Chapter 322

Chapter 322
“This one… please give me this one.”
I spoke as I looked at the flimsy martial arts robes that Mo-ran-Seong had selected.
“Robes that thin will be pierced by the fangs of venomous insects instantly.”
“…”
Mo-ran-Seong’s trembling hand soon reached for the stiff, heavy martial arts attire nearby. While lacking cotton padding made them poor for warmth, they would provide protection against insect bites or poisonous fauna.
“P-Please give me ten sets of these… no, twenty sets.”
I furrowed my brow.
“Are you preparing a group uniform?”
“No… but I need to survive for a month. One per day is…”
“First off, when heading to the Muk-rim, you are limited to a small bundle. The training is intended for that.”
The edges of Mo-ran-Seong’s eyes, appearing ready to flood with tears, hardened with intensity.
“But is that certain?! Are you positive we are going to the Muk-rim!”
“Can’t you tell by observing?”
I gestured toward the academy students within the fabric store. Most, including the disciples of the Nine Schools and One Gang, were selecting the heavy fabric that Mo-ran-Seong had just picked.
“…Ah.”
Mo-ran-Seong teetered momentarily, seemingly lightheaded.
“This is ridiculous… why… why…”
She struggled to reject the grim reality, but the decision remained fixed.
“Is there… really no chance… for it to be different?”
She clung to a faint spark of hope, but there was no realistic prospect of change.
‘Even if they had intended a different destination, they would have eventually settled on the Muk-rim.’
Unlike the Fire Desert or the Ice Sea, where one only needed to endure for a month, the Muk-rim allowed for the gaining of extra points. During the previous term, the instructors had put in immense effort, but in the end, only the middle-tier rankings fluctuated; the peak and base tiers remained largely consistent.
I was a case in point; I, who had initially held the top spot, slipped to second place by a razor-thin margin in the first-semester review. The one who secured first place instead of me was…
“Siju Jin, would heavy shoes like these be suitable too?”
…That loathsome bald-headed guy.
“Why ask me? Go question the instructors who favor Monk Il-gak.”
“…S-Siju Jin. Did I not mention that was not my intention at all?”
Given the situation, no location was better than the Muk-rim for the Great Journey, the singular opportunity to achieve a last-minute reversal in evaluation. Moreover, it was ideal for the instructors to discreetly assist the academy students.
‘But it’s peculiar. Despite replacing the instructors, they haven’t been as overt as I anticipated.’
They had leveraged their influence on the Education Bureau to rotate all instructors and head instructors. Yet, considering that, the bias wasn’t as severe as expected? Of course, there was the fact that I had threatened them, but wasn’t it strange, regardless of how you looked at it, for the great Nine Schools and One Gang to yield over such a thing?
‘…Of course, I wouldn’t have stood by idly either.’
Had they acted excessively blatant, I was ready to demonstrate an example. Viewed collectively, even if I retaliated, it wouldn’t be a massive threat, but at least the instances of individual instructors stepping forward to try and “adjust” me and the Tae-eul Sect would diminish.
Regardless, thanks to that, the scores of the delegation members hadn’t dropped significantly. It was the same for the disciples of the Tae-eul Sect. The impact of the special training was likely a factor. The students’ condition was certainly improving daily.
‘But what exactly is that brat Eun-ho up to?’
If I were to identify the most significant change since last semester, it was that Dong-ryong had grown quite a bit, and Eun-ho had transformed into a complete recluse. Specifically, he barely left the dormitory. He appeared precisely for academy classes and the special training sessions I mandated, but outside of those, he stayed locked in his quarters. According to what I gathered, he was constantly checking out stacks of books from the library and reading them all day…
He wasn’t planning on taking the civil service exams, so I couldn’t grasp why he was behaving that way all of a sudden. I would understand if he had been like that from childhood, but that wasn’t the case. Hmm…
‘How wonderful it would have been if that annoying guy had been like that from the start? Then he would have been the one assisting with Outer Hall operations.’
Anyway, if things proceeded this way, regardless of how the scores fluctuated during the final Great Journey, there was no way the disciples of the Tae-eul Sect would descend to the level of the branch offices. Furthermore, there were actually numerous benefits.
Initially, venturing to the Muk-rim meant we could naturally enhance poison resistance.
‘Because it’s practically a natural warehouse for toxins.’
Poison and hidden weapons are the two things one must be most vigilant about while navigating the Kangho. While defense against hidden weapons can be developed through training, there isn’t a specific method to train against poison. Unless one possesses every type of antidote, one has no choice but to cultivate resistance, and to build that, the best approach is to practice neutralizing toxins gradually, beginning with weaker ones.
