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Chapter 7: The Food of Gods

Clank.

Something cool and heavy brushed against my hand.

What is this?

“Guhh…”

With a shallow grunt, Gu Bong opened his eyes.

Had he lost consciousness? For how long? As Gu Bong hurriedly processed his thoughts, his eyes widened in shock.

He remembered.

He had been dragged here by Gu Yangcheong along with the clan members from the entrance. And… what happened next?

Faint memories turned his mind upside down.

Dizzy, Gu Bong struggled to survey his surroundings.

Where am I?

Clank.

“…!”

As he tried to move, a strange oppressive sensation flickered by.

Only then did Gu Bong grasp his own condition.

His eyes widened in realization.

“What the…!”

What is going on? Gu Bong panicked as he attempted to move.

“Ah, you’re awake.”

At the sound of the voice from in front, Gu Bong’s body froze.

It wasn’t a conscious decision.

It was more accurate to say his body had stiffened against its will.

Shhhh.

An unknown chill enveloped Gu Bong.

Just like that, his previously clear vision darkened.

Before long, thick black darkness descended.

It wasn’t truly dark; it was just that Gu Bong felt it that way.

A disgusting, nauseating sensation washed over him.

It was a feeling Gu Bong never wanted to recall again.

It wasn’t just the sensation he despised.

The one responsible for such feelings was singular in Gu Bong’s memory.

He loathed and feared that being to his core.

And now.

That being was standing right in front of him.

“How have you been?”

“…”

Shrouded in darkness, its features barely visible, Gu Bong could only tell that it rested its chin on something.

Just from seeing that, he already knew who it was.

Could he have been mistaken? This entity had been haunting his nightmares even now.

With reluctance, Gu Bong voiced his suppressed words.

“…Black Clan Leader.”

At the sound of those words, the darkness shifted slightly. Although its expression was hidden, Gu Bong could sense it was smiling from the subtle movement of its shoulders.

“Black Night.”

“…”

“How have you been?”

At the dark figure’s words, Gu Bong’s face contorted.

“…I want to ask what you’re doing right now.”

“What do you mean, ‘what am I doing’? Isn’t it normal for a father to see his son?”

“…Father…. Father….”

Those unfamiliar, heavy words made Gu Bong chuckle wryly.

“That’s not even funny.”

“Black Night.”

“Don’t call me that.”

Clank.

Gu Bong mustered his strength.

He tried to free himself from the handcuffs binding his hands, but it wasn’t easy.

‘…Is it Yosuk (擾石)?’

It seemed the handcuffs were indeed made of Yosuk. The harder he tried to force them off, the weaker his strength felt.

“It’s pointless. You don’t need to waste your strength unnecessarily; how about you calm down?”

“…”

At the darkness’s words, Gu Bong bit his lip and relaxed his muscles.

As it turned out, it was a meaningless endeavor.

It was Yosuk, after all.

There were very few beings capable of breaking Yosuk with sheer strength.

And Gu Bong was not among those few.

Resigning himself, Gu Bong spoke up.

“…Why have you brought me here?”

For what purpose had he been captured? That was what perplexed Gu Bong.

“Didn’t you leave me here just fine?”

It had been dozens of years. He had stubbornly lived his life in Hwasan.

What reason was there now to seek him out?

Gu Bong simply could not understand.

Just as those questions began to sprout.

“Did something happen to your older brother?”

Gu Bong asked cautiously.

“So if that’s why you brought me back…”

“You’re still delusional, just as you were then.”

As soon as he uttered his words, Gu Bong’s mouth snapped shut. The darkness’s force compelled his actions.

“Guh….”

Under the overwhelming pressure, Gu Bong gritted his teeth.

He desperately tried to escape, but it was not easy.

‘Still…’

Even after all that time had passed, was the gap still this wide?

Could he still be unable to move even slightly in front of it?

“Black Night.”

“…Don’t… don’t call me that.”

As Gu Bong gritted his teeth and spoke, the darkness nodded.

“If that’s how you wish it, fine. But, regrettably, your wish will not come true.”

Drrrrrr-!

With that statement, the things within began to tremble violently.

“Even now, your brother is sturdy, and for that reason, he wouldn’t call for you again.”

