Chapter 73
Chapter 73
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: March into Demon Territory
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"Aren't you going to ride?"
"Are you lot slower than a horse?"
Seo Il asked that in front of the north gate, but Dojun replied without even glancing back.
Though Dojun's face wasn't visible as he faced forward, it was easy to imagine the bored expression he wore.
"If you can run as fast as a horse, there's no need to ride one. A well-trained warhorse doesn't fear demonic beasts, but in the end, it's still an animal. It won't always heed its rider unconditionally."
It wasn't just Wi Seongcheon's group that had come to the north gate. Professor Hwangbo Gwang's group was there too. Wi Seongcheon locked eyes with Hwangbo Seongu, who was glaring daggers at them.
Just yesterday, bandages had covered his face, but now Hwangbo Seongu was without them.
His face looked far more menacing than before, thanks to the large scar that stretched across both cheeks and over his lips. Paeng Yeonhwa's shoulders trembled at the sight.
"W-Wait a moment."
Paeng Yeonhwa spoke up urgently. Dojun, who had been leading the way, stopped and turned around. Looking at him with a pale face, she said,
"Just a moment. Give us some time."
"......All right."
Dojun slowly nodded at her desperate expression and tone. The moment she heard his reply, Paeng Yeonhwa turned and ran toward Hwangbo Seongu.
Wi Seongcheon stood there, watching Paeng Yeonhwa face Hwangbo Seongu.
"......What is it?"
Hwangbo Seongu tilted his head to the side and asked. Paeng Yeonhwa swallowed hard and looked up at him.
The massive scar crossing both cheeks and his lips. No matter how robust Hwangbo Seongu's constitution was, it was impossible to regenerate a wound that had torn his cheeks clean through without leaving a scar.
"......I'm sorry."
Paeng Yeonhwa bowed her head deeply as she spoke. At her words, Hwangbo Seongu's eyebrow twitched. He held back Professor Hwangbo Gwang, who moved to step forward, and let out a smirk.
"What's there for you to be sorry about? I'm not dead."
"But...... the scar......"
"Enough."
Hwangbo Seongu raised his hand and gently touched his cheek. He could feel the unnatural texture of the scar. It still tugged uncomfortably whenever he smiled.
He'd get used to it soon enough. The medical hall had said the scar could fade with consistent treatment, but Hwangbo Seongu had no intention of erasing it.
"I like it, actually."
Hwangbo Seongu grinned as he said it. The scar twisted with his smile. Paeng Yeonhwa looked up at him, her face full of confusion.
"......You like it?"
"Yeah. I've been thinking my face could use a bit more menace, and this is exactly what I wanted. What do you think? Scary, right?"
"......"
Hwangbo Seongu chuckled even at Paeng Yeonhwa's silence. He glanced toward Wi Seongcheon. When their eyes met, Wi Seongcheon gave a bright smile and waved at him.
"......So there's no need for you to apologize. You gave me exactly the face I wanted. Happy now?"
Hwangbo Seongu's hand, which had been caressing his cheek, dropped down. A hint of bitterness crept into his boastful smile. He looked down at Paeng Yeonhwa, who was much smaller than him.
It had always been that way. Even as snot-nosed kids, Hwangbo Seongu had been big. Paeng Yeonhwa...... was small. The memory of those days suddenly resurfaced.
Both bonemen through and through. Both somewhat outsiders at the clan gatherings. In the end, they weren't fully human.
The adults' gazes had always been a little different from how they looked at other children, and Hwangbo Seongu hated that.
So.
He had paid more attention to Paeng Yeonhwa, who was just like him. When the Peng Clan was wiped out by plague, and he could no longer see her at the clan gatherings.
If she'd sought refuge with the Hwangbo Clan, he would've insisted they take her in, no matter what.
He'd thought that a lot as a child. In the end, Paeng Yeonhwa survived on her own without ever coming to the Hwangbo Clan. And they reunited at the Heavenly Academy...... The Paeng Yeonhwa he met again was utterly different from the girl he'd known.
He didn't like that. You did nothing wrong. You were just caught up in damnable fate through no fault of your own.
"You've always been bad at being honest, just like back then."
"......What?"
"Nothing."
Hwangbo Seongu muttered and smacked his lips. He hesitated for a moment, then let out a deep sigh.
"Sorry."
Paeng Yeonhwa's eyes widened. Hwangbo Seongu said no more and turned away. Paeng Yeonhwa stared blankly at his back as he walked off with Professor Hwangbo Gwang and the other students.
"......Sorry for what?"
Paeng Yeonhwa muttered softly to herself and turned around. But somehow, her heart felt a little lighter.
* * *
After exiting the north gate, Dojun picked up speed. Inside the camp, he'd only walked briskly, but now he was outright running. He was unleashing full lightness skill.
