Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: A Different Situation
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A situation different from what he'd imagined.
The Second Demon's disciple, Jin Wi-ryang, wiped his face.
In the midst of fleeing blindly, he had run into someone. The man holding the lantern scowled and shouted.
"Follow the light! And don't cause any more trouble!"
His words carried an irresistible force.
Jin Wi-ryang obeyed for now. It was better than groping through the pitch-black darkness where nothing was visible.
Faint embers remained along the path the old man had taken. He sprinted over them frantically until stairs appeared before him.
He climbed them for a while.
Then, tumbling into a suddenly bright room, Jin Wi-ryang let out a breath.
He sensed it instinctively. This room was safe.
Jin Wi-ryang turned his head. It seemed like an intermediate chamber leading somewhere else, with a simple workbench piled in one corner.
Apart from that, it was just an ordinary room. Leaning against the wall, he raised his hand.
He slashed at the moving corpse.
But something was off about it...
His qi nearly reversed in that instant. It felt like demonic possession was coming over him.
And someone had sliced through dozens of them at once...
Eun Seol-ran must be dead.
That damned fool of a woman. She stuck her neck out without knowing better, and look what happened. At least that face of hers looked good enough for a night of fun.
"...Hoo."
He steadied his breathing. Calming his startled qi, he lightly circulated his heart method.
Those who had fled in different directions began opening the door and entering one by one. Sweating coldly, they glanced around before collapsing to the floor.
"J-Jin young master... What in the world is..."
"Do you think I know?"
His tone sharpened naturally. It had to.
Ever since being sucked into this damned place, nothing had gone as he wanted.
...No. If he thought about it, it started from the mountain range formed by the Seal Demon Cave.
Some unqualified punk joins on his own whim.
And there's one idiot who steps up to help him without hesitation.
He even got chewed out for it. Right in front of everyone.
"...Damn it all."
The Second Demon's ninth disciple. It was undoubtedly a fine title. But there were eight others above him with even finer ones.
Even a genius becomes ordinary among true geniuses. He remembered those blatant sneering gazes.
That's why he'd come here to gain more favor in the Second Demon's eyes and build his reputation. On the surface, he'd smiled while trying to dominate the entire inspection group.
But it had all fallen apart.
He felt sidelong glances. Jin Wi-ryang knew what they meant.
Distrust toward him for fleeing first. They were undoubtedly comparing him inwardly to Eun Seol-ran, who had stayed behind and told them to run.
Even those who had followed him avoided his eyes. He could feel them subtly putting distance between them.
"......."
...Why.
Why are you looking at me like that?
Aren't you all the same? Didn't we all run together?
Was I the only one who didn't look back? Why are you all sighing in relief like you haven't sinned?
What did I do wrong?
I'm just like you...
Are you all so pure?
"...Tch."
He had to reclaim his crumbled authority first.
He couldn't let his mistake leak into the Myriad Demons Clan's records.
Time to put some strength into it. He needed prey. And a suitable pretext.
If he showed them right here what happened to those who defied him...
They'd all submit again.
That's how humans were. That's why those he'd trampled never dared to challenge him.
And right on cue, they entered.
"...Hah... Hah..."
His prey.
Jin Wi-ryang drew his sword. He stared at the man and woman catching their breath.
Yeon-gwang. Worthless trash without the qualifications.
Seo Cho-hee. A fool of a woman who dared raise her voice at him despite knowing nothing.
"Miss Seo. You should recall what you said to me earlier."
"...Pardon?"
"Did you think you'd get away unscathed after insulting me in front of everyone?"
He fixed on one target. Yeon-gwang was excluded.
He was a fool he could deal with anytime. No direct pretext for insult.
But Seo Cho-hee was different. She was perfect prey.
Everyone here had heard the insult she hurled when his footing slipped.
"Arrogant without skill? Do I look like that kind of person to you? Everyone here knows this was just an accidental mishap."
Seo Cho-hee's face twisted.
"In a situation like this, picking such a ridiculous fight...! Who in the world would think that?! "
"Ask them. Everyone here."
Seo Cho-hee turned her head. But Jin Wi-ryang smirked inwardly.
As if anyone would side with you?
Eun Seol-ran was gone. That meant no one here could oppose him.
Even if his prestige had taken a hit, his sword remained. With martial power in hand, everyone naturally turned their heads.
No one dared defy him. Yes. This was power.
The Divine Cult was a place that revered strength.
No matter what he showed, the weak had no choice but to submit. They had to yield to the strong's whims.
Why?
Because you're vermin!
Vermin trash who can't do anything alone except grovel for scraps from the strong!
So crawl. Like the bugs you are, wriggle on the ground and scramble for whatever crumbs fall.
Just follow, and I'll give you what's left after I eat.
"Holding me responsible for all this is truly laughable. Surely the later generation of the Rakshasa Clan knows to consider the weight of their words."
"S-Someone say something! This is weird! This can't be right...! Jin young master threw Yeon young master's sword! Everyone knows it wasn't a 'mistake'!"
"You're the only one mistaken. Isn't that right? Yeon young master?"
He spun his drawn sword, aiming it at Yeon-gwang beside Seo Cho-hee.
"Yeon young master. It was all a mistake, wasn't it?"
"......."
"There's only one guilty party, so no need for you to get involved. Yeon young master. Just nod."
Rebuilding crumbled authority.
It took just one nod from the weak.
The symbol of overwhelming power. Massive claws that even made victims acquiesce.
Jin Wi-ryang scattered his surging qi. He infused strength into his voice.
He made it clear.
The gap in power was vast. No matter what you do, you can't win.
Siding with Seo Cho-hee here is jumping into hell.
