Chapter 20

Turan was speechless at the shocking news that dark elves had raised an army and even destroyed three cities.

Considering that each city typically had dozens of surrounding villages, it was hard to even imagine how many people had been sacrificed.

Meisa seemed to share similar feelings, as she remained silent for a while before speaking with difficulty.

"…I understand. Tell them I'll return soon."

"You must go right now-"

"I said I'm going!"

At her sharp voice, the man flinched, bowed deeply, and left the garden.

Meisa sighed deeply and said to Turan.

"It seems I need to head back soon."

"Be careful."

The reason for summoning Meisa when dark elf armies appeared was clear.

It would be to have her join the subjugation force.

Turan didn't suggest going to fight the dark elves with Meisa.

Beyond having to hide his bloodline, the great Arabion family wasn't weak enough to need help from outsiders in dealing with non-humans.

To them, Turan would likely look like a thief trying to sneak in and steal spoils – magic power.

"Thank you. Ah, at this rate I won't be able to repay you for the decay magic before leaving."

Meisa hesitated for a while, seemingly thinking about something, then carefully spoke.

"Turan, did you know that electricity flows through human bodies?"

"Electricity… you say?"

Seeing Turan's puzzled attitude, Meisa's face brightened.

"You don't know? Then how about considering my debt cleared if I properly teach you this? It will surely be a great help."

"Alright."

When Turan accepted, Meisa immediately poured out the theory.

"When people see or feel something, that part sends electricity to the brain. From eyes to brain when seeing, from nose to brain when smelling. Through that electricity, the brain understands sensations and sends electricity back throughout the body to command movement."

Her words contained increasingly outlandish content as he listened.

Why would lightning-like power flow through human bodies, and how could it transmit things like sensations or commands?

But having often encountered such knowledge in the library, Turan knew that truths difficult to understand intuitively existed, so rather than trying to understand, he first committed the content to memory.

This was clearly part of the natural laws passed down through generations in the Arabion family.

"And what happens if you accelerate this electricity with magic power?"

"The speed of recognition and reaction would increase."

"Correct. Would you like to try?"

Though half-doubting, Turan immediately tried the theory Meisa had explained.

First imagining very fine lightning pathways flowing through his body, then infusing magic power while willing the lightning passing through those pathways to become faster-

"How-is-it-"

The moment he used the magic, Meisa's voice from across became grotesquely stretched.

Turan realized even his blinking speed had slowed as he slowly took a step.

It felt like being submerged in water…

After enjoying the slowed world for about ten seconds, a sharp headache stabbed his temples.

When he quickly released the magic, the world instantly returned to normal.

"Did you succeed?"

"Yes, this is…"

Even from just that brief use, he could feel this magic's tremendous potential.

So much that he couldn't understand why she would exchange this for mere information about decay magic.

"You probably can't adapt yet due to the headache, but once you get used to it, you'll be able to maintain it for quite a while."

"This… seems far too much compared to what I gave you."

At Turan's words, Meisa nodded with a smile as if she had expected this.

"Maybe so. But then you can repay me later when you learn better magic, right?"

Saying this, Meisa flew out of the garden before Turan could respond.

"Ah…"

Only then did Turan realize she had used this method to promise another meeting.

From far away came the sound of the Arabion family man who had left earlier pitifully calling out to his lady.

* * *

After finishing magic practice alone, Turan met Asiz while returning to his room.

From the fatigue on his face, he could guess his friend had just participated in something uncomfortable or difficult, like a family meeting.

"Turan, not sure if you've heard…"

"About the dark elves?"

"What, where did you hear? I just heard from Mother."

"Just now during training with Lady Meisa. Could those two I killed have been the problem?"

"Don't know about that. They don't exactly announce their reasons for massacres."

Though saying this, Asiz's dark expression suggested he too internally thought that conflict might have been the cause.

Of course, he was merely a victim, but human feelings aren't so cleanly divided.

"Will the Berk family participate?"

"Hm? No, we're not going. Too busy making magical devices. Uncle Haram will stay at the main house too."

