Episode 26: There Comes a Time When Everyone Must Stand Alone (1)
Light Novel: Volume 2 Episode 26
Manhwa: Chapter 25
Chapter 1 Episode 26. There Comes a Time When Everyone Must Stand Alone (1)
The thick dust that had darkened the surroundings, as if night had fallen, slowly began to settle. Yet, Oh Ki-oh and the escort warriors did not move. No, they could not move.
It was because of the man who appeared through the dust.
He looked like a beast. His hair was an unkempt mess, tangled beyond recognition, and his beard, thick enough to cover his chest, held a sinister gleam within.
His body was barely concealed by tattered scraps of cloth, just enough to cover his lower half. A small, round bundle wrapped in cloth was tied around his waist.
“Hrrgh…”
A sound, like the growl of an animal, escaped from between the man’s lips.
At that moment, Oh Ki-oh, Yu-pyo, and the others felt their blood run cold.
The man’s ragged breathing carried the essence of a beast.
Standing before such a wild, ferocious creature, they felt as if they were naked and exposed— completely vulnerable. They could not move.
‘What the hell…?’
‘Eek!’
The man kept his head lowered, breathing heavily.
With each breath, the lingering dust in the air trembled along with him. His presence alone was enough to send chills down their spines, leaving Oh Ki-oh at a loss for words.
Then, suddenly, the beast-like man lifted his head and looked at them. A piercing gaze shot out, stabbing into their eyes like daggers.
“Ugh…!”
Oh Ki-oh instinctively lowered his head, unable to withstand the man’s gaze.
Even from just a brief glance, his heart pounded wildly, as if it had been struck by a hammer.
‘What kind of murderous aura is this…?’
As the chief escort of the Silver Lotus Merchant Group, Oh Ki-oh prided himself on having survived countless life-and-death situations. Yet, never once had he encountered such a gaze like the man in front of him.
A man who could kill with just his eyes. Oh Ki-oh was certain of it.
The man, who had been silently observing them, finally spoke.
“Who… are you?”
His voice was rough and hoarse, like grinding stone.
If Oh Ki-oh hadn’t been paying attention, he would not have been able to understand the man’s words as they were that indistinct. However, at this moment, the man’s voice rang as loudly in Oh Ki-oh’s ears as the sound of a bell.
Oh Ki-oh answered hastily.
“I—I am Oh Ki-oh, the chief escort warrior of the Silver Lotus Merchant Group.”
“Silver Lotus Merchant Group?”
The man muttered as if hearing the name for the first time.
“We are a merchant group based in Lanzhou. We primarily travel to and from the Western Region, selling goods.”
Oh Ki-oh answered desperately.
He had no other choice.
Beside him, Yu-pyo and Cheong-oh had turned deathly pale, their hands gripping the hilts of their swords. The sheer intensity of the man’s killing intent had overwhelmed them.
“So, you’re heading to the Western Region now?”
“No. We’re on our way back to the Central Plains.”
“That’s perfect!”
The moment Oh Ki-oh heard the man’s response, he realized he had answered incorrectly.
“Let me accompany you for a while.”
“……”
He couldn’t refuse. The look in the man’s eyes was too terrifying for him to do so.
It felt as though his heart was shrinking.
Cho Soo-kwang, the owner of the Silver Lotus Merchant Group, could not hide his confusion as he observed the strange man that Oh Ki-oh and his group had brought along.
“And who might this be?”
“I’ll explain the situation later. For now, he’ll be traveling with us until we reach the nearest village.”
Cho Soo-kwang’s brow furrowed.
He could see the urgency on Oh Ki-oh’s face. Oh Ki-oh was looking at Cho Soo-kwang with desperate eyes.
“…Alright.”
In the end, Cho Soo-kwang could only nod.
With Cho Soo-kwang gave his permission, Oh Ki-oh got busy.
“Cheong-oh, bring him a set of clothes he can wear.”
“Yes, understood.”
“And…”
Oh Ki-oh hurriedly looked around. Suddenly, his gaze stopped on a wagon in the middle of the procession.
