Disciple of The Three Kings [EN]: Chapter 450

-Shaolin.

They were figures that could never be left out when discussing Eun [a fictional world].

They were an indispensable presence in Eun’s history, incomparable to Wudang, Hwasan, or the Beggars’ Sect.

The present was no different.

The Nine Great Sects had already integrated into Earth, engaging in various businesses, forming guilds, and focusing their efforts on dominating Asia.

However, Shaolin was different.

They remained silent, like a tranquil forest, merely guarding their territory.

Yet, they also wielded immense influence over Eun.

-Shaolin, indeed….

Ha Se-min said,

-Could be called the mastermind behind all of this.

Shaolin.

“…….”

Lee Ro-woon also remembered them.

When the past world invaded….

‘The first ones to open.’

Shaolin’s gates opened first.

When they couldn’t handle the monsters pouring out of the gates, abandoning human territory, and civilization was heading towards destruction, they appeared.

Monks wearing yellow robes with the precepts branded on their heads.

Their two fists were….

Kwaang!

It was a scene that remained vividly imprinted in his mind even now.

Everyone cheered, and everyone praised them.

The heroes who saved the world.

After finishing their hunt of the monsters, they soon settled down and went into seclusion.

However.

‘One by one, the gates began to open.’

But they were different from Shaolin.

It was true that they hunted monsters and saved the world, but it was directly connected to their desires.

There were also those who had expectations.

‘Maybe Shaolin will mediate.’

Thinking about the image Shaolin had shown, a naive thought that Shaolin might step in and mediate the violence of the martial artists.

In fact, many people knocked on Shaolin’s doors, requesting salvation.

And the result was the current state of affairs.

Eun dominates Asia.

Shaolin.

-Became the council leader.

Becoming one of the pillars of the Martial Alliance, they made the greatest contribution to solidifying Eun’s position.

However, it wasn’t as if Shaolin had done anything.

They had simply remained still and silent.

Yet, they were the ones who wielded immense influence throughout Asia.

“A mastermind, you say.”

Ha Se-min said that Shaolin was such a mastermind.

-Shaolin’s activities were neither hidden nor revealed.

They only occurred within their territory, as one could see.

However, when something important happened in the world, they would reveal themselves.

-Even the Black Market finds it difficult to grasp their full power.

For a long time, the Black Market had observed Shaolin.

And what they learned was almost nothing.

However, one thing.

-Based on the estimation of Shaolin’s power.

Shaolin’s power.

“It’s like combining all of the Nine Great Sects.”

The Nine Great Sects, the Five Great Families.

It was said to be the same as gathering all of Eun’s power into one.

Lee Ro-woon quietly narrowed his eyes.

A phrase came to mind.

-Shaolin, called the North Star of the Martial World.

It wasn’t someone else’s voice, but his master, Muwang Shin Yeo-wool’s voice.

-They are the only ones that existed when I started.

The Beggars’ Sect and all the others were those who appeared after Shin Yeo-wool created the Demonic Cult.

The Beggars’ Sect was established after Shin Yeo-wool’s death and spread its influence.

Many things that existed before were absorbed into the Demonic Cult and scattered.

‘Shaolin.’

The story was that only Shaolin existed with Shin Yeo-wool’s beginning and end.

Swoosh.

Lee Ro-woon quietly stood up from his seat and looked out the window.

* * *

The goal was set.

-Shaolin.

There was a stake that Shaolin had driven into the world, and there was a gatekeeper to face in order to approach that stake.

The moment they removed Shaolin and approached the stake, the player would be liberated.

Liberation, and revenge.

The moment when the rules of the world would change was finally right in front of them.

Of course, preparations for that had to be thorough.

Even with the information obtained through the Gaeshin Library, they still didn’t know what the stake was or what was possible.

If the stake could move and hide again.

“There is only one chance.”

A voice echoed in the Eunha Assembly Hall.

“We must never miss this opportunity.”

It was Dang Hwa-young.

The meeting was proceeding in a rather serious atmosphere.

They all knew the truth and the goal.

“We must use every means possible.”

To face Shaolin.

“What about Shaolin’s movements?”

“What about Eun’s movements….”

They were talking among themselves, establishing a plan.

A plan that had to be without a single mistake or error.

The optimal plan to achieve what Lee Ro-woon wanted.

“We can’t ignore Hwasan either.”

“We must keep an eye on the pro-Demonic factions.”

Everyone was trying to pour everything into it.

“But, is Shaolin that strong?”

At someone’s question, silence descended.

It was Lee San-hoo.

“Actually, I don’t know much about Shaolin.”

Even when searching through the memories of the Soul Doctor, who could be said to be his past life, that was the case.

Even though he was the Soul Doctor who had treated Daejeong, the abbot of Shaolin.

“The memories about Shaolin are hazy.”

Even though other memories were clear, the ones about Shaolin were as hazy as if they were covered in fog.

So, in the eyes of the player, Lee San-hoo, Shaolin was.

“I don’t really know if they are such a strong presence that we need to be so wary of.”

He didn’t know anything about Shaolin.

“Their revealed appearance was strong. But isn’t Hwasan the same?”

This was something he could say because he was a strategist.

Not to reveal ignorance, but to explore the unknown.

“Please, everyone, tell me what you know about Shaolin.”

Lee San-hoo bowed his head and asked.

And.

“…….”

The silence grew even thicker.

It was inevitable.

“……? No way.”

