Chapter 102: The Return Home Pt. 2

“Don’t forget what we spoke about,” Lee Jun-Kyeong said. Just in case he had only informed Liu Bei about what he had done.

If anyone found out that the rebar that had been left unattended outside of the settlement was the primary source of warmth, then they would have the power to destroy their source of life.

That was why he had only told Liu Bei about them as he was the one responsible for managing the settlement.

Liu Bei nodded briskly as if he was afraid to say what they had spoken about aloud.

“In the future, we’ll focus on finding any survivors and stabilizing the settlement,” he responded. "And…if we get the chance, we will head to the outside."

The progression was a given. Lee Jun-Kyeong had wanted them first to secure their defenses in this place, but not for them to completely isolate themselves from the outside world.

It wouldn’t be possible for them to survive like that again.

There was a shortage of materials and engineers, and it was still difficult to judge if any of the survivors were capable.

“You’ll have to be fully prepared before you venture to the outside,” Lee Jun-Kyeong advised.

Liu Bei asked, “How much is fully prepared?”

Lee Jun-Kyeong thought for a moment before he responded, “You’ll have to be strong enough to deal with Jeong In-Chang alone, Mr. Liu Bei.”

While Lee Jun-Kyeong had been wandering around the edge of the settlement for the past few days, working on a way for the settlement to stay warm, Jeong In-Chang had helped the Hunters with their training and cultivation.

Since they had only lived in China, the Chinese Hunters were ignorant of how the Hunters on the outside fought and grew.

Therefore, Jeong In-Chang taught them many things on behalf of Lee Jun-Kyeong, engaging in numerous sparring exercises.

"I'll do my best."

Lee Jun-Kyeong laughed at Liu Bei's determined words.

"Thank you."

Lee Jun-Kyeong mused that it seemed like it had been a good experience for Jeong In-Chang. After all, he could visibly see how much the Hunter had grown. Furthermore, Jeong In-Chang had learned internal qigong from the Chinese Hunters.

When it came to internal qigong, it was said that the skill’s effects had a wide range in performance based on the person who had taught the skill. Still, the internal qigong that Lee Jun-Kyeong had learned had been Won-Hwa’s personal skill, which was just as good, if not better, than the internal qigong that Liu Bei specialized in.

The internal qigong that Jeong In-Chang had learned was Liu Bei’s version, which he had perfected alongside Zhang Fei and Guan Yu.

“Originally, it’s prohibited to pass on our cultivation methods carelessly, but we’ve made an exception as it was for Mr. Jeong and Mr. Lee. As we’ve also given Mr. Jeong permission to teach you the cultivation method, so you should be able to learn it as well whenever you have time,” Liu Bei said.

Then, Liu Bei bowed his head alongside his brothers, Zhang Fei and Guan Yu.

“Thank you for everything.”

Lee Jun-Kyeong also bowed in response.

"Mr. Won-Hwa!"

Then, he called out to Won-Hwa, who was still treating people.

“Please make sure you take these tinctures.”

Despite being called, Won-Hwa continued to speak with each and every patient, taking care to provide them with his full attention before finishing up and finally coming to Lee Jun-Kyeong’s side.

“Growl.”

Fenrir had gone to take care of the monsters around them earlier while looking for food, and he had also arrived, so the time had come.

“We’ll be setting off then.”

It was time to say goodbye.

Many people had come out to see them off.

Even the giants as well.

“Oorah! Oorah!”

“Loptr-Loki! Farewell!”

Some of the giants had been sent by the Nar, which was probably why they had called Lee Jun-Kyeong Loptr-Loki, as they had most likely been influenced by Thrymr.

They, too, understood it.

“Until we meet again…”

In this present world, where no one knew when they would lose their life and become a cold body, there was a great meaning to wishing that they would meet again.

“Fenrir.”

When Lee Jun-Kyeong called out to Fenrir again, the boy’s body shifted, returning to the pure white wolf. Whether it was because he had been free to prey upon monsters for the past few days or his growth had reached a stable point, the wolf’s energy seemed purer and his fur more glossy.

“Let’s get on.”

Lee Jun-Kyeong and his party all embarked on Fenrir’s back.

***

“It really has been so hectic,” Jeong In-Chang commented.

