Chapter 173

Chapter 173

The girl originally didn’t understand fear.

—Dying is scary.

—Why?

—Hmm, how should I say it… Just, because I’ll disappear?

—What’s that?

—From now on, I can’t eat, can’t think, can’t play, can’t work, can’t do anything. For me, there’s no ‘tomorrow.’ That’s why it’s scary.

When she heard those words from Choil, the girl tilted her head in doubt and showed her confusion. Because to the girl, tomorrow was the same day as yesterday and today.

Every day is the same day except for small changes. Even if it disappears, nothing would be different.

That’s what she thought. The reason others cried in fear during rituals was simply because it hurt.

That’s what she believed. But.

What about now?

—It hurts.

Within darkness so deep she couldn’t see ahead.

The girl hugging her knees and burying her face muttered. Her heart, cold as if stopped and not even feeling a pulse.

‘Why…?’

She didn’t die. She didn’t get hurt. Just one person she knew died.

She’d spoken with him long ago, but hadn’t seen his face for long. She hadn’t felt such emotion even at the village chief’s death after watching him for five years. There’s no reason for it to stir now.

It must have been that way.

‘It hurts…’

She can no longer ask when he’ll come next.

Even if tomorrow comes, and the day after, and the day after that, Choil will no longer visit. No matter how many nights pass and how many days she waits, Choil can no longer make his voice heard to her. That brazen boy who claimed to be her new younger brother.

Will never return.

“It… hurts…!”

Is death this painful?

The girl who realized the weight of death not through her own death but another’s, clutched her head and buried it in the darkness. Because she became newly afraid.

‘If I lose someone else again…?’

People die eventually. But if she goes ‘outside,’ she’ll surely talk with people and interact.

What if someone she befriended that way dies again and she feels this pain again?

Can she endure that pain?

‘Rather…’

Rather, if she doesn’t encounter them from the start, wouldn’t she avoid experiencing this pain?

The girl who fell into a swamp she created herself lowered her head and lowered it again.

Shortly after, when the swamp created by darkness was about to completely consume the girl’s body.

“—What are you doing?”

“Did you eat?”

At the voice heard through the darkness, the girl hurriedly raised her head.

Beyond the darkness.

She smelled a familiar oily scent.

Who in Uicheonmun has the most outstanding talent?

When Seohwa asked Baek Riyun that, Baek Riyun said he couldn’t definitively say because everyone has different talents. Seohwa thought so too.

Seonwoo Gang is outstanding at instinctively finding paths, and Wangpal is outstanding at reading opponents’ attack patterns based on fundamentals.

Seomun Cheok excels at techniques to intimidate or fluster opponents and numerical combat, while Baek Risan has stronger momentary destructive power than anyone.

As if planned, the Uicheonmun disciples’ strengths and weaknesses in martial arts were clearly divided. Even fellow technique-types have different tendencies, martial arts attributes differ entirely, and even weapons vary.

From that perspective, Seohwa thought her talent was just one thing.

Precisely, enduring.

Persevering.

“…Uuk.”

It’s painful.

At the pain rising with nausea, Seohwa swallowed a groan and trembled. An unfamiliar energy flowing in through the blood pathways.

‘I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but…!’

At pain like stabbing blood pathways with ten thousand needles, Seohwa gritted her teeth and clenched her fist. Because it felt like she couldn’t endure without doing so.

—Remember. Demonic power is different from internal energy. You can regard it as a force with its own ego.

Baek Riyun advised earlier. Never be devoured by demonic power.

Unlike other forces, demonic power is force based on emotion. Materialized power created by those born as predators to prey on others. Force with a kind of will, like a hunting dog, you could say.

—Once you’re looked down on, it’s over. The demonic power will enter your body and try to act as if it’s your master.

If that happens, it’s over. Whether your body explodes or you die vomiting blood from the seven orifices, you’ll meet your end somehow.

So there’s only one way to survive.

