My Alter Ego’s Path to Greatness

Episode 251 Ganghwange (3)

“So, you’re saying you don’t have a map?”

“Yes, yes! As you can see, a small mountain stronghold like ours has no need for such a thing. We do have something with the surrounding trails and village locations marked, but it’s more of a crude sketch than a proper map…”

Gong Pal, the leader of the Yangsan Mountain bandits, bowed repeatedly, wiping the sweat from his brow.

He was facing a young man who looked much younger than him, but he didn't dare underestimate him.

In Murim, where even seemingly ordinary women or children could possess extraordinary martial arts skills, being a bandit was a dangerous profession.

Unlike the riffraff who loitered on small trails, extorting petty sums, those who established a stronghold, even on a small mountain like this, had to possess considerable skill.

And now, the Empire that ruled the land had collapsed, and various factions, warlords, and martial arts groups were vying for power. It was a chaotic era.

Even Gong Pal, a barely first-rate martial artist, knew that…

…the young man before him was an incomprehensible being, far beyond his level.

When his subordinates first brought the pale-skinned foreigner, he had assumed they had captured some noble’s son for ransom.

The clothes he wore resembled martial arts attire, but the quality of the material and the stitching were far too exquisite.

‘Damn it, I should have known when I saw his eyes and ears. Those useless idiots! They should have told me he was a monster!’

He had dismissed him as a foreigner with unusual features. That was his mistake.

He had tried to assert his authority as the leader and acted aggressively…

Shudder—

And then,

He had met those star-shaped pupils, filled with an overwhelming sense of boredom, and experienced a fear he had never known.

‘Damn it, that memory again…’

Gong Pal shivered, subtly rubbing his arm as Harris stared blankly at him.

The chilling sensation of the world itself, the heavens and the earth, turning hostile and glaring at him.

He had lived his entire life in the mountains, considering the forest his home, but in that moment, the familiar surroundings had felt like the belly of a beast.

And that was how he had ended up in his current predicament.

“Hmm… Hunan Province, you say. And the war is still going on there.”

Harris sat in Gong Pal’s chair, draped in animal hide, muttering to himself.

His voice was soft and melodious, like jade beads rolling against each other, but to Gong Pal, it sounded like the pronouncements of the King of Hell.

He and his subordinates racked their brains, trying to provide the information Harris wanted.

‘I should have moved somewhere else!’

Until the natural disaster before them was satisfied and left.

______________________

Whoosh—

A figure soared through the sky like a bird.

Harris, having gathered the necessary information, was on the move again.

‘It’s been over ten years since the last report… The situation seems worse than I anticipated.’

He knew that the Empire had collapsed and wars were raging across the land, but the situation had worsened over the past decade, with public order deteriorating to a critical level.

Conflicts, both big and small, were constantly erupting across provinces and even counties.

‘Hunan Province is no exception.’

Fortunately, large-scale wars weren’t as frequent as they had been initially.

The overall situation was in a stalemate, with smaller skirmishes and territorial disputes constantly occurring.

The dominant forces in Hunan Province were General Wongang’s warlords, the Dongting Eighteen Strongholds, a coalition of bandits operating around Dongting Lake, and the Hyungsan Sect, representing the region’s righteous factions.

‘And various smaller factions are aligned with them based on their interests. I can’t believe bandits are one of the major players here.’

He could investigate that later.

…Right now, he was heading towards Dongting Lake, the base of the Dongting Eighteen Strongholds.

There was no particular reason for choosing that location.

It was simply—the closest.

‘I don’t have time to waste on the outskirts. I’ll start with the biggest fish and take what I need!’

And they were bandits, so he didn’t have to feel guilty about it.

They had been extorting others through force, so they couldn’t complain about being robbed themselves.

‘Projecting the power of spirits from another dimension doesn’t seem to have a significant penalty. It must be thanks to the 5 million Karma I spent on “Dimensional Barrier Weakening”.’

He wasn’t in peak condition, being far from the World Tree… but it was still much better than he had expected.

The lethargy that usually plagued him had subsided somewhat.

‘Oh? Found another one.’

As he flew,

He sensed a presence and changed course, descending towards the ground.

Whoosh—

He landed in front of a small, natural cave hidden within a cliff face.

It was so well-concealed that it would be easily missed without careful observation.

He reached out and—.

Pulled out a plant’s stem.

A human-shaped root, completely clean and devoid of any soil, was pulled out effortlessly.

“This is the third one. And this one is better than the other two combined.”

Harris examined it with a satisfied nod.

