The Scent of Blood at the Cliff's Edge
Haa... haah... haa...
Crunch, snap!
Gwan Hyeok ran without stopping through the darkness. It felt as though the moment he slowed, a hand would shoot out from the shadows and seize him by the scruff of his neck.
Just moments earlier.
Rustle!
While trying to conceal himself, Gwan Hyeok had accidentally brushed against the brush. Instantly, the masked men turned toward him.
Though he possessed no martial cultivation to read their presence, his instincts screamed it. Like vipers slithering through the dark, their reaching hands were closing in. The low hum of their voices abruptly died away, leaving behind a suffocating, deathly silence that terrified him all the more.
I'm caught...
Just as that grim certainty seized his mind, Gwan Hyeok felt something squirm against his chest.
The rabbit.
Gwan Hyeok let it go without hesitation. The little creature scrambled from his arms, bounding out of the thicket with a rustle.
"What? Just a damn rabbit?"
A masked man's raspy voice came from mere paces away, just on the other side of the tree where Gwan Hyeok was hiding. The man caught the rabbit, tossed it aside dismissively, and turned back. It was fortunate that the night was pitch-black and the rabbit's fur was dark. Had it been daytime, they would have noticed its mangled leg in an instant.
"What do we do with this kid?"
"Take him with us for now. If we go back empty-handed, the boss might beat us to death."
With that, the masked figures dragged the attendant page into the night and vanished. Gwan Hyeok held his breath for what felt like an eternity, waiting until every trace of their presence was thoroughly gone before scrambling to his feet to run.
He couldn't go home. Going home meant retracing his steps straight through the path those masked killers had taken. There was only one sanctuary within reach.
Yeon-woo's hut.
"Son! Why are you back?"
Haa... haah... haa...
"What on earth happened to make you sprint like this?" Woon-hyeon asked, immediately glancing past Gwan Hyeok into the dark tree line. Yet there was not the slightest hint of pursuit. Which meant only one thing. "Where is your page? Did you return alone?"
Gwan Hyeok lunged forward, grabbing Woon-hyeon's forearm in a desperate grip.
"P-Please help me!"
Woon-hyeon's expression hardened as he read the sheer panic carved into the boy's face. "Tell me what happened."
"M-Men in masks...! They took Seok-i! They took him!"
Masked men?
Woon-hyeon's head whipped toward the cottage rooftop. Up there, having concealed his presence the moment the boy approached, Dark Shadow Demon Lord was sitting cross-legged with his chin resting casually on one palm, observing the scene like an amused spectator.
A smirk played across the demon lord's lips.
— Seems our little Yeon-woo has quite the line of suitors tonight. Another batch of guests?
— You heard the boy. It was his servant they dragged off, Woon-hyeon replied through sound transmission.
— Then those fools must have grabbed the wrong brat. Why else would they bother hauling off a common servant?
— Lend a hand.
— Why should I?
— They are clearly targeting Yeon-woo!
— Even if we go, it's already too late. How do you think this boy made it all the way here alive? The fact that he arrived in one piece means those killers have already packed up and left.
— Still...!
The boy named Seok-i might still be drawing breath!
Yet Woon-hyeon swallowed the words before they left his throat. Looking into the cool, unbothered detachment swimming in Dark Shadow Demon Lord's violet eyes, a cold truth resurfaced in his mind.
These people belong to the Demonic Cult.
To a monster of the demonic sect, the fragile life of an insignificant young servant wasn't even worth recognizing as human. He would never lift a finger to save such an existence.
Woon-hyeon turned his attention back to Gwan Hyeok. "Do you know which way they went?"
"T-Toward the village... No, wait... Over the mountain ridge..."
They had fled in the general direction of the village, but professional killers would hardly walk down the main road. That left only one conclusion.
"Let us go and see. Yeon-woo, you stay here—"
"No! I'm coming too!"
"Out of the question!" Woon-hyeon caught Yeon-woo by the shoulder, his face stern. "It is far too dangerous! We have no idea what sort of cutthroats they are! You stay put!"
At least here, Dark Shadow Demon Lord would guarantee her safety.
"No way! Yeon-woo can smell them! I can track where they went by their scent!"
Woon-hyeon froze.
Track them by scent...?
Her sense of smell was keen enough to distinguish wild medicinal herbs buried beneath mountain soil. Perhaps tracking a trail wasn't impossible for her.
"...If we go, you must promise not to leave my side for an instant. You are not to dart ahead under any circumstances. Only if you swear to that will I take you."
"Yes! I promise!"
From the corner of his eye, Woon-hyeon caught sight of Dark Shadow Demon Lord gaping in disbelief from the roof, mouthing an exasperated "Huh?" But Woon-hyeon knew the demon lord's nature. If Yeon-woo moved, he would follow, whether he liked it or not.
"If you break your word, no meat for five days. You will eat nothing but wild greens. Understood?"
Yeon-woo flinched, hesitating for a split second at the horrific prospect. But she quickly set her jaw, nodding with fierce determination.
"Just leave it to me!"
Quite what he was leaving to her remained a mystery, but faced with the little girl's solemn resolve, Woon-hyeon scooped her effortlessly into his arms. He looked to Gwan Hyeok. "Can you still run?"
Having caught his breath, Gwan Hyeok nodded vigorously.
"Lead the way."
Swish!
In the blink of an eye, the three figures vanished into the pitch-black woods.
Dark Shadow Demon Lord remained on the roof, staring dumbfounded at the empty treeline where the old man had actually vanished with the child in tow. With a slow sigh, he dusted off his robes and rose to his feet.
