Chapter 40
At the entrance of a cave on Ui Peak.
“You stupid bastards. And you call yourselves members of the Black Blade faction?”
The bald man gripped his blue-black axe handle and shouted in rage.
Ak-so flinched and looked around nervously.
“But that bastard’s martial arts were truly incredible. If you had seen him directly, big brother…”
“Shut up! At least say something that makes sense! What? Black energy exploded and he even created flame spears?”
“That’s not all. He shot ice arrows all over the place and even called down lightning bolts. Isn’t that right, guys?”
The subordinates who had returned with Ak-so nodded their heads vigorously.
“Damn it, you crazy bastards!”
Finally unable to contain himself, the bald man struck the backs of Ak-so’s group’s heads hard.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
“If you got beaten, you should know to be ashamed. Where do you get off lying?”
“Damn it! It’s true! Why won’t you believe what people are saying!”
Finally, Ak-so shouted irritably.
The atmosphere instantly turned cold.
The bald man’s forehead bulged with veins.
“Has this son of a bitch lost his mind?”
Thwack! Thwack! Crack! Whack!
His fists rained down on Ak-so relentlessly.
At that brutal scene, the other bandits couldn’t utter a word and just swallowed their dry saliva.
“That’s enough. Leave it at that.”
Just then, a clear old man’s voice echoed from inside the cave.
A moment later, a hunchbacked old man walked out of the pitch-black space.
Sparse hair, a face full of age spots, and eyes that each looked in different directions, making it seem like they couldn’t focus properly.
In short, the ugliest of the ugly.
In his hand was a blade as tall as himself, completely black in color.
This was ‘U-goe,’ the younger brother of the Black Blade Twin Demons.
The bald man quickly bowed his head.
“U-goe, big brother, you’ve come out?”
“Yeah, it was noisy outside so I couldn’t concentrate at all.”
“I’m sorry.”
“More than that, you were saying something interesting. You met quite a fellow, did you?”
U-goe’s gaze turned to Ak-so.
He examined Ak-so’s miserable state with apparent interest and continued.
“So, that bastard freely manipulated fire and ice?”
“That’s right. It was like he was possessed by a ghost.”
“Hooo. How very interesting. Where is that bastard now?”
“That far… we couldn’t find out.”
“Hmm. Well, I suppose you wouldn’t know since you came back beaten up. Come here.”
When U-goe wiggled his finger, Ak-so quickly approached.
U-goe looked at the miserable Ak-so and stroked his head pitifully.
“To be in such a terrible state… what a bad fellow.”
“Sob, big brother…!”
“Even in this state, you don’t know where your opponent is?”
“B-big brother?”
“Useless bastard.”
The next moment.
Splat!
Ak-so’s head exploded like a watermelon.
The surrounding bandits flinched and quickly bowed their heads.
Just then, another voice came from inside the cave.
“What’s all this noise about?”
The person shuffling out was identical to U-goe except for a missing front tooth.
This was ‘Jwa-goe,’ the older brother of the Black Blade Twin Demons.
In one hand he held a black blade, in the other an iron chain.
“Hurry up and come!”
“Ugh!”
When Jwa-goe pulled the chain, a naked woman wearing a chain collar like a dog crawled out on all fours.
U-goe wiped the blood from his hands and grinned at his brother.
“Jwa-goe. This corpse said something funny.”
“What did he say?”
“First, we should have those guys show us the way.”
U-goe’s gaze turned to the three bandits who had returned with Ak-so.
***
“What a truly mysterious place.”
Mae Seol-lan muttered as she looked around the cave.
Surprisingly, inside the rock wall was a passage that seemed to have no end.
From inside the cave, she could see the scenery outside the rock wall.
However, it appeared to ripple like heat waves rising.
In fact, she had entered a barrier, but there was no way she could know that.
Walking a little along the path, torches lined up on both sides of the passage lit up by themselves.
Flicker. Flicker. Flare.
‘What on earth is this place for?’
How long had she walked?
After walking for quite a while, a fork in the path appeared.
Mae Seol-lan carved a cross (十) on the wall surface and continued walking.
The passage was continuously uphill.
It felt like climbing up inside the rock wall.
Up and up…
Step. Step…
‘Haah, how much further do I have to go?’
