SVMN~72💥

Chapter 72

I had another strange dream.

At first, I thought it was a continuation of the previous dream, but it wasn’t.

This time, the background was different.

‘Here is…’

Blood.

It was blood.

Corpses piled up like mountains, and blood formed an ocean.

A man was standing there.

I instinctively knew. It was that man. The man who sat in a cave muttering to himself in regret.

Why was that man here?

And holding a sword dripping with blood, as if he were the cause of all this…

“You… like you…”

Then a voice came from the side.

It was a familiar yet unfamiliar voice. I turned my head without thinking, and froze at the face I saw.

Pyeong-hyeon.

No, more exactly, a man who “looked like Pyeong-hyeon.”

He looked so much like him that it felt like what Pyeong-hyeon would become if he grew up as a man.

While I was still shocked, the man continued speaking calmly.

“I’ve never seen a murderer like you before.”

“……”

“You must have harmed many people until now. Wherever you passed, rivers of blood flowed, and countless corpses piled beneath your feet. Just like now.”

“Shut up.”

Only then did the other man speak.

“They were all demons. Evil people! People who harm others and are of no use to the world…!”

“We!”

The man who looked like Pyeong-hyeon shouted as if vomiting blood.

“Are we also evil people? What crime did we commit to deserve this?”

“……”

“We only lived quietly in hiding! We did not interfere with the martial world. We lived together, helping each other! But you slaughtered those people!”

“……”

“Who… who is evil? Us, who lived under the false accusation of the Demonic Sect and were unjustly killed? Or you, the murderer blinded by prejudice?”

The man slowly stepped back.

I could somehow tell. He was wavering.

“…No. That’s not true.”

“Even though we never attacked you. We heard you were coming, but we waited without any defenses. Do you know why?”

“Stop…”

“It’s because I stopped them. I thought maybe talking would work. That we could solve it with words. I tried to persuade everyone.”

“……”

“But you started killing people before we could even speak. Most of them probably died not even knowing why… because of me… even Uncle Ma couldn’t do anything…”

I flinched.

Partly because the word “Uncle Ma” came from the mouth of the man who looked like Pyeong-hyeon, but more because he began to cry.

My chest tightened painfully. It felt like it was being torn apart.

What is this feeling? Sadness? Sympathy? Or guilt…?

‘Guilt?’

As I felt something strange, the man suddenly moved.

He picked up a sword from the ground, turned it upside down, and pointed it at his own neck. Then he looked at the other man.

No. He was looking at me.

Our eyes met.

Those clear eyes so much like Pyeong-hyeon’s were now filled with hatred.

Without realizing it, I reached out my hand.

“I curse you.”

Slash—!

The world turned bright red.

With my scream, everything was swallowed by darkness.

I sank back into sleep.

Before my consciousness faded, I somehow realized something.

This man would come to deeply regret this.

For his entire life.

“Ah…!”

I suddenly sat up.

My whole body was soaked with sweat. I gasped for breath.

‘…A dream?’

It was always like this when I dreamed.

I could never remember the content properly. Wasn’t it the same last time?

And this time too, a strange unpleasant feeling lingered.

Why do I keep having these dreams? Especially when I’m on the verge of death…

‘On the verge of death?’

My eyes widened.

Right.

I almost died!

No, more exactly, I almost died.

I had been desperately searching for the young lady, and in the end, my strength ran out and I collapsed on the roadside. My life was fading away, and I thought this was truly the end.

“Don’t!”

At that moment, I heard a voice. A young girl’s voice.

‘A girl?’

No way.

‘…The young lady?’

I quickly got up.

Could that voice have been her? Did I miraculously meet her? Did she… save me?

‘I need to check immediately.’

I need to find her. I need to make sure she is safe…

Creek—

Then someone opened the door.

I quickly looked over.

A small familiar figure was… Pyeong-hyeon.

Unlike usual, her hair was tied up high, and she was holding a wooden basin as she entered.

I felt a slight disappointment. Right, of course the young lady wouldn’t be here. I had searched all of Hanbi and found nothing. A miracle like that wouldn’t happen…

‘Then where do I even look now?’

While I was feeling lost again, I looked up.

My eyes met Pyeong-hyeon’s.

And another thought came to me.

‘Why is she here?’

At that moment—

Thud!

The basin fell to the floor.

My eyes widened.

Tears were already filling Pyeong-hyeon’s eyes.

“Uh… uh… uh…”

“Hmm?”

“Unni—!”

Suddenly, she ran into my arms.

I instinctively opened my arms and caught her. The impact made me fall back onto the bed again, but I was more focused on the crying girl in my arms.

At the same time, her voice burst out.

“Why are you only waking up now! Why…!”

“Pyeong-hyeon…”

“You said you would come back! That if I just waited a little, you’d show up safe and sound! Is that what you call safe?! You were half-dead on the street!”

“……”

“When I found you… I… I…”

She finally burst into loud crying.

While comforting her, I finally understood.

‘So that voice was Pyeong-hyeon.’

I felt even more sorry.

I really had said I would come back safely. At the time, I thought I would, but instead I nearly died.

And she even saw me like that. Of course she must have been shocked.

“Sorry.”

“You liar… I hate you… I really hate you…”

“I’m really sorry. Something happened in the middle… It’s my fault for pushing myself too far. I shouldn’t have broken my promise. I really did wrong.”

“Sniff… hic…”

“Don’t be too sad. Okay? Do you really hate me that much?”

Pyeong-hyeon glared at me with teary eyes. Then she buried her face back into my chest and mumbled.

“…I don’t hate you.”

I smiled faintly.

Then I asked her what happened.

How she came all the way from Nannyeong after we separated.

After hearing her story, I understood everything. And I was a little surprised.

‘So Uncle Ma kept getting updates about me…’

I didn’t expect him to care that much about my safety.

Just lending me a carriage was already more than enough kindness, but he even kept watching over me afterward. I probably survived thanks to his treatment too.

I should definitely thank him when I see him again.

Just as I was thinking that—

Bang!

The person I had been waiting for finally entered.

I turned my head and called out happily.

“Uncle Ma!”

But…

His expression was strange.

I expected him to frown and shout “You idiot!” the moment he saw me, but instead he just stared at me with a complicated face.

It looked like confusion, relief, shock… all mixed together. His eyes strangely shining…

‘W-what? Is he not angry?’

I flinched.

“Hyun-ah!”

He suddenly shouted in a strict voice.

But he wasn’t talking to me.

Instead, he looked at Pyeong-hyeon.

“How can you cling to that person like that? Get up at once. That person is no longer someone you can act spoiled with.”

“Uncle Ma, she really is…”

“Silence! Mind your manners!”

Huh? Manners?

I looked between them in confusion.

Pyeong-hyeon also looked like she didn’t fully understand, but she stepped away from me reluctantly.

She stood properly beside Uncle Ma, and then he looked back at me.

“We will now greet you properly.”

At the same time, both of them knelt.

My mouth fell open.

What is going on?

And then they bowed deeply.

“Respectfully greeting the Cult Leader, who is bright, righteous, and wise. My name is Eom Ran. I am one of the Twelve Shiwang under the Guangming Orthodox Sect, the Thorn Flower Poison King, Eom Ran.”

“…Pardon?”

“And this person beside me is…”

Then I heard something unbelievable.

“The only son of the second son of the former cult leader, Lord Yi Jinyeon… Master Yi Sa-hyeon.”