Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 72

The monster wolf, no, the monstrous beast demon wolf, lying dead with its snout torn off.

It wasn’t released to be killed.

It was released for them to survive against it.

But to think it was dead…

‘Ha……’

It was truly unbelievable.

For a moment, everyone was at a loss for words at this sight.

Then, a red-belted warrior asked the exhausted boys,

“Who did it?”

At his question, the boys’ gazes naturally turned towards a certain someone.

Although they all looked similar, there was one exceptionally handsome boy who was drenched in blood from head to toe.

It was Mok Gyeong-un.

‘……..Is it that guy again?’

The eyes of the red-belted warriors flickered with interest.

Although they were already interested in him due to his performance in the steel bead competition, they couldn’t help but be surprised by this.

“Senior… does this make sense?”

One warrior muttered as if he couldn’t understand.

That was understandable. Even without the energy points being sealed, it seemed difficult for a decent warrior to handle a monstrous beast of that size.

But to think he did this to it in a state where his energy points were blocked?

‘No matter how much one trains their outer force, this is…’

Impossible.

It was questionable whether one could face it even with proper gear.

The most senior warrior among the red-belted warriors looked Mok Gyeong-un up and down.

While the other boys looked haggard and exhausted, he alone had lively eyes.

No, he didn’t even look tired.

‘Could it be?’

The senior warrior’s eyes narrowed with suspicion.

He then spoke.

“You. Come here.”

“Is there a problem?”

“Who said you could talk back?”

“……..”

Mok Gyeong-un shrugged and approached the senior warrior.

Then the senior warrior roughly grabbed Mok Gyeong-un’s wrist and checked the state of his body.

It was to confirm whether his energy points were blocked or not.

However…

‘…….They’re blocked.’

He wondered if the guy had somehow unblocked his energy points, but that wasn’t the case.

They were still blocked.

Confirming this made it even more unbelievable.

‘They raised such a guy in a mere place like Yeon Mok Sword Manor?’

No matter how famous the martial arts family was, it wasn’t a major faction like the Nine Paths or the likes.

This was going to be quite controversial.

It was the first time since the operation of Corpse Blood Valley.

***

The robe-wearing diviner looked dumbfounded at the corpse of the monstrous beast demon wolf with its snout and head torn off, completely separated from its lower jaw.

To make matters worse, right when the sun rose, he had used a technique to signal the demon wolf to return.

But when it didn’t return, the diviner, sensing something was off, had climbed up here.

Then someone spoke to him.

“Is this possible?”

“Pardon?”

“I asked if it’s possible.”

The one asking the question was none other than the Lord of Corpse Blood Valley wearing the demon mask.

Arriving late and climbing the mountain, he had received a report from the red-belted warriors and arrived here to check the demon wolf’s corpse.

He, too, couldn’t help but be inwardly surprised.

In the first place, the role of the monstrous beast demon wolf was to be an ordeal for the boys.

It was to push them to an even more extreme situation and maximize their will to survive.

But to think they killed it…

“This… Ha…”

The robe-wearing diviner couldn’t give any answer.

If a warrior who had mastered martial arts had done this, he would have at least responded, “It seems he possesses quite an extraordinary martial prowess.”

But this was truly unexpected.

‘Should I even mention this?’

What was even more troublesome was the state of the demon wolf.

‘…….It had already achieved maturity.’

He already thought it was getting close to a mature state anyway.

But he believed it wasn’t ready yet and it would take a couple more months, so he had deployed this beast.

However, in that short time, it had become a fully mature body.

It had turned from a fierce beast into a monstrous beast.

‘This is crazy. How did they do this?’

Even trained diviners and third-rate or second-rate warriors had a hard time dealing with ferocious beasts.

But if it became a monstrous beast-level, even first-rate masters would have a hard time catching it unless they joined forces.

He couldn’t believe that one of the boys whose energy points were sealed had caught it.

