WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

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◈ Damned Transmigration ◈

Chapter 128: Green Forest 2

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Yang Il-gwi had been electrocuted from head to toe and dragged here, but he was a Green Forest bandit hardened by experience.

He had started as a roadside robber, led a small bandit gang, and eventually rose to become the action commander of the Red Wolf Stronghold, one of the Eighteen Green Forest Strongholds.

In other words, he had the spirit of a Green Forest bandit. He was loyal to his fellow bandits and devoted to his stronghold leader. At this rate, they would eventually ask him to reveal the stronghold's location.

"Kill me...!"

Yang Il-gwi shouted with his eyes wide open, but Yuri silently raised his foot.

Crunch! His heel came down squarely on Yang Il-gwi's right big toe and crushed it.

"Ghhh-!"

"Who sent you?"

Before Yang Il-gwi could answer, Yuri's foot became an axe again. Crunch! This time, his left toe was crushed.

The pain shooting up from his extremities made Yang Il-gwi's body tremble as though he had been struck by lightning.

In fact, it was much the same. Yuri did not stop at crushing his toes. He also sent tiny currents of lightning into Yang Il-gwi's body.

Those currents tore through his energy channels like razor blades, and Yang Il-gwi's spirit, loyalty, and devotion collapsed as quickly as a sandcastle.

"N-no one sent me. I just... just did what I always do..."

"What you always do?"

"I'll follow Yuri's decision."

Haryeong looked at the unconscious Yang Il-gwi with disgust as she spoke. Naturally, the decision fell to Yuri.

"Let's wake this bastard up first and find out how strong the stronghold is. Then we'll consider whether we can handle it. If we can, we'll clear it out before we go."

There was no real need to consider it.

No matter how impressive the Eighteen Green Forest Strongholds were, they were still a bandit group. Aside from the Mountain King Stronghold, their leader, and a few other strongholds, more than ten of them had no more strength than a mid-sized sect.

Three sixth-tier martial artists could handle that easily.

"Such a kind man, Yuri."

Haryeong looked as though she had expected that answer, while Estor nodded with a satisfied expression.

"He looks like he'll answer without it, but let's use it just in case."

As she spoke, Haryeong pulled several confession drugs from the Subspace connected to her necklace.

The Red Wolf Stronghold's leader was a saber wielder with the alias Bloodied Wolf Fang.

There were likely circumstances and hardships behind how someone who had once built a reputation as a lone saber wielder became a mountain bandit and the leader of the Red Wolf Stronghold, but that was none of Yuri's group's concern.

What they needed to know was that Bloodied Wolf Fang was sixth tier. The Red Wolf Stronghold had around a hundred bandits, dozens of monsters raised since childhood, and with hostages, workers, and women included, its population reached several hundred.

That was about the size of a decent village.

"No matter how vast the mountain is, there's no way a village that large would be impossible to spot."

"Th-there is... a formation array."

Yang Il-gwi answered as saliva dripped from his mouth.

"When a stronghold... is granted the name... of one of the Eighteen Green Forest Strongholds... the Mountain King Stronghold... sets up a formation array for it."

Since Yang Il-gwi had taken the confession drug, his words had to be true, but it was still absurd to hear.

The Mountain King Stronghold was the leader of the Eighteen Green Forest Strongholds and collected tribute from the other seventeen strongholds.

When a stronghold that had made a name for itself seemed strong enough, it received a visit from the Mountain King Stronghold.

If it qualified after that visit, it became a candidate for the Eighteen Strongholds. If it seemed better than a mere lower-ranking stronghold, it was immediately accepted into the Eighteen Strongholds.

They did not simply grant them the name. They also set up formation arrays and sent reinforcements if a subjugation force was organized.

"Do they think they're some kind of alliance?"

Estor muttered with a hollow laugh.

According to Yang Il-gwi, the formation array hid not only the entrance but the entire Red Wolf Stronghold.

Anyone who searched without knowing would never find the entrance. Even if they were lucky enough to discover it, the formation array would scramble their senses, leading them back to the entrance or causing them to fall from cliffs or into traps.

"Guide us."

It would be annoying to listen to the exact directions to the formation array's entrance and the proper route through it, so Yuri smacked Yang Il-gwi across the cheek.

"Ghh..."

Yang Il-gwi tried to rise as ordered, only to collapse back onto the ground.

Of course he could not stand properly. Both his big toes had been crushed, and his right foot had been shattered from the ankle down.

"..."

Yuri was the one who had done that. Haryeong and Estor looked at him without a word. In the end, Yuri let out a deep sigh and carried Yang Il-gwi on his back.

He missed the Sect of War's holy water he had drunk for the past year.

'I won't give something that precious to this bastard, though...'

He had drunk it almost every day while staying at the Uicheon Sword Gate, so by the end of his training, only one bottle remained.

'You can just steal more later!'

Lorelia had not regretted the dwindling holy water at all. She had even tried to give Yuri the last remaining bottle, saying he might need it during his journey.

