Baek Nogwang.
The Strongest Under the Heavens and the Strongest in History.
The martial saint of Spirit Mountain and a transcendent.
He was my master.
Even though I thought about that name multiple times a day, I’d never expected to hear those words from someone else’s mouth after my regression.
Master was not a person of this world, not just in the metaphorical sense but literally.
“How do you know that name...?”
Just how did a being of this world know my master’s name? The fact that this was a godly being didn’t diminish my surprise at all.
[I see. So Baek Nogwang was the one who taught you martial arts. However, how did he come to have a disciple like you...?]
“...”The Martial God suddenly felt like a completely different person. I didn’t know why, but I felt chills as he mumbled and spoke to himself.
The image I’d had of the Martial God was warm like the spring breeze and full of mercy.
But now, I felt as if he would cut me to pieces if I stepped any closer.
He was warning me not to pry any deeper.
My instincts were ringing like mad...
But I ignored them and asked anyway.
“How do you know my master?”
This was important enough for me to ignore something like my survival instincts.
[...]
The Martial God stayed quiet.
That alone was nearly enough for his pressure to overwhelm me.
It was funny. Even though I was the one waiting for an answer, I was the one feeling nervous.
I clenched my jaw and held on.
Since he didn’t have a physical form to see, I didn’t know where to look, so I just looked above the altar.
[I cannot tell you.]
“...”
[Do not misunderstand. It is not that I do not want to tell you. I simply cannot.]
I wasn’t stupid enough to not understand his meaning.
However, understanding his position was a different matter.
“You’re a god. Even if you’re a forgotten god, are you saying there is someone who can pressure you into making certain decisions?”
[This is related to the incident that made me become forgotten.]
“The incident?”
[Inheritor, how many gods do you think exist on this continent right now?]
Those in the position of “gods”...
If he was asking about godly beings, there were 72 gods, 13 dragon kings, 9 spirit gods, 5 kings, and the gods of disaster.
I went on to name the gods of The Empire in order of recognition by the people.
After hearing my answer, the Martial God gave a nod.
[The gods you talk about are but a minuscule portion of the godly beings. No one knows their exact number. Why do you think that is?]
I couldn’t think of a reasonable response and decided to shake my head.
[It is because there is no Supreme God that can act as their core.]
“Supreme God?”
That was a new word for me.
[To put it in another way, the god of creation. Did you know? All myths have a record of creation, the start of all things. A myth without a creation story is in itself contradictory.] R
“...”
[However, in this world, no matter what myths you observe, there is no mention of how the world was created. The first of the 72 gods, the rod of the 13 dragon gods, the head of the 9 spirit gods, and even the 5 kings you talked about—although each of them possesses immense strength, none are related to creation.]
The Martial God paused to observe my reaction before continuing his explanation.
[...Of course, even though you know this fact, you cannot feel any doubt or disharmony knowing this because everyone has forgotten. This is what it means to be ‘forgotten’.]
I took a moment to think before nodding.
“I get what you mean. Now that I think about it, it is weird.”
The Martial God seemed a little surprised by my response.
[Do you believe my words?]
“Not 100 percent, but if everything you said is true, it really is a bit odd.”
[That alone is surprising enough... Are you perhaps the descendent of a hero?]
I understood what the Martial God meant by “descendant of a hero.”
I nodded as I replied, “Looks like I was late in my introduction. My name is Luan Bednicker.”
[Bednicker...! You are the descendent of Black Fairy Kuset!]
Black Fairy Kuset was one of the heroes who ended the hopeless hours of the Era of Darkness. He was also the progenitor of House Bednicker.
I scratched my forehead as I answered, “Well, the blood of the Black Fairy isn’t that pure in me...”
Honestly, rather than my father, I took more after my mother’s side.
That’s why I was blond even though most of my siblings had dark hair.
My eyes, however, were purple.
“You know of my progenitor. Was he also an inheritor of yours?”
[Not quite. In truth, Kuset was like an ally of mine.]
Now that I thought about it, the Martial God had told me while I was climbing the tower that he had died about 2,000 years ago.
Although there weren’t many records left of that time, it did overlap somewhat with the era in which Black Fairy Kuset was active.
I ended up falling deep into thought after hearing the Martial God’s words.
At that time, the two of them had worked together.
Although one had become a god and been forgotten, the other was remembered as a hero to this day.
Becoming a god and then being forgotten, or being remembered by all as a hero...
I didn’t know which ending was better.
[Then...]
Martial God looked at me.
[It seems you may be able to reach the truth of the ‘forgotten age’.]
“I have something else I need to do...”
[I do not intend to force you. This can be treated as your lowest priority. This is one of those tasks where, the more you try to look for it, the further away you will get... But remember this and do not forget, inheritor. You only need to go where fate calls you.]
“...”
[However, I will tell you this now: just like the Galactic Sword, knowing of the forgotten age will be beneficial for you.]
I looked at the Martial God and said, “Will learning about the truth of the forgotten age also let me learn about my master?”
[I cannot answer that question.]
The Martial God said that, but that in itself was an answer.
I took a moment to think.
I’d been astonished when my master’s name was mentioned... but I’d also had a thought.
Should I even be surprised by this?
Although I didn’t know the process, my master had called me to Spirit Mountain right before I died, and he had also sent me back to this place.
And through space and time at that.
It wouldn’t be odd if my master could travel to this place either.
Nor would it be impossible for him to travel through time.
With Baek Nogwang’s personality, it wouldn’t be odd for him to go back in time to the age of myths and fight amongst the gods.
The problem was that I had no idea what my master’s true intentions were.
Was it really just because of Eldest Senior Brother that he sent me to the past? So that I can become much stronger than before and catch him myself?
