Unknown quietly gazed at Black Cat. Then, with a small sigh, they released the energy covering their face.
Unknown’s true face was revealed to the world.
“I just hope everyone will call me Unknown as they do now.”
“…Of course.”
Upon confirming Unknown’s face, Black Cat thought to themselves. No wonder they covered their face—anyone could tell at a glance that they were the aged Ho Cheon-an.
“Please keep it a secret from others, especially from the grandchildren.”
Black Cat had many questions they wanted to ask Unknown, the future Ho Cheon-an. It was a rare chance to know about the future, after all. However, Black Cat suppressed their curiosity.
There were so many emotions swirling in Unknown’s eyes, emotions that resembled a stormy tempest.
Seeing the mixed emotions in Unknown’s eyes made Black Cat realize that their life hadn’t been easy.
As they gazed at those wounded eyes, Black Cat felt unsure if asking about the future was the right thing.
Unknown scrutinized Black Cat slowly. How long had it been since they looked at anyone with such clear vision? As they gazed at Black Cat’s magnificently shining eyes, they recalled that day.
Years had passed, but the memories of that day remained vivid.
The drawing technique that yielded nothing. Watching their companions search in vain only left a bitter smile.
Then Jeong Cheol appeared, and a fight broke out, leading to defeat.
[Struggling…]
Jeong Cheol turned his back. Black Cat unleashed their energy. And… they were left helplessly lying down, flailing their hands.
[Everyone! Run away with the senior!!]
The image of Black Cat rushing towards Jeong Cheol, shouting that, was still embedded in Unknown’s heart. They remembered every last bit of that icy spark that flared up, fueled by the last flame of life.
Jeong Cheol drew his sword and attacked Black Cat.
Black Cat didn’t dodge the attack but clung to Jeong Cheol.
It was truly a suicidal charge.
[This, this crazy girl…!]
Even through blurred vision, Unknown could see Black Cat spitting blood. With every strike from Jeong Cheol, blood sprayed from Black Cat’s mouth, yet they didn’t let go of Jeong Cheol.
Tsssssss!!!
[Uwaaaaaa!]
With the frenzy of the advancing Qi, the Nine Yin technique created mists like frost. Injured companions lifted Unknown and rushed toward the entrance.
Unknown watched the thick mist, resting on someone’s shoulder. Through the dense fog, they saw Black Cat trying to say something.
However, they could never know what Black Cat’s last words were.
Black Cat was too tired to speak loud enough for Unknown to hear.
And with the thick mist of icy air, the lips could not be read.
Please.
Pressing every bit of consciousness to hear the fragments of Black Cat’s last words, Unknown found nothing they could grasp.
That was the last memory Unknown held onto from that day.
That was the last sight of Black Cat.
‘After that, many things happened…’
Haunted by the wreckage of their companions and barely managing to escape, Unknown blamed themselves. More precisely, they blamed their “mistake.” If only they hadn’t overlooked the variable Yongji Maeng, such things wouldn’t have happened!
Having lost Black Cat, Unknown devised plans even more thoroughly and harshly. They obtained all the spiritual medicine and resources available, pulling in other forces to keep Sadoryeon in check.
However.
Unknown’s “mistakes” continued.
No matter how much Unknown excelled, they were merely a peak expert, and Jeong Cheol had reached the pinnacle of Hwa-gyeong, wielding great influence.
Unlike before, Jeong Cheol tried with all his might to handle Unknown, even willing to bear losses himself, leading to unforeseen threats popping up amidst their plans.
Even without Jeong Cheol, Unknown garnered several enemies by greedily growing with all their knowledge, and amidst managing those enemies, more “mistakes” occurred.
And with every “mistake,” one person vanished from Unknown’s side.
[Cough, don’t make that face. Finally… it’s time to repay the Honorable Person.]
Caught by a trap set by Jeong Cheol, Miss Yeo Il-ye perished.
[Hahaha! Protecting the passengers is the true duty of the driver! In the end, I’ll be able to run without regrets.]
In pursuit of forced opportunities, Tang Do-yeon volunteered for sacrifice to escape the crowd of martial artists drawn in by rumors.
[I do not regret it. Outcast. If all is to be wrapped up, I ask you to watch over Yoo Gyeong, older brother.]
Hyeok Gi-rin passed away in their embrace.
[Haha, it was fun, my disciple. I’ve lived too long after the new moon.]
Tang So-yeol also closed their eyes.
Repeatedly experiencing mistakes, losing all companions… alone, Unknown finally realized.
They had been arrogant.
Everything they had thought were mistakes were, in fact, not mistakes at all.
