Chapter 300

Chapter 300

‘Did he leave?’

He left.

Having closed her eyes, Haryul slightly opened them to confirm Baek Riyun’s figure disappearing in the distance, then quietly assumed a lotus position and closed her eyes again. At the same time, a voice echoed in her head.

-What are you doing right now?

‘Shut up.’

-I definitely ordered you to catch and kill him.

‘I said be quiet. You vermin of a monster.’

Crack!

At the formless voice that continuously eroded her mind, Haryul, wearing a sticky smile, clenched and unclenched the fingers placed on her knees. Though they had formed a cooperative relationship out of necessity, Haryul still didn’t like this monster.

‘I shouldn’t have attempted Talgatja  so recklessly.’

After all, Talgatja is the most dangerous gamble in the world.

Because you must deny the life you’ve lived and walk an unprecedented path by completely overturning it, the success rate doesn’t even reach ten percent, and if you fail, you become a cripple at minimum, and in the worst case, you can lose your life—that’s the gamble called Talgatja.

Those who attempt such a gamble are only those who cannot achieve their life’s purpose without gambling.

Haryul, who had devoted her life to catching and killing monsters, had early on instinctively sensed her own limits and entered seclusion to achieve Talgatja. Just as Ilryun, Geomseon, and Taeag had done, she believed without doubt that she would reach a higher realm and look down upon the world.

However,

‘For every person who succeeds, there’s someone who fails.’

Though Gwonryeong had possessed talent and strength ranking among the top of Sipcheon who failed to achieve Talgatja, not everything in the world flows according to talent.

Gwonryeong, who succeeded in achieving Talgatja but lost most of her body as a side effect, chose parasitism to survive.

–Hehe. What a pathetic sight. Gwonryeong.

-Devour me. Vermin.

-……What?

-I’m saying let’s make a deal.

She extended her life by parasitizing the great monster that happened to be targeting her.

‘His “capacity” isn’t yet large enough to devour me.’

Gwiwang , one of Muhyeong’s collection, is a monster, but a being possessing power on a level similar to Sipcheon.

If you had to compare, you could say he’s on the level of Daesageom or Geomhu. Since he possesses many other masters inside as well, normally the size of monster energy that Muhyeong possesses shouldn’t be able to handle someone who has achieved Talgatja like herself.

However, Muhyeong is using Haryul by only providing a body and holding forceful command authority. Since leaving Haryul’s own consciousness rather than devouring her completely means the required “capacity” is reduced, it’s a kind of loophole.

And thanks to that, Haryul can ignore Muhyeong’s commands to some degree. Though she can’t keep ignoring them forever.

‘That youngster was no ordinary person.’

Was it Uicheonmunju?

Though it’s a name she’s never heard since she left the martial world long ago, her eyes haven’t gone crooked. Walking posture, the hand gripping the sword, the way of breathing—a martial artist speaks of many things even without words.

The very movements that couldn’t find the habits unique to Talgatja achievers like herself were imbued in Uicheonmunju’s body. Though that doesn’t mean he achieved Talgatja at all.

‘If he properly achieved Talgatja, he might be even stronger than me.’

A Talgatja achiever’s martial power isn’t necessarily based on their previous martial power. How much higher are they aiming, how much more overwhelming strength are they pursuing?

Just as there must be a difference in the destination between someone who trains in swordsmanship to cut trees and someone who trains in swordsmanship to split Mount Tai, the same applies to Talgatja achievers. She can’t be certain, but if Baek Riyun properly completed Talgatja, he might have been equal to or even surpassed herself.

‘Such a person must live.’

He became a ghost? So he can’t cut down monsters himself? What does that matter?

A top-level martial artist can greatly contribute even without fighting directly. Just as the Number One Under Heaven who cut off both legs and arms declaring he would no longer cut down people or monsters, yet produced hundreds of masters with just his two eyes and mouth, Baek Riyun could do something similar.

‘It’s enough if he buys time.’

Can’t she at least do that much for a junior following behind?

‘Vermin.’

-What.

Haryul, cracking her neck until it made a crunching sound, continued speaking.

‘I have a bad feeling, so why don’t you give up if possible?’

-……What?

‘There’s even a child with the ability to recognize you, and there are many masters too. Is there really a need to do it this dangerously?’

The success rate of the operation Haryul calculated was about eighty percent.

Conversely, that means there’s a twenty percent chance of failure. And in case of that failure, Muhyeong would meet death.

‘If you live long, there will be opportunities anytime, so is there really a need to risk your neck in such a dangerous situation? If you die, I’ll die along with you, won’t I?’

-…….

After remaining silent at Haryul’s words for a moment, Muhyeong’s voice answered quietly.

-You, who were born strong, don’t understand. That if the weak miss a single opportunity, they won’t even be given another chance.

‘…….’

-I will become strong.

Become strong and devour Haryul, devour Jeomchanggeomseon too, and devour Baek Riyun, Toohui, Nakcheon, and even Heukya. That was Muhyeong’s dream.

-If I was going to cower because it’s dangerous, I wouldn’t have even made it this far.

He has no intention of taking a conservative approach. Monsters are inherently fierce, cruel, and monstrous.

-I won’t give up.

Muhyeong was a monster despite being formless.

‘Tsk.’

Is it about time?

At Muhyeong’s stubborn answer, Haryul clicked her tongue, gauged the time, and slowly rose from her seat. Simultaneously, the following answer.

‘You’re free to think what you want, but don’t think you’ll forever be in the position of devouring.’

-…….

‘Before you completely devour me, I’ll devour you.’

Haryul, letting out a chuckle, slowly stepped forward. And.

Thud.

The next moment, Haryul’s form disappeared.

As if she had never been in that place originally, without leaving any aftereffect.

