Chapter 331

Chapter 331

A moment later.

The dispute was quickly settled.

“Let’s talk about it later.”

“No, what do you mean later……”

“This isn’t the right situation to talk about it, is it?”

—Uuuuu.

At the sight of Baek Risan with his eyes glaring like axes, I smiled bitterly and lowered my sword diagonally. The monsters that had been outside the attack range and hadn’t died yet crawled out through the snow. The monsters sent me looks mixed with a strange fear.

“……Fine. We can do it later.”

Seeming to realize the situation was serious, Baek Risan sighed and sheathed his sword, stepping back. He probably thought I would step forward and clean up those things. However.

“Why are you sheathing your sword?”

“Huh?”

“That’s your share.”

“What?”

I have no intention of stepping forward. At my opinion, Baek Risan’s eyes widened.

I immediately smiled broadly.

“This is perfect timing. It’s practical training time.”

“What?”

“I don’t have enough time to clean up all of this myself.”

This Monster Realm is one that causes more casualties the longer time passes.

In other words, conversely, the faster we deal with it, the less damage our side suffers. If I get held up here, that much greater loss will occur, so it’s better to move quickly.

“This place is a battlefield. It’s far too dangerous a place for me to keep taking you all around with me.”

“So you’re telling us to stay here because it’s dangerous?”

“The opposite meaning. I’m telling you to fight on the battlefield where you can be most active.”

Isn’t this place dangerous?

That’s not the case. Rather, the danger might be greater on my side. If they follow me deep inside, they can receive my protection, but fighting here means they can’t fight while receiving my protection. However,

Nevertheless, there’s one reason why I’m deliberately leaving my disciples to guard the rear.

Because if they go inside, these kids will have nothing to do.

“It’s right for you to do what you can, even if it’s a bit more dangerous. If you go inside, it’ll just be dangerous and there won’t be much you can do. But this place is different, isn’t it?”

“……It’ll be dangerous, but we can still fulfill our roles. And gain experience while we’re at it.”

“That’s right.”

A difficult enemy. An environment they’re encountering for the first time.

However, I’ve already shown them once how to fight. Since they’re clever children, they must have caught the clue well from what I showed them.

“Fine. Go.”

“Will you be alright?”

“If not? Should I stay here making weak excuses?”

Seureureureng!

Baek Risan, who had drawn the sword he’d sheathed, answered in a low voice.

“None of us who came up here together did so planning to hold anyone back.”

“…….”

“Time is of the essence, isn’t it? Go. We’ll have everything cleaned up by the time you return.”

Hwareureureuk!

“Good.”

Watching the white flames rise simultaneously with his words, I wore a faint smile and swept my gaze around as if asking whether I could leave it to them. Then my disciples sent me looks while firmly gripping their beloved weapons.

“If you return too late, Sect Leader, there won’t be any share left for you.”

Seonwoo Gang, looking at me while brilliantly igniting his golden sword energy.

“Wouldn’t it be better to go quickly?”

Seomooncheok, shooting me an intense gaze while carrying a dark iron spear horizontally on his back.

“Have a safe trip.”

Even Wangpal, seeing me off with brief words.

“Hahaha. Understood.”

Shall I go?

Laughing at Seonwoo Gang’s words, I concentrated Yoryeok at my toes and took a step. Simultaneously, the scenery rushed backward.

—I, I will become a martial artist…….

Wangpal, who had been prostrate on the ground blocked by the wall of talent, is no more.

—Disciple Seonwoo Gang greets his master.

Seonwoo Gang, who had guilt about his origins from the Black Path, is no more either.

—Draw your sword. If you don’t want to die.

Baek Risan, who had held hostility that wasn’t quite hostility toward me, is gone. Only one thing remains here.

Only martial artists who have awakened righteousness and chivalry in their bodies.

‘Now it wouldn’t be strange for them all to call themselves martial artists.’

They’ve grown too much to be treated as children.

Paaaaaaang—!!!

Shaking my head at the sound wave exploding from behind, I stretched my steps forward. The deeper I went inside, the thicker the cold became.

The rear was sealed by my disciples. Then only one thing remained.

“Let’s see how much you can struggle, as far as you can struggle.”

Hyung-nim betrays me?

No, there’s no need to even go to Hyung-nim’s plan.

I will crush Heukya’s plan here.

***

Muheuggaek was currently in great difficulty.

Ureureureureu──!!!

“Damn it, what the hell is that now!”

At the enormous wave shaking the ground, Muheuggaek unconsciously spat out curses and pressed his hands against the ground, his face turning bright red. With an expression twisted like an evil demon, Muheuggaek let out a tremendous shout.

“Prepare—!!!”

An avalanche is coming.

“This shi…….”

No sooner had Muheuggaek begun to speak than the giant tidal wave rushed in, and the martial artists cursed one by one while drawing up their internal energy. The tidal wave of snow that arrived in the blink of an eye.

Sound was eaten.

“God damn—!!!”

—Do these mere insects dare to face a natural disaster?

Despite the Giroei exploding, as the avalanche gradually devoured the martial artists one by one, Seolgui, floating in the air, let out a faint laugh. Because it was utterly ridiculous.

‘Less impressive than I thought.’

When I first encountered them and a third of the monsters I commanded exploded all at once.