“…”

Those words were as firm as they came.

It was something he had longed for, yet hearing it made Gu Bong feel sick inside.

“Do we seem so weak that we’d call back a loser who ran away from the clan?”

“…Then what on earth did you bring me here for?”

Clank-!! Gu Bong leaned forward, glaring at the darkness.

“Just as before, it would have been better to disregard me. Why drag me all the way here?”

As Gu Bong displayed his animosity, the darkness slowly stood up.

Fwaaaaaaa.

The closer the darkness came, the more Gu Bong’s eyes trembled.

“That is true. I didn’t care what you did.”

He smelled something burning from somewhere. No, it might not be the smell of burning.

It seemed his senses were strangely distorted.

“I ignored your pitiful struggles because you fled so desperately. Did you enjoy your failure? The loser’s life?”

“…I….”

“I had overlooked your childish antics, but it seems events have unfolded.”

Coarse and rough, the dark voice tightened around Gu Bong’s body.

“The White Family’s fool has met with disaster. Have you heard about it?”

“…”

He had heard. How could he not? It had been the talk of the town just yesterday.

It was said that Baek Wol, the leader of the White Family, had been severely injured in an ambush.

“The culprit of the ambush was said to be a werewolf with black fur.”

“…!”

At those words, Gu Bong’s breath caught, and his eyes widened.

Only after hearing that did he begin to understand why he had been dragged here.

“Also, I heard that you had an incident with that foolish one’s child.”

The darkness slowly knelt down.

“So I thought, perhaps…”

Suuuuhhh!

A hand made of energy reached toward Gu Bong’s chin,

Morphing the shape like a hand, it lifted his chin up.

“It was a foolish hope.”

“…You wished… you wished for me to be that culprit?”

“It would be odd to say I wished for it. I had no great expectations of you; it was just a mere possibility.”

“…”

“One.”

The hand that had been gripping his chin released its hold.

“It’s meaningless now.”

The faint interest in the voice faded away.

It was instantaneous. The moment it realized Gu Bong was not the culprit, it had changed just like that.

It was cruel. After all that time, how could that being remain unchanged?

“…How can you still be the same?”

Gu Bong spat out with a tremor in his voice.

“Since you tried to kill me, you haven’t changed at all.”

At his resigned words, the darkness tilted its head.

“You were the one who ran away first.”

“That’s true… It was me. I wanted to escape this damnable den. That’s why I fled.”

Gu Bong lifted his lowered head and looked at the darkness.

“And now, I can only think that my choice back then was the right one.”

Seeing his reflection, Gu Bong was confident that his choice had been just.

Yet, as he spoke those words,

“Hmm.”

The darkness merely responded with a nonchalant tone.

“Seems you act as if your choice was made by you.”

“Then you’re implying you made the choice for me?”

“You’re still mistaken.”

The darkness chuckled lowly.

“It’s only natural, isn’t it? Do you think what happened was solely a result of your own choices?”

“…What do you mean?”

“Do you truly believe you escaped by sheer luck?”

“…”

“Being able to enter that foolish place called Hwasan, and even the fact that you are breathing now, is all something I allowed.”

“Such nonsense…!”

“Isn’t the fact that you’re alive and breathing proof of that?”

Clack-!

Gu Bong gritted his teeth.

He couldn’t deny that he was astounded by that claim.

Having been in this realm of power more than anyone else, he instinctively knew the darkness’s words held truth.

“If I wished, I could erase it all at any moment. If I wanted, I could eliminate the very master you place your trust in.”

At the darkness’s words, fire ignited in Gu Bong’s eyes.

“What did you just say?”

Clank.

Veins bulged in the arms bound by the handcuffs.

“Hm.”

The darkness’s eyes narrowed as it observed that sight.

“Your gaze is quite irksome.”

“What are you planning to do to the Sect Leader?”

Clank-! Clank-!

Pouring all his strength into breaking the handcuffs felt almost futile. Although they appeared unyielding, Gu Bong continued to struggle against them.

He didn’t care if his arms broke.

Seeing that, the darkness took an interest for a moment.

“Before your father now, it seems that master of yours is of greater importance.”

“Never once did I think of you as my father.”

