Chapter 8: Bizarre (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 8: Bizarre (2)
Two figures were ascending a steep mountain peak.
They leaped several jang at a time up the cliffside as if it were level ground, performing a feat of agility impossible for ordinary men.
As they climbed, one of them spoke.
"I am sorry. This was my oversight, Unit Leader."
It was Great Leader Hae Ok-seon. She had been leading the training disciples when she was utterly humiliated.
Gu Sang-ung, the Bloody Unit Leader, who was ascending the cliff with even lighter movements than hers, shook his head.
"He is not someone a Great Leader could have handled."
Though he told her not to worry, Gu Sang-ung’s expression was grim. After hearing the description of the man who had intruded upon the intermediate training grounds from Hae Ok-seon, he knew he had been caught up in something troublesome.
Tsk. I knew that old madman came here occasionally, but...
He never dreamed the man would actually lay a hand on the training disciples.
Among the four absolute masters of the Blood Cult, the Four Venerable Ones, this man possessed the most bizarre personality. He was a lunatic so extreme that even the other Venerables preferred to avoid him. His unpredictable nature was something everyone feared.
"He didn't kill them, did he? Intermediate disciples are hard to come by, unlike the low-rank ones."
"I do not know."
To be honest, Gu Sang-ung couldn't be sure either.
According to what he had heard from his predecessor, Bizarre Hae Ak-cheon was so eccentric that he might do anything to even a fellow cult member depending on his mood.
Hurrying up the mountain, they soon discovered a cave situated near the summit of the peak. They could sense a presence inside.
It’s here.
As they stood before the cave, their faces were tight with tension.
Step!
Gu Sang-ung dropped to one knee and performed a fist-and-palm salute, and Hae Ok-seon followed suit.
"Blood Tax! Blood Tax! Blood-Blood Tax! O Venerable One. Unit Leader Gu Sang-ung, who was put in charge of the Six Blood Valley disciples this year, offers his greetings."
No sound came from within the cave.
Hae Ok-seon asked via sound transmission.
[What should we do? Should we go inside?]
[Wait. It won't do any good to provoke his temper...]
It was then.
Swish!
Something like a hidden weapon flew out from the cave.
Gu Sang-ung drew his blade with incredible speed and blocked it.
Clang!
The moment he blocked it, Gu Sang-ung was pushed back about five paces.
Skreeee!
"Ugh!"
Having been pushed back five steps, Gu Sang-ung barely managed to regain his balance by focusing his internal energy into the soles of his feet. If he had been pushed back just a little more, he would have fallen straight off the cliff.
However, Gu Sang-ung’s eyes widened as he examined his blade.
"A seed?"
Stuck to his blade, half-split, was the seed of a fruit.
It was astounding. The power contained within the seed had been so profound that he hadn't been able to slice through it cleanly, and instead, his entire body had been repelled.
He’s a monster.
While he was marveling at the feat, a voice drifted out from the cave.
"You call yourself a Unit Leader? You're not half bad. Hehe."
Thud!
Gu Sang-ung knelt again and shouted.
"You flatter me. Someone like me cannot even hope to chase the heels of a Venerable One."
"Hmph. You state the obvious."
Gu Sang-ung winced at the irritable voice. He hadn't expected such a reaction after offering a compliment.
He really is eccentric.
The rumors were true. He felt as if something terrible would happen if he accidentally rubbed the man the wrong way. However, he couldn't just leave the training disciples and go back down after coming all this way.
Gu Sang-ung spoke cautiously.
"Venerable One. Regarding the trainees we are managing..."
"Are you afraid I might harm the children?"
"N-no, of course not."
"Then stop worrying and get off my mountain."
"But, Venerable One. Those children are to be raised as warriors for our Cult..."
Swish! Thud!
"Gah!"
A flying fruit struck Gu Sang-ung in the chest. He could have blocked it if he really tried, but he endured it, fearing that blocking the man's attack twice would only complicate matters.
As a result, his insides churned as if he had suffered an internal injury.
"Hehe. The children I took seem to have decent enough talent, so I intend to teach them a few tricks while I stay here."
"!!!"
Hearing those words, Gu Sang-ung and Hae Ok-seon could not hide their shock. For someone like Hae Ak-cheon, one of the Four Venerables, to pass on his teachings was practically the same as saying he would take them as successors.
This old man has never taken a disciple before.
Among the Four Venerables, he was the only one who maintained no faction and took no disciples.
"I did not realize that was your intention..."
"Do not misunderstand."
"Pardon?"
"It is merely to stave off boredom while I stay here."
He was saying he wouldn't take them as formal disciples. However, the teachings of such a peerless master were no different from a providential encounter. Furthermore, who would dare treat someone lightly after they had been taught by Hae Ak-cheon, one of the Four Venerables?
But there was one point of confusion.
"However, Venerable One. Among the disciples you took, the boy named So Woon-hwi has a shattered dantian, so for you to bestow teachings upon him..."
"Hehe, who said I was teaching that one? That brat will be serving me while I stay here."
In other words, he was going to use him as a servant.
Gu Sang-ung looked troubled. At that moment, Hae Ok-seon sent a sound transmission, sounding relieved.
