Chapter 324

Chapter 324
## Chapter 324. Black Forest (4)

—

The Nam-gwon Sect, tasked with overseeing safety during the Great Journey, firmly rejected the fresh objective put forward by the academy leaders.

“The Muk-rim is absolutely not a region where anyone can wander around without care! Are you oblivious to the sheer number of martial artists who have ventured into these woods never to return?”

Hearing Ja-pyeong-Yang’s protest, Jin-ha-No offered a mocking smirk.

“Is it that the esteemed Nam-gwon Sect lacks the ability to execute the ‘Grass-Skimming Flight’ method?”

“You insolent—I have tolerated your disrespect, but this is too far!”

“…Insolent?”

The moment Ja-pyeong-Yang made a move to advance in a surge of rage, Jin-ha-No’s expression turned utterly icy as he stood up abruptly from his place.

“How does a mere member of the Nam-gwon Sect, who failed to even finish his studies at the Academy, possess the audacity to speak in such a manner to me, a Hall Leader of the White Tiger Pavilion?”

“…”

Just as Jin-ha-No seemed poised to escalate the confrontation into an all-out brawl.

“Control yourselves, please.”

A fellow member of the Nam-gwon Sect who had accompanied Ja-pyeong-Yang stepped in to hold both men back. Turning his gaze toward Jin-ha-No, he inquired in a subdued tone.

“…Can we take it as a guarantee that the Academy instructors will accept complete accountability for whatever occurs here?”

“Hmph!”

Jin-ha-No gave nothing more than a disdainful snort rather than a clear affirmation. Yet, the representative from the Nam-gwon Sect stood his ground firmly.

“We require an explicit statement regarding that issue. If you refuse, we intend to pull out immediately and report these actions to the Murim League.”

“Ha… this is completely preposterous.”

“Are you taking the blame if things go wrong?”

Faced with the relentless inquiry, Jin-ha-No shifted his gaze momentarily before offering a confident, firm nod of his head.

“Very well. I shall take full accountability.”

“Understood. In that case, the Nam-gwon Sect will oversee the navigation for this trek. However, you must establish a rule that every single academy student has to follow our scouts’ instructions without question.”

“And what if we run into predatory beasts or monstrous creatures during our mapping? Is the Nam-gwon Sect capable of shielding us from those as well?”

This time, Ja-pyeong-Yang stepped forward once more, shaking his head side to side.

“We could manage ordinary threats like a bear or a tiger, but our martial power is insufficient to contend with magical beasts.”

Hearing those words, an air of arrogant victory washed over Jin-ha-No’s features.

“Then on what grounds must we obey the commands of the Nam-gwon Sect?”

Ja-pyeong-Yang replied with a deadpan, grim expression.

“Because if you do not, death awaits you.”

“…Your jokes are terrible. All this fuss over merely showing us the path.”

Yet Ja-pyeong-Yang refused to yield an inch.

“Give me your solemn word.”

Jin-ha-No glared at him with an intensity that could kill, but ultimately relented with a nod.

“I give you my word. Furthermore, there is no requirement to lead every single student from the academy.”

“…What exactly do you mean by that? Could it be that you have secured other scouts?”

“That falls entirely outside the scope of what the Nam-gwon Sect needs to concern itself with, does it not?”

“I see.”

Once Ja-pyeong-Yang retreated after securing the commitment, Jin-ha-No began allocating specific sectors of exploration to each group commander. As the territories were distributed one by one, it eventually came down to my turn.

Tap—

Jin-ha-No’s finger landed on the absolute heart of the Muk-rim.

“An individual holding the title of Academy Representative ought to be capable of handling a deployment of this magnitude, shouldn’t they?”

He was pointing to an area widely referred to as the “Demon Realm,” a place feared even within the perilous Muk-rim itself.

Wow, this guy…

“What is the matter, are you struck by fear?”

I had written him off as an entirely worthless individual, but who could have guessed he would be so incredibly helpful? Could it be that beneath his harsh exterior, this man secretly harbors deep affection for the Tae-eul Sect? Beaming with a wide grin, I expressed my appreciation.

