Episode 252 Closed Dimension (1)
A shabby fishing village near Dongting Lake.
Murmur… Murmur…
It was still early in the day for work to end, yet none of the villagers were going about their usual routines.
The fishermen, who had gone out to sea in their worn-out boats, had hurriedly returned, and the villagers, along with their families, flocked to the docks, creating an unexpected crowd.
But despite the commotion, their gaunt faces all held the same expression.
They were staring blankly at the lake, murmuring amongst themselves.
“What in the world is that?”
“Heavens, what kind of sorcery is this…?”
“Mother! Look at that…!”An unusual phenomenon was occurring in the direction of the Eoryong Stronghold, which ruled over this area.
Unlike the clear skies above them, a swirling vortex of dark clouds had gathered over the stronghold, as if sucking in all the surrounding clouds.
A fierce storm raged around it, its power reaching even this distant village.
Flash—
Rumble—!
And from the heart of the storm, lightning and thunder erupted, their intensity evoking primal fear.
The villagers watched in awe, their dry throats bobbing nervously.
“It’s divine punishment, that’s what it is. The Dragon King of Dongting Lake is angered by those villains.”
A hunched old man with a wrinkled face muttered coldly.
The Empire had collapsed, and various factions were fighting for territory, their battles escalating into widespread looting and tyranny.
He had lost his son, his daughter-in-law, and his grandson to those bandits. He had endured it all for the sake of his remaining family… but now, witnessing this overwhelming spectacle, his suppressed rage erupted.
“What are you saying, elder?!”
“Sigh, old man, have you been drinking already? It’s not even noon yet. Why don’t you go home and get some rest?”
The other villagers, startled by his words, hurriedly tried to silence him, nervously glancing around.
This village was under the Eoryong Stronghold’s control.
If his words reached their ears, there would be consequences.
The old man, sensing their fear, closed his mouth and continued to stare at the stronghold, his eyes filled with resentment.
The once unified Empire had shattered into dozens of city-states, and in this land, those bandits were the rulers.
‘Oh, Dragon King… Please… bring down your wrath upon those demons in human skin!’
He could only pray.
That divine retribution would befall those villains.
______________________
‘There’s no one impressive here.’
Harris, enveloped in wind and lightning, surveyed the devastated stronghold, nodding slightly.
He hadn’t even needed to use his bow or his other spirits.
Just the two spirits connected to him were more than enough to deal with these bandits.
And that was also true for their leader.
He was undoubtedly skilled compared to the others, but he hadn’t even reached the threshold of mastery.
“Ugh… This… This is impossible! Not even sorcery can do this…! Are you… a legendary demon…?”
Sizzled by Watt’s lightning, the bandit leader collapsed, writhing on the ground, his mind seemingly broken as he muttered to himself.
Harris had intended to subdue him for interrogation, but the shock seemed to have been too much for him.
‘This isn’t going to work. I need him to be able to talk.’
He recalled an old saying: Old electronics and humans, they both start working again if you hit them enough.
It might not apply to the latest technology, but this guy was clearly old-fashioned.
‘If he doesn’t want to die, he’ll snap out of it…’
As he was thinking that, he suddenly frowned, a sense of unease washing over him.
He paused, examining his own actions and thoughts.
‘…I’m definitely… more aggressive than usual.’
Even considering his distance from the World Tree’s influence, this was excessive.
It was a far cry from his usual laid-back demeanor in Auterica.
‘Hmm, I should investigate this later. But right now…’
He was concerned about his change in behavior, but interrogating the bandit leader was the priority.
He would be able to obtain much more valuable information from him than from the small-time bandits on the mountain.
“Well then, shall we have a little chat? Peacefully?”
He approached the bandit leader, who was still writhing on the ground, and spoke in a gentle voice, forcing a smile.
“Ugh… S-spare me…”
The bandit leader’s face paled even further, but Harris ignored his reaction.
______________________
Managing avatars in three different dimensions had led to a few realizations.
One was that time flowed slightly faster in Ganghwange than in Auterica.
About eight hours faster for every ten days in Auterica.
‘It’s not a big difference unless I plan to stay for a long time. But a little extra time is always welcome.’
And another was a crucial fact he had learned while interrogating the Eoryong Stronghold leader.
Scroll— Scroll—
He scrolled through the information on Ganghwange displayed on his monitor.
But no matter how hard he looked, he couldn’t find anything related to what he had just learned.
He checked the information on other ‘closed dimensions’ as well, but it was the same.
He gave up on finding additional information and leaned back in his chair, lost in thought.
‘The reason why Ganghwange became a closed dimension.’
And the cause of the war that had been raging for over a decade.
The hidden truth behind the collapse of the once powerful Empire.
And a certain secret that connected all of these events.
‘…No, it’s too early to jump to conclusions. I need more information. The higher-ups will know more.’
The leader of the Dongting Eighteen Strongholds, a master-level expert, should be able to provide him with more concrete answers.
He stood up and looked out the window, organizing his thoughts.
