Chapter: 910
‘What’s this….’
Seol Yeong, the top disciple of the Hwasan Sect and in charge of training the three great disciples, thought to herself.
‘…This is a disaster.’
She had to grimace as she observed the unfolding situation.
Bang-!
“Ugh!”
With a loud crash, someone is sent flying. The figures rolling away at a distance were the three great disciples.
“Ugh…”
The disciple who fell to the ground had a brief seizure and trembled before losing consciousness. He lay there limp, looking completely out cold.
“Eek…!”
“Again, again…!”
“How many have we lost now…?”
The other three great disciples trembled in fear as they witnessed it. Just as he said, how many has it been? At the very least, it was more than ten.
Over ten disciples were piled up like a mountain in that corner, all unconscious.
“…Ah…”
Seeing this, Seol Yeong covered her forehead with her hand.
“…This is bad.”
What should she do about this? Her head went blank at the outrageous scene before her.
How did it come to this? She pondered, but there was only one answer.
‘…I shouldn’t have brought him here.’
She should never have brought that absurd monster to this place.
At that moment.
“Next.”
Leaving Seol Yeong, who was suffering from a headache, behind, the person in front spoke.
It was the author. It was he who was causing the headache.
“Hee… Heek… I don’t want to!”
The disciple whose turn it was, frightened, tried to run away.
“How can you not want this? This is such a great opportunity. Hurry up and come here!”
“Eww!!! Master!”
“…”
Seol Yeong couldn’t say a word as she watched the disciple being dragged away by the nape of his neck.
Even fleeing wasn’t an option.
Whoosh whoosh-!!
An unknown flame danced around the training ground, radiating tremendous heat toward those trying to escape.
The author had probably done something to prevent anyone from leaving.
“Draw your sword.”
“P-please…”
“Huh? This little brat can’t even lift his sword before a fight? Seriously, what’s wrong with you? Should I pull it out for you?”
“Heeeeeeek…!”
“Damn it.”
‘…What exactly is this guy doing?’
Seol Yeong felt a chill run down her spine as she watched the absurdity unfold.
At first, she had been shocked when he knocked out a disciple, but she’d tried to brush it off.
‘That kid did mess up first…’
Curiosity had piqued when she heard about how he defeated Gubong.
‘But what is this…?’
Seeing it first-hand felt completely different. Although she had faced the three great disciples over ten times already.
‘He didn’t even move a single step.’
He hadn’t shifted an inch from where he stood.
He stood right there, dodged all the attacks, and finished them off with a single blow.
It was overwhelming.
Could she pull something like that off?
‘I doubt it.’
Seol Yeong knew well how to objectively assess herself.
Could Gubong, whom Jang Moon-in valued so highly, achieve that? Perhaps, but…
‘Gubong also lost to that nobleman.’
Although she had never seen them fight directly, she had heard that he lost even in moonlight.
When she later visited the infirmary, it was a total wreck.
That strong guy was busted up all over.
It was ridiculous.
‘How on earth did he get hit like that?’
She wondered how one needed to get beaten for that to be possible.
BANG-!!
“Kkuek!”
“…”
Now she understood.
That was how it was possible.
Another disciple fell, and he casually picked up the unconscious one and tossed him far away.
“Next.”
It was terrifying how he spoke while shaking off his hands.
“Master…!”
“Help…!”
The remaining disciples looked at Seol Yeong with pleading eyes, full of despair.
“…”
Seol Yeong answered by ignoring their desperate gazes.
“Master…!?”
“Master!”
“Can’t you hear me? It’s next!”
“Hhhhhh!”
Fear and betrayal filled their eyes.
The fear was naturally directed at the author, while the sense of betrayal was at Seol Yeong herself.
‘I’m sorry, kids.’
Though guilt washed over her, Seol Yeong chose to ignore it.
Am I scared of that noble young man? No.
Is it because I want to show a new path to my disciples?
Half correct, half wrong.
It was true that she wanted to introduce a breath of fresh air.
‘But not like this…’
At the very least, it didn’t feel like this. Wasn’t this just violence?
It was so extreme…
‘Why is he enjoying this…?’
That guy was clearly relishing the situation. Just looking at his face made it obvious. He looked like he was having so much fun tormenting the disciples.
‘…I brought the wrong person.’
She belatedly realized she had made a huge mistake, but it was too late now.
‘Ah… could it be because of that?’
Seol Yeong suddenly recalled the moment she asked Jang Moon-in for permission.
When she hesitantly asked if she could request something from the nobleman, Jang Moon-in suddenly smiled brightly.
Usually, when he smiled like that, she knew something was up; yet, in her concern for her disciples, she had momentarily forgotten it.
‘No wonder.’
She recognized that he had been smiling too brightly.
It was like he had known this would happen all along.
‘…Oh….’
What should I do now? Am I going to find myself in major trouble because of this?
“…”
Seol Yeong ultimately chose not to intervene. As she had said earlier, it wasn’t because she was afraid.
“Forearm. Focus properly. Is the angle right when you swing the sword? It shouldn’t be, right?”
