I can see the hut below. We really did arrive in just ten minutes.
I concealed myself behind an outcropping on the cliff face. The drop was about 20 meters, a height I could descend in just ten seconds.
Now all that's left is to wait. This is the hardest part.
In the dilapidated hut below lived an old man.
In the city, he was known as the "beggar old man," a figure of scorn. But the old man was far from weak enough to warrant such contempt.
He's at the seventh stage of the Will Manifestation Stage.
The beggar old man's name was Ha Sok.
A criminal wanted for his crimes, he had stumbled upon the cliffside hut ten years ago and had been living in seclusion ever since. Since he was a character from the original story, I knew at least the basics about him.
"They sometimes come to the city to beg or steal food. They also scavenge discarded items."
The Bright Ascension Chart had originally hung in the hut.
The hunter who lived there before Ha Sok had reportedly died of illness long ago.
"Ha Sok is a sorcerer. His cultivation realm is higher than mine, so avoiding a fight is best."
In the original story, the protagonist is captured by Ha Sok. Ha Sok, complacent due to the protagonist's weakness, is caught off guard and killed. The protagonist then loots the hut for valuables and accidentally discovers the secret of the Bright Ascension Chart.
"I'm the protagonist. There's no chance of the original story playing out. There's no need to fight Ha Sok."
I frequented the Courtesan House, subtly gathering information about Ha Sok's subordinates. Using drone cameras, I monitored Ha Sok for several days, uncovering his daily routines.
Ha Sok spends most of his time inside his hut. What he does inside remains a mystery. His trips to the city are unpredictable, occurring anywhere from a week to three months apart.
An operation targeting Ha Sok while he's away in the city is impossible.
I can't keep him under constant surveillance forever.
However, Ha Sok does step outside his hut once at dawn to relieve himself.
He moves some distance away from the hut, perhaps to avoid the smell of his waste.
I planned to infiltrate the hut while Ha Sok was relieving himself, steal the Bright Ascension Chart, and quietly escape into the mountains.
A recluse like him won't chase me too far. Even if he's furious, he'll have to accept it and move on.
I kept watch on the hut, waiting for him to emerge.
About two hours passed.
Ha Sok finally stepped out of the hut.
He wore tattered, black rags. Severe hair loss had left him with only a few strands of gray hair.
His hygiene was clearly appalling. Getting too close felt like risking illness.
Ha Sok moved further away from the dilapidated hut.
Now!
Thud. Thud. Thud!
I descended swiftly to the ground and slipped into the hut.
The hut was dark and filled with a musty odor. Animal bones and pieces of wood of unknown purpose lay scattered about.
Ignoring everything else, I approached the Bright Ascension Chart hanging on one wall.
Its size was roughly comparable to a 27-inch monitor.
The painting depicted a sky and mountains, with clouds drifting across the heavens. Rays of light streamed through the clouds, illuminating the earth below.
At the center of the painting, a white dove soared through the sky.
"Okay, found it!"
I removed the Bright Ascension Chart from the wall. On its back, the name "Bright Ascension Chart" was written in small characters.
Struggling to contain my mounting excitement, I turned to flee the hut.
"Was that painting your objective? Why? Was it no ordinary painting?"
Ha Sok stood at the doorway.
"...You're already here?!"
"Heh heh. I've known all along that you were hiding on the cliff, watching me. Did you think I'd let my guard down just because it was a cliff?"
I glanced around. The hut had no windows, only a single entrance.
"Since things have come to this... I have no choice but to fight!"
I drew the Hwaryeon Flying Dagger from my Inventory.
"Hmm. What's that glowing object? To be able to retrieve items from such a small space, it must be at least a high-grade Magic Tool! Hand it over! I'll take it for myself!"
Ha Sok extended both hands toward me, crimson Qi coalescing around them.
"You old fool! Your greed is as thick as a toad's hide! Die!"
I feigned a sword strike at him, then kicked the wall beside him. If there were no windows or exits, I'd simply create one myself.
"You bastard! How dare you destroy my home?!"