Gu Bong’s expression contorted with anger. Pain and rage surged within him.

“Since the moment I met that man in the forest after fleeing, you have never been my father.”

“Hmm.”

The darkness nodded as it considered his words.

Was it an acknowledgment? No, it was recognizing a thought it had been contemplating.

“Of all things, it seems you chose to ruin your own life after being spared.”

In that moment.

Bam-!

“Guh!!”

The energy tightened its grip around Gu Bong’s neck and lifted him into the air.

“It’s fine. Now that I’ve confirmed it, it serves no purpose.”

“Guhh… Ugh.”

“I wanted to grant you mercy by letting you go quietly, but given your attitude, that seems impractical.”

“Guhh… kuh….”

Sadly, the handcuffs still remained as they were.

While they might have been weakened somewhat, Gu Bong felt that, at this rate, he’d break before the handcuffs did.

“My son. Earlier, you asked…”

The darkness spoke as it looked at Gu Bong.

“Did something happen to your brother?”

“…Kuh….”

“If there was a problem, it wouldn’t be about finding you. You hold no value in that regard.”

“…”

Something sharp pierced through his heart.

It was a truth he had long known, but the reminder struck hard.

And then.

“Your brother might have gone to the one you brought along.”

“…What…?”

At the darkness’s words, Gu Bong trembled.

“…What… does that mean…?”

“Am I right to think a lot may have transpired by now?”

“Guhhh…!!”

The news of a potential problem with Gu Yangcheong sent Gu Bong into a panic.

He knew his strength, but this was the darkness’s domain.

If something happened to Gu Yangcheong…

“I wouldn’t have the face to see the Sect Leader.”

It was the one the Sect Leader had awaited for so long.

Regardless of his personal feelings, he couldn’t allow that to happen.

“Guhhhh!!”

With all his might, Gu Bong strained against the bonds.

Every hair on his body stood on end. It was as if he were in a desperate struggle.

“Didn’t I say? It’s a futile effort—”

At that moment, as he ground his teeth and exerted his strength.

Crack-!

“Hmm?”

The handcuffs binding Gu Bong shattered.

The darkness’s eyes widened in surprise.

He broke the Yosuk handcuffs?

“Ho.”

The darkness observed his offspring with newfound interest.

“That was unexpected.”

“…Grrr!”

Showing his teeth, Gu Bong lunged for the darkness.

At that, the darkness also began to stir.

Just like before, its energy transformed into a physical form.

It seemed he was prepared to immobilize Gu Bong’s limbs.

As it launched its arm toward Gu Bong’s shoulder,

– Is this it? Seems correct, this could work here.

A voice echoed from somewhere.

Bam-!

Suddenly, from beyond the dark haze, a hand broke through.

“…Mus-.”

As the darkness was caught off guard…

The intruding hand quickly moved to seize the darkness’s face.

And then.

Crash-!

Bam-!!!

With the darkness’s face firmly grasped, it was slammed against the wall.

“…Grr… what?”

Even Gu Bong, who had been growling so angrily, was momentarily frozen by the unexpected situation.

“There you are! Oh, I was searching for a long time. Why are you hiding so well? It’s frustrating!”

Gu Yangcheong burst through the territory.

For some reason, he was covered in blood from head to toe. Strangely, it didn’t seem like he was injured.

Moreover, in one hand, he was holding someone’s hair.

“…”

Was that person still alive? They hung limply, showing no signs of movement.

To make matters worse, something was dripping down.

It was clearly a strange state.

What is that? Gu Bong squinted at the oddly familiar shape.

And not long after, he realized.

“That….”

With black hair, black ears, and black fur.

That familiar form was…

His own brother!

Although the face wasn’t clear, it certainly seemed to match.

“…”

What on earth is happening…?

Gu Bong found himself frozen, staring at the scene in disbelief.

At that moment.

“Hey. You there.”

Gu Yangcheong waved happily at Gu Bong.

The problem was that he was holding something in both hands.

“…”

With every wave, the bloody mass of his brother lifted and swayed along with it, while their father lay buried against the wall, courtesy of Gu Yangcheong.

To put it bluntly.

“…This is chaos.”

That was the only suitable word for it.

Indeed, it was chaos of the highest degree.

 

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