"It was a mistake, wasn't it? Yeon young master?"
He asked again.
Yeon-gwang answered. In a trembling voice.
"...A mis..."
Yes.
Say it.
Say it in front of everyone.
That I am untouchable. That your voice can be crushed with a single word.
...
The sword in his arms trembled. Yeon-gwang blinked.
It's heavy. Why is it so heavy? Swords can be like that sometimes.
The weight is so immense that sometimes he's afraid to even draw it.
Someone is trembling. Seo Cho-hee's hand, with no one meeting her gaze.
He looked back at her.
What dwelled in her eyes was fear. The gaze of someone who didn't know what price she'd pay if this continued.
Seo Cho-hee was weak. Probably around his own level.
He was weak too. Not strong at all.
Compared to the man before him?
Jin Wi-ryang. One of the strongest among this generation of later disciples, openly radiating his energy. It was suffocating.
The difference in realm was clear. Even if he gripped his sword and charged first, victory seemed impossible.
Could he handle it with Thunderbolt Sword?
...No.
His sword was still lacking. It couldn't even keep up with his master's heel.
No one to mediate either. The two who had sided with him had fallen behind.
Thinking straight, he should bow his head. Step back one pace for the future.
If he closed his eyes, Jin Wi-ryang would smile in satisfaction.
Without justification...
He'd end it by punishing Seo Cho-hee.
One silence. One nod without speaking, and it would all be over.
He might save his life and carry on his master's legacy. As payment for descending deep into the Seal Demon Cave, he might entrust this sword to the Ghost Valley Night Village.
One blink would suffice.
One silence might gain him everything.
...But.
"...It wasn't a mistake, was it?"
He didn't want that.
"...What did you just say?"
Jin Wi-ryang asked. The incoming pressure intensified.
But he stood against it. Like a small thundercloud facing a storm, he raised his voice because he was a cloud.
No one to protect him. No Bicheon, no Eun Seol-ran in sight.
Still, he had to speak.
If he turned away from the one who had spoken for him...
"Gwang-ah."
Because he feared even the weight his master had loved in him would vanish.
"I said it wasn't a mistake. Jin young master."
"Can you take responsibility for those words?"
Responsibility.
He didn't know. He didn't.
Responsibility was too hard a word from the start. He'd always wanted to bear it. The Thunderbolt Sword, his master's legacy, everyone's expectations.
But he'd never managed it. He always failed to meet expectations and sprawled out.
His body felt heavy. It didn't follow his thoughts. His extending steps stiffened, making him wonder if he was frozen solid.
Yet thunder still roared.
Listen. Roar. Yeon-gwang. It's fine. Everyone fears it.
Didn't he always fear it too? That the lightning within him was fake.
That his master's judgment was wrong, that he'd chosen the wrong disciple.
Everyone mocked him. He was crushed by it. He even screamed at himself that his master was wrong countless times.
The weight was heavy.
So heavy that...
He constantly worried he'd be crushed into the ground and become a worm.
But no. Not anymore.
"You won't regret it?"
Bicheon had shown him.
That if you cling to the end, you can do something.
That one more step beyond giving up reveals a different scene.
"This master, during the six years I taught you, harbored many doubts. But I never dared..."
Grow accustomed to fear. Hold to your convictions even if death comes next.
Thunder strikes in the storm. If you surpass death, it sharpens bit by bit.
Why did he learn the Thunderbolt Sword?
Why chase an unattainable dream?
...Admiration.
He admired his master's back.
But if asked the meaning of admiration, he could say it wasn't just the power.
His master's back.
His bearing. His voice. His speech.
His kindness. His unyielding conviction.
His tenacity. Faith. Trust.
The one who believed in him and smiled until death...
"I never once wavered in embracing you."
Unyielding resolve.
"Responsibility?"
Yeon-gwang bared his teeth. He pulled the protecting Seo Cho-hee behind him and drew his master's damaged sword.
A blade chipped here and there, gold partially worn. But at its tip still rested his master's voice.
Damaged, yet unbroken.
If cracks formed in himself, raise the sword to prove otherwise.
"You insulted my master's sword, then tried to bury it with absurd excuses."
"......"
"You're not the one to demand responsibility."
What was a disciple without shame?
What did it mean to carry on the Thunderbolt Sword?
He was still confused. So confused it wouldn't take shape.
But he knew one thing.
To stop thinking and repay the grace...
He had no choice but to let blue lightning crackle over his body.
"It's me. The wastrel of the Shinwon Clan."
"...Kuhuhu."
Jin Wi-ryang's shoulders shook. His bloodshot eyes whispered.
"Every last one of you looks down on me...? I'm the scion of the Shinwon Jin Clan. The Second Demon's ninth disciple... No one gets to mock me. You think some half-baked fool of a Thunderbolt Sword disciple can make a fool of me? I'll cut off your arm so you never hold a sword again! The Thunderbolt Sword line ends here!"
"......."
"No one's here to protect you! You're just some idiot swinging a sword alone until you drop dead! I'll cut you down myself! Rip off that head and show it to you! So you know what it means to challenge me! The Second Demon's ninth disciple!"
Yeon-gwang exhaled.
He erased the fear from his sunken eyes.
"...Fine. I'll show you too."
He whispered lightning to his fingertips.
To fight properly for the first time...
Put weight into his words.
"What sound the Azure Thunder makes."
Resound. Thunder.
Even devour the cry of my soul and reach the sword.
If he's too stubborn and dumb to shed the weight...
He just chooses something else.
"...Draw your sword. No matter how much you intimidate me, I won't back down."
The path to becoming the heaviest man in the world.
"If you want me on my knees, you'll have to cut off both my legs."
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