The 31st Piece Turns the Tables
chapter-243

The leader of the miners, who had been watching cautiously, stopped the young man.

“Stop this. She said this was the only method. Don’t you think it’s a bit too harsh to say that to someone who came all the way here for us?"

“But…”

“You know I’ve worked with your father, right? Just help me out and cool down a little, okay?”

“...God damn it.”

“Lady Seol Hong, would it be alright if we had a conversation among ourselves?”

Seol Hong nodded in response.

“Okay.”

As Seol Hong and the miners talked about what to do next, Seol continued to experiment.

Crackle…

Crackle…

Seol tried reaching his hand outside of the protective umbrella.

A stinging sensation traveled up his fingers.

‘It’s bearable. Next is…’

Seol then took a step outside of the protective umbrella, exposing his body.

Craaackle…

“Krgh…”

An immense amount of ghost energy.

However, thanks to Yahum’s Dokkaebi Gloves, Seol had become able to manipulate ghost energy somewhat. He only felt a slight sting from it, nothing more.

“What are you doing?” asked Chi Woo, beside him.

“...Testing.”

“It looks fun. I want to do it too.”

“It’s dangerous, though,” said Seol.

“But if you can do it, so can I! Watch this!”

Chi Woo reached his hand out, and… immediately screamed.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhh! Wh-what the hell…”

Chi Woo’s arm began to twist and contort.

Shocked, he quickly pulled it back in.

It felt as if there was immense pressure outside, as if the energy had dragged Chi Woo’s arm to the bottom of the deep sea, crushing it with its force.

“I see, I see… It hurts. This hurts a lot, huh?”

“I told you it’s dangerous.”

“Then how can you move? That’s weird…”

Lift…

Chi Woo raised his hand, reaching out to Seol.

Seol immediately sensed that Chi Woo was gathering a formidable amount of power within it.

Baaaam!

Seol swept his arm, knocking Chi Woo’s hand away.

“What are you doing?” asked Seol.

“A test. How strong are you? Why can’t I tell?”

“You’ve been a hindrance ever since we came here.”

“A hindrance? No, I’m not? I haven’t done anything?”

“Yes, that’s what we call a hindrance.”

“Oh, really? Then I guess I have no choice.”

Fwip!

Chi Woo entered a stance before immediately attacking Seol.

Bam!

Baaam!

Seol swatted away Chi Woo’s attacks once more, not revealing any power.

“Why aren’t you fighting back? Show me your powers. I’m quite the curious type.”

“That’s not my problem,” answered Seol. “The miners are nervous. We should avoid doing anything that could catch their eyes.”

“...Interesting. Then what about…”

Fwooosh…

Wind began to gather in Chi Woo’s hands.

[Chi Woo used Wind Crush.]

[Melee attacks are temporarily transformed into ranged attacks. Additionally, your attacks deal additional elemental damage equal to 30% of your base damage.]

Baaaaam!

Baaaaaaaam!

Seol swiftly used Agony to deflect Chi Woo’s attacks once more.

Hearing the commotion, people quickly gathered around them.

“Wh-what is going on?!”

“What are the two of you doing right now…”

In the end, Seol had this assessment of Chi Woo.

‘Is he… perhaps even stronger than Dae Ha?’

Chi Woo’s light attacks had immense power behind them, Seol was only pretending to be calm and relaxed. In truth, Chi Woo was strong enough to even make Seol consider whether he should use Night Crow.

Though Seol had no way of knowing, Chi Woo was considered to be on equal footing with Tae Yul, the individual ranked highest in the succession order, in terms of martial arts skills. His claims of being the strongest Dragon’s Flower weren't too far off.

However, it wasn’t just Seol who was surprised by that short interaction.

‘He’s… stupidly strong?’ thought Chi Woo.

Chi Woo, who had shown no interest in Seol Hong up to this point, now grew even more interested.

“Why… are you serving Seol Hong? If you’re that strong, I’m sure the other Dragon’s Flowers would want you as well.”

Seol, who didn’t want to explain the details, skirted around Chi Woo’s questions.

“If I have the strength, then Seol Hong has the will. There are things that can’t be changed with just strength.”

“The other Dragon’s Flowers are all more amazing than Seol Hong, though. You know that, right?”

“For now, sure. But Seol Hong will become greater than anyone else.”

“Don’t make me laugh… how?”

“Because I will make her so.”

As the two continued their conversation, Chi Woo began to feel the same emotions he had once felt in the past: an indescribable, uneasy, unpleasant sensation.

He wanted to harass them, and deny their claims.

He also wanted to test them.

“You’re so stupid!” shouted Chi Woo. “Don’t you know that everything’s decided at birth?”

“If that’s really the way you think, then we have nothing else to talk about.”

