Chapter 15 – We Are Not Gods

When he opened his eyes, it was an unfamiliar ceiling.

Se-min, unable to lift his body, rolled his eyes. A worn-out iron chair was placed there, and a single candle illuminated the desolate room.

Reflexively, he groped around his bedside. His claymore was leaning against the wall.

Although a sense of relief washed over him, he did not have the strength to lift it.

He tried to make a sound.

“Is anyone there?”

His voice echoed loudly. It was a sealed room without a single window.

Se-min struggled to raise his body. When he pulled back the blanket, bandages were wrapped around his entire body. He thought of Yoon Woo-jae, but remembered the fact that he had abandoned him and left.

He took a deep breath to calm his emotions.

He decided not to think about that matter.

Se-min let his body go limp and killed time, staring at the shadows flickering in the candlelight.

After a long while, the door opened.

Startled, Se-min lay down and pretended to sleep.

An unidentified person whispered in a gloomy voice.

“Today’s meat is human meat.”

Se-min’s eyelids twitched.

“Should I make soup, braise it, or deep-fry it before eating?”

Se-min was inwardly guessing and optimistic that an unidentified eccentric, training alone in this place which had become the land of magic beasts, had saved him, and that perhaps he would receive a fortuitous encounter, with the eccentric telling him that it was destiny and that he should inherit his divine art.

It was not.

He had been captured by a crazy cannibal who was more terrifying than any enemy.

It was a relief that he had pretended to sleep. He quietly raised his Tai Chi Wisdom and checked his condition. He would be able to deliver a single strike.

He intended to swing his claymore like lightning when the careless freak approached.

“It’s tough if there’s a lot of muscle, but if you carve it well, lean meat will still come out.”

The voice gradually grew closer.

Se-min tensed.

It felt as if the shadow of the candle flickered beyond his eyelids.

“Now, it’s about time to end this guy’s breath…”

Gathering all the strength in his body, Se-min sprang up.

“Die! You villain!”

He hurriedly grabbed and swung his claymore, but.

There was no one.

He was alone in the room.

Se-min felt goosebumps prickling. He took a step back.

“Uh…?”

The candle shook from the wind of his sword strike, waving his own shadow. The sight looked as if a demon was mocking him.

“Uh-uh-uh.”

Se-min looked in all directions.

At that moment, a voice was heard from above his head.

“Uh-huh.”

“Uwaaaaah!”

Se-min sank to the floor and raised his sword toward the sky.

There, a man was floating in the air, sitting cross-legged. He wore a traditional coat, with his white hair and beard fluttering.

“I only teased you because you pretended to sleep while awake, yet you even swing a sword? What a way to treat the person who saved you. You have no potential. Hmph.”

“You cannibal bastard! Die!”

“The child has lost his mind.”

“Eek!”

Se-min tried to resist feebly, but the Taoist knocked him flat with a light kick. Se-min rolled back onto the bed where he had been lying.

“Looking at you, you seem like a soldier.”

He stepped onto the ground and looked down at Se-min with his hands behind his back.

Se-min scanned him from head to toe.

He had the appearance of a Taoist.

Only then did Se-min calm down. His first hypothesis was correct. The opponent had merely played a joke; he was definitely a hidden eccentric.

Se-min cleared his throat and bowed politely.

“This junior of the Jianghu failed to recognize a master. I am Private Lee Se-min of the Immortal Unit.”

“I am Hye-seung, a degenerate monk who broke Shaolin’s vows.”

“Ah! As expected!”

“What do you mean ‘as expected’! You young punk have read too many martial arts novels. Tsk tsk.”

The man hit Se-min’s head with a stick.

It was a backscratcher, a filial son’s hand. Even though it was a thin piece of wood, it brought tears to his eyes.

Touching his head, Se-min asked timidly.

“Who are you, grandfather?”

“Who are you?”

“As I said earlier, I am a soldier of the Republic of Korea.”

“Not that.”

He pressed Se-min’s chest firmly with the backscratcher.

“Who are you to possess such energy?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“It is pure, harmonious, and free. It can become anything in the world, and it can also become nothing. This energy does not belong to a mere human, but rather resembles the myriad things of the universe.”

He leaned his head in. Though his face was wrinkled with age, his eyes shone with intelligence.

“Yes, it is Tai Chi.”

