Chapter 77: Turns out my dad was Murim public enemy(2)

In order to learn the Heart Sutra, Lee Dong-joon had to abandon all the sins forbidden in the teachings. And, he pretty much successfully gave up most of his sins.

Until yesterday, when an unexpected accident happened at Hellony’s concert.

Yoo Seodam, a mere low-level hunter, dared to anger him and drove him into the corner. He was also jealous of Yoo Seodam because he was now holding the woman he loved in his arms. He was certain that even if all the warriors of Murim on Earth started to be hostile towards him, he would be able to fight and win with his own strength.

“Ahhhhhh!!”

[Protagonist Lee Dong-joon uses the skill ‘Lion Roar(S)’.]

In front of his anger, the snow around him burst, revealing the bare ground of the Himalaya, which had not been revealed for a long time.

Right now, all he wanted was to smash Yoo Seodam’s head to pieces.

He would cut his tongue off so he would never play such wicked tricks ever again. He would cut off the lips that dared to meet Seol Jung-yeon’s lips, pull out the eyes that dared to look at him, and rip apart those dirty hands that dared to touch her waist! 

However, he knew that all warriors of Murim that were present here wouldn’t let him do it.

Kurreung, Kwaaang!!

A spear fell from the sky. And the Ahe hammer, known to be the hardest of all in the world, was swung to burst Lee Dong-jun’s head, and lastly the most beautiful whip ever made twisted like a snake to break Lee Dong-joon’s bones.

3 kings, 6 emperors and three hundred masters.

Their inner qi exploded, staining the Himalayas with disaster.

Mountains collapsed, holes pierced in the sky, clouds settled, and the earth rose.

Someone who saw this scene from afar might even say that it was a beautiful disaster. 

However, for Lee Dong-joon, he had no time to appreciate the scene. His gaze was fixed solely on Yoo Seodam.

However, the only thing he looked at was unapproachable.

“…It means that everything is wrong-!!”

Lee Dong-joon yelled and burst the air, but he failed to kill even a single Warrior of Murim around him.

It was strange. Originally, they would have died like a worm just by a simple gesture from him. He was the only master in Murim who entered the realm of Shinhwa-kyung, the difference between him and them was obvious.

However, strangely enough, every single one of them was still standing.

-Do you really think so?

‘Pardon?’

[Protagonist’s Five emotions of sin have risen.]

[The effect of the skill ‘Heart sutra(SSS)’ has been removed!]

[Protagonist’s emotions are shaking violently!]

[The effect of the skill ‘Dharma Sutra(SSS+)’ is greatly reduced!]

[Skill ‘Prediction(SSS)’ was obscured by his narrow sight.]

[The effect of the skill ‘Steel Heart(S)’ has been removed!]

[The effect of skill ‘Emergency Wings (S)’ has been removed!]

[Skill······.]

[Confirmation of protagonist Lee Dong-joon’s level change: 500 (-127)]

It was only his own misunderstanding, they didn’t get stronger.

‘… has my body become heavier?’

He couldn’t feel what he could have felt before.

He couldn’t do what he could have done before.

It was all because he lost his composure.

It was because he can’t control his sins.

It all happened because the ‘Heart Sutra’ disappeared, and he could no longer maintain his power as Dharma.

“Ahhh….!”

However, even if he knew it, he couldn’t do anything to change it.

He couldn’t get rid of the rising jealousy, anger, as well as the dirty and nasty malice within him.

A deep red blood started to dripping from his eyes. It soon started dripping from his nose and his mouth too.

-You need to be calm!

‘…I can’t.’

-Oh huh, you are finally completely obsessed with sins and messed up your own vessel…

[Crisis arises for the main character Lee Dong-joon.]

-If so, I will finally give you strength.

‘…didn’t you tell me that you couldn’t use your power?’

-I did. However, even with the little power I have now, it is possible to help you maintain the calmness of your heart.

[Protagonist correction is activated.]

[Confirmation of protagonist Lee Dong-jun’s level change: 500(-48)]

Kwaaahang!!

A surge of inner qi exploded with Lee Dong-joon at its centre.

Its power seemed to resemble the clouds, the luscious green mountains, and the flowing clear water, all at the same time.

“Ugh…!”

“Geuk, what is this sudden..?”

“Gosh!”

