Chapter 72
Chapter 72
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 20
>Chapter Title: True Intent (3)
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The massive monster wolf, frozen mid-leap toward Mo Ha-rang of Mo Flower Hall.
Everyone's eyes widened at the bizarre sight.
A voice came from amid the bushes where it was stuck.
"Ahhh. What luck. All the things I need are gathered here."
'!?'
Everyone's gazes turned that way.
'That guy?'
The one emerging from the parted bushes was none other than Mok Kyung-un.
Everyone recognized him at a glance, thanks to the brutal impression he'd left in the iron orb skirmish.
And,
'......So you were alive after all.'
Mok Yu-cheon looked at Mok Kyung-un and let out a sigh of relief without realizing it.
He disliked the guy, but he hadn't truly wished for him to die in a place like this.
Still, the timing of his appearance couldn't have been worse.
'You idiot! What about your teammates? Why show up alone?'
Eight people had to stand guard searching for the flags until dawn.
And yet, just as this monster wolf was sweeping through, he strolls in alone like it's nothing. Talk about rotten luck.
But now wasn't the time to worry about him.
-Tatataatak!
Mok Yu-cheon charged toward Mo Ha-rang.
He didn't know why the monster wolf was acting like that, but this was his chance to save her.
At that moment, Yeom-ga of Execution Valley shouted.
"Hey! You crazy monster wolf! What the hell are you doing?"
Yeom-ga didn't care if Mok Kyung-un had shown up or not.
He had no idea why the monster wolf, which had been following their strategy perfectly until now, was suddenly stuck in that pose and unable to move, but he wanted it to hurry up and kill these pests.
That's why he yelled.
-Kwaaaang!
But against expectations, the monster wolf roared yet couldn't budge an inch.
Its bristling fur was pressed down flat, as if bound by something.
'What the hell is it doing?'
Frustrated, just then,
-Charrarararak!
Mok Yu-cheon slid forward and shoved Mo Ha-rang away from right under the monster wolf's nose.
He caught her shoulder as she tumbled forward.
"Pull yourself together."
Mok Yu-cheon urged Mo Ha-rang, who wore a dazed expression.
She spoke.
"You see it?"
"See what?"
The thing she eyed with a glance was the monster wolf.
Of course he saw it.
He didn't know why, but it was clearly unable to move.
Yet incomprehensible words came from her mouth.
"It's bound by iron chains."
'!?'
Mok Yu-cheon furrowed his brow.
What the hell was she saying?
Where were any iron chains that she'd spout such nonsense?
'Ah!'
Biting his lip against her soaked back, Mok Yu-cheon realized.
She must have lost too much blood, her mind delirious, hallucinating.
"Mo Ha-rang! Snap out of it. You've held on this long—collapse now and you're dead."
"I'm still......awake......"
"Then walk."
Mok Yu-cheon urged her, shouldering her weight.
She turned toward Mok Kyung-un with an expression of utter bewilderment.
Was she really hallucinating from blood loss?
Yet something felt off about it.
What was that half-white girl with the blurry form? Hardly human.
Then, she saw the half-white girl's lips move.
'!?'
Her eyes shook at the sight.
Once part of the Four Great Assassins group, Mo Flower Hall, she had mastered lip-reading.
Lip-reading deciphered conversations from lip, face, and tongue movements.
She saw it clearly.
'That......human can see me?'
At those words, a chill ran down Mo Ha-rang's spine.
And there was Mok Kyung-un, looking intrigued as he stared back and murmured something.
'Hoo, is that so?'
Mo Ha-rang grew confused.
Was it really just a hallucination from blood loss?
Why, then, were that blurry figure and Mok Kyung-un conversing?
It was then.
-Kwaaaang!
The deafening roar spread like a shockwave. Mo Ha-rang, Mok Yu-cheon—no, all the boys clutched their ears in agony.
"Kugh!"
"Wh-what sound is that?"
It was a lion's roar infused with nearly full internal energy.
And with the roar, the ground where the monster wolf's paws dug in bucked up nearly five paces before cratering.
-Ujjeojjeok!
The momentarily frozen monster wolf moved.
'Yes! That's it!'
Yeom-ga of Execution Valley, ears plugged, cheered inwardly.
They were safely within the flag's protection zone anyway, but the others had no such advantage.
So they needed to die right here.
"Damn it!"
A curse escaped Mok Yu-cheon, who was carrying her on his shoulder.
He'd thought it was his chance, but apparently not.
