Chapter 44: Awakening
“M-Mujin....”
Sogwang was staring at me with a terrified expression.
I had just started stepping toward him when...
SHWAAAAK!
A streak of crimson energy tore through the air from somewhere.
It moved so fast that my eyes could barely follow it.
Sogwang stood frozen where the red energy had passed.
“Uh... M-Mujin....”
He reached one hand toward me.
Then...
Slash.
Sogwang's waist twisted.
His upper and lower body slid apart diagonally.
SPURT!
Blood erupted like a fountain.
His body split into two pieces and collapsed onto the ground.
“W-What the hell?!”
Wang Dusik staggered backward in terror.
The instant he moved...
the shadow beneath his feet writhed.
Dark-red energy surged from it and wrapped around his waist like a ring.
CRUNCH! CRACK!
The sound of bones being crushed echoed out.
Wang Dusik's body immediately went limp.
Thud.
He fell to the ground with his upper body completely mangled.
“Martial Uncle Mujin!”
Myeongjeon kicked off the training ground and ran toward me.
His face was twisted with unbearable terror.
“Martial Uncle! I—!”
Before he could finish...
crimson energy erupted from the ground beneath his feet.
A spear of sharpened blood energy pierced straight through his chest.
Blood burst from both his chest and back, soaking the training ground floor.
“Ghk... kh... kh....”
Myeongjeon kept coughing up red blood.
Then his head dropped into the pool beneath him as he collapsed.
The tragedy didn't end there.
“Disappear... please, just disappear!”
“Ugh....”
Hyeongwon and Yu Seola wildly swung their spear and sword through empty air.
There was nothing visible in front of them.
Yet their eyes shook madly with fear.
Slash!
Crimson energy swept across both of their necks at the same time.
The sight that followed stopped my breath.
“...Ah... ah....”
Hyeongwon and Yu Seola's heads rolled across the ground.
The sickening stench of blood filled the training ground.
“H-How could this....”
A trembling voice came from somewhere.
It was Sect Leader Cheon Gwangcheon.
His face had gone as pale as paper.
“Sect Leader....”
The moment I tried to move toward him...
BOOM!
An invisible shockwave slammed into him.
His body flew backward and crashed into the wall of the training ground.
Blood and torn pieces of flesh sprayed across the wall and floor.
“Haa... haa....”
I staggered, breathing heavily.
My whole body trembled uncontrollably at the hell unfolding before me.
Then...
a voice broke through my despair.
“Stay back!”
It was Jin Gwangung.
He swept his gaze across the blood-soaked training ground.
Then slowly looked up at the sky.
He thrust both fists into the air.
BOOOOOOM!
With a deafening blast...
part of the crimson energy covering the training ground scattered.
For a moment...
hope appeared.
Maybe we could escape this hell.
But then...
"...!"
Behind Jin Gwangung...
his shadow began writhing ominously.
Dark-red energy surged from its center.
STAB!
The crimson force pierced straight through his back.
“M-Master!”
I screamed.
Jin Gwangung staggered forward.
Even then...
he forced himself to turn and look at me.
“...Mujin....”
Blood spilled from his mouth.
He swallowed with difficulty and forced the words out.
“...Run... Mujin....”
Those were his final words.
SLASH!
The crimson energy piercing his body tore him apart.
His severed body collapsed helplessly onto the training ground.
Blood from the split corpse drenched my entire body.
“M-Master... no... don't....”
I tried to move toward Jin Gwangung's broken body.
But I couldn't.
My ankles felt frozen in place.
Why...?
I looked down.
A chill swept through my entire body.
The ground was moving.
The solid training ground floor writhed as though it were alive.
Then...
the earth split open.
Something appeared from the darkness beneath.
A hand.
Covered in blood.
It grabbed my ankle.
"...!"
Then another hand appeared.
And another.
More and more burst from the darkness below.
Dozens of hands wrapped around my legs.
“L-Let go!”
I struggled.
“Let go of me!”
But the hands only pulled harder.
Deeper.
Down through the cracked ground.
