Ending Maker-Chapter 76.1 - EPISODE 76.1 – SETTLEMENT (2)

Terms used in this chapter:

The Heart Sutra – one of the most revered Buddhist sutras in both Chinese and Japanese cultures. Some of its lines include: Form does not differ from the void, and the void does not differ from form. Form is void, and void is form. Most Koreans don’t know what it means, but because it seems deep, it is often used in situations where one tries to look cool/deep. Though in this chapter, Jude seems to know its real meaning, so he uses it to calm himself down. I won’t explain what the lines mean, as there are different interpretations of it, but just know that ‘form’ can refer to one’s body, and ‘void’ can also mean emptiness.

Level is a thug – Korean gaming slang that means that as the levels increase, the stronger or better one’s skills or abilities are. It’s actually hard finding a good explanation about this slang, but it just means that a weak character can become as strong as a thug if they had a higher level. When this slang is used on bosses, it means that boss’ high level makes it so strong that it is like a thug/bully towards the player.

One’s eyes are covered with bean pods – a Korean idiom which means to only see good in someone after falling in love with them. (T/N: OMG, is this a confession, Jude?)

Inside the lodging prepared by the Gentle Snow Breeze tribe.

Jude, whose face, neck, back of his hands and so on were covered in saliva, stared down at the floor with a look of liberation.

Cordelia was curled up on the blanket and asleep with a happy face.

“Huu…Form does not differ from the void, and the void does not differ from form. Form is void, and void is form…”

After reciting lines from the Heart Sutra, Jude covered Cordelia with a blanket and sat down on a chair in exhaustion.

“So exhausting.”

It was physically and mentally exhausting.

But he eventually smiled afterwards.

Because the curled-up Cordelia’s face looked so happy.

‘Will she make a fuss when she wakes up tomorrow?’

The side effect of Beast Mode made her act like a puppy cat, but her memories of it won’t disappear.

Several experiments have already revealed that.

A rather wicked smile appeared on Jude’s face as he thought of how Cordelia would act tomorrow.

In fact, Jude had already formed a plan on how to tease her.

“How peaceful.”

Just a few hours ago, they had a life-and-death battle against a mid-ranking demonic human, so it wasn’t really peaceful at that time.

After he smiled again, Jude washed his face with water from a basin before he sat on the floor with his back towards Cordelia.

‘The Essence of the Blue Moon.’

As he silently stared at the blue gem in his hand, Jude straightened his back and closed his eyes.

Reality wasn’t exactly the same as it was in the game, but it was still a world that had many similarities with the game.

An example of that was the level.

Like what he told Cordelia, as the level increased, the overall stats also increased.

Level is a thug, and just as the saying goes, Jude was originally born with a weak body, but after reaching levels 40-42 now, the strength of his body was high enough to look down on most ordinary knights of Count Bayer.

His muscle strength had also become stronger, and it was at a level that the strength/power he can exert was almost like a superpower.

‘It’s not some kind of built-in muscle though.’

Jude had become quite strong, but that doesn’t mean that he became a muscular man like Landius.

However, his power was nearly twice that of a typical adult male.

‘Because these days, I feel like Cordelia is as light as a feather.’

He was fine with holding her on his arms or carrying her on his back.

Though it was also true that he had been carrying her a lot these days.

‘Well…maybe it’s a little like bean pods covering my eyes.’

When he thought of that, Jude cleared his throat and tried to clear his mind again.

Didn’t he sit with his back on Cordelia to get rid of all the distractions in the first place?

‘Anyway.’

Leveling up was the surest and most basic way to become strong.

‘But this alone is not enough.’

One’s body becomes stronger when they level up.

Not only did the physical and muscle strength increase, but the physical body itself was strengthened, and the stamina and defensive abilities also increased.

But there was no tech/skill tree here.

‘This is the most painful thing.’

In the game, new skills appeared just by leveling up, but this was reality, so no matter how much he leveled up, no new skills had appeared.

‘Cordelia’s case is a little different though.’

Cordelia had the witch’s spell book.

It was a magical spell book wherein more pages could be opened when she reached a specific level, so Cordelia was able to learn new magic spells at certain levels, just like a game.

But that didn’t apply to Jude.

‘In the end, the only means to become strong now is to level up and the Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors.’

He had to open a new door of the Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors.

Landius had said that it was how he gained new abilities.

‘I’ll be able to evolve the Twenty-Four Gale Steps.’

When the first door was opened, the Thirty-Six Worldly Steps became Twenty-Four Gale Steps.

When the second door opened, a whirlwind was added to his Twenty-Four Gale Steps.

Following this pattern, it was highly likely that the Twenty-Four Gale Steps would evolve again when the third door is opened.

‘All right, let’s open the third door.’

The Essence of the Blue Moon contained the power of the pure moonlight. If he can absorb it all, he would be able to open the third door.

Jude closed his eyes and focused his mind.

Cordelia’s breathing from behind his back slightly disturbed his mind, but he soon calmed down his mind.

With a pure and serene mind, he entered a state where he accepted the power of the moonlight from the Essence of the Blue Moon.

The pure energy of the moonlight entered his body.

It was so clear and pure that it seemed to be harmful to ordinary people.

But not for Jude.

Jude already possessed a pure energy due to the meeting of both Yin and Yang energies.

When both Yin energies met, they became one with each other without much difficulty.

T/N: Moonlight is Yin energy, so when combined with Jude’s Yin energy, the two becomes one.

Jude slowly controlled his breathing.

He recited the mnemonic chant of the Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors, bringing the Yin energies inside and outside of his body into one.

Jude forgot the time.

He was isolated from the passage of time.

The pure and clear energy of the moonlight that accepted the power of the moon, spread throughout his body.

He collected his breathing, and he controlled his breathing.

Jude felt it.

The last meridian which had been blocked by his Gueumjulmaek was pierced.

As the energy of the moonlight spread throughout his body, his meridians also began to open.

His meridians completely opened.

His inner Qi freely cycled his body.

A door emerged in Jude’s mind.

The third door.

The third door of Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors.

Jude slowly opened the door.

He opened it at the same time it was installed.

He had already done it twice.

The opening of the third door was the same as the opening of the first and second doors.

No.

It was different from before.

Jude could feel it.

Everything was pitch black.

A white light appeared in this black area.

It covered the sky and the ground.

There was someone who stood in that white world that spread out on the pitch-black darkness.

He or she.

He didn’t know yet.

It was an unrecognizable existence at the level of the third door.

But he or she saw Jude.

They had a smile on their face.

A person who sat inside that white world.

A silhouette of a person who seemed to have been drawn with rough ink lines.

He or she began to move.

He or she made a slow but clear move, as if telling Jude to look carefully.

And that was the moment.

A new chant came to Jude’s mind.

A clear voice echoed in his head.

It became a little clearer and more visible.

It was a woman.

The figure of a woman who seemed to be drawn with rough ink lines taught Jude.

New movements, a new chant, and a new skill.

Black Dragon Release Technique.

The woman said. She stretched out her hand. At that moment, a giant black dragon rose from her palm and struck the white world.

Roaaaaaaar-!

The black dragon roared. It smashed and destroyed the white world.

The woman turned to Jude.

Once again, she smiled brightly, and raised her hand to point at Jude. She pretended to use the skill again.

Give it a try.

You can do it.

Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors’ Black Dragon Release Technique.

Jude recited the chant.

His aura moved. His Cheonmujiche responded. It naturally knew what to do and how to do it.

“Black Dragon Release Technique.”

Jude said.

He stretched out his hand.

***