Chapter 357
Chapter 357
-----------------------------------------------------------------
>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 357
>Chapter Title: Embraced by the Shadows
>-----------------------------------------------------------------
Kang Seol was surrounded by an incomplete shadow, revealing only part of his face from one cheek up to his eyes.
His face already resembled that of the dead, so it didn’t seem all that strange.
“Why did you enter the labyrinth? No, hee hee hee… The reason for seeking out the labyrinth is obvious. To get stronger, right?”
When the second brother, Shin Hyun, asked with a laugh, Kang Seol nodded in agreement.
There could be no other purpose for those who sought the labyrinth.
Only to grow stronger.
Shin Lip walked ahead in silence, while Shin Hyun kept talking to Kang Seol, who seemed fascinating to him.
“Where are we going?”
“Obviously to our dwelling. Where else?”
They seemed to live on one of the peaks of the stone mountain.
The direction they were heading was toward that bulging summit.
‘What the hell… happened?’
Kang Seol wandered, enveloped in his black shell.
He didn’t know how long it had been, but it was an incredibly unpleasant experience.
He could have died.
No, it might be more accurate to say he had died.
Yet, unexpectedly, that situation had brought him luck.
Shin Lip and Shin Hyun.
He had encountered the two powerhouses who were also his words.
‘But… how are the two of them together?’
The Ebony Labyrinth didn’t connect unless one reached its end.
Clearly, the two had headed for different doors, and since neither had reached the labyrinth’s end, they shouldn’t have met.
‘Could it be that when Shin Kang escaped the labyrinth, it caused a rift?’
If a distortion had swept through the entire labyrinth when Shin Kang, who became the One-Armed Sword Saint, slashed through the darkness to escape, then the current situation made sense.
“What are you thinking so hard about?”
“Have the two of you been together from the start?”
“……Your curiosity is as bizarre as your appearance. Hm… Since it’s a long story, I’ll tell you later.”
Seemingly unwilling to answer, Kang Seol slung Lament over his shoulder and followed them to their dwelling.
Finally, upon reaching the midpoint of the stone mountain, their home came into view.
Outside the dwelling was a platform made from the labyrinth’s trees, surprisingly well-crafted and sturdy.
“Sit over here.”
Kang Seol sat on the platform as Shin Lip instructed.
“As I said before, you’re as good as dead already. Without that bizarre entity, you would’ve lost your consciousness to the labyrinth without even knowing what happened.”
It was just as he said.
And after hearing this, one thing Kang Seol wanted to know.
“Shin Lip, and Shin Hyun. Then you two…”
“We’ve already gone through the exact process you experienced once in the past. We went through the same thing, but we’re not in the same boat. You’re alive, and we’re dead.”
“……”
As Kang Seol had put it, Shin Lip and Shin Hyun were night beasts.
Beasts moving with souls loaded into black puppets.
Of course, unlike other entities, they possessed clear consciousness, but their existence could still be defined that way.
Those sinister beings embraced by darkness wielded unbelievable power.
Even if the soul dwelling within was that of a frail person who had never used their strength in life.
On top of that, the night beasts of the Ebony Labyrinth were influenced by their strength in life. If they had been powerhouses before, they remained powerful as night beasts.
Originally, the swordsman Kang Seol had clashed with was likely an adventurer who had sought the labyrinth directly, unlike the other entities he had hunted.
Naturally, he was incomparably stronger than night beasts harboring souls unrelated to combat.
Kang Seol couldn’t have stood a chance without forcibly becoming a night raven.
“There are small beasts here that even an amateur like you could easily take down, but also dangerous ones that even we struggle against.”
“Exactly. To escape this labyrinth, you’ll need to get strong enough to take them down on your own, at least.”
Beasts that even Shin Lip and Shin Hyun found burdensome.
Shin Hyun continued from Shin Lip’s words.
“Well, judging by your looks, it’ll take a while.”
Hearing this, Kang Seol suddenly felt suffocated and tried to release the night raven state.
Pzzzzzt…
‘…Huh?’
Tzzzzzt…
‘Why isn’t it reverting back?’
It felt like wearing a heavy, wet coat—stifling and oppressive.
Shin Lip examined his condition briefly and shook his head.
“It’s not your power. A fool who doesn’t understand darkness threw it on recklessly, so the surrounding darkness seized the opportunity and latched on.”
“That can’t be… Then…”
“How do I…”
“Adapt to it first before trying to shake it off. Shedding it comes after.”
Shin Hyun cackled.
“Hee hee hee hee! You’re in a state where the shadow’s devouring you. You did something incredibly stupid. Who dares enter the Ebony Labyrinth and handle shadows without fear?”
“……”
It was the backlash from forcibly attempting a complete night raven transformation.
He needed to shed this somehow to return to normal life.
But there was no easy way. Kang Seol listened intently to Shin Hyun.
