Chapter 24: Portent (2)

5 years old.

He wasn't old enough to remember things.

The face was blurry, and most of those memories were erased after he reached his thirties.

But there are things which humans never forget.

The Sky Demon Order, which has a long history, has several legends running around it.

When Baek Jong-so was young, he fell asleep while listening to the stories that his father told.

Even when he was this old, he vaguely remembered it.

[When the disappeared Sky Demon Sword and its owner appear, the glory of the Sky Demon Order will soar above the sky.]

That was the legend, though it wasn't taken seriously.

Like how a child believes that Santa Claus exists, there was a time when he believed that the man with the Sky Demon Sword would appear one day.

'A legend.'

But with age, it changed.

When he witnessed the legend buried in the corner of his mind as the Black Sky Company disintegrated and he wandered aimlessly, he was overcome with emotions.

'To see the Sky Demon Sword with my own eyes!'

Tears!

Baek Jong-so's two eyes were becoming heavy and swollen.

No one knew just how many times he had cried.

To him, the existence of Chun Ma was no less than a god.

While a vehicle from the outskirts entered the northern city of Shenyang, Baek Jong-so told Chun Yeowun everything he knew.

"My father, the head, left my mother and me to wander aimlessly for years."

The news of his father, who was supposed to return but suddenly didn't come.

Less than a week later, the young kid left Beijing with his mother.

"I was young, but one thing is certain."

"You were being chased."

As Chun Yeowun said, Baek Jong-so was pursued.

They couldn't settle down for almost five years and had to move from place to place every two to three months, or sometimes every day or two.

"Then we came to Shenyang."

This shared a close border with the Korean government and was farthest from Central China.

There were more branches of the Public Security and Murim Association, but it was better than Central China.

"But that didn't mean that it was without risks."

It was only five years ago that everything became fine.

But, the face of Baek Jong-so was known to some extent.

Thanks to that, the situation of not being able to settle happened, but it only happened inside Shenyang.

"At that time, my adoptive father reached out to us."

"He must have been the one who taught you that martial arts."

The martial arts that Baek Jong-so first used. The one Chun Yeowun had no idea about.

It incorporated boldly striking the opponent's face. It was quite a crude technique.

"Must be from the Forces of Evil."

At those words, Baek Jong-so bit his tongue.

He knew it from the first time he saw it, despite being Chun Ma, the man was really clever.

"He was one of the middle bosses of Black Wolf group, one of the four organizations of the Forces of Evil in Shenyang. My adoptive father was quite well known in the Forces of Evil."

Somehow, they managed to avoid the eyes of the pursuers.

As a result, he had no choice but to come into contact with people of the other world unintentionally. Then finally, the adoptive man decided to officialize the relationship.

"At first, he was only trying to arrange the place for us to hide, but fell in love with my mother and actively pursued her. He's a great person."

Because he liked the woman, whom no one believed in.

Perhaps that was the reason.

Perhaps his mother was too tired of running away.

"He asked my mother to let him be a part of my life but said he had no intention of taking away my actual father's memories, and that is how my family turned out."

The following story could be predicted.

As he was from the other world, the adoptive father helped wash away the identity of Baek Jong-so and his mother. He introduced a professional mask maker to her, as she refused to undergo plastic surgery.

'He knew.'

The fact that Baek Jong-so knew a mask maker was true.

Baek Jong-so continued to speak.

"And 15 years after the mess, peace came to my mother and me."

But that didn't last long.

Baek Jong-so's adoptive father was killed in a war with another organization inside the Forces of Evil, the Fire Head.

Fortunately, there was an unwritten rule that among those in organizations, families are to be left untouched, but still, the loss of a family member was too shocking for them.

'Fire Head....'

Chun Yeowun stroked his chin.

"... from that day on, I had to do all sorts of odd jobs to make a living."

As he had lived the life as a fugitive and the son of a boss of the Forces of Evil, he naturally came closer to the dark side of the world than the light side.

His means of livelihood was stealing.

"I didn't have any intention of doing it."

The reason he stole, there was a reason why he entered the house of an executive of the Public Security.

"My mother never told me anything about my father, or the ancestors or the Black Sky Company."

Until the age of 20, Baek Jong-so had a lot of friction with his mother because of it.

However, as time passed, he realized that he couldn't just bring up the story of the Sky Demon Order to his mother.

"In the end, I had no choice but to figure out how it collapsed."

He believed that the Public Security too was involved in the dissolution of the Black Sky Company.