Ha Sok swung his palm at me, sending a red-tinged palm strike hurtling toward me.
Momentary!
Momentary is activated. Remaining stacks: 4
I dodged the palm strike and fled.
"Heh heh heh. Your movements are quite nimble... but it's all for naught..."
Ha Sok's mocking laughter echoed behind me, but I ignored it. Annoying as he was, my current strength wouldn't be enough to defeat him head-on.
There's no need to take unnecessary risks. I'll just get stronger and kill him.
If I return to the Meteor Sword Sect, Ha Sok won't be able to do anything. The sect is teeming with skilled warriors who could easily defeat him in a direct confrontation.
A foolish old man who can't recognize a treasure even when it's right under his nose. Heh heh heh. I'll make good use of the Bright Ascension Chart.
Just as Ha Sok had mocked me, I mocked him back, even though he couldn't hear it.
"Hmm... the Bright Ascension Chart is a treasure?"
Ha Sok suddenly appeared right in front of me.
"What abilities does it possess that make you call it a treasure? I'm curious. Tell me."
"Fuck you."
Momentary activated. Remaining stacks: 3
I immediately veered sideways and sprinted away.
What's going on?
As I ran, I sensed something was off.
Just moments ago, Ha Sok had appeared in front of me, not behind me. Unless he could teleport, that shouldn't have been possible.
There's no way Ha Sok can use space manipulation techniques.
And more importantly, I'd been running at full speed for a while now, yet all I'd seen were trees. By this point, I should have reached an open clearing or at least some rocks.
"...Could it be?"
I stopped and scanned my surroundings.
"A Formation?"
"Heh heh heh. You finally noticed?"
Ha Sok materialized before me, grinning.
"That's right. I've deployed the Invariable Formation, one of the most formidable formations. You won't be able to escape this formation for the next two hours."
My face twisted in frustration. I had no idea how to counter a formation.
If I recall the original work correctly... formations often remain active even after the sorcerer who cast them dies. If it's true that this formation will last for two hours... I have no choice but to fight.
Two hours.
Trying to flee for two hours straight was physically impossible.
"Hand over your treasure. If you give it to me and explain how to use it, I'll spare your life."
Bullshit.
Ha Sok was a criminal. If he had any integrity, he wouldn't have become a fugitive hiding in this place in the first place.
"Are you serious?"
"This treasure is called a smartphone..."
As I was explaining the smartphone, I pulled a grenade from my Inventory, removed the pin, and hurled it at him.
"Eat this!"
Boom!
The grenade exploded, hitting him squarely. Even a subordinate at the seventh stage of Will Manifestation couldn't have reacted in time. He had to be dead.
The smoke cleared. Instead of Ha Sok's corpse, hundreds of leaves lay scattered on the ground.
"Foolish. Did I really look that stupid to you?"
Ha Sok's voice came from behind me.
Momentary activated. Remaining stacks: 2
I spun around, swinging my sword in a fluid motion.
Yeongcheon Style Streamline.
My blade traced a curved arc, aiming for Ha Sok's neck.
Ha Sok lightly grasped my blade with his hand, which was imbued with a crimson aura.
"Fast, but not fast enough to escape me."
Momentary activated. Remaining stacks: 1
I threw a punch at Ha Sok. He blocked it with one hand and kicked me in the stomach.
"Ugh!"
I flew backward, crashing into a tree and collapsing to the ground. Even as I was being thrown, I clung to the Hwaryeon Flying Dagger, using it as a cane to pull myself up.
My mind raced. Momentary was useless against him. A direct confrontation would be difficult. Though a sorcerer, he had also mastered martial arts to a considerable degree. Learning both sorcery and martial arts simultaneously was not uncommon in this world.
I have to kill him in one swift strike when he lets his guard down...!
The problem was that Ha Sok remained vigilant, never letting his guard down.
This was different from the original story.
It had to be different. In the original, the protagonist started at the first level of the Entry Stage, barely more than an ordinary person who had trained their body. Even if Ha Sok tried to stay alert, he couldn't help but become complacent.