The party found themselves on the way back to Mt. Baekdu, and Lee Jun-Kyeong and Jeong In-Chang spoke about the things that they hadn’t been able to address while they had been over in China.

"Still…" Jeong In-Chang muttered to himself. "It was hectic, but… It wasn't a bad trip."

To think he would call it a trip.

"If going on a trip means it’s going to be this difficult, then I’m never going to go on another trip,” Lee Jun-Kyeong remarked.

"It's been a long time since I heard you joke around, Mr. Lee."

Jeong In-Chang laughed.

"You thought it was funny too, right, princess?”

Apparently, the princess and Jeong In-Chang had finally become complete partners now.

“Goongje!" the princess said happily.

‘That doll-like thing really…’

Lee Jun-Kyeong shook his head, looking at it. When the princess shrank in size in that manner, it was able to show off its cuteness, similar to a doll. However, for anyone who had seen it fight…

“...”

They would make that very expression Won-Hwa had on right now.

Won-Hwa was looking over at Jeong In-Chang and the princess with an absurd look on his face.

"Is there a problem?" Jeong In-Chang asked.

"N…no, it’s nothing." Won-Hwa shook his head in response.

“Is your training in internal qigong going well?” Lee Jun-Kyeong asked, suddenly becoming curious.

While it may not be comparable to the mana stream, internal qigong wasn’t something that was easy to learn unless the person learning had a similar level of comprehension to the mana stream that Lee Jun-Kyeong had.

“Ah, no.”

As expected, Jeong In-Chang shook his head.

“Still… I think I’ve grasped a small clue. A clue regarding internal qigong…”

He smiled at Lee Jun-Kyeong before adding, "And of mana stream."

Lee Jun-Kyeong sincerely breathed a sigh of relief and said, “You have to become even stronger.”

“...”

He then admonished, “We don’t have much time left.”

On the road to Mt. Baekdu, Lee Jun-Kyeong felt many different sensations.

When he immersed himself, maximizing his senses, he could feel an electrifying mana continuously flowing into his body.

He knew it.

This thing, this mana.

‘It’s not mine.’

Even at this moment, that mana was flowing into him as he breathed, and through it, a black bead that had approximated the movement of a heart, the weak dragon heart, was being charged.

However, this wasn’t a good sign. The fact that such a strong kind of mana could flow into his body without his control was definitely not something that boded well.

Instead, he felt as though it could be said to be a sign of what was quickly approaching.

“The Great Cataclysm.”

It was like a bombardment of mana, and through it, they would achieve incredible growth.

He wasn’t the only one who was forcefully being strengthened through the saturation of mana that he was basking in at the moment.

Whether it was Fenrir, whom Lee Jun-Kyeong and his party were riding, or Jeong In-Chang and the princess that was sitting next to the Hunter.

Even Hyeon-Mu in the bracelet and Won-Hwa.

They had all been undergoing growth according to the unknowingly concentrated mana.

Everything was becoming stronger.

‘Even the monsters…’

A change that would cover the whole world.

China’s mana saturation had only been the beginning.

Lee Jun-Kyeong looked up at the sky and at the blue veil in the sky shining ever more intensely.

Furthermore, he heard the trembling voice of Jeong In-Chang from his side.

“Mr. Lee…”

Jeong In-Chang spoke, gesturing to a point in the distance.

“Over there…”

Lee Jun-Kyeong looked over to the place the Hunter was pointing, and soon, his eyes widened in surprise.

“…!”

“Mt. Baekdu is…”

The place Jeong In-Chang was pointing toward was Mt. Baekdu, which they were able to see because they had recently gotten within the vicinity of the mountain.

However, its peak…

“It’s on fire…”

Lee Jun-Kyeong shouted, "Fenrir! Faster!"

***

Thud! Crash!

Fenrir barreled forward, ramming through everything around them, and everything in his path was destroyed, whether it was wood or stone.

Lee Jun-Kyeong and his party were climbing Mt. Baekdu at a speed that couldn’t be compared to the mutated deer they had ridden when they had first climbed the mountain.

However, Lee Jun-Kyeong urged Fenrir to go even faster, as if he wasn’t satisfied with their level of speed.

“A little faster!”

“ROAR!”

Fenrir leaped onto the mountain with a loud cry.

What awaited them was…

“A monster…?”

