Chapter 97: The Antlion's Pit
The note felt like a deliberate mockery. The martial artists who read it trembled with rage.
"What the fuck—?!"
A piece of paper left behind as some kind of joke was reduced to dust by an enraged evil path master. Everyone gritted their teeth, filled with fury. Some were even letting out wild screams.
It was then.
Mo Yong-chul quietly closed his eyes instead. Since receiving his baptism, he had never truly felt anger. He calmly reviewed his plan. The ideal outcome was for them to fight and kill each other, with only a handful surviving. And for rumors to spread that this place was piled high with gold and treasure. Drawing in countless people like an antlion pit would be best.
A shame.
Countless wanderers had already been sacrificed just to reach this point. That he had orchestrated it didn't matter. There were righteous path martial artists who had knowingly looked the other way. They weren't innocent either. Using the wanderers as meat shields was a seed that would weaken the righteous path's moral standing. Then, if the younger generations of the evil and righteous paths slaughtered each other, what remained would be a great war between the two factions — nothing but all-out conflict. The small conflicts sparked here would be fanned into flames by others.
But the plan had only been half successful. If it ended like this, everything would fizzle out. Perhaps...
"...Yeah. It can't be helped."
The fact that there was no treasure must never be revealed. This place had to become an antlion pit. A ground where countless martial artists gathered to slaughter one another.
Mo Yong-chul pulled out a crimson orb from deep within his robes, hidden close to his chest. The moment he shattered it, he would either be the sole survivor or become one of the martial artists annihilated. His hesitation was brief.
Crunch!
The crimson orb turned to powder. At the same time, a hairline crack formed in the air — a fissure thinner than a spider's web.
Crackle.
It was the beginning of a rupture.
"Kugh...!"
There was a price to pay. Dark red blood dripped from Mo Yong-chul's mouth. If left unchecked, his heart would burst. Someone nearby reacted instantly.
"Young Master! Are you alright?!"
A bodyguard who had managed to followded him here before turning thirty. A talented martial artist who had reached the First-class Realm at a young age. First-class in his twenties—his talent was more than sufficient. He had started martial arts late but still grown faster than others. Mo Yong-chul had planned to groom him as the next escort captain, which made this a bit of a shame. The young man still had plenty of room to be persuaded, unlike the current escort captain.
"Guh...ck..."
Fragments of internal organs splattered out. There was no time to hesitate.
"Young Master!"
The bodyguard approached quickly, warily scanning their surroundings. He was loyalty itself, a true escort. He blocked in front of Mo Yong-chul and checked all directions, suspecting a poisoned needle might have flown in.
Thump!
A blade erupted from his heart.
"G...uh...?"
Behind him was only the person he was guarding. Which meant the culprit was clear. The last thing the bodyguard saw was his young master, face looking somewhat relieved, piercing his own heart.
Mo Yong-chul steadied his own throbbing heart. The sacrifice had been made.
"Hoo..."
"Wha... have you lost your mind?"
An evil path martial artist who had grown close to him while breaking through the traps stepped back instinctively. Killing your own subordinate... Even the most vicious villains spared their own men. This guy didn't seem sane.
Mo Yong-chul didn't answer. There was no need to talk to a corpse. He just stared at the crack in the air.
Crackle!
The fissure that had been a hairline fracture grew larger and larger. It felt like something precious was breaking. A sound that instinctively repulsed any human. The gazes of the martial artists who had been inspecting the cave for hidden spaces all snapped toward it.
"Ugh...!"
"What the hell is that?!"
An ominous air was leaking from the crack. Just as everyone's attention converged—
KWAANG!!
A massive arm burst out of thin air and slammed down on an evil path martial artist. Its fist alone was larger than a full-grown man. He died instantly without even reacting.
Whoosh.
Appearing and reducing a man to meat paste in the same instant, the arm swung sideways. A martial artist in its path reacted—the same righteous path martial artist who had deflected the entire volley of arrows earlier.
"Huh?!"
He was a First-class master just shy of reaching the Peak Realm. On instinct, he flared his sword aura.
Vwoom!
"Th- Thirty-Two Chain... guh!"
He unleashed his most confident technique, but it was meaningless.
KWANG!
The treasured sword passed down through his family for generations snapped like a wooden chopstick. He was sent flying and slammed into the wall. His twitching body grew still.
