Chapter 33: Desperate Crisis-1
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 33: Desperate Crisis-1
Watching Sun-woo’s shell-shocked expression, Lee Jae-won let out a thick smirk.
That face, twisted with despair, was simply too entertaining.
The brat who had the balls to set fire to his treasure vault and steal the Overlord Ghost-Face Armor was now trembling so hard his teeth were clattering incessantly.
He was terrified.
It was only natural.
Who was he, after all?
He was the great hero who had saved the Murim from the hands of the Heavenly Demon Emperor twenty years ago—the invincible, absolute master who had reached the Profound Realm, a stage often called the Half-Immortal Stage.
It was perfectly understandable that the foolish disciple before him was shivering like a leaf.
In truth, Lee Jae-won had arrived at the summit of White Flower Peak just as Sun-woo emerged wearing the Overlord Ghost-Face Armor.
However, curious about the armor’s appearance and Sun-woo’s martial arts, he had remained hidden, leisurely spectating the fight.
Of course, that leisure stemmed from the absolute certainty that no matter what happened, Yang Tae-san could not possibly lose.
How could Jang Sam, a mere Super-Peak Realm martial artist, ever defeat an absolute warrior considered the strongest in the world after himself?
But his expectations had been spectacularly subverted.
Despite using the ultimate technique known as the Heart Sword, Yang Tae-san had fallen to Sun-woo.
The Heart Sword had cut Sun-woo, but it hadn't cut deep enough.
Perhaps his concentration had wavered the moment Sun-woo’s blade slashed his throat.
One of the world's absolute masters, and the most capable of his subordinates, had died at the hands of this whelp.
Lee Jae-won felt a slight surge of irritation, but seeing the blissful expression on Jang Sam’s face caused his anger to subside instantly.
How much fun would it be to see that happy face contorted in despair?
When Sun-woo heard his first words, his reaction was truly a sight to behold.
If there were cameras in the Murim, he would have wanted to take a picture.
Sun-woo was still trembling as he looked at him, his eyes dyed with terror.
Lee Jae-won felt a rush of euphoria at that reaction.
"Jang Sam, you have no idea how much of a pain in the ass you've been for me, do you?"
"........."
Sun-woo, plunged into despair, couldn't even find his voice.
Why is he here?!
He had barely managed to defeat Yang Tae-san through sheer luck, only for someone even more monstrous to appear.
There was nothing he could do but despair.
This was entirely different from Yang Tae-san.
In that case, there had been a glimmer of hope.
Though Yang Tae-san was a master of the Transcendent Realm, his strength had been cut by more than half due to Ok-ryeong, a master of the same level. Furthermore, Sun-woo possessed the Yin-Yang Harmony Divine Art and the Overlord Ghost-Face Armor. It was a gamble worth his life.
But Lee Jae-won was different.
He was less a human and more a natural disaster.
How could a human ever defeat nature?
Unless a meteor suddenly fell and destroyed the Earth, there was no way to deal with him.
He was a calamity.
And Sun-woo was now facing that very calamity.
Tap. Tap.
"Why aren't you saying anything? Are you a mute?"
Lee Jae-won continued, tapping Sun-woo’s cheek.
"What... what are you going to do with me!?"
Sun-woo forced the words out, squeezing his vocal cords which were paralyzed by fear.
"Kill you, obviously."
The answer was instantaneous.
His death was already a foregone conclusion.
No matter what he said, Lee Jae-won’s decision would not change.
But even if he died, he wanted to save her.
"Are you going to kill me now?"
"I should. Honestly, I was going to take you back to the Cheonmu Alliance to kill you, but since you killed Tae-san, I’m feeling a bit more bloodthirsty than usual."
Perhaps because Yang Tae-san was a subordinate he had been somewhat fond of, Lee Jae-won seemed to possess at least a shred of the concept of revenge.
This wasn't good.
He had to get Lee Jae-won away from White Flower Peak somehow.
"I don't think that's a very good choice."
"Doesn't matter. Whatever choice I make is the right one."
Lee Jae-won continued with a smirk.
It was an incredibly arrogant statement, but it wasn't exactly wrong.
He was the protagonist of this novel's world, and no matter what choice he made, he always succeeded.
Because he was the protagonist.
Sun-woo had to persuade him.
He had to make Lee Jae-won focus solely on him so that he wouldn't pay any attention to Ok-ryeong.
"Think about it. Even if you kill me here, your tarnished reputation won't be restored. You have to kill me in front of the public to bolster their trust and your authority."
"Oho, trust and authority? Well, you have a point there."
It worked.
The reaction was more positive than expected. He had to push further.
"You lost a massive asset like the Sword Emperor to Jang Sam, the first disciple of the Cheonmu Alliance Leader. Even if I die, how will you appease the people's resentment? Everyone will surely curse the Alliance Leader. You need a scapegoat until things settle down. I can play that role perfectly."
"Heh, why are you so eager to go to the Cheonmu Alliance? Do you actually think you can escape?"