“I do not belong to Cheongseong, so what reason would I have to be frightened?”

“…!”

It appeared Jin-ha-No was deeply moved by my response, as he found himself completely at a loss for words. It truly exemplified an extraordinarily close and warm bond between an instructor and a pupil.

The following morning, as we split into our respective units to make final preparations for the trek, Il-gak made his way over to me.

“Siju Jin… I urge you to exercise extreme caution.”

Il-gak pressed his palms together in a respectful Buddhist greeting, his face etched with intense anxiety. What could possibly make this man so frantic? Did his hair fall out from spending his whole life worrying over everything?

“I am hardly heading out there with the intention of throwing my life away, so there is no need for such dramatic concern.”

Il-gak let out a heavy breath, lowering his voice to a whisper.

“Word has it that the Demon Realm is a terrifying zone, far exceeding the dangers of the rest of the Muk-rim. A senior brother from my temple, Monk Tae-su, once set foot inside that Demon Realm and barely escaped with his life on multiple occasions…”

“…”

What exactly was this monk trying to accomplish by telling me this? Was he trying to place some sort of monastic hex on me? Nevertheless, knowing he was a person who had actually crossed that boundary before, my interest was piqued, prompting me to question him.

“Did your senior manage to harvest any rare medicinal herbs or discover any spiritual creatures while inside the Demon Realm?”

“Far from it. He stated that the place was entirely devoid of such treasures. He went so far as to command us to never even entertain the thought of crossing into that territory.”

“…”

What a thoroughly useless monk.

The individual assigned to lead our specific unit was once again Ja-pyeong-Yang. He mentioned that he was the sole guide available who had ever advanced as far as the edge of the Demon Realm. In any case, unlike our previous march, our progress through this notably thicker portion of the woods was remarkably, agonizingly sluggish. It would be generous to say we were moving slower than ordinary townspeople out for a casual stroll.

It felt absurd given that our entire party was composed of capable martial artists and our leader was an expert who specialized in navigating the Muk-rim. Every handful of paces, Ja-pyeong-Yang would slash a marking into a tree trunk with his blade, frequently doubling back to reassess the path we had just trodden. Admittedly, the foliage was so dense that it blotted out the sky, making it impossible to determine our position by the sun, but I still felt this level of caution was getting entirely out of hand.

“Are we truly required to progress at this miserable pace?”

When I finally voiced my irritation aloud, Ja-pyeong-Yang gave a nod, treating the question as if the answer were obvious.

“When dealing with the Muk-rim, ensuring a clear path of retreat takes absolute precedence over moving forward. Because of that, even if our progress is slow, we have no choice but to advance in this manner.”

The logic failed to convince me. No matter how dangerous the Muk-rim was reported to be, wasn’t it fundamentally just a collection of trees? Even if these trunks soared far higher than any timber found back in the Central Plains, they weren’t so massive that a trained martial artist couldn’t scale them. If an individual managed to rise above the tree line, they could easily observe the position of the sun or the alignment of the stars to orient themselves. Once a person has a clear grasp of their location and heading, what is to stop them from reaching their destination?

“Just as I thought… that is precisely the sort of perspective a native of the Central Plains would hold.”

He let out a short, weary chuckle that carried a heavy sense of disillusionment. After studying me for a moment, he began to stir into action.

“…Rather than trying to clarify this through conversation, it will be far more effective to demonstrate it to you firsthand.”

Ja-pyeong-Yang gathered a pile of withered leaves from the immediate area. Next, he drew a piece of flint and a scrap of cotton cloth from within his garments and set to work striking a spark.

Chak-kak, chak-kak.

Before long, a small flame caught onto the cotton, which he then transferred to the heap of dry leaves until it began to catch fire. As the fire grew brighter and more intense, he suddenly ripped away several moisture-laden, green leaves and pressed them firmly over the burning pile. The water within the green leaves instantly hissed into steam, dampening the fire and causing a thick, acrid column of smoke to drift upward. Ja-pyeong-Yang shifted his gaze back to me, as I had been observing this entire performance with a completely bewildered look on my face.

