Sabacheon (1)
Sabacheon Dimension.
It was a world dominated by mystical Chakra practitioners who invoked specific concepts and phenomena through their inner microcosm.
The training of the microcosm that forms the basis of Chakra begins with properly establishing one’s mental image.
Naturally, mental strength had to be prioritized over other abilities, making them exceptionally resilient to mental attacks.
“KYAAA—! No way!”
“Guh···! What the···! Ugh!”
“Oh no···! Father··· I’m sorry···.”
But as the laws of the original world dictate, there are limits to everything.
A woman, flung about as if tossed from the shadows, was now tearing at her own hair, rolling on the ground, while the giant who wielded a massive great sword dropped his weapon and retched, exuding an overwhelming aura as if it could split everything apart.
A young man with strange patterns in his eyes slumped to the floor, waving his hands as if he were seeing illusions.
Initially, resistance granted them considerable power, but it did not mean absolute defense.
Rather, a mental attack that far exceeded the threshold became even more fatal to them.
For Chakra practitioners, who define their foundation on mental imagery, the corruption of that image was akin to a death sentence.
“···Not bad, huh? They are certainly no ordinary foes.”
While those who were instantly incapacitated writhed on the ground, Hoon, standing in their midst and slowly surveying the area, noted something unusual.
Despite having widely spread his mental waves and reduced output, the density of the thoughts contained within was undoubtedly high.
Yet, amidst this horrifying mental wave, they still hadn’t devolved into complete fools.
‘Though I haven’t reached the extreme··· Seems to be about a level below that. To think such beings could gather in one place?’
From what I heard earlier, they weren’t boldly united but hiding stealthily from others.
Casting a glance at the incapacitated figures, Hoon began to walk towards where Ramu was located, taking in his surroundings.
‘Underground.’
The hideout emanated an overall gloomy vibe.
There were traces of effort to make it somewhat convenient, but there was no way it could be considered a nice place.
If transcendents were the invincible rulers above the clouds in this world, then extremes were typically treated as the top among humans.
Just being one level below that shouldn’t warrant such shabby treatment.
‘Well, their circumstances are whatever. For now, let’s regroup with Ramu. We’ll deal with the aftermath later.’
Fortunately, retrieving her wasn’t too difficult.
Because she still seemed like a young girl and had passed out when she was teleported, she was quietly lying in a little cell in the basement.
However, there was one issue that arose during this process···.
“Ugh, you lot! Do you know who I am? Aren’t you afraid of retaliation from my family?”
It turned out Ramu wasn’t the only one locked up in the prison.
Hoon gazed at a blonde boy in his early teens shouting loudly from the opposite cell and couldn’t help but have a peculiar expression.
He had a terrified look on his face but seemed to be doing his best to hide it, and the luxurious clothes he wore didn’t seem typical for an ordinary person.
‘If I think about it, it’s more accurate to say that kid was the target from the start.’
The kidnapping of a young master from a prestigious family.
There was nothing unusual about a scheming miscreant planning that.
He thought so as he opened the cell door to collect Ramu when the boy suddenly spoke with a somewhat shaky voice after noticing Hoon’s presence.
“···Who are you? You don’t seem to be with them···.”
The man who appeared right after the guard collapsed, despite the boy having shouted and threatened him in vain, must have caught him off guard while he was picking up the girl who had just been brought in.
‘Hmm, what should I do?’
Such thoughts crossed his mind for a moment, but a conclusion had already been reached.
Everyone already here was incapacitated.
Though they weren’t completely brain-dead, it was hard to guarantee normal reasoning when their mental imagery had been corrupted.
‘At this rate, they might starve to death.’
In a situation like this, how could he just leave a kid locked up after handling his business?
Either way, regardless of the choice made now, he was already caught up in a significant incident.
Click—
Carrying Ramu on his back, Hoon opened the cell door where the blonde boy was, and the boy, who had momentarily widened his eyes, hurriedly joined him outside with his hands in prayer position.
“Thank you. I am Yoon So-hwa of the Seongcheon Yoon Clan. I will surely repay this kindness once I return to my family.”
“I’m Hoon. No need to thank me too much since my original goal was just to rescue this girl.”
“Regardless of your motives, kindness is kindness. As a descendant of the Yoon Clan, I cannot simply ignore such a favor.”
