Chapter 251

Chapter 251
## Chapter 251

Ganghwange (3)

“Are you telling me a map doesn’t exist here?”

“Correct, completely correct! Please understand, a minor mountain camp like ours really has no use for such documentation. We do possess a rough drawing tracking the nearby mountain paths and local settlements, but it amounts to nothing more than a rudimentary illustration rather than an actual map…”

Gong Pal, who ruled over the Yangsan Mountain outlaws, repeatedly bent his waist in submission, desperately wiping away the perspiration pooling on his face.

The individual standing across from him was a youth who appeared vastly younger than himself, yet he lacked the audacity to treat him lightly.

Throughout the lands of Murim, where even seemingly vulnerable women or young kids might wield devastating martial arts expertise, operating as a bandit was an inherently perilous line of work.

Unlike the common thugs who loitered along minor pathways to shake down travelers for pocket change, those capable of erecting a permanent fortress, even on a minor peak like this one, had to command a respectable level of personal strength.

Furthermore, the grand Empire that once governed these territories had shattered, leaving a fractured landscape of competing factions, independent warlords, and martial organizations fighting for dominance. It was an age of sheer disorder.

Even someone like Gong Pal, whose abilities barely reached the tier of a first-rate martial artist, recognized that truth…

‘Could this be a demon?… Or perhaps an immortal? Curser it all, what kind of calamity have we brought down upon ourselves?!’

…the youth positioned before him was a completely baffling entity, existing on a plane entirely out of his reach.

When his underlings initially escorted this fair-skinned foreigner into the camp, he had mistakenly assumed they had merely abducted the pampered son of some wealthy aristocrat to demand a hefty sum.

The garments enveloping the stranger resembled traditional combat robes, but the sheer excellence of the fabric and the meticulous craftsmanship were far too magnificent to belong to an ordinary person.

‘Blast it, I ought to have realized the danger the moment I looked at his eyes and ears. Those mindless blockheads! They should have warned me that he was an absolute freak of nature!’

He had carelessly brushed him off as nothing more than an outsider possessing bizarre physical traits. That assumption had proved to be his undoing.

Attempting to display his dominance as the master of the stronghold, he had spoken with aggressive hostility…

Shudder—

And in the next breath,

He had locked eyes with those unique, star-shaped pupils, which radiated a profound sense of sheer apathy, and was instantly paralyzed by a terror unlike anything he had encountered before.

‘Curse it, that horrific memory is striking again… ’

Gong Pal trembled, instinctively massaging his trembling forearm while Harris fixed a detached, unblinking gaze upon him.

It was an icy sensation as though the very fabric of reality, both the sky above and the ground beneath, had suddenly turned malicious and was bearing down on him with pure enmity.

Though he had spent his entire existence surviving in these highlands, treating the dense wilderness as his personal domain, at that specific moment, the familiar scenery felt as though it had transformed into the stomach of a monstrous predator.

That overwhelming pressure was precisely how he had fallen into his current pathetic state.

“I see… so this is Hunan Province. And you claim the warfare persists across the territory.”

Harris occupied the grand seat previously reserved for Gong Pal, which was lined with raw animal pelts, as he softly cogitated aloud.

The tone of his voice was delicate and pleasing to the ear, evoking the sound of precious jade spheres gently clinking together, but to the ears of Gong Pal, it carried the terrifying weight of a sentence delivered by the Ruler of the Underworld.

The bandit chief and his remaining crew desperately strained their minds, throwing everything they knew into answering the questions Harris put forward.

‘I should have packed up and relocated this camp somewhere far away!’

They could only pray that this living natural catastrophe would be satisfied enough to take his leave.

—

Whoosh—

A lone silhouette cut through the open heavens with the grace of a soaring avian.

Having extracted the essential data he required, Harris was moving forward once more.

‘More than a decade has passed since the previous intelligence briefing arrived… The actual state of affairs appears far more severe than my calculations suggested.’

He had been aware that the central government had fallen apart and that regional conflicts were consuming the territory, but the instability had intensified significantly over the last ten years, causing societal order to decay to a dangerous low point.

Skirmishes, ranging from minor feuds to grand clashes, were continuously fracturing the peace across various provinces and minor districts.

‘The territory of Hunan Province is experiencing the exact same turmoil.’

On the bright side, catastrophic, large-scale campaigns were not occurring with the frequency seen during the initial collapse.

The broader geopolitical environment had settled into a tense deadlock, characterized by persistent border skirmishes and localized territorial grabbing.