Was it truly something remarkable to be good at a game, looking down at those living in this world?
Holding the peak of a force, could years of work towards their goals truly fit inside merely their head and be toyed with in their hands?
While believing they could manipulate the world at their will, they constructed foolish plans—how could such arrogant plans work out?
Unknown realized painfully after losing all companions. Their heart ached, and tears flowed silently as they engraved that truth into their hearts…
But despite that, the lost companions would not return.
After the consecutive failures, there was no way to revive Sacheon.
Carrying only the shattered heart torn apart, Unknown moved for revenge. Mastering martial arts and techniques, they succeeded in vengeance.
But everything they wanted to protect had long since perished.
Suddenly, Unknown recalled Ho Cheon-an’s words.
They had asked if there would be no lingering attachments left with time.
‘Of course not.’
Attachments overflowed.
They had even researched entering that drawing technique with the core stone they accidentally discovered.
Knowing that even if they returned to the past, their future would not change.
Even knowing that should they enter that drawing technique, their body would remain without any knowledge of the outcome.
They had burned decades just to place themselves instead of the fail in that technique.
When manifested in the familiar cave, once Unknown realized they had succeeded, they simply wept endlessly.
And hiding in the cave, they waited for Ho Cheon-an and the companions to arrive.
They felt an overwhelming urge to spring out and eliminate Jeong Cheol, who could spring out at any moment and follow their companions, yet Unknown managed that impulse with deep breaths.
After all, they understood that unless they shattered Ho Cheon-an’s “arrogance,” he would keep repeating his “mistakes.”
“Are you there?”
“We’re not suspicious people.”
And just hearing the voices they once longed to hear again upon revealing themselves made Unknown forget everything and gaze at their companions.
“This place will become your grave today.”
When Jeong Cheol appeared, Unknown had to strain hard to suppress the urge to leap out. What if a different result unfolded from the past they knew? What if their companions were to lose their lives during the fight?
After what felt like an eternity, Unknown finally felt reassured when Jeong Cheol glanced at Black Cat while holding his sword up to slay Ho Cheon-an.
The wish Unknown had long dreamed of and desired.
Finally, they had a chance to turn back the regrets of the past, to shake off the attachments.
‘This attachment seems endless.’
Three years.
It was the time Unknown spent training Ho Cheon-an, pouring forth their lingering attachments.
Unknown smiled bitterly, feeling the remnants of those attachments in their heart. But now was the time to be satisfied. The Ho Cheon-an present here wasn’t Unknown, and their life had to be carved by themselves.
They could no longer bind those who had become failures so easily.
Now was truly the time to let go.
“I know you have many questions. But I cannot answer those things. Though I am a failure, I’ve sought for a long time, so I believe the current situation is the best.”
Black Cat fell silent at Unknown’s response.
“Now, really, there isn’t much time, could you make way? There’s just one thing left to do.”
“May I ask just one thing?”
Unknown contemplated for a moment at Black Cat’s question. It was clear Black Cat wouldn’t back down easily. Even if they ignored the question and left, Black Cat couldn’t stop Unknown, but still, Unknown didn’t want to part that way.
Perhaps one question would be alright. Although not in their plans… Unknown unconsciously nodded.
“Now I know your true identity, I find myself reconsidering that situation. Did I die in the future?”
“… Yes.”
Unknown merely bowed their head silently. Here was the person who put their life on the line just to save them, now a failure occupied with thoughts of going back to the past. How bewildering it must be from Black Cat’s perspective.
Seeing the guilt-ridden gaze in Unknown’s eyes, Black Cat asked again.
“Did the me from that time leave behind any last words?”
“… No, I couldn’t.”
“I figured as much. It would have been hard to leave any last words in that situation.”
At Black Cat’s comment, Unknown felt a throb in their chest but decided to endure it. No matter what accusations they threw, Black Cat had every right to do so.
However, at the words that followed, Unknown could not help but raise their head.
“I would have said thank you back then.”
Black Cat looked into Unknown’s eyes and said clearly.
“Thanks to you, I learned many things. Without you, I would have remained hidden in the shadows forever, unable to create those delightful memories. I would not have made friends with Hyeok Gi-rin, nor met Tang Rye-ah, nor shared hearts with the people of Wolbok-dang, nor would I have even thought about saving Sara.”
Black Cat smiled while gazing at the speechless Unknown.
“This isn’t merely to comfort you, Unknown Elder. If I had actually died in that situation, what would I have said to you? It’s the conclusion after careful thought.”
“… I see.”
“In the end, you took care of our party with all your heart. I’m just… sorry that this is the only gratitude I can come up with.”
Seeing Black Cat bow their head, Unknown thought.
