Chapter 586: I’ve Never Seen a Villain Like This Before
Chapter 586: I’ve Never Seen a Villain Like This Before
The moment the door creaked open, a gust of stale, ancient air rushed out.
It felt as if the space itself was finally exhaling a breath it had been holding for an eternity. The musty scent of passing ages alone was enough to confirm that no one had set foot here in a very long time.
A long passage flickered dimly within the oppressive darkness.
Geom Mu-geuk peered into the depths using his New Eye Technique. He could see that the walls on both sides of the corridor were carved with the same patterns, characters, and illustrations that had been engraved on the door.
As if etched into the very entrails of the earth, the darkness swallowed everything whole, emitting an inscrutable energy that seemed to beckon to them.
Come in. Come in at once.
It was an energy difficult to put into words, but one thing was certain: it was a strange, alien power that no martial artist living in the current Murim had ever encountered.
If you enter, you die.
Despite his instincts screaming a warning, Geom Mu-geuk felt a compelling urge to step inside. It wasn't a reaction born of a challenge or the thrill of the unknown. Coming to the Yellow Dragon Martial Arts Hall, meeting the Sword King, and the man’s suggestion that they descend here together—it all felt like the inevitable pull of destiny.
Geom Mu-geuk turned to the Sword King standing beside him.
“Do you feel it?”
At Mu-geuk’s question, the Sword King nodded grimly.
Right then, one of the warriors stepped forward as if possessed. As he tried to push past Geom Mu-geuk and the Sword King to enter the abyss, Hong-in rushed over and grabbed him.
“Snap out of it!”
Slap!
Hong-in struck the man’s cheek without mercy. Only then did the warrior regain his senses.
The darkness had lured him in. Being the one with the weakest internal energy and mental fortitude among the group, he had been the first to succumb to the temptation. Soon after, another warrior attempted to walk forward, but he, too, was snapped back to reality when a comrade caught him.
Geom Mu-geuk sent a message via Voice Transmission to the Sword King.
— I think it’s time to send the men back.
He had a premonition that if these people entered, they wouldn't survive.
— Shall the two of us go in alone?
He expected a ready agreement, but the Sword King hesitated. Geom Mu-geuk didn't provoke him with barbs like, “Was your promise to let them live a lie?” He believed the man’s hesitation wasn't because he planned to lead them to their deaths, but for some other reason.
Mu-geuk had clearly felt the Sword King’s affection for these men. If he hadn't cared, he wouldn't have shown them the stars. Indeed, the Sword King’s dilemma was for the sake of the warriors.
— I wanted to show them that final place.
They had suffered through hell to get here. Regardless of the money, he wanted to show them what they had been risking their lives for. However, Geom Mu-geuk believed that taking them into that ominous darkness was the wrong choice.
— What they see in there won't help them live out the rest of their lives. Unless, of course, you plan on sharing the treasure with them. Do you?
The Sword King shook his head. He sent a Voice Transmission to the mechanism expert, who immediately ran off. Then, the Sword King turned to the warriors standing behind him.
“Your mission ends here.”
The warriors were startled. They had sensed the excavation was nearing its end, but they hadn't expected it to conclude just by opening this door. They had assumed they would have to enter that darkness and dismantle more traps.
Yet, they could feel it—just how dangerous the abyss beyond that door was. They only had to look at their entranced comrades to know. If the temptation at the entrance was this strong, what would it be like inside?
Realizing it was over, a flood of emotions washed over them. Surprise was followed by joy, but the final emotion that dominated them was fear. Though they followed the Sword King as their leader and trusted him, they couldn't help the anxiety that they might be killed to silence witnesses at this final moment. They were about to find out if their faith had been well-placed.
Just then, the mechanism expert returned and handed an envelope to each person. Inside were the promised banknotes.
Initially, they had been paid monthly. If someone wanted the money sent elsewhere, it was handled for them. They had taken the money regularly out of fear that they might not be paid later, but since they couldn't leave, holding onto it had been meaningless. Thus, the warriors had trusted the Sword King and asked to be paid the remainder upon their departure. He had truly kept his word.
Seeing the money, the warriors grew choked with emotion. They had endured all that hardship specifically to earn this.
“You’ve worked hard.”
At the Sword King’s words, tears welled in the eyes of several warriors. This was the moment their long, grueling ordeal finally came to an end.
Of course, many of them had wanted to see what lay at the very end. What kind of treasure could possibly warrant such elaborate mechanisms? There was also a lingering hope—perhaps they might get a small piece of the treasure for themselves.
But seeing their comrades fall under a spell had erased those thoughts. Their only desire now was to leave this wretched place as quickly as possible. They wanted to deposit their money at a bank, grab a drink at a tavern, and then sleep all day at an inn. Everyone had different plans.