Mo Yong-chul grinned sardonically and shouted. The need to bother with a mask had vanished.
"Keuh... Die, all of you!"
Si-woo and Seo Ji-yoo, who had blended into the crowd of wanderers, looked at each other. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. It was telepathic transmission.
"What do we do?"
"...Let me think."
Si-woo assessed the situation. The giant arm protruding from the crack in the air. The fissure was slowly widening, and something was forcing its way out. And the one who had stabbed his own subordinate and triggered all this—
"Keuh...!"
That pig-like bastard was wearing an unpleasant smile. He was blocking the entrance, the only way in and out of the cave.
"You're insane! What the hell is that?!"
A wanderer, horrified, tried to flee outside. He charged at Mo Yong-chul, who was blocking the door.
"Out of my way, you pig!!"
He gripped his sword so hard his knuckles went white and thrust it forward. A faintly glowing sword aura shot toward Mo Yong-chul.
CLANG!
Mo Yong-chul sidestepped and threw a punch. Simple but effective. The wanderer's face caved in, and he died instantly. Then he blocked the door again, as if that alone was enough.
The giant arm lashed wildly in every direction. Each time, the cave trembled as if it would collapse.
"D- dodge it!"
"AARGH!"
The arm was targeting the righteous and evil path martial artists. They couldn't even get near Mo Yong-chul while dodging it. Si-woo sent a telepathic message to Seo Ji-yoo.
"This place is going to collapse at this rate. We take out that bastard and slip out with the fleeing wanderers."
"...Fine."
Concealment. Lightness.
He hadn't learned any stealth techniques, but Mixed Origin Qi was versatile. His presence grew hazy. He calmed his mind and walked slowly. The most reliable way to kill a monster was to ambush it. Recalling that feeling, he hid his killing intent. Until five steps remained, the pig-bastard showed no reaction.
At four steps—the bastard's brow furrowed. Sharp senses, despite his bulky build. Si-woo immediately switched all the attributes of his Mixed Origin Qi. Stealth was no longer needed. He focused on speed and sharpness.
A sharp sword imbued with sword aura flew toward the bastard's face.
At the same time, Seo Ji-yoo's ambush followed. The bastard reacted to both strikes simultaneously. He twisted his head to dodge the sword. At the same time, he kicked backward, sending Seo Ji-yoo flying.
"KYAAAH!"
He didn't even flinch at the sword grazing his face. He immediately thrust out a fist wreathed in a blood-red heat haze. A thick scent of blood filled Si-woo's nostrils.
Vwoom!
He stepped back reflexively. But the fist force followed him, as if the punch itself was elongating.
Peak Realm?
The fist force aimed at his heart. It came faster than he could retreat. No time to dodge. He wrapped his chest in Mixed Origin Qi and switched attributes.
Strength... no, Lightness. Suppleness.
Instead of bolstering his durability, he changed direction. He lightened his body and relaxed his muscles.
THWACK!
A loud impact rang out. He flew backward about ten meters with the sound of a drum being struck. He tumbled across the floor and performed a recovery roll. His chest stung. Even though he had redirected most of the impact, his ribs ached.
"Hoh."
The pig-bastard nodded slightly, letting out an admiration that grated on Si-woo's nerves.
"Not bad for a wanderer. My name is Mo Yong-chul. What's yours?"
"Haha... go fuck yourself."
"An amusing name."
The bastard didn't give chase. Blocking the only exit seemed more important. A wanderer who had been waiting for a chance to escape was struck down by one of his punches.
Well...
The monster's arms that the bastard had summoned had already multiplied to two. Judging by how they moved according to his gaze, he seemed to be controlling them.
BANG! BANG!
"KYAAAH!"
Some martial artists swung their swords at the monster's arms, but they were soon crushed to death. The arms looked slow due to their massive size, but their actual speed was considerable. Watching them, Si-woo spoke.
"Why are you doing something like this? What are you trying to gain?"
"Gain...? Don't be ridiculous. Blame yourself for coming looking for mere gold."
Si-woo kept him talking while figuring out his purpose. At the very least, he wasn't trying to obtain something.
"You won't get out of this unscathed either, you know?"
"I'll think about that when the time comes."
The bastard didn't have a solid plan either. There was something more important to him than his own safety in this act. A feeling that he didn't care if he died.
He's not alone. He belongs to some organization.
Crazy bastards like this weren't common.
