Chương 704: Annihilation and Flower (5)

Seo Ran coughs in the capital of the Hyun Kingdom, Jeongyeong City.

"Achoo!"

It is gradually turning into winter, and as the cold wind blows, some dust gets into her nose.

At that moment, Seo Ran turns and glares sulkily at her father, who suddenly appears behind her.

"Father! Stop following me around. I just sneezed, that's all."

"As expected... should I exterminate all germs?"

"No, stop saying weird things! I'm already fifteen, you know!"

"Your birthday hasn't passed yet, so you're still fourteen."

"Uuugh..."

She grits her teeth in frustration.

She doesn't like it.

Even though she is already fifteen, she is tired of the overprotection from her father and mother.

"Still, for you to chase after me like this just because I sneezed and interrupt my personal time... I don't think that's right. There's nothing dangerous here! In all of Jeongyeong City, there isn't a single person who can beat me in a fight, is there?"

"Emmm..."

At her words, her father, Seo Eun-hyun, seems to ponder for a moment before speaking.

"There's nothing dangerous, but it's not the same for your body. Even if you win a fight against some thug, if your body is strained and you get hurt... how sad would your mother and I be?"

"Oh, enough already. That's not going to happen. With my skills, I wouldn't even need to overexert myself to fight some thug."

"... Are you really sure you're okay?"

"Yes!"

After bickering with her father Seo Eun-hyun for a while, Seo Ran lets out a deep sigh.

"Haaa... He finally left."

Her body has been weak since birth.

It's a Heavenly Penalty called Quaking Heat Body (震熱體).

If her body experiences even the slightest strain, her blood and energy twist, her muscles spasm, and her internal organs begin to rupture.

To block these abnormal symptoms, her body forcibly consumes her life force and Qi, causing her innate true energy to vanish. During this, the one afflicted with this Heavenly Penalty experiences extreme dizziness and panic.

The pain felt in those moments is said to be like being scorched by lightning across the whole body, hence this Heavenly Penalty is known as the Quaking Heat Body across the continent, and information about it is widely spread.

From a young age, Seo Ran has taken all sorts of elixirs prepared by her father, who is a ginseng digger, and learned martial arts from her mother, who is said to be a former martial artist. She uses an energy circulation method called 'Seo Style Grand Method (瑞式大法)' that goes beyond just restoring the depleted innate true energy, but greatly accumulates it, and she built up massive internal energy using another energy circulation method called the 'Eun Style Formation Method (恩式陣法)'.

If she consumes internal energy instead of innate true energy during overexertion, the symptoms that come with the Quaking Heat Body can be nullified by over ninety percent.

Because of this, her father Seo Eun-hyun traveled all over the continent to gather rare spiritual herbs and made them into elixirs for her. Thanks to that, her internal energy is immense, and now, even if she pushes her body, she only needs to expend internal energy to avoid pain.

Of course, if she overuses her internal energy, the aforementioned Heavenly Penalty still flares up. So she can't engage in strenuous exercise, and her body still remains weak.

'Mother and Father just worry too much.'

She lets out a short sigh, thinking of her father, Seo Eun-hyun, and her mother, Kim Yeon.

'Honestly, I don't even need that kind of concern anymore.'

Her body may be weak, but the martial arts she's trained in since childhood are quite formidable.

The Seo Style Grand Method, which allows her to endlessly replenish innate true energy and heal her body at will.

The Eun Style Formation Method, the family heart method that borrows strength from the mountain divine spirit protecting the Seo family to rapidly build internal energy.

And the Hyun Style Fighting Method (現式鬪法), a family martial art systematized from all the fighting techniques her father used in emergencies during his ginseng-gathering days.

On top of these three, she has also learned the Paired Wing Spear from her mother, making it hard to find her equal in the Hyun Kingdom.

Though her martial arts realm may only be mid first-rate, the martial arts she learned are all just too divine and supreme.

'With all these divine arts they themselves taught me, who exactly am I supposed to overexert myself against? Who could even hurt me?'

She looks down at her own hand.

She knows it well herself.

The reason someone like her, who is only mid first-rate, does not fear even the most renowned peak experts of the Hyun Kingdom is because of the overwhelming power of the cheat family martial arts she has learned.

Thanks to Seo Eun-hyun's not-so-subtle encouragement, she had gone around every sect in Jeongyeong City, defeating dojos, and had come to realize the truth.

'I'm basically... the strongest martial artist in the Hyun Kingdom. Aside from Mother and Father...'

And because of that, she cannot suppress her curiosity about her own parents, who possess such monstrous divine supreme techniques.

'Just what kind of people are Mother and Father...?'

She has been endlessly curious about it since she was young and has asked questions about her parents without end.

But whenever her questions go beyond a certain point, Seo Eun-hyun and Kim Yeon would only smile awkwardly and avoid answering.

They would only say vague things like, "You'll understand once you come to know your fate."

Thinking that her parents must be among the hidden masters of the Hyun Kingdom, she sips tea in an inn.

