Chapter 102

Chapter 102

Muyeon followed Youngho, who was moving while hiding within the shadows, and thought to himself.

‘What is he thinking?’

There was no need for Youngho to conceal himself as he moved. The current situation was overwhelmingly in their favor.

Yet there was something cautious about Youngho’s demeanor. The prudence Muyeon sensed from the way Youngho moved in secrecy told him that something was amiss.

Youngho and Muyeon were descending underground through the Secret Passage that Sang Gwang had hidden away.

Soon, as a wall blocked their path, Youngho gradually slowed before coming to a stop.

“Muyeon.”

“Y-Yes.”

Muyeon immediately understood why Youngho had called him and activated the Mechanism.

Originally, a Mechanism could only be operated by someone who knew how to use it. If it was not activated in the proper way, it would fail due to some form of malfunction.

Yet Muyeon, as if shattering such common sense, activated the Mechanism before him in less than One Dakyung.

It meant that his level of understanding regarding Mechanisms was unmatched.

With a satisfied smile, Youngho waited for the wall blocking their path to completely disappear.

Then Muyeon exclaimed in shock.

“Huh?”

Dozens of children were imprisoned in a structure resembling an Underground Prison.

Before Muyeon could fully process his confusion, Youngho let out a scoff, as if dumbfounded.

“A master in the Transformation Realm is reduced to human trafficking?”

Something was off. No matter what, Sahyeon Sect was still one of the Demonic Cult’s hands and feet. Yet they had hidden these children so carelessly—and all for something as petty as human trafficking?

“There’s a stench to this….”

Realizing that the children were staring at him with frightened eyes, Youngho nodded and spoke.

“Do not worry. I have come to set you free.”

Despite his gentle tone, the children’s wariness did not fade. Unbothered, Youngho turned to Muyeon and said,

“Check their bodies for anything abnormal and take them to the Unorthodox Alliance.”

“You’re taking them personally?”

“No. I’ll call someone.”

Muyeon nodded and concealed himself within the shadows.

Youngho approached one of the children and spoke.

“Child, hold out your wrist.”

The child hesitated, glancing nervously at Youngho before finally offering his wrist.

Placing his fingers upon it, Youngho examined the child’s body in detail.

‘This is…?’

It was clearly the body of an ordinary child. Yet Youngho’s instincts warned him. It was dangerous—if not removed quickly, it would become a threat.

‘What in the world is inside them?’

If even he could not detect it, could anyone else truly perceive it?

After a brief moment of thought, Youngho let out a faint chuckle.

“At the very least, I can determine their condition.”

With ease, he snapped the bars of the Underground Prison and said,

“Come out one by one. I will take you away from here.”

The children stared at him with wide, astonished eyes. Seeing that Youngho was already walking ahead, they hurriedly began to step out of the Underground Prison.

Vitality returned to their once lifeless pupils, and smiles gradually formed on their lips.

The moment they stepped outside, the long-unseen light made them reflexively squeeze their eyes shut.

“Keep your eyes closed for a moment. You must have been in the dark for too long.”

Following Youngho’s instruction, the children closed their eyes briefly. Soon, his voice rang out again.

“You may open them now.”

The children slowly opened their eyes.

“Ah.”

A soft exclamation escaped them, and tears began to stream down their faces. It had been so long since they had seen light—so long since warm sunlight had embraced them.

“Young Master.”

Even though Jongpal, drenched in blood, approached Youngho, the children were too absorbed in the long-awaited light to notice him.

“Is it finished?”

“Yes. As you instructed, we subdued those we could. The rest… we killed.”

Jongpal glanced at the children behind Youngho.

“There are children?”

“I’m taking them to the Unorthodox Alliance.”

“What? Must we?”

“There’s a reason. This isn’t an act of charity.”

“If you say so….”

KWAANG—!

At the sudden explosive roar, Jongpal whipped his head toward the sound. Youngho, wearing an unconcerned expression, continued walking as he spoke.

“It seems Horyeung is still fighting. Take care of the children.”

“Yes.”

As Youngho walked forward, he surveyed the surroundings. Soon, he arrived before Kang Chowon and let out a small chuckle.

“What happened to you? At this rate, you’ll die.”

Kang Chowon frowned at him.

“What could I do? The opponent was strong.”

Youngho snickered as he glanced at Kang Hosan and Hyeokong, who had collapsed from exhaustion.

“This is what real combat is like. You all still have much to learn.”

“You’re so annoying.”

“Then become stronger than me.”

Laughing, Youngho moved toward Hyeon-gang, who was treating the injuries of the Asura Squad Members.

“How is it?”

With a deep sigh, as if exasperated, Hyeon-gang replied,

“They’re all fine. Chowon’s case is a bit more severe, but even she’ll recover with two days of rest. The others aren’t even worth mentioning.”

“That’s a relief.”

“What on earth did you put them through in that one year of training?”

At Hyeon-gang’s sincere question, Youngho tilted his head.

“I trained them and fed them Spirit Pills.”

“Do you truly believe that alone explains this situation?”

“Doesn’t it? You’ve grown much stronger too.”

“Yes, instead of just learning medicine, you made me train in martial arts as well.”

“I knew you’d say that.”

Perhaps realizing Youngho would not give him a proper answer, Hyeon-gang spoke with a resigned expression.

