Swoooosh!
A faint haze rose from Mok Yu-cheon's bare upper body, mixing with his sweat. As he circulated his energy and controlled his breath for the first time in a while, qi flowed through his exhausted muscles and internal organs, slowly washing away the fatigue. With the restriction lifted, he realized the preciousness of internal energy even more.
'This feels like living.' The difference between circulating his energy and not was stark. Simply sleeping could alleviate tiredness, but circulating his energy also relieved the fatigue accumulated throughout his entire body.
Twinge! Twinge!
As he continued his energy circulation and breath control, his fingers began to ache. After a few small circulations, he opened his eyes and looked at his ruined hands. Broken fingernails and bruises covered his fingers, the back of his hands, and his palms, leaving no spot unscathed. '...'
Looking at them, a strange thought occurred to Mok Yu-cheon. He wasn't old, but had he ever struggled so fiercely to survive since he was born? No. This was the first time.
It was his first real battle, and his first time killing someone. Just a short while ago, all he did was train alone, sweating in the training ground. But now, he felt as if he had fallen into an abyss in an instant.
Clench!
Mok Yu-cheon clenched his wound-filled hands. No matter what, he would survive this place somehow. The only one he could trust was himself.
'Mok Gyeong-un...'
He decided not to hold any more foolish expectations for that guy. He didn't know what had changed him so much, but that guy didn't care about him, and he had no reason to care either. Being half-brothers meant nothing.
'The law of the jungle.' This was that kind of place. He still didn't understand why he, a hostage, had to struggle and risk his life like this with them, but to survive, he had to become stronger.
'The world was a wide place.' He had thought that once his Qi gates were opened, no one among the boys could beat him. But he couldn't help but be inwardly surprised by the auras that stimulated his spiritual sense from all around.
He had thought that among his peers, the only ones who had reached the Peak Realm besides himself would be the rising stars from the great sects, but that was a misconception.
Thud!
Mok Yu-cheon rose from his spot. He glanced at Ma-sang, who was circulating his energy on the bed, and quietly assumed a stance from the Lotuswood Sword Manor's basic arts. The human psyche was truly strange.
He was in an extreme situation where he could die at any moment, yet a strong competitive spirit was rising within him. Seeing this, he thought he might be a martial artist to the bone. 'I have to get stronger.'
To do that, training was the only answer. Gathering internal energy through energy circulation and breath control for a day or two wouldn't make a big difference anyway. It was enough to just recover his body.
It was important to use the remaining time to gain enlightenment through training.
Pak!
Mok Yu-cheon slowly performed the forms of the Lotuswood Sword Manor's basic arts. This slow demonstration, at less than half the normal speed, was a training method called Flying Swallow Technique, designed to increase the precision of the forms.
Since he was sharing a room with Ma-sang, he wanted to train without disturbing his energy circulation and breath control as much as possible.
Papak!
Even though he moved slowly, a sound erupted from the point of impact of his fist. Having trained in Flying Swallow Technique for a long time, Mok Yu-cheon could now put his full power into the forms even when performing them slowly. Just as he was concentrating on his training.
"I had a feeling, but to think you were really from the Lotuswood Sword Manor." '!?'
Startled by the voice, Mok Yu-cheon stopped and turned his head. The owner of the voice was Ma-sang. The boy who had shared life and death with him from beginning to end during the second gate.
They had clashed briefly at the end, but because they understood each other's feelings, they decided not to blame one another and to share a room. Although he was from a demonic sect, he had a sense of loyalty and seemed like a decent guy, so he was a friend he felt somewhat connected to. But then, "...
How do you know that?"
"How isn't important. Why is someone from the righteous path like you in the Corpse Blood Valley?"
"Th-that's..."
Mok Yu-cheon was at a loss for words. Whatever the reason, being here was nothing short of a disgrace for a member of the righteous path. That's why the words wouldn't come out.
To him, Ma-sang said, "Did the Lotuswood Sword Manor betray the righteous path?"
"What are you talking about!"
In that moment, Mok Yu-cheon seemed to get choked up and raised his voice. If nothing else, he hadn't yet lost his pride as a member of the righteous path. That was why his father, the Manor Lord, had chosen to seal the gates to save everyone, not to surrender.
