Episode 127: Bulgaram (3)
Finding the way…
Was harder than I thought.
No—far harder than I ever imagined.
Flames surged in every direction, and the floor of flowing lava trembled ominously, as if it could collapse at any moment.
The searing heat pierced to the bone, and even breathing was painful.
It didn’t burn me physically, but I still felt every sensation.
“Phew…”
—Boom!
The ground beneath me shook.
Then, the floor supporting me suddenly gave way.
At that moment, I realized it completely—
Every will embedded in this land and this domain was trying to burn me alive.
Bulgaram’s world reflected my mental state—my inner chaos, emptiness, and anxiety—like a mirror.
All the flaws and wounds I tried to hide turned into enemies, standing before me.
If your mind is unstable or unhealthy, it becomes nearly impossible to conquer this place.
You must overcome those internal demons to reach the heart of Bulgaram.
But I had no way of knowing what state my own mind was truly in.
“…Am I mentally wrecked or something?”
It felt like walking across a warped projection of my own psyche.
Far from pleasant.
Each block I passed was guarded by a giant magma golem.
Not even the original game was ever this difficult.
—Rumble.
After taking down several magma golems in a row, I hit a wall.
‘This… there’s no way I can do this alone.’
A suffocating pressure engulfed me, too overwhelming to handle solo.
I didn’t want to waste time.
This was exactly why I brought my gear.
I immediately pulled out a compass and flipped open the lid.
[Compass of Salvation]
[Points to the correct path like a ray of light even in the depths of despair.]
From the needle’s tip, a beam of light rose up, pointing the way.
Between the crimson lava and flames, a narrow path revealed itself.
—Zzzzzing.
I braced my entire body.
One step. Then another. I followed the light forward.
—Boom!
A magma golem slammed its fist down beside me.
I thought I’d be flattened, but it barely missed.
Flames grazed my cheek, and lava surged beneath my feet.
But strangely, the light of the compass avoided all danger, revealing only a safe path.
The road was far from short.
“……”
Seriously, when this ordeal is over, I think I’ll need to book a psychiatrist.
Even so, the compass’s light continued to dodge the golems, pointing out only narrow, treacherous, yet safe paths.
After stopping to catch my breath multiple times, my sense of time began to fade.
How long had it been? Dozens of hours? Days?
Eventually, when even the flow of time became blurry—
I began to see the end.
My vision opened up.
There were no more wild, untamed flames.
Only pure, refined fire blazed ahead.
The floor was made of iron—like a massive forge radiating divine majesty.
There it stood—the entrance to a dark, deep forge.
I came to a stop.
Slowly, from within the flames, a figure began to emerge.
With a massive hammer slung over his shoulder, clad in sturdy armor stained by fire and molten metal,
His shining orange hair fell over his brow.
His eyes pierced through me—hot and unyielding, like metal that would never melt.
The blacksmith who had reached the domain of the gods—Bulgaram.
He was staring straight at me.
‘So this is what it means to reach the divine realm…’
It wasn’t a lie.
His overwhelming presence made it nearly impossible to breathe.
An Apostle?
Compared to this, they were nothing.
But—he looked much younger than I expected.
I cautiously stepped forward.
“Um…”
Just as I swallowed hard and opened my mouth—
“You idiot.”
A harsh insult flew at me.
“…?”
While I stood there confused, Bulgaram snatched the spear from my hand with an irresistible force.
“…Why did you even bring this?”
He levitated Catastrophe into the air with telekinesis,
Stared closely at the weapon, then chuckled.
“A mere beast’s fang dares to step foot into my sacred forge?”
—Bang!
Then he hurled the spear, embedding it deep into the ground.
Just from the look of it, it was clear—
There’s no way that thing’s coming out.
He then nonchalantly snatched the compass from my hand as well.
“And who told you to rely on something like this? You, more than anyone, should know that the path wasn’t made for that kind of shortcut.”
With a cold smile, he threw the compass to the ground.
—Clang!
The sharp sound of metal shattering rang throughout the forge.
The atmosphere shifted—something felt wrong.
The compass is one of the official strategies available.
I hadn’t expected this kind of reaction.
Still, I was truly lucky—I had the Fragment.
If I didn’t even have that, I would’ve been in serious trouble.
Carefully, I took a step forward.
“I do have the qualification. Though my existence is small, the power I hold—”
“Who decided that?”
Bulgaram let out a dry chuckle.
He stood his ground and looked straight at me.
“Speaking of qualifications…”
I started to realize—
This wasn’t going to be easy.
***
Memories from long ago surfaced.
No—could I even call them ‘memories’?
…I wasn’t sure.
“Bulgaram! I’ve arrived!”
That day wasn’t so different from today.
There was someone who barged into the forge, shouting like a fool.
An obnoxious loudmouth. That was Bulgaram’s judgment of him.
He skipped every proper step and relied solely on the weapon he held to enter this place.
“I have the Fragment. I’ve conquered the trials completely.
Now, hand over the armament!”
His name was Sung Siwoo.
“Hmph.”
Bulgaram let out a short sigh.
Not even worth responding to.
He split the man’s weapon in two and kicked him out.
For someone like that to have a Fragment?
This world… really didn’t seem fair.
But not long after that, someone else arrived.
Even Bulgaram hadn’t expected the world that opened next—
A mental world unlike any he’d seen before.
The worst hell imaginable.
A heavy darkness, like a pit straight from the underworld.
Was it even possible for a mere human to harbor such pain?
Could a human remain sane inside a mind like that?
