Myst, Might, Mayhem (Novel) - Chapter 72 - True Intent (3)

Chapter 72 – True Intent (3)

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Translated by Jinmu

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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The giant monstrous wolf had frozen in place just as it was about to spring at Mo Ha-rang of Mo Hwa House.

At that bizarre sight, everyone’s eyes widened.

Then a voice came from among the bushes.

“Ahhh. What a relief. To think everything I needed is gathered here.”

‘!?’

Everyone’s gaze turned in that direction.

‘That brat?’

The one emerging while pushing aside the bushes was none other than Mok Gyeong-un.

Since he had left such a strong impression with his cruel methods during the iron-ball struggle, everyone recognized him at once.

And then,

‘……So he was alive after all.’

Staring at Mok Gyeong-un, Mok Yu-cheon let out a sigh of relief without realizing it.

He disliked the fellow, but inwardly he had not truly wanted him to die in a place like this.

So he felt relieved, but the timing of his appearance was terrible.

‘Idiot! What happened to his teammates, and why is he showing up alone?’

Until dawn broke, eight people had to be waiting after finding a flag.

Yet here he was, wandering in alone just when that monstrous wolf was rampaging through this place. His luck truly was abysmal.

But this was not the time to worry about that brat.

-Tatatatatak!

Mok Yu-cheon ran toward Mo Ha-rang.

He did not know why that monstrous wolf had suddenly stopped like that, but now was his chance to save her.

At that moment, Yeom Ga of Crimson Kill Valley shouted,

“Hey! You crazy monster wolf! What are you doing right now?”

Yeom Ga did not care whether Mok Gyeong-un had appeared or not.

He did not know why the monster wolf, which had been moving just as his group wanted until now, suddenly could not move in such a posture, but he wanted it to hurry and kill those bastards.

That was why he shouted.

-Kkweooooook!

But contrary to his wish, the monster wolf only roared and still could not move an inch.

As if bound by something, the fur that had been standing bristled was being pressed down.

‘What in the world is it doing?’

He was growing frustrated when,

-Chwareureureu!

Mok Yu-cheon slid in and shoved away Mo Ha-rang, who had been standing right before the monster wolf.

Then he supported her shoulder as she pitched forward.

“Get a grip.”

Mok Yu-cheon urged Mo Ha-rang, who was wearing a blank expression.

Then she said,

“Can you see this?”

“See what?”

The target she was indicating with her eyes was the monster wolf.

Of course he could see it.

He did not know why it was doing that, but it clearly could not move somehow.

Yet then incomprehensible words came from her mouth.

“It’s bound by chains.”

‘!?’

Mok Yu-cheon furrowed his brow.

What on earth was she talking about?

Where were there any chains that she would suddenly say something so outlandish?

‘Ah!’

Mok Yu-cheon bit his lip hard as he looked at her damp back.

It seemed that because of the severe loss of blood, her mind had grown muddled and she was seeing things.

“Mo Ha-rang! Get a grip. You’ve held on this long. If you collapse here, you’ll die.”

“I still… have… my senses.”

“Then walk.”

Mok Yu-cheon urged her on while carrying her by the shoulder.

At that, she stared in the direction where Mok Gyeong-un stood with an expression that said she could not possibly understand.

Was she really seeing things because she had lost too much blood?

And yet something about it felt strange.

What in the world was that half-white girl with a blurred form, which did not seem quite human?

As she was thinking that, she saw the half-white girl move her lips.

‘!?’

At that sight, her eyes trembled.

Mo Ha-rang, who had once belonged to Mo Hwa House, known as a fourth-generation assassin group, had learned lip-reading.

Lip-reading was a method by which one read another’s speech through the movement of lips, face, and tongue.

She could see it.

‘That… human seems to be able to see me.’

At those words, a chill suddenly ran down Mo Ha-rang’s spine.

And while that was happening, she saw Mok Gyeong-un also looking at her with an interested expression and muttering something.

‘Oh? Is that so?’

Mo Ha-rang grew confused.

