Chapter 179: Their Situation
Chapter 179: Their Situation
The five members of the Blood Cult expedition force had finally been able to set out after many twists and turns.
Of course, before departure, Bi Sa-yeong and Red Sea Child Jeung Chil had to change their methods repeatedly and engage in several more matches, and each time Bi Sa-yeong had narrowly defeated Red Sea Child Jeung Chil.
So at present, Bi Sa-yeong was calling Jeung Chil his master's younger brother, Sasuk.
"Sister! Offer your greetings! This is the famous transcendent peak master, Red Sea Child Jeung Chil, and he is our master's younger brother! You should also call him Sasuk."
"...."
"Jeung Sasuk! Your movement arts are quite impressive! Indeed, you are worthy of being our master's younger brother!"
"Jeung Sasuk...!"
"Aaaargh! Stop calling me that! You damned bastard!"
Bi Sa-yeong had not stopped teasing Jeung Chil the entire journey.
Then Jeung Chil, who at first had maintained a non-response, could not endure it any longer and exploded with irritation.
But Bi Sa-yeong was not one to back down from that.
His torment of Jeung Chil was still ongoing.
Seonwoo Jin suddenly had to feel a sense of devastation at the fact that this group was the first Blood Cult expedition force since the Great Blood War.
However, it was also true that, thanks to that, any awkwardness between them had vanished before it could even arise.
***
Chwaaaak!
Ya Un-hyang's black gangpyeon whip unfurled nearly three jang and swept the area ahead in a semicircle.
Thereupon, the waists of dozens of Gangui that had been swarming like a pack of dogs were sliced through and severed into pieces.
"Kyaaaak!"
"Kkiaaak!"
Swiiiik!
The figures of Seonwoo Jin and Bi Sa-yeong became like a gale and skimmed past the treetops.
Thereupon, the Owl Demons and Spider Demons hiding behind the trees split in half, spraying blood as they fell like ripe fruit in a shower.
Peopeong! Peong! Peopeopeong!
Handling the Iron Demons was Seol Pung's duty.
As Seol Pung lunged like a fierce beast and swung his fists and feet, the heads of the four charging Iron Demons burst like watermelons and went flying.
At that moment, Jeung Chil stood to one side, sipping liquor from a small gourd and guarding Dakam.
That liquor was a famous brew called Small Flask Liquor, made from honey, a precious drink that Jeung Chil consumed very sparingly, a tiny bit at a time.
"Hoho, so those are the demons."
Jeung Chil, who had been observing the party's handling of the demons with an interested gaze, suddenly asked Seol Pung to send one Iron Demon over to him.
Then he began testing the demon's skin strength by throwing hidden weapons at it.
Pang!
"Hoho! Even after being hit with that degree of force, it doesn't pierce? Then, how about this?"
Puk!
"Grurrrh!"
"Oh oh! The belly is a bit softer than the head. Then what about this degree of strength?"
Peong!
"Oh! I have to throw with this much force to make the arm fly off!"
He looked just like a young child happily tearing the wings off a dragonfly.
Watching from behind, Dakam wore a tearful expression and spoke.
"That monster is too cruel! Brave Master, please stop him!"
Seonwoo Jin, watching the childlike Jeung Chil, let out a soft sigh and then glanced around at the surroundings that were almost cleared.
It was as expected, but the closer they got to Aenoesan Mountain, the density of demons kept increasing.
It seemed the prediction that demons were emerging from that place was correct.
Seonwoo Jin suddenly thought of the comrades who were likely imprisoned there.
'Cheongyeon, Na So-jeo, Sak hyeongnim.'
He could not know what situation the three of them were in right now.
He could only hope they were still alive, but perhaps it was already a situation where they could not be saved.
Or perhaps it was still not yet, but there might not be much time remaining.
"Hooou."
Seonwoo Jin took a deep breath and restrained his heart, which kept trying to grow impatient.
In such a mission, one must never become impatient.
Because moving swiftly and being impatient were entirely different things.
A slight impatience could not only fail to save his comrades but could also endanger the current members.
So at all times, he had to strive to maintain a calm composure.
After steadying his mind, Seonwoo Jin asked Dakam.
"Dakam, how much further until Aenoesan Mountain?"
"Uh, at this speed, in half a day we should be able to see it with our eyes!"
Seonwoo Jin nodded at that and addressed the party.
"From now on, we will slow down and move while remaining concealed. Because from here on, stealth takes precedence over speed. Also, unless unavoidable, we will simply ignore and pass by the demons."
At his instruction, everyone nodded without any objection.
Then Jeung Chil spoke as if fascinated.
"It's quite something, not only that those beastly brats and crazy bastards who possess ridiculous skills for their age are gathered in one place, but that such fellows also listen so well to someone else's words. Normally, young and outstanding scoundrels raise hell trying to stand out above others."
