Delicate C4

Chapter 4

As the prince’s voice echoed through the hall, old memories rippled through Dam Yun’s heart.

The day he first met Prince Mokjin.

The night he first stepped onto the Dream Path.

It had been five years since he entered military service.

At seventeen, he was already known as the Asura of the Frontier, a warrior with no equal in the surrounding regions.

Despite earning the reputation of a hidden talent waiting to be recognized, Dam Yun had not even attained the rank of Nangjang. Naturally, he knew nothing about the divine art known as the Dream Path.

So when he dreamed that night, his only thought had been:

This is an incredibly vivid dream.

As always, he found himself seated high above the world.

Beneath him stretched the Wasteland, crawling with the evil spirits he had grown sick of fighting.

Yet his gaze remained fixed upon the sky.

He had been staring absentmindedly into the endless heavens when someone quietly sat down beside him.

Clink…

The clear sound of jade beads gently striking one another accompanied the newcomer.

“What are you doing?”

The speaker smiled warmly, like a spring breeze.

His flowing white hair resembled flickering white flames.

Though he appeared not yet thirty, strips of cloth wrapped tightly around his calves and ankles gave him the spirited appearance of a seasoned traveler.

The more closely Dam Yun looked, however…

…the more extraordinary the man appeared.

A crown woven with coral, silver, bronze, and agate beads rested upon his head.

An ornate metal whip hung at his waist.

He must be rich.

Since it was only a dream, Dam Yun paid little attention to the stranger’s sudden appearance.

The man smiled again.

“I asked what you’re doing.”

“I’m waiting for the moonstones.”

“They’re resupplied every half year.”

Dam Yun answered absentmindedly.

It was the truth.

More precisely, he had been watching the sky while waiting for the moonstones.

Moonstones gradually lost their protective power over time.

Like food, they were an indispensable military supply.

Without realizing it, Dam Yun had already assumed the stranger was someone who had come from Junggyeong.

So he continued explaining.

“Sometimes a Nangjang brings them.”

“Other times, it’s a general.”

“Last time it was a Nangjang…”

He hesitated before asking,

“…Are you a general?”

At first glance, the man seemed as gentle as the spring wind.

Yet beneath that gentleness lay an unmistakable air of confidence.

His relaxed demeanor…

His casual way of addressing Dam Yun…

It was the bearing of someone who had never once bowed before another in his life.

“I am.”

“I am a general.”

The faint smile on the man’s lips deepened.

“Then…”

“Why are you so late?”

“I’ve been waiting for so long.”

Dam Yun asked without thinking.

Though he tried to sound indifferent, the longing in both his voice and eyes was impossible to hide.

The quiet reproach caught the man off guard.

“…You’ve been waiting…”

“…for me?”

His voice had unconsciously grown softer.

His eyes never left the youthful face before him.

“I’ve been waiting desperately.”

Dam Yun answered without hesitation.

The man fell silent.

Only Dam Yun continued speaking.

“I’m afraid of ghosts.”

“Terrified of them.”

“So I waited.”

In other words…

He hadn’t been waiting for the general.

He’d been waiting for the moonstones.

The man stared at his dejected, childlike expression for a long moment before rubbing at the corner of his mouth.

“…The Heavenly Ghost who cut down a thousand evil spirits…”

“…is afraid of ghosts?”

Perhaps because it was only a dream…

Dam Yun wasn’t surprised that the stranger somehow knew about him.

The countless beads hanging from the man’s jeweled crown swayed gently, as though dancing upon the breeze.

There was something strangely comforting about their movement.

“If you’re so frightened…”

“…how do you kill evil spirits?”

Dam Yun fell silent.

It wasn’t something he should casually reveal.

Yet the soft chiming of those beads once again loosened his guard.

“I become…”

“…even scarier than they are.”

“What?”

The man burst into laughter.

After laughing for quite some time, he looked Dam Yun over once more, amusement still lingering in his eyes.

Carefully studying him while hiding whatever thoughts lay beneath his smile…

The man finally seemed to make up his mind.

He dusted off his robes and stood.

“Because half your blood comes from the Fox Divine Beast…”

“…it took quite some effort to bring you into this dream.”

“Come with me.”

Without really understanding why,

Dam Yun took the man’s offered hand.

Every step they took transformed the scenery around them.

The landscape shifted in the blink of an eye.

Realizing he was witnessing the legendary Ground-Shrinking Technique, Dam Yun’s eyes widened.

The man laughed again.

Soon…

An astonishing palace appeared before them.

Was this what the immortal palaces of Sira Mountain looked like?

The breathtaking structure seemed to exist just beyond the laws governing the mortal world.

Dam Yun could only stare in speechless amazement.

“This…”

“…is the Pavilion of Hidden Dreams.”

“The Pavilion… of Hidden Dreams…”

He couldn’t tear his eyes away.

The man laughed again.

Unable to resist any longer, he gently reached over and stroked Dam Yun’s cheek.

“The Heavenly Ghost?”

“You’re nothing more than a child.”

“Well… I suppose you’re only sixteen.”

“Your name has but one character.”

“So does mine.”

