Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 17
>Chapter Title: Flag (4)
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-Suuuuu!
Mok Kyung-un performed the Attachment form while gripping the dead boy’s head.
It wasn’t long before he absorbed every last trace of death energy remaining in the boy.
‘Nice.’
Mok Kyung-un smiled.
He had absorbed the death energy of a whopping sixteen people.
Even without gathering it into his dantian due to his sealed meridians, energy coursed through the blood vessels of his entire body, filling him to the brim.
He’d gotten really lucky.
Eleven of them had killed each other from the start, and the remaining five were already quite exhausted.
That was why he’d been able to kill them with almost no effort.
“Convenient.”
-Those fools handed it to you on a platter.
Cheongryeong agreed with what Mok Kyung-un had said.
Thanks to the Golden Gate Lock sealing all their meridians, the situation had been in his favor.
If they’d been able to use internal energy, killing the boys like this would have been difficult.
But because of it, he’d secured the death energy with ease.
‘In any case, they were all going to die through this competition, so it’s better that it goes to feed this kid’s spirit.’
She was a resentful spirit from the start.
So she felt no particular pity.
Besides, in a trial where they killed each other just to pass, there was no point in agonizing over it.
-By the way, is that the flag?
“That’s right.”
Mok Kyung-un set down the head he’d been holding and approached the flag.
He had no intention of claiming it yet, but since it was the objective of this trial, he couldn’t help but look.
-What will you do with the flag? If you’re not taking it now, just snap it and toss it.
“You’re right.”
-Or you could grab one ahead of time. Might make things easier later.
“That’s not a bad idea.”
As he said that, Mok Kyung-un reached for the flagpole—then suddenly stared piercingly at something.
Even with his internal energy sealed, his five senses were far sharper than an ordinary person’s.
-What is it?
“There’s something written near the base of the flagpole, right below it.”
-What does it say?
“Hmm. Three Forms Sword Point, Bright Moon Light Sword, Shadow on Sword Body...”
As Mok Kyung-un read the incantation aloud, Cheongryeong immediately realized what it was.
-That’s... the incantation for a sword form.
“Sword form? Yeah, sounds like it.”
Since it described the movements of the form, Mok Kyung-un agreed.
“But why is something like this written here?”
-Read the rest.
“Nameless First Principle, Sword Lower One Body, Spiritual Beasts Avoid the Edge...”
Mok Kyung-un read on before speaking up.
“That’s as far as it goes.”
-What? That’s it?
At Cheongryeong’s questioning tone, Mok Kyung-un asked, puzzled.
“Is there a problem?”
-It feels like the form cuts off midway.
“Cuts off midway?”
-Yeah. If this is all there is to the form, it leaves openings at four key acupoints: Curved Finger, Divine Pivot, Kunlun, and Earth Center.
“So it’s an incomplete form?”
-Doesn’t seem like it. It’s more grounded than advanced sword arts, and the moves are arranged without overlap...
“And?”
-Looks like it was made for a sword formation.
“Sword formation—like an array deployed with swords?”
-Exactly. But with just these forms, the weaknesses are too obvious. Any formation you make would be a total failure.
“Total failure? Ha. Funny way to put it.”
-I wasn’t trying to be funny. More importantly, there has to be a reason they’d inscribe an incomplete sword form here.
Mok Kyung-un nodded at Cheongryeong’s opinion.
Just like the numbered iron balls earlier, it was probably some hidden objective of the trial.
He stared intently at the incantation before speaking.
“The flag might not be all there is to it.”
-Didn’t they say there were forty?
“Not the number—the types.”
-Types?
“Yeah. Maybe there are flags with the remaining forms written on them.”
-Hoo. That makes sense.
This time, Cheongryeong agreed with Mok Kyung-un.
It was entirely plausible.
-If there are two types of flags hiding forms like you say, kid, then anyone who finds one won’t just defend theirs—they’ll go hunting for the others.
“Exactly what I was thinking.”
Two kinds of flags.
Finding one didn’t end it.