At those words, Bi Sa-yeong chuckled and replied.
"That's because this is a place where surviving is more important than standing out above others. If you want to raise the odds of living even a little, you have to listen to the smartest person."
Seol Pung also nodded with a faint smile as if agreeing.
Seonwoo Jin averted his gaze with an embarrassed face.
Then Jeung Chil abruptly looked at Ya Un-hyang and asked.
"Hey, sleepy-eyed wench. I heard you haven't been on the frontline long? But what makes you trust what that pretty-faced gigolo says?"
Despite the party having formally introduced themselves, Jeung Chil did not call them by name.
He always used his own self-made titles.
The titles he created were: Seol Pung as Beast, Bi Sa-yeong as Crazy Bastard, Seonwoo Jin as Pretty-Faced Gigolo, Ya Un-hyang as Sleepy-Eyed Wench, and Dakam as Slow-Talker.
The party expected that the reason he called them that was his petty revenge for Bi Sa-yeong calling him Sasuk and teasing him.
Ya Un-hyang answered Jeung Chil's question with her languid eyes.
"Because the senior brother trusts him."
At that reply, delivered without a moment's hesitation as if it were only natural, Jeung Chil let out an exclamation of admiration.
"Hoho, though you say you're from the evil faction, you're quite a woman with principles and loyalty."
But the one truly moved was not Jeung Chil.
The moment Bi Sa-yeong heard those words, he could feel a surge of emotion in his chest.
In the past, when he had resolved to come to the frontline, he had practically given up on his own sect.
He had judged rebuilding the Bi Sect impossible, so he came to the frontline to at least take revenge....
At some point, he himself had become a peak-level master, and the sect he had left behind had been able to escape its financial difficulties.
Moreover, suddenly a sister who declared she would be a master of the Bi Sect appeared and followed him, the senior brother, with such trust.
Somehow, it felt as if all this was proof that the Bi Sect was rising again.
He was deeply moved.
To hide his surging emotion, Bi Sa-yeong turned his reddened face away and looked toward the distant forest.
Then Seonwoo Jin, noticing his feelings, smiled faintly, patted his shoulder, and continued speaking.
"And from now on, even if it's inconvenient, we will communicate only through telepathic voice transmission instead of speaking aloud. As for Dakam, who cannot use telepathic transmission, I will carry him on my back from now on, so if you have something to say, whisper it to my ear."
"Yes, I understand."
Then Jeung Chil's expression crumpled as he raised an objection.
"No, you can only convey words to one person at a time with telepathic transmission, so how do you expect to have a conversation like that? Are you going to send a transmission to all five people one by one every time you say a single word?"
Then he looked at the other companions who hadn't questioned his words yet and asked.
"Hey, don't you bastards find those orders strange? No matter how much you trust him, are you saying you're going to follow even words like that?"
At that, Bi Sa-yeong let out a sigh and answered.
"Wait a moment, sasuk. That clever bastard will figure it out and tell us the plan, won't he?"
"Huh?"
When people's gazes focused on him again, Seonwoo Jin smiled faintly and spoke again.
"As Senior Jeung just told us, telepathic sound transmission can only deliver words to one person at a time. Naturally, it's inconvenient. So I intend to establish the order of instruction delivery. If anyone has opinions, you may send me a telepathic transmission."
Then he looked at Seol Pung and spoke.
"On the other hand, when I give instructions, I will first send a transmission to Seolpung Jojang, second to Bi Sa-yeong, and third to Dakam. Then Seolpung Jojang, please immediately relay a transmission to Senior Jeung, and Sa-yeong to Lady Ya. And once you receive a transmission, please confirm receipt by raising your thumb, or if you have a differing opinion, please send me a telepathic transmission."
What Seonwoo Jin meant was that if he sent three transmissions, the people who received them first would relay them to the others in the meantime, allowing everyone to share the contents.
In practice, if there were no other issues, exactly within that timeframe, all six would be able to receive the message.
Jeung Chil, who had been mulling over his words, nodded involuntarily.
It was because, with such a delivery system established, it certainly seemed communication would be much faster than sending transmissions to five people one by one.
But still unwilling to acknowledge it right away, Jeung Chil, without relaxing his expression, attempted another provocation.
"Even so, it'll be far slower than talking directly, won't it?"
At that, Seonwoo Jin smiled faintly and nodded.
"Of course it will. But as I mentioned earlier, I'm saying this based on my judgment that from now on, stealth will be more important than speed. If something urgent arises, naturally, you may speak aloud. If such a thing happens, I'll be the first to shout."
At his words, Jeung Chil couldn't find further fault and nodded with a slightly sulky expression.
But inwardly, he too was regarding Seonwoo Jin as a remarkable bastard.
