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**

It’s falling.

Into an endless abyss.

“Ugh?!”

I immediately turned around and grabbed Yeon Guang, who was screaming.

I need to slow down the falling speed. But I can’t use my internal energy.

What can I do with a purely human body…

“…….!”

The air changed.

I felt the energy at my fingertips beginning to pulse to life.

As the very location shifted, I was able to channel my internal energy through my fingertips.

Am I out of the influence of Fengma Cave entirely?

Now is not the time for idle thoughts.

“Relax your body!”

“Y-yes?!”

I gathered strength into my legs and focused, peering ahead.

It was a bit far, but close enough. I stowed my sword and readied Yeon Guang’s sword.

“B-brother?!”

Though it consumed an enormous amount of energy, it allowed me to strike the air with the altered form of the Ghostly Spirit Step.

**Ghostly Spirit Step – Wall**

—Bang!

As my body struck the air, I was getting closer to the cliff. I immediately drove my sword into that wall.

—Kakakakakakakakak!!!

The weight of my subordinate was endlessly pushing me over. The sword wedged in the wall clattered as if it was about to break.

Not just one, but the weight of two people.

Yeon Guang was horrified.

“W-what… how is this possible…?!”

I channeled more energy. Focusing not on sharpening it but merely on reinforcing the sword, I looked down.

Those relatively close to the wall were all struggling like us, blood stained on their bodies as they desperately tried to cling to the cliff.

However, those who couldn’t think in time were endlessly rolling down below.

“AAAAAAAH!!!”

The screams above me were quickly growing closer.

Knowing who the owner of that voice was, I rushed to extend my hand.

“Yeon Guang! Hold onto my body tight!”

“Y-yes!”

With my remaining hand, I grabbed the falling person.

The sword that had halted from the impact was pulled free, beginning to fall again.

“Ugh!!”

I infused energy into my body and twirled around, striking the air once more while cradling the fallen woman.

Once again, I drove the sword into the wall, scratching against the cliff forcefully. After sliding a considerable distance, I finally managed to stop my body.

“Th-thank you…”

“Can you support yourself with the sword?!”

“I’ll…I’ll try…!”

The determined woman, Seo Cho-hee, pulled out the sword. Channeling her energy, she lodged it into the wall.

It wobbled but still managed to stabilize her body. I issued the same command to Yeon Guang.

He barely crawled up and grabbed the sword. After taking a breath, I threw my body downward.

“B-bodyguard?!”

“Brother!”

We couldn’t hang on forever. It was best to check down below.

I adjusted my speed using the sword and my energy, not just falling but speeding down the cliff.

“What kind of movement is this…?!”

Dodging rocks that were crumbling down.

“Striking the air…?! What the…?!”

Snatching scattered weapons from mid-air.

“My gosh… what on earth is this?!”

—I rescued the thrashing people.

My reckless movements drained my energy at an alarming rate. But with the ground soon coming into view, it didn’t matter.

The abyss of despair seemed endless.

My feet touched the ground shortly after.

—Boom!

The pain was enough to make my feet throb. But since it wasn’t too fast, my body remained intact.

I immediately scanned my surroundings. Though I thought I’d descended quickly, there was one person who landed before me.

“…You.”

Eun Seol-ran.

She had already come down early, appearing to survey the area, and widened her eyes slightly upon seeing me.

“…You struggled to save yourself but came down to help others? Just like me?”

“…….”

“That’s a level not typical of a mere Twilight Gang member… are you perhaps…?”

—Boom!!

Dust fell between her and me.

Jin Wi-lyang, who had landed without being crushed, was panting heavily.

“What the… what’s going on all of a sudden…?!”

I lifted the fallen shadow fruits that couldn’t be gathered during the drop. The blood crow, which I had been unable to keep up with while falling, had come near and landed on my shoulder, preening itself.

“…What are you doing?”

Ignoring Jin Wi-lyang’s words, I spread out the scattered shadow fruits. Once I secured a minimal field of vision, I infused my voice with internal energy.

I shouted.

“Please come down from the bottom first! I’ll catch you!”

My resonating voice echoed over the collapsed ground.

Eun Seol-ran stood beside me.

“What are you thinking?”

“I’m planning to rescue them first. I’m a member of the Twilight Gang, after all.”

“…Hmm.”

Eun Seol-ran looked me over carefully.

She turned her head slightly.

“Let’s talk later.”

“If you have time. Will you help me?”

“With survivors from the Black Death Sect up above, there’s no reason not to help.”

People began to drop.

Eun Seol-ran and I stretched our legs.

“Brace your waist. The impact might be stronger than you think.”

…

One by one, we caught the falling people. The survivors gasped in thanks.

“Th-thank you for catching me.”

“Get yourself together.”

In truth, not many had died. Only two were those who hadn’t assessed the situation properly at the beginning and had fallen.

The rest had proven themselves, showcasing their skills as late-game warriors and bodyguards, surviving by their own means.

After confirming the last individual had fallen, I checked the total number.

46 individuals had been sucked in.

The survivors were…

Seven late-game warriors and 15 bodyguards.

Only two members of the Twilight Gang remained.

A total of 24.

Nearly half the members had been killed. Some who hadn’t been caught had been trampled.