At that time, I was so frightened, thinking an absolute master had arrived, not knowing what the opponent’s power was. How could I keep my composure when the entire world exploded at once, without even understanding what had happened?

However,

‘In the end, that one time was all there was.’

Looking carefully, I could tell. That initial divine authority shown by the man in front was ultimately only possible within a narrow radius around himself.

And the man couldn’t even move, as if nailed in place.

—Cover them.

Ulreong!

“Keureoeoek!”

Watching the tidal wave of snow strike the martial artists once again, Seolgui exhaled deeply. If the humans’ level was only this much, the escape plan I’d prepared wouldn’t really be necessary.

‘I was preparing to abandon the Monster Realm and flee to Lord Heukya’s side…….’

There’s no need for that. I can just keep guarding here.

—To do that, I’ll have to kill all of you who invaded this place first, won’t I?

With pale white skin showing no signs of blood, Seolgui quietly covered his mouth with his hand, smiling faintly as he clenched his fist. And at that moment, he felt a sensation.

—……!

An intruder had invaded the Monster Realm’s core.

Swaeeaeaeaek!

The moment he sensed it, Seolgui’s eyes widened and he turned his body around. But immediately after, a ray of light grazed past his jaw.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

—This lowly human……!

Wasn’t it a bit too easy?

Confirming that Cheongong, who had somehow reached beneath him, was aiming a spear, Seolgui frowned. Because now he understood.

—A diversion tactic.

Kwaaaaang!

“Ptui!”

At Seolgui’s words, Muheuggaek blew away a section of the snow covering the world and spat out the snow that had entered his mouth, wearing a sticky murderous smile.

“Pretty quick for a stupid monster. The main force is bait.”

Monster Realms are incredibly troublesome, and their characteristics cannot be clearly known until you enter them.

Therefore, the three forces with high monster response capabilities, including the Murim Alliance, mostly adopted methods of dividing attack strategies according to Monster Realm types. In the current case, the strategy of using the main force itself as bait was adopted.

“Even if you realized it, it’s too late. You can’t go back.”

—Hmph, can’t I?

Peoeoeoeng—!!!

Snorting, Seolgui manipulated the snowy environment to go back. However, as soon as the avalanche occurred, the center of power exploded.

“Keuheuheuheu. Did you really think I’d just be taking hits this whole time?”

Jureuk.

Blood dripping from his mouth, Muheuggaek burst into wild laughter while wiggling his fingers.

“I won’t fall for techniques I’ve seen multiple times. I’ve already installed Giroei at several points.”

—…….

“It won’t be as easy as before. Monster.”

—Impressive.

Had they adapted in that short time?

“Why are you smiling?”

Even while letting out pure admiration, as Seolgui smiled faintly, Muheuggaek, feeling a strange unease, glared at Seolgui. However, Seolgui kept smiling without care.

—Do you really think I, Seolgui, who has lived for over ten thousand years, only has skills of that level?

“…….”

—My abilities don’t stop at that level.

Seolgui is a type of monster whose unique abilities grow stronger as his Yoryeok increases.

At first, it was limited to making sleet fall, after becoming a more monster-like monster he could bring blizzards, and when he became unashamed to call himself a Great Monster, he learned how to cause avalanches. Then.

What about now that he’s become one of the top Great Monsters?

—Living beings see illusions when they’re freezing to death.

Mirages don’t exist only in deserts. Mirages exist in snowy landscapes too. Unlike desert mirages, death mirages created by human delusion and desire that don’t exist anywhere in the world.

—Is the appearance of me you’re seeing truly real?

It melted away.

“This goddamn……! Cheongong!”

“Got it!”

At the sight of Seolgui gradually losing form and melting away like snow meeting the hot sun, Muheuggaek called Cheongong and detonated Giroei. However, the laughter didn’t stop even though the upper body was blown away.

—Your strategy was wrong.

Operating a separate strike team to minimize damage? Because if you don’t finish within a short time, you’ll become the Monster Realm’s meal?

That statement conversely means if the strike team doesn’t succeed, you’ll all be annihilated here.

Even if he could go back and hold up the strike team just a little, the Monster Realm’s special environment would restrict the humans’ movements, and if that happened, this attack could be perfectly blocked.

—Farewell.

Pabababaak!

Confirming the spear piercing the spot where he’d melted away simultaneously with his words, Seolgui sighed in relief and regenerated his body near the Monster Realm. He vividly felt a sense of crisis.

‘They’ve reached close to the Monster Realm’s center, but their speed isn’t fast.’

There’s still a bit of time. As long as he reached the Monster Realm’s core and blocked the intruder, he could break through this situation without difficulty.

Paseuseuseu!

Calmly assessing the situation, Seolgui raised his Yoryeok to create a snow path and moved forward as if sliding. And at that moment, noise pierced his ears.

──So you’ve finally arrived?

—……?

At the sound echoing through the air, Seolgui reflexively turned his head toward where the sound came from. And then.

—You are…….

The moment Seolgui’s vision captured a black-robed man smiling strangely.

“I thought if I was too overwhelming from the start, you’d run away, so I waited…….”

“…….”

“I thought my neck would fall off from waiting, didn’t I?”

The man, Baek Riyun, raised his sword.

Gaebyeokcheongeomryu Secret Technique

Gaemyeong

The center of the snowy landscape split apart.