'Hmph, fate or whatever... who even cares about that?'

"Ah, is everyone here?"

She pushes aside thoughts of her parents and smiles brightly at the four girls arriving at the promised meeting place.

Including Seo Ran herself, the group known as the Jeongyeong Five Flowers consists of five girls, each hailing from the orthodox, unorthodox, and devilish factions of Jeongyeong City. They are regarded as the most promising young women in the city.

"Seo Ran, how have you been?"

The eldest of the Jeongyeong Five Flowers, the Black Flower Kang Min-hee, smiles brightly and sits closely beside Seo Ran.

"Hee Unnie! Of course I've been well. By the way, wow, that ring—what is it? It's so pretty..."

"This ring was brought by the Black Merchant Group under our Black Sect. I heard it was crafted personally by the artisan Yu Hwi from the western Seo Kingdom."

"Yu, Yu Hwi...? The one they say is a genius at gemstone crafting?"

"Of course. What do you think? If you like it, I'll bring one back for you next time."

"Th-Thank you, Unnie..."

After a while of lively chatter, Seo Ran slowly reveals her true intent to Kang Min-hee.

"So, Unnie, any new gossip lately?"

"Of course. You know our merchant group roams the entire continent, right? And you know how much info gathers around us Jeongyeong Five Flowers. This month's got plenty of juicy stories."

Kang Min-hee smiles faintly, and starting with her, updates about the state of the continent and various events in Jeongyeong City flow among the girls.

"Guess what? One of Second Flower Unnie's servants was chopping wood next to a pond on Sword Peak Mountain, and guess what? He dropped his axe into the pond!"

"Sword Peak Mountain?"

"Yeah. It was unlucky of him to go all the way to that eerie Ghost Mountain just to chop wood. But then something incredible happened. You know what?"

"What was it?"

"A mountain spirit wearing white robes appeared from the pond, holding a golden axe and a silver axe..."

"Hahaha, did it ask him something like, 'Which of these is your axe?' or something like that?"

"Gasp, how did you know, Seo Ran?"

After chatting cheerfully for a while with the Jeongyeong Five Flowers, Seo Ran sips her tea, unaware of the time, and watches the sun begin to set from the top floor of the inn.

"Ah, it's already this late. It's almost time for my father to call me back..."

"Alright, Ran-ah. Go on home. I know full well how intense your dad can be."

Kang Min-hee waves at Seo Ran with a cheerful smile.

Seo Ran smiles back just as brightly, receiving her farewell.

She leaves the city of Jeongyeong and heads toward the foot of the mountain known as Sword Peak Mountain.

The path leading to Sword Peak Mountain is eerie, and with all the thick bushes and trees, it could practically be called a forest trail.

Just as she is walking through that eerie trail—

'Hm... Just as expected, here they come.'

Pababat!

"Hey, little girl. Want to have a quick chat with us uncles?"

Bandits with blades step out to block her path.

Seo Ran reads the hunger, greed, and lust gleaming in the eyes of the bandits.

"Hmm... I am Seo Ran, one of the Jeongyeong Five Flowers. Would you kindly step aside?"

"Jeongyeong Five Flowers? What kind of punks are they?"

"Isn't that something you put in pancakes or something?"

"Pancakes taste good though..."

Watching the bandits engaged in a foolish conversation, Seo Ran surveys her surroundings with a cold gaze.

'I heard they say all the nearby bandits were exterminated recently... That must mean these guys came from another region and don't know who I am.'

Grasping the cause and effect in an instant, she steadies her stance.

"I need to get home, you see. Would you mind stepping aside?"

"Hm? Home? Ahaha, don't worry, little girl. You'll be coming to our home now, and we'll have a good ti—" Crunch— She doesn't bother to listen to the rest.

She simply uses the Hyun Style Fighting Method to crush the shin of the blabbering bandit.

"Hm... This is getting a little bothersome. Every time I go out alone, bandits show up and start spewing filth. I kill them all, and new bandits take their place, doing the same thing and dying by my hand. But if I spare them, they get wiped out by the government forces anyway, then new bandits take over, and the same thing repeats again..."

"W-Wait, miss! No, young lady! Heroine! Please spare us!"

"This has already repeated so many times now. It's strange, really. It's as if there's some law causing beings like you to appear endlessly and repeat this same scenario."

"Y-Young Lady! Please spare me. I have rabbit-like children and a fox-like husband at home."

"But Ahjussi is a man though. Ah... well, alright. But the children part is a lie, right?"

"N-No, that's not..."

While Seo Ran holds one of the bandits and asks questions about this and that, two others silently approach from behind.

"Iyaaaaah!"

"Die, you mo—" But in the next instant— They realize their arms have already been twisted before they can even perceive what happened.

Hyun Style Fighting Method.

It is the technique of Twin Fang.

Crunch, crunch!

"... Huh?"

"Uhhht..."

