Chapter 156

Kkobong (3)

There was an internet term called a "meme."

It was similar to a catchphrase, except it was not limited to particular words. A meme could be a picture, a video, or even a real person.

It was somewhat like an emoticon, but much funnier to those who understood the context behind it.

Since the Gallery was essentially a version of the internet, it naturally had its own memes as well.

There were pictures used for all kinds of jokes, along with videos.

Even the occasional "memetic contamination" one suffered while browsing the Gallery could be considered a type of meme.

Title: Who’s Wi Hochang?

Wild Grylls

(Video of Kkobong answering, "Wi Hochang.")

I asked Kkobong who taught him how to speak and use martial arts. That was his answer.

The Heavenly Demon said he was the Blood Demon. Can anyone tell me more about him?

└SwordMaster: To think you would utter that name... They will soon come.

└Wild Grylls: Who will?

—Why the fuck are you asking about that bastard?

—Wi Hochang is alive!!!

└Wi!

└Ho!

—Chang!

└Ah, fuck. The Blood Cult fanatics have already caught the scent and swarmed in here;;

└Serious advice: Delete this quickly if you don’t want the comments to get weird;;

└Wild Grylls: What’s wrong with everyone?;;

—Wi!

—Ho!

└Chang!

└Worship Wi Hochang!!

└The Blood Cult has not yet fallen!

└WRYYYYYYY!!!

There was one particularly obnoxious meme among them, and it concerned the very person I had just asked about: Wi Hochang.

The moment I asked who Wi Hochang was, bizarre comments began sprouting up one after another.

They appeared at such an overwhelming rate that it was difficult to get an actual answer to my question.

What the hell is going on?

Just who was this Wi Hochang to provoke such an explosive(?) reaction?

I laboriously scrolled through the comment section, which had been overrun by spam. I was determined to get an answer somehow.

Fortunately, the comments had not been completely consumed by it. A few sensible responses were mixed in.

└Smart Main: Wi Hochang was the main culprit behind the Orthodox–Blood War. You know what that was, right?

└Wild Grylls: No. I don’t know anything about it.

└Smart Main: Just think of it as a civil war that broke out across the country. You know about the orthodox factions, unorthodox factions, the Demonic Cult, and the Blood Cult, right?

└Wild Grylls: I know the basics, but not the details. Could you tell me about the Blood Cult?

└Wi!

└Smart Main: They were completely out of their minds. All they cared about was killing people. The bastard known as the Blood Demon was the worst of them all.

└Ho!

└Wild Grylls: How bad was he?

—Chang!

└Smart Main: He went around bursting people’s heads whenever they annoyed him in the slightest. But he was so powerful that even most renowned masters were no match for him.

—Wi!

└Wild Grylls: Was that why the Orthodox–Blood War broke out?

└Ho!

—Smart Main: Yes, but the Blood Demon was so absurdly powerful that the orthodox and unorthodox factions had to join forces against him.

└Chang!

—Wild Grylls: Sounds like he probably didn’t have any friends.

└You insolent wretch! How dare you question Lord Wi Hochang!

└Divine punishment shall befall you!

└Wild Grylls: Fuck, the Forest of Four Seasons is already more than enough divine punishment, so shut up for a second.

└Hmm. He has a point.

└He is already suffering divine punishment, so there is no need for us to intervene.

└Ugh, I can smell the martial arts boomers from here;;

—Can’t someone do something about these guys? Lol.

└The head admin says they crawl back in like insects no matter how many times he bans them. Lol.

Although bizarre battle cries(?) kept interrupting the discussion, I somehow managed to hear the story.

Wi Hochang had earned the epithet "Blood Demon" because of the massacres he committed.

For reasons no one knew, he harbored a desire for revenge against a particular ethnic group and carried out an enormous massacre against them.

It was only natural that people eventually began following him. Apparently, they were simply drawn to his overwhelming power.

└Smart Main: But as I said earlier, he didn’t show any mercy even to his own followers if they displeased him. Their heads probably went pop!

After hearing the entire story, I understood why Wi Hochang had become a meme in the Gallery.

It was because the Blood Demon’s fate had never been confirmed after the Orthodox–Blood War.

Some people were convinced that the Blood Demon had survived, and those people had gradually infiltrated the Gallery.

The Blood Cult already had a terrible reputation, but these bizarre memes had made it even worse.

Then again, it was an organization full of people who enjoyed killing others. Who would like them in the first place?

—Because of the Orthodox–Blood War, all the masters from the orthodox and unorthodox factions died, so the overall standard of martial arts declined. There’s a reason the Heavenly Demon managed to beat the shit out of everyone.

└Wasn’t the army still intact? I heard even the emperor was beheaded.

└There was originally a group allied with the imperial court, but they were devastated too. That’s why.

—That doesn’t change the fact that the Heavenly Demon is a monster;;

—Wasn’t she better known by the epithet "Yaksha Bloodflower" back then rather than the Heavenly Demon?