Lee San-hoo’s voice.

“Does everyone not know much about them?”

The people in this place.

The executives of Eunha were all prominent figures in Eun.

It was different for those from the Blood Cult, but even before that, there were Ha Se-min, the Black Market King who had immense influence in Eun, and Dang Hwa-young, the young master of the Dang family.

In addition, there were players who received requests from the Martial Alliance and Oh Jin-kyung, who had become the head of the Hainan Sect.

They were practically the core of Eun.

“…….”

But none of them opened their mouths.

“It’s similar.”

It was Dang Hwa-young.

“You said that Shaolin is in a hazy fog in the Soul Doctor’s memories.”

That was right.

“I also crossed the threshold of Shaolin when I was young.”

As the young master of the Dang family, she had a memory of being invited to Shaolin.

That was why she had memories of heading to Shaolin.

However.

“That’s all.”

The memory ended there.

She was Dang Hwa-young, who was considered intelligent and praised for her memory and brainpower.

Even for her, that was all she remembered about Shaolin.

“It’s as if something was pieced together….”

The others were the same.

No one remembered anything about Shaolin.

It was then.

“That’s….”

The man who opened the door and entered.

“I’ll tell you.”

Chung In-woo said as he entered the conference room.

“Shaolin.”

As he mentioned Shaolin.

“Those things are monsters on their own.”

Monsters, he said.

* * *

Red Plum Blossom, Chung In-woo.

As he was scheduled to be the next sect leader of Hwasan and had been part of Hwasan until recently, Chung In-woo knew more than others.

For now, the meeting ended after hearing Chung In-woo’s story.

“You seem to have some worries.”

Chung In-woo.

He said as he approached Lee Ro-woon, who was looking out the window.

Chung In-woo, who was settling down with the Red Plum Blossom raid team in Yggdrasil [a virtual world].

He had taken the secrets of Hwasan and Eun with him, so there were countless people still after him.

If it weren’t for the protection of Hwasan and Eunha, they would have chased and eliminated Chung In-woo to the end.

It was a dangerous situation for him to step forward like this.

Even so.

-I have to earn my keep.

Chung In-woo had stepped forward on his own.

“Are you trying to imitate a good human now?”

At Lee Ro-woon’s words, Chung In-woo chuckled.

“No way.”

A human with many sins.

Even though it wasn’t entirely Chung In-woo’s will, the sins that Chung In-woo had accumulated were not something that could be easily forgiven.

“Or are you trying to atone?”

“If I could.”

Chung In-woo said.

“I would like to.”

He also stood next to Lee Ro-woon and looked out the window.

“But this isn’t a problem that can be solved by atoning, is it?”

Chung In-woo had said it before.

In Yggdrasil, while wailing.

-Stop…!

He was the one who shouted alone.

When he escaped the influence of Hwasan and regained his sanity, he was already steeped in sin.

He said.

-Countless spirits speak to me.

The lives he had taken, the sins he had accumulated, were speaking to him, not leaving him alone for a single moment.

Rather, that was why Chung In-woo was amazing.

In that maddening hallucination and auditory hallucination.

Flutter.

To be able to pretend to maintain his sanity like this.

“I just want to end it.”

Chung In-woo said.

“If even one voice disappears, I might be able to sleep.”

“Not that you’ll carry it to the end, is it?”

At Lee Ro-woon’s words, Chung In-woo nodded without smiling.

“To the end? I’m not that crazy. If I could just not see this voice….”

Chung In-woo’s eyes moved.

It was empty space.

“Or this illusion, I would do anything.”

It was indeed an answer worthy of Chung In-woo.

“So, I have to do something. It’s too much of a waste for me to go crazy and die like this, right?”

Lee Ro-woon silently looked out the window.

“So….”

Chung In-woo’s voice was heard.

“What are you worried about?”

“You act like we’re friends now.”

“Whether it’s this operation or in the future, the most important thing is you.”

Chung In-woo had already acknowledged Lee Ro-woon.

“The moment something happens to you, everything will be in vain anyway. So, you could say that I’m looking out for you to make myself better.”

It was ironic.

No one knew about his worries yet, but Chung In-woo was the first to notice.

Was it a sense of kinship?

Or was it something else?

“…….”

Even so, Lee Ro-woon was silent.

Another moment of silence.

Even in this moment, many things would be changing.

“What.”

Chung In-woo, he said again.

“What are you hesitating about?”

“…….”

“There are countless lives hanging on your hesitation.”

Chung In-woo said.

“I may not be able to help you, but sometimes….”

A lowered voice.

“Sometimes, just opening your mouth and spitting it out can be helpful.”

Slowly, Lee Ro-woon’s eyes narrowed.

He couldn’t close them, but his eyes seemed to be lost in thought.

“Is it because of that after all?”

He hadn’t said anything yet, but Chung In-woo spoke as if he had realized something.

“Well, I guess so.”

He leaned against the window and rested his arm on it.

And the name that followed was.

“Muwang.”

It was enough to make Lee Ro-woon’s eyes twitch.

“The stake, and the gatekeeper.”

Chung In-woo said without looking at Lee Ro-woon.

“You already know about their identities, don’t you?”

The story about the stake and the gatekeeper was told by Lee Shin-woo, and only to Lee Ro-woon.

The reason was.

-The gatekeeper of the stake is none other than, Shinma [a demonic being].

That kind of thing.

-It’s your master.

It was finally the place where his master was.