A giant monster wolf, frozen in its pounce toward Mo Ha-rang of the Ensnaring Flower Room. At the strange sight, everyone’s eyes widened. From within the bushes, a voice was heard.
“Ahhh. How fortunate. To think everything I need is gathered in one place.”
‘!?’
Everyone’s gaze turned in that direction.
‘That guy is?’
The one emerging from the bushes was none other than Mok Gyeong-un. He had left a strong impression with his brutal methods during the battle for the steel beads, so everyone recognized him at a glance. And, ‘…So you were alive after all.’
Mok Yu-cheon looked at Mok Gyeong-un and unknowingly let out a sigh of relief. He disliked the boy, but he had not wished for him to die in a place like this. So he was relieved, but the timing of his appearance was not good.
‘You fool! What about your comrades? Why did you show up alone?’
They had to find a flag and wait with eight people until dawn. But to appear now, wandering about while that monster wolf was wreaking havoc, was the worst of luck. But this was not the time to worry about him.
Tatatak!
Mok Yu-cheon ran toward Mo Ha-rang. He did not know why the monster wolf was acting that way, but this was his chance to save her. Just then, Yeom-ga of the Killing Curse Valley shouted.
“Hey! You crazy monster wolf. What are you doing?”
Yeom-ga did not care whether Mok Gyeong-un appeared or not. He did not know why the monster wolf, which had been moving according to their strategy until now, had suddenly frozen in that posture, but he hoped it would hurry up and kill them. That was why he shouted.
Kweoooook!
But contrary to his wishes, the monster wolf could only roar, unable to move an inch. Its fur, which had been standing on end, was pressed down as if bound by something.
‘What in the world is it doing?’
As he was growing frustrated, Chwareureureureu! Mok Yu-cheon slid forward and pushed aside Mo Ha-rang, who was right in front of the monster wolf’s nose. He then supported her by the shoulder as she stumbled forward.
“Get a hold of yourself.”
Mok Yu-cheon urged Mo Ha-rang, who wore a dazed expression. Then, she spoke.
“Do you see this?”
“See what?”
The thing she was gesturing at with her eyes was the monster wolf. Of course, he could see it. He did not know why, but it was unable to move.
But then, incomprehensible words came from her mouth.
“It’s bound by chains.”
‘!?’
Mok Yu-cheon furrowed his brow. What was she talking about? Where were the chains?
Why was she saying such a thing out of the blue?
‘Ah!’
Mok Yu-cheon bit his lip at the sight of her drenched back. It seemed the blood loss was so severe that her mind had grown hazy, and she was seeing things.
“Mo Ha-rang! Snap out of it. You’ve held on this long. If you collapse now, you will die.”
“I’m…..still…..conscious.”
“Then walk.”
Mok Yu-cheon urged her on, shouldering her weight. She then looked toward Mok Gyeong-un with a completely baffled expression. Was she really seeing things due to blood loss?
But it felt different. That white-haired girl with a hazy form, too indistinct to be human, what was she? Just then, she saw the white-haired girl’s lips move.
‘!?’
Seeing this, her pupils trembled. As a former member of the Ensnaring Flower Room, once one of the four great assassin groups, she had learned the art of lip-reading. Lip-reading was a technique to understand a person’s words by reading the movements of their lips, face, and tongue.
She could see them.
‘That… human seems to be able to see me?’
At those words, a chill ran down Mo Ha-rang’s spine. At the same time, she saw Mok Gyeong-un looking at her with an interested expression, muttering.
‘Oh? Is that so?’
Mo Ha-rang grew confused. Was she really seeing things from blood loss? But then why were that hazy being and Mok Gyeong-un having a conversation?
It was then.
Kweooooooook!
A tremendous roar spread out like a wave, and Mo Ha-rang, Mok Yu-cheon, and all the other boys clutched their ears in pain.
“Keuk!”
“Wh-what is that sound?”
It was a roar almost no different from a Lion’s Roar infused with internal energy. With the roar, the ground beneath the monster wolf’s paws heaved up nearly five zhang before sinking in.
Ujeojeok!
In that moment, the frozen monster wolf moved.
‘Yes! That’s it!’
Yeom-ga of the Killing Curse Valley, still covering his ears, rejoiced inwardly. They were in the flag’s protective area, so it did not matter to them, but the others had no such advantage. They had to die here.
“Damn it!”
A curse escaped Mok Yu-cheon’s lips as he carried her on his shoulder. He thought this was his chance, but it seemed he was wrong. Just as he thought that.
Charararararara!
Dozens of chains shot up not from directly below, but from five zhang around, once again binding the body of the monster wolf, no, the evil spirit monster, the Horned Beast.
Kweoooo!
This time, the binding force must have been too strong.
Kung!
The chains tangled and pulled, slamming the Horned Beast’s head into the ground.
“Huh?”
To the baffled Mok Yu-cheon, Mo Ha-rang said.
“Do you really… not… see it?”
