Eagle's Sorrow Ridge
"This Leader Yuk you mentioned... what kind of man is he?" Bukjin asked. "And what the hell does he have against me?"
Ju Seong answered quickly. "Leader Yuk is the commander of the Sword Flame Mercenary Corps. He heard that you killed his foster son, Sim Bi, and spread rumors that he was connected to the Outworld Evil, which led the Unmong-wi to wipe out the Sword Flame Mercenaries. He believes everything that happened to him is your fault. He said his grudge against you is carved into his very bones."
Huh?
Bukjin suddenly recalled Sim Bi, whom he had encountered during the preliminaries of the Academic & Martial Arts Competition. Sim Bi had indeed participated as the representative of the Sword Flame Mercenaries.
That guy fell into Demonic Possession because he wasn't good enough. What does that have to do with me? Dammit!
"Then the people who attacked us that night—were they all experts from your alliance?" Bukjin asked. "And the people from the Fire Rose Adventurers... were they all acting to help you? That’s strange. A lot of those adventurers were killed too."
Ju Seong replied frantically. "Pung Sa-nang and the others from the Fire Rose Adventurers knew nothing about this. The situation just aligned perfectly for us to use them as tools to trap you. They aren't on our side."
"If that's true, then what about that little girl, So-ryeong?"
"In truth, my daughter had been swapped out long ago. Pung Sa-nang just never noticed. The one who played So-ryeong that day was an assassin of mysterious origins. The client who commissioned this job spent an enormous amount of money to hire a professional killer to ensure everything went perfectly."
Dammit! They really put their hearts and souls into hitting us!
Though the information wasn't incredibly detailed, he had learned what he needed to know. Bukjin continued to interrogate Ju Seong, finding out the strength of Leader Yuk of the Evil Adventurer Alliance and the number of experts under his command.
"What happened to the teachers who escorted us and the rest of the students?"
Bukjin finally asked the question he was most curious about. He had been dreading the answer, which was why he had saved it for last. Hearing the question, Ak Hong-hyang’s face also tightened with tension.
Ju Seong’s heart dropped. He knew that if he answered poorly, his life would end right then and there. He hesitated, unable to speak. Seeing his hesitation, Bukjin’s heart sank. He leveled his sword and spoke in a heavy, low voice.
"Speak."
"T-That... the status of Han Bul-bu and Baek Geum-un is unknown. The alliance is currently conducting a search. However, according to reports from the perimeter of Bukhwang Mountain, it seems they haven't managed to escape the mountain yet. I heard the first-year Grade Dean, Ban Oe-min, was heavily wounded and fled into the poisonous marshes. If he went into the toxic swamps, it's unlikely he survived... And the second-year Grade Dean, Cho Heun... he covered the two students until the very end. When his strength was exhausted, he was taken prisoner. Perhaps..."
Ju Seong didn't dare finish the sentence.
"Senior Brother Im... what do we do now?" Ak Hong-hyang asked, her face pale with anxiety.
Bukjin felt as if the world were turning dark. He had assumed that if the academy's experts, Cho Heun and Ban Oe-min, were there, they would have been able to escape with Han Bul-bu and Baek Geum-un. The reality was far worse than his expectations.
"Wait, how do you know the names of everyone in our group?" Bukjin asked, stepping hard on Ju Seong’s chest. "What else do you know? Tell me everything!"
Ju Seong pleaded desperately. "It was just information passed down within the alliance! All of it was provided by the client! The client knew everything about you in great detail! The request wasn't just to kill you! You, the Baek girl, and Cho Heun were all targets! They even provided us with portraits! I swear, that's really all I know!"
Listening to Ju Seong, Bukjin picked up on a sensitive piece of information.
Me, Cho Heun, and Baek Geum-un? The three of us were the targets? That means Ban Oe-min, Han Bul-bu, and Ak Hong-hyang were just caught up in this? Where do I find the link? What do the three of us have in common?
As he racked his brain, a realization flashed through his mind like a bolt of lightning.
The three of us all participated in the Sword Promise. Could Jo Pacheon and Baek Hae-geum be behind this?
It was highly probable.
Those sons of bitches!
A massive surge of rage rose within Bukjin’s heart.
"Tell me. Where is your base?" Bukjin demanded.
"Eagle's Sorrow Ridge... It's atop the Cloud-Touching Cliff..." Ju Seong answered.
Not fully trusting Ju Seong, Bukjin interrogated the other adventurers separately. He received the exact same answer from all of them.
"Junior Sister Ak. I have to go to Eagle's Sorrow Ridge," Bukjin said, looking at Ak Hong-hyang. "There might be a one-in-ten-thousand chance that we can save Dean Cho."
Ak Hong-hyang nodded. "Alright. I'll go with you."
Bukjin shook his head. "No, you can't come."