"Of course. I’ll be thinking of escaping every single moment I’m captured, and I’ll do everything in my power to do so. It might be a risk for you, but don't you think it's worth the price?"
"True. Just beating you to death here wouldn't be very convincing, nor would it restore my fallen authority. Executing you publicly is the cleanest and best way. You might try to escape, but I can just sever the tendons in your limbs and burst your Dantian."
I did it.
Sun-woo felt a wave of relief, thinking he had persuaded Lee Jae-won.
"Right. So let's head down right now."
"There's something I need to do first."
Step. Step.
Lee Jae-won began to walk slowly past Sun-woo.
Watching him, a sense of dread washed over Sun-woo.
Please, please, please, let it not be.
He prayed several times in his heart, but God did not listen.
At the end of the path Lee Jae-won was taking lay Ok-ryeong, unconscious after having her Sleep-Inducing Pressure Point struck.
"I need to fuck this bitch before we go."
The despair grew even deeper.
Lee Jae-won’s hand began to reach down to grab her clothes.
"Stop!"
Hearing that voice, Lee Jae-won turned around.
"Hey, I'll let you have a turn too. You were my disciple, after all. I should let you fuck at least one woman before you die, right?"
Having said his piece, Lee Jae-won grabbed Ok-ryeong’s clothes again.
Rrip!
Boing.
The fabric tore, revealing Ok-ryeong’s luscious breasts.
"Wow, this bitch is still going braless. And they're still disgustingly huge. They say women with big tits are the sluttiest. What do you think?"
Lee Jae-won wore a lewd grin as he stared intently at her breasts.
Sun-woo felt his blood boil to the top of his head.
The woman who loved him.
The woman he loved.
The woman who had been miserably abandoned by Lee Jae-won.
She was now on the verge of being violated.
"Lee Jae-won, Grade 12, Class 2, Yeongjung High School."
Freeze.
At Sun-woo’s words, Lee Jae-won’s hand, which was about to grope Ok-ryeong’s breast, stopped dead.
"You always suffered at the thought of having to go to school every morning. All the kids ignored you, and they bullied you constantly. It wasn't just the kids, either. Even the teachers treated you like a problem child who couldn't fit in."
"You... how do you...!!"
Lee Jae-won stared at him with wide, bulging eyes.
"But you know what? All of that happened because you were pathetic. You never worked hard at anything. You didn't study, you didn't exercise, and you weren't even good at playing around! You were just a loser who spent your time envying those who lived diligently while pretending to be a bystander!"
"No!!!!!!! No!!! I didn't do anything wrong! It was all their fault!"
"You probably thought you were being 'cynical,' but you were just an asshole. And you didn't care about what others thought? No, you were just oblivious and a nuisance. You enjoyed being alone and thought the other kids were childish? That's just you lacking empathy, you fucking loser!!"
"Stooooop!!! Stop it, you son of a bitch!!"
Stung to the quick, Lee Jae-won screamed out in desperation.
"You pretend to be cool, but you're nothing more than a loser with a 'cool guy' complex who craves affection more than anyone else. You pathetic piece of shit. Do you think you've changed just because you came to the Murim? Nothing has changed. You're still just a piece of shit!"
At Sun-woo’s words, Lee Jae-won’s mind began to fracture.
Who exactly was this person before him?
Wasn't he Jang Sam, his first disciple who had been under him for twenty years?
And yet, his past was spilling out of that man's mouth.
It was impossible.
It made no sense.
The shameful past he had wanted to hide for his entire life began to resurface one by one.
Lee Jae-won clutched his head.
"Get out! Get out of my head!!"
Because Lee Jae-won had never achieved any mental growth, those past memories were all the more fatal.
"Guaaaaah, you son of a bitch!!!"
Lee Jae-won lunged at Sun-woo, reaching for his collar.
The Overlord Ghost-Face Armor tried to repel Lee Jae-won’s hand with its counter-force, but it was useless.
Lee Jae-won’s hand punched through the armor’s defense and snatched Sun-woo by the throat.
"You... who the hell are you!! What is your identity!!"
"I'm Jang Sam, you bastard."
"Don't fuck with me! There's no way Jang Sam would know these things. Tell me now. Who are you!"
"Me? Someone who knows the truth of this world."
"What kind of crazy bullshit is that!?"
"Lee Jae-won, did you know? If you kill me, you'll be sent back to your original world."
"What!?"
"I've set up an insurance policy. If my life or death becomes uncertain because of you, my comrades will perform a ritual to return you to your original world."
"...Liar!!"
"Why don't you kill me and find out if it's a lie or not? Check for yourself whether you go back to your original world or not."
"..........."
Lee Jae-won couldn't say a word to Sun-woo’s challenge.
Regardless of whether Sun-woo’s words were true or not, he had no reason to accept such a dangerous gamble.
"By the way, if you return to your original world, you'll lose all the power you have and just become a middle-aged man. Since there's no internal energy there, all the martial arts you've learned will become useless. Well? Do you still want to try killing me?"
