3
5.
Screams are rampant.
The weapon breaks, and the mound of earth dug up by the tension reveals its inner flesh.
Father Gyu-Hwan (阿鼻叫喚)
It is not otherwise described as a scene of utter chaos.
Those who were colleagues, competitors, and friends yesterday have become enemies today, pointing their swords at each other.
Jeongdohoe and Baekdohoe are divided, and Baekdohoe and the 12 Phoenixes keep each other in check, but in their daily lives, they are on good terms and exchange trivial jokes.
On days when we were in a good mood, someone would use their spare money to share drinks regardless of their affiliation.
Saying that he would defeat you someday, and that it would probably take three cycles of sixty years.
Then, to each other.
They try to kill each other.
They swing their swords at each other to avoid dying, and suffer deep injuries from the force of the projectiles fired.
I don’t remember how it started.
Why the fight broke out.
It is simply that each of them had gone through something bad, and upon returning, they were looking for the cause of the bad things in each other.
“Please stop!”
Warnings filled with Buddhist power
It rings out, but everyone just flinches and does not stop.
I didn’t know.
Realization is of no use in the face of life-threatening danger.
I found out.
The fact that he ended up drawing attention to himself instead.
I made all the arrows point at me.
There is a moment!
The attempt to somehow stop it resulted in inadvertently shifting the center of the battlefield.
The members of the Jeongdohoe, who were fighting a fierce battle against the Baekdohoe and the 12 Peaks, began to stand behind a corner.
In the clearly divided camp, one side shouts in panic.
“No! Gold Donor, why are you coming this way!”
“Monk Ilgak! If we do not drive them away now, we could all die.”
“No, what is this…! Get away!”
Does it even make sense to think that fellow students are fighting amongst themselves in the first place? Is there really no one who realizes just how critical this situation is right now, with the instructor absent?
The Jeongdohoe has united around Ilgak!
“Attack with a combined force!”
“Subdue them from the start!”
Ilgak and his companions, who had been observing the fight from the sidelines, suddenly found themselves at the center of the conflict. Ilgak, who did not wish to fight, had no choice but to raise his internal energy against his will. ‘To subdue them as quietly as possible…’ Any further escalation of the conflict at this point would only cause confusion among the people.
I had to subdue as many people as possible to calm them down and then resolve the situation.
Il-gak attempted to block the attack by unleashing the Twin Chain Technique toward the academy student rushing toward him.
but.
“Die, bald man!!!”
The act of momentarily relaxing actually causes tension to build up due to a certain word(?).
*Pow*…
It resulted in burying the academy student deep into the floor. ‘Oops!’ “Um, I mean…!”
“Cough!”
Ilgak was startled to see the student collapse while spitting up blood, and he tried to quickly explain the situation, but…
“Oh, you’re mistaken! This is because of Jin Si-ju, who usually teases me…….”
Those watching the scene gritted their teeth as if they could not hear a word.
“Even if he belongs to the Jeongdohoe, to think a Shaolin monk would go to such extremes…!”
“This proves it! This whole thing was clearly a scheme orchestrated by the Jeongdohoe to kill us!”
“No need to hold back anymore! Strike!”
Faced with the onslaught that followed like waves, Gak was too busy moving his hands to even have time to make excuses.
No matter how much of a difference there is in skill level, the opponents are, after all, fellow students at the academy.
The formation they were forming could not be easily subdued, even for a moment.
Of course, Jeongdohoe was not one to simply sit by and watch this happen either.
“Help Monk Ilgak!”
“How dare you underestimate Jeong Do-hoe!”
Having become the center of the conflict whether they wanted to or not, Il-gak had no choice but to tighten his grip. “N-this isn’t right!” With Il-gak joining the fray, the battle intensified, and the three-way conflict deepened into a clash between the Jeongdohoe and the other forces.
“Aaaargh! I’m going to kill you!”
“I will definitely kill you!”
The conversation, which initially consisted only of insults, gradually became filled with murderous intent, and the powerful killing intent flowing through the battlefield eventually led to a situation where they targeted the opponent’s vital points.
A desperate moment where you can neither do one thing nor the other.
What on earth are you doing, bald head!
The voice of the culprit who usually mocked him so much and caused him to lose his composure at a crucial moment was heard.
“Jin Siju?”
The voice, usually full of rebelliousness, shouts, filled with even more intensified emotion.
Do you think now is the time for us to fight amongst ourselves! Is that really all you are, bald head!
One side shook their head vigorously.
“Oh, you’re mistaken, Master Jin. I never.”
Then what on earth is going on?
What is this… …? Is it hearing my own voice? In the middle of this chaos?
There was no time to dwell on the doubts. The situation was far too critical to take a leisurely approach.
I tried to calm down and speak, but everyone couldn’t control their emotions…
It seems like you’re working too hard for that.
“B-but isn’t Master Jin watching? This isn’t a situation where we can listen just because someone tells us to…”
It’s not that he couldn’t stop her. The beating must have been too weak.
“What is that…….”