Meaning there would be no disruption to the creation of the magical device Turan was to receive.

"More importantly, what will you do now?"

"About what?"

"What else? The war! Traveling alone for pilgrimage in this situation is suicide. If you meet a necromancer army while traveling, you'll ascend to the celestial palace that day."

Asiz was suggesting that Turan remain as Berk's guest even after receiving the magical device.

For enough time for this problem to be resolved smoothly, say a few months to a year.

"No, I can't."

"Why?"

"Because I'm someone who has things I need to do."

And he also didn't want to be more indebted to the Berk family if possible.

Since he couldn't repay such debts as long as he didn't belong here.

Realizing Turan wouldn't be persuaded, Asiz heaved a deep sigh.

"Ugh, if that's how you feel then nothing can be done…"

"It's not like I'm leaving forever. We can meet again when time passes. I could come visit."

"True."

Seeming somewhat comforted by those words, Asiz smiled and patted Turan's shoulder.

"Come to think of it, I didn't notice since I see you every day, but hasn't your body gotten much bigger lately?"

"Does it look that way?"

"Yeah. You've become a bit like Uncle."

As he said, Turan's previously slim body had undergone quite significant changes over the past three weeks.

Not quite as thick as Haram as Asiz said, but if his previous body was like a deer's, now it was more like a leopard's.

This achievement would have been impossible without the physical training equipment prepared in the Berk mansion and Haram's thorough instruction.

To begin with, it wasn't easy to give enough stimulus for muscles to develop on a noble's body in normal spaces.

"True, lately I feel about twice as strong. My stamina is much better too."

"…Only that much?"

"Yeah. You should try asking for training sometime too when you get the chance."

"Hmm."

After contemplating for a while, Asiz shook his head saying he'd pass.

Not because he was particularly lazy, but because Haram's physical training was truly that harsh.

If anything, Turan was the unusual one for accepting his teaching despite not having a bloodline specialized for close combat.

"Well, anyway, good thing I had them make it a bit bigger in case you grew more. Should fit well enough."

"What?"

To Turan's question, Asiz grinned and shook his head.

"You don't need to know. Just look forward to it."

Even when asked again what it was about, Asiz wouldn't answer till the end.

* * *

A few days after Meisa left for the main house, Turan visited Morgen City, the center of the Dakein Plains, with members of the Berk family.

It was to see off the subjugation force departing to defeat the dark elf army.

Twenty-seven nobles from the Arabion main house alone, four hundred knights…

Adding nobles and knights with combat-suitable bloodlines from vassal families, the scale became dizzying.

Moreover, hadn't they said several times this number of nobles and knights had fought each other in the past war with Zahar?

"Glory to Arabion!"

People raised clenched fists and shouted this whenever the subjugation force marched.

Before long, Turan could see Meisa's face at the front of the formation.

Unlike when she was recuperating at the Berk mansion recently, her skeletal face now was full of only fatigue like when he first saw her.

As if life at the main house these past few days hadn't been very pleasant.

"Oh, it's Meisa. Meisa! Over here!"

As Asiz excitedly waved his hand, Family Head Midela watching beside him quickly lowered it.

While he was getting a long lecture about maintaining noble dignity, one Arabion noble flew into the air and shouted loudly.

["The Family Head enters!"]

Whether using wind magic, his voice carried clearly to the tens of thousands gathered to see off the subjugation force.

As everyone suddenly fell silent, Turan saw an old man walking toward the front of the subjugation force.

'So that's…'

The current Arabion family head, Badal Arabion.

Meisa's father appeared to be well over sixty in appearance.

How many years must a powerful noble have lived to age that much, and how much magic power had he accumulated during that time?

"Asiz."

"What?"

"The Arabion family head's complexion looks poor. Is his health not good?"

His face was unusually pale even for an old man, looking like he might collapse at any moment.

Asiz scratched his head at Turan's question.

"Well, I heard he was injured dueling Zahar's head in the past… and given his age, who knows."

"Hmm."

Shortly after, the family head's aged voice rang out.

["Warriors of Arabion, you now depart to protect humanity. I command you, do not return alive before slaughtering all those evil non-humans. For humanity."]

