Naturally, accompanying someone to such a gathering wasn’t something that could be done just because one wished for it.
After all, Hugo was merely a guest currently nestled in the Zhuge family as a meal ticket.
“Hmm, it seems we were also selecting individuals on our side. As you know, it would be quite dangerous. Are you really alright with this? It’s a place where unpredictable incidents can occur. The assaults aimed at us are likely to be quite severe.”
“With the world in this state, it’s not like we can avoid danger indefinitely. We can’t just hole up in safe places forever, can we?”
Thus, it was a priority to get permission from the person in charge to create a position for him to join…
“A splendid mindset. Indeed, to properly respond to changes in this chaotic world, a variety of experiences is essential.”
“That’s right. There’s no better opportunity than now to see the wider world and broaden my perspective.”
“I understand your intent. Then, I will make an arrangement for you.”
He easily received permission from the Grand Chief of the Zhuge Family, Zhuge Gunak, who had allowed him to stay in the family.
Of course, if Hugo were just a nuisance, they wouldn’t have readily agreed, but he was a martial artist capable of handling himself, so it wasn’t a significant issue.
‘Perhaps they thought Harris might intervene if things turned south.’
Having a high-ranking martial artist from the Current Realm secretly protecting them was immensely reassuring for the delegation.
Whether that was true or not, comfortably granting a position wasn’t a big deal, so it was a good idea to just take out an insurance policy in that regard.
However, the unexpected happened next.
“I want to go too.”
Zhuge Hye-mi, who had initially informed them about the gathering, stepped up, declaring she would like to join as well.
“My treatment isn’t completely finished yet, right? If a problem arises while Lord Ha is away… wouldn’t it be better for me to accompany you?”
She raised what she deemed a reasonable argument to support her wish, but there was no way such a demand would be accepted.
After all, that place was not meant for leisure.
Who would send a lady, who was like a delicate flower in a greenhouse, into a perilous location filled with confirmed dangers just to prepare for a situation that may or may not arise?
Honestly, her presence would likely only be a hindrance.
“Ah, what a shame. I had hoped it would be okay, but I guess it’s not.”
Zhuge Hye-mi shook her head with a bitter smile, reflecting her circumstances.
To this reaction, Hugo fixed her with a narrow gaze.
‘So, she intentionally mentioned the gathering to me?’
What he thought was just casual gossip seemed to be a calculated move from the start.
Although it felt like a strong instinct to poke at an unfinished conclusion.
‘I can’t blame her for wanting to go.’
She had spent her whole life confined within the Zhuge family, and after just recovering, she couldn’t wander freely from her vicinity at all.
However, trying to leap into a race on a land track while just starting to walk was a bit much.
“Well— it can’t be helped. I’ll just stay here and train hard, so please tell me about the events that happened there instead. Is that okay?”
“Well, that’s not difficult at all. I’ll try to bring back some souvenirs if possible.”
“Wow! Truly, Lord! Then it’s a promise?”
With that, Hugo’s participation was set.
It seemed preparations for the delegation had been underway for quite a while, as the expedition plan was already taking shape.
Selected were the Zhuge family’s elite martial artists and sorcerers, led by a senior elder, with the youngest son of the current head of the family and Zhuge Hye-mi’s brother, Zhuge Jung-hyuk, appointed as the overall commander.
‘I thought someone from the elders would go due to the danger, but this is more serious than I expected. I didn’t expect a direct descendant of the head to step up.’
Perhaps it was unavoidable to maintain the family’s prestige and avoid unnecessary conflicts.
The distance wasn’t too far, so they likely judged it to be less dangerous.
‘…In that case, I need to focus more on my training until everything is ready.’
Even though Shaolin Temple, the gathering place, was relatively closer than others, purely in terms of distance, it was still a good bit shorter than traveling from Seoul to Busan, so there was much to prepare.
Hence, even though the plan had already progressed, it would take an additional 15 days.
Time flew by as Hugo immersed himself in training to become familiar with his newly acquired abilities.
At last, the day of the delegation’s departure arrived.
Dozens of carriages and horses lined up at the entrance of the Zhuge family.
“Take care and come back safely. You remember our promise, right?”
After bidding farewell to Zhuge Jung-hyuk, his older brother, and the elder, Zhuge Hye-mi approached him, her footsteps light and cheerful.
Beneath that bright voice was an undeniable concern of whether she had made a rash decision, but it held little meaning in the grand scheme.
“Don’t worry, Zhuge So-jeo. I’ll manage to extract myself somehow. Of course, it would be best if nothing significant happened.”
“Then, I’ll be waiting for a gift.”
With that, the delegation, including Hugo—Ha Seung-hoon, departed the Zhuge family and headed north.
*
Clippity-clop— clippity-clop—
As the delegation’s horses and carriages moved along the road, Hugo was snugly tucked inside a cart piled high with various baggage, his eyes closed and silent.
“Hoo—.”
It was a moment where he could almost see the results of his training up until the very moment right before leaving the family, so he couldn’t afford to let go.
‘If just a bit more…’
He took several deep breaths, feeling his essence sink deeper within himself.
Breath was the most essential element when handling internal powers.
In fact, that was a saying applicable to any living creature, but in the realm of martial arts, this was especially emphasized.
‘Whether gathering energy, refining internal power, operating it through the body, or executing martial arts, breath is involved each time.’
The fact that the internal power cultivation method in the Ganghwan Realm is referred to as a breathing technique was no coincidence.
So, what if one could control that breath at will?
‘“Water Breathing” is a skill that allows a person to breathe through their skin instead of the nose and mouth underwater. If I can twist that well enough to use it on land…’
Not only the nose and mouth, but also utilizing the entire body’s pores to finely adjust the energy within.
