Chapter 7
**
“Who are you?”
“It’s okay. Third Brother. I am…”
“Who are you?”
He gasped for breath, lifting the corners of his mouth.
“When I first met Third Brother, I thought something. Even beyond the hood that is hard to see, I had a feeling that I could talk to this person somehow.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
“Third Brother, I was somewhat of an oddity even within the new sect. I had no abilities but was overly nosy. I entered the Magical Academy, but my grades were poor.”
Seongja Myung coughed up blood. In the midst of the coughing, blood and phlegm bubbled forth.
“If I can’t achieve greatness with the sword, then eventually, a divine being must lay down the sword. I should become a merchant, a farmer, or maybe even do some labor. Of course, I could make money. But it would be hard to feed three with just my earnings.”
“……”
“So, I ended up choosing this path after going around in circles. I barely passed and learned the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique. Though its depth is shallow, I’m ashamed to say I learned it at all, but at least I have the minimum qualification now. I fell into Demon Valley and now stand before you, Third Brother.”
Seongja Myung closed his eyes.
“Third Brother, can you hear the wind? My home was on high ground, even in barren places. Winters were cold. Do you know how bone-chilling the cold can be?”
“…I know.”
“Thank goodness. You haven’t shared anything about yourself, so I was a bit worried. I feared that if you were from a wealthy family, you might not understand what I’m saying. But thank goodness. If there is such a thing as coincidence, isn’t this it?”
Seongja Myung’s voice gradually grew quieter.
“Third Brother, are you there?”
“I’m here.”
“Third Brother, as I said before, you are a rare individual within the new sect. Perhaps that’s why I forced myself to speak. Do you know how much I searched for you holding the first snake I caught? Hahaha, of course, it’s not romantic. How could it be? I simply wanted to repay a kindness. While others would raise their swords when I approached, Third Brother’s attitude made me very happy. In this hellish place, to have someone with whom I can share my heart while chewing on poisoned meat… isn’t that truly a blessed thing?”
“……”
“Third Brother.”
“Yes.”
“Third Brother… are you there?”
“I’m here.”
I held his hand.
The tremor was slowly subsiding.
“Third Brother, this Demon Valley is truly a cold place. But I can’t hear the wind. What a pity. If only my soul could return home… but even that might not be possible.”
I took off my outer garment.
I draped it over him.
“…Puhuhuh. Third Brother, there’s no need to take it so seriously.”
“Who did this?”
“What does it matter? Third Brother. Since we entered this place, I’ve been expecting death. Whether I die in a year or now, it doesn’t make much difference. But… but…”
The grip in my hand tightened.
“I was so glad to have someone like Third Brother here. Do you know how rare it is to receive kindness in this new sect?”
“…I don’t know.”
“Then, from now on, you must understand. Third Brother. Humans are treacherous creatures. Don’t be deceived. Third Brother… Third Brother…”
He pulled me closer.
Whispering to my ear.
“Live… survive… for my sake.”
I opened my mouth. Closed it again and then opened it once more.
I closed it again. The corners of my mouth trembled slightly. But I didn’t want him to hear my wet voice, so I cleared my throat lightly.
“…Jaim.”
“…Yes… Third Brother…”
“My name is Jeok-un.”
“…Haha… that’s a wonderful… name…”
I whispered to him.
“I have a little sister. She starved to death. But I wasn’t particularly sad about it.”
“…I see…”
“If my parents had died, I would have reacted the same way. Jaim. To me, family was like shackles. When I bore that burden, I couldn’t even dare to breathe.”
“I… also… feel the same…”]
“Jaim. I respect you. You walked in here, bearing that heavy shackle on your head, as if it were nothing. What kind of warrior could do that?”
I felt his breath fading.
“I don’t regret telling you about the first day. You were someone worth sharing my story with.”
“……”
“Jaim. You may rest now. It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me, you don’t have to whisper anything.”
The hand I had been holding fell away.
The breath that had stopped did not resume.
I carefully laid him down. The ground was cold. Therefore, I laid my outer garment directly over him.
“It’s too low to hear the wind. Jaim. I’m sorry I couldn’t let you hear it. But…”
I placed the sword I wore at my waist over him.
“I will bring back other sounds.”
I turned my body.
I walked toward the darkness.
…
It was time for the roll call. The torch flickered past.
“Twenty-Nine. Thirty. Confirm survival.”
As always, Twenty-Nine rose from the ground. After the roll call finished, she immediately tried to rush into the forest.
But I blocked her way. I resolutely endured the gaze from beneath her black hood.
“Twenty-Nine.”
“What?”
“I have a request.”
I lowered my head.
“Do you happen to know who killed Seventeen?”
“…….”
She looked at me as if I were some strange beast, sweeping from head to toe.
“Thirty. People die. In Demon Valley, it’s even easier to die. It’s not strange for someone to die here. It’s common for arguments over a single snake to end with blades piercing each other.”