They gathered before the Sword King for a final farewell. Among them were those whose lives the Sword King had saved multiple times. Representing the group, Hong-in spoke.
“Thank you for everything.”
Behind him, the warriors shouted their thanks in unison. The Sword King brushed some dust off Hong-in’s clothes.
“Be happy. I hope the day comes when I can stop by the martial arts hall you run.”
The Sword King hadn't forgotten that Hong-in’s dream was to open his own hall. Hong-in bowed deeply.
“I will never forget the grace you’ve shown us.”
The Sword King looked around at the warriors and gave them one last piece of advice.
“Keep what happened here a secret. If you don't, you won't die by my hand, but by the hand of some other greedy soul. Just tell people you inherited the money.”
Understanding the weight of his words, the warriors all nodded. Geom Mu-geuk’s Voice Transmission reached the Sword King again.
— I’ve never seen a villain like this before.
Geom Mu-geuk still couldn't understand why no rumors of this place had spread in his past life. Was it because the warriors had all died inside that door? Or was it because they had been sent away like this and, miraculously, everyone had kept the secret? Or had something else happened entirely?
Regardless, in this life, they had all survived. Some might look down on them for risking their lives for money, but Geom Mu-geuk didn't think that way. They were brave survivors.
Before leaving, Hong-in looked back at Geom Mu-geuk one last time. This was the man who had saved them from the mechanism's attack. Was it because of this newcomer that they had seen the stars and slept under cotton blankets? He felt that their safe departure might also be thanks to this "recruit."
Hong-in bowed politely to Geom Mu-geuk. As he straightened up, he cracked one last joke—one he would have normally directed at the Sword King but hadn't dared to.
“You must come to my martial arts hall. I’ll teach our youngest’s children for free for three months!”
At his parting joke, the surrounding warriors laughed together. With that, Hong-in and the warriors departed. Following the Sword King’s orders, the mechanism expert followed after them to lead them out.
Now, only Geom Mu-geuk and the Sword King remained.
“Now I can throw my shoes at you without worry,” the Sword King joked.
Geom Mu-geuk chuckled in response. “It’s dark in there, so be careful where you aim.”
The Sword King stared intently at Geom Mu-geuk before asking, “Why didn't you see them off? What if I had ordered my subordinates to kill them?”
“A person who truly intends to kill doesn't say things like that.”
Of course, that wasn't the real reason. The real reason was this:
“What would be the point of letting them out safely now? If you were determined to kill them, you could do it anytime after they left the martial arts hall.”
He knew better than anyone how vast the Sword King's organization was.
“Perhaps they lived because of you.”
“If that’s the case, it’s thanks to you, Instructor, not me.”
At the Sword King’s questioning gaze, Geom Mu-geuk replied, “Have you forgotten already? When I asked why you were taking me underground, didn't you say it was because you wanted to save those people? I simply followed those words faithfully, so in the end, you’re the one who saved them. You can take pride in the fact that you let those warriors live.”
The Sword King looked at Geom Mu-geuk without a word. His expression was unreadable, betraying no emotion.
“Shall we go?”
“Fine. Just a moment.”
Geom Mu-geuk took a rope from a tool chest. He tied it around his own waist and handed the other end to the Sword King.
“Tie this to your waist. They might use some trick to separate us.”
It was a precaution to ensure they stayed together. Taking the rope, the Sword King asked with a surprised look, “Why are you doing this?”
“You have to protect me, Instructor.”
The Sword King stared at him and said, “Isn't it the other way around?”
The thought occurred to him that this Young Cult Leader might be tying the rope to protect him. And what surprised him even more was this:
“You aren't greedy. Most would try to find a way to go in alone and claim what’s inside for themselves.”
He had expected Mu-geuk to try and ditch him, yet here he was, offering a rope.
“They say all the treasures of the Murim have their rightful owners, don't they? If it’s my destiny to have it, it will come to me even without greed.”
Geom Mu-geuk had learned enough in his past life. When trying to achieve something, one only needs a single drop of greed. It is will and effort that carry the first step taken by greed to the finish line. From the second step onward, greed only serves to trip you up.
The Sword King tied the rope around his waist, leaving enough slack for both of them to move freely.
“Well then, let’s go.”
The two of them walked slowly into the dark passage. They pushed their senses to the absolute limit. They took step after step, but nothing happened—until they reached the midpoint of the corridor.
Sssssssss.
The characters and patterns engraved on both walls began to glow with an eerie light.
Shuck, shuck, shuck!