It was an overflowing gratitude.
They weren’t even sure how to express their sincere thanks for such a grand gift.
As Black Cat took a step back, Unknown gently adjusted their cloak and stepped forward.
Throwing aside the sect leader’s cap, a hole opened in the formation. Suddenly hit by swirling snow, Black Cat realized the outside season was winter.
As Unknown took one last look at Black Cat, they spoke.
“Thank you.”
Black Cat smiled silently. Seeing that, Unknown too smiled and moved towards the outside of the formation.
Unknown looked around as the snow fell.
Fortunately, it seemed the formation had worked as planned. It had been three years inside, but about six months had passed outside.
The formation’s exterior was well-guarded by the Jeokgwi members, with new watchtowers being built at regular intervals.
“I better move before causing unnecessary trouble.”
Unknown immediately took off, utilizing peak stealth and agility to quietly slip away from the watchful eyes of Jeokgwi members, appearing at a nearby mountain’s peak.
There, a certain man awaited Unknown with arms crossed.
“That Jeong Cheol fellow was spouting strange nonsense.”
Unknown listened silently to the man’s words.
“I thought it was nonsense, but having come to seek to recruit him, I now see that at least half of what he said was true.”
The man felt both joy and regret as they looked at Unknown.
“It’s truly a pleasure to have a martial artist like you in the world, but I’m lamenting that the fact you’re a fake is too unfortunate.”
“Today, I’m in quite the good mood.”
Unknown genuinely felt good.
It wasn’t just that Black Cat’s words filled them with joy; even if they hadn’t heard such words, it would still have been a good day.
They had stroked Hyeok Gi-rin’s cheeks they had longed to touch, feasted on the meal prepared by Tang So-yeol and Tang Do-yeon, received a cool compress from Black Cat, and awoken refreshed from the bedding laid by Yeo Il-ye.
“If I felt this way, I could have danced along to your beat, but alas, time is short.”
“The timing is unfortunate.”
Slowly turning around, Unknown considered the man. That was quite the close call. Arriving at this very moment—was it fortune or misfortune?
Unknown couldn’t even begin to fathom how this meeting would impact Ho Cheon-an in the future.
“However, since you’ve made a long journey, I would like to treat you to a move.”
“A single move? How unfortunate. Very unfortunate.”
The man sighed, but Unknown ignored him and stretched out their hand.
Snap!
With the sound of a tiny lightning bolt, a fine lightning thread shot towards the man. As the man noticed the lightning bolt, his eyes widened, and he spread his palm.
In an instant, the air in the mountain quaked.
The high-density Qi radiated from the man’s body, exerting significant influence over the surrounding energy.
It was too thick to be labeled as mere energy, but far too light to call it as Qi. The man’s energy transformed into a denser form, taking shape in his palm.
The dense ball of energy the man created might be called ‘Kang-hwan,’ yet it didn’t take on the form of a ring. Looking like a shapeless liquid boiling, the Kang-hwan expanded, shooting towards Unknown’s lightning thread to swallow it.
The collision between the man’s energetic mass and Unknown’s lightning thread resembled waves crashing at the beach rather than a clash.
Though it was a pointless interaction, the exchange between Unknown and the man came to an end.
Before long, Unknown’s lightning thread completely vanished.
As the core stone shattered, the formation collapsed.
The man, still facing Unknown, muttered to himself.
“The world is vast.”
The man looked at his palm, where a hole smaller than a needle was punctured.
It was indeed a minor wound.
He felt a bit of sting when clenching his fist—that was all that came from it. His body could move freely, and it didn’t affect his internal energy at all.
But how long would it take to eliminate the minute amount of lightning Qi that had slipped through the small wound and heal it?
The man couldn’t easily predict that time. He merely guessed it would take quite a long while.
“Hmm.”
As the man clenched his fist, a sharp pain surged up.
Having thought he was a world away from the pain, was it this near after all?
He pondered this and gazed towards the direction where Ho Cheon-an and company were residing in Jung Yeongsan.
“Since I have been treated well, it would only be polite to return the favor.”
The man concluded that this injury was intentionally left by Unknown. At the very least, he understood it meant he shouldn’t move until this wound was healed.
Feeling the fingertips of his clenched fist, the man chuckled lightly. It was truly delightful. How long had it been since he felt amused by something in his life?
Making a point to appreciate this minor achievement, he decided to be satisfied.
The man, with his jet-black hair and eyes redder than any, turned and began to descend the mountain.
In the middle of winter.
The day the formation in Jung Yeongsan ceased its functions.
Though it was still too early for spring, everything that had been stagnant began to flow.
