Chapter 188 – Dream of the Demon God (8)

“Cough, we succeeded in killing almost all of the Bright Cult group that entered the hidden Blood Cult branch together with the Blood Cult members. And while the other group retreated with the sleeping Orthodox Faction masters, Squad Leader Nanseol and I tracked the Blood Cult members we deliberately let go.”

The two planned to find the body by following the tail of the Blood Cult connected in cells.

“Kugh, well, we thought we wouldn’t be caught if a fairly mature peak master and a supreme peak master secretly pursued. We didn’t think it was okay before because you were there. We both overestimated our skills.”

Even after eating Sun-woo’s potion, Hwangbo Jagyeom didn’t look very good.

There were many wounds, and the internal injuries themselves were too severe. Moreover, too much time had passed after getting injured.

The potion healed the external wounds to some extent, but the blood vessels that had hardened completely blocked lowered Hwangbo Jagyeom’s martial arts level itself.

Even if he recovered his body by resting later, it seemed he wouldn’t be able to show the same level as before.

But as if his weakened body wasn’t even in his mind, his expression didn’t change and he guided Sun-woo to the place where Nanseol was kidnapped.

“Finding the body, huff, huff, was successful. It was quite a long way, but the place where Blood Cult members were hiding. And we found out that Bright Cult masters and Blood Cult members were plotting something together. But the problem was that there was a mage who could monitor the surroundings and a proper master.”

Hwangbo Jagyeom smiled bitterly as if remembering that time.

“Well, the obvious thing happened after that. I fell after not even lasting a few exchanges, and attacks poured toward Nanseol. Fortunately, my wounds weren’t serious, and at Squad Leader Nanseol’s story through sound transmission to request summoning, I hid. But the summoning request didn’t work.”

At Hwangbo Jagyeom’s words, Sun-woo’s expression hardened stiffly.

The summoning request had to be impossible. Since he was in a place the Summoner’s contact couldn’t reach, there was no way the summoning request would work.

“In the meantime, Squad Leader Nanseol eventually fainted after being hit by the mage’s magic while blocking the enemy’s attacks, and I desperately ran away and hid.”

Hwangbo Jagyeom continued with a somewhat helpless laugh.

“Well, the mage and warriors searched hard, but I’m confident in hiding. Moreover, when I was properly injured and my realm even fell to rock bottom, I hid underground with the Earth Burrowing Technique, so even the mage’s magic couldn’t find me.”

After that, Hwangbo Jagyeom kept requesting summoning for Sun-woo whenever he had a chance while using the Earth Burrowing Technique.

“What were you going to do with such a reckless act if I couldn’t come?”

“Well, I’d die on the spot. Since I was buried underground, there’d be no need to make a separate grave. Well, it was also difficult to break through the middle of the Bright Cult territory with this body.”

But Hwangbo Jagyeom who was still gasping for breath and running ahead had the face of a man who risked his life to keep a promise.

The place where the two were running was deep in the mountain ranges of Xinjiang.

It was a desolate place where bare rock mountains continued because trees couldn’t grow at high altitude where fierce winds blew.

The Bright Cult’s main base was quite north from Tibet, but this place was also inside the Bright Cult’s sphere of influence.

Hwangbo Jagyeom who was running ahead of Sun-woo stopped walking at a certain ridge spread with high rocky mountains.

A small ridge visible between the mountain range made of sheer mountains that also briefly looked like a small path animals traveled.

“If you cross that ridge, you’ll find where those guys are hiding. Since I felt something unpleasant while crossing this ridge, that magic thing must have been spread ahead.”

At Hwangbo Jagyeom’s words, Sun-woo made an “oh no” expression.

Even after hearing there were mages, he didn’t come while checking for magic spread.

He thought he was following behind Hwangbo Jagyeom quite calmly, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.

Sun-woo spread magic that checked surrounding mana around.

Though it was magic not registered as a skill, now that the magic class had risen considerably, basic level magics could be used easily.

“There they are.”

Magic circles were hidden throughout the ridge. They were definitely magic circles to filter out those with a certain level or more of power like internal energy or mana.

Originally, such magic circles were quite troublesome to deal with.

If you approach to break them, you get caught approaching.

Even if you try to break them using magic from afar, the magic flying gets caught.

Moreover, even for a mage proficient in magic circles like Sun-woo, you had to approach closely to dismantle them, so it ended up the same.

Of course, if only Sun-woo was there, it wouldn’t have been much of a problem even if he hadn’t become this strong.

If alone, he could just slip past with illusion arts, or…

The spirit of earth ran toward the ridge ahead through Sun-woo’s legs standing on the ground.

Rumble.

A moment later, the cliff wall next to the ridge shook slightly and rolled down to the ground.

Thud!

Coincidentally! The rolled rock wall pieces struck the magic circles and the magic circles stopped operating.

“Let’s go. The magic circles have stopped.”

Since the magic circles stopped due to natural phenomena(?), the alarm wouldn’t sound.

At Sun-woo’s calm words, Hwangbo Jagyeom smiled bitterly.

The gap was so large that it wasn’t easy to be surprised every time.

The two crossed the pass through the vicinity where the broken magic circles were.

Sun-woo who crossed the pass had surprised eyes at the scene before him.

“I knew you’d be surprised.”

As Hwangbo Jagyeom said, the scene inside this deep and desolate rocky mountain was a completely unexpected sight.

