Chapter 3 Why Is That Here?
Seriously, I nearly pissed myself from the shock.
Even though the sword was coming right at me in plain sight, I couldn't react at all.
Anyone who's had LASIK surgery would know the terror of keeping your eyes forced open while a blade approaches.
I swear, it was about a hundred times worse than that.
The only silver lining was that my face couldn't keep up with the speed of the incoming blade, so I didn't show any fear.
I survived that moment purely by luck.
I was moments away from losing my head because I froze up, but the Black Shadow Corps arrived at a truly miraculous timing.
But the relief and joy of staying alive didn't last long.
Soon, a sight unfolded before me that drained the color from my face.
“Argh!”
“P-please, spare me!”
Sharp sword lights rained down from all directions, blood spraying everywhere.
The cave, already echoing with sounds, now filled with screams and groans.
Red blood splattered vividly on the cave walls, and bodies crumpled to the cold floor.
Was this hell?
It was a gruesome scene that made bile rise in my throat.
But in the world of Murim Return, this was just child's play.
And I wasn't just anyone—I was Sado Hwan. I couldn't afford to waver in a situation like this.
A warrior lay on the icy floor, glaring up at me with resentment as he died.
“……”
If I didn't play the role of Sado Hwan properly, that would be me next.
To survive, I had no choice but to act.
I clasped my hands behind my back to hide my trembling, feigning composure. I forced my gaze straight ahead, keeping my posture ramrod straight to stop my eyes from darting away.
Even so, the tremor starting in my hands threatened to spread through my whole body.
Please stop!
I pleaded desperately with my body in my mind.
That was the moment.
Hummm—
The internal energy gathered in my eyes began to spread throughout my body.
In an instant, a hot surge like blood rushing through my veins made the shaking subside.
My mind grew calm, serene.
This ridiculous, insane internal energy.
Its performance was undeniably top-tier.
Of course, the internal energy Sado Hwan possessed wasn't your run-of-the-mill cultivation method.
It just couldn't be projected outward due to blocked meridians, but its power was unmatched by anything else.
Even amid the horrific scene, I could maintain my composure now. More precisely, negative emotions were being rapidly purified.
“Are you alright?”
Whoa, that startled me.
My calm nearly shattered.
The woman who had blocked Mo Yong Su's sword was approaching me, asking the question like a ghost.
Thanks to the internal energy swirling through me, I didn't make a fool of myself.
She looked delicate at first glance—a mysterious beauty with a somewhat cold impression.
Aside from that chill, she could pass for a modern idol.
It was hard to believe those slender wrists had parried Mo Yong Su's strike.
“I'm fine.”
I replied in a voice that had grown more dignified now that the trembling had stopped.
“I'll kill Mo Yong Su.”
Mo Yong Su had slipped into the crowd amid the chaos, clearly planning to escape. He was a hypocrite of the righteous faction, after all.
She vanished in a blur before I could even respond.
“……”
I let out a small internal sigh.
Honestly, if I had to pick the scariest person in this entire cave, it'd be her.
In wuxia tales, they always warn you to beware of the elderly, women, and children.
She handled the women category.
Ranked 24th in the Demonic Cult hierarchy.
Vice Commander of the Black Shadow Corps, Sa Wol.
A human weapon forged by the Sado Family.
And...
One of the few who knows Sado Hwan's secret.
Sa Wol was a kind of bodyguard, there to hide the fact that Sado Hwan couldn't project his internal energy properly.
Her rank right below his at 24th wasn't coincidence.
If anyone challenged the 23rd-ranked Sado Hwan, he'd scoff and tell them to beat his subordinate first.
Then Sa Wol would put up an ironclad defense. Having surpassed peak realm toward super peak, no one below her rank could touch her.
From the top 20s upward were untouchable monsters, and 21st and 22nd focused on breaking into that tier, ignoring those below.
So Sado Hwan could lord over others with his ambiguous 23rd rank.
The real relief was that, for now, she still obeyed my orders perfectly. Outwardly, she was the most loyal subordinate.
...If the novel's plot proceeded as is, she'd soon reveal her true purpose.
I had to win her over before that.
There was no one else who fought that well and obeyed orders. Handle her right, and life in the Demonic Cult would be a bed of roses.
She was recruitment target number one.
By now, the chamber was almost cleared.
The only one left standing on his own two feet was Mo Yong Su.
He was covered in blood from head to toe after facing Sa Wol.
Black blood poured from his mouth nonstop—clearly severe internal injuries.
“Heh heh heh...”
Mo Yong Su laughed hollowly, his hair disheveled, looking like he'd given up everything.
“To think I couldn't even beat that little girl... What a disgrace...!”
I saw Sa Wol's eyebrow twitch at his words.
It must have taken unimaginable hardship for a woman to reach that realm.
Ignoring all that was bound to hurt her pride.
This is my chance.
A chance to score points.
Sado Hwan must have been such a scumbag that she'd built up resentment.
