Chapter Season 2 739

Naturally, the Magic Planet had become the Southeast Army’s main headquarters.

They had made the temporarily erected 77th Tower their base of operations, and it would not have been an exaggeration to say that half of the Unified World’s core fighting strength was currently gathered there.

The Beginning Wizard, Futurix, the Executor, the Death Worm, and even the Beast–five of the Twelve Void Lords alone had gathered in one place, while Futurix had brought her mechanical army with her and transformed the surroundings into a futuristic landscape.

And in the span of roughly a week, the mystique had vanished from the Magic Planet’s scenery.

Peran’s teacher, Harun, grumbled that all the romance had disappeared, but there was no denying that the place had made remarkable advances in practical terms.

Efficient use of space, systematized organization, emergency-response capabilities, even food supplies–Futurix’s assistance had resolved a great many problems, but the most impressive development was the installation of a warp gate system linking the King’s Castle, the 77th Tower, and Mount Hua, the base of the Northwest Army.

At least, that was how Peran understood it. Apparently, it was actually some sort of Hyperspace Leap system, but it was hardly the kind of knowledge he could master in a short period of time, so he had only managed to grasp the basic concept.

In any case, the point was that they could briefly stop by wherever Yang In-hyun was and return almost immediately.

Originally, the ones going to Mount Hua had been Peran, Futurix, and Harun, but just before they left, the Red Knight expressed a desire to join them. Peran had not expected her to be so proactive about accompanying them, so he had ended up accepting almost before he knew it. Thinking about it again, however, there was no downside whatsoever.

And so they arrived at Mount Hua, which, in fact, was a place Peran himself had never visited before. He had rarely ever left the Magic Planet. At most, he had visited the King’s Castle for the Greatest Summit.

Mount Hua.

Because its name meant a mountain in full bloom, Peran had expected it to feel like a place born of nature.

“…….”

Yet the sight that greeted him upon arrival was not much different from the remodeled Magic Planet.

Despite being called Mount Hua, there were neither flowers nor even a mountain to be found. A name like Steel Tower seemed as though it would have suited the place better.

Come to think of it, this camp had an organization called the ‘Grand Galactic Alliance’. They were said to possess technological capabilities comparable to Futurix’s, so this place had probably undergone modifications similar to those of the Magic Planet.

As Peran stared somewhat blankly at the scene, someone quietly approached and respectfully gave them a fist-and-palm salute.

“Have you arrived?”

He was a middle-aged man dressed in light, flowing clothes, most likely one of Mount Hua’s senior members, which meant he was probably one of its elders.

Peran briefly wondered how he was supposed to return the greeting, then awkwardly imitated the man’s posture.

“Ah. Yes. I’m Peran Jun.”

“I am Elder Heo of Mount Hua. I have heard much of your reputation, Lord Peran. The genius commander of the Southeast Army. I hear even Her Highness the Half King has praised you highly.”

“…Haha. You flatter me.”

Peran modestly waved off the compliment with an awkward expression. As he briefly wondered how he was supposed to return the courtesy, a sharp voice cut in.

“Enough with the pointless mutual flattery. Where is Yang In-hyun?”

It was Futurix.

Peran and Elder Heo both fell silent, but in truth, they had only been observing the formalities out of habit, so neither was particularly bothered that Futurix had interrupted the exchange. Just as she had said, they had no time to waste on empty ceremony.

Elder Heo spoke.

“He always stays at the Cloud Pavilion. Please follow me.”

They followed Elder Heo into Mount Hua.

Apparently, rather than climbing along a mountain path, they were going to use an elevator built inside Mount Hua itself.

…This place was every bit as crowded as the Magic Planet, with all manner of people gathered together. If anything, judging purely by appearances, the people here were far more distinctive.

There was another difference as well…….

Clang!

A loud metallic crash suddenly rang out. It was the sort of sound that came from weapons striking against each other, and the fact that it repeatedly rang in their ears was anything but ordinary. It carried a strangely violent intensity, and the noise grew progressively louder until, a short while later, it was almost explosive.

“Please excuse me for a moment.”