“My mother used to call me…”

“…Sojin.”

“So…”

“I’ll call you Soyun.”

“Soyun.”

Repeating the nickname teasingly, the man guided Dam Yun forward.

He held his hand gently.

His graceful steps resembled a moonlit dance.

He even pulled out a chair for him like an honored guest.

Though every gesture was playful…

None of it felt mocking or condescending.

The two sat facing one another at a writing desk shaded by long, ink-black willow branches.

Even the chair’s armrests were inlaid with precious jewels.

Just as Dam Yun was absentmindedly running his fingers across them…

Something suddenly dropped from among the hanging leaves.

“…?”

The man pointed upward.

Following his finger, Dam Yun looked up.

Perched atop one of the towering rafters was a crimson figure, curled into itself.

For an instant, its eyes blazed like ghostly flames.

Then the beast suddenly leapt down.

“It is a Crimson Crystal Pixiu, born from red crystal.”

The man explained it as though it were nothing unusual.

His voice remained gentle.

His eyes, however, were another matter entirely.

They gleamed with unmistakable curiosity, as if he were waiting to see how Dam Yun would react.

Who wouldn’t panic when a beast the size of a bear suddenly landed before them, jaws stretched wide enough to swallow a man whole?

Goosebumps raced across the back of Dam Yun’s neck.

Yet the words that left his mouth were unexpectedly calm.

“I… see.”

“A Pixiu.”

Just as he had repeated the name of the Pavilion moments earlier, Dam Yun merely echoed the man’s explanation.

Grrr…

The beast rumbled deep in its throat before lowering its enormous head.

Its hot breath washed over Dam Yun’s neck like steam rising from boiling water.

Then…

A broad, sticky tongue swept across his shoulder…

His neck…

His cheek…

Warm.

Wet.

The next moment, the beast clamped its jaws around Dam Yun’s entire head.

Or rather…

It would be more accurate to say it tucked his head into its mouth and gently mouthed it,

as though curiously testing just how soft a human skull really was.

“It is a sacred beast said to have served the Heavenly Wolf more closely than any other.”

The man continued speaking pleasantly, as casually as if discussing the weather.

He acted as though Dam Yun’s head wasn’t currently inside the Pixiu’s mouth.

“They say it possesses an extraordinary sense of direction.”

“No matter how dreadful the nightmare, it never loses its way before reaching what it seeks.”

At any moment, Dam Yun’s skull could have been crushed like a dried gourd shell.

“Ah…”

Instead…

A laugh escaped him.

It was little more than a soft exclamation.

Between the Pixiu’s gleaming teeth, Dam Yun caught sight of the man’s eyebrows lifting ever so slightly.

The bizarre sacred beast had frightened him…

But at the same time, he found himself rather fond of it.

First, however…

He needed to survive.

He slowly pushed against the beast’s muzzle with one hand.

Grrr…

The Pixiu gave another low rumble before obediently releasing him.

“You’re terrified of evil spirits…”

“Yet you’re perfectly fearless before a beast!”

Unable to hold back any longer, the man burst into hearty laughter.

Dam Yun casually wiped the beast’s saliva from his face with his sleeve before answering,

“Evil spirits and beasts are different.”

“And how are they different?”

“Evil spirits…”

“They’re ugly.”

For a moment, the man was speechless.

Then he erupted into laughter once more.

“Ugly?”

“Soyun, you really are just a child!”

After that, the man questioned him in detail about life on the battlefield.

The endless questions made little sense to Dam Yun, yet, just as before, he answered every one without suspicion.

“What weapon do you prefer?”

“A spear.”

“It feels best when I’m mounted and charging.”

After quietly adding that he was particularly fond of the ji halberd, the man smiled faintly and gestured for him to stand.

Passing through a maze of winding corridors, they arrived at an enormous armory.

It was filled from wall to wall with Spirit Weapons.

Thanks to the man’s generosity, Dam Yun was allowed to handle whatever he wished.

Halberds…

Heavy lances…

Bows…

Flying hooks…

Iron maces…

Even every variety of concealed blade.

Each weapon seemed alive with spiritual power the moment he touched it.

“This is incredible!”

“A dream come true!”

Spirit Weapons were priceless treasures capable of unleashing supernatural power without relying upon Moonstones.

They could wound not only humans…

…but even evil spirits.

After spending what felt like an eternity wielding relics most people would never see once in their lifetime,

Dam Yun cried out, his face glowing with excitement.

Then…

Something suddenly felt wrong.

His cheeks were warm.

His heart pounded.

Every sensation throughout his body was astonishingly vivid.

Far too vivid for a dream.

A dream come true…

Wait…

What if this isn’t a dream at all?

The idle thought became the thread that unraveled everything.

The dreamlike mist cast by the divine art gradually dispersed.

His mind cleared.

The instant realization dawned upon him,

the man tilted his head.

The jeweled beads hanging from his crown chimed softly,

almost as though announcing that Dam Yun had finally broken free from the spell clouding his awareness.

A faint smile appeared on the man’s lips.

He spoke…

But the words were so quiet that no sound reached Dam Yun’s ears.

He could only read the movement of those lips.