Se-min’s eyes widened.

“There is no way a fool like you could have acquired such energy on your own, so who is your master?”

“I cannot tell you that…”

“Speak, child.”

“My master told me not to reveal anything about her to outsiders.”

“Did master and disciple come here after shooting a martial arts novel together?”

He wanted to protest that his big brother Dokgo Cheonma was someone who actually lived in the real martial world, but he held back.

“At any rate, being drawn to your energy and saving your life must be my karma as well.”

Only then did Se-min think of the other people.

“What happened to the others?”

“A few died, and a few lived.”

He twirled and pulled his beard.

“The guy who abandoned you, and the guy who was spraying the energy of the demon realm from his eyes—those two survived. The North Korean soldiers retreated.”

It seemed to refer to Yoon Woo-jae and Kim Gyu-jin.

The words ‘that’s a relief’ did not come out.

“Who are you, elder?”

Instead of answering, he turned around and walked away with long strides.

“Come out for now. Let’s eat first.”

“I, I am muscular from working out, so I don’t have much fat.”

“I told you I don’t eat human meat.”

When he stepped outside the door, a dark tunnel appeared. There were several other rooms nearby, which seemed to be the hideout where this unidentified man stayed.

It was a bunker like those seen in movies.

They climbed up a ladder and opened a hatch.

It was now the dawn of a breaking day.

“I am Noh Hak-jae,”

he said, looking at the dawning horizon with his hands behind his back.

Se-min stood side by side with him. Though it was the north that had become the land of magic beasts, it was still the Land of the Morning Calm.

“Judging by your accent, you seem to be from South Korea, elder.”

“That is correct.”

“How did you end up here?”

“I am staying here for a while because I have something to do.”

“Something to do?”

“Let’s eat breakfast first.”

He rummaged around and pulled something out.

It was a gas burner and a pot.

“If you go over that way, there is a stream, so go fetch some water.”

“Ah, yes…”

He had thought he would be eating grass or Zen food, but Noh Hak-jae handed him the pot.

While fetching the water, Se-min wondered if they were brewing some healthy herbal soup.

However, instant ramen came out.

It was that certain ramen known to make men weep, which everyone knew.

“Where did you get this…”

“I bought it at the supermarket. Do you look down on me because I’m old?”

“This is North Korea though?”

“How lax do you think the security of you soldiers is? I regularly go down to buy daily necessities.”

“Excuse me…”

“What, punk?”

“Aren’t you going to put in an egg?”

In the end, Se-min was hit with the backscratcher again.

“I suppose expecting an egg is a luxury, right?”

“I have them.”

“Yes?”

“If you add an egg to this ramen, the flavor of the broth is ruined. The child knows nothing and is utterly ignorant.”

It was true. Se-min hung his head.

“Eat it all without leaving anything.”

Although it was desolate since no magic beasts were in sight, the scenery was quite nice. Se-min slurped his ramen while looking at the rising sun and the distant landscape.

“What is that ‘something to do’ you mentioned earlier?”

Noh Hak-jae remained silent for a while. He stirred his chopsticks, searching for the few remaining noodles.

For some reason, he had an unsatisfied expression.

Se-min said.

“You’re still hungry, right? I told you to add an egg when I suggested it. Tsk tsk.”

The moment he finished speaking, he stepped back and guarded with both arms.

He was certain Noh Hak-jae’s backscratcher would fly at him. However, he only quietly drank the broth.

Feeling embarrassed, Se-min scratched the back of his head and sat down again.

And then, he was smacked with the backscratcher.

“Keheuk…”

“You are in the palm of my hand.”

Noh Hak-jae dusted off his butt and stood up.

“Recover first. It is time to look after your body. Your insides are a mess.”

Se-min looked down at his own body. Just as he said, his insides were damaged. It was the aftermath of drawing out power beyond his limits to resist the magic beasts and the North Korean soldiers.

“Train your internal energy. The scenery is nice, so it will go well.”

“Where are you going?”

“A walk.”

Noh Hak-jae clicked his tongue and walked toward the mountain. Soon, he disappeared from view. Se-min stared at the mountain and let out a sigh.

What would become of him?

For now, he decided to recover his body as Noh Hak-jae had said.

He closed his eyes and sat cross-legged.

The aura of Tai Chi Wisdom began to flow.