"The Lotuswood Sword Manor... the Lotuswood Sword Manor will forever be of the righteous path."
At Mok Yu-cheon's words, Ma-sang let out a scornful laugh and said, "Don't be ridiculous. A guy who's come all the way to the Corpse Blood Valley claims he hasn't betrayed the righteous path? Didn't you also come here in the end to become a direct subordinate of a Heaven and Earth Society executive?"
"What?"
At Ma-sang's words, Mok Yu-cheon's eyes wavered. What is he talking about? A direct subordinate of a Heaven and Earth Society executive?
Seeing Mok Yu-cheon's clueless reaction, Ma-sang's eyes narrowed.
"What? Don't tell me you didn't know?"
To that question, Mok Yu-cheon, with a confused expression, finally opened his mouth after a long pause.
"I don't know. I was just dragged here without any warning, so I knew nothing. Really."
"You knew nothing?"
"... Yes."
At this, Ma-sang said with a suspicious gaze, "That's absurd. To think you entered the Corpse Blood Valley knowing nothing."
"I told you it's true."
"If you were me, would you believe it?"
"What is this place? Why is everyone risking their lives and making such a fuss?"
He hadn't been able to understand it anyway. The red-belted guards who didn't care that so many people were dying, and the boys who risked their lives to complete the gates they were ordered to. None of it made any sense.
"Why risk their lives, you ask? The Corpse Blood Valley is the shortest path to becoming a direct subordinate of a Heaven and Earth Society executive."
"Why do you think everyone risks their lives? If you overcome the risks, you get a chance to be chosen by the eight executives of the Heaven and Earth Society and become a direct disciple."
"Even if you don't make it that far, the more gates you pass, the better your chances of becoming a squad leader or a division master. Do you think opportunities like this come easily?"
'The Heaven and Earth Society... a chance to become a direct disciple of the eight executives?' Mok Yu-cheon's gaze shook violently. Now he finally understood why they were risking their lives to complete the gates.
To become a disciple of one of the eight executives, known as the top masters of the Heaven and Earth Society that divided the martial world, was a chance to be reborn with a status that could control the future of the martial world. To them, it was worth risking their lives for. But he was different.
'Damn it.'
Mok Yu-cheon bit his lip hard. Didn't that mean that all his struggles to survive so far were efforts to become a direct subordinate of an executive in the Heaven and Earth Society, the sworn enemy of the righteous path? 'What in the world am I doing?'
If that really happened...
'Ah...'
The Lotuswood Sword Manor wouldn't have sent a hostage, but rather sent its children to the Heaven and Earth Society's talent training center. Anything he did to survive would be poison to the Lotuswood Sword Manor. Mok Yu-cheon became genuinely confused.
What on earth was he supposed to do? Was the Heaven and Earth Society sending him here a trap? Just as he was standing there, dumbfounded.
"You... it seems you really didn't come here on your own two feet."
Ma-sang's tone suddenly became much more serious than before. Mok Yu-cheon couldn't hide his surprise.
"How did you get here?"
At that question, Mok Yu-cheon hesitated. He had realized that his entry into the Corpse Blood Valley was tantamount to a trap, and he felt it was dangerous to say anything to someone who was essentially an enemy under the Heaven and Earth Society. As he was thinking, Ma-sang poked at his wound again.
"So it was betrayal after all."
At those words, Mok Yu-cheon felt a surge of anger and his face flushed. If it weren't for this situation, he would have wanted to punch Ma-sang in the face, but he barely held it in. Then, he finally revealed the truth.
"It's not betrayal. I was just brought here as a hostage."
"A hostage?"
"Yes."
"Nonsense. Why would they send a hostage to the Corpse Blood Valley?"
"I don't know either! I just thought they wouldn't treat me gently. Like you said, I didn't know the Corpse Blood Valley was this kind of place."
"You didn't know?"
"If I had known, I wouldn't have struggled like this... I would have tried to escape somehow."
"Escape? Are you sure you should be saying that to me?"
"... I don't know. Right now, I don't even know what I should do."
"The harder I try to survive here, the more likely it is that the Lotuswood Sword Manor will be branded as a traitor to the righteous path. If that's the case..."