The dominant powers controlling the balance within Hunan Province consisted of General Wongang’s military warlords, the Dongting Eighteen Strongholds—which formed a maritime syndicate of brigands commanding the waters of Dongting Lake—and the Hyungsan Sect, which stood as the pillar of the orthodox righteousness in the area.

‘And a multitude of lesser schools have aligned themselves with these giants depending on what benefits them. To think that a mere gathering of thieves is considered one of the primary superpowers in this region.’

He could delve deeper into those mechanics at a later time.

…For the moment, his path was set straight toward Dongting Lake, the heart of operations for the Dongting Eighteen Strongholds.

There was no complex strategy behind electing that particular destination.

It was chosen due to a single factor—it was the nearest major hub.

‘I lack the luxury of time to loiter around the insignificant borders. I will strike at the largest targets first and strip away whatever resources I require!’

Furthermore, given that his targets were cutthroats and thieves, he didn’t need to harbor any moral reservations regarding his methods.

They had spent their lives stripping others of their livelihood through raw intimidation, meaning they had no right to object when the same fate befell them.

‘Channeling the mystical forces of extra-dimensional spirits doesn’t appear to trigger any major backlash from the world. This must be the direct benefit of investing those 5 million points of Karma into the “Dimensional Barrier Weakening” modification.’

While he wasn’t operating at the absolute zenith of his capabilities due to his vast distance from the World Tree… the current situation was far superior to his original estimates.

The heavy sensation of fatigue that habitually slowed him down had dissipated to a noticeable degree.

‘Ah? There is another one close by.’

While navigating the skies,

His senses caught the distinct resonance of a specific energy, prompting him to alter his trajectory and glide down toward the earth.

Whoosh—

His boots touched down right before a modest, naturally formed cavern tucked away inside the face of a steep precipice.

The entrance was so seamlessly hidden by nature that anyone lacking extraordinary perception would easily bypass it without a second thought.

Extending his hand forward, he—.

Plucked a plant right out from its hiding place.

A root perfectly shaped like a miniature human being, entirely immaculate and free from any adhering dirt, slid from the earth without resistance.

“This marks the third specimen. And this individual piece possesses greater vitality than the prior two combined.”

Harris inspected the root, offering a slight, approving motion of his head.

It was a genuine spiritual plant, heavily saturated with the natural vitality of this world, known locally as ‘Ki’.

‘Could this be the famed Insam I have heard about? Fascinating. The physical resemblance to mankind is uncanny.’

Likely because of the distinct properties of Ki—which tended to be weightless and highly fluid yet remained capable of condensing into profoundly concentrated pockets of power—the realm of Ganghwange was teeming with mutated lifeforms and artifacts heavily imbued with world energy.

This presented a massive variance compared to Auterica, where the ambient mana felt significantly denser and far more sluggish.

Even this simple Insam, which was fundamentally nothing more than vegetation, possessed a primitive consciousness that allowed it to mask its location… but to an entity like Harris, a High Elf capable of reading the rhythm of nature itself, tracking them down was as simple as breathing.

He had already gathered three high-grade specimens, even while maintaining a strict standard and only stopping for the absolute best variations.

‘Since this location isn’t a renowned holy peak, the localized energy concentration isn’t particularly mind-blowing.’

Nevertheless, it remained an incredibly lucrative haul, considering he was merely picking them up as an afterthought during his travels.

He found himself speculating on the sheer volume of treasures he could amass if he dedicated himself to systematically harvesting the legendary holy mountains of this continent.

‘I ought to keep that objective in mind and execute a proper sweep once my schedule clears up.’

These natural catalysts would serve as an exceptional boon for his personal advancement.

With a thought, he invoked Pascal, wrapping his form in a protective gale, and cast a brief glance toward an adjacent mountain ridge.

Whoosh—!

Instantly, he launched back into the upper atmosphere, charting a path directly toward the northern horizon.

“What in the world?! What did I just witness…?”

Thud!

Upon that exact mountain ridge,

An ordinary collector of wild herbs, who by sheer coincidence had observed his sudden ascension, stumbled backward in sheer terror, his mouth hanging open in disbelief.

He had grown up listening to folklore regarding the miraculous feats of top-tier martial artists, but even the most romanticized legends never described individuals who could command the currents of the air to fly through the clouds with such effortless freedom.

Furthermore, that physical form… it bore no resemblance to a human martial artist.

“Could it be… an immortal? Or perhaps a celestial deity?”

He hadn’t been able to secure an exact view, given how rapidly the entity had vanished into the distance, but his mind vividly retained the image of a brilliant, golden radiance shimmering from the being’s head.

