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**

“…….”

My feet touched the ground. The mist had completely vanished.

I instinctively crouched down. After glancing around, I began to check my condition.

Touch, sight, smell, hearing.

Finally, I spit out the sand that had left my mouth bitter and confirmed my taste.

Nothing strange. Didn’t Ilma teach me? No matter how dire the situation…

As long as my body is intact, I can do anything.

I unsheathed my sword and stared ahead. Before me lay a complicated maze with intertwining paths.

Just a blade’s length in front split into multiple directions. The split paths would again split, continuing the cycle.

“…Yeon Guang?”

I called out for him. But there was no response.

It was eerily quiet, as if I were the only one here.

—Caw.

I heard a faint sound. The Blood Sparrow, which had silently hidden in my bag, flew to me.

I welcomed it onto my shoulder. The chirping bird rubbed its face against my cheek before nesting in my arms.

Thank goodness for that.

At least I’m not completely alone.

I fastened my sword back at my waist. I rummaged through my belongings to check what I had.

Food… none.

I had no tools either. It was a relief I had at least a spark. After opening the lid of the fire starter and confirming the flame was still lit, I moved on.

The interior was bright. The glowing night jewels assisted me in surveying my surroundings.

Strong mist. Madness in its suction.

I recalled the mist. It was a rampage that seemed to devour everything around it.

Was that… normal?

No, it wasn’t. Think about it. When the Fokma Clan Leader entered, wasn’t it less noisy than that?

Yeon Guang changed once he stepped inside.

As if everything had warped.

Perhaps… it wasn’t Yeon Guang’s actions but something else that served as the catalyst.

It was a situation that could only be confirmed by seeing with my own eyes.

“…….”

I walked, pressing my body tightly against the wall, moving forward.

Nothing emerged from the labyrinth. However, soon I found torn cloth and various items lying within it.

It seemed like I had been thrown in here, like many others, as a result of the powerful suction.

Among the numerous burdens, I was able to find what looked like mine. Despite most being torn to shreds, mine remained in good shape.

Was the leather just that good? The item Ilma had given me looked expensive at first glance.

I examined the contents. The items were also intact. I gathered as much food and clothing as I could from the scattered remains and stuffed them into my bag.

The Blood Sparrow naturally nestled inside, chirping while settling into a comfortable spot.

I decided to eat first. I sat down briefly to regain my strength.

During that time, I noticed something.

“…….”

In my somewhat dulled senses, I had overlooked it.

I raised my hand and summoned life energy.

Sparkling fragments of aura like stars. However, they scattered the moment I conjured them.

…Vitality.

There was something in this space that obstructed it.

“…Huh.”

I raised my hand.

Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique

First Form.

Ilma.

With a powerful fist strike, I smashed the wall. But instead of breaking, it resonated with a painful sound that echoed all around.

My vitality was absorbed. It felt like I had hit the wall with my bare fist. Furthermore, before I could even extend my hand, all my vitality scattered away.

“…Hah!”

What kind of absurdity is this?

A formation that completely blocks the vitality of those who enter?

“AAAAAAAH!!!!”

I turned my head. The scream echoed from a distance.

I hastily propelled myself forward.

“Ah… ah…”

I arrived at a scene already drenched in blood. A man lay on the ground, and a woman sat nearby.

The man, whose shoulder had been completely torn, was already dead. Only the woman remained, clutching her arm.

I tried to approach, but the woman pointed her sword at me.

“D-D-Don’t come any closer!”

Her arm was trembling. Does she mistake me for an enemy?

I cautiously maintained my distance and lowered my voice.

“Lady So. It’s okay. I’m just here to help.”

“Ah, you said the same thing earlier… you approached like that… Ah, you suddenly attacked… I-I don’t trust you… Please go away! Go…!”

I ducked my head.

The sword aimed at my back missed by inches.

“Did you just dodge that?!”

I immediately retreated. The outfit she wore was that of a bodyguard.

But her face was entirely unfamiliar. The clothes were surprisingly neat, yet her face seemed dirtied.

“…Who are you?”

“Hah! What kind of madman are you?! A master! You! You’re different from those pathetic fellows lying down!”

The man bared his teeth. He twirled the sword he held.

“But even if you are a master, it won’t matter! Anyone stabbed in this space dies! You fool! And I…”

Behind the man, five ragged men appeared.

“Do you look like you can handle this alone? Even if you fly out there, you’re just prey in here! Just offer your neck! I’ll put you out of your misery!”

“……”

I dropped my burdens. I drew my sword.

The man charged at me.

“You really want to drink poison, huh? Very well! I’ll oblige you!”

The sword sliced through. He acted like he was used to this space.

Why is it that there are so many things preventing me from using my vitality during this journey? But it didn’t matter.

What I honed wasn’t just my martial arts.

Thanks to Ilma’s advice, I had developed a sturdy foundation.

A solid pillar to withstand everything.

External energy.

Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique

Second Form.

Dan Hoon Choo.

The sword gripped tightly made a creaking sound. The force behind my grip dug into the hilt without any vitality.

