He had known that something could have gone wrong. He had kept in mind that the history he knew and the history that he would have to go through could be different.
However, did the great Hua Tuo only amount to this much?
After all, Hua Tuo was a god-like entity.
He was one of the few surviving Chinese Hunters, and he was someone who had healed many heroes, including the Demon King.
Everyone praised his skills.
[We called him God.]
There was a reason why Lee Jun-Kyeong had come to find Hua Tuo. Although there were countless stories of people who he had healed, more importantly, there was something more important that only could be seen in the book of the Demon King that other people had no knowledge of.
The Demon King had stated that he had started his mana stream in the land of giants. Complete proficiency had been completed a long time later, but this was definitely the place where he had started it.
The Demon King had said that he had been inspired by something here, which had helped him think of creating the mana stream.
However, devising and creating something was never easy.
At the beginning of his journey to develop the mana stream, the Demon King suffered a mana reflux.
It was a side effect similar to that of the one Lee Jun-Kyeong had undergone when his mana had run rampant due to the impact of the Dragon’s Bloodstone and the red ore.
Mana reflux was a terrifying event. A person’s own mana began exploding uncontrollably, destroying themselves from within.
However, the Demon King had overcome it with the help of Hua Tuo.
[Hua Tuo, that person was enough to be called God.]
‘Did I come too early?’
He wondered if Hua Tuo hadn’t grown to that level yet because of a lack of time. He couldn’t be sure what could be the case.
‘Still, something is strange.’
However, it was still true that Hua Tuo was very different from what he had heard.
Although he had no idea of what he was supposed to look like because there hadn’t been any descriptions or photos, he knew that Hua Tuo shouldn’t have been someone who would have been that rude to someone who asked him to measure their pulse for treatment.
“Mr. Lee!”
Right then, Jeong In-Chang had returned and was smiling brightly.
‘I thought you would have gone through a lot of trouble.’
Regardless of their reason, they had destroyed the royal garden.
I still had faith that they wouldn’t hurt us, but…’
He had assumed that they wouldn’t break their warrior’s oath simply due to a ruined royal garden. Thus, in order to obtain some time, he had entrusted the role of distracting them to Jeong In-Chang.
However, Jeong In-Chang’s chipper mood was still unexpected.
"How did things go?" he asked.
"Well, about that…" Jeong In-Chang’s smile grew wider as he approached Lee Jun-Kyeong and whispered, “They asked me to become one of their warriors?”
Jeong In-Chang stood back again, smiling as if his mouth would tear.
It was only after a while that Lee Jun-Kyeong could process what he had just been told.
“Pardon?”
***
Utgard.
The place that they had provided for human habitation there couldn’t be said to be very good. Initially, there wasn’t an area for humans to live in Utgard, and it had only been created a year and a half ago.
There wasn’t a proper house in sight. Just some structures barely fit for living in.
Squeak.
The door to one of the shacks opened.
"I've returned,” the man who entered the house said.
“Ugh.”
“Save me!”
“It hurts so much!”
However, it was incredibly noisy within the shack.
It was a small space, but it was full of people who were screaming or moaning as if they were sick. Many of those in the house were unconscious.
The man who had entered the house looked around, roughly hanging his bag as if he was used to the chaos around him.
“Are you back?”
“Have you arrived?”
People in the house greeted the man. After the man accepted their greetings one by one, he took out various things from his inventory and handed it over to someone.
“Here are some herbs and…”
“Thank you for this again.”
An old man took it and thanked him.
The man smiled and shook his head. “It’s nothing. I’ll get ready quickly and help.”
As if his aid didn’t end after handing the items over, the man quickly headed upstairs.
“You will be fine soon.”
Downstairs, there was another old man treating people with the herbs that the man had brought.
The old man’s title was Hua Tuo, and he was an Eastern physician who treated the people who lived in Utgard.
"Whew…"
Unlike the others, he was a Hunter. However, either because his age betrayed him or because there were an uncommonly large number of patients in Utgard, the old man looked exceedingly tired.
His whole body was wet with sweat.
"Thank you!"
"Thank you!"
