Only I Am A Reader
chapter-268

Traveling back from Shanxi to Mount Heaven was a march that required at least two weeks' time on foot. Unfortunately, although Leo dearly missed going everywhere in a carriage with the help of the horse that accompanied him throughout his journey in the Sword Continent, he couldn't replicate the same situation in the current murim…

Not only did the monsters spread everywhere do their job in decreasing the population of other living things other than humans, but just the casual 'fear' that the monsters emitted was enough to intimidate a horse or any other animal into freezing in place.

Of course, those that had the capability to stand up to monsters like True Beasts would react differently, but taming a true beast was often a job that took months. While Leo did indeed have the chance to do something like this over the last few years, nothing was easy when one was always on the move.

"Keep up the pace, we should be there soon."

After crossing over the populated area and entering the flat plains, the four were soon met with the usual obstacle. Thin but heavy smog pervaded everywhere, completely obstructing all kinds of vision. However, Leo and the others didn't react differently.

Unlike how it appeared to be, this smoke wasn't a natural occurrence but an artificial creation produced by the Heavenly Strength Society. Alchemy was best known for producing pills of all kinds, but it wasn't the limit to its usability.

With the spread of enemies that ranged from mindless to extremely intelligent ones, it was too wasteful for the Heavenly Strength Society to spread most of its forces to guard the inhabitable plains where Mount Heaven was located. As such, they decided to simply filter their visitors rather than doing so.

Other than monsters with special eye abilities like Lamias or Basilisks, the monsters' senses were often limited according to their level of strength. Vision obstructing smog like this could easily block the majority of the stray ones, while the strong ones usually possessed enough intelligence to not launch an attack while underprepared. In the end, the flat plains remained safe for the majority of the time.

On the other hand, Martial Artists of the 1st rate stage and above could easily empower their senses with Internal Energy to scan the area. Considering that only combatants of this level were allowed to leave Mount Heaven, this preventive measure didn't cause a major decrease in efficiency.

"It has been a while, I kind of miss my room."

Although they couldn't see anything in the distance, the group dashing through the plain could already tell that they were about to arrive at their destination. In particular, Cheon Sohee seemed to be homesick more than the rest.

It wasn't like they never went back to Mount Heaven since their first dispatch, but the frequency had definitely dropped with time. It had been about a year since they had last reported back. In fact, they weren't even supposed to return now.

Shikkk…

The black mountain pierced through the heavy smog, bringing all attention to it. Standing in front of a hidden spot, Leo inserted his Internal Energy into the stone, resulting in an opening of a small entrance.

"We are back!"

Compared to the first time when they were making their first entrance while accompanied by one of the Society's four pillars, they had used one of the side entrances that was prepared for members operating outside. After all, the large main gate couldn't be opened every time a member returned. Squads like Leo's were only given the energy sequence for the hidden side doors in any case…

'It's like a ghost house.'

The place undoubtedly appeared much less lively in the eyes of the four as they walked in. Ever since the Heavenly Demon received news of the monsters' appearance, he ordered the dispatch of almost everyone aside from the forces essential for the defense of the base. Even with the ones occasionally reporting back, it was hard to see the same movements that they saw back then.

Regardless of what anyone else said, Leo was absolutely sure that it was the Heavenly Strength Society that had been working the hardest to eliminate the invaders. Whether that was blatant forces like them or the ones who still maintained their guise under the Murim Alliance's banner. Looking at it from the perspective of an insider this time, Leo understood that the relationship between the Society and the monsters was deeper than he imagined.

'A lot of future events make some sense now.'

This novel's Murim was relatively well fleshed out, and the characters' design wasn't bad either. However, the original author's love for mystery and surprise definitely left quite a number of questions unanswered.

'It's not actually incomplete.'

In this second round of his, Leo felt that he had broadened his horizons even further. Back as Arthur, he had only experienced the strangely realistic words in addition to some events that he selectively picked, so he couldn't see the complete image that well.

Comparatively, rather than sticking to the protagonist or choosing a third route like he did that time around. Leo found seeing things from the second route's perspective to be quite interesting. Instead of just being a convenient 'boogie man' that nurtured the protagonist's love interest, the Heavenly Strength Society sensibly existed for a reason.

They weren't slavers like some Black Faction forces, nor were they softies like some 'noble' Martial Families and Sects. They were simply the embodiment of a logical persona with a goal in mind.

"Let's go put down our things before finding someone."

With how empty the place seemed to be, it was much harder to find someone to pass the word that they came back. Rather than walk around with the luggage they accumulated during their travel, Leo suggested the easier choice.

'It does feel like a proper home after living like vagabonds for this long…'

Entering his room, Leo put down his things and turned to his bed. However…

'Uck!'

Just as he was about to collapse down on the comfy mattress, an oppressive aura suddenly pressured his whole body!