144 – S3. Learning From The Past -1
“Isn’t the Blood Cult led by the Undead Lich bad?”
“No.”
“If the Death Knights rise and shout things like, ‘Blood Horse for a thousand years, ten thousand years!’…”
“No.”
It was a quick bite.
—- —-
Thud.
“Ugh…”
As the sound of the rain finally stopped with someone’s last words, a thick bloody scent spread through the nameless forest. Among the survivors, sighs escaped one by one, and the sharp killing intent crumbled.
The battle was over.
A swordsman in blood-stained armor wiped his blade with the hem of the corpse’s clothes and instructions.
“Clean up. Cut off the heads of the Blood Cult bastards and put them in a sack, and gather the important items separately.”
“What about the headless corpses?”
“Leave them for the beasts to eat. They are not worth burning or burying. Let them wander as the dead.”
“Yes!”
Those in blue uniforms moved busily. They cut off the heads of those in red clothes and collected them, and searched their arms to collect various items.
A talisman written in chicken blood, a stone statue carved with a twisted Buddha, a rosary made of forty-four beads, and….
“…?”
A box lavishly decorated with gold thread and all sorts of jewels.
It was unusual. The Blood Cult seemed to be carrying something precious, and when they were attacked, they tried to protect the item more than their own lives.
It was such a chaotic battle and the goal was annihilation, so it was impossible to confirm exactly, but judging from the circumstances, it was highly likely that the item the Blood Cult was trying to protect was this box.
The low-ranking warrior opened the box to check the contents, and inside was a book that exuded a sinister aura.
It was an ominous book that was too creepy to hold easily. The low-ranking warrior read the four characters written on the cover. Demonic God Technique.
The Blood Cult is a group of people who practice evil and cruel sorcery. If this is a book that they keep so preciously, it must contain unorthodox secrets.
It is said that some writings can possess people just by looking at them, so the low-ranking warrior hurriedly closed the lid of the box. Like any man who had set foot in the martial world, he always had a desire for martial arts achievements .
But would he pursue it by walking the unorthodox path? No. What value is there in power gained by killing people?
The low-ranking warrior put the box on the cart.
And the warriors in blue uniforms withdrew. They had defeated the evil Blood Cult that was throwing the world into chaos, so now it was time to return and spread their achievements far and wide.
The leader of the group would receive a great reward, and the warriors would receive some gold and food and drink. I was there too, when the remnants of the Blood Cult were defeated.
However, there have always been people in the world who pursue power more than humanity. In the eyes of a lynx that could abandon everything and run for its purpose, this Demonic God Technique looked like ten thousand pounds of gold .
A shadow that had been quietly looking down at the box in the darkness.
Click.
In the end, he opened the box and secretly took the book.
It was three years ago.
—- —-
Chirp. Chirp.
The sound of birds chirping woke Envers. As he slowly opened his eyes, a pleasant sunlight peeked through the lush leaves. It was a forest.
“…This is.”
Is this the martial world?
“…”
Honestly, he couldn’t say for sure. Envers didn’t have the skill to guess the difference in the world by looking at the surrounding ecology, and the surroundings were a forest where there was no sign of a human figure.
In order to confirm whether this was really the land where the beggar master and the heavenly horse had walked, it was necessary to meet someone. Any passerby or torchbearer would do.
Rustle.
Envers brushed away the leaves covering his body and got up.He looked around to see what was there. It would be nice if there was a house nearby.
Tatat.
Envers climbed up the tree with a graceful movement. And when he turned his body 360 degrees, he could see a large city far away.
It was a building built in an architectural style he had never seen before.
His heart pounded. The beggar said that the meat was so delicious. He didn’t have a penny in his hand, but he could quickly earn it if he got a job using his skills.
He might have stayed boy, but he was not a fellow of the academy. The beggar also said that his realm was not shallow.
He had reached the realm of freely containing internal energy in his body and weapons, which made him a first-class master. It was said to be a realm that rarely appeared in the martial arts world.