“What are you talking about? In this opening…”
Before he could finish his words. Mok Gyeong-un had already approached the Horned Beast, which was pressed flat against the ground, unable to move. Then, “You’ll have to pay the price for targeting what is mine.”
With those words, he grabbed the Horned Beast’s upper teeth with both hands, pressed down on its lower jaw with his foot, and then, Jjeo-eo-eok! He ripped its upper jaw clean off.
The Horned Beast, its mouth forced open, thrashed its body and tried to twist its head in agony, but the chains’ binding force was too great for it to move. Because of that, Ujeojeojeok!
Kweoooooook!
Its mouth was torn right off. The Horned Beast, which had been shrieking and shedding tears of blood, fell silent as if nothing had happened once the top of its head was completely torn away.
‘!!!!!!!!’
Mok Yu-cheon, who was closest to this scene, was at a loss for words, as was everyone else. Who could have possibly imagined that the monster wolf that had devoured so many boys would end up in such a state in a single moment?
‘Th-this bastard, what in the world?’
The most shocked of all was Mok Yu-cheon. Was this truly the same coward he had known? Mok Gyeong-un tossed aside the Horned Beast’s torn upper jaw and head.
Kung!
It landed with a thud, as if the brain inside was quite heavy.
“Hoo.”
A silence fell upon the surroundings at the sight of Mok Gyeong-un, drenched in the blood that had gushed from the Horned Beast’s split jaw. What in the world is this guy? Why did this monster wolf suddenly become immobile and die the moment he appeared?
And with his internal energy sealed, where did he get the strength to tear its mouth apart? Everyone was utterly confused. But one person quickly broke free from this state.
‘Damn it.’
It was Yeom-ga of the Killing Curse Valley. He, too, was shocked by the unbelievable outcome. But how it happened was not important.
Dawn was about to break. They had to defend the flag at all costs, which meant they had to retreat right now. Yeom-ga whispered to his group members.
“We have to retreat.”
His group members understood and were about to carefully lift the flag’s iron base when, at that very moment.
“Bind them all.”
No sooner had Mok Gyeong-un muttered those words than, Chwareureureureu! Chains shot up from the ground, binding the bodies of everyone present.
Cheolkeong!
“Wh-what is this?”
“Something is on my body?”
The bound boys could not hide their bewilderment. They could not see it, but they all felt the sensation of being tied by something like a rope, no, like cold chains. They had no idea what was happening.
“Keuuuk!”
Yeom-ga of the Killing Curse Valley tried to break free with all his might. But his internal energy was sealed, and no matter how much he had trained his external arts, his physical strength could not compare to that of the fierce Beast, the Horned Beast. Naturally, such an attempt was nothing more than a waste of energy.
Kung!
As he strained, his body lurched forward, and he was forced to his knees. Yeom-ga’s face flushed with shame.
‘This bastard, what did he do?’
Just then, Mok Gyeong-un walked toward the flag standing right in front of the mountain wall. The eyes of the boys who had fled while defending it trembled. Could it be that he was after their flag?
As they were thinking this, Mok Gyeong-un examined the flagpole.
“Ahhh. This one again,” he muttered, before snapping the flagpole without any hesitation.
Ujeojeok!
“Noooooo!”
“Th-this bastard!”
The boys screamed as if in despair. Although they had abandoned the flag to escape the monster wolf, without it, they would fail this gate. They had never imagined Mok Gyeong-un would destroy it like that.
Eudeuk!
“You bastard!”
Mok Yu-cheon, too, could not contain his anger and called out to Mok Gyeong-un. He wanted to run over and smash his face in. But his body was bound by something unseen, and he could not move at all.
“It’s no good if it’s this one too.”
Clicking his tongue, Mok Gyeong-un now approached where Yeom-ga was. At this, Yeom-ga shouted, his neck veins bulging.
“Are you going to break this one as well?”
At his question, Mok Gyeong-un smirked and shook his head. He then examined the flagpole and frowned.
[Don’t tell me it’s the same one again?]
Though those around could not hear it, Mok Gyeong-un heard Blue Spirit’s voice. Just as she asked, this one also had the same incantation. Mok Gyeong-un licked his lips as if troubled.
‘What a coincidence.’
He had never thought that the three flags he found would all have the same incantation he had memorized. It was now just moments before dawn. Even if he hurried, time was too tight to secure a flag.
[What are you going to do? Tell that So-ha girl to find a nearby flag right now.]
At those words, Mok Gyeong-un was about to nod, but then another method came to mind. Come to think of it, he could just check this first. Mok Gyeong-un looked at Yeom-ga and his group members, who were unable to move, bound by So-ha’s chains, and was about to ask.
“By any chance…”
Before he could even get the words out.
Someone shouted.
“The rest… I’ll tell you the rest of the incantation… let’s make a deal.”
At those words, Mok Gyeong-un turned his head toward the one who had shouted. The one who shouted was none other than Mo Ha-rang of the Ensnaring Flower Room. Even with a face so pale, she was managing to breathe, mustering all her strength.
