Distant future's Baek?
At the swordsman's words, I was momentarily confused.
If I take the words literally, then the swordsman in front of me is not the Baek I met before, and that Baek is from the distant future.
Which means, the swordsman I'm facing now is...
—The swordsman from the past?
At Sodamgeom's words, the swordsman nodded with a furrowed brow.
Is it really true that the swordsman in front of me is from the past?
"Hah…"
If I hadn't experienced regression, I would never believe this.
I simply passed through the foggy forest and ended up meeting a swordsman from the past.
No wonder I thought he looked younger than when I saw him in my mental space.
—How can a swordsman from the past exist in the present?
I was puzzled too at Sodamgeom's question.
The swordsman and others were hidden within a mysterious formation inside the foggy forest.
I couldn't understand what was going on.
Just as I was growing curious about the reason, Mosan Sect flashed through my mind.
'The swordsman's first disciple is from the Mosan Sect.'
Wait a second, if that's the case...
"...Elder. In the time I'm from, the Mosan Sect was annihilated long ago. Yet you spoke as if the Mosan Sect still exists. Could it be that this place is the past—or rather, a past from my perspective?"
My voice trembled as I spoke.
If this really is the past I'm thinking of, this isn't just a curious coincidence.
It would mean I've come to the past.
To my question, the swordsman's eyes showed a strange glint as he asked in return:
"The Mosan Sect was annihilated?"
"Yes, sir."
"Huh… so it finally came to that."
"...Elder, didn't you directly see my memories?"
He read my memories through Cheongi, so why does he sound like he doesn't know?
At my question, the swordsman shook his head.
"I only came into contact with the other version of me within you."
"Huh? You mean you connected with your own Baek inside me?"
Come to think of it, I absorbed the swordsman's Baek from the second sacred treasure using Cheongwon.
I thought that Baek had melted into me, but is it still sentient and existing?
While still holding my hand, the swordsman sighed and said,
"Now I understand how you were able to enter this place. It was because you carried my Baek."
"Because I had your Baek?"
"This place, Dohwaseon, only allows entry to those who are invited. Otherwise, one cannot even set foot in it."
That explains why I felt like I exited the forest from the other side when I tried entering.
Even I ended up exiting to the opposite forest a couple of times.
Eventually, I entered from above—
'Ah! Okhyeong.'
It must've happened when I unlocked Okhyeong among the Big Dipper's stars.
It was truly a strange coincidence.
Still, not all questions were answered.
"To be honest, I still don't understand. It makes sense that I entered this place within the foggy forest because I had your Baek, but why did I end up in the past…?"
At my words, the swordsman stroked his beard and replied,
"To you, I may indeed be someone from long ago. However, this place—Dohwaseon—doesn't operate on that kind of concept."
"Excuse me?"
What is he saying now?
Seeing my confusion, the swordsman explained further:
"Dohwaseon cannot be defined by past, present, or future."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Dohwaseon is a place completely severed from all worldly ties. It exists nowhere and everywhere at the same time. It also exists in all times while being in none. It is disconnected from the passage of time."
"..."
That's an incredibly contradictory statement.
To exist and not exist at the same time? How does that even make sense?
Can such a concept be logically coherent?
"I lack the understanding to grasp your words, Elder. Could you perhaps explain it in simpler terms?"
"Haha, it's only natural you don't understand—you've never pursued the Dao."
So if I cultivate the Dao, I'll understand?
"This place, Dohwaseon, is completely independent of the passage of time and changes of the outside world. That's why you were able to come here from your future."
This is difficult—really difficult.
But if I understood even the general idea correctly, it seems this place has a completely different concept of time.
Since I'm not a Dao cultivator as the swordsman said, I probably shouldn't overthink it.
The swordsman clicked his tongue and said,
"What a curious fate. For someone from the future who obtained my Baek to precisely arrive at the time and place when Dohwaseon opened, against all odds."
Listening to him, it really did sound like something beyond mere coincidence.
Perhaps it was destiny that brought me here to meet the swordsman of the past.
It truly is a wondrous event.
But now that one question was answered, something even more important remained.
"Elder. Once I exit Dohwaseon, can I return to the time I came from?"
At my question, the swordsman let go of my hand.
Then he spoke with urgency.
"That was close."
"Pardon?"
"Let's move."
"Right now?"
"We must hurry. The entrance to Dohwaseon constantly changes. If we make a mistake, you may lose your original time and place."
"Is that true?"
If that's the case, then I don't have time to waste.
As the swordsman waved his hand, the force binding me was released.
"I shall return your swords."
Strangely, when the swordsman raised his hand, the disassembled wooden case reassembled and returned to its original form. The Blood Demon Sword and Saryeon Sword, which had been on the floor, floated into the case.
"Follow me."
—Whoosh!