"For humanity!"

Everyone followed the family head's words and waited for the speech to continue, but contrary to expectations, the head just silently watched the subjugation force without continuing.

Surely it wouldn't end with just these few words? After gathering such forces?

Murmurs arose among the gathered crowd, suggesting Turan wasn't alone in thinking this.

But briefly, when the family head raised his hand, everyone fell silent.

It was because everyone instinctively felt it.

That something tremendous was about to happen.

"Ah…"

At some point, the clear sky began clouding over, casting shadows on people's faces.

Turan realized the family head was controlling the winds high in the sky to gather clouds.

Just how skilled at wind magic and how much magic power must be invested to make this possible?

Shortly after, he lowered his hand while muttering softly.

["Go forth believing I stand behind you. This is the power of Arabion."]

Rumbling thunder sounds coming from far away.

Soon the clouds in the sky turned pitch black, then began pouring down lightning one strand at a time.

Once, twice, thrice-

The lightning that had been falling like water drops began pouring down like rain.

Would the celestial gods' anger look like this?

People half-crazed by this unprecedented sight shouted randomly.

"Uwaaaaah!"

"Long live Arabion!"

"For humanity-!"

"Thunder Lord, protect your descendants!"

While some shouted in fear and others in emotion, Turan too watched the display of power before him without even breathing.

Hadn't Keorn once said he saw Arabion's head crush a small hill with a single gesture?

This display of magic was no less impressive than that.

The destructive power loaded in each bolt of lightning could be felt even from here.

It wasn't hard to guess why he would display such power despite his poor physical condition.

It was likely a show of force to potential threats to Arabion, mainly those related to Zahar.

Saying he was still this powerful, so don't dare think of targeting Arabion just because some forces were away.

After the sky cleared, Asiz muttered with a half-dazed expression.

"Wow, even the Frea divine tribe descending probably wouldn't be this impressive."

Though Turan agreed with those words, another thought arose in his mind.

The library spirit's words that he had the bloodline closest to divinity among magicians.

'Someday, I too…'

Turan yearned to become such a powerful being.

Chapter 20: Rising Where You Have Fallen (2)

"This is it."

The place Lim Ho-ryeong led them was a desolate valley, five days from Lop Nur Lake. Not a single blade of grass grew in that barren expanse, and the air was thick with an oppressive gloom.

Sage Cheong-heo tilted his head.

"Are you certain this is the enemies' stronghold?"

"I am certain. I saw it with my own eyes."

"Hmm!"

At Lim Ho-ryeong's resolute answer, Sage Cheong-heo let out a low murmur.

Places where people lived possessed a distinctive atmosphere. But here, there was no trace of human habitation, no sign of life.

'Either Lim Ho-ryeong is mistaken, or the enemies have been thorough in erasing their traces.'

Sage Cheong-heo believed it was the latter.

Lim Ho-ryeong was brimming with a fierce will. He could not imagine that a man like this would have led them astray.

"I saw with my own eyes as the enemies carried the Northern Road Trading Company's goods into this place."

"Then their stronghold must lie deep within the valley."

"That is certain."

"Very well!"

Sage Cheong-heo turned to the Wudang disciples.

"You have all heard. Remnants of the Demonic Cult may remain here. Every one of you—be on your guard."

"Yes!"

The Wudang disciples answered in unison.

Yeom Jung-hwa likewise addressed the Zhongnan disciples:

"We too will assist the Wudang. Han-su—you are responsible for the disciples' protection."

"Understood."

Mu-gyeong also ordered the Mount Hua disciples to exercise particular caution.

Led by the Wudang, with the Zhongnan and Mount Hua disciples following, they entered the unnamed valley.

The deeper they penetrated, the more oppressive the atmosphere became. So little light reached the valley floor that it appeared as dark as night.

Then one of the Wudang disciples pointed to the ground and said:

"Here. There are cart wheel tracks."

Just as he said, the marks of wheels passing over the ground remained in several places.