Grip the leash tightly before that happens. At least threaten the demonic power so it can’t bite you.

‘I know, but…!’

It’s overwhelming. Even knowing, it’s hard to handle.

Ppadeuk!

Having assessed the situation, Seohwa ground her teeth hard enough to damage them and coldly observed her inner self. The smell of blood filling all the blood pathways in her body.

‘…I can’t just accept it recklessly.’

Among reported cases, there’s only one where someone accepted demonic power and survived. The case of burning away all the accepted demonic power with profound and pure internal energy.

In all other cases where people accepted demonic power, they met death without exception. That means humans cannot adapt to yokai demonic power.

Then what should she do?

‘Avoiding the central line, to the detailed blood pathways.’

Small blood pathways that won’t endanger life even if injured. Or major blood points fundamentally solid and strong so they won’t easily collapse.

She has no choice but to disperse and plant demonic power in such places. Because the more it gathers in one place, the more it will try to crawl up.

‘…Good.’

Having finished calculating, Seohwa threatened the demonic power by moving internal energy while enduring pain. Soon the demonic power began moving through the blood pathways.

Coaxing and soothing.

Though injuries would cause bodily abnormalities, demonic power begins gathering in blood pathways that won’t endanger life. Like stacking goods one by one in a warehouse, Seohwa stacks demonic power.

‘Gokji.’

Left arm.

‘Gokcheon.’

Left knee pit.

‘Geogeol. Gyeonjeong. Gimun. Yangok.’

Both shoulders, inside knees, and palms—demonic power slowly accumulates. Stacking like building walls layer by layer, demonic power tapping the blood pathways.

‘If it continues like this…’

If it just continues like this, it’s fine. She can handle it.

Relieved at the situation proceeding as calculated despite the felt pain, Seohwa slightly raised her lips and observed the situation. Because it seemed she could pass without major issues at this rate.

‘Just like this. Just like this.’

The important thing is composure. If she maintains composure, she can definitely survive.

Thinking so, Seohwa focused on pushing demonic power into blood pathways based on her internal energy.

Shortly after, the moment demonic power accumulated beyond a certain level in the blood pathways and Seohwa caught her breath.

Pagak!

The quietly stacking demonic power simultaneously attacked the surrounding blood pathways.

“Uweeeeek!”

“Are you ok-okay…!”

At the breaking sound, Seohwa who vomited up rising blood couldn’t answer the surrounding escort voices and continued operating energy. The demonic power attacking blood pathways fiercely as if it had been holding its breath waiting for an opportunity until now.

‘Not yet, not yet…!’

Even without looking, she knows. That Choa hasn’t opened her eyes yet.

If she collapses here, it’s over. She’ll die, and Choa will die remaining a yokai. Shinui won’t find her disciple, and Choil will lose his younger sister again.

Pursuing the best only to take the worst path. Then.

Can she accept that situation?

‘That absolutely… cannot happen…!’

She must recalculate. Immediately.

Gritting her teeth, Seohwa racked her brain searching for a solution. A mental state calm as a lake even in agony that felt like her whole body would shatter.

‘Dispersing to detailed blood pathways won’t work.’

Several blood pathways are already in tatters.

She can still recover somehow with proper recuperation for now, but if she takes more damage, they might really tear away. Then she’d be unable to live as a martial artist at best, or in severe cases, unable to use her body at all.

Then what should she do? What should she do?

‘…It’s simple.’

If you want to live, you must head toward death. And in this situation, there’s only one place of death.

Biting her lip, Seohwa moved internal energy to gather demonic power in one place. And.

Shortly after.

The moment demonic power reaching one blood pathway began indiscriminately attacking it.

‘It’s possible.’

Seohwa was certain.

This is the answer.

“Th-this is insane, insane.”

“Youngster. Are you just going to watch…? That’s insane…”

“I know.”

