Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 16
>Chapter Title: Corpse Blood Valley (3)
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There’s a saying that if you lose momentum, it’s over.
The burly-faced boy was completely crushed in spirit by Mok Kyung-un’s ruthless hands and couldn’t even think of charging in.
No, it was more accurate to say he felt fear and terror.
Mok Kyung-un smiled at the boy and said,
“If you don’t hurry, you won’t find it.”
Mok Kyung-un shook the blood-soaked iron ball.
Seeing this, the burly-faced boy seemed to realize his mistake in an instant and turned to run toward the valley.
But his legs gave out immediately, and he fell.
The boy tumbled like that several times before barely mustering the strength to enter the valley.
-Splash splash!
But he wasn’t the only one turning back like this.
About three others with startled faces were heading back to the valley as well—they, like the burly boy, had been aiming for the first iron ball.
However, they too had been terrified by Mok Kyung-un.
‘.......He’s completely insane.’
‘No matter how you look at it.’
‘He killed without hesitation just to take it.’
Moreover, the way he killed was enough to make anyone stick out their tongue in shock.
The fear that they might end up the same if they messed with him wrongly had taken root.
“Ha........”
There was someone sighing in admiration at this scene.
He was the man in the demon mask called the Valley Lord by the red-belted warriors.
One of the warriors beside this demon-masked man spoke up.
“.......Looks like we’ve got a real find here.”
“Indeed.”
“This is the first time I’ve seen it play out like this. That one iron ball was supposed to start the real weeding out.”
It wasn’t just about who found the iron ball first.
Placing fewer iron balls than people and extinguishing the torches—it was all calculated.
The first iron ball was the signal flare for the weeding out.
Fights would break out over that one, making everyone realize.
Finding the iron ball wasn’t the end.
The real key was how to defend it and carry it to the censer.
But the opening had gone differently.
“Not only his ruthlessness, but that strength is no joke. Even with his meridians sealed by the golden chains, he ripped out a throat that easily.”
Most warriors were astonished by Mok Kyung-un’s brutality and power.
But the demon mask found it intriguing from a different angle.
‘He got the iron ball without a single drop of water on his clothes.’
It was a first since taking charge of Corpse Blood Valley.
No one had ever obtained an iron ball without even entering the water.
They’d made an example by killing one and lit the incense to set a time limit, so even the craftiest would jump into the valley stream first.
Yet the guy stayed put alone while everyone else rushed in.
‘He targeted it from the start....... Interesting.’
Had there ever been someone this cunning in all the times this trial had run?
It took real nerve to pull that off.
Now, it even seemed like his ruthless moves were all deliberately calculated.
Meanwhile, Mok Kyung-un approached the censer.
“Is this good enough?”
Mok Kyung-un showed the bloodied iron ball to the demon-masked man sitting on a rock.
The demon mask nodded and shouted.
Then he opened his mouth.
“You...... What’s your name?”
‘!!!’
The warriors around lit up at the question.
It was extremely rare for the demon mask—the Valley Lord—to ask for a name and show interest over just one trial in Corpse Blood Valley.
Mok Kyung-un answered then.
“Mok Kyung-un.”
At those words, the eyes visible through the mask’s slits narrowed.
‘Mok Kyung-un?’
With over eight hundred participants, he didn’t have every individual memorized.
But he remembered the name Mok Kyung-un.
It was because he’d been ordered to include him late.
‘.......One of the two from the Mok Clan brought as hostages.’
He was surprised again.
He’d naturally assumed it was someone from the notorious Bi Gyeong Gate, Crimson Slaughter Valley, Flower Hat House, or one of the conscripted groups.
But from Timber Sword Manor, known as a righteous famed house?
The demon mask recalled just half a shichen ago.
[What? You’re throwing the Timber Sword Manor hostages into Corpse Blood Valley too?]
[It’s the Assembly Lord’s command.]
[If it’s a command, I’ll obey, but is that alright? It’s no place for weaklings from the righteous faction.]
[That’s not for you to worry about. Follow the orders.]
[Understood.]
He’d thought they planned to torment and kill them casually.
But seeing this changed his mind.
As expected, the Assembly Lord wouldn’t send them for no reason.
‘So this is it. Unexpected.’
If he hadn’t known it was Timber Sword Manor, he’d never have guessed righteous faction origins.
His aura and everything felt just like one of them.
‘We’ll see by watching.’
If he was this close to their side, he’d survive Corpse Blood Valley—called hell—in some way.
The demon mask, staring intently at Mok Kyung-un, pulled something from his bosom.
Then,
“Take it.”
He flicked it toward Mok Kyung-un with his finger.
-Whoosh!
Flicked from his finger, it flew precisely toward Mok Kyung-un’s chest.
Mok Kyung-un snatched it with one hand.
‘What’s this?’
It was a thin, round silver plaque engraved with the number one (一).
“It’s proof of topping this trial. Keep it with the iron ball you brought.”
‘Trial? Topping?’
Mok Kyung-un puzzled inwardly at the silver plaque.
The use of “topping” let him guess one fact.
‘A competition?’
[Listen well. The odds of surviving Corpse Blood Valley unscathed are less than ten percent.]
Based on Sorcerer Jo Ui-gong’s words, it seemed structured around competing to survive.
Two were already dead.
No, if his guess was right, a bloody competition would start soon.
-Splash splash!
Mok Kyung-un’s prediction hit the mark perfectly.
Someone else had found an iron ball.
The first finder had stupidly cheered and caused trouble after being seen, so this time they didn’t.
