WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 308: The Spark of Malice
──────
Jeondeung Sect.
It was founded in Hwangcheon County by O Ilsik, the Lightning Saber, who had been active in Henan Province five years ago.
He had earned greater renown as an escort warrior than as a martial artist, so it had started as a martial arts school. However, as more aspiring escort warriors joined, it was eventually renamed a sect.
“Where is Deung Gohyeon?”
Others had taken Bloodburst Pellets as well, but Deung Gohyeon was the only one who had turned into a demonic being.
I stopped them from taking the Blood-Quelling Pellets and waited for a while, but no other Jeondeung Sect martial artist transformed afterward.
That meant there was something special about Deung Gohyeon alone.
“Deung Gohyeon was a disciple O Ilsik had kept by his side from the very beginning.”
“From the beginning?”
“Yes. I heard he took in a boy who had lost his parents and been left alone during escort work. O Ilsik was particularly fond of him because of that.”
“Is it true that O Ilsik was a disciple of that Qingcheng Sect-affiliated lay martial sect?”
The Venom Fang Sword nodded.
“It is true that he was a Fenghyang Sect disciple. He never made much of a name for himself with a sword, but after taking up the saber, he earned the epithet Lightning Saber.”
Then had he only begun using a saber after acquiring demonic martial arts?
At first, I suspected something had changed because of me.
But after hearing the story, that did not seem to be the case.
O Ilsik had already been active as the Lightning Saber before my regression.
Things were getting complicated.
None of the Martial Alliance reports I had seen mentioned anyone in the White Path practicing demonic martial arts.
‘Did they not know? Or did they hide it?’
If I was lucky, some bastard who had learned demonic martial arts by chance simply had the bad luck to run into me.
If I was unlucky...
‘It’s horrifying just to imagine.’
We were already getting crushed by the Demonic Cult during the Orthodox-Demonic War, and there had been a demonic being hiding within our ranks.
What I could not understand was that Deung Gohyeon himself did not seem to know he had learned demonic martial arts.
What the hell was going on?
“We’ve arrived.”
At the Venom Fang Sword’s words, I raised my head and saw a respectable signboard.
Jeondeung Sect.
Had they heard that Deung Gohyeon had been taken down?
The main gate stood wide open, and armed martial artists were lined up inside.
As I tried to enter, the Venom Fang Sword grabbed me.
“Y-you’re planning to go in alone?”
Why had he been speaking so politely this whole time?
I brushed his hand away.
“Should I lead the Venom Fang Sect disciples in with me instead?”
“...!”
What was with this guy?
I had only answered his pointless question, yet that vicious-looking bastard wore an oddly moved expression.
“I-I’ll come with you.”
“Suit yourself.”
As we walked between the Jeondeung Sect disciples lined up on either side and entered, a middle-aged man seated atop the platform stared impassively at the Venom Fang Sword.
“What... happened to Hyeon?”
“Heh heh. What do you think happened?”
The Venom Fang Sword answered in a tone that made him sound like a villain.
The middle-aged man, presumably O Ilsik, furrowed his brow.
“Is Hyeon dead?”
He looked genuinely surprised.
Only then did O Ilsik turn to look at me.
“...So Hyeon did not die because of the Venom Fang Sword.”
Despite hearing that his cherished disciple had died, O Ilsik’s face showed no emotion beyond irritation.
“Who are you?”
The moment I saw his expression, I became certain.
“Jin Sowoon.”
He knew about the demonic martial arts.
#
“Jin Sowoon... You mean Jin Sowoon, the Black Flame Dragon?”
O Ilsik continued questioning me without relaxing his frown.
“I heard you were the top student at the Martial Arts Academy. Why are you with Black Path scum? Are the rumors true that you are colluding with them?”
I clasped my fists.
“There is something I would like to ask the Sect Leader.”
“Sect Leader? You are looking at me as though you want to kill me, yet you still show courtesy?”
“Please understand my gaze. I can barely contain my emotions at the moment.”
His expression did not waver in the slightest.
“Fine. What could you possibly want to ask at such an important moment?”
I looked straight into his eyes.
“Were you truly certain Deung Gohyeon would win when you sent him to the Venom Fang Sect?”
O Ilsik’s faintly spreading killing intent told me his skill surpassed the Venom Fang Sword’s.
Someone like O Ilsik would have had the discernment to judge the Venom Fang Sword and Deung Gohyeon’s abilities.
Even so, it was hard to understand why he had sent Deung Gohyeon to the Venom Fang Sect with only a handful of people.
“I did not send him. Hyeon went of his own accord.”
He had simply let a boy he had raised like a son walk into a death trap?
Was he trying to evade responsibility?
“Even though you knew Deung Gohyeon would die?”
“Hyeon... is dead?”
