The Sage had the characteristic murky eyes of a blind man. He looked at Seo Jun-Ho. A moment later, he let out a deep sigh and looked at him with pity.
“You’re much more… To think that such a young child…Tsk tsk.” He lightly clicked his tongue.
“I’m sorry if this is rude, but… can you see?” Seo Jun-Ho asked carefully.
The Sage tapped his eyes lightly with his pointer finger, showing that he was blind. “Although I cannot see the world with my eyes, I can see it with my mind’s eye; I can smell it with my nose, and hear it with my ears.”
“…?”
“In short, I have acclimatized to my blindness, so there is no inconvenience in my everyday life.” .
The Sage was an interesting person. Even though he was standing right in front of Seo Jun-Ho, the latter had this fleeting feeling that he was speaking with a cloud or a mirage.
“You said that I came faster than you expected. Does that mean you already knew I was coming?”
“Hoho, you are quite a wary youngster.” He stroked his long beard. He nodded, seemingly unfazed. “I understand. The path that you have been walking is not an easy one. You are merely being cautious.” He spoke as if he knew of Seo Jun-Ho’s past.
Seo Jun-Ho pondered for a long time before asking, “Then what is?the path I have been taking?”
“It is a lonely, self-destructive one,” the Sage said firmly. Every time he spoke, Seo Jun-Ho felt like something was penetrating through his skull. “It is a solitary road that prohibits you from having comrades, friends, or lovers. It is a road in which you trap yourself in a cage and carry the burden of sacrifice whilst generously holding out a hand to others. People call those who travel this path—Heroes.”
“…”
Drip.?
For some unknown reason, a tear dripped down Seo Jun-Ho’s cheek.
“Contractor?”
“…Huh? Sorry. I don’t know why I’m acting like this.”
The Sage was an outsider, not one of the 5 Heroes, and he was definitely not Park Deok-Gu. And yet, he had understood and empathized with Seo Jun-Ho, creating a crack in the seal he had placed on his emotions.
“I have been watching you for a long time, Specter.” When the Sage’s words fell, the area around them changed. They were now sitting on a pavilion overlooking a pond, surrounded by a beautiful garden.
“You sought me out because you wished to fix your broken body, did you not?” the Sage asked.
At this point, Seo Jun-Ho had fully understood why the Six Masters had acknowledged and respected the Sage of the Observatory Tower, even though they were expert Players in their own right.
‘He truly does see everything.’?
Normally, it would feel gross and invasive, but he didn’t feel that way. Seo Jun-Ho felt like he was conversing with nature itself, and he could sense instinctively that the Sage was a nonmalicious being.
“That is correct. I wanted to ask your opinion.”
“Hm.?This is difficult.” He looked at Jun-Ho, stroking his chin. “You are in a terrible state. This is the cost of defeating the Floor Master of the 2nd floor, Janabi.”
“Personally, I think I got lucky.”
“Hoho. To think that you’d consider your current state lucky; you truly are an exemplary Hero.” The Sage gave a satisfied smile and nodded after considering it for a second. “There are two solutions.”
“Two?” Seo Jun-Ho’s hands unconsciously curled into fists. He once again became sure that seeking out the Sage had been the correct option.
“There is a relatively easy path and a relatively hard one.”
“May I hear both of them?”
“But of course.” The Sage started with the relatively easy one. “Find the Schumern Saintess. If you ask her earnestly… It will take a month’s time for your body to return to a similar state as before.”
“Only a month…?” Seo Jun-Ho was shocked.
‘The Schumern Saintess’s healing abilities are that powerful?’?
So, why hadn’t she used them in the first place? His thoughts started to become muddled.
“Forgive my impertinence, but I was receiving treatment from her until a few days ago. I sought you out because I saw no improvement,” he said.
“Hoho.” The Sage laughed benevolently without saying anything else. A cool breeze blew through the pavilion, and he sipped on a cup of tea. “I remember. The string of fate always twists and tangles to create various results. A person such as you will have a thick string that splits into many paths. Do not underestimate the power of the connections you have made.”
“…”
His answer was complicated, but Seo Jun-Ho thought he might understand the gist of it.
‘In other words, the Schumern Saintess has a good reason not to make me recover immediately.’?
If he met her again, he would ask her what it was.
“If getting treated by the Schumern Saintess is the relatively easy path, what is the hard one?” Jun-Ho asked.
“It is not merely difficult. It is painful, and you will want to give up immediately. It is a path in which you must lay down your pride.”
“Does that mean it’ll be worth it?”
“Yes. Because you can become stronger than before.”
“Stronger than before…?” Seo Jun-Ho’s eyes flashed, and he sat up straight. “Please tell me. What do I need to do?”
The Sage set down his teacup with a tap. “Find the Thunder God. You need his assistance and guidance.”
“Can you explain a little more in detail?”
“He controls electricity and is prolific in removing the turbid, negative energies within a human that naturally builds up over time. Even with your body’s terrible state, your body can become much sturdier and stronger with his help.”
“Hm.” As Seo Jun-Ho fell into thought, the Sage grinned.
“Why, does it hurt the great Specter’s pride to receive another’s help?” he asked.
“Not really. However…”
‘However?’?
Seo Jun-Ho stopped in the middle of his sentence.
‘…Does it hurt my pride?’?
It might be true.
Seo Jun-Ho himself had always been talking about how much time had passed, about how he had become a relic of the past. He had said himself that there were many powerful Players and fiends in today’s world.
But did he also feel that way deep down?
‘…’
He knew better than anyone that wasn’t the case. He had always been full of confidence, and though he acknowledged the Nine Heavens’ abilities, he thought that he would surpass them soon enough.
