WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 521: The Monster That Feeds on Despair (6)
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“Huff... Huff... Huff...”
The martial artist ran with every last bit of strength.
Their internal energy was exhausted, as was their stamina. Even that was not enough, so they were drawing on innate qi as well.
They knew that once they tapped into their innate qi, not even Hua Tuo could save them. But that did not matter.
“The exit... The exit... The exit!!!”
If only they could get out of here.
If only they could leave this place and die outside.
Then their soul might at least reach the Saha World and gain another chance at reincarnation.
“Out of my way! Move!!!”
They grabbed the nape of the man running ahead and yanked him back.
“Ghk...!”
The man whose neck had been seized flinched in alarm. Then, after recognizing the person holding him, he hurriedly spoke.
“Ghk, ghk! Brother! It’s me! Me, Geum Jangho!”
Geum Jangho let out a relieved sigh after recognizing the owner of that hand.
Yet the martial artist acted as though none of it mattered and swung the sword in their other hand.
“Aaargh!”
The sharp blade bit into Geum Jangho’s flesh, drawing a scream and a stream of curses.
“You bastard! It’s me! Your sworn brother, Geum Jangho!”
The martial artist did not even seem to see him.
They immediately tried to cut off Geum Jangho’s foot.
“You insane bastard...!”
Blinded by rage at the merciless attack of his former sworn brother, Geum Jangho swung his sword, aiming to sever the martial artist’s right arm.
If they did not want to lose that arm, they would at least have to stop attacking.
But then.
Slash!
The instant Geum Jangho’s sword, charged with sword qi, swept forward, the martial artist switched their grip.
Their right arm was cut off with shocking ease.
They neither dodged nor blocked.
Instead.
Thud!
They drove the sword, now held in the other hand, into one of Geum Jangho’s feet.
“You crazy bastard...”
Geum Jangho fell backward.
His unfocused gaze turned toward the martial artist.
“Why... Why would you...?”
“I... I don’t want to die here.”
“Even so...”
“I’ll die after I get out...”
The martial artist ran onward. Behind them, Geum Jangho coughed blood and shouted.
“You bastard! I’ll get out and kill you myself! Cough! Just wait!”
Yet his former sworn brother disappeared into the distance without even stopping the bleeding from their severed arm.
“Crazy bastard...”
No matter how he thought about it, Geum Jangho could not understand.
The desire to live was an instinct shared by all people, but what was the point of surviving after losing the arm used to wield a sword?
And those strange words continued to bother him.
‘I’ll die after I get out?’
Geum Jangho examined his wounds.
Fortunately, they were not deep. With proper first aid, he might not be able to run, but he could still walk.
“No matter how frightening the jiangshi are, how could he do something like this...?”
The years he had spent following that man and calling him brother now felt absurd.
After stopping the bleeding and roughly binding his wounds with strips of torn clothing, Geum Jangho tried to walk in the direction the martial artist had fled.
At that moment.
Flinch.
A chilling presence swept over his entire body.
From his skin to his bones.
From the tips of his toes to the top of his head.
It was neither killing intent nor combat spirit, but a strange sensation he had never felt before.
Though it was unfamiliar, one thing was certain.
“W-What is this...?”
This was why the martial artist he had once called brother had lost their mind and fled.
“Hah...”
He instantly understood why that martial artist had said they would get out and die.
If he were dragged into that darkness now, it felt as though even his soul would be shattered to pieces.
“N-No! I... I’ll die after I get out!”
Geum Jangho hurriedly turned around and began walking.
No, he broke into a run.
Blood flowed with every step, and his injured foot dragged along the ground, but Geum Jangho forcefully drew up his internal energy and ran.
At that moment.
A black shadow stretching out from the darkness lengthened and wrapped around Geum Jangho’s body.
“Aaargh!”
And then.
Swoosh!
In an instant, it dragged Geum Jangho into the darkness.
#
Ilgak clung to Cheonsim Seonsa and wept.
He was not the only one.
Baek Jong and the Eighteen Arhats wiped away tears as they looked at Cheonsim Seonsa, who had barely survived.
Cheonsim Seonsa himself, however, could not relax at the horrific sight spread throughout the cave.
“Ah... Ahh!”
Cheonsim Seonsa’s body trembled.
He did not need anyone to explain who had caused this terrible scene.
Before he could even rejoice at his survival, despair crushed him.
“Amitabha... Amitabha...”
Cheonsim Seonsa had lived a selfless life for Shaolin Sect, the martial world, and ordinary people more than anyone else. The path he had left behind was enough for people to praise him as Cheonsim without hesitation.
There was no way a man who had lived that way all his life could accept the blood soaking his own hands or the reality before his eyes.
“Why... Why did these precious people have to sacrifice themselves because of me...?”
Cheonsim Seonsa cried out from the bottom of his heart.
Baek Jong and the Eighteen Arhats lowered their heads as well.
They had not been strong enough to subdue Cheonsim Seonsa completely.
If they had intended to kill him, they should have made that decision from the beginning. Yet who could have coldly acted against Shaolin Temple’s Cheonsim Seonsa simply because he had fallen to his inner demon?