“…….”
“Whoever Seventeen was, if he’s dead, then forget it. It’s just a connection within Demon Valley. It’s stranger to worry about it.”
“He was a friend.”
“…….”
“Just because he’s dead, doesn’t change that fact.”
I lowered my head once more. For him, I would bow over and over again if necessary.
“If you could just tell me, I’d repay you in any form.”
“That’s not worth doing.”
“I decide its value.”
“No one will acknowledge it.”
“I will.”
She looked at me, staring deeply.
“…You’re stubborn.”
“I’ve heard that before.”
“Even if you understand, it’s pointless. You are not someone who can kill.”
“You know who it is, then.”
“It’s Lee Ho. It must be him. He often hunts humans. Just yesterday, he was covered in blood. Thirty. There’s something you don’t know in this Demon Valley.”
She nodded her head.
“Every beast within Demon Valley has some weak demon energy. If you eat it, it becomes blood and flesh. But that it has no effect once cooked. You must consume it raw.”
“…….”
“But that doesn’t only apply to beasts. This can also happen between people who have learned the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique. Of course, the condition is the same. You must eat them raw.”
…Now that I think about it, there wasn’t any left.
I couldn’t find any of the entrails that had spilled over, nor could I find his severed arm nearby.
“There’s a limit to what can be consumed at a time. The energy absorbed is just about one beast inside.”
One beast.
The weight of life.
“…Just that?”
“When you enter the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique, whether fast or slow, we inevitably encounter demonic nature. In the end, we become murderous fiends soaked in blood, and the only way to control that is to reach a high level. We all become numb to killing. You know that, right? That you can kill someone without any emotion at any moment.”
“…….”
“Lee Ho merely found pleasure in that action. He was stained with demonic nature faster than others, and as a result, he now finds pleasure in the act of murder. Lee Ho’s reputation is famous. Anyone who survives long here knows of him.”
“Thank you.”
“Just so you know.”
She crossed her arms. She looked up at me.
“Lee Ho’s martial arts level is close to top-tier. He’s not at the upper threshold of Blood Demon yet, but he’s not that low either. It’s impossible for someone at your level.”
“I’ll handle that myself.”
“…Tch.”
She left. Before she completely disappeared, I called out to her.
“I will repay this kindness.”
“No need.”
Twenty-Nine vanished into the darkness.
“If you provoke Lee Ho, chances for repayment will also vanish.”
…
Finding this Lee Ho wasn’t difficult. I remembered the number etched on his body. After the roll call ended, he moved, and I followed suit.
Now, I unfolded the Ghostly Spirit Step, which I had somewhat acclimated to with my feet. With my skills only just reaching the end of B-tier, I knew I had my limits, but I did my best to hide my presence.
Lee Ho turned his head. I concealed myself behind a tree.
He seemed to sense something and increased his speed. I didn’t press on to chase him.
Instead, I observed the footsteps he left behind. The speed he began to show had a consistent pattern to it.
The stability that I couldn’t imitate. She was right.
He was at least top-tier.
Someone around there.
Could I win? Probably not. Just from seeing his Ghostly Spirit Step, I could tell. His movement was stable, so his physique was probably solid as well.
Unlike me, he might even be able to use the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Sword. If he had acquired the parts I couldn’t learn, how should I respond?
I pondered. I wanted to kill him. At the very least, I wanted to drag his screams before the corpse of Seongja Myung before the beasts could tear into it.
How much more effort would I need to win against him in my current state of growth?
As much as I tried, he would be putting in efforts too. At the moment I got close to being top-tier, he might reach the peak wall.
The gap that had opened would be maintained over time. I wasn’t a genius enough to confidently believe I could catch up in that short period.
…But.
The more I think, the more excuses I rack up.
I didn’t come here to roll around making excuses.
I chased after the footsteps. I put aside all thoughts. I simply followed my heart.
I spotted Lee Ho.
His returning gaze. Hands drawing out in reaction to my intent to kill.
“Live… survive… for my sake.”
You’re right.
I didn’t come here to die.
I want to be like Heavenly Demon. I want to live long enough to face her with the same eyes.
…But.
If all of that can only be accumulated by turning my back and running away…
Then what meaning does it all have?
If I turn my head proudly now, what meaning will the path I’ve walked have?
—Pah!
I struck out my hand. The technique of Ilma that I had trained for months clung to my fingertips.
But the enemy deflected my attack with ease. The new model slipped and questioned me.
“What the hell are you doing?”
Shout. Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique.
If my opponent is strong, I must cry out even louder. Even if I end up a wreck, I must tear through.
Patience shines in suffering. Then what is it that must make me shine in this moment?
The kindness of a friend.
The silence of someone who worried for my safety until the moment of death.
“Friend of Seongja Myung.”
Why did I learn martial arts?
I…
“I am Jeok-un.”
I learned martial arts to live.
“You bastard.”
