Chapter 399
Chapter 399
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 399
>Chapter Title: The Human River Path
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If the Dragon Candidates sought to take lives, now was the perfect moment.
Anyone harboring a grudge would block the way.
A path begun in the morning and ending at dusk.
Shinyo had the highest chance of reaching the end.
She had made the most cold-blooded judgment and handled matters as if the concept of loyalty did not exist.
If the colossal machine known as Kan fell into someone's hands, she would be the top candidate.
Thud…
Thud…
Not even the sound of footsteps on the ground could be heard. Only the sensation of walking was conveyed.
This was true for all the Dragon Candidates.
Before beginning the Injung Road, the recorders had tested the sorcery tools the candidates were required to wear by walking in them first. They described it as feeling like sinking into the deep sea.
Simply wearing the sorcery tools produced that sensation. If one walked it as a Dragon Candidate, the psychological torment would be even more intense.
A blade that could strike from anywhere, anytime without warning.
A situation where even the barest defense was impossible.
Regrets from bygone years, chewed over in reflection.
It was the consensus that those who reached the end of the Injung Road possessed unquestionable mental fortitude.
A sentence conjured by sorcery arrived in everyone's minds.
- Salvation Flower, fallen behind. Deceased.
The remaining seven halted.
Fear exploded from one of the Dragon Candidates upon hearing the death report.
- Bait Flower, fallen behind. Forfeited.
Now down to six.
But at this point, the status of their rivals mattered little.
What mattered was whether they themselves could reach the end of this path.
Swish…
Swish…
Tae-yul was the first to resume walking.
The other Dragon Candidates followed suit.
Not one had gone without stopping even once amid it all.
No matter how bold one might be, knowing that the most terrifying thing was another person made hesitation inevitable.
Whoooosh…
Halt!
Even a mere breeze made them cling tightly to the rope, trembling at the chilling sensation.
Naturally, this ridiculous behavior became fodder for mockery among the masses.
It was a world where all information was permitted to many, but for the Dragon Candidates, only signals of fear were transmitted.
No smells, no scenery, no sounds.
The only action possible was rolling the feet to push against the ground.
Shortening the remaining rope even further.
- Edge Flower, fallen behind. Deceased.
No one stopped at this news. If anything, they quickened their pace.
And at the same moment, the next report flowed in.
- Ground Flower, fallen behind. Deceased.
Halt…
They had to stop again.
The group halved in an instant.
Most of them dead.
Anxiety surged.
Too many deaths.
Had they died because they created grudges? Or were they simply targets for venting rage?
If it was the latter even by a slim chance, forfeiting the trial now was the right call.
The next to die could be themselves.
But… they walked on.
Pouring strength only into each step.
“Haa… haa…”
Tae-yul breathed raggedly. He hadn’t exerted himself much, yet he couldn’t catch his breath.
His body was that tense. His muscles creaked.
And…
Rustle…
The reaper visited Tae-yul. He stopped.
He felt it—killing intent.
If he proceeded, the reaper awaited.
Tae-yul stood still, not reacting to the intent. His heart felt like it would burst.
The source of the killing intent showed no aggressive moves.
His ears deafened, he couldn’t hear the reaper’s words. His eyes blinded, he couldn’t see the reaper’s form.
“Tae-yul! Tae-yuuuul! You hypocrite!”
The reaper merely stood there, clutching a blade tightly.
If Tae-yul didn’t move now, he might not reach the Dragon Palace in time.
Swish…
So he stepped forward.
“Don’t come closer!”
Swish…
“I said don’t walk! You’re… a murderer!”
Tae-yul grasped the reaper’s hand. The reaper didn’t shake it off. He held the absolute advantage. He could kill Tae-yul anytime.
Tae-yul didn’t grab the hand to make him drop the weapon.
He wanted to know who the reaper was.
The reaper trembled. The man’s hand felt rough and dry—middle-aged, perhaps.
“…It’s you.”
Tae-yul said.
“You’ve come…”
“You’re… a murderer! My family… they died in Tochang… because of you! Because you failed to protect them!”
The man who had blocked Tae-yul’s path while patrolling the Kan city of Chapa.
- You… you gave up on them! My family in Tochang…
During the Yaksha War, many sacrifices occurred in Tochang. Tae-yul had saved Tochang, but not everyone there.
Because he wasn’t perfect. Because he was human.
For every corpse created, grudges multiplied tenfold.
“We… met in Chapa, didn’t we? You scolded me then.”
“How… how do you… remember me…?”
Tae-yul could no longer hear the man’s words.
He only remembered the killing intent.
Tae-yul embraced the trembling man.
“I remember you. I’m sorry… I’m sorry. Because I’m not perfect… I did my best, but it wasn’t enough.”
“……”
Clang…
The blade fell to the ground.
It was nothing more than a weapon of that value.
“Can you forgive me?”
Thud-!
The man shoved Tae-yul away and vanished.
Tae-yul survived the reaper.
Everyone shuddered at Tae-yul’s boldness. But the truth was different.
He was crying.
“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”
And he walked on.
* * *
Seolhong walked, trembling.
Her already slender frame shook as if it might be swept away by the wind.
- Pure Flower, fallen behind. Forfeited.
Now, only Seolhong, Shinyo, and Tae-yul remained on the Injung Road.
All others had died or given up.
If someone died now, it would be someone close to Seolhong—or Seolhong herself.
That terrified her.
Clack…
Her foot caught on something.
‘…The slums.’
The uneven ground, the shift in air flow.