He pointed at it with his finger.
“Sir, you may ride in that wagon.”
“Mm.”
The man who had come with Oh Ki-oh nodded.
The overwhelming killing intent that the man had exuded on the way here had significantly subsided. It was as if he had deliberately reined it in.
Because of that, although his presence still felt strange, he no longer seemed as terrifying. That was why Cho Soo-kwang and the other merchants could not understand why Oh Ki-oh and his men had been so frightened by him.
The man took the clothes Cheong-oh had brought him and walked toward the wagon Oh Ki-oh had pointed out.
“Mm.”
Bang Woo-gwang, the owner of the carriage, frowned as the man got closer. It was bizarre enough that the man’s body was covered with only a few pieces of cloth, but it was the peculiar, wild aura that emanated from his body that bothered him.
But this was no other man, this was the man brought by the chief escort warriors, Oh Ki-oh. As a mere chef, Bang Woo-gwang had no right to refuse.
“If you don’t mind the cargo area, you may ride there.”
The man nodded and climbed into the wagon’s cargo section.
“Hello.”
The one who greeted him was Bang Jin-bo.
Bang Jin-bo, without the slightest hint of fear, looked at the strange man and beamed with an innocent smile.
“Hehe! My name is Bang Jin-bo. Just call me Jin-bo. And you, sir… what’s your name?”
At Bang Jin-bo’s question, the man lifted his head and looked at the sky. It was as if he was trying to recall his own name.
After a few moments, the man finally spoke.
“Dam-ho. My name is Dam-ho.”
* * *
Bang Jin-bo squinted and looked at Dam-ho lying in the carriage. Dam-ho was propped up by an arm pillow and looking at the sky.
The sky was an almost maddening shade of blue. He couldn’t remember the last time he had seen such a clear sky. And yet, strangely, he felt no joy.
He should have been thrilled, but his heart felt like it had turned to stone. Emotionless, as if he had lost the very ability to feel.
Suddenly, he felt Bang Jin-bo’s gaze on him. The boy was watching him like a curious stray cat.
Dam-ho wet his dry lips with his tongue.
He had gone so long without speaking that even opening his mouth now required significant effort.
Finally, a hoarse voice escaped his lips.
“Do you know of the Demon Sect?”
“Demon Sect?”
Bang Jin-bo’s eyes widened in shock. His reaction showed just how surprised he was. But soon after, he gave a small nod.
A glimmer shone in Dam-ho’s eyes, hidden beneath his unkempt hair.
“How long has it been since the Demon Sect was destroyed?”
Bang Jin-bo couldn’t answer and instead looked at his father. He had heard of the Demon Sect before, but he didn’t know exactly when or how they had been destroyed.
Seeing his son’s uncertain gaze, Bang Woo-gwang answered in his place.
“As far as I know, it’s been over thirty years. To be exact, about thirty-two years. But why do you ask?”
“……”
Dam-ho did not answer. No, he couldn’t.
‘Then… does that mean I have been imprisoned in the Celestial Forbidden Infernal Prison for twelve years?’
A faint tremor ran through his shoulders.
He had thought it had only been five or six years at most. That kind of gap in his life was something he could accept.
But twelve years? That was long enough for the world to change completely once and even two more years beyond that.
He had been taken there at eighteen. That meant he was now exactly thirty. He had spent nearly half of his life in that pitch-black prison.
The prime of his life, the entirety of his twenties, had never existed for him.
“Khuhuhu…!”
A low, bitter laugh escaped from between his lips. But the moment Bang Jin-bo and Bang Woo-gwang heard his laughter, they felt their hearts drop.
Their faces turned deathly pale in an instant.
And it wasn’t just them.
Hiiiiiing!
The horses pulling the wagon suddenly reared up, neighing wildly as if they had gone mad.
“Urgh…!”
Even the escort warriors, who had trained in martial arts felt their energy meridians shake violently, forcing them to hastily circulate their internal energy to stabilize themselves.
“P-please, sir! Please calm down…!”
