Wooyun, Jaha, and Baek Junghwa were now back on the road, preparing for another three days ahead of them until they could reach the border that would allow them to cross to the northern region. The entire time, Wooyun felt a curious gaze on him and whenever he would look up, he'd catch Junghwa smiling at him but not uttering a single word.
It frustrated him to no end until he couldn't take it anymore. "What is it?" He blurted.
The two men looked at him in surprise, and Wooyun quickly realized he might have overreacted but could you blame him? No one liked to be stared at for no reason. Especially when it was obvious there was something he wanted to say.
"Might I remind you that the person you are speaking to is the Demon Lord and leader of the Blood Moon Sect? The very sect that has taken you under its wings through no merit of your own." Jaha said in a low voice.
Wooyun felt a shiver run through his spine as he felt those pales on him and quickly composed himself. It often slipped his mind that he was no longer in his world, no longer in S country, and that he was no longer a twenty-seven year oldman but in fact a nineteen year old boy. He could no longer speak out of turn anymore. So he cleared his throat and apologized for his rudeness which made Junghwa smile at him in a dismissive manner.
"Though I am glad you feel comfortable enough being in my presence, others," he glanced at Jaha, "won't feel the same. That said, I too have to apologize for the staring. I just couldn't help being curious."
Wooyun raised a brow at this. "Curious? Curious about what…my lord?" The words that left his mouth felt foreign and awkward which was understandable considering how he'd never had to refer to someone in such a manner before.
Baek Junghwa noticed his discomfort but ignored it as he tilted his head, his gaze piercing through Wooyun. As if searching for the answers to his curiosity.
"Back when Jaha was fighting that mongrel, I couldn't help but notice how both surprised yet unsurprised you were at the sight of his technique. It was almost as if you were shocked that Jaha could even use such an ability."
Jaha's brows furrowed when he heard this. "Also," he continued, "you seemed to mutter about it as well. I believe the word you used was…gun? What could that word mean?"
Wooyun blinked for a moment before dread filled his heart. Shit.
Wooyun had always been careful not to let modern words slip out—but at that moment, he hadn't expected Jaha's attack to resemble anything close to what he knew as gunfire. Especially not the fact that Junghwa was able to hear him even from that far away. Though he should've expected this considering how Baek Junghwa was the strongest person in My Charming Demon Lord. Of course, he'd have super hearing.
And now Junghwa was staring at him like he was a puzzle waiting to be solved, while Jaha's sharp eyes were already scanning him for lies.
"Gun?" Wooyun echoed, forcing a confused laugh. "Oh, that—my father used to talk about it. He was a merchant, you see. Traveled far. Said he once visited a land beyond the mountains, past the seas, where people used strange metal rods that spat fire and metal even without qi."
"Without qi? Is that even possible?" Jaha scoffed.
Wooyun glanced at him. "Well, humans can shoot fire out of their hands, manipulate energy, and conjure up objects with their hands. I'd say anything is possible at this point." He shrugged casually, though he was breathing hard on the inside.
He had never once thought of the possibility he would be found out. And what would happen once they knew that this world wasn't real, merely fiction concocted by the vivid imagination of an author? Best case scenario they would laugh it off and tell him he was the one with the vivid imagination, worse case scenario, they would brand him as a heretic but instead of burning him at the stake, they would do much worse. Wooyun shivered at the thought.
Junghwa's eyes narrowed slightly, not in suspicion but intrigued. "A land beyond the seas?" he repeated. "Could you be referring to the Western Region?"
Jaha flinched when he heard this, but Wooyun was too absorbed in his thoughts to notice. "Yes!" He said, feeling relieved that the little knowledge he got from the book was proving useful. Junghwa's gaze fell on Jaha before nodding. "Jaha has been to the West before, back when he was a wanderer."
The first guardian clenched his jaw, not a fan of an outsider learning of his past but he nodded anyway. "The Western Region is rather removed compared to the rest of the Empire. They are known for their rather unique way of fighting and for the weapons they wield. Like smoke and thunder in their hands. No martial energy is needed. Just… tools of destruction."
Wooyun latched onto the term like a lifeline. "Yes! That's exactly what my father called them. He said the people there were obsessed with tools. That they didn't train their bodies like we do but relied on their craftsmanship. Their...machines."
"So this 'gun'—" Junghwa said the word slowly, as though tasting it, "—is a machine?"
"A weapon," Wooyun clarified quickly, "that looks like a tube or rod. It expels small projectiles at extreme speeds. And the technique Jaha used... well, it reminded me of that. That's why I reacted."
Silence fell. The wind whistled through the trees as their horses trotted along the dirt path. Junghwa didn't speak, but his fingers drummed lightly against his knee.
Jaha's jaw was tight with contemplation.
"Interesting," Jaha finally said. "I never learned the name of the technique I inherited. Only that it came from an ancient scroll said to be foreign in origin. I thought it was a lost martial art… not one mimicking machines."
Wooyun nodded slowly, trying not to look too relieved. He didn't know if they bought it completely, but it was convincing enough. For now.
It had been four days since their travel, and unlike Wooyun's precious expectations, they managed to arrive at the border nearly half the time Junghwa had predicted. He couldn't help glancing up at the demon lord and wondered if he had purposely given him a longer time frame to spook him.
The Northern Region. A cold and desolate place. Everyone knew of its existence, but no one dared to cross over the like that separated them from their life of peace and comfort. According to the book, there was a cautionary tale told to children whenever they misbehaved. "If you don't do your chores, the Demon Lord will take you from your sleep and you will be forced to live away from mommy and daddy. The cold will be your only friend."