Jeong In-Chang’s voice betrayed his astonishment. In front of their eyes, there was a monster on Mt. Baekdu.

Furthermore, it was a red-eyed orc as well.

“It’s Madness!” Lee Jun-Kyeong cried out with astonishment.

It had red eyes like the ogre mage, like the princess. Furthermore, it gave off an even greater pressure than the average orc had as well.

“Mr. Jeong!” Lee Jun-Kyeong shouted.

Soon, Jeong In-Chang leaped off Fenrir’s back, running forward.

“Understood!”

Someone needed to take care of the monster, but they couldn’t afford to have Fenrir stop, either.

“It’ll be dangerous…! You’ll need the princess’s help as…” Lee Jun-Kyeong shouted before being interrupted by Jeong In-Chang.

"It's all right!"

The Hunter was getting further away, and before he knew it, he had started a battle with the orc.

However, it wasn’t just one orc.

All of the snow orcs that had been in the vicinity were all under the thrall of Madness.

Lee Jun-Kyeong couldn’t understand the current situation, but he was sure of one thing.

History was warping.

‘It’s beginning to change…’

Madness shouldn’t have already appeared here. So while he knew that one day, monsters under the thrall of Madness would appear, he knew it wasn’t supposed to be this early.

That should have been the same even in China and North Korea, where gateization had taken place.

Furthermore, there was one other thing.

“Sangun… Ungnyeo…”

It was also clear that something was wrong with the two.

Mt. Baekdu had been blessed with peace and free of monsters under the protection of the two.

But, a monster under the thrall of Madness had appeared here, and Heaven Lake was on fire.

This…

‘This is dangerous.’

“Fenrir!”

“ROAR!!”

That was why Lee Jun-Kyeong hurried even more.

***

"Ahhhh!"

Screams filled the air.

Heaven Lake Village had finally found peace after Fenrir, the intruder, had been taken away by Lee Jun-Kyeong. But now, it was on fire.

Blaze!

The houses built from wood had all burned down, and Heaven Lake was trembling ominously.

“Kyaa!!”

Furthermore, there were the screams of people in the aftermath of the blaze.

As Heaven Lake Village burned, those who were still alive in the midst of the chaos were screaming or fighting with war cries.

“Fuck off!”

“I said, die…!”

Most of the villagers were Hunters, so they at least had the strength and will to fight.

“Ha-a-eup!”

Some fired arrows, some ran forth wielding swords, and some were aiding in the evacuation of the ordinary people.

“Flee this way!”

“...”

However, in the midst of all of the chaos, Lee Jun-Kyeong couldn’t see a single sign of Sangun or Ungnyeo.

Squelch!

“Chwiiik!”

“Roar!!”

However, he could see monsters on the ground. These were monsters that had only been seen occasionally when they had wanted to hunt, but they were slaughtering residents with unprecedented power.

Whether it was an arrow.

Clank!

Or even a sword.

Clang!

Nothing could stop them.

It was horrific.

The peaceful Heaven Lake Village trembled with the bodies of the residents and the flames blazing around them.

Shake!

Even Heaven Lake was trembling ominously.

“Have the children gotten away?!”

“For now!”

Some of the strong residents had remained behind and were combating with the monsters, while those who were relatively weak or had family were all descending from Mt. Baekdu with the other residents.

No matter how bad it was below.

“All we have to do is go down!”

They thought that it would still be much safer down there than it was where they were now.

Among those left, they had made their decision.

“We will stay behind until the end and buy you some time…”

Clench.

They wouldn’t be able to leave.

They wouldn’t be able to escape.

They had to buy enough time for the residents, the children, to evacuate. Therefore, in order to do so, they gave more strength to the hands holding the swords, and bit their lips while focusing on their drawn bows.

“We will die today! But! Let’s at least take a single bastard along with us!”

As such, the residents’ final battle had begun.

As the monsters rushed forward mercilessly, eyes blazing, a large explosion occurred.

Boom!

Flames erupted, and smoke rose as the dust clouds that accompanied the blast made it impossible for them to tell what had caused it. The residents began to grow more nervous as they waited for their view to clear.

As the smoke cleared due to the blowing wind, in front of them was a wolf.

“Wait, that’s…!!”

Alongside that pure white wolf was a man.

"Are you all right?"

It was Lee Jun-Kyeong.