Episode 261: Return to the Demonic Sect
Boom!
The cavern echoed with a deafening roar.
Dust and debris rained down from the ceiling, landing on Sabigang’s head.
“Damn it!”
A rare curse slipped from his lips.
Rumble…
A colossal statue, larger than a house, slowly straightened its back and fixed its gaze on Sabigang.
Sabigang, who had rolled across the floor, began to back away cautiously.
In that fleeting moment,
Whoosh!
The statue leaped into the air with an agility that defied belief.
Only one thought flashed through Sabigang’s mind.
‘If I face it, I’m dead!’
He spun around and sprinted with all his might.
But his speed felt sluggish, like a snail’s pace.
“Haah!”
With a desperate shout, he kicked off the ground and soared.
Crash!
Was it sheer luck?
As Sabigang tumbled out of the cavern and into a tunnel, the statue’s massive hammer struck the ceiling, then slammed into the floor.
Thanks to that, Sabigang narrowly avoided being crushed by the giant hammer.
At the same time, he felt his lost inner energy fully restored in his core.
He had escaped the barrier.
“Damn it!”
Thud!
When Sabigang punched the tunnel wall, his fist sank deep into the stone.
Crack.
As he withdrew his hand, bits of rock crumbled to the ground.
‘If only I could maintain my inner energy…!’
It was a frustrating situation.
He hadn’t expected a barrier like this here.
What Sabigang sought was Bashuk’s Hammer.
While it might be unknown to those in the central plains, in the demon realm, it was the legendary hammer of the famed blacksmith Bashuk.
He knew Bashuk’s Hammer was somewhere in Gwaeheungsan.
But who could have guessed it would be protected by such a cursed barrier?
In hindsight, this barrier was even trickier than when he had sought the Dragon Heart.
“Damn, I’ll have to think this through and try again.”
Muttering to himself, Sabigang stepped outside.
Suddenly, he felt ravenous.
It must have been the result of fighting for his life without a shred of inner energy.
He headed to a nearby stream, caught some fish, and roasted them over a fire.
As he chewed on the fish, bones and all, he pondered.
‘How on earth can I snatch that hammer from that thing?’
After sating his hunger, Sabigang lay back and thought deeply.
When he first discovered this tunnel, he hadn’t imagined things would turn out this difficult.
Upon entering the vast cavern, he had been thrilled to see the enormous statue in the darkness.
A statue modeled after Bashuk.
He knew the hammer it held was Bashuk’s Hammer.
‘Yes, that’s what I came here for!’
With a triumphant smile, Sabigang leaped onto Bashuk’s shoulder.
Just as he reached for the hammer, he felt a strange energy sweep through the area.
Sabigang instinctively realized a barrier had been activated.
But he wasn’t particularly alarmed.
He had encountered countless barriers before.
However…
“What the—!”
Startled, Sabigang quickly jumped to the ground.
Thud!
“Oof!”
The impact from the high jump sent pain shooting through his knees, and he clenched his lips tightly.
Under normal circumstances, he could have easily descended with his light-footed technique.
‘It’s Arakon’s barrier! Damn it!’
Arakon’s barrier.
This barrier nullifies all mana and inner energy.
Except for those originally present here.
Any energy brought in from outside is lost within this place.
One piece of evidence is…
Rumble…
The statue began to move!
The inanimate statue was powered by mana.
In other words, the statue was placed here before the barrier was created.
Then, as the barrier formed, it protected Bashuk’s Hammer held by the statue.
Only two people could break this barrier.
The sorcerer who created it and the Demon King.
For them, it’s a trivial barrier, but for others, it’s as troublesome as Arakon’s barrier.
The statue, having spotted Sabigang, swung its hammer down without hesitation.
If he were hit directly, he’d be crushed like an ant under a finger.
With no inner energy or mana, Sabigang barely managed to dodge and escape the cavern.
Once outside the barrier, his inner energy returned as if it had never left.
‘Of all things, it had to be Arakon’s barrier.’
Sabigang stood up and looked back at the tunnel.
Was there really no other way?
Fighting that statue without any inner energy to claim Bashuk’s Hammer seemed like a miracle.
Sabigang paced back and forth, deep in thought.
After a long while, he stopped and stared at the tunnel entrance.
‘Well, I have to try something.’
Even the slightest chance was worth pursuing.
Sitting here and thinking for days wouldn’t conjure a solution.
The barrier was designed to be unbreakable by anyone other than its creator or the Demon King.
Or unless someone had been there before the barrier was formed.
‘Then, let’s start with a diversion…!’
The simplest and most effective plan was to lure the statue out of the barrier.
If he could do that, Sabigang could fight the statue with his full inner energy and mana.