So he searched the homes of officials of the Public Security.

"But I was in a pinch, with no parents, and I needed to make money."

Baek Jong-so robbed the house of a Public Security official while trying to dig up information.

In this era, expensive items were put on the black market as earning cash would make it traceable.

The first time was difficult, but the second and third times not so much.

At some point, he turned into a professional thief until he was caught.

"... I was such an idiot. I didn't even foresee that they would go after my mother once they got me."

Clench!

Baek Jong-so grabbed the steering wheel.

His teary eyes could be seen.

'Was that the reason?'

And that was how he turned into a spy for the Public Security and infiltrated the Six Road Toys.

With his mother being held hostage, he had no choice.

'In the end, it's always the same.'

Chun Yeowun shook his head.

Even the Public Security, called the official government of this era, didn't hesitate to act dirty.

Barely managing to calm his emotions, Baek Jon-so said.

"You are currently Chun Ma. I know that this might be disrespectful, but I'm not capable of rescuing my mother, who is being held captive. That is why I'm in this situation, but my mother is a member of the cult."

Baek Jong-so wanted to hold onto even the shortest straw.

He knew how burdensome it would be to ask someone else to rescue his mother, who is being held hostage inside the Public Security. Still, even then, he wanted to lean on the one called Chun Ma.

'Current Chun Ma....'

Actually, it's supposed to be 2nd generation Chun Ma.

Of course, Baek Jong-so couldn't know that Chun Yeowun had time travelled.

And Chun Yeowun didn't want to say it either.

There was insufficient trust between them to reveal such sensitive facts.

"My mother is more aware of the cult's circumstances than I am. If Chun Ma helps, she will be more helpful than...."

"Enough."

"Sorry?"

Baek Jong-so's face darkened.

If Chun Ma didn't help, then there was no way to save his mother.

That was when Chun Yeowun said.

"How do you get in contact with them?"

"Ah!"

The disappointed face brightened up.

Because he knew what it meant.

"A-Are you really going to help?"

"Don't make me say it twice."

'He's so nice!'

Once again, he was emotional.

It had been a long time since his adoptive father died and since he last felt the feeling of dependability and trust in someone.

Chun Yeowun clicked his tongue and said.

"You are not even a homemaker, so stop crying." ⁽¹⁾

"Yep!"

Kiik!

Baek Jong-so responded, and turned the steering wheel to the left and took a U-turn.

Chun Yeowun looked into the front mirror with puzzled eyes when Baek Jong-so spoke with a smile.

"Isn't there a place we need to stop by before that?"

"Hmm."

Chun Yeowun looked at himself.

His trademark is long hair which comes down to his waist.

"The body, hair, and skin are from one's parents, so keeping them away from harm is the beginning of filial duty."

That was the saying of the nobles.

Cutting it would be terrifying for people in the age that Chun Yeowun was from.

However, Chun Yeowun was a Murim warrior who wasn't bound by the nobles' doctrines.

'I'm not used to it.'

His appearance was awkward.

Since this era's information was transferred into his brain, he couldn't help but realize that his long hair keeps drawing too much attention.

'... it isn't just that.'

Chun Yeowun looked around with annoyed eyes.

From a woman called a hairstylist who cuts hair to the women around who were squinting their eyes, Chun Yeowun thought that the information he got from Nano wasn't accurate.

'Yah! Indeed, a man's life is his hair.'

'Isn't he so cool?'

'I thought he was some rockstar, but it doesn't look like that. It doesn't look like he's from some large corporation either. Ah. Look at the white skin. He's totally my style.'

'Yeah, you have a boyfriend.'

However, he soon found out the reason for the gazes.

Even though they were whispering, they could be heard.

He looked difficult to approach because of his sharp eyes, but Chun Yeowun was quite tall and had a handsome face.

"Hmm."

He came to the side of Baek Jong-so, who was waiting for him.

"It's all done. I did the calculations beforehand."

And then he looked at Chun Yeowun, who looked at his reflection with a puzzled look.

He really didn't want to get his haircut.

'... does he hate it?'

That said, his lips slowly raised.

A grey RV driving on the road.

Chun Yeowun was changed with the new hairstyle.

A black suit, shoes and a long coat from a department store turned him into a fashion icon of the era.

Judging from the outward appearance and the aura he gave off, he looked like a charismatic young CEO.

It was difficult at first, but the end result pleased Chun Yeowun too.

