Myst, Might, Mayhem (Novel) - Chapter 74 - True Intent (5)
Chapter 74 – True Intent (5)
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Translated by Jinmu
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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The monster wolf, no, the monster beast Galjeo, lay dead with its muzzle torn apart.
This had not been released for them to kill.
It had been released so that they might survive it.
And yet it was dead.
‘Ha…’
It was truly absurd.
For a moment, everyone could not open their mouths at the sight.
Then one warrior with a red belt asked the exhausted boys,
“Who did this?”
At his question, the boys’ gazes naturally turned toward a certain someone.
Though all of them were similar, one particularly handsome boy was drenched from head to toe in blood.
That was Mok Gyeong-un.
‘……..That brat again?’
An odd light appeared in the eyes of the red-belted warriors.
They had taken interest in him because of what he had shown in the iron-ball struggle, but this time they could not help but be astonished.
“Senior… does this even make sense?”
One warrior whispered as if unable to understand it.
If it was a monster beast of that size, then even if internal power had not been sealed, it looked difficult for anyone below a certain martial level to deal with it at all.
And yet he had done that with his qi gates sealed?
‘No matter how much one trains external power, that is…’
Impossible.
Even fully armed, it would be hard to say whether one could face it properly.
The most senior among the red-belted warriors looked Mok Gyeong-un up and down.
The other boys looked broken past the point of exhaustion, but this one alone still had life in his eyes.
No, he did not even look tired at all.
‘Could it be?’
The senior warrior’s eyes narrowed in suspicion.
At that, he said,
“You. Come here.”
“Is there some problem?”
“Who said you were allowed to answer back?”
“……..”
With a shrug of his shoulders, Mok Gyeong-un walked over before the senior warrior.
Then the senior warrior roughly seized Mok Gyeong-un’s wrist and examined the condition within his body.
It was to confirm whether his qi gates were sealed or not.
But then,
‘…….They are sealed.’
He had wondered whether this brat had somehow removed the seal on his qi gates, but that was not so.
They were still sealed exactly as before.
And once he confirmed that, it became even more absurd.
‘A place like Yeon Mok Sword Manor raised a monster like this?’
No matter how famous a martial house, it was not one of the Nine Great Sects or some great clan of equal standing.
This was likely to become quite a controversy.
It was the first time something like this had happened since Corpse Blood Valley had first been operated.
* * *
The corpse of the monster beast Galjeo, with its muzzle and skull ripped away and wholly separated from its lower jaw.
The occult practitioner in robes looking at it wore an expression of utter disbelief.
Not long ago, precisely timed to dawn, he had sent a signal to the Galjeo through occult arts, ordering it to return.
Yet when it did not come back, he had felt something strange and climbed all the way here.
Someone then addressed him.
“Is this possible?”
“Pardon?”
“I asked whether it is possible.”
The one asking the question was none other than the Valley Master of Corpse Blood Valley, wearing an evil ghost mask.
He had climbed the mountain belatedly, received the report from the red-belted warriors, and come here to confirm Galjeo’s corpse.
He too could not help but be inwardly shocked.
From the beginning, the role of the monster beast Galjeo for the boys had been as a trial.
It was meant to drive them into an even more extreme situation and thereby intensify their will to live.
Yet to think they had killed it.
“This… ha…”
The robed occult practitioner could not answer at all.
If instead a martial artist who had trained in martial arts had done this, he would at least have been able to reply that the man seemed to possess truly tremendous martial skill.
But this was genuinely beyond anything he had anticipated.
‘Should I mention it?’
What made it more troublesome was Galjeo’s condition.
‘…….It became a full adult.’
He had thought already that it was nearing maturity.
But he had assumed it was not there yet and that perhaps another month or two would do, and so he had released it.
Yet in that short span, it had become a complete adult.
It had gone from a ferocious beast to a true monster beast.
‘This is maddening. How did they do this?’
Even ferocious beasts were hard for trained occult practitioners or third-rate and second-rate warriors to handle.
Yet once it reached monster beast class, one would expect even first-rate masters to have to join forces to bring it down, so it was impossible to believe that one of these boys, with his qi gates sealed, had killed it.
He ought to report this, but the occult practitioner simply could not bring himself to do so.
Even a ferocious beast was already an extreme enough trial, and even if the flags created safe zones, if it was a monster beast of this level then it would be close to outright massacre.