In the end, having eight people stand guard at flag locations until dawn was just the obvious task. The hidden one seemed to be completing the divided sword forms.
“Interesting.”
It was designed to provoke fights no matter what.
Those who didn’t notice would just see it through as is, but anyone even slightly perceptive would move to target other flags.
Which meant Mok Kyung-un needed to find one of the other type—and it would naturally come with seven teammates.
-This just got a bit trickier.
“Still, now that we know what it is, we can select accordingly.”
With that, Mok Kyung-un snapped the flagpole with one hand—the one inscribed with the incantation.
-Twang!
It was to dispose of the flag, as Cheongryeong had suggested earlier.
But the moment he broke it,
-Hic!
Mok Kyung-un frowned as he looked at the flag.
“Ha...”
-What’s wrong?
“The flagpole had curse power in it.”
-Curse power?
Curse power.
The power of spells or sorcery, literally.
Ever since absorbing death energy with Reverse Fate Energy Circulation and learning sorcery, Mok Kyung-un had grown even more sensitive to all kinds of energies.
And the moment he snapped it, he felt the curse power dissipate.
Cheongryeong, trapped in the wooden doll, hadn’t sensed it and asked.
-Don’t tell me it’s a trap?
“Doesn’t seem like it.”
If it were a trap, the curse power would still be there.
The fact that it vanished the instant he broke the pole meant...
-Piiiiii!
At that moment, a horn-like signal echoed throughout the mountain.
The steady tone made it sound like a signal.
-Grrrrumble!
Hearing it, Mok Kyung-un casually crushed the broken flagpole in one hand and muttered.
“Looks like there’s more to this than just that one.”
* * *
Not far away.
At another ridge where a flag was planted, another struggle was about to break out.
The group of eight who found it first was defending the flag, while a late-arriving group tried to seize it from them.
The ones defending were none other than the group led by Yeom Ga, a boy from Slaughter Valley.
-Thud!
“Guh!”
One boy took Yeom Ga’s lightning-fast kick and went flying backward.
‘Damn it. He’s too strong.’
The fallen boy rolled with the impact, stunned.
With internal energy sealed, he’d thought he could at least hold his own against someone from Slaughter Valley.
But their basics were on another level.
Their external martial arts training must have been consistent—the kick’s power was no joke.
‘No wonder they’re from Slaughter Valley.’
He’d picked the wrong opponents.
The others seemed decent at first, but...
-Crash!
“Urk!”
Unfortunately, there wasn’t much difference.
Anyone could see they were being overwhelmed.
From the start, only the top contenders from the iron ball scramble had been gathered here, so even without internal energy, their fundamental skills were superior.
They weren’t even real opponents.
Yeom Ga from Slaughter Valley, aware of the skill gap, gestured provocatively.
“Hey. If you’re gonna charge in, at least show some grit.”
‘Damn it!’
He was furious, but there was nothing to be done.
-Crack!
“Gahk!”
“Kwae!”
One of the boys had his neck snapped by a member of Yeom Ga’s group.
They’d barely fought back, and already two were dead.
If this kept up, the whole group would be wiped out.
The leader boy judged it hopeless and shouted.
“Run!”
At his cry, the others—who’d been desperately trying to reclaim the flag—agreed and bolted without looking back.
Yeom Ga from Slaughter Valley grinned viciously and muttered.
“Who invited you?”
They were free to charge, but did he look like he’d let them go easily?
He’d kill them all and hang their corpses as a warning—only then would others think twice about targeting their flag.
“Catch them all...”
-Crack!
“Argh!”
‘!?’
Yeom Ga from Slaughter Valley shut his mouth.
What was that just now?
The boy who’d tried to flee fastest toward the opposite underbrush had a black shadow flash by, followed by a scream—then he was gone.
Silence fell for a moment.
From the boys ready to chase with bloodlust to those trying to flee, all stared in shocked confusion at where the shadow had passed.
-Crunch! Crunch!
The underbrush shook, accompanied by the sound of something being chewed.
It was gruesome enough to chill the blood.
“W-what is that?”
“What was that just now?”
