“Oh dear… looks like you have an empty spot on your team.”
The boys were dumbfounded by Mok Gyeong-un's mocking words. Who would have predicted that someone would throw a stone and kill a team member in such a pressing situation? Mok Gyeong-un spoke to them again.
“So, what will you do?”
“.........”
The boys were at a loss for words at his question. There were only about two incenses left until dawn. If they were lucky, someone might appear to replace the dead boy, but if no one came…
“Dammit.”
“What should we do?”
The boys whispered among themselves. They were furious that the boy who had shared life and death with them was dead, but they had to think rationally. As for blaming that bastard, he had also made his own judgment.
“There are still two incenses left.”
“That's true, but what if no one comes?”
“.........”
“He's right. Let's just accept him.”
“But......”
“I don't think that guy is going to give up.”
“Even so, there's still the loyalty we have for the one we were with...”
At that moment, they saw Mok Gyeong-un pick up another stone. He wasn't just picking up one; he was grabbing as many as he could. The boy who was speaking swallowed dryly and said, “...
Let's accept him. That bastard picked up a stone.”
“That crazy bastard.”
It was clear he would throw stones at the other boys if they didn't accept him. In the end, they had no choice but to accept Mok Gyeong-un as a group member. Mok Gyeong-un smiled brightly, as if nothing had happened, and said, “Thank you, everyone.
You're all so kind.”
‘Son of a bitch.’
Everyone cursed Mok Gyeong-un in their minds. If he hadn't shown up, they could have all achieved a satisfactory result. They had united and learned the meaning of cooperation.
But now, they had to reluctantly accept this madman to pass the gate. -Swish! Just then, Mok Gyeong-un placed his hand on the flagpole. A boy suppressed his emotions as best he could and said, “Be careful.
Even if it's only for two incenses, the flag must remain unharmed.”
“I know.”
“If you know, then don't touch it.”
Despite the boy's words, Mok Gyeong-un didn't stop touching the flag. The boy was angry but couldn't say anything more. Whether it was from the battle for the steel beads or the monstrous strength he'd just shown by nearly piercing a face with a thrown stone, the boy didn't have the courage to pick a fight.
‘... Just wait until the Forbidden Gate Locks are released.’
According to his information, he knew the Forbidden Gate Locks would be released after the initial part of the gate. When that happened, he would deal with this bastard one way or another. As he was thinking this, Mok Gyeong-un opened his mouth.
“By any chance, have you found any other flags besides this one?”
“Other flags?”
The boy shook his head at Mok Gyeong-un's words. They had been lucky. After finding this flag, two groups had attacked them, but they had defended it to the end.
“We defended this without losing once.”
The boy said in a proud voice. At this, Mok Gyeong-un let out a sigh.
“Huuu.”
“What? What's with that sigh? You lost your comrades, let alone a flag.”
One boy finally lost his patience and confronted Mok Gyeong-un. Mok Gyeong-un shook his head and then approached the boy. The boy flinched for a moment but then stood his ground.
“What! What! What are you going to do? Are your feelings hurt? But it's the truth. And though we had to accept you, to pass, we shouldn't fight...” -Pak!
Ududuk!
In that instant, the boy's neck was twisted. Unable to finish his words, the boy’s breath was cut short, and he collapsed.
‘!!!!!’
The other boys couldn't hide their astonishment.
“Is-is this bastard really insane?”
“Still, this is too much. Even if his feelings were hurt, dawn is coming soon. How could he kill a group member? Is he in his right...” -Peok!
Dudeuduk!
At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un's hand blade struck the neck of the shouting boy. With the sound of muscle and bone breaking, the boy's neck bent into an arc, and with a final groan, he died. Having already killed two, the boys couldn't hide their bewilderment.
‘He-he's crazy.’
‘What is he doing?’
Does he really have no intention of passing the gate? As they were thinking this, Mok Gyeong-un reached out for another one of them. -Pak!
“Hiik!”
One boy failed to dodge and was caught. The minds of the other boys went completely blank. Forgetting about passing the gate, their only thought was that they had to run away to survive.
So they ran away without helping the captured boy. Mok Gyeong-un threw a stone with all his might at one of the fleeing boys. -Peok!
“Keok!”
The flying stone pierced through the back of one of the fleeing boy's head. The boy who was hit in the back of the head collapsed, presumably dead. -Kung! Mok Gyeong-un picked up another stone, but the remaining three had already scattered and disappeared into the bushes.
