Chapter 72
The fish caught on the hook resisted fiercely.
Suddenly, an enormous weight surged through the line.
Calling it a fish was an understatement — no ordinary fish could create this kind of pressure.
Unless there was a whale lurking beneath the water.
“Roughly three times the size of a carp, maybe?”
Using divine power to gauge the size of the being I was pulling, that seemed about right.
Since an ordinary carp here was as large as a house, that meant this one was about the size of an entire building.
Realizing that made me all the more curious — what in the world could something of that size possibly be?
The creature was resisting, but I felt confident I could reel it up somehow.
The problem was — the creature seemed to realize that too.
It changed tactics.
Instead of simply resisting, it began to attack more aggressively.
A crushing pressure pressed down on my body, far greater than before.
It was desperate now.
And not a bad choice, really.
“I can’t keep this up by just holding out.”
I had barely managed to switch the situation from impossible to barely possible by manipulating my divine power — but the amount I could use was still far too small.
That was because I hadn’t yet fully adapted to this new environment.
If I’d had a little more time, it might have been different.
But regretting that wouldn’t change anything — I had to make a decision now.
Would I go defensive, or would I risk everything and push forward?
My choice was already made.
“Fine then — I’ll take you head-on.”
I pulled back the divine power protecting my body and added it to the strength dragging the creature upward.
Now it was a battle of endurance.
“Let’s see who gives out first — me, or you.”
The moment I stripped away my defensive power, the crushing pressure on my body grew unbearable.
It felt like I could be torn apart at any second.
Fortunately, there was still no pain.
Which meant that even if I failed, I wouldn’t actually lose anything.
So I ignored the pressure and focused even harder on the creature.
Maybe because of that—
Splash!
Just before my body could be ripped apart, I succeeded in pulling the creature up.
As it broke through the water, I couldn’t help but let out a gasp of awe.
“So that’s where you’ve been hiding, even at the bottom of the river, huh… the Shell King.”
The Shell King.
That was what they called a certain type of clam spirit beast.
Among all spiritual beings, it was one of the rarest — so rare that hardly anyone even knew it existed.
It never left the deep sea for land.
Even I had only heard of it once long ago, from a fisherman in a small coastal village.
This was the first time I had ever seen one with my own eyes.
“Judging by its size, it must be at least a thousand years old.”
No wonder it could blow away my divine energy with a single attack.
But there was something I couldn’t understand.
Why was a creature that should be in the ocean here, doing something like this?
“Someone must be controlling the Shell King…”
Just as that thought crossed my mind—
Crack!
My consciousness shattered.
And when I opened my eyes again, I was back in my original body.
“Master? Are you all right? You seem tired,” the young sword asked carefully, as if thinking I’d dozed off.
I asked him in return,
“How long was I like that?”
He answered precisely,
“Until I counted to exactly one hundred.”
So, he’d been counting the whole time.
Not surprising — agents of the Hao Clan were trained to keep count in their heads at all times, just like him.
It was a habit that sometimes turned into useful intelligence.
If what he said was true, I’d learned one thing.
“So seeing the future is different from seeing the past.”
When I used the Bright Eyes to see the past, I never lost consciousness.
It was like watching a movie flash before my eyes.
But seeing the future left me completely defenseless — unconscious.
For as long as it took him to count to one hundred.
“I must never use this carelessly again.”
At least, not when facing someone whose death I could foresee.
If the future suddenly appeared before me in battle, I could be done for.
“Bright Eyes is powerful already, but I need to truly make it mine.”
I had to learn to control it — either by study or by self-training.
And now, I had the perfect excuse to do so.
“If I can resolve this incident…”
It would be as if I owed the Underworld itself a debt.
If Honchunseong had truly awakened, even they must have suffered heavy losses.
“The world really is unpredictable.”
Trying to save the young sword had started as little more than a whim.
But seeing how things had turned out, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“In the end, I suppose you were fated to live after all.”
“…Pardon?”
“Nothing.”
The young sword looked bewildered.
After all the life-and-death talk, now I was saying incomprehensible things.
“But more importantly…”
I continued,
“From this moment on, you’ve been kidnapped by me.”
His eyes widened — despite all the time he’d spent with me, he still hadn’t mastered his expressions completely.
“You can’t just say something like that all of a sudden…”
But he wasn’t stupid.