He had to report this, but the diviner couldn’t bring himself to do it.

That’s because even ferocious beasts alone could be considered an extreme ordeal, but a monstrous beast-level would be close to a massacre, even with the protective space of the flag.

‘Should I consider it lucky?’

It was fortunate that this beast was killed before it could cause more harm.

However, it was difficult to fully report this fact.

So he excluded this and said,

“To be honest, even I don’t understand how they caught it.”

“You don’t understand?”

“In your opinion, which part of the human body possesses the greatest strength?”

“…….Are you trying to say it’s the mouth?”

“That’s right. The biting force is the strongest. Let alone beasts or such beasts, do you think it would be any different? Those called beasts have lived wild lives unlike humans, and accordingly, they are equipped with jaws capable of chewing through even bones.”

Humans cut hard bones and eat them.

However, many of the creatures called beasts eat bones whole.

In that case, naturally, the shape of their teeth and their biting force had to develop accordingly.

“If they were lucky and pierced its core, which could be called its heart, with something sharp, I could understand. But this is impossible with just a bit of strength.”

To tear it apart, one needed a force that surpassed the biting power of the monstrous beast demon wolf.

The demon mask nodded at this.

“I see.”

“Who did it? Please tell me…”

“That’s enough.”

“Pardon?”

“Didn’t you hear me? I said that’s enough. Take that corpse with you.”

He had heard what he wanted.

So there was no need to mention it further.

“……..I understand. Then I’ll borrow a few men.”

“Do as you please.”

As the diviner took the corpse with the help of a few warriors, the senior warrior who served as his assistant approached him with a frown and said,

“I checked.”

“Are the Golden Gate Lock still in place?”

“Yes. With the energy points blocked, the true energy couldn’t circulate through his body.”

“But he did that.”

“Calling him strong is an understatement. He might be even stronger than that child of the Esoteric Realm Gate.”

“Hmm.”

Was this something that could be explained by him being strong?

The demon mask had experience fighting against what was called a fierce beast in his younger days.

If he referred to those memories, it was still questionable.

To think he did this without inner energy.

‘I’ll have to keep an eye on him.’

He thought he was no ordinary fellow, but this made him even more interested.

There seemed to be something about him that couldn’t be explained just by his background from a famous martial arts family.

The demon mask changed the subject.

“Have the rest all gathered?”

“Yes.”

“What’s the total number?”

“The total number of survivors is 259.”

Out of the total of 468, about half had died.

Upon receiving this report from the senior warrior, the demon mask nodded and moved his feet.

Climbing to the top of the mountain ridge, there was a large clearing where the boys were sitting in rows and columns.

But this was just the number of survivors; they were divided into two groups here as well.

Out of the 259, 200 were on the right side, and the remaining 59 were on the left side. The majority of 200 had relaxed faces, while the remaining 59 were pale and trembling.

The reason was that they were the ones who failed to find a flag until sunrise.

‘Damn it.’

‘Is this how we die?’

That’s why they were afraid.

The result had already been foretold.

It was death.

The demon mask, standing in front of them, opened his mouth.

“I congratulate you on successfully defending the flags. The fifty-nine pieces of trash on the left side have also worked hard to survive the night without being able to do anything.”

Even the words that were supposed to be respectful were different.

In fact, these words didn’t register with the 59 boys.

They just wanted to live.

As they were doing so, the demon mask turned his head towards them.

-Thump! Thump! Thump!

Their hearts pounded loudly.

The moment the demon mask gave the order, it seemed like the red-belted warriors would immediately behead them.

However…

“The fifty-nine pieces of trash, follow that diviner down the mountain.”

‘!?’

At this order from him, the eyes of the 59 boys widened.

They naturally thought they would be killed on the spot, but being told to follow that robe-wearing diviner down the mountain made them puzzled.

Could it be that they were being spared?

-Murmur murmur!

The faces of these boys began to light up.

Seeing this, the red-belted warriors shook their heads.