The horrific sound made the boys instinctively step back.
Then a voice came from the shaking underbrush.
-Oink! Oink!
What was it?
It sounded vaguely like a pig squealing.
But the eerie glow of eyes peeking through the brush was enough to send shivers down their spines.
As the fleeing boys backed away, the underbrush rustled.
Then something emerged.
‘!?’
Every boy who saw it froze.
-Thud!
It stepped forward on hook-like front paws—it wasn’t human.
It resembled a wolf, but not quite.
It was easily twice the size of a normal wolf, with red fur on its head and eyes like a rat’s—solid black orbs.
‘W-what the hell?’
‘A wolf? What kind of wolf is that?’
‘Too... big.’
-Oink! Oink!
The ferocious beast squealed like a pig and bared its teeth—sharpened fangs that filled its entire maw.
-Gulp!
Tense to the breaking point, one boy shouted.
“Run!”
No sooner had he cried out than the boys veered right.
Then,
-Fwhoosh!
The red-headed wolf-beast caught the rearmost boy in an instant and,
-CRUNCH!
“Gaaaaah!”
bit into his calf.
With tremendous biting force, it swung the boy around like a ragdoll.
-Thud! Thud!
“Guhk!”
Just a couple swings, and the boy lost consciousness—dead or fainted, who could say.
His calf was mangled, nearly severed by the razor fangs.
The wolf-beast approached the boy’s head and devoured it in one bite.
-Crunch! Crunch!
'!!!!!'
The boys guarding the flag went pale at the sight.
With a ferocious beast chewing a human head right in front of them, it would’ve been weirder not to feel fear.
Even Yeom Ga from Slaughter Valley was no exception.
‘Damn it!’
Of all times for his internal energy to be sealed, why did this freakish thing have to show up?
It didn’t seem like an ordinary beast.
Without internal energy, even a normal wolf would be tough barefoot.
Let alone one that size—it went beyond tough.
He might have to risk his life.
‘Should we retreat?’
Defending the flag didn’t seem feasible anymore.
But abandoning a hard-won flag to some damn beast? Absurd.
Right then.
-Oink! Oink!
Having crushed and swallowed the boy’s head, the beast turned toward them.
It seemed to lock on, scraping its hind legs against the ground as it prepared to lunge.
Yeom Ga from Slaughter Valley started to shout.
“Ru...”
-Fwhoosh!
-Oiiiiiink!
The charging beast had closed half the distance in five strides when it suddenly spotted something, shrieked, and fled in panicked terror.
It huffed and snorted, then veered away.
-Swish!
Toward the group of boys who’d targeted their flag and fled.
One of the boys, who’d been scrambling in fright, said.
“W-what? Why’d it suddenly go that way?”
Yeom Ga from Slaughter Valley muttered irritably.
“Fuck if I know.”
He had no idea why the beast had flipped like that either.
It looked startled by something.
He turned toward the direction it had glanced at—and saw,
‘The flag?’
* * *
“Huff! Huff!”
“Ughhh.”
Three boys ran like mad.
No set direction—just barreling ahead wherever they could see.
Terrified out of their minds, their hearts felt ready to burst.
‘Damn! Damn! Damn!’
One more had fallen while fleeing.
With internal energy sealed, no lightness skill—they could only run a bit faster than an average adult man.
But that beast? No.
It was faster than a galloping horse.
‘We’re all gonna die at this rate!’
Then, as one boy ran, he spotted a figure standing ahead.
He jolted to swerve, then realized it was human and felt inner relief.
‘What? Who’s that?’
But the moment he saw him, he recognized at a glance.
The guy from the iron ball scramble—the first to pass with brutal handiwork.
In other circumstances, he’d have ignored or avoided the creepy bastard, but desperation made him shout.
“H-hey! Help us!”
That guy had formed a group too.
If they all teamed up, maybe they could take the beast.
But what was with those clothes? And all that blood on his hands?
-Hic!
Worse, as he eyed the fleeing boys, the corners of his mouth twitched up by his ears in a grin.
End of Chapter 17 Flag (4)