“Oh.”
Realizing there must be a reason, he closed his mouth and started thinking.
I decided to help him along.
“Just stay put here for now. I’ll release you in two days.”
Mentioning a specific timeframe seemed to help — he nodded after a short pause.
“…If it’s only two days, I think I can manage. All right.”
“That’s the right choice. So long as you don’t run away before then.”
“I won’t.”
He said that — but I could see it in his eyes.
He was already thinking something like ‘If things seem off, I’ll just slip away.’
I couldn’t blame him — that was how a Hao Clan survivor thought.
“Not that he’ll be able to leave, anyway.”
I felt a little sorry for him, but no matter his excuses, I wouldn’t allow it.
What began as saving his life had turned into something much bigger.
Too many other lives were now at stake.
I couldn’t afford any regrets.
“Even just keeping him here…”
Would throw their entire plan into chaos.
My gaze deepened as I looked at him.
* * *
After some thought, I brought the young sword to my own quarters.
Leaving him in the guest hall where people came and went felt too risky.
“I doubt they’ll stay still for long.”
It was very possible they’d make a move within two days.
If they had the power to control the Shell King, they surely already knew the young sword’s movements.
And realizing that made even my own quarters feel unsafe.
So, after brief contemplation, I made a decision —
To move him to the residence of Prince Jaho.
As long as the Stone Monument there remained intact, no one could enter.
It was the safest place imaginable right now.
But before that—
“I’ll save you, but I need one promise.”
“A difficult one?”
“That depends on how you see it. You just have to promise not to tell anyone about what happens next.”
Without much hesitation, he nodded.
“That’s a cheap price for my life.”
That settled it.
“Now, close your eyes for a moment.”
He flinched, unsure of what I meant, but slowly obeyed.
His eyes trembled faintly — he must have realized his life was literally in my hands.
I placed my hand gently over his eyes to ensure he couldn’t peek, then turned to face a certain direction.
There stood Prince Jaho’s stone stele, which I’d brought inside to protect from the rain.
Though the prince himself was currently away, using the stele wasn’t an issue — he’d already given me permission to access it freely.
Anyone who knew the password and method could use the gateway.
“Open.”
It was barely a whisper — quiet enough that even the young sword beside me couldn’t hear it.
But it was enough.
The stone stele shimmered and revealed a passage inward.
Still covering his eyes, I guided him through.
We walked for quite a while, as if moving through a dream corridor leading straight here.
After about half an hour—
“Where exactly are you taking me?”
He couldn’t hold back his curiosity any longer.
I didn’t answer directly.
After all, once he opened his eyes, he’d realize soon enough.
There was no landscape like this anywhere in Hunan Province.
“You can open your eyes now.”
He blinked as I removed my hand — and his eyes widened to their limits.
“Wh–what…? We were just inside the Golden Flower Guild! How…?”
The scenery around us looked like a painting — elegant pines, lush bamboo, and serene streams.
This was Prince Jaho’s sanctuary, a land crafted from his vision of a perfect paradise.
There wasn’t another place like it under heaven.
The young sword was speechless, overwhelmed by the beauty and impossibility of it all.
I didn’t feel the need to explain.
Instead, I offered one short line.
“This is where you’ll stay for the next two days.”
That was all he needed to know.
* * *
A pity, really.
If Prince Jaho were here, the young sword’s reaction would have been priceless.
For a spirit beast of Jaho’s caliber, meeting him might have made the boy faint outright.
But the prince was away, meeting with Lord Geumchosan.
So I could only imagine the scene while leading the boy further inside.
We talked a bit along the way — about the Gongjin information he’d originally come to share.
After another short while, we reached a small hut — hastily built, obviously makeshift.
And in front of it, training bare-chested and drenched in sweat, was—
“Young master!”
It was Dongchil.
He ran up to me with a bright grin.
This was, after all, Prince Jaho’s realm, rich with spiritual energy.
Dongchil had received permission to use it as a training ground — even building that shabby hut himself.
He hadn’t used White Tiger’s cave because it lay too deep within the sanctuary.
“If you’re going to use this place, you should at least build a proper house,” I said.
He scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
“I’m not very skilled with my hands…”
He had built that little hut himself, gathering wood, leaves, stones, and clay.
No wonder he looked embarrassed.