“Yes.”
“Did you kill him?”
For the first time, O Ilsik’s eyes turned fierce.
“You should answer carefully. Not directly, perhaps, but I have ties to Qingcheng Sect.”
I could not easily believe him.
A lay sect affiliated with a Qingcheng Sect lay sect was practically unrelated.
Still, what he trusted was probably the fact that he had some connection to Qingcheng Sect.
Whether he did or not, I was certain now.
“Well, the Sect Leader should answer carefully too.”
At last, his expression shifted slightly.
“I saw something unusual in Deung Gohyeon.”
O Ilsik knew.
He knew that Deung Gohyeon, after learning demonic martial arts, could never lose to the Venom Fang Sword.
That was why he had not stopped him from walking into danger.
What he had failed to anticipate was...
“Something unusual?”
Me.
“One more question. Did you pass on the martial arts you taught Deung Gohyeon to others as well?”
For a moment, I saw the corner of O Ilsik’s eye twitch.
“What... are you talking about?”
“If you did not stop Deung Gohyeon from attacking the Venom Fang Sect despite his insufficient skill, you must have trusted in something, correct?”
Without taking my eyes off O Ilsik, I spoke quietly.
“Demonic martial arts?”
“...”
O Ilsik’s expression did not change.
The heavy silence dragged on.
Then...
“...Hahaha!”
For the first time, O Ilsik smiled.
It was a dry smile that did not reach his eyes.
“I heard that Jin Sowoon, the child called the Black Flame Dragon for cunning that rivaled that of a Black Path martial artist, was...”
“Shut up!”
The Venom Fang Sword suddenly shouted.
“The Black Flame Dragon is not that kind of person!”
Why were you suddenly stepping in?
I pushed him back in disbelief, and the Venom Fang Sword retreated while huffing.
O Ilsik spoke again.
“So... you intend to cover up Deung Gohyeon’s death by calling it a forbidden art?”
He spoke as though he had seen through every move I had.
“You did not become the Martial Arts Academy’s top student through luck. Should I call you truly clever?”
His praise was not pleasant.
“But... do you think such a thing will work?”
“We already found evidence on Deung Gohyeon, so do not worry about my safety. Let us talk about you, Sect Leader. How did you learn demonic martial arts?”
“How laughable. A pillar of the White Path martial world tries to conceal his own disgrace through nothing more than a false accusation.”
“You have no intention of talking.”
I held out my hand toward the Venom Fang Sword behind me.
“Yes?”
Why was he so slow on the uptake?
“Give me the remaining Bloodburst Pellets.”
“Ah, yes. You should have said so.”
Why was this bastard’s tongue so damn long?
I took the Bloodburst Pellet he handed me and showed it to O Ilsik.
“Would you mind taking one of these?”
“...Everything you do is laughable.”
O Ilsik sneered and rose to his feet.
“Did you all hear that? That man intends to frame our Jeondeung Sect and wipe us out.”
Then...
Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!
“Jeondeung Sect is eternal!”
The Jeondeung Sect disciples on both sides drew their swords at once.
The Venom Fang Sword fidgeted behind me in the murderous atmosphere.
“B-Black Flame Dragon, sir. What do we do now?”
What else? I would deal with them one at a time.
Shing.
As I drew the Scarlet Radiance Sword, the Venom Fang Sword’s face turned pale.
#
Clang, clang, clang!
Sabers and swords collided, scattering sparks.
Their hands should have hurt, yet the disciples did not show it at all.
“Die!”
I kicked out at the attacker rushing at me with killing intent pouring off them.
Thud!
Two Jeondeung Sect disciples rushed over to catch them as they flew away like a cannonball.
Unable to withstand the internal energy I had put into the kick, all three were slammed into the wall side by side.
What touching comradeship.
I still did not know who had learned demonic martial arts, so I turned the blade to use its flat.
That did not put me at a disadvantage.
Sometimes, a sword’s flat could hurt more than its edge.
Smack! Smack!
Jeondeung Sect disciples clutched their wounds and collapsed as though they had been struck by sharp whips.
“Gather together!”
Soon, they formed a sword formation and charged.
Its shape imitated Qingcheng Sect’s, but it was different.
Qingcheng Sect sword formations followed their sword art, free and fluid like the wind. This one had a clearer purpose.
Rather than balancing attack and defense, it seemed designed to focus on offense even at the cost of sacrifices.
‘A sword formation built to accept sacrifices from the start...’
I wondered if a formation like that could truly function.
“Argh! Jeondeung Sect is eternal!”
Seeing a Jeondeung Sect disciple throw themself in the path of an attack for another, it seemed to function well enough.
‘At least they’re better than Black Path thugs gathered from the streets.’
