Just in case, Mok Gyeong-un extended his arm slightly toward the empty air from which the aura of death was flowing and recited an incantation in his mind. It was the Binding technique.
[Do you feel it? That is the profound principle of the Binding technique. It can pull anything and make it stick. Even qi is no exception.]
Blue Spirit had certainly said so. Though the distance was great, so many boys were dying that the death energy filled the entire area. At this rate, it might just be possible.
‘Mujeolmangryeoseo ihyungwisimyang muojeongeosang musanghyungwijeon magaryanghaegeo yeokhaemugeukhyeol.’
Although his Qi gates were sealed by the Forbidden Gate Locks, the Binding technique was not something deployed with internal energy. It was a special power that came solely from the incantation itself. A hand stretched toward the empty air.
As Mok Gyeong-un focused, the corner of his mouth twitched.
Swooooosh!
The test had begun with the lighthearted thought that if it didn't work, there was nothing to be done. Luckily, it worked. The auras of death swirling all around began to be sucked into Mok Gyeong-un's hand.
It was an immense amount of death energy.
‘It's absorbing.’
He had originally thought that only the death energy nearby would be drawn in. But something coincidental happened. As the death energy around Mok Gyeong-un was absorbed, a unique current was created, and the energy that had been spreading in all directions began to ride that current.
It seemed he might be able to obtain even more death energy than he had at the Lotuswood Sword Manor. Mok Gyeong-un looked at the boys still engaged in a bloody struggle and thought to himself.
‘Kill and be killed even more.’
The more they killed each other, the more he profited. There was one pair of eyes watching Mok Gyeong-un with suspicion. It was the demon mask.
‘…What is he doing?’
Most eyes were on the valley where the struggle was taking place. But the demon mask casually glanced toward the front of the incense burner and spotted Mok Gyeong-un, who was standing alone, extending a small hand toward the valley.
‘Hm.’
I can't tell what on earth he's doing. So, he heightened his spiritual sense and looked at Mok Gyeong-un. But he couldn't feel anything.
‘Am I overreacting?’
After all, with his Qi gates sealed by the Forbidden Gate Locks, there was no way he could do anything. A situation where even energy circulation was impossible. But he couldn't help but be bothered by the action.
Just then, a guard next to him spoke.
"The incense stick is almost burnt out."
The time was almost up. The number of boys who had made it in that time was slightly over 400. Nearly 200 boys had already died fighting among themselves, and the remaining 200 or so were engaged in a bloody battle.
Fssssss!
The incense stick was precariously burning down to the line at the bottom. The demon mask raised his hand. At that, the guards with red sashes who were waiting, surrounding the edge of the valley, all drew the weapons from their waists.
Shing! Shing!
At this sight, the boys fighting for the steel beads grew even more anxious. If they didn't hurry, they would die. It awakened the dormant grit and strong desire to live within the boys.
"Die, die!"
Crack! Crack!
"Get out of the way!"
Chomp!
"Aargh! This, this bastard is biting?"
They smashed heads with rocks, and if that didn't work, they even resorted to using their teeth to bite and hold on. It was nothing short of desperate. Even those watching had fought desperately to sit before the incense burner, but they couldn't just watch this as if it were someone else's problem.
Because this was only the beginning. But among them, one boy stood out.
"Uwaaaaaaah!"
Crunch!
"Gack!"
As if he had awakened, he, who had been inconspicuous until now, began to indiscriminately kill the boys around him. It was Mok Yu-cheon. Mok Yu-cheon, who couldn't accept the idea of killing without any grudge between them, had aimed only to find a steel bead and stand before the incense burner.
However, the situation pushed him to the edge of a cliff.
"Haa... haa..."
The boys trying to kill him to steal his steel bead from the moment he found it, and the almost completely burnt-out incense stick. This situation eventually made Mok Yu-cheon the same as them.
‘Damn it! Damn it!’
He didn't know how many he had killed, but in the end, Mok Yu-cheon was able to defeat all the boys after his steel bead and reach the incense burner. Arriving at the incense burner, he raised the blood-stained bead high.
"Pass!"
The moment he heard that shout, all his tension melted away, and he collapsed to the ground. The first thought that came to the collapsed Mok Yu-cheon was this.
‘I'm alive... I survived.’
A chilling sense of relief. He had somehow survived a hellish moment. The fear of dying had brought out in him a fierce tenacity to live.
But soon, looking at his blood-stained palms, a sense of self-loathing washed over him.
‘... What... have I... done?’
It was certainly to survive, but what was this? He felt as if he had become not a human, but a beast for a moment. Just then, the demon mask's shout was heard.
"The incense stick has burned out. Kill them."
"Sir!!!!"
As soon as the order was given, screams began to erupt endlessly from the direction of the valley stream. The boys, whose dantians were restricted, couldn't even put up any resistance.
The guards counted the number of boys sitting in rows before the incense burner. And the number was determined. The total number of surviving boys was 468. It could be said that nearly forty percent had died.
‘Sixty percent... not bad.’
But the demon mask had little interest in the dead. Rather, he considered it not bad for the first culling if about sixty percent survived the first gate. After confirming the numbers, the demon mask spoke to the boys in front of the incense burner.