His upper body pulled back taut like a bowstring, then shot forward like an arrow. The Phantom Divine Leap, a lightness skill technique—Dojun used it aggressively, bounding forward with elastic momentum.
'Fast.'
Dojun. An unfamiliar name. With lightness skill like that alone, he could make a name for himself in the martial world.
Was he a warrior trained by the imperial army, or a martial artist from the world recruited by the army and given a new name?
Either way, it was skill unimaginable for a mere camp guide soldier.
"Let's go after him."
But Dojun was an unfriendly guide. He raced ahead without looking back. The four chasing Dojun began using their lightness skills as well.
The ground beneath their feet felt rough and grating. A chilling sensation twisted in their guts.
Even when the carriage jolts had worsened upon entering demonic beast territory, Wi Seongcheon had been feeling this 'stench' ever since.
And now, running directly on the ground, it felt even more intense.
'Dead land......'
What killed the land? A pointless question. Demonic beasts. Land overrun by demonic beasts dies like this. No crop planted there will sprout anew.
Things already rooted in the soil drink in the demonic qi and twist into grotesque abominations.
Animals too. Demonic beasts prey on humans, beasts, and even other demonic beasts. Beasts that consume demonic beast corpses or drink in demonic qi...... become the same demonic beasts.
Even without eating corpses, beasts exposed to demonic qi turn demonic. That's why demonic beasts never decrease no matter how many you kill.
"We're not heading to a nest, are we?"
Seo Il, keeping pace beside him, asked. Dojun let out a hollow laugh as if it was absurd. He clicked his tongue at Seo Il's neat face.
"Have you ever actually seen a demonic beast?"
"Bodies, a few times. Never killed one myself."
"Golden Capture Whip Flash Seo Il. I've heard the name. They say your Golden Claw Technique is impressive. But isn't the Golden Claw Technique only effective on humans? Questionable against demonic beasts. Just my opinion, but you seem better suited to soaking in ink and teaching students than fighting people."
It was blatant mockery, but Seo Il felt oddly pleased. Back in his assassin days, he'd killed plenty even on missions. Better suited to teaching students than fighting people!
As someone who didn't fondly remember his days as the Returning Thunderbolt Lee Un, Seo Il appreciated the words.
"Thank you."
"......?"
When Seo Il smiled brightly in response, Dojun looked taken aback. Then, he cleared his throat awkwardly and continued.
"......Demonic beast nests are hard to find, and even if you do, a group this small couldn't exterminate it."
Demonic beast nests house powerful queens, sources of demonic qi. Not to mention the beasts protecting her, strengthened greatly by demonic qi influence.
Wiping out a nest eliminates the qi source, greatly weakening beasts in the area, but it's correspondingly difficult.
To seriously exterminate a discovered nest would be impossible with current forces.
"Have you found any nests?"
Dang Seona asked. Dojun turned his head at the question.
"A few months ago, I heard they hadn't found any yet."
"......The Qilian Mountains are too vast. They were rugged to begin with, but demonic qi has turned them into hell, not the human world. And being so vast, there are at least five nests. We've only found two so far."
"Extermination?"
"The general judged preparations for full extermination aren't ready. If they attempt it and fail, the queen might relocate the nest."
They stopped moving. Before they knew it, they'd left the plains and entered the mountains. Dojun scanned the surroundings, then rummaged in his bosom and opened a small pouch.
"We'll roam this area until tomorrow, hunting demonic beasts. The two discovered nests I mentioned earlier—their territories are around here. Don't worry, no plans to enter the nests."
"Closer to camp than I thought."
"Many imperial soldiers and martial artists gave their lives to push this close."
Demonic beasts once swarmed right up to the camp. By going out day and night to kill them in 'cleanups,' they'd advanced this far.
"The common demonic beasts here are Blood Hungry Ghosts and Prostrating Human-Faced Snakes. I hope I don't have to explain them one by one."
At that, Wi Seongcheon pulled a pouch from his bosom. Antidotes issued in advance. Blood Hungry Ghosts and Prostrating Human-Faced Snakes used poison.
Wi Seongcheon put an antidote in his mouth and chewed it.
"Antidotes aren't a cure-all. You know that, right?"
"If something happens, won't we be fine with Senior here?"
Dang Seona smirked at Wi Seongcheon's jest.
"It's a practical training, but these are real demonic beasts. Not as merciful as humans, so stay sharp."
Since it was student extermination training, students handled the beasts entirely. Only if they couldn't manage would Professor Seo Il step in. Seo Il glanced at Dojun and asked,
"Are you fighting with us too?"
"Don't joke."
Dojun scoffed.
"My role is just guiding you lot. If you die to demonic beasts, I'll recover your bodies if possible. If not, at least relay how you died."