Being inside the cave, even the concept of time had disappeared, and she couldn’t even gauge how long she had been here.
Perhaps because of the burning torches, the air was thin and it was getting hotter and hotter.
“Haah, haah, haah.”
Even while breathing heavily, she didn’t stop walking.
When dead ends appeared, she would turn back and take different paths.
It felt like continuing this way would take her all the way to the top of the rock wall.
‘How tedious. Another fork in the road.’
As she stopped at another fork and was about to carve another mark on the rock wall,
“…!”
Her eyes widened as if they might tear.
“Th-this… this can’t be!”
She screamed.
Goosebumps rose all over her body.
A clearly carved knife mark on the wall.
Looking at the tilted angle, it was definitely the cross (十) mark she had carved at the first fork she encountered.
She had returned…
‘To the beginning!’
“Th-that can’t be…!”
Mae Seol-lan’s face turned pale as she staggered and lost her balance.
***
“I think it’s around here.”
Mok Dan-hwa stopped walking and looked around.
There was a large rock on one side of the official road, and thick bushes on the other side.
It was certainly a perfect place to hide.
“Fortunately, no one’s around. If we just hide here and lay low for a few days, it’ll cause quite a stir.”
Mok Dan-hwa sneered as she muttered quietly.
In fact, this was a place where the Black Blade Twin Demons frequently appeared.
That’s why people were reluctant to pass through this road.
Just then, a rustling sound came from the bushes by the roadside.
Mok Dan-hwa’s group startled and turned around.
“J-just now there was a sound from over there…”
Min Yu-hyang muttered nervously.
Mok Dan-hwa shouted toward the bushes with a deliberately confident posture.
“Who’s there? Do you have business with us?”
After a moment, a shadow suddenly rose from the bushes.
The three women, who had been flinching and backing away, belatedly recognized the person and opened their eyes wide.
“Yeom Ja-ryang?”
“Uh…”
Yeom Ja-ryang scratched the back of his head and approached them.
Mok Dan-hwa frowned and snapped at him.
“Why are you appearing from there?”
“I followed you guys.”
“Us? Why?”
Yeom Ja-ryang looked at Mok Dan-hwa silently.
“I know what you’re all planning to do.”
Instantly, the expressions of Mok Dan-hwa and the other female students hardened.
‘Did he overhear our plan? Or did he hear what I just muttered? But I muttered it really quietly…’
But they couldn’t admit it first.
Mok Dan-hwa narrowed her brows prettily and asked.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. What are we supposedly planning to do?”
“Are you really going to play dumb even after coming this far?”
“Well, I really don’t understand what you’re saying.”
Mok Dan-hwa consistently played ignorant to the end.
Yeom Ja-ryang spoke with a determined, stern expression.
“Fine. Then I’ll tell Instructor Sa Bigang about your plan.”
“What?”
“Well then, good luck. I’m leaving.”
Yeom Ja-ryang waved his hand and walked away step by step.
At this point, Mok Dan-hwa and the other female students exchanged glances and whispered among themselves.
“Dan-hwa, what do we do?”
“If he tells everything, it’ll all be for nothing.”
“Shouldn’t we stop him now?”
Finally, Mok Dan-hwa bit her lip hard and shouted.
“Hey! Yeom Ja-ryang!”
“What?”
When Yeom Ja-ryang turned around with a calm face, Mok Dan-hwa gritted her teeth and asked.
“What, what do you want?”
Only then did Yeom Ja-ryang show a faint smile.
“Include me in that operation.”
“What?”
“I said include me too.”
Not only Mok Dan-hwa but also Min Yu-hyang and Baek Mi-ryeong looked bewildered.
Include him?
Did he want to pretend to be kidnapped together?
Did the Black Blade Twin Demons also kidnap men?
Besides, wasn’t Yeom Ja-ryang a student who had turned favorable toward Instructor Sa Bigang?
“You know what we’re going to do and still…”
“Of course. It’s too greedy for only you guys to achieve such merit. Let me join in too.”
“Merit… you say?”
“Are you still going to pretend not to know at this point? The reason you came here is to defeat the Black Blade Twin Demons, right?”
“What?”
“Honestly, it might be a bit dangerous with just you guys, so let me join too. I won’t be a hindrance.”
Only then did Mok Dan-hwa’s group realize that Yeom Ja-ryang was completely mistaken.