The statue wasn’t that formidable.
To an ordinary person without inner energy or mana, it was terrifying, but to someone with some inner energy and mana, it was manageable.
‘This better work…!’
Taking a deep breath, Sabigang walked steadily into the tunnel.
Soon, he could see the cavern in the distance.
The end of this passage was where the barrier activated.
Sabigang stopped just before the boundary.
The statue remained frozen in its initial pose, as if about to strike something.
It looked like it would never move.
But the moment he stepped even a foot inside the barrier, that statue would…
‘Go berserk.’
With a light sigh, Sabigang slowly stepped forward.
Finally, after taking about ten steps into the cavern,
Rumble…
Sure enough, the statue’s head slowly turned.
In the next moment, its eyes glowed a bright blue.
The mana within it was activating.
In an instant,
Whoosh!
“Damn it…!”
Amazingly, the statue soared into the air.
Its massive form rose with surprising ease.
Cursing, Sabigang turned and ran.
Boom!
The statue landed, slamming its hammer down.
Shards of debris struck Sabigang’s back mercilessly.
“Ugh!”
His clothes tore, and his back was scraped raw.
Without his inner energy, Sabigang was nothing more than an insect before the statue.
Hit by the debris, Sabigang rolled on the ground and punched the earth.
“Damn it!”
Biting his lip, he got up and ran again.
The statue raised its hammer once more, aiming for Sabigang.
In the nick of time, Sabigang dove into the tunnel.
Once again, he felt his inner energy fully restored in his core.
“Damn that tiny thing!”
Sabigang shouted in frustration, but the statue couldn’t understand him.
As soon as Sabigang exited the barrier, the statue stopped its attack and lumbered back to its original position.
It resumed its initial pose and froze.
“Damn it!”
A complete failure.
The statue had no intention of leaving the barrier.
Its size prevented it from entering the tunnel, but even so, it showed no interest in anything outside the barrier.
In the end, he would have to fight that monster inside without any inner energy.
It wasn’t just a difference between an adult and a child.
It was like comparing a human to an ant.
But he couldn’t give up.
He had to get that hammer somehow.
Without it, convincing the Alchemist Sage would be difficult, and even if he did, it would be hard to fully harness his abilities.
‘All right, time for the next plan.’
Sabigang took a deep breath and focused his inner energy into his right hand.
Vroom…
As his energy flowed into Vertas, it trembled and emitted a low hum.
Swoosh!
A powerful sword aura formed.
It was larger and more intense than ever before.
‘The Sword of Will won’t work.’
The Sword of Will relied on controlling the sword with energy, but the moment it entered the barrier, the energy would be cut off.
So there was only one way.
‘Rely on momentum!’
Sabigang slowly assumed a throwing stance.
Vroom. Vroom. Vroom…
Vertas hummed continuously, as if preparing itself.
If this method failed, it would be truly troublesome.
He would have to enter that hellish place again to retrieve Vertas, wherever it landed in the cavern.
Well, either way, he would have to go in.
So there was no hesitation.
In the next moment,
“Here goes!”
With a shout, Sabigang hurled Vertas with all his might.
Swoosh!
With a deafening roar, Vertas sliced through the air, hurtling forward.
The fierce energy that had enveloped the sword vanished the moment it crossed the barrier, as if it had never existed.
Yet, as expected, the momentum remained, propelling Vertas forward at lightning speed.
To Sabigang, however, this entire sequence seemed to unfold in agonizing slow motion.
“Please…!”
Sabigang clenched his fists tightly.
Finally, Vertas flew past the giant’s left hand, aiming for the hammer in its right.
Whoosh!
Clang!
In the blink of an eye, the giant swatted Vertas away with ease.
The sword, once feared as the Demon King’s blade, was sent tumbling across the ground, its reputation reduced to nothing in that hollow moment.
Sabigang’s face turned pale.
“Failed again…!”
The giant glanced at Sabigang with an indifferent expression before resuming its previous stance, frozen in place.
A wave of despair washed over him.
“Damn it! What am I supposed to do now?”
Even the Devil’s Fire would be useless here. If he tried to shoot it from outside, the moment it crossed the barrier, it would lose its magical power and become nothing more than a mere rock.
Frustration bubbled up from deep within him.
To have something he desperately wanted, needed, right in front of him, yet be unable to reach it—it was like a cruel joke.
At this rate, he might lose not only the hammer of Bashuk but also Vertas itself.
“Damn it! I have no choice but to go in again…!”
Sabigang tightened his grip and glared at the giant.
There was no other way.
He had to retrieve Vertas, no matter what.
With determination, Sabigang took a bold step forward.