#109. The Abyss of Wailing: The Great Journey (8)
After Moyong Jaehwa picked up his bow, our journey started to ease up a bit.
Ping. Thung.
Through the crude illusions I shot into the air, his massive arrows would crash down on the attackers' heads from above. The sheer power of those shots sent them scattering in utter panic in every direction. Arrows they couldn't defend against became objects of terror, making them hesitate in their steps.
Our group took advantage of their hesitation to catch some rest.
"Hyungnim, you mentioned something before, right?"
"What?"
"That story about him holding off ten thousand all by himself. That's gotta be exaggerated, yeah?"
Jaehwa still couldn't quite believe the tale about himself. I let out a smirk.
"It's true. Not a single bit of exaggeration."
In my previous life, traveling alongside that lonely wolf whom no one believed had been possible solely because of my perfect memory. Thanks to it, I alone had witnessed that miraculous spectacle no one else saw.
"He held off ten thousand enemies single-handedly."
They say the maximum range of a gakgung bow is about a hundred jang, but the iron bow he wielded reached four hundred. And his signature ultimate technique, Thunderbolt Arrow, unleashed a massive burst of qi that delivered devastating shockwaves across the entire area.
I'd recite the terrain etched in my mind, and he'd sense the wind, the lay of the land, the earth's subtle shifts before loosing arrows at invisible targets. A single shot from an unseen distance would plummet onto a unit's position, spreading destruction like a bombardment. Even demonic cultists driven mad by demonic qi couldn't help but instinctively shrink from the thunderbolts raining from above.
No ten thousand foes could advance a single step before his iron bow.
"Thunderbolt Arrow…… How could that lord think the exact same way I do?"
"Your Guigungmungakgung looks sturdy enough, but it'd probably shatter under your power. Switch to an iron bow later—I'll introduce you to a craftsman with the right skills."
"……Hyungnim."
His voice sounded off, so I turned. His eyes were brimming with tears.
"W-what's wrong?"
"Hyungnim, you're truly my benefactor. From now on, even if you say beans make better soybean paste, I'll believe you and follow."
Suddenly recalling Jaehwa from my previous life, I could only click my tongue.
—I hate people. They're less trustworthy than dogs.
His innocent demeanor, so different from that past self, somehow felt like a relief.
"Oh, but hyungnim. Why haven't I ever heard stories about someone like that?"
"……."
I started to spin a convenient lie but said something else instead.
"He…… died alone."
"Pardon? Why?"
—Remember only that I was here, you alone.
My life was one of constant evasion and flight, a shameful existence.
Those were the last words he'd left behind, slain in the end by the Dark Ghost Soul Unit.
"Because he was ashamed of himself for never facing his own circumstances."
Speaking in hopes that the regrets of past Jaehwa might reach him now, present Jaehwa sank into deep thought.
# Jaehwa and I kept the attackers at bay as we safely made our way south of Nanyang. Thanks to that, the group managed some brief rest and even a short nap.
"Hyungnim, more coming."
"Saw 'em. Get ready."
"They really don't know when to quit."
Despite having to move and snipe nonstop alongside me, Jaehwa showed no signs of fatigue.
Ping. Thung.
Our arrows rained down on what looked like five hundred foes.
"Huh? Hyungnim, they're not running this time."
Until now, attackers had panicked at the overwhelming power of the massive arrows they couldn't counter, hiding behind rocks or under trees, frozen in place.
"Let's try again."
This time, we each fired three arrows in rapid succession. Illusions made it look like an arrow storm over their heads, but they didn't even flinch.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
All five hundred unleashed palm strikes skyward in perfect unison, the clear sky thundering like a storm.
"……."
It was a brutally crude tactic, but no less brutally effective. And since Jaehwa couldn't yet unleash Thunderbolt Arrow, we had no way to strike back.
"Hold up a sec."
I needed to check their identities. Not many groups could coordinate five hundred palm strikes so flawlessly.
Closing the distance in an instant with Heavenly Lone Walker God Step, I confirmed their uniforms and let out a low groan.
"Jongnam……."
The Nine Great Sects again.
### Heading toward Nanyang, we had no choice but to veer toward Mugang.
We lacked the strength to fend off five hundred, let alone Jongnam-level foes.
Blind flight was our only option, but the group had already hit their limits—no more sleepless marches were feasible.
I spoke in a low voice.
"This time, it's Shaolin."
Once we'd turned toward Mugang, three hundred from Shaolin Temple gave chase.
"The real problem's elsewhere."
Their exhausted faces darkened further at my words.
"The 12 Bongseong haven't given up yet. Huashan and Jeomchang are mobilizing too."
"Can we really say they're after us?"
Namgung Seonhwa licked her parched lips. She looked ready to collapse any second.
Regrettably, I shook my head.