It was a spiritual herb, filled with the world’s energy, ‘Ki’.

‘Is this the legendary Insam? Fascinating. It really looks like a human.’

Perhaps due to the unique nature of Ki, which was light and free-flowing but could also condense into incredibly dense forms, Ganghwange was filled with spiritual beings and objects, overflowing with the world’s energy.

It was a stark contrast to Auterica, where mana was heavier and more viscous.

Even this Insam, a mere plant, possessed a spirit and could conceal its presence… but to Harris, a High Elf who could sense the world itself, finding them was child’s play.

He had already found three, even while selectively choosing only the best ones.

‘It’s not from a sacred mountain, so the energy isn’t that impressive.’

But it was still a significant find, considering he had just stumbled upon them while traveling.

He couldn’t help but wonder how many more he could find if he actively searched the famous sacred mountains.

‘I should make a note of that and do it when I have time.’

These herbs would greatly contribute to his growth.

He summoned Pascal, enveloped himself in a whirlwind, and glanced at a nearby ridge.

Whoosh—!

And then, he soared into the sky, heading north.

“What?! What’s that…?”

Thud!

On that very ridge,

A herbalist, who happened to witness his departure, fell back in shock, his jaw dropping.

He had heard tales of extraordinary martial artists, but even the most exaggerated stories didn’t mention beings who could manipulate wind and fly so freely.

And that figure… it didn’t look like a martial artist.

“An… an immortal? Or a divine being?”

He couldn’t get a clear look, as it had disappeared too quickly, but he distinctly remembered a flash of golden light from its head.

As if the sun itself had descended upon the earth.

“…This isn’t the time!”

He scrambled to his feet and rushed to the spot where the divine being had ascended, frantically searching the area.

He was sure the divine being had left him a blessing.

“Ah!”

And he found several spiritual herbs, growing near the spot where Harris had discarded the ‘subpar’ Insam. He prostrated himself, offering his gratitude.

“Thank you, thank you! Heavens! With this, I can finally afford Dongi’s medicine… I can finally save my child…”

The herbalist had been desperately searching the dangerous mountains for medicine to save his sick child.

The efficacy of herbs had been declining in recent years, making his future bleak… but thanks to Harris’s unintentional generosity, he had made a significant find.

He could now afford the expensive medicine and even a hearty meat stew for his family.

‘I’ve arrived. So, this is Dongting Lake? It’s so vast, it looks like the ocean.’

And so, unbeknownst to him, tales of a golden-haired divine being soaring through the sky began to spread.

______________________

When he decided to send Harris to Ganghwange,

He had initially been concerned about his distinctive appearance.

‘Magic tools from another world are useless in a dimension with a different energy system.’

That was common knowledge among returnees. The magic tools they had painstakingly collected were useless in other worlds.

It meant that Harris couldn’t use any external means to conceal his appearance.

‘And Harris, a spirit archer, doesn’t have any stealth abilities.’

Should he wear a mask?

But that wouldn’t be enough to hide his star-shaped pupils.

It was a troublesome situation.

And then, he had a sudden realization.

‘Why? Why should I even bother hiding his appearance?’

Harris was a transcendent being, a master-level expert in Ganghwange terms.

According to his research, there were only about ten individuals at that level in the current Murim world, even including the reclusive hermits.

Then why should he hide?

‘There’s no need! What are they going to do about it?’

And so, he decided to let Harris operate openly.

He did at least prepare some martial arts attire, easily obtainable even on Earth.

Whoosh—

Rumble— Crackle!

“Kyaaa!”

“S-save me…!”

But now, he was starting to regret his decision.

His unique appearance combined with his spirit summoning abilities…

“A monster! A monster has appeared!”

“Block it! You fools! Stop screaming and… Ugh!”

“How… How are we supposed to fight that?! We can’t even get close!”

“Buddha be with us… D-demon! Begone!”

…was causing quite a stir.

Goooo—

Crackle—!

A massive whirlwind enveloped Harris, swirling around him.

Dark clouds gathered in the sky, drawn in by the wind.

And lightning crackled through the air.

He looked like a powerful demon, capable of controlling the wind and rain.

‘…Is this really just about his appearance?’

He realized that anyone, regardless of their looks, would react the same way if a being with such power suddenly appeared and attacked their base.

‘Well, it’s too late to change it now.’

Harris shrugged and turned his gaze towards his target.

This was one of the Dongting Eighteen Strongholds, the base of the Eoryong Stronghold.

And the first victim of his rampage.

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