Unable to bear it any longer, Oh Ki-oh pleaded. Only then did Dam-ho stop laughing.
“Haa…”
Sighs of relief erupted from all around. Among those sighing were Bang Woo-gwang and Bang Jin-bo, who were in the same wagon as Dam-ho.
Their faces were drained of color. Never in their wildest dreams had they expected that the strange man they had taken into their wagon would be someone capable of releasing such an overwhelming killing intent.
‘I’ve brought the grim reaper into my wagon…’
Bang Woo-gwang’s expression twisted into one of despair.
For the first time, he resented Oh Ki-oh for forcing Dam-ho onto his wagon.
Meanwhile, Dam-ho clenched his jaw tightly.
Even the slightest twitching of his eyes, even a laugh, caused his killing intent to leak out. Whether it was because he had spent twelve years in complete isolation or because of the demonic arts he had practiced in the Ten Thousand Demon Vault, even he didn’t know.
No, he didn’t even care.
But the people around him were different.
Just as a tiger does not concern itself with a flock of sheep, the sheep cannot help but be wary of the tiger. Likewise, they could not take their eyes off Dam-ho’s every movement.
‘Where did this demon come from? We have encountered a disaster.’
Cho Soo-kwang tightly shut his eyes.
He resented Oh Ki-oh for bringing such misfortune upon them. But upon further thought, he realized that Oh Ki-oh probably had no choice.
No matter how skilled Oh Ki-oh was as the chief escort warrior of the Silver Lotus Merchant Group, he was far from being comparable to the renowned masters of Jianghu.
The aura and presence emanating from Dam-ho completely overwhelmed him. Even if all of the merchant group’s escort warriors attacked him at once, they would not stand a chance against Dam-ho.
All Cho Soo-kwang could do was pray that Dam-ho would leave as soon as possible. But contrary to their wishes, Dam-ho fell into a deep sleep.
It was long after that when he finally opened his eyes.
“Brother, wake up.”
Someone was shaking him. When he opened his eyes, he saw Bang Jin-bo looking down at him.
“What is it?”
“It’s time to eat.”
“Eat?”
Dam-ho sat up. Before him, the wagons were gathered in a circle in the middle of a vast plain.
While he had been asleep, Cho Soo-kwang had decided that they would camp for the night. The people had cautiously prepared the camp, careful not to wake him.
Bang Woo-gwang and his son had also been swept up in the tense atmosphere, quietly preparing the meal.
Around the fire pit, people stole anxious glances at Dam-ho. He could see the fear in their eyes.
The object of their fear was himself.
He had no intention of harming them, yet they regarded him as a threat.
Dam-ho spoke to Bang Jin-bo.
“Bring my meal separately.”
“Why don’t you just eat with us?”
“I’m more comfortable here.”
“Alright.”
Bang Jin-bo, looking as if he had no choice, headed toward the fire pit. When he returned, he was carrying a large wooden bowl filled with freshly made food.
“My father and I made this. Eat plenty.”
“Thank you.”
Dam-ho accepted the bowl.
At that moment, a spicy aroma stimulated his senses.
“I put stir-fried pork on top of the rice. I made it Sichuan-style, so be careful. It’s spicy.”
“……”
“Hehe! I made it, so even if it doesn’t taste good, please be understanding.”
Dam-ho looked at Bang Jin-bo. The boy, who had once been so afraid of him, was now smiling as if none of that had ever happened.
Dam-ho picked up a spoon and scooped up a bite of rice along with the stir-fried pork.
His hands trembled.
Carefully, he brought the food to his mouth. The sweet, savory juices of the pork spread across his tongue.
“How is it?”
Bang Jin-bo’s eager voice reached his ears. But Dam-ho did not respond.
Bang Jin-bo’s face quickly fell.
“Does it taste bad?”
“No, it’s delicious.”
“Wow! Really?”
“Really.”
The corner of Dam-ho’s eyes twitched.
How could it not taste good?
It was the first warm meal he had eaten in twelve years.
SoundlessWind21’s Notes:
Start of Volume 2.
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