Some even went as far as to tell their children that they needed to be strong so the demon lord wouldn't take them away and be fed by the scary beasts that lived in the snowy mountains. Everyone had something to say about the region, but no one had the guts to go and see if the rumours were true or not. And even if they were taken over by curiosity and wanted to venture into its icy lands, it's not like they would be welcomed.
Not just anyone was permitted to cross. The previous Demon Lords made it their ultimate mission not to let outsiders inside. This place was their sanctuary. A place not just anyone could be allowed in.
According to the people, there are only three ways to enter, none easy. The first is the trial of ice and echoes, where only those who endure the brutal cold and navigate the illusions of echo spirits can pass. Few succeed.
The second method is inherited—a right by blood. The land recognizes those of Northern descent and opens its gates for them.
The final method is the hardest: receiving permission from the Demon Lord, who wields considerable control over the region. This thought weighed on Wooyun as he leaned against the carriage, noticing the snow-covered scenery outside. The temperature was dropping, and he could feel the cold seeping into him.
It didn't make sense—at least not by modern standards. In his world, borders were patrolled by soldiers, not sealed away thanks to some edge lord's will. But more importantly, power was maintained through governments, not through the spiritual pressure of a single individual. Unfortunately, this wasn't his world. Just the silly whims of the all-mighty author.
The creator of My Charming Demon Lord cooked up quite the world. For starters, the Empire in the story wasn't ruled entirely by the Emperor—at least, not directly. It was divided into regions, each governed by high-ranking officials who were chosen on a combination of social status, physical strength, and political influence. The Emperor appointed them himself, granting them power to rule their territories as they saw fit—within reason, of course.
These weren't just figureheads. They were warlords, sages, nobles, and cultivators at the peak of human ability. They were essentially the big dogs, the people you couldn't mess with.
And among them, the Demon Lord was the most feared. Second only to the Emperor in raw power, perhaps even surpassing him.
And yet here I am, Wooyun thought, his eyes shifting to the man seated just across from him. Even with his eyes closed, he was composed, regal, and unbelievably beautiful. Had I been anyone else, I might've died on the spot. It was no short of a miracle.
The wheels creaked as they crossed an invisible threshold that Wooyun had never encountered before. Instantly, a biting chill enveloped him like a thousand icy needles, turning the air hostile. Despite pulling his robe tighter, he still shivered violently. His breath fogged in the enclosed carriage, a visible indication of the frigid atmosphere.
Across from him, Baek Junghwa slowly opened his eyes. The shift in atmosphere had roused him from meditation, though his expression remained as calm and unreadable as ever. He really embraced the "the cold never bothered me anyway," lyric.
Wooyun felt resentful over his calmness as he turned to look out the window. His heart skipped a beat. The lush green hills and warm landscape of the East were gone, replaced by a world of ice.
Frost covered everything—rocks, grass, and trees—making the air feel crystallized. The sky was a dull gray, heavy with clouds that seemed ageless. The wind howled in the distance, whistling past sharp peaks and frozen branches like ornaments on a festive tree.
Before him stretched an endless expanse of white, pierced only by distant cliffs and mountains. Wooyun's lips grew numb as he rubbed them with his hands, but it was futile. The thought of stepping outside into this winter wonderland made his teeth ache.
The soundtrack for one of his favourite kid's movies suddenly resounded in his head. "A whole new world indeed," he thought to himself.
"Is it always like this?" He asked, his voice barely a whisper.
Junghwa didn't answer right away as his eyes remained on the horizon. "This is only the edge."
The carriage rolled a few more paces, cutting through the silence like a knife. Then, without warning, the carriage came to a stop.
Wooyun blinked. "Uh, why are we stopping?" He peeled out of the window expecting to see maybe a checkpoint, a levy, or some fortress wall. Literally, anything to indicate they were crossing into another region. But there was nothing—just endless white. It looked like they were in the middle of nowhere.
A moment later, Jaha stepped out of the carriage. The frost crunched beneath his boots as he walked forward with purpose like he knew exactly where he was going.
"Huh? What's he doing? Where is he going?" Wooyun turned toward Junghwa. "Why are we stopping here?" Is this some kind of Taken situation? Will he be killed off and his body dumped in the middle of this snow wasteland? Or worse, be trafficked or something? As Wooyun's mind conjured various scenarios, he sensed a sudden pressure in the air. He turned to see Jaha standing in the open snowfield, his hand extended as if holding something invisible.
Then—
Boom.
A vast pulse erupted from Jaha, pushing snow away in soft waves and creating shimmering effects in the air—icy and bright.
It felt as if the land responded to his call. In an instant, the illusion shattered.
What had once been a desolate snowfield transformed, revealing a kingdom of black ice and stone—towers shimmering like frozen glass, walkways suspended between cliffs, and ancient structures glittering like gold under the pale sky.
"Just…what is this? How is this even possible?" Wooyun exclaimed. This was unlike the scene he had read in the book. THe way the author described it was just like any other high ranking sect, except everything was shrouded in red and darkness. So much had changed.
"It's an array made by the Ghost Lotus Order, that keeps the bugs and other pests away," Junghwa explained.
Wooyun could understand why. The vibe was completely different from before. Haunting yes. But beautiful. Massive gates stood far ahead, guarded by creatures carved of frost and spirit. These creatures were carefully crafted by both ice cultivators and spirit cultivators alike. And Wooyun could sense the power behind them even from where he sat.
Finally, a grand palace stood atop the highest slope, its peaks sharp like speakers, flowing in a reddish light strangely enough.
Wooyun's eyes widened as his breath got caught in his throat. It was all beautiful. Terrifyingly beautiful.
"Welcome to the North," Junghwa said quietly, the faintest smile touching the corner of his lips, "the real fun starts now."