“Master! Please don’t say that! You are dishonoring the other monks!”
“...”
At Ilgak’s rebuke, Cheonsim Seonsa tightly shut his eyes.
Some things could be understood with the mind but not accepted by the heart.
“Furthermore, Benefactor Jin Sowoon, who has no connection to Shaolin Sect, even risked his life to save you, Master. Do you intend to dishonor all their sacrifices as well?”
“Risked his life?”
The very thing I had worried about had happened.
“Hey, Ilgak, quiet...”
“How...!”
Cheonsim Seonsa looked at me in shock.
“No, that’s not what I meant...”
“A benefactor from a mere Taoist temple, not even a member of Shaolin Temple, risked his life and performed a great technique to save you!”
“Ilgak, keep it down...”
“Master! Are you going to dishonor Benefactor Jin’s sacrifice as well?”
That clueless bald monk kept running his mouth.
The troubling words were bad enough, but the real problem was that he kept mentioning how I had performed a great technique.
What if Cheonsim Seonsa asked what technique I had used...?
Even if I died, I could not say it had been the Absorbing Star Grand Art.
‘He didn’t notice, did he?’
Setting aside how quickly he had regained his senses, I had also felt the Azure Dragon Bangle’s power resisting when I severed its connection at the end. That made me even more uneasy.
On top of that, it had all happened so suddenly that I had absorbed quite a large amount of internal energy.
Cheonsim Seonsa would surely notice how much his dantian had weakened.
As my unease grew beneath Cheonsim Seonsa’s unbroken gaze, he raised his right hand in a palm salute.
“Amitabha. Thank you, Benefactor Jin... You took great risks to save an old bald monk like me...”
Admiration filled the faces of the Shaolin Temple members.
The Shaolin palm salute was a gesture of respect used only within Shaolin Temple.
‘Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like he noticed.’
That oblivious Ilgak could live a little longer.
I clasped my hands in salute and bowed.
“I only did what any person of the martial world should have done. This may not be the time to say it, but I think we need to move quickly.”
I wanted to change the subject as soon as possible. Perhaps understanding my thoughts, Cheonsim Seonsa nodded.
“Could you give me a moment to bid farewell to those who entered nirvana?”
What was this? Was he planning to travel with us?
We did not have time to discuss it at length.
“I wish to entrust myself and the Shaolin Temple members to you.”
“Master...!”
“What are you saying?”
The Shaolin warrior monks tried to stop Cheonsim Seonsa, insisting that it was absurd.
“Do you have the confidence to keep moving while following an old man who has fallen to his inner demon?”
“...”
At Cheonsim Seonsa’s question, they immediately fell silent.
“May I ask this of you?”
Everyone’s eyes turned toward me.
For some reason, this situation felt familiar.
After pretending to consider it for a moment, I raised my head.
“I have one condition.”
“What is it?”
“I want the chain of command to be clear.”
“I am a sinner, and I cannot trust myself in my current state. I have no other choice. The others will feel the same.”
Cheonsim Seonsa looked at the Shaolin monks.
They wore uncomfortable expressions, but eventually nodded as though they accepted it.
We had gained Cheonsim Seonsa, an absolute master, as an ally.
‘It’s a shame that his internal energy has decreased a little.’
Still, it was not much of a loss.
My own dantian had become much fuller because of it.
#
After the Shaolin Temple monks joined us, the group moved with greater stability.
We encountered Soul-Returning Iron Zombies twice along the way, but not a single person was lost.
The White Tiger Sword Forms, the Moyong Clan, and Shaolin Temple coordinated surprisingly quickly.
In fact, those of us who formed the White Tiger Sword Forms were the ones falling behind slightly.
‘Considering their ages...’
Most of the Moyong Clan members were in their thirties.
The Shaolin Temple monks were either close to forty or older.
By comparison, those of us who formed the White Tiger Sword Forms were all barely twenty-year-old youngsters. There was nothing to be done about that.
The one fortunate thing was that Ilgak had not joined the Shaolin Temple group. He was still coordinating Yuseong Hall’s White Tiger Sword Forms, while Dang Seohui reliably filled the formation’s remaining gaps.
Dang Seohui’s presence became more valuable with every passing moment.
She possessed remarkable martial skill, excellent medical knowledge, and mastery over poison arts.
Nothing could stand in her way inside the Sword Tomb.
She not only treated the wounded but could also ease their pain with specialized poison arts. Everyone had no choice but to rely on Dang Seohui.
Their attitudes toward us changed greatly as a result.
“Group Leader Jin, a group is approaching from ahead.”
A Moyong Clan martial artist at the front passed on the warning, and we stopped where we were and formed up.
Most of those who had endured in the Sword Tomb until now had either gone mad or become utterly inhuman.
After being injured several times while trying to speak to strangers, everyone had adopted a defensive posture.
A moment later, torches lit up in the darkness as a group approached.
Like us, they had drawn their swords and remained wary.
A long line of torches appeared along the passage. Judging by the firelight and shadows, there seemed to be at least a hundred people.
Gulp.
Everyone unconsciously tensed.