By the time I had subdued nearly twenty Jeondeung Sect disciples, something felt strange.
‘Why are they not afraid?’
I wondered if it was because no blood had been spilled, so I deliberately attacked with the edge.
Slash!
Slash!
The wounds were not severe, but they were enough to make them fear for their lives.
The marble floor of the Jeondeung Sect was soon stained with blood.
Yet...
“J-Jeondeung Sect is eternal!”
“Jeondeung Sect is eternal!”
Those who fell.
Those who raised their sabers after watching others fall.
Not one of them seemed willing to retreat.
And why did they keep shouting that fucking slogan?
‘Strange.’
People often thought learning martial arts meant they no longer feared anything, but the truth was the opposite.
Once they understood the extent of their own power, the martial world became even harsher and more frightening.
Yet the Jeondeung Sect disciples had none of that.
When I looked at O Ilsik, sensing something was wrong, he spoke with the same impassive eyes.
“You are not using killing moves. It seems you fear the consequences.”
That demonic bastard.
I immediately kicked off the ground and charged at O Ilsik.
“What are you talking about?”
But then...
Swish.
O Ilsik was suddenly standing among the disciples.
“I may not have gained renown through martial prowess, but I am confident in my footwork.”
This bastard.
I immediately used the Taeul Eighty Thousand Divine Steps.
Swish!
Five afterimages remained as I pursued him.
While the Jeondeung Sect disciples swung their sabers at the afterimages, I closed in and swung the Scarlet Radiance Sword at him.
“Hup!”
He grabbed a disciple by the hair and thrust them forward to block the Scarlet Radiance Sword.
Thud!
The disciple took the Scarlet Radiance Sword’s flat to the head and fainted, eyes rolling back.
“J-Jeondeung Sect... eternal...”
O Ilsik poked his head out from the other side of the disciple.
“What a shame. Another precious disciple has fallen. At this rate, Jeondeung Sect will be wiped out.”
At O Ilsik’s muttered words, the Jeondeung Sect disciples all began taking pellets from inside their robes.
“Crazy bastards...”
Then they swallowed the Bloodburst Pellets without hesitation.
Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop!
The sounds of martial robes swelling came from all around, and those emitting white steam charged at me with all their might.
“Jeondeung Sect is eternal!”
“Jeondeung Sect is eternal!”
Shouting that fucking slogan.
#
This was completely different from what I had seen at the Venom Fang Sect.
At the Venom Fang Sect, they had clearly recognized their limit of one hundred moves and fought while regulating themselves.
But now...
“Graaah!”
“Die!”
“Jeondeung Sect is eternal!”
The Jeondeung Sect bastards were charging madly without caring about their own safety.
Thud! Thud, thud!
The Myriad Blossoms Invincible Fist unfolded, and three people coughed blood and collapsed from a single move.
Yet those who had taken Bloodburst Pellets wiped their mouths and rose again and again.
This time, I put more force into it and broke their arms and legs.
Crack! Crack!
“J-Jeondeung Sect!”
“Jeondeung Sect is eternal!”
But instead of screaming, they shouted that fucking slogan again and tried to rise.
Fuck, seriously...
The difference in our martial ability was obvious, but their obsession sent chills down my spine.
They were desperate.
As though they were burning away their lives to protect something more precious than their own...
‘Protect?’
My eyes met O Ilsik’s, where he stood at ease among his disciples.
He smiled.
“What? Are you finally afraid?”
He stroked one disciple’s head and asked me, “Can you kill White Path people with such noble spirits?”
After saying that, he hid among the disciples.
The moment I spread my energy sense to find him...
“Aaaah!”
One Jeondeung Sect disciple charged at me as though determined to die with me.
I avoided the disciple’s saber and threw a punch.
Stab!
A saber suddenly burst through the disciple’s stomach.
I barely twisted away, leaving me unhurt, but my robe was torn open along its length.
What followed was even more shocking.
“Cough! J-Jeondeung Sect is etern...al!”
The disciple whose stomach had been pierced opened their eyes wide and swung the saber in their hand again.
‘...This bastard!’
I forcibly deflected the saber that came down as though to split my head and rolled across the floor.
A dry voice came from above me.
“The Martial Arts Academy’s top student using the Lazy Donkey Roll... The world is truly ending.”
When I looked up...
O Ilsik, who had pulled the saber from the disciple’s stomach, was shaking his head.
He did not spare the fallen disciple a glance.
The disciple, killed by the Sect Leader’s own hand, stared longingly at O Ilsik until the moment of death, as though still obeying their master.
“What do you think? Would it not be better to return quietly and live your ordinary life, even now?”
“Ha...”
This was absurd.
The movement art he used to dart between his disciples.
The way he did not care at all about sacrificing his followers’ lives for his goal.
