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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Possession (3)
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* * *
'Is it morning?'
As the day grew brighter, Jinmyeong cautiously surveyed his surroundings.
The man who had spared him had said he would lead the others away from here.
'Is it safe to move now?'
Unable to fully trust his words, Jinmyeong had remained completely still inside the tree all night.
He waited for time to pass, only crawling out of the tree after the sun had risen.
'Was he telling the truth?'
Not believing the man, he had stayed on guard, waiting for daylight.
But true to his word, not a single person came looking for him.
'I don't understand.'
He didn't think the man would have done it just to lower his guard.
A man of his skill could have killed him without needing to wait like this.
'I can't stay here forever.'
He couldn't afford to keep dwelling on the man.
Even in this situation, his body was screaming with hunger, and his throat desperately craved water.
If he kept waiting, he could die from lack of food and water.
'What do I have on me...'
Jinmyeong touched the sword dangling at his waist before reaching into his robes.
'Is there any food?'
There was nothing of value, nothing to eat or drink.
He'd had no time to grab such things during the sudden attack.
'This is...'
But his robes weren't completely empty.
Jinmyeong pulled out what his hand had found.
'A dagger? A throwing star? No, I guess you'd call this a dirk?'
Jinmyeong stared blankly at the unremarkable dirk.
Then he noticed something on its tip.
'What's this?'
Just as he was about to touch the shiny tip, which seemed to be coated in a clear liquid, Jinmyeong froze.
'I have a feeling I shouldn't touch this.'
Jinmyeong tucked the dirk into the back of his belt, frowning.
'It looks like it's coated in poison. Why would he keep something so dangerous in his robes? If you get pricked, it's over.'
Shaking his head in confusion, Jinmyeong looked around.
'This is hopeless.'
The first thing he had to do was find the place where the legendary opportunity lay dormant.
But no matter how hard he thought, there was no way he could know the exact location.
'Did the mountain have a name?'
He knew it was a mountain near the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
But there wasn't just one or two mountains near the cult's territory.
He couldn't possibly search all of them.
The pursuers from yesterday had turned back, but he couldn't be sure that others wouldn't come.
'A mountain near here...'
After a moment of thought, Jinmyeong blankly turned his head.
'The Heavenly Mountains?'
He didn't know why the name 'Heavenly Mountains' had come to mind.
Perhaps it wasn't a memory from his past life, but from the character, Jinmyeong.
'I can't be sure it's the Heavenly Mountains.'
It could be a wasted trip.
But Jinmyeong thought there was a very high probability that it was indeed the Heavenly Mountains.
'The place the protagonist found by chance while being chased after infiltrating the Demonic Cult.'
In that case, it had to be close to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. And the cult was based in the Heavenly Mountains.
'The protagonist might have thought a range like the Heavenly Mountains would be a good place to hide.'
The protagonist had thought that such a mountain range would be suitable for hiding.
Jinmyeong was becoming more convinced that it was the Heavenly Mountains.
'I know it's one of the peaks.'
A very high peak, at that.
Of this, he was certain.
'The largest peaks in the Heavenly Mountains are...'
Two peaks came to Jinmyeong's mind.
'The novel described the protagonist's blood staining the pure white snow.'
To be precise, it was described as a peak perpetually covered in snow.
Then it must be one of the two peaks he'd thought of.
As those two peaks were also said to be covered in perpetual snow.
'It was said to be on the border between the western territories and the lands beyond...'
And Jinmyeong was able to single out one of the two peaks.
The one that led directly into the lands beyond.
'Did the original owner of this body know a lot?'
Jinmyeong didn't know exactly what the western territories looked like.
But it seemed his original body knew precisely what the western territories, and the Central Plains, were like.
Knowledge he never had was surfacing with just a little thought.
'I have no idea what triggers these memories.'
Some of the original body's knowledge surfaced, while some did not.
He couldn't shake the feeling that the criteria were incredibly vague.
'That's not what's important right now. I need to get moving.'
Technically, the mountain he was on now was also part of the Heavenly Mountain range.
'Should I head in that direction?'
Jinmyeong immediately found the direction of his target peak and started walking towards it.
'I'm so thirsty...'
But after just a few steps, he had to stop, his throat burning with thirst.
'Huh?'
Just when he needed it most, he heard the sound of water—a sound he hadn't noticed at all while nervously keeping watch.
'This way.'
Jinmyeong hurriedly ran in the direction of the sound.
He was so desperate that his pace was even faster than when he was being chased.
"Water!"
Seeing the flowing stream, Jinmyeong cried out in joy.
Then, realizing his mistake, he quickly looked around.
'Thankfully, no one's here.'
If any pursuers had been nearby, it would have been a mistake he'd regret to his core.
But thanks to the man, it seemed there really were no pursuers in the area.
"Ahh."
Jinmyeong rushed to the stream and gulped down the water.
He was so thirsty that he spent a good while just drinking.
