Chapter 19: Where’s Your Conscience?
Among the extre sports on Earth, there exists an event called free solo climbing.
It refers to scaling sheer rock faces without any safety gear—just one’s bare hands and feet. Often called the most dangerous sport in the world, it is a feat that demands absolute precision.
No partner. No safety ropes. The climber relies solely on the natural cracks and protrusions of the rock, with only a thin layer of chalk dust on their fingertips.
This reckless endeavor has even led to fatalities. And in her previous life, Yeon had once experienced it firsthand.
"Never thought I’d be doing this here too."
In her past life, her father had forced her to free solo under the guise of training. Though she had undergone dozens of preliminary climbs and ticulous preparation...
‘Still, what kind of father makes his daughter do sothing like that? One slip, and it’s over.’
Fortunately, free soloing in the martial arts world wasn’t nearly as dangerous.
Of course, Yeon had never scouted Thundercloud Cliff beforehand, nor did she have chalk to prevent slipping. But wasn’t martial arts full of its own omnipotent solutions?
Puck! Crack!
The sound of her internal energy sinking into the cliffside.
Yeon’s hand burrowed into the rock, creating an artificial hold. Then, using Absorption Grip, she pressed her fingers firmly against the surface. It felt far more secure than chalk dust ever could.
The essence of rock climbing was simple: grip tightly, step carefully. Once those two elents were under control, it wasn’t all that difficult.
‘I wonder how a pure martial artist like Cheon-gang is handling this? Maybe he’s even better at it?’
She stole a glance at him.
He was using a thod similar to hers, climbing with such ease that his expression remained utterly serene.
‘Wow, have you climbed cliffs before? My first ti was terrifying.’
After steadily progressing for so ti, they finally reached the mist-laden section of the cliff.
Up close, the mist was so dense that visibility was practically nonexistent. A strange sensation prickled at the back of Yeon’s neck.
"Miss Yeon."
Cheon-gang, moving with practiced ease, climbed up to her side.
"Please wait a mont."
"Why?"
"There’s sothing I need to check."
At Yeon’s nod, Cheon-gang raised his upper body above the mist. After a brief pause, he descended again, his expression grave.
"There’s a formation beyond the mist. I expected sothing, but it’s worse than I thought."
Formation?
The term was unfamiliar to Yeon.
"A formation?"
"Yes. And it seems to be quite dangerous."
"That bad?"
"It depends on how you look at it. Perhaps..."
"What is it?"
Before he could answer, Yeon impulsively lifted her head above the mist.
CRACK!
A deafening roar nearly burst her eardrums.
Startled, she nearly lost her grip and scrambled to look up.
"What the hell?!"
A surreal scene stretched before her, and in the worst way possible.
A sky that had been crystal clear now churned with black storm clouds, thick and ominous. The air felt charged with imminent rainfall, turning the cliff into a climber’s worst nightmare.
But worse than that was—
BOOM! CRACK!
A blinding bolt of lightning.
Yeon instantly ducked back below the mist. The mont her head passed through, the sky above returned to a perfect blue.
It felt as though she had put on and taken off a VR headset.
"Miss Yeon?"
"..."
"Are you alright?"
"What... was that, Cheon-gang?"
"A formation."
Yeon barely managed to compose herself as he spoke in his usual calm tone.
"That? That was a formation? /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ I just saw lightning crash down right in front of !"
"It appears to be a formation designed to maximize fear. I can’t say why sothing of this level is set up here..."
"So it’s all an illusion?"
"I was just about to explain that. Not everything you see is real, but depending on how you perceive it, it can beco real. That’s what makes formations so terrifying."
Yeon swallowed hard and looked up again.
"So you’re saying... I could actually get struck by lightning?"
"I doubt it would be fatal. But you could feel pain, or even experience the sensation of an electric shock. And if that happens—"
"—I might fall!"
That old man never even warned about this!
‘Falling from this height ans instant death, martial artist or not!’
Why hadn’t her grandfather given her any sort of heads-up? Had he completely lost it?
"Formations like these are all about ntal fortitude. You need to believe that they can’t harm you. But that’s easier said than done—if it were easy, formations wouldn’t be so feared."
"This is just..."
Still reeling from shock, Yeon shuddered.
Cheon-gang continued, his voice steady.
"Miss Yeon, I did recomnd this trial to you, but I did not anticipate this level of danger. I apologize."
"No, you don’t have to apologize."
"If you wish to turn back, I will follow your decision. Training can be done in other ways—I will find alternative thods to help you grow."
‘What should I do?’
Logically speaking, it was just a formation. It wasn’t real lightning.
But going back ant facing her grandfather, and she already knew exactly how he would react.
‘He’d mock to no end. I’d rather get electrocuted than listen to that.’
Yeon bit her lip. Quitting halfway had never been her style.
"I’m going up."
"Understood."
Cheon-gang replied without hesitation, as if he had expected this answer all along. But no matter which choice she had made, she had a feeling he would have supported it just the sa.
A thought crossed her mind.
‘How do other people see Cheon-gang?’
He was often cold, curt, and seed uninterested in everything around him. Maybe, to so, he even seed like an arrogant nihilist—soone so perfect that he had given up on the world.
That would explain why Namgung Jihyeon had said:
"You don’t care about other people, do you?"
But having spent ti with him, Yeon knew that wasn’t true.
Back when she first t him, she had been montarily srized by his flawless appearance. But only now was she beginning to understand him.
Cheon-gang wasn’t lacking in emotions or empathy—he simply didn’t express them lightly.
What Namgung Jihyeon so desperately wanted from him wasn’t absent; it was rely scarce. He reserved it for where it truly mattered.
The way he treated Yeon showed that.
