WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Damned Transmigration ◈
Chapter 98: Dang Family 1
──────
The sea visible beneath the hazy clouds was different from the sea Yuri, formerly Lee Su-hyeok, knew.
Near the coast, it had looked no different from Earth's oceans. But once they had traveled far enough that land was no longer visible, the sea became a chaotic patchwork of colors. Some waters were red as blood, others black as night. Some glittered gold as though light had pooled within them, while others were green, like fields transplanted into the ocean.
The tangled seas looked like paints squeezed onto a palette and left only half-mixed.
[Does the sea in this world normally look like that?]
[I've heard only the Central Sea is like that.]
It was Estor's first time traveling by airship to the Eastern Continent, and his first time seeing the Central Sea. Perhaps because of that, he stayed by the window all day, his eyes shining as he looked outside.
[The Central Sea that divides the two continents is still unconquered territory. It contains countless islands, and on some of them live monsters that can't be found on the continents... as well as humans who aren't quite human.]
[What the hell are humans who aren't human?]
[Demihumans. They're different from the goblins, orcs, and lizardmen commonly found on the continents... supposedly, they're much closer to humans than monsters.]
Do races like elves and dwarves live there? Yuri wondered as he looked down at the dark, murky sea below.
[They say there are islands of mermaids and fairies somewhere in the Central Sea, too. Stories of explorers adrift at sea being rescued by mermaids, or waking after a shipwreck to find themselves on a fairy island, are common legends. Like something out of a fairy tale.]
It was not a place inhabited solely by cute creatures like mermaids and fairies. The black sea beneath them and the blood-red waters rolling and twisting beyond it made Yuri think of thalassophobia for the first time in his life.
“...”
Before long, he spotted an enormous skeleton that could be clearly seen even from the sky. It belonged to a massive monster, large enough to rival an island. It resembled a whale or shark, and when he focused his vision to peer below, he saw hideous monsters clinging to the gaps between its bones.
“Don't stare too deeply.”
Elleia sneered from across the room.
“The Central Sea is filled with strange, ominous mana. It's an unknown abyss beyond comprehension. Look too deeply, and you'll lose your mind.”
Three days had already passed since they departed Alderan. Yuri and Elleia had discussed many things besides transmigration, including martial arts in surprising depth.
They had grown somewhat close, but it was still hard to tell whether Elleia was joking.
“I've heard that story as well,” Estor said.
Apparently, she had not been joking.
“It isn't common, but sometimes an eye is reflected on the sea's surface... or an eye appears somewhere in the depths. They say anyone who sees it suffers a mental collapse and becomes insane.”
“Every rumor has a source. I've never seen it myself, but the Central Sea does possess mana.”
“Scholars speculate that the Evil God's Sacred Domain may be somewhere in the Central Sea. What do you think, Lady Elleia?”
“It's possible. Agwi first became infamous after slaughtering explorers on an island in the Central Sea.”
At the mention of the Evil God, Elleia's eyes turned cold.
Her transmigration had been twisted from the beginning. She hated the Evil God and desperately wished to kill it with her own hands.
“But I can't risk my life over a mere possibility.”
“Is the Central Sea dangerous enough that even you, a Martial Apex Venerable, would have to risk your life?”
Elleia snorted.
“It isn't the unruly sea, monsters, or strange phenomena that would put my life at risk. It might be inconvenient, but I could cross the Central Sea in a little boat... no, even without a boat. Though it would certainly be more comfortable if I used one of the Arks some sects possess.”
“Then?”
“What if the Evil God's Sacred Domain really is somewhere in the Central Sea, and the Evil God is there?”
Elleia turned to look at the sea.
“Even if I were lucky enough to encounter the Evil God now, I couldn't do anything. I'd only die miserably. Tier 10. Godslaying is impossible unless one ascends to godhood.”
The Evil God's hand Agwi had summoned with Geas in Alderan. Elleia had failed to leave even a scratch on that hand, which had contained no killing intent.
Yuri swallowed and turned his gaze to the sea. Tier 10 was still unimaginably far away.
He had reached the end of tier 5 just two years after beginning martial arts. To be honest, he could reach tier 6 at any moment. When he had tamed Gebra, he had stood on the verge of reaching tier 6.
But he had gained an insight then. Perhaps Inner Demon would have been the more accurate term, but Yuri considered it an insight.
Had he reached tier 6 then, he would have felt a severe contradiction in everything he built afterward and suffered Qi Deviation.
The Heavenly Art of Annihilating Evil was both a divine art and a demonic art. The flames it cultivated could devour even their wielder. To go beyond tier 6 and challenge greater heights, Yuri needed to start incorporating a Mental Image into the Heavenly Art of Annihilating Evil.
“Lady Elleia.”
Haryeong emerged from her room and called Elleia's name. Elleia nodded and rose from her seat.
Yuri did not know the exact reason, but Elleia had been overseeing Haryeong's martial arts since the day before yesterday.
Elleia practiced heavy swordsmanship, wielding a greatsword through sheer physical strength. Haryeong had learned an assassin's martial arts, raining down all kinds of hidden weapons.