“···Sure, well. I won’t refuse if you want to help me with something.”
Hoon shrugged at the old-fashioned way the boy spoke despite being in his early teens.
Every word oozed pride in his family, clearly indicating he was from some noble house.
As Hoon carried Ramu on his back, Yoon So-hwa followed behind him.
The path from the underground to the surface.
They soon arrived at the place where the dozen or so that Hoon had incapacitated lay sprawled on the ground.
The boy, silently trailing behind, looked around and clicked his tongue in astonishment.
“···Impressive. These fellows are high-tier masters that even my family’s warriors couldn’t handle. To think you single-handedly took them all down?”
Not only did Hoon defeat them, but they had also been thoroughly incapacitated.
Having trained in Chakra since young, Yoon So-hwa could sense that the flow within these individuals was significantly distorted.
If the visible signs were this significant, even if they regained consciousness later, their accumulated skill levels would likely suffer considerable damage.
He didn’t have the slightest clue how Hoon had accomplished this.
‘Could it be that he opened the door to the depths? He doesn’t really look like it, though··· No, it’d be foolish to gauge a stronger opponent’s level.’
Swallowing hard, Yoon So-hwa hastily glanced at the man in front of him.
Seeing this devastation firsthand only made him regard Hoon with more awe.
“Ahem, if it’s not too rude, may I ask what path of truth you are walking? Ah, as you’ve probably guessed, I pursue the ultimate in lightning techniques. Though I’m still on a lower tier···.”
Finally, after hesitating, he cleared his throat and cautiously spoke up first.
What kind of path a practitioner sought was a crucial aspect for those who sought completion of their microcosm.
Of course, it was a challenging question for Hoon, who had never even learned Chakra.
‘Not like I really have to answer it.’
Then suddenly, he felt one vague question in Yoon So-hwa’s words and slightly turned his head, tilting it in confusion.
“Wait, what do you mean you thought I’d already guessed it?”
“Hmm? Did I not introduce myself? I’m a descendant of the Seongcheon Yoon Clan.”
“Oh.”
“Hmm?”
“No, no. My mind is a bit scrambled. I did that, right? Haha!”
Realizing something from the other person’s words, Hoon fumbled through an awkward laugh and turned his head back.
He then strode forward, savoring the moment.
‘Seems I need to learn about this Sabacheon a bit more.’
Even the number of worlds revealed thus far reached hundreds, making it impossible to remember them in detail.
Besides, since he could always search online if he wished, there was no real need to remember everything so meticulously.
The World Returnee Association’s database served as a source of not only rough information but also news covering major events, so it would provide plenty of assistance.
‘Now’s the time. To blend in smoothly without any discomfort, information is essential.’
It didn’t matter if people knew he was from another world once Ramu woke up and they returned to Earth, but it wasn’t the kind of thing he could just easily spill to someone he just met.
“Ahem, so··· I still haven’t received my answer.”
“Oh, that?”
Seeing Yoon So-hwa cautiously opening his mouth again, still lingering on the topic, Hoon shrugged.
Soon they arrived at the door leading to the surface.
He opened it wide and casually replied.
“If you’re curious, why not check for yourself?”
As the door swung open.
A bright room revealed itself, contrasting strongly with the dark underground corridor.
Along with a group stationed at the entrance.
“Already out? Do you need something··· huh?”
“Who are you?! How did you get out of there?!”
“Wait! Isn’t that Yoon So-hwa?! How is this possible?!”
Doors and wooden floors.
Men with Western features that were completely mismatched with the room’s Eastern decor hurriedly stood up.
In doing so, cards and bottles on the table went sprawling, creating chaos, but no one paid any mind to it.
If they missed that boy now, it meant death to everyone present.
Whether it was revenge from the Yoon Clan or a silencing from higher-ups.
“Quickly capture··· Guhack!”
“Ah, AAAAA—!
Grit, griddle, griddle.
Of course, how could those inferior beings do anything against Hoon, who had incapacitated even the elite in the underground?
“Hmm, these fellows are just mediocre.”
After a wave of mental energy swept through.
Hoon muttered quietly as he passed through the men writhing on the floor like bugs.
‘Ah, there’s a barrier. They’re completely cut off from the underground here. These guys are more thorough than I expected.’