It was said that if he used the magic of Baksaekyeol ( Baksaekyeol ), which was elegant even when turned upside down, he would be able to compete with the best masters.
“The top escort was called Pyo-sa⋯⋯ First of all, I have to become a Pyo-sa and earn money. After that, I should find Gae-bang and return the Tagubongbeop, and ask if I can learn other martial arts .”
However, it was said that there was no way to teach martial arts to outsiders.
But if it was a public service to return the prophecy of Gae-bang Bangju and the martial arts that had been put into practice, wouldn’t it be possible to ask for a few martial arts?
Envers made up his mind. He decided to learn and master as much as possible in this world, and aim for a higher realm.
[Pursuit of Power: Reaching the Peak Master (Answering, Fulfillment, and Achieving Harmony)]
The distance to the city was considerable. It would take at least two days to reach the city by sprinting. Anyway, if the travel time is long, it would be better to walk slowly while accumulating strength.
Thanks to Luna’s food bag, there was no need to try to find something to eat. Also, since it was a forest, there were quite a few places to find water.
Even if you can’t find it, you can squeeze the grass nearby and quench your thirst.
Thanks to Selvia’s tools, there was no need to do a backflip to light a fire. If you just gather and pile up firewood, you can easily make a campfire.
It was solid. It was thanks to my friends.
Male walked along the forest path without worry.
—- —-
Walking, making a fire, eating, and sleeping.
That’s all I did yesterday. It was quite lonely to cross the forest alone, but it was better when I practiced martial arts at that time.
Envers learned various martial arts from beggars. Swordsmanship, spear technique, stick technique, and sword technique. However, he could not decide which one to focus on and master. This is because each of them had its own advantages and disadvantages.
Since I couldn’t decide on a path, I had no choice but to practice widely. He trained alternately, and as his efforts were dispersed, his proficiency in weapons increased slowly.
This time, I was practicing swordsmanship with a tree branch as a sword.
As I walked holding a tree branch, I swung it when a leaf in front of me fell in the wind. If you can cut it off at once, it was a successful practice and play.
The success rate so far is about 10%. I missed nine out of ten, and occasionally I could cut one. The cross-section was closer to bursting than cutting⋯⋯.
Then, Envers heard a commotion in the distance.
Thump, thump, the sound of a wagon wheel rattling, and the sound of a horse’s hooves. Is there a merchant passing by here? Envers grabbed the tree and chased to the top to look around.
A wagon rushing like crazy, spewing dust, came into view. And the black-clad people chasing after him.
The coachman was handling it as if the horse would die at the end of this sprint, whipping it indiscriminately. Judging from his appearance, it didn’t seem like a peaceful situation.
Pursuers and fugitives.
I don’t know the details, but judging from the shape of the carriage, it seemed quite wealthy.
I’ll have to wait and see the situation, but if I can do a favor to one side, I might be able to get help. If that’s possible, it will be much easier to settle in the Central Plains.
However, the problem is that their track record is unknown.Considering the speed of the pursuers, they couldn’t be that strong. If they were Transcendence-grade monsters, they would have stopped the carriage long ago, and even if they were just Enlightenment-grade (depending on their awakened abilities), the outcome would have been decided.
“…Scroll.”
There was something he had received from Selvia.
● Black Smoke-Emitting Scroll
With this, I might be able to keep my body safe even if I get into a difficult situation. Then, I’ll willingly jump into danger.
Envers grabbed a tree and slid down before starting to run.
He applied the Explosive Knot technique.
By creating an explosion from the tip of his foot to gain propulsion, he could run at a fast speed. He created a weak explosion that his body could handle.
Boom──!
Tree branches quickly brushed past Envers’ body.
It was impossible to control it precisely, so he could only shoot forward in a straight line⋯⋯ but it could be considered a type of light movement technique.