Was it really true that she was simply hallucinating from blood loss?

Then how was it that Mok Gyeong-un was conversing with that blurred existence?

It was at that moment.

-Kkweooooooooook!

At the tremendous roar that spread out like a shockwave, Mo Ha-rang, Mok Yu-cheon, no, all the boys clapped their hands over their ears and writhed in pain.

“Kuh!”

“Wh-what is that sound?”

It was no different from a lion’s roar charged with internal power.

Yet along with the roar, the ground beneath the monster wolf’s feet shook for nearly five jang and then caved in.

-Ujeojeojeok!

At that moment, the monster wolf that had been frozen began to move.

‘Yes! That’s right!’

Yeom Ga of Crimson Kill Valley, still holding his ears, inwardly rejoiced.

Since they themselves were inside the protective area of this flag, it did not matter for them, but the others had no such advantage.

So they would just have to die here.

“Damn it!”

A harsh curse burst from the mouth of Mok Yu-cheon, who was carrying her by the shoulder.

He had thought it was their chance, but apparently he had been wrong.

It was while he was thinking that.

-Charararararara!

Dozens of chains shot up not directly beneath it but from around five jang away and once again bound the body of the monster wolf, no, the strange creature Galjeo.

-Kkweooooook!

This time the binding force was so strong that

-Thud!

as the chains tangled and yanked, Galjeo’s head slammed into the ground.

“Huh?”

To Mok Yu-cheon, who could not understand, Mo Ha-rang said,

“You… really… can’t see it?”

“What are you talking about? At a time like this…”

He had not even finished speaking.

By then Mok Gyeong-un had already walked over to Galjeo, whose chin, no, whose entire body was pinned down so hard that it could not move.

Then,

“There should be repayment for aiming at what is mine.”

With those words, he seized Galjeo’s upper fangs with both hands, pressed down below its mouth with his foot, and then

-Jjeooooeok!

lifted up its palate.

Galjeo, whose mouth had been forced open, seemed in terrible pain and tried to writhe and twist its head, but the binding force of the chains was too strong for it to move.

As a result,

-Ujeojeojeok!

-Kkweooooook!

its mouth was torn clean open.

Galjeo, which had been howling and weeping tears of blood, fell silent the moment the entire upper side of its head was ripped away.

‘!!!!!!!!’

At this sight, Mok Yu-cheon, who had been closest of all, was speechless, and so was everyone else.

Who could have imagined that that monster wolf, which had devoured so many boys, would be reduced to such a state in an instant?

‘Th-this bastard, what in the world?’

The one most shocked was Mok Yu-cheon.

Could this really be the same cowardly brat he had known?

Mok Gyeong-un tossed aside Galjeo’s torn-off upper snout and head.

-Thud!

The bone must have weighed quite a lot, for it fell with a heavy thud.

“Hoo.”

At the sight of Mok Gyeong-un drenched in Galjeo’s blood, which had burst out as its muzzle split into two, silence fell over the surroundings.

What in the world was this bastard?

Why had that monster wolf, the moment this bastard appeared, been unable to move and then died like that?

And with his internal power sealed, what kind of strength was that which let him tear its mouth apart?

Everyone was thrown into confusion.

But one person came out of that confusion quickly.

‘You damned bastard.’

That person was Yeom Ga of Crimson Kill Valley.

He too had been equally shocked by this absurd result.

But it did not matter how this had happened.

Dawn was about to break.

He had to pull back immediately in order to preserve the flag somehow.

Yeom Ga whispered to his teammates,

“We have to retreat.”

The teammates understood as well, and were cautiously trying to lift the iron weight of the flag, when at that very moment,

“Bind them all.”

The instant Mok Gyeong-un muttered quietly,

-Chwareureureu!

chains rose from the ground and bound the bodies of everyone gathered here.

-Cheolkeong!

“Wh-what is this?”

“Something’s binding my body?”

The boys whose bodies had been bound could not hide their bewilderment.

Though they could not see it, all of them felt the sensation of something like a rope, no, a cold chain binding them.