The instant they found it, they bolted out of the valley stream.
It was certainly the right choice, but,
“That guy found one!”
“Grab him!”
They stood out too much.
Running alone out of the stream naturally drew eyes.
Over ten rushed to catch him at once.
“Damn it!”
He fled like mad.
But then someone burst from the water, grabbed his neck, and snapped it just like Mok Kyung-un had.
-Crack! Splash!
That made the second death.
Snatching the iron ball from the corpse, he gestured threateningly at the charging boys and warned.
“Come if you wanna die.”
The eighteen-year-old boy stripping off his top had a sturdy build, his entire upper body covered in bizarre tattoos.
Recognizing them, the boys grumbled but didn’t charge.
“Damn!”
“It’s Crimson Slaughter Valley.”
Crimson Slaughter Valley.
One of the three most infamous groups under the Heavenly Alliance.
Despite having only about thirty disciples, each was a formidable expert with unique martial arts and sorcery that made everyone wary and fearful.
“Gutless bastards.”
Sweeping back his hair, the boy muttered in disappointment and strode toward the censer.
As he passed Mok Kyung-un, he whispered,
“Don’t think you’ll lead the next trial too.”
A clear declaration.
Mok Kyung-un just shrugged.
He had no desire to waste energy on pointless things.
‘If they get annoying, though......’
He licked his upper lip as if tempted.
This place was great.
Unlike at Timber Sword Manor, he didn’t have to worry about eyes when killing.
The Crimson Slaughter Valley boy, missing Mok Kyung-un’s expression, went to the censer and showed his iron ball to the demon mask.
“Passed!”
Meanwhile, chaos erupted around the valley stream.
Those who found iron balls appeared one after another, rushing for the censer, while the desperate ones charged in, sparking fights.
And those fights escalated beyond mere subduing into killing.
“It’s started.”
At the warrior’s words, the demon mask nodded and watched.
With two already dead, the boys no longer hesitated to harm and kill each other.
The valley stream was pure pandemonium.
-Pffft pffft pffft!
“Gahk!”
Amid it, a few stood out.
A beautiful short-haired girl with a pale face had found a sharp stone shard and was stabbing charging foes mercilessly to advance.
Even without internal energy, her movements were so swift that the boys fell helplessly.
“I know who that girl is.”
“Flower Hat House.”
“You recognized her.”
How could they not?
That swift, vital-point-only efficient dagger technique.
It was Flower Hat House’s Linked Slaughter.
Now called one of the three great assassin groups, Flower Hat House was once one of the four.
But they’d quit assassinations and joined the Heavenly Alliance.
“Impressive.”
Just with a sharp stone, she showed promise even with internal energy sealed.
Then the demon mask pointed at someone with his hand.
“That one must be from Bi Gyeong Gate.”
“Huh?”
A gasp escaped the warrior.
A muscular, hulking boy charged forward like a bull, sending any who collided flying unable to withstand.
-Bam bam bam bam!
Bi Gyeong Gate was famed for its Iron Wire Skill, an external art—and indeed, its divine strength from body training was tremendous.
“Huff huff.”
The Bi Gyeong Gate boy arrived after shaking off the horde.
“Passed!”
Then the Flower Hat House girl followed.
“Passed!”
One by one, others arrived at the censer after bloody battles for iron balls.
Among them was a boy who’d been waiting for this moment.
He’d actually gotten an iron ball before anyone, but fearing becoming a target by stepping out early when no one noticed, he’d waited for the chaos.
Finally reaching the censer, he held up the iron ball and shouted.
“I found it!”
The boy smirked, pleased.
Truth be told, before the hunt began, he’d questioned something, and when the demon mask killed that boy, he’d stealthily taken the iron ball embedded in his forehead.
‘Idiots. There was an easy way like this.’
No one had noticed, making them seem foolish.
But then the demon mask shouted.
“Fail!”
“Huh?”
“Exactly as I said.”
What was this?
Why fail?
It made no sense.
“W-why? I clearly found the iron ball, so why.......”
-Slash!
Something sharp grazed his neck.
His head soon hit the ground.
“I clearly said not to raise questions.”
-Snap!
The red-belted warrior who’d beheaded him muttered as he sheathed his sword.
-Thud!
As the headless body fell, the iron ball dropped from his hand and rolled.
The rolling iron ball stopped right in front of Mok Kyung-un, who sat nearest the censer after passing first.
Seeing it, Mok Kyung-un glanced at his own iron ball and chuckled.
[63]
His iron ball was engraved with sixty-three in small script.
But the beheaded boy’s had nothing engraved.
He’d used a trick and unluckily lost his head.
On the other hand,
‘Guess I got lucky.’
Truth be told, Mok Kyung-un had also tried to take the iron ball from the forehead of the boy killed for questioning before it started.
But someone had already snatched it in that brief moment, so he’d changed plans.
Thus, he’d gotten lucky.
But such feelings didn’t last.
Instead, Mok Kyung-un smacked his lips regretfully at the feast unfolding before him.
-Slither slither!
Deaths piled up from the iron ball bloodbaths, filling the air with deathly energy.
If not for the golden chains sealing his meridians, he’d cultivate reverse flow right then.
‘Hm.’
But did he really need to cultivate to gather this energy?
Just in case, Mok Kyung-un extended his arm slightly toward the direction the deathly energy flowed in the air and recited the incantation in his mind.
‘Without despairing....... Form beyond, heart as two......’
It was the Landing Form.
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