#252
Closed Dimension (1)
A shabby fishing village near Dongjeong Lake.
Buzz buzz—
It was still early in the day to be wrapping things up, yet no villager was sticking to their usual routine.
Fishermen who had set out to meet their quotas were rushing back, and their families, along with everyone else in the village, flocked towards the shore, making the dock unusually crowded.
However, amidst this chaos, the expression of the emaciated villagers was eerily uniform.
They were all staring vacantly across the lake, murmuring to each other.
“What on earth is that?”
“Whoa, what kind of miracle is this…?”
“Mom! Look over there…!”
In the direction of the Eoryong Clan, the rulers of this area, an unsettling phenomenon was clearly unfolding.
Unlike the sunny weather on this side, a twisted cloud formation seemed to absorb all of the clouds around it, thickening ominously in the sky.
A fierce storm was raging, even from this distance, swirling violently around its perimeter.
Flash—
Rumble—!
Lightning and thunder emanating from its center was intimidating enough to stir primal fears in humanity.
The villagers, observing this terrifying sight, swallowed hard, filled with awe deep within their hearts.
“It’s divine punishment, divine punishment. The Dragon King of Dongjeong Lake is furious because of those damn scoundrels!”
Amidst the tumult, an old man with a wrinkled face and hunchbacked posture casually muttered those words.
As the nation collapsed, the struggle for territory among factions had reached its peak, leading to widespread pillaging and atrocities.
Having lost his son and grandson to these invaders, he had to carefully swallow his rage upon witnessing that overwhelming spectacle.
“Oh dear, what are you talking about, senior!”
“Ugh— Old man, the sun’s still up, and you’ve already had a drink? You better go take a nap!”
The villagers around him were flabbergasted, trying to dissuade him while subtly glancing around.
They understood the old man’s feelings, but this village was effectively ruled by the Eoryong Clan.
Therefore, it was natural to worry that if such words reached the ears of those thugs, it would end badly.
Perhaps sensing their concerns, the old man fell silent, simply gazing intently in the direction of the clan.
The once unified empire had splintered into dozens of city-states, and in this land they inhabited, those invaders were the kings.
‘I hope, I wish. Great Dragon King, please unleash the bloodied hammer upon those masked fiends!’
He could only pray silently.
That those divine wrathful fiends would face judgment from the heavens.
*
‘Not particularly impressive, are they?’
Harris, surrounded by storms and lightning, casually surveyed the ruckus at the clan’s headquarters while nodding.
There was no need to pull out a bow or even other spirits.
Taking down this many invaders was easily manageable with just the two connected spirits he had.
This also applied to facing the clan’s leader.
Though he definitely possessed overwhelming power compared to others, they were merely weaklings who hadn’t even brushed against the threshold of absolute mastery.
“Cough— This, this can’t be real. Such a thing is impossible even by magic…! Could it be, they’ve truly turned into legendary monsters?!”
The one scorched by Watt’s lightning couldn’t hold on for long, crawling on the ground like a bug and mumbling crazily to himself.
He had intentionally refrained from killing him in order to extract information, but the shock must have taken its toll on him.
‘This won’t do. I need to ensure he’s in a state for conversation.’
As the elders say, if you bang on old electronics, they usually get fixed.
Though that didn’t apply to the latest products, he was definitely an old-timer.
‘If he doesn’t want to die, he’ll pull himself together… Huh? Wait a minute.’
Suddenly, Harris felt a sense of unease and frowned.
He looked down at his palm and reflected on his behaviors and thoughts.
‘…I really seem to have become a bit too… extreme, don’t I?’
Even considering the influence of being far from the World Tree, it was surprisingly violent behavior compared to his usual self.
It was hard to imagine the relaxed and peaceful Harris from Auterica acting this way.
‘Hmm, I need to investigate this further. But for now…’
He was indeed slightly concerned about his change, but interrogating the captured bandit chief took precedence.
Getting quality information from him, who had controlled a region, would be far more beneficial than some bandits residing on a mere mountain.
“So, shall we have a little chat? Politely?”
With that intention, Harris approached the clan leader, looking down at the one still writhing on the ground with an amiable demeanor.
He wore the softest smile he could muster.
“Ugh, ugh… P-please spare me…”
Why the face of the person before him turned even paler remained a mystery, but it was a sight to behold.
*
Managing avatars across three dimensions simultaneously led to a realization.
Specifically, the flow of time in the Ganghwan Realm was somewhat faster than in Auterica.
A rough comparison indicated that ten days in Auterica roughly equated to about ten days and eight hours in Ganghwan.
‘It’s not a huge difference if I won’t be staying long, but a little extra time isn’t bad.’
And one more thing.
While interrogating the clan leader, an important fact emerged.
Scroll—
I scrolled the mouse wheel, looking back at the information about the Ganghwan Realm displayed on my monitor.
However, I found nothing about the details I had just acquired anywhere.
I even checked on other “closed dimensions,” but the results were the same.
Eventually, I gave up searching for additional information, crossing my arms and sinking into deep thought.
‘The reason the Ganghwan Realm became a closed dimension.’
And the cause of the war that had lasted more than a decade.
Also, the hidden story behind the collapse of what was once a mighty empire.
All these intertwined secrets.
‘…No, it’s still too early to come to conclusions. I need more definitive information. Higher-ups likely know a lot more.’
As a councilor and a master of the 18 clans in Honnam Province, the leader of the clan would undoubtedly provide me with greater certainty.