"I meant what I said about sparing you. Heh heh."
Ha Sok extended his hand toward me, a crimson aura coalescing around it a clear threat that he could kill me instantly.
"...Do you think I'd reveal the treasure's location? Even if you kill me and obtain it, you wouldn't know how to use it."
"So you'd rather die than speak?"
"Whether you or I die remains to be seen."
"How young! I envy your audacity! But how foolish! Heh heh heh."
Ha Sok mocked me.
I refused to give up, glaring at him and waiting for an opportunity. It would come, I was certain.
Ha Sok opened his mouth and muttered something, not addressing me directly.
Is that... sorcery?!
A malevolent energy emanated from Ha Sok's body.
Sorcery rooted in evil in other words, dark magic.
Is Ha Sok chanting an incantation?!
I felt something trying to invade my body a cold, sticky energy. I realized it was Ha Sok's dark magic.
This sensation... it's just like the Bewitching Art that appeared several times in the original story?
The protagonist of the original story had fallen victim to the Bewitching Art multiple times. The descriptions of those instances were strikingly similar to what I was experiencing now.
I'm perfectly lucid, I thought.
Except for one thing: the more I listened to the Incantation, the more my mind grew hazy.
Ha Sok drew closer.
Recalling how the Protagonist in the original story had dealt with the Bewitching Art, I deliberately blurred my vision.
Ha Sok grabbed my head. Something entered my mind and vanished.
He studied my eyes intently, then smiled with satisfaction.
"Heh heh. You're completely under my control. First, tell me your name."
"...Sung Yujin."
"Seong? Are you perhaps the son of Red Star Sword, Sect Leader of the Meteor Sword Sect?"
"...That's correct."
"We nearly missed a major opportunity. Now, hand over that... smartphone? That treasure."
"...Here it is."
Ha Sok took the smartphone and began examining it from all angles.
"This is the first time I've seen something like this. Earlier, I saw light coming from here... Gah!"
As he focused intently on the smartphone, I suddenly stood up and plunged the Hwaryeon Flying Dagger into his chest.
"Y-you bastard! Weren't you under the Bewitching Art?!"
"I was just pretending. Die! Thunderbolt!"
*Crackling electricity erupted from the Hwaryeon Flying Dagger, electrocuting Ha Sok. He tried to swing his hand toward me, but the sudden Thunderbolt paralyzed him.
"Ugh...!"
The Thunderbolt momentarily weakened. Despite having his heart pierced and being electrocuted, Ha Sok refused to die a testament to his monstrous vitality.
There must be some kind of sorcery at work here.
Crackling electricity surged again!
I summoned another Thunderbolt.
"H-how... How can a mere mid-stage Entry Stage cultivator wield Thunderbolt Qi...?!"
"I have no reason to tell you. Die!"
I squeezed every last drop of Mana from within me, channeling it into the Thunderbolt. The blade crackled with lightning, arcs of energy surging outward to electrocute Ha Sok.
Ha Sok resisted for a few moments before his body finally went limp. He was dead.
I withdrew my sword from his chest.
I can't rule out the possibility that he's faking his death.
To ensure his demise, I severed his neck. Recalling how the original protagonist had instantly killed Ha Sok by piercing his neck with a dagger, it was clear that the neck was a weak point.
After killing Ha Sok, I leaned against a tree.
"Fuck! If things had gone according to plan, I wouldn't be going through this shit!"
Irritated for no good reason, I kicked Ha Sok's head. The head flew upward and became impaled on a tree branch, hanging there.
I tore my gaze away from Ha Sok's head and picked up the smartphone that had fallen to the ground.
Then, I retrieved the Bright Ascension Chart from my Inventory.
I reached out toward the dove painted at the center of the chart. After rubbing the dove's image a few times, my hand slipped right through. I grabbed something inside and pulled it out.
In my hand lay the corpse of a dove with its neck twisted, while the dove that had been painted on the Bright Ascension Chart had vanished without a trace.