Chapter 52 – Side Story. Lead-Free
The northernmost part of the continent.
There was a nameless snow mountain there.
The freezing and continuous heavy snow denied all entry from the outside, and due to this environment, this was a barren land where not even a trace of life could be found, let alone a human footfall.
Of course, if you ask whether not a single living thing exists, the answer is no.
The subtle energy of life was flowing out of the mountain, showing that there was at least one life form in the vast northern land.
However, because most of its energy was hidden, only a very small number of people even on the continent were barely ‘aware’ of what kind of life forms were living in the snowy mountains.
A snowy mountain with the same height as Mount Tai.
A being that lives at the top of a mountain covered in perpetual snow that seems to never melt.
The few people who noticed its existence were curious at first and thought about visiting to satisfy their curiosity, but they had no choice but to change their minds as soon as they realized the powerful energy that the being had.
This is because fear was much greater than curiosity about the unknown.
The moment you felt its presence, the feeling of your own existence being observed was enough to arouse fear.
Although they were strong people who had reached the level of superhumans and had nothing to fear, most of them reacted by being scared and hiding.
However, saying that it was the majority was the same as saying that there were people who were not like that.
It was also a word referring to a man walking on a snowy field through a blizzard.
There was a harsh snowstorm on the snowy mountain where the man was, but perhaps because it was at the beginning of the snowy mountain, the man headed toward the top without putting in much effort.
A place where all the backgrounds are pure white and a man wearing black uniform in contrast.
He may not have been a member of the empire, but he had unusually black hair. Even though he was a man, he had long hair, but he tied it up neatly, giving him a sense of elegance when seen from afar.
However, Seolsan seemed to not like the intruder and tried to block the man’s entry by creating a strong wind.
However, the efforts to use the snowstorm to stop the man were in vain, as the man’s body was not shaken by the wind at all and just silently took a step upward.
ㅡRurrrr!!
Perhaps because we had reached the halfway point of the mountain, an avalanche occurred on top of the snowy mountain, as if it could no longer be tolerated.
It was a natural disaster that would have made an average person accept death, but the man’s expression was not disturbed at all.
ㅡSe-eup.
With a slight inhale, the man took out a sword with a jet-black blade from the scabbard on his left waist and swung the sword.
It was so fast that the intermediate process was not visible, and the tip of the sword that had been pointing downward was now looking upward, so it was a speed that we had no choice but to assume was an upward stroke.
The large mana wave was not felt and could not be seen, but the slash thrown by the man cut the avalanche exactly in half.
Thanks to this, the man was not swept away by the avalanche, but the intangible energy released by the man applied so much physical force to the snowy mountain that it was threatening to cause a secondary landslide.
ㅡDeuddeudeudeuk…!
However, as if he knew there was no more meaning, a huge flow of mana appeared along with a sound on the snowy mountain.
As if weighed down by great pressure, the snow on the snowy mountain could no longer create avalanches.
And the man who watched this process just walked away again with an expressionless expression.
The death-like cold became stronger the higher the man climbed, but it was not a problem for the man even though he was wearing only a thin uniform.
Because a man’s level was too high for something like chill to invade his body.
There was not the slightest sound of footsteps as he walked, and not even a few footprints remained on the snowy road the man had walked on.
After climbing for a long time, the man reached the top of the snowy mountain.
There was nothing there, but the man’s eyes were directed to the floor.
Because where the gaze was directed, a spell made of mana was protecting the entrance.
Therefore, the man tried to reach for the sword sheath again, but the presence of the snow mountain, not wanting to commit a meaningless act of destruction, canceled his magic.
Thanks to this, a huge cave that had been hidden appeared before the man, and the man stepped inside without the slightest hesitation.
Every time the man took a step inside, the powerful mana felt inside set off the man’s alarm, but it never stopped.
Because the goal he had wanted his whole life was right under his nose.
The man who went all the way with his mind together was able to reach the huge cavity and see with his own eyes the gigantic being lying there.
Pure white scales matching the snowy mountains, eyes reminiscent of reptiles such as lizards, and a large body comparable to a small castle.
A being that has only been passed down by word of mouth since ancient times, and even in history books, it is said to be a fictitious being, and is now treated as a legend. It was a ‘dragon’.
Long vertically slit golden eyes stared at the man.
[Mortal, what did you want to come here?]
It wasn’t the dragon’s real voice. I just put my intention in Mana and conveyed it to the man.
“This is really amazing. “It can’t be compared to the dragon where I was.”
Pure admiration.
The man was amazed by the dragon’s ability to express his thoughts through mana.
The meaning was the same as being able to create a miracle with just one word, so if that being had a desire to kill a man, that alone could pose a threat.
The dragon also narrowed his eyes and looked at the man.
The person in front of me had a presence that I had never seen before in my life since the beginning.
In the first place, the dragon never thought it would be possible for humans to achieve this level.
A curiosity that I hadn’t felt in a long time stimulated the dragon, and it came as a favor. Because the human being in front of him was of a different class from the small creatures he had known.
[My name is Boleior. What is your name]
It was a first for Boleior. He’s saying his name to something like that. If he had said this to himself a few hours ago, he would have snorted, ignored it, and gone to sleep.
“My name is ‘Muyeon’.”
Muyeon’s attitude was an arrogant attitude that would have been unimaginable in the past, but Boleior didn’t care much. Because the person in front of me deserved it.
[Why did you come here? Do you want the gold and silver treasure behind me]
There was no end to human greed, so the man in front of him thought he was coveting the treasure in his rare, but Mu-yeon gave a completely different answer.
“I want life or death.”
Life or death? From Boleior’s understanding, the words Muyeon spoke sounded like words that meant fighting for one another’s lives.
The one who was born by the hands of the gods and has existed since the beginning.