“The Ebony Labyrinth is no place for someone who handles shadows. For it to swallow you and your shadow is nothing at all. No matter how strong you are, as long as you wield shadow power, it doesn’t matter! To the labyrinth, you’re just plump, juicy prey right now.”
“……”
“In short, worst possible matchup! The power you pride yourself on has stabbed you in the back. Use shadows arbitrarily, and the labyrinth will use it as a conduit to swing you around arbitrarily.”
Shin Hyun spoke, and Shin Lip continued.
“Now, I’ll teach you how to survive in this labyrinth. First…”
Shin Lip extended his index and middle fingers, pointing at Kang Seol’s eyes.
“See it. The darkness.”
“You’re distorting us right now, seeing with something other than your eyes.”
“……”
Kang Seol was left speechless. They had grasped everything about him from a single encounter.
“I think I’ve got a rough idea of what kind of guy you are.”
Shin Hyun mocked Kang Seol’s behavior.
“A guy who craves power even unconsciously, yet instead of charging head-on, he’s obsessed with finding the easy path…. Tsk tsk.”
“To get stronger, you first need to fix that rotten habit.”
“Until then, don’t go near any beasts! Use every spare moment from eating, sleeping, and shitting to keep your eyes open.”
It was no different from secluded meditation training.
Efficiency-obsessed Kang Seol unwittingly asked.
“How much time until I can open my eyes?”
“The fact that you’re asking that means you’re already doomed. Listen up. No matter how much time passes, you’ll never see again if you keep that up. Time…”
Shin Hyun poked Kang Seol’s chest.
“…is determined by how you use it. If you want something, spend time to achieve it. Why does a guy who wants so much try to get everything on the cheap? You think the world’s a pushover?”
“Calm down, Hyun-ah. Show him the annex.”
“Got it. Follow me.”
Shin Hyun jumped up and led Kang Seol to a separate annex a short distance from the dwelling.
It was almost like an abandoned barn, but it seemed serviceable for sleeping.
“You’ll stay here from now on. No more cheap tricks to probe your surroundings. Don’t take time lightly! Those who belittle blood and sweat will be weeded out! Remember, only total immersion will let you open your eyes.”
* * *
Suddenly abandoned in the barn-like annex, Kang Seol needed time to sort his thoughts.
A day passed, and he began to understand his situation.
‘I failed.’
Shin Lip and Shin Hyun were right.
His habit of solving everything the easiest way had finally tripped him up.
Clatter…
Something caught at his feet, nearly making him stumble.
That was how powerless Kang Seol had become.
It was the price of sealing his mental power and opting for a head-on approach as they advised.
It hurt.
But at the same time, he was convinced this was the way.
He blinked open and closed his eyes, but it was just signals from his senses—he couldn’t tell if they were actually open or closed.
Because he saw nothing.
After a week, he thought, ‘The Shin brothers still keep their promises impeccably.’
Shin Hyun delivered meals at set times in set portions. No footsteps, no presence.
Unable to see, it felt like a ghost had come and gone, leaving only the food.
He felt like an elderly patient confined to bed.
This realization made him see that all the problems lay with him.
‘I… was wrong.’
The ten legendary words.
He had admired their power.
Because it was fantasy.
Because it was entertainment.
The thrill of watching someone reach a place he could never attain.
Part of what Kang Seol felt toward them was surely that.
Opportunity came to him too.
The transfer to Pandea might have been life throwing him a choice.
A chance to enter that world himself and challenge it.
To swing a sword, shoot a bow, cast spells like the heroes he admired, and step into the places they reached.
‘…But I didn’t.’
The reason for his regret was that he might have taken that opportunity too lightly.
He had forgotten how his legendary words grew strong through trials and time, focusing instead on leveraging knowledge he already had.
It had worked well for a while.
His growth was freakishly fast, his achievements far beyond what other transferees could catch up to.
But… he had hit a wall.
Now was the time for the ‘real’ deal.
Had he ever truly immersed himself in growing stronger with passion and time?
‘Maybe… when I met Yoo Hyun….’
When he met Yacha Yoo Hyun, the cracks had already begun.
Yoo Hyun as the yacha was far weaker than his original self from long ago.
Returned to his true form, he unleashed the swordsmanship of old, pushing Kang Seol—who mobilized all his power—to his limits.
The strengths Kang Seol had gained were momentarily overwhelmed by Yoo Hyun’s pure power…
Now, he had to face it.
To break the wall, he needed to act like them.
As the sleepyhead said, there were no shortcuts.
If he wanted to reach their level faster, he had to run instead of walk.
From the moment he resolved this, Kang Seol’s hellish time began.
Unable to see ahead, he relied on Lament’s aid or groped around to sharpen his senses.
Whenever he reflexively tried to use mental power, he gritted his teeth and sealed his senses entirely.
For exactly a month, he focused solely on his senses.
Yet, he still couldn’t see the darkness.