Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1001

I had expected it.

I had expected it, but I wasn’t certain.

To be precise, I thought there was a very high possibility that his son was involved in this situation. But I never imagined that he would go so far as to threaten his own father. Not even Yeon Ho-Jeong could have imagined that.

‘It’s illogical.’

That’s right. It was a situation that defied logic.

At the same time, that’s why I felt like I had been caught off guard.

No matter how insightful a person is, they inevitably develop their own biases as they live their lives. Anyone would be like that.

Yeon Ho-Jeong certainly had such blind spots.

Especially now, after returning and restoring his relationship with his family, and even forming a more affectionate bond than any other family, he was stronger than he was during his time as the Dark Emperor, but he didn’t view the world with as much suspicion as he did back then.

“Namgoong Hyeon.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s voice became quite hoarse.

“Namgoong Hyeon, right? Not the firstborn.”

“…….”

Namgoong In didn’t answer. He just poured himself another drink.

Since he had already admitted it, I couldn’t get angry at him for not answering every question.

Rather, I didn’t know what would happen if I forced him to answer. Surprisingly, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s intuition told him so.

Yeon Ho-Jeong stared at Namgoong In without a word.

I needed patience. It was a time that required even greater patience because I was angry.

How much time had passed?

“Do you believe in the existence of demons?”

It was a random question, but Yeon Ho-Jeong answered.

“If we’re talking about real beings, not metaphors, then no, I don’t.”

“Me neither. Honestly, the most demonic person in the past few years…”

Namgoong In pointed at Yeon Ho-Jeong with his glass.

“…was you.”

Namgoong In finished his drink as soon as he finished speaking.

Yeon Ho-Jeong asked.

“Where is Namgoong Hyeon now?”

“That’s the wrong question.”

“…I see.”

After taking a moment to gather his thoughts, Yeon Ho-Jeong asked again.

“I don’t think you saw a real demon with horns on its head and fire coming out of its mouth.”

“…….”

“Where is the demon you saw?”

Namgoong In gave a bitter smile.

“As you said, I saw a demon. I saw a human who was more demonic than any demon. It was only once, but that was enough. I realized he was an opponent I couldn’t face.”

“…….”

“Then, what kind of message do you think that demon would have given me?”

“I’m guessing he told you not to tell anyone.”

Namgoong In shook his head.

“That’s something you naturally ‘understand’ without being told.”

“…….”

“He said there were two humans more demonic than himself.”

“Two?”

“One was his own father. Compared to his father, who was armed with an evilness that he couldn’t dare to oppose, he said he was nothing.”

“…….”

“Do you know who the other person is?”

“Who is it?”

Namgoong In’s eyes were bloodshot.

“It’s you.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes wavered.

* * *

“The scenery is beautiful.”

The young man’s voice was truly strange.

It was calm and desolate. That’s how it sounded.

However, if you were someone sensitive to the atmosphere, you would be able to feel the overflowing vitality within that voice.

It was languid and dry, but not world-weary. Rather, it was like a life apprentice who wanted to properly understand this world full of mysterious life and wonderful scenery.

“When I lived in the shadows, the whole world I saw was a place to hide and a place to blend in.”

It couldn’t be called a rich vocabulary, but his unique voice, filled with regret and bitterness, had the power to draw people in.

“The world is truly a beautiful place. Isn’t that right, Monk?”

Before he knew it, a monk appeared behind the young man.

It was hard to guess his age. If you looked at him closely, he looked like he was in his thirties, but if you looked at him differently, he looked like he was in his forties, but there wasn’t a single wrinkle on his skin.

Unkempt beard. His hair, which seemed to have been cut quite a while ago, was densely covered with short strands.

If he didn’t have the precepts [Buddhist monastic rules], he wouldn’t have been out of place as the leader of some mountain bandit group. Although he didn’t have a menacing look, his short hair and rough beard gave off an intimidating aura.

But his eyes were so deep and clear. His slightly faded monk’s robe gave off a familiar and comfortable feeling rather than a dirty one.

The monk smiled and said,

“If my heart is at ease, even a dense forest will be comfortable, and if my heart is troubled, even a vast wilderness will seem narrow.”

“You’re starting again.”

“Haha, it’s just because I realized it that way. The mind of a humble monk and the mind of a benefactor will be different.”

“But everyone has a Buddha in their heart?”

“There is a Buddha in everyone’s heart that we must kill in a state of ecstasy when we meet him.”

The young man chuckled.

Even his laughter looked awkward when you just looked at his appearance.

“When I first heard those words, I thought it was nonsense. How could someone who serves the Buddha kill the Buddha?”

“We do not serve the Buddha. We are only trying to reach the state of Buddha.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

“This humble monk also thought it was the same thing. But it was different.”

“Really, the words of religious people like monks are impossible to understand no matter how hard I try.”

“Hahaha, everyone says that.”

“Maybe ‘he’ feels the same way as I do.”

The monk knew who the young man was talking about.

The monk shook his head.

“He will understand. He’s just pretending not to understand.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, it is.”

“That’s a generous assessment. Well, I guess it’s understandable. When I first saw him, I thought he was just a ferocious and cunning lion, but now he’s become an absolute powerhouse who has made a name for himself in the heavens.”