I stood up and gazed out the window, organizing my thoughts.
Hoo, I had a feeling something was out there.
A sigh escaped me in frustration.
This was a matter of great importance.
In this martial arts-focused otherworld called the Ganghwan Realm,
the very essence that supported it, energy (Qi), was drying up.
*
Immediately after tidying up the Eoryong Clan,
Harris raided their warehouse, collecting resources and martial arts manuals through the “Avatar Cloud,” and soon soared back into the sky.
Of course, during this process, he generously distributed supplies like food to nearby villages.
After all, the invaders would all be dead or would never regain their martial skills, so there was no one left to complain.
While it was possible that news of what transpired here might reach other bandit clans and provoke retaliation, he was confident he could wrap things up before that happened.
‘The only means of communication in this area would be delivering messages personally or using a postal service.’
And that kind of communication held little value in front of a high elf who quickly befriended even the most unfamiliar animals.
Birds that were hastily flying away turned around and flocked to him with affection, overwhelmed by his irresistible charm.
‘More than that… I finally feel it. The reality of this land.’
As he flew over the densely populated lake area, he could clearly sense the dire state of the world from the sight below.
He understood why the danger level of the Ganghwan Realm was so high.
‘An unending war, years of persistent famine, local exchanges severed, plagues raging everywhere, and roaming bandit gangs…’
For the strong, these might not pose a problem, but for someone who had just crossed over into this world, it was the epitome of insurmountable difficulty.
They had to worry about survival first, rather than training to become stronger.
With that realization, Harris shook his head while crossing the sky confidently.
And then.
Just one day later—
After industriously moving about, Harris smashed through every bandit hideout in his path and finally confronted the clan leader of the Dongjeong 18 Clans, Gyoryongpae.
“What on earth is that! This ludicrous monster!”
“T-totally, Clan Leader! The arrows don’t reach due to the wind!”
“We can’t get close, Clan Leader! At this rate… Cough!”
Whoosh—
Shatter—!
Whoosh—!
His fight with him concluded without much difficulty.
Though he was the strongest in the vicinity, claiming he was unmatched, his skills were merely on par with mid-tier masters, and he stood no chance against Harris.
To ensure a smoother cleanup of the surroundings, he even summoned Kali, the fire spirit, so he could at the very least maintain some facade in front of the elite members of the Dongjeong 18 Clans.
“Wh- Who is this high-ranking individual? By what cause have you come to wreak havoc here?”
“Ah, I’m Harris. I have a quick question for you.”
“Oh! In that case, just…”
“And also, a bit of cleaning up while I’m at it. Well, what can I say? Just think of it as retribution for the past.”
“…!”
With their introductions completed, a peaceful interrogation session began.
Though it seemed the clan leader, Jin Deok-man, was slightly uncooperative at first due to pride.
But recalling the elders’ wisdom, Harris diligently used the lightning spirit Watt to “fix” him, causing him to relent and respond eagerly.
Thus, the old adage stating there’s no loss in listening to the elders proved true.
Sigh, what a headache.
And as he confirmed the state of the Ganghwan Realm through him, Harris deeply exhaled.
It was clear that the current situation couldn’t be changed merely with ridiculous martial prowess, as it was a matter of the flow of era itself.
“This fight concerns our survival! If we don’t secure the dragon veins, it’s all too apparent we’ll be weeded out and devoured!”
The energy that had always flourished in their world was gradually drying up.
The major factions in this world had already grasped the seriousness of the situation and were quickly devising methods to survive.
That meant securing the core center of the energy flowing in the world, the dragon veins, which continuously emanated ’Qi.’
Even if it meant waging war against other factions in that process.
“Not only do we need to elevate the existing martial artists, but we must also nurture new warriors, create elixirs, heal injuries—Qi is essential for everything. We’re not going to war out of choice!”
Since the energy wasn’t limitless, compromise or concession was out of the question.
To put it plainly, it was like tribes competing for survival over a few scarce oases in a desert.
That’s why wars in this world never ceased.
Desperation bred even fiercer cycles of tragedy.
“Ah! I see. So, you’re from another world? I thought after the Thousand Death Demon, they had all disappeared.”
As Jin Deok-man vented his spleen for a moment, he suddenly nodded as if he’d realized something.
Considering how little he knew about the Eoryong Clan leader, this wasn’t common knowledge, and he seemed rather knowledgeable about otherworlders given his position.
‘Then again, up until the dimension closed, the Ganghwan Realm had seen its fair share of Awakened Ones for quite some time.’
As it turned out, the reason he hadn’t connected the dots immediately was likely because Harris’s powers were so foreign even to otherworlders.
Usually, Awakened Ones had a relatively weak innate ability and experienced rapid growth, but never had someone harnessed power from the other realm in such a manner.
“Hmm, now that I think about it, I’ve heard something vaguely similar before. I thought it was absurd nonsense, but could it be true?”
…And from his mumblings emerged an intriguing topic.
A strong instinct urged him that this was something he shouldn’t overlook.
As he continued to “fix” Jin Deok-man, who began to shift back to his previous defiance, he hurriedly added, “Cough! I don’t know all the details! I just happened to hear it by chance!”
Unfortunately, he didn’t know much.
He had heard this information more than twenty years ago, and since he held no interest in it, he hadn’t paid much attention.
However, for some reason, he felt he already knew who that person was.
“It was roughly about how this nation crumbled and split, and it was all his fault… Hmm, coincidentally, the timing of when the world’s Qi began to decline seems to match as well.”