That was his thought when—
-Charrararararak!
Dozens of iron chains erupted not from right below, but from around five paces away, binding the monster wolf—no, the demon ape Im-maeng-ryang's body once more.
-Kwaaang!
This time, the binding was so strong.
-Kung!
The chains tangled and yanked, slamming the demon ape's head into the ground.
"Huh?"
As Mok Yu-cheon blinked in confusion, Mo Ha-rang spoke.
"You really......can't......see it?"
"What are you talking about? In this gap......"
Before he could finish—
Mok Kyung-un had already approached the demon ape, pinned flat to the ground, unable to move—not just its jaw, but its entire body.
Then,
"I have to repay you for targeting mine."
With those words, he gripped the demon ape's upper fangs with both hands, pressed down on its lower jaw with his foot, and wrenched.
-Jjeeearak!
He tore off the upper palate.
The demon ape thrashed in pain, twisting its head, but the chains bound it too tightly to move.
Thanks to that,
-Ujjeojjeok!
-Kwaaaang!
Its mouth ripped clean off.
Blood and tears streamed as it wailed, but once the upper head tore away, the cries stopped abruptly.
'!!!!!!!!'
Mok Yu-cheon, closest to the scene, was speechless. Everyone was.
Who could have imagined the monster wolf that devoured so many boys would end up like this in an instant?
'Th-this guy?'
Mok Yu-cheon was the most shocked.
Was this really the coward he knew?
Mok Kyung-un tossed aside the torn-off upper maw and head section.
-Kung!
It hit with a heavy thud, substantial even without the body.
"Hoo."
The surroundings fell silent at the sight of Mok Kyung-un, drenched in the geyser of demon ape blood from its bifurcated jaws.
What the hell was this kid?
Why had the monster wolf frozen and died the moment he appeared?
And with internal energy sealed, what was that strength that ripped its jaws apart?
Everyone was at a loss.
But one quickly snapped out of it.
'Damn it.'
It was Yeom-ga of Execution Valley.
He was just as shocked by the absurd outcome.
But the how didn't matter.
Dawn was breaking soon.
They had to defend the flag somehow, so retreat now.
Yeom-ga whispered to his team.
"We need to fall back."
His teammates understood, carefully trying to lift the flag's iron base—when it happened.
"Bind them all."
No sooner had Mok Kyung-un murmured than—
-Charrararararak!
Iron chains rose from the ground, binding everyone present.
-Clang!
"Wh-what is this?"
"Something's on us?"
The bound boys couldn't hide their panic.
Something invisible—like rope, no, cold iron chains—held them fast. Everyone felt it.
They had no idea what was happening.
"Kughhh!"
Yeom-ga of Execution Valley strained with all his might to break free.
But with internal energy sealed, and no matter how trained in external arts, he couldn't match a beast like the demon ape in raw power.
Such efforts only drained him.
-Kung!
Forcing it only pitched him forward, knees buckling.
Humiliation burned his face red.
'What the hell did this bastard do?'
Meanwhile, Mok Kyung-un approached the flag right before the cliff wall.
The boys who had fled abandoning it watched with shaking eyes.
Was he after their flag?
As they watched, Mok Kyung-un inspected the flagpole and muttered,
"Ahhh. This one too, huh."
Then, without hesitation, snapped it.
-Ujjeojjeok!
"Nooooo!"
"You bastard!"
The boys cried out in despair.
They'd fled the monster wolf, abandoning the flag, but without it, they'd fail this trial.
They hadn't expected Mok Kyung-un to destroy it.
-Eudeuk!
"You punk!"
Even Mok Yu-cheon couldn't hold back his rage, calling out to Mok Kyung-un.
He wanted to rush over and punch his face.
But bound by the invisible force, he couldn't budge.
"This won't do either."
Clicking his tongue, Mok Kyung-un headed toward Yeom-ga's group.
Veins bulging in his neck, Yeom-ga shouted,
"You planning to snap that one too?"
Mok Kyung-un smirked and shook his head.
He examined the flagpole, frowning.
[Not again?]
Her voice reached Mok Kyung-un's ears alone, unheard by others.
As she asked, the incantation matched again.
Mok Kyung-un smacked his lips in dismay.
'What a coincidence.'
He hadn't expected all three flags he'd found to bear the exact incantation he memorized.
Dawn was nearly upon them.
Even rushing wouldn't leave time to claim another flag.
[What now? Order that So-ha girl to find nearby flags even now.]
