Chapter 306 : The Second Kim Min-soo
Chapter 306: The Second Kim Min-soo
When they opened the remaining box, an identical bracelet was inside that one as well. Kim Min-soo had prepared multiple copies just in case.
“It doesn’t seem that different from the one we used before.”
Cho-su accepted the bracelet and examined it. The third eye between his brows glowed briefly.
“As expected, it’s a simple artifact that reveals a location. Both of them have the same function.”
As he fastened the bracelet onto Jang Woo-hyun’s wrist, Cho-su continued speaking.
“If you press this part.”
Click!
The bracelet-shaped artifact activated with a sharp sound. Light extended from the bracelet and pointed in one direction.
Even when Jang Woo-hyun rotated his arm around, the direction indicated by the light did not change.
“Unlike last time, it activates immediately. I’ll go check it out.”
“You’re going alone?”
“Yes. It feels more comfortable that way.”
After asking his companions for understanding, Jang Woo-hyun used Shrinking the Earth.
Every time he took a step, the surrounding scenery warped like crumpling paper. By the time his foot landed, he had already traveled hundreds of li.
He occasionally stopped midway to confirm the direction.
After moving several more times while maintaining his course, a gigantic floating continent appeared before him.
‘This way?’
Taking a few more steps, he arrived at the opposite side of the continent.
The light emitted from the bracelet pointed toward a forest spread along a mountain range.
Feeling that he was nearly at his destination, Jang Woo-hyun entered the forest and used his movement technique.
Grrrr.
The beasts of the forest charged at the sudden prey that had appeared, but the moment Jang Woo-hyun slightly released his aura, every one of them fainted instantly.
Leaving the unconscious beasts behind, Jang Woo-hyun continued running.
Deep within the forest, which grew increasingly dense—
A cliff covered in moss and crimson vines appeared.
The light from the bracelet pointed toward a boulder in front of the cliff.
‘Behind there.’
With a casual wave of Jang Woo-hyun’s hand—
Crackle!
Lightning burst forth, and the boulder shattered into sand.
A spell had been placed on the rock, but Jang Woo-hyun’s power was so overwhelming that it failed to properly activate before being destroyed entirely.
As expected, a small cave appeared behind where the boulder had stood.
Jang Woo-hyun headed inside.
The floor, ceiling, and walls of the cave were filled with incomprehensible characters and symbols.
They formed one massive spell formation.
‘There it is.’
On one side of the wall, messy Korean writing had been scribbled.
Ignoring the contents entirely, Jang Woo-hyun placed his hand against the handprint-shaped indentation in the wall.
Since he had already done this once before, no explanation was needed.
Unlike last time, the moment he touched it, an enormous amount of power flowed into the spell formation.
Rumble.
The cave trembled lightly as the spell formation began to shine.
The energy Jang Woo-hyun injected gathered through the formation and concentrated into a small stone pillar in the corner.
A moment later—
Something like glowing smoke emerged from the stone pillar and formed the shape of a person.
The smoke gradually lost its radiance, and once the light vanished completely, a man stood there.
“Greetings, one who came from Earth.”
The man took a few steps toward Jang Woo-hyun.
“My name is Kim Min-soo.”
A deep smile spread across Jang Woo-hyun’s face.
Though it was only another clone, he had met Kim Min-soo again.
---
“It’s been a while.”
“You probably asked me a question just now? Sorry, but I’m not the main body, so I can’t answe— wait a second? You said it’s been a while?”
Kim Min-soo had been about to pretend the conversation wasn’t working as a joke, but he flinched in shock.
“Senior Kim, we’ve already met once.”
Smiling, Jang Woo-hyun approached and handed him the glowing orb given to him by the clone he had met on Dawn Continent.
“This is…….”
“He said it stores memories of a sort.”
Kim Min-soo accepted the object and swallowed it.
Each time he chewed the orb in his mouth, memories of the past returned.
The conversations the two had shared on Dawn Continent, along with the experiences they had gone through together.
As time passed, a smile spread across Kim Min-soo’s face.
“Ahahahahaha!”
Having regained all the memories, Kim Min-soo burst into loud laughter.
“Our junior really is incredible! You found me again! Have you been doing well all this time?”
