Chapter 338

Chapter 338
## Chapter 338. Despair (2)

—

“W—what is the meaning of this!”

Prompted by the question, the lone survivor gripped his own arm, coughing up fresh crimson.

“If only Jin-so-un perishes… if only Jin-so-un perishes…!!!!”

*Shudder, shudder, shudder.*

The escaping warrior, foaming at the lips and convulsing fiercely, suddenly went completely still. His frozen form collapsed heavily onto the dirt, resembling a wooden marionette whose threads had been abruptly severed.

“……”
“……”
“沉默……”

A oppressive hush descended over the clearing following this sequence of horrific occurrences. The onlookers watching the fallen man turned their eyes away one by one, holding their breath in terror.

‘Sigh.’

Weighty stares converged upon me. They glared in my direction with lips locked tight, harboring a tempest of conflicting sentiments. They themselves likely remained oblivious to the fact that an array of passions—blame, condemnation, malice, suspicion, murderous intent, sorrow, outrage, and disbelief—were swirling within their chests. Nor did they realize that such suppressed rancor could erupt at any second, desperate for an outlet.

‘The situation is spiraling into dangerous territory.’

Human beings desperately hunt for an explanation when confronted with a reality they cannot comprehend. The specific target, significance, or underlying motive matters little. They must pin a reason onto the tragedy to avoid being utterly consumed by an amorphous terror. That is precisely why individuals who spend their existence chanting for the eradication of heretics and the purging of wickedness while seeking the pinnacle of the Dao react so hysterically, gripped by panic over the absurdity of a “Spirit’s curse.” Prior to being martial artists, they are fundamentally human, and humanity is instinctively wired that way.

If this disorder persists—if hours tick by without proper resolution—staying alive becomes even more improbable. Having a collective grudge directed at me based on a fabricated account is a nightmare scenario I must circumvent at all costs. Presently, the sole method to defuse this crisis is to expose the lie and identify the true nature of the phenomenon. I must force these fools to regain their senses immediately—

“GAAAAAL!!!!”

Blast it, that shook me. Wow, my eardrums nearly shattered just now. Why is this bald monk suddenly bellowing…

“That is absolute rubbish!!!”

While I stood there dazed, momentarily losing my train of thought, the hairless Il-gak persisted in unleashing his Lion’s Roars.

“To claim we only survive if Jin Si-ju perishes… what sort of idiocy is that!”

“……”

*Survive…?* No, that is not what the man stated.

“What sort of ludicrous claim is this! There is absolutely no way Jin Si-ju is the origin of this calamity!”

*The origin…?* He did not utter that either, you ridiculous monk! Why do you keep inventing your own details!

“Wa—wait, Il-gak…”

“Do not interfere, Jin Si-ju!”

Did he seriously intercept my arm using the Maitreya Three Thousand Seals?! To encounter the supreme grappling art of the Shaolin Temple under these circumstances leaves me deeply affected.

“The Great Sage similarly never spoke of phantom entities or malicious spirits. We who walk the martial path strive daily to smash through the wicked and chaotic elements of this world! Yet you speak of a human sacrifice!!!”

“……”

Il-gak roared, his bare skull flushing a deep crimson.

“Good heavens… a human sacrifice… what a savage and senseless notion! Moreover, even if we were to offer up Jin Si-ju, is there a shred of certainty that we would walk away alive!”

“Tha—that… we cannot say for certain, can we?”

It is a complete circus. They are putting on a grand performance.

“Even if a human sacrifice could resolve everything!!!”

*Point!*

Abruptly, Il-gak’s finger jabbed straight in my direction. …Who exactly does this bald monk think he is pointing at?

“Do you honestly believe Jin Si-ju would submit quietly!!! This is madness… no, this man withstood the combined aura of the instructors without flinching! He is the Black Flame Dragon (*Heuk-yeom-ryong*) before whom even the scoundrels of the Heterodox Factions retreat! Do you truly assume he would submissively offer himself up as a sacrificial lamb!”

Wow, had I realized Il-gak possessed such a silver tongue, I would have appointed him as my public representative ages ago. Observe that—the eyes that were previously clouded with bewilderment are now burning with a savage focus.

“Furthermore!!! I shall absolutely lend no hand in any attempt to sacrifice Jin Si-ju! Nay, going forward, I will utilize my full strength to obstruct your collaborative strikes. For such a deed directly violates the sacred doctrines of the Buddha!!!”

“……”
“沉默……”

Quietude blanketed the clearing once more, though paradoxically, the tension in the atmosphere surged. Because the martial artists who had been searching for an explanation were now actively calculating how they might actually manage to offer me up. I exhaled a weary breath, gazing at Il-gak’s overheated head.

“…Are you finished?”

“Jin Si-ju! Have no fear. I shall remain by your side and shield you to the bitter end!”