"To those who have passed the first gate, I offer my sincere congratulations."
"..."
The boys just listened quietly. It had only been two incenses, but they were exhausted from doing all sorts of things to survive. Looking at them, the demon mask continued to speak.
"Now that you have obtained the steel beads, you have probably realized. The numbers written on them are all different. Memorize them well. That will be your designation here."
"..."
"Then, we will begin the second gate immediately."
Murmur, murmur!
At the demon mask's words, the boys who had been catching their breath began to stir. They had thought they might finally get some rest. But to continue with the second gate immediately after the first one ended?
Especially for those who had passed late, when the incense stick was almost burnt out, it was bound to be agonizing.
‘Damn it.’
Mok Yu-cheon was no exception. Setting aside his self-loathing, he hadn't even recovered his stamina yet. If he had to go through this kind of ordeal again, how long could he last?
Unconcerned by their reactions, the demon mask pointed with his hand to the mountain beyond the valley and spoke.
"The second gate is to survive on that mountain from now until dawn."
‘Until dawn?’
It was late at night. It had been sunset when they departed for this place. After walking for several hours without rest, they had gone through the first gate for two incenses.
Considering this, it could be said that there were roughly six hours left until dawn.
‘This time, do we just have to endure?’
If that was the case, it could be said to be easier than finding the steel beads. Even if there were some guys crazy for competition, they could conserve stamina and rest just by finding a suitable place to hide. Since the Forbidden Gate Locks were still in place, they couldn't use their spiritual sense, so it was entirely possible.
Most seemed to have had similar thoughts, as they showed looks of relief. But there was no way it would be this simple. The demon mask said.
"I will state the conditions."
‘Conditions?’
What does that mean now?
"There are forty flags planted on the mountain. A total of eight people can be at each flag. Exactly eight people must be at that location until dawn."
Murmur, murmur!
At these words, everyone began to stir again.
As expected.
It was never going to be easy.
"It cannot be more or less than eight people. If such a case occurs, you die."
"..."
A silence fell. Upon hearing the conditions, everyone was thinking about the main point of this gate. This was also the case for Mok Yu-cheon.
‘There are nearly five hundred people here. But with forty flags, that means only three hundred and twenty can survive.’
It was heralding another bloody competition. However, there was a difference. Once a flag was found, eight people would have to work together for about six hours to defend it.
‘Teamwork!’
Everyone figured out the key point of this gate. Of course, there would be many variables, but depending on how they cooperated, they could create conditions to endure more efficiently.
Shhk!
With this, everyone's gaze naturally turned from the demon mask to each other. There was no need to bother finding a flag and then forming a group. If they could find the strongest and most useful group members right here and now, they might be able to get through this gate easily.
‘In that case...’
Their gazes turned to those at the very front of the incense burner. They passed the first gate earliest and were full of stamina. Joining them or recruiting them was the only way to secure the most advantageous position.
‘Hm.’
It wasn't just those who passed late who were contemplating this. Those who passed first were also making their own calculations. The boy from Killing Curse Valley, who passed second, also looked around and pondered.
‘I passed the first gate quickly and managed to conserve my stamina, but the second gate follows immediately. According to the conditions, it becomes a situation where I can't relax for even a moment.’
If so, he might not be able to rest all night. With a small number of flags and the need to maintain the number of people, various annoying situations were bound to occur.
‘Looks like a situation where I'll have to stay up all night.’
But if the third gate were to follow immediately after this, the key would undoubtedly be stamina preservation. In a situation where energy circulation and breath control were impossible, that was a huge factor.
If their internal energy hadn't been restricted, they could have taken turns circulating their energy to recover their stamina, but right now, it was an extreme situation.
‘... Perhaps I should avoid situations where I have to fight unnecessarily.’
That was the only way to fully preserve his stamina. In that respect, it was better to side with the most useful guys. The boy from Killing Curse Valley looked to his sides.
Mok Gyeong-un and the muscular boy from the Secret Mirror Sect.
‘Hm.’
Along with himself, they were the ones who passed the first gate earliest. Rather than searching far and wide, it was more efficient for those with the most stamina to band together and pass this gate easily.
‘I was thinking of finishing them off in the second gate, but...’
This time, it seemed better to join hands. The boy from Killing Curse Valley stealthily glanced at Mok Gyeong-un on his left. He intended to be the first to extend a hand and establish a cooperative relationship.
But, ‘!?’
He saw Mok Gyeong-un's lips twitch. That look in his eyes, as if he found it interesting, made it seem like he was enjoying this situation. His appearance was so unpleasant to look at.
‘... This won't do.’
He just couldn't bring himself to extend a hand to this guy. His instincts were telling him, strangely. That this was the guy among everyone here who had to be eliminated first.
Just then, Mok Gyeong-un whispered to him first.
"Want to team up with me?"
What?
Did this guy also decide it would be advantageous to be on my side? But after seeing that face just now, any desire to team up with him vanished.
"... No." At this, Mok Gyeong-un shrugged and licked his lips.
‘What a shame.’
I wanted to kill him first.