Chapter 41
‘Wh-what should I do?’
Yeom Ja-ryang gulped down dry saliva.
He had lost his sword in a single strike.
The Black Blade Twin Demons alone were too much to handle, and their subordinates numbered thirty.
Mok Dan-hwa’s group also turned pale.
Contrary to their expectations, there were too many opponents, and their skills were no joke either.
‘I thought about it too lightly!’
Mok Dan-hwa bit her lip tightly.
In truth, she had thought that even if they actually encountered the Black Blade Twin Demons while staging a kidnapping, it might be worth fighting.
But she was mistaken.
In this situation, there was only one way.
Mok Dan-hwa secretly glanced at Min Yu-hyang and Baek Mi-ryeong.
The two seemed to understand her intention and nodded.
In an instant.
“Run!”
At the same time she shouted loudly, Min Yu-hyang and Baek Mi-ryeong kicked off the ground and ran out.
Yeom Ja-ryang also quickly pulled himself away and fled.
As he ran, he didn’t even look back.
He didn’t even have the time to take out a signal flare from his chest and throw it.
He was a bit worried about Mok Dan-hwa’s group, but right now he wasn’t in any position to help anyone.
Besides, when caught by the Black Blade Twin Demons, the most dangerous person would be himself.
At least the female students would be kidnapped but not killed.
But he…
‘Damn it!’
Jwa-goe’s words came to mind.
The look in that bastard’s eyes when he muttered about killing him slowly was sincere.
‘Instructor! Where are you! Please help me!’
He wanted to see Sa Bigang more than ever.
Meanwhile, Jwa-goe looked at U-goe with a cackle.
“U-goe. Which way are you going?”
“I told you earlier. That bitch is the one I like most. Jwa-goe, what about you?”
“Good, then I’ll take the other two. No complaints?”
“Yeah, hehehe. But who would have thought we’d suddenly have such an interesting game of hide-and-seek. My heart is pounding, you know?”
“Still, don’t take too long and bring them back.”
“Of course. If there’s time left, I’ll kill that male dog too.”
“Kekeke. But why did we come here again?”
“Well, I don’t remember either. What does it matter? We found bitches that are perfectly to our liking.”
“That’s true. Kekeke.”
The Black Blade Twin Demons began to walk leisurely.
***
Tsuaaaah!
The man whose chest was diagonally split spat blood and collapsed with a thud.
“Huk, huk, huk!”
Yeom Ja-ryang, who had been breathing roughly, quickly gripped his sword backwards and thrust it deep into the ground.
Using it like a cane for support, Yeom Ja-ryang slowly knelt on one knee.
His clothes were torn as if they had been slashed, and he had cuts all over that were bleeding profusely.
Around Yeom Ja-ryang, four corpses were scattered about.
If he hadn’t been able to steal the opponent’s sword in the first defense, he would be the one lying on the ground by now.
‘I, I killed people…!’
It was the first time.
He was surprised at himself.
When faced with an urgent situation, his body reacted on its own.
It was different from when he fought the Black Gratitude Gang sub-leader.
When he thought his life was at stake, his qi felt sharper.
However, he had used more internal energy than necessary.
It was because he couldn’t maintain his composure.
Moreover, killing wasn’t familiar to him.
Looking at the corpses made him feel nauseous.
“Kuweek!”
He gasped and wiped his mouth with his sleeve.
‘Damn it, someone… please help me!’
Yeom Ja-ryang took something out from his chest and threw it toward the sky.
Piiiiik, bang!
The signal flare exploded.
***
“Aah, this is really a place I never want to enter again.”
Sa Bigang trudged through the cave, shaking his head.
His clothes were torn here and there with holes, and the exposed skin was blackened in various places. His beard had grown roughly, making him look like a beggar.
“There was also unexpected bleeding.”
He had been too careless.
He had fallen into a trap and suffered serious injuries, wasting one Healing Potion.
The barrier here had a different flow of time from the outside.
While not even a day had passed outside, more than a month had already passed here.
It was proof that this was a carefully crafted barrier.
Sa Bigang walked to the cave exit.
Whiiiing!
A strong gust of wind pushed him.
“A splendid view.”
His position was about halfway up a cliff.
From the outside, it looked like just a solid cliff face, but about halfway up, there was a cave made of barriers.
In other words, there was a hole in the middle of the sheer cliff.
“Well, I had to come here because of this.”