Their martial arts differed at the foundation. Even if Elleia was a Martial Apex Venerable, it was difficult for her to offer deep advice on martial arts outside her field.
So Elleia chose to offer her own body as a sandbag, experiencing Haryeong's relentless techniques firsthand and pointing out their flaws.
The airship flew high in the sky. It was protected by various spells, but if they went wild inside, it could cause a problem and somehow make the airship crash.
It turned out to be a needless concern. Yuri did not know how they sparred in that spacious room, but not even a faint sound or vibration could be felt outside.
After a long while, the door opened, and Elleia walked out without a single wound.
“Take care of her.”
It was no different from the day before yesterday. Dozens of hidden weapons lay scattered across the floor, while Haryeong lay exhausted in the center of the room.
“Are you all right?”
Yuri asked, but received no answer. Haryeong could barely breathe, so he gathered the hidden weapons in her place, helped the sweat-soaked Haryeong up, and seated her in a chair.
“Just... leave me... alone.”
Haryeong slumped in the chair and spoke in a hoarse voice. Yuri handed her a towel and water.
“How could I leave you alone?”
“My sweat will get on you. I hate that.”
Haryeong made a disgusted face and draped the towel over her head.
“You don't even smell.”
“Get lost!”
Haryeong shouted at his honest mutter.
The next day, land came into view in the distance.
Their peaceful voyage, untouched by attack, was nearing its end.
* * *
Gwangseo, home to an airship port, was a hub for trade by air and one of the Eastern Continent's wealthiest, liveliest cities.
“I'm not getting off.”
Elleia lay on the sofa and waved one hand.
“I don't want to waste time getting off for no reason. Once you leave, they'll perform only urgent maintenance and return to Alderan right away.”
“You've come all this way. Why not have a meal with us before you go?”
“We've eaten together for an entire week. Why would I eat with you again?”
Elleia let out a long yawn and smacked her lips.
“It would've been a real pain if we were attacked in the sky, so it's good we arrived without trouble. It probably won't happen, but if something goes wrong in this city, find the White Tiger Gate.”
The Righteous Heavenly Alliance's White Tiger Gate held the greatest power in Gwangseo. It was a major sect that had established branches not only throughout the East but in the West as well.
“I have a fairly long connection with the Righteous Heavenly Alliance, so if you use my name, the White Tiger Gate won't be able to pretend they didn't see you. Hm, actually, you probably won't even need to use my name.”
“I don't know who the White Tiger Gate Master is,” Estor replied after she looked at him.
Elleia chuckled and wagged a finger.
“You don't need to know. What matters is that the White Tiger Gate Master knows the Orsia Family. Pride families have close ties with the Righteous Heavenly Alliance and the Eastern city lords. In particular, the Righteous Heavenly Alliance Leader, Swordless White Crane, is an old man who respects the Sword Emperor.”
“I've never met Swordless White Crane personally, but I've heard about him from the family head a few times.”
The Sword Emperor, one of the Martial Apex Venerables, was a giant among martial artists revered even in the East despite being from the West. Hearing stories about people from such a different world made Yuri realize anew just how incredible Estor's golden-spoon connections were.
“Then.”
Before they left the airship, Elleia's gaze settled on Haryeong one last time. Haryeong received that look for a moment, then clasped her hands in a rare salute and dipped her head slightly.
Elleia's gaze lingered on Haryeong. It seemed she was sending something through Voice Transmission.
Yuri had asked about it a few times during the week they spent aboard the airship.
[It's a secret.]
[As you know, Yuri, I'm a mysterious assassin with many secrets.]
It had been a while since he last got that answer.
“Hss.”
The moment Estor disembarked, he drew in a deep breath, closed his eyes, savored the air, and smacked his lips.
“What are you doing?”
“The air in the East tastes a little different.”
Yuri gave him a look of disbelief, then subtly took a sniff himself. Was it just his imagination? It did seem a little different...
After completing the basic arrival procedures, they left the port administration office.
Besides the White Tiger Gate, Gwangseo had dozens of small and medium-sized sects. Some were established Unorthodox Sects that possessed the Black Dragon Society's Black Plaque.
People often said the difference between Righteous Sects and Unorthodox Sects was whether they followed righteousness and chivalry.
From Yuri's perspective as a transmigrator, though, it felt like their methods of operation mattered far more than some vague righteousness and chivalry.
The major Righteous Sects had enough prestige to turn their sect name into a franchise, spread branches that functioned like chain stores throughout the land, and collect money from the disciples recruited there.
Righteous Sects without that level of name recognition operated by traveling to recruit disciples, cooperating with various guilds to subjugate monsters and yokai, and hunting wanted criminals for bounties.
The Unorthodox Sects were simple. Like the Black Snake Gang in that Logos backwater, most seized control of a neighborhood and collected money while running obviously unsavory businesses such as loan-sharking, gambling dens, and brothels.
They were both gangs that strutted around with swords, but Righteous Sects did not threaten common folk for money. At least, that was what those who called themselves Righteous Sects claimed.
‘Is that the most basic form of righteousness and chivalry?’
