[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Lucky]
Chapter 7
Unlike the other buildings within the main estate of the Esteeed Martial Lee Clan, the main house was eerily tranquil.
It was as if ti had stopped—only the faint chi of a wind bell hanging from the eaves broke the silence.
A young man was walking down the corridor of this quiet residence.
With neatly slicked-back hair and sharp, clear eyes, he gave off a composed and approachable impression.
His na was Lee Myeongjung.
He was the eldest son of Lee Taeshin and the most promising candidate to beco the next head of the Clan.
'A summons from Father, huh?'
As Myeongjung walked through the main house, his hand brushed over the hilt of the sword hanging at his waist.
'Could it be because of that?'
It was no secret that the governnt had recently requested Esteeed Martial Lee Clans’s cooperation in developing Unexplored lands and stabilizing high-risk zones.
Northern expeditions were practically a ritual, repeated every ti a new governnt took power. There was no better way to boost approval ratings and secure votes than through policies concerning Unexplored lands.
But this ti, sothing was different.
'When they first sent the request, I assud they were organizing another expedition.'
Even if they weren’t launching an actual expedition, there should have been at least so performative publicity efforts. Yet, there was nothing—only an unsettling silence.
'There’s definitely sothing going on.'
All across the world, vast Unexplored lands still remained, and even in stabilized danger zones, scattered monster attacks persisted.
In particular, the Asian continent was ho to the world's largest Unexplored lands territory, stretching from northeastern China and Mongolia to southeastern Russia.
Ting—
The distant chi of the wind bell pulled Myeongjung back to reality. He suddenly realized he had arrived in front of the head of the Clan's office.
'No point in speculating on my own. The answer lies in what Father has to say.'
Shaking off his unsettled thoughts, he adjusted his attire and smoothed his hair.
“Father, it’s Myeongjung.”
“Co in.”
“Yes.”
The mont he stepped inside, Myeongjung flinched in surprise.
He had only sensed his father’s presence in the room, yet there was soone else there—a woman.
'How…?'
Even now, standing face to face with her, he couldn’t sense her presence at all.
It was as if he were looking at a ghost or a hologram.
The woman tilted her head slightly before breaking into a broad, playful smile.
That was when Myeongjung realized his mistake. Lowering his head hastily, he spoke.
“Greetings. I am the eldest son, Lee Myeongjung.”
“Hello, little one! Don’t you rember ? I saw you when you were this big!”
She gestured around her waist and grinned mischievously.
“…Excuse ?”
Lifting his gaze, Myeongjung studied the woman closely.
Pale, almost ghostly white skin, unkempt hair, and a constant, amused smile.
His eyes widened in shock.
“…No way. Aunt Gyeongha?”
“Bingo! Hello! You’ve grown up well—how admirable, how wonderful!”
Rising onto her toes, Lee Gyeongha reached out and ruffled his hair.
Myeongjung wasn’t sure how to react, so he settled for an awkward smile.
He didn’t rember much from back then, but he vaguely recalled that she had been kind to him.
“Sit.”
His father, Lee Taeshin, finally spoke in a low voice.
With a brief nod, Myeongjung took a seat.
“There has been an anomaly in the North.”
Taeshin wasted no ti getting to the point.
“Seismic waves and magical energy fluctuations have been detected at the King’s Nest.”
At those words, Myeongjung felt his breath catch in his throat.
In the Unexplored lands, there was only one being worthy of being called a King.
A monster so powerful that even humanity’s strengthened forces struggled to handle it.
A beast of extinction scale, one that had wiped out countless civilizations.
As soon as he heard his father’s words, the strange events of late suddenly made perfect sense.
“…Are you saying it’s waking up?”
“It may awaken, or it may not. That’s why we’re going—to find out.”
“This is too sudden.”
“There have been signs for the past nine years. As if sothing has been triggering it.”
Lee Taeshin lifted the teacup in front of him, his expression indifferent.
“This will be different from my previous excursions. I’ll be away from the Clan for a long ti.”
Taeshin had always left the Clan estate periodically—sotis for several months, sotis just a few weeks.
And yet, this ti, Myeongjung finally understood another lingering question.
“So that’s why the governnt has been so quiet about the expedition.”
