Chapter 105 – Muguk(Flame) Expedition Force
What the hell…
I almost shouted without realizing it, but managed to hold it back.
A jade that can manipulate time?
Even the Blink Orb is already an incredible item. Its essence isn’t just “movement”, but “crossing through space”.
And now, I’ve acquired a jade that relates to time.
Jades that control time and space, and an artifact that manipulates gravity, the Will-forged Mind.
“Aren’t time, space, and gravity the core of that theory of relativity or whatever?”
It was moments like these that made me regret not being a science major. If only I hadn’t had that awful physics teacher in high school, I could’ve walked the proud path of a science student.
Of course, trying to explain the power of a jade with science was pointless. In the world of Return of the Murim, there’s no such thing as “rationality”.
“So what exactly does it do?”
[If it’s within a radius of ten jang from the spot where the power was first activated, I can slow down the flow of time. Of course, you and I—since we’re linked by soul—are unaffected by the restriction. Rather than explain it in words, I’ll show you.]
"Show me"? When??
[I’m already showing you. Look ahead.]
Following Skybreaker’s words, I looked forward.
[Do you notice anything different?]
I focused my eyes and looked again. And this time, I saw it.
Cheol Muguk’s eyes were opening—very, very slowly, like someone had put him in a slow-motion scene.
I turned to look at him. I could see his massive upper body expanding slightly with each breath. Cho Ryang’s pupils were shifting, but it was so slow, it was like watching a video frame by frame.
“So this is what it means to manipulate time?”
Slowing the flow of time—that was the power of the Timewheel Jade.
I tried taking a step.
Within this slowed-down world, I could move normally. I didn’t feel any resistance or difficulty moving.
In one famous comic, they said that if time is stopped, even air stops moving and you can’t breathe. But clearly, this world was far removed from scientific logic. No problems here.
After walking about ten steps, Skybreaker said,
[This is the limit.]
From the point the jade’s power is activated—ten jang.
[If you leave this radius, the jade’s effect will end.]
“What happens when it ends?”
[Time returns to normal. From outside this zone, it would look like everyone inside is moving slowly for no reason.]
That meant I’d need to be cautious about how I used it. If someone realized time was being distorted, it’d ruin everything.
“Is the only cancel condition leaving the area?”
[Also, if you stop channeling internal energy. This thing devours qi. Not even a single moment has passed inside this domain, and already over half the stored energy is gone.]
If I assume one chon-gak equals about one second, and it's been around 10 seconds since activation… then spending that much energy for tenfold time extension is actually modest.
“Anything else?”
[The more energy you pour in, the slower you can make time. If it’s fully charged and you use all your qi in one burst, you might even be able to freeze time momentarily.]
“That’s insane.”
A ten-jang radius is about 30 meters. Almost the same as Skybreaker’s energy sensing range.
In other words, I’d become almost immune to assassination attempts.
One of my biggest weaknesses is my physical reaction speed.
Even if I can draw on the Heavenly Demon Divine Art’s qi to sharpen my vision and notice fast movement, I can’t move my body fast enough to react.
That’s why, until now, I’ve been relying on instinctive timing—dodging with the Blink Orb or blocking with the Guardian Armring. It just happened to work out every time so far. If a fight ever dragged on, or I got truly ambushed, I would’ve been helpless.
But if I used the Timewheel Jade at that moment…
Finally, I’d be able to see and react.
[That’s it. I’ve only got enough qi left for one more function.]
So, I’d maintained it for roughly 20 seconds at a 10:1 ratio. Which means only 2 seconds passed within the domain.
That alone opened up countless new tactical options.
I deactivated the jade’s power.
[Now I understand why Cheol Muguk thought it was cursed. It’s fine for me, since I use it through the sword. But if a human were to use it, they’d burn through all their qi in an instant. Probably even their innate true energy without realizing it.]
If it drains innate qi, that explains why people suddenly withered and died. Innate qi is the fundamental energy that sustains life.
“When did you get all the way over there?”
Cheol Muguk tilted his head, and Cheol Sopyeong’s face turned serious. Judging by his expression, he was thinking, “I didn’t even see him move that distance?!”
“I was testing the jade’s power.”
“You mean you withstood the jade’s power?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“Th-Then… what kind of jade is it? Is it really cursed?”
I hesitated.
Should I tell them the truth about the Timewheel Jade or not?
Honestly, it wasn’t even a real dilemma. The answer was already clear.
Looks like I feel closer to Cheol Muguk than I thought…
Of course, that was not a reason to tell him the truth. The Timewheel Jade covered one of my critical weaknesses.
So I said,
“It’s fair to say it’s cursed. It’s a jade that absorbs qi.”
“Then shouldn’t we seal it away?”
“Instead, it makes the body feel lighter. Otherwise, how could Lord Cheol’s son have failed to notice my movement?”
[You really are aiming for two birds with one stone. That explanation works perfectly on both Cheol Muguk and Cheol Sopyeong. You’re good at this sly stuff.]