'It will take a while to get used to it.'

Since they bought extra suits, there wouldn't be any problems for a while.

The clothes he wore were folded and kept in the department store's bag.

So that he could wear it when he gets back to his original era.

Bee! Beep! Beep! Beep!

The phone didn't connect.

Baek Jong-so was feeling troubled.

Finally, he tried to call the mask expert but couldn't contact them either.

Well, it wasn't a typical story. It was a place run by someone from the other world, so visiting wouldn't work if not contacted in advance.

"It's strange. We should be in touch by now."

"Is there some problem?"

"Hm... it seems like he isn't there."

"Really?"

"Or, should we just go there?"

Chun Yeowun shook his head at the question.

He needed the best mask, and he wasn't in a hurry right now.

Some things had to be done before that.

"Rather, is there a place for training and stuff?"

"Sorry? Training?"

"You practice martial arts too, so you must have a place to train."

"Ah...."

At Chun Yeowun's words, Baek Jong-so remembered a place.

The house he initially lived in.

Although his adoptive father belonged to the Forces of Evil, he was a warrior and designed his home for training.

But there was one problem.

"The place where my home is, there may be CCTV cameras and wiretapping devices installed by the Bureau."

They must have been installed by the Public Security for surveillance when his mother was taken.

"After infiltrating the Six Road Toys' as a secret mission, I was staying at their hideout, so I haven't been there in a while, but it's probably the same."

"Hm. Okay? Then that works."

"Yes?"

"Let's go to your house."

"Hm... yes"

Baek Jong-so was skeptical of Chun Yeowun's instructions, but he decided to go along with it for the time being.

In his head, he hoped that they would go and contact the Public Security to find a way to save his mother, but he decided to stay silent and not nag at Chun Ma.

One hour later,

Baek Jong-so's house was located in the southern part of Shenyang city.

It looked like an ordinary house from outside, but when entered, there was a training room of 49 meters.

The floor, which had been made with cement, was full of traces of water.

However, on one side of the training room was an unusual machine.

It was round like a barrel, and there was a cushion on the floor of its center. It was enough space for one person to enter and sit cross-legged.

'What is that?'

'Unknown'

At Chun Yeowun's question, Nano revealed that it didn't have any data regarding it.

Bewildered, Baek Jong-so scratched his head and said.

"This is a little outdated, but it's good for meditation. My adoptive father spent a lot of money to buy that."

"For meditation?"

"Yes. It's an old model, but even then, it's okay. Um... is this your first time seeing this?"

Baek Jong-so's eyes went wide.

Naturally, he thought that there was no way for a person like Chun Yeowun to be unaware of this.

But he really didn't know?

Baek Jong-so was puzzled and approached the machine and pressed the button on it.

Woong!

The LED lights attached to the top of the cylinder turned on, and the machine began to work.

At that moment, even Chun Yeowun couldn't hide his surprise.

The moment the machine began, the energy of nature was condensing inside that cylinder.

[Pure energy is condensing into the interior of the mechanical device.]

'Yes. I know.'

Chun Yeowun was more sensitive to the flow of energy than Nano.

To Chun Yeowun, who was shocked, Baek Jong-so said.

"It's just a meditation point, but the effect of circulating the energy is weak, but if you go inside, you can probably see the effect."

The purpose of the device was to just assist during internal energy cultivation.

At that time, Chun Yeowun nodded his head as he was curious about it.

He was someone who had thought that the energy in nature had faded away in this era, and that was why it wasn't enough for the Murim warriors to build up their levels.

But he never dreamed that such a device existed.

'Nano. If you don't know, that means that this is definitely a different time axis.'

This was shocking.

The era of Nano was farther away.

However, even in that era, the level of the warriors was terribly low because there were no such devices for internal energy.

'This is interesting. The gaps can be filled in this way.'

In a way, he wanted to praise the wisdom of the later generations.

"Is this device used by most Murim warriors?"

"Umm. Well, not entirely. I don't know the exact information because people used to pay a lot for the old models and buy them, but maybe only half of the Murim. Other than this, some supplements are available at a lower cost. But those too are expensive in a way."

In this era, the Murim seemed to make significant investments to obtain internal energy.

As a result, they had to make a living and earn money.

Looking at the device, Baek Jong-so felt fortunate.

'This is the only help we got from the CCTV cameras they installed.'

Since it's such a precious device, it would have been stolen long ago.

Despite being a vacant house for such a long time, because of the surveillance of the Public Security, the device stayed here.

