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“Father!!!”

Moments later, Seo Mun-hye’s wails echoed through the area, but she had little time to wallow in sorrow as a massive seismic shift reverberated in the hall.

Boom!

She could see the Grave of the God closing at an incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, the entrance vanished as if washed away, leaving nothing but a desolate plain in its wake. Beside her, Berus spoke.

“Fortunately, Jeon Wook didn’t get angry. Looks like he quickly shut the tomb’s entrance after handling things neatly.”

“W-what about that…?”

“There’s no way a mortal can enter the Grave of the God anymore.”

“……”

“I’ll be returning to my homeland now. May your father rest in peace.”

Berus vanished without looking back, thinking he had done enough.

Seo Mun-hye bit her lips tightly.

She thought, ‘I can’t escape from here. There must be some way to get back in.’

The Sword Demon protected himself and died. Now, her task was to remember the location of this ruin and explore further. Even if the tomb was closed, finding nearby historical sites or other ruins to uncover clues was her duty.

Right now, she needed to gather more clues for Baek Woong, who was about to return.

And if possible, it would be great to open the Grave of the God once more.

Seo Mun-hye dispatched a message to summon her subordinates, the Shadowless Gate members, to perform the Sword Demon’s funeral. However, strangely, despite passing over a month here, she received no replies. It was odd, considering the Shadowless Gate members were supposed to be waiting nearby in Liaoning Province.

Determined to find them, she moved toward Liaoning Province and soon realized one fact after her investigation.

The Shadowless Gate members had all gone missing.

As if they had vanished into thin air, not a single trace could be found.

Were they murdered? But there were no signs of a struggle either.

Seo Mun-hye secretly despaired but couldn’t just sit down. She prepared for her ruin exploration, assembling gear as best as she could. At the same time, she began to gather funds, acquiring information from all sorts of scholars, merchants, and village elders. She wanted to contact her companions, but moving hastily without knowing their whereabouts could expose her to hostile factions, so she continued to wander the plains in hiding.

During this time, Seo Mun-hye heard a voice in her head.

[Can you hear me?]

The voice sounded foreign yet familiar, and Seo Mun-hye was startled just like when the Sword Demon first heard it.

“It’s you. Where in the world are you?!”

[… I can’t talk for long. It seems the Sword Demon couldn’t pass on some things to you, so listen carefully and follow my instructions.]

The voice continued.

[You need a device to transmit memories. It’s essential for unexpected accidents. And since you’re one of the few survivors, you need to know everything that has happened so far. Only then can you pass memories down to Baek Woong.]

“You know everything, don’t you?”

[Not yet… but I plan to reach out to the others one by one.]

“Got it. What should I do?”

[You need an object that can receive the powers of the Underworld. On the night of the full moon, recite the incantation I’ll give you by the lake.]

Seo Mun-hye felt incredulous.

[I know nothing about sorcery. Is it enough just to recite the incantation?]

[Not exactly. You’ll need some knowledge of sorcery to receive it. But… if it’s you, I believe you can manage.]

[……]

[In the meantime, I will teach you basic sorcery up until the next full moon.]

Seo Mun-hye hesitated but had no choice. In her current situation, the owner of the voice was her only source of trust. She began to learn the basics of sorcery from the voice while waiting for the next full moon.

When the time came, she went to the wetlands along the southern coast. As the full moon rose, she started reciting the sorcery and incantation provided by her mysterious guide, watching as the bright, clear moonlight above slowly began to distort.

Whoosh!

Light flowed from the center of the lake, and soon the entire surface of the water turned a dark hue. Then, the dark lake transformed into a massive silver mirror, and she could see a figure standing upon it, illuminated by the moonlight.

Seo Mun-hye exclaimed, “It was real!”

The figure responded, [Yes. Currently, this place has transformed into an otherworldly space connected to the heart of the Underworld.]

“How did this happen?”

[… I can’t tell you yet.]

“Why not?”

[If you get caught by the enemies or brainwashed, it could jeopardize everything… my whereabouts and secret strategies must remain unknown to prevent establishing a major weakness in Baek Woong’s movements.]

Seo Mun-hye felt that the speaker’s reasoning made sense. She was wandering alone, far from the martial world like a lonely orphan, and if the ‘enemies’ started targeting her, she would be defenseless. Not to mention, there was currently no Sword Demon or other companions to protect her.

Besides, given the previous experiences, she trusted the speaker’s words. The voice continued, [No one knows when Baek Woong will return. But I estimate it’s about five to ten years.]

“Is there a reason?”

[If it goes beyond that…]

The speaker seemed to hesitate before continuing, [Anyway, Seo Mun-hye, your task is to improve your own abilities while continuing to investigate the Grave of the God. You simply need to do what you initially thought you could accomplish.]

“Were you making me go through all this trouble just to say that?”

[Of course not. I will give you a clue and a power.]

“A clue? Power?”

The speaker nodded.

[The reason the Shadowless Gate members vanished while waiting near the Divine City. This is the answer you’re the most curious about.]

“You know where they are and what happened to them?”

[Of course.]

“Then why didn’t you tell me?”

[Even if I told you now, you couldn’t save them. Because you lack power.]

