Chapter 299

Chapter 299
## Chapter 299. The Black Flame Dragon Showing Itself (3)

—

Silent Light (Jeok-gwang-geom).

This particular blade, meant to pierce through the deepest gloom with a crimson radiance, was numbered among the Fifteen Divine Tools of the Martial Alliance and stood as the sacred heirloom of the Divine Plum Blossom Swordsman, Jung-san Hwa.

The scarlet plum blossoms he unleashed using the Silent Light sword were the very flowers that struck the utmost terror into the hearts of demonic practitioners. Among the Fifteen Divine Tools, the Silent Light sword had tasted so much blood of those wicked cultivators that it earned the alternative moniker of the Red Blood Sword.

Yet, perhaps its edge was simply too keen?

Ultimately, the catalyst that unhinged Jung-san Hwa’s mind was none other than this very Silent Light sword.

Infused with the deep-seated malice of Do-won Jang and the sanguine energy of the Blood Sea Jade, the Silent Light sword had apparently become a burden far too heavy for Jung-san Hwa to bear.

Sreung—

The distinctive dark hue characteristic of Adamantine Incorruptible Iron revealed itself.

Curiously, however, the Silent Light sword possessed a far more luminous shade compared to the Black Dragon Sword I had grown accustomed to wielding. It might be better described as nearing a shade of gray rather than true black.

‘Huh?’

What was more, the peculiar, otherworldly sharpness that defined the original Silent Light sword had completely vanished.

I drew the weapon fully from its sheath, yet only a trace of lethal intent drifted from the Silent Light sword; there was none of that piercing aura that would make one’s flesh crawl at a mere glance.

I shifted my gaze to Do-won Jang.

“What are you staring at?”

Something…… had altered.

This was not the Silent Light sword overflowing with bloodlust that lived in my memories.

It lacked that terrifyingly acute edge capable of destroying everything and eventually destroying the one who held it.

What caused this transformation?

They say a weapon mirrors the spirit of its creator far more than the one who simply wields it.

Could it be that, unlike in my previous existence, Do-won Jang’s spirit was not consumed by hatred toward the Demonic Cult?

“Why? Is it not the weapon you envisioned?”

“…….”

The crimson stripe that originally cut across the blade of the Silent Light sword had likewise vanished.

Aside from the faint murderous intent leaking out, it looked ordinary enough that anyone would accept it as a standard sword.

As I stood frozen, trying to make sense of this baffling turn of events, Do-won Jang spoke up.

“From the look on your face, you had a specific weapon in mind.”

“…….”

“……Did you truly desire a demonic weapon?”

“Did you…… realize?”

Do-won Jang ignited his pipe.

Inhaling deeply, he let out a prolonged cloud of smoke.

The exotic aroma of tobacco drifted around me before washing over the Silent Light sword.

“I had my suspicions when you requested a blade forged from an object saturated with the agonized screams of countless nameless souls…….”

Do-won Jang released a weary, empty sigh, fixing his gaze upon me.

“Just what is it that you want to slaughter so desperately?”

When I first crossed paths with Do-won Jang and plotted to claim the Fifteen Divine Tools, the absolute first weapon that came to my mind was the Silent Light sword.

I looked him dead in the eye.

“The enemy.”

For if it were not for the Silent Light sword, I would never possess the power to strike them down.

“……Even if it means placing your own life in jeopardy?”

Because if I fail to eradicate those monsters who dwell in a darkness thicker than midnight, everything I hold dear will be ripped away.

“On occasion, one must welcome ruin to overthrow opponents who are overwhelmingly powerful. If that ruin is a burden one willingly shoulders, is it not an incredibly profitable trade?”

“You absolute lunatic……”

The blacksmith before me, despite fully grasping my dark ambitions, ultimately chose not to forge the Red Light (Jeok-gwang).

And in that same instant, a realization dawned on me.

The Do-won Jang from my previous life had also been fully aware of what he was shaping.

‘It wasn’t a weapon born out of mere chance.’

My previous assumptions had been entirely wrong.

I had falsely believed that utilizing identical components would inevitably yield the exact same weapon.

