(T/N: biwon could also mean 'secret garden' usually in a palace)
A giant man rushed toward him. He had misunderstood and thought that Lee Sungmin was still unaware of his presence. He didn't know that it was a fatal misunderstanding yet.
Lee Sungmin took the spear from behind his back. By the time he pulled the spear forward, the man was already in front of him. The man struck his rock-like fist at the body of Lee Sungmin.
Lee Sungmin stepped back a few steps to avoid getting crushed by the fist hurling toward him, before moving faster than the fist, grabbing it with one hand and thrusting his spear outward. The giant man's arm got caught up in the rotation, and-
Ududuk!
There was a terrible sound. The giant stood still in shock as his sturdily built right arm could be seen spraying blood and flying away.
"I thought you were supposed to be deaf."
Lee Sungmin murmured. Even though he ripped off the man's right arm, Lee Sungmin's expression was indifferent. The pupils looking up didn't hold any emotion in them.
"Or so I heard..."
"Keueueuuu!"
The giant breathed heavily. He clenched his jaws with a face full of pain. Then he twisted his body and shook his left fist. The torn–up flag in his fists proved that he was an expert who had crossed the peak.
However, compared to Lee Sungmin, the giant's level was not very high. Lee Sungmin lifted his head and raised his spear.
It happened in an instant. A fast-paced, nearly invisible spear pierced through the giant's left shoulder. He flew back before he could scream and struck a tree as he fell. The shocked tree, or more accurately, a monster in the shape of a tree, opened its mouth and tried to chew the giant's body.
"Kkeuaaak!"
The giant screamed as the tree bit his back. Lee Sungmin headed forward, and Kuromaru shouted from behind him.
"P-please! Please save the elder!"
Lee Sungmin looked back and shook his head. Kuromaru hurriedly added.
"If you can save the elder... I will tell you everything I know."
Lee Sungmin listened quietly and wrote on the floor with the spear he was holding.
– That's strange. Didn't that man try to kill you?
"Even so... He is like a teacher to me."
It wasn't really necessary for him to listen to Kuromaru. Even if that elder died, he was confident that he would be able to beat Kuromaru and get the answer he wanted.
Lee Sungmin accepted Kuromaru's request anyway. He took the elder's body out from the tree monster, which had been chewing his body, and healed his wounds. Kuromaru looked at Lee Sungmin bandaging the ripped away right arm of the elder with frightened eyes. The elder had already fainted and was not moving.
– Now let's have a conversation.
Lee Sungmin wrote on the floor.
As Kuromaru had taken an elixir to resist his blindness, his hearing had not yet returned. So Lee Sungmin demanded that he 'tell him everything' rather than annoying him by writing it all down. Thanks to that, their conversation was very one-sided.
Kuromaru chattered, and Lee Sungmin just listened.
The name of the dead man was Hayato. Hayato was like a brother of Kuromaru since childhood, but that wasn't what Lee Sungmin wanted to know. It wasn't Lee Sungmin who killed Hayato.
The giant's name was Nobuhiro. He was a master-like figure who had taught Kuromaru and Hayato martial arts since they were children. But they didn't seem like they were his disciples.
– So you say you are all Japanese.
Eria summons people from all dimensions. Since there weren't only Koreans on Earth, people from all countries, including the Chinese, Japanese, Americans, and Russians, were also summoned to Eria. Most of the people summoned from 'Earth' were no-class.
Not all of them, though. As in the case of Kim Jonghyun, there are cases in which people from Earth turned out to be walking on the road to becoming a mage.
In this world without allies, having a common 'nation' made one feel closer. Even on such a different dimension, it was not uncommon for people from the same country to gather and build power. Lee Sungmin of the previous life was also remembered as a member of the Korean Marine corps, or a Korean born in the Year of the Dragon.
Kuromaru said that he belongs to a clan that lives in the Sleeping Forest, and that he was seeking the clan's secrets.
– Biwon?
(T/N: Buddhist term. one's earnest prayer. To save mankind usually)
Lee Sungmin wrote on the floor. Kuromaru hesitated for a moment and looked back at Nobuhiro, who was on the ground. Looking at those terrified eyes, Lee Sungmin gave a small smile.
– If you're that afraid, shall I just kill him?
"Oh, no. No. You don't have to."
Kuromaru shook his head in a fit of fright.
"The secret goal of our clan is to see the end of this forest."
Kuromaru answered. The end of the forest. Lee Sungmin frowned and tilted his head in contemplation.
– What is at the end of this forest?
"That... I don't know. The only one who knows about it is our clan's patriarch."
– Are you saying you were just following him without ever knowing or thinking anything about it?
"That's... We were born and raised in this forest. From childhood, I, along with everyone else in the village, have only been told that we are members of the clan."
Kuromaru did not know about 'Biwon'. Lee Sungmin wanted to try torturing information out of him but abandoned the thought since it didn't seem like he knew much. If he wanted to dig up information through torture, it would be better to do it on Nobuhiro, who was lying on the ground than Kuromaru.
– Do you know who Envirus is?
"Who is that?"