“……”

Most survivors were from the Manma Clan. Excluding Seo Cho-hee, Yeon Guang, and Eun Seol-ran, all were late-game warriors of the Manma Clan.

The same went for the bodyguards. Naturally, aside from those aligned with Jin Wi-lyang, only five remained.

Jin Wi-lyang noticed the situation and let out a small laugh. Passing me, he reached out dramatically to Eun Seol-ran.

“It seems it’s time to set aside old feelings, Lady Eun. Shall we proceed together? How would we know what’s in store here?”

Eun Seol-ran spat at the ground.

“Stop clinging. Before I split your head open. The only reason I haven’t drawn my sword yet is that it’s not the time to shed blood.”

“Think forward.”

“I can think forward just fine without you…”

—Pat.

A sound was heard.

From the darkness.

People turned their heads. I also looked ahead.

There was something in the darkness. Moving beyond the glow of the shadow fruit was an unknown figure.

A chilling sound rushed towards us. Once it entered the light of the shadow fruit, Jin Wi-lyang screamed.

“What is that?!”

It was a broken body, even without taking action.

It approached us like a beast, its dried blood and head twisted grotesquely.

Jin Wi-lyang extended his sword, slashing it effortlessly.

The torso that fell with a thud continued thrashing madly, still crawling towards him.

“What the…?!”

Only after he pinned its head did its body finally stop. Yet, it wasn’t over; more beings of indeterminate form began to gather.

It felt like only the souls were inside their corpses. I drew my sword.

The direction was the same.

I hurled my sword at the body charging at me.

—Squelch!

As the sword punctured its neck, it felt somewhat off. It wasn’t like a regular human body; I met some resistance despite pouring energy into it.

A tough skin… and even tougher bones.

Only with an extra push could I completely sever its neck. The sharp claws that had been flailing in the air stopped only after grazing my nose.

Cheongeop began to move within me.

That meant one thing.

“Their claws are poisoned!”

That wasn’t all. For a moment, my internal energy felt disrupted.

It felt as if a strange force, not of energy, shook my very being…?

“Fall back! Now!”

Eun Seol-ran drew her sword. The moment the demonic energy rushed at her, she swung her sword.

A giant form seemed to settle behind her. Unsure if I saw it wrong, I turned my head, but it was definitely a shape resembling a bear’s hide.

**Yi-hyeong Ki.**

An embodiment of internal energy, crafting what doesn’t exist.

Eun Seol-ran has already reached the Huaxing stage…?

But it seemed incomplete, as she was breathing heavily. She twirled her sword, then fiercely slashed it horizontally.

Her sword, taught by Sma, unleashed claw marks unbelievable for a human hand.

—Kwadudududuk!!!!

The sliced bodies shattered en masse. In a single strike, dozens of corpses were cleaved in an instant.

The enemy’s formation was shattered. Mangled body parts flew in all directions, and visibility widened.

Taking advantage of the gap created, Eun Seol-ran dropped to one knee.

“Everyone, jump!”

An arrow had momentarily opened.

The first to leap was Jin Wi-lyang.

“Get out of the way!!”

He pushed away everything that blocked his path and vanished into the darkness behind him. The bodyguards from the Manma Clan followed closely.

“B-brother…!”

“Go!”

I was about to follow right away. But just as I was about to leap, Eun Seol-ran spat blood.

“Inside what we cut… something is mixed… what is this…?!”

The backlash of internal energy.

I immediately grabbed Eun Seol-ran’s waist. Balancing her unsteady body on my back, I pursued the others toward the back.

I heard sounds of mud splattering behind us. The sticky ground was slowing my feet.

—Thud.

Suddenly, something popped up in front of me.

The hand of a broken corpse.

As I was grabbed, I swiftly kicked it away. But suddenly, dozens of arms sprang up from the ground, blocking my way.

“What the…?!”

“W-what’s going on?! Let go of me?!”

“Please stay still! Senior!”

“Senior?! Are you serious…?!”

I quickly changed direction. I had to break apart from those holding the shadow fruit and step where there were fewer obstructions.

In the distance, I saw Yeon Guang and Seo Cho-hee opening their mouths. But I shook my head.

With all my might, I shouted.

“Keep running!”

The moving corpses began rushing toward us. Accidentally becoming bait, I kept my feet moving.

How far had I fled?

Before my narrowing vision, something loomed ahead. It wasn’t just a wall; it was covered in metal as well.

An unknown structure appeared in an unknown underground.

A chilling sound approached from behind. I couldn’t tell how many were coming; I had to find a place to hide.

I quickly searched for an entrance and found a doorknob. Turning it, I dove inside.

I closed the door.

The sound of metal scraping echoed from behind me.

Using whatever tools were nearby, I barricaded the door. The strength of the metal door was incredibly high; the sounds of the corpses scratching eventually faded to somewhere else.

Finally, a quiet place. My back slipped against the wall.

However, Eun Seol-ran, who was still on my back, reached out toward me, as if to say it was just the beginning.

“…Hey.”

Her face was caught.

The Infinitely Attached Form was forcibly pulled apart.

Eun Seol-ran growled.

“Can you explain why you’re here? Jeok-un, junior?”

“…….”

I awkwardly averted my gaze.

 

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