“I asked if you are through talking.”

“U—uh, why are you glaring at me with that expression. What did I do wrong…”

“Be quiet and step over here.”

“沉默……”

The monk’s shoulders slumped instantly. Now it fell upon me to snap the academy disciples out of the daze the bald man had triggered. Striding past Il-gak, I brought both palms together above my head.

*Clap.*

At the sound of the strike infused with profound inner force, the academy disciples winced.

“Are there any among you who genuinely intend to offer me up as a sacrifice, just as this monk suggested?”

“沉默……”

*Shring.*

Simultaneously, I unsheathed the Red Light Sword, channeling my energy into the blade.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaargh!”

Accompanied by a blood-curdling screech of anonymous origin, a crimson radiance erupted from the center of the edge.

“I have zero intention of dying passively. Make your choice: either perish at the hands of the adversaries hunting us within these woods, or fall by my blade.”

*Clash.*
*Clang.*
*Clang.*

The moment my declaration finished, my companions rallied behind me in unison, drawing their own weapons. The murderous aura that had been prickling the skin began to dissipate, and the academy students who had been staring as if ready to slaughter me began to look away one by one.

“What are you waiting for? Why aren’t you striking!”

“沉默……”

As I advanced a single step, the gathered disciples retreated two. In that precise instant, a voice cut through the crowd of students.

“Representative Jin. Cease this. This is no moment for jests.”

The disciples parted to grant passage to the speaker, and Jong-chu-ak strode out from their ranks.

“Are you unaware that not a single soul here would actually step forward to sacrifice Representative Jin?”

I highly doubt that. The way they are averting their eyes with flushed faces suggests they are desperately wishing they could impale me on a stake. Following this, Jong-chu-ak swept a fierce glare behind him.

“How many individuals belonging to the esteemed Murim Academy would place faith in such an idiotic notion!”

Hearing Jong-chu-ak’s proclamation, the disciples began to nod in agreement one by one. Several turned crimson upon recognizing how moronic their brief thoughts had been. I assumed I would need to thrash a few of them to restore their sanity, but they reclaimed their logic swiftly through a handful of words from Jong-chu-ak. Granted, the display was hardly inspiring.

‘Does solidarity that bridges factional lines only manifest after everyone faces total annihilation?’

To my eyes, it appeared as just another barrier.

“For the moment, let us rest. Everyone is in an absolute state of ruin.”

Precisely as Jong-chu-ak noted, barely half a day had elapsed since the conflict concluded. Physically and spiritually, we were far too drained to witness further bloodshed.

“Ye—yes, let us do precisely that.”

“To be frank, I have been fighting off intense drowsiness for some time now.”

“Does anyone possess any gold-sore ointment!”

The assembled crowd dispersed in fractions. Just as they did back at the Murim Academy, just as when we entered the Muk-rim, and just as they behaved during combat, they separated into their respective sects and huddled among themselves. Observing the scene, a dry laugh slipped past my lips.

“It appears… every soul here will meet their end in this place.”

“What is the meaning behind those words?”

The inquiry originated from Eun-ho, who remained on high alert with his blade drawn. I shook my head slowly.

“Somehow, this mirrors a scenario I have witnessed before.”

A recollection born not of this current existence, but from my previous life.

“…And then?”

A sight that felt agonizingly familiar. I shut my eyes tightly and murmured a low response.

“They all perished.”

“沉默……”

No matter how fiercely I attempted to suppress them, those agonizing memories remained starkly vivid.

Following the arrival of the initial survivor, I intended to form a secondary reconnaissance squad to map out the perimeter of our camp, but the effort proved redundant.

“They are disciples of the Mount Hua!”

The second wave of survivors emerged almost immediately.

“Brother Cho!”

Directly after, the third group of survivors materialized. The stragglers who stumbled back afterward did not demand my execution, but the majority returned to the encampment in a catatonic state, as though their minds had collapsed.

“…Jin Si-ju, are you certain we shouldn’t deploy a scouting party? We must verify the validity of what these survivors are claiming.”

The single phrase the survivors repeatedly mumbled was “encirclement.”

“The report that we are completely surrounded is almost certainly accurate.”

“…What makes you so positive?”

Granted, we launched the signal flare to command a general rallying, but I highly doubt they could have navigated back to the base solely by spotting that light. To begin with, had a guide been present, they would have assembled long before the beacon was ignited. Furthermore, is the Muk-rim not an environment far too brutal to navigate by merely following a flash of light without a tracker?

I indicated the traumatized survivors with a nod of my chin.

“Because they managed to return.”

The academy disciples sat with vacant stares. They were in a condition where their garments had been reduced to shreds and they had surrendered their weapons, which represent priceless treasures to any martial artist. Il-gak, observing the scene alongside me, tilted his head in confusion.