“They’ve grown absurdly strong. You could call them the strongest unit across both the Murim Alliance and the Unorthodox Alliance without exaggeration.”

“That’s right.”

“That’s precisely why I’m worried.”

“Hm?”

“Doesn’t that mean you intend to undertake something incredibly dangerous—dangerous enough to travel with a force of this level?”

Youngho, who had paused briefly, stared intently at Hyeon-gang’s face.

“Is something wrong?”

“I was just thinking you’re quite sharp.”

“Anyone else would see it too.”

Even at Hyeon-gang’s matter-of-fact response, as though it were obvious, Youngho paid it no mind.

“As you said, I’m going to do something a little dangerous.”

“I suspect your definition of ‘a little’ differs greatly from mine, Young Master.”

“In any case, I’ve already decided to journey through the Martial World. From here on, the fact that I’ll be in danger is practically a certainty.”

“I thought as much.”

“And this time, we dealt with those who colluded with the Demonic Cult alongside the Asura Squad, but from now on, more people from the Unorthodox Alliance will be mobilized.”

“And you, Young Master?”

“I’ll be leaving. There seems to be a place even more rotten than this.”

“I’m going with you, aren’t I?”

“Of course. Don’t worry about the Asura Squad. There are plenty besides you who can treat the brats.”

“I’ve never once looked down on the Unorthodox Alliance’s medical arts.”

“I know. So make your preparations. It’s about time we depart.”

“Already?”

“Looks like Horyeung has returned as well.”

In the direction of Youngho’s gaze, Horyeung was trudging toward them, severely wounded in several places, carrying Sang Gwang’s severed head.

Youngho grinned at the sight before him.

***

“…Mad Black Sword Ghost has begun his journey through the Martial World?”

“Yes.”

“……”

After a brief silence, during which the Man in Black broke into a cold sweat, Pungwol spoke quietly.

“What is that bastard’s objective?”

“To purge those who have colluded with Our Cult.”

At the Man in Black’s reply, filled with unwavering certainty, Pungwol nodded.

“Has our tail grown too long?”

“It is my fault. I expected him to remain inactive for some time….”

Pungwol organized the documents before him as he spoke.

“Enough. It was I who accepted it. More importantly, where is Mad Black Sword Ghost now?”

“After purging Sahyeon Sect in Jiangxi, he is currently moving toward Hubei.”

For a brief moment, Pungwol’s brow twitched.

“Hubei?”

“Yes.”

“Why Hubei? There should still be quite a few beyond the Yangtze River who have colluded with Our Cult.”

“It seems the Unorthodox Alliance moved directly. Though it is only a speculation, it appears Mad Black Sword Ghost was merely stopping by Sahyeon Sect.”

“Hmm….”

Pungwol seemed to ponder something before nodding.

“Pay no attention to the rest. They were useless to begin with. And send ten of ‘them’ to the Green Forest.”

“…Ten of them?”

Shhk—!

At the sudden surge of intense Killing Intent, the Man in Black instinctively bowed his head deeply.

“My apologies. I overstepped.”

To add unnecessary words to Pungwol’s statement—he could have died for it without surprise.

A chill unlike anything he had ever felt crept down his spine through the cold sweat.

Without erasing the murderous glint from his eyes, Pungwol stared at the Man in Black with an icy gaze.

“You are useful, so I will not kill you. But punishment will follow.”

“Yes.”

“Go.”

As the Man in Black’s figure disappeared, Pungwol’s gaze shifted toward the window.

Outside, the bright moon illuminated Cheonsan.

It would be fine. No—it had to be fine. A year ago, Pungwol and his subordinates had used various Heretical Arts and Spirit Pills to create twenty-seven Demonic Practitioners who could be called monsters.

Each one was so powerful that it would not be an exaggeration to say they had stepped into the Domain of the Absolute.

Yet why was he so uneasy?

From this point on, Youngho would act. And to do so, he would inevitably have to cross mountains.

And in the mountains, naturally, bandits dwelled—bandits belonging to the Green Forest.

Those bandits would become obstacles to Youngho. Among them, the most troublesome would surely be the Green Forest King.

Within the Green Forest was the Green Forest King, an overwhelming figure reputed to be one of the Absolute Beings. But that was not what mattered now.

The Youngho he knew could not be killed by the Green Forest King alone, which was why he had sent ten of the twenty-seven Demonic Practitioners, strengthened through experimentation, to the Green Forest.

Yet what was this unease?

No—even if he had sent all twenty-seven instead of ten, this anxiety would not have faded.

Pungwol had always followed reason over instinct, which made the current situation all the more confounding.

From a rational standpoint, sending ten elites to deal with Youngho could even be considered a waste of power.

But Pungwol did not see it that way.

‘What in the world is this?!’

Unease. Restlessness. Such simple words were insufficient to describe what he felt.

What Pungwol felt now was closer to fear.

Yes, as if…

‘Like Him….’

Slap!

In that instant, Pungwol struck his own cheek viciously. Hitting himself hard enough to split the inside of his mouth, he bared a blazing gaze and ground his teeth.

“How blasphemous…!”

To have compared that child to Him—such a thought deserved death ten thousand times over.

Blood vessels had risen in Pungwol’s eyes, and his teeth ground harshly against one another.

“I will kill him… if only to cleanse the sin of tainting my faith—and of defiling Him…!”