WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 345: Revenge
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Cheol Sunjik, soaked in blood from head to toe, could not control his trembling body.
‘He actually broke through.’
They had entered the Demonic Realm, Mukrim’s deathtrap, yet the tension left his body instead, and a sigh of relief escaped him.
Just as Jin Sowoon had said, the enemy attacks stopped the moment they entered the Demonic Realm.
Countless people had fallen on the way here and failed to rejoin them.
Even so, no one voiced resentment or anger.
The person leading them had taken on the greatest danger and walked at the very front the entire way.
Those who had grumbled that he wanted to play commander even in a situation like this had shut their mouths when they saw the blood he shed.
Those who had complained that he did not care about their circumstances lowered their heads at the sight of his desperate state.
Just as he had said, he did everything he could to fight on. He gave it everything he had.
‘He truly made good on his words.’
This was clearly the worst possible situation.
A situation where no one could easily hold on to hope.
They had fallen into a pit of despair, left with nothing but their past lives to reflect upon as they floundered in foolish regret...
For those who could not even do that, it was the worst situation of all, one where they could only cling to futile hope.
Yet in such circumstances, Jin Sowoon had done something absurd and led everyone forward.
Without seeking any price or reward.
There was only one thing he wanted.
Authority.
What should have been his from the beginning.
In the end, he had taken on a responsibility even greater than the authority he gained.
He kept his promise with his life as collateral.
Cheol Sunjik had never seen someone carry such an enormous weight.
Not in the Jukhyeon Sect, not in the Mount Zhongnan Sect, nowhere.
Even as Jin Sowoon staggered forward, his back looked impossibly large.
The man Cheol Sunjik had thought was not so different from himself now seemed to stand at an unreachable height.
It was strange.
Even when he looked at Nam Hwaseong, who was two heads taller than him, Cheol Sunjik had never thought he seemed particularly large.
Yet looking at Jin Sowoon made his head ache from the sheer distance between them.
Just what was this man...?
“Uh, ah?!”
At that moment, Ilhwi of the Third Unit quickly lunged toward Jin Sowoon as he began to collapse.
Thud.
Ilhwi barely caught Jin Sowoon before he could hit the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.
Then...
“Hmm?”
Around Ilhwi stood people who had willingly rushed over to Jin Sowoon, regardless of whether they belonged to the Orthodox Society, White Path Society, or Twelve Peak Alliance.
“...”
“...”
An awkward silence settled over them.
No one here had been on good terms with Jin Sowoon or had any dealings with him.
If anything, most of them had envied and guarded against him.
“Um... are you alright? You’re not hurt, are you?”
“Hmm? He seems alright. Monk Ilhwi, is he alright?”
“Ah... ahem. His pulse is a little slow, but he should be fine. He must be exhausted.”
Yet they were now voicing sincere concern.
“Is that so? If the Unit Commander collapses, what are we supposed to do...?”
“It looks like the Unit Commander doesn’t have much stamina... We have elixir pellets from our sect. Would it be alright to give him one?”
Then everyone began pulling things from their clothes.
Even Cheol Sunjik found the sight unfamiliar.
Martial artists did not readily offer up their elixir pellets or emergency medicine, even to those from the same group or, more importantly, the same sect.
“...”
Cheol Sunjik had long understood how the martial world worked.
Until the Martial Alliance, the enormous power structure ruling the Central Plains, disappeared, there would be no end to the conflicts between sects.
Even after the Martial Alliance vanished, the Orthodox Society, White Path Society, and Twelve Peak Alliance would likely continue watching one another, wanting to kill each other more than their true enemies.
‘What is this...?’
Before anyone could say a word, people were searching through their pouches and taking out supplies.
They were not doing it only for Jin Sowoon.
Members of the Orthodox Society treated members of the White Path Society, while members of the White Path Society looked after those from the Twelve Peak Alliance.
Transcending their sects and positions, they acted as though they truly belonged to one group.
Cheol Sunjik looked at the person responsible for bringing about all this.
‘Is he truly a dragon...?’
The word dragon was never attached to a disciple of a third-rate sect.
Dragon and phoenix carried special meaning.
Who could easily bear titles that meant their appearance would change the world?
That was why Cheol Sunjik had thought Jin Sowoon’s epithet was nothing more than an object of mockery and ridicule.
Especially since it was Cha Seokdu of the Four Emperors Association who had bestowed it upon him.