Doesn’t that sound like a training regimen that would be incredibly expensive? Hence, it is something feasible only within the Tang Family or the Myriad Poison Sect; it isn’t an experience an average martial artist can encounter.
Yet, if we head to the Muk-rim, it’s free of charge.
An involuntary grin escaped me.
‘Well, your life is the collateral… but it’s only to a degree that is manageable.’
Because Mo-ran-Seong was observing me with a peculiar expression from the side, I quickly adjusted my demeanor.
Secondly, there was the possibility of finding spirit pills. Due to the year-round intense heat and the flow of the massive spiritual vein, there was a high probability that even ordinary creatures in the Muk-rim would evolve into spiritual creatures. There was a reason the instructors chose this site for a last-minute turnaround. Unlike the Fire Desert or the Ice Sea, where one merely endured, one could earn extra points if they captured a magical beast or spiritual creature in the Muk-rim.
Compared to these various merits, the drawbacks of the hot, sticky weather or the endless insects were less critical. Just then, I noticed Woo-jae Jang selecting shoes with a grave expression and approached him.
“The one on the right will be slightly better. It’s stiff, but if you break it in first, it will perfectly guard your ankles.”
“Eh? Representative.”
“And there’s something I need to ask you…”
“Yes, please go ahead.”
I retrieved the Wind Bell from my robe and presented it to Woo-jae Jang while questioning him.
“This, it’s correct that it also wards off bugs, right?”
“…Not all of them, but it tends to deter the smaller ones.”
“Really? That’s quite a relief!”
When I patted Woo-jae Jang on the shoulder, he strangely could not tear his gaze away from my neck, with a sorrowful look in his eyes.
A week later, the Bureau of Academic Affairs disclosed the site of the Great Journey.
The Dark Forest (Muk-rim).
As anticipated, there was no significant change.
“Uwaaaaaak! This makes no sense!!!!”
Mo-ran-Seong even wept as she fell into despair.

The Dark Forest (Muk-rim).
A colossal jungle situated at the edge of Yunnan Province, where humanity cannot set foot. In the jungle formed within a massive basin, twenty times the size of a standard city, countless insects and animals exist that humans cannot conceive of, and equally numerous are the poisonous insects and creatures that pose a threat.
Due to the sweltering weather throughout the year, the creatures within the Muk-rim escape the doom known as cold, leading lives that far surpass normal lifespans, and during that evolution, they are affected by the spiritual vein, transforming into spiritual creatures.
Although martial artists would consume even cow dung if labeled a spiritual item, this Muk-rim was a location one could not enter recklessly. First, the vast spiritual vein influenced not just the jungle’s inhabitants but also the terrain, features, and furthermore, humans. All directional navigation tools were rendered useless, and the landscape formed natural formations, causing those who entered to continuously circle the same area.
Additionally, because the exits from the basin were also fixed, the likelihood of those who lost their path returning alive was incredibly slim. Moreover, while spiritual creature sightings were supposedly frequent, there were far more things that matured in the untamed environment and became magical beasts, so the actual finding of spirit pills was uncommon.
There were many instances where even skilled mountain locals or herb gatherers entered thoughtlessly and never returned. Because cases of martial artists who entered to gain power only to sever their ties with the secular world were all too common, the Murim League designated this area as a Forbidden Land, isolating it from the rest of the world.
“Sigh… I feel as if I’m already dying from the heat.”
The academy students who reached Jinghong via Kunming in Yunnan Province were all struggling to adjust to the shifting temperature. Besides the sunlight beating down intensely enough to scorch the skin, the humid air that felt as if it would stifle breathing was impacting their lungs.
“Young Lady Seong, it would be better to pull down the sleeves you’ve rolled up. There are numerous venomous insects even in this vicinity.”
At the remark from a massive man with a bare chest, Mo-ran-Seong winced.
“Isn’t that not a comment for Great Hero Yang to make?”
The one who exploded into hearty laughter at Mo-ran-Seong’s statement was Ja-pyeong-Yang of the Nam-gwon Sect.
“Our Nam-gwon Sect typically practices external martial arts as well. To travel in and out of the jungle, no matter how extraordinary it is, internal energy alone isn’t enough.”
“Heeh, do the people of the Nam-gwon Sect frequently traverse the Muk-rim?”
When Mo-ran-Seong questioned with interest, Ja-pyeong-Yang nodded.
“Because if we don’t monitor it regularly, we have no idea when a magical beast will emerge from the Muk-rim.”
