294. Cannon Fodder's Return (2)
The man walking alone through the Heavenly Cave came to a halt.
“Tsk... Hah.”
He exhaled the long breath he'd drawn in, his body trembling.
“What killing intent...”
It was a shame he hadn't managed to kill Dam Jung-ho, but his mission had never been about assassinating some key figure in the first place.
He'd missed out on a small pleasure amid the work, but in exchange, he'd witnessed another delight, so it wasn't a huge loss.
“To think the Central Plains harbored such a being. Heh heh heh.”
The moment he laid eyes on him, he'd forgotten his original mission as a raw urge to kill surged uncontrollably.
His Demonic Transformation Technique, which never emerged without a worthy foe, had activated on its own—proof enough that this was an opponent who could provide true enjoyment.
Even normally, he'd harbored such thoughts.
He'd always hoped for a chance to kill Yong So-a, So-bul, or the White Water Divine Maiden someday.
'But to think there's an even more entertaining existence like this.'
A bit inferior to them, perhaps, but that only made him more tantalizing.
Slurp.
A rough, crude killing intent. The primal obsession to chew flesh and strip bones—he'd recognized it the instant he sensed it.
That guy was a beast. A monster just like him.
Not some delicate flower raised in the Central Plains, but a savage beast roaring across the vast lands, one rarely seen even in the Divine Cult.
How could someone reeking of that accursed Daoist stench emit such a savage aura?
“Ahh, what a pity.”
Now he understood why Lady Soma showed more interest in him than in Yong So-a.
'Should I just kill him right now?'
Glancing back the way he'd come, the man shook his head.
The guy had smashed Jeon Geum-hak's head in—a fine deed. Sparing him once wouldn't hurt.
And yet...
“Ugh... the excitement won't fade.”
Unlike his reason, his body had transformed under the sway of desire, leaving his steps unsteady.
Once ignited, this surge of craving didn't subside easily.
He needed to vent it somehow...
“Who goes there!”
“How dare you intrude on Jongnam's event!”
“You got a death wish?!”
Just then, three warriors surrounded the man.
Jongnam disciples in their uniforms, swords drawn.
The man feigned a panicked expression.
He'd been too worked up to even think of concealing himself.
“Oh no... We agreed no traces in the Heavenly Cave...”
But three had already seen him, so slipping away quietly was out of the question.
“Ah! If I eat them all, no traces left!”
A sleazy laugh leaked out.
At his words, the Jongnam disciples' faces twisted in disbelief as they unleashed their killing intent.
“A madman!”
“You really wanna die?”
“What are you waiting for? Subdue him!”
The man's face soured at the surging hostility—not because they dared direct it at him, but because it was so pathetically weak, killing his interest dead.
“This is no better than kids playing.”
Crack—crack crack—
Bones twisted in his hands and arms with audible pops, reshaping before their eyes.
“Wh-what...”
“D-d-demonic sorcery!!”
The Jongnam disciples' eyes bulged at the sudden change.
“Watch closely. This ain't some low-rent sorcery.”
The man wiped drool from his lips.
“It's the Demonic Path.”
The Jongnam disciples despaired at the horrific sight, unseen in either the mortal world or the afterlife.
We acquired the Oryeong Seonhwa Oil and set out once more.
With the Oryeong Seonhwa Oil in hand, the plan was to slip out amid the chaos, blending with the outsiders as originally intended.
But fewer outsiders had entered the Heavenly Cave than I'd expected.
Eavesdropping quietly as we mingled, we overheard things we hadn't known.
'They blocked the entrance?'
That explained why so few people.
Jongnam had collapsed two entrances into one and stationed disciples there to keep everyone in—or out.
Why the extreme measures?
The warrior continued.
“Word is, Jongnam knew when the Oryeong Seonhwa Oil would emerge.”
“...So they think it's already out?”
“They're not leaving even though the time's passed... They must suspect one of us has it.”
The priests glanced nervously at the crowd, faces grim.
Luckily, no one eyed our group suspiciously.
Our water pouch looked just like theirs.
“They wouldn't... resort to killing, right?”
The warrior's voice dropped, trembling with unease.
“Killing? ...Hmph. Such underhanded tricks! If they use killing moves here, what happens to Jongnam's reputation?!”
“R-right! Even Jongnam wouldn't go that far, yeah?”
The man who'd spoken sought agreement to quell his anxiety.
But then:
“If we all die here, outsiders won't know a thing.”
Silence crashed down like a wave.
They'd squeezed in somehow, but now the tiger's jaws snapped shut around them.
“W-we won't just sit idle!”
“Yeah! If they act so tyrannically, we fight back!”
Then a question dropped.
“So who's stepping up first?”
“Huh?”
“Even in a group, someone leads. Who's volunteering?”
The contrarian drew sharp glares.
“What the fuck? You've been naysaying since earlier. You wanna die here?”
The troublemaker chuckled amid the pressure.
“Take a good look around. Any prestigious sect disciples besides us riffraff?”
Eunho pressed down on Geum Pyo as he twitched.
Pride in one's sect was fine, but knowing when to speak up was key.
'And technically, we're not exactly prestigious...'
As he said, the outsiders here were all ronin or loose unaffiliated groups of two or three.
“Even if you die, who'd defy Jongnam to recover your corpses? Especially when they can claim ignorance of internal affairs?”
“...Kuh.”
The warrior clamped his mouth shut and turned away, pierced to the core.
As silence fell once more, I led my juniors away from the group.
Once distanced, Saryeon asked cautiously.
“Senior Brother... What the hell's going on?”
I was curious too.
Why had Jongnam suddenly gone so extreme?
Two likely reasons.
First, as someone mentioned: they'd anticipated the Oryeong Seonhwa Oil's emergence time.