‘Ah.’
The realization made her flush with embarrassnt.
She had just assud she was important to him.
‘Well... I an, maybe? Not that important yet, but... a little?’
She found herself wondering—
Would she continue walking the sa path as him?
If they stood together, facing the coming crisis in the martial world...
Yeon was certain of one thing:
Cheon-gang would be the most reliable ally she could ever ask for.
And at the sa ti—
He would be an unwavering pillar, unshaken by any storm.
"Then what if... we ended up falling in love?"
The thought stirred sothing deep within Yeon’s chest, but before she could dwell on it, Cheon-gang’s voice cut through her wandering mind.
"I’ll go first."
"Let’s go together."
"I have experience with this type of formation. Then..."
Without hesitation, Cheon-gang pulled himself up into the mist. Watching him disappear, Yeon quickly followed after.
RUMBLE!
The deafening roar of thunder shook her eardrums. The clouds, tinged in violet, pulsed with relentless flashes of light. Yeon felt as though she had been dropped into the middle of a disaster movie.
Would "ga Thunder" be a good title for this?
The mont the thought crossed her mind—
BOOM!
A bolt of lightning struck, aiming straight for her as she clung to the cliffside.
CRACK!
"Ugh!"
This was already the third ti she had "tasted" lightning since entering the mist.
Her nerves were on edge, her body trembling from the aftershock. A tingling sensation crawled down her spine, spreading to her fingertips and toes. Gritting her teeth to keep them from chattering, Yeon tightened her grip on the rock.
"Ugh...."
Since it wasn’t real, the damage seed to be minimal, but that didn’t make it any easier to endure. And worse—the higher she climbed, the stronger the lightning beca. Almost as if the formation was urging her to give up.
"Soone actually designed this? If formations are this advanced, isn’t this basically the ultimate form of virtual reality?"
What if she mastered formations and brought them to the modern world? She could make a fortune—not by using them to attack people, of course, but by adapting them for more practical uses...
Her ridiculous train of thought was abruptly interrupted as a torrential downpour began.
SWOOSH!
"Ha..."
Raindrops pelted her forehead, streaming down her eyelids. Her vision blurred almost instantly, but she couldn’t wipe them away.
"You’ve got to be kidding . Who the hell designed this?"
As she blinked rapidly to clear her eyes, a voice called from above.
"Miss Yeon! Are you alright?"
"Yeah! What about you, Cheon-gang?"
"I’m managing. Just a little more, we’re almost there!"
His voice cut through the storm, steady and unwavering. Unlike Yeon, who was on the verge of losing her mind, he remained calm—almost as if this wasn’t his first ti facing sothing like this.
Bolstered by his encouragent, Yeon pushed forward. The peak was in sight. But just as she reached for another hold, a new, ominous sound rang in her ears.
BZZZT!
She turned her head in ti to see a cluster of crackling energy forming in midair. The sheer brightness made her montarily dizzy.
Lightning coalesced into a swirling mass, and the entire illusion-like backdrop of the formation began to splinter.
"What the hell now?"
Yeon let out a breathless curse.
As if the trial hadn’t been hard enough, this was happening now? Was this the final hurdle?
"Where the hell is the conscience of whoever made this?!"
"Miss Yeon! Move, now!"
At Cheon-gang’s urgent shout, she scrambled upward.
"Cheon-gang! Is this part of the formation too?"
He shook his head furiously.
"The formation itself is collapsing. It must have been left unattended for too long. Either way—hurry!"
The two climbed with everything they had. anwhile, the crackling mass of energy continued to grow, its size and intensity increasing by the second.
They were just two ters from the top.
A few more moves, and they’d be free.
But the ledge had narrowed, making it impossible for them to climb at the sa ti.
Cheon-gang spoke first.
"Miss Yeon, go ahead—"
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion erupted as the unstable energy burst apart.
A massive surge of electricity, unlike anything before, ca crashing toward them.
Cheon-gang reacted instantly, twisting midair like an acrobat.
CRACKLE!
Yeon squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the inevitable pain.
One second. Two seconds.
But... nothing happened.
She cautiously cracked her eyes open.
The energy was gone.
But behind her—
"Cheon-gang! Are you okay?!"
"Kh... I’m... fine."
His voice was rough and strained.
Cheon-gang had taken the full brunt of the lightning—his broad back shielding Yeon completely.
The mont she realized that, her stomach twisted. He had purposely positioned himself to ensure not a single spark touched her.
"Cheon-gang!"
"Miss Yeon... hurry, get to the top..."
"No! If you fall—!"
CRUNCH!
Cheon-gang dug his fingers deep into the rock, his hand trembling violently.
"Go... The formation’s control chanism might be up there..."
His voice was barely more than a whisper, but the determination in his tone snapped her out of her daze.
Cheon-gang took a sharp breath and continued.
"Miss Yeon... go. And... make sure to wipe that old man’s smug face clean..."
Her chest tightened.
Yeon gritted her teeth.
"You better not fall! I swear, if you fall, I won’t forgive you!"
Cheon-gang didn’t respond.
Summoning every ounce of strength left in her body, Yeon forced herself out of his shadow and reached for the ledge.
She pulled herself up.
Hah!
As soon as she reached the summit, sothing caught her eye.
A small, unassuming flower.
Amidst the chaos, it stood in complete tranquility.
A flower with sharp petals and a stan shaped like a bolt of lightning.
"That has to be it!"
Without hesitation, Yeon seized the Lightning Flower by the stem.
The mont she did—
BOOM!
A deafening explosion erupted in her mind, as if dynamite had been set off inside her skull.
Blazing heat engulfed her.
Yeon gritted her teeth and, with all her might—
Ripped it from the ground.
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