Regardless of his exhausted stamina, however, Hua Tuo’s medical skills were excellent. Every patient he touched was soon rejuvenated, and later they were busy thanking him. He had always been an excellent doctor, so once he became a Hunter, he transformed into someone with enough skills to be called a god by ordinary people.
Among the survivors gathered in Utgard, he was one of the few who could heal the others.
Soon, the other man who had come into the house had returned after getting ready.
“Forgive me for being late.”
Color had returned to the faces of the old man and the people around him.
“Would you like to take over the serious cases?” the old man asked in a warm tone.
The other man smiled back warmly and nodded.
Swish.
An acupuncture set appeared from within his arms, and the man grabbed it and started moving quickly.
Swish.
He moved at a speed unbelievable for a human being, and his craftsmanship was so immaculate that the people he treated quickly forgot their pain and fell asleep.
As the two doctors treated the people around them, a woman among them who had finished the day’s treatment stood up from her bed.
“Si-Eon, let’s go,” the woman said as she took the child’s hand.
Jang Si-Eon.
It was the child who had come in and out of Lee Jun-Kyeong’s wards.
She walked over to the old man and apologized, “I’m sorry you had to be bothered today because of me.”
The old man smiled and stroked the child's head.
As she went back to her mother’s side and left the house, she turned back and loudly bid her farewell.
“Thank you, Mr. Hua Tuos!”
“Of course.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Two voices responded in kind.
***
At first, Lee Jun-Kyeong had thought it had been a joke.
He couldn’t understand it conceptually.
To think that the giants would ask them, who were complete strangers, to assume the role of a warrior. This was the same as becoming one of their soldiers.
Moreover, this happened after they had completely destroyed the royal garden. Because of that, he had no other choice but to be suspicious of their request, which seemed as if there was no other rhyme or reason.
‘Still, it's not a completely incomprehensible situation either.’
It wasn’t until after he had heard the detailed explanation from Jeong In-Chang that Lee Jun-Kyeong understood the situation a little better.
The reason they had offered them the position of a warrior was simple.
The situation within the city of giants, Utgard, was not as good as it seemed.
There was another group of frost giants, but they were traitors.
They were called the Nar, and it was said that they were building their city not too far away from here and that they were waiting vigilantly to come to invade Utgard.
There was another problem for the giants as well.
‘There are fewer here than I thought.’
Not only had their numbers fallen after the traitors had left, but there was also another reason that contributed to the small number of giants in the first place.
But it didn’t make sense to Lee Jun-Kyeong.
‘Gigantomachia was…’
Gigantomachia was one of the greatest battles in history, having taken place on an incredible scale.
It was a war that had involved an incredible amount of damage accordingly, and it was a known fact that the number of giants was much more significant than those currently around him.
‘Could the reproductive cycle of the giants be short?’
It was the only reason he could think of, but he wasn’t sure of it yet.
In any case, the number of warriors was too small to protect Utgard from both the monsters and the traitors.
As long as it helped strengthen the giants, they were willing to get help from the humans.
‘Was there anything specific or unusual?’
There was another thing that the giants had wanted.
‘They asked a lot about the outside world.’
The outside. Jeong In-Chang informed him that the giants had been digging into the circumstances of the place from which Lee Jun-Kyeong and his party had crossed over from. Everything from population to culture and characteristics.
Even power.
“Well, it’s a good result.”
“Right?” Jeong In-Chang said with a smile on his face, looking as if he didn’t want to sit still.
“Did you find the person you were looking for, Mr. Lee?”
Jeong In-Chang knew that Lee Jun-Kyeong had been looking for someone and had assumed that he would meet that person today.
“Oh, no, which is why I said it was a good result. I think we have to search a little longer.”
However, Lee Jun-Kyeong shook his head toward him.
“But, why are you acting like what you did was a good thing? Originally the plan was to go find the person I had needed to find and go back. To think they would ask you to be a warrior. I wonder what went on in your head to agree to do something like that, Mr. Jeong.”
“...”
Jeong In-Chang turned around as if he was offended.
“I mean…”
Jeong In-Chang’s voice quieted down a little.
