his Qi Deviation with Jerakson's power.'

If he was using the power of the Sky Temple to suppress it, then it was Jerakson's power. And just a short while ago, Jinwoo had defeated Jerakson, causing the Erosion to vanish from Earth.

That meant the power protecting Lin Shenlin had also disappeared. No matter where he was, he must have been affected.

"It's not as if a god's power can't reach the 4th Floor, so I'm sure he's managing, but I can't help wanting to know his whereabouts. Overcoming Qi Deviation is the dream of every swordsman."

Whether he was worried about Lin Shenlin or just wanted a cure for Qi Deviation, Jinwoo could understand why he was curious about Lin Shenlin's location. And so—

"Why are you asking me?"

"...I thought he would have appeared before you again. Lin Shenlin is a tenacious man."

It was a well-known fact that Hong Kong's swordsmen were hell-bent on retaliation. They spoke of repaying favors and grudges, but stories of vengeance far outnumbered those of gratitude.

Therefore, Lin Shenlin was surely targeting Kang Jinwoo again. He might have already made contact, and even if he hadn't, he would show up eventually.

"So, I'd like to make a request. If Lin Shenlin appears, let me know. If you can capture him alive without killing him, I'll pay an even greater reward."

"I get it. I'll decide for myself whether I'll take the job."

"Good."

When the interpreter relayed the message to Jang Rye, he shot to his feet. He stared at Jinwoo for a moment, then abruptly extended his hand.

"@#%@#$"

As they shared a perfunctory handshake, he said something and then left. The interpreter who remained behind relayed Jang Rye's final words.

"He said, 'I look forward to the day I see your sword.'"

Only the cold tea, untouched by even a single sip, remained on the table.

When morning came, the investigation team headed out of the city. They traveled in vehicles loaded with equipment and shuttle buses, heading for their destination: the White Land. It wasn't actually white, but it was the temporary name given to signify that the Black Land had been restored.

"Just as I thought, there are quite a lot of monsters. It's completely different from the area around Seoul," Chartia grumbled, tearing off a tree branch to swat away a monster that was about to crash into the bus window.

The moment they left the city, all sorts of monsters lunged at them like starving beasts. Many were having trouble, but thankfully, the Seoul investigation team was safe. This was because Chartia was completely sealing off any monster that approached.

"You're working so hard. There will be plenty to do when we get there, too..." the lead investigator said apologetically. Chartia just chuckled in response.

"Oh, this is nothing."

As if to prove her words, she swatted the monsters away as lightly as if she were shooing insects. Monsters on the ground couldn't even get close, and any that flew were shot down. The team included several powerful A-class Hunters, but there was no need for them to step in.

Soon, the vehicles arrived at the White Land. Past the blackened soil and grass, a normal meadow came into view. Seeing it in person, it looked far more vast than it had on the drone footage.

"First, let's find a safe spot."

Even after arriving at the White Land, there was no time to catch their breath. In fact, the monster density here was even higher, leaving no room for rest.

All manner of bizarre monsters were desperately fighting to claim even an inch more of this land.

'It certainly feels similar to that time.'

It felt like when he had visited the Lord of Light's castle at her invitation. The air he had felt then was chilly like this, and the thick scent of blood was the same.

What if the restoration of this land wasn't natural, but the work of the Lord of Light?

'This is getting a little troublesome.'

The Lord of Light's philosophy of rule was different from Jerakson's. While Jerakson oppressed and crushed everything other than himself, the Lord of Light did the opposite, bestowing mercy and compassion. However, she severely limited the beneficiaries of that grace.

She would grant a single point of light in a place teeming with masses suffering in darkness. By doing so, she made those who craved the light worship her. In a way, she was even more malicious.

If this White Land was her creation, it meant she intended to use it to interfere with Earth. With Jerakson gone, it was no different from her laying new claim to the star they had barely managed to reclaim.

'Tsk.'

Jinwoo clicked his tongue at the thought that it was just one problem after another. He had barely chased one out, and a new one had already crawled in.

I was able to encounter and defeat Jerakson in the Spirit Realm, but what do I do about this one? Do I have to dive back into the Spirit Realm and find her location?

'For now, let's just observe the situation.'

Now was the time to assess. In the first place, it wasn't even certain that the Lord of Light was behind this. He could be jumping to conclusions. If he waited, White Lands might start appearing in other cities.

If possible, he hoped it was a natural recovery. That was Jinwoo's wish.

It was a refreshing forest, full of green trees and plants. Warm sunlight filtered through the branches, and a comforting fragrance rose from the sun-drenched soil.

In that forest, the corpses of countless demonic beasts were strewn about.

Spilled blood flowed like a river, and nameless insects swarmed the piled-up bodies. The fresh scent of the forest couldn't erase the stench of rotting corpses. In such a forest, a man sat cross-legged, gathering his energy.

"Cough!"

Suddenly, he coughed violently, spitting up blood. The black, dead blood seemed to contain some strange component, as it began to evaporate the moment it touched the ground.

"Dammit."

After spitting out the foul clot of blood, the man raised a canteen and rinsed his mouth.

Lin Shenlin. Defeated and driven out of the 3rd Floor, he had long since left the Gate and gone into hiding.

[If you cannot accept it, you will only die.]

A previously unseen mass of light floated beside him. At a glance, it resembled a spirit wielded by Elves, but a closer look revealed it was not. It was a light that held a completely different, mystical energy.

Whether it was purer or more sinister, Lin Shenlin still couldn't gauge the light.

"Restoring the Black Land... I get that you have incredible power, but..."

[You get it, but what is it?]

"Why did you have to restore the place where I happened to be! I'm going to get discovered because of this!"

He couldn't return to the city. That was why he had gone to the trouble of crawling into this remote forest to hide, but this mass of light had ruined everything.

Even he, cut off from the world, could tell. This land was now receiving the attention of the entire world.

[Then you can simply run away, can't you? Why are you staying put?]

"You bastard, you know damn well why..."

Its tone was innocent, but he already knew from past experience that its words were laced with sarcasm. With his treatment for Qi Deviation in its final stages, it would be a disaster if he moved carelessly and got caught. As an S-class Hunter from Hong Kong, he had far too many grudges against him.

Knowing this well, the Lord of Light spoke with a voice tinged with amusement.

[In that case, I suppose we'll have to kill them all, won't we?]

The White Land. Beneath this single point of light she had bestowed, they would kill and be killed. Who would be the last one standing? That was her ritual.