‘Perhaps one should call it good fortune.’
That it had been killed before causing even greater trouble was at least fortunate.
Still, he could not fully report that fact.
Thus, setting that part aside, he said,
“To speak honestly, even I cannot understand how in the world they killed it.”
“You cannot understand it?”
“What do you think is the strongest part of the human body?”
“…….Do you mean the mouth?”
“That is correct. Biting force is the strongest. And do you think beasts or these strange creatures would be any different?”
Humans stripped meat from hard bones and ate it.
But many beasts ate bones whole.
Naturally, in doing so, the form of their teeth and their biting strength had no choice but to develop accordingly.
“If they had been lucky enough to stab something sharp into this beast’s core, one might understand that. But this cannot be done by someone whose strength is only a little great.”
To rip apart a monster beast Galjeo in such a way required power that exceeded its own biting strength.
At that, the evil ghost mask nodded.
“I see.”
“Then if you would please tell us who…”
“That will do.”
“Pardon?”
“Did you not hear me? I said that will do. Take the corpse of that thing away.”
He had heard what he wanted.
So there was no need to hear more.
“……..Understood. Then I will borrow a few men.”
“As you please.”
Once the occult practitioner, together with several warriors, began taking away the corpse, the senior warrior of squad leader rank who assisted him approached and frowned as he said,
“I confirmed it.”
“The Forbidden Gate Locks are still in place?”
“They are.”
“And yet he did that?”
“To say his strength is monstrous is not even enough. He may even be stronger than that child of Mirrored Scenery Gate.”
“Hm.”
Was this really something that could be accepted with the words “he is strong”?
The evil ghost mask had once, back when he was still a youngster, fought beings known as strange creatures.
If he referred back to those memories, it still remained a mystery.
That this had happened without internal power.
‘I will have to watch him.’
He had already thought him no ordinary fellow, but now his interest had grown all the more.
There seemed to be something more there that could not be explained merely by saying he was from a famous orthodox martial family.
The evil ghost mask changed the subject.
“Have all the rest gathered?”
“Yes.”
“How many in total?”
“The number of survivors is two hundred and fifty-nine.”
Out of the total four hundred and sixty-eight, about half had died.
At that report from the senior warrior of squad leader rank, the evil ghost mask nodded and began walking.
When he climbed up to a wide clearing on the ridge, there were boys seated there in neat rows.
Yet this was only the number who had survived, and even among them another division had already taken place.
Of the two hundred and fifty-nine, two hundred sat on the right side and fifty-nine on the left. The majority of two hundred looked relieved, while the remaining fifty-nine were pale and trembling.
The reason was that they were the ones who had failed to find a flag even by dawn.
‘Damn it.’
‘Is this how we die?’
That was why they were afraid.
The result had already been foretold.
It was death.
Standing before them, the evil ghost mask opened his mouth.
“I congratulate those who succeeded in defending a flag. And as for the fifty-nine pieces of trash on the left, who accomplished nothing during the night and merely struggled to survive, well done on that too.”
Even the way he spoke to them was different.
In truth, none of this entered the ears of the fifty-nine boys.
They simply wanted to live.
As that continued, the evil ghost mask turned his head toward them.
-Thud! Thud! Thud!
Their hearts pounded heavily.
It felt as though the instant the evil ghost mask gave an order, the red-belted warriors would cut off their heads on the spot.
But then,
“The fifty-nine pieces of trash are to go down the mountain following that occult practitioner there.”
‘!?’
At this order, the eyes of the fifty-nine boys widened.
Naturally, they had thought they would be killed on the spot, so being told instead to follow that occult practitioner in robes down the mountain could not help but bewilder them.
Could it be that they were going to spare them?
-Murmur, murmur!
Color slowly returned to their faces.
At the sight, the red-belted warriors shook their heads.
Being told to follow an occult practitioner was absolutely not a good thing.
To think they were so happy just because they had prolonged their lives for a moment. The warriors did not even want to tell them what would happen to them ahead.
“Shut your mouths and get out.”
At the evil ghost mask’s rebuke, those who had been overjoyed immediately shut their mouths.
Of course, they were still grinning.
Thus the fifty-nine dragged carts and followed the procession that was collecting Galjeo’s corpse and the bodies of the dead down the mountain.
‘Why are they making faces like that?’