As he nodded, another idea struck him.
Why not check this first?
Mok Kyung-un eyed Yeom-ga and his teammates, bound by So-ha's chains, and began,
"By any chance......"
Before he could finish—
Someone shouted.
"I'll tell you......the rest of the incantations......let's make a deal."
Mok Kyung-un turned toward the shouter.
It was Mo Ha-rang of Mo Flower Hall.
Pale as a ghost yet somehow breathing, she mustered her remaining strength.
Mok Kyung-un looked at her with interest.
"You figured it out, huh."
"Twice.......now......you checked."
She had assumed, when Mok Kyung-un snapped their defended flag, it was just to force them out of the trial.
But seeing him frown at Execution Valley's flag, she realized.
He was seeking a different kind of flag.
'Incantation?'
Yeom-ga caught on late from her words.
He yelled desperately at Mok Kyung-un.
"Me—deal with me!"
"A deal?"
"Yeah. I know other incantations too, and we have an intact flag and full team here. Looks like you're short a team—join us and you pass."
Yeom-ga thought it perfect.
He'd been furious at first, thinking this guy ruined his plan.
But he'd ended up doing the monster wolf's job.
Snapping their flag meant Mo Flower Hall's crew would fail if they took him in.
One boy panicked.
"W-wait. We're all intact. To take that guy......"
"Shut it."
Yeom-ga snapped at the boy.
Then to Mok Kyung-un:
"I'll handle one extra, so deal or no? You need team, flag, incantation anyway."
He couldn't refuse.
Their offer was the most practical.
But Mok Kyung-un reached for a boy's waist.
-Tak!
It was the snapped flagpole.
"The incantation's right here."
'!?'
Yeom-ga couldn't hide his shock.
Carrying the pole with another incantation had backfired.
They hadn't destroyed it since not everyone memorized it—who could've foreseen this?
Yeom-ga blurted hastily.
"Th-that's ours too. So you'll deal with us, right?"
"Huh?"
"Huh?"
"It's mine."
Mok Kyung-un waved the taken flag casually.
Veins popped on Yeom-ga's forehead.
"You!"
"And this flag's mine too."
Mok Kyung-un lifted the flag one-handed.
The boys' eyes bulged.
With energy sealed, even two of them strained to lift what he hoisted effortlessly?
Mok Kyung-un, satisfied, carried the flag away from them.
"St-stop!"
"It's mine, I said."
Fuming at Mok Kyung-un's taunt, Yeom-ga swallowed it and said,
"You need......team members too!"
"Ah, right."
Mok Kyung-un nodded as if agreeing.
Then Mok Yu-cheon, supporting Mo Ha-rang, yelled,
"Don't trust that cowardly weakling, Mok Kyung-un! Those guys will stab you in the back. If you're taking anyone, take us!"
Mo Ha-rang's state worsened, so he shouted for her.
Pride kept him from begging Mok Kyung-un, but no choice remained.
Dawn meant the end.
Survival demanded swallowing pride.
Yeom-ga shouted too.
"What bullshit? Everything he took, we defended. What have you done to demand a spot?"
"Cheating with that monster instead of skill—what right do you have? Mok Kyung-un! Ignore that guy and......"
"Hey, Mok Kyung-un, right? Help us this time, and I'll repay the favor. Trials remain—owing a debt to an Execution Valley guy ain't bad......"
"Don't listen! We're half-brothers, even if......"
"You shut up!"
Soon everyone yelled, begging Mok Kyung-un holding the flag to take them as teammates.
Voices overlapped in chaos.
Right then,
-Clap clap!
Mok Kyung-un clapped.
All eyes turned to him.
He held their lives in his hands, demanding attention.
As they watched, he spoke.
"This is awkward. Everyone wants to team with me—I'd take you all if I could, but rules say otherwise."
-Gulp!
The boys swallowed dryly.
He'd decided whom to take.
Mok Yu-cheon stared piercingly at Mok Kyung-un.
No matter the grudge, they were brothers.
Surely he'd pick him? He hoped inwardly.
But,
"In this situation, favoring some over others feels unfair......How about this."
Mok Kyung-un glanced aside and nodded.
Then,
"Huh?"
"My body?"
The boys' bindings released; they could move.
Mok Kyung-un smiled at them.
"Kill each other."
"What?"
"I'll take the seven survivors as my team."
'!!!!!!'
Everyone's faces froze.
[Chapter 20: True Intent (3)] End