Perhaps the right thing to do was to take his own life for the honor of the righteous path and his family. Escaping from this place was practically impossible anyway. He knew for certain the moment his Qi gates were opened.
'A monster.'
The man in the demon mask was a master beyond imagination. At his level, there was nothing he could do.
'Suicide...'
If this was the only answer, he was afraid. He had only lived for sixteen years; ending his own life for his family was a terrifying thing. As he thought of death, a chill ran down Mok Yu-cheon's spine without him realizing.
Ma-sang, who had been staring at him, suddenly got up from the bed, closed the window, checked outside the door, then closed and bolted it. Then he came up to Mok Yu-cheon and said in a whisper, his face serious, "You really didn't betray them."
"... I told you I didn't." "Shh. Speak quietly."
At his words, Mok Yu-cheon frowned. Why is he suddenly acting like this? While he was wondering, Ma-sang spoke again in a whisper.
"I'm sorry for not believing you from the start. The Lotuswood Sword Manor has long been a prestigious family of the righteous path, but I couldn't rule out the possibility of a what-if scenario."
"What are you talking..."
"Listen quietly. I am an undercover agent sent by the Righteous Alliance." '!?'
At his words, Mok Yu-cheon's eyes widened. An undercover agent from the Righteous Alliance? While he was still in shock, Ma-sang continued.
"Have you heard of Shadow Walkers?"
"Ah, Shadow Walkers?"
He had heard of it. The Righteous Alliance prided itself on four core organizations. One of them was Shadow Walkers.
A secret organization said to exist as the Righteous Alliance's hidden dagger, operating not in the light but in the shadows and darkness. A secret organization, by definition, is one that must not be known. However, due to a certain incident, the existence of this Shadow Walkers was revealed.
Although the organization's name became known, the Righteous Alliance vehemently denied its existence, so opinions were divided among people as to whether it truly existed. And Ma-sang was from that Shadow Walkers?
"I heard that Shadow Walkers might not be a real organization..."
"It's real. They only denied it because the Righteous Alliance, which aims for the righteous path, cannot acknowledge the existence of an organization in charge of intelligence and assassination."
"... Ha."
To think Shadow Walkers was a real organization.
Truly surprising.
"Really... so Shadow Walkers existed... but is it alright for you to reveal your identity like this?"
Mok Yu-cheon spoke to him formally. At that, Ma-sang shook his head and replied.
"Just speak as you normally do."
"But still..."
"It will only raise unnecessary suspicion."
"... Alright. But is it really okay to reveal your identity to me?"
"Actually, unless it's an exceptional case, we're not supposed to reveal our identities, even to fellow members of the righteous path."
"Then why?"
"First, it's to distinguish friend from foe."
"Distinguish?"
"The gates of the Corpse Blood Valley often require us to kill each other, and we are surrounded by enemies, so I need to make you recognize that we are allies."
"Ah..."
So that's why he revealed his identity. But revealing it for that reason alone felt a bit casual for a secret organization. Wait a minute, did he just say 'we'?
Is it not just Ma-sang from Shadow Walkers? As Mok Yu-cheon was wondering, Ma-sang spoke.
"Second, unlike our objective, too many of our deployed personnel have died."
"Deployed personnel?"
Just as he expected, it seemed there were more from Shadow Walkers than just Ma-sang.
"So there are others besides you?"
"That's right. Originally, about fifty people were deployed."
"Fifty people?"
Mok Yu-cheon's eyes widened. So many came in, and they weren't caught by the Heaven and Earth Society? As he was thinking that, Ma-sang said, "However, 70 percent of them were filtered out by the Heaven and Earth Society's intelligence network and were either blocked beforehand or killed."
"Ah..."
"The number of personnel who successfully entered the Corpse Blood Valley is fifteen."
In the end, it meant that out of the roughly 800 challengers in the Corpse Blood Valley, 15 were undercover agents from the Righteous Alliance's Shadow Walkers. Mok Yu-cheon, who didn't know the nature of intelligence organizations, couldn't judge if that was a large or small number.
However, from Ma-sang's tone, it sounded like getting this many people in was quite a success. But then, "But a problem arose."
"A problem?"
"All fifteen passed the first gate, but eleven died in the second gate."
Eleven people meant only four had survived. Considering there were still gates left, the probability of failure had become very high. He felt like he now knew why Ma-sang had revealed his identity.