“…….”

Do-won Jang fell silent.

I, too, remained speechless in the face of this unforeseen outcome.

By the time the embers in his pipe had died down completely.

“……You.”

Do-won Jang finally broke the silence, his expression incredibly troubled.

“Do you wish to transform into a vengeful phantom?”

A vengeful phantom, a vengeful phantom, is it.

“……Whenever the situation demands it.”

“A fire that consumes its own fuel can never bring warmth to others.”

“At the very least, I will not allow myself to be devoured by the gloom.”

Tsk.

Do-won Jang clicked his tongue in clear disapproval, dumping out the ash before tightly gripping a fresh batch of tobacco leaves.

“Test the blade.”

“……?”

I tilted my head, caught off guard by the sudden instruction.

Instantly, his expression hardened into a glare.

“Stop looking at me with those defiant eyes and just do what you’re told!”

I immediately lowered my head at Do-won Jang’s sudden shout.

When had I ever looked at him defiantly? I was merely gripped by anxiety.

With no raw materials left, I feared I might never gaze upon the true Silent Light sword of old again.

Swallowing my apprehension, I began to slowly channel my inner force into the weapon.

“……?”

To my astonishment, the dull gray blade began to emit a delicate golden radiance.

Simultaneously, a sensation vibrated through the metal.

D-d-d-d-d—

It felt like a savage beast desperately clawing to break free from a tiny cage.

As though an entire universe was locked within this slender blade, an unmeasurable malice was screaming to be unleashed upon the world this very second.

What could this possibly mean?

“Is that all the strength you muster?”

Do-won Jang spoke as if the solution lay entirely within my own grasp.

I began to ponder.

According to the details I gathered, Do-won Jang had indubitably forged the Blood Sea Jade into this steel.

If that was the case, where had the malice and suffering bound to the Blood Sea Jade gone?

If it truly resided within this weapon, if it hadn’t simply dissipated into nothingness…….

What key was required to summon it forth?

I dragged up a memory.

The absolute darkest moment of my existence.

The moment when the warriors of the So-jeong-dae were slaughtered like insects by a sneering demonic practitioner, and the vile grin on that monster’s face as he stood over us while we wept in agony.

I recalled the suffocating helplessness of being utterly powerless, even as a volcanic fury erupted within my chest.

Driven by the sheer force of my intent, the hair on my arms stood on end.

The serene reality of moments prior shattered into dust, and I was dragged back into the depths of purgatory once more.

The butchered remains of my sworn brothers and the torrents of crimson leaking from their wounds.

The empty eyes of my fallen comrades, their life force completely extinguished, began to murmur to me in an unending loop.

Kill!

Die!

Kill!!

Die!!

Kill!!!

Die!!!

Standing at the epicenter of that slaughterhouse where malice and bloodlust flourished without end, I slowly opened my eyes.

And upon the steel that had been gleaming with a golden aura, the light faded entirely.

Saaaaa—

Exactly like the Silent Light sword from my past, a distinct crimson vein manifested across the metal.

An aura of slaughter far more suffocating than my own internal fury erupted outward.

Like a lunatic entirely consumed by the desire to butcher, like the Heavenly Killer Star whose sole purpose for existing was slaughter.

Even amidst the imaginary chaos of the warzone, the world around me grew completely still, and my consciousness focused entirely on a single foe.

My limbs moved on their own, guided by the raw malice surging from my soul.

The moment I prepared to close the distance and plunge the blade into that demonic practitioner’s foul throat.

Abruptly, a verse from the Tae-eul True Scripture echoed through my mind.

Since all existence originated from the great void, the cries of malice and slaughter are nothing but illusions.

In that instant, clarity snapped back into my mind, the vision dissolved, and the demonic practitioner who should have been within my grasp vanished into thin air.

The mountains of corpses and the rivers of gore were gone; I was back inside the familiar forge where I started.

My eyes immediately locked onto the Silent Light sword.

The weapon now displayed its striking, authentic form.

“……Are you back with us?”

Turning toward the voice, I discovered Do-won Jang standing a distance away, holding a helmet and a shield before I could even notice.