With that, Elder Heo hurried toward the source of the noise. Peran’s group could hardly remain standing there doing nothing, so they followed after him.

Sure enough, when they reached the scene, two people were fighting. One was a man dressed in martial robes similar to Elder Heo’s, while the other was an Absolute wrapped in a murky aura–Peran could now sense the distinctive External Force unique to their kind.

They continued clashing with sword and spear, glaring at each other with undisguised loathing.

“Why don’t you just piss off to the King’s Castle? A coward like you does nothing but sour the atmosphere here at Mount Hua.”

“Have you not mistaken caution for cowardice, human? And that decision is mine, or the Black Thorn Demon King’s. I have no reason to obey your orders.”

“Do I need to teach you how to act as part of a group? It is difficult to believe you are truly an Absolute who has lived for tens of thousands of years.”

The tension between them was growing increasingly vicious. Shouldn’t someone stop them somehow? But this was not a stage Peran dared to step onto.

Peran’s gaze naturally turned toward Elder Heo, but surprisingly, the man showed neither shock nor agitation. He remained completely unperturbed.

“Both of you, stop.”

After that brief command, he slowly walked between them and took on the role of mediator. With only a few words, he defused a situation that had been on the verge of exploding, and regardless of Elder Heo’s obvious skill at handling people, Peran realized that the man was extremely accustomed to dealing with incidents like this.

A short while later, Elder Heo returned and bowed his head slightly.

“My apologies. Let us continue.”

But Elder Heo ended up mediating two more disputes afterward.

By the time they boarded the elevator, even his impassive face showed faint signs of fatigue.

Hummm….

The elevator ascended toward the Cloud Pavilion. With only the rattling of its flat belt echoing around them, Peran broached the subject with Elder Heo.

“It seems incidents like this happen fairly often.”

“…Hmm. I have shown you an embarrassing sight.”

“…….”

Elder Heo clearly did not want to say anything more, so Peran fell silent as well.

The problem was what came afterward. The elevator was by no means slow, but the Cloud Pavilion stood at Mount Hua’s summit. There was still some time before they arrived, and an uncomfortable silence settled among them. Of course, Futurix, Harun, and the Red Knight, all of whom tended to go at their own pace, seemed entirely unbothered.

Perhaps unable to endure the silence any longer, Elder Heo eventually spoke in a bitter voice.

“I once visited the Magic Planet on official business. The atmosphere in the Southeast Army was excellent. Everyone seemed quite united as well.”

“Hmm…….”

Peran almost replied that it was not particularly like that, but then realized that if the Northwest Army was the basis for comparison, Elder Heo’s impression was perfectly understandable.

“We have been fortunate enough to have many outstanding people with us. Of course, I am not saying the Northwest Army lacks such people, but surely the absence of the Everlasting Plum Sword has played a large part?”

“That is certainly part of it, but we still do not even have a commander.”

“Ah.”

Come to think of it, the Northwest Army still had no commander.

That was because Iris PeaceFinder, the talent whom the Half King had taken notice of, had refused to accept the position. Had refusing been an option for Peran, he would have done the same. Though his circumstances had differed from hers in many ways.

“I am certain things will work themselves out. I do not possess the sort of charisma needed to unite an entire group either, but with help from those around me, I have somehow managed to make my way through.”

Peran knew that someone in a leadership position should not complain like this, but he did not consider anyone present his subordinate anyway. Elder Heo was somewhat harder to categorize, but in any case, he belonged to another camp.

However, upon hearing Peran’s words, Elder Heo shook his head with a firm expression.

“What you mentioned is certainly important, but in truth, what matters most in our current circumstances is symbolism.”

“Symbolism?”

“Yes. In reality, the identity of the commander is not very important. What truly matters is the very existence of someone who holds the position of commander.”

“Hmm…….”

“This may sound discourteous, but the Southeast Army’s commander does not seem to be someone who particularly stands out in terms of martial prowess. Is that correct?”

“That is correct.”

Peran answered somewhat sheepishly, but Elder Heo shook his head.

“I am not mocking you. In fact, that is preferable. Rather than placing someone of comparable strength above everyone else, it is far better to put someone with no martial power at all in that position.”

