The Closing Walls

‘Come to think of it, I’ll never get to see the end of <The Legend of Mount Hua>.’

The Legend of Mount Hua was a gargantuan epic that had been serialized for twelve long years. Originally released as a physical book series, it eventually moved to e-books, spanning a massive 70 volumes.

Recently, the story had been reaching the climax of the “War between Good and Evil” arc, but the updates had come to a screeching halt right at the most critical moment.

‘I felt like I was going to suffer a cultivation deviation the second I saw that hiatus notice…….’

The hiatus itself was frustrating, but the content of the notice was so absurd that the lack of chapters became the least of his worries.

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[Hiatus Notice]

Is everyone in your household at peace?

The reason I am writing today is to share some unfortunate news with all my fellow travelers who follow The Legend of Mount Hua.

As I have mentioned before, this novel is based on a true story. I, Kang Jin, died in battle against a wicked Demonic Cult assassin during the Great War. Afterward, I possessed the body of an author living in the Republic of Korea and began writing.

Though I can never return to Mount Hua in this life, I started writing The Legend of Mount Hua out of a desire to elevate the name of Mount Hua even in this distant other world and to spread the heroic tales of my most respected senior brother, Kang Seon.

It is infinitely regrettable to go on hiatus so suddenly, but since I died at the current point in the story, I myself do not know what happens next.

Until now, I have written with the heart of a historian recording facts, but from now on, I must lead the story entirely through my imagination.

I know from experience that you, my fellow travelers, will find this hard to believe, but I cannot tell a lie. Thus, I send this message.

This inadequate person will enter secluded meditation, so please do not look for me for a while.

May luck follow you all.

[Comments (562)]

• ???? Author, aren’t you getting a little too immersed in your concept……….?
• Does anyone know why Kang Jin is acting like this??
  • ˪ He was like this back in the physical book days too… claiming he was a martial artist who crossed dimensions from the Central Plains……
  • ˪ I’ll never forget that his author bio said “Kang Jin, 29th generation disciple of the Mount Hua Sect” lol
  • ˪ Apparently, his specialty was the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Technique.
• Did I just read a hiatus notice or did I accidentally stumble into a role-player’s SNS?

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Naturally, the comment section exploded. From readers telling him to get some rest to those complaining that he shouldn’t keep up the “act” even in a hiatus notice, reactions were varied. But one thing was consistent:

Nobody believed that the author, Kang Jin, was actually a dimension-traveling martial artist.

Seol Ah-heon hadn’t believed it either. But now that he had been possessed himself, he had no choice but to believe.

‘It was real. The author of <The Legend of Mount Hua> was actually from this world.’

If that were true, then this place, which he thought was just a fictional setting, was a strictly existing reality. Stunned by this revelation, Seol Ah-heon felt as if he’d been hit in the back of the head. Regardless, it didn’t change his current situation.

For some reason, an unsettling feeling washed over him.

****************************************

The further they walked, the narrower the tunnel became. Earlier, it hadn’t been like this, but now his shoulders were almost brushing against the walls.

Walking wasn’t impossible, but the psychological pressure weighed heavily on his chest.

“Phew…….”

Seol Ah-heon clutched the front of his robes. He was already anxious about the tunnel collapsing, and now that the space was shrinking, his anxiety spiked. He felt like he was developing a claustrophobia he never knew he had.

“How much further does this tunnel go……?”

He asked tentatively, but neither Baek Geon-ha nor Mu Il-young answered. To be fair, they probably didn’t know either.

At this point, Seol Ah-heon didn’t ask for much. He just wanted to get out of here with all his limbs intact. Only then could he start training or find a way to survive.

‘If I make it out alive, should I try utilizing modern civilization? Maybe making soap to sell……?’

He intentionally diverted his thoughts to calm his nerves. However, no brilliant ideas came to mind. He was a modern person who knew how to turn on a light switch, but he didn’t know how to invent electricity. The protagonists in the novels he read always seemed to build things with ease, but come to think of it, they were usually experts in their original worlds.

‘Damn it, why did I have to major in History? Learning history is useless in the Central Plains…….’

Just as he was wallowing in late regrets, his foot caught on something. He realized it a second too late.

Click.

The sound of something engaging echoed, followed by a vibration in the ground.

Rumble—!

It felt like an earthquake. In his blurred vision, he saw the walls slowly closing in. At first, he thought he was seeing things, but it was real. The already narrow space was becoming even narrower.