I did not need to see his black eyes to know.
He was a demonic being.
He had shown me what a demonic being was right before my eyes, then told me to go back?
Sorry, but I had no intention of doing that.
I crushed the Bloodburst Pellet in my hand.
The pellet crumbled into powder and scattered across the floor.
“Good. You have made the right choice.”
Perhaps he interpreted me throwing away the Bloodburst Pellet differently. He broke into a broad smile.
I smiled back at him.
“Moron. Keep dreaming.”
“...What?”
“I only threw it away because I do not need it anymore.”
“...”
Now that was an expression worth seeing.
His relaxed act had disgusted me all along.
“Now that I have confirmed you are a demonic being, I do not need evidence.”
“What are you...”
I immediately charged at him.
Nearly ten people threw themselves in my path, but so what?
Boom!
With the sound of bursting air, those who charged me flew away like cannonballs.
I did not know what he had done, but the Jeondeung Sect disciples treated O Ilsik as more precious than their own lives.
It was unfortunate, but this was not the time to worry about their safety.
If I let O Ilsik escape here, there would be more victims.
Now that the restraints were off, there was no need to hesitate.
Slash!
“Guaaah!”
A disciple looked at their severed wrist as blood sprayed from the stump, then screamed.
At least they were no longer shouting that fucking slogan.
O Ilsik’s flustered voice came from ahead.
“H-how can you take responsibility after doing this!”
Fine. It might become a problem later. I might end up at odds with Qingcheng Sect.
But so what?
Whatever price I had to pay, it would be better than letting a demonic being escape here.
“What the fuck do you want me to do about it, moron!”
Boom!
I sent three people flying with a single punch and closed in on him.
O Ilsik finally lost his complacent smile and dodged with a stiff expression.
Swish!
I immediately fired the Great Yang Palm toward where he would appear.
Three Jeondeung Sect disciples were caught in the palm force and sent flying, while O Ilsik, who had leapt away, rolled across the ground.
“H-how?”
“The movement art you use is the Silver Ghost Form Steps. On its fifth step, the Silver Ghost Form Steps must occupy one of six directions.”
“Hup!”
Before he could say anything, I launched the Flying Dragon Claw and looped it around his neck.
Then I swung the Scarlet Radiance Sword and cut off his right arm.
“Now, don’t you dare show any demonic martial arts. That way, after you die, I’ll be the one who ends up in trouble. Understand?”
“W-wait, cough!”
His face reddened as the cord tightened around his neck.
At the same time, blood rushed to one side of his body, and a fountain of blood sprayed from his severed shoulder.
“What a shame. You only have one hand left now. Will people call you the One-Armed Mad Saber from now on?”
“Guhk!”
As he began choking out his last breaths, O Ilsik’s eyes finally darkened like obsidian.
A storm-like wave of energy erupted from his body, and his whole body convulsed.
I used the Thousand-Catty Drop, adding weight to his body.
For a moment, he seemed able to breathe again. Then his eyelids trembled as though he was choking once more.
In the meantime, the Jeondeung Sect disciples all sprang toward us.
Shing, shing, shing!
I immediately unleashed the Greater Heaven Sword Art and severed the arms and wrists of the Jeondeung Sect disciples one by one.
Blood sprayed everywhere, and screams filled the Jeondeung Sect.
It was time to drive in the final nail.
“Venom Fang Sword!”
“Y-yes!”
“Hold them back!”
“What?!”
The Venom Fang Sword, who had been facing four Jeondeung Sect disciples on the other side, began forcing his way toward us.
I severed both of O Ilsik’s Achilles tendons and drove my fist into his dantian.
Boom!
Something burst inside O Ilsik’s abdomen, and he vomited a basinful of blood.
Then I loosened the Flying Dragon Claw slightly and spoke to him.
“You have lost your martial arts, but you can still live. Tell me. Where did you get the demonic martial arts?”
As the Flying Dragon Claw loosened and his breathing returned, O Ilsik exhaled harshly.
Crack!
I shattered his kneecap and asked again.
“O Ilsik! Where did you get the demonic martial arts?”
His body suddenly trembled.
“...Ma... mabok.”
Mabok? Was there a place called Mabok?
“What?”
His eyes returned to normal.
Perhaps blood vessels had burst because he had been strangled. His eyes were completely bloodshot.
“The Heavenly Demon... returns. All demons bow!”
Crunch.
Something shattered in his mouth as he shouted, and smoke rose from it.
I hurriedly shoved my hand into his mouth, but the burning sensation forced me to pull it back.
In that brief moment, some of my skin had already peeled away.
Then fire began spreading across O Ilsik’s entire body.
“Fuck...”
It was demonic fire, something I had grown sick of seeing during the Orthodox-Demonic War.
Footnotes:
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