He was shaking from head to toe.

“When did you retreat all the way over there?”

Had he foreseen that I would lose my sanity the moment the Silent Light sword awakened?

Do-won Jang watched me with extreme caution from the far corner of the workshop.

“If your mind is clear, suppress that horrific bloodlust this instant! I’ll end up in an early grave if you keep this up.”

Ah, that wouldn’t do. I still require you to forge fourteen more divine tools for me.

I moved with haste.

“My apologies.”

The moment I reined in my murderous intent, the chaotic energies that had been swirling through the room vanished back into the steel as if sucked inward by a vacuum.

The crimson vein that had been vividly etched into the blade disappeared completely.

This was an attribute that had never existed in the Silent Light sword of my previous life.

How was such a thing possible?

“I expected you to turn into a raving lunatic, but it seems your mental cultivation is quite profound.”

Do-won Jang wiped away the cold sweat from his brow, exhaling a heavy sigh of relief.

I immediately pressed him.

“How did you achieve this?”

The Silent Light sword crafted by the Do-won Jang of this present timeline.

In its dormant state, devoid of any bloodlust, it seemed to emit a faint, divine aura.

Yet the moment its true nature was triggered, it unleashed a malice far more intense than the Silent Light sword I remembered from my past life.

It defied all logical sense.

Hearing my question, Do-won Jang let out a heavy groan.

“Do you truly wish to uncover it?”

“Is there some massive secret involved?”

“I frequented the black market more times than I care to count to secure those components. If your father had investigated, I would never have been able to complete this weapon. The raw bloodlust from the primary components alone was simply too overwhelming.”

Do-won Jang abruptly shifted the topic, clearly reluctant to delve deeper into the matter.

“The second those materials landed in my hands, I understood precisely what you intended to do. Yet, even knowing the immense danger, how could I possibly steer my savior down a path to destruction?”

“……If that is true, then why go through with it?”

Why forge it despite all his reservations?

“Quite simply…… because I placed my faith in you. The version of you that stands before me, known as So-un Jin.”

His words carried a profound weight.

“I remain ignorant of your past or the ultimate destination you seek……”

Do-won Jang gazed at me with a warmth he had never shown before.

“I only ask that you fulfill your goals using the blade I forged. Do not allow yourself to be consumed by the flames.”

Like a grandfather passing down his cherished smithing hammer to his youngest grandson, a mixture of deep anxiety and immense pride swirled within Do-won Jang’s eyes.

Moved by his gaze, I gently ran my fingers along the weapon.

“What name does this blade bear?”

I was genuinely curious.

This Silent Light sword was entirely different from the one in my past life.

Had its title changed along with its nature?

“The characters are carved into the base of the blade.”

Two words etched cleanly into the gray steel became visible.

Silent Light (Jeok-gwang).

It was a moniker derived from a Buddhist concept representing the illumination of ultimate enlightenment.

Though the underlying meaning had shifted, I couldn’t help but chuckle at the fact that it shared the exact same name from my past life.

“You do realize that I am a follower of the Taoist path?”

“Of course I know. Even so……”

Do-won Jang hesitated briefly before continuing.

“Given that I received a profound blessing from Buddhism, the least I could do was preserve the title, shouldn’t I?”

“…….”

A blessing from Buddhism? Could it be……?

In a flash, an intense curiosity gripped me regarding the specific item Do-won Jang had procured from the black market.

No, truth be told, it was pure dread.

“Elder, by any chance……”

“Cease your questioning! Sometimes, ignorance is the best medicine.”

“…….”

Do-won Jang turned on his heel and walked deeper into the forge, signaling the end of the conversation.

……Just what on earth had this old man managed to pull off?

Yet another missive arrived from the Eun-ha Merchant Group.

To be precise, it was less of an invitation and more of a demand for contract execution under the guise of hospitality.

“The ultimate verdict is…… they insist on your presence.”

The Eun-ha Merchant Group was already well aware that the Dae-cheon Merchant Group was in dire need of high-end commodities. Consequently, they concluded their letter by stating that the principal party involved must appear in person to finalize the terms.