“How does their return correlate to an encirclement?”

“Il-gak, have you forgotten your experience within the Cheon-yeon-jin? Do you truly believe it is possible to navigate through that formation and find this camp without a guide?”

I envisioned the members of the Orthodox Society who lost their bearings even with the smoke rising directly before their vision.

“The fact that they reached this location implies someone else led them here.”

“Led them…? Exactly who are you referring to?”

“Who else could it be?”

“沉默……”

“The bastards who intend to slaughter us.”

The tactic known as “corpse throwing.” By releasing broken prisoners whose minds have been shattered, saturated with demonic aura and malice, back to the opposing garrison, they seed psychological chaos within the ranks.

“Jin Si-ju… I fail to comprehend.”

From Il-gak’s viewpoint, blind to the true identity of our adversary, it was a methodology he could not fathom no matter how hard he rationalized it. Because at the base of his intellect lay a foundation called “common sense.” He could not comprehend the logic of going through the trouble of returning a marked target to the enemy base only to execute them twice.

I gestured toward our surroundings.

“There is no requirement to comprehend it. Cast your eyes over there.”

The relief of surviving the previous night’s ambush proved fleeting; the academy students already gathered at the encampment recognized their hopeless plight as they witnessed the shattered state of the returning survivors.

“Heh… sob.”

Individuals who once exuded aristocratic arrogance were weeping like toddlers.

“This belongs to me! Relinquish it this instant!”

“That is a shared resource… unhand it!”

They were losing their sanity over basic provisions and did not hesitate to bare steel against one another.

“W—we will survive, right? Right? The Murim Alliance will come to deliver us… will they not?”

Youths who previously feared nothing under heaven could not master their dread, spending the dark hours with eyelids pinned open.

“A mere day has passed since the initial strike, and these people have completely disintegrated. How does it appear to you? Do you not agree it will be far simpler to execute them in a few days’ time?”

“沉默……”

If several more days elapse in this environment, more individuals will succumb to hysteria, and internal skirmishes will inevitably erupt. Great martial prowess offers no assurance of a stable psyche.

‘Particularly for academy students who bypassed multiple developmental phases and received artificial growth through their clan’s wealth.’

Those selected purely for raw potential who secured rapid advancement relative to their actual labor by undergoing bone-marrow purification and consuming endless spiritual elixirs—they possess a mental fortitude akin to a stone tower stacked in a single fragile column. And such an unstable structure can easily collapse under the slightest tremor.

“We must move.”

“…To what destination?”

“Where else? We must break out of the Muk-rim.”

“…But the current state makes it highly unfeasible for the entire group to relocate. Moreover, a great number wish to remain and wait for the instructors.”

It was a rehash of the argument that had already been voiced. Yet I am fully aware. The instructors will likely never return. Were they breathing, they would have made their way back to this base. Even if they sought to secure reinforcements from the exterior, would they not have left a detachment behind to hold this line? Awaiting individuals who will never arrive is squandering precious moments and discarding what little hope of survival remains.

“Are you oblivious to the fact that everyone will perish if we linger?”

Il-gak, caught in hesitation, offered his thoughts after a brief pause.

“…Even so, we require a window to address these wounds. We cannot possibly transport every injured person on our backs, can we?”

“沉默……”

In lieu of a verbal reply, I shifted my gaze to my immediate team. They appeared in excellent form compared to the remaining academy students. Within the depths of the Muk-rim, they would likely demonstrate competence surpassing even the veteran fighters of the Orthodox Society. I began to map out an escape route that involved extracting only them, drawing upon my recollections of the Grand Examination.

Those historical campaigns were executed by diverse independent units tasked with combating the Demonic Cult. By dissecting their victories and catastrophes, I calculated the odds of our specific team piercing through the Demonic Cult’s perimeter. As I retreated deep into my thoughts, all ambient noise faded away.

“…Si-ju.”

The tactical pathways in my intellect spun relentlessly. However—

Failure, failure, failure, failure.

Every single simulated strategy I mapped out in my mind flashed urgent peril indicators.

“…Jin Si-ju!”

I raised my eyes from the ground, looking at the frantic monk.

“…I am aware as well. I recognize that an immediate relocation is impossible. Nonetheless, we must mobilize with the utmost haste…”

In that exact instant, a freezing shudder rippled down my spinal column. Il-gak must have perceived it concurrently, as his eyes dilated with shock.

“!!!”
“!!!”

A sickening sensation that gradually crept up from the soles of our feet like a spreading phantom fog. It was nothing short of raw, unadulterated killing intent.

“Ji—Jin Si-ju, this…”

There exists only a single reality that an environmental shift of this magnitude signifies.

“I—is this not the Heaven and Earth Net (*Cheon-ra-ji-mang*)!”