"Don't tell me..."
"That's right. It's to ask for your help, Mok Yu-cheon."
"..."
At his words, Mok Yu-cheon fell silent. He was at a loss as to how to respond. Who could have imagined a situation like this, where a member of Shadow Walkers, the shadow organization of the Righteous Alliance, would reveal his identity and ask for help?
"I know it's hard to accept. But I had no choice."
"..."
"Based on the experience and information from past failed deployments, we only sent in personnel who could fight in close combat with external arts even without internal energy, but we didn't know a situation like this would occur."
He understood.
That wolf-like monster that squealed like a pig.
"Is it because of the fierce beast?"
"The fierce beast is one thing, of course, but the variable was him... he was the problem."
"If you mean him..."
Grind!
Ma-sang revealed his killing intent and ground his teeth. It seemed he was extremely furious with this person. Who on earth was he?
"Didn't you experience it with us?"
"Surely not..."
"Most of our personnel died because of that madman who told us to kill each other." '...'
Mok Gyeong-un.
He couldn't believe it, but it was Mok Gyeong-un. Did the Righteous Alliance's agents die like that because of him? '... This is driving me crazy.'
Looking at Ma-sang, who couldn't contain his anger, he was at a loss as to how to explain. It was even awkward to say that guy was also from the Lotuswood Sword Manor. Just then, Ma-sang spoke.
"Because of this, there was something I wanted to ask you."
"Something you wanted to ask?"
"You knew that guy's name."
"..."
Mok Yu-cheon couldn't open his mouth. He was afraid of how Ma-sang would react if he told him they were half-brothers.
Gulp!
He was so nervous he swallowed dryly without realizing it. As he was, Ma-sang continued to speak.
"It seemed you were from the same Mok family. Is he by any chance related to the Lotuswood Sword Manor? Or did you just find out after coming here?"
"What?"
"At first, I thought since you were both from the Mok family, he might be your brother, but that doesn't seem to be the case."
'Huh?'
"If you were brothers, he wouldn't have made you do something so crazy as to kill each other. Don't worry. Because of that, I figured you aren't closely related by blood." '...'
This wasn't intentional, but it seems he misunderstood. Of course, it was understandable. Who would force their own kin into such a slaughter?
"If you just learned about him after coming here, then just know this."
"Know what?"
What is he trying to say? As he wondered, Ma-sang spoke in an even quieter whisper.
"With only four of our deployed personnel surviving, we no longer have any reason to be picky about our methods."
"That's why, during this time given to select group leaders, we're going to sever that madman's tendons and destroy his dantian." '!?'
They're going to sever Mok Gyeong-un's tendons and destroy his dantian? It seemed he had to say something, even if Ma-sang learned the truth.
"Wait. That guy is..."
"Aaaah. Don't worry. No matter how much of a madman he is, our madman is no pushover either."
"What?"
On second thought, there was no need to move together. Having ordered the Demonic Monk possessing Yeom-ga of the Killing Curse Valley and Mo Ha-rang of the Ensnaring Flower Room to gather group members, Mok Gyeong-un headed back to his room.
When he opened the door, a girl with grayish hair, who looked to be about nineteen, was sitting on the bed with her legs crossed. Mok Gyeong-un, who was staring at her, opened his mouth.
"Did you mistake the room?"
At Mok Gyeong-un's words, the girl gave a faint, smiling crescent with her eyes, waved her hand, and spoke.
"Hello. Mok Gyeong-un."
"Do you know me?"
"Yes. How could I not?"
At this, Mok Gyeong-un tilted his head, then smiled and said.
"Is that so? Do you have some business with me? Or did you come because you want to join my group?"
"I thought we could have a conversation."
"A conversation?"
To Mok Gyeong-un's question, the girl slowly rose from the bed. Then, she untied the sash of her clothes.
Swoosh!
As if she had only been wearing an outer robe from the start, the girl was instantly naked. A beautifully curved body with not an ounce of fat was revealed. Seeing a woman's naked body for the first time, Mok Gyeong-un's eyes narrowed.
The girl beckoned to Mok Gyeong-un seductively with her finger, then gestured to the bed with her head and said.
"Let's talk with our bodies."