"That won't happen."
Wi Seongcheon replied. Dojun raised an eyebrow and looked at him, then smirked.
"Probably not. Heavenly Academy's Hidden Dragon, plus the Tang Clan's Serpent Beauty...... and Peng Family's Flower Child. Blood Hungry Ghosts and Prostrating Human-Faced Snakes are the most common and weakest around here. No way you'd fall to them. But remember: this isn't the Heavenly Academy. Anything can happen."
Dojun, having taken his antidote, brushed off his rear and stood.
"Rarely...... but there've been reports of Faceless Eating Ghosts appearing nearby. If you encounter one, don't fight—run. This is a warning."
Blood Hungry Ghosts and Prostrating Human-Faced Snakes were tricky only due to poison; they weren't strong. But Faceless Eating Ghosts were 'strong.' Yet their danger wasn't individual strength.
"Of course, you lot wouldn't struggle much against a Faceless Eating Ghost. But...... Faceless Eating Ghosts follow Faceless Evil Ghosts, and their screams summon the Evil Ghosts."
Faceless Evil Ghosts were powerful even for experts. Rare outside demon realms, even on the front lines. But where there's a Faceless Eating Ghost, an Evil Ghost is sure to follow.
"During the advance here, countless hunters and soldiers died to Faceless Evil Ghosts...... We've killed a few, but our losses were immense compared to that. You're Heavenly Academy stars, so don't die pointlessly here and put General Chung Yeon in a tough spot."
Dojun said that and moved again. His movements weren't as nimble as before. Now deep in demonic beast territory, he restrained flashy actions.
"Any soldiers or hunters from Qinghai among you?"
Following Dojun's lead, Wi Seongcheon asked quietly.
"There are. This place is far more 'manageable' than Qinghai."
Qinghai and Yunnan were former front lines. But lately, demonic beasts had pushed past into Central Plains, Sichuan, and Gansu. Meaning Qinghai's beasts had grown stronger.
Hunters who valued their lives didn't stay in Qinghai but retreated to new front lines like Gansu and Yunnan.
Gansu bordered Qinghai directly, and the Qilian Mountains where Wi Seongcheon now stood marked their boundary.
"Of course, Qinghai still has beast camps, and hunter bases beyond. ......Heard the generals and hunters there plan to withdraw soon. But why ask about Qinghai hunters?"
"I have something to ask a hunter who was at a hunter base until at least two years ago."
"You think Qinghai has just one or two hunter bases?"
Dojun scoffed.
"Hidden Dragon, I don't know what you want to ask a Qinghai hunter. But don't expect too much. Can't guarantee it's the one you're after. Hunters are wild; they spend more time roaming outside than in camp."
"General Chung Yeon would know all the hunters in camp, right?"
Wi Seongcheon suddenly asked. Dojun turned to look at him, stared silently, then nodded.
"Naturally."
"Then it'd be faster to ask the general directly than hunt them down one by one."
"Hah! You don't mean to use me to pass a message to the general, do you? He hates pointless, meaningless tasks. No need for me to take his scolding......"
"Doesn't matter."
As Wi Seongcheon spoke, he began loosening his wrists. Dojun tilted his head at the sudden action.
"......What're you doing?"
"Gotta shine a bit."
"What?"
"If I stand out, the general will summon me without me needing to go looking."
Since deciding to spar Jin Bae publicly at the Heavenly Academy, Wi Seongcheon resolved not to stay 'quiet' anymore. Same here. With the Hidden Dragon moniker, no reason to avoid attention.
"I hear Blood Hungry Ghosts paralyze prey with paralytic venom from claws and teeth, then eat them alive."
Crack.
Crack crack.
The sound came. Dojun and the others startled and turned.
"While scouting for prey from the trees."
On a distant tree. If closer, Dojun or others might've noticed first. But Wi Seongcheon spotted it soonest, from farthest away.
No one told him; his senses tingled, drawn there. His 'constitution,' the demonbane like Mu Yeonjun's, detected the beast first.
"Your words were impressive, Dojun."
Wi Seongcheon passed Dojun while loosening his wrists. Paeng Yeonhwa reached for him with a "Wait," but Dang Seona held her back. Her eyes gleamed with interest as she watched Wi Seongcheon's back.
"The Golden Claw is effective only on humans, questionable against demonic beasts. Lucky for you, I'm quite skilled in Golden Claw myself, so I'll answer your doubt personally."
"Hey, Hidden Dragon."
"Yes, I'm the Hidden Dragon."
Wi Seongcheon turned back to Dojun with a bright smile.
"So make sure to tell General Chung Yeon how many demonic beasts this Hidden Dragon slays."
Wi Seongcheon's foot slammed into the ground.