“I’m not giving him a generous assessment because he’s strong. And this humble monk is still lacking in many ways to evaluate anyone.”

“But you think of him as special, don’t you?”

The monk smiled.

It was a smile that was too familiar and comfortable, unlike the young man’s awkward smile.

“He gave me teachings and brought me enlightenment.”

“…….”

“There are many people with great knowledge in the temple. There are also many people with high enlightenment. But when they try to teach someone other than themselves, they are always mindful of their words.”

“Isn’t that natural? They don’t want you to go down the wrong path.”

Even as he spoke, the young man felt that he had changed a lot.

What was the wrong path? The path that the young man himself had walked was the path that everyone in the world would point their fingers at and say was bad.

He hadn’t even realized that. No, he knew why people said it was bad, but that wasn’t a reason for him to change his actions.

Now he knew. That he had walked a bad path.

As long as you were in the martial world [a world of martial arts practitioners], killing was your destiny, but he had killed too many innocent people for one purpose.

That was the problem. He had killed people without any great cause, without any conflict, without any reason.

The young man thought that it wasn’t the killing itself that was bad, but that he hadn’t set a line for himself before crossing over to killing.

The monk said,

“That’s right. They are all honest people. But those teachings were not suitable for everyone.”

It was a very bold statement.

To say that the teachings of the elders in the temple were not always right. It wasn’t something that anyone living in this world, let alone a monk, could easily say.

“He was different. He wasn’t careful about his choice of words. Sometimes, he would shake this humble monk’s mind with such extreme language that I thought it was violent.”

“Was that what was right for you, Monk?”

“I don’t know if it was right for this humble monk. The important thing is that he showed me himself as he was, without any pretense.”

“…Well, he was like that with me too.”

“He didn’t care about me at all. He didn’t do it for me either. He just showed me his life, that was all.”

The monk’s smile deepened.

“His very existence was an enlightenment for me. I don’t think my gratitude for him will ever change, even when I leave this world.”

“He didn’t try to teach, but in the end, he taught…”

The young man nodded.

“In the end, the heart of the person who wants to learn was important.”

“Before I learned from him, I experienced great frustration. Naturally, I yearned for learning. But there was no learning anywhere.”

“…….”

“In the end, all enlightenment was within me. He showed it through his actions.”

The young man sighed deeply.

“Let’s stop talking about him. If I keep listening, I feel like I’m going to end up praising him.”

“Hahaha.”

“Anyway…”

The young man looked down at the mountain.

Even though it was quite far away, there was a world that seemed endless.

It was the Murim Alliance [a powerful martial arts organization].

An immeasurable number of buildings stood in a row. The walls were so long and wide that it seemed difficult for even a hundred thousand troops to enter.

A terrifying majesty, there was no other way to express it other than the word ‘masterpiece’.

But to the young man’s eyes, the Murim Alliance didn’t just look great.

“Did you feel it too, Monk?”

The smile on the monk’s face had disappeared.

The monk’s eyes, which were standing next to the young man and looking down at the Murim Alliance, sank deeply.

“I don’t know. This humble monk cannot dare to look at the benefactor’s level, who has understood ‘death’ itself. This humble monk may not be able to feel what the benefactor feels.”

“I wonder if you could last thirty moves in your hands.”

“That would be the case in a fair duel.”

“So, you don’t feel anything?”

“That’s right. However…”

Whoooong.

A faint golden light rose from the monk’s body.

The density of his true energy [internal energy cultivated through martial arts] was very high, but the color was not dark and even transparent.

It was the light of enlightenment. Like his true energy, the monk’s heart must have been transparent.

“I do feel that the air is somewhat murky.”

The young man’s lips curled up.

“It’s bound to be murky because there are so many people living there.”

It didn’t sound like he was just saying it.

The monk asked,

“What does the Murim Alliance look like to you, benefactor?”

“It’s stuffy. But it’s like that everywhere. The important thing is the atmosphere…”

“…….”

“It’s an atmosphere that I can’t think of any other word to use other than ‘evil’.”

The monk’s face hardened.

He knew that the young man’s sensitivity had reached the level of a god. It wasn’t a matter of force. It was a matter of enlightenment.

The young man, who had wandered through the swamp of death and always lived like a messenger of the King of Hell in the shadows, had gained a transcendent sense that even the most powerful experts had difficulty obtaining.

That young man said it was evil. The Murim Alliance, the pinnacle of the righteous sects.

“We should go quickly.”

“We should.”

The young man tapped the ground with his toes.

“Don’t forget our promise, Monk Beomoh.”

The monk, Beomoh, smiled and said,

“There is no one who knows the benefactor’s face. I will speak well to the abbot, so trust me.”

“Okay. Let’s go.”

Paah!

The two men kicked off the edge of the cliff and soared into the air.

Beomoh’s movement technique was a mystery in itself, without any shaking. Like an immovable Myo-oh statue [a Buddhist deity], he flew far away in no time. It was the Shaolin secret technique, Vajra Immovable.

On the other hand, the young man’s movement technique was secretive and swift.

That was all. He moved forward without any special characteristics. However, that speed was rather surpassing Beomoh.

A pinnacle movement technique that shot forward like a cone.

With the young man’s toes, hot fire and cold air combined to create explosive speed.