‘We were the fools...’
Perhaps the hero of the Black Path had recognized him first.
The true dragon who should have remained crouched in the shadows of the White Path.
Cheol Sunjik could not shake the feeling that he had become a very small person today.
#
I only realized I had passed out after I regained consciousness.
Geumpyo of the Fifth Unit was carrying me on their back.
Was this kid’s back always so broad?
Kids really did grow fast.
“How long was I out?”
Geumpyo answered without turning around.
“Not long. Please rest a little more.”
Geumpyo’s voice was strangely low.
Did something happen?
“What about the others...?”
“They’re alright. So just stay still.”
“I need to get down...”
Then someone clumsily struck my paralysis acupoint from beside me.
When I shifted my gaze toward the side, I saw Eunho.
“You can stay like that, Senior Brother.”
Did Eunho think I couldn’t release this paralysis acupoint?
“...The Life-and-Death Unit is still moving, and aside from the demonic beasts, those damned bastards haven’t appeared.”
Eunho’s voice did not sound normal either.
Why would they not show their faces?
Did something really happen?
“Who was it? Who died?”
“...No one died.”
“Then why won’t you show your faces?”
Only then did Eunho turn around sharply.
Despite Eunho’s fierce expression, tears shimmered in Eunho’s eyes.
I could not tell whether Eunho was about to vent anger or burst into tears.
“Senior Brother... you almost died!”
At Eunho’s words, I swallowed back what I had been about to say.
“The First and Second Unit Leaders are opening the way right now. So... please rest a little longer, Senior Brother!”
When I forced open the paralysis acupoint Eunho had struck and tried to wriggle off Geumpyo’s back, another strike landed on it.
This one was stronger.
“Who was that...?”
“If you don’t stay still...”
A voice colder than frost stabbed into my ear.
“Next time, I’ll tie you up tightly with rope.”
Saryeon’s voice was full of chill.
When did they all grow up like this?
Her acupoint-striking skill was better than Eunho’s, but she still lacked understanding of the Taeul True Scripture.
It did not take me long to release the paralysis acupoint and get down from Geumpyo’s back.
Stagger.
“Senior Brother...!”
It felt strange to stand on the ground.
I felt a little dizzy, but after taking a couple of breaths, I was fine.
“I’m alright.”
“You’re not even fully recovered...”
As I tried to walk again, Saryeon gripped my shoulder.
“Why... are you going this far?”
Why was I going this far...?
I looked into the empty air for a moment.
I was sick of seeing people die.
Those scenes would remain in my head forever.
Then I turned and met each of my juniors’ eyes.
“I want to stop adding bad memories.”
There was probably no Academy student with more internal energy than me.
Aside from people close to the Taeul Sect, no one else had learned qi circulation either.
At a time when there was not even time to briefly circulate internal energy, taking the lead was the best way for me to prevent someone’s death.
I asked Yang Japyeong, who was looking at me with a strange expression.
“Yang Japyeong, how long have we been in here?”
“How about you rest a little more?”
“Yang Japyeong.”
Yang Japyeong rubbed their head and let out a long sigh.
“...About six hours.”
That long?
“The enemy hasn’t appeared?”
“They haven’t. The Academy students are also gradually becoming accustomed to hunting demonic beasts, so the casualties have decreased. ...So, how about you rest a little longer?”
It was strange. The enemy had not appeared even once in six hours.
Even if demonic beasts attacked demonic beings first, wouldn’t it be more like those bastards to accept some losses and ambush us rather than let us go?
They were crazy bastards who did not even think in terms of sacrifice.
“Yang Japyeong, if we avoid crossing the Demonic Realm and go around to the western exit, how much farther would it be?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never measured it exactly, and it would also depend on the person...”
“If we assume a first-rate martial artist, running without overexerting themselves?”
“...It would take about one more day.”
“There’s a risk of being surrounded.”
“...”
We had moved in the complete opposite direction from what they expected.
They must not have been fully prepared.
What madman would run into a deathtrap to avoid the enemy?
Even after acting beyond their expectations, many people had died to shake them off.
I could not let my guard down.
There was no way to know how many forces they had deployed in Mukrim.
If we stopped even briefly, we could be surrounded at any time.
If we were surrounded in the Demonic Realm, things would become even more disastrous than if it happened elsewhere in Mukrim.
The best option was to cross the Demonic Realm and leave Mukrim before they arrived.