This confirmed Lim Ho-ryeong's account. There was no longer any doubt—the ones who had attacked the Northern Road Escort Agency were within.

Excitement flickered across several young martial artists' faces. They whispered among themselves:

"The Demonic Cult. How thrilling."

"If we distinguish ourselves here, we will make a name for ourselves in the martial world."

"I will cut down these Demonic Cult vermin with a single stroke of my sword. Ha ha!"

Not only the Wudang, but the young martial artists of the Zhongnan and Mount Hua Sects were equally brimming with excitement.

Sage Hyeon-so, hearing their whispers, frowned.

They were a generation that had never experienced the Demonic Cult. That was why they seemed to feel little fear.

Those who had experienced the Demonic Cult knew full well how terrifying it was. But those who had not could not grasp its true horror.

'I only hope they are not acting on foolish courage.'

Sage Hyeon-so searched for Dam Ho with a worried expression. He feared Dam Ho might be as worked up as the others.

But the moment he saw Dam Ho's face, Sage Hyeon-so realized his worry had been unfounded.

Dam Ho's gaze was sunk deep. There was no trace of excitement upon his features.

He moved carefully with the group, never straying more than two paces from Sage Hyeon-so.

At that moment, a Second Generation Disciple of the Mount Hua Sect approached him and whispered:

"Martial Uncle, perhaps you should refrain from moving to the front and instead stay toward the rear?"

"What do you mean?"

"If you get in our way at the front, it may hinder us in dealing with the enemies."

His voice was very polite. But the meaning within it was not.

The instant Dam Ho's eyes narrowed, a voice cold as ice rang out:

"Won-ho. Speak no such nonsense. How dare you humiliate the dignity of the sect's elder?"

The voice belonged to Un-gyeong.

The Second Generation Disciple Won-ho flinched and turned pale.

"I-I did not mean…"

"Fall back."

"Yes!"

Won-ho bowed his head and retreated. Un-gyeong watched him go with a chilling gaze.

Once Won-ho had disappeared among the crowd, Un-gyeong looked to Dam Ho.

"Did you see? This is your place in the Mount Hua Sect. Do not let them look down on you any further."

"I will… keep that in mind."

Dam Ho's voice came out hoarse.

Un-gyeong brushed past Dam Ho and stood beside Mu-gyeong. Mu-gyeong clicked his tongue.

"You are too cold. That is the problem."

Mu-gyeong glanced at Dam Ho. He seemed worried that Dam Ho might have been hurt. But Dam Ho remained as impassive as ever, and his feelings were impossible to read.

In truth, Dam Ho had not paid the slightest attention to Won-ho's words. No—he had no leisure for it. From the moment he had entered the valley, his senses had been sharpened to an extraordinary degree. His mood had likewise sunk into a heavy somberness.

'This is…?'

Doubt flickered across Dam Ho's face.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a sharp whistle of something cutting through the air pierced the air.

"Kuh!"

"Ambush!"

In an instant, the scene descended into chaos. Several martial artists fell, blood spraying from their bodies. Hidden weapons were embedded in their flesh.

"Everyone, remain calm!"

Sage Cheong-heo and Yeom Jung-hwa stepped forward, batting aside hidden weapons as they shouted. As they took action, the panic began to subside.

"Who are you?!"

Sage Cheong-heo cried out, shielding the disciples behind him. Black shadows emerged from every corner of the valley. Each of them wore garments bearing the emblem of a blazing flame upon the chest.

Sage Cheong-heo's expression twisted.

"It truly is the Demonic Cult?"

"…"

But the attackers did not answer. In unison, they drew their weapons.

Lim Ho-ryeong saw them and cried:

"Those are the ones! They attacked the Northern Road Escort Agency and seized its cargo!"

Lim Ho-ryeong, weapon already drawn, charged toward the attackers. Sage Cheong-heo shouted:

"Subdue them!"

"Waaah!"

The Wudang martial artists followed, and the Mount Hua and Zhongnan fighters moved as one.

Sage Hyeon-so closed his eyes.

"It truly is the Demonic Cult? Primordial Celestial Lord…"

Dam Ho watched the battlefield.

