Swordmaster's Youngest Son Novel - Chapter 828
Chapter 828
“What? What’s that? Is there a guardian inside?”
[That’s right. It was originally a painting intended to be used as a tomb, isn’t it natural?]
“The existence of subspace inside the painting, along with the presence of guardians within, and the fact that their combat power is like the painter’s will, none of it seems natural at all. How powerful are these guardians?”
[I can’t remember the exact extent of their strength. As I mentioned before, the painting was damaged, and it also affected my memories. However, all I remember is that they are incredibly strong.]
“Are you suggesting that there are guardians with the power of a Genesis Knight?”
[Maybe that’s not the case. It’s not likely to happen… Among the people who were part of Temar’s clan at that time, no one was stronger than him.]
“What about me?”
[Of course, I know it’s difficult to compare you with Temar. Haha, in that case, I might have depicted your peak.]
“If it were my peak, even if I fought alongside the boy, there wouldn’t be any chance of winning.”
“Seriously? That strong, huh? Didn’t you say you also approached your peak?”
“Close and complete are different, you see. Haha, we’re talking about Murakan-nim in those days. Unless it was a Genesis Knight, you couldn’t kill me. No matter how many powerful enemies came against me, if there wasn’t any Genesis Knight among them, they couldn’t kill me.”
“Sounds like bragging.”
“Oh, really? Is it that impressive? Then you should become a Genesis Knight too. Well, but what do you know, boy? You’d understand if you experienced being a Genesis Knight. Kyakyakya.”
Jin almost hit him.
[…The only relief is that everything I drew exists solely within the painting. Whether there’s a Murakan at his peak inside or something even stronger, they can’t come out into reality.]
If it were possible to bring the painting into reality, Kaytam wouldn’t have been treated as a lower-ranking god.
[However, if you enter my painting, during that time, that place becomes your reality. You could get hurt by the guardians’ attacks. Therefore, if you can’t defeat them, it means you could die.]
“So, according to what Sir Kaytam said… The painting contains a story from a thousand years ago, and aside from that, there’s no other reward, but there’s immeasurable danger lurking.”
Kaytam nodded as if he was embarrassed, thinking there was nothing more to say to Jin and Murakan if they refused to enter the painting.
However, Jin had no intention of giving up.
It was a judgment that if they could directly confirm a complete piece of the history from a thousand years ago, it would be worth taking the risk.
Furthermore, the painting suddenly became contaminated, and Kaytam said the possibility of history manipulation was slim.
Witch Heluram, or Lokia Ganesto.
Jin had a feeling that this incident could be related to one of them.
‘But if one of them is the culprit, then I wonder why they suddenly damaged Kaytam’s painting. Is it because I shouldn’t know the history depicted in the painting? If that’s the case, then there were better times than now. Like when I was too weak to help Sir Kaytam.’
To find out why the suspects had damaged the painting, they had to enter and investigate.
“Kaytam-nim, is there any safety mechanism when entering the painting? Like a means to escape immediately?”
[Since I lost control of the painting, there isn’t any at the moment. However, if you take care of the damaged parts inside, I might regain control.]
“Essentially, you’re asking me to restore the painting?”
[That could be one way to think about it, Murakan. But I sincerely believe you need to examine the history of that time. After all, if it weren’t for the two of you, no one could enter. Shadow Energy has to be handled to enter. Restoring the artwork is just my wish. Even if you safely investigate the events from a thousand years ago and return, the chances of the painting being restored are high.]
“Oh, are you taking my jokes seriously? But seriously, do you really feel that way?”
[Of course.]
“Really?”
[Yes, I’m sorry!]
“Then can I understand that you would accept any compensation I ask for?”
[Well, it’s true that I’m sorry, and since you said it like that, I might loosen up a bit. Krururur….]
“Kaytam-nim suggested that we enter for our own good. What other reward do we need, Murakan? We could find crucial clues about the events from a thousand years ago. That’s the most significant reward. After all, it’s a history you don’t even remember.”
“Oh no, no. But still, thanks to us, the painting might be restored. There’s something I absolutely have to get from this angry artist.”
[Stop bothering me and just say it. What is it?]
“Draw me a magazine. A magazine drawn by the god of painters. Kyah… It will be amazing. I’ll be able to fix my eyesight that was ruined because of Lueth.”
“Your requests never cease to amaze me, Murakan. Do you dare to ask a god for such a thing?”
[Alright, I’ll draw it for you. Jin, if you have any painting requests, tell me.]
“I will gratefully accept your offer.”
“Hehe, then I’ll have the boy’s part too.”
“I’ll think about it and let you know after we return. It should be something more valuable than a magazine, at least.”
“Anyway, can’t you stand to see me well? Tch. When you were young, you had some cute aspects.”