He had refused. He might get injured badly enough to need holy water, but no matter how dangerous his journey became, it probably would not be more dangerous than Lorelia wandering the Central Sea alone.

"Hey, bastard, don't drool on me."

Yang Il-gwi had rested his chin on Yuri's shoulder and started drooling, making Yuri recoil in disgust.

* * *

Even a wide and rugged mountain was only difficult for humans.

A sixth-tier martial artist who had opened their Upper Dantian was a being who had begun to surpass humanity.

Scaling sheer cliffs on foot might be another matter, but they could climb and descend rugged mountain paths without even disrupting their breathing.

Among those sixth-tier martial artists, the three of them had exceptional stamina. Repeatedly doing something as insane as fighting through avalanches with their bare bodies improved one's stamina whether they wanted it to or not.

"H-here..."

Yang Il-gwi spoke in a trembling voice. Thanks to the confession drug wearing off, he was no longer drooling.

'Is he a monster...?'

He had traveled on Yuri's back for quite a while. It was impressive that Yuri's breathing had not faltered while climbing, descending, and turning along the path, but not enough to call him a monster.

What chilled him was that even at this distance, with their bodies pressed together, he could not find a single opening.

They were already in contact. If he wanted to, all he had to do was move his hand slightly. He could strangle Yuri, stab him, or drive a hand into his side.

His pressure points had not been sealed, nor had his inner power been sealed. He could do anything if he wanted.

Even without his axe, Yang Il-gwi was fifth tier. With inner power flowing through them, his bare hands could easily destroy a human body.

Yet he could not do it. No one had verbally warned him. He simply knew by instinct that if he tried anything stupid, he would die.

There was no opening in the Cloud Dragon pressed against him. He had a feeling that anything he attempted would fail...

"If you guide us properly, I'll let you live."

Yuri lied without hesitation.

Yang Il-gwi was not a good person. He was a bandit who had spent his life doing every kind of rotten thing, so Yuri felt no guilt about lying to him.

The formation array's entrance showed nothing but thick brush, trees, and large rocks.

'Hm.'

Yuri narrowed his eyes at the entrance. A faint golden light flickered deep within his eyes.

Yuri's eyes were sharp.

They had always been sharp. If he focused, he could see magic formulas within his understanding. Even if they were beyond his understanding, he could sense the existence of magic.

Back when he was not even second tier, he had been able to watch Chuk-sin-doo and Bakerd's sparring match with his own eyes.

Those eyes had grown sharper as his tier rose.

He reinforced the senses opened with his Upper Dantian using Intent, sensed the flow of energy with Sealing Thunder at the Gate of Death, and even perceived vital energy with Eternal Thirst.

Yuri's "eyes" now went beyond sight. They perceived even things that could not be seen. Only Yuri possessed this vision.

Other martial artists might reinforce their Upper Dantian senses with Intent, but Yuri was the only person in this world who had mastered both Sealing Thunder at the Gate of Death from Heavenly Thunder Orca Dersia and Eternal Thirst from Herein Rudella, the Corpse Immortal.

Transcendent Sight, formed by magic that should never have mingled, made the golden light within Yuri's eyes surge brighter.

When he had first refined Transcendent Sight at the Uicheon Sword Gate, he could not maintain it for even a few minutes. Now, he could sustain it with considerable ease.

'Do I even need to keep this bastard around?'

To the naked eye, the formation array's entrance was brush, trees, and rocks.

To Transcendent Sight, it was a gap where the flow of energy had been forcibly twisted.

'I think I could find the way by myself.'

Strictly speaking, if Yang Il-gwi had not guided him to the entrance and Yuri had tried to find it relying only on Transcendent Sight, he would have struggled for several days.

But now that they had already reached the entrance, did he need to keep carrying him? Yang Il-gwi was not heavy, but Yuri was irritated just by having a large man on his back.

"Yuri?"

"Why'd you suddenly stop?"

"Nothing."

Maintaining Transcendent Sight, Yuri strode into the formation array's entrance.

It was his first time experiencing a formation array, so he had never tested whether he could break through one with Transcendent Sight.

This time, he decided to pass through it as Yang Il-gwi instructed while testing Transcendent Sight.

"Watch the ground as you walk. After about ten steps, you'll see a pointed rock sticking out. You need to stop in front of it..."

"What happens if I kick it or walk past it?"

"The formation array changes. No matter where you go, the path gets tangled, and you'll encounter traps."

Yuri walked slowly as he listened. Sure enough, the flow of energy shifted in every direction with each step he took.

Yuri narrowed his eyes and looked beneath the ground.

'Something's embedded there.'

He could see something artificially twisting the flow of energy.

'A stake?'

That stake had been driven into an earth vein and was twisting the flow of energy. There was something else, too. Yuri frowned and amplified Eternal Thirst. He could see faint vital energy settled within the stake.

'The formation mage from the Mountain King Stronghold must have driven it in.'

Pulling out a single stake would not make the formation array covering the whole stronghold disappear. If he messed with it for no reason and caused the formation array to become tangled, he would accomplish nothing.

