Chapter 584
"Alright."
Chu-so gazed into So-min's eyes for a long moment before smiling faintly and speaking.
"Then I'll make sure you survive this place."
From that day on, Chu-so taught So-min the methods to stay alive.
What kind of challenges the instructors would present next. How to pass the tests without arousing suspicion.
And sometimes, he gave her seemingly random instructions.
"From now on, eat more to gain weight, and pinch your cheeks to make them rounder."
Then he added,
"And cough lightly from time to time, and furrow your brows."
"Why?"
"If you do that, one of the five instructors will approach you. When that happens, act innocent and say you're hungry—ask for food."
So-min couldn't understand Chu-so's reasoning.
But since his guidance had kept her alive so far, she obeyed without complaint.
"Is it difficult for you?"
Just as Chu-so had predicted, one of the instructors eventually spoke to her.
Her name was So Ye-rang.
As it turned out, she once had an adorable daughter who resembled So-min, but the child had died from a strange illness.
That girl had plump cheeks, weak bronchial tubes that made her cough lightly from time to time, and loved food so much that even after meals, she would beg for snacks.
Astonishingly, Chu-so had discerned the habits of So Ye-rang's daughter and made So-min mimic them.
"You brought some honey cakes behind my back."
Just as Chu-so had foreseen, when So-min innocently begged for food, So Ye-rang was overjoyed and began taking care of her.
By the time their bond had deepened, the only children left in the village were Chu-so and So-min.
"Tomorrow will be the final test. A match of Go."
Chu-so told So-min,
"Don't overthink it. Just play the way you want."
"But then I'll lose."
"Don't worry. There's a way for neither of us to lose—a way for both of us to survive."
Only then did So-min faintly smile, guessing Chu-so's plan.
"You're going to force a draw, proving that both of us possess the Heavenly Mechanism Star's abilities?"
For the past two years, the villagers had been searching for the most exceptional genius among the children.
But what if there were two geniuses of indistinguishable talent?
They would have no choice but to spare both—or devise another test to determine the superior one.
"Listen carefully now."
Chu-so spoke cryptically.
"By the time the full moon shines bright, you'll be able to leave the village. When you see a large pine tree, dig beneath it."
"What's there?"
At So-min's question, Chu-so smiled faintly, his face pale and sickly.
"You'll know when you dig."
The next day.
Just as Chu-so had predicted, the Go match began.
So-min played with all her might, placing each stone with care.
After all, forcing a draw would be effortless for someone of Chu-so's ability.
But as the match neared its end, something strange happened.
Even if the game continued to its conclusion, Chu-so had maneuvered himself into a position where he could never overturn the board.
He had deliberately let So-min win.
—It's over.
Once the match concluded, Chu-so was dragged away by the instructors.
Even as he was taken away, his frail face never lost its faint smile as he looked at So-min.
'Why?'
Why had Chu-so chosen to lose and face death on purpose?
Was he pretending to be taken away while secretly finding a way to survive?
'I can't believe it.'
So-min shot up from her seat.
She had to know—why had Chu-so chosen death in her place? Why had he orchestrated this outcome?
She needed to see for herself.
"Chu-so!"
Shouting his name, she sprinted after him.
Twitch.
But as she ran forward, a sharp sting pierced her back—and then, darkness swallowed her consciousness.
—This makes no sense. The Heavenly Mechanism Star manifested—we were certain one of these children had it!
A furious voice scraped against her ears.
When So-min regained her senses, she slowly opened her eyes.
But something was wrong.
Though conscious, she couldn't open her eyes, and her body lay stiff as a log, unable to move even a finger.
From the sensations against her skin, she could tell she was inside a narrow box where no light could enter.
—Why is it the Star of Great Wisdom glowing, not the Heavenly Mechanism Star?!
The Star of Great Wisdom.
Literally meaning "the star of many wiles," it was a term often used to describe a strategist of exceptional wisdom.
'So I'm the Star of Great Wisdom.'