Sa Bigang looked at the jade-colored stone in his hand.
After staring at the mysterious stone for a while, he tucked it into his chest.
“Now then, is it time to climb?”
Standing at the end of the cave, clouds spread out below his feet.
Even if there were no clouds, other people wouldn’t be able to see him climbing the cliff.
The entire cliff was like a barrier.
Sa Bigang reached out beside the cave and grabbed onto the cliff.
Whiiiing!
The fierce wind blew again.
“Heave-ho.”
He began climbing by grabbing onto protruding rocks.
He occasionally used Trice magic to move as well.
How far had he climbed?
Swish!
A blue blade of energy suddenly protruded from the side and moved quickly toward Sa Bigang.
Ssiiiiiing!
It wasn’t a physical blade.
A blade made of magical energy.
If flesh touched that blade protruding from the cliff, it would be torn along with burns.
Sa Bigang quickly threw his body upward with a big step.
The magical blade that barely missed him ran to the opposite end and dissipated.
Soon after.
Dududududu!
“Kwoot!”
The entire cliff shook as if an earthquake had occurred.
Of course, from the outside, there would be no visible change.
It was only a change happening within the dimensional barrier.
Sa Bigang gripped the protruding part of the cliff until his fingers felt like they would break.
After enduring like that for a while, this time magical blades flew from above and below, and from both sides simultaneously.
Ssiiiing! Ssiiiing!
“Damn! More troublesome than I thought!”
The magic blades of this barrier couldn’t be blocked by Shield.
Therefore, he had to avoid them unconditionally.
Sa Bigang’s body disappeared in an instant.
He had used Trice to teleport.
But the support at the destination was weak.
Kurururu!
The protruding rock crumbled and fell, causing his body to float in midair.
In that instant, he swung Veritas and drove it deep into the cliff.
Kwagagak!
Sa Bigang, who barely avoided falling, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Sa Bigang looked up at the cliff while hanging from Veritas.
‘I still need to climb a bit more.’
Sa Bigang concentrated his internal energy in his palm.
Pewook!
When he swung his hand, his hand was buried deep into the cliff, breaking through it.
“For obtaining that, this much hardship is nothing.”
He grinned and smoothly pulled out Veritas that was buried in the cliff.
That’s when it happened.
Piiiiik, bang!
A faint sound was heard from far below.
‘A signal flare?’
From inside the barrier, the situation outside the barrier wasn’t visible, but from here, the situation outside the barrier could be seen.
The signal flare from a moment ago was definitely shot by one of the students.
Of all times.
The summit wasn’t far away.
Sa Bigang, who had been lost in thought for a moment, soon began climbing the cliff.
‘Well, with Mae Seol-lan there, there’s nothing to worry about.’
Sa Bigang soon stopped worrying and used Trice magic to climb the cliff with big steps.
Magic blades and magic arrows flew at him along the way, but they couldn’t stop Sa Bigang.
Attacks like flames, freezing, and earthquakes were also useless against Sa Bigang, who could skillfully handle mana.
When he reached about eighty percent of the cliff.
“Whew, what a real struggle.”
Sweat beaded on his forehead from consuming quite a lot of magical power.
If he had been an ordinary master, he wouldn’t have been able to get out of the cave at all.
‘Just a little more now!’
Sa Bigang began moving sideways.
When he had moved about five Jang like that.
Kkududeuk. Kkududeuk.
Weren’t giant tree roots sprouting from the surrounding walls like bamboo shoots after rain?
The entirely blue-black tree roots writhed like living snakes and attacked Sa Bigang.
‘Tsk! The most troublesome section!’
Still, when he was preparing for regression in the Demon Realm, having memorized the location and properties of the barriers through the records officer was somewhat helpful.
Sa Bigang quickly infused strong energy into Veritas.
Woooong!
Veritas trembled finely and generated sword energy.
Ssiiiit!
Skung!
One root that was flying relentlessly was cut clean off.
The severed tree root writhed as if alive and plummeted downward.
Battleship.
It was a plant from the Demon Realm that had the habit of entangling anything that moved so it couldn’t budge.
A creature that, despite being a living organism, was capable of dimensional travel along with barriers.
This was possible because most of its life force was maintained by magical power and had a structure similar to ocean coral.
Kududeuk! Kkududeuk!
Writhe writhe!
The Battleship that protruded from the cliff rushed toward Sa Bigang all at once.
Ssiik! Ssiit! Ssiiiit!