Before his eyes, the martial artists of the Wudang, Mount Hua, and Zhongnan Sects fought those presumed to be remnants of the Demonic Cult.

Sage Cheong-heo's swordsmanship was truly wondrous.

Whoosh!

Each time his blade cleaved the air, someone fell, spraying blood.

The Wudang martial artists fought valiantly, following Sage Cheong-heo's lead. The most outstanding among them was Yeon So-ha.

She deployed dazzling footwork and unfolded the Wudang sword art.

Clang! Clang!

Sword met sword, and sparks flew in every direction.

At the fierce impact, Yeon So-ha's expression twisted.

Though she had grown steadily under Sage Cheong-heo's tutelage, this was her first real battle.

Whoosh!

Blood geysered from her opponent's shoulder.

She had cut down many trees, but this was her first time cutting a man. The chilling sensation made her heart tremble, but Yeon So-ha held fast.

With an expression that seemed on the verge of tears, she fought with all her might. Her example spurred the Wudang martial artists to fight all the harder.

"Who are you?! Reveal yourselves!"

Yeom Jung-hwa deployed the Zhongnan Sect's signature Heavenly River Sword, pressing his opponent relentlessly. His blade was steeped in killing intent.

Shing!

One of the attackers, without so much as a scream, was cleaved in two at the waist by his sword.

His swordsmanship, steeped in a brutal killing intent, was so fearsome that even his allies from the Wudang and Mount Hua held their breath.

'That is the Zhongnan's sword.'

Dam Ho committed Yeom Jung-hwa's blade to memory.

Meanwhile, the Mount Hua martial artists under Mu-gyeong and Un-gyeong were likewise engaged with the enemy.

They had formed groups of seven, deploying the Seven Star Sword Formation.

"Maintain formation!"

Un-gyeong directed them. Though a chaotic melee raged, he himself never wavered.

Because the Mount Hua delegation was composed of younger martial artists than the other sects, they could afford no less than caution. If he grew excited, the disciples forming the Seven Star Sword Formation would grow excited too. Therefore Un-gyeong exerted himself to remain composed, making cold and clear judgments.

While Un-gyeong commanded the Seven Star Sword Formation, Mu-gyeong fought the attackers directly.

As the Grandmaster Disciple of the Mount Hua Sect, he displayed formidable martial prowess. The Supreme Clarity Sword Art—a technique that only elders and above could freely employ—shone in his hands.

Whoosh!

Mu-gyeong was demonstrating through this opportunity that the Mount Hua Sect was still alive.

Splatter!

The enemy's blood sprayed across Mu-gyeong's face.

Mu-gyeong's face contorted in anguish. As the Grandmaster Disciple of the Mount Hua Sect, he had long since accepted that he would one day have to take a life. But he had not known the sensation would be so deeply repulsive.

Mu-gyeong clenched his teeth.

'Primordial Celestial Lord. Please forgive this disciple's taking of life. All of this is done for the peace of the martial world.'

It was all for the sake of Mount Hua.

When this venture into the martial world was over, the Mount Hua disciples would emerge stronger.

While everyone else had become raging demons, Sage Hyeon-so and Dam Ho remained apart.

The two of them were combatants set aside, and they were to be protected.

Everyone thought so, and so they placed the two between them and shielded them. The Second Generation Disciples, including Won-ho, bore this responsibility.

'This—this is what real battle in the martial world is like?'

Won-ho and the Second Generation Disciples trembled as they watched the battle unfold before their eyes.

The pride they had felt as martial artists of the Mount Hua Sect, the martial arts they had painstakingly trained—all of it had vanished from their minds. It felt as though their heads had been emptied entirely, and their spirits reeled.

"Aaaah!"

"Help us!"

The screams of the dying pierced their eardrums.

They wanted to cry. They wanted to hide. But the simple fact that they could not was a source of bitter sorrow.

At that moment, someone was approaching their position.

It was one of the attackers. But he was different from the others.

He was far slighter of frame, and a frigid aura radiated from him.

The masked attacker charged toward the spot where Sage Hyeon-so and the Mount Hua disciples stood.