They wouldn't have pulled disciples from prime spots even with outsiders around.
Like how Gun Cheon-ji and the hall leader stayed put in one cave.
'But it didn't emerge.'
Time passed with no oil and no sightings, so naturally, they'd conclude an outsider took it.
Second: Dam Jung-ho knocked out.
The North Dipper Sword Guard they sent hadn't reappeared—maybe they thought something went down.
Or...
'...No way that psycho bastard caused trouble?'
Fuck, his eyes weren't right...
Just look at how he tried to dunk Dam Jung-ho without hesitation—no way that guy passes without incident.
But causing real trouble in such short time?
And even a murder-crazed maniac would think twice if he had any brains.
They couldn't reveal themselves now, after all.
“Will Jongnam really go that far...?”
Impossible to say.
Only Jongnam knew their resolve.
What mattered: the Oryeong Seonhwa Oil was too precious to abandon over a botched plan.
Stain of murdering ronin versus the oil? The scales tip to the oil.
And blocking the entrance showed they'd steeled themselves.
'First plan's scrapped.'
Gathering outsiders for chaos and slipping out? Ruined.
Then Eunho spoke up.
“Senior Brother. Why not hide?”
“Hm?”
“Like when we got the oil—block a few caves, hide deep, suppress presence. Hard to find.”
Smart kid, as expected.
But not viable now.
“Good idea, but they have perfect maps too. We'd get caught eventually.”
“Then what?”
“What's to worry?”
“Huh?”
I grinned at my juniors.
“We entered a certain way. Exit the same.”
Plans always go up to three, right?
Why so rigid?
Beats me—I'd prefer plan A too...
'But in my life, plan A never worked.'
I'm a pro at finding detours.
"What happened inside?"
Cheol Sunjik eyed the robe his brother Cheol Hyeonjik offered with puzzlement.
Cheol Hyeonjik sighed softly and draped it over his brother's shoulders.
“Uniform's filthy. Dawn broke, wounds visible.”
“Ah...”
Only then did Cheol Sunjik register his state and don the robe.
'Close call.'
Near the entrance, he'd sensed the first collapse immediately.
Knowing Jongnam's scheme, he couldn't stick around for Jin Sowoon's requests.
Cheol Sunjik had slipped out amid the chaos.
Still, he'd bought the promised time.
Job done.
'But that second request... no clue.'
Erase our traces?
And then:
'Collect the iron rings??'
Unfathomable guy.
Couldn't grasp it, so didn't know what to do.
Even if he broke the deal and got stiffed, no big loss.
He'd never expected the oil anyway.
His entry had other motives.
“...Saw what you wanted?”
He looked up at his brother's face.
Redness faded, but the palm print bulged.
In front of all these people.
Should've iced it.
He averted his gaze deliberately.
“Who knows. Jongnam blocked the entrance... We'll see.”
After the third entrance opened, even Jongnam disciples from the outskirts swarmed the Heavenly Cave.
Jongnam sealed two, leaving the smallest.
Cheol Sunjik's eyes drifted to Jongnam's ranks.
Amid hall leaders stood two middle-aged men, presence dwarfing all others.
'Two North Dipper Sword Guards...'
Unlike the young one he'd blocked, these were immeasurably superior.
Arguably the strongest here.
Them staying outside signaled clear intent: capture the oil holder at all costs.
'Even massacre?'
Then the earth shook again.
Rumble.
Cheol Sunjik realized instantly: something was up.
Jongnam folk noticed too, racing toward the vibrations.
“S-sunjik!”
Cheol Sunjik bolted after them, robe flapping.
And then.
Kaboom!
A massive explosion hurled rocks and dirt from a mountainside corner.
Same collapse pattern.
Cheol Sunjik let out an involuntary chuckle.
“It's him! The guy who made the third entrance!”
“Jongnam disciples, seize him!”
“Charge!”
Before dust from the new hole settled, Jongnam disciples poured in.
But.
Rumble.
Earth quaked again; palm force blasted out.
Some resisted, fingers broken, spat back out.
“Impressive inner power.”
“Indeed. That level...”
The North Dipper Sword Guards, murmuring admiration, blocked the entrance.
Cheol Sunjik swallowed hard.
Did Jin Sowoon get the oil? And could he beat these guards while fleeing?
Then.
“Gaaaazuaaa!”
“Gaaaazuaaa!”
Shouts echoed from the cave as black objects shot out.
“Think these pebbles can drive us off?!”
“How laughably—”
The guards swung sword auras to slice the presumed rocks.
Thud! Thud!
“Wh-what!”
Not slicing; unexpected weight threw them off.
In that gap, five black silhouettes arrowed out.
“Hah...”
Busy batting heavy projectiles, the guards missed the hidden five.
Abandoning the mysteries(?), they thrust at the five.
Then the rearmost one's hand boomed again.
...Along with a rotten voice.
“Eat this!”
Rumble! Kaboom!
Smaller than before but no less devastating palm force flew; guards raised arms defensively.
───.
The storm passed.
As they raised heads.
“...!”
The five had vanished clean.
“What movement technique...”
“Impossible...”
The stunned North Dipper Sword Guards dropped their swords limply.
Cheol Sunjik, who'd witnessed it all.
'He really... really did it.'
He fought the surge in his chest desperately.
But then.
'Huh...?!'
He spotted the object that struck the guards.
'I-iron rings? No way...!'
Finally grasping Jin Sowoon's second request.
After brief conflict, he stooped with grim resolve, secretly gathering the iron rings unnoticed.
We apologize to our readers. Chapter 295, scheduled for midnight, will upload at 2 AM instead. Thank you for your understanding. We are always grateful for your love of The Genius Martial Artist Who Remembers Everything.