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“What on Earth is that smell?”

The next day, while cautiously traversing rugged mountain terrain, I sensed something strange. I had stumbled upon a ghastly sight—evil spirits congregating in the shadows of an eerie mountain range. Curious about why there might be a human soul in the middle of such a desolate place, I headed toward that ominous shadowy spot.

“Wow, there are a lot of them…”

Squinting at the cavernous contours of the hidden mountain ridge, I activated the Heavenly Secret Technique. Suddenly, the apparitions became vivid, their red-tinged forms draped in an air of resentment, terror, and despair. Anyone passing near would likely fall victim to those spirits’ ominous pull.

But it didn’t make sense. This place was a high, desolate mountain—only an equipped individual could even think of climbing it, and I risked plummeting from the Manjangan Cliff myself. Why were these spirits gathering here?

I pondered deeply and stepped into the dark cave. The spirits immediately reacted—not by attacking, but by fleeing in fright as if they were terrified of my mere presence.

“…?”

Sure, I could unleash my powerful internal energy to control them. Even without that, just stepping into their midst made them scatter as if my existence alone inspired dread.

As I ventured deeper into the cave, a musty smell confronted me alongside muddy pathways littered with bodies. With no graves in sight, limbs and heads jutted out from the ground, quietly decomposing. There was nothing normal about these corpses, and observing them piqued my curiosity. I decided to summon a spirit using the Heavenly Secret Technique.

“Hey. What happened here?”

[ #&@^#&@&^@#….]

The spirit flailed as if trying to say something, but its words remained muddled. It wasn’t a language barrier alone; it felt as though this spirit couldn’t come close enough to engage in conversation.

Frustrated, I called Zhuge Sa to explain the situation. He stared at the spirit, saying, “These ones are food.”

“What?”

“They were sacrificed to someone. The soul is that person’s possession, which is why it can’t answer your call.”

Zhuge Sa, seeming annoyed, turned away. “Why are we even here? This is a dumpster. Stop wasting time and go look for Peng Zuo.”

“Dumpster? Explain yourself! There are at least hundreds of humans dead here, we need to know why!”

The gruesome number of dead made it clear: This place was once a sizable cavern, reduced by countless buried corpses.

“Do you really need me to simplify it? This is a food waste bin.”

Suddenly, Zhuge Sa reached out and caught one of the spirits. Normally, one couldn’t grasp a soul, but being an expert in the Soul Exchange Technique made it possible for him. Shaking the spirit, he remarked, “Something essential to its soul has been ripped away. It’s just leftover garbage.”

“……”

It dawned on me why Zhuge Sa said what he did. My expression hardened. “So, it was offered to the Old Ruler?”

“Could be…”

“Could be?!”

“Apostles or high-level otherworldly beings sometimes demand offerings. Regardless, this is a dumpster for souls left over by those types. Staying here won’t do you any favors, you should leave.”

After glancing at my face, Zhuge Sa said gruffly, “Don’t even think about taking down the owner of this dumpster. You won’t have the time for it.”

“But look at these bodies! They’ve died recently—this is still happening!”

“So? You really think you can take on some unidentified monster or the Old Ruler?”

Zhuge Sa spoke with a crazed glint in his eye, “Yes! If I unleash the power of the National Seal and my abilities as Jean Wook’s Apostle, I might be able to handle a high-level being! But you know what that means? It means we’ve initiated an attack on the Old Ruler from the Three Sovereigns.”

“……!!”

“The Three Sovereigns and the Old Ruler even made a truce through the Seven Luminaries for peace. You think Jean Wook would battle a divine being ruling over the West for your sake? It’s obvious what would happen—you’d lose your apostolic status.”

“Damn…”

“Don’t bother with these things; it’s a never-ending hassle.”

And with that, I was left with no choice but to turn away, gritting my teeth.

‘Another tragedy unfolded like Taekyung Village did…’

While no one knew, an entire village had been annihilated, its corpses feasted upon, and its souls turned into mere playthings, forever denied salvation. It was frustrating to witness a tragedy I once thwarted in the East replaying itself here in the West.

And Zhuge Sa’s words became a prophecy.

In the next five hundred li I traversed using the Light Body Technique, I detected thirty-nine locations with similar ominous signs. The number of nameless souls drifting around as vengeful spirits surely surpassed thirty thousand. Despite being buried in remote mountains, the signs of devastation occasionally seeped into deserted ruins or wastelands.

In the case of the ruined village, the bodies were plainly visible, discarded in a wretched manner—there were even remains of the otherworldly creatures left behind.

Ta-dah…

Feeling horrified, I stopped running mid-stride and muttered under my breath, “Is this hell?”

Things weren’t this grim in the Central Plains. The indiscriminate slaughter and human sacrifices taking place were all too blatant. Sure, there were towns that seemed fine, but it felt like only a matter of time before they too fell victim.

Yet something felt off. If humans were dying at this rate, how could the nation progress? Furthermore, there had been almost no signs of the otherworldly beings in those towns.