Thud! Thud!

With only two leaps, the attacker closed the distance to the Mount Hua disciples in the blink of an eye.

"S-stop him!"

Won-ho cried out.

The Mount Hua disciples attempted to deploy the Seven Star Sword Formation. But the attacker was faster.

Crack-crack-crack!

His hands split and shot outward in every direction, as though they had multiplied into dozens.

"Kuh!"

"Urgh!"

The Seven Star Sword Formation collapsed in an instant, and the Second Generation Disciples were scattered in all directions. The attacker had already arrived directly before Won-ho.

Whoosh!

His hand shot toward Won-ho's throat like a serpent's strike. Won-ho forgot to draw his sword and could only squeeze his eyes shut.

Boom!

A thunderous impact erupted, and Won-ho's body jolted. But he felt no pain.

Won-ho slowly opened his eyes. Before him lay a scene he could not believe.

"M-Martial Uncle?"

Gwak-o flinched.

“That’s a lie. You didn’t go there. You don’t seem to trust me, but please believe me. This time, it’s really true. If you go there… no, let’s go together. Let’s go together and rescue the people of Hundred Flower Valley.”

Though Gwak-o pleaded earnestly, Jin Ja-gang cut him off.

“I told you I already went. There was a person with red hands there.”

“T-that, that’s…”

“I killed that person.”

In that moment, Gwak-o froze.

“That’s a lie… H-how could you have killed Bloody Hand…”

Gwak-o’s words, which suggested he knew Bloody Hand was waiting there, were themselves an admission that it had been a trap.

Gwak-o remained silent for a while.

He no longer begged or trembled with his voice. Like someone who had given up, Gwak-o sighed and spoke.

“The Extreme Poison Sect didn’t just attack us. Even if it hadn’t been me, our valley would have been destroyed anyway…”

“I don’t care about that. Where are our people? Are they alive or dead?”

Jin Ja-gang’s voice was naturally filled with killing intent.

“Answer me!”

At Jin Ja-gang’s low, sharp rebuke, Gwak-o flinched.

“I don’t know.”

“What?”

“The children are used as slaves, and the adults were tortured.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know the details. I think they were trying to learn the secret techniques of our Hundred Flower Valley.”

After pausing briefly, Gwak-o continued.

“Then I heard they were taken elsewhere not long ago.”

“So they’re still alive?”

“I don’t know. I just heard they were taken to some underground place. Saying they would never come out again…”

When Jin Ja-gang stopped asking questions, the conversation ceased.

After a long silence, Gwak-o cautiously asked.

“Are you… going to kill me?”

“…”

“You are going to kill me.”

Even in the darkness, Gwak-o’s trembling breath could be felt.

Gwak-o sat blankly for a long time as if in despair, then suddenly stood up.

“Alright. Wait a moment.”

Suddenly, Gwak-o rustled around. After fumbling about the room, he found the chamber pot and began digging beneath it.

He pulled something out from under it and tossed it toward where he thought Jin Ja-gang was.

Jin Ja-gang picked it up.

It was a thin book.

Brushing off the dirt, he looked at the cover.

In the faint moonlight, Jin Ja-gang could read the characters on the cover.

Hundred Flower Secret Scripture.

The only martial arts manual of Hundred Flower Valley, said to be passed down to only a select few heirs through generations.

He had forgotten, but Gwak-o was one of those few heirs.

And that heir had betrayed Hundred Flower Valley…

Jin Ja-gang felt a surge of anger rise again. Suppressing and holding back his rage, he forced himself to ask:

“Why this?”

“Take it. I’ve been hiding it all this time, enduring all sorts of hardships from those people. While others had everything taken from them, I didn’t let them take this.”

Gwak-o smiled bitterly.

“Anyway, it’s too complex and difficult, so I couldn’t learn it properly. Still, it’s the only thing I can give you now. You… you’ll be able to master the Hundred Flower Secret Scripture.”

Jin Ja-gang silently caressed the book.

The Hundred Flower Secret Scripture, containing everything about Hundred Flower Valley… he could almost feel the resentment embedded in it.