“Didn’t you hear about it from that child, Jang Si-Eon? The people who live here are not in a good state. The giants don’t force them to stay, but even those who want to leave can’t because they know that if they leave Utgard, they will die,” he continued.
That was why Jeong In-Chang hated the place they were in.
“And, there is one more reason.”
Jeong In-Chang's eyes glimmered more than usual.
“These giants… Something is strange about them. Regardless of how they came about, aren’t they still intelligent beings? But they are too warlike.”
Whether it was meeting Thjazi or the stories they had heard while living in the royal palace, they had been greatly illuminated by the giants’ proclivity to violence and militancy.
“I think we should figure out how strong the giants are, just in case, and that we should find out what they are thinking.”
"…"
“Why are you staring at me like that?” Jeong In-Chang asked as he felt as if Lee Jun-Kyeong’s eyes were boring a hole through him.
“You are a better person than I, Mr. Jeong.”
Lee Jun-Kyeong's words were sincere.
'I didn't even think of that.'
If he had really met Hua Tuo, then Lee Jun-Kyeong had only thought to leave Utgard with the physician and a handful of people. He hadn’t considered the rest or what would happen to them.
‘I’ve been fixating on moving safely too much.’
Lee Jun-Kyeong realized that he had started to abandon the little things because of his desire to change the world.
He had been about to sacrifice the small for the many.
At first glance, it seemed like the right choice.
He muttered to himself, “I almost committed the one act that I hate the most.”
Unfortunately, that had been one of Eden’s mottos.
***
Of course, it wasn’t as if the plan was for Jeong In-Chang to fully transition into becoming a warrior of Utgard. Instead, the deal was that they would participate in the duties of the warriors for the duration of the desired contract in the form of a mercenary.
The reward for this contract had been a share in whatever the giants had gathered, but instead, Lee Jun-Kyeong had wanted something different.
He wanted to live in the area where people lived.
The giants were quite concerned about Fenrir, but they told them that they would allow it as they believed in Im Chang.
Im Chang was the name that the giants used to call Jeong In-Chang.
He had said that he had been able to converse with the giants using translation magic, but it felt as though the level of translation magic was very low.
Regardless of how it had happened, in the end, Lee Jun-Kyeong entered the village where the gathered humans lived.
“Nice to meet you. My name is Lee Jun-Kyeong, and I’ll be staying here for the time being.”
Lee Jun-Kyeong had been given a shack along the path where similar structures, resembling huts from slums, were lined up.
"What is this?"
"Isn't that the owner of that wolf?"
"It seems like it."
The residents gathered and looked at Lee Jun-Kyeong curiously as they talked amongst themselves. However, no one approached him easily.
After all, he was a complete foreigner.
At least for these people, they were able to hold onto the fact that they were all from the same country and that they had been here for quite a while.
However, Lee Jun-Kyeong was a complete stranger who didn’t fall into any of the categories or had any of the traits that held the community together.
There was only one person that was different.
"Mister!"
"Si-Eon."
Everyone was like that except for Si-Eon. Although he had only been in the royal castle for a short while, he and Jang Si-Eon had developed a pretty close friendship.
Of course, it had been through the power of candy.
Furthermore, because iron was currently being sold at a high price in the city, he had handed over the cheap iron armor that he had stored in his inventory.
“My mom has been fully healed because of you, Mister!” Jang Si-Eon shouted in genuine happiness as she latched onto Lee Jun-Kyeong’s sleeve.
"What’s going on?”
"Was that person the owner of the iron armor that Si-Eon brought?"
“I mean, but then again, where else would a child get something like that?”
The people around him talked amongst themselves more and more, but some of them began to approach and greet him.
“It’s nice to meet you."
It was good for his image to be someone friendly to children.
Then, someone said, “It looks like your body seems okay.”
It was Hua Tuo, the old man who had come to treat Lee Jun-Kyeong. He was one of those that had greeted Lee Jun-Kyeong from the crowd.
1. In Eastern philosophy, all intelligent beings strive for peace, and only savages and the ignorant solve issues with violence/war.
2. You may have noticed how we spelled Hua Tuo, but naming conventions will change when translating Chinese names and Korean names according to how both languages prefer to romanize their names.