"Turn left in front of the pointed rock..."

As he walked as instructed, Yuri watched the flow of the earth vein. The landscape should not change simply because the energy flow was twisted. It changed because the stake twisted the earth vein along with it.

He watched the earth vein beneath the ground and the flow of energy ahead.

"Righ..."

Before Yang Il-gwi could finish speaking, Yuri stepped forward. From that point on, Yang Il-gwi no longer needed to guide him. Yuri moved his eyes quickly as he found the path.

"Huh."

Estor let out a hollow laugh and followed behind Yuri. To Estor, who could not see Transcendent Sight, it looked like Yuri had passed through trees and walls, crossed cliffs, and walked through empty air.

"You end up doing all sorts of things."

Haryeong understood that Yuri had learned something new. She was not particularly surprised.

"H-how... how is this possible?"

Yang Il-gwi had stopped guiding them halfway through. Yuri was moving far faster than Yang Il-gwi could speak.

It was only natural for a bandit to not be particularly smart, but every so often, one got trapped in the formation array or died in a trap after forgetting the route.

It had taken Yang Il-gwi a long time to memorize the path through the formation array. He could find his way through it after struggling to remember, but he had never tried to understand the principles behind how the path connected.

Yet someone entering for the first time was finding the way on his own. What was even more astonishing was that the other two followed Yuri like they shared one body, despite his quick, fluid movements.

Leading the way was not as simple as it looked.

'Is he telling them in advance through Voice Transmission?'

Yang Il-gwi thought so, but they were not exchanging Voice Transmission at all. They simply watched Yuri move and followed accordingly.

They had practiced combined attacks against Lorelia every day for a year. This was too easy.

As they continued forward, the end of the formation array drew near. The distortions gradually faded, and the scenery began to change. Yang Il-gwi's eyes trembled.

"W-we're here..."

At the center of a gorge stood a mountain stronghold hidden behind a tall wooden palisade. Yang Il-gwi swallowed hard as he looked at the Green Forest bandits standing atop the palisade and staring in their direction.

No matter how he looked at them, they were not looking at a fellow Green Forest bandit. They were looking at a traitor who had not only revealed the stronghold's location to outsiders but personally led them here.

"Y-you said you would let me live... right?"

Yang Il-gwi asked anxiously. Yuri did not bother answering. He simply patted the back of Yang Il-gwi's hand, which rested on his shoulder.

"I-if you put me down, I'll run away on my own..."

"How are you going to run with those legs?"

"I-I can go."

His right ankle was shattered, but only his left big toe had been crushed. He would limp, but he was still fifth tier. He could get away.

"J-just put me down, and I'll run away myself. I guided you all the way here..."

"I found the way myself from halfway through."

"Th-that..."

"Still, you made finding the entrance and learning how to navigate the formation array easy, so I'll repay you."

Yuri grabbed Yang Il-gwi's wrist.

"Go ask your friends to treat your injuries."

He did not wait for an answer. Yuri threw Yang Il-gwi straight over the palisade.

"Arghhh!"

Yang Il-gwi's large body sailed over the palisade with a scream and crashed down among the bandits.

While the bandits shouted and cursed as they brought their weapons down on Yang Il-gwi, Yuri turned to Estor.

"Let's cut down some trees."

Estor smirked and stepped in front of Yuri.

"Don't use that Formless Sword that never works."

"Shut up."

Estor gave up on using the Formless Sword and drew his real blade.

Light ignited over the sword in an instant. Light Sword was already complete, but its radiance swelled brighter and larger. Estor raised the sword held in both hands above his shoulder.

Fwoosh! The light shot out with his swing and split the tall palisade in two. The bandits who had been preparing ranged attacks while driving weapons into Yang Il-gwi screamed as they fell below.

"Yuri, please lend me a dagger."

Holding White Fang in her left hand, Haryeong stared at Yuri. In response, Yuri drew Black Fang from his waist and handed it to her.

"If that's the case, just ask me to give it back."

"Who in the world takes back a gift they've given? Black Fang was a gift I personally gave you, Yuri."

"I think you use it more than I do..."

"I'm borrowing it. In exchange for Black Fang, I'll make sure you give me a dagger as a gift. Surely you haven't forgotten?"

"I remember clearly."

At that answer, Haryeong's lips curved faintly. She tossed and caught the daggers in both hands as she approached the collapsed palisade.

"I'm still not used to this poison, so don't come too close."

"I don't think I'd be poisoned even if I did."

The Intent Poison from the Scripture of Reversing Taiji Intent was not yet capable of poisoning humans quickly, and even if it were, sixth-tier martial artists were out of the question.

Yuri teased her because he knew that, but Haryeong turned back to him with a shameless expression.

"What are you talking about? You're already poisoned, Yuri. The symptoms haven't appeared yet, but one day, you'll need an antidote."

"Sure, sure."

Yuri chuckled and walked a little behind Haryeong.

The scarlet flames of the Heavenly Art of Annihilating Evil wrapped around Yuri's body.

Footnotes:

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