Kim Min-soo approached and hugged Jang Woo-hyun.
Then he repeatedly patted his back.
His gestures contained many emotions.
Concern for Jang Woo-hyun, who had suffered to come all this way.
Emotion at being found again.
And even guilt and gratitude.
After patting his back several times, Kim Min-soo stepped away again. Still smiling, he spoke.
“With our junior, I think I can speak comfortably.”
“What is it you want to say?”
“Yes, it’s something serious.”
Since the smile never left his face, Jang Woo-hyun did not take him seriously at all.
“Junior— no, Woo-hyun.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“I think I’m screwed.”
“…….”
Jang Woo-hyun let out a long sigh.
What kind of joke was this man trying to make now?
“I’m serious. This isn’t a joke. I’m in trouble.”
“……Then why are you smiling if it’s so serious?”
“Then what? Should I cry? We finally met again after so long.”
He wasn’t wrong, so Jang Woo-hyun could not refute him.
“……That’s true, but still. Explain what’s going on first.”
---
“The connection with the real me— my main body— has been cut off.”
The clones at Water Observation Island and the Serpent-Shaped Archipelago had been left behind long ago, but they could still communicate with Kim Min-soo’s main body.
That was why the clone on Dawn Continent had been able to tell Jang Woo-hyun about those two locations.
“The main body accidentally found something.”
Kim Min-soo met Jang Woo-hyun’s eyes.
The playfulness vanished from his face.
“It was traces left behind by someone else from Earth besides us.”
“What?”
Startled, Jang Woo-hyun unconsciously raised his voice.
It was something he had never expected.
He had never even considered the possibility.
“It wasn’t certain. I didn’t know exactly who it was either. But I found traces of that person and started tracking them.”
“Where is Senior Kim’s main body right now?”
Jang Woo-hyun spoke more quickly.
“He should be in the Demon Realm.”
“If it’s the Demon Realm, then it’s the Demon Realm. What’s with the uncertainty? You don’t know exactly?”
“Because contact was cut off after he said he was heading there.”
“Couldn’t communication simply be difficult because he crossed into another world?”
“No. If it were me, I would have managed somehow. You know what I prepared and how I’ve lived.”
Compared to Jang Woo-hyun, Kim Min-soo lacked talent in martial arts, but he had learned countless other things, including spell arts.
Even if the quality of his talent was lower, in terms of quantity he was hardly lacking.
“If I’d tried to contact myself, I’d have tied a letter to a demon beast’s tail and sent it if I had to.”
“Stop talking about yourself like you’re another person. It’s confusing.”
After thinking for a moment, Jang Woo-hyun carefully spoke.
“Could Senior Kim’s main body perhaps…… I mean…….”
“You mean maybe I died? Why are you asking so cautiously? You can just ask directly. The Demon Realm isn’t an easy place, but I doubt I died that easily. And even if I did die, I would’ve left records somehow. You know what I prepared.”
The Hundred Million Heavenly Law Nayuta Clone Technique.
Kim Min-soo was the one who had left countless clones and records behind through his own methods for the sake of others.
Just as he said, even if he had died, he would have left traces somewhere within the Demon Realm.
“You might actually be dead, yet you speak so casually about it?”
Jang Woo-hyun frowned with concern for Kim Min-soo.
“If I died, then it can’t be helped. Besides, you’re here, aren’t you?”
Yet the person in question simply smiled.
As though his own life was something he could casually throw away for the sake of others.
‘Seriously, this person.’
Without realizing it, Jang Woo-hyun clenched his fist.
Why was this man such a fool?
Why did he never think about his own safety?
Looking at that foolish side of him, Jang Woo-hyun steeled his resolve and decided his next course of action.
There was no need to think long about it.
“I’ll go to the Demon Realm.”
He didn’t care whether it was Great Demons or the True Immortals targeting him.
He would save Kim Min-soo.
That was how he intended to repay everything he had received.
If Kim Min-soo was imprisoned somewhere, he would search the entire Demon Realm until he found him.
And if he was dead, then no matter who it was, he would take revenge.
“Uh…… Junior, why did you suddenly become so serious?”
“How could I not? You’re in danger right now! You might even be dead!”