Three roots flew at the same time.
Pat!
Sa Bigang suddenly disappeared and was hanging on the side wall.
Simultaneously.
Kwagwagwang!
The three roots crashed into the cliff, shaking it like an earthquake.
“Get lost!”
Sa Bigang roared and swung his sword energy.
Ssukkeong!
The long sword energy cut off the Battleship roots all at once.
Three thick roots fell to the ground, fluttering.
However.
Kkududeuk. Kkududeuk. Kkudeuk.
The Battleship continued to grow.
‘Damn it, this is annoying as hell.’
That’s when it happened.
Kurururu. Dududu.
The cliff began shaking again.
Stone debris poured down from above.
When he looked up, part of the cliff was falling off and taking on some form.
‘A Gargoyle!’
It was truly adding insult to injury.
Hooong! Hooong! Hooong!
The Gargoyle flew by flapping its wings despite its heavy body.
Its eyes glowed bright blue.
“Kueoeoeoong!”
It pounded its chest and roared.
In an instant.
Ssuaaaang!
The Gargoyle charged toward Sa Bigang with a spear.
At the same time, the Battleship extended five roots simultaneously.
“Huhhuhu! Come on!”
The moment Sa Bigang shouted loudly.
Pat!
His form disappeared like a lie again.
Kwagagak!
Kwajajajang!
The center of the cliff was gouged out as if hit by a shell from the Gargoyle and Battleship’s attacks.
The Gargoyle pulled back and struggled.
Sa Bigang, who had disappeared before its eyes, was hanging on the Gargoyle’s back.
“Krururureong!”
It roared and twisted its body wildly.
But Sa Bigang held on tenaciously.
“Noisy bastard!”
When Sa Bigang was about to strike down with Veritas.
The Gargoyle suddenly turned its body and struck its back against the cliff.
Kwaang!
“Kuk!”
The moment Sa Bigang’s grip loosened, it spun around and swung its spear.
Ttaang!
The spear that collided with Veritas burst into sparks.
In an instant, the Gargoyle flew backward, and the Battleship’s roots rushed toward Sa Bigang.
“I’ll hold on tenaciously.”
The moment Sa Bigang’s eyes widened.
Flash!
Sa Bigang moved behind the Gargoyle’s back again.
But this time, instead of holding on, he swung Veritas with its sheath.
Ttoeng!
With a sound that rang in the eardrums, the Gargoyle bounced off the cliff and crashed into it.
Kwadangtangtang!
When movement was detected, the Battleship writhed like crazy and rushed toward the Gargoyle again.
Peok! Peopeopeok!
“Kuwaaaaak!”
The Gargoyle struggled and roared, but it was useless.
The Battleship roots had already tightly bound the Gargoyle’s entire body.
While they were focused on the Gargoyle, he had to move quickly.
Sa Bigang, who was falling, stared at one point on the cliff.
‘Trice!’
Sa Bigang’s body disappeared and moved to the cliff.
Kwadeudeuk. Kudeudeuk.
The Battleship was still binding the Gargoyle.
Cracks began to appear all over the Gargoyle’s rock-like body.
‘Good, now’s the time.’
Sa Bigang quickly moved his body sideways.
From now on, he had to find the exact location, so he couldn’t use Trice to go far.
How far had he moved?
The jade-colored stone in his chest emitted a bright light.
‘Here it is!’
Srrrrrng.
Sa Bigang drew Veritas.
Then.
Passsss.
The Gargoyle was completely turned to powder.
Once the target was eliminated, the Battleship immediately began extending toward Sa Bigang.
Tsuriririririt!
Sa Bigang quickly generated strong energy and thrust Veritas into the cliff.
“Haat!”
With a battle cry, Veritas was driven deep into the cliff.
The next moment.
Peokwaaaaang!
The cliff exploded.
As a result, a round hole was blown through the middle of the cliff, and Sa Bigang was also bounced back by the recoil.
The Battleship scratched through empty air again.
Ssiiiing!
Just before falling, Sa Bigang used Trice magic to teleport into the blown-out cave.
“Whooo. That was tough.”
Having barely entered the cave, he let out a long sigh.
‘To have this level of defense in a place where Central Plains people can’t even enter anyway. That’s excessive defense, Demon King.’
A drop of sweat fell from his chin.
“Well, I’m an exception though.”
Sa Bigang grinned and slung Veritas over his shoulder.