Being told to follow the diviner was by no means a good thing.

They didn’t want to tell them what was to come, as they were so happy about briefly extending their lives.

“Shut up and get lost.”

At the demon mask’s scolding, the rejoicing boys shut their mouths.

Of course, they were still smirking.

And so, the 59 boys followed the procession collecting the corpse of the demon wolf and the bodies of the dead, pulling a cart down the mountain.

‘Why are they making those expressions?’

‘There must be something.’

Although those who went down wouldn’t know, the 200 boys who roughly grasped the situation by looking at the expressions of the red-belted warriors felt fortunate.

That they weren’t included in that group.

As they were doing so, the demon mask spoke again.

“Now. It’s time for another selection.”

‘Selection?’

The faces of the boys, who had been relieved at the word ‘selection,’ became puzzled.

Of course, not all of them were like that.

Some teams were inwardly cheering as if they had guessed the situation.

As they were doing so, the demon mask pointed to the left side and said,

“Those who have grasped the true meaning of the flags, move to the left side.”

“True meaning?”

“What is he talking about?”

-Murmur murmur!

The boys stirred.

Then some of them got up from their seats.

And with a triumphant expression, they moved to the left side.

Of course, Mok Gyeong-un’s team was no exception.

Seeing the boys who had moved, a few teams tried to follow suit to the left side without knowing the reason, thinking, “Oh well, I don’t know.”

However…

“If you follow without knowing the true meaning and get caught, you’ll be executed on the spot.”

-Flinch!

They had no choice but to stop at this warning.

And so, the boys were divided into left and right sides once again.

Out of the 200, 80 boys were on the left side, and 120 boys were on the right side.

‘What the hell is this true meaning?’

‘Does this mean we didn’t pass?’

The 120 boys on the right side couldn’t hide their anxiety.

It was due to the fear that if they didn’t pass here, they might die, as the term ‘selection’ was used.

As they were doing so, the demon mask looked at the boys remaining on the right side and said,

“This is the limit for you lot.”

“………”

“But be grateful. You lot have now become low-ranking warriors of the Heaven and Earth Society.”

‘!?’

At this declaration from the demon mask, the boys’ eyes widened.

They were the ones who had been afraid that they would die for failing to pass the gate.

But it was a completely unexpected result.

However, relieved that they wouldn’t die but had survived, some of the boys sat down on the ground as if their legs had given out.

“Haa……”

“W-We survived.”

Corpse Blood Valley, where most of those who entered were known to leave as corpses.

The exhilaration of surviving here was too great.

On the other hand, about half of them didn’t seem to be in a good mood, their expressions souring.

That was because…

‘Damn it!’

‘A low-ranking warrior.’

The goal of most of those entering Corpse Blood Valley was never to become a mere low-ranking warrior.

The purpose of risking their lives to pass the gates was to be chosen.

But they had failed at this.

‘Stupid things.’

‘You took the test too simplistically.’

Seeing them, the 80 who had grasped the true meaning of the gates looked at them with mocking expressions.

They had gained the qualifications to go to a higher place.

As they were doing so, the demon mask took something out of his bosom.

It was a silver tablet with the character “Two” written on it.

‘Ah!’

The eyes of a few, including Yeom Ga of the Vermillion Slaughter Cave, sparkled upon recognizing this.

It was a badge given to the one who passed the gate at the top of the class.

‘Is he going to determine the top scorer?’

If that was the case, they couldn’t help but be interested.

They had prior information that having that badge would be quite advantageous in the end.

But unlike the steel bead competition, there was nothing particularly superior about this one.

The only thing was the fact that they had discovered there were two types of flags, but even this was too many with 80 people.

‘What will he do?’

As they were wondering about this, the demon mask muttered,

“How should I determine the top scorer? Should it be the one who memorized the verse?”

At these words, a few, including Yeom Ga, perked up their shoulders.