“Now then, why don’t you try scaling a tree and see for yourself?”

“…”

I stared at him briefly before pushing off the earth, propelling my body straight up into the air. Aside from the absolute canopy where the greenery clustered, the trunk of the tree was largely bare of intermediate branches. To make matters worse, the space separating the few available perches was remarkably wide, making it a highly awkward layout for sustained aerial footwork. Still, that didn’t mean making the ascent was an impossible task.

Ping.

I launched the Bi-ryong-jo, anchoring its point deep into the wood, and then pulled tight on the Cheon-jam-sa, using the tension to launch myself higher up the trunk. After repeating this sequence about three times, I found myself approaching the very crest of the tree.

‘It really does tower an incredible distance into the air compared to what we have back in the Central Plains.’

By the time I neared the peak, the branches beneath my feet grew incredibly thick and tangled, meaning I no longer required any assistance from the Bi-ryong-jo. Just as I prepared to use the upper branches as a springboard to leap cleanly above the forest canopy and survey the landscape with my own eyes.

“What in the world!?”

My body didn’t soar out into the open sky above the wilderness as I had anticipated.

Suuuuuuk.

Instead, I found myself dropping rapidly back down toward the forest floor.

“This is insane!”

Because I had leaped upward with a great deal of force and momentum, my descent was occurring at a terrifying speed. I hastily deployed the Bi-ryong-jo to anchor my frame securely against the massive trunk, after which I cast my eyes upward once more. I was entirely certain that I had stepped off the high branches to ascend. Yet, through some bizarre phenomenon, my form was now hurtling back toward the earth.

“Dae-sa-hyeong! What on earth are you doing all the way over there!”

To add to the confusion, my allies were now standing a full ten zhang away from my position.

‘What sort of trickery am I dealing with right here?’

Once again, I kicked off from the wood to ascend above the canopy. However, keeping the risk of another sudden plunge in mind, I moved with far greater care this time around. Fortunately, I managed to rise past the top of the forest on this attempt, allowing me to catch sight of the sun. Even so…

‘What is the meaning of this?’

The pillar of smoke that Ja-pyeong-Yang had ignited directly beneath my feet just moments ago was now drifting into the sky from a spot at least twenty zhang away. Short of Ja-pyeong-Yang extinguishing his fire and an entirely different squad lighting a new one, there was no logical way to make sense of what I was seeing. I began sprinting across the high branches, heading toward the source of the smoke. But as I moved, the smoke seemed to only drift further and further away from me.

“This is enough to make a man lose his mind.”

Right at that moment, Ja-pyeong-Yang’s voice reached my ears via a focused sound transmission.

—Are you finding it impossible to reach the smoke?

It was an utterly surreal experience. The smoke was perfectly visible to my eyes, and the sharp scent of it registered clearly in my nose. Yet, no matter what I did, the distance between us continued to widen.

—I observed a moment ago that you carry a rather fascinating mechanism on your person; simply make your way back down to the ground. I will navigate over to your location.

Heeding Ja-pyeong-Yang’s instruction, I released the tension on the Bi-ryong-jo and made my descent. By the time my feet touched the soil, Ja-pyeong-Yang was already pushing his way through the dense undergrowth toward me.

“How did it go?”

“…What kind of bizarre sorcery is causing this?”

“It is the natural disruption caused by the spiritual vein.”

“The spiritual vein?”

Ja-pyeong-Yang gave a solemn, heavy nod.

“Within the bounds of the Muk-rim, natural illusions and formations take shape across both the forest floor and the upper canopy. The result is that the entire area functions much like a massive, enclosed cavern. Compounding that effect, the microscopic residue released by the various insects native to the Muk-rim works to completely disorient a traveler’s physical senses.”

