Chapter 755: Pain Worse Than Death
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 755: Pain Worse Than Death
"Then, I shall take my leave and head outside."
Ha Su-ryeon, the Leader of the Hao Clan, spoke while looking at Joo So-yang.
"Outside?" Joo So-yang asked back, her voice tinged with curiosity.
"Yes. I believe it is necessary to assess the situation out there." Ha Su-ryeon nodded and continued, "And shouldn't we bring Sun-woo back as well?"
"..."
Upon hearing those words, Joo So-yang began to stare at her intently. Her gaze was filled with deep suspicion.
"...Why... are you looking at me like that...?"
"You two seem quite close."
"Pardon?"
"You and Young Master Jang, I mean."
"It’s not so much that we’re close... it’s more of a... cooperative relationship..."
It was indeed closer to a partnership than a friendship—a partnership forged solely for the sake of revenge.
"For a mere partnership, you certainly call him by his name quite familiarly."
"That... well... did it make you uncomfortable?" Ha Su-ryeon asked tentatively, watching Joo So-yang’s reaction. She was worried she might have offended her.
"No, why would I be uncomfortable?" Joo So-yang replied with a bright smile. Of course, her eyes weren't smiling at all.
Shiver.
Meeting that gaze, Ha Su-ryeon felt a chill run down her spine. An inexplicable sense of dread welled up within her.
Why... why is she acting like this toward me?
She couldn't understand it—this sudden display of wariness from Joo So-yang.
"Leader of the Hao Clan."
"Yes, please, speak." Ha Su-ryeon looked at her with trembling eyes.
"If you wish to be officially recognized, you will have to go to the Tang Clan."
"Excuse me?"
"I, of course, am in favor of it. It would be convenient to have an intelligence bureau under our command, after all."
"W-what do you mean by that?" Ha Su-ryeon asked, her expression one of utter confusion. What on earth was she talking about? Official recognition?
"Just keep that in mind."
Joo So-yang let out a mysterious smile. Ha Su-ryeon could only tilt her head in bewilderment, unable to grasp the meaning behind the woman's disjointed remarks.
*
"I will bring him back shortly."
Ha Su-ryeon spoke with a polite demeanor and immediately began to walk away. She appeared to be heading out of the formation.
"Safe travels."
Joo So-yang waved her off with a soft, gentle smile. Soon, Ha Su-ryeon’s figure vanished completely as she stepped beyond the bounds of the formation.
"Has she gone?"
A familiar voice drifted from behind Joo So-yang. It was Yoon Je-gyeom, a man who was like an uncle to her.
"Yes. She said she needed to check the situation outside. And to bring the Sword God back while she’s at it."
"I see." Yoon Je-gyeom nodded in understanding.
"Did you finish moving Lee Jae-won?" Joo So-yang asked, turning her head slightly toward him.
"I threw him into a corner room roughly."
"I’m sorry for the trouble... It’s just that the thought of breathing the same air in the same room as him made me feel sick to my stomach..." Joo So-yang spoke with an apologetic expression. It had been her request to move him; she had made it clear she didn't want to be in the same space as that man.
"Do not give it a second thought. How could I not understand how you feel?" Yoon Je-gyeom replied, his face showing his empathy. "By the way, there is something I must say to you."
His expression turned uncharacteristically grave.
"Something to say?" Joo So-yang tilted her head. She was curious about what he could suddenly have to tell her.
"Can you hand over custody of Lee Jae-won to me?" Yoon Je-gyeom asked, staring at her with absolute seriousness.
"Custody of... Lee Jae-won?"
"Yes. I want him, So-yang." Yoon Je-gyeom spoke firmly, his eyes locked onto hers.
"...I cannot do that." Joo So-yang shook her head. It was a request she simply could not grant. "The right over Lee Jae-won's life and death belongs to the Sword God, who subdued him. I cannot... recklessly... take that right away."
Thud.
Suddenly, Yoon Je-gyeom dropped to his knees on the floor. A giant who had roamed the Murim for nearly half a century was kneeling before a girl young enough to be his daughter.
"Un... Uncle?!" Joo So-yang gasped, her face pale with shock.
"If it were the Sword God, he would almost certainly try to kill him. He was already interrupted once while trying to do so. But I... I cannot accept the Sword God's decision." Yoon Je-gyeom spoke as he looked up at the bewildered Joo So-yang. "He must not die like this... So-yang... He must live... He must live... and pay dearly for his sins..."
Yoon Je-gyeom’s eyes were filled with desperate longing.