That was because they were the ones who had succeeded in memorizing the verses in advance, having secured the two types of flags with verses early on.

If it was like that, they were confident.

“Or should it be the one who can best demonstrate the verse?”

With the following muttering, some of the perked-up shoulders sank.

Although they had barely memorized the verses while defending and seizing the flags all night, they didn’t have time to practice.

This was the same for Yeom Ga of the Vermillion Slaughter Cave and Yeon Moo-woong of the Esoteric Realm Gate.

They could immediately demonstrate the stances according to the memorized verses, but they weren’t confident in demonstrating them perfectly, as it would be their first time.

In fact, it would be the same for anyone.

‘Still, the conditions are the same.’

If they were told to demonstrate the stances, they were going to try it no matter what.

As they were doing so, the demon mask said,

“Good. Let’s do it this way. Is there anyone among you who can properly explain what kind of verse is on the flag?”

At that question, someone raised their hand and stood up first, as if they had been waiting.

-Swoosh!

“It’s a sword technique!”

At this shout, snickers burst out from here and there.

That was because anyone who had memorized or at least seen the verse would know that it was a sword technique.

“Is that even worth mentioning?”

Just by looking at the demon mask’s cold gaze, the boy realized he had made a mistake and quietly sat down.

Then Yeom Ga of the Vermillion Slaughter Cave raised his hand and stood up.

“It’s a swift sword art where offense and defense are integrated, targeting three acupoints on the centerline and six major acupoints, and the variation of stances is diverse depending on its use.”

‘Ah……’

At Yeom Ga’s explanation, Yeon Woo-woong of the Esoteric Realm Gate smacked his lips regretfully.

The others felt the same way.

He had concisely and accurately explained the characteristics of the sword technique.

No further explanation was necessary.

‘How about that?’

Yeom Ga of the Vermillion Slaughter Cave looked at Mok Gyeong-un and Yeon Woo-woong of the Esoteric Realm Gate in turn with a triumphant expression.

There was no need to even look at Mo Ha-rang of the Demon Fire Hall, as she was lying down receiving treatment.

He was confident that this badge would be his.

The demon mask opened his mouth.

“To think you figured it out to that extent in the midst of all this, not bad.”

‘Got it.’

Yeom Ga of the Vermillion Slaughter Cave inwardly cheered.

Judging by the demon mask’s reaction, what he had figured out seemed to be correct to some degree.

Mok Yu-cheon’s eyes flickered with interest.

He didn’t speak up first because he had no particular desire for the top spot.

However, more than that…

‘He has a keen eye for reading the verses.’

It was almost identical to what he had grasped.

Although the guy was cunning, his talent in martial arts definitely didn’t fall behind his own when compared.

He became curious about what level he would be at once the Golden Gate Lock were removed.

“Hmm.”

As they were doing so, the demon mask glanced at the senior warrior of the captain rank.

Then the senior warrior also nodded his head.

In any case, these were people who had fought in the flag defense battle for nearly three hours without resting or sleeping, engaged in a fight to the death.

It was plenty impressive that they had figured it out to this extent.

The demon mask held out the silver tablet and said, “Good. This gate…”

Before he could even finish his words…

“Isn’t it a sword formation rather than just a sword technique?”

‘!?’

The demon mask frowned and turned his head.

Who just said that?

As he was wondering, the one who said those words was none other than Mok Gyeong-un.

‘Ha!’

At this, the demon mask clicked his tongue as if dumbfounded.

That was because this sword technique had simple stances, so it was impossible to distinguish whether it could be demonstrated as a sword formation or not just by looking at the verses.

At the very least, it was difficult to notice unless one was a swordsman who had reached a high level with the sword.

But a greenhorn brat distinguished this just with the verses?

‘W-What?’

Yeom Ga, who had inwardly sneered at the abrupt mention of sword formation from Mok Gyeong-un’s mouth, was taken aback.

But what the hell was this reaction from the demon mask?