He had known that something could have gone wrong. He had kept in mind that the history he knew and the history that he would have to go through could be different.
However, did the great Hua Tuo only amount to this much?
After all, Hua Tuo was a god-like entity.
He was one of the few surviving Chinese Hunters, and he was someone who had healed many heroes, including the Demon King.
Everyone praised his skills.
[We called him God.]
There was a reason why Lee Jun-Kyeong had come to find Hua Tuo. Although there were countless stories of people who he had healed, more importantly, there was something more important that only could be seen in the book of the Demon King that other people had no knowledge of.
The Demon King had stated that he had started his mana stream in the land of giants. Complete proficiency had been completed a long time later, but this was definitely the place where he had started it.
The Demon King had said that he had been inspired by something here, which had helped him think of creating the mana stream.
However, devising and creating something was never easy.
At the beginning of his journey to develop the mana stream, the Demon King suffered a mana reflux.
It was a side effect similar to that of the one Lee Jun-Kyeong had undergone when his mana had run rampant due to the impact of the Dragon’s Bloodstone and the red ore.
Mana reflux was a terrifying event. A person’s own mana began exploding uncontrollably, destroying themselves from within.
However, the Demon King had overcome it with the help of Hua Tuo.
[Hua Tuo, that person was enough to be called God.]
‘Did I come too early?’
He wondered if Hua Tuo hadn’t grown to that level yet because of a lack of time. He couldn’t be sure what could be the case.
‘Still, something is strange.’
However, it was still true that Hua Tuo was very different from what he had heard.
Although he had no idea of what he was supposed to look like because there hadn’t been any descriptions or photos, he knew that Hua Tuo shouldn’t have been someone who would have been that rude to someone who asked him to measure their pulse for treatment.
“Mr. Lee!”
Right then, Jeong In-Chang had returned and was smiling brightly.
‘I thought you would have gone through a lot of trouble.’
Regardless of their reason, they had destroyed the royal garden.
I still had faith that they wouldn’t hurt us, but…’
He had assumed that they wouldn’t break their warrior’s oath simply due to a ruined royal garden. Thus, in order to obtain some time, he had entrusted the role of distracting them to Jeong In-Chang.
However, Jeong In-Chang’s chipper mood was still unexpected.
"How did things go?" he asked.
"Well, about that…" Jeong In-Chang’s smile grew wider as he approached Lee Jun-Kyeong and whispered, “They asked me to become one of their warriors?”
Jeong In-Chang stood back again, smiling as if his mouth would tear.
It was only after a while that Lee Jun-Kyeong could process what he had just been told.
“Pardon?”
***
Utgard.
The place that they had provided for human habitation there couldn’t be said to be very good. Initially, there wasn’t an area for humans to live in Utgard, and it had only been created a year and a half ago.
There wasn’t a proper house in sight. Just some structures barely fit for living in.
Squeak.
The door to one of the shacks opened.
"I've returned,” the man who entered the house said.
“Ugh.”
“Save me!”
“It hurts so much!”
However, it was incredibly noisy within the shack.
It was a small space, but it was full of people who were screaming or moaning as if they were sick. Many of those in the house were unconscious.
The man who had entered the house looked around, roughly hanging his bag as if he was used to the chaos around him.
“Are you back?”
“Have you arrived?”
People in the house greeted the man. After the man accepted their greetings one by one, he took out various things from his inventory and handed it over to someone.
“Here are some herbs and…”
“Thank you for this again.”
An old man took it and thanked him.
The man smiled and shook his head. “It’s nothing. I’ll get ready quickly and help.”
As if his aid didn’t end after handing the items over, the man quickly headed upstairs.
“You will be fine soon.”
Downstairs, there was another old man treating people with the herbs that the man had brought.
The old man’s title was Hua Tuo, and he was an Eastern physician who treated the people who lived in Utgard.
"Whew…"
Unlike the others, he was a Hunter. However, either because his age betrayed him or because there were an uncommonly large number of patients in Utgard, the old man looked exceedingly tired.
His whole body was wet with sweat.
"Thank you!"
"Thank you!"