From a certain point, telepathic sounds were no longer heard.
Instead.
“Hey you sons of bitches!!!!”
A resounding lion’s roar echoed throughout the entire forest.
People’s gazes follow the sound upwards.
A man in black martial arts attire flew across the air and landed abruptly in the middle of the battlefield.
thud.
The students at the academy were not flustered by the sudden appearance of Jin So-un.
I just thought there was one more enemy.
However, the problem is… … .
“Jin So-un! I’ll kill you!”
“I’ll kill you!”
“Jin So-un! I won’t let you get away with this!”
All three factions are condemning Jin So-un as an enemy.
Upon witnessing that scene, Il-gak could not help but click his tongue. ‘Master Jin has been arrogant.’ Did he think the students would stop fighting if he appeared?
There are still so many people at the Murim Academy who refuse to even acknowledge him as their representative.
It is a bad move that Jin So-un appeared here.
It is clear that it would have been more advantageous for him to use his shrewdness if he had revealed himself after the fight had calmed down.
Whether he knew it or not, Jin So-un muttered with fierce eyes and a voice.
“Who are you going to kill?”
Jin So-un dodged the sword of the academy student who was trying to cut off his head and swung his sword immediately.
Pow!
Of course, it was a blow with the blade, but the sound was so loud that even the students rushing around were startled.
A few white teeth and blood bursting from the mouth.
However, Jin So-un’s actions did not end there.
“You’re going to kill me?”
puck!
Jin So-un kicked the student in the abdomen just as he was about to collapse, then began to beat him in the area where he felt the greatest pain.
Aaaaaaaah!
With pain as if bone were being torn apart and nerves ripped to shreds, the academy student collapsed, screaming a pain incomparable to that of being cut by a sword.
At that grim sight, the academy students who were rushing toward Jin So-un flinch and stop.
However, this time Jin So-un made the first move.
“How dare you try to kill me!!!”
The academy student, stunned by the sight of Jin So-un charging like a demon with a sword emitting a crimson light, tried to back away, but it was too late.
“Where are you running off to!”
bang!
The force of the upward strike to the abdomen was so great that the student was lifted into the air with suffocating pain.
Whoosh.
However, the body that was supposed to fly away like a cannonball was dragged back to Jin So-woon by the Flying Dragon Bird extending from Jin So-woon’s left hand.
“Cough! Ah, no!”
Two teeth flew off and were slammed into the floor by Jin So-woon’s fist as he slammed it down.
“You bastards!!! Is this the time for us to be fighting amongst ourselves!!!”
With a booming voice, the beating with a sword began.
Aaaaaaaah!
Likewise, a student screaming in pain so intense it feels like their nerves are burning, even more severe than when they are cut by a sword.
Before long, the fighting subsided, and people began to look at Jin So-woon.
“Uh, that’s Jin So-woon. Shouldn’t we subdue Jin So-woon?”
“……
You do it.
While they were shifting the blame onto one another, Jin So-un rushed at the next, third victim and began a brutal beating.
“Is this the time for us to be fighting amongst ourselves?!”
The third victim screamed as they greeted the Master.
“Is it right for us to fight amongst ourselves when we don’t even know what is happening in Mukrim!!!!”
Aaaaaaaah!
The fourth victim foamed at the mouth and fainted.
“Stop fighting!!! I said stop fighting!!!”
Ah, I understand!
Ughhhhhh!
The fifth victim even threw away their weapon and surrendered, but eventually lost two more teeth.
“Stop it, you bastards!!! This isn’t the time for us to be fighting amongst ourselves!!!”
“I, I quit! Since I quit, you, Jin So-un, too…”
Still the eyes(?)
“It’s so fierce, why are you telling me to stop!”
Ah, no!!
Aaaaaaaah!
It had already been a long time since the fight was halted by the successive agonizing screams of the people.
Jin So-un’s beating ended only after the eighth victim had appeared.
Soon, Jin So-un’s gaze turns toward the bald head, which is glistening with sweat.
“If you’re going to break up a fight, you have to do it properly.”
“…….”
As Ilgak watched him come over and vent his frustrations, he thought, “Namu Amida Butsu…” He felt extremely confused as to whether the beating just moments ago was truly intended to break up the fight, or if it was merely a simple act of venting anger. #The encampment, filled with chaos where everyone was trying to kill one another.
The first information I heard after barely(?) stopping them was pessimistic.
“You mean the instructors didn’t come?”
We also looked for the instructors as soon as we arrived, but we couldn’t find them. We even asked those who arrived at the base first, but they said they hadn’t seen the instructors either.
My concerns deepen over what some people say.
I didn’t see the instructors’ bodies on the way here, so I was sure they would be at the base…
Where on earth did he go? Surely he didn’t die?
However, there was no time to think it over leisurely.
Because there was more pessimistic information.
The second piece of pessimistic information was about the red light that erupted in Mukrim.
So you’re saying it was a surprise attack?
And that was done to a human, not a monster.