"He is a demon who raped and murdered countless women... To let him die like this would be far too merciful. He must suffer more... He must writhe in agony for a long, long time, enduring a pain worse than death!" Yoon Je-gyeom raised his voice, shouting. "His remaining arm must be severed! He must be fed drugs to make his entire body ache! His skin must be sliced thin with a tiny blade, as if being flayed! and then those wounds must be seared with fire!"
Yoon Je-gyeom continued, his eyes burning with a dark passion.
"That is why he cannot die now! So please... I beg of you... please... grant this first and last request of your uncle... Please... help me avenge my granddaughter who died so miserably..."
Hot tears began to stream down his face as he pleaded. He believed that Lee Jae-won deserved far more agony. Killing him now was an act of mercy he couldn't allow. And so, he begged and begged, kneeling before Joo So-yang. That was how much desperation filled his heart.
"..."
Joo So-yang looked down at Yoon Je-gyeom with a calm, silent gaze.
"...Uncle." She finally spoke, her voice low. "I am sorry."
It was an apology. She was expressing her refusal to grant his request. It wasn't that she didn't empathize with his feelings. However, no matter what, she could not betray Sun-woo. Yoon Je-gyeom was like family, but Sun-woo was her sky and her master. How could she ever go against her master, who was like the heavens themselves?
"Can you truly not grant this?" Yoon Je-gyeom asked, looking at her with pitiful eyes.
"I cannot... I am sorry, Uncle." Joo So-yang replied, her expression pained as she met his gaze.
"...Then I have no choice either."
Yoon Je-gyeom’s face darkened. He slowly rose to his feet.
"Uncle... I am truly... sorry... I..." Joo So-yang apologized again, her heart heavy from having to refuse him so firmly.
"Do not mind it. Did you not do what you judged to be right?" Yoon Je-gyeom said, his expression now unreadable.
"That may be true, but..." Joo So-yang trailed off, her face full of regret. Refusing his request was what she believed to be right, but the thought that it had wounded him made her heart ache.
"Truly, do not mind it. For I, too, shall do what I have judged to be right."
Yoon Je-gyeom’s hand began to move toward his sword belt.
*
Lee Jae-won was in the depths of despair. The realization that he had become a completely irredeemable cripple had finally sunk in.
The left arm that had been with him his whole life was gone. Both legs that had stood firmly upon the earth were severed. His waist, which he had used to thrust tirelessly, was broken. Most of all, his proud phallus had been crushed to a pulp. He had lost everything. How could he not despair?
I curse you... you goddamn bastards... I curse you all!
Soon, a murderous rage began to flicker in Lee Jae-won’s eyes. At the end of despair, only anger remained—rage toward the man and woman who had reduced him to this pathetic state.
Everything had been perfect. The world of Murim was so perfect it wouldn't have been an exaggeration to call it a paradise made just for him. But that paradise had been utterly ruined. All because of the appearance of a man named Jang Sun-woo.
It was all because of that bastard. The reason his wives betrayed him, the reason his limbs were severed, his manhood crushed, and his back broken—the reason the crowds turned their backs on him—it was all because of that son of a bitch.
If only he wasn't here! If only that bastard didn't exist!
The killing intent in Lee Jae-won’s eyes intensified. If not for the root of all his problems, Jang Sun-woo, he wouldn't have ended up in this miserable state. His fury boiled over. In the end, he had been dragged down to the pits of hell by that one man.
I will have my revenge... no matter what it takes... I will have my revenge!
Lee Jae-won’s eyes began to turn bloodshot. He strained them so hard that the tiny capillaries in the whites of his eyes began to burst.
I have to move!
Lee Jae-won began to thrash his body. He intended to move by any means necessary.
"Aaaaaaaagh!"
But the moment he tried to struggle, an excruciating pain surged through his entire body. Terrible, sharp agony radiated from his broken waist and his mangled phallus.
"Guaaaaagh!"
A blood-curdling scream tore from Lee Jae-won’s throat.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it!"
He began to spew curses, realizing that no matter how much he struggled, he couldn't move. He wanted to support his body, but his waist was snapped. He wanted to push himself up, but he had no arms. He wanted to step on the ground, but he had no legs. He had become a cripple who couldn't do a single thing on his own.
"Fuuuuuuuuck!!!!!!!!!"
Rage consumed him.
"I’m the protagonist of this world! I’m the king of this world! So why do I have to suffer like this? Why?!!!"