At Skybreaker’s comment, I couldn’t help but smirk internally. After all, I’ve killed to survive before—so why was I even hesitating over something like this?
“Hm… if that’s the case…”
“Instead of keeping a cursed item sealed up, wouldn’t it be better to put it to use on this expedition?”
“If you say so, then fine, but… are you really okay with that?”
“What’s to worry about?”
“How could I not worry?”
His words made my guilt bubble up slightly, but I kept it down. No, this wasn’t the time to feel guilty.
This was the time to think about how I could own the jade outright instead of just borrowing it.
My goal was to survive in this world—not to build human bonds.
“...I want to sleep.”
I was getting tired.
“Since we’re at it, why don’t we depart right away?”
“You may still be a lively youth, but I’m not. I need time to prepare.”
“You already reversed your aging with Rejuvenation Technique, and you’re pretending to be an old man?”
“You think I’m as idle as you? I’ve got clan affairs to handle. I’ll need at least two days. I’m not going alone either—Sopyeong’s coming too.”
“Wait, Father? I am?”
“What, you think I should throw the Golden Gate Lock myself to capture the divine beast?”
“Well, no, but... this is so sudden.”
“Tsk. Don’t talk back.”
“Didn’t you say earlier that I should speak my mind?”
“Sometimes things change.”
Watching them bicker, Cho Ryang turned to me.
“Clan Head.”
“What is it?”
“You’ve got us. Vice-captain Saweol, and Squad Leader Tak Horak. Hehe.”
“You sure say all sorts of things. And Saweol is a captain now, by the way.”
“Right. I forgot. Hehe…”
I reached out and ruffled Cho Ryang’s hair.
If even a child was trying to comfort me, I must’ve really been under mental strain lately.
Maybe I should actually go see the Demon Medical Hall. If a kid could sense it this clearly, experts would pick up on it even faster.
“Then how about we depart in three days?”
“Sounds good. We’ll meet at my house then.”
***
Three days later.
The lineup of the Muguk Expedition Force was dazzling.
Me, Saweol, Cho Ryang, Cheol Muguk, and Cheol Sopyeong.
Only five people, but with this group, we could wipe out most mid-sized sects in the Martial World overnight. Of course, I’d just be standing in the back, twiddling my thumbs.
Anyway, this overwhelming force—
“Cho Ryang, want to try this? It’s called Candied Hawthorn Skewer. I hear it’s popular among kids these days.”
“Oh! Thank you. Wow, it’s really tasty!”
“Father, if you give a child too much of that, their teeth will rot.”
“He’s the Poison Demon’s personal disciple. You think his teeth will rot that easily?”
“Still, feeding sweets from a young age is a bad habit.”
“He’s practically an adult soon.”
“That’s why you shouldn’t treat him like a kid.”
“Bah! Shut your mouth!”
“Didn’t you tell me earlier not to hold back, Father?”
“Forget it!”
They were getting way too excited. Cho Ryang was still young, so I understood, but Cheol Muguk and Cheol Sopyeong had turned into a full-blown comedy duo.
[They think they’re going on a picnic.]
Skybreaker sighed. I agreed.
I shook my head. The only one I could rely on was Saweol…
“Lord Cheol sent me this outfit…”
Saweol said, blushing.
Instead of her usual black combat uniform, she wore a brightly colored outfit.
And it didn’t just suit her—it suited her too well, leaving me speechless. After seeing her in drab black all the time, the change was jarring but also… beautiful.
“Doesn’t it look good? Heh. It’s tougher than most armor. No circuits, but functionally the same as a Infinite Heavenly Flame.”
“Shouldn’t you all be more on edge? Infinite Heavenly Flame is a divine beast that even Hyuk Mun couldn’t subdue.”
“Doesn’t matter. You’ll catch it anyway.”
I almost sighed out loud.
For a moment, I thought Tak Horak might’ve been the better choice, but he was currently off collecting rumors as usual. As a notorious gossip, he occasionally brought back useful intel, so I left him to it.
Maybe that’s how he made it into the Black Shadow Corps, with his knack for collecting information.
Seeing myself wandering into idle thoughts made me realize how little tension I was feeling. But after experiencing the Heavenly Demon’s gaze directly… well.
“Still, be cautious. Not just about Infinite Heavenly Flame. The Hyuk Clan might target us as well.”
“…Ah.”
Cheol Muguk looked stunned—like he’d just taken an intelligence debuff.
Infinite Heavenly Flame was currently rampaging in Red Dragon Domain, territory of the Red Dragon Hyuk Clan. Their clan head, Hyuk Mun, would likely try to hinder our entry—or at least interfere with the beast’s capture.
Cheol Sopyeong thumped his chest and said,
“We probably don’t need to worry too much. Hyuk Mun is known for being overly cautious with his own safety. He won’t dare charge in directly.”
…Can I really trust this team?