Giving rational instructions was something many leaders could do.
But smoothly and without friction encompassing people in that instructional process was never easy.
Jeung Chil had seen the heads of many organizations throughout his life, but he suspected this was almost the first bastard who led people so smoothly and without causing ill-feeling.
Undoubtedly, he was a bastard possessed of tremendous caliber not only in martial arts but also as a leader.
While Jeung Chil was having such thoughts internally, Seonwoo Jin concluded his words.
"If there are no further questions, we'll move out now."
And in the next moment, Jeung Chil could not help but be surprised once more.
It was because Seonwoo Jin, carrying Dakam on his back, skillfully melted into the shadows.
To be able to perform stealth while carrying a non-martial artist was nothing short of stealth technique rivaling that of a top-grade assassin.
How on earth such a bastard was still not well-known by name was simply a marvel.
***
"...Defying the Supreme One's words cannot be tolerated."
"No, I told you I didn't defy the Supreme One's words? The Supreme One himself said it was unavoidable that those bastards would turn around and come back to rescue the Sword Saint's daughter! I'm telling you, I merely captured those bastards as they were trying to return!"
At the noisy voices reaching her ears, Na Seo-yu slowly opened her eyes.
Then she could realize she was lying in an unfamiliar space she was seeing for the first time.
'Where was this? I couldn't move my body. I'd been acupressure-sealed.'
The place where she lay was an interior brightly lit with fire.
Seeing that the surrounding walls and ceiling were all made of large stones, it didn't seem to be an ordinary building.
"Don't lie, Du Dang. I know that a bastard like you would be more than capable of capturing them against the Supreme One's order."
Du Dang.
Upon hearing that name, Na Seo-yu could immediately recall what had become of Sak Mu-heun and herself before she lost consciousness.
'Black Blood Illusion Demon Du Dang. Right. We, to that man...'
Just then, Du Dang's voice, which she had heard before losing consciousness, came through.
"Haa, I'm telling you it's true. I caught them just as they were trying to come back! And honestly, don't you acknowledge that those bastards are necessary too? Peak-level martial artists barely in their twenties or thirties, they're perfect materials for Blood Demons — how could I just let such bastards go?!"
Blood Demons?
Materials?
Unknown words were being exchanged.
But whatever it was, she could immediately tell it was talk that boded nothing good for them.
At that moment, the man who had been quiet, as if hesitating briefly, opened his mouth again.
"No matter what, defying the Supreme One's order is intolerable. I will report this fact to the Supreme One."
"Haa, fine! Do it, do it! As I said before, I observed the bastards carefully and caught them when they were trying to come back! If that weren't the case, I would've caught them long ago — why would I bring them in only now?!"
"...I will be back."
After that, no presence was felt.
But it seemed the owner of the voice had gone outside.
Du Dang's grumbling voice came through.
"Seriously, he's just like a stiff corpse. My lot in life, having to be glued to a bastard like him, is truly pitiful. I should have mastered the Corpse Refinement Technique long ago..."
Then he immediately shouted again in a bright voice.
"Oh! You've come to your senses!"
It seemed he had seen Na Seo-yu open her eyes.
Du Dang immediately approached beside her.
Na Seo-yu now gazed with uneasy eyes at the middle-aged man of diminutive build and shabby face that had entered her field of vision.
Then Du Dang spoke again.
"Right, right. It's frustrating not being able to speak, isn't it? Let me release your mute acupressure point right away. Ah, but don't scream or anything. Around here, there isn't a single person who would save you, and on the contrary, it's full of fellows who will turn into beasts at the sound of your screams."
Du Dang smiled with a heh-heh-heh laugh and released Na Seo-yu's mute acupressure point.
At that, now able to speak, Na Seo-yu asked Du Dang with trembling eyes.
"The Blood Demon clearly said he would send us back safely. Are you, as the Blood Demon's subordinate, planning to disobey his command?"
At that question, Du Dang sharply furrowed his brow and answered.
"You're saying that too, huh. As I said to that bastard Gu Woo-jeol earlier, I definitely captured you as you were trying to come back. So I haven't defied the Supreme One's order."
Gu Woo-jeol.
The man who had been here earlier was indeed one of the Five Demons of the Blood Cult, the White-faced Corpse Demon Gu Woo-jeol.
Na Seo-yu gulped and desperately refuted.
"That's absurd! We merely exchanged words, we definitely never turned back...!"
But Na Seo-yu, who had been shouting like that, saw Du Dang's sinisterly smiling expression and suddenly a thought dawned on her.
"Could it be...?"
Then Du Dang spoke again.
"I'll say it again: you definitely came back. Even if you don't remember it."
Na Seo-yu could not continue speaking, her mouth agape.
It was because she had realized what he might have done.