The warriors of Murim were forced to take a step back because they could not withstand Lee Dong-joon’s mighty power.

It was impossible to completely restore his old power, but with his current power, it was enough to deal with the warriors of Murim who gathered here. 

When his gaze, which was filled with jealousy and rage until moments ago disappeared, Lee Dong-joon raised his head and looked around intimidatingly.

The warriors from Murim were shaken by the icy-cold glare directed towards them. It was as if Dharma was looking at them like he was looking at a bug that could be crushed any moment.

It was as if his presence itself had become an impregnable wall which was as high as Mount Tai! No one could step forward after feeling such pressure.

Truly the best under heaven! Who in the world would be able to compete with Supreme Dharma?

Everyone’s presence couldn’t help but quake under such pressure, it was such an overwhelming pressure even for warriors of Murim who didn’t have the words ‘give up’ in their dictionary and had appeared in every fight with determination to die.

Geom-hee, Ha Sunyoung realized that this moment was ‘that time’.

‘Is it really now?’

She remembered the talk that she had with Yoo Seodam the other day.

‘Ha Sun-young. I think Dharma’s power will not be as strong as before. He will be quite vulnerable. Maybe he’ll be at the level where the warriors from Murim can deal with.’

‘I don’t know what kind of method you used, but… that’s good news.’

‘But….’

Yoo Seodam said once again.

‘At some point, Dharma may suddenly regain his power. Or he may suddenly become smarter, or he may have power that he originally didn’t have.’

‘Does that make any sense? Do you mean he’ll get an enlightenment during the battle? That thing is only possible in novels.’

‘You are right. That common cliché is the problem.’

‘…..?’

She couldn’t understand Yoo Seodam’s words but listened to his solution nevertheless.

‘First of all, when Dharma regains his strength, talk to him and repeat what I am saying…’

‘Are you sure? Would some words really work against Dharma, who is blinded by anger?’

‘It’s a martial arts cliché to talk to the boss in the middle of the final duel rather than fighting.’

‘Is that so…?’

She still couldn’t figure out what Yoo Seodam was talking about.

There was only one important thing.

As Yoo Seodam said, supreme dharma suddenly regained his original power. So, this was the correct timing.

“Listen to me! Oh supreme Dharma!”

The eyes of warriors of Murim instantly turned towards Ha Sunyoung’s high-pitched voice, which seemed to echo across the entire mountain range.

Dharma too, controlled his strength and smiled leisurely as he looked at Ha Sun-young.

“Do you still think your justification is right? Don’t you feel anything even after seeing the people of Murim who were hurt by your justice and had no choice but to shed tears?”

It was inappropriate for Ha Sunyoung, but on the other hand, it was a great line for Geom-hee. Even though she didn’t learn how to play the role of lion, her voice contained a great charisma.

However, in the end, such charisma was nothing but a single line in front of Protagonist’s presence.

‘Probably, Dharma will try to prove his justice through dialogue.’

Because that was the way of a protagonist.

All he needed to do was admit it.

However, there was one thing that Yoo Seodam didn’t expect, it was the fact that Lee Dong-joon had a much more glib tongue than he estimated.

After slowly calming the excitement, Lee Dong-joon opened his mouth.

“You don’t understand anything!”

Dharma Supreme slowly opened his mouth.

“Because of my justice, the world has become better! Yes, I apologize for the little wounds and tears you had to shed in the process. But I do not intend to take back my justice and I do not regret it. My justice was right in the end, and couldn’t you live in a better world because of it?”

“……Where is the better world that you speak about?”

“All sinners were punished.” 

In a calm voice, he said so as he looked towards the Warriors of Murim and the victims of his own ‘justice’ at the same time.

“I pulled out the eyes and arms of the child who had committed robbery! To make sure he never sinned again.”

The eyes of people of Murim reddened after they heard those words.

“I killed a mother who gave birth to a murderer! Beecause, the second child from the same womb can also sin.”

Some people sobbed at those words.

“I killed all the corrupt officials who were the cause of famine! I killed the kings and the nobles that caused the war. I found and executed all the sinners who lived even after committing sins! I did not discriminate against people. I simply made a clear distinction between those who sin and those who do not.”

Lee Dong-joon’s expression turned calmer and calmer.