This was Yuri's first time in the East. Just as the air tasted different, its culture would naturally be different as well, so he was rather tense.
“...”
He had not expected it to be this different.
Several hundred people had gathered across from the administration office, and every gaze was fixed on them.
Most held weapons, so they did not seem to be welcoming foreigners who had arrived from the West aboard a sleek airship. Still, their stares held no hostility. Tension, doubt, curiosity... those were the kinds of looks they gave.
Then why were they holding weapons?
It was not difficult to guess. The hostility and killing intent that did not match their gazes were focused elsewhere. The hundreds of weapons were pointed not at Yuri's group, but over there.
There were ten people opposite Yuri, Haryeong, and Estor. Three sat in chairs, while seven stood behind them.
They were an odd group. The seven standing behind the others as guards wore black clothes and enormous black bamboo hats wide enough to cover their shoulders. Their faces were hidden behind masks that covered even their mouths.
The three sitting in chairs wore no hats or masks, but their black clothes were the same color despite differing in style.
The woman seated in the middle drew the most attention. She wore a black dress resembling a cheongsam that revealed every curve of her body, her legs crossed as she sat. Even though the masked figures in hats behind her held parasols large enough to serve as sunshades, she had another parasol resting on her shoulder.
Dozens of people lay collapsed around them, foaming blood at the mouth.
The several hundred armed people surrounded those ten, but they could not approach any closer. They would hesitate and try to step forward, only to flinch in surprise and retreat.
“...”
Yuri furrowed his brow and stared ahead. He had no reason to pay attention to the hundreds with weapons. The ten dressed in black were what he needed to watch. The three seated in particular did not radiate hostility or killing intent, yet gave off an unpleasant aura.
“You've finally arrived.”
The woman with the parasol on her shoulder spoke. Yuri naturally focused on her.
He could not help it. The black clothes she wore bore a symbol he had seen before. A snake and a scorpion embroidered in gold thread. There was only one family in the world that used those hideous venomous creatures as its emblem.
The Dang Family, which ruled the Salmun.
“Cloud Dragon Yuri, Sword Dragon Estor Orsia. It's a pleasure to meet you both here.”
The woman slowly rose from her seat. A bright smile appeared on the face revealed as she tilted her parasol slightly behind her.
“My name is Tang Seo-woo.”
Yuri could not help but flinch at that name.
Tang Seo-woo was a name he knew. The current head of the Dang Family and leader of the Salmun, the cherished daughter of Tang Yu-shin, the Martial Apex Venerable known as the Dark King.
A snake as beautiful as a flower. Tang Seo-woo, the Black Enchantress Snake Flower.
“I'm Tang Seo-jin.”
Tang Seo-jin, the Dark Soul Poison Dragon, was another child of the Dark King.
“My name is Tang Mu-seok.”
Tang Mu-seok, the Pursuing-Kill Flying Guest. He was not a direct descendant of the Dang Family, but he was said to possess formidable skill even among martial artists bearing the Tang surname.
If those three were martial artists of the Dang Family, then the seven standing behind them as guards were likely assassins of the Salmun.
“...”
Haryeong could not say anything and stared ahead. She pressed together her parted lips and composed herself. She tried to put on the same expressionless face as always, but she couldn't quite manage it. She could barely understand why the Salmun and Dang Family had come here.
“I'm Yuri.”
Yuri knew Haryeong was trying to hide her agitation. He stepped forward, shielding her from the Dang Family martial artists' eyes.
“It's a pleasure to meet such renowned members of the Dang Family... but to be honest, I'm confused. What exactly is going on?”
“Please don't misunderstand.”
Tang Seo-woo smiled sweetly.
“We were only waiting here when they decided to pick a fight first. They kept saying this was land ruled by the Righteous Heavenly Alliance, and Unorthodox Sects this and that. I know the White Tiger Gate throws its weight around in this city, but isn't it too much for us to be insulted simply because we're from an Unorthodox Sect when we haven't done anything?”
Tang Seo-woo pointed around them as if putting on a show. Dozens of people lay there, twitching and foaming blood at the mouth. Beyond them stood hundreds more with weapons drawn and hostility in their eyes.
“There are only ten of us, yet so many people have persecuted us. You two are from the West, so perhaps you don't understand, but we care about our honor too. Ah, but we didn't kill anyone. We understand the weight of death.”
“Why are you here?”
Tang Seo-woo's eyes widened at the question. She blinked a few times, then cocked her head.
“That's a strange question. Cloud Dragon, are you asking because you truly don't know?”
“Yes.”
Why was the Dang Family here?
It was not as if Yuri had no guesses, but he did not know for certain. He had never properly heard what kind of relationship Haryeong had with the Dang Family.
“...Aha.”
Tang Seo-woo's eyes sparkled. She looked at Haryeong, who wore a stiff expression behind Yuri, and twisted her lips into a smile.
“It seems you haven't been told anything.”
Tang Seo-woo giggled and continued.
“It's been a long time, Aunt Tang Yu-ryeon.”
Tang Yu-ryeon?
Yuri had never heard that name before, but the way Tang Seo-woo addressed Haryeong left his mind blank.
‘Aunt?’
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