Kuromaru asked with his eyes wide open. In the end, not much was gained by Lee Sungmin through this conversation. He left Kuromaru and approached Nobuhiro.
Nobuhiro opened his eyes after being struck on the cheek a few times. He opened his mouth and yelled as he lifted his head, and when Lee Sungmin pressed down on his shoulder with the spear, he screamed and laid down on the floor while shielding his head.
"Do you know Envirus?"
Lee Sungmin asked while looking down at Nobuhiro. Nobuhiro stared at Lee Sungmin, his face distorted with pain. At that moment, Nobuhiro had a lot of thoughts. In the entire village and clan, he had been the person with the best skills. He never thought someone could suppress him like this other than the clan's patriarch.
"Envi... Envirus ... ?"
"Do you know?"
"I do not know... !"
"What is it that your clan is pursuing? What is at the end of this forest."
"Do you think I will tell you... !"
"Hmm."
Lee Sungmin looked down at Nobuhiro with a grim face. Lee Sungmin, who had been watching Nobuhiro for a while, turned over and approached Kuromaru.
– Where is your village?
"That... that's..."
"Kuromaru! What are you doing!"
Nobuhiro screamed as Kuromaru stuttered. Lee Sungmin looked at Kuromaru while ignoring his words. Looking at Lee Sungmin's indifferent eyes, Kuromaru bit his lip.
"The village..."
As Kuromaru opened his mouth, Nobuhiro stood up and yelled out. He flew out to attack as a protector of the village rather than out of fear of Lee Sungmin. He circulated his inner force and made a desperate attempt, but...Puk! In the hands of Lee Sungmin, the spear shot out from behind Nobuhiro to pierce through his head.
Kuromaru opened his mouth as he watched in horror. The village elder who had taught him martial arts since his childhood had a hole made in his head and died. Both horror and anger were mixed up in his expression.
– I couldn't help it.
Lee Sungmin wrote on the floor as an excuse. The content was an excuse, but the expression was still indifferent. Kuromaru was seriously afraid of Lee Sungmin.
"Ah... I... I will guide you."
Kuromaru stammered.
It was like meeting the reaper.
Kuromaru thought he felt his steps staggering. It was. His pace toward reaching the destination was much slower than usual. It was because of Lee Sungmin, who was walking along behind him. Lee Sungmin did not threaten Kuromaru, nor did he blame him for walking that slow.
Even so, It was painful to take an expert on such a level to his village voluntarily. Images of the dead Hayato and Nobuhiro continued to haunt him. Shouldn't he have died that way too?
'No. Even if I died, this man would have gone to the village.'
It would have turned out like that anyways. Kuromaru made such excuses to calm his trembling mind.
Lee Sungmin spent some time in thought as he followed Kuromaru. Kuromaru's clan was few in numbers. It was said to be a village, but there were less than 100 people in it. Until the previous generation, the village was maintained by inbreeding. As hereditary diseases began to occur due to repeated intermarriage, the village turned to maintain their existence by abducting people from outside.
'I don't understand why they would do all this.'
Lee Sungmin genuinely thought so. The reason for why people lived in this Sleeping Forest where no people are coming in and out while maintaining their village by marrying and kidnapping. Was their purpose great enough to devote so many generations to achieve their clan's secret wishes?
'I had never heard of this clan in my past life. I'd never even heard of a Sleeping Forest.'
When Lee Sungmin did not come to this forest, it was like that. Then, what would happen now that he came to this forest? Because of his existence, was there going to be a change from the events in his previous life?
'I don't know.'
When Master Sungha died. When he killed Ghost Blade. Lee Sungmin had thought long and hard on this topic. People who should not die were dead because of his actions in this timeline. Everyone was getting entangled with him. As Denir also said, Lee Sungmin's existence was distorting the original flow of time.
He had been thinking a lot over 2100 years.
Now he had reached a conclusion.
Whatever happened to the world, it wasn't any of his business.
What mattered to Lee Sungmin was only himself.
"We have... arrived."
Kuromaru said in a small voice.
The entrance to the village was protected by a crude wooden fence. Something like a garden for planting crops could be seen over the fence. There was a barrier, but there were no people standing guard in front of it. Lee Sungmin contemplated for a moment while looking at the fence.
He didn't agonize over it for too long. No, to be precise, Lee Sungmin did not feel the need to do so.
Peoeok!
An arrow that flew from a distance pierced through Kuromaru's neck. Kuromaru vomited out blood through his mouth. He stumbled back a few steps and tried to say something, but he was unable to spit it out and died.
Lee Sungmin felt the killing intent and knew the attack was coming but did not see the need to warn Kuromaru about it.
This was because Lee Sungmin did not need to protect Kuromaru. He had already heard everything Kuromaru had to say.
"You really have no mercy – even to members of your own clan."
Lee Sungmin, spoke with a calm face while pulling out his spear. He was a little curious. What did this clan, that was so hostile to foreigners, want to achieve? And why did Envirus come to this forest?
'I hope I can reap all the efforts I've spent here.'
Lee Sungmin thought that and activated his Defense Aura.
(T/N: Previously tl'ed as Self-Protection Force.)