***

Two days passed.

Noh Hak-jae stayed outside most of the time, returning only for meals. They did not have much conversation.

Starting breakfast with ramen, Se-min asked.

“Elder.”

“Why do you call?”

“Aren’t you going to tell me why you are staying here?”

“Do you want to know?”

“Yes. I am curious.”

“Fine. Since your body has recovered, let’s go take a look together.”

“Really?”

They soon prepared to head out.

Noh Hak-jae was dressed in his usual straight coat.

“Follow me.”

He spoke a word and distanced himself in an instant.

“Elder?”

Every time he blinked, the elder’s figure became a smaller and smaller dot.

It was an incredible speed.

Se-min hurriedly ran after him.

“Elder! Go together!”

Even though he ran and ran, the elder’s figure gradually grew smaller.

Se-min moved his legs desperately, but moving was difficult. Se-min floundered and ran in the direction the elder had run.

Soon, he was able to meet Noh Hak-jae standing still.

“The old man walks so fast…”

Before getting close, Se-min muttered a complaint behind his back and then stood beside him.

And then, he was hit with the backscratcher.

“His hearing is sharp too.”

Noh Hak-jae pointed toward the far distance.

Fortifications and buildings were built there.

They belonged to the North Korean army.

“Originally, I was a Taoist who settled in Mt. Gyeryong to study Feng Shui, fortune-telling, and the secrets of heaven.”

“You look the part.”

“During that study, I barely touched the edge of the universe’s principles and came to harbor the natural energy within me, and once traveled the world fighting magic beasts.”

It meant he was a Raider from Mt. Gyeryong. Se-min interpreted his words appropriately.

“Living for a long time, how could I not have my own stories, but at this point, they are meaningless.”

“An excellent summary. I almost fell asleep.”

“Now it is troublesome to even hit you.”

“Hehehe, wise decision. Ah! You said you wouldn’t hit me!”

“Anyway, one day I felt the secrets of heaven warping and headed north.”

He pointed to the North Korean fortifications with the backscratcher.

“A wicked thing is here.”

“What is that?”

Se-min tilted his head.

A wicked thing—did some massive magic beast live here?

Noh Hak-jae extended the backscratcher. Se-min flinched, thinking he was going to hit him, but Noh Hak-jae merely pressed the backscratcher gently against Se-min’s abdomen.

“Even with such energy, you cannot feel it?”

Se-min looked down at his stomach.

His Tai Chi Wisdom was there.

“Open your energy. It will tell you.”

Se-min felt a bit rebellious for some reason. The Tai Chi Wisdom was passed down to him by Dokgo Cheonma, but Noh Hak-jae spoke as if he knew this energy better than Se-min did.

However, he was a master who had deduced Tai Chi from Se-min’s energy in a single glance. Se-min followed his words, closed his eyes, and opened his senses.

He felt the movements of people. They were all individuals possessing aura. They were carrying weapons and moving something. Se-min spread his five senses even more finely.

There was a pit in the center of the camp.

It was a deep ravine.

However, he could not tell what it was.

When he opened his eyes, Noh Hak-jae was shaking his head.

“Foolish fellow.”

“Please tell me, elder.”

“What is the name of your divine art? Just tell me that.”

“It is a secret…”

“It must be Tai Chi-something.”

Se-min’s eyes went wide. His eyes widened so much in surprise that he quickly closed them and fumbled around his eyes, fearing they might pop out.

“You know nothing about Tai Chi.”

He hit Se-min’s butt with the backscratcher.

“Follow me without making a sound.”

And then he began to move.

He was clearly moving his feet, but Se-min felt his figure was faint. Although he was moving, his figure seemed stationary.

Whether his presence here was his original form, or his moving away was the original scenery, his figure had distanced itself before Se-min knew it.

Se-min lowered his body to avoid being seen by the North Korean soldiers and hurriedly followed.

“Go a bit slower…”

Following behind Noh Hak-jae, moving from shadow to shadow, Se-min entered the North Korean military camp.

Whether the enemy was lax or Noh Hak-jae’s infiltration route was miraculous, Se-min was able to approach the inside of the camp safely without being caught.

They climbed onto a building assumed to be the North Korean barracks.

It was there.

A giant hole was in the center of the camp.

North Korean soldiers had set up fences and stood guard in turns.