While it wasn’t particularly shocking to hear that wilderness terrains could form natural illusions, learning that these formations extended even into the open spaces above the trees was genuinely mind-boggling. On top of that, it meant I had been continuously inhaling some unseen, mind-addling toxin without even realizing it.

“If an individual possessed the capability to step directly onto empty air and soar through the sky—thereby completely bypassing the boundaries of the spiritual vein—they might very well navigate the area just as the Representative suggested.”

Ja-pyeong-Yang went on in an even, measured tone.

“However, the absolute instant your foot makes contact with a tree branch, your trajectory becomes distorted. Tell me, Representative… would you truly be capable of identifying your true heading and pressing forward under such conditions?”

He spoke with incredible casualness regarding an ability that required one to master the peak martial heights of ‘Treading on Empty Air’ or ‘Void Flight.’ Moreover, this phenomenon didn’t merely obscure the path ahead; it actively compromised a person’s spatial awareness. I finally comprehended the reason why a simple forest was classified alongside the world’s absolute Forbidden Lands, and why so many arrogant martial artists who entered with absolute confidence left behind nothing but their spirits.

“Never again…”

I gave in and acknowledged the reality without any further argument.

“…will I try to act clever.”

As I offered a brief bow of my head in submission, Ja-pyeong-Yang’s face registered visible astonishment.

“What is it? Did I say something strange?”

Ja-pyeong-Yang hesitated for a brief moment, picking his words carefully before speaking.

“…No. It simply occurred to me that you are an individual who possesses a truly vast array of unexpected layers.”

“…?”

Regardless, the blunder was entirely born of my own arrogance. I addressed him once more with proper respect.

“I will rely entirely on your expertise from here on.”

With that settled, our trek resumed. The rest of our companions, having witnessed the bizarre state I had been thrown into after attempting to bypass the path, fell into line silently behind Ja-pyeong-Yang. I stopped pressing him to quicken our pace, though it was impossible to entirely shake off the profound boredom of the march. The sole redeeming aspect of the journey was that as we penetrated deeper into the wilderness, venomous creatures became increasingly plentiful and easy to gather.

“…Are you seriously going to keep doing that?”

“Would Young Lady Seong care to join me in this endeavor?”

Ching!

“Keep that away from me this instant! Or I will strike you down where you stand!”

That genuinely gave me a fright. I hadn’t realized her temperament was quite so explosive…

“I said get rid of it right now!”

“Understood, young lady.”

In the beginning, I frequently consulted Ja-pyeong-Yang regarding each specimen since I couldn’t accurately gauge the potency of their venoms. However, after going through the process a handful of times, I developed an intuitive ability to categorize the toxins based on their coloration and physical traits. Progressing in this fashion, I could feel my body’s natural resilience steadily climbing as I successfully processed and neutralized nearly thirty distinct varieties of venom.

Spending the entire day walking while testing my immunity against various poisons, and then seeking out yet another unique venom to process, offered a peculiar sort of entertainment. Unquestionably, once my system adapted to a particular toxin, subsequent exposures to that same venom yielded barely any adverse effects. If our journey continued along this trajectory, I began to harbor a secret anticipation that by the time the Great Journey concluded, no venom short of an absolute lethal grade would pose a threat to me.

As my success grew, so did my ambition, causing me to look toward my junior brothers while unconsciously smacking my lips.

‘Tsk, these boys ought to be participating in this as well.’

Even if I chose to ignore the other martial artists in our group, I was eager to guide the disciples of the Tae-eul Sect through this poison-conditioning training. Unfortunately, Saryeon-Sa would undoubtedly refuse to look the other way. From the very start, Geum-pyo and Eun-ho had made it abundantly clear they wanted no part in it. However…

“Dae-sa-hyeong, is it safe for me to try consuming this one?”

There was one individual whose gaze shone with absolute, unadulterated curiosity. Dong-ryong held up a vivid purple fungus, shaking it slightly to show me. To any regular observer, its appearance screamed extreme danger, yet Dong-ryong had already successfully broken down more than twenty unique toxins. I offered him an appreciative, encouraging smile.