‘There is something there.’
Those going down could not know it, but the remaining two hundred boys, having roughly guessed the situation from the expressions of the red-belted warriors, felt relieved simply that they were not included among them.
While they were thinking that, the evil ghost mask spoke again.
“………”
“Your eyes are finally starting to look somewhat useful.”
The evil ghost mask spoke in a satisfied tone.
Naturally so.
The eyes of the boys were clearly different from the night before.
Before the iron-ball struggle they had seemed rather naive, but now, though every one of them was exhausted, their eyes had become nearly feral.
Once they had shed blood and struggled, they had grown savage.
‘It was worth the effort to select them.’
That was why Corpse Blood Valley could also be called, in another sense, a process of selection.
Among these, however, there was one who stood out particularly.
“………”
That was Mok Gyeong-un.
So much blood had splashed him that his clothes had turned dark red.
Yet while many of the other boys looked not merely worn but completely haggard and were still struggling to catch their breath, he alone seemed utterly calm.
Moreover, his expression, compared with the others, looked peculiarly at ease.
On the other hand,
-Parrrr!
the teammates around Mok Gyeong-un were giving him particularly nervous glances.
It was an attitude that seemed to avoid being near him.
‘They fear him.’
The evil ghost mask could guess at their reaction.
Ordinarily, if a group had successfully defended a flag through cooperation, one would expect to see trust among teammates.
Yet to see them fear him like that was unusual.
‘What did you do?’
He was curious.
But right now, he could not show particular interest in one single person alone.
The evil ghost mask continued speaking.
“Good. It is time for selection again.”
‘Selection?’
At the word selection, the expressions of the boys who had been feeling relieved grew confused.
Of course, that was not true of all of them.
Among the teams here and there, some secretly rejoiced as though they had already guessed this situation.
As that happened, the evil ghost mask pointed to the left and said,
“Those who grasped the true intent of the flag, move to the left.”
“The true intent?”
“What is he talking about?”
-Murmur, murmur!
The boys stirred.
Even so, some of them rose from their seats.
Then, wearing triumphant expressions, they moved to the left side.
Naturally, Mok Gyeong-un’s team did the same.
Some other teams, still not understanding anything, were about to think “to hell with it” and move to the left as well, but then,
“If you move just because others do, without even knowing what the true intent is, and are caught, you will be executed on the spot.”
-Flinch!
At that warning, they had no choice but to stop.
Thus once more the boys were split between left and right.
Out of the two hundred, eighty boys stood on the left and one hundred and twenty on the right.
‘What in the world is this true intent?’
‘So we did not actually pass?’
The one hundred and twenty boys on the right could not hide their unease.
That was because, from the moment the word selection had been used, they feared that if they did not pass here, they might die.
As that continued, the evil ghost mask looked at the boys remaining on the right and said,
“So this is as far as you lot go.”
“………”
“Still, be grateful. From this moment on, you have become lower-ranked warriors of the Heaven and Earth Society.”
‘!?’
At that declaration of the evil ghost mask, the boys’ eyes widened.
They had feared they would die because they had failed to pass the gate.
But this was an entirely unexpected result.
Still, because they had survived rather than died, some of them had their legs give out and collapsed onto the ground in relief.
“Haa…”
“W-we lived.”
Corpse Blood Valley was known as a place where most who entered came out as corpses.
The joy of having survived that place was overwhelming.
On the other hand, nearly half of them looked rather displeased.
And naturally so.
‘Damn it!’
‘Lower-ranked warriors?’
Most who entered Corpse Blood Valley were absolutely not aiming to become mere lower-ranked warriors.
Their purpose in risking their lives to pass the gates was to be chosen.
But they had failed in that.
‘Idiots.’
‘You viewed the test too simply.’
Watching them like this, the eighty who had grasped the true intent wore expressions tinged with mockery.
That was because they had earned the right to go higher.
At that moment, the evil ghost mask drew something from within his robes.
It was a silver token with the number two written on it.
‘Ah!’
The eyes of several people, including Yeom Ga of Crimson Kill Valley, lit up when they recognized it.
It was the token awarded to the top finisher of a gate.
‘Is he going to decide first place?’
If that was the case, then naturally it could not help but attract their attention.
They had already heard in advance that possessing such a token would become greatly advantageous toward the end.