Into an abyss filled with endless darkness.
My body was slowly being dragged into it.
Little by little.
The opening beneath me widened...
like a mouth trying to devour me whole.
“No... no...!”
The hands of the dead pulled me completely into the abyss.
And just as darkness swallowed my consciousness...
a voice reached me.
...One... bound by fate....
...The sleeping... immense evil... has opened its eyes again....
And then...
all light disappeared.
In the middle of endless darkness...
a blood-covered hand seized my throat.
Cold fingers dug into my neck.
The grip tightened until I felt like my breath would be cut off.
Then...
“Stop! Please, stop!”
I shot upright with a scream.
The moment I inhaled...
a tearing pain exploded near my ribs.
“Ugh....”
I hunched over and slowly forced myself to breathe.
“Haa... haa....”
My blurred vision gradually came into focus.
Smell.
Warmth.
Sensation.
Everything slowly returned.
A faint medicinal scent filled the air.
I could feel the warmth of blankets around me.
Bandages were wrapped around my upper body.
I was lying on a bed.
Still breathing heavily, I slowly raised my head.
A quiet room lit by a faint lamp came into view.
Where am I...?
The ceiling.
The walls.
The furniture.
Everything looked familiar.
Kunlun.
Then I heard a voice.
“M-Martial Uncle Mujin! Are you all right?!”
I turned my head.
Four familiar faces came into view one after another.
Myeongjeon, staring at me with wide eyes.
Yu Seola, visibly relieved.
Hyeongwon, biting his lip while watching me closely.
And Jin Gwangung, standing against the wall with his arms crossed.
"...Where... am I...?”
My voice came out hoarse and weak.
Myeongjeon exhaled in relief.
“The infirmary inside Kunlun.”
He leaned closer.
“Martial Uncle, are you really all right?”
His expression turned serious.
“You've been unconscious for two full weeks.”
“T-Two weeks...?”
“Yes.”
“You didn't wake up even once.”
He hesitated.
“But sometimes you would struggle and scream in your sleep.”
“Even the physicians couldn't understand why.”
He smiled weakly.
“Everyone was really worried.”
“Screaming...?”
I frowned.
“Me...?”
I tried to search my memory...
but my thoughts were strangely clouded.
A blood-red sky.
A crimson full moon.
A voice in the darkness....
Several blurry images surfaced for a moment.
Then disappeared.
It felt as though I had heard something important...
but that exact part had been torn out of my memory.
Myeongjeon smiled.
“Still...”
“I'm really glad you've finally regained consciousness.”
Hyeongwon suddenly stepped forward.
“If you're better, have a spar with me.”
I stared at him.
He continued seriously,
“I want to show you how much stronger I've become after gaining real combat experience.”
Yu Seola immediately shook her head.
“Take it easy, Senior Brother Hyeongwon.”
“He only just woke up.”
Watching them...
I couldn't help smiling.
Then pain stabbed through my ribs.
“Ghk....”
I winced.
“Looks like I'm still a long way from being fine.”
A scoff came from one side of the room.
“What a pathetic weakling.”
It was Jin Gwangung.
He was still standing there with his arms crossed.
“Tsk, tsk.”
He looked down at me.
“You get cut a few times and end up like this?”
“Was something this minor really worth being unconscious for two whole weeks?”
His tone was as rough as ever.
I stared at him.
“M-Master...”
I frowned.
“A few cuts? I was even hit by the Thousand Poisons Old Demon's poison art—”
“If you've got enough strength left to make excuses, use it to build up your stamina.”
Jin Gwangung clicked his tongue.
“Haa.”
Then he gestured with his chin.
“Anyway, you survived.”
“From now on, do fewer stupid things and train harder.”
His eyes narrowed.
“Understand, you weakling disciple?”
Then he turned away.
“Wait, Master. I—”
“Shut up and lie down quietly.”
He didn't even look back.
“I don't want to hear anything else from a weakling.”
Jin Gwangung kicked open the infirmary door and walked out.
Bang!
The sound echoed through the room.
