“I am Muhui,” she introduced herself.
The woman, who had suddenly appeared through the dimensional gate with a veil covering her face, introduced herself in such a manner. Her unexpected arrival through a rift in dimensions was strange enough, but I found myself focusing more on the first words she had spoken upon arrival.
“To the being from the other world, I pay my respects.”
‘Being from the other world?’
Chilling words. It was as if she understood that I didn’t belong in this world.
Suppressing my surprise, I looked at her and spoke.
“Are you the one who has been searching for me?”
Was this the one who had instructed the Sword Saint to bring me here? If so, who was she?
At the very least, I had never seen her before.
‘In my past life, I never met her.’
Not in my previous life nor in my current one had I encountered someone who radiated such an aura. This made it even more challenging to understand her identity.
‘Is this world truly different from the one I know?’
As time went by, I was starting to realize that this wasn’t something I could dismiss as merely an illusion.
If this world was built on my memories, it shouldn’t be able to create things beyond my knowledge. And yet, this world was doing just that.
This was something I could have realized within days of being here. Or rather, I had simply chosen to ignore it.
As I stared intently at the woman who called herself Muhui, she clasped her hands together politely and answered.
“I am not worthy of such a role.”
“Worthy? What do you mean?”
What did she mean by not being “worthy”? Was she merely a messenger, not the one truly seeking me?
‘Muhui.’
It sounded familiar. While I knew the word itself, the name held a certain significance.
‘Where did I hear it?’
I strained to remember, and soon enough, a memory surfaced.
A few years ago, during the martial arts tournament at the Yongbong Assembly, I had faced Jang Sun-yeon in the finals. At the end of that match, Blood Demon had descended through Jang Sun-yeon’s body and spoken to me.
“If you meet Muhui…”
I remembered he had mentioned seeking her out.
So that meant...
‘This woman is associated with the Blood Demon?’
My expression darkened instinctively. I glanced at the Sword Saint, who stood nearby, looking unbothered by Muhui’s arrival, though there was a hint of unease in her otherwise indifferent gaze.
In other words, Muhui’s presence was not surprising to her.
‘What’s going on here?’
If Muhui was indeed connected to the Blood Demon, did that mean the Sword Saint also knew of his existence?
A flood of thoughts rushed through my mind as I kept biting my tongue.
“It’s unfortunate that I have to meet you under such circumstances,” Muhui continued.
“…How did you know I was here?”
“There was a prophecy. My master foretold that a being from another realm would appear in this world and instructed us to find you as soon as possible.”
So, they had predicted I would appear. Then…
‘This place isn’t simply an illusion after all.’
If this was a trial, then it seemed they had truly sent me to another world. So, what kind of world was this?
‘A world resembling my previous life, yet somehow different…what should I call this?’
Whatever it was, the main issue lay with the Tang sect’s intent in sending me here.
As my frustration mounted with the increasingly complex situation, I spoke, unfiltered.
“Prophecy or whatever—how did you know it was me?”
Regardless of who gave the prophecy, that wasn’t important. The real question was how they could be certain that I was a being from another world.
This time, the response came not from Muhui but from the Sword Saint herself.
“…Because our energies resonated.”
Glancing her way, I saw she was speaking without meeting my gaze.
Hearing her answer, I thought to myself.
‘So that’s it.’
It was what I had suspected all along, but her words confirmed it.
The divine sword’s energy within me had resonated, revealing my otherworldly origin. The Sword Saint had confidently stated this as the reason she recognized me. And indeed, she was correct.
‘But is that truly enough of a reason?’
This part was still difficult to fully understand.
Meanwhile, Muhui, observing the cuffs binding my wrists, gestured toward the Sword Saint.
“Please release him.”
With that simple command—
Snap!
The cuffs binding my wrists fell to the ground in pieces. Looking down at the broken shackles, I turned my gaze to the Sword Saint.
‘When did she draw her sword?’
Somehow, she had managed to cut through the cuffs without me noticing.
And then—
Thud!
The blocked flow of my energy surged back through my body. Even the restraint on my core had been removed, courtesy of the Sword Saint.
I flexed my hands, checking my condition, as Muhui approached me.
“Forgive me for the poor reception under the current circumstances.”
Though she sounded polite, her voice and demeanor were chillingly detached. It was like speaking to a stone.
“So…enough with the pretense. What do you want from me?”
I was done with this complicated situation and wanted to get to the point. So, what did they want from me?
Muhui, still holding her hands in a respectful posture, finally spoke.
“My master wishes to meet you.”
It appeared she was merely conveying a message rather than voicing a personal request.
As she spoke, the dimensional gate reopened with a crackling sound.
Was she expecting me to follow her through it? I gave her a skeptical look, and she continued.
