Chapter 260 – Shaolin Temple (3)

“Come in, please.” Sun Won gestured to Gi-Gyu to enter his room.

Gi-Gyu looked at him strangely. Sun Won said he wanted to show Gi-Gyu something, but he had just invited Gi-Gyu into his room.

Gi-Gyu didn’t contemplate for long. He could read Sun Won’s emotions, which were going wild. There was no hostility on his face for Gi-Gyu.

Gi-Gyu thought awkwardly, ‘

I can feel his heart fluttering in excitement.’

A bald monk was excited about having Gi-Gyu in his private room. Gi-Gyu found this strange, but he walked in slowly.

Sun Won entered the room first, and when Gi-Gyu took a step inside…

Gi-Gyu’s eyes widened. Something in his surroundings had changed suddenly. All he had done was enter Sun Won’s room, but the space crumpled subtly. The room still looked perfectly normal, but the energy inside felt very strange. It was a brand-new experience for Gi-Gyu.

“What a relief,” Sun Won said. Gi-Gyu had just taken his first step inside, so that comment made no sense. Still, he quickly withdrew his suspicion and followed.

***

“This is for you.” Sun Won handed Gi-Gyu a cup of tea he had brewed.

Gi-Gyu gulped the hot tea before spitting it back out.

Sun Won teased, “You’re an impatient man, aren’t you? It’s boiling, so please be careful.”

Sun Won’s voice almost sounded childish, as if he was anticipating something exciting. He appeared relaxed, which was the opposite of how Gi-Gyu felt. Gi-Gyu was dying to learn about something in this room, so sipping tea and chatting like this seemed like a waste of time to him.

Controlling his impatience, Gi-Gyu replied, “The tea tastes delicious. Now, please show me whatever it is you were talking about.”

But to Gi-Gyu’s disappointment, Sun Won remained seated.

He asked, “Do you know anything about Bodhidharma?”

It was a rather random question, but Gi-Gyu calmly replied, “I have heard he is the founder of Shaolin martial arts.”

There were many stories about this monk, but Gi-Gyu didn’t know in depth about this figure. All he had heard was that there used to be a man named Bodhidharma who had created Shaolin martial arts. He had apparently cut off his eyelids because he believed sleeping was a waste of time. Many Chinese even revered him like a god.

Sun Won smiled and said, “Bodhidharma came from India to China and created the Shaolin Temple and its martial arts.”

“...”

“What do you think of Shaolin martial arts?” asked Sun Won.

Gi-Gyu took a deep breath and answered, “I find it amazing. It was created in a time with no magic, but its moves suggest that its creator knew about magic’s existence. I think that these movements can give players additional power.”

This was exactly what Gi-Gyu had thought when he saw Tao Chen and Shaolin martial arts.

Gi-Gyu guessed it was created by one of the ruler clones Gaia had created. Of course, he wasn’t 100% certain about it.

“That’s right.” Sun Won finished his tea and explained, “Shaolin martial arts has changed a lot since its inception. And several decades ago, the Tower and the players appeared.”

Gi-Gyu was becoming bored. This was definitely an interesting topic, but it wasn’t what he wanted to find out right now.

“There is something exciting…” Sun Won continued, “The closer you get to the root of Shaolin martial arts, the more connected you will feel to magic. When Bodhidharma first created his techniques a long time ago, he could endow skills to those training in his arts.”

“...!” Gi-Gyu gaped.

“Isn’t that interesting?”

“Are you saying that has something to do with what I am feeling here right now?” asked Gi-Gyu.

“I don’t know.” Sun Won shook his head. “I am just guessing what it must be. That is why I wanted to show you this place, Morningstar. The Shaolin Temple has been repaired and modified many times. But, certain places were always left untouched.”

Sun Won stood up and continued, “For example, the temple head’s private room. All the past head monks worked hard to keep this room unchanged regardless of the situation. After I became the head…”

Sun Won slowly pushed an old closet aside, revealing a simple wall. However, Gi-Gyu felt something strange and overwhelming from it.

“I learned why they worked so hard… This is why.”

Gi-Gyu stood up and walked up to the wall too. Sun Won slowly pushed the wall, which moved with a soft vibration.

“Do you know why Shaolin was created,” Sun Won sounded mysterious.

Gi-Gyu didn’t answer.

Sun Won answered his own question, “It was to protect this room. You could say the original Shaolin existed to protect this room.”

The wall opened, and Sun Won offered, “Would you like to go inside?”

***

Gi-Gyu couldn’t hide his shock.

Firstly, he had no idea there was a hidden space behind the closet. Moreover, it felt like a normal space until he entered it. He wondered why this was the case.

Secondly, the energy he felt from this space was deepening. This didn’t make sense. Nothing he knew could explain this room.

Thirdly…

Sun Won stopped.

“What are you doing?” Gi-Gyu asked.

“This is as far as I’m allowed to enter.” Sun Won explained that he had never reached the secret room’s end. “All the previous temple heads knew about this room, but none could reach the end.”

The area behind the wall reminded Gi-Gyu of the space he had seen during the 50th-floor test—the chamber of memories. This space smelled like nothing, making him feel like he was entering a completely different world.

It was like…

‘The world inside the shell,’?

Gi-Gyu thought in amazement.

“I’ll show you why.” Sun Won took a step ahead of Gi-Gyu, but he crashed into something like an invisible wall with a loud thud.