“We’ll enter the painting immediately, Sir Kaytam.”
In reality, Jin didn’t feel overwhelmed or scared despite the lack of safety measures.
‘Sir Kaytam said there wouldn’t be any Genesis Knights, so there’s no enemy that my current self and Murakan can’t handle. There might be a variable involving the existence of a Murakan at his peak… But in the end, it’s just a painting. It can’t possess the same combat power as a true Genesis Knight.’
No matter how vivid it was, the painting was still a painting, and there had to be limits to it.
If it were possible to depict an existence identical to the true Genesis Knight, Kaytam’s painting would have become the final resting place for Temar.
There was no reason to move his remains when such guardians existed.
[Understood. Ochs, Telpen!]
Ochs and Telpen approached. Ochs surrounded the painting with a translucent frame, and Telpen took a pencil out of his mouth and handed it to Kaytam.
As soon as the pencil touched Kaytam’s hand, it grew to the point where it looked like a spear.
[I’m going to draw the entrance to enter the painting. Everyone must stay still as if they were dead. This is a task that requires the utmost concentration. Especially you, Murakan. If you suddenly open the door like before, then I’ll go crazy, right? It’s driving me crazy just thinking about it.]
“Understood…”
[I told you to shut up!]
This time, both Murakan and Jin were a little surprised, but they remained silent.
Kaytam was already swinging the giant pencil over the black canvas. His eyes were filled with madness as they moved back and forth.
Murakan was spinning his index finger on his forehead, and Jin shrugged.
With every movement of the pencil, a small round white circle was forming on the black canvas.
After a while, a landscape began to emerge within the white circle.
‘…A forest? No, is it a mountain?’
The circle was too small to properly confirm the landscape, but Jin could tell it was a lush green forest.
It felt like he was looking down at the forest or a mountain from a gap in the clouds. Even at a glance, it was evident that it was a massive scene.
Thud, thud.
Kaytam’s drops of sweat fell to the ground. He collapsed with a sigh, wiping his forehead.
[Phew, I finally opened it. It was almost impossible.]
“It seems there are many trees for a tomb. It seems part of a vast mountain range. Is there a tomb somewhere in there?”
[Maybe. Damn it, I can’t even remember what kind of landscape my own artwork is. I don’t know how to express this miserable feeling. Go see for yourselves. If it can be restored, then I’ll draw more than a hundred volumes of magazines. Please! Oh, gods! Give me an answer!]
“Hey, you’re a god, why are you praying to other gods? By the way, a hundred volumes?”
Jin naturally expected Murakan to get furious while making such a commotion.
So he reflexively tried to cover his ears, but Murakan was staring intently inside the circle.
His eyes were moving as if they were in shock.
“Murakan?”
“There… is my mountain range…”
“…Your mountain range?”
“Yes, my mountain range, my home. Just by looking at those trees, I can tell… It’s the Murakan Mountain Range, I’m sure.”
Mount Murakan.
The tallest mountain that exists in the surface world, its name naturally derived from its owner, Murakan.
And now, Murakan was feeling a surge of memories from that time when Mount Murakan wasn’t just a mountain, but a massive mountain range that ran through all of Hufester.
Back then, the Murakan Mountain Range was known as the backbone of Hufester, and Murakan was its sole ruler.
“Are you saying that Mount Murakan was originally a mountain range?”
“Yes… Now, only a part of it remains as the mountain. Even the storm castle at its peak… Aargh!”
Unexpectedly, Murakan grabbed his forehead and leaned forward.
“Murakan, are you alright?”
“I’m fine. Damn it, every time the memories of that time return, my head hurts. How could I have forgotten my mountain range, which was so colossal? It had a Mitel at its core and extended throughout Hufester, from the southernmost to the northernmost regions.”
“…Did such a colossal mountain range exist in Hufester?”
“Yes. No dragon could cross that mountain range without my permission.”
If such a large mountain range had existed a thousand years ago, there should have been some records or legends about it.
However, there wasn’t a single line about the Murakan Mountain Range in history books, nor was there any oral tradition.
Only an ancient legend remained in Runcandel.
It said that a thousand years ago, the Black Dragon Murakan was defeated by the first Patriarch, Temar Runcandel, and fell into a deep sleep in the Storm Castle.
Jin was enveloped by intuition.
‘The history from a thousand years ago that Kaytam-nim depicted in the painting could be about Murakan and Temar. The truth about these two people…’
Murakan took a deep breath and raised his head.
“Hey, Kaytam. How do we enter now?”
[If you try to put your head in first, you’ll end up falling as if you stepped on air. It seems you’ve regained some of your old memories.]
“It’s not just a little; I need to regain them all. Don’t forget the hundred volumes of the magazine. Come on, brat.”