In the past, Se-min had seen photos on the internet of a crater in Turkmenistan called the Gates of Hell.

It was a terrifying hole that burned all year round because gas continuously erupted.

That hole resembled it.

“What is that?”

Se-min asked in a hushed voice.

What was different from the gas pit he had seen was that what burned inside the deep darkness was not red flames.

It was a dark blue darkness.

The blackness surged and erupted from within, dancing like flames.

It flickered like a snake’s tongue and then took on a beast-like shape, and sometimes repeated concentric circles like a reptile’s eye in the darkness, forming an iris.

Even the soldiers on guard seemed afraid of it, continuously glancing back and acting restless.

It was something that should not exist in this world.

Se-min had such groundless conviction. Just looking at it made the back of his neck grow cold.

Noh Hak-jae said.

“It is a passage connected to hell.”

“Hell?”

Noh Hak-jae sat comfortably on the slate roof, stretching his legs, and pulled something out of his inner pocket.

It was a hip flask, the thin metal flask used for drinking liquor.

He took a sip of liquor and wiped his beard with his sleeve.

Se-min stretched out his hand to naturally take the flask, but it returned to Noh Hak-jae’s chest.

Grasping empty air, Se-min scratched the back of his head naturally as if he had intended to do so all along.

“Looking at that, there is no way not to drink.”

“Ahem, hem. I agree. Me too, a sip…”

“Alcohol is bad for the body.”

Noh Hak-jae stood up from his seat.

With this much movement, the soldiers should have noticed Noh Hak-jae, but no one paid attention.

It was a stealth technique using aura.

An aura could be utilized in various ways depending on how it was used. Se-min realized once again that this old man with a bad personality was an incredible master.

“Those bastards are experimenting on people using that demonic gate.”

“I beg your pardon?”

Se-min asked back blankly.

Noh Hak-jae clicked his tongue.

“You soldiers are the same. None of you know what that is, yet you believe you can use it.”

“What is that?”

“A wicked power that should not exist here.”

Noh Hak-jae brushed his coat and turned around.

Se-min followed him and asked.

“How do we stop it?”

“Who knows.”

Noh Hak-jae left this place again like the wind. Se-min followed him with difficulty.

Then, Noh Hak-jae suddenly stopped.

“Go first.”

A man in a North Korean military uniform stood in front of them.

“Quickly.”

Se-min backstepped instinctively.

The man smiled broadly and spoke.

“Old man. I heard you appeared. You are bringing a greenhorn with you.”

In Se-min’s memory, Ri Gil-han had a single star on his rank insignia.

However, this man had three stars. His rank was much higher than Ri Gil-han’s. The aura he exuded was savage.

Noh Hak-jae spoke calmly.

“Park Min-cheol. Were you here?”

“I came down quickly upon hearing news of the old man.”

“Thank you for waiting, though you aren’t my wife.”

“Come here.”

The man named Park Min-cheol walked over with large strides. He drew a sword from his waist. A pitch-black aura flared up.

It was identical to the thing inside the pit he had seen earlier.

The darkness ran rampant on the blade, flicking its tongue. Se-min had never seen this kind of aura before.

“Flee to the bunker.”

“What about you, elder?”

“Must I not block this guy to leave? Do you want to block him?”

Se-min shook his head.

“You don’t even pretend.”

“I am being honest. Will you be alright, elder?”

“I am not at the level where I would be defeated by a fellow like that yet.”

Noh Hak-jae was a master Se-min could not even begin to guess the depths of.

However, the same went for that man.

That ominous power.

Seeing a person emit the energy that erupted from the Hellgate, Se-min felt somewhat surreal.

It was a power that a human should not use. Yet, a human possessed it.

To Se-min’s eyes, he looked like a chimera.

He was a magic beast wearing a human mask.

“What are the two of you muttering about?”

Park Min-cheol’s steps quickened.

Noh Hak-jae pushed Se-min’s chest. It was a light gesture, but the soft force floated and sent Se-min’s body flying.

Flying without being able to resist, Se-min was relieved. The internal force was immense, but its attribute was gentle, so it did not harm him. Within that light move, he could glimpse Noh Hak-jae’s realm.

Although that man looked dangerous, Noh Hak-jae would not be easily defeated.

Se-min yelled as he flew away.