‘Getting all of them will be impossible. Then...’
“Just take care of two of them.”
With those words, Mok Gyeong-un threw a stone into the bushes with all his strength. A stifled scream came from the bushes, followed by the sound of something falling. It seemed he had hit his mark.
The captured boy, terrified, trembled and spoke.
“Wh-why are you doing this? You know what happens if we don't pass the gate. If you kill the group members like this...”
“You wouldn't have been able to pass anyway.”
“What?”
“I said, you can't pass.”
“Wh-what nonsense is that? If you hadn't done this...”
“You were so busy defending it, you didn't even examine the flag properly.”
“What in the world are you talking...” -Tak!
Mok Gyeong-un grabbed the head of the boy who couldn't understand with both hands. The terrified boy begged, “Sp-spare...” -Udeudeuk! Without a change in expression, Mok Gyeong-un snapped his neck.
Then he grabbed the pole of the flag stuck in the ground beside him, crushing it with one hand, and muttered. -Ggigigigik!
“Things have gotten a little tight.”
The remaining time is two incenses. He had to find a different kind of flag within that time. The incantation engraved on the current flag was the same as the one Mok Gyeong-un had memorized.
At the same time, on the mountainside. With dawn not far off, two groups were locked in a standoff, fighting.
“Hahk... hahk...”
Everyone seemed exhausted, their ragged breaths echoing all around. Unusually, this standoff was different from the other flag defense battles. That was because both sides had a flag.
One side had their flag firmly planted in a blocked-off mountain wall and had formed a semi-circle formation to protect it. The other side seemed to be carrying their flag, with two people guarding it, while the remaining six targeted the ones in the semi-circle.
‘This is not good.’
On the defending side were Mo Ha-rang of the Ensnaring Flower Room, a girl with short hair, and Mok Yu-cheon, the youngest of the Lotuswood Sword Manor. Mo Ha-rang, who had been searching for a new flag, had somehow joined Mok Yu-cheon's group and had been defending the flag with them until now.
Seeing how much the sky had brightened, dawn was not far off. Just as they were feeling relieved, these people appeared.
“How long do you think you can last?”
A shirtless boy holding a stone axe he had made. This boy, with unique patterns drawn all over his body, was Yeom-ga of the Killing Curse Valley.
‘Dammit.’
Mok Yu-cheon glared at him and cursed inwardly. He didn't know why they were after the flag. Because one of the boys guarding their own flag had another flag, its pole broken, tucked into his belt.
That meant, ‘They've found both types, so why are they doing this?’ He couldn't understand it at all. If even one of their comrades fell while fighting like this, they would be eliminated from the gate.
Were they willing to take such a risk just to reduce the number of their rivals by one? It seemed like a truly foolish decision. Mok Yu-cheon spoke quietly to the boys and Mo Ha-rang beside him.
“Let's just hold on a little longer.”
At his words, Mo Ha-rang and the other boys nodded. The moment dawn broke, this kind of act would become meaningless. However, Yeom-ga of the Killing Curse Valley sneered at their strategy.
‘You think just holding on is enough?’
If so, you are mistaken. They had a surefire strategy. It had already been proven, as they had annihilated three groups with it.
Yeom-ga raised his left hand. And then, “Waaaaaaaaaah!”
“Yaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
The two boys guarding the flag suddenly began to shout at the top of their lungs. But it wasn't just them; the fighting boys also raised their voices and screamed even louder.
‘What?’
‘Crazy! Why are they suddenly doing that?’
The defending side couldn't understand why they were doing this. They were shouting excessively. They were shouting so loudly that their cries echoed around the mountainside.
‘What trick is this?’
Mo Ha-rang of the Ensnaring Flower Room glared at the sneering Yeom-ga of the Killing Curse Valley. As soon as that cunning bastard raised his hand, they started doing that. There had to be a reason for it.
‘.........’
In the end, she decided she couldn't just let it be. She decided that she couldn't just defend the flag; she had to kill at least one or two of them. Only then would they retreat.
She gripped the stone dagger she had sharpened even more tightly and said in a low voice, “None of you move from the semi-circle formation.”
“What, you don't mean...”
Mok Yu-cheon hurriedly tried to stop her, but, -Pat! Mo Ha-rang had already flown towards one of the boys. Although her Qi gates were blocked, her martial prowess as a master of the dagger arts was known to all.
Therefore, when she made her move, they backed away to create distance. Mo Ha-rang pursued, determined not to let them escape. It was at that very moment.