Sun-woo was currently putting every ounce of his strength into the biggest lie of his life.
This was the only way he could survive and ensure Ok-ryeong wasn't raped.
Lee Jae-won was undoubtedly confused right now.
Because Sun-woo had appeared, rattling off the traumas that had haunted him his entire life.
To be honest, it was a blatant lie full of holes, made up on the spot.
If he actually knew a way to send Lee Jae-won back, it would have been much better to threaten him with it from the start or just send him back and pull him out by the roots.
Threatening him only now because his life was in danger?!
To anyone with a brain, it was a lie that would never work.
But fortunately, Lee Jae-won’s brain was just for decoration.
Overwhelmed by the fear that he might actually be sent back, he was unable to make a rational judgment and was wavering.
He couldn't give him time to think. He had to maintain this momentum.
"If you take me with you to the Cheonmu Alliance right now, I'll teach you a way to live in the Murim forever. I can swear it on the name of God."
".........."
"And just so you know, if you try to torture me, I'll bite my tongue and kill myself right here. Surely you don't want to gamble, do you?"
Lee Jae-won fell into deep thought at Sun-woo’s words.
No matter how he looked at it, it was a lie full of holes, but the 'what if' was holding him back.
What if his words were true?!
What if he really got sent back to his original world?!
What if that guy suddenly committed suicide?!
Questions followed questions, and he finally reached a conclusion.
He had to keep this man alive.
He never wanted to go back to that hell, even if he died.
He wanted to live in his own paradise for thousands and tens of thousands of years.
"Fine. I'll let you live."
Sun-woo cheered inwardly at Lee Jae-won’s words.
The lie of a lifetime had worked.
As long as he could get away from White Flower Peak with Lee Jae-won, she would be safe.
If he could just leave a single letter before going to the Cheonmu Alliance, he could have her evacuated far away.
It was then.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
With swift movements, Lee Jae-won struck Sun-woo’s acupoints.
Immediately, a stinging pain shot through his entire body, and he began to feel paralyzed.
Pressure Points?!?
"Just in case you try anything stupid."
His entire body, including his tongue, was paralyzed, making it impossible to move.
"You piece of shit, there's a limit to how much you can look down on someone. If I strike your Pressure Points, you can't commit suicide, can you?"
Having said that, Lee Jae-won began to walk slowly toward Ok-ryeong.
"It seems this bitch is quite precious to you. Watch closely. Watch how much water overflows from between her legs. Hehehehe."
As he walked, Lee Jae-won slowly began to lower his pants.
Soon, a massive phallus revealed its majesty.
"My dear Ok-ryeong, I haven't been able to taste you since I had you twenty years ago. Shall we see how much you've ripened since then?"
Finally reaching Ok-ryeong, Lee Jae-won thrust his phallus forward.
No!!!
Sun-woo, whose mouth wouldn't move because his Pressure Points were struck, screamed internally.
Was there truly no one to stop this demon, this fiendish human?
Was he to lose the woman he loved just like this?
Tears flowed incessantly, and despair enveloped his entire body.
If only I hadn't come to White Flower Peak.
If only I hadn't tried to use her.
None of this would have happened.
Sun-woo was consumed by regret and guilt toward his past self.
Ok-ryeong!!!!!!!
It was then.
"You're still doing such trivial things, I see."
A familiar voice reached Lee Jae-won’s ears just as he was about to commit the act.
Could it be?!
Thwack!
A sudden impact slammed into his face, and Lee Jae-won was sent flying.
K-boom!
Lee Jae-won flew into a wall, smashing through it as he was buried in the rubble.
Sun-woo, watching this, was stunned.
Who could possibly blow away Lee Jae-won, the World's Greatest Martial Artist and a master of the Profound Realm known as a Half-Immortal?
Sun-woo shifted his gaze to look at the person who had sent Lee Jae-won flying.
"What are you looking at, brat?"
The person who had sent Lee Jae-won flying was a frail-looking old man.
Sun-woo’s pupils began to shake violently.
"Got something to say?"
Having spoken, the old man fired a Finger Wind, releasing Sun-woo’s Pressure Points.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
"Cough... cough... who... are you?"
Sun-woo, now free, coughed as he spoke.
"You don't need to know."
It was then.
"Guaaaaaah!!!"
Following the scream, Lee Jae-won appeared, having cleared the brick debris and stood up.
"LEE HO-SEOOOOOOOON!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Lee Jae-won screamed at the old man.
Sun-woo’s eyes widened at Lee Jae-won’s words.
The Yin-Yang Demon, Lee Ho-seon.
The World's Greatest Demon who had once slaughtered countless martial artists regardless of their affiliation, plunging the entire Murim into terror. The absolute master who had killed Lee Jae-won’s master, Seon-ong, twenty years ago, only to vanish after being defeated by Lee Jae-won, had finally revealed himself.
"I'm not deaf, you brat."
Lee Ho-seon spoke, picking his ear.