“This is the famous Blood Brain Prison. Ah, don’t know it? It’s a terrifying Bright Cult confinement place and prison that’s been around since ancient times. It’s famous as a place where martial artists who caused problems within the Bright Cult, opposition forces, and demon people swept by madness are imprisoned. Well, it seems to still function as a prison now.”

The place visible beyond the pass was a jar-shaped gorge surrounded by cliffs that stood vertically as if carved.

On the vertical cliffs were countless anthill-like holes, and all those holes had countless iron bars across them, showing it was a place to imprison criminals.

But there was no way Sun-woo would be surprised by such a sight.

In the basin surrounded by cliffs full of holes, a village had been created.

From Central Plains thatched houses and brick houses made by firing bricks, to estates made by cutting stones.

All types of houses from the three dimensions he knew had settled there.

Even the races passing between them were more absurd.

Blood Cult members and Bright Cult members wearing black clothes, and mages and knights, even espers wearing uniforms… It was like an international(?) exposition, but different from ordinary people was that the appearance of most of them looked murky to Sun-woo and Hwangbo Jagyeom’s eyes.

And in the center of the village, a huge structure was being built.

A giant circular plate was being assembled, and on top of it mages were drawing patterns with magic.

That size and shape, Sun-woo had seen before.

“Don’t tell me they’re planning to summon a demon king here too?”

It was definitely the same form as the magic circle that summoned the demon king he saw at the Empire’s desert ruins.

“But it’s hard to summon a demon king without contaminating the world on a large scale, right?”

Looking at it being built, it seemed time was needed to complete it, but he couldn’t know if there was a way to contaminate this dimension in the meantime.

“Are contamination circles prepared again?”

But after the Empire was hit like that, summoner groups and Summoners of each dimension were diligently monitoring contamination circles being made.

Of course, they might be making them avoiding the surveillance network, but it didn’t seem easy to prepare without being caught at all.

“Well, we’ll find out while rescuing Nanseol.”

“Then I’ll be hiding.”

“Will you be alright?”

“Well, it’s just hiding for a few more days. Thanks to you, my injuries were treated too. Ah, give me some food. I’m out of jerky.”

Sun-woo took out bread and water from his inventory and handed them to Hwangbo Jagyeom.

“Oh, this bread is quite delicious.”

“Then I’ll be going.”

“Bring back Squad Leader Nanseol.”

The two looked at each other and nodded.

The worry was several times greater because Sun-woo came too late, but the two didn’t say a word about such things.

After greeting, Sun-woo jumped down the cliff and Hwangbo Jagyeom turned around and left the gorge.

While falling down, Sun-woo’s appearance gradually began to change.

His clothing changed to the black clothes of Blood Cult members and his face changed to an ordinary middle-aged man’s face.

After that, Sun-woo’s eyes turned red and finally Sun-woo’s entire body turned murky.

He who transformed his appearance with illusion arts thinly wrapped demonic energy around his entire body.

If he just used illusion arts without using demonic energy, he could hide being a summoner, but being an ordinary person itself was also a problem inside here.

That too could be made somewhat similar using illusion arts, but he couldn’t know how strong someone inside was.

He was worried about continued use of demonic energy, but this method was best to avoid being caught.

Sun-woo who once again cast illusion arts on his body to be inconspicuous to people’s eyes carefully avoided guard soldiers and entered the village.

And slowly moved toward where Blood Cult members were gathered.

“Damn it! That’s all you can do? I said stab him!”

“Hey! Block! If you lose here, know that you’ll be eaten alive by us right away! Know what it feels like to have your limbs eaten while your eyes are open?”

“That’s it! That’s it!”

Madness flowed in the red eyes of Blood Cult members cheering enthusiastically while encircling in a circle.

Where the Blood Cult members were looking, two limping men were swinging fists at each other.

Though they were two people with no internal energy and staggering as muscles in their limbs were cut off, even with those bodies they were pouring killing moves at each other.

The two who looked like fighting dogs at a dog fight ring were not contaminated unlike others.

Old clothes and dead eyes, and even traces of having worn shackles on both arms.

They were clearly criminals in this place.

At that sight, Sun-woo frowned, but what was important was Nanseol’s location.

Sun-woo who sneakily approached a Blood Cult member cheering from the back spoke to him.

“The fighting guys are no good, right? Aren’t there other guys?”

“Huh? Who? Ah, it’s you? Can’t help it. Most guys who fight well are used for experimental material or the great work. Only such trash can be used.”

Thanks to Sun-woo’s illusion arts pouring on the Blood Cult member having the conversation, he saw Sun-woo as his close colleague.

“Even if existing prisoners are like that, what about the Orthodox Faction bitch who intruded recently?”

“Crazy guy! That bitch was almost a supreme peak master! She was important material so the guys above took her to the very bottom of the prison!”

Though the questions didn’t match context, the other party didn’t suspect at all.

Anyway, Sun-woo learned where Nanseol was.

“Huh? But why are you asking such things?”

After answering, the Blood Cult member suddenly felt puzzled. He had answered as if possessed by something.

But he who looked beside couldn’t find the colleague who questioned him.

In the place where his colleague had been, only traces of a hole half dug remained.

“Did a mole dig a hole?”

He who escaped Sun-woo’s illusion arts felt puzzled for a moment, but soon fell back into the fight before his eyes.