“Did you do that on purpose?”

Baek Geon-ha said, tilting his head back. Following his gaze upward, Seol Ah-heon saw the ceiling was also sinking rapidly. He shook his head violently.

“N-no! Of course not! If the trap triggers, my life is at risk too!”

“So you’re saying you triggered a glaringly obvious trap by mistake?”

“I’m sorry……. It was my mistake.”

He was a complete nuisance for triggering the trap. But Seol Ah-heon felt a bit wronged. ‘If you knew there was a trap, you could have warned me to avoid it……!’

But what could a “sinner” say? Seol Ah-heon just lowered his head and watched for a reaction.

Surprisingly, Baek Geon-ha didn’t do anything. He just stood there, as if waiting to see what would happen next. There wasn’t really anywhere to run anyway. The path ahead was narrower than where they were, and behind them…

CRASH!

As he reflexively looked back, an iron wall slammed down from the ceiling. It was like a store closing its shutters for the night. The iron wall separated them from Mu Il-young. As the light from the Night-Glow Pearl vanished, the surroundings were instantly plunged into darkness.

“Trapped.”

Baek Geon-ha said nonchalantly. Unable to believe it, Seol Ah-heon looked around frantically. Though he couldn’t see anything in the dark, he felt that the path ahead was also blocked by an iron wall.

‘Trapped? This deep underground?’

The moment reality sank in, his heart constricted.

“W-what do we do…….”

Seol Ah-heon sank to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut. Ironically, this was a wise choice, as the space continued to shrink slowly but steadily.

Grind—.

The vibrations didn’t stop. At this rate, they would be crushed to death. Panic-stricken, Seol Ah-heon gasped for air, though it didn’t feel like any oxygen was reaching him.

“H-h-hic.”

Something touched his trembling shoulder. High-strung as he was, Seol Ah-heon recoiled in fright. He scrambled back, only for his back to hit the iron wall. The cold, hard sensation startled him once more.

“Eek!”

“You’re being distracting.”

Baek Geon-ha scolded him dryly. Only then did Seol Ah-heon realize that what had touched his shoulder was Baek Geon-ha’s leg.

“Y-Young Leader? You’re still there?”

“……Did you forget about me?”

Baek Geon-ha added that it wasn’t easy to forget someone with a presence as strong as his. He was being arrogant, but he wasn’t wrong. It was just proof that Seol Ah-heon had lost his mind for a moment.

Still, the realization that Baek Geon-ha was by his side slowly calmed his panic. It was a strange thing. ‘It’s better to be trapped with someone than to be alone…….’

It wasn’t that he relied on Baek Geon-ha. It was just that he was certain the man would be fine no matter what happened. Baek Geon-ha wasn’t someone who would die a meaningless death. He would find a way through the crisis, and Seol Ah-heon just had to follow. That was the extent of his expectations for Baek Geon-ha.

“Um…… Young Leader. How do we get out of here?”

Hmm. Baek Geon-ha let out a soft sound from his throat. Even in the thick darkness, his sharp eyes scanned Seol Ah-heon.

Fidgeting hands, trembling knees, and unstable breathing. The fellow was terrified. He looked like a pathetic, low-level creature.

Strictly speaking, he shouldn’t be that weak. Seol Ah-heon had reached the level of using Sword Qi and had even shamelessly swallowed the Soul-Freezing Pill. He shouldn’t be lacking in internal energy, so it was puzzling why he was so frightened.

It had been the same last night. The fellow had slammed his head down to perform the Nine Bows ritual. He seemed to be thinking, ‘If I become his disciple, he won’t be able to do anything to me, right?’ Was his heart small or was it unusually bold?

Recalling Seol Ah-heon’s insolent acting, calling him “Master, Master,” made a surge of irritation rise again. The fellow probably thought he was being submissive, but he wasn’t. For the past few days, Seol Ah-heon had been teetering on the edge of Baek Geon-ha’s boundaries. In fact, he had stepped over them twice already.

Once when he mentioned the Yin-Yang Harvesting Art. And once when he said, “One day, you will surely annihilate the Qingcheng Sect.”

He admitted the guy was more perceptive than he looked. But if he were truly smart, he should have kept his mouth shut. Seol Ah-heon, who kept picking at his nerves, was getting on Baek Geon-ha’s last nerve.

“Getting out won’t be easy.”