NABC Chapter 278 : No News
Chapter 278 : No News
Chapter 278: No News
“Big…… Brother? Big Brother Woo-hyun!”
A flustered Jin Ha-un hurriedly looked around.
But Jang Woo-hyun was nowhere to be seen.
“Big Brother, Big Brother, Big Brother. He’s a grown man, so why are you calling for your big brother like that? At this rate, you’re gonna cry.”
As Gun Yu-hye mimicked him with a pout, Jin Ha-un’s head snapped around.
“What is this?”
“What?”
“What the hell is this? Where did Big Brother go?”
“Were you not listening when I explained it? It’s a training ground called Beginning Cave or Return Again Cave. Not just anyone can enter.”
“I’m asking where Big Brother went!”
An enraged Jin Ha-un drew his sword.
Normally, he was polite and well-mannered, but anything related to Jang Woo-hyun was different.
Jang Woo-hyun had always sacrificed himself to protect his companions.
Jin Ha-un had only ever received help from him.
Though they were not related by blood, Jang Woo-hyun was family to him, and even after a hundred years or a thousand years passed, he would remain his one and only big brother.
So now that Jang Woo-hyun had suddenly disappeared again, it was only natural for him to become agitated.
Even Yong Seo-hee, standing a short distance away, gathered her energy and glared at Gun Yu-hye.
“Hah, unbelievable. I explained everything, and you’re still acting like this. Why’d you draw your sword? Want to fight? Fine. Let’s do it. Not here though—follow me. Let me see your skills.”
“I asked where Big Brother went!”
“Where else would he go?! He entered in there! He went inside to train!”
Gun Yu-hye shouted while pointing toward the cave.
“He went inside?”
“Yes! He entered the cave because he had the qualification!”
After she directly and clearly explained it, Jin Ha-un and Yong Seo-hee finally calmed down.
Only then did they realize they had nearly rampaged without thinking simply because Jang Woo-hyun vanished.
Whenever it involved Jang Woo-hyun’s safety, both of them lost their composure far too easily.
“You sure about this?”
“How many times do I have to explain it? Beginning Cave isn’t a place just anyone in the Thousand-Year Seeking Dao Institute can enter. I don’t know how your big brother got the Institute Master’s permission, but this is practically a heaven-sent opportunity. You should realize how lucky he is. Seriously, what’s wrong with you people?”
Without waiting for a response, Gun Yu-hye headed out of the canyon.
“Hey, where are you going?!”
“Follow me, brat. Let’s fight. I don’t plan on backing down.”
Jin Ha-un did not particularly like Gun Yu-hye either, so he followed after her.
Leaving the canyon, the two headed toward one of the Thousand-Year Seeking Dao Institute’s training grounds.
Standing on one side, Gun Yu-hye glared at Jin Ha-un.
‘Who do they think they are?’
She disliked them from the very beginning.
Who were they for Master to treat them so specially?
From Gun Yu-hye’s perspective, Jang Woo-hyun’s group were unwelcome guests who suddenly appeared and stole her master’s attention away.
Even she knew it was childish and immature jealousy, but she simply disliked them.
And now Jin Ha-un had provoked her.
How could she just let that pass?
She intended to beat him properly in a satisfying match.
Jin Ha-un calmly accepted her fierce gaze as he stood at the far end of the training ground.
‘What the hell is her problem?’
He disliked Gun Yu-hye too.
She had been rude from the start and acted hostile despite him doing nothing wrong.
Since they were fighting anyway, Jin Ha-un decided to fix her attitude.
“Let me see the strength of the Blue-Red Sword Ghost.”
“Before that, let me ask one thing.”
“What?”
“How long does it take to come out of the cave?”
“It depends on the person, but at most around ten days. I’ve never entered myself, so I don’t know the details, but you don’t physically train inside. You enter your own mental world. So the time you feel inside is completely different from reality. Ten days at most, though usually people come out after three or four days. Rarely, really rarely, someone takes fifteen days or so.”
“Really? Got it.”
Jin Ha-un separated his Twin Wings of Blue and Red.
Seeing the two swords containing entirely different energies, Gun Yu-hye’s eyes gleamed with interest.
“That’s an interesting pair of swords. So that’s why they call you the Blue-Red Sword Ghost?”
Gun Yu-hye also drew her blade.
It looked like an ordinary sword without anything flashy about it.
But judging by the sharpness flowing from the blade and its condition, it was undoubtedly a weapon equal to Jin Ha-un’s swords.
Holding her blade, Gun Yu-hye raised her energy.
‘Hm?’
Jin Ha-un’s eyebrows rose at the changing aura.
It was completely different from what he expected.
Her previously wild and free-flowing presence transformed entirely.
If her aura before resembled a raging storm, now it resembled a calm lake.
‘Orthodox martial arts?’
The energy settled inside her was deep and firm.
Heavy like stone.
Its center was perfectly stable and did not waver lightly.
A faint holy glow wrapped around Gun Yu-hye’s body.