“Since sin originates from people, if no one committed it, sins would soon disappear. I went all over Jungwon to get rid of ‘sin’, and the world became cleaner than ever. Do you understand now! This is the world I foresaw, an endlessly wide and endlessly clean world.”

For that reason, Dharma raised his head and glared towards Yoo Seodam. He aimed his sword at him and tried to finish his speech.

“Yoo Seodam, you also have to be exe…..cute…..-”

However,

The Supreme Dharma could not finish his words.

Through the old door of the hut from which Yoo Seodam and Seol Jungyeon walked out, he saw a familiar face.

“…Shin Hye-ji?”

“Dad…….”

She was looking at Lee Dong-joon with trembling eyes. Bewilderment was clearly painted on her face. But the coldness on her skin proved that this moment was not a dream, but a reality.

‘So this is the meaning of the words ‘at that time’.’

Yesterday, Yoo Seodam said these words when he met Shin Hye-ji and Ha Sun-young.

‘From now on, you will know the truth about your father. If you don’t want to, we won’t tell you anything. But, if you want, if you know everything, you will feel extremely hurt.’

He clearly warned Shin Hye-ji. And if she didn’t want it, Yoo Seodam was going to use a different method to destroy the protagonist, Supreme Dharma. There was no reason to hurt someone who had nothing to do with this fight.

However, she decided to do it.

‘No, I have to see everything with my own eyes.’

That’s why she was here now.

With a trembling voice, Shin Hye-ji was able to ask Lee Dong-joon her question.

“Your words just now, were they real…?”

She had already heard the old story of ‘Supreme Dharma’ through Ha Sun-young and Daniel. The story of the victims who had died in the purge he commited for the sake of his justice. However, she was the daughter of Lee Dong-joon, she was not convinced that the man in their story was really her father. In the end she thought that the person who did such a terrible thing could never be her father.

He was poor at expressing his emotions, but he was sweeter than anyone else, and he was a caring father.

In the past, there was a time when she dreamed an impossible dream of becoming a hunter while having an ether fit rate of 1%. Shin Hye-ji, who had the worst talent, could never be a hunter and had been told to give up her dreams all her life.

However, she couldn’t.

She witnessed her own biological parents being eaten alive by a monster, that’s why she hated monsters, and at the same time, with her conviction to save the weak, she kept trying.

Then, she met Lee Dong-joon.

They didn’t share the same blood, but the man eventually became his father despite her unreasonable demands.

He helped her to realize her dream to become a hunter. It wasn’t through superpower, but a mystical abilities called martial arts.

‘With this power, you no longer have to let go of your hands and watch weak people die in front of you.’

She practiced hard every day. It wasn’t because she was obsessed with her poor sense of justice. She knew. She knew she couldn’t save everyone in this world. Still, if she could save a young child and the elderly in front of her, that would be enough.

But.

The powers she inherited were actually used to kill the weak, not saving them.

“Dad, I still trusted you until the end. However…..”

“Calm down Shin Hye-ji! I’ll explain everything.”

“I do not like it. I, I am now…”

When Shin Hye-ji stepped back, Lee Dong-joon was flustered. His extended hand only scared Shin Hye-ji even more. She hid herself behind Yoo Seodam in fear.

Seeing that, Lee Dong-joon’s chest sank.

‘Why?’

Why?

He looked around.

The warriors of Murim, the 3 kings and 6 Emperors as well as Geom-hee. In addition, the lovely Seol Jungyeon and his one and only precious daughter, Shin hye-ji.

‘Why, why is everyone standing next to Yoo Seodam?’

He couldn’t understand it.

He lived half of his life for the sake of justice. But, why were they gathered towards someone who acted only for the profit in front of them?

“No.”

It’s okay, even if everyone in the world denied him…

“Shin Hye-ji, believe me, You, you should understand my justice, right? As much as I knew you, you also know me the best… right?”

“Dad…..”

Shin hye-ji opened her mouth. Lee Dong-joon looked at her desperately, trying to grasp his last hope.

“That’s not justice…. It was more like a monster that only has faith…?”

His reason for living had been denied by his most precious someone…

[The skill ‘Heart sutra(SSS)’ has completely disappeared due to negative emotions.]

[Confirmation of protagonist Lee Dong-jun’s level change: 500 (-150)]

Knowing that his strength had weakened, the masters rushed from everywhere, but Lee Dong-joon did not even resist.

No, to be exact, he couldn’t resist.