“……!!”

[The Shadowless Gate members are currently…]

The speaker told her everything that had happened to the Shadowless Gate members and their current state. After hearing the entire story, Seo Mun-hye felt a surge of anger and despair, wanting to cry. It turned out that she couldn’t rescue the Shadowless Gate members right now. Wiping her tears, she asked, “Is there… is there anything we can do?”

[Not really. But there’s probably no immediate danger for them, so you can rest assured. At least they aren’t from the otherworldly race. They’re likely doing just fine.]

“……”

[And the power I will give you is this mirror.]

Whoosh!

A black hand mirror appeared in Seo Mun-hye’s hand. Interestingly, the mirror’s surface was completely stained black, making it seem unusable. Since nothing reflected in it, discerning front from back was a hassle. As she examined the hand mirror, the speaker continued.

[This mirror is a divine treasure that will gradually awaken the hidden powers within you. I don’t know how far you’ll be able to tap into it, but at least it should be enough for self-defense. And later, when you want to contact me, you can use the black mirror.]

“…I have a question.”

[What is it?]

“Does that mean you won’t contact me anymore?”

[That’s correct. In fact, the current communication was quite risky and done with caution… Please only reach out to me if Baek Woong returns.]

“Understood.”

[Since you need to be aware of the situation, I will pass on the essential memories you need.]

Then, Seo Mun-hye felt the peculiar phenomenon from just moments ago fade away, as the lake in front of her returned to normal, and she suddenly had vivid memories of the battle in the Divine City. It was surely the visual and auditory information that Zhuge Sa had collected at that time. However, she could tell that the information was restricted as a precaution, with parts cut off.

Seo Mun-hye thought, ‘I need to wait.’

Even though no one knew when Baek Woong would return, she couldn’t waste a single day. Her father, the Sword Demon Seo Mun-dae-ryong, had risked his life to protect her, so until he returned, she had to carry on his will. From that day, she spent every spare moment searching for knowledge and scholars, studying intently while sometimes concealing her aura to practice martial arts deep in the mountains.

And thus, five years passed.

“Baek Woong, can you hear me?”

I replied while following Seo Mun-hye through an unnamed forest.

“I’m listening well.”

Thud!

As I hopped around on the branches, I could vividly hear every word of her long story.

As soon as I joined Seo Mun-hye, we left the ancient ruins and headed towards the lake in the south under her guidance. Throughout our journey, I listened intently to her extensive tale. Some parts were surely left vague, so I couldn’t grasp everything perfectly.

‘How far is it to the lake now?’

We were almost there. At this rate, we would arrive soon.

Swish…

Upon arriving at the lakeshore with Seo Mun-hye, we stood silently gazing at the night lake. The lake was vast, spanning at least twenty li in radius. Instead of being long and narrow, its broadness gave an even more magnificent impression.

“……”

Thinking back on the story I had heard over the past five years, I was overwhelmed by indescribable emotions. While I had survived through countless struggles since coming to Dark Heaven Village, my companions had endured even more harrowing experiences. The news that the Sword Demon had died left a harrowing chill inside me.

Even now, I wished to pay respects to the Sword Demon, but Seo Mun-hye brought me to the lake instead of allowing me the time to do so. Considering she was the Sword Demon’s daughter, one would think she would want to do that, yet it seemed she understood just how critical her own responsibilities were.

I looked up at the sky and said, “It’s night, but tonight is a crescent moon. Isn’t it impossible to summon someone?”

At my question, Seo Mun-hye pulled out the black mirror from her bosom and replied, “Not at all, Baek Woong. Use this mirror.”

Then, she shouted into the sky.

[By the power of the Mirror of Clarity, I command, come forth, full moon!]

Wham!

In that very moment, the crescent moon floating above the lake suddenly transformed into a full moon! It was a sight that seemed impossible, but the power of the black mirror had seemingly performed a miracle. As the full moon rose above the lake, Seo Mun-hye began reciting additional incantations.

I watched her in astonishment.

‘She only learned the basics of sorcery, but she seems to have reached an intermediate sorcerer level already…’

It made sense that she had practiced continually for five years, but could someone really advance that much with just the basics? I was once again reminded of Seo Mun-hye’s remarkable talent.

Splash!

Soon after, as Seo Mun-hye threw the black mirror into the lake, just as she had said, it turned a dark hue and then began to transform into a silver color.

Woosh!

In the center of the silver lake, a figure stood.

I recognized this figure as the person Seo Mun-hye had spoken of, the one who had been guiding her all along. He was someone I knew well, yet his face appeared wearied and disheveled. I spoke in a trembling voice, “You… are alive…”

He chuckled softly and replied, [Having entered the heart of the Underworld, I exist in a state that can be described as both alive and dead. However, I still possess enough strength to assist you, Baek Woong.]

“……”

What should I say? When I heard that the Sword Demon had died, it left me devastated and speechless, but now my emotions felt different.

Feeling the determination of my comrades who had gone through such trouble to help me, I was suddenly filled with a new sense of fear about whether I could really accomplish my mission.

But I couldn’t afford to be weak, so I clenched my fists and said to him, “Help me, Mangnyang.”

 

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