Envers left deep footprints on the ground as he caught up to the carriage. As the distance shortened, he began to hear their voices intermittently.
“…Run! Go faster!”
“How far do you think you can run? You won’t be able to leave this forest alive!”
“D, damn you! Aren’t you afraid of the consequences? Targeting the Namgung Clan, you’ll regret this greatly!”
“hahahaha! The Namgung Clan? Do you think the Demonic Cult would be scared of such a name?!”
“…!!”
Envers listened intently. The ones being chased were from the Namgung Clan, and the ones chasing them seemed to be from the Demonic Cult. If they were from the Demonic Cult, they were the ones who served that Heavenly Demon and were the culprits who had caused bloodshed in the Central Plains.
…Did the Demonic Cult refer to themselves as the Demonic Cult? I heard that they originally had a proper name, and Demonic Cult was a derogatory term.
In any case, there was no time to think. Envers put his suspicious feelings aside.
Thud!
Envers kicked off the ground with great force and jumped, landing on the roof of the speeding carriage. The people inside the carriage immediately became alert.
“There’s someone on the roof!”
“Get rid of him quickly! If they damage the wheels, it’s over!”
“…Wait! It’s a misunderstanding! I’m here to help you!”
“Don’t be ridiculous! Who would believe that lie?!”
Whoosh!
A sharply honed spear blade shot up, tearing through the leather covering the carriage. Envers deftly kept his center of gravity on the wildly speeding carriage, dodging the spear blades left and right.
“Hmph!”
Then, he smashed through the roof of the carriage and entered. Since it was difficult to trust someone while being chased, he thought he would go down and persuade them by looking them in the eye.
When Envers landed, there were four people inside the carriage. They were all wearing blue uniforms, but the material and patterns were different.
Two of them seemed to be escorts, one was the captain of the escort, and the last one was a young boy. Judging by his appearance, he looked to be about ten years old.
“…A member of the Seomo Clan?!”
“Are you saying that the Demonic Cult is even using members of the Seomo Clan as their minions?!”
“I repeat, I’m here to help you. Are those chasing the carriage from the Demonic Cult?”
“Don’t think you can deceive us with your wicked tongue! Get off the carriage right now…!!”
As the escort warriors, who were almost in a state of panic, drew their swords, the boy, who had remained relatively calm, raised his hand to stop them. Then, in a clear voice, he looked at Envers and asked.
“Mister, are you really here to help us?”
“…Yes!”
“If you help us, we will greatly reward you. In the name of the Namgung Clan!”
“A wise decision. I will tear the scroll now, so watch!”
“?”
What’s a scroll?
As he was taken aback by the sudden appearance of a foreign language, Envers took the Black Smoke Scroll out of his bag and aimed it at the back of the carriage.
Masked men in black, armed with swords, were fiercely chasing them. There were twelve of them. It would be difficult to fight them head-on. Now was the time to use it.
Envers tore the scroll.
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Boom──!!In an instant, thick black smoke billowed up, obscuring the view. The black-clad men who had been chasing the carriage were startled by the sudden and strange sight, and they seemed to scatter in all directions.
If they were to pursue again, this time he would use the explosive scroll, prepared for a forest fire. As Envers peered through the black smoke, he could not hear any movement.
“…I think I scared them off.”
As Envers gasped in relief and turned around, the four members of the Namgung family were frozen with their mouths agape. When Yang tore the talisman, a dark cloud that covered a radius of about 10 jang did not rise from the ground!
If he could cast such a spell with a simple gesture, he must have been a renowned Taoist priest. Or perhaps a very evil sorcerer, a demon.
While everyone was still frozen in surprise, Male exclaimed in admiration,
“G, Great Hero, are you a renowned Taoist priest?”
“Taoist priest…?”
“Our Namgung family is holding a banquet to celebrate the Lord’s birthday, and I heard that we have invited a very famous Taoist priest. Could you be…?”
“No, I am not.”
Envers was mistaken for a wizard.