“Yes. They approached us in secret. This ti, the mission is to explore the King’s Nest.”
“What did they offer in return?”
“A 20% stake in a Netanium mine.”
Netanium was a rare earth mineral ford from the fossilized remains of ancient monsters, mixed with coal and other fossil fuels.
It was an invaluable resource with limitless applications—an extrely rare and costly mineral.
A 20% stake in such a mine was beyond estimation in value.
If that was the price they were willing to pay, then the danger involved had to be just as severe.
“You should at least take the Shadow Sword Unit with you. There’s no telling what might happen.”
“I’ll be bringing a few hidden subordinates. No need to worry.”
Myeongjung pressed his lips together in silence.
Even assembling a massive expeditionary force might not be enough to explore the Unexplored lands—let alone a place where the King might have awakened. And yet, his father spoke as if it were nothing.
“I will protect the Clan in your absence, Father.”
“Good. I trust you. If any governnt agent requests to co in, consult the Head Elder. For internal matters, refer to the Chief Administrator. And—Gyeongha.”
“Hm? What?”
“I want you to co with .”
Lee Gyeongha blinked in surprise.
“You might be needed. There’s no one else alive today who understands long-lost combat techniques as well as you do. If we go there, you may even find sothing you’ve been searching for.”
At that, Myeongjung finally understood why Gyeongha had been summoned.
She had always been considered sowhat unstable—ntally eccentric. The only thing she was ever truly interested in was history from an era so ancient that no records of it remained, along with archaic martial arts techniques.
But aside from her romanticized fascination, those old techniques were just obsolete relics of the past.
Modern combat thods, refined and perfected over countless generations, were naturally superior.
And yet, Father is seeking her expertise…
For a brief mont, Myeongjung considered the possibility that her knowledge might hold unexpected value.
At the sa ti, it also made him wonder—was this situation so dire that even Aunt Gyeongha’s niche expertise was necessary?
“I’ll give you ti to prepare,” Taeshin continued. “There are also a few things I need to ask you beforehand, so clear your schedule.”
“Hm…”
Gyeongha hesitated for a mont before speaking carefully.
“Do I really have to go?”
Taeshin gave her a questioning look.
“Don’t you love exploring ancient ruins? You’ll find plenty of undiscovered traces there.”
“Mmm, yeah… But I still don’t want to go. Brother, I’d rather stay.”
“Do you have a reason?”
“I found sothing interesting. A cute little one.”
Gyeongha let out a quiet giggle, grinning like a child eager to play with a new toy.
“I even gave him a gift… But I can’t rember his na. Yeol? You—Oh! Yeoli! Brother, it’s your son!”
“I don’t have a son nad Yeoli.”
As Taeshin frowned in confusion, Myeongjung suddenly widened his eyes.
“…Are you talking about Young, our youngest?”
“Young? Oh! That’s it! That was his na! He’s tiny, really cute—but his eyes are a little scary. Like Taehong, he ca from outside.”
“What about him?”
“He’s special. There’s sothing different about him.”
Taeshin studied Gyeongha closely.
“…Did you see sothing?”
“Mmm… I don’t know. That’s why I want to stay with him. It seems more fun.”
Taeshin remained silent for a mont before finally nodding.
“…Alright. Do as you wish.”
Lee Taeshin readily respected Lee Gyeongha’s decision.
Lee Myeongjung fell into deep thought.
'Young hasn’t even had his naming ceremony yet.'
It might sound like an excuse, but Myeongjung had never made the ti to visit his youngest sibling.
He was training in two different disciplines, each difficult to master on its own, and he was constantly flooded with requests and assignnts.
In his mory, his youngest brother remained the small child he had seen long ago during the Steel Selection ritual.
“Aunt, are you planning to stay at the Clan estate for a while?”
“Yes, that’s my plan.”
“Then I will arrange a quiet residence for you. Also… do you wish to et the youngest now?”
Gyeongha nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Then, would you like to go together?”
'Of course!'
Gyeongha bead brightly.
---
Imdiately after eting my aunt, Gyeongha, I returned to my room.
“Young Master? What about your training?”
“I just ca back for a mont. Nanny, could I be alone for a bit?”