Regardless of his exhausted stamina, however, Hua Tuo’s medical skills were excellent. Every patient he touched was soon rejuvenated, and later they were busy thanking him. He had always been an excellent doctor, so once he became a Hunter, he transformed into someone with enough skills to be called a god by ordinary people.
Among the survivors gathered in Utgard, he was one of the few who could heal the others.
Soon, the other man who had come into the house had returned after getting ready.
“Forgive me for being late.”
Color had returned to the faces of the old man and the people around him.
“Would you like to take over the serious cases?” the old man asked in a warm tone.
The other man smiled back warmly and nodded.
Swish.
An acupuncture set appeared from within his arms, and the man grabbed it and started moving quickly.
Swish.
He moved at a speed unbelievable for a human being, and his craftsmanship was so immaculate that the people he treated quickly forgot their pain and fell asleep.
As the two doctors treated the people around them, a woman among them who had finished the day’s treatment stood up from her bed.
“Si-Eon, let’s go,” the woman said as she took the child’s hand.
Jang Si-Eon.
It was the child who had come in and out of Lee Jun-Kyeong’s wards.
She walked over to the old man and apologized, “I’m sorry you had to be bothered today because of me.”
The old man smiled and stroked the child's head.
As she went back to her mother’s side and left the house, she turned back and loudly bid her farewell.
“Thank you, Mr. Hua Tuos!”
“Of course.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Two voices responded in kind.
***
At first, Lee Jun-Kyeong had thought it had been a joke.
He couldn’t understand it conceptually.
To think that the giants would ask them, who were complete strangers, to assume the role of a warrior. This was the same as becoming one of their soldiers.
Moreover, this happened after they had completely destroyed the royal garden. Because of that, he had no other choice but to be suspicious of their request, which seemed as if there was no other rhyme or reason.
‘Still, it's not a completely incomprehensible situation either.’
It wasn’t until after he had heard the detailed explanation from Jeong In-Chang that Lee Jun-Kyeong understood the situation a little better.
The reason they had offered them the position of a warrior was simple.
The situation within the city of giants, Utgard, was not as good as it seemed.
There was another group of frost giants, but they were traitors.
They were called the Nar, and it was said that they were building their city not too far away from here and that they were waiting vigilantly to come to invade Utgard.
There was another problem for the giants as well.
‘There are fewer here than I thought.’
Not only had their numbers fallen after the traitors had left, but there was also another reason that contributed to the small number of giants in the first place.
But it didn’t make sense to Lee Jun-Kyeong.
‘Gigantomachia was…’
Gigantomachia was one of the greatest battles in history, having taken place on an incredible scale.
It was a war that had involved an incredible amount of damage accordingly, and it was a known fact that the number of giants was much more significant than those currently around him.
‘Could the reproductive cycle of the giants be short?’
It was the only reason he could think of, but he wasn’t sure of it yet.
In any case, the number of warriors was too small to protect Utgard from both the monsters and the traitors.
As long as it helped strengthen the giants, they were willing to get help from the humans.
‘Was there anything specific or unusual?’
There was another thing that the giants had wanted.
‘They asked a lot about the outside world.’
The outside. Jeong In-Chang informed him that the giants had been digging into the circumstances of the place from which Lee Jun-Kyeong and his party had crossed over from. Everything from population to culture and characteristics.
Even power.
“Well, it’s a good result.”
“Right?” Jeong In-Chang said with a smile on his face, looking as if he didn’t want to sit still.
“Did you find the person you were looking for, Mr. Lee?”
Jeong In-Chang knew that Lee Jun-Kyeong had been looking for someone and had assumed that he would meet that person today.
“Oh, no, which is why I said it was a good result. I think we have to search a little longer.”
However, Lee Jun-Kyeong shook his head toward him.
“But, why are you acting like what you did was a good thing? Originally the plan was to go find the person I had needed to find and go back. To think they would ask you to be a warrior. I wonder what went on in your head to agree to do something like that, Mr. Jeong.”
“...”
Jeong In-Chang turned around as if he was offended.
“I mean…”
Jeong In-Chang’s voice quieted down a little.