It was a martial art difficult to find in the Central Heavens.
But in the Lower Realm, Jin Ha-un had seen it quite often.
“You practice Buddhist martial arts?”
“So your reputation isn’t fake. You’ve got good eyes.”
Gun Yu-hye’s martial arts had been taught by Seonwoo Baek-rin.
The Heavenly Blade Lord of the Eight Extremes Divine Blade, Seonwoo Baek-rin.
The term “Tathāgata” in her title referred to Buddha.
As one could tell from that title alone, Seonwoo Baek-rin’s martial arts originated from Buddhism.
Originally from the Lower Realm, Seonwoo Baek-rin had once been a disciple of the Buddhist sect.
However, her naturally free-spirited personality could not endure the restrictive and static atmosphere.
So she descended into the secular world and completely severed ties with Buddhism.
Because her talent was exceptional, she refined and recreated the martial arts she first learned into entirely new techniques.
Yet their roots did not disappear.
Naturally, the martial arts Gun Yu-hye learned from Seonwoo Baek-rin were also rooted in Buddhist martial arts.
“What? Why are you suddenly grinning like that? Creepy.”
Though Gun Yu-hye’s style was unexpected, Jin Ha-un unconsciously smiled.
The thought of facing a new opponent and witnessing unfamiliar martial arts excited him.
After spending so much time with Jang Woo-hyun and the Demon-Slaying Corps, it was inevitable he would become similar.
Facing the heavy energy before him, Jin Ha-un released his own power.
Fwoosh—
Hongyeomin burst into flames while frost settled around Cheonglingin.
If Gun Yu-hye resembled a lake—
Then Jin Ha-un was water, forest, wind, and fire.
The sword of Qingcheng embraced everything.
Thus, Jin Ha-un could become anything.
Satisfied by the sight, Gun Yu-hye spoke.
“I’m coming.”
Jin Ha-un nodded.
Then the two collided.
---
Though Jin Ha-un and Gun Yu-hye growled at each other whenever they met, they always stuck together.
Strangely enough, their levels were almost identical, so their skills rapidly improved through sparring.
The two constantly clashed.
The quiet Thousand-Year Seeking Dao Institute even became noisy because of their daily fights.
And because they spent every day together, they gradually became quite close.
Five days after Jang Woo-hyun entered the cave—
Jin Ha-un and Gun Yu-hye were now casually addressing each other.
“Shouldn’t Big Brother be coming out soon?”
“It’s only been five days. I told you some people take around ten days.”
“Really? Big Brother would come out quickly though.”
“Ugh. That ‘Big Brother, Big Brother’ nonsense is seriously driving me crazy.”
“Hye, if you knew Big Brother’s abilities, you’d understand what I mean.”
“Yeah right.”
Ten days after Jang Woo-hyun entered the cave—
“Shouldn’t he be coming out by now?”
“Ah, just wait already. I told you some people take longer. Your big brother probably learned too many things and has a lot to revisit.”
“Maybe. Big Brother copies martial arts the moment he sees them anyway. He must’ve learned countless techniques.”
“What? You’re saying he steals other people’s martial arts? Stop spreading nonsense.”
“It’s true though. Like when Big Brother and I first met—”
Then another stretch of time passed.
Fifteen days.
“……This is getting weird.”
“You said some people take fifteen days.”
“Th-that’s true, but this is really, really rare. I think only one or two people ever took this long?”
“Then Big Brother will take even longer. Our Big Brother is special.”
“Yeah, sure he is. Hah.”
Now even Gun Yu-hye began worrying.
Meanwhile, Jin Ha-un already knew Jang Woo-hyun was extraordinary, so he did not think much of it.
Even after twenty days passed, Jin Ha-un still accepted it casually.
Jang Woo-hyun had never been a normal person to begin with.
But as more days passed one by one, even he began realizing something was wrong.
And finally—
A full month passed since Jang Woo-hyun entered Beginning Cave.
“What’s going on here?”
“I don’t know either. What is this?”
No one had ever taken this long before.
Now even Gun Yu-hye sincerely began worrying about Jang Woo-hyun.
“Can’t we enter inside there?”
Jin Ha-un pointed toward Beginning Cave’s entrance.
“Only people with permission can enter.”
“Whose permission do we need?”
“You need permission from the Institute Master, but he’s not here right now. He left recently.”
At Gun Yu-hye’s words, Jin Ha-un drew his sword.
“What are you doing?”
“Something might’ve happened to Big Brother. I can’t just stay still. I’ll break it open and go inside.”
“Hey, no. You can’t just break it.”
“That’s right, Young Hero Jin. You said it’s training within a mental world rather than a physical space. If we forcibly destroy it, it might cause problems.”
At Yong Seo-hee’s words, Jin Ha-un sheathed his sword again.
“Then what do we do?”
“Isn’t there some other method? Like someone who manages this place?”
Since Yong Seo-hee had no solution either, she looked toward Gun Yu-hye.