“You! Fight me! Let’s have a proper fight, yeah? If I win, then you’re wrong.”

“You must have lost your mind. Did you forget where we are?”

“That’s…”

Before Chi Woo could continue, the mines began to rumble violently.

Rumble rumble rumble…

They then heard a voice.

- Found you…

It was the voice from everyone’s nightmares.

“We don’t have time!” shouted Seol Hong. “Please, quickly make a decision, and…”

The miners began to murmur, talking among themselves.

“Wh-what should we do?”

“I don’t want to die in that coffin, though!”

“But even just staying here would…”

In moments like these, someone had to be brave for everyone else. The young man from earlier quickly cried out to Seol Hong.

“Lady Seol Hong! Can I… Can I really trust you?”

Seol Hong nodded back.

“I promise you. I will do my best to bring all of you to the surface.”

“......”

Those words became the signal for the miners and technicians to look at each other before beginning to run toward the steel box.

The steel box looked extremely clunky, as it was made from one of the Large Soldier’s cargo boxes.

“Ahh! You’re crushing me!”

“Get in there already!”

“Something’s pinching me, argh, that hurts! Ah! Fuck!”

“We have to stay multiple days in this? Seriously?!”

“No fucking way!”

“Shut your damn mouths already! Is that really what’s important right now?!”

Wooosh…

Seol Hong quickly used as little fuel as possible to operate a Large Soldier, connecting the container to the Earth King Unit 1.

Seol and Chi Woo exchanged glances before heading toward the Earth King Unit 1.

Seol Hong joined them shortly after and turned it on.

- Hello, World! I am Earth King.

She then turned toward them both.

“Master Chi Woo, you must wear the protective suit. You too, Seol.”

“I’m fine,” Seol replied.

“I-I’m fin—”

As Seol shot him another glare, Chi Woo pouted his lips before saying, “...Where was it again?”

Understanding the dire situation, Chi Woo quickly settled down and quietly sat in the corner.

“He’s going to stop us.”

“I know, but we have to go now. We can’t fight him here.”

“Lady Seol Hong, I have something to say before we go,” said Seol.

“Something to say?”

Chi Woo pouted as the two began whispering to each other.

“Why am I not included?! Tell me too!”

The two continued their conversation with serious expressions, completely ignoring Chi Woo.

“But…”

“It’s the only way,” responded Seol.

“...Okay.”

After the two finished their conversation, the Earth King began to walk.

Thunk…

Thunk…

Though it waddled a bit due to the weight, the Earth King moved at a surprisingly quick pace.

Despite its comical appearance, the shoddy Large Soldier raced through the mines.

Thunk…

Thunk!

“...Do you see that?”

“Yes, the terrain is constantly changing.”

“It could turn into a battle of attrition. I’m more worried about the oxygen now than the fuel. I’m going to lower the purification levels for the cockpit.”

The purification level was the value that decided how much of the outside air to let in.

- Purification level is now at 90%. Air will flow in from the outside.

“Urgh…” groaned Seol.

Though Seol Hong and Chi Woo were fine with the protective suits, Seol had to endure the ghost energy with just his body. And with it, came a slight pain.

“Can you manage?” asked Seol Hong.

“Definitely.”

“Then I’m sorry. If you can endure it, please do. We can’t waste either fuel or oxygen right now.”

“I understand.”

Chi Woo quietly looked around the cockpit with an indifferent expression.

After all, none of this was his job.

He had joined the Dragon War simply out of curiosity and was completely uninterested in becoming emperor. That’s why, whether Seol and Seol Hong’s next actions were hypocritical or desperate, he planned to simply watch.

Kieeeeeee!

Finally, the danger lurking in the mines revealed itself.

First, countless small ghosts appeared to stop the Large Soldier’s path.

Bam!

Baaam!

The Earth King indifferently charged past them, leaving them crushed on the ground.

Thuuud!

Thuuuuuuud!

“What they said about the door opening must’ve been true.”

“There’s no way those small ghosts could have released this much ghost energy, though. There… There has to be something else,” said Seol.

Seol’s words quickly turned to reality.

Rumble rumble rumble…

The terrain around them continued to warp and distort. The path they were on suddenly transformed into a wall elsewhere, and though they headed upward, a quick realization showed that they were actually descending. Such changes repeatedly occurred as the space around them shifted.

Seeing this, Chi Woo said a word.

“I think the reason it's getting worse… is because they’re getting closer to us.”

“......”

“You’re wrong. We’ve already been caught.”

A door.

In front of the Large Soldier was a massive door. This was likely the door with strange patterns inscribed on it that the miners had mentioned before.

However, the question now was whether it was that large from the start. In fact, it was so big that it made even the Large Soldier look small in comparison.

“Huh?” said Chi Woo. “I might die too at this rate…?”