[Isn't this for the best, Unit Leader? Even if that boy received an intermediate tag, he’d be a low-rank warrior at best even with good training. Let's just give him up so the Venerable One doesn't turn his attention to the other disciples.]
[Hmm...]
After a moment of deliberation, Gu Sang-ung nodded slightly. As she said, it seemed better to hand over So Woon-hwi—who was essentially a useless burden—to prevent the mad old man from harming the other disciples.
[I thought he might be useful as a spy to send to the Martial Alliance later since he's from the Yikyang So Family, but it can't be helped. Let's do that.]
If So Woon-hwi had heard this, he would have jumped in shock. The Blood Cult had already been planning to use him as a spy.
Gu Sang-ung performed a salute and spoke in a respectful voice.
Thud!
"Understood. Then we shall take our leave."
Are you kidding me?!
Hearing Gu Sang-ung’s voice from outside, my mind went blank. Those bastards were actually leaving me here to serve this crazy old man.
Seeing my look of utter despair, Song Jwa-baek snickered.
Damn it!
This guy still hadn't learned his lesson. He had woken up and lunged at Hae Ak-cheon like a madman, only to be beaten to a pulp. Yet here he was, delighted because he was being taught "tricks" while I was being used as a servant.
"Your disciple offers his greetings to the Master. What are you doing?"
"Uh... I, I offer my greetings."
Song Jwa-baek tried to bow to Hae Ak-cheon along with his brother. Now that he knew the man's incredible identity, he seemed desperate to get on his good side.
But what a shame.
"Who said I was your master?"
Thud!
"Agh!"
Hae Ak-cheon kicked the head of the boy who was bowing. He really was a crazy old man. He wasn't called "Bizarre" for nothing.
Ah...
I never expected a variable like this. This was the worst-case scenario. I didn't know how long Hae Ak-cheon would stay here, but if he stayed for more than a year, my plan to revive my dantian would go completely down the drain.
What do I do?
If I tried to run, this crazy old man was too much of a monster. Even if I succeeded in escaping, I couldn't return to the intermediate training grounds since the Unit Leader had already agreed to hand us over to Hae Ak-cheon.
As I was panicking, Hae Ak-cheon suddenly spoke to me.
"Go find something to eat within two shijin."
"Pardon?"
"I want to eat meat. Hehe."
"......"
Has this old man lost his mind? I saw it earlier—this place was practically a sheer cliff. It was so steep that it looked incredibly difficult to climb up or down for anyone who wasn't a martial artist skilled in lightness arts.
"How am I supposed to get down there in two shijin..."
Wait.
Maybe it would be better to just run away. There was something I had heard until my ears bled in my past life: the bizarre behavior of Hae Ak-cheon made even fellow Blood Cult members avoid him. If I had already caught his eye, it might be better to try and escape somehow rather than trying to make something of myself in the Blood Cult.
Whew.
I calmed myself and spoke, hiding my emotions as much as possible.
"......Understood. However, I haven't even learned martial arts, so without a weapon, it will be difficult to catch anything, let alone meat."
It was a small trick I thought of to get the Lesser Conversation Sword back. I didn't know if he would return it, though.
"Hehe."
At that moment, Hae Ak-cheon flicked his finger at me.
Crack!
A fruit seed grazed my cheek and embedded itself into the cave wall. Blood trickled down, but I couldn't even turn my head.
"You're a crafty little brat. Hehe, it won't be boring, but keep in mind that the craftier you are, the shorter your life will be."
"......"
I nodded silently. I’m not lying—I felt like I was about to piss myself.
Clack!
Hae Ak-cheon threw something at me while I stood frozen. I caught it instinctively; it was the Lesser Conversation Sword. As I looked at him with wide eyes, he sneered.
"Take it. I have no use for a rusty dagger like that."
I felt incredibly lucky that I had left the Lesser Conversation Sword in its rusted state. At that moment, the sword's voice echoed in my head.
-Ewwwww! That hairy barbarian touched me all over. Totally gross!
Gross? Where did you learn that word?
I was glad to have it back, but now wasn't the time to deal with its complaining. I had to find a way to escape.
As I strapped the sword to my waist and prepared to leave the cave, Hae Ak-cheon’s voice pierced my ears.
"If you're caught trying to run away, you'd better be prepared to die."
Goosebumps broke out all over my body. Human psychology is a strange thing. Because he threatened me not to run, I felt even more like I had to escape.
Stepping outside the cave, I looked down. I swallowed hard.
-It’s really steep. Can you really run away quickly like this?
I have to try, no matter what!
I gripped the rocks of the cliff and carefully lowered my legs. It was too steep to just climb down normally. As I carefully lowered my trembling hands and feet one by one, heading downward, a scream suddenly erupted from above.
"Waaaaagh!"
"Uwaaaah!"
Looking up, I saw an unbelievable sight.
"!!!"
Hae Ak-cheon had the twin brothers tucked under each arm and was running up the steep mountain peak as if he were walking on flat ground. What I had seen right in front of me a moment ago had already become a tiny dot in the distance.
The Lesser Conversation Sword asked me in a heavy voice.
-...Are you sure you can run away?
Dammit. Talk about losing the will to try.