Lee Jae-won screamed, his face contorted with a sense of injustice. He truly couldn't understand it. He was the protagonist of this world. A protagonist who might face crises but never defeat. Even in life-threatening situations, he would seize heavenly luck to overcome the odds. With just a word from him, the ignorant, foolish masses would scramble to praise and worship him. He had taken the most beautiful women in the Central Plains as his wives and mastered the greatest martial arts under heaven. He possessed the path and the power that made it only natural to call him the protagonist.
So why did someone like him have to suffer this? His waist broken, his limbs severed, his phallus crushed. And now, he was waiting for death, unable to offer even the slightest resistance. How could he possibly accept this?
This was an absurdity. An injustice against the protagonist.
"Hurry up and overcome this crisis for me!!!!!!!! Drop a meteor! Roll back the world!!!!!! Make me regress! Do something, you pieces of shit!!!!!!!!!"
Lee Jae-won began to howl at the ceiling at the top of his lungs. He was sincerely wishing for it—for some miraculous power to save him. But no matter how long he waited, the phenomenon he desired did not occur. Only his misery deepened.
"Status Window! Status Windoooooow! STATUS WINDOOOOOOW!!!!!!"
Lee Jae-won began to scream into the empty air.
"Status!!!! Status!!!! STATUS!!!!!!!!!!!!"
He was trying to find a miracle that could reverse this desperate and pathetic situation.
"Activate Regression! Activate Regression! ACTIVATE REGRESSION!"
How long had he been screaming like that?
"........Please..... anything..... just save me....... make a miracle happen......"
Lee Jae-won began to plead desperately, his voice now hoarse and broken. He prayed for a miracle to deliver him.
Creeeeeak.
Suddenly, the sound of hinges groaning reached his ears as the door began to open. Lee Jae-won quickly turned his head. A hollow hope welled up within him—the thought that perhaps his wish had been granted.
But soon, disappointment flooded his face. What appeared was not a miracle. It was the nasty old man who had severed his legs.
"You son of a bitch! Why the fuck are you coming out?! Not you! I said a miracle!"
Lee Jae-won screamed at the top of his lungs. He was incensed by the man's appearance.
"You have a foul mouth, Lee Jae-won."
Yoon Je-gyeom stared down at him with a cold expression.
Step. Step.
He slowly began to walk toward him. Then, gripping his sword in a reverse hold, he aimed it at Lee Jae-won’s heart.
"You gonna kill me? Kill me then! Kill me, you bastard! I'll take this chance to regress or reincarnate, you son of a bitch!"
Seeing this, Lee Jae-won began to howl. He was already a pathetic mess. He didn't fear death.
"You will not die, Lee Jae-won."
Yoon Je-gyeom spoke in a calm, flat tone.
Thrust.
And then, he drove the blade straight through Lee Jae-won’s heart.
"GIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!!"
A piercing scream erupted from Lee Jae-won’s mouth. An unimaginable pain spread through his entire body, centered on his heart.
When his arm was cut off...
When his legs were severed...
When his waist was broken...
When his phallus was crushed...
It hadn't hurt this much. It was too painful. It was agonizing. It was worse than all those pains combined.
"It hurts!!!!!! It hurts!!!!!! IT HURTS!!!!!!"
Lee Jae-won began to writhe and scream. And every time he moved, the pain doubled, further ravaging his body.
Why...! Why won't I die!
Lee Jae-won cursed his own body for not dying instantly despite being stabbed through the heart. Why wouldn't he just die?
"Does it hurt?"
Yoon Je-gyeom glared down at him with cold eyes.
"Our Jin-ah must have hurt even more..."
A single tear began to fall from his eye.
"So... hurt more... More... even more!"
Crunch.
Yoon Je-gyeom twisted the sword embedded in the heart.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!!"
Lee Jae-won’s screams grew even louder. A pain that defied description washed over him.
"Kill me!!!!!! Kill me!!!!!!! KILL MEEEEE!!"
Lee Jae-won begged. He pleaded for him to kill him. He begged for the sweet release of death. But contrary to his wishes, he could not die. Despite his heart being pierced, all his nerves and senses remained vividly alive.
"Why won't I dieeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!"
Lee Jae-won shrieked.
"Did I not tell you? You will not die."
Yoon Je-gyeom spoke in a calm, steady voice.
"For my Sword of Suffering will not permit your death."
Yoon Je-gyeom’s eyes glinted coldly.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!! KILL ME!!!"
And Lee Jae-won’s screams only grew more violent.