“That’s true, but……. Why are you thinking this far for me? Who even am I? This is honestly kind of embarrassing.”
Kim Min-soo scratched the back of his head awkwardly as his words trailed off.
“And didn’t you tell me because you intended for me to do something? Otherwise, there was no reason to bring it up in the first place.”
“That’s true too. But I needed someone to tell. I don’t exactly have close friends.”
“You have Senior Im, don’t you?”
“Senior Im? Who’s that?”
“Senior Im Gwan-hwa from the Five Elements Cult.”
Kim Min-soo tilted his head as though he didn’t understand.
“I’m not sure. This clone doesn’t have those memories. Is that someone close to me?”
Clones did not store every memory.
Only the necessary ones were preserved, so the parts concerning Im Gwan-hwa had been omitted.
“Haa.”
Jang Woo-hyun squeezed his eyes shut and sighed deeply.
Kim Min-soo’s foolish behavior was enough to make him angry.
‘He only stored the memories he needed.’
The clone before him had been prepared specifically for the person who would come searching for him.
That was why he had removed personal memories.
The more Jang Woo-hyun learned about Kim Min-soo’s preparations, the more he saw traces of his sacrifices.
“Why do you keep getting so serious? You’re scaring me.”
Looking at Kim Min-soo cautiously reading his mood, Jang Woo-hyun made a vow.
No matter where he was, he would absolutely find him.
“You’re very close with Senior Im. Specially close.”
“Really? So there was someone like that. Woo-hyun, if you happen to meet me later and I’m acting pathetic somewhere, tell me about that person.”
“Senior Im?”
“Yeah. What if I learn some terrifying truth and end up hiding in a cave somewhere? If there’s a woman I like, I might become a hermit—”
“Seriously, enough with the jokes. What kind of hiding in a cave?”
Fearing that Kim Min-soo was about to say something ridiculous again, Jang Woo-hyun cut him off.
“The Demon Realm really is that terrifying of a place. It’s the homeland and world of the demon beasts. It’s different from the Middle Heavenly World. If you go there too, you’ll need to prepare thoroughly.”
“You don’t need to worry about that. I know someone there.”
“Someone you know?”
“There’s a monkey living there, so he should help at least a little.”
“Oh? Ah…….”
Recalling from the transferred memories that Jang Woo-hyun was close with the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Kim Min-soo nodded.
Jang Woo-hyun found it strange how Kim Min-soo joked around even in serious moments and treated self-sacrifice as nothing.
But from Kim Min-soo’s perspective, Jang Woo-hyun was even stranger.
‘Why is he talking about the Demon Realm like he’s visiting a friend’s house?’
Leaving behind Kim Min-soo’s bewildered expression, Jang Woo-hyun continued speaking.
“Senior Kim, do you know of someone called the True Martial God?”
“The True Martial God? What’s that now?”
After finishing the serious conversation, Jang Woo-hyun told Kim Min-soo about everything he had learned.
“They call Earth a closed world? Wow, Junior, you’ve really investigated all kinds of things! And then?”
Every time Jang Woo-hyun revealed a piece of information, Kim Min-soo reacted with immense excitement.
Even though this was only a clone, neither of them could stop smiling after reuniting for the first time in so long.
Jang Woo-hyun and Kim Min-soo were the people each felt most comfortable with, so their conversation flowed joyfully.
The conversation, which felt as though it would never end, suddenly stopped.
“Huh? Um, what were we talking about again?”
The moment they discussed the world that failed to progress despite the passage of time, Kim Min-soo suddenly became dazed.
He behaved as though his memories had been erased.
‘Senior Kim is affected too.’
Perhaps it was because his realm was lower than Jang Woo-hyun’s.
Or perhaps because this was merely a clone rather than the main body.
Or maybe there was another issue entirely.
There were too many variables to know the exact reason.
‘I’ll have to meet Senior Kim directly.’
Though it was unfortunate that he could not discuss the truth only he knew, Jang Woo-hyun had learned something else important.
The truth regarding the stagnant world was a more dangerous and important secret than even closed worlds or the difference between ascension and soaring ascension.
Important enough that it affected Kim Min-soo as well.