Chapter 353: Ascension to Immortality (9)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 353: Ascension to Immortality (9)
After Kang So-hyun went berserk and dragged Sun Wukong down to the very bottom of Hell, most of those left behind in the 2nd Hell stood frozen, unable to do anything.
Part of it was the sense of helplessness from failing to act in the face of the enemy, and part of it was the fear that facing that monster again would yield the same result. However, the biggest reason lay elsewhere.
The fact that they had made Kang So-hyun sacrifice himself yet again.
That realization stung those who cherished him with a bitter, agonizing pain.
Lately, he had truly been changing.
He had become gentler than before, surprisingly brighter, and had even begun to show signs of relying on others.
In the past, he had maintained a clear, rigid line.
It was as if he saw things differently and stood on a different plane than them.
He acted as though he was the one who gave help and they were the ones who received it. No matter how difficult things became, he tried to handle them alone. Even when he was forced to accept help, it wasn’t out of reliance; he would frame it like a contract or a trade, ensuring the other party gained more profit. That was his personality.
Furthermore, his distinction between ally and enemy was much sharper back then.
He could be excessively aggressive toward those who stood outside the line he had drawn.
But after countless incidents, he had gradually softened and learned to smile naturally.
He had made friends, found someone he liked, and begun to trust them.
He had reached out first and learned to ask for help without expecting anything in return. And yet…
“…We couldn’t do anything.”
No one could offer a rebuttal to the words that escaped someone’s lips.
They had come to help, but instead of helping, they had forced him to overexert himself again just to protect them.
Could there be anything more foolish?
Perhaps, because of today’s events, he might decide that relying on others was pointless after all.
He might harden into ice again, returning to the person who threw himself away for others without a second thought.
Usually, after facing such immense despair, ordinary people would collapse or require a long time to stand back up.
That didn’t mean they were wrong.
In fact, it was a perfectly natural and human reaction.
When no way to overcome the despair is in sight, and there is no certainty that forcing oneself to move will lead to anything positive—when the word ‘hope’ feels so far away—it is those who can move who should be considered abnormal.
However.
“It looks like everyone’s recovered, so shall we get moving?”
At Baek Seol’s words, the first to stand, the others began to pick themselves up, though at different paces.
By nature, heroes were those abnormal individuals—the ones capable of seizing the chance to create hope within despair.
It wasn’t that they didn’t feel fear.
But because sitting and waiting in terror rarely solved anything, they chose to move even when staring despair in the face.
Their only remaining concern was whether Kang So-hyun was truly safe.
“Will So-hyun be okay?”
At Kang Ha-ni’s question, Cathy reached into her clothes and pulled something out.
“Professor, what is that?”
Cathy looked at the mechanical device emitting a steady red pulse. Her eyes held a desperate intensity, as if she were searching for even the smallest glimmer of hope.
“It’s a medical artifact I got from the Doctor. It monitors So-hyun’s heart rate. Seeing as his pulse is stable, it doesn’t look like he’s in extreme danger.”
At the very least, if he were currently facing that monster, his heart rate wouldn’t be this steady. This meant he had somehow succeeded in putting distance between himself and that creature.
The implications were significant.
If their goal was to reclaim Kang So-hyun from the monster, their chances were infinitesimally small. But if it was to rescue him while he was separated from it, they might not necessarily have to clash with that monster again.
“We’d better hurry.”
“I have plenty of medical artifacts.”
They didn’t know exactly where he was, but it was certain he was somewhere deeper than them. They had to descend.
“No matter how much of a hurry we’re in, jumping down that pit is out of the question, right?”
“Ah, don’t even think about it. It’s already blocked by some kind of transparent membrane. It’s shrinking, too. If you jump into a pit of unknown depth and get injured, we’re in real trouble.”
If Park A-ram hadn’t preemptively shut down Lee Ha-ru’s somewhat irrational suggestion, Cathy or Kang Ha-ni might have actually considered leaping into the hole.