In short.

“They’ve effectively issued an ultimatum: if I fail to show, the deal is off.”

“Hmph, typical.”

First came a plea, followed by an allure, and finally a blunt threat.

It was an incredibly shrewd negotiation tactic that showcased their immense experience.

As I reviewed the letter once more with scrutiny, my father spoke up, his voice laced with concern.

“Are you truly…… setting out to meet them?”

“Did I not already inform you?”

I looked up, locking eyes with my father as a smile spread across my face.

“That I intend to construct a courtyard pond for every single hall we own.”

The entourage traveling to the Eun-ha Merchant Group was kept remarkably small.

Myself and So-so Wang.

Just the pair of us, nothing more.

Strictly speaking, since the Eun-ha Merchant Group only demanded my presence, there was no actual reason for So-so Wang to accompany me, yet she adamantly refused to be left behind.

From my perspective, it worked out perfectly.

Thanks to her stubbornness, I was able to travel to the Eun-ha Merchant Group in absolute luxury, riding in the Wang family’s premier carriage.

Inside the vehicle, which boasted its own private sleeping compartment, I spent the majority of the journey asleep. Whenever we halted for rest, I indulged in a lavish lifestyle I would likely never experience again, feasting on delicacies prepared by the attendants.

“We have arrived at our destination.”

Stepping out of the carriage, the grand gates of the Eun-ha Merchant Group came into view. A massive sea of people had gathered at the entrance, forming an agonizingly long queue.

“It appears those holding special invitations are being directed to enter through that side gate, My Lady.”

The driver gestured toward a separate pathway.

Over there, individuals who had arrived in carriages similar to ours were presenting their credentials and entering the estate immediately, bypassing the crowd entirely.

“How extravagant.”

The garments and jewels adorning the guests stepping through that gate were far from ordinary.

‘The sheer wealth represented by the clothing and accessories on those individuals could easily sustain an ordinary family for a whole year.’

Reflecting on it, So-so Wang had meticulously changed her attire and put on fine jewelry during our final rest stop…… she clearly knew what to expect.

“Is something wrong, Oppa?”

Noticing my lingering gaze, So-so Wang tilted her head in confusion.

“……I was simply admiring how well that attire suits you.”

“Hehe! Then the effort to dress up was worth it. I altered my appearance because I refused to let anyone look down on me here.”

“Look down on you?”

So-so Wang was the cherished, sole daughter of Geum-san Wang, one of the four legendary merchant titans of the realm.

She possessed incredible business acumen in her own right and was destined to inherit the entire Wang empire.

The idea of anyone looking down on someone of So-so Wang’s stature seemed absurd.

She let out a soft huff, squaring her shoulders proudly.

“The Eun-ha Merchant Group primarily caters to elite government officials. Because of that, a significant portion of the guests will be nobles who traveled straight from Beijing upon receiving their invitations. Such aristocrats naturally view both martial artists and merchants as beneath them.”

It held true in any era: those who deemed themselves superior possessed an innate habit of dismissing individuals outside their social sphere.

Furthermore, if ordinary nobles behaved this way, high-ranking bureaucrats would undoubtedly be even more insufferable.

“Let us head inside quickly. The journey must have drained you.”

In truth, having spent countless nights sleeping exposed to the elements or roughing it in camps, the smooth ride here hadn’t exhausted me in the slightest. However, So-so Wang appeared a bit fatigued, so I quietly followed her lead.

As we neared the threshold, an individual who appeared to be a guard extended his hand, curtly demanding our credentials.

“……!”

The guard’s eyes narrowed sharply as he unfolded and scanned the document, his gaze locking onto me.

Was it merely my imagination, or did he deliberately evaluate me from head to toe?

“Welcome. Lady So-so Wang, please proceed inside.”

Under the guard’s direction, So-so Wang stepped forward first. Yet just as I prepared to step through behind her.

The guard thrust out an arm, cutting off my path.

“Servants are required to use the alternative entrance.”

The guard jerked his chin toward a different direction.

In that location stood a cramped side gate that required a person to double over just to squeeze through.

“…….”

