Chapter 34
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 34
The initiate disciples headed straight for the management office.
U Jeol, the official in charge, was just about to close the doors.
He looked at the crowd of initiates with an indifferent gaze and spoke dryly.
"The management office only operates until the hour of Yu. Why are you all swarming in here like this? Planning a rebellion?"
Unsure whether it was a joke or a serious threat, the initiate disciples broke into a cold sweat, glancing nervously at one another.
Naturally, all eyes turned toward Ise. He stepped forward.
Why does it feel like I keep getting pushed into playing the representative for these initiates?
"…We heard a classmate passed away and came to check on the situation. If it isn't too much trouble, Senior, could you confirm the details for us?"
"Is this the first time an initiate disciple has died?"
"Yes, it is."
"Come inside."
Without another word, U Jeol released the barrier he had just locked over the management office.
"It's that one."
The notice board U Jeol pointed to bore a stark inscription: [Mission Failed – Assignee Deceased (Vanishing of Soul Binding Contract Confirmed)].
As Ise read the details, his eyes flickered.
Hunt the juvenile Death Wind Black Tiger (Class 8) near Aegul County.
It was the very mission he had tried to take along with another two days ago, right before U Jeol gave him a harsh lesson in basic division and forced him to give one up.
Yeom Bo had picked up the mission Ise relinquished. And now, he was dead.
Rationally speaking, it wasn't Ise's fault.
If Ise hadn't tried to claim the mission, someone else would have taken it first anyway, and there was no guarantee the outcome would have been any different.
Yet, for some reason, that cold logic failed to reach his heart.
His fingertips pressed heavily against the notice board before slowly pulling away.
"Since you're all gathered here anyway, check this out before you leave. The related mission has been updated."
U Jeol's voice pulled Ise out of his thoughts.
A new notice was posted on the board.
[Mission Reassignment – Follow-up action regarding the death of an initiate disciple. Recover the remains of the presumed deceased disciple, and identify the cause of death and the fierce beast responsible. Must form a 4-person squad. Danger Level: Unassigned. Reward: 30 Spirit Stones, 50 Contribution Points.]
The mission had changed from hunting the Death Wind Black Tiger to recovering the corpse, determining the cause of death, and confirming the beast responsible.
"Normally, missions with an unassigned danger level are handled directly by the Main Mountain, but we'll give priority to any initiate disciples who want it. You have until tomorrow. Gather your volunteers and come back."
It was a form of consideration—giving friends or acquaintances the first right to recover the body, provided they had the courage.
However, taking over a mission that had just killed a classmate was no easy task.
Nearly forty initiate disciples were packed inside and outside the office, but not a single person moved at U Jeol's words.
After a heavy silence, Ise stepped forward.
"I'll take it."
U Jeol glanced at him. His expression seemed to say, That kid is quick to make decisions no matter the situation, but he calmly elaborated.
"This mission requires a four-person squad. Fill the remaining spots and bring them back."
As soon as the words left U Jeol's mouth, Pi Ga-ram placed a hand on Ise's shoulder.
"Count me in."
"That's unexpected. I heard you rarely take on missions."
"Those aspiring to be Dark Snakes are practically half-useless until reaching 5-Star anyway. But I feel like I should go this time. Yeom Bo was from my hometown."
From the same hometown. Ise nodded in understanding and scanned the crowd for other volunteers.
When his eyes met Seol Ryeong's, she was standing with her fists clenched tight, looking like a deer caught in a hunter's sights.
"Don't go. This mission... I have a bad feeling about it. The fortune I just cast showed a dire omen over you guys."
"Hey, at least ask for consent before casting fortunes on people."
Despite Ise's grumbling, Seol Ryeong remained unyielding.
"Heavenly secrets aren't something you choose to see; they just appear!"
"They say an unskilled shaman ends up killing people."
"Whaaat? Have you ever seen an unskilled shaman as capable as—"
"If you're that worried, why don't you come along? A capable shaman like you can help us avoid whatever dire omen you saw."
"……"
Seol Ryeong's words cut off sharply. The subtle sense of trust embedded in his tone gave her a strange feeling.
She felt annoyed, yet not entirely displeased.
By the time she realized he was using her own fortune against her to persuade her, it was already too late.
"…Fine, I'll go."
In the end, she agreed to join.
With three familiar faces gathered, three pairs of eyes naturally turned toward Hae Un-chan.
"How about it? Want to team up after so long?"
"Sorry. I've already accepted a mission that departs tomorrow."
Hae Un-chan wore a genuinely apologetic expression. Ise replied, "Can't be helped," and looked toward his other peers.
But no one else stepped forward. In fact, most were busy avoiding Ise's gaze or quietly slinking away.
Even though three people made for a fairly reliable lineup, the weight of the first casualty seemed to crush the rest with fear.
It was understandable.
Back when they studied the case files on initiate deaths, there were instances where disciples re-attempting a failed mission got dragged into a downward spiral, resulting in over a dozen casualties.
"I'll go."
At the unfamiliar voice, the three turned their attention toward the speaker.
Red short hair and red eyes. Not someone close, but a recognizable face.
As soon as Seol Ryeong saw the volunteer, her face contorted slightly.
Noticing Seol Ryeong's uncomfortable expression, Ise asked softly, "Why?"
