Volcanic Age - Chapter 2

Shake, shake.

“Seo-Cheon….. Seo-Cheon….. Wake up…..”

My entire body trembled like a boat on the sea. My head was violently shaken, which made my eyes awake on their own. My vision was fuzzy, but the first thing I saw was an older man, maybe in his late thirties.

“….?”

I was a little older than seven years old at the time, and I found it hard to comprehend that this older man was in front of me. I couldn’t stop mumbling in disbelief out of shock.

“Master….. How…..?”

You were sobbing uncontrollably a few days ago because you believed I had died but now look at you as you talk in your sleep about pointless things once more.

The epitome of someone who has aged gracefully was My Master. He had elegant eyes that radiated warmth and kindness, and although he had prominent wrinkles, they did not take away from or lessen his beauty. He had silky black hair that flowed around him naturally.

After hearing what his Master, Yoo Jung-Mok, had to say, the little boy, Joo Seo-Cheon, closed his eyes and lost himself in meditation.

“Ah!”

I didn’t have to think about what had happened a week ago to remember it. I quickly could recall the circumstance I was in.

“Joo Seo-Cheon, almost 8 years of age, Mount Hua’s Fourth Generation Disciple.”

Important facts about myself were the first things I could recall.

“Yoo Jung-Mok, almost 40 years of age, Mount Hua’s Third Generation Disciple.”

The Mount Hua Sect splits its members into specific divisions starting with the first division known as the First Generation Disciples, all the way down to the Fourth Generation Disciples.

The First Generation Disciples are now retired senior members of the religion rather than being a part of the Martial Force.

Elders who support the Sect Leader in his duties are known as the Second Generation Disciples. There are Senior Elders among the Elders who assist in leading the religion.

The Third Generation Disciples are Prominent Leaders within the sect. The Third Generation Disciples are the largest group of disciples, consisting mainly of young and middle-aged individuals. Disciples can take on a disciple of their own once they have reached this division.

The Fourth Generation Disciples are a group of aspiring martial artists who are mostly children. Since they are still beginners in martial arts, it is difficult to refer to these kids as legitimate martial artists. This unit is sometimes referred to as the “Young Force.”

Even while small children make up the majority of the Fourth Generation Disciples, the oldest disciples are almost twenty years old. They hardly meet the requirements to join the Martial Forces.

Joo Seo-Cheon was a Fourth Generation Disciple who enlisted when he was older age.

However, it didn’t matter. There was another factor that was far more significant.

“I have returned to the past.”

This was too good to be true.

In all honesty, I still had trouble accepting this information. I had been wondering about my current predicament for the past few days since I returned from the past.

The former Joo Seo-Cheon had experienced the Warring Age and had the good fortune to rise to the rank of Great Elder in the Mount Hua Sect. This prior life he had was not a lie or a dream.

He finally attained the “Unrestrained Realm” in the second half of his life, but he was unable to exceed the longevity of life and eventually died.

What sort of a circumstance was this, then? I closed my eyes as if I was dying, but when I opened them again, the unthinkable had happened.

I had gone back to the early years of my life, of which I hardly had any memories.

At first, I initially wondered if everything was a dream. My second thought was whether this was some kind of punishment from God in the afterlife. I then questioned whether I had gained Nirvana and been granted access to the Heavens.

But I soon saw that none of these rumors were true. My situation did not fall under one of these categories.

It wasn’t a dream or a heavenly retribution, nor was it a heavenly blessing, or any of those things. At first, it was difficult to accept, but after experiencing everything over a week, I was ultimately able to do so. 

“I had returned in time to an age when violence prevented flowers from blooming. a time before a bloody wave of conflict engulfed the entire world.”

I had arrived back in the tranquil era. I had gone back in time to when my Master was still alive and was taking care of me.

“I may acknowledge my errors once more and correct them.”

As I began to rid my mind of pointless and unhelpful ideas, a fierce desire to fulfill a higher purpose in life began to take its place.

“I have been given a second chance.”

I still don’t understand why I returned to the past. I still don’t know who or what transported me back in time, but it is no longer relevant. What is important is that I returned. I had been living again for a week when I came to this conclusion.

I had led an unremarkable life, full of pain and remorse. I had no one to cherish and care for, leading a lonely life. I was given another opportunity at life at this point, and I had gone back to the past.

Another crucial point to remember is that I had gone back in time with all of my prior knowledge.

“I will make sure to live the life that I had always wanted!”

Even though I didn’t have the best life experiences in the past, I could still live a different life now than I did in the past. When I came to terms with the gravity of this truth, a burning desire to alter my destiny started to take root in my heart.

I already understood what would happen and what needed to be done to get ready for it due to my past knowledge. I was aware of all political conflicts, their consequences, and the influential people who were driving these conflicts from behind the scenes.

I was also able to access classified information about the Mount Hua Sect and the other Great Factions within the Murim World and learn about their inner secrets and workings because I also became a member of the Five Great Elders.

“I also want to make sure I get to experience a woman’s love.”

I was so devastated that I had passed away virginal. It was really disheartening and stressful for me to remain single before I reached those years of my life, even though my sexual cravings lessened in the latter half of my life.

Despite being a Sect**, the Mount Hua Sect did not limit the effects of materialistic desires. These justifications made marriage permissible within the group.

Since Sect Leaders had a lot of responsibility in running the sect, if a Sect Leader wanted to get married, their spouse and their parents would be closely watched and regulated.

The Just Faction forbade the influences of worldly wants, but the Mount Hua Sect permitted these influences. The Just Faction forbade them, however, they did not strictly enforce these limitations.

But despite all, I, Joo Seo-Cheon, was unable to properly hold a woman’s hand or even feel her affection. I had always been surrounded by boys and men.

The seven-year-old Joo Seo-Cheon was eager to relive his newfound life because of the suffering and remorse caused by the choice he had made in his previous existence.

* * *

*TL note: A Sect is meant to be a remote temple, much like a Buddhist or Taoist temple. Many sects prohibited the impacts of earthly aspirations, such as love, property, prosperity, etc., to maintain the temple’s purity and spirituality. They held that these aspirations would hurt the person as a whole, not just the spiritual mind.

Translated by Novel multiverse 

Edited by Beetlesme.