1276 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

We returned to the cave. The Dark King’s ability was invaluable each time I witnessed it. Perfect spatial teleportation—is that even possible? "At least from what I know, it seems to be the best ability." Among all the powers I have seen or acquired so far, this one stands out the most. Of course, as the Dark King mentioned, it wasn't supposed to be this efficient in its original form. Apparently, this level of manifestation only happens in this labyrinthine realm. "Still." With such power, I could see how the Dark King might have stayed well-hidden. "You have returned." Inside the cave, the Poison Phoenix responded as if she'd been waiting for me. It seemed she actually had been. "Ah, yes. Was everything alright in my absence?" "Yes..." Nothing significant must have happened. We'd already captured Namgung Jin, who was supposedly an apostle. Plus, the monsters that were brought along have been dealt with. "The other apostles haven’t come, it seems." Well, it would be strange if they came consecutively. "Where are the others?" "The deputy lord of the Divine Dragon unit and Lady Mi are with the Sword Dragon." "Has he awakened?" "Just now." "Then, I suppose I should be going." Nodding, I immediately moved on. * * * When I reached the destination, as the Poison Phoenix described, everyone was gathered there. "…You don’t remember?" Mi Hyoran was questioning Namgung Jin with a serious expression. Namgung Jin nodded tiredly in response. "…No, I don’t remember anything." "What is the last thing you do recall?" "There was... an apostle appearing at the hideout—" "So, you don't remember anything after being taken." Namgung Jin was dragged away like a sacrifice. He claimed not to remember the months he spent as an apostle. "…!" Then Namgung Jin noticed me. "Baek Yangcheon..." With his call, everyone turned their eyes to me. I gave a slight wave. "Were you all managing well?" "…You’ve returned. Where did you go?" "I just took a bit of a stroll." "During this time?" "Yes, I had some restlessness to work off." Tae Hoan looked at me with a bewildered expression, but I shrugged it off easily. "So, you really don’t remember anything." "…How did you get here?" "Because I beat you to heal you." "What...?" "I heard you sacrificed yourself to save others. Is that true?" "…" Namgung Jin didn't respond. Realizing my words might be off, I quickly corrected myself. "Ah, not others, maybe just to save Lady Mi?" "You..." "Well, that's beside the point. Do you really not remember anything?" I watched him steadily. Namgung Jin frowned under my gaze. "I don’t know." "Hmm." It didn’t seem like a lie. I just felt that way. Even the presence he had as an apostle seemed to have vanished. Returning to humanity must have brought a lot of changes. "If it's true that he remembers nothing from that time." If he's not lying. "I need to find out if other apostles are the same." There was something else to investigate. "So, you have no idea what you did while you were an apostle?" "…What did I do?" Namgung Jin spoke with anxious eyes. At that moment— "You don't remember…!" Someone burst out from behind. "My comrades that you… you killed!" It was a warrior watching from behind the bars, too furious to enter. He continuously shouted in anger. "You betrayed us as an apostle, and now you can't remember what you did? How is that possible!! Bring them back…!" Thud! "Gah." His voice was cut off mid-sentence and he collapsed. Tae Hoan had released pressure to knock him unconscious. "Sorry for the interruption. There's someone who's a bit sensitive." He spoke with a forced smile, but Namgung Jin's expression was already ruined. "…What did I do..." "Well, if you were an apostle, you did apostle-like things." Tae Hoan scratched his cheek as he answered. "…!" Namgung Jin's expression started to crumble at those words. "Oh dear. I wanted to delay this conversation." "…Master Namgung, calm down. It’s not like you did it on purpose…" "That likely won't be comforting right now, will it?" I cut between them, causing Tae Hoan and Mi Hyoran to flinch. "Unless he's utterly insane, such trivial words won't be comforting. Just leave him be." "…Young Master Baek." Tae Hoan looked at me with uncomfortable eyes. I chuckled at his gaze. 