‘That fool apparently thinks we came to defeat the Black Blade Twin Demons.’
Mok Dan-hwa sighed lightly and shook her head.
“No way. We’re going to handle this among ourselves.”
“What? Then I’ll go to Instructor Sa Bigang and…”
“Say it or don’t, do as you please. We got here first. You get lost.”
When things didn’t go his way, Yeom Ja-ryang’s expression also crumpled.
That’s when it happened.
“Well, well. What good merchandise has been waiting here unexpectedly?”
A clear voice suddenly came from behind them.
Mok Dan-hwa’s group startled and turned around.
Before they knew it, two men were walking toward them, pushing through the bushes.
Sparse hair, faces full of age spots, terribly crushed noses.
Two men with such hideous appearances that they were hard to look at came striding forward, holding large blades.
Mok Dan-hwa’s group could immediately recognize who they were.
‘The Black Blade Twin Demons!’
Yeom Ja-ryang drew his sword and shouted.
“Are you the Black Blade Twin Demons?”
“Mm? Who are you, recognizing us elders?”
“I’m Yeom Ja-ryang! As a martial artist who has learned the righteous path, I’ve come to punish your evil deeds!”
The Black Blade Twin Demons looked at each other and suddenly burst into laughter.
“Puhahahaha!”
“Kehehehehe!”
“Wh-what’s so funny?”
“That guy sure does cute tricks charmingly. Well, we’re in a good mood today, so we’ll send you off nicely. Go back.”
“What did you say?”
“More than that, where did these young ladies come from? Won’t you follow these big brothers?”
U-goe licked his lips with his tongue as he approached Mok Dan-hwa’s group.
Mok Dan-hwa glanced at Yeom Ja-ryang and drew her sword.
Things had gotten complicated.
She hadn’t planned to face the Black Blade Twin Demons at all.
“Don’t come any closer. If you surrender now, you won’t get hurt.”
At those words, Yeom Ja-ryang shouted even louder.
“That’s right! There are four of us, so surrender quietly!”
“Kukuku. Does the number of heads matter? Well, we alone are enough, but if you insist…”
U-goe giggled and glanced over his shoulder.
“Kids.”
Then a group of people suddenly revealed themselves from the forest.
People filling the bushes.
There appeared to be at least thirty of them.
‘Wh-what? Why are there so many?’
Yeom Ja-ryang’s eyes went hollow.
Mok Dan-hwa was equally surprised.
‘What? It’s not just two people?’
She had even thought about pretending to be weak and letting herself be kidnapped if necessary…
But wouldn’t this actually become dangerous?
Just then, the Black Blade Twin Demons sauntered toward Mok Dan-hwa’s group.
“Oh my, our little puppies seem scared. We should comfort them.”
“Hehehehe. Jwa-goe, I’d like to comfort that girl there.”
U-goe pointed at Mok Dan-hwa and smiled foolishly.
Mok Dan-hwa’s brow furrowed deeply.
“D-do you know who I am and still act like this?”
“Little girl. Even if you were the ‘Righteous Alliance Leader,’ do you think we’d be afraid?”
“Wh-what did you say?”
“People like us who live only for today have nothing to fear. Keukeukeu. There’s only pleasure.”
Jwa-goe rolled his eyes and licked his lips.
“St-stop! You bastards!”
Yeom Ja-ryang mustered his courage and shouted.
In an instant.
Whiiiish!
A black blade flew like lightning.
Clang!
Yeom Ja-ryang reflexively swung his sword.
At that moment, the black blade returned to Jwa-goe’s hand, and Yeom Ja-ryang’s sword flew through the air and stuck in a tree trunk.
Yeom Ja-ryang looked down at his empty hands with trembling eyes.
‘St-strong…!’
The Black Blade Twin Demons weren’t opponents the students could handle.
He clearly realized this from that single strike just now.
They were tremendous masters who simply weren’t widely known!
A belated realization.
Meanwhile, Jwa-goe held his black blade and made an impressed expression.
“Hooo, to block the Black Flash Blade. Not bad. I’ll play with you a bit more before slowly killing you.”
Black blade energy began to billow from Jwa-goe’s black blade.
“Ugh.”
Yeom Ja-ryang hesitated and stepped backward.