At the swordsman's signal, a sword hanging on the wall flew to him.
He stood with his hands behind his back and stepped onto the sword.
The swordsman said to me,
"You've awakened Okhyeong, so you should be able to do it too."
Yes. Of course I can do that.
I was just mesmerized by seeing the originator of Sword Flight in action.
'Namcheon.'
—I got it!
Namcheon Iron Sword laid itself flat beside me for me to board.
I also stepped onto my sword.
Then, as if waiting, the swordsman soared through the window.
I followed closely behind.
—Swoooooosh!
The swordsman immediately flew toward the southern sky, the direction I had come from.
As I followed him upward, the sun in the middle of the sky vanished and darkness enveloped everything.
A truly strange phenomenon.
Even the warm air of Dohwaseon suddenly turned icy cold.
'Cold?'
I saw my breath fog in front of me.
'!?'
It's not winter—what's happening?
As I looked down, I was stunned.
—Unhwi... The forest is covered in snow.
Just as Sodamgeom said, the entire forest below was blanketed in white snow. The terrain was completely different from the forest I had originally come from.
The swordsman flew beside me and asked,
"Is this the place you came from?"
I replied in a bewildered voice,
"No. When I came here, it wasn't winter."
"Hmm…"
The swordsman, too, couldn't hide his discomfort.
No one had anticipated such a situation.
'Samayeong… Asong… Joobaek…'
They were the first to flash through my mind.
Wherever this is and whenever it may be, to my companions, it must seem like I vanished above the foggy forest.
"Elder! Is there any other way for me to return to where I came from?"
The swordsman spoke in a grave tone.
"No change should've occurred in such a short time."
"What do you mean?"
"Follow me."
He changed direction and flew back toward Dohwaseon.
Frustrated, but powerless to change the situation, I followed him.
Once we returned, the warm sunlight reappeared, revealing the utopia of Dohwaseon.
The swordsman passed through temple-like buildings and a lake, heading to the tallest hill.
There, a cave-like structure came into view.
After stepping off his sword, he gestured for me to follow.
"Where is this place?"
"The center of Dohwaseon."
"The center?"
"Don't ask—just follow."
"Understood."
I followed the swordsman into the cave.
Normally, a cave would be damp and humid, but this one felt almost artificially created—none of that was present.
Instead, it even felt warm.
The deeper we went, the more intense the heat became. What was that?
Suddenly, the swordsman's face grew grim, and he rushed deeper into the cave.
I sped up to follow and soon, a massive chamber came into view.
—Fwoooosh!
"What in the world..."
The entire chamber was ablaze.
On the walls were red-scripted talisman papers—sutras—burning quickly.
"Haa!"
With a deep sigh, the swordsman waved his sleeve at the flames.
Then the fire, which had spread like a monster, was snuffed out by a mighty gust.
—Whoooosh!
His profound internal energy subdued the flames in an instant.
To extinguish such a massive fire with a single gesture—his strength was truly worthy of a sage.
"So this is why the change occurred so quickly…"
"Elder, what happened here?"
"...It appears someone intentionally set fire to the Thirty-Six Immortal Celestial Position Sutras at the core of Dohwaseon."
"Someone committed arson?!"
The swordsman nodded with certainty.
I asked, uneasily,
"Does this have anything to do with me not returning to my original time?"
The swordsman pointed upward.
I hadn't noticed, but above us was a small hole.
It was a hole no bigger than a fist, but light seeped through it, stretching long across one side of the cave.
"If we could have examined the Thirty-Six Heavenly Meridian Orientation Scrolls with this, we might have been able to deduce at which point in time you arrived… but it's been burned."
"Then what am I supposed to do?"
A wave of unease swept over me.
What if I really couldn't return to my original time?
At my question, the Sword Sage let out a deep sigh and said:
"To be honest… you've already missed the timing."
"What do you mean?"
"Returning to the exact time and place you came from is impossible."
'!!!'
At his words, I was at a loss for words.
Then… does that mean I can't go back to the time I originally came from?
Suddenly, a weight pressed heavily on my chest.
I had no idea what to do.
So I have to be stuck in this unknown time?
This couldn't be any worse.
That's when the Sword Sage spoke to me again.
"However, I do know the direction the shadow pointed. If we restore the Meridian Scrolls using that as a reference, you may be able to return to a time close to your original."
I was dumbfounded.
I suddenly felt like an idiot for being so despair-ridden moments ago.
"Why didn't you say so earlier? I was worried for no reason… Elder?"
But the Sword Sage's expression didn't look so bright.
He said with a tone of regret:
"Tell me, how many scrolls do you think were in this cave?"
I looked around.
Just by the scattered paper fragments, I couldn't even estimate a number.
Judging by the size of the intact sheets and the text, there must have been at least several thousand.
But then the Sword Sage dropped a shocking number.