What criteria did these otherworldly beings use to attack humans?

Eventually, I arrived at a massive fortress. It was a grand Western-style castle unlike anything I’d seen in Arasa, immense but not quite as much as Luoyang. My plan had been to leap over the castle using the Light Body Technique while no one was watching.

However, gazing at the ragged group of humans gathered around the castle made me feel uneasy.

‘What is this?’

In the Central Plains, even beggars and refugees would stray outside the castle walls. But unlike refugees from the Central Plains, this group looked like an entire village had uprooted itself. Moreover, it seemed some Westerners were impeccably organized, moving in unison. Another small village had sprouted outside the castle grounds.

‘I want information.’

Unfortunately, I didn’t know the Western language. Zhuge Sa had mentioned that the Western continent was not like the Central Plains; it was fragmented like the Spring and Autumn Period, each nation speaking a different tongue. With no way to communicate, I felt the reality of being in a distant land.

There was no helping it; I called Zhuge Sa in a shadowy corner. He frowned and said, “You’re trying to dig into affairs that aren’t any of your business.”

“Ignoring something suspicious would cost me more in the long run, wouldn’t it?”

“… There is a method.”

“What method?”

“Use the Heavenly Secret Technique. Locate a strong spirit nearby, possess it, and temporarily understand the language of this area. But make sure it’s a proper soul, not some torn shred of spirit.”

“Got it.”

Nodding, I activated the Heavenly Secret Technique. Even in this foreign land, I felt the surge of qi, and soon, I was able to locate the “powerful spirit” Zhuge Sa had mentioned. I summoned the spirit and asked.

[May I ask who you are?]

The brown-haired, bearded Westerner wore unique attire, his long sword hanging at his waist. He didn’t appear to be a knight, but his piercing gaze emanated strength, marking him as a martial arts master from his life.

[A warrior from the East?]

“That’s right.”

[My name is Johannes Lichtenauer! Do you have a request for me?]

“Hmm…”

I roughly understood him. His language was entirely new, but the meaning flowed through to me. I said to him, “Lichtenauer… your name is a mouthful.”

[Call me what you wish.]

“Lichten… gather information from those refugees about the current situation.”

[That’s an easy task!]

Whoosh!

The shortened form of Lichtenauer possessed my body. Looking down at myself with intriguing eyes, he murmured.

“You possess an incredibly powerful Kraft. I can hardly believe it!”

Curiosity gnawed at me, and I asked in my mind, [What is that?]

“Hmm… It’s power encompassing your being—not muscular strength, but something deeper within.”

Ah, he’s talking about qi.

Even among Western masters, it seemed they understood and wielded qi despite the different names. It was clear Lichtenauer sensed the energy of the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng and various spiritual pills coursing through my body. I became curious and asked Lichtenauer, [Were you also a martial arts master in your time? Is there a martial arts world in the West?]

“Hehe, I’m not sure what a martial arts world is, but I was a practitioner leading my own school and studying swordsmanship.”

He made his way to the refugee camp and approached someone who appeared to be the village chief.

“Don’t judge my black hair; I am a student from the Lichtenauer school visiting from the East.”

The burly village chief, wrapped in thick clothing, replied gruffly. It seemed their conversation flowed easily.

“Why do you care?! Don’t bother me and just leave.”

Staring intently at the chief, Lichtenauer inquired, “Why aren’t you going inside the castle? Living inside would be more convenient.”

“Damn it… do you think we’re nobles or bourgeois? We can’t live inside the castle!”

“You clearly aren’t from here, so why are you camping outside the walls?”

“……”

The chief, visibly irritated, replied, “You’re just a wandering fool. You’re going to get yourself hurt!”

Crack!

With that, brawny men emerged from all around the refugee camp. They didn’t come empty-handed but wielded daggers and clubs. It was obvious they intended to kill or incapacitate someone, and escaping a fight seemed impossible.

Swing!

In that moment, Lichtenauer quickly drew my long sword, making three swift cuts in the air. Like lightning, his strikes sliced through the front of the surrounding men’s clothes, narrowly missing their skin. His precision was astonishing, leaving me to marvel at his skill, which rivaled that of the top experts in the Central Plains.

‘Fast! He has reached the realm of extreme speed!’

Furthermore, his command of qi was extraordinarily delicate. The Western martial arts were something I shouldn’t underestimate.

“Huh.”

As the chief froze, Lichtenauer pressed the tip of the sword against his throat. “Didn’t I tell you? I’m from the Lichtenauer school?”

“Ugh… s-sorry. I’ll give you a proper answer.”

Eventually, the chief began explaining. “Rumors have spread that villages have been wiped out recently, and there are inexplicable monsters roaming the forest and plains. So people from five villages have gathered here seeking protection from the lord. If any monsters were to attack, the lord wouldn’t just stand idly by at his gates.”

“Why not just ask the lord to send an army?”