“Who is leading the way?”
“People from our sect are taking turns guiding us, so you don’t need to worry...”
“How many have died?”
Yang Japyeong’s eyes wavered, and their lips pressed into a tight line.
“This isn’t the time to rest.”
“This is also our sect’s decision.”
“Dying is a decision?”
After a moment of silence, Yang Japyeong met my eyes with a steady gaze.
“If the Unit Commander dies... no one will make it out alive.”
Unit Commander... This was someone who had not even been asked to grant me authority to command in the first place.
“And even if you say you’ll take the lead, no one will allow it.”
No one would allow it?
Leaving Yang Japyeong’s cryptic words and my juniors’ worried expressions behind, I began walking toward the vanguard.
“Huh? You’re already up?”
“I told you, elixir pellets from our Kunlun Sect are the best for treating wounds.”
I left behind those strange bastards, looking like fathers who had just fed their children.
As I walked, more conversations I could not understand passed around me.
The formation was different from before.
I saw faces that clearly had no reason to be at the front.
“Aren’t you a member of the Eighth Unit? Why are you here?”
“Please understand. The Unit Commander’s orders are absolute, but there were far too few people at the front.”
The First and Second Units had suffered many casualties, so members of the Third and Fourth Units had filled the gaps.
Those in the rear had then moved up to fill the empty positions on the left and right flanks.
While I was unconscious, all this had happened voluntarily.
They had chosen to accept the sacrifice themselves.
“Is that so? You did well.”
“Your praise embarrasses me...”
“Keep up the good work.”
As I finished speaking and tried to move forward again, everyone at the front turned to look at me.
“Wait, when did he wake up?”
“I told you to strike his paralysis acupoint once he woke up! Who was it? Someone who hasn’t even properly learned acupoint-striking...”
“What does acupoint-striking skill have to do with it? It’s his internal energy. How are you supposed to knock unconscious someone who overwhelmed a lecturer with internal energy?”
What nonsense were these people talking about?
“What if I just knock him out with my poison?”
I was dumbfounded by Dang Gihan, the Seventh Unit Leader.
“Unit Commander, rest a little longer. You pushed yourself too hard getting here.”
“Right, Unit Commander. You’re not made of dragon bones. You need to treat your wounds.”
“Don’t you know the virtues of a commander? A leader is supposed to stay in the rear.”
They spoke as though they were one body, regardless of affiliation, and I wondered if I was dreaming.
How were they all so perfectly in sync?
Still, these bastards kept calling me Unit Commander... but they sure spoke casually.
Well, should I let it slide for now?
I had never seen this kind of unity in my previous life, and I was caught between feeling glad about it and getting angry over their insubordination.
Then the procession suddenly slowed.
“W-What is it?”
“Wait! Stop!”
A commotion rose from the front.
Why had they stopped when they had not paused even once until now?
“Move.”
I pushed through the Academy students and moved forward.
Perhaps they sensed something was wrong as well, because no one tried to stop me.
When I reached the vanguard, I saw Ilgak and Nam Hwaseong standing at the very front, staring ahead without moving.
‘Could it be the Demonic Cult?’
If demonic beings had appeared in this situation, we should not stop. We had to push through them.
The best option was to confront them where the demonic beasts were most numerous.
“What is it?”
I placed a hand on Nam Hwaseong’s shoulder, but he did not turn his head.
Ilgak was just as rigid.
Tremble, tremble.
What was more, Ilgak, whose unmoving mind had never broken even before demonic beings...
His whole body was shaking.
“U-Unit Commander Jin...”
“W-What is it?”
“The... situation you mentioned has happened.”
“What?”
Ilgak added with trembling lips.
“That... that ‘canine’ sort of situation.”
What was he talking about? Why was this bald monk using words he never used...?
“That.”
I followed Ilgak’s pointing finger.
“Grrrr...”
At one side of the forest, a massive clump of fur the size of a house bared its teeth and growled.
Its foul, bloodthirsty gaze radiated hostility.
“Fuck...”
There was no need to heighten my senses to feel the spirit vein.
Even for a demonic beast, this size crossed the line.
It was the creature I had never wanted to encounter again after killing the Sunfire Monkey.
“So that’s why those dog bastards never showed their faces.”
What appeared to be one of Mukrim’s Four Great Divine Spirits had settled right in our path.
Footnotes:
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