“Go ahead and take a bite. If your body tells you it’s lethal, spit it out immediately.”

If an absolute emergency arose, I could easily purge the toxic material using my own internal energy reserves. After maintaining this routine for roughly three days, our companions—and even Ja-pyeong-Yang—simply gave up on commenting on our behavior.

By the fourth day of our march toward the Demon Realm, a peculiar development caught everyone’s attention.

“…How is it that Dae-sa-hyeong and Dong-ryong aren’t getting eaten alive by these insects?”

Geum-pyo, whose jawline was heavily swollen from an insect bite he received during the night, tilted his head in total confusion. In my case, because I carried the Wind Bell on my person, pests had avoided me entirely from the absolute instant we crossed into the Muk-rim. Dong-ryong had struggled significantly up until our second day, but by the third day, the frequency of his insect bites had plummeted drastically.

“…”

Ja-pyeong-Yang appeared to deliberate internally over whether he should share his thoughts, but eventually decided to speak up.

“…To tell the truth, I have observed in the past that members belonging to the Tang Family also rarely suffer from insect bites when traveling inside the Muk-rim.”

“…!”

“…”

“…”

While it was difficult to point to an exact medical explanation, it was the sort of revelation where the pieces roughly fell into place. While Dong-ryong and I wore looks of smug satisfaction, the remainder of our party grimaced in frustration, and Mo-ran-Seong’s complexion turned entirely pale, resembling someone standing on the brink of death.

I turned my gaze toward Eun-ho and inquired.

“Do you want to give it a try?”

“…”

Eun-ho fell into deep thought for a long while before finally letting loose a profound, weary sigh. It was obvious that his experience on the second night—where he hadn’t managed a single moment of sleep due to being relentlessly bitten by bugs—was heavily driving his decision.

“It’s not as though you have any intention of letting me purchase the Baek-dok-dan from you anyway, right?”

I offered him nothing but silence in response.

“Confound it all…”

Why even ask the question when the answer is completely obvious? Eun-ho shuffled over to my side with a miserable expression that suggested he might burst into tears at any second.

“Excellent, step right up.”

I selected a suitable specimen from the assortment of insects I had been utilizing for my poison-resistance experiments and guided it to bite into Eun-ho’s forearm.

“Kh-heup…!”

Almost instantly, Eun-ho’s complexion began to take on a sickly, yellow hue. The moment the internal reaction commenced, Eun-ho immediately crossed his legs to enter a state of deep meditation. Witnessing this, Geum-pyo, Jae-hwa, Seol-ran, and the rest quickly lined up behind him. I scanned the remaining members of the group.

“Sigh… to think I would willingly subject myself to this out of my own volition.”

Ultimately, even Saryeon-Sa and Seon-hwa-Namgung extended their arms toward me. There wasn’t a single soul among them who hadn’t been driven to misery by the endless swarm of insects inhabiting the Muk-rim. In the middle of all this commotion.

“Kyaaaak! No! I absolutely refuse! I would literally rather let a venomous snake bite me!”

Even Mo-ran-Seong, despite her absolute horror of crawling pests, eventually submitted to being bitten. Seeing the entire scene unfold, Ja-pyeong-Yang began to look at our group with an expression that suggested he was completely exhausted by our antics.

“If I recount these events to the members of my own sect, I doubt a single soul will believe a word of it.”

“Well, it’s not like we can easily engage in standard physical conditioning out here.”

“…”

Furthermore, we were simultaneously upgrading our natural defense against poisons. What could possibly be better?

In this manner, we reached the fifth day of our trek since departing from the primary camp.

“Shh—.”

Ja-pyeong-Yang, who was navigating at the front, abruptly signaled with his hand, bringing the entire party to a dead stop. After maintaining absolute silence for a tense moment, Ja-pyeong-Yang communicated in a hushed whisper.

“We have a magical beast ahead.”

At long last, the very first prize of our journey had manifested.