If you absorb your ancestor, you will become a calamity.

I froze upon hearing those words.

Calamity. That dreadful, irritating word. Why, of all times, was I hearing it now? I turned my head with widened eyes, looking towards Shin Noya. Was this the answer I was looking for? I stared at the elder, silently asking him for an explanation.

His expression made me realize—

Shin Noya was looking at me with a thin, dark gaze.

Did he know? Did he already know about this? About what was happening?

Thump.

‘Ha.’

My heart pounded wildly, as if in sync with the chaos in my body. Struggling to suppress the pounding sensation, I turned to face the so-called ancestor before me and spoke.

“...So, you’re saying that if I absorb you, I’ll become a calamity?”

“Correct.”

“Is that even possible? How the hell...?”

“You must already know that it’s possible.”

“......”

I froze at his words.

“You must have realized it the moment you heard it. That it’s possible. You should have, at least. Don’t you think so?”

“......”

I had no response. Despite my desire to argue, his words were too accurate. The moment I heard it, I vaguely understood. No, perhaps I had even been certain.

‘It must have been the moment my vessel shattered.’

The moment my vessel collapsed and my inner world began to tremble.

The moment I met this self-proclaimed ancestor.

And—

‘It must have been when I heard that I was destined to become the calamity.’

Perhaps I had known.

I just didn’t want to accept it.

As always.

Hissssss.

I glanced at the splitting sky, then asked the ancestor.

“That’s all well and good.”

There was something I still didn’t understand.

“Why the hell did you slap me?”

Why the sudden blow? Why did he hit me the moment we met? I didn’t even need to speak, and yet, when I asked about the reason for the slap, the ancestor responded immediately.

“I needed to confirm something.”

“...Confirm? What?”

“I needed to assess whether your vessel could hold. And to observe the state of your flame.”

“...You slapped me just for that?”

And hit me like a ragdoll? This was absurd.

“Once I confirmed it, I knew for sure. If I didn’t act, you would die. No, rather...”

The ancestor hesitated for a moment before continuing.

“You would be obliterated.”

“...What’s the difference between dying and being obliterated? Aren’t they the same thing?”

“The destruction of your soul and death are different. Of course, from your perspective, it may seem the same, but... that’s not what matters right now.”

Fwooshhhhhhhhh.

As the ancestor spoke, his form began to change. The shape that resembled my past life started burning away, turning into nothing but fire, and finally, only a figure made of flames remained.

I widened my eyes in shock. It looked familiar. Where had I seen this before? I racked my brain, and thankfully, it didn’t take long to remember.

‘Grandfather.’

That beggar-like old man who had once appeared before me, claiming to be my grandfather.

In an instant, he had taken away my ability to control the flames and had called me to Shingang, forcing me to meet him.

‘Human? Can I even call that thing a human?’

Though his flame form looked somewhat human on the outside, it didn’t feel human.

The oppressive atmosphere and the overwhelming sensation were beyond words.

I still couldn’t forget the terror I felt when facing that old man, as my Nine Flames Firewheel Art instinctively recoiled from him.

‘That’s him.’

He resembled the figure from that time.

Crackle.

As I looked at the burning flames, my face twisted in disgust, and the ancestor spoke again.

“How much do you know about the secrets of the Gu family?”

“...Well. I know you’ve been struggling because of some ridiculous actions you’ve taken.”

“You understand well.”

“Quite bold of you.”

Despite my harsh words, the ancestor ignored them without a second thought. It was clear now. He was indeed a member of the Gu family.

“The sins I’ve committed due to my blood are numerous, but the core of it all lies in bearing the weight of guilt.”

“Bearing the weight of guilt?”

“Yes. The corruption of Zhongyuan. The sin I brought upon myself is now carried by the Gu family.”

The ancestor was speaking of the crime of opening the Magyeong Gate and ruining Zhongyuan, wasn’t he?

That was one of the truths I had learned when I became the head of the Gu family.

But what else, what other sins, was he referring to?

As the question arose in my mind, the ancestor answered as if he had been waiting to do so.

“Descendant.”

“What?”

“There must always be a master in this world. Do you understand that this is an absolute law of the world?”

I did.

It was a truth I had heard many times before.

“I’m talking about ‘absolute’ here. A law that is unchangeable. So there’s something to consider here.”

Swish.

The ancestor raised a finger, and from its tip, a small flame flickered.

“There is currently no master in Zhongyuan. Do you know how the world has been able to endure that?”

“...What?”

The topic of Zhongyuan suddenly came up.

There is no master in Zhongyuan right now. Yes, that's true. The master is the calamity, and a calamity only becomes the master after destroying and recreating all life.

To prevent that, Shin Noya and other heroes had stopped the Blood Demon in the past.

That was the truth over the course of hundreds of years.

“Right. The Dragon King failed. Whether he failed because of incompetence or was forced into failure is debatable, but the result is the same. He didn’t succeed.”

“...So what’s the conclusion? What now?”