None of them could understand what in the world was happening.

“Ggeueueueu!”

Yeom Ga of Crimson Kill Valley tried with all his strength to break free of it.

But from the start his internal power was sealed, and no matter how much he had trained his external body, his physical strength could not possibly surpass that of Galjeo, a monster beast.

Naturally, such an attempt amounted to nothing more than wasting strength.

-Thud!

As he forced strength into his body, he instead pitched forward and ended up dropping to both knees.

Yeom Ga’s face even flushed red from the sheer humiliation of it.

‘What in the world did this bastard do?’

While he was thinking that, Mok Gyeong-un walked toward the flag planted right in front of the mountain wall.

The eyes of the boys who had fled while defending it trembled.

Surely he was not now after their flag?

Yet while they were thinking that, Mok Gyeong-un looked over the flagpole and then

“Ahhh. So this one again.”

he muttered, and then broke the pole without a trace of hesitation.

-Ujeojeojeok!

“Nooooo!”

“Y-you bastard!”

The boys cried out like people in despair.

Although they had fled the monster wolf and abandoned the flag, without that flag they would fail this gate.

But they had never imagined Mok Gyeong-un would ruin it like that.

-Grit!

“You bastard!”

Even Mok Yu-cheon could not hold back his anger and shouted at Mok Gyeong-un.

He wanted to run over at once and smash him in the face.

But his body was bound by some unseen thing, and he could not move even a little.

“This will be troublesome too if it isn’t the one.”

Clicking his tongue, Mok Gyeong-un now walked toward the place where Yeom Ga stood.

At this, Yeom Ga shouted with veins bulging in his neck,

“Do you mean to break this one too?”

At that question, Mok Gyeong-un gave a short laugh and shook his head.

Then he inspected the flagpole and frowned.

[Surely not this one too?]

No one around them could hear it, but Blue Spirit’s voice reached Mok Gyeong-un’s ears.

Just as she had asked, the formula was the same this time too.

Mok Gyeong-un smacked his lips as though troubled.

‘What a coincidence.’

He had never expected that, after finding three different flags, all of them would bear the same formula he had already memorized.

Now dawn was truly just one step away.

Even if he hurried, there was far too little time left to seize another flag.

[What will you do? Even now, order that girl So-ha to search the surrounding flags.]

At that, Mok Gyeong-un was about to nod, but then one other method came to him.

Now that he thought about it, should he not simply confirm that first?

Looking at Yeom Ga and his teammates, who were unable to move under the chains of So-ha, Mok Gyeong-un was about to ask,

“By any chance…”

But he had not even managed to begin.

At that moment, someone shouted,

“I’ll tell you… the remaining formula… so let’s make a deal.”

At those words, Mok Gyeong-un turned his head toward the one who had shouted.

The one who had spoken was none other than Mo Ha-rang of Mo Hwa House.

Pale as her face was, she was drawing out her remaining strength just to breathe.

Mok Gyeong-un looked at her with interest.

“So you noticed.”

“I saw you… check it… twice.”

Even she, when Mok Gyeong-un had broken the flag they had been defending, had first thought he was only doing it to force them out of the gate.

But when she saw him inspect the flag on Yeom Ga’s side and then frown, she understood.

That Mok Gyeong-un was searching for a different kind of flag.

‘The formula?’

At those words, even Yeom Ga belatedly realized the fact.

At once he shouted hurriedly at Mok Gyeong-un,

“M-make a deal with me too!”

“A deal?”

“Yes. I know the other formula too, and on top of that we have an intact flag and teammates here. Judging by things, you don’t have teammates, so if you join with us, you too can pass.”

Yeom Ga thought that this had turned out well.

At first he had been angry because this brat had ruined his strategy.

But now this bastard had ended up playing the role of that monster wolf for them.

Since he had broken the flag of those bastards, if only they accepted him, the Mo Hwa House lot would naturally fail.

At that moment, one of the boys said in alarm,

“W-wait a moment. We’re all still fine. If we accept that bastard, then…”

“Shut up.”