With that single remark from the old man, So-min pieced everything together.
She had been born under the Star of Great Wisdom, and they were furious that she wasn't the Heavenly Mechanism Star.
And just as they had done before, they would discard her without hesitation.
—We have no need for something like the Star of Great Wisdom.
The old man's voice was bone-chilling.
—Dispose of it quietly.
The old man's hoarse voice became like King Enma's Book of Life and Death, its decree seeping into the box where So-min lay.
Thud.
With the order given, she felt the box she was in being moved somewhere.
After what felt like an eternity of movement, the box suddenly lurched as if floating on clouds before finally coming to a stop.
Scratch. Scratch.
Now, a relentless scratching sound rose from beneath the box.
'What are they doing?'
She couldn't open her eyes or twitch a toe.
But her mind was fully awake, sharp enough to hear every sound outside and feel the texture of the wood pressing against her skin.
'Am I already dead?'
The sensation was eerie.
Like she had died, but her soul hadn't left her body.
Thud.
Then, with a heavy thud, a cold wind brushed past her.
The air was frigid—it must have been deep into the night. She was certain they had taken her outside the village, near the forest.
Swish, swish.
Yet as So-min lay there, she felt thin cloth being tightly wrapped around her from head to toe.
The scent made it clear—it was oil-treated linen being wound around her body.
'They think I'm dead and are preparing me for burial.'
Just as she had expected.
Wrapped tightly in the linen, her body was placed into a deep pit.
Then, with another scratch, scratch, she felt the weight of thick soil pouring over her.
'So this is how I die.'
Frustration welled up inside her.
She hadn't avenged her parents' deaths. She had sacrificed Chu-so, who had helped her all this time.
And yet, she hadn't even managed to escape this place.
'Even if I have to become a vengeful ghost, I'll make them pay!'
With every crushing weight of soil that fell, So-min screamed inwardly.
'I swear I'll take revenge on all of you!'
But the earth pressing down on her chest grew heavier, and eventually, So-min slowly lost consciousness.
How much time had passed?
The weight pressing down on her body suddenly lightened, and then—
Fresh air.
She could feel it again.
"The Southern Splendor Immortal's Fate-and-Destiny Dream Path Great Method eliminates all vital signs, but the breath remains intact."
At the same time, a middle-aged woman's voice reached So-min's ears.
It was unmistakably Instructor So Ye-rang's.
"I procured a child's body similar to yours in advance and disguised it as you. From now on, you are free."
Her voice was low.
"In about seven or eight minutes, you'll be able to move. Leave this place immediately and live quietly."
Ye-rang's voice carried both regret and kindness.
"If you never speak of what happened here, no harm will come to you."
A deep sigh followed, and then Ye-rang's presence gradually faded away.
Half a heh later, just as she had said, the paralysis lifted, and So-min's vision slowly brightened.
Looking around, she saw the desolate scenery of a deep forest.
And then—
Mounds.
Dozens of them, rising slightly from the earth.
Seventy-six, to be exact.
The same number as the children who had lived and suffered alongside her in the village.
"Chu-so..."
Then somewhere among these graves, Chu-so must be buried.
So-min searched desperately, digging through the cold earth where he might lie.
He would have been the last one buried—she was certain of that.
"He's not here."
Only a few months had passed since the trials began, so the grave mounds were still fresh.
And without even a simple monument, there was no way to know where Chu-so rested.
She forced herself to dig up a few, but all she found were the pitiful remains of other children.
"Even if I found him... there's nothing I could do."
In the end, So-min gave up and bowed deeply before the graves.
"I swear... once I've taken revenge, I'll come back and bury you properly in the sunlight."
The memory of Chu-so's sickly face and smile twisted her heart with unbearable pain.
But there was no time to grieve.
If she lingered, she might be dragged back to the village.
Hurry!
After a quick glance around, So-min fled the graveyard.
She ran endlessly down the rugged mountain path until, before she knew it, she reached the foothills.