"Ajusshis. I have a few questions. If you give satisfactory answers, I'll let you go."

"Uaaaaaagh!"

"Guaaagh!"

Seo Ran is fundamentally weak in body.

But because she possesses overwhelming internal energy that compensates for her frailty... she has never once lost to anyone.

Tap, tap-tap...

She approaches the three fallen bandits, presses down on acupuncture points that numbs their pain, and continues speaking.

"If everything in this world already has a determined ending... then what should one do to make it fun?"

"K-Kkughh... P-Pardon...?"

"Oh dear, you didn't understand? Let me rephrase... For example, I'm going to massacre you Ajusshis in a little while."

Hyun Style Fighting Method.

Technique of Ghost Fang.

Tukwang!

In an instant, Seo Ran's fingers turn black, and the strike she unleashes strikes a nearby tree from a distance, knocking it down.

The bandits, seeing this, begin to weep with terror-stricken expressions.

"So then, if we assume that Ajusshis are all going to be massacred soon... what could Ajussshis do to escape from the fear of death?"

"H-Hiiiek..."

Seeing Seo Ran's face, they all tremble with terror.

"If you don't answer, you die. Please give a proper answer."

"Th-That's..."

"Please answer while I count to ten. One."

"W-Wait, wait! Please give us a moment!"

"Two."

Seo Ran's counting continues, and before long, the bandits turn pale and break into sobs.

"Nine."

"I don't know! Fuck, how can anyone think about anything else with death right in front of them!? Huh!?"

"... Hm..."

And after counting all the numbers, Seo Ran takes on a briefly contemplative expression.

"So in the end... because there's no time to think, there's no way to escape fear?"

"Th-That's... I mean..."

"... I see. If fear can't be escaped... then the ending can't be escaped either... is what you're saying."

She nods slowly after a moment of contemplation and speaks.

"I'll let you live. It wasn't the answer I was looking for, but maybe the fact that it wasn't what I wanted is exactly the essence. Go on then. If you see me next time, don't even act like you know me and just walk past."

Finishing her words, she leaves the bandits behind and continues walking along the forest path.

Chiiii— Smoke begins to rise from various parts of her body.

It is the phenomenon that occurs when her Quaking Heat Body contracts the muscles in her limbs, and she tries to suppress it by consuming internal energy.

'My parents are really ridiculous.'

She lets out a chuckle.

In the distance, Below Sword Peak Mountain, Her house comes into view.

It is the home of Seo Ran and her parents.

'When their daughter sneezes, they rush in like lightning, but when she comes back after breaking the limbs of some thugs, they don't even react...'

It seems like an utterly absurd way to act.

But she knows herself.

'Well... I guess they didn't show up because it didn't deviate from the flow.'

From the moment she was born— She could sense the countless 'flows' that exist in this world.

Most humans live and die under this 'flow'.

Perhaps this flow is the vast law that most people refer to by 'fate'.

That's right.

From birth, she possessed the talent to read the fates around her.

Because she already knows the outcome of every event in the world by reading the flow of fate around her, she is unable to find anything interesting unless it's something she's seeing for the first time.

That is why she attends Kang Min-hee's monthly gathering of the Jeongyeong Five Flowers and enjoys the 'new' incidents that gather to Kang Min-hee's merchant group and the Five Flowers.

After all, she can only read the fate around her, while Kang Min-hee and the Five Flowers bring her new information from faraway places.

And because of that, she also understands why her parents show such peculiar reactions.

"Ahhht!"

While lost in thought, she nearly trips over a stone in front of her house, and at that moment, someone appears and catches her.

"Oh my, is it Ran? Go on inside. Your parents are worried."

"Ah, Uncle Hyun-seok! Thank you."

"Be careful not to trip over stones next time. As it is, that Seo Eun-hyun is already pacing around knowing you tripped."

"Kukuk... My parents are so ridiculous. They didn't even react when their daughter was surrounded by bandits."

She mutters with a bit of cynicism.

Seeing this, Oh Hyun-seok looks as if he's about to say something, but instead swallows his words and pats Seo Ran on the head.

"... I know, I know. I mean... just like me, my parents probably feel the 'flow' too, right? And if they don't see a fate where I get hurt in that flow, then they don't particularly care. But for tiny things that aren't shown in the flow... like sneezes or tripping on stones—if they think I might get hurt by those, then they make a fuss."

"..."

"But... I don't know. I feel like I'm going insane from how boring this life is."

All danger can be known even without seeing it.

And for dangers that can't be known even when seeing, for example trivial possibilities like sneezing, her parents block them all before they even reach her.

Absolute safety may be guaranteed, But to her, her parents feel like nothing more than a suffocating cage.

"And yet, it's not like they tell me everything... It's not like they tell me their true identities either... Everything just feels so frustrating."

"One day, everything will be resolved. What's most important is... that your parents love you."

Oh Hyun-seok pats the complaining Seo Ran's head with a smile.

"Go inside and have dinner. Your mother's already set the table."