But unlike the iron-ball struggle, this gate had no especially obvious way to distinguish superiority.
The only thing that could be pointed to was having discovered that there were two kinds of flags, but even then there were as many as eighty of them here.
‘How will he decide it?’
The evil ghost mask muttered,
“How should first place be decided? Shall I make it the one who memorized the formulas?”
At those words, several shoulders, including Yeom Ga’s, stirred.
Naturally so.
They had secured the two kinds of flags with formulas on them early on, and so they were among those who had succeeded in memorizing them in advance.
If that was the standard, they had confidence.
“Or shall I make it the one who can perform the formulas best?”
At the next muttering, some of those raised shoulders sank.
All night long these boys had been busy defending and stealing flags. Though they had barely managed to memorize the formulas, they had had no time to practice them.
That was equally true for Yeom Ga of Crimson Kill Valley and Yeon Mu-ung of Mirrored Scenery Gate.
They could perform the techniques according to the memorized formulas right away, but since it would be the first time, they could not be confident of doing it perfectly.
In truth, that would be true for anyone.
‘Still, the conditions are equal.’
If he told them to perform the techniques, they fully intended to try no matter what.
As they thought that, the evil ghost mask said,
“Good. We will do it this way, then. Is there anyone among you who can properly explain what the formula on the flag actually is?”
At that question, someone, as if waiting for it, raised his hand and leapt to his feet before anyone else.
-Pat!
“It is swordsmanship!”
At that shout, snorts burst out here and there.
Naturally so.
Anyone who had even looked at or memorized the formula could tell it was swordsmanship.
“You call that an answer?”
From the cold gaze of the evil ghost mask alone, the boy understood that he had blundered, and quietly sat back down.
At that moment, Yeom Ga of Crimson Kill Valley rose with his hand raised.
“It is a swift sword art in which offense and defense are unified as it targets the three vital centers and the six major vital points, and in which the changes in techniques vary richly depending on how it is used.”
‘Ah…’
At Yeom Ga’s explanation, Yeon Mu-ung of Mirrored Scenery Gate smacked his lips in regret.
The others felt the same.
He had accurately explained the characteristics of the sword art in a concise way.
No further explanation was needed.
‘How is that?’
Yeom Ga of Crimson Kill Valley wore a triumphant expression as he looked in turn at Mok Gyeong-un and Yeon Mu-ung of Mirrored Scenery Gate.
There was no need to look at Mo Ha-rang of Mo Hwa House, who was lying down receiving treatment.
He was convinced that this token was his.
The evil ghost mask opened his mouth.
“To have grasped that much amidst all this, you are fairly capable.”
‘Done.’
Yeom Ga of Crimson Kill Valley inwardly rejoiced.
Judging from the reaction of the evil ghost mask, what he had understood seemed to be correct to some extent.
An odd light appeared in Mok Yu-cheon’s eyes.
He had not spoken first because he had no particular greed for the top position.
But more than that,
‘He really does have a sharp eye for formulas.’
It was nearly identical to what he himself had judged.
Though the fellow was devious, his talent for martial matters truly did not seem inferior to Mok Yu-cheon’s own at all.
He became curious what level the bastard would be once the Forbidden Gate Lock was removed.
“Hmm.”
As this continued, the evil ghost mask cast a glance at the senior warrior of squad leader rank.
The senior warrior, in turn, nodded.
After all, these boys had already spent nearly three shichen fighting to the death over flags without resting or sleeping.
To have grasped this much alone was already remarkable enough.
The evil ghost mask extended the silver token and said,
“Very well. In this gate…”
He had not yet finished speaking.
“Isn’t it not merely swordsmanship but a sword formation?”
‘!?’
The evil ghost mask frowned and turned his head.
Who had just said that?
And it turned out that the one who had spoken was none other than Mok Gyeong-un.
‘Ha!’
At that, the evil ghost mask clicked his tongue in disbelief.
And naturally so.
Because this sword art’s forms were simple, one could not distinguish from the formula alone whether it could be unfolded as a sword formation or not.
At the very least, it was difficult to detect unless one was a swordsman who had reached a high realm with the sword.
Yet this blue-green brat had distinguished it from the formula alone?
‘Wh-what?’
Yeom Ga had inwardly sneered when the word sword formation suddenly came out of Mok Gyeong-un’s mouth.
But what in the world was this reaction from the evil ghost mask?