“What good would it do to make such a request after a village is utterly destroyed overnight? Moreover, survivors said the monsters were beyond horrific, things that shouldn’t be seen.”

Lichtenauer took in everything the chief said about the current situation. After collecting the information, he stepped back and spoke, “I’ve done my part, but may I ask one favor?”

[What kind of favor?]

“It’s been over twenty years since I died, yet this area is my homeland. I’d like to have a word with the lord.”

This situation was something I hadn’t encountered before. The Heavenly Secret Technique involved summoning a powerful spirit to make a deal by granting it rich merits (good karma) in return for a task. Once it received the merits, the spirit could either strengthen itself or find it easier to ascend to the afterlife. Naturally, spirits wouldn’t take on more than their assigned tasks. However, unusually, Lichtenauer seemed proactive.

[Understood.]

Bang!

Suddenly, he soared over the castle walls using the Light Body Technique, diving into the interior. He bounced on his toes, marveling at his surroundings, “What extraordinary power!”

However, as he entered the inner castle, the ambiance began to feel increasingly off. The outer castle appeared like a moderately developed city in the West, but as I went deeper, the thick magical energy seeped into the air. Lichtenauer must have felt it too, as he murmured once atop the inner castle walls, “Ugh… I can’t go any further… then I’ll take my leave.”

He stated this just before departing my body. He could have forced his way further, but it seemed he judged it to be too dangerous for me, the spellcaster. I couldn’t help but understand his reasoning. The magic before me swirled like a thick black cloud visible to the naked eye.

Crackle!

Moreover, atop the outer castle, dark clouds gathered with flashes of lightning. Frowning at the scene, I thought, ‘Magic!’

Was I mistakenly recalling the sights Jin So-cheong had seen in Luoyang fifty years hence?

I sensed this was the boundary. Surely, within the inner castle dwelled a powerful magical clan, and advancing further would be tantamount to declaring war. While mulling over this, the castle gate opened, and a guard approached.

Then the guard’s mouth gaped open, and wriggling tentacles slithered out from inside. The tentacled creature spoke to me telepathically.

[You… are an Apostle of the Three Sovereigns…?]

It looked to be a human transformed into a tentacle host by the otherworldly creatures’ magic. Keeping my composure, I responded, “You know who I am?”

[… wasn’t it set through the Seven Luminaries… to define our territories…? What brings you to intrude on my domain…?]

In that instant, it hit me.

‘The lord of this area is… a high-level otherworldly being!!’

It was absurd. Outside the castle, the refugee villagers had depended on the lord for protection against the otherworldly beings, yet the lord itself was the embodiment of powerful magic! The vibes coming off it seemed to suggest it wasn’t the Old Ruler or an Apostle, but almost certainly a formidable being. I considered my next words carefully.

“I was merely passing through. I’m not here to provoke or harm you.”

[For what reason… were you passing through…? Why have you come to the West…?]

“I have no reasons to tell you.”

Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind, leading me to speak coldly, “Just so you know, I’m on a mission for the Three Sovereigns. Should you block or threaten me, I won’t hesitate to take action.”

Flinch!

The tentacles twitched visibly, indicating a clear anxiousness. After all, should the law of cause and effect come into play, there would be no restrictions on my ability to strike back. Furthermore, the lord seemed reluctant to engage in battle with an Apostle of the Three Sovereigns.

Moments later, it responded, [Very well… let us refrain from interfering with each other… Depart quietly from my territory…]

“What about the refugees outside the castle? Are you going to make them your prey?”

[Why do you ask that…? Do you think I could possibly concern myself with such bugs…?]

I growled at it. “Leave them alone. If you harm them, I won’t stand idly by.”

[Heh… how frightening… very well… I’ve prepared enough food for my children…]

“……”

It seemed the thousands of humans who had been massacred nearby had become fodder for the abominable otherworldly creatures spawned by this high-level being. I felt bitter, but nothing could be done at this point.

“I’d like to ask one more thing; consider this the price for my question.”

Swish!

I pulled out some furs of the beast of the moon gathered by Zhuge Sa and tossed them toward the sentient mass. These were valuable items even against the otherworldly beings. When the tentacled creature received the skins and fell silent, I pressed on with my inquiry, “I am searching for Chi You and Peng Zuo. Do you know their whereabouts?”

[I don’t know…]

Hesitating, the lord replied, [I’ll give you a warning… there are many spirits like me across this continent… If you meddle in our matters, we’ll impose restrictions on you…]

Bang!

Rain began to pour down. I looked at the body of the fallen guard who had been overtaken by the tentacle creature, my expression conflicted. The fact that there were numerous lands ruled by similar monsters suggested that the West had almost entirely fallen under the dominion of the otherworldly beings.

‘What a headache.’

The British Empire, known for its remarkable advancements in technology and engineering. That also meant their magic was likely heavily tainted by it. I was beginning to think that once I entered the British Empire, I’d regularly witness high-level beings and monsters roaming freely.

 

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