“Well, then finding the entrance to the lower levels is our first priority.”
The problem was that they had no reliable way to find the path.
“Uh, um. Excuse me.”
While everyone was struggling to even find a direction, an unexpected person stepped forward.
“I think we should go that way.”
Kim Ga-eul, who had been quiet the whole time, displayed her habit of being useful in the most unexpected moments.
* * *
That was a close one.
I mean, even if I couldn’t move, I could have escaped by forcing myself to use an artifact, but then I would have had to take the Doctor’s medicine again.
Honestly, it would be such a waste to use it on a guy like that.
“Thank you so much.”
“Oh, it was nothing.”
If this guy hadn’t shown up at the perfect time to help me, I’d probably have a hole in my body by now.
“But Master, how did you end up in a place like that?”
“Ah, well…”
Could I really say I went berserk trying to fight Sun Wukong, slammed her into the bottom of Hell, and then got bounced back up and couldn’t move?
A foolish thought crossed my mind for a moment, but the man carrying me on his back let out a knowing chuckle.
“Well, if it’s hard to talk about, you don’t have to answer. I can pretty much guess anyway.”
…You can guess? How?
“You were caught in that light earlier and fell, right? Seeing as you’re still alive, you must be very lucky. Ah, though maybe I shouldn’t say that to someone who’s in too much pain to move.”
Ah, so that’s how he’s misunderstanding it.
“If we go just a bit further, we’ll reach the village where my tribe lives. You’ll be able to get treatment there.”
The way he smiled with such a kind face made him seem full of goodwill, radiating an air that felt all too familiar.
“Well, I was caught in an accident, so that explains me, but why were you wandering around a desolate place like this?”
“Oh, it’s nothing special. Sometimes people like you get lost, Master, so our village occasionally sends out relief parties.”
“Aha. That’s very kind of you, especially since no one’s paying you for it.”
“Think nothing of it. What could be more rewarding than being able to help someone?”
…Why do I always end up getting involved with guys like this?
Still, it was a fact that he helped me.
I should at least give him a chance.
“Now that I think about it, it feels a bit shameless of me to expect medical treatment too. I can walk now, so you can put me down.”
“…I can’t do that. You never know when monsters might appear here. Since this is considered the lower levels of Hell, the Yokai living here are very dangerous.”
“Yes, I’m well aware. That’s why I’m asking you to put me down. I know the Yokai are dangerous, so I can’t just keep riding on your back.”
“…Master? What do you mean by—”
“You see, due to certain circumstances, I’m quite sensitive to the smell of blood and lies. But regardless of your motives, it’s a fact that you saved me. Why don’t we just call it even here?”
I tried to ask as temperately as possible, but he only gripped me tighter and continued walking forcefully.
“…You should have waited for me to let my guard down and looked for a chance to run at the very end, Master.”
“No, what kind of crazy person would see a Yokai opening its maw to drag them to its nest and just follow along obediently, knowing there’s a trap?”
“Well, isn’t there a saying? Even if you’re dragged into a tiger’s den, you can survive if you keep your wits about you.”
“That doesn’t mean you can survive after you’ve entered the tiger’s mouth.”
The 8th Hell, the Iron Bed Hell, is where deceivers fall—those who increased their wealth through dishonest means or by tricking others.
Souls that fall to this place, classified as the lower depths of Hell, can never reach the heavens no matter how much they struggle. At best, they can only hope to be reincarnated as humans again.
So, what happens to the wicked who fail to achieve even that best-case scenario?
They either go to the 9th Hell to face new trials, remain here as wraiths, or, failing that, become the monsters known as Yokai.
Judging by the thick scent of blood coming from him, this man who ‘helped’ me was likely one of the latter.
“Saving a wounded Taoist… today is a very lucky day indeed.”
“So you have no intention of letting me go, no matter what?”
“Of course not. Why would I let go of such a rare opportunity? If a Yokai eats a Taoist who has accumulated much power, their own demonic energy expands immensely, allowing them to reach the next stage.”