'Can I see my face?'
Jinmyeong cautiously leaned over the stream.
The flowing water made it hard to see his reflection clearly.
'Too bad.'
Jinmyeong slumped down with a sigh.
He was curious about what he looked like, but it seemed he wouldn't be able to find out right now.
'Hoo. I managed to quench my thirst for now, but there's no guarantee I'll be lucky enough to find water again.'
Once his thirst was quenched, worries began to creep in again.
Besides, he didn't have any container to carry water in.
'Should I follow this stream for now?'
After all, it was flowing from upstream.
Of course, he didn't expect the stream to lead directly to his destination.
'As long as it gets me as close as possible.'
Hoping the stream would take him closer to his destination, Jinmyeong started walking again.
And so, Jinmyeong continued to move through the mountains for several days.
'How much time has passed?'
As the sun set and darkness crept in, Jinmyeong's face was etched with fatigue.
'It's getting colder.'
Nights in the mountains were freezing, but it had felt especially cold lately.
'I want to build a fire.'
He couldn't risk it, not knowing when pursuers might appear.
Jinmyeong found a random spot and plopped down.
Leaning against a tree, he curled up and scanned his surroundings.
'I just hope I can get through tonight safely.'
Being in the mountains, there were wild animals.
Just the other day, the sudden howl of a wolf had kept him from sleeping properly.
With hollow eyes, Jinmyeong scanned his surroundings, but he eventually succumbed to sleepiness and started dozing off.
"Hah!"
He snapped awake and looked around.
It seemed a good amount of time had passed, but luckily, there had been no attacks from wolves or other wild animals.
'I feel a little less tired.'
He must have been exhausted, because even that short nap made his body feel a little lighter.
After a quick look around, Jinmyeong took a piece of fruit from his robes and put it in his mouth.
It was a wild fruit he had found in the mountains.
'I can barely taste it...'
It must have been unripe, as the astringent taste was overwhelming.
He had held onto it without eating, worried it might be poisonous, but eventually, he couldn't bear the hunger any longer.
'Time to move again.'
It felt like the sun had just set, but while he was eating the fruit, it began to rise again.
Jinmyeong got to his feet and started walking aimlessly once more.
'Just as I thought, it was close.'
And before long, he finally reached his destination: Twinwood Peak.
The pure white snow under his feet was proof.
'It must have been getting colder because I was constantly climbing higher.'
There was only one place he needed to go.
The summit of this peak.
'The protagonist climbed straight to the summit of this peak and found a cave there.'
And inside that cave was the martial art Jinmyeong was looking for.
'Hoo. Let's go.'
Perhaps because his goal was so close, his exhausted body felt a surge of energy.
Of course, this might not be the place. But Jinmyeong didn't want to dampen his spirits with such thoughts just yet.
'Hmm. I've been thinking about this for a while now...'
The previous owner of this body had clearly not neglected his training.
The body was on the lean side, but it was incredibly solid.
It even had abs, something he'd never had in his past life.
'If this were my old body, my thighs would be burning and I'd have collapsed by now.'
Despite climbing the steep peak, his legs were holding up well.
"I'm here!"
How long had he been walking?
'It feels like I've been walking for over ten hours.'
Jinmyeong guessed the time as he watched the sun begin to set again.
During that time, Jinmyeong had climbed the peak without rest.
He'd quenched his thirst with the perpetual snow on the ground and eaten the astringent fruit that made his tongue tingle.
'But I'm still not tired.'
The feeling was strangely fascinating.
It felt odd to feel refreshed even after climbing without a break.
'Where's the cave?'
His admiration for his tireless body was short-lived.
Jinmyeong quickly scanned his surroundings, searching for the cave the protagonist would have entered.
'Don't tell me this isn't the right place.'
The anxious thought crossed his mind.
But Jinmyeong shook his head vigorously, dismissing the uneasy feeling.
'I can't say I've searched everywhere after just one look.'
So, Jinmyeong began to walk around quickly, looking for any place a cave might be.
'Is that it?'
After searching for a short while, Jinmyeong found a cave.
It wasn't visible from where he had first stood, but after moving just a little, the cave came into view.
'Let's go inside first.'
Jinmyeong immediately walked towards the cave.
'It's dark.'
It would be nice to have a light, but of course, he had nothing of the sort.
And he didn't have the skill to start a fire without any tools.
'But my eyes are adjusting.'
Was it because his eyes had grown accustomed to the darkness?
As his vision gradually cleared, Jinmyeong slowly walked deeper into the cave.
*Crunch!*
'Hmm?'
Jinmyeong stopped, feeling like he had stepped on something.
'What is this?'
Bending down to pick up what he had stepped on, Jinmyeong frowned.
'A bone?'
Just as he realized it was some kind of bone.
"Grrrrrr!"
A sudden sound made the hair on his body stand on end.
Jinmyeong slowly turned his head in the direction of the sound.