Peran felt as though he could vaguely understand what Elder Heo meant. He had heard something similar before. Middling strength invited challenges, and challenges bred conflict.

Meanwhile, the elevator reached the summit.

Ding.

With a mechanical chime, the iron doors slid open automatically.

The moment the doors opened, a cool breeze drifted in. It was so pleasant that Peran unconsciously closed his eyes and savored it.

The surroundings were dark. There seemed to be an artificial sun here, but apparently it repeatedly cycled through sunrise and sunset so that everyone could maintain a regular daily schedule. In other words, by the local time, it was either night or early dawn.

From the name alone, the Cloud Pavilion had made Peran imagine a lonely thatched cottage built atop some deserted mountain peak, but in reality, it was as large as a grand estate. With a building of that size standing against the backdrop of a sheer precipice, it even gave off a precarious impression.

To be frank, it did not seem to suit the scenery very well. As Peran followed behind Elder Heo, he soon realized that the building had not been standing there for very long.

Opposite the Cloud Pavilion was a comparatively small scenic terrace, which, in truth, was the sort of structure to which the name Cloud Pavilion seemed far better suited.

A man sat there, looking up at the clusters of stars.

Elder Heo stopped a short distance away and spoke with a degree of respect far exceeding anything he had shown until then.

“Sect Leader, I have brought the guests from the Magic Planet.”

“You have done well.”

A subdued voice answered, and the gaze of the Everlasting Plum Sword, Yang In-hyun, turned toward them.

It was not as though Peran and Yang In-hyun had never seen each other before, but this was the first time their eyes had met like this. In Yang In-hyun’s eyes, Peran sensed something like a broad river flowing with stately calm.

“My name is Peran Jun. It is an honor to meet you.”

“I am Yang In-hyun. I am the Sect Leader here.”

Peran was about to continue the conversation when he suddenly noticed that one of Yang In-hyun’s sleeves hung limply at his side. There was nothing beneath it from the shoulder down, and what that meant was obvious.

Yang In-hyun had no right arm.

Noticing Peran’s gaze, Yang In-hyun spoke calmly.

“I traded it for my life.”

“…Are you all right? Shouldn’t you be resting a little longer……?”

“We hardly have the luxury for that, do we?”

“…….”

“There is no danger of it worsening. Nor am I overexerting myself. Sit down for now.”

“Yes.”

Peran sat opposite him, and Yang In-hyun’s gaze shifted toward those behind him.

“You have brought quite a few guests.”

“Does that bother you?”

When Futurix boldly challenged him with the question, Yang In-hyun shook his head.

“Not at all. If anything, the more, the better. Are you the Seven Magician?”

Harun nodded and replied.

“Former, but yes, I suppose so. I believe this is our first time meeting in person, Everlasting Plum Sword. I am ‘Harun’.”

“I am Yang In-hyun. If you are Harun, then you are the master of the 77th Floor. I believe I heard that you are now called the Beginning Wizard…… Ah. Is that why you said ‘former’?”

“Precisely.”

“Hmm. But I heard you were gravely injured in the battle against Destruction. Have you managed to recover?”

“No. That is not the case. As I am now, I have no capacity to use magic. That is why my disciple accompanied me here.”

“…Your disciple.”

Yang In-hyun murmured in a low voice. The word itself seemed to carry a certain sorrowful poignancy, causing Harun to wonder why.

But Yang In-hyun said nothing more and looked up at the sky again.

“You came to ask me about the Giant, I assume?”

“That is correct.”

“I am sorry, but I cannot tell you anything right now.”

Peran blinked rapidly. It was a clear sign of his bewilderment.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that I will say nothing at this point. I do not want my words to plant any preconceptions in your minds.”

“…Then why did you call us here?”

Yang In-hyun rose from his seat. With his one remaining hand, he picked up his sword. Peran flinched at the sudden movement, but there was no hostility in it.

Yang In-hyun’s gaze settled on Peran.

“You and Harun. I would like one of you to accompany me when I go to see the ‘Giant’ again. Face it without any preconceptions, and then make your own judgment.”

*****

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