As if dropping from the ceiling, warriors wielding spears appeared in front of them. Blocking the passage in a single line, they leveled their spears simultaneously.
Clack, clack, clack!
There were five in total. More warriors appeared behind them, leveling their spears as well. The same number had appeared in the rear.
Geom Mu-geuk realized it instantly.
‘They’re the warriors from the wall paintings.’
They looked exactly like the figures in the illustrations, but they weren't living beings. A phantasm had been triggered to guard this place.
“I’ll take the rear.”
The Sword King took the back, and Geom Mu-geuk took the front.
Stomp, stomp, stomp!
Like disciplined soldiers, the warriors began to march forward with their spears leveled. The energy radiating from them was formidable.
Swish!
Geom Mu-geuk’s Sword Qi flew toward them. The blast passed right through them. It should have swept them away, but it literally just passed through. They felt like insubstantial beings, like smoke.
Then, the figures thrust their spears.
Clang, clang, clang!
However, the spears that struck his sword were very real. Geom Mu-geuk quickly swung his blade, attempting to sever the spear shafts.
Whoosh.
But just like when he fired his Sword Qi, his blade passed right through the spears. When they attacked, the spears became real; when Geom Mu-geuk tried to strike back, they turned into illusions. He had never experienced a phantasm like this before.
Clang, clang, clang!
He parried the incoming thrusts and launched counterattacks, but his sword only sliced through empty air as it passed through their bodies. Geom Mu-geuk retreated step by step. The situation behind him was the same. Furthermore, these weren't just mindless dolls; they demonstrated sophisticated spear techniques.
The two men, pushed back, eventually ended up back-to-back.
“You wanted to bring the warriors into a place like this?”
If they had actually come, they would have all died here. It would have been a total massacre.
Whish, whish, whish!
The enemies changed their tactics. They began throwing their spears in rapid succession. The two men swung their swords quickly to block. The deflected spears shattered like light and vanished, only for new spears to manifest in the warriors' hands.
The only saving grace for Geom Mu-geuk and the Sword King was that they didn't have to worry about their backs.
‘If I don’t find the counter-method, we’ll drain our internal energy and die here!’
Every phantasm or sorcery has a counter-method. This was an absolute, unchanging principle. If so, the solution was somewhere in this space. However, even with his Blood Eye Purifying Water and New Eye Technique, the counter-method wasn't immediately visible.
While parrying their attacks, Geom Mu-geuk’s gaze shifted to the wall paintings. He used his New Eye Technique to scan the illustrations of the spearmen. Then, one painting caught his eye. It depicted the spearmen standing as if guarding a single central symbol.
‘Could it be?’
That symbol was painted in various spots along the walls. Geom Mu-geuk leaped into the air and thrust his sword into one of those symbols.
Flash!
In that instant, one of the spearmen vanished into a cluster of light.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Deflecting the spears flying violently toward him, Geom Mu-geuk shouted, “I found the counter-method! Hold them off for me!”
Geom Mu-geuk thrust his sword into another symbol painted elsewhere. Another warrior dissolved into light. Spears flew toward Geom Mu-geuk from both front and back simultaneously. The Sword King lunged, knocking away the spears aimed at Mu-geuk.
In the meantime, Geom Mu-geuk located the symbols on the murals one by one. Every time he pierced a symbol, one of the foes vanished. However, as their numbers dwindled, the remaining ones attacked Geom Mu-geuk even more ferociously.
They attacked like maddened beasts, but their opponents were Geom Mu-geuk and the Sword King. How could their thinning ranks stop those who had found the answer?
Finally, Geom Mu-geuk found the last symbol and pierced it. The final spearman vanished into a mist of light. Simultaneously, a secret door hidden at the end of the passage opened with a heavy clunk.
“How did you figure out the counter-method?”
“Usually, the more powerful the phantasm, the simpler the counter-method. Fortunately, this is an old phantasm, so the method wasn't as convoluted as modern ones. It was easy to handle.”
But the Sword King knew better. It wasn't as easy as the boy made it sound. Would he have been able to deduce the solution from those paintings himself?
“I wouldn't have been able to break it if I had come alone,” the Sword King admitted honestly.
Geom Mu-geuk thought to himself: If that’s the case, how did you get through here in my past life? Who did you come with then?
“Then, are you going to give me half the treasure in here?”
He asked half-jokingly, half-seriously, but to his surprise, the Sword King nodded.
“I will.”
“You mean it? You’re not just being generous because you plan to kill me anyway, right?”
With that, the two of them cautiously stepped through the open door at the end of the passage. Their footsteps stopped instantly, and for a moment, neither said a word.
Finally, it was Geom Mu-geuk who broke the silence.
“You can’t break that promise you just made.”