Yeom Ga snapped at the boy.

Then he said to Mok Gyeong-un,

“I’ll deal with one of them myself, so will you make the deal or not? Either way, you need teammates, a flag, and the formula, don’t you?”

There was no way he could refuse.

After all, their proposal was obviously the more rational one.

But at that moment, Mok Gyeong-un reached toward the waist of one boy.

-Tak!

It was the broken flagpole.

“The formula is here.”

‘!?’

At that, Yeom Ga could not hide his momentary confusion.

It had been a mistake to keep carrying around the broken flagpole that had the other formula written on it.

Some of them had not yet memorized it all, so they had not thrown it away, but who could have foreseen this?

Yeom Ga hurriedly said,

“Th-that is ours too. Which means you’ll be making the deal with us, right?”

“Pardon?”

“Pardon?”

“This is mine, though.”

Mok Gyeong-un said it casually while waving the flag he had taken.

At that sight, the veins at Yeom Ga’s forehead stood out sharply.

“You!”

“And this flag here is mine too.”

Mok Gyeong-un lifted the flag in one hand.

At that, the boys’ eyes widened.

Their internal power was sealed, and even they needed two people hanging onto it just to lift it, yet he was raising it this easily?

With a satisfied face, Mok Gyeong-un carried the flag and stepped away from them.

“S-stop!”

“I told you it’s mine.”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s sneering tone, Yeom Ga grew furious, but barely swallowed it and said,

“Y-you still need teammates!”

“Ahhh. That’s right.”

Mok Gyeong-un nodded as if he understood.

Then Mok Yu-cheon, who was supporting Mo Ha-rang, shouted,

“Mok Gyeong-un, don’t trust that cowardly and sly bastard! Those things are people who’ll stab you in the back. If that’s what it’ll be, then take us as your teammates instead!”

Because Mo Ha-rang’s condition had worsened, he shouted in her place.

In truth, his pride made him not want to ask Mok Gyeong-un for help, but there was no other way.

Once dawn broke, everything would be over.

If they wanted to survive, they had to throw away their pride.

At that moment, Yeom Ga also shouted,

“What nonsense are you spouting? Everything this bastard has taken was originally what we defended. What right do your lot have to ask him to take you?”

“Coming from someone who used not skill but a monster like that to do dirty work, what right do you have to talk? Mok Gyeong-un! Ignore what that bastard says and…”

“Hey. Or rather, was it Mok Gyeong-un? If you help us this time, I’ll definitely repay the favor. There are still gates left, so it won’t hurt to have a Crimson Kill Valley man owe you…”

“Don’t listen! Although we are only half-broth…”

“You shut up!”

Before long, all of them were shouting over one another and begging Mok Gyeong-un, who held the flag, to accept them as teammates.

Their voices were so mixed together that it was difficult to distinguish who was who.

It was right then.

-Clap clap!

Mok Gyeong-un clapped his hands.

At once, everyone’s attention turned to him.

Since he was the one holding their lives in his hands here, they had no choice but to focus on him.

When they all looked at him, Mok Gyeong-un spoke.

“This is quite troublesome. Since all of you seem to want to come with me so badly, in my heart I would like to take all of you as teammates, but the rules do not work that way.”

-Gulp!

The boys swallowed dryly.

From the sound of it, he seemed to have made his decision about whom he would choose as teammates.

Mok Yu-cheon stared fixedly at Mok Gyeong-un.

No matter how much they disliked each other, brothers were brothers in the end.

So inwardly he hoped that, after all, he might still choose him as a teammate.

And then,

“In a situation like this, choosing whom to keep and whom to favor seems unfair… so why don’t we do this instead?”

Mok Gyeong-un glanced sideways and gave a small nod.

At once,

“Huh?”

“My body?”

the boys who had been bound found their bodies moving.

At that, Mok Gyeong-un smiled faintly at them and said,

“Kill each other.”

“What?”

“I will take exactly the seven of you who remain alive as my teammates.”

‘!!!!!!’

In that instant, all of their expressions froze.