Just pure external force. It was my trained muscles and thickened skin.

—Crack.

“Uh?”

With the man’s last gasp, the corpse split apart. The laughter of the ragged men faded away.

I kicked the severed body aside. I cleared the blade of the remnants with both hands.

“I’ll ask you one more time.”

Having bared my fangs, I had no intention of sparing them.

After all, someday these guys would come for my neck.

I only deal with beasts as a beast does.

“Who are you?”

“Killllllll!!!”

All at once, more than five swords flew at me.

I cut them all apart.

To the last one.

“What the…?!”

I seized the last remaining man’s neck and threw him. I pinned his severed hand against the wall with my foot.

“Answer my question.”

The distorted face of the man gurgled. His frenzied eyes grazed around for an escape, finally whispering quietly.

“Th-they… they…”

I leaned in closer.

The lifeless eyes of the thug, which had relaxed, suddenly sharpened.

“Welcome to hell…!”

I swiftly cut off his hand. I slashed his throat after that.

I swiftly turned away from the gurgling screams. I retrieved my sword from the corpses and sheathed it away.

In the end, was there no information to be gained?

“Hiiih…!”

I crouched in front of the disheveled man who was crawling backward. I rummaged through the fallen burdens, pulling out bandages and medicine.

“Your wounds will worsen. Come here.”

I demonstratively placed my sword beside me. The gasping woman asked me.

“A-Are you… an ally?”

“Yes, it has only been an hour, so it might feel a bit unfamiliar. I was the last to arrive.”

“The last… to arrive… A-Ah! You were with Yeon Gong-ja…?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

Having finally recognized me, the anxiety of the woman eased. I diligently applied medicine to her arm.

“Fortunately, it’s not a serious wound.”

“Thank you…”

After she glanced at me cautiously, the woman introduced herself.

“I’m Seo Cho-hee from the Northern Gate of the Nachal Sect…”

“I’m Bi Cheon. Can I trust you?”

“Y-Yes… b-but… It’s strange, I can’t use my vitality…”

“I can’t either. It seems to be a characteristic of this space.”

Screams echoed again.

I lifted Seo Cho-hee.

“I’m going to rescue as many as I can. Because I’m a member of the Fokma Clan. What do you intend to do, Lady So?”

“I-I’ll accompany you. P-Please take me with you. B-Besides…”

Seo Cho-hee gazed down at the corpses.

“I feel safest beside you, warrior.”

“Then follow me.”

I stepped towards the screams.

…

I saved one of the cornered bodyguards.

“Thank you…!”

I severed the neck of the thug who was raping a woman.

“These beasts disguised as humans…!”

I swung my sword mercilessly.

The number of people kept increasing.

By the end, there were four bodyguards and one post-future person.

All shivered from cold and hunger, their bodies barely intact. I generously offered them food.

“Thank you! Warrior!”

“How can I ever repay you…?”

“Recover your strength first. Discussing debts can wait until after.”

The ground shook. I also heard the sound of the entire wall rattling.

A labyrinth. Not just a normal labyrinth.

After the noise came, retracing my steps, I found that the path that had once been open was now closed.

A strange space that periodically altered the walls.

In nearly three days, I killed over twenty thugs. As I rushed to the new scene dyed in blood, there was someone I had been searching for.

“Yeon Gong-ja.”

“Hyung! Are you alright?! Weird beings are mixed in here! They’re crazed dogs out for blood!”

“I know.”

Yeon Guang was holding a broken master’s sword. Had he managed to retrieve it somehow?

That was a relief.

I met the gaze of two people sitting in the expansive plaza.

One bodyguard and one post-future person. Among them was someone I recognized.

Eun Seol-ran, looking tired, approached me.

“You’re Bi Cheon from the Fokma Clan, right?”

“Yes. That’s correct.”

“Hmm…”

Eun Seol-ran’s suspicious eyes examined me. She quickly turned away.

“Bi Cheon. You may not know, but I’m Eun Seol-ran from the Nachal Sect. It appears you’ve brought those behind you?”

“Yes. That’s correct.”

“Did you encounter any thugs on the way here? There were many, but they weren’t actually that skilled. You understand, right?”

I nodded. That was true. Their skill wasn’t impressive.

The only factors that troubled me were their inability to use vitality and their overwhelming numbers.

Had they organized themselves systematically, we could have countered if it wasn’t a surprise attack.

“I tortured one of them. They are… traitors. They are the ones who committed crimes within the main sect and were caught. They are forced to do hard labor here, under the pretense of evaluating the potential of post-future individuals. If they refuse, horrific pain follows.”

“Are you saying these are things released by the main sect itself?”

“Yes. Of course, it wouldn’t have originally been so dangerous. If it had been organized, people wouldn’t have scattered like this. Under the command of the Fokma Clan, fifteen post-future individuals would have formed a line and moved together. The fear of not being able to use vitality. That was probably the trial of the first underground floor.”

“…First underground floor?”

“Look ahead.”

At first glance, it looked like an ordinary wall.

But something was different. The wall in front had four holes and a structure emitting unknown light above it.