In a time of chaos, it was difficult to believe that there was a human being who asked for life or death from someone who had eliminated beings who upset the balance with overwhelming force.
[Won’t you regret it?]
He asked, wondering if he had misunderstood Mu-yeon’s words, but Mu-yeon just said the same thing.
“There is only one step left to become a god, and only a life-or-death relationship with you will lead me there.”
[Are you born as a mortal and standing at the door of transcendence? It’s truly amazing.]
Bolleior contemplated the smokeless scene. At first, he only seemed to be at a fairly advanced level, but when he looked again, he realized that he had been hiding his level. What was even more surprising was that, just as Muyeon had said, transcendence was right around the corner.
Just like yourself.
I even felt a sense of kinship with beings of the same level as myself, but unfortunately, these feelings had to be erased.
If there was a fight, one of the two would have to disappear from the world.
“I needed the right partner to share my recently acquired knowledge.”
[Khahahaha!]
Boleior also burst into laughter at Muyeon’s words. He never thought that in his life, he would meet someone who sees him as a tool for growth.
“Soon there will be no need for formality between killing each other.”
[Of course]
Muyeon silently grabbed the sword, and Boleior also began to lift the large body.
ㅡKugugu palace!!
The wings, like an ice sculpture without the slightest scratch, moved, the huge mouth opened, and at the same time, a huge wave of mana poured into Muyeon.
“”Kkkk!!!””
With a sound, the dragon fear attacked Muyeon, and Muyeon, who raised her self-defense skills, succeeded in withstanding it.
[Humans from the east, no, from the west of the continent. There is still a chance]
Boleior, who was sad to lose someone of his level, gave him one last chance, but Muyeon just pointed his sword in silence.
I felt a little bit of disappointment, but that’s it.
Boleior also began to show his sincerity.
[“Freeze”]
Dragon Word, Boleior’s thoughts were immediately absorbed into Mana.
ㅡBlah blah blah…!!
At the same time, everything began to freeze, centering on Boleior.
It didn’t cover everything, from air to mana, and if you were exposed to smokeless smoke, your inner energy and body might freeze, and you might die in vain.
Of course, the moment he heard Yong-eon, Mu-yeon had already moved out of the cave.
There was no need for him to fight at a disadvantage in a narrow cave.
As Muyeon gathered his strength after moving to the top of the snowy mountain, Boleior quickly escaped from the cave and flew high into the sky.
Of course, Muyeon did not miss the opportunity to fly and swung his sword to cut off his tail.
ㅡKang!
It just bounced off with a sharp metallic sound.
“Even those who say that the sword is immortal and that the sword is immortal will change their minds when they see this.”
There was nothing I couldn’t cut after reaching my current level, but this was within the expected range.
If it was too easy, you wouldn’t be able to climb it, so it was just right.
[“I don’t get cut”]
[“I don’t get cut”]
[“I don’t get cut”]
Muyeon thought as she watched the dragon continue to spit out her words.
‘Is it possible to use it continuously like that?’
Every time I spoke the dragon, I felt a huge mana protecting the dragon in real time. If it was an ordinary shield, it wouldn’t have mattered, but since there were laws embedded in mana, it didn’t seem easy to ignore it and cut.
[“My attacks do not miss”]
Muyeon, who was constantly moving and observing her body to find her weak points, heard an unexpected saying.
At the same time, a huge amount of air and atmospheric mana began to be sucked into the dragon’s mouth.
Muyeon, who guessed that a powerful attack would soon come towards him without knowing what it was, tried to escape the dragon’s attack range, but by law, his body could not move outside a certain space.
‘I can’t help it. Just accept it and that’s it.’
Mu-yeon thought as he raised his internal strength in Danjeon.
There is no need to face a huge power head on.
Just as a flying rock can be shed with a single feather. Because strength always loses to softness.
This was a higher law than those fake laws.
ㅡQuarararalalala!!!!
Breath containing a terrible chill poured out from the dragon’s mouth towards Muyeon.
Muyeon swung his sword at his breath with a calm expression.
…
There was no more snow on the top of the snowy mountain where heavy snow fell.
Because of this, the man at the top was very visible.
The image of Mu-yeon sitting on the corpse of a huge dragon with a hole in its heart.
Of course, the battle was not easy. Muyeon was really on the verge of death, and he battled the tireless dragon for five whole days.
The tattered military uniform and the scars on his entire body proved this.
Fortunately, at the moment of crisis, I was able to completely absorb the enlightenment and deal a fatal blow and succeed in winning.
“Is this what God is like?”
Muyeon, who was contemplating her body in a sitting position, felt a sense of transcendence.
Because my mind was no longer tied to my body, I began to feel the flow of the world.
“Can I go?”
Muyeon muttered softly.
At this rate, I felt like I could become a complete god and go to a legendary place called the Seal World.
But it’s still too early to go now.
Because there was still a request from the ‘Hero’.
Instead of including himself in the journey to catch the demon lord, he decided to listen to the hero’s request just once.
“I don’t know when that day will come, but I have to keep my promise.”
Muyeon sat on the dragon’s corpse and closed his eyes.
Several years passed, and the hero’s presence was felt to be disappearing, but Mu-yeon did not move.
It was a ‘future’ that I already knew by looking at the flow of the world, so of course I couldn’t change it because I had reached the level of a god.
Because he was no longer mortal, and the laws of the world were binding him.
Muyeon just waited for the ‘future’ to come. Someone who is closer to a hero than anyone else will come to you, and that was ‘fate’.
That was all his role before ascending to the throne.
“Hero, I will replace your promise with helping that child.”
So Muyeon closed her eyes again, waiting for the child to come visit her someday.
There’s still some time left until that day, but she won’t be bored.