It looked precisely as if a fragment of the sun had descended onto the mortal plane.

“…I cannot afford to sit around!”

Scrambling back onto his feet, the man hurried over to the exact spot where the celestial being had taken flight, frantically combing through the undergrowth.

He was entirely convinced that a divine entity would surely leave behind some manner of sacred favor.

“Ah!”

Sure enough, his eyes fell upon a cluster of spiritual plants thriving right where Harris had carelessly tossed aside the ‘inferior’ variations of Insam. The herb collector dropped to his knees, bowing his head repeatedly toward the dirt in profound appreciation.

“Blessings upon blessings! Thank you, Heavens above! With this bounty, I can finally afford the remedies for Dongi… I can finally rescue my precious child from the brink…”

This poor father had been risking his life traversing these treacherous peaks in a desperate bid to track down medicine for his ailing offspring.

The potency of common mountain herbs had been dwindling over recent seasons, leaving his prospects incredibly dark… but due to the unintentional waste left behind by Harris, he had stumbled upon a life-altering treasure.

He now possessed the means to secure premium medicine and even provide a rich, nourishing feast for his loved ones at home.

‘I have reached my destination. So, this body of water is Dongting Lake? The scale is massive; it could easily pass for an open sea.’

Thus, entirely without his awareness, rumors regarding a golden-haired immortal capable of riding the winds began to whisper across the land.

—

Back when the decision was made to deploy Harris into the realm of Ganghwange,

There had initially been a fair amount of anxiety regarding his highly unconventional features.

‘Enchanted items forged in an alternate world lose their utility when brought into a dimension governed by a completely foreign energy matrix.’

This was a universally acknowledged reality among those who traversed worlds. The magical relics they had gone to great lengths to accumulate over time were rendered completely inert outside their native systems.

This reality dictated that Harris was unable to utilize any artificial camouflage devices to mask his striking physical traits.

‘Furthermore, Harris operates as a spirit archer, meaning his skillset completely lacks any dedicated stealth or illusion attributes.’

Should they mask his face?

Even a mask would prove insufficient to conceal the bizarre, star-shaped patterns within his eyes.

It presented a highly irritating logistical obstacle.

However, a sudden epiphany had altered that line of thinking.

‘Wait a moment. Why am I wasting energy trying to obscure his true form to begin with?’

Harris was a being of transcendent power, an entity comfortably sitting at the level of a supreme master within the context of Ganghwange’s hierarchy.

Based on historical data and current intelligence, there were perhaps only ten individuals operating at that level of power across the entire modern Murim, even when accounting for the ancient monsters living in total isolation.

Given that reality, what reason was there to skulk in the shadows?

‘There is absolutely no requirement for it! What could anyone possibly do to challenge him?’

Consequently, the choice was made to allow Harris to conduct his operations with total transparency.

At the very least, a set of standard martial arts garments—the likes of which were simple enough to source even back on Earth—was provided for him.

Whoosh—

Rumble— Crackle!

“Kyaaa!”

“H-help me…!”

Yet looking at the current scene, a hint of second-guessing was beginning to surface.

The combination of his exotic physical traits alongside his ability to manifest elemental spirits…

“A demon! An actual demon has descended upon us!”

“Form a wall! You absolute cowards! Quit your wailing and… Argh!”

“How… How are we supposed to wage war against something like that?! Approaching him is impossible!”

“Merciful Buddha protect us… D-demon! Cast yourself out!”

…was triggering an absolute panic among the populace.

Goooo—

Crackle—!

An immense, violent vortex enclosed Harris, howling aggressively as it spun around his form.

Heavy, ominous storm clouds converged overhead, pulled into a dense mass by the sheer vacuum of the wind.

Blinding arcs of lightning tore through the dark atmosphere.

He bore the terrifying likeness of an ancient, apocalyptic fiend capable of bending the weather to his absolute whim.

‘…Is this widespread terror truly just a reaction to his physical looks?’

It became glaringly obvious that any normal human being, irrespective of their appearance, would display the exact same frantic terror if an entity wielding such catastrophic power materialized out of nowhere and began obliterating their headquarters.

‘Ah well, the wheels are already in motion, so there is no turning back.’

Harris gave a brief shrug of his shoulders and locked his eyes onto his primary objective.

This particular fortress belonged to the Eoryong Stronghold, which comprised one of the factions within the Dongting Eighteen Strongholds.

And they were about to become the inaugural casualties of his absolute destruction.