A needle spinning in circles. It was now pointing down, slowly moving its position upward.

“…What is this?”

“When that rotating needle completes a full cycle, the structure of this maze will change. The paths that existed will vanish, and new paths will appear. The regular cycle is about half a day.”

I stared closely at the wall. I examined the words engraved on the structure.

[Search. Then it will open.]

It was a simple phrase. It likely meant I needed to find something to fit into the four holes within this area.

Half a day. If I couldn’t return in that time…

I might end up trapped in a continuously changing maze.

“Did you not find a separate exit?”

“None. Since we’ve come in, it appears we must inevitably face a trial. Even if there is an exit, we wouldn’t be able to find it since the paths are constantly mixing.”

“It seems we need to break through the front door. It’d be best to split our group and set off simultaneously. We need to retrieve something to slot into those holes within half a day…”

“I can handle that.”

“Yes?”

“I can sense it. The only aura that hasn’t scattered. That’s how I managed to find this place. Can’t you feel it?”

I couldn’t see it.

My senses weren’t all that keen.

“I can’t.”

“Really? That can happen. After all, I’m the only one who can see it here…”

“I-I can see it too.”

“…What?”

Eun Seol-ran twisted her head. Yeon Guang stepped forward.

“I can distinctly smell three auras. However, one is too faint to identify.”

“…Exactly. I can’t smell one of them either. Impressive. You managed to catch that?”

Eun Seol-ran chuckled.

“This makes things easier. Let’s split up to gather what we need, Bi Cheon. Shall we?”

“Of course, Lady Seol-ran.”

“Uh, by the way…”

Eun Seol-ran casually glanced at my back.

“Could you possibly share some food with us?”

“Take half.”

“…Huh? I didn’t mean to ask that much.”

“It’s fine. I can give as much as you need.”

“W-What?! What do you mean?”

I handed over half of the food supplies. We divided our numbers in half.

Seo Cho-hee stood firmly.

“I-I will go with you, warrior!”

“I want to go with hyung too!”

“I am the same!”

The bodyguards, along with Yeon Guang, raised their voices.

Eun Seol-ran stole a glance at me.

“Looks like I presented a rather reassuring demeanor?”

“…It just turned out that way.”

“Good. Much better than shouting that you aren’t going.”

Eun Seol-ran offered a warning.

“This is a trial. There will definitely be someone waiting in front of the items we need. The strongest among the traitors will likely be gathered. Can you win?”

“Yes.”

“We’ll regroup in half a day, and we’ll confirm the last clue all at once…”

Eun Seol-ran lowered her head slightly. She sniffed, taking in my scent.

“…Hmm.”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing. Go and return, Bi Cheon. Let’s see each other again alive.”

The needle accurately touched the top.

The entire maze quaked.

“Hurry! If you’re late, everything will be ruined.”

“It’s this way!”

Yeon Guang took the lead. We immediately dashed forward.

“Don’t run at full strength. Save stamina for the fights.”

“Yes!”

I tore off strips of cloth from the sword at intervals, tossing them as markers. As long as I had these, I could find my way back.

“Hehehe!”

“I found you! May you all die…!”

While running, I couldn’t even hide the noise. But I didn’t need to hide from the beginning.

I immediately drew my sword. I leapt ahead of Yeon Guang and put strength into the sword I grasped.

—Slash!

Blood sprayed. Simultaneously, the heads of the two victims soared into the air.

Yeon Guang was bewildered.

“W-What?! How can you move like that without being able to use vitality?!”

“Yeon Gong-ja! Bi Warrior is truly abnormal! Did you see that sword?!”

“I made the right choice sticking with you…”

“Enough chit-chat! Run!”

I repeatedly stained my sword with blood as I confronted the thugs.

Yeon Guang altered our direction.

“This way!”

At the end of the maze, a traitor raised his head. There were more of them than I had ever seen before, well over ten.

The large figure in the center cracked his neck. He placed the sword he had used to poke at the dead bodies on his shoulder.

“Back again, are you? My meal. Oh? There’s a woman mixed in? Perfect. Since the one I was playing with is dead, I guess it’s time to enjoy…!”

—ROAR!!

“Someone’s coming?!”

The attacking sword was blocked. But I immediately turned my body, slicing off the upper halves of two charging thugs.

Blood sprayed forth. I instantly readied my stance.

In an instant, losing two of their own, the traitors growled.

“Listen to me! You filthy beast! What kind of beast are you?!”

“……”

I lowered my gaze.

Amid the scattered corpses were familiar faces.

Among them were Fokma Clan members as well. While we hadn’t exchanged many words…

We had shared meals together.

All the corpses were in ruins. They had been mangled, as if twisted in a game.

Had they toyed with them out of boredom?

Among the bodies lying beneath the thugs were men, as well as naked women.

Their whole bodies glistened with a strange liquid. They looked thoroughly violated.

Even though they belonged to the already dead, it was clear that they had been violated multiple times after death.

Seeing that, I realized.

“Raise your swords.”

There was no more to discuss.

“At least if you want to die as humans.”

 

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