└Yeah. That was why there were even rumors that she was the Blood Demon’s secret child.

└Come to think of it, weren’t that albino gorilla’s palms red?

└Wi Hochang was called the Blood-Handed Tyrant because his palms were red too.

└Did Wi Hochang really flee into the Forest of Four Seasons?

└If he escaped there, what is he doing now? Is he dead?

Just as before, Kkobong narrowed his eyes as he looked at the written question.

It asked where that person was now.

Kkobong gave his answer, and I asked the Heavenly Demon to translate it for me.

If the Immortal King resided in the west, then Wi Hochang resided in the east.

However, while the Immortal King had sent his brother into the Forest of Four Seasons, it appeared that Wi Hochang had come here himself.

Of course, I did not know whether any of that was true. It was merely Kkobong’s answer, after all.

I needed to investigate further. As it happened, there was a related question on the sheet.

"Kkobong, answer this one too."

[Heavenly Demon: He says he left the troop when he was young, so he does not know much about it.]

[Wild Grylls: I see.]

So there was a reason Fast Sloth had not recognized him.

Kkobong possessed more distinctive features than anyone else, so there was no way Fast Sloth would have forgotten him otherwise.

"@$@%&%@#!"

Was it because he was talking about someone he knew? Or because the subject stirred old memories?

Even though I had not asked anything else, Kkobong began telling me all sorts of stories.

Naturally, he was speaking in the language of the Central Plains, so I could not understand a single word. Once again, I asked the Heavenly Demon to translate.

[Heavenly Demon: He says Wi Hochang was the only one who cared for him when the rest of the troop discriminated against him. Apparently, Wi Hochang continued teaching him until the day he left the troop.]

[Wild Grylls: Wasn’t the Blood Demon a bad person?]

[Heavenly Demon: He was, but perhaps he was generous toward beasts. The world is filled with people worse than animals, after all.]

That was a rather incisive observation. The reality was that the world was indeed full of people worse than beasts.

In fact, many people committed even more terrible acts precisely because they were capable of higher thought.

After briefly reflecting on Kkobong’s story, I thought about the Blood Demon.

Either way, wasn’t he a criminal?

It may have been an era in which the boundaries of self-defense were broad, but the Blood Demon had gone far beyond that.

He might have become a meme now, but he was someone who had killed people as casually as snacking on peanuts.

Fortunately, there was a very high chance that he was no longer alive.

Had he still been alive, the gorilla leader would have immediately reported it, and I would naturally have met him.

They said the Orthodox–Blood War broke out roughly fifty years ago.

The Blood Demon, Wi Hochang, had been around fifty years old when he was last seen.

That would make him well over a hundred by now, so it would hardly be strange if he had died of old age.

Since he was said to have been monstrously powerful, surviving in the Forest of Four Seasons would not have been particularly difficult for him.

No, wait. Doesn’t that mean even someone like him couldn’t escape the Forest of Four Seasons?

I did not know whether he had been unable to escape or had simply chosen not to, but the former seemed more likely.

According to the posts circulating around the Gallery, the Blood Demon had been extremely prideful.

Yet someone like that had mingled with mere gorillas and taught them language, writing, and even martial arts? Something did not add up.

Of course, I would have to search for traces of him to confirm the truth, but there was a good chance the gorilla leader possessed those as well.

The clothes that guy was wearing back then must have belonged to the Blood Demon.

Some things were finally beginning to make sense, but plenty of others remained incomprehensible.

Had entering the Forest of Four Seasons caused a change of heart in him? Or had he realized that escape was impossible and simply given up?

The truth remained shrouded in mystery, but I could investigate that gradually.

What mattered now was gathering information about the Blood Demon.

└Wild Grylls: What realm was the Blood Demon in?

└I heard he was at the Profound Realm. I think that’s roughly Grand Master level.

└If it’s the Profound Realm, just call it the Profound Realm. Why are you calling it Grand Master?;;

└What’s the difference between a Grand Master and a Grand Swordmaster?

└They’re basically the same. I just called it Grand Master for convenience.

└How strong is that?

└Just think of it as a realm where someone can overturn heaven and earth.

└Heavenly Demon: This Lady has also reached the Profound Realm. Demonic practitioners call it the Realm of Transcending the Demonic.

└SwordMaster: Yes, yes, of course you have. I could reach it too, but I just can’t be bothered.

The question I wanted to ask was this: Why had Kkobong attacked our esteemed senior, Rice Craone?

According to Rice Craone’s journal, he had died from the aftereffects of Kkobong’s attack.

I wanted to know whether Kkobong had learned that vicious temperament from the Blood Demon or whether there had been some other reason.

If he had killed him merely out of boredom... Honestly, I would probably execute him on the spot.

Unless there had been a legitimate reason, I could not overlook murder.

Kkobong frowned after reading the question. He even snorted.