“Didn’t you hear about it from that child, Jang Si-Eon? The people who live here are not in a good state. The giants don’t force them to stay, but even those who want to leave can’t because they know that if they leave Utgard, they will die,” he continued.
That was why Jeong In-Chang hated the place they were in.
“And, there is one more reason.”
Jeong In-Chang's eyes glimmered more than usual.
“These giants… Something is strange about them. Regardless of how they came about, aren’t they still intelligent beings? But they are too warlike.”
Whether it was meeting Thjazi or the stories they had heard while living in the royal palace, they had been greatly illuminated by the giants’ proclivity to violence and militancy.
“I think we should figure out how strong the giants are, just in case, and that we should find out what they are thinking.”
"…"
“Why are you staring at me like that?” Jeong In-Chang asked as he felt as if Lee Jun-Kyeong’s eyes were boring a hole through him.
“You are a better person than I, Mr. Jeong.”
Lee Jun-Kyeong's words were sincere.
'I didn't even think of that.'
If he had really met Hua Tuo, then Lee Jun-Kyeong had only thought to leave Utgard with the physician and a handful of people. He hadn’t considered the rest or what would happen to them.
‘I’ve been fixating on moving safely too much.’
Lee Jun-Kyeong realized that he had started to abandon the little things because of his desire to change the world.
He had been about to sacrifice the small for the many.
At first glance, it seemed like the right choice.
He muttered to himself, “I almost committed the one act that I hate the most.”
Unfortunately, that had been one of Eden’s mottos.
***
Of course, it wasn’t as if the plan was for Jeong In-Chang to fully transition into becoming a warrior of Utgard. Instead, the deal was that they would participate in the duties of the warriors for the duration of the desired contract in the form of a mercenary.
The reward for this contract had been a share in whatever the giants had gathered, but instead, Lee Jun-Kyeong had wanted something different.
He wanted to live in the area where people lived.
The giants were quite concerned about Fenrir, but they told them that they would allow it as they believed in Im Chang.
Im Chang was the name that the giants used to call Jeong In-Chang.
He had said that he had been able to converse with the giants using translation magic, but it felt as though the level of translation magic was very low.
Regardless of how it had happened, in the end, Lee Jun-Kyeong entered the village where the gathered humans lived.
“Nice to meet you. My name is Lee Jun-Kyeong, and I’ll be staying here for the time being.”
Lee Jun-Kyeong had been given a shack along the path where similar structures, resembling huts from slums, were lined up.
"What is this?"
"Isn't that the owner of that wolf?"
"It seems like it."
The residents gathered and looked at Lee Jun-Kyeong curiously as they talked amongst themselves. However, no one approached him easily.
After all, he was a complete foreigner.
At least for these people, they were able to hold onto the fact that they were all from the same country and that they had been here for quite a while.
However, Lee Jun-Kyeong was a complete stranger who didn’t fall into any of the categories or had any of the traits that held the community together.
There was only one person that was different.
"Mister!"
"Si-Eon."
Everyone was like that except for Si-Eon. Although he had only been in the royal castle for a short while, he and Jang Si-Eon had developed a pretty close friendship.
Of course, it had been through the power of candy.
Furthermore, because iron was currently being sold at a high price in the city, he had handed over the cheap iron armor that he had stored in his inventory.
“My mom has been fully healed because of you, Mister!” Jang Si-Eon shouted in genuine happiness as she latched onto Lee Jun-Kyeong’s sleeve.
"What’s going on?”
"Was that person the owner of the iron armor that Si-Eon brought?"
“I mean, but then again, where else would a child get something like that?”
The people around him talked amongst themselves more and more, but some of them began to approach and greet him.
“It’s nice to meet you."
It was good for his image to be someone friendly to children.
Then, someone said, “It looks like your body seems okay.”
It was Hua Tuo, the old man who had come to treat Lee Jun-Kyeong. He was one of those that had greeted Lee Jun-Kyeong from the crowd.
1. In Eastern philosophy, all intelligent beings strive for peace, and only savages and the ignorant solve issues with violence/war.
2. You may have noticed how we spelled Hua Tuo, but naming conventions will change when translating Chinese names and Korean names according to how both languages prefer to romanize their names.