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“My master is, unfortunately, unable to travel and kindly requests that you come to meet him.”
So, that was her explanation.
“What if I refuse?”
I asked what would happen if I declined to meet her master, yet Muhui simply stared at me in silence.
She wasn’t giving me any choice, really.
‘Politeness masked as coercion, huh?’
I laughed bitterly.
They were all so unforgivingly forceful. This was why it was crucial to cultivate power relentlessly.
I shook my head at Muhui and said, “Fine. Do I just follow you?”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
Understanding, yeah, right.
Whether she noticed my sour expression or not, Muhui walked toward the gate as she had before, and I followed without hesitation.
This might actually be for the best.
Rather than endlessly questioning this mysterious world, it would be faster to confront someone who knew about it.
‘Let’s see what kind of world this really is. I’ll find out soon enough.’
With that thought, I stepped through the gate, closing my eyes as I was enveloped in its swirling light.
When I opened them again—
“Huh?”
I was met with the sight of a massive ice crystal towering before me.
******************
A still silence filled the room.
On the wide desk rested a single dark-blue hilt.
It looked like nothing more than a shabby antique, yet it was known as Noah, a relic of the Namgung family, one of the Five Great Swords of the Central Plains. Despite it being nothing more than a handle, it carried the weight of that title.
The woman looking at it had a gaze that seemed sharp enough to cut, even from just a glance.
After quietly staring at the handle for a while, she shifted her gaze to the man seated across from her and spoke.
“…Why… did you do it?”
Her voice trembled with anger and resentment. The emotions were evident in her tone, and the man raised his head to look at her.
“What exactly do you mean?”
“Why… did you send him away…?”
As the man’s calm response came, Ma Geom-hu’s beautiful brow furrowed in frustration.
“…You shouldn’t have let him go…”
“He insisted on going. I merely respected his decision.”
“…Lies…”
At his words, Ma Geom-hu rejected them flatly.
“The Great Lord… doesn’t know the meaning of ‘respect’…”
The Great Lord’s face twisted in irritation. Clearly, her words had struck a nerve.
“…Vice Lord. What is the meaning of this?”
Despite the Great Lord’s displeasure being obvious, Ma Geom-hu’s expression remained unchanged.
“You shouldn’t have let him go.”
“You’re repeating yourself. Have you truly lost your mind?”
Bang!
With a mere tap, the Great Lord’s fist caused the desk to shatter.
“You’re allowing useless emotions to cloud your judgment. Why are you so attached to him, clinging to such regrets?”
It had only been a few days—time spent with a young demon who had come claiming the name of the Celestial Demon.
He’d called himself Paljeolyeop.
A name likely fake, and even after searching, nothing came up. A martial artist who’d overcome the wall of Hwagyeong at such a young age, yet without a single known detail?
He claimed to have become a demon out of revenge, having lost his family to the orthodox sects. But not a single member of the Black Flame Squad believed his words.
He’d only been tolerated because he invoked the Celestial Demon’s name.
Demons do not trust each other. They trust only the Celestial Demon.
“I don’t understand it.”
He had avoided unnecessary combat, retrieved Noah, and eliminated a suspicious individual. The outcome was impeccable, so why did Ma Geom-hu react this way?
The Great Lord couldn’t understand, and the frustration only grew. But Ma Geom-hu’s expression shifted subtly as she looked at him.
In her gaze, where anger and resentment had been clear, something else now mixed.
To the Great Lord, it looked like pity.
Just as he was about to unleash his anger, irritated by her sympathetic look, Ma Geom-hu spoke to him.
“…The one burdened by unnecessary emotions… isn’t me…”
His face contorted with a dark, twisted anger.
“…It’s you.”
Crash!
A fragment of the shattered table flew past her, colliding with the wall and breaking apart. The Great Lord, unable to contain his fury, had hurled it.
“Vice Lord. Do not overstep your bounds.”
This was his final warning.
If she continued, there would be no mercy. Hearing this, Ma Geom-hu said nothing more. She simply picked up Noah and held it close to her as she walked toward the door.
Right before she exited, she left him with one last remark.
“I will not give up on you… no matter what happens.”
The Great Lord was left confused by her words.
Just as he was about to shout a response, she was already gone.
Crack.
The Great Lord’s fist tightened, his grip becoming stronger.
Then—
Bang!
He swung his fist, smashing a part of the wall.
Rumble.
Debris fell from the wall, scattering across the floor. He took several deep breaths, trying to regain control over his anger.
The source of his rage wasn’t simply Ma Geom-hu questioning his actions. It was her words.
“…The one burdened by unnecessary emotions… isn’t me…”
“…It’s you…”
Those words struck directly at the core of what he had been trying so hard to conceal.