“Huh? Oh, of course. I was about to leave to prepare lunch anyway.”
After sending my nanny away, I sat down at my desk.
Since beginning my training, I had never once left midway—if anything, I always pushed myself further. No wonder my nanny had looked puzzled as she left the room.
I hadn’t intended to stop my training either, but I had no choice.
The notebook my aunt had casually tossed to
as a "gift" contained sothing far from ordinary.
'The handwriting is a ss, but… isn’t this magic arts?'
Since it wasn’t written for others to read, it was completely unorganized, filled with old Chinese characters and unfamiliar symbols.
After painstakingly deciphering it, I realized the notes were about magic arts.
'Not just magic arts… there are martial arts techniques here too.'
Their level was so advanced that I struggled to fully grasp them.
I began to wonder if what I had heard about Gyeongha wasn’t entirely accurate.
'These are… ancient magic arts that rely on mana circuits, aren’t they?'
I took out an old dictionary from my bookshelf and continued reading the notebook.
In the past, magic arts had no concept of a mana core for storing energy, so practitioners relied solely on the mana circuits flowing through their bodies.
After countless attempts over the centuries—trying to store mana in places like the dantian, the brain, and other areas—it was ultimately determined that the heart was the most stable and effective place to accumulate mana.
> 'But I wonder… how did humanity survive before magic arts even developed?'
A small note Gyeongha had scribbled in the margins of the notebook.
This was one of the greatest mysteries debated among modern historians.
Before awakenings, supernatural abilities, and even basic knowledge of mana manipulation had advanced, how had ancient humans managed to survive?
Records from the dieval era onward were abundant, but docuntation from even earlier periods was nearly nonexistent.
So remnants remained in ancient ruins and artifacts, but many aspects remained shrouded in mystery.
'…What is this? Amplification techniques? Transformation techniques?'
As I read further into the notebook, my eyes lit up.
These were techniques used by the people of the distant past to harness mana.
> 'Just because ancient magic arts didn’t develop further, should we dismiss them as outdated? Maybe they weren’t simply abandoned—just lost to ti.'
[TL/N: It’s written in the book.]
They had likely fought monsters more fiercely than we do now, despite modern society being more stable.
The techniques of Amplification Arts and Transformation Arts were proof of that. Those concepts didn’t even exist in today’s world.
Were we too focused on mana circuits as just a path for mana to flow?
'This is difficult…'
Even in modern tis, where magic arts were practiced through mana cores, no one took mana circuits lightly.
After all, just because water flowed from a reservoir didn’t an the water channels were unimportant.
'Even so… does Aunt think the way we use mana circuits now is cruder compared to the past?'
At the end of the mo, one sentence stood out:
> 'Perhaps the people of that era were actually more skilled at handling mana itself.'
What a sha. If only more records remained from back then, I might have been able to recreate so of their techniques.
Then, a face suddenly flashed through my mory.
'Boundless’ magic arts!'
I imdiately focused on my mana circuits.
Mana surged from my mana core, spreading through my entire body.
Instead of letting the mana return to the core, I kept it circulating purely through the mana circuits.
This much followed exactly what was written in the notebook.
Then, using the mory I saw in Boundless—one I had struggled to comprehend before—suddenly clicked into place.
I grasped the strange mana manipulation thod used by the man from Boundless’ mory.
'This… this works!'
A missing puzzle piece had just fallen into place.
Before I knew it, a sword was in my hand.
Slowly, I stepped forward and swung it.
At that mont—
“Little Baby!”
The door suddenly burst open, and my aunt appeared directly in my sword’s path.
“No!”
But the blade was already in motion. It was my first ti using this magic art, and I couldn’t stop it now.
CLANG!
Sothing interposed itself between
and my aunt.
It was a human hand.
My sword had struck flesh, yet the sound that rang out was like tal shattering.
“Well, this is quite the lively welco for my first visit to my little brother’s room.”
A young man smiled at
as he spoke.
The mont I saw him, my eyes widened in shock.
“Brother?”
The one who had blocked my sword was the person who had once taken
out of the Clan estate and helped
when no one else would.
My eldest brother—**Lee Myeongjung.**
[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Lucky]
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