‘I had a feeling there was something more to it.’
He sighed, a sense of unease settling in his heart.
This was a serious issue.
In Ganghwange, a Murim world where martial arts reigned supreme,
The fact that Ki, the very foundation of their power, was dwindling…
______________________
After clearing out the Eoryong Stronghold,
Harris looted their warehouse, sending the valuables and martial arts manuals to “Avatar Cloud”, and then took to the sky again.
He also distributed some of the food and supplies to the nearby village.
The bandits were either dead or crippled, unable to use martial arts, so there was no one to complain.
Of course, the other strongholds might retaliate if they learned about what he had done… but he was confident he could finish the job before that happened.
‘Their only means of communication is sending messengers or carrier pigeons.’
And such methods were meaningless against a High Elf who could befriend any animal.
His overwhelming affinity transcended even trained instincts. Even the carrier pigeons would change course and fly towards him, wanting to be petted.
‘And now… I can finally see it. The true state of this world.’
He flew over the densely populated areas near the lake, observing the land below.
He could now clearly understand why Ganghwange was classified as ‘Very High’ danger.
‘An endless war, a famine that has lasted for years, severed trade routes, rampant plagues, and bandits running amok…’
It wouldn’t be a problem for a powerful individual, but for a newcomer to this world, it was a nightmare scenario.
They would be struggling to survive, let alone train and grow stronger.
Harris shook his head, watching the desolate landscape below.
And then,
Just one day later.
After diligently eliminating all the bandit strongholds in his path, he finally reached his destination and encountered Jin Deok-man, the leader of the Dongting Eighteen Strongholds, a master-level expert.
“What is this monstrous being?!”
“L-Leader! The wind… our arrows are useless!”
“We can’t get close! At this rate… Ugh!”
Whoosh—
Crackle—!
Whoosh—!
The ensuing battle ended quickly.
He might be the strongest in this region, but he was still just a barely first-rate martial artist. He was no match for Harris.
He had summoned Callie, the Fire Spirit, to expedite the cleanup. Thanks to her, the Dongting Eighteen Strongholds’ elites were able to put up a decent fight, at least.
“…Ugh… Who… Who are you? Why have you come here to cause such chaos?!”
“I am Harris. I have a few questions.”
“If… If that’s all…!”
“And I’m also here to do some cleaning. Well, what can you do? Consider it karmic retribution.”
“······!”
And so, after exchanging names, a peaceful interrogation began.
Jin Deok-man, the stronghold leader, was uncooperative at first, perhaps due to his pride…
But after Harris used Watt, the Lightning Spirit, to ‘persuade’ him, he changed his mind and began to cooperate enthusiastically.
As the saying goes, there’s no harm in listening to your elders.
‘…This is troublesome.’
Harris sighed deeply after confirming the state of Ganghwange through his interrogation.
It was a situation that couldn’t be resolved with mere brute force.
“Our survival depends on this war! If we don’t secure the Dragon Veins, we’ll be eliminated and devoured! How can we back down?!”
The world’s energy, once abundant, was dwindling.
The major factions had already realized this and were taking measures to survive.
By securing the Dragon Veins, the focal points of the world’s energy, the sources of ‘Ki’.
Even if it meant waging war against other factions.
“The Dragon Veins are essential for everything! Cultivating our strength, training new warriors, creating elixirs, healing internal injuries… We’re not fighting for fun!”
The energy wasn’t infinite, so compromise and negotiation were impossible.
It was like tribes fighting over the few remaining oases in a vast desert.
That was why the war never ended in this world.
A tragic chain of events, fueled by everyone’s desperation.
“…Ah! That’s right. You’re an otherworlder, aren’t you? I thought they had all disappeared after the Heavenly Demon Emperor.”
Jin Deok-man suddenly nodded, as if realizing something.
He seemed to know quite a bit about otherworlders, considering the Eoryong Stronghold leader hadn’t even realized Harris’s true identity.
‘Ganghwange was a relatively active dimension for Earthlings before it became closed.’
He hadn’t recognized Harris immediately because his power was too unusual, even by otherworlder standards.
Most awakened individuals possessed a single, relatively weak ability and relied on their accelerated growth to quickly master martial arts… but a being who solely used otherworldly powers to this extent was unheard of…
“…Come to think of it, I’ve heard of a similar case. I dismissed it as nonsense back then, but… could it be true?”
…but his muttering brought up an interesting topic.
Harris’s instincts sharpened, warning him not to dismiss it.
He gave Jin Deok-man another round of ‘persuasion’, and the bandit leader, trembling, hurriedly continued.
“Ugh! I don’t know much! I just overheard it a long time ago…!”
He didn’t know much.
He had heard it over twenty years ago and hadn’t paid much attention, as he wasn’t interested.
But…
“It was something about… the collapse of the Empire and the current state of the world being his fault… Ahem, now that I think about it, the timing coincides with when the world’s Ki started to dwindle.”
He seemed to have an idea of who it was.
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