Black Forest (2)
“This one…… I’ll take this.”
I said, pointing at the thin martial robe Seong Moran had picked up.
“Fabric that thin will get pierced by insect fangs in no time.”
“……”
Seong Moran’s trembling hands quickly grabbed the thick, stiff martial robe next to it. It wouldn’t be much use against the cold without any padding, but it would effectively block insects and venomous fangs.
“Th-this one…… no, twenty of them.”
I frowned.
“What, you making uniforms for a group?”
“No…… but we have to last a whole month. At least one a day……”
“When we enter Mukrim, a single light pack is the limit. That’s what the training’s for.”
Seong Moran’s eyes, which had looked ready to burst into tears, turned fierce.
“But is that really set in stone?! That we’re definitely going to Mukrim!”
“Can’t you see for yourself?”
I pointed at the academy students in the fabric shop. Centered around disciples from the Nine Great Sects, most of them picking items were choosing thick fabric clothes just like the ones Seong Moran had grabbed.
“……Ahh.”
Seong Moran staggered dizzily for a moment.
“No way…… why…… why……”
She could try escaping the cold, harsh reality all she wanted, but what was set wouldn’t change.
“Th-there’s…… absolutely no chance it’ll change?”
Even clinging to a sliver of hope didn’t make much difference.
Even if they’d planned somewhere else, they’d probably end up choosing Mukrim anyway.
Unlike just surviving a month in places like wildfires or icy seas, Mukrim allowed for extra points.
Over the past semester, the instructors had gone all out, but only the mid-tier rankings had shifted much—the top and bottom stayed mostly the same.
For example, me. I’d held the top score originally, but in the semester evaluation, I’d barely slipped to second place overall.
Taking first instead was……
“Jin lay disciple, would these thick shoes be good too?”
……that filthy baldhead.
“Why ask me? Go bug the instructors who dote on Ilgak monk.”
“……J-Jin lay disciple. I told you, that was just my personal opinion.”
In a situation like this, there was no better place for a last-minute ranking flip than Mukrim.
Plus, it was perfect for instructors to secretly help academy students.
But it’s weird. They even swapped out instructors, but they’re not being that blatant.
I’d leaned on the Education Hall to replace all the instructors and division heads.
But for all that, the favoritism wasn’t extreme, you could say.
Of course, I’d threatened them, but would the mighty Nine Great Sects bow their heads over something like that? No matter how you looked at it, something was off.
……Though I wouldn’t have sat idle either.
If they’d come out too openly, I’d planned to make an example of them.
It wouldn’t threaten their whole group even if I acted, but at least individual instructors wouldn’t dare mess with me or Tae-eul Gate.
Thanks to that, the representative team’s scores hadn’t dropped much.
Same for Tae-eul Gate disciples.
The special training probably helped too. The kids’ conditions were improving day by day, for sure.
But what the hell’s Eunho up to?
If I had to pick the biggest change since last semester, it’d be Dongryong’s sudden growth spurt and Eunho turning into a total shut-in.
To be precise, he barely left the dorms.
He showed up on time for academy classes and my special training, but otherwise, he holed up without a peep.
Rumor had it he borrowed stacks of books from Manseogo every time and read all day……
Not like he was prepping for imperial exams or anything. Why the sudden change?
I’d get it if he’d been like that since he was little, but no. Hmm……
Damn it, if he’d been that way from the start, how nice would that be? He could’ve handled Outer Hall chores.
Anyway, at this rate, even if scores flipped in the final expedition, Tae-eul Gate disciples wouldn’t drop to branch level.
And that wasn’t all. There were plenty of upsides.
First, going to Mukrim would build natural poison resistance.
It’s basically a warehouse of natural toxins.
Poison and ambushes were the two biggest threats in the jianghu. You could train against ambushes, but poison? No real way unless you carried every antidote.
Best was building resistance by slowly neutralizing weak poisons.
Sounds expensive just hearing it, right?
Something only Sichuan Tang Clan or Mandokmun could do—not for average martial artists.
But in Mukrim? Free.
A grin crept onto my face unbidden.
Well, your life’s on the line…… but it’s manageable.
Seong Moran was giving me a weird look, so I quickly schooled my expression.
Second, chance to snag spirit cores.
With year-round heat and massive spirit veins, even normal creatures in Mukrim could turn into spirit beasts.
That’s part of why instructors picked it for comebacks.
Unlike just enduring wildfires or icy seas, catching demonic beasts or spirit beasts there gave bonus points.
Compared to those perks, the hot, humid climate and swarms of bugs were minor downsides.
Just then, Jang Ujae was seriously picking shoes, so I approached.
“The ones on the right would be better. Stiff, but break ’em in first and they’ll protect your ankles perfectly.”
“Oh? Representative.”
“And I’ve got a question……”
“Yes, go ahead.”
I pulled out the Wind Spirit from my robes and showed Jang Ujae.
“This blocks bugs too, right?”
“……Not everything, but it handles the small ones well.”
“Good! That’s perfect!”
I clapped Jang Ujae’s shoulder, but he stared sadly at my neck, unable to look away.
A week later, the Academic Affairs Division announced the expedition site.