"She's... a bit lacking in social skills."
What a trivial reason. Ise shifted his gaze back to the girl.
"I can hear you, you know. I'm Hong Won-seo. My specialty is Medical Apprentice."
She was a designated successor of the Flame Flower Hong Clan, to which Hall Master Hong Mi-hui belonged, and a top prospect who had placed third in the entrance exam.
"Thank you."
"No need to thank me. As a rule, missions involving body recovery require a Medical Apprentice anyway. That's the only way to properly retrieve the deceased's remains intact."
"I didn't know that."
"I'm not the type to care about camaraderie or humanity, but seeing no one step up when this is the very first thing a Medical Apprentice learns... it was a bit insulting to my pride."
Her words were concise, and her demeanor oozed confidence. Even during the entrance exam, Ise had taken note of her due to her solid fundamentals. He had a feeling she would be a reliable teammate.
*
"Our destination is Aegul County. It's a mid-sized city about a two-day journey east toward the Ulta Mountains."
On the day of departure, Ise briefly briefed the group on the situation.
In any case, it would be more accurate to get detailed information from the Great Martial Dao Outer Gate affiliate in Aegul County.
However, the reason he vocalized it was that the region held significant meaning for him.
Aegul County. It was the jurisdiction that contained Subu Valley, his childhood home. Traveling just a little further east would lead to Ghost-Guarding Temple.
The surge of nostalgia at the mere mention of its name was almost an instinctive reaction.
The squad traveled in silence.
Although most were familiar with each other, having one stranger in the mix made things awkward.
Besides, neither Ise nor Pi Ga-ram was the type to initiate conversation.
Unable to bear the uncomfortable atmosphere any longer, Seol Ryeong was the first to speak up.
Hong Won-seo. She wasn't particularly to Seol Ryeong's liking, but she was a member of Hall Master Hong Mi-hui's family nevertheless.
It wouldn't hurt to get along with her, she thought, extending an olive branch.
"Hall Master Hong Mi-hui is the best artifact crafter in the Great Martial Dao. So why are you a Medical Apprentice instead of a Shaman?"
At Seol Ryeong's question, Hong Won-seo replied with a look that said she was listening to total nonsense.
"Medicine has been the Hall Master's primary discipline for three hundred years. If you don't know what you're talking about, don't pretend you do."
"……"
Chilling.
A sharp, awkward tension seemed to pierce their lungs.
Was this a war fought with tongues instead of blades?
Ise and Pi Ga-ram exchanged nervous glances and quickened their pace, pretending not to have heard a thing.
Following that bloodless battle, the squad advanced in total silence. Thanks to that, they actually moved faster than expected.
Ise decided to take the night watch alone.
Sleeping for a night wasn't necessary for him anyway, and with his Dokkaebi Sense, his body was practically optimized for standing guard.
Besides, he felt like taking in the night breeze.
"You look gloomy."
Pi Ga-ram, having woken up, walked over to him.
Ise poked at the dying embers and handed him a roasted sweet potato.
A cool breeze passed through the silence.
Pi Ga-ram was the first to speak.
"About Yeom Bo... Honestly, we weren't close. Even though we're from the same hometown, I only met him after coming here."
"……"
"Still, I thought it'd be better to send him back to his native land. Maybe it's just meddling on my part, though."
Instead of picking up on that, Ise shifted the topic.
"That was a mission I was originally going to take."
"Is that so?"
"It was near my hometown, and it was well within my capability. I can't help but wonder if the outcome would've been different if I had taken it."
"You're troubling yourself with useless thoughts."
"True. Honestly, it has nothing to do with me. It's just that people keep pushing me into acting like the representative for these initiates, which makes me think of these useless things."
Pi Ga-ram turned his head to look at Ise. Looking up at the night sky, Ise continued.
"Either way, I'm definitely going to get revenge."
Pi Ga-ram paused for a moment before adding softly, "Revenge, not recovery. Now that I think about it, you seem to have a habit of paying things back—whatever kind it may be."
"Is that so? He was just one classmate among many, though."
Even if they weren't close, living and brushing shoulders in the same space naturally built a sense of familiarity and attachment.
A classmate like Yeom Bo was precisely that kind of acquaintance.
"It's usually a habit of those who have lost a lot. Ah, if that was out of line, I apologize."
Instead of answering, Ise closed his eyes.
Death was unavoidable on the path of the Great Martial Dao. In the future, more of his peers—perhaps even those beside him—would die.
Accept that fact, but do not grow numb to it.
That mindset alone would suffice.
He wondered why his chest felt so heavy, only to realize he had been mourning without even knowing it.
Day was breaking.
Ise stood up.
Perhaps because he had heard ominous words from that novice shaman, Seol Ryeong, a strange feeling of unease hovered over this journey.
Looking at it another way, however, this was a good opportunity.
Nang Pavilion, Dark Snake, Shaman, Medical Apprentice.
Coincidentally, they had formed an ideal squad composed of all four specializations.
It was said that during official missions—especially battles assigned by the Main Mountain that demanded guaranteed success—squads were always formed with at least one disciple from each of the four branches.
Now that it had come to this, he would complete the mission flawlessly and return.
Gazing at the faint light of dawn, Ise savored the scent of his old hometown for the first time in a long while.