Useless Life
Black Beast Kali.
The person who had an encounter with Yang Soyu, and later Ha Sowol personally went out to settle a dispute in Qinghai and fought her.
At the time, the duel between the two was almost evenly matched, but Ha Sowol, who had accumulated experience and pushed her power to the absolute limit, held a slight edge in strength, and the fight ended in her victory.
After that day, whether it was because of the promise to behave or for some other reason, Kali suddenly disappeared from the Qinghai region.
According to rumors heard, she seemed to be causing trouble as a bandit in the neighboring Gansu province, but at the time Ha Sowol had no energy to pay attention to that.
Her main concerns were the increasingly urgent war with the Heavenly Demon and the news about Yang Soyu that came in during that process, and naturally, uncertain stories about Kali were pushed to the back.
However, at this very moment.
In the pouring rain, in front of her eyes was the problem woman...
In this Qinghai, the next strongest expert after her, Kali, was squatting on the wet ground like a beggar.
What is this... why is this woman...
Kali's appearance, clad only in rags with small wounds scattered all over her body.
However, what surprised Ha Sowol the most at this moment was not her tattered appearance.
She had always been filled with dignity, confidence, and fighting spirit, and even right after losing to her, her eyes had burned even more brightly.
But at this moment, Kali's eyes were completely lifeless, like a rotten fish, losing their light.
No longer any fighting spirit or motivation, a hollow gaze beyond description.
And at this moment.
Ha Sowol could easily understand what those eyes meant.
It was...
Eyes that witnessed an indescribable despair.
Eyes that experienced everything she had accumulated until now collapsing in an instant.
It was the eyes right after she lost everything to the Heavenly Demon's hands.
“Kali... right? What on earth is this... what happened?”
Ha Sowol asked with urgency.
To her question, Kali lifted her head with difficulty using those hazy eyes and said to Sowol in a dying voice.
“Ha Sowol... I... am... weak?”
“What?”
Kali asked in a voice full of extreme despair.
At this, Sowol felt a moment of doubt, but soon she told her what she could.
“...No. You are at least among the people I know, one of the strongest you can count on fingers...”
“Such things!.... It’s not like that...!”
Kali shouted as if emotions burst out at Sowol’s words.
Then she... lowered her head again and said in a trembling voice.
“Such things... no use... what we think as strength... what I pursued as strength... no use... such things... such things... no... meaning...”
“Ah!”
Kali collapsed without finishing her words.
At this, Sowol hurriedly grabbed her body and tried to wake her up somehow.
But Kali, who had lost consciousness, didn’t even try to open her eyes.
Also, Ha Sowol, recognizing that her body was hot like a ball of fire even in the rain, hurriedly picked her up.
“Ma... madam?”
“You go and call a doctor, I’ll go back to the house right away.”
“Ah... yes! Understood!”
A servant hurrying to follow Ha Sowol’s instructions.
Then Ha Sowol hurriedly headed home carrying Kali.
‘Who could have broken Kali to this extent... who did such a thing...’
Kali was a warrior of Hwagyeong who could defeat almost any opponent with a smile.
The one who completely broke her heart and made her tremble with fear to this extent. Among those Ha Sowol knew, there were only two in this world.
One was the Heavenly Demon who had already gone to the afterlife.
And the other was Yang Soyu who defeated that Heavenly Demon.
However, this was only within the range she knew. In fact, in the vast Murim world, there were countless experts she didn’t know, so she couldn’t make any definite judgment.
‘But... if the person who made Kali like this is one of the two great allies... then that person is really in Gansu province... or has entered this Qinghai...’
At the same time as the thought ended, Ha Sowol’s face blushed slightly without her knowing.
But immediately after, she shook off the emotions that had risen in her heart and started focusing on the current situation.
Anyway, what was important now was to examine the condition of this woman, even if an opponent, who was related to her as soon as possible.
Although she could be called an enemy in strict terms, she couldn’t abandon her due to her unique personality and carried her to her home.
At that time...
“Oppa! It’s late. The meal is already cold.... Eh?”
In the next moment, a boy greeted her at the entrance of her home.
The boy named Seo Jukyeong, in his early teens, giving a noble appearance, stopped when he saw Ha Sowol in front of him, unable to say anything.
“Brother-in-law...? Who is that person...”
“Sorry, young master, can I ask the servants to spread out the seats? It seems her condition is serious.”
“Ah... yes, understood.”
Despite her young age, the boy quickly grasped the situation and hurriedly called the servants.
Then Ha Sowol hurriedly entered the room carrying the rain-soaked Kali.
*
“Hah... hah... hah...”
In the pitch-black forest.
There, she was running forward with all her might.
Using all the power she could.
Scraping the remaining inner energy on her body to the bottom.
She was desperately struggling to escape from that thing following her behind at this moment.
However...
-Thump!
“!!!”
In the next moment, a cold hand was placed on her shoulder.
She turned back slowly with fear.
And right after...
What appeared in her two eyes.
The monster with sharp eyes.
Said to her in a cold, mocking voice.
“What are you doing? I told you to run away. Why are you still standing still here?”
“!! A... aah...”
That thing caught up with her running feet in one breath.
Then she...
Kali, captured in deep despair, looked at the person who was about to punch her with trembling eyes.
“Ah... no...”
And...
“No...!!”
-Slap!
In the next moment, terrifying pain poured from her face.
She automatically let out a scream from her mouth in extreme pain she had never experienced before.
And...
“Haaah!!! Huh... huh... huh...”
Right after, she got up from the bed and started breathing roughly, Kali.
Then she reflexively looked around with fear.
The luxurious room around her seemed quite unfamiliar from her perspective.
So, Kali started wondering why she was here in this unknown space.
At that time,
“Are you awake?”
“!!”
In the next moment, the familiar face entered the room holding a decoction.
From Kali’s perspective, it was a person she had never forgotten since that day and had always longed to defeat.
Upon seeing Ha Sowol, the leader of Kunlun Sect, she felt bewildered...
But soon, this emotion turned into emptiness.
‘Yeah... what situation is this now? The strongest in Qinghai, the best warrior... such things now...’
Kali, who felt everything meaningless after facing an opponent whose strength couldn’t be measured.
In front of her, Ha Sowol put down the decoction and said in a calm voice.
“Please take this. Fortunately, there’s no harm to life, but since her condition isn’t very good, she needs to take some medicine.”
“...No need. This... anyway, this body...”
Her words seemed to indicate she had truly given up everything, not just simple pride.
At this, Ha Sowol felt that the mental wounds she had received were larger than she thought and said quietly.
“I won’t force it. But since you entered my house as a patient, I hope you at least respect my will to some extent.”
“...Haa...”
She said that, but at the same time, her attitude showed stubbornness.
At this, Kali realized that if she didn’t take the medicine here, it would be troublesome, and reluctantly took the medicine.
The bitter medicine that also woke her up.
After Kali emptied the medicine bowl, Ha Sowol stood up from her seat holding the empty bowl.
“Rest well, if you need anything, call the servants.”
“...”
Kali didn’t respond to her words.
However, at this moment, she felt a slight gratitude and a strange sense of relief in Ha Sowol’s action of showing kindness to her, and lay down on the spot.
‘Indeed... as I felt before, she’s a uselessly good person...’