As Jin Ja-gang turned the pages of the book one by one, Gwak-o spoke again.

“Early tomorrow morning, people from the Medicine Gate will be transported from the Extreme Poison Sect to somewhere else. There are carts with those captives a little south of here. If you’re lucky, you might be able to escape from here by hiding among them. I don’t know what will happen after that, but…”

Jin Ja-gang spoke heavily.

“Why are you telling me this?”

Gwak-o sighed deeply.

“Do you know how much I’ve suffered all this time, even though I couldn’t tell you? Thinking about how the people of Hundred Flower Valley ended up like that because of one mistake of mine… I haven’t been able to sleep properly every night.”

Gwak-o was sobbing.

“It would be too shameless to ask you to forgive my past mistakes. I know that. But after I die, you’ll be the only heir of Hundred Flower Valley. You must survive and continue our tradition.”

Jin Ja-gang looked at Gwak-o indifferently.

Gwak-o spoke through tears.

“Now, kill me. If you have any old affection for me, please… sob… make it as painless as possible. Please. You’ll grant me at least that, won’t you?”

After remaining still for a moment, Jin Ja-gang said:

“No, I won’t kill you now.”

“…What?”

Jin Ja-gang slowly walked around the room. As if examining the interior, he touched various things.

Clink, clink.

He picked up and put down the few broken dishes.

As he did so, he said:

“It’s pathetic.”

“Hmm?”

“Live like that in this miserable, horrible house, suffering for the rest of your life. That’s the punishment most fitting for you.”

“Ja-gang…”

Jin Ja-gang didn’t respond further.

Thud, thud.

Limping with heavy steps, he simply left the house.

Creak, bang.

The door closed.

“Sob, sob! Sob!”

Gwak-o, who remained, lay face down and wept bitterly for a long time.

Then, after quite some time had passed, he finally raised his head.

“Ja-gang?”

“…”

“Ja-gang? Are you still here?”

“…”

Gwak-o fumbled around the room searching for Jin Ja-gang. Though his eyes still hurt and his stomach was in agony, he groaned as he searched every corner of the small room.

When it seemed no one was there, he finally stopped crying, but suddenly began to breathe heavily.

“This insolent brat, how dare he talk to me about being pathetic? Who does he think he is? How dare he speak to me like that!”

Gwak-o found the water jar, washed his face in that state, and then drank from it.

Suddenly, a sulfur smell tickled his nose, but since he smelled sulfur every day at the Mixed Spring Ground, he didn’t pay much attention to it.

“Gulp, gulp! Ah, I feel a bit better. No, it still hurts… now both my eyes hurt. Why does it hurt so much? My mouth feels so dry too…”

Clutching the jar and groaning, Gwak-o gritted his teeth again.

“Just you wait. Do you think I’ll let this slide? I’ll run straight to Elder Mang and report you. He’s been searching for you so desperately. The moment you’re caught, you’ll be skinned alive.”

Amidst his pain, Gwak-o twisted his face and laughed wickedly.

“By now, you’re probably heading to the cart where the Medicine King Sect people are held, right? Yes, you must be. If you’re found hiding there, I’ll ask Elder Mang to let me leave this place as a reward for helping him find you. I should ask for a house with lavish feasts and beautiful women. Hee hee.”

Gwak-o staggered toward the door.

“Ah, but it hurts so much. It seems to hurt more than before. Should I rest a bit before going? No, the sooner I go, the sooner he’ll make my pain go away. Ugh, ugh.”

Gwak-o even dry-heaved as he struggled to open the closed door.

But he immediately had to stop like a stone.

Though he couldn’t see well, he could make out the shadow of someone standing outside the door.

“Heeeek!”

Gwak-o was so startled that he fell backward onto his buttocks. He rubbed his eyes—which had changed from tears to pus—trying desperately to see clearly. But that only made his vision more blurry.

“J-Ja-gang?”

Though he didn’t expect an answer, the blurry shadow outside responded immediately, to his dismay.

“Yes.”

It was indeed Jin Ja-gang’s voice.