'What would those who haven’t experienced it know?' A killing not driven by one’s own intent. When you remember nothing, the actions you've taken become catastrophic. No words could truly comfort that. At least not for me. 'If only I could have adopted the attitude that I wasn’t at fault because I wasn’t in my right mind.' Unfortunately, I wasn't that heartless. Simultaneously, 'He seems better than I was.' Namgung Jin seemed a better person in this regard than I was. "Such… such things…" His collapse was perhaps inevitable. "Master Namgung…!" Namgung Jin trembled violently. Being turned into an apostle and the events that unfolded seemed to have left him in shock. "Calm down, first…!" Mi Hyoran urgently tried to soothe him. Watching her, I interceded. Smack! "Gah!" "…!" I struck him on the head, knocking him unconscious. Those around us reacted in shock. "Young Master Baek...! Why did you do that?" Mi Hyoran glared at me with an angry expression. I shrugged in response. "Then would you prefer to leave him as is? There’s no point in trying to talk to him now. It’s better to let him rest and wake later." "You…!" "Think rationally. You usually handle things well, so why get so heated now? Is what I did incorrect? It was only drastic." "…Tch." It was the most efficient approach. Rather than trying to console Namgung Jin, who was on the verge of losing his mind, knocking him out again was quicker. “There’s nothing you can do for him at the moment,” I stated matter-of-factly. “Just wait until he wakes up and seems stable. It’ll be better then.” After saying that, I turned and walked away towards the entrance. No one stopped me. I only felt a few sharp gazes from behind. Naturally, I didn’t look back. There were things I needed to think about. ‘Perhaps...’ I reconsidered my thoughts based on Namgung Jin's reactions. ‘He’s not entirely without memory.’ It seemed he was trying to recall something. * * * Leaving Namgung Jin and the others, I quietly walked through the cave’s depths. While walking, I took out an item from my belongings. It was an artifact, something from Seo Anbi. A wristband of an inky black hue. I examined it thoroughly. "...Hmmm." There was the aura of Tuapechonmu within the artifact. It was unmistakably Paejon’s aura. The Dark King had mentioned that it used to belong to Paejon, but still... ‘Why would it be there?’ In a place we inferred a battle must have occurred. Why was this item left there? That question puzzled me. ‘Perhaps Paejon lost it.’ That seemed the most likely possibility. ‘...No.’ There was something unsettling about that. It didn’t make sense that he would leave just this behind. ‘Moreover.’ The aura emanating from the artifact felt peculiar. It wasn’t as though it naturally radiated energy... it seemed more like: ‘A deliberate release.’ It felt like something was intentionally scattering the energy inside. So, I had wrapped it to contain the aura from leaking out. ‘What is this?’ Why was such a situation happening? ‘Hmmm.’ I kept analyzing the artifact and then asked the Dark King beside me. “Do you know what this artifact does?” Inquiring about its effects. “I do not know. I’ve never seen Bijuu use it.” “Ah, I see.” The Dark King responded indifferently, indicating he had no more insight on it. “Hmmm.” I fiddled with the wristband, and eventually slipped my hand into it. A cool sensation enveloped my forearm. Then suddenly—! Zzzziiiit---!!! “What?” Spikes shot out from the wristband, penetrating my skin. A sharp sting spread instantly. And then— Scñnnk. ‘It’s drinking my blood.’ It began to absorb my blood. What sort of artifact is this? I immediately tore the wristband off. It was embedded deep, tearing patches of skin as it came off. Though such wounds would regenerate eventually... “What is this thing?” Why did it suddenly start drawing blood? I wondered with a frown. Ssssshhh-!! Smoke began to rise from the armor. Its color started shifting. The once black wristband slowly turned blue. The same color as my unique aura. It was identical to when my core underwent a transformation. “...” As I watched, I gripped the wristband again. Rattle---!!! “...!” This time, it quickly covered my arm again. The difference being, the spikes didn’t emerge this time. And another thing— Rattle. It didn’t stop at my arm; the wristband spread across my entire body. “...What now.” It completely engulfed me, like I was clad in an armor-like suit.