Mok Gyeong-un looked at her with an interested expression.
“You seem to have figured it out.”
“Because you… checked it… twice.”
She, too, had thought he had broken their flag simply to force them to fail the gate. But seeing him frown as he examined the Killing Curse Valley’s flag, she realized. Mok Gyeong-un was looking for a different kind of flag.
‘Incantation?’
Yeom-ga, too, belatedly realized this fact upon hearing her words. He hurriedly shouted to Mok Gyeong-un.
“M-make a deal with me!”
“A deal?”
“Yes. I know the other incantation too, and I even have a perfectly good flag and group members here. It looks like you don’t have any group members. If you join us, you can pass too.”
Yeom-ga thought this was a great opportunity. At first, he was angry because this boy had ruined his strategy. But in the end, this boy had played the role of the monster wolf.
Since he had broken their flag, if they simply accepted him, the Ensnaring Flower Room group would naturally be eliminated. Then, one of the boys said in a panic.
“W-wait a minute. We’re all here. To accept him…”
“Shut up.”
Yeom-ga chided the boy. Then he said to Mok Gyeong-un.
“I’ll take care of one of them myself. So, will you make a deal or not? You need group members, a flag, and the incantation anyway.”
He would not be able to refuse. Their side, making such a clear offer, was more reasonable. But then, Mok Gyeong-un reached for a boy’s waist.
Tak!
It was the broken flagpole.
“The incantation is right here.”
‘!?’
At this, Yeom-ga could not hide his sudden bewilderment. The problem was that he had been carrying the flagpole with the other incantation written on it. He had not destroyed it because a few members had not finished memorizing it, but who knew it would turn out like this?
Yeom-ga said hastily.
“Th-that’s ours too. So you’ll make a deal with us, right?”
“Excuse me?”
“Excuse me?”
“This is mine.”
Mok Gyeong-un said nonchalantly, waving the flagpole he had taken. At this sight, a vein popped on Yeom-ga’s forehead.
“You!”
“And this flag here is mine too.”
Mok Gyeong-un lifted the flag with one hand. At this, the boys’ eyes widened. With their internal energy sealed, it took two of them just to lift it, yet he was lifting it so easily?
Mok Gyeong-un, with a satisfied face, walked away from them with the flag.
“St-stop!”
“I told you, it’s mine.”
At Mok Gyeong-un’s taunt, Yeom-ga barely swallowed his anger and said.
“Y-you need group members too!”
“Ah. That’s right.”
Mok Gyeong-un nodded his head as if he understood. Then, this time, Mok Yu-cheon, who was supporting Mo Ha-rang, shouted.
“Mok Gyeong-un, don’t trust that cowardly and cunning bastard! They’re the kind of people who will stab you in the back. If that’s the case, accept us as your group members instead!”
Mo Ha-rang’s condition was worsening, so he shouted on her behalf. Honestly, his pride made him not want to ask Mok Gyeong-un, but there was no other way. Once dawn breaks, it will all be over.
To survive, he had to cast aside his pride. Then, Yeom-ga also shouted.
“What nonsense are you spouting? Everything this guy took are things we were defending. What have you lot done to ask to be accepted?”
“What right do you have to speak, you who used cowardly tricks with that monster instead of skill? Mok Gyeong-un! Ignore what that guy says and…”
“Hey. Mok Gyeong-un, was it? If you help me this time, I will surely repay the favor. There are still gates left, so it won’t be a bad thing to have someone from Killing Curse Valley in your debt…”
“Don’t listen! Though we are half…”
“You shut up!”
Before long, everyone was shouting, begging Mok Gyeong-un, who held the flag, to accept them as group members. Their voices mixed together, making it hard to tell who was who. Just then, Clap, clap!
Mok Gyeong-un clapped his hands. At this, everyone’s gaze turned to Mok Gyeong-un. As he was the one who held their lives in his hands, they had no choice but to focus.
As they watched him, Mok Gyeong-un opened his mouth.
“This is quite a predicament. With everyone wanting to be with me like this, I’d like to accept all of you as my group members in my heart, but the rules don’t allow it.”
Gulp!
The boys swallowed dryly. From the sound of it, it seemed he had decided who to accept as his group members. Mok Yu-cheon stared intently at Mok Gyeong-un.
No matter how much they disliked each other, brothers were brothers. In the end, wouldn’t he accept him as a group member? he hoped inwardly. Just then, “In a situation like this, picking some and prioritizing others seems unfair… so let’s do this instead.”
Mok Gyeong-un glanced to the side and gestured with his head.
Then, “Huh?”
“My body?”
The bodies of the bound boys could move again. At this, Mok Gyeong-un smiled brightly at them and said.
“Kill each other.”
“What?”
“I will accept the seven who survive as my group members.”
‘!!!!!!’
In that instant, everyone’s expression hardened.