“The previous heads of this temple couldn’t figure out what this place is. All we know is that Bodhidharma created this space and mandated us to protect it,” Sun Won explained.

A question popped into Gi-Gyu’s head. “And one of the former head monks betrayed the Shaolin Temple?”

A long time had passed since this temple was built. There was no way every head monk in history had been an ethical and honest man. Whenever there was something rare involved, like a treasure or martial arts, greed inevitably followed.

There had to be someone who wanted to know more about this space and make it his own. Someone who wanted to sell this secret for wealth or power.

And after the Tower and the players' appearance, the secret’s value should have increased dramatically. So did all the former head monks keep this secret safe?

“I’m embarrassed to say that none of the past head monks betrayed the temple. Whether it was voluntary or not, I don’t know. But, no one has been able to reveal this secret to the public,” Sun Won answered.

“Because of the Taboo spell?” asked Gi-Gyu.

“Yes.”

Gi-Gyu found this shocking. How could one place the Taboo spell when no magic existed in this world back then?

Just who was Bodhidharma? Gi-Gyu didn’t think he was simply one of the rulers.

Sun Won murmured, “The secret of this room cannot be spoken to someone who isn’t worthy. The moment we leave this room, we won’t remember anything. Consequently, no one has been able to communicate this room’s mystery to any outsider. And if someone unworthy somehow learns the secret…”

𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Gi-Gyu finished Sun Won’s explanation, “This room’s energy kills both the speaker and the listener.”

Gi-Gyu didn’t realize the strange energy in the room had such a deadly power.

“Yes, it’s a punishment. The legend says that the worthy one will find this place once the time comes. I do not doubt that this person is you, Morningstar. The proof is that I could remember the room’s secret when I saw you. Honestly, I knew this the moment I first met you, but I didn’t want to believe it. At least not until you beat me.” Sun Won turned around. He seemingly planned on exiting the room, leaving Gi-Gyu behind.

“Let me ask you one thing.” Gi-Gyu stopped Sun Won, who was on his way out. “Has there ever been another worthy person in the past?”

Sun Won didn’t stop or answer. Gi-Gyu didn’t ask any more questions, but suddenly, he heard Sun Won’s voice.

“Just one,” Sun Won replied. “I believe there was just one person before you.”

Gi-Gyu didn’t bother asking him who this was. He knew he would find out soon enough once inside.

He walked one step at a time, not feeling any resistance like Sun Won had.

‘

Guess that means I’m worthy.’?

Or it could mean that this place's seal and the Taboo skill couldn’t hold him off. Anyway, the reason didn’t matter.

“I can feel God’s power here… Why is that?” Gi-Gyu walked in, aware he would find the answer inside.

***

The room was longer than he had expected. He walked on despite his disbelief that this was a real, physical space.

“I think it’s more like a door connected to a different dimension.”

His first guess was that this was a gate. At least it was very similar, which was why he found it fascinating.

The gates had appeared after the Tower. And to be precise, they had appeared only when the players discovered the Tower’s higher floors.

“But this place was created way before that.”

This door was created well before the Tower and the players had appeared. The energy that filled this space told Gi-Gyu about its long history.

As he continued, Gi-Gyu couldn’t help getting bored. He wanted to run but couldn’t. The energy from Sun Won’s room saturated this space. It felt so unstable that if he used too much of his power, there was a chance the space might explode.

Gi-Gyu took each step carefully.

“Why is God’s power here?” He wanted to open the gate to Eden and ask, but it wasn’t possible.

After God died, Gaia took his power, and Gi-Gyu got a small part of it. He hadn’t expected to find more of it so soon. There wasn’t much. Compared to what he held, the amount here was minimal. Yet it was enough to fill this entire space.

The energy’s mystery amazed him.

“I just can’t understand.” Gi-Gyu kept on walking. He thought he was close to learning all the secrets, but…

“I found another secret.”

Thankfully, he might find the answer to it very soon.

Suddenly, Gi-Gyu stopped when he felt different energy from far away.

“Is it some sort of guardian?”

A creature with incredible power stood ahead of him. Gi-Gyu didn’t think this being could use God’s power, but it was as powerful as a high ranker, piquing his curiosity even more.

Gi-Gyu dashed forward and was before the guard in the blink of an eye.

The soldier seemed to be made of mud because it was cracked in many places. But despite its appearance, the power it held was astounding.

-I allow… the worthy one…

As the clay soldier's mouth opened, an inhuman voice rang in Gi-Gyu’s head. Because the communication was mental, there was no language barrier.

-...entry.

With the mud soldier’s permission, the wall behind the mausoleum opened. Gi-Gyu thought it was a white wall, but it turned out to be a door.

-I allow… the worthy one…

The clay soldier acted like a broken doll, repeating itself inexhaustibly. Gi-Gyu ignored it and walked through the door behind the soldier. But suddenly, he stopped.

-I allow… the worthy…

The soldier continued to repeat itself. Gi-Gyu turned around, headed toward it, and saw the soldier’s eyes flashing red. It was only for a moment, but he could feel the wild magic and hostility behind the eyes.

But…

Gi-Gyu grabbed the soldier’s head. “I didn’t plan on using my power, but…”

This was too good to ignore.

Gi-Gyu announced, “Sync.”