“Elder! Don’t go around getting beaten up!”

“Wicked fellow.”

Se-min landed on the ground. He ran while guarding the surroundings to see if there was any pursuer.

He prayed that Noh Hak-jae would return safely.

***

“Phew.”

After running for a long time, Se-min suddenly stopped.

A single magic beast was staring at him on the plain. It was a Zorg. Whether it was separated from its pack, it was whining while keeping guard on the surroundings alone.

Se-min disliked Zorgs.

This was because seeing them reminded him of the Missing Gate and Park In-jae.

He reflexively felt behind his back, but his hand was empty. The claymore that was always with him was not there.

However, Se-min approached the beast without minding.

He could eliminate a single Zorg even barehanded.

“What are you?”

Looking closely, it was a creature that couldn’t even walk properly because its leg area was damaged.

It was an individual left behind and abandoned by its pack.

The Zorg looked up at Se-min and barked. Se-min stared at the beast. The frightened Zorg looked not like a magic beast, but an animal of Earth.

Se-min raised his aura in his hand. A materialized blade rose from his hand. Compared to loading it onto a weapon, the efficiency was poor, but it was perfect for killing an enemy without a weapon.

He approached the Zorg.

The beast growled, baring its teeth, but its tail was trembling and tucked in.

Se-min reached out his arm.

It was the hand that did not raise aura.

The Zorg put its head forward.

Eventually, the beast rubbed its head against Se-min’s hand.

“Do you not want to die?”

It was for no other reason. Its situation overlapped with his own. Both were left behind like a kite with a broken string. A Zorg that could not pack together would not live long.

Looking at its gaping maw and sharp teeth, he recalled the gruesome scene of it burying its head in Park In-jae’s abdomen that day.

At the same time, he could also remember himself who had watched helplessly.

What on earth were magic beasts that they came over from the world beyond to harm people?

“Puppy.”

Se-min called the Zorg.

For some reason, there seemed to be emotion contained in the beast’s eyes.

“Do you want to follow?”

Whether it understood the emotion even if it couldn’t understand the words, the Zorg looked up at Se-min. Se-min gestured and walked away, showing his back to the beast.

The sound of footsteps followed behind him.

Walking on the desolate land, the footsteps of the human and the magic beast overlapped and diverged.

Se-min arrived at Noh Hak-jae’s hideout. There lay the gas burner and the pot with dried ramen broth left behind.

Se-min took them and washed them clean at a nearby stream.

The Zorg followed him around.

It merely looked grotesque, but its behavior was truly like a dog.

“Are you hungry?”

“Grrr…”

“Hey, wait a minute.”

Se-min went down into the bunker and searched the hideout.

He found frozen meat in the freezer.

When he returned, the Zorg was sitting and waiting for him. Se-min threw the frozen meat to it.

“You can eat it since your teeth are strong, right? Want me to melt it for you?”

The Zorg looked back and forth between Se-min and the meat, and then bit the chunk of meat. Its strong jaw and teeth tore the frozen meat apart.

The beast licked and chewed the meat.

Watching the creature, Se-min sat on the ground and leaned against a rock.

It felt strange.

Until recently, he was serving as a soldier and stopping magic beasts. Yet now he was separated from his unit, couldn’t know what happened to his comrades, and had to wait for an unidentified old man with a magic beast on this desolate north beyond the wire fence.

“Life…”

Se-min felt fatigue rushing in. Se-min began to doze off.

A shallow sleep is a continuation of confused images and unknown situations. Amidst a sense of fatigue that felt like sinking beneath the ground, he caught a glimpse of himself from the days when he was shut in his room, rotting away day by day.

It was his figure facing a small monitor with a massive body, swallowing food, and clicking the mouse repeatedly with greasy hands.

Suddenly, his dream self turned around.

It was an ugly sight steeped in fat and despair.

He stared quietly at Se-min.

Se-min also looked at him.

The two stared at each other.

Suddenly, he opened his mouth and shrieked.

From the dark blackness inside his mouth, a distant scream echoed.

Se-min reflexively opened his eyes.

Before his eyes, a dark throat was still open.

It was a drooling mouth.

Sharp teeth were closing in toward him.

Se-min reached out his hand.

The Zorg’s neck was easily crushed in his single hand.