Mukrim. As expected, no big changes.
“Uwaaaah! No way!!!!”
Seong Moran broke down in tears.
A massive jungle at the edge of Yunnan Province, too dangerous for humans to enter.
Formed in a basin twenty times the size of an average city, it teems with unimaginable insects and beasts—matched only by the venomous bugs and creatures threatening humans.
Year-round heat frees its lifeforms from winter’s death grip, letting them far exceed average lifespans. Influenced by spirit veins, some even transform into spirit beasts.
Spirit beasts might sound like something even dung-eating ronin would hunt, but Mukrim is off-limits even to them.
The massive spirit veins affect not just lifeforms, but terrain, features, and even people. All direction-finding tools fail; natural formations create mazes, trapping intruders in loops.
With only fixed exits from the basin, survival odds for the lost are slim.
Spirit beasts appear often, but far more demonic beasts thrive in the lawless environment, making true spirit cores rare finds.
Even seasoned hunters and herbalists vanish inside routinely.
So many martial artists entered seeking strength only to sever worldly ties that the Murim Alliance designated it a forbidden zone, sealing it from the world.
“Haa…… already feels like I’m dying of heat.”
The academy students arriving in Jinghong via Yunnan’s Kunming struggled to adapt to the shifting climate.
The scorching sun burned their skin, while suffocating humid air choked their breaths.
“Miss Seong, better put your top back on. Lots of venomous bugs around here too.”
Seong Moran grimaced at the shirtless giant’s words.
“Not something for Great Hero Yang to say, is it?”
The one bursting into hearty laughter at Seong Moran’s retort was Yang Japyeong of Namgwonmun.
“We Namgwonmun train external arts alongside. No matter how great your internal energy, you can’t navigate jungles on that alone.”
“Hee, so Namgwonmun folks come to Mukrim often?”
Seong Moran asked curiously, and Yang Japyeong nodded.
“We scout regularly. Never know when a demonic beast might burst out.”
Namgwonmun handled Mukrim management on behalf of the Murim Alliance.
One of the 108 Peaks, a top-five power in Yunnan.
And they were guiding this expedition.
“Don’t worry too much, though. The scenery’s so rare, most who see it wish to return.”
“Ugh…… no matter how pretty, I’d never wanna come back.”
“Haha, trust me. Most who say that are ladies like you.”
“……Really?”
Seong Moran’s ears perked at the hint of popularity with women.
Yang Japyeong, tearing his gaze from her, looked over our group in wonder.
“Rare for academy students to lead the vanguard like this. Must have the instructors’ favor.”
We gave wry smiles without a word.
Truth was the opposite—we’d ended up here because of it.
“Once we climb the mountain, the heat’ll ease. Hang in there a bit longer.”
“We have to go up a mountain?”
“Mukrim’s so vast it’s not well-known, but it’s a proper basin. Mandokmun folk say it’s a massive natural gudu poison formation.”
At mention of bugs and poison, Seong Moran paled again.
But that didn’t stop our steps.
All martial artists, we ascended at speeds ordinary folk couldn’t imagine.
Reaching the peak and starting down, Yang Japyeong’s words started making sense.
“Wow…… what kind of scenery……”
Endless jungle stretched below, clouds drifting lazily above. Sunlight piercing gaps painted it like a masterpiece.
Yang Japyeong shrugged.
“This is nothing. The real beauty’s down there.”
As the lead group, we descended first into Mukrim.
Our mission: find a campsite before the main force arrived, clear it, and check for dangers.
“Past academy classes used spots like this. Clear some weeds and trees, and it’ll do for a night.”
As Yang Japyeong said, a somewhat flattened area appeared at Mukrim’s entrance.
“They used this?”
A region with noticeably sparser foliage than other jungles.
“Three classes back, so about twelve years ago.”
“……The trees have grown awfully thick for that.”
As Seong Moran noted, the scattered trees looked unnaturally girth-y.
“Not unreasonable, considering Mukrim’s traits. No winter here, no human touch.”
Yang Japyeong added gravely.
“Beautiful, yes—but just as dangerous. Never move by jianghu common sense.”
“……R-right?”
Seong Moran paled again at his words.
“Most snakes here are venomous. Masters of camouflage, so always watch your surroundings.”
Seong Moran nodded vigorously, earning a pleased smile from Yang Japyeong.
Then.
Srulk.
Something squirming on the tree Yang Japyeong had pointed to dropped like lightning toward his neck.
Whish!
I fired the Flying Dragon Claw.
“Hup!”
“Kyaaah!”
Seong Moran and Yang Japyeong collapsed in shock.
Yang Japyeong frantically checked his neck, sighing in relief at no bite.
I eyed the snake pinned at my feet by the Flying Dragon Claw and asked him.
“This one venomous?”
“……!”
Yang Japyeong turned, stared blankly at the snake, and asked back.
“Y-you caught that just now?”
What’s with his face?
“Yeah.”
“H-how did you even spot it?”
Spot it?
“It was just there.”
“……”
“So, venomous?”
I smacked my lips at the snake and asked Yang Japyeong again.
“Any chance of spirit herbs around?”
Man, spit it out already.
Why’d I take vanguard so willingly otherwise?