After thinking briefly, Gun Yu-hye clapped her hands.
“Ah! We should ask Mister!”
“Mister? Who’s that?”
“There’s someone who manages the formations and training caves here at the Institute. Mister might know something. It’s a bit far from here. Let’s hurry.”
As Gun Yu-hye flew up using a flying artifact, Jin Ha-un and Yong Seo-hee followed behind her.
---
“The Wind-Passing Great Sage lent you his power? Ohho, forming a connection with that troublemaking monster really is impressive.”
“It was simply fate. Nothing particularly impressive.”
“So many things changed while I was holed up here. To think the Radiant Light Sect would end up like that. A lot of people must’ve died. I never liked that bastard Hyeonwol from the start. He always had the face of someone plotting schemes.”
Seon Tae-gyeong smiled slightly at the man speaking before him.
Messy, unkempt hair and a roughly trimmed beard.
His clothes were full of holes, and his body was so fat they fit tightly around him.
The dirty-looking middle-aged man was the spellcaster Gwa Bo, who resided at the Thousand-Year Seeking Dao Institute.
Though he was a highly skilled spellcaster, he had suffered severe injuries and now lived in seclusion.
These days, all he really did was lie around, drink alcohol, or take walks.
Occasionally, at the Institute Master’s request, he adjusted the spell arts within the training caves.
Though he was basically a loafer now, Gwa Bo had once been famous.
So Seon Tae-gyeong spent much time speaking with him.
Gwa Bo possessed extensive experience and knowledge as a spellcaster, so even simple conversation with him was beneficial.
The two were once again spending time chatting when—
“Mister!”
Someone shouted loudly from afar.
“Oh dear, that noisy child came all the way out here.”
Since Gwa Bo’s residence was located quite far from the Thousand-Year Seeking Dao Institute, it was rare for people to visit unless something important happened.
Kwaang! Ujijik!
Before Gwa Bo, who was practically lying down while sitting, could even rise—
The house’s door and wall exploded apart.
“Hye! What kind of child barges in by breaking the door? What are you— huh? Oh? Did you get yourself a boyfriend?”
Seeing Jin Ha-un enter behind Gun Yu-hye, Gwa Bo grinned mischievously.
“Our Hye’s all grown up now. Hahaha. Yeah, I can see why you’d be excited. He’s extremely handsome.”
“It’s not like that!”
“What do you mean it’s not? Don’t be embarrassed. I was planning to introduce you to a decent man if one appeared— oh? Ah, of course. A boyfriend of yours being this handsome would’ve been impossible.”
Seeing Yong Seo-hee enter last, Gwa Bo exaggeratedly crumpled his face.
“Pardon? No. This lady is going to become our sister-in-law.”
“Pardon? M-me?”
Jin Ha-un corrected Gwa Bo’s misunderstanding, causing Yong Seo-hee to panic.
“Oh really? Then are you married?”
“No.”
“Then someone you promised your future to?”
“No.”
“I seeee. Ehehehe.”
“Mister! This isn’t the time for that!”
“Of course it is. This is exactly the time for that. What a handsome fellow. Looks talented too.”
Gun Yu-hye shouted “Mister!” repeatedly while Gwa Bo only continued grinning mischievously and teasing them.
“Young Hero Jin, Lady Seo-hee, what brings you here?”
As the situation only became more chaotic, Seon Tae-gyeong stepped in personally.
“What? Tae-gyeong, these are people you know?”
“They’re my companions.”
“Companions? Ah, those fellows from the so-called Demon-Slaying Corps. Right, what brings all of you here?”
Only after hearing they were Seon Tae-gyeong’s companions did Gwa Bo finally stop joking around.
“Mister! This isn’t the time to relax! He’s not coming out!”
“What isn’t?”
“He’s not coming out!”
“No, I mean what isn’t? Hye, take a breath and explain slowly.”
“Huu, huu. So, Jang Woo-hyun—”
“Big Brother entered a place called Beginning Cave, but he still hasn’t come out.”
“Really? How long’s it been? That place varies from person to person. Did you really come all the way here just for that?”
“It’s been one month. We heard nobody has ever stayed inside Beginning Cave this long.”
“One month? Ah, a month happens occasionally— huh? W-wait a second. I didn’t hear wrong just now, did I? A month? Really a whole month?”
“Yes.”
Gun Yu-hye nodded vigorously.
The previously lazy and sprawled-out Gwa Bo abruptly jumped to his feet.
“Let’s go. I need to see what’s happening myself.”
---
While everyone outside was panicking—
Jang Woo-hyun was being scolded by someone.
Smack!
“Ugh!”
“What were you just thinking?”
“Pardon? No, what was I thinking about…….”
Smack!
“Ugh!”
Jang Woo-hyun crouched down while clutching his head.
Even though this clearly was not reality, he still felt pain.
And it hurt terribly.
‘What the hell is this?’
Rubbing his head, Jang Woo-hyun stared at the man before him.
It was someone he had never seen in his life.