"I know I'm not strong enough, but I still—" Ak Hong-hyang tried to protest.
Bukjin interrupted her. "You have a much more important mission. From now on, you must disguise yourself and immediately head down the mountain. Return to the academy and ask for help. Find Principal Im Tae-heo. You must ask him to bring the academy's experts to Bukhwang Mountain to help us. Remember, you must use a disguise and create a new identity. Do not reveal your true self until you reach the academy. Do not use the carriage we came in. Do not trust anyone until you see the Principal."
From his interrogation of Ju Seong, Bukjin had gathered that there were likely lookouts planted at various checkpoints outside the mountain. That was why he emphasized caution and told her to trust no one.
Ak Hong-hyang was uneasy about Bukjin heading to Cloud-Touching Cliff alone, but she was someone who understood the weight of the situation. She realized immediately how vital her role was. She engraved every one of Bukjin’s instructions into her heart. When she looked up, her eyes were shining like stars. She spoke to him with a solemn expression.
"Senior Brother Im. You must not act impulsively. We don't know what the situation will be like, so be careful—be extremely careful. If it's impossible to save the teacher, don't force it. Just observe. Please... let's meet again safely!"
As she spoke, her heart ached. Bukjin took her small hand in his and gave it a firm squeeze. He smiled reassuringly.
"Don't worry. I'm the person who hates the idea of dying more than anyone else in the world. I won't do anything reckless. Besides, we promised to participate in the finals of the competition together, didn't we? And I still have an obligation to fix your face."
Bukjin’s words put her mind at ease. Feeling his hand on hers, Ak Hong-hyang’s face flushed red, and she lowered her head. Bukjin secretly opened the Map app to scout the path out of Bukhwang Mountain. Once he had the general direction, he explained the route to her in great detail, repeating it several times.
Ak Hong-hyang wondered how Bukjin knew the layout of Bukhwang Mountain so well, but given the urgency, she didn't ask. She immediately turned and departed. Fortunately, thanks to the special training, she had spent several days in the mountain and was well-adapted to navigating the trails.
After seeing her off, Bukjin returned to the clearing, sword in hand.
"Young hero, p-please... have mercy," Ju Seong and the others begged for their lives.
"Trash like you doesn't even deserve a peaceful death."
Under the starlight, a cold, ruthless expression settled on Bukjin’s face.
These bastards all have to die. If I leave them alive, they'll be a major threat to Ak Hong-hyang’s safety and my own movements.
Bukjin swung his sword without a moment's hesitation. A flash of blade-light erupted. Ju Seong’s head tumbled slowly to the ground.
...I killed someone.
It was the first time in his life he had committed murder. Yet, he felt no shock, no guilt. It felt no different than when he had killed a Bristle Rat. He suddenly remembered what Cho Heun had told him on the night of the ambush.
"You'll get used to it eventually."
Bukjin killed every single one of the adventurers, ignoring their pleas and curses. Still, no particular emotion stirred within him.
Squelch!
The blade flashed again and again, and the heads of the evil adventurers fell one by one. Once the deed was done, Bukjin headed to the burrow where they had been hiding and dug out the entrance. He threw the corpses inside and collapsed the tunnel over them. He didn't do this out of sympathy or guilt; it was purely to erase his tracks. At the very least, the rest of the Evil Adventurer Alliance wouldn't find the bodies anytime soon, buying him time while they searched for their missing comrades.
With that finished, Bukjin suddenly thought of the Ghost Rat he had enslaved. He had no idea if it was dead or alive, or where it had gone.
"Sin-sin, open the Map app and find the shortest route to Cloud-Touching Cliff on Eagle's Sorrow Ridge."
> Yes, Master.
> Calculating optimal route to Eagle's Sorrow Ridge...
> Route established. Displaying navigation.
A holographic arrow immediately appeared before Bukjin’s eyes. He didn't hold back his Hyeongi, activating the Cloud-Walking Rain-Piercing footwork and sprinting in the direction the arrow pointed. As he moved, whenever fatigue began to set in, he cast Restoration Loop on himself to recover his stamina. According to the navigation, it would take at least an hour to reach the cliff.
"Dean Cho! You're a tough man, so you'd better still be alive!"
Bukjin silently prayed for Cho Heun’s safety. By pushing his physical limits, he managed to reach Eagle's Sorrow Ridge in about fifty minutes.
Eagle's Sorrow Ridge was an incredibly treacherous peak. It was filled with jagged rocks, bizarre formations, and dense, unidentifiable thickets. Poisonous insects and plants were scattered everywhere. Furthermore, strange trees that looked like solid rock grew throughout the ridge; their branches were as sharp as if they had been carved from metal. Because of this, even the eagles that flew high above would only circle the ridge, never daring to land.
The peak that even eagles feared. It was, quite literally, Eagle's Sorrow Ridge.