“W-why are you st-still th-there?”

Jin Ja-gang asked in return with a voice that seemed devoid of emotion, yet contained such intense resentment that it felt as if it were being suppressed:

“Don’t you know?”

Gwak-o trembled as he answered.

“N-no, I don’t?”

“If you’re not dead yet, I’m here to kill you.”

Jin Ja-gang was holding a broken piece of a dish that had been on the shelf in the room.

But Gwak-o couldn’t see that.

He simply didn’t understand what Jin Ja-gang meant.

‘He said earlier that he wouldn’t kill me, didn’t he?’

It was confusing.

‘Wait, why would he think I should be dead by now?’

Jin Ja-gang said:

“Your throat is burning and feels numb, and your stomach feels like it’s being poked with knives, doesn’t it? Your insides must feel bloated. Your eyes must feel like they’re on fire too.”

“H-how do you know that?”

“I did it.”

“W-what?”

“Soon your mouth will fill with bloody foam.”

Just as he said, Gwak-o felt something bubbling up in his throat with the smell of blood.

“Gak!”

Gwak-o fell backward, clutching his throat. But that didn’t stop the bloody foam.

“S-save me.”

Looking at Gwak-o, Jin Ja-gang said:

“About the Hundred Flower Secret Scripture you gave me.”

Gwak-o flinched. That was because it wasn’t the real one.

And soon, Jin Ja-gang’s next words made Gwak-o’s blood run cold.

“Where’s the real one?”

The situation flashed through Gwak-o’s mind.

Mang-ryo had given that book to Gwak-o, saying:

“Here, it’s a handwritten copy. Of course, it’s safer if I keep the original, isn’t it? But since you’re the only heir of Hundred Flower Valley in name, I thought you should have the Hundred Flower Secret Scripture, so I copied it myself for you.”

As soon as Hundred Flower Valley was annihilated and Gwak-o ended up in this state, Mang-ryo had taken the Hundred Flower Secret Scripture from him almost by force.

And in return, he had received a handwritten copy.

But how did Jin Ja-gang know that in this dark night when he could barely see?

“How did you…?”

“You never read it, did you?”

Gwak-o hesitated, then nodded. The truth was that after knowing it was a copy, he didn’t even want to read it. Moreover, in his current state, he had no motivation for anything, let alone secret manuals. He hadn’t even felt the need to read it and had just kept it buried.

Jin Ja-gang answered Gwak-o’s unspoken question:

“There’s nothing written inside.”

Gwak-o stiffened as if struck by lightning.

‘So it just has the title written on it?’

Anger welled up. Bloody foam pushed up from his mouth more violently.

“Grrk! Grrk! D-damn you, Elder M-Mang! You did this to me! Gak, gak!”

Trembling, Gwak-o reached out his hand toward Jin Ja-gang.

“Save me. Save me. I don’t want to die like this.”

Jin Ja-gang didn’t take Gwak-o’s hand.

A month ago, when Jin Ja-gang had reached out his hand just as desperately toward Gwak-o, Gwak-o had pushed him off the cliff.

The painful overlap of those images made Jin Ja-gang clench his teeth.

Gwak-o, seemingly knowing he was about to die, spoke with a vicious expression:

“I just made a mistake, grrk. But you’re killing a person for one mistake? You’re worse than me. You’re worse than me, I tell you! Grrk!”

After thrashing about wildly, Gwak-o’s limbs trembled like he was having a seizure, and then he breathed his last.

Jin Ja-gang’s heart grew very heavy.

Originally, he hadn’t wanted to witness Gwak-o’s death, which is why he had extracted realgar poison and put two drops in the water jar.

But in the end, Gwak-o died right in front of Jin Ja-gang.

Without ever admitting he had done wrong.

Jin Ja-gang silently looked at Gwak-o, then muttered to himself:

“You called it a mistake, but it wasn’t a mistake. You simply betrayed us. You sold out our sect, your brothers and sisters, and got them killed.”

Creak.

Leaving the memories of the past in that dirty, cramped house,

Jin Ja-gang closed the door.