There, the scenery changed.
As if she had stepped into another world, an entirely different landscape unfolded before her.
"A boundary formation... no, an Art of Spells?"
They must have used some kind of mystical barrier or spell to obscure the village's location.
So that anyone who left would arrive in a completely different place.
The sky was clear, a bright moon hanging overhead.
Running mindlessly under its light, she spotted a towering pine tree in the distance.
—When the full moon shines brightest, you'll be able to leave the village. When you see a large pine tree, dig beneath it.
"The pine tree."
Remembering Chu-so's words, So-min immediately dug beneath it.
There, she found a neatly written letter.
It was from Chu-so.
—By the time you read this, you've probably already escaped the village, right?
Astonishingly, Chu-so had anticipated everything—even leaving this letter here by some unknown method.
—Keep walking east without stopping. And when the full moon comes, you'll meet the people who will change your life.
...(omitted)...
The ones who killed your parents are from the Infinite Realm. The ones who kidnapped us are from the Jungson Clan.
By the time you gain the power to take revenge... you'll understand just how terrifying those two names truly are.
So-min was certain now.
Chu-so had possessed the divine wisdom they had all longed for—
The ability to read Heaven's Will and even foresee the future...
He had been the Heavenly Mechanism Star.
And yet, he had given up his life to save hers.
—The reason I chose you is simple: you're the only one who can avenge us all.
At the end of the letter was Chu-so's final kindness.
—I was already dying from severe lung disease anyway. Even without you, my fate was sealed, so don't grieve for me.
So-min clutched the letter to her chest.
And wept.
"Liar."
She knew.
Chu-so had been pretending to suffer from lung disease the whole time.
At first, it was probably to avoid drawing the instructors' attention.
But later... it was just to ease her guilt.
"Did you really think I wouldn't figure that out?"
Hot tears streamed down her face.
For the first time since her parents' deaths—
She cried.
"I won't cry anymore from now on."
Clutching the letter to her chest, So-min followed Chu-so's instructions and strode eastward without hesitation.
Chu-so was the Heavenly Mechanism Star—a divine being capable of unraveling the mysteries of fate.
His prophecies would all come true. If she went this way, she would surely gain the power to exact her revenge.
'The Infinite Realm. The Jungson Clan.'
As she walked endlessly eastward, So-min repeated the names over and over, engraving them into her mind so she would never forget.
When she grew hungry, she begged for food or scavenged scraps from the waterways.
When even that failed, she chewed on tree roots and grass.
And so, as she wandered east, she eventually found herself at the foot of a mountain, where a breathtaking plum grove stretched before her.
"Pretty..."
Without realizing it, So-min stepped into the grove.
Beyond it, a clear stream flowed.
When she bent down to see her reflection in the water, she caught sight of her own face—dirty and ragged, like a beggar's.
Splash.
Cupping water in both hands, she washed her face for the first time in ages.
And as the grime washed away, the face of a beautiful young girl emerged from beneath the filth.
"Huh—"
Just as she finished, a middle-aged man with an immortal's grace and a woman of ethereal beauty appeared before her.
The man's voice trembled as he took in So-min's face.
"She... looks just like Gyeong-i."
The woman, too, nodded in astonishment.
The couple had once sent their brilliant daughter to Jegal Academy in Everlasting Spring Valley, hoping to nurture her extraordinary intellect.
But in the end, their daughter had died there—succumbing to an unexplained illness in her sleep.
Unable to bear the grief of losing their child so suddenly, the couple had wandered the martial world in mourning.
And now, as if their daughter had returned to life, they found a girl who bore her exact likeness.
This day marked exactly half a month since So-min had read the letter beneath the pine tree.
"Child, what's your name?"
So-min couldn't answer the beautiful woman's question.
"There's no need to be afraid. It's just... you look so much like our daughter."
So-min instantly assessed the situation.
The couple's expressions mirrored that of So Ye-rang, the instructor who had saved her life.