...The Blood Cult?
KWAANG!
A chill ran down the back of his neck, and he stepped back. A sharp stalactite from the ceiling crashed down exactly where he had been standing.
"Aren't you going to get crushed too, at this rate?"
"Heh heh... that wouldn't be so bad either."
The bastard wasn't sane. Watching the cave shake, Si-woo knew he had to end this quickly. The fist force was short but extended. That pig-bastard had already entered the Peak Realm. Contrary to his appearance, he was a master. He was controlling the monster's arms while simultaneously dealing with Si-woo and Seo Ji-yoo's ambush. A master he might not be able to defeat in a straight fight. At least, taking him down quickly was impossible. If he tried, the cave might collapse.
Then he just had to fight abnormally.
Along with the sensation of his flesh burning, the world slowed down. Mo Yong-chul, far in the distance, felt as if he were right in front of him.
A swift sword, twice as fast as before, followed.
But the bastard's eyes were clearly tracking him. This time, a fist force stretched toward his face. If it hit, it was instant death. Even if deflected, it was an overwhelmingly powerful blow. The blood-red fist force was right in front of his nose.
Flicker.
His vision warped slightly. One step. Simply using Flicker to shift one step to the side made the bastard's punch miss.
Whoosh!
An eerie sound brushed past his ear. He swung his sword, imbued with sword aura, at the bastard's neck.
SHWACK!
The bastard raised his arm to block. The sword dug halfway into his forearm, but strong resistance met it. It wasn't ordinary flesh. It was as hard as if made of metal. The blade couldn't sink any deeper. Si-woo let go of the sword and clenched his fist.
Strength. Weight. Break.
Smash and shatter. Three energies gathered into one, thrust toward the bastard's heart.
The bastard's eyes showed no wavering.
"Not bad..."
That was until a barrier formed behind him and a shadow rose from the ground to grab his ankles. Mo Yong-chul couldn't retreat. He couldn't even lean his upper body back to diffuse the impact. An ambush using the energy of the clan members stored in the Magic Core. It wouldn't work a second time.
KWAANG!!
"KEUGH...!"
Dark red blood erupted from the bastard's mouth. Si-woo infiltrated him with Mixed Origin Qi. There was already a scar on his heart. The Mixed Origin Qi seeped into the wound and began destroying the bastard's heart. Life and death are separated in an instant. Without letting his guard down, Si-woo thrust his fist again.
THWACK!!
CRUNCH!
The bastard's ribs caved inward with a sickening sound. The Mixed Origin Qi that had penetrated turned his heart to powder. The light faded from Mo Yong-chul's eyes. Yet the corners of his mouth were still raised.
"Keuh... anyway..."
SMACK.
Si-woo didn't want to hear useless rambling. He stomped the bastard's face in.
Even with Mo Yong-chul dead, the crack didn't disappear. Instead, it trembled ominously, as if it had lost control and gone berserk.
KWANG! KWANG!
"KYAAAH!"
An unlucky wanderer's upper body was torn apart and vanished. Just being grazed by the arm meant instant death. The arms extending from the crack had multiplied to four. They were tearing at the crack as if trying to widen it, pulling it apart. Beyond the crack was visible. A space that felt instinctively ominous. A bizarre something existed there. A massive eye was staring at him.
His fist clenched involuntarily. That thing was a predator. The monster's arms began to run wild. Unlike before, when they had targeted the martial artists, they now started destroying everything indiscriminately.
BANG! BANG!
"AAAH! SAVE ME!!"
"SIFU!!! GUH!"
RUMBLE!
The cave shook violently. It felt like it would collapse at any moment.
...Ha.
Now he understood what Mo Yong-chul had been trying to say as he died.
'We all die anyway?'
He didn't know what the bastard's plan was, but it was clear he had wanted everyone here dead. Si-woo might have survived if he escaped through his Mixed Origin Qi barrier. But more than half the martial artists here were wearing expensive clothes. If they all died, it would cause all kinds of trouble. He checked on Seo Ji-yoo, collapsed on the floor. Her breathing was rough—she seemed to have internal injuries.
How annoying.
Fresh rage surged toward the bastard who'd died. He wanted to ruin his plan.
There was a way.
◈ Grants a combat-optimized past life awakening at level 3
◈ Effect: Instantly destroys the target in one blow
All he had to do was kill that monster in one clean stroke.