She spat the words out while knocking the sword away with her hand. The disciple let go of the sword as his wrist buckled.
He got hit in the jaw and passed out.
“Your lower body is shaking. You seem to be aware of it, but what’s with that leaning posture? Are you asking me to hit you in the face? Then I’ll do it.”
His knees hit the ground, making him stumble as he fell into a crumpled position.
“Your stomach is exposed. If you’re going to defend, do it right. And if it’s an attack that you can’t block, you should think about avoiding it. Why give up flesh and take bones? Tsk tsk. Doing that will get you killed.”
The disciple who took a hit to the gut ended up puking and collapsing.
It just continued like this.
While it was sad to see her disciples fall…
‘This is genuine combat practice, isn’t it?’
Seol Yeong couldn’t help but admire what she was witnessing.
He was hitting hard but also pointing out each disciple’s shortcomings and areas for improvement.
When he attacked those weak points, the disciples had to have realized quite a lot.
“You weakling! Are you trying to make up for your deficiencies with sheer effort? What do you think you can accomplish with that pathetic excuse? Basics are crucial, basics!”
“Grrr!”
“…”
Of course, the rough treatment was undeniably pitiful, leaving them in a lamentable state.
After quite some time had passed.
“Next.”
A young man with a grimace shouted to the surrounding area, but this time not even a scream was heard in response.
Curious, I turned my gaze to see what was going on.
“Huh? Ah.”
The young man nodded as if he had come to a realization.
“No more?”
There were no more disciples left.
It meant that all of them had fainted, leaving no one left to participate in the training.
“Ah… I still have to beat them more… no, I need to teach them more.”
Wasn’t he about to say he needed to bash them up more?
The young man spoke to Seol Yeong with a look of regret.
“Are there any more disciples?”
“…Yes.”
Even if there were, she didn’t think they should be brought here.
“I think we could go just a little further.”
“What… are you suggesting?”
“If I just give them a little more of a beating… no, if I teach them just a bit more, I think they’ll feel better.”
“…”
Oh, I see. He’s not even trying to hide it anymore.
Seol Yeong realized her own mistakes to some extent and let out a dry smile.
At that moment, as she was keeping her rotting insides hidden.
“If there are no three great disciples, then I suppose the second great disciple would do. Is there none of that?”
At Gu Yangcheon’s words, Seol Yeong hesitated for a second.
“…Ah. The second great disciples… are not here at the moment.”
“Huh? Why?”
He tilted his head, seemingly puzzled. Seol Yeong thought to herself at the sight.
Did he just quietly drop the truth?
He seemed to want to maintain the earlier tone.
She thought about pointing it out but held back. Something told her that if she mentioned it, she’d get in trouble.
Seeing him beat up the disciples regardless of gender suggested there was a significant risk.
“I have a mission to carry out outside the Abyss….”
“Oh, a mission… wait, what did you just say?”
“Yes?”
Guyangcheon narrowed his eyes suddenly without saying another word.
“What did you just say?”
“What…?”
“Where is this place?”
“It’s the Hwasan Sect.”
“No, not that. The part you just said.”
“Just now… Ah.”
Seol Yeong seemed to realize something and was about to speak.
No, she was trying to spill the beans.
“They said it was the Abyss.”
The answer came not from Seol Yeong but from behind Guyangcheon.
As that voice rang out, Gu Yangcheon turned around quickly.
BANG–!!
“Ughhh!”
Gu Yangcheon screamed at the punch that landed on his head.
He stumbled, clearly in pain. Watching that, Seol Yeong involuntarily thought about how they had been easy to trick.
But just for a moment, she respectfully acknowledged the owner of the fist.
“Jang Moon-in.”
The person who appeared was Shin Cheol.
He waved his hand in greeting to Seol Yeong, then looked over at the fallen Gu Yangcheon.
“You crazy fool.”
From the get-go, it was an insult.
“I told you to behave and shut up several times, yet you’ve caused trouble again? When on earth are you planning to grow up?”
As Shin Cheol spoke, Gu Yangcheon glared while rubbing his head.
“What the hell! I heard you gave me permission! So, why are you acting like this when I did as you asked?”
“What the hell? What the hell?”
“Then this is total nonsense! I was already so busy trying to cook, and you wanted me to do this?”
“Huh? I just asked you to do it properly. Who told you to go around beating them up like that?”
“Who even does that? I just petted them since they were cute!”
“Petting? If you pet them twice, they’ll die.”
“…”
The exchange was nothing short of chaotic.
Seol Yeong was at a loss for words as she watched them bicker and throw insults at one another.
Just moments ago, Gu Yangcheon had appeared fierce, shouting at Jang Moon-in as if he wouldn’t back down, but ultimately, he was busy dodging whenever Jang Moon-in moved.
Jang Moon-in, who typically wasn’t very kind and seemed to speak little, was now relentlessly firing verbal attacks at Gu Yangcheon.
It was a sight she had never witnessed before.
‘Ah.’
Seol Yeong began to understand something.
‘So this is why Gubong disliked him so much.’
Watching this unfold, she began to grasp how it felt.