Seolhong instantly realized she was in the slums.
Gulp…
She couldn’t help but tense up.
Assuming everyone here had pure hearts would be the gravest folly in the slums.
Trusting people.
That was absolutely forbidden here.
Thud-!
‘Huh….’
Sizzle…
Boom…!
Her foot snagged on a stone.
Unable to see ahead, she fell hard.
“Hahahahaha!”
“Puhahaha!”
Someone was surely laughing at the sight.
Being ridiculed was bearable. It didn’t scare her.
But the unbearable fear was…
‘I dropped it!’
She had lost the rope.
Having fallen so dramatically, she fumbled to find its position.
“It’s still… still okay… If I just find the rope… I can find it. Find…”
Fwoooosh-!
In that instant, a shock like her heart stopping started from the crown of her head.
“Uh… uuuuh…”
Something mixed with cold liquid.
Crumbs sticking to her body.
It was filth.
She was certain.
Even without sight, hearing, or smell.
She knew.
She was doused in excrement.
“Ugh… uuuugh…”
Someone hurling the chamber pot to the ground.
“Hahahahaha!”
“Look at that! See? She’s nothing special!”
“Without guards, she’d just crawl on the ground like that!”
“People are all the same! Got it, you idiots!”
They spewed words she couldn’t hear. Demons of the slums.
No one helped Seolhong.
“Hn… hnn…”
She didn’t cry.
It wasn’t sorrow—it was fear.
The slum demons doused Seolhong in filth and left.
“Remember today, Seolhong! Covered in shit—that’s your true nature! We’ll be watching you!”
The day was cold.
Her soaked body shivered uncontrollably.
“Uuugh… hng…”
Help me.
Help me, Kang Seol.
What do I do in a time like this?
She clawed at herself endlessly. But no answer would come from one already gone.
No matter how she searched, the rope eluded her grasp.
Collapsed in the slums, she couldn’t rise.
Someone approached again.
Swish…
Feeling the movement, she curled up in terror. Seolhong’s appearance was no longer beautiful—it was wretched.
Like a petal fallen to the ground, trampled. Yet even that couldn’t deter the footsteps of those who longed for flowers.
Swish…
Something draped over Seolhong’s neck.
Touching it with her hands, it was a flower.
A necklace made of flowers.
“Don’t give up, Seolhong.”
“Stay strong!”
Words she couldn’t hear again.
Stinking of filth, Seolhong groped around.
And she stood.
She didn’t know exactly where she was or where the rope lay.
That was only natural.
How could a single human be perfect?
“Help me!”
Her resounding cry.
The people lining the slums panicked. Who knew she could drown out the masses with such a voice?
“I… I don’t know where the rope is. At this rate, I can’t reach the Dragon Palace. I… I was clumsy and dropped it. Give me a chance! If I grab the rope again! I’m confident I won’t drop it this time!”
“…….”
“A chance… please give me a chance… Help me…”
Everyone froze at her cry, but their response was immediate.
Clap-!
Claaaap-!
Someone near the rope began clapping.
She couldn’t hear the sound.
Was this a futile act, then?
Claaaap-!
Claaaap-!
The clapping grew enormous.
The gathered people clapped simultaneously near the rope.
A flow formed.
The vibration shaking the air reached Seolhong.
Grab!
Fumbling, Seolhong seized the rope.
“Stay strong!”
“Keep walking!”
Mumbling, Seolhong began walking again.
“Thank you… thank you.”
An even greater vibration than the clapping welcomed her as she exited the slums.
Doooong…
Doooong…
What was this?
A sensation like her whole body reverberating.
‘…A bell?’
The vibration from striking a massive bell transmitted to Seolhong.
‘Why on earth…’
Dooooooong…
Dooooooong…
The bell’s toll shook her very core.
‘Ah…’
This was for her.
Beckoning her to follow.
Toward the bell’s sound.
Yes.
She was already surrounded by too many to mourn the departed.
People seemed thronged around her.
They appeared to shout in unison, but of course, she couldn’t hear.
She had walked the path trapped in darkness, yet the end held no loneliness.
Step…
Step…
At the path’s end, someone removed her blindfold.
Rustle…
Squeeee…
Sound, scenery, fragrance returned.
“Become a dragon!”
Diiiiiing…
“Become a dragon!”
Diiiiiing…
The massive bell rode an equally massive cart, accompanying her to the final stretch.
The foul stench of excrement overpowered the flowers’ scent.
And people held hands, forming a circle to protect Seolhong.
“Aah…”
As Seolhong faltered for words, the crowd at the Dragon Palace—and Tae-yul and Shinyo beyond it—watched her intently.
The recorder asked.
“Death Flower, you have reached the end of the Injung Road. Cross this gate, and you shall gain the qualification.”
“…….”
“The qualification to become a dragon! Have you duly resolved yourself to its weight?”
Her face, caked brown with dried filth, broke into a grin.
And she stepped forward.
Step…
Step…
She crossed into the Dragon Palace.
She had no scales, spat no fire. No wings, commanded no weather.
Merely a human doused in filth and flowers.
Yet…
“I will become a dragon.”
She sought to become one.
“Become a dragon!”
“Become a dragon!”
Diiiiiing…
The bell tolled.
Three crossed the Injung Road—the river of humanity.
Tae-yul, Shinyo, and Seolhong.
Among them, the sole one to become a dragon through the dragon strife from the lowest succession rank was Seolhong.
Death Flower finally bloomed a flower even in the mud.
In the great empire of Kan, three public kings were born.