"Good grief. I told him it was pointless. Dragging people out into the cold night... This is why I can't stand the Orthodox factions. Such an utterly bothersome bunch."
He snapped his fingers with a crisp crack.
In an instant, five dark silhouettes materialized from the shadows behind him, dropping to one knee in perfect formation.
"Where did you say their hideout was?"
"We will guide you, My Lord."
"Fine." Dark Shadow Demon Lord tilted his head, a chilling smirk cutting across his pale features. He had intended to watch the rats scurry a little longer, but plans changed. "Might as well exterminate them all while we're at it. If our noble candidate for Alliance Leader wants them dead, who am I to refuse?"
"That way!"
Nestled securely in Woon-hyeon's embrace, Yeon-woo pointed into the dark without a shred of hesitation. But the direction she indicated led neither toward the village nor along any known mountain pass.
"T-That way is...!"
That path leads straight to the barren cliffs!
Gwan Hyeok was utterly bewildered. He was the one who had actually encountered the masked men—what could a little girl possibly know about where they fled?
Did she really mean it when she said she could track them by scent? But how? I can't smell a damn thing!
Yet the elder carrying her followed her directions without a single trace of doubt, leaving Gwan Hyeok no choice but to push forward. Clenching his teeth, he ran with everything he had, desperate prayers repeating in his head that nothing terrible had befallen Seok-i.
"Keep going! Over here!"
Yeon-woo guided them steadily through the dense growth. Picking up the scent was easy enough. The trail carried the distinct, sweet fragrance of dried persimmons and mountain fruit—the very treats she had given the page.
"This way!"
Yet as they ran, the brightness on Yeon-woo's face faded into a troubled frown. Mingled with the familiar sweet scent was a foul, metallic odor that made her stomach churn. The unmistakable stench of bloodshed and murderous intent. It was the scent of assassins.
"Over... here..."
Her pointing finger suddenly dropped.
Pant... pant...
Gwan Hyeok stumbled to a halt behind them, his lungs burning, and his heart turned to ice the moment he saw where they stood.
Beyond these bushes...
It was a precipice. A sheer, bottomless drop into the dark gorge. Despair crashed over him like a tidal wave. He had feared this all along, but she had truly led them to the cliffs.
There's no way they went down here...
"Grandpa."
"What is it, child? Have we arrived?"
Yeon-woo looked up into Woon-hyeon's eyes and gave a quiet nod. "It's over the edge."
"I see."
Woon-hyeon set Yeon-woo down on solid ground and parted the heavy brush without hesitation. Ahead of him opened the vast, terrifying maw of the abyss.
He stepped to the very edge of the rock, peering down into the swirling blackness below.
Whoooooosh—
A violent gale howled fiercely through the narrow canyon, screeching like an enraged beast. There was not a single trace of life below. Not a breath, not a pulse of qi. And because there was nothing, Woon-hyeon knew with absolute certainty what lay waiting at the bottom.
He let out a low, heavy sigh. Then, expanding his inner senses, he probed the surrounding cliffs.
Rustle, rustle.
Yeon-woo and Gwan Hyeok stepped through the brush behind him. Woon-hyeon turned back to look at them.
"Wait here, both of you. I will go down and return."
Gwan Hyeok felt as though the earth had collapsed beneath his feet.
Is... is it really here? This is the right place...?
When Yeon-woo had guided them off the mountain trail, and even when they reached the edge of the sheer drop, he had clung to the belief that she had simply led them astray. He had refused to entertain the other possibility. Or rather, he had desperately averted his eyes from it.
As Woon-hyeon moved to turn away, Gwan Hyeok reached out with trembling hands.
"W-Wait! Please, wait!"
His lips quivered uncontrollably, his voice cracking with terror. "D-Down there... Is there... Is something... down there...?"
Woon-hyeon offered no answer. He simply looked upon the shaking child with eyes full of sorrow.
The bitter wind whipped their clothes into a frenzy. Gwan Hyeok stared at the barren stone beneath his feet, his knees knocking together.
"P-Please take me... too..."
"You cannot come."
"..."
"I will bring him back. Wait here."
That quiet, unyielding declaration was all he gave. In the very next breath, as another gust of savage wind tore across the ridge, Woon-hyeon's silhouette vanished over the precipice.
Thud.
All strength drained from Gwan Hyeok's legs, and he crashed to his knees on the cold rock. His entire body shook so violently that he could not even bear to raise his head.
Whoooooosh—
The wind wound through the gorge, howling again and again into the night. It sounded eerily like someone weeping in inconsolable grief.
"I told you so, didn't I? A wasted effort."
Across the gorge, perched atop a massive boulder on the opposing cliff face, Dark Shadow Demon Lord clicked his tongue as he watched the scene unfold.
"Sometimes, it's better not to find what you're looking for."
After all, only Woon-hyeon knew the grim reality of what lay at the bottom of the ravine. If they turned back now...
The demon lord's eyebrows twitched.
At that exact moment, he felt Woon-hyeon's sweeping sensory perception wash over his perch. The old martial artist wasn't scanning for assassins.
"Heh... Hehehe."
He was looking for him. That blatant wave of inner force was nothing short of a silent command: I am leaving the children behind, so watch over them.
"Ah, seriously... That old tiger is driving me insane."
He had lost nearly all his fangs, yet that insufferable spirit remained entirely intact. Meticulous and unyielding to the bitter end—what a thoroughly annoying man.
With an exasperated grumble, Dark Shadow Demon Lord settled into a cross-legged position on the rock. A rising gust rushed up the ravine, catching his silver-streaked black hair and sending it dancing high against the midnight sky.