His reaction suggested that he found the accusation utterly absurd, making me even more curious about his answer.

Kkobong eventually responded, and I once again asked the Heavenly Demon to translate.

Apparently, Wi Hochang had been more than monstrously powerful—he had been absurdly fucking powerful. Yet even someone like him had failed to escape the Forest of Four Seasons.

I did not know whether the injuries he sustained during the Orthodox–Blood War had been the problem or whether there had been another reason.

I decided to gather information about the Blood Demon, Wi Hochang, slowly and moved on to another question.

This might be the most important one.

[Heavenly Demon: He says the man stole his food in the past.]

[Wild Grylls: ...]

Thanks to that, I finally learned the circumstances behind the attack. Admittedly, having one’s food stolen would be difficult to tolerate.

Moreover, Kkobong’s poor eyesight would have made pursuit difficult.

Can glasses even be prescribed for an albino?

The thought suddenly occurred to me. Was there no way to improve Kkobong’s eyesight?

One might think better eyesight would be disadvantageous to me, but it was the opposite.

Glasses were essential if we wanted to prevent accidents—in other words, workplace injuries(?)—while he was working.

It would be even better if they helped me earn his goodwill.

Whether we liked it or not, we would be eating from the same pot from now on, so I might as well make his life a little more comfortable.

Title: Does anyone have glasses for low vision?

Wild Grylls

(Video of Kkobong squinting every time he tries to read)

He’s an albino, so his eyesight is really poor. I want to get him a pair of glasses. Does anyone have something suitable?

If you do, I’ll give you a gift in return, provided it’s something I can obtain.

└Heavenly Demon: One of this Lady’s close aides occasionally wears glasses. If you wish, I shall give you those.

└Wild Grylls: You shouldn’t do something that awful;;

└SwordMaster: Mana users don’t ordinarily suffer from deteriorating eyesight. How fascinating. Does he not know how to strengthen his vision?

└Wild Grylls: He was born with poor eyesight.

└SwordMaster: Ah. Then it probably won’t work. That would be equivalent to restoring sight to the blind.

└Wild Grylls: You don’t happen to have any spare glasses, do you?

└SwordMaster: My visual acuity is well over 9.0;;

└What the hell is 9.0...?

└Wild Grylls: Wow. You really do have eyes like a hawk. Can you even see ants crawling along the ground?

—SwordMaster: Why would I look at those? Lol.

└PraiseTheSun: I have a suitable pair. Want them?

└Wild Grylls: I’d appreciate that if you do. Is your eyesight poor?

—PraiseTheSun: No, they’re just a fashion accessory. But they also work for people with poor eyesight, so there shouldn’t be a problem.

└Wild Grylls: Thank you. Is there anything you need?

—PraiseTheSun: No. They’re not worth much money anyway.

└Glasses are surprisingly expensive, though, aren’t they?

└The frames might not be, but the lenses are fucking expensive. A craftsman has to grind them, after all.

—Sounds like this guy is genuinely rich.

└Passing Dwarf: Forget the glasses—put some clothes on him. He’s indecent to look at.

└Wild Grylls: Why would I put clothes on a gorilla?;;

—Princess Cheonggu: Would you like a Chae-Yu uniform, by any chance?

└This bastard is trying to pull another scheme. Lol.

└First Wonmo, then Fast Sloth, and now even Kkobong. Lmao.

—But considering his fur color, he probably should wear clothes.

└Yeah. White fur stands out far too much.

Since this was a world without the concept of plastic, these were probably ordinary glasses here.

"Kkobong, try these on."

Along with the glasses, I had received advice to put some clothes on him.

His white fur certainly placed him at a considerable disadvantage when it came to survival.

He possessed enough strength to compensate for it, but that strength was currently sealed.

For now, it would be best to give him the glasses and think about the clothes later.

They look exactly like an old-fashioned pair of glasses.

The glasses I received from PraiseTheSun looked thoroughly old-fashioned.

They had round rims and a bridge shaped like an upside-down V.

"..."

When I handed him the glasses, Kkobong looked deeply suspicious.

He was probably wary because he was already wearing the restraint.

But this item was purely for his benefit.

I held them out insistently, urging him to take them, and Kkobong reluctantly accepted.

"Uwoah?"

Kkobong put on the glasses with a suspicious expression.

However, his suspicion soon turned to surprise.

"Uwoah? Uwoooah!"

And before long, that surprise transformed into amazement.

"Ooooooh!!!"

He reacted as though he had just witnessed an entirely new world.

Afterward, Kkobong repeatedly took the glasses off and put them back on again.

His eyes sparkled brightly, and his formerly fierce expression softened considerably.

Even his lips formed a little circle. It was the reaction of an entirely ordinary primate.

"Ooooooh."

Still wearing the glasses, Kkobong began to walk away.

He headed deep into the forest.

I watched his retreating back with a satisfied expression.

"Wait a minute."

Where the hell was he going?

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