That might not be the only reason. There could be more I was missing.
And this secret could have a deep connection with the truth of the “forgotten age”...
I had no proof, but I was certain.
I nodded.
“Sure. I will accept your suggestion. What should I do?”
The Martial God looked at me.
[The one who continues the will of Kuset should be a member of your House. There is a high likelihood that they are the family head. You may be able to get much more information from them than me. I do not know. Time has passed, so they may have more than me.]
“Hmm.”
So there was that connection as well.
In any case, what I needed to do right now hadn’t really changed.
The direct descendent of Black Fairy Kuset, and the family head of one of the Great Houses, the man who was the sword and executioner of the imperial palace...
My father.
I needed to meet the Lord of Blood and Iron.
* * * * *
* * * * *
I went back the way I’d come.
Even though that was all I had to do, I still felt like I was going to die.
—Just go to sleep after White Flame ends.
I remembered my master’s advice.
I had said it before, but since Master wasn’t prone to kindness, every piece of advice he sparingly gave carried a great weight.
How much time has passed since White Flame ended?
One hour? Two hours?
In any case, the price of defying that advice was too severe.
“Huak... Haak...”
Even though I was just walking, my consciousness started to wobble.
This was the reason I was walking slowly like a turtle and not running.
The corpse of the Sapphire Snake felt too far away.
[Inheritor, do not push yourself too hard. How about taking a rest and moving later?]
“The one who is coming to this place is my enemy. If we clash, they will try to kill me no matter what.”
I took deep breaths.
“Where is that person right now?”
[I do not know.]
“Eh?”
[The reason I was able to sense the happenings within the dungeon was because the Sword of Seven Sins was nestled at the top of the tower. Now, my consciousness has been separated from the cave and is within the sword instead. I can no longer track them. I may fall asleep after we leave this cave.]
“What the fuck?”
[Inheritor, be careful with your words—]
“Whatever! Where were they the last time you checked?”
[Hmm. From this position, they would be about 10 minutes away from here.]
“And when was that?”
[About 10 minutes ago.]
“Damn it!”
I started sprinting.
I felt my entire body creak and groan, but I pressed on with all my might.
Before long, I arrived.
The corpse of the Sapphire Snake and its children continued to emit cold ki.
I was tired... I was cold...
It was hell.
Where were Arzan and Calzark?
“Young master!”
Suddenly, someone fell from the sky.
It was a woman covered head to toe in red blood.
Of course, I knew who she was.
“Arzan.”
“You’re alive. Are you okay—”
“Where’s Senior?”
Arzan shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“...The situation isn’t good. The cultists are coming this way. I’ll give a detailed explanation later, so let’s look for Senior and get out of here first.”
“Understood.”
Thankfully, Arzan was smart. She didn’t question the little things like how I knew this. She immediately carried out her mission.
I took my nearly broken body around to check the surroundings before I looked to the entrance, the opening that the Sapphire Snake had been blocking.
I could see the open sky and the mountains.
Only now did I realize that it was day.
The sunlight that I hadn’t seen in a while pricked my eyes, and I ended up closing them.
Now that I think about it...
I felt like I’d forgotten something.
Rumble...
“Ah.”
I’d forgotten about the state of the cave.
“Arzan!”
Now wasn’t the time to look for Calzark.
This cave wouldn’t last long.
We needed to get out and—
“Duck!”
The moment I heard Arzan’s voice coming from somewhere, I lowered my head.
I felt something cold graze the top of my head.
A chill went down my spine.
I hadn’t even been able to detect that someone had attacked me.
It was proof of the horrible state of my perception.
Arzan dashed past me and clashed with someone directly behind me.
They’re already here!
No, they had probably arrived while I was meeting with the Martial God.
Arzan was clashing with a mysterious figure cloaked in a crimson-red robe.
I had seen dozens of Hadenaihar assassins here, but I could tell that this person’s clothing was different from just one glance.
Because this bastard...
The high priest!
Their entire body was surrounded by a thick layer of killing intent. Just seeing it was enough to make me shiver a little.
It was natural. My enemy was an executive of the cult. Even if I was in my best condition, I would lose against them every single time.
I looked at Arzan.
She didn’t seem to be able to use the mysterious power she had used when escaping from the assassins and when fighting the Sapphire Snake.
That meant she wouldn’t last long either.
Smack!
As I expected, Arzan was kicked in the stomach and came flying toward me.
The moment I instinctively caught her body, the high priest swung a black blade toward me.
It was going to cut both me and Arzan.
This was a disaster.
I couldn’t dodge this.
Clang!
At that moment, Calzark appeared out of the sky and deflected the high priest’s black blade.
“Senior?”
“Go!”
I shut my mouth.
As Arzan shakily got up, I spoke to him.
“Senior, this cave—”
“I know, so go!”
He had heard the cave crumbling.
Even though he knew, he intended to stop the high priest.
Even as I was amazed by Calzark’s decisiveness, I also realized that he had already made up his mind to put his life on the line.
Calzark intended to be buried with the high priest if he had to.
“You said this sword is expensive,” said Calzark.
Even though I couldn't see his face, there was a hint of laughter in his voice.
“I’ll get it back to you in one piece, so don’t worry. Go back to the main house first, I’ll be right behind you.”
“...Yes.”
I gave a short answer and took Arzan with me.
“Arzan, let’s go.”
She seemed distressed as she gritted her teeth.
We supported each other and quickly escaped the cave.
Although I heard the sound of combat behind me, I purposefully did not turn around.
The moment we finally got out of that damned cave...
Rumble!
The sound of a huge landslide echoed around the area.
The huge cave entrance that could house the gem beast came crumbling down into a pile of rocks.