Moreover, it is said that most of the squad members who fired the red signal flares have not yet arrived at the base.
It seems the fight escalated probably because of that.
“No, why?”
To think they’re fighting amongst themselves after even getting ambushed… No matter how I think about it, aren’t they out of their minds?
“A survivor testified that the attackers’ martial arts were exactly like those of Mount Hua…….”
Are you sure?
I couldn’t shake off my doubts even as I listened.
What reason would Hwasan, no, Jeong Do-hoe, have to attack the 12 Peaks from within Mukrim?
“We cannot know for sure. The sole survivor who returned alive has not yet woken up after collapsing, leaving only the words ‘petal.’”
Cheol-sun-jik, who was leaning against a rock, added without uncrossing his arms.
I shifted my gaze to him.
“Why were you just standing there?”
“If you are going to speak, you must make sure the other person can understand. Representative Jin.”
“If it were you, you could have easily stopped this fight.”
Cheol-sun-jik uncrosses his arms and shrugs his shoulders.
Because there was no reason to.
Why am I having such bad luck today?
Moreover, the Jeongdohoe might have wanted to take this opportunity to eliminate the Twelve Peaks. Of course, the way they finished it was a bit sloppy, though.
Jeong Do-hoe never had such a thought.
“If I were an executive of the Jeongdohoe, I would probably proceed with planning something like this without Venerable Ilgak.”
Because we won’t be able to communicate.
Why are even these kids trying to fight each other now?
Surely you don’t expect me to stop you again?
I raised my hand and stopped the two people.
“Let’s stop there. It’s not even certain yet…”
“If you look closely, the Jeongdohoe was the origin of the incident.”
“huh?”
“I heard that the Jeongdohoe set out to hunt spirits. Because of that, the curse of the spirits has spread, and isn’t it true that all beings in Mukrim are now trying to kill us?”
Jeong Do-hoe’s face contorts severely whenever Cheol-sun-jik’s cold words continue.
Hiding their own faults and eliminating political rivals—in a way, it might have been the best opportunity for Jeong Do-hoe.
The members of the Jeongdohoe, who were listening to our story from a distance, cursed and protested.
“What kind of bullshit is that!”
“What do we have to lose…!”
Unknown phenomena give rise to anxiety, and anxiety spreads and turns into anger.
The massive rage has turned into a blade, on the verge of piercing each other’s skin. ‘Is this what they want?’ I lack experience and am not accustomed to crises, but
On the contrary, in terms of combat power, he far surpasses ordinary warriors.
The fear of the encroaching unknown and a mind weakened by that fear will soon create a fictional enemy that does not exist.
“Hasn’t it already been proven that we have progressed to this stage? I must get out of this state quickly. If I do not resolve this sharply honed tension in some way, chaos will soon strike again.”
And then, unlike now, there will be those who die.
“If that happens, ‘it will be irreversible from then on.’ I cannot be fooled by such a petty trick.”
I took a deep breath.
“Stop itt
Everyone covers their ears in pain at the lion’s roar, which was heard with all their might.
“Stop it! Do you all want to get beaten up!”
I need to solve the problem quickly before I lose focus.
“Nothing has come out for certain yet. So do not jump to conclusions, and do what needs to be done first. Form a reconnaissance team, and have the rest of the personnel treat the wounded. Also, erect a wooden fence around the encampment.”
“You are framing Jeong Do-hoe as the culprit right now. Do you think we can just let this slide!”
Yeah, you must feel wronged. I understand how much you hate being treated like a criminal and getting glared at for something you didn’t even do.
Do you want to get beaten up like those guys earlier?
Oops, my inner thoughts and words got mixed up.
But it’s not important, so let’s just move on.
Do you think now is the right time to complain about being wronged? Think and act calmly, cool-headedly, and rationally!
“Calm and rational…?”
He had a look on his face that seemed to find it hard to understand, but he ignored it.
“Hurry up! The sun is already setting!”
Even those who had been hesitating to move began to act one by one as Il-gak and Cheol-sun-jik took action.
We haven’t let our guard down yet, but at least it’s much better than letting us point knives at each other.
As expected, we couldn’t even finish half of the assigned work, and eventually the sun set.
Those who went out on reconnaissance with the people of Namgwonmun returned without any significant results.
There were many things to think about, such as devising a plan for the future, searching for other survivors, and contacting the instructors, but my mind wouldn’t work easily. ‘I’m tired.’ I closed my eyes for a moment, as I hadn’t slept at all during the journey.
However, I suddenly came to my senses at the hand shaking my shoulder.
“Big Brother!”
“Huh? What’s up? No… what time is it?”
Outside the barracks, the sound of weapons clinking and screams was heard again.
“Are these bastards fighting again?”
I’m just going to absolutely destroy these damn bastards…
“That’s not it……. I am being attacked.”
“what?”
It’s a surprise attack.
Behind Eunho, whose eyes were trembling anxiously.
“Aaaaaaaah!!!!!!!!”
A desperate scream, incomparable to what had been heard during the day, rang out continuously.