…Come to think of it, in Journey to the West, the Yokai were always after Sanzang because eating his flesh granted eternal youth.
But I’m not a monk, let alone a Taoist, so why has he been calling me ‘Master’ this whole time?
“I’m not a Taoist.”
“A lie like that won’t work. Do you have any idea how delicious you smell?”
I often hear that I smell like flowers, but ‘delicious’ is a first.
“Just how much training did you do, and how many hardships did you overcome to harbor such a vast soul? If you didn’t have a physical body, I would have believed you were a celestial being, given how immense your soul is.”
He’s misunderstanding it like that?
— Well, honestly, to a Yokai, you probably look like a very appetizing snack right now. In a way, you might be even better than Sanzang.
‘That’s not exactly positive news.’
“If we can just share you, even Great Yokai will emerge from our village.”
…Regardless of everything else, it was true that he helped me, and thanks to him, I was able to recover.
I wanted to part ways as peacefully as possible.
“So you really can’t let me go?”
“Yes. Don’t even think about resisting. I’ve already realized that, for whatever reason, you’re in a state where you can’t use Taoist magic. You’re a human, not a celestial; you wouldn’t think of fighting a Yokai without magic, would you?”
“We’ve talked enough, and I’ve tried to persuade you, so don’t go regretting this, okay?”
“Don’t regret it yourself; just stay still. We have a butcher who has slaughtered many humans, so if you follow quietly, it won’t hurt—”
“I appreciate the help. But I can’t exactly die for you just to say thanks.”
I wasn’t in peak condition, but perhaps because I’d been carried, I had recovered enough to move somehow. That was sufficient.
“You insist on drinking the poison—”
“There are people up there worrying about me, and I have to go apologize to them.”
I pulled the Touch of the Devil from my robe and plunged it into the Yokai’s back. He let out a scream, and in an instant, the man with the kind face transformed into a monster that looked like a grotesque hybrid of a wolf and a pig.
The monster, having thrown me off in pain, glared at me in rage. Honestly, though, it wasn’t that scary.
“I was going to handle you painlessly because I felt sorry for your plight, but you’re acting up. I’ll have to sever the tendons in your arms and legs before taking you back.”
Facing such a large monster while unable to use Reinforcement or use artifacts recklessly…
Normally, I should be terrified.
But perhaps because my recent opponents had been so overwhelmingly powerful, my courage had grown far too much to be afraid of a thing like this.
Even if I couldn’t use Innate True Qi, I hadn’t lost all my tricks.
I gripped the dagger and took a familiar stance.
It was annoying that I couldn’t use Sword Qi and that my reach was short, but it would be enough to cut down a beast charging blindly like that.
The moment the creature entered the dagger’s range, I executed a familiar sword form.
Though the movement lacked mana, the logic of the sword did not vanish.
When I sliced the tendons in its arm, the limb went limp. I circled behind it and cut its ankles, causing it to lose its balance and collapse.
Just as the creature, sensing something was wrong, tried to scream, I drove the dagger into its throat. Its mouth hung open, gasping, unable to make a sound.
I wondered if it was ending too easily, and it seemed Sun Wukong shared the sentiment. She tried to offer a warning, but unfortunately, it came a split second too late.
— He is too weak for a lower-level Yokai. He likely has at least one hidden ability…
Contrary to my expectation that he wouldn’t be able to scream with a punctured throat, a massive mouth opened on the creature’s belly and let out a thunderous roar.
And unless he was screaming simply from the pain, the meaning of that act was clear.
— It seems he’s sent a signal. Are they monsters that act in packs?
“…I need to run. I only beat this guy easily because it was a semi-surprise attack. If their numbers increase, I honestly don’t have the confidence.”
— Move your legs instead of talking. It’s best to assume that Yokai in the lower depths of Hell have at least one hidden trick, no matter how humble their skills.
“…I see that now.”
It wasn’t a simple scream; I could already feel something rapidly approaching me.
“I’m feeling it right now, through my own skin.”