The Zorg, back to showing terror in its eyes, could not even squeal and drooled. The thick liquid ran down its chin and fell on Se-min’s forearm.

“You bastard.”

In a low voice not yet fully awake, Se-min muttered.

“I even gave you food.”

His grip tightened. The Zorg wagged its tail repeatedly. Se-min stood up while choking the Zorg’s neck.

He dragged it along while holding its neck. The beast’s tail and limbs floundered, kicking up dust.

Se-min threw the Zorg far away from the hideout. The beast tried to tuck its tail and run, but Se-min’s killing strike was faster.

After killing the Zorg, he washed his blood-stained hands in the stream and returned to the bunker.

He was not disappointed.

A magic beast was originally like that.

Because it was tired and sick and could not fight, it temporarily bowed its head, but it was a breed whose instincts and hunger were stronger than its weak reasoning.

He understood.

He recalled Yoon Woo-jae’s expressionless face as he cast him aside and fled.

He understood that too.

He was not angry or disappointed.

Life just goes on like that.

Erasing his stray thoughts, Se-min sat on a rock and waited for Noh Hak-jae.

He had set out at dawn, but it was only at twilight that the elder returned.

Feeling a long shadow cast toward him, Se-min realized it was the figure of the old man with his hands behind his back.

“Elder, you are back!”

Se-min scanned him from head to toe. He was fine. Not even dust was on his clothes, showing a clean appearance.

“You are fine?”

“Are you dissatisfied?”

“It is admiration. Wow, since the elder is at this level, that Kim Min-cheol or Park Min-cheol guy must be so pristine he doesn’t even need to wash his face. Argh!”

Noh Hak-jae brandished the backscratcher.

Se-min rubbed his head.

“Did you win?”

“A draw.”

“Is that guy that strong?”

Excluding the transcendents, Noh Hak-jae was the strongest master Se-min had personally faced. Although Kim Gyu-jin’s power was terrifying, it did not have the profound mystery felt from Noh Hak-jae.

“Originally, he was a talented fellow, but he ended up accepting a wicked power. Now even I find him troublesome.”

Noh Hak-jae looked quietly at Se-min with his hands behind his back and said.

“I am hungry.”

“Me too.”

“So?”

“Are you telling me to cook?”

“Why would it be otherwise?”

After contemplating, Se-min replied.

“I am not good at cooking.”

“Try it.”

In the end, Se-min went down to the bunker and checked the food Noh Hak-jae had stockpiled.

Most of it was preserved food, consisting mainly of canned goods, combat rations, and instant foods. After some thought, Se-min decided on barbecue, which he was relatively good at.

Se-min took a large chunk of meat and seasonings from the freezer and went up. Then, he dug the ground, gathered firewood, and started a fire.

He needed a stronger fire than the gas burner.

Se-min took an iron plate that was lying around in the bunker, heated it over the fire, and placed the meat on it.

“You grill meat well.”

It was hard to tell what kind of meat it was, but its juice-dripping appearance charred by the fire looked delicious.

Se-min sliced the meat with a knife. The two raised their meat as if making a toast, exchanged glances, and popped it into their mouths.

“The meat is delicious. What kind of meat is this?”

“It is human meat.”

“Hahaha, you tell good jokes.”

“Actually, it is magic beast meat.”

“Yes?”

“It is Kowood meat.”

Se-min spilled the meat he was chewing.

“Is, is it okay to eat this?”

“I have been eating it since a long time ago, so do not worry.”

A Kowood was a magic beast that strangely resembled a dairy cow. He had thought it tasted like beef, but he hadn’t known it was a magic beast.

Se-min felt a physiological aversion, but the glossy texture of the meat tempted him.

In the end, he moved his chopsticks again.

“Drink.”

Suddenly, Noh Hak-jae pulled the hip flask from his chest and handed it over. Se-min took it with both hands, deeply moved.

“Thank you.”

Se-min drank the liquor.

Having no expertise in liquor, he didn’t know the kind, but it was a strong liquor of the Western spirits category. Feeling a stinging sensation, Se-min returned the flask. Noh Hak-jae also took a sip.

“Se-min.”

“Yes?”

It was the first time Noh Hak-jae called his name.

“How much time is left before you are discharged from the military?”

“More than a year and a half is left.”

“Is that so…”

He handed the flask back and said.

“That time, use it on me.”