He slowly surveyed his surroundings and nodded.
The reason higher-level individuals remained underground while the worthless scum guarded the surface was probably due to this.
If there were a pursuit, it was obvious they would target those who executed the kidnapping operation.
“What the hell···”
At that moment, Yoon So-hwa, who had been following closely behind, let out a groan filled with surprise as he witnessed the swift conclusion.
It was no wonder.
Although most of the men present were merely of lower-tier status, they were warriors who had trained in Chakra.
That they all lay on the ground within the blink of an eye was astonishing.
“Ma··· Mage Practitioner?”
“Hmm?”
But judging from his reaction, it seemed the shocking point was somewhat different from what Hoon had anticipated.
Tilting his head, he took a step closer to Yoon So-hwa.
“Hi, hiick!”
“Uh-oh?”
The boy swiftly recoiled in apparent fright, and at this point, Hoon could quickly grasp the situation.
‘Seems familiar. What’s going on here?’
It appeared he had sensed something from the widely disseminated mental waves.
Like powers typically associated with the demons of this Sabacheon, perhaps.
‘Hmm, this is troublesome. I hadn’t anticipated this.’
Hoon, cradling Ramu, lightly scratched his chin with one hand and let out a small sigh.
If anything in the world could be ‘understood,’ it could be opened through Chakra.
This included not just elemental forces like lightning but objects such as swords and leather, and even abstract concepts like fate and time were no exceptions.
Of course, the more difficult it was to understand, the more a person’s level of mastery would decline, so it was common to train in easily understandable Chakra.
But saying there were no exceptions meant anything could potentially become an object of Chakra understanding.
Among Chakra practitioners, there were those madmen who delved deep into infinitely negative concepts beyond the ordinary.
Yes, for instance.
‘Death’ or ‘Madness.’
And those who had mastered Chakra termed such heretics as Mage Practitioners.
“W-Why is a Mage Practitioner even here···?”
To build a proper mental image, understanding the target was essential.
If it was fire, you would jump into the flames; if it was a sword, you would hammer it out and pierce yourself to understand it.
But how, then, could one come to understand ‘death’?
What kind of mindset does one possess when they fill their mind with death after coming to understand it?
The answer was precisely the reaction Yoon So-hwa was displaying now.
“Ugh, ugh···. What was that earlier···? A Mage Practitioner of the depths? M-Must it not be the ultimate level? No, that can’t be. But···.”
In panic, the blonde boy blabbered with a face that resembled one on the brink of tears.
As much as practitioners trained in mental imagery, they were exceedingly sensitive to mental waves.
Even though Hoon had made sure to avoid him and expelled mental waves carefully, the remnants alone caused him to spiral into panic.
“Hmm, seems there’s some misunderstanding here.”
As the situation unfolded, Hoon couldn’t stay silent any longer.
Seeing the boy’s reaction, it was quite clear that if he let it continue like this, problems would arise later, and he couldn’t simply silence the kid by killing him for such a trivial matter.
Letting out a small sigh, he began to clarify the situation.
At that moment.
Rumble—
KRA-KWOOM!
With an ear-splitting noise, a tremendous storm of lightning erupted.
BOOM!
The very ceiling of the building they were in was blown to pieces.
“SOHWA!!”
Beyond the crackling bolts of electricity.
A sharp female voice echoed down from the clearly revealed sky.
“NOONA!”
“SOHWA!”
A woman swooped in like a hawk and embraced the boy.
···If only it had ended there.
Eventually, her piercing gaze turned toward Hoon.
With clear murderous intent that he could recognize instantly.
Even without having previously received any particular information about Yoon So-hwa, it appeared she had sensed the aftereffects of the mental waves present in the area.
‘An extreme. At a considerably high level. ···An abstract practitioner in this place, I suppose?’
In order to launch an attack utilizing “Mental Resonance” on a being of that level, considerable preparation time was still needed.
No, considering the mental barriers of a Chakra user, it might be tougher than initially thought.
“Well, this is troublesome.”
Hoon sighed deeply.
He glanced at Ramu’s condition to find she was still showing no signs of waking up.
In this situation, he couldn’t slip away like usual.
“This is a mess.”
For some reason, things were heading south rather nicely.