The Blood Demon failed.

My mother stepped forward.

And now, it seems that the next calamity is meant to be me. So, what does that mean?

As I began to grow frustrated with the vague words, the ancestor continued.

“Descendant, do you think the world is so merciful to let an ownerless world stand for hundreds of years? No. The world is not so merciful. The one who hates distortion more than anyone else is that.”

“But Zhongyuan has been fine. Whether there was a master or not, it was fine. So what’s the problem?”

Although my mother had come and gone, I knew that the world had been fine despite the lack of a master.

Yet the world was not merciful?

Then, what exactly had been the issue?

“Wrong. It hasn’t been fine. We made it fine.”

The ancestor’s words made me blink. It wasn’t that things had been fine, but that we had made it fine?

“The sin of the Gu family. That’s what this is.”

“What...?”

“An ownerless world. The act of bearing and preventing the collapse of the world due to it. That’s the current sin of the Gu family.”

“...!”

My eyes widened at the words, shocked. What was he saying?

“...We’re bearing the distortion?”

“The world’s judgment. The inability of the martial world to raise its rank. Especially...”

The ancestor’s gaze turned toward Shin Noya.

“That person. Or those like him, who have lowered their rank to ensure they never break their limits. Do you understand that?” 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

“......”

I understood. It was something Shin Noya had told me.

“The Gu family is the only one who has broken free from that boundary.”

“...Huh?”

This was a new statement I didn’t understand.

You’ve broken the boundary, huh? Wasn't that only your father?

“Do you know why? This, too, is something you must bear.”

Whooshhhhhhhh.

The flame at the ancestor’s feet slowly expands, spreading outwards.

“With a weak level, one cannot endure the punishment the world has decreed. And, since the position of the owner of Zhongyuan is vacant, it is impossible to maintain it for even a moment. Thus, the Gu family must be strong.”

“...I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

I grimaced and spoke to the ancestor.

“So what about me?”

The Gu family was excluded from the punishment the world decreed.

If that’s true, and I’m someone whose level has become easier to rise, then—

“What about me?”

What was I? I couldn’t have become strong without the help of the Cheonma in my past life.

To explain that, the ancestor seemed to respond as if he expected it.

“That’s right. You were different.”

The ancestor acknowledged that. But—

“That’s why you are the anomaly.”

“...What?”

“The seed of the Gu family resides within you, but you are not included in its fate. Yet, you worm your way through every flow of destiny. That is why they call you a calamity.”

Whoosh.

The ancestor moved forward, approaching me. Each time he took a step, the ground beneath him left marks of fire.

“From the moment your mother bore you, or perhaps, from the moment the world sent your mother to Zhongyuan and connected her with the seed of the Gu family.”

Perhaps.

No, more accurately, from that very moment.

“You were meant to be this way. The world is not merciful, and that was why it was inevitable.”

“...Inevitable?”

“It was meant for you to make the final decision yourself. If a crack is made, you must be the one to maintain it. In the end, I had to use my blood to sweep away the world and restore normalcy.”

The harsh punishment that had been dealt to the goblin, desperate to return home.

Because it began with the Gu family, it had to end with the Gu family.

That was the meaning.

“...Bullshit.”

I couldn’t help but curse. What kind of nonsense was this?

“So, what? You’re saying all this mess happened because of you?”

“...I will not deny it.”

“You can’t deny it because you can’t! You damn bastard.”

Crunch-!

I grabbed him by the collar.

Though only flames remained, I didn’t know if I could even hold him, but astonishingly, I could.

And it wasn’t even hot. Did he let me grab him on purpose?

“...Why the hell is all this my fault?”

I gritted my teeth and spoke.

“I just wanted to live simply. No, I didn’t even want it to be easy. I just wanted to live a little more normally. Why does it always have to be me...!”

As I spat out all my resentment, the flame spoke to me in a quiet voice.

“...I’m sorry.”

“Sorry my ass... Are you really sorry? The one who says sorry is the one who tells me to become a calamity?!”

I didn’t want this. I was struggling just to survive.

What? Become a calamity?

“I’d rather die. Just kill me.”

Whether it was obliteration or death.

Either way, it would be better to end it all.

Just as I was about °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° to give up everything...

“If you don’t accept this, the ones you tried to protect will die by your hand.”

At those words from the ancestor, a murderous intent flared in my eyes.

Now, was this a threat?

“You bastard.”

Whether it works or not, it didn’t matter. If I had to die, I would end this bastard, too.

As I decided this, I moved my fist—

“I’ll help you, so it doesn’t come to that.”

Thud.

The ancestor’s words made my body stop for a moment.

“Even if you become a calamity, there is a way to avoid reconstructing Zhongyuan.”

“....”

I didn’t answer and simply glared at him.

Let’s see what he has to say. I stared at him with that thought in mind.

After a brief silence, the ancestor opened his mouth.

“...The arrangements your mother made for you. The answer lies there.”

What came next was, surprisingly, something about my mother.