Sitting quietly in a corner of the forge, Bulgaram watched the newcomer.
Wearing a black long coat, his eyes were lifeless, but the aura surrounding him was transcendent—heaven among heavens.
“Can he still be called human…?”
The man’s name was Jung Haein.
And he didn’t seem to care about the condition of his own body.
He charged forward.
Relentlessly pushed through.
Even with wounds, even as blood gushed, he kept moving forward.
Bulgaram felt something strange.
By all rights, he should’ve died.
Dozens, maybe hundreds of times, he would’ve died here.
But he didn’t die.
He didn’t fear death.
Even the most basic human instinct—fear—was absent.
His eyes were hollow, as if he had transcended death itself.
This forge was Bulgaram’s sacred domain, a space he ruled completely—
And yet he sensed it clearly.
That man— even if he dies, he doesn’t die.
“Death Regression.”
An excellent ability, no doubt,
But the man was already squeezing it to its absolute limits.
There didn’t seem to be any room left to grow further.
No more paths to advance.
Even so—
Jung Haein reached Bulgaram’s forge.
He looked slightly angry.
Or maybe… as if he had surpassed everything.
“What is the reason?”
Jung Haein asked in a low voice.
“Isn’t having the Fragment proof enough of qualification?”
It had been a while since Bulgaram found someone this interesting.
He was willing to have a conversation.
“You’re not wrong. But… that guy isn’t acceptable. You know that too, don’t you?”
At those words, Jung Haein gave a small nod.
“Would you consider changing your mind?”
“I won’t.”
“…”
A quiet surge of power began to rise from him.
No more words.
A man attempting to challenge a god with strength alone.
He was trying to force a god to yield—to seize what he wanted.
Bulgaram laughed.
In the face of that audacity,
He couldn’t help but smile.
“Hahahahaha!”
Jung Haein slightly lowered his spear at the sight of Bulgaram laughing.
“But with you… the story might turn out a little different.”
Bulgaram opened the doors of the forge to Jung Haein.
A complete acknowledgment.
Even though he knew full well that the end would be ruin.
Bulgaram already knew—
That Jung Haein could never reach the ultimate goal he so desired.
Not selfish, but extremely self-righteous.
He puts others first, yet in the end, takes on all burdens alone for their sake.
His sense of solidarity, his connections with others—
Were like a rotting old tree that could collapse at any moment.
That was Bulgaram’s evaluation.
And it turned out to be entirely correct.
“…What a pity.”
In the heart of the forge, he sensed the end of the world.
A cold sense of regret—yet nothing more could be done.
But then, the world flipped.
The reason was unknown.
A sensation as if time, space, and all order had suddenly reversed.
Even Bulgaram couldn’t explain the cause of the change.
A massive star rose over Bulgaram’s forge.
It moved slowly—then discovered a new path.
Bulgaram sensed it instinctively.
Something… had changed.
And now—Jung Haein had returned to the forge once again.
But this time, he was much younger.
Bulgaram instinctively smiled.
He was different from before.
Jung Haein hadn’t lost his vitality.
He stepped into the forge carrying the full spectrum of human emotion—joy, anger, sorrow, delight, anxiety, hesitation… and hope.
To Bulgaram’s eyes, there were countless unseen safety mechanisms wrapped around him—protections even Jung Haein himself was unaware of.
He was weaker than before, yet he had entered this trial with enduring ties to others.
Of course, his mental world hadn’t been fully cleansed.
But it was no longer a wasteland either.
This was a realm of trials.
Anyone with the will to overcome it could find their own method.
And for Jung Haein, the most crucial theme of this trial was ‘solidarity with others’.
To call upon others—was never forbidden.
“Hmph.”
Yet, Jung Haein quietly took out a compass.
He still hadn’t completely abandoned his desire to overcome this alone.
Still, Bulgaram’s eyes held a trace of hope.
All that remained was to make him understand the value and power of unity.
That—wouldn’t be difficult.
Bulgaram declared firmly:
“Who gave you the right to speak of qualification?”
Jung Haein was startled. He opened his mouth to offer a clumsy excuse—but stopped.
“Uh…”
This mental world was designed to be impossible to clear alone.
He must have someone he cares for—someone he’s been raising and protecting.
“Just because you carry a Fragment, Do you think you can bear everything on your own?”
Bulgaram’s voice rang out like a hammer striking the heart of a molten furnace.
“The spark of a generation—it’s not yours to bear alone.”
“This is not a place that tests individual strength.
Only those who guard the flame of solidarity, inheritance, and hope
Have the right to enter my forge.”
Jung Haein silently looked at Bulgaram, eyes filled with doubt.
Though Bulgaram had decided to change the path,
He wanted to guide this monk-like fool who was about to repeat the same mistake.
A new path opened, and with it, a new requirement.
“The child you’ve been raising—bring that child here.”
Jung Haein looked momentarily confused.
Even Bulgaram paused for a beat.
“…Master Bulgaram, but I… don’t have a child.”
“…Tch.”
Divine power flooded the space.
Bulgaram… expelled Jung Haein.
***
“Hoo….”
A soft breath echoed through the room.
“….”
Bulgaram, that insane bastard.
If he was going to kick me out, he could’ve done it nicely.
The place where I opened my eyes was none other than Yoon Chaeha’s room.
She was sleeping soundly on the bed, a peaceful expression on her face.
At that moment, a voice called out from beyond the door.
“Chaeha~ time to get up~”
A headache hit me, and I pressed my forehead lightly.
‘Ah…’
It seems… a bit of a problem has arisen.