"I don't have a name."
She pretended to be an orphan.
The couple asked her many things after that.
And when they realized even her sharp intellect resembled their lost daughter's, they marveled.
Taking it as fate, they brought her home.
They made her their own daughter—bestowing upon her the name Gongson Dan-gyeong.
The couple recovered from their sorrow, their bond strengthening until they bore another child.
That child was named Gongson Dan-a.
They never told Gongson Dan-a the truth about Gongson Dan-gyeong, treating her as their true daughter.
But So-min—no, Gongson Dan-gyeong—felt a pang of guilt toward Gongson Dan-a.
She wasn't truly a daughter of the Gongson Clan. She had to stake her life on revenge.
So she feigned inferiority and distanced herself from Gongson Dan-a.
And when the time came, she left the Gongson Clan to join the Martial Alliance.
For revenge, she needed an exceptional information network.
Fortunately, with her adoptive father Gongson Hwa-uk's support and her own proven brilliance, she began her career at the Righteous Guard Bureau—a prestigious position overseeing Mechanism Formations.
From there, she rose swiftly through the ranks—deputy leader of the Three Canon Hall under the Strategy Pavilion, and then higher still.
Until at last, she reached the seat of Chief Strategist.
And just as Chu-so had foretold, she learned the truth of the Infinite Realm and the Jungson Clan—the names of those who had slaughtered her parents and abducted her.
She realized just how terrifying and formidable they were.
The Infinite Realm—one of the three pillars that ruled over the martial world.
And the Jungson Clan—one of the legendary families that had never revealed themselves in the martial world.
She couldn't yet uncover the connection between the two.
But the Three Realms dominated the martial world, their identities known to the leaders of major factions.
If she could dismantle the Infinite Realm... she was certain she would find the Jungson Clan.
Yet no matter how deeply she probed, she found no link between them.
—A figure from the Yangseol Clan has appeared in the martial world.
Then, unexpectedly, Seon-u Jin—who had been traveling the martial world—brought her a crucial piece of information.
A descendant of the legendary Yangseol Clan had descended to capture the Earthly Killing Star.
Flash.
In that instant, a new plan formed in Gongson Dan-gyeong's mind.
The Yangseol Clan, like the Jungson Clan, was a hidden force lurking in the Abyss.
If she could capture this woman...
Perhaps she could trace the Jungson Clan's whereabouts.
Knock, knock.
A low voice sounded from beyond the door.
"Chief Strategist, it's Song Ryeong."
"Enter."
Song Ryeong was both her adjutant and the commander of the secret organization she had established.
"We've found her."
Song Ryeong's voice was hushed.
"The woman suspected to be from the Yangseol Clan—she's been spotted in Sichuan, at the Middle Path."
"Good."
Gongson Dan-gyeong's eyes narrowed.
"Deliver a message to the Baekri Clan's leader."
A chilling aura, cold enough to freeze the world, poured from her gaze.
"If he brings her to me alive, I will honor my promise."
"Understood. However—"
Song Ryeong's voice dropped even lower.
"We detected individuals resembling the Demonic Path's Information Warfare Unit nearby. They appear to be under the Martial Soul Lord's command."
"The Martial Soul Lord?"
"Indeed. Given that they aren't concealing their presence... it seems there's some kind of connection."
Martial Soul Lord Bu Eun-seol.
He and Gongson Dan-gyeong had aided each other multiple times, and they had agreed to cooperate in dismantling the Infinite Realm.
"If he's near the Yangseol Clan personage, we shouldn't send the Baekri Clan's leader."
"It doesn't matter."
But Gongson Dan-gyeong replied coldly.
"Proceed as planned."
"Understood."
As Song Ryeong departed, Gongson Dan-gyeong bit her lip.
I won't tolerate anyone who gets in my way.
A frigid energy capable of freezing even the heavens poured from her pupils.
The Infinite Realm and the Jungson Clan. Starting now, I'll crush every last one of you.