I stared at the closed door.
His only disciple was unconscious for two weeks....
And instead of worrying about me, that's how he acts?
A deep sense of disappointment settled inside my chest.
Then Yu Seola smiled.
“You shouldn't believe a single word Elder Gwangung just said.”
“Hm?”
Myeongjeon immediately added,
“First Elder Gwangung came to the infirmary every single day for the past two weeks.”
I blinked.
Myeongjeon lowered his voice.
“Whenever your condition got even slightly worse, he'd grab the physicians and threaten...”
He quickly corrected himself.
“I mean, yell at them.”
Then he imitated Jin Gwangung's tone.
“‘If this brat dies, all of you are dead too!’”
"..."
Hyeongwon nodded.
“That's right.”
“I heard he came every morning at dawn too, just to check on you.”
I went blank for a moment.
That old bastard... really did that?
So even while calling me a weakling to my face...
he had been worrying about me that much?
Something warm spread faintly through my chest.
After steadying my breathing for a moment, I asked,
“...What happened at Black Spirit Valley?”
Myeongjeon answered.
“Elder Gwangung handled everything.”
His eyes lit up.
“The moment Martial Uncle collapsed, he finished all of them in a single breath.”
He shook his head in awe.
“His martial arts really are as incredible as the rumors say.”
“I see.”
Then I asked the real question.
“But... were they actually from the Demonic Cult?”
Myeongjeon's expression changed.
“That's the thing....”
He hesitated.
“We don't know.”
I frowned.
“You don't know?”
The atmosphere in the room became heavy.
Myeongjeon sighed.
“We tried interrogating the ones who were still alive.”
“We wanted to ask who was behind them...”
“why they targeted Kunlun disciples...”
He bit his lip.
“But....”
Then he continued.
“They all bit down on poison pills.”
I narrowed my eyes.
“Poison pills?”
Myeongjeon nodded.
“They had them hidden under their tongues.”
“They crushed them...”
His expression darkened.
“and every single one died.”
Yu Seola nodded as well.
“For now, the sect has concluded they weren't connected to the Demonic Cult.”
I looked at her.
“Not the Demonic Cult?”
“The Thousand Poisons Old Demon was certainly a wicked martial artist from the unorthodox side...”
she explained,
“but he wasn't a member of the Demonic Cult.”
Her brows furrowed.
“And nobody could identify his subordinates.”
“The elders seem to believe they were simply followers of the Thousand Poisons Old Demon.”
I repeated slowly,
“So they're saying it was all the Thousand Poisons Old Demon's personal doing?”
All three nodded.
Myeongjeon answered,
“Yes.”
“From kidnapping the scouting and investigation teams...”
“to the hideout in Black Spirit Valley...”
He gave a helpless shrug.
“For now, the most natural conclusion is that the Thousand Poisons Old Demon acted on his own.”
I fell silent.
Was it really his personal operation?
The traces of the Shadow Corps I had found in Black Spirit Valley.
The Trance Powder.
Their secret markings.
Was there someone else behind the Thousand Poisons Old Demon?
The Shadow Corps?
Or were the two somehow connected?
Several possibilities tangled together in my head.
But I still had far too few clues.
Yu Seola spoke carefully.
“Don't push yourself thinking about it right now.”
She smiled faintly.
“Your priority is recovering.”
“And the sect elders are continuing the investigation anyway.”
Hyeongwon nodded.
“She's right.”
“Stop overthinking everything for now.”
He folded his arms.
“All of our disciples returned safely.”
“That's enough for the moment.”
Myeongjeon added with a broad laugh,
“The truth will come out eventually.”
“Hidden evil always reveals itself in the end.”
“Hahaha!”
His hearty laughter made the others smile too.
I smiled along with them.
But the words I had just heard continued circling inside my mind.
Hidden evil always reveals itself in the end....
And quietly...
I made a promise to myself.
One day...
I would pull every last thread free.
The Shadow Corps.
The strange traces tied to them.
And whatever hidden truth lay behind it all.
I would uncover everything.