***

About two hundred li west of Dali.

“Ah, shit, where the hell is this!”

“Don’t curse. Baek Risan. As a young lady of a prestigious family, maintain your dignity…….”

“Screw that!”

Whack!

“……That hurts.”

Baek Risan, with a furious expression, punched the side of Namgunghyeon who was nitpicking at her, and roared. And for good reason, as the situation was turning out terribly.

“We got lost again!!!”

When they first headed to Yunnan, things were good.

They confirmed that Baek Riyun was alive and even had an idea of where he headed. In this situation, going to a remote place like Yunnan specifically meant he went to lend a hand in blocking the monsters’ attacks, didn’t it?

To help block the monsters’ attacks, he would have headed to where the attacks were most intense, and among those places, where defense forces were insufficient.

Through such easy deduction, reaching Dali via Kunming, and even when going to find Jeomchangpa, things were good. They thought they could meet the Sect Leader of Jeomchang and ask for cooperation.

However,

‘Though I dearly want to welcome those who’ve come from afar to help…… the Sect Leader is currently absent. Fellow Taoists.’

‘……Where did he go?’

‘He went to search because there were suspicious signs to the west. It seems it will take some time for him to return.’

‘…….’

‘Would you like to have some tea in the meantime?’

‘I’ll go find him directly.’

Of all times, the Sect Leader was absent in this situation.

Of course, permission from Jeomchangpa wouldn’t be strictly necessary to take charge of searching for Baek Riyun, but receiving Jeomchang’s help to share information while searching versus finding him on their own would obviously have quite a difference in difficulty. Ultimately, finding the Sect Leader and receiving help was the best method.

That’s why coming west following the Sect Leader’s trail was good.

……It definitely should have been good.

“Just because there’s no road, we get lost immediately……?”

Ugh.

Baek Risan, who had been turning the map she brought this way and that to check the surrounding terrain, frowned, folded the map, and looked around. Seonwoo Gang and Namgunghyeon quietly averted their gazes.

“How is it that not a single one of you who properly learned map reading is here? Huh? They taught it at the academy!”

“……I learned how to read parts where there are roads. And you didn’t properly learn it either.”

“Don’t you know Maekja’s  Log Theory? What’s more fatal—someone who always didn’t know something continuing not to know, or someone who always knew something not knowing?”

“…….”

“If I’d known it would be like this, we should have gotten support from someone who could read maps.”

What’s the use of saying that now?

Baek Risan, brazenly letting out a sigh with the tables turned, placed her hands on her hips.

“What do we do now!”

“What do you mean what…… we have to find him.”

“How? Do you know where he went?”

“Didn’t they say he went to a border village?”

“I know that. I’m asking how we’re going to find that border village!”

“Uh, about that, I thought about it.”

At Baek Risan’s question, Seonwoo Gang raised his hand and stated his opinion.

“For now, how about we just keep going west like this?”

“Recklessly west?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“If you look at the map, there’s a river to the west. How about we go until we find that river?”

“You’re going to re-establish our position based on that river?”

“Yeah.”

Seonwoo Gang, who nodded, spread out the map and poked several points on it. The shape of a winding river.

“Rivers are places where the shape appears more prominently than other terrain.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“If we look for where the river winds on the map, put it in our heads, and confirm it, we can quickly establish our position. Once we succeed in establishing our position, we can reset our direction.”

“It’s a good method but…… isn’t it far?”

“It shouldn’t be that far. Since we’ve come quite a distance, I think we’ll see it soon.”

“Alright. Then let’s try that first. Which way is west?”

“Since it’s the direction the sun sets, it’s this way.”

“Aha.”

Looking at the direction Seonwoo Gang pointed to, Baek Risan nodded and moved forward without hesitation. And watching that from behind, Seonwoo Gang quietly spoke.

“Baek Risan.”

“Yeah, what?”

“What are you thinking of saying when you meet the Gate Master?”

“……What?”

“You must have a lot you want to say.”

“What I want to say…….”

At Seonwoo Gang’s words, Baek Risan, who had been thinking for a moment, clenched her fist tight.

“I’m going to punch him once.”

“……That’s not talking. And what if you can’t punch him?”

“If I can’t punch him, well, I’ll wait until I can and then punch him once. He deserves to be hit.”

“That’s true, but.”

“I have to ask why he died so suddenly.”

Baek Risan clearly saw the scene of Baek Riyun dying. At that time, Heukya’s attack was certainly powerful, but it shouldn’t have been to the degree that Baek Riyun couldn’t even react and died.

Nevertheless, she wanted to know why he took Heukya’s attack head-on. What scheme he had.

“You don’t resent him?”

“Resent?”

“I thought you might have considered it being abandoned in a way. You’ve had that experience.”

“I don’t.”

Baek Risan, speaking bluntly, continued speaking while looking straight ahead.

“In the past, I just thought I was abandoned, but not now. Back then too, that bastard clearly didn’t meet with me thinking of me.”

“…….”

“It’s probably the same now. He just let go because it was hard? That bastard would have to be that kind of person for that to make sense.”

He definitely must have had some scheme. And she just got caught up in that scheme.

So she’ll punch him once. Because it’s true she’s annoyed. But.

“I won’t resent him for that. Because I’m not a child anymore either.”

“……You’ve grown.”

“Who’s calling who what?”

A sound is heard.

At Seonwoo Gang’s words, Baek Risan, who chuckled, deployed her lightness skill toward the sound of water ahead. And.

“There really is a river just as you said…… Hm?”

Soon.

Baek Risan, who burst out from the mountain, opened her eyes wide seeing the massive shadow beyond the river.

A human figure reaching ten *jang* in height was smiling stickily.

-Humans. Found you.

As if, it were a monster.