At Shinui’s words while watching Seohwa continuously operating energy while dripping sweat like rain, I sighed and answered, and Shinui closed her mouth and anxiously fixed her gaze on Seohwa. Seohwa who’s been continuously trembling and groaning since earlier.

“It’s not impossible. Not impossible, but…”

It’s insane.

After watching Seohwa briefly, I could only nod at Shinui’s assessment. Because any martial artist would know how dangerous what Seohwa is doing now is.

Fundamentally, the human body has eight vessels.

The blood points belonging to these vessels called Gigyeongpalmaek play extremely important roles in learning and using martial arts.

However, people don’t use all eight vessels. Because there are vessels that quickly fill with turbid energy from birth and block quickly.

Realistically, people use six vessels. And people call the remaining two vessels this.

Imdokyanmaek. Saengsahyeongwan.

“Not in her right mind. She’s doing that because she doesn’t know what happens if the Imdokmaek receives shock…!”

“I taught her.”

“What?”

“I mean I taught her about Saengsahyeongwan. Seohwa couldn’t not know.”

To become a master, one must open the two vessels.

However, countless people die or become cripples trying to open them, so they’re called Saengsahyeongwan. Because the blood pathways are blocked so solidly and firmly that you must stake life and death on opening them.

Probably Seohwa intends to use that point.

“That’s actually the method with highest survival probability for now.”

Though it may seem insane, this is closest to a viable path.

Saying so, Shinui frowned and responded.

“F-fine. I’ll admit it has the highest survival possibility.”

“Yes.”

“But, but still…! Do you know what happens if by chance the Imdokmaek gets opened?”

“I don’t know.”

“It doesn’t end with death. The soul might be contaminated…!”

“Soul?”

“Yes!”

Raising her voice, Shinui clenched her small fist tightly and continued.

“Imdokyanmaek. Especially the Dokmaek called Saengsahyeongwan passes through Baekhoehyeol. Do you know what place Baekhoehyeol is?”

“The upper Danjeon. Also frequently used in magic arts.”

“Right. Conversely, it’s where you can create the Cheonju connecting to heaven…! It’s the soul’s passage!”

If Baekhoehyeol becomes abnormal, problems arise beyond the mind to the soul. But if Baekhoehyeol is occupied by demonic power?

“Then she might not be recognized as a human soul. Unable to find rest even in death, wandering the nine heavens unable to distinguish whether she’s yokai or human—she might become such an existence…!”

“Is that so?”

Indeed, worth making a fuss about.

Understanding Shinui’s explanation, I nodded, and Shinui looked at me with an incredulous expression. And the scolding that followed.

“‘Is that so,’ youngster. That kid is your disciple…! Are you in your right mind? You should stop her immediately…!”

“I won’t stop her.”

“What? Why?”

“Because even I would have done the same. I wouldn’t recommend a second-best option while thinking that’s the best method.”

If it fails, she can’t even properly return to the cycle of rebirth. Unable to find her own ego, wandering the nine heavens eternally?

The assumption is wrong from the start. If it fails and things go wrong anyway, everything ends. Either way only destruction remains.

“Strategists must plan strategies assuming worst-case scenarios. But we’re not strategists, are we?”

“We’re not playing Janggi. We have no janggi pieces to use as sacrifices.”

The basic premise is saving everyone. Ending this situation without losing anything.

Then that’s the best option. No matter how deep the danger lurking behind it.

Because we have no more backing.

“I’ll start preparing.”

“Because it would be bad to be late.”

The moment the two vessels open, it’s over. We must absolutely make Choa open her eyes and drive out the demonic power before then.

“…Got it.”

At my appearance drawing up lightning energy, Shinui nodded heavily and unclenched her tight fist, opening her mouth.

“If that’s what you youngsters think, I can only respect it—”

“Shinui-nim?”

Suddenly turning her head mid-speech, the moment Shinui distorted her expression, I had no choice but to realize.

At this moment,

“We need to hurry…!”

Probably, Seohwa’s Immaek has been opened.