"A total of 386,760 sheets."
"..."
"It took more than ten years just to prepare these, in order to isolate the fuse from the mundane world."
I involuntarily gulped.
Looking at the walls, it seemed more than one-third had been burned or damaged.
So if, as he said, it took four years to create them all, wouldn't that mean it'll take at least three to four years to restore?
"Then I…"
"You have no choice but to stay here until the scrolls are restored."
'!!!'
Ah…
This was insane.
I only came to find the Sword of Soft Words… and now this catastrophe?
The only small comfort was that even if I spent years here, I'd still return to the same moment I left.
But then, the Sword Sage shared something even more shocking.
"…And even if the scrolls are fully restored, considering the margin of error from where the light pointed, there will be some discrepancy in time."
"How much of a discrepancy?"
A day or two—or at most ten days—would be fine.
If it stretches longer, the others will worry, that's all.
But that hope was cruelly crushed.
"There may be a discrepancy of at least several months… or even up to a year."
'…Ah.'
I nearly swore out loud.
—Seriously, what now? Everyone must think you're dead.
Exactly what I wanted to say.
If that first disciple of the Sword Sage hadn't taken me by force, none of this would've happened.
Sure, it was an honor to meet the legendary swordsman from martial arts history—but disappearing for nearly a year without a trace? Who knows what might happen?
The Sword Sage tried to console me:
"It might just end with a discrepancy of two or three months."
"...…"
Yes. Thank you.
Not exactly comforting.
"That pale-faced man—is he really your first disciple?"
"Sigh. I raised that child poorly. If not for him, you wouldn't have gone through this."
"...…"
This wasn't something you could just brush off as "it's okay."
The Sword Sage continued, trying to soothe me:
"He's a pure-hearted child. That purity became poison and caused a lot of friction and trouble. But at least it didn't come from malice—just innocence and a desire to prove himself. This is all my failure as a teacher, so please don't resent him too much—"
—Tatadadadak!
"Senior Brother!"
Before the Sword Sage could finish, someone rushed into the cave.
A middle-aged man in martial robes—his presence alone was extraordinary.
But his expression was extremely grave.
The Sword Sage, sensing something, looked at him and asked:
"What's wrong, junior?"
"Senior Brother, it's… terrible—aaah!"
"Junior?"
"How could he do this to the scrolls?! Ja Gyeong-jeong, that bastard!"
Upon seeing the damaged talisman scrolls, the middle-aged martial artist couldn't suppress his anger.
At the name "Ja Gyeong-jeong," the Sword Sage couldn't hide his shock.
"What are you saying? 'Gyeong-jeong'?"
Now I remembered—the Sword Sage had referred to his first disciple by that name.
It must be his real name.
But why was this man shouting it with such fury after seeing the destroyed scrolls?
Did he… set the fire?
I looked at the Sword Sage.
"...…"
His face had grown so dark it was beyond words.
I didn't know what emotion it was, but it looked like extreme disappointment.
The Sword Sage slowly opened his mouth.
"What happened, junior?"
"Ja Gyeong-jeong fled with half of the eight Dharma artifacts of the fuse."
"What?!"
"Two of the monks guarding the artifacts lost their lives. And according to the injured, your second disciple, Yang Seon, who tried to stop him, was dragged away as well."
"How dare he…!"
The Sword Sage staggered, visibly shaken.
For someone of such deep cultivation to be this shaken—it was clear how much it affected him.
There is no betrayal more painful than from someone you trusted.
Especially if that someone was your cherished disciple…
—Fwoooosh!
A powerful gust of air erupted around the Sword Sage.
His energy was so intense that just his anger stirred the winds.
It sent chills down my spine.
Undoubtedly, no one—not even among the Eight Grand Masters or Four Great Evils—could match him.
Gazing at the burnt scrolls, the Sword Sage muttered:
"So he did all this just to avoid being tracked?"
"...Yes, that seems to be the case. Senior Brother… sigh..."
The middle-aged martial artist sighed.
I was furious too.
So the reason I got stuck here in the fuse was because of that bastard?
The Sword Sage raised his voice in a shout:
"I'll go out and catch him myself!"
"Senior Brother! I want to as well—but have you forgotten our oath to Grandmaster Jeongyang Jin-in? Over 200 years ago, the seven of us all swore to sever ties with the mundane world and never interfere again!"
At those words, the Sword Sage, who had looked ready to dash out, froze.
His face turned red, then pale, as he tried to calm his rage.
Even with deep cultivation, such restraint must've been incredibly difficult.
I too was furious with that guy, but all I could do was watch silently.
Then the Sword Sage narrowed his eyes and spoke to the middle-aged martial artist:
"Junior… as long as we aren't the ones who go—does it not count?"
"What do you mean?"
The Sword Sage slowly turned to look at me.
'!?'