‘I've been waiting!’
Yeom-ga of the Killing Curse Valley seized the opportunity and charged towards the boys in the semi-circle formation. At that, Mo Ha-rang changed direction.
‘I knew it.’
She had also anticipated this. She was the strongest fighter among them. She figured Yeom-ga would lure her away and then target the semi-circle. -Hwik!
Mo Ha-rang threw the sharply honed stone dagger at Yeom-ga's back. A boy from Yeom-ga's group threw himself in the way to block it. -Puk!
“Keuk!”
The stone dagger lodged itself between the boy's left chest and shoulder. But thanks to this, Yeom-ga of the Killing Curse Valley was now in a clear position to bring his stone axe down on the head of a boy in the semi-circle formation.
“No!”
At that moment, Mok Yu-cheon slid in and aimed for Yeom-ga's legs. Yeom-ga smirked, dodged sideways, and threw his stone axe.
‘Huh?’
Yeom-ga's target was none other than, ‘Damn it!’ The flag they were protecting. Yeom-ga's real target wasn't the boys.
The thrown axe spun through the air, flying towards the flagpole, when- -Chakang! Was it a stroke of luck? The stone axe glanced off the flagpole and bounced away.
It left a small dent, but thankfully, because it was a glancing blow, the pole didn't break. Seeing this, the boys sighed in relief.
“Haa.”
If it had broken, they would have had to switch from defending to trying to steal the flag from them, no matter what.
‘I'll kill you!’ -Pat!
Tatatatak!
Mo Ha-rang of the Ensnaring Flower Room ran towards Yeom-ga. The others were bad enough, but it was better to kill this one now. He was more annoying than anyone else because he was cunning and would stop at nothing.
“Ensnaring Flower Room. You want to take me on?”
Yeom-ga, who had rolled to his feet with a breakfall technique after throwing the axe, took a ready stance as Mo Ha-rang rushed towards him. Putting aside the fact that she was a girl, she was one of the opponents he most wanted to fight. It was at that very moment. -Kkwek!
Kkwek!
A strange sound came from somewhere. The two who had been running towards each other stopped. The other boys from both sides, who had been fighting in a standoff, did the same. -Kung!
Kung!
The sound of the ground shaking. They could feel something massive approaching. Since the day had brightened considerably, they could see a huge shadow forming between the bushes.
At that, the boys on Yeom-ga's side all moved at once, as if they had been waiting. They ran towards the two boys holding their flag as if seeking refuge. -Paseuseuseu! Then, from behind them, something enormous revealed itself.
‘!!!!!!’
Everyone's face stiffened. -Jureureureuk! Something appeared, drooling. It had blue fur on its head, pointed ears that stood up straight, and sharp, hook-like claws.
Its appearance was similar to a wolf, but its size…
“Wh-what is that?”
“What in the world?”
It looked almost three times larger than a normal wolf. It was a monster with a tremendous, intimidating presence, looking as if it could devour a bull in a single bite. Seeing this, Mok Yu-cheon broke out in a cold sweat.
‘It's... it's gotten bigger.’
He had seen that monster while struggling and wandering through the mountains. He had been lucky to survive an encounter with it, but it was much bigger now than when he had seen it then. What on earth had happened in the meantime?
“It's-it's that monster wolf.”
Another boy who was in Mok Yu-cheon's group also spoke, his voice filled with fear. Two of their group members had been taken by it, so they knew better than anyone how dangerous it was. -Tatatatak! Just then, Yeom-ga ran to where their flag was and stood by it.
Seeing this, the boys on Mo Ha-rang's side, who were in the semi-circle formation, looked puzzled. They were closer to the monster than they were. So, in a situation where they should have abandoned the flag and run, they instead stuck close to it, as if determined to protect it at all costs.
‘What is it?’
Just as they were wondering, -Seuk! The monster wolf, which they had expected to attack Yeom-ga's group first, moved past them. And wasn't it now approaching Mok Yu-cheon and the boys who had formed a semi-circle in front of the mountain wall?
‘What?’
‘Why?’
They couldn't understand the reason. Why would that monster pass them by and target us? Is it discriminating between people?
‘The flag?’
But there was one person who hazarded a guess. It was Mo Ha-rang. Mo Ha-rang found it strange that despite the appearance of such a monster, they weren't on guard but were instead sticking close to their flag.
So, on a hunch, she shouted.
“Get to the flag!”