Baek Jong-so asked in telepathy.

[But, why did you want to come... ah....]

Baek Jong-so, who was trying to ask something, went silent.

Come to think of it. He wasn't sure if the Bureau had some kind of device that could tap into their telepathic messages.

It was when he was thinking about what to do.

Papak!

"Kuak!"

At the sudden sealing of his blood points, Baek Jong-so fell to the floor.

He was unable to speak or move because his blood points were sealed.

Chun Yeowun looked down at him with a subtle expression.

'W... why'

Baek Jong-so's eyes trembled.

A house about 500 yards away.

It looked like just another house, but the inside was different.

There were around ten men in uniforms, people of the Public Security Bureau, and three men in regular clothes monitoring.

A man in grey jumper crossed his arms and looked at the man behind him, who was in his 40s with saggy cheeks, and said,

"Team leader! Look at the living room monitor!"

At those words, the team leader with saggy cheeks looked at the CCTV screen.

Baek Jong-so was lying on the floor.

"What happened there?"

"He seems to have been hit by an undercover person."

"I know that too. No. Why did he turn up there all of a sudden? Turn up the volume."

"Yes."

Tatatak!

The man in front of the monitor tapped the keyboard.

The voice from the wiretapping device in the living room grew louder.

A low-pitched voice could be heard.

-Don't blame it. It's the Public Security.

'!?'

The three people who were listening went stiff.

It seemed like the man inside the house discovered them.

They had to report an emergency.

-Well, thanks anyway. If you report to the Public Security, they will come and take care of me.

At those words, the team leader frowned.

'Isn't he completely caught?'

Apparently, it seemed like there was only one infiltrator, and his identity was known by the one who had fallen.

Which meant that something had to be done.

It was then.

Pak!

Chun Yewun placed his palm towards the dantian point of Baek Jong-so.

And mumbled.

-Since you are going to die. I might as well take 'it' from your body.

As soon as the people heard that, the team leader got up and shouted.

"This is insane! It looks like that bastard knows how to do Dantian Energy Absorption. Send the crew in and arrest him!"

Dantian Energy Absorption.

It was a type of technique where one could forcibly absorb another person's qi.

It wasn't a normal way of taking internal energy, and it had side effects too. Still, for a short period of time, it was effective. There are people inside the Forces of Evil who have learned it from time to time.

However, it was a very objectionable technique to the other Murim people, so even people of the Forces of Evil didn't use it.

Clap!

At the command of their team leader, the team took out their machine guns and boarded a black van outside the house—the bus carried them to the house quickly.

"Shit. How did this happen?"

The team leader was nervous at the thought that if he didn't hurry, the infiltrator would run.

If the identity of the Six Road Toys was discovered, but their spy didn't find it out, he had to be rescued.

Kwang!

The Mobile Strike Team quickly came out of the bus, which arrived in front of Baek Jong-so's home.

Kwang!

They broke the front door of the house and entered the yard.

Four mobile strikers pulled something out from their waists.

Anesthetic gas bombs.

"Throw!"

Crrr!

The windows were broken, and the gas bombs were thrown in.

Pusss!

It was set to emit gas so that the entire place would be filled with thick smoke.

Helmed mobile strikers rushed in.

Tak!

The team leader took out a gas mask from a silver case and put it on his face.

Then he pulled out his gun and tried to move.

It was then.

Kuak!

Kuak!

Ack!

Screams could be heard from the wireless earphone he was wearing.

The team leader couldn't hide his shock.

"Wh-What is this?"

They had thrown in the anesthetic bombs.

If the infiltrator inhaled it, then he should have been weak.

But, there seemed to be some problem.

Whooo!

Kuak!

At the screams which followed, the team leader hesitated about what had to be done.

He had to go in to figure out what was happening, but he didn't want to suffer like those inside were.

"Damn it! First of all, we need to retreat. San-young! Start the bu..."

"Team leader!"

Team member San-young hurriedly shouted.

Tak!

The eyes of the team leader flickered.

Someone gently placed a hand on his shoulder, making an eerie feeling run down his body.

Biting his lip, he turned his head.

'Wh-How is....'

Chun Yeowun placed his hand on his shoulder.

With a smile on his face, he spoke to the team leader, who had turned pale.

"Look at this."

'What!?'

That was when the team leader knew.

That this was a trap.

⁽¹⁾Homemaker meaning "a person, especially a housewife, who manages a home."