"The fastest route from Shungsan to the Murim Academy in Cheonmun runs through Nanyang and Dongju into Hubei. Mugang's blocked by the Daebyeol Mountains. They came here specifically to target us."
"……."
Hoping it wasn't reality.
"What do we do, Jin gongja……?"
Seong Moran was just as bad off as Seonhwa. The fiery energy she'd always radiated was gone; now she looked fragile enough to snap in a breeze.
"Best option's crossing the Daebyeol Mountains."
"Ah……."
"……."
Sighs escaped here and there. Even the warriors who'd gritted through this far knew they couldn't summit Daebyeol. Plus, three unorthodox sects lurked in the area—any clash meant not just stragglers from injury, but deaths.
"……But that's too tough, so we'll go through Nanyang to Dongju instead. No rest stops, though."
"……Better that."
"……Yeah, better."
Choosing between burning alive or drowning, we set off again.
"There! They have entry tokens!"
"Charge!"
"They're exhausted. Beat them, and we get into the academy!"
The raiders hadn't quit just because giants like Shaolin, Huashan, and Jeomchang showed up. These ones had been lying in wait along our path, desperate to snatch our tokens before the Nine Great Sects arrived.
"……."
"Hah, hah."
"Kuh, hah."
Our group fought more desperately and wearily than ever. The drained fighters lacked even the energy to shout or kiai. They just sought the quickest, most efficient way to dispatch foes and escape.
# On the road to Nanyang, in some nameless little mountain.
Our group hid as darkness fell. Hours past dinner, no one dared light a fire. Not even habitual beef jerky munchers bothered.
Everyone just wanted to close their eyes quietly in this gloom.
Clouds parted, moonlight illuminating Seong Moran's gaunt face. She gave an awkward smile.
"……Never thought I'd train haenggong this hard in my life."
"……."
"……."
Awkward smiles all around, but no laughter.
Scree-!
A hawk's cry pierced the moonlight. Suspecting, I stood and whistled softly.
Sure enough, the large-winged bird descending was Haomen's iron eagle.
"Why at this hour……."
Haomen sent updates every morning. Sending another messenger bird in this dark night meant…….
I quickly checked the eagle's leg. More parchment than this morning's report.
"……."
Everyone who knew I got updates from Haomen on our movements stared at me.
I couldn't gauge how to break what I'd just read.
"What'd it say?"
"……Cheongsung and Gongdong are passing Muhwan, heading north."
"……."
"……."
Cheongsung and Gongdong, who'd tested in Jiangnan, should aim for the Murim Academy in Muhwan.
Silent Namgung Seonhwa spoke hollowly.
"Why are they heading north?"
No one voiced guesses on why they'd pass Muhwan northward.
"No, that's not it…… Doesn't it seem off? Jiangnan already has plenty of entry tokens. For Cheongsung and Gongdong, more distance means lower odds. What's the reason?"
"Yeah. Academy entry's the goal. Chasing just because there are many tokens feels weird. Token numbers are fixed, after all."
"Shaolin too. Why chase us? They've secured plenty."
Not just Shaolin—Huashan, Jeomchang, Jongnam had their usual quotas too.
"I think I can answer that."
Clang clang clang.
Lightning-fast, we drew swords at the voice from the dark.
A shadow slipped through the dark woods.
"G-ghost?"
Geum Pyo startled. Not just him—the sect warriors gripped their swords tight at the ghostly zigzagging figure.
"Sorry for the scare. But you were so well-hidden, it was hard to find you."
I addressed the figure emerging slowly from the shadows.
"What brings Ilmyeong sunbae all the way here?"
He was none other than Ilmyeong, the Little Buddha of the Yongbong Assembly.
While the warriors patted their chests, I kept my eyes locked on him.
"To explain what's happening now."
"Sounds like someone's scheme."
Ilmyeong flashed his signature warm smile, unembarrassed even to those who'd just yelped "ghost."
"They say this year's Murim Entrance Exam is the fiercest ever…… but I don't think so."
"……."
"This exam you're facing will likely be the harshest and most chaotic in history."
Ilmyeong nodded.
"And in the end, you'll all fail."
"First time hearing Shaolin's Little Buddha predict the future."
I ground my teeth, but Ilmyeong just chuckled heartily.
"Gongja-nim still burns like a fierce flame."
"Forgive my rudeness. The situation's got me on edge."
Ilmyeong nodded understandingly.
"We're here to change the future where you all fail."
"Keep saying 'we'—am I the only one seeing it?"
"Haha, we scattered to find you, so I ended up alone here."
"Who are those 'we'?"
"Not exactly 'we.' It's his plan—he proposed and set it in motion."
"He?"
"Hyuncheong…… No, better to say 'Yong So-a.' He wants to see you."
"……."