People affected by Mushim Illusion Powder shared one defining trait.
Whenever they held an advantage, they threw themselves into battle without hesitation, ready to risk their lives.
Martial artists who had reached a certain level could gauge both their own strength and that of their opponents before deciding to attack.
But inside this Sword Tomb...
It was crawling with madmen who would swing their swords and strike first as long as they had the numbers.
Dealing with the blind swords thrust out by such madmen was more exhausting than facing a single Soul-Returning Iron Zombie.
When they came within fifteen meters, I raised my hand.
“Stop.”
The group did not stop and came within nine meters.
I sensed the people of Yuseong Hall drawing up their internal energy.
This time.
“Wait!”
The person standing at the front of the group raised a hand upon seeing us.
Unexpected words came from their mouth.
“Did you take the Clear-Mind Spirit-Protecting Pill?”
What? Why was the Clear-Mind Spirit-Protecting Pill coming up here?
“Did you take it or not? Answer me!”
They released combat spirit wildly, as if they intended to decide how to act based on whether we had taken the Clear-Mind Spirit-Protecting Pill.
“We took it.”
Had we merely taken it?
“When?”
“The moment we entered.”
I had made them myself.
“...”
The martial artist’s eyes shook violently.
“Who gave it to you?”
“I brought it in myself.”
“!”
My words seemed to provoke something, and the martial artist’s gaze sharpened.
“Attack!”
“What the hell...”
Nam Hwaseong spat out the curse that perfectly represented how I felt.
The Moyong Clan and Shaolin Temple members quickly moved into position, just moments from clashing with them.
“W-Wait!!!!”
The martial artist leading the group suddenly shouted.
“It’s the Tang Clan! Everyone, stop!!!”
“...?”
The martial artists who had been about to attack us sighed and sheathed their weapons.
“Did you get the Clear-Mind Spirit-Protecting Pills from the Tang Clan?”
“That’s right.”
“Then you should’ve said so.”
The martial artist scratched his head irritably.
Damn it, you never asked!
The man approached me with an outstretched hand, apparently unaware of my thoughts.
“I’m I Hwagyu, the Iron Mountain Sword.”
The Iron Mountain Sword was a fairly well-known swordsman on the Black Path.
“Taeul... No, I’m Jin Sowoon, Hall Master of the Martial Alliance’s Yuseong Hall.”
“The Black Flame Dragon?”
“...Jin Sowoon, Hall. Master. of Yuseong Hall.”
“Ah... Is that so?”
I Hwagyu smiled faintly as though he understood.
As the torchlight gathered, I could make out the people following I Hwagyu by the light cast across the cave ceiling.
Oddly enough, his group included people from every background, both Black Path and White Path.
“Sorry for attacking so suddenly. These days, those who haven’t taken the Clear-Mind Spirit-Protecting Pill attack people without warning.”
“How did you know about the Clear-Mind Spirit-Protecting Pill?”
“How could I not? The Tang Clan saved our lives.”
It seemed that although they had originally planned to send the pills into the Sword Tomb through the entrance, the Tang Clan had brought them in personally.
“Mushim Illusion Powder... It was frightening. Seeing myself in my memories act like someone who was not me gave me chills. Then I realized that the version of me affected by Mushim Illusion Powder was a completely different being.”
I Hwagyu’s shoulders trembled as though he still could not shake off the fear.
“...If I had known it would be like this, I wouldn’t have come in.”
“I see.”
I Hwagyu’s gaze swept over our group.
It was as though he was judging whether we had enough strength to travel together.
Then his eyes stopped in one place.
“That person... Isn’t that Cheonsim Seonsa?”
“That’s right.”
“Hah... You’re lucky.”
I was not sure whether we could really call ourselves lucky.
“Since we’ve met like this, why don’t we travel together?”
It was rather unexpected for a famous Black Path swordsman to want to join a group that included Shaolin Temple members.
“The Black Path and White Path do not matter here. What matters more is whether someone has taken the Clear-Mind Spirit-Protecting Pill.”
“You are welcome to join us, but we are the ones in command here.”
“You?”
“Yes.”
I Hwagyu looked between Cheonsim Seonsa and me several times, then tilted his head as though he did not understand.
Still, this was a place where the Black Path and White Path mingled.
I Hwagyu did not raise any more objections.
“If we join you, where are you heading?”
I pointed in the direction they had come from.
“Would you consider turning back?”
I Hwagyu let out a low groan.
“What do you mean?”
The cave was connected to three main passages, each of which branched into smaller caves.
That meant we had to keep moving forward to reach the exit.
But...
“There is no path this way.”
“Is it blocked?”
I Hwagyu shook his head.
“No. Enemies are blocking it.”
“Enemies?”
For someone from the Black Path like I Hwagyu, did that mean White Path martial artists? Or people who had not taken the Clear-Mind Spirit-Protecting Pill?
“No, not that. The ones blocking the way ahead are...”
His gaze followed the wavering torchlight into the distant darkness.
“Monsters.”
His eyes trembled with greater fear than ever before.
“Jiangshi, and those controlling them, are blocking the way ahead.”
Footnotes:
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