At her shout, those who had been hesitating about what to do stepped back and moved closer to the flag. They weren't thoughtless either; hearing Mo Ha-rang's shout, they became conscious of what the members of Yeom-ga's group were doing. So, they decided to stick close for now.
But, -Papak!
In that instant, the monster wolf charged at them as they were backing towards the flag, moving with incredible speed that belied its massive body.
“Uwaak!”
“Hiik!”
“D-dodge!”
Regardless of sticking to the flag, everyone scattered in panic as the monster wolf charged. However, one boy was trampled by the monster wolf. -Kung!
“Agh!”
Blood spurted from the trampled boy's mouth. It was partly due to the huge body's weight, but also because its hook-like claws had dug into his back and torn his organs.
“Dammit!”
Seeing this, Mok Yu-cheon stopped running and turned. His instincts were screaming at his legs to run, but that boy had accepted him into his group, and they had shared life and death together. So he couldn't just abandon him and run away. -Pak!
Mok Yu-cheon picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at the creature's face. -Peok! The monster wolf, hit in the face by the stone, whipped its head around. -Kkweoeok!
Kkweo-eok!
It let out a pig-like cry, and the sound sent shivers down their spines. The monster wolf stared directly at Mok Yu-cheon.
‘Damn it all.’
Did I do something unnecessary? Should I have just run away? Just as he was thinking that, -Pak!
In that instant, someone leaped high, stepped on the monster wolf's back, climbed onto its neck, and tried to drive a sharply honed stone dagger into its eye. It was Mo Ha-rang.
However, -Pa-ak!
“Heop!”
Before Mo Ha-rang's dagger could pierce its eye, the monster wolf violently swiped its opposite front paw over its head. She tried to leap off and dodge, but her back was grazed. Scraped by the hook-like claws, a chunk of flesh was torn from her back, which instantly became drenched in blood.
And, -Kudangtang!
She rolled several times.
“Ha-rang!”
After tumbling, Mo Ha-rang staggered, trying to get back on her feet. But with her Qi gates blocked and such a severe injury, it was impossible for her to easily get up. -Kung! One of her knees hit the ground.
Watching this, the members of Killing Curse Valley Yeom-ga's group, clustered around their flag, sneered with delight. Should this be called borrowing a blade to kill? In this way, they had made food of three groups for that monster wolf.
‘Don't feel too wronged, Ensnaring Flower Room bitch.’
Yeom-ga of the Killing Curse Valley twisted his lips into a cruel smile. There was no such thing as fair play here. The true winner was the one who survived to the end and eliminated their rivals, by any means necessary. -Kkwek kkwek!
The monster wolf bared its teeth and walked towards her. It was not a simple beast. The monster wolf seemed to be walking slowly, step by step, as if to terrorize her.
“Haa... haa...”
‘Dawn is coming soon.’
Mo Ha-rang looked up at the sky and bit her lower lip hard. With only one incense left, was she going to die here without passing the gate? Her vision was blurring from the bleeding on her back. -Kung!-Kung!-Kung!
The monster wolf came right up to her. Mok Yu-cheon and one other boy could be seen shouting, desperately trying to distract it, but it was already too late. This monster wolf's next prey was her.
‘Do... I... look... delicious to you?’ -Eudeuk!
Mo Ha-rang gritted her teeth and tried to force herself up. She felt that if she died, she had to at least stab a piece of this monster wolf's flesh to not feel wronged. It was that very moment.
The monster wolf, as if it had been waiting, prepared to lunge at her. -Pat!
‘Come on!’
Just then. -Pak! The lunging monster wolf's body suddenly stopped.
‘!?’
It wasn't that it had stopped on its own; it was frozen with its two front paws raised, as if bound by something. They couldn't understand what was happening.
“Wh-what?”
“Why is it doing that?”
As everyone wondered, Mo Ha-rang's blurring eyes saw something bizarre. Countless iron chains had shot up from the ground and were restraining the monster wolf's entire body. -Chakang!
Chakang! -Kkweo-eo-eok!
The monster wolf roared and tried to break free, but the chains only tightened, restraining it further.
‘What?’
What are these chains? As she wondered, a voice came from somewhere.
“Aaaah. What a relief. To think everything I need is gathered here.”
At that voice, she turned her head. There, she saw someone walking towards them with a smile on his lips. 'That guy is...'
It was Mok Gyeong-un. But what was that transparent, blurry figure right next to him? -Hmf! It was a girl with half-white hair, wrapped in iron chains.
The moment their eyes met, a shiver ran down her entire body.