This fool’s arrogance seemed to magnify by the second, though perhaps I was merely misinterpreting his behavior.

“I am So-un Jin of the Tae-eul Sect. I am here as an official guest of the Eun-ha Merchant Group.”

“So-un Jin? I see no such individual listed here.”

The guard put on a show of flipping through his registry, carelessly rustling the pages, before giving a dismissive shrug.

“I cannot verify your identity at this moment, so move along to that entrance.”

“…….”

Observe this piece of trash.

He had clearly spotted my name while scanning the roster moments ago, yet he chose to play dumb.

Was it also just a figment of my imagination that I felt a powerful urge to strike him?

Meanwhile, murmurs of irritation began to erupt from the crowd gathering behind me due to the delay.

“What is the hold-up? Clear the path this instant!”

“Hmph! How dare a common vagabond block the path meant for esteemed guests?”

“Get him out of the way!”

As the insults mounted from the elite dressed in their opulent robes, So-so Wang, who had already crossed the threshold, could not conceal her panic.

“Jin Ora……”

“Did you not hear the command? Vacate the premises at once!”

I caught the faint smirk playing at the corner of the guard’s mouth.

That made three provocations so far.

‘Ah, so the plan is to break my pride right at the doorstep. Is that the play?’

As if to confirm my suspicions, the guard and the surrounding sentries, alongside the watching scholars, were all visibly struggling to suppress their amusement.

After all, they had been persistent enough to deliver an invitation to my doorstep three times. There was absolutely no universe in which they were ignorant of my identity.

Furthermore, they deliberately abstained from uttering the derogatory nickname they so loved to use elsewhere.

The guard blocking my path went so far as to adopt an overtly aggressive posture.

Operating under the assumption that I would be paralyzed by the social pressure.

In most scenarios, that would be the expected outcome: comply with their demands for the moment and sort out the slight through proper channels later.

However,

“Get the hell out of— cough! Urgh!”

My temperament happens to be exceptionally volatile, you see.

The guard, suddenly hoisted completely off the cobblestones by his throat, bulged his eyes in sheer terror, entirely blindsided by the retaliation.

“Wh-what do you think…… how dare you…… this is the Eun-ha Merchant Group……”

“What insolent, barbaric behavior is this!”

“As expected of a thug dubbed the Black Flame Dragon, your ties to the Underworld are plain for all to see……”

I was well aware of what they were trying to pull.

They expected me to act like a proper disciple of the Orthodox Path, bound by decorum and face.

But I have absolutely no obligation to dance to your tune, do I?

“Ah, were you uninformed? I count far more allies within the Unorthodox Path than the Orthodox Path. In fact, the moniker ‘Black Flame Dragon’ was bestowed upon me by a prominent lord of the Underworld itself.”

“Just as expected…… the rumors were true.”

“R-release him this instant!”

Amusingly, the crowd accepted my declaration without a hint of skepticism.

As they did, their expressions shifted to pure dread, realizing they had provoked a madman.

They had severely miscalculated.

Their faces clearly broadcasted that they never anticipated such an unhinged reaction.

The individuals who had been gloating seconds ago, convinced I would be trapped by societal expectations, were now gripped by anxiety, terrified of what unpredictable violence I might unleash next.

I hadn’t fully appreciated it until this moment, but the ruffians of the Underworld clearly had the right idea enduring the stigma of their lifestyle.

It offered an incredible amount of freedom.

‘This is remarkably efficient, isn’t it?’

The guard, dangling helplessly in midair as I maintained my iron grip on his throat, flailed wildly in a desperate bid to break free.

But what could such a pathetic amount of inner force hope to achieve against me?

As the oxygen rapidly left his lungs, his flushed face began to turn a deep shade of purple.

Right before he lost consciousness entirely, I hurled the bastard directly into the registration area.

Crash.

The inkstones, brushes, and parchment used to log the arrivals went flying in every direction as the heavy wooden desk split clean down the center.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Instantly, every single guard belonging to the Eun-ha Merchant Group unsheathed their blades in unison.

For the very first time, I found myself genuinely fond of my ridiculous nickname.