Though they appeared angry in their arguments, Seol Yeong, who had known Jang Moon-in for a long time, recognized it.
Jang Moon-in was smiling.
‘Oh, I see.’
That cleared up a lot.
As Seol Yeong nodded in reluctant agreement.
“Ahhh! Damn it!”
Gu Yangcheon let out a final scream after taking another hit.
“…Ugh… It hurts.”
Rubbing my sore head, I walked away. I felt like I would have a bruise from just a few strikes.
I barely managed to escape the grasp of the old man who was looking to hit me again.
My entire body ached.
I had only taken a few hits, so why did it hurt so much?
‘Old man hits like a truck.’
That pounding wasn’t just spicy.
If you tasted wrong, your tongue might as well be burnt.
“Ugh…”
Finally escaped. But as a result, I couldn’t ask what I needed to know.
‘Is this the Abyss…?’
The source of all things and a space where demons are expelled via the Magic Gate.
Another world within Man-gye, where Kkureungi exists as the master.
That was what they claimed this was.
‘…I didn’t expect this at all.’
I thought it would be dark and murky since it’s called the Abyss, but the place was too beautiful to fit that description.
‘So that’s why Kkureungi was here?’
If so, it made sense.
‘Then… why are people living here?’
Not only had they built a castle in the space where extinct beings congregated, but they also formed the Hwasan Sect?
I couldn’t grasp this process or its results.
That’s why I wanted to ask, but the old man pursuing me took priority.
The place I barely managed to escape to was the same region I had just entered.
Because there was something I needed to discern.
“Hey.”
Turning around as I walked, I spoke. Cheonma quietly followed behind.
“…?”
Cheonma tilted his head at my call. Seeing that innocent expression, I asked.
“Why the hell are you just watching when you said you’d protect me?”
Where was the confident demeanor he had displayed in front of the Blood Demon? This time, while he was getting beaten, the Heavenly Demon was just watching from the shadows.
It was so absurd that I needed to ask.
“Huh?”
Cheonma merely looked puzzled, as though he couldn’t understand.
“Ugh…”
I sighed at that. I realized how childish I was being.
“Right… What should I even talk to you about?”
This felt like just venting my frustrations. I shook my head repeatedly and resumed walking.
Why was I so irritated? Is it because responsibilities are piling up? Yeah, seems like it.
Let’s find out quickly what’s going on. As I thought that, I began walking again.
“Have you gotten over your jealousy?”
I froze at Cheonma’s words. I glared at him with a stern expression.
“…What?”
“Jealousy.”
“What kind of nonsense is this all of a sudden?”
Jealousy? I frowned at the unexpected comment.
“What do you mean by jealousy?”
“Just now. You were jealous.”
“Who on earth would I be jealous of?”
“Weren’t you?”
“Of course not…”
I stopped mid-sentence, closing my mouth.
“…”
Oh sh*t.
My thoughts were spinning.
‘No way.’
Is that why I felt so stifled and irritated?
‘…Was I actually jealous of my disciples?’
Jealous of the disciples from the Volcano Sect that Noya created? Me?
I had hardly received any teachings, yet they seem to have gotten a lot more.
Was I envious of that?
“Crap. Seriously, crap.”
I let out a hollow chuckle, shaking my head.
I didn’t want to admit that. Nothing could be worse than that.
‘Don’t make me laugh.’
At my age, being jealous over something like that?
At this rate.
‘That’s no different from that Gubong bastard.’
I found myself relating to the guy I secretly looked down on.
I couldn’t accept it. On one hand, I thought that.
‘Damn it.’
Vague feelings began to bubble up inside me.
“Ugh… this is insane.”
This was embarrassing. If that were genuinely the reason, it was nothing short of humiliating.
That thought intensified my irritation, and I turned away.
“…Sigh.”
I breathed deeply and rubbed my face with my hand.
I adjusted my warmth so it wouldn’t show on my face.
Fearing these feelings would be exposed, I quickly asked Cheonma something else.
“Anyway… did anything strange happen when you went out yesterday?”
It was an attempt to shift the topic.
Cheonma paused for a moment before responding.
“Oh.”
He spoke as if he remembered something.
“Someone was watching me.”
“…Well, that makes sense. Here, there’s nothing unusual about that. Were they from here?”
“No, outside.”
“Outside? You mean you were out here?”
“Yep.”
I stared at Cheonma’s calm demeanor. He had gone outside the Abyss?
“But were there people watching you outside…?”
“Yep.”
“…Did it see like someone inside here?”
“No.”
“…”
If someone was outside watching Cheonma, and they were from here?
What the heck, then?
A chill swept through my mind, which had been hot with embarrassment.
“And what happened then?”
“They disappeared.”
“….”
They were watched and then vanished.
Just hearing that made it clear.
Something strange appeared to be intertwined here.
But.
“…Why are you mentioning that now?”
Why bring this up now?
When Cheonma heard this, he looked at me like I was weird.
“You didn’t ask.”
“…”
Hearing his response, I closed my eyes and pressed my eyelids with my fingers.
‘Ugh, I want to go home.’
It was a moment when I truly longed for Jungwon.
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