Chi Woo’s eyes widened at the energy he sensed from beyond the door. Though he was not someone who ever had thoughts like that, the presence emanating from the door made him reconsider.

“Lady Seol Hong…”

“......”

“We must proceed with our plans.”

“......”

“We cannot afford a moment’s delay.”

Clench…

Seol Hong continued to grit her teeth, not answering Seol.

- It’s pointless… to run…

Rumble rumble rumble…

The massive doors opened as an immense darkness overwhelmed them.

Creaaaak…

A blue light beamed from the Earth King Unit 1’s lower half.

Thunk!

Thunk!

Thunk!

The Earth King Unit 1 moved at a much more rapid pace than before. However, the faster it went, the more it felt like they were sinking into a swamp.

“Phantom!” shouted Chi Woo, panicked. “This is Phatom’s power! Oh my god… We won’t be able to run away like this!”

“......”

“Throw the box away! Distract him with it! He’s…”

“...Shut your mouth, Master Chi Woo.”

Chi Woo then tried to complain to Seol.

“Look! If our opponent’s Phantom, then… huh…?”

Seol wasn’t there.

“Where… did he go?”

The surroundings around them flashed once more.

A blue, brilliant light was holding back the darkness.

It was Seol, who had left the cockpit.

For a second, Chi Woo doubted his eyes.

Seol had turned completely black before radiating a powerful, brilliant blue light. And instead of heading toward the exit, he was charging directly at Phantom.

“...Huh? Your friend’s… H-Hey!”

Rumble rumble!

The shadows writhed and rampaged as the rumblings grew louder.

“Your Dragon’s Stone is…”

“I know! I know, so shut up!”

Seol Hong continued to operate the Earth King with trembling hands. The Earth King would not be looking back.

She had already discussed this plan with Seol earlier.

- There is only one way to escape from Phantom’s domain. It’s to run forward while never looking at him.

- I know, but that’s impossible. If we’re already in his domain, we won’t be able to escape no matter how much we run. He would just change the terrain.

- No, it’s possible. Someone just has to look at Phantom in your stead, Lady Seol Hong. Phantom is a special ghost obsessed with people who see his appearance. It’s almost like an unconditional rule.

- Then… who will be looking at him? Don’t tell me…

- If Phantom appears, I’ll remain.

- No, don’t say that!

- This is the only way. Don’t you know that as well? Phantom will only continue to grow stronger the more time passes. And if that happens, it won’t be just the Sodoong Mine in danger, but the entirety of Tumaku.

- Seol!

Clench…

Seol Hong continued to stare ahead with bloodshot eyes, as if her gaze were fixed firmly forward.

It was as if she was completely ignoring her Dragon’s Stone, who she had left behind.

- Don’t look back no matter what, Lady Seol Hong. Keep going forward.

Chi Woo couldn’t understand them.

“Why… Why are you doing this?”

“......”

- The people? Everyone under the Dragon Emperor’s rule owes something to the Dragon Emperor. And as we are of his blood, the Dragon’s Flowers have the right to rule them too! They’re nothing more than dirt compared to us!

The words a fellow Dragon’s Flower had told him when he was young still lingered in Chi Woo’s heart. Although he had dismissed them at the time, he now realized he might have inwardly agreed with their sentiments. Perhaps he even hated that part of himself for agreeing.

“Why are you putting yourself in danger like this? They’re just dirt! Your Dragon’s Stone is back there! He’s going to die to Phantom! Why don’t you just abandon those miners, and—”

Seol Hong no longer used a title for him.

“Seol won’t die, Chi Woo.”

“...Hah.”

“He is the strongest man I know… and he never lies.”

- Can you beat Phantom?

- I can’t guarantee anything.

- ……

- But… I can guarantee that I won’t die. I’ll buy as much time as I can.

“Seol is immortal. He will never die.”

“Both of you are insane…. Why… Why would you… do something like this…”

Chi Woo was beginning to sense something from Seol Hong.

A belief that bordered on insanity… or a way of life that seemed almost like conviction.

“Flowers are born from the dirt, Chi Woo. That is why the Dragon’s Flowers must blaze for the future of the Khan Empire. I will bring the miners to the surface with me.”

Chi Woo then realized it.

Seol Hong was crying.

Though she trembled in her seat, she kept her eyes fixed ahead, determined to fulfill her promise to Seol.

“I… I promised to return everyone to their families.”

Rumble rumble!

Though they couldn’t see it directly, they knew Phantom was concentrating his efforts on Seol. The surrounding darkness was growing fainter.

Soon, they would be able to escape from Phantom’s domain.

Seol Hong then cried out, her voice trembling and echoing through the speakers as she prayed Seol could hear her.

"I’ll come back, no matter the cost! So don’t die, Kang Seol! I… I’ll return for you, whatever happens! I… I promise!"