Time for a reversal.
The impact is different when a consistently good person slips once versus a constant jerk suddenly being nice.
I still didn't fully grasp my situation, but turning a hostile figure friendly had no downsides.
In a moment like this...
The tone needed here was different. Heavy and stern, but never explosively angry.
“Foolish.”
My low voice echoed.
“What?”
“In the world of martial arts, there are only the strong and the weak—no men or women.”
I felt Sa Wol flinch at my words. She was reacting.
“Your inability to shatter even such a narrow frame is why you're weak.”
Mo Yong Su couldn't muster a retort, his long beard trembling.
He couldn't resist anymore. The blood he was vomiting increased.
At this rate, he'd die from blood loss even if left alone. Honestly, I could probably beat him now.
But I couldn't let my guard down.
This was the Murim Return world, full of random opportunities.
If he survived and escaped, he'd turn into a superhuman like in those webtoons, breaking through to super peak.
“Finish him.”
Even as I ordered a man's death, there was no great emotional turmoil.
Thanks to the internal energy circulating through me, perhaps.
If that was a blessing, so be it.
A modern softie couldn't survive the merciless martial world.
Sa Wol drew her sword again at my command. The moment she swung with fierce momentum—
Boom—!!!!
A sudden explosion rocked the cave, flames erupting from the entrance.
Her sword missed.
“Hahaha!”
A hollow laugh echoed.
Atop a protruding ledge on the sheer cave wall—barely enough for one person—stood the masked man who'd vanished earlier.
“Die, you demonic scum!”
The flames from the entrance surged in like a tidal wave.
So that's what he meant by blasting or whatever?
The Murim Return world had explosives like divine thunder bombs, wuxia-style. Not cost-effective, but perfect for burying a cave.
———!
The cave screamed silently. Stalactites rained down from the ceiling like hail.
The Black Shadow Corps members deflected them with their weapons.
Of course, I had neither the skill nor ability to do that.
Please not on my head.
I could only stand tall, maintaining the Sado Hwan persona.
Maybe Sa Wol will block them for me? I glanced her way, hoping.
Sa Wol slipped away with graceful footwork.
“……”
I felt betrayed. She glanced back with an oh crap expression—she'd totally forgotten about me.
Luckily, no stalactites fell near me.
“Commander! Are you alright?!”
One Black Shadow member approached, batting away stalactites.
“Don't make a fuss over this.”
“As expected...! You already calculated their trajectories, didn't you?”
He nodded in admiration.
This is why image matters. People saw Sado Hwan as an absolute powerhouse, so they reacted differently to every word.
Finally, the stalactites stopped falling.
“I'll escort you.”
Sa Wol approached belatedly. As I opened my mouth to say something snarky out of spite—
Crummble—!
The wall suddenly collapsed, debris pouring like a tsunami. I stumbled back urgently.
A wall of rubble formed between Sa Wol and me.
But it didn't end there.
Crack, crunch.
Ominous sounds echoed relentlessly.
Then the ground gave way.
“Commander!”
I was sucked straight underground.
“Arrrgh!”
And of all things, with Mo Yong Su.
Something damp tickled my face, so I opened my eyes.
Water droplets falling from a stalactite. Pure wuxia cliché.
Thank goodness. I was alive. Every part of my body felt intact—heaven's luck.
Considering my body had suddenly swapped, going intact was mercy; otherwise, it'd be a balance patch.
Anyway, where was this?
It was dim, hard to see. I strained my eyes, and internal energy flowed there again, sharpening my vision.
I turned my head to survey the surroundings.
A tunnel. But artificial—smoothly carved walls and floor, not the jagged natural cave.
Behind me was buried by the collapse; ahead, a path continued.
An artificial stone cave beneath the natural one.
“Holy shit!”
An artificial cave under a cave meant one thing.
Opportunity!
This Murim Return world was packed with them.
Hidden everywhere to justify the insane power inflation!
I'd just found one.
“...But I'm useless for them.”
The core of advanced martial arts is projecting qi outward.
Sado Hwan's body couldn't do that at all.
Sure, thanks to internal energy, my physical specs were decent.
Back in the modern world, I'd shatter Olympic records in any sport.
But I wouldn't be a true superhuman.
...No, still, I should check it out.
You never know. If it's a weapon or something, not a manual, maybe Sado Hwan's body could use it.
I pressed forward. After about five minutes.
A vast chamber appeared. Ten different tunnels converged on a central plaza-like space.
In the middle: an altar. The symbol of opportunities.
But that wasn't the point.
Mo Yong Su.
He lay collapsed, crawling toward the altar. Unlike my intact limbs, his left arm was gone. He'd come from another path, dragging himself here.
His back twitched faintly—he was still alive.
What drove him to crawl to the altar in such a pitiful state?
I turned my gaze and nearly gasped.
A sword.
Stabbed right in the center of the altar.
“......Crazy. Why the hell is that here?”