The Nam-gwon Sect was a group delegated the responsibility of managing the Muk-rim by the Murim League. It held one position among the Hundred and Eight Peaks and was a faction with power ranked within the top five in Yunnan Province. That Nam-gwon Sect took on the guidance for this Great Journey.
“Still, do not fret overly much. On the contrary, they say those who have visited once to witness the scenery that cannot be easily seen desire to visit this place again.”
“Ugh… no matter how magnificent it is, I don’t think I’d wish to return.”
“Haha, have faith in me. Most of those who sought to return were Young Heroines.”
“…Is that the case?”
Mo-ran-Seong’s ears perked up at the news that it was popular among women. Ja-pyeong-Yang, shifting his gaze from Mo-ran-Seong, scanned the faces of our group with interest.
“Still, it’s uncommon for academy students to lead the way like this. You must enjoy much favor from the instructors.”
At Ja-pyeong-Yang’s words, we silently offered bitter smiles. In reality, this occurred because we were in the inverse situation.
“Once we ascend the mountain, the heat will ease a bit. Please endure just a little longer.”
“We have to scale a mountain too?”
“The Muk-rim is so expansive that it’s not widely known, but it strictly takes the form of a basin. The Myriad Poison Sect people mentioned this became a massive Go-dok jar forged by nature.”
When the subject of bugs and poison arose, Mo-ran-Seong’s complexion drained white once again. Even so, our pace did not slacken. Our group, all of whom were martial artists, ascended the mountain at a speed that commoners could not envision.
Once we reached the peak and started our descent, we could somewhat perceive the story Ja-pyeong-Yang had been sharing.
“Wow… what kind of view is this…”
Clouds were visible hovering over the immense jungle that stretched out indefinitely. Because the light filtering between the clouds lit up the Muk-rim, the vista resembled a single painting. Ja-pyeong-Yang gave a shrug.
“This much is minor. The true splendor is down below.”
We, the advance party, were the first to descend the mountain and enter the Muk-rim. For the moment, our assignment was to locate a spot suitable for camping before the main group arrived and to clear the immediate vicinity to verify there was no danger.
“There should be a site utilized by previous academy cohorts. If we clear some weeds or trees, it won’t be difficult to camp for the night.”
Just as Ja-pyeong-Yang noted, once we arrived at the entrance of the Muk-rim, a spot that was somewhat level appeared.
“Was this area used?”
A zone where the thicket density was considerably lower compared to other sections of the jungle.
“Since it was the cohort before the last, it must have been about twelve years ago.”
“…For that to be the case, the trees have grown quite large.”
As Mo-ran-Seong remarked, the girth of the sparsely growing trees did appear unusual.
“Given the characteristics of the Muk-rim, it’s not that surprising. There is no winter here, and human influence doesn’t touch it either.”
Ja-pyeong-Yang added with a stern face.
“It is a lovely place, but it is certainly dangerous to that degree. You must strictly not operate with the common sense that applied in the Kangho.”
“…I-Is that so?”
At Ja-pyeong-Yang’s words, Mo-ran-Seong’s expression turned ashen again.
“Most serpents harbor poison. Furthermore, because they are highly adept at concealing themselves, you must always observe your surroundings with care.”
When Mo-ran-Seong nodded her head vigorously multiple times, Ja-pyeong-Yang offered a satisfied grin.
At that moment.
Sreuk.
Something wriggling descended from the tree Ja-pyeong-Yang was leaning against and attempted to strike Ja-pyeong-Yang’s neck like lightning.
Hwi-ik.
I launched the Bi-ryong-jo.
“Heok!”
“Kyaaaaaak!”
Mo-ran-Seong and Ja-pyeong-Yang collapsed to the ground in terror. Ja-pyeong-Yang frantically checked his neck, but he felt a small measure of relief that the snake hadn’t bitten him. I examined the snake, which was bound by the Bi-ryong-jo and held under my feet, as I questioned Ja-pyeong-Yang.
“Is this one venomous?”
“…!”
Ja-pyeong-Yang, turning his head, spotted the snake captured at my feet and inquired back with vacant eyes.
“D-Did you just catch that?”
What is with this person’s look?
“Yes.”
“Exactly h-how did you differentiate it?”
What do you mean, how did I differentiate it?
“I just saw it.”
“…”
“So, is this one venomous?”
I clicked my tongue while observing the snake and asked Ja-pyeong-Yang once more.
“By any chance, would there be a spirit medicinal herb nearby?”
Good grief, how annoying. Respond to me quickly. Why do you think I willingly agreed to be in the advance team?