He had accepted it in his head, but not in his heart—that his light was old and faded.
“Sigh.”
He became dispirited as he was faced with his own inner thoughts. He felt pathetic and embarrassed as he nodded.
“I suppose that’s the case,” he admitted.
“Hoho, this is why I like smart folks.” The Sage let out a low laugh and took a sip of his tea.
“If I receive help from the Thunder God and improve my body and also receive his teachings, can I become as powerful as the Nine Heavens?” Seo Jun-Ho asked.
“Even I do not know. Just because a teacher is skilled does not mean it passes on to their student.”
It was a wise answer to a silly question. Seo Jun-Ho forgot what he was going to say and simply bowed.
“Thank you for your guidance,” he said.
“I did not do anything extraordinary. Even if you did not meet me, you would have eventually come to the conclusion yourself,” the Sage said.
“But you truly did help me. I know that nothing in the world is free…” Seo Jun-Ho wondered what would be a good way to repay the Sage for his advice.
At the mention of payment, the Sage laughed warmly and stood. “Walk with me.”
The garden beneath the pavilion was very beautiful. There were flowers he couldn’t recognize in full bloom with various colors, and there were butterflies that he had never seen before.
“This is a nice place,” Seo Jun-Ho commented.
“It is simply a way for this old man to pretend to be a Taoist hermit.” At that, he stopped and stared straight up at the sky. “I am looking up at the sky. I cannot see it, but I would imagine that it is a deep blue.”
“…?” Seo Jun-Ho nodded, and the Sage closed his eyes.
“Now, I hear the gentle breeze rustling the leaves. I can smell the aroma of the flowers. And I am breathing in order to live.”
Seo Jun-Ho wondered what the Sage was trying to say. As he stood there blankly, the Sage turned to him and smiled brightly.
“This world has many such things that we can enjoy for free. How could you say something so dispassionate?”
“Haha…” Jun-Ho unwittingly let out a laugh. He had never met someone who would use such a roundabout way to say that he didn’t have to pay them. “I didn’t know you like free things so much.”
“Hoho, and they say that you will become bald if you like free things too much. But my head is still full of hair.”
“Deok-Gu would be upset if he heard that.”
They laughed.
A moment later, Seo Jun-Ho’s face turned serious. “Where can I meet the Thunder God?”
“Go north. He is in a hidden place in one of the especially perilous Wailing Mountains, where the cries of beasts cannot reach, let alone humans.”
“Do you think I can get there with my body like this?”
“If you believe it to be impossible, take the easier path.”
Seo Jun-Ho grinned. Since the Sage had said it like that, it meant that he would be able to do it. “I’ll give your regards to the Thunder God when I meet him.”
“Yes, I look forward to the day we meet again.”
After giving a respectful farewell, Seo Jun-Ho left the garden.
A moment later, the young monks ran up toward the sage.
“He’s an amazing person!”
“He’s a great person!”
They looked very excited.
“His soul is very pure. I wish to become like him.”
“Even though his body is feeble now, he is very powerful. He must have worked very hard.”
The monks were correct. The Sage nodded in agreement. “It is because he is a Hero. He had saved the world, is saving the world, and will save the world in the future. That is why.”
People only ever saw the good parts. However, if they saw the other side, they would realize that nothing good would last. Such was the case with the Hero Specter, who was loved and respected by many people.
“…It seems that you will not be free of the vicious reins of fate yet.”
The Sage could see tears, pain, and scars filling Seo Jun-Ho’s future. However, he said nothing as he sighed.
***
While Seo Jun-Ho was meeting with the Sage of the Observatory Tower, Gong Ju-Ha was tilting her head, and she kept on doing it.
“…What is it?” Ha In-Ho asked, frowning a little. He was going through documents for Gong Ju-Ha that had been postponed in her absence.
“Hey, In-Ho. How many Players in the world do you think have two elemental skills?” she asked.
“I don’t know. Elemental Skills, not elemental abilities through magic? I bet there aren’t even ten people.”
“Hm.” She rested her chin on her fist, lost in thought. “Hey, In-Ho. Can I try summoning a flame on your hand?”
“Did you not take your medication today? Just be honest and say that you want to burn my hand.”
Though it was easier with weapons and inanimate objects, it was difficult, even for skilled elemental users, to cover another person’s entire body with their element.
“Mmm, I thought I was dreaming when I collapsed, but the more I think about it, the more vivid it becomes…” she muttered.
“What was?”
“Hey, In-Ho. If someone could use a fire skill on one hand and a wind skill on the other, what would you think?” She asked.
“I would want to recruit them to our Guild right away. Players who can use two elements are coveted,” he answered.
They were coveted because they were simply that powerful. Even if they could only use one element, it didn’t matter as elemental skills could reach the highest level.
“Hm.” Gong Ju-Ha closed her eyes and recalled the memory once more.
‘Ice on one hand, darkness on the other…’?
Luckily, she knew two people who could use those exact elements.
‘Specter-nim and Mr. Jun-Ho…’?
Did that mean they were the same person?
However, they were from different eras. They had also set their own individual records in the Cave of Trials.
“Ughhh.”
This was the problem that had recently been giving her headaches. She spent a long time pondering this again and again before she eventually looked outside the window with a tired expression on her face.
“I don’t know… I want to hurry up and meet him so I can ask… Where do you think he is?”
“We don’t know. Keep an eye out for him. He might be somewhere outside the window.”
“Geez, In-Ho. Say something that makes sense,” she barked, looking out toward the Wailing Mountains.
1. This is a murim trope