He could guarantee its efficacy since he had spent days experimenting thoroughly while tucked in a bathtub back at the Zhuge family.
The only problem, however— was that, unfortunately, humans in this world were living beings that walked on land and not under water.
‘Of course, it wouldn’t be efficient without doing normal breathing as well.’
Hugo pushed away the memories of the people who would regularly check on him to ensure he hadn’t drowned during his bathing sessions, concentrating as best he could.
Regardless of a user’s skill level allowing fluid application of skills, there were still limits.
Naturally, it wasn’t easy to freely modify a skill explicitly stated to be usable ‘only in water’ from the start.
‘But it’s not completely impossible.’
It was something he had already experienced several times before.
The evolution of skills that appear when multiple skills combine into one.
Thus, the topic he was currently concentrating on was harmonizing “Qi Manipulation” and “Water Breathing.”
Using all the enhancements as an otherworlder, the growth potential of his avatar, “Versatility,” and the effects of elixirs.
‘Since the entheogens Harris collected are piling up and not being digested, once this full-body breathing technique is complete, the speed will increase dramatically…!’
But just as he was deep in this state of enlightenment.
BANG!
Ssssssss—!
The expected event took place.
“Ambush! All dismount and set up defensive formations!”
Hee hee hee hee—!
“Reactions detected from both the northeast and northwest!”
Swoosh—!
“Arrows incoming! Protect the horses!”
As chaos erupted suddenly, his concentration was shattered, and a bloody battle began.
Frankly, until that point, it wasn’t too bad.
He had already suspected an ambush would occur, and he could observe the martial arts of the Zhuge family’s warriors engaging in actual combat against the attackers, giving him insights into “Imitation.”
However…
Threat! Threat!
“Hostile attack! Hostile attack!”
“All hands up!”
Even in the middle of setting up camp and trying to sleep at night.
“Waaah!”
“Charge—!”
“Who do you think we are to dare—!”
“Hah hah! Just a bunch of cowards cowering in their shells like turtles! Look what luck brought you out!”
Even passing through an undefended road that was a mess.
“Just as they eat…!”
“Ack! Dust! I just took a bite!”
“Is this really the time to care about that?!”
Even when they stopped to eat for a moment, chaos erupted that hindered any need for concentration.
‘…I had no idea it would be this bad.’
As the situation continuted, Hugo couldn’t help but shudder.
When he had first arrived in this world as Harris, he soared through the skies using the wind spirits, and even when he touched down to the ground, there was no one bold enough to approach him with such ease…
‘I’ve been holed up in a safe place for so long that I lost touch with reality.’
He knew with his mind, but this was the first time he felt it in person.
Finally, he could understand the situation that the Ganghwan Realm was in.
He never dreamed security could be this rotten.
‘In this situation, it makes sense to prepare exhaustively for a delegation. It wasn’t just to give a scare.’
From elite combat units of rival factions to bandits and wanderers, and ordinary citizens seemingly led to the slaughter as arrows.
It was an absolute madhouse swirling in madness, a reality the Zhuge family could hardly view lightly even as a dominant presence in the region.
‘Looks like I’ve done a thorough preliminary inspection.’
Achieving one of the goals of this journey was a good thing, but he couldn’t find joy in it at the moment.
His stress regarding the current situation was bubbling to the top of his head.
‘Ah, if only I had a little bit… a little bit more time to breathe, I feel like something could happen…!’
An intuitive understanding just out of reach.
Just as something felt like it would be accomplished through concentration, distractions would strike, and as he tried to regain focus, chaos ensued.
Each disturbance gnawed quickly at Hugo’s patience, and it gave rise to an unquenchable thirst—.
“Kekek! Who do these people think they are, trying to stroll through our territory without permission? We should give them a welcome ceremony!”
“Hey! You slaves! If you don’t want to die, get running! If you come back alive, I’ll let you eat until your stomach bursts!”
“Uuuh… Uwaaaa!”
The moment he witnessed skinny, ragged men charging with rusty spears while skinny, giggling martial artists lurked behind them.
His last thread of patience snapped.
‘By the way, why the heck did I come to this world… the Ganghwan Realm?’
He fell into contemplation amidst the swirling madness.
Why?
To establish a new source of karma.
And to restore a world ruined by the Head of the Buncheon Society while thwarting their plans.
In other words, he was supposed to lead the normalization of this world.
‘So what exactly should I do now, intervene or observe?’
If he wanted to gather karma right away, intervening would be nice.
But considering normalizing the world, it might be wise not to rush into action and instead carefully analyze the relationships and conditions among the factions…
‘No, that’s not it.’
Would leaving those scoundrels alone significantly disrupt his plans?
To begin with, could normalizing a world allow for such ruffians to roam freely?
‘Right, I can’t work in a dump, so it’s best to clean up the noticeable waste first. It’s like cleaning your room before studying.’
Hugo, with his eyes gently closed, nodded heavily.
It might feel like something was off with his analogy, but now wasn’t the time to sweat the small stuff.
What mattered was that he resolved to take action.
‘So, who would be the best janitor?’
As for the experienced Harris… it didn’t seem right to put him forward for such a task.
Although he had shown a violent side against hostile numbers, the fact that his personality twisted depending on external circumstances felt a bit unsettling.
‘Then…’
Several candidates flashed through his mind.
Finally, after deep contemplation, he could select one.
“Aaaah—!”
“Kill him!”
“P… Please spare me…!”
This was a battleground filled with the stench of blood, cries, rage, and madness.
Far from where Hugo stood.
Sssssss—
About an hour prior, at a path previously traversed by the Zhuge family’s delegation.
Pfft, pfft!
The talent that could devour the madness that filled this realm… no.
“Ah, splendid! Kwahaha—!”
A madman awakened.
