Dark Mage - Volume 1 - Chapter 27

The Shaolin temple pointed out Dok-gosong as the villain, who had assassinated the Shaolin holy monk.
He had disappeared without a trace after the incident, and the used weapon was reported to be his. Moreover, they found a trace of Power Scattering Poison on the Shaolin holy monk’s corpse, and there weren’t any trace of nae-ryuk on the wound. The culprit didn’t have any nae-ryuk, and it was also a person who was deeply trusted by the Shaolin holy monk.

Of course, all these conditions coincided with Dok-gosong. Besides, they found the headless corpse of the guardian monks, who were watching over Dok-gosong. The investigation of the affair didn’t go any further and it was concluded.
The Shaolin temple firmly decided that Dok-gosong was the perpetrator, and they ordered a public bounty.
Then the news was spread to each Murim’s sects.

“The Shaolin temple was protecting the Bae-sect’s young sect leader Dok-gosong, and he assassinated the Shaolin holy monk. He cheated by using the Power Scattering Poison, so the Shaolin holy monk and the guardian monks were neutralized. They were brutally murdered. It was so bad that I couldn’t bear looking at it with open eyes. Our Shaolin temple declared a public bounty for the villain Dok-gosong. This bounty will be effective until his life has ended.”

At that time, Dok-gosong had already entered deeply into the Bae-sect headquarters. He was currently in a deep sleep after his pressure point was pinched. After they arrived at a safe place, Do-wichung released Dok-gosong’s pressure point. The youth woke up and the first thing he saw was a handsome middle-aged man wearing a long-crane-white gown.(TLN: academic robe those old guys where in martial arts movie) This person was the Bae-sect’s Chongsa(TLN: name of a position) Sa-joonhwan.

(TLN: abrupt time shift)

“Ku-ook.”

Dok-gosong’s small body was thrown against the wall without any care. Blood sprayed out like a fountain, and he tried to pull his body up. He was barely able to stand up, but his limp left arm didn’t move at all. It seemed like the bones in his arms were thoroughly broken.

While Dok-gosong put the wall to his back, he glanced at the approaching green silhouette.

There was a green monster heading toward him at a fast speed.
It had a bell-like head with canines protruding from its mouth. It was a very imposing monster with patchy green fur. Its height was about 3 meters, and it had a similar in shape to a human. The monster possessed an incredible amount of strength. Moreover, the monster was freely handling an axe with two hands that was longer then Dok-gosong’s height. However, the thing that puzzled Dok-gosong the most was the monster’s skin. He was fighting a bloody fight for about an hour and Dok-gosong was able to give it numerous injuries.
However, there wasn’t a single trace of a wound visible now. This meant that the monster’s regenerative abilities was outstanding. Before he was thrown to the wall, he had wounded its lower stomach, but even that was in the midst of healing.
It was regenerating while being encased by roiling bubbles. After seeing this, Dok-gosong was about to go mad.

“Shit. If only I had Nae-gong.”

After he stared at the monster, Dok-gosong lowered his gaze to look at the weapon mounted on his right hand. It was a blackish iron glove with steel nodes attached to it.
The weapon was called a spiked gauntlet in this place. There were 4 long blades at the fist area, but the tips were hopelessly crushed.  There was at least one fresh blade left. The rest was all broken during the fight with the monster.
This was the weapon he had received when he entered this place. It was similarly made to Hojo, which he had used in Zhongyuan. However, Dok-gosong was still unfamiliar with it.
Unlike this one, Hojo had blades on the finger tips. Moreover, Hojo naturally required a vast amount of nae-gong to use. As the monster plodded towards him, Dok-gosong suddenly threw his body.

Kwa-Kwang. (TLN: boom)

The enormous axe exploded where he used to be. The wall was deformed, and one could tell that if hit directly bones would be obliterated. Until now, he hadn’t dared to block the monster’s attack. If he blocked it with the equipped gauntlet, then he was sure his arm would be destroyed….
Still, it was fortunate that the monster’s movement was comparably slow. That was why Dok-gosong was able to last for one hour. Dok-gosong’s eyes suddenly filled with fighting spirit.

“You bastard. Do you think I’ll just roll over?”

When he was killing the orcs, Dok-gosong had thrown away his will to live. However, he had remembered the events from Zhongyuan. Specifically, he thought about his meeting with Sa-joonhwan and his thirst for revenge rose up. He didn’t want to die a pointless death, so he decided to live.
To achieve this, he had to pass the test given by the people of Truvania. He was healed within a couple of days, but he was entered into another test again. This time he was faced off against a monster called a Troll.

Troll. It had a substantially larger body and power compared to a human. Trolls also possessed a fearsome regenerative ability. If one was asked to name a typical mid-tier monster from Truvania then troll would be a handful of monsters picked. Of course, an experienced knight could easily battle one on one with a troll. However, it was a fearful existence for a normal soldier or a mercenary.
Dok-gosong was fighting a long bloody battle that had lasted over one hour.

“Even if it is strong, there must be a weak point since it is a living organism. It is not possible for it to not have a weakness.” (TLN: I could have made that last sentence less awkward, but this is the closest translation in terms of structure/how author worded it.)

Dok-gosong decided the troll’s weakness was its head. Even if it was a creature with strong regenerative capability, it won’t be able to live after its head was smashed. However, it wasn’t an easy task to attack the head.
First, the body was about 3 meters tall. The biggest stumbling block was approaching its head. Of course, if he had retained his mu-gong then it wouldn’t have been a problem.
Still, it was almost impossible for him to jump towards the smoothly moving troll.
However, Dok-gosong didn’t become anxious, and he tenaciously waited for an opportunity to come. But Dok-gosong couldn’t have known that the troll was more cunning than he thought….
Once the troll was unable to catch Dok-gosong quickly, it became really mad. It started swing its axe, while bending its waist forward. The trolls head was within reach if he jumped. He was waiting for this chance, so Dok-gosong didn’t miss this opportunity. After dodging the axe, Dok-gosong didn’t hesitate to jump. He did this to drive the gauntlet into the troll’s head.
However, this was Dok-gosong’s mistake….. Something sped towards Dok-gosong’s airborne body.
This was the Troll’s left arm, which it had kept hidden behind its back. He couldn’t avoid the arm since he was airborne. The greatly startled Dok-gosong could only raise his arm to block it.

Ooh-ji-jeek. (TLN: sfx of something getting crushed)

The bones in his arms was hopelessly broken, and Dok-gosong was thrown hard against the wall. Now he was in a situation where he had only one arm to fight against the monster.

Kwang. (TLN: boom)

Dok-gosong barely avoided getting chopped by the axe, and he hurriedly went towards the troll’s back. He was out of breath, and the pain from his left arm made him dizzy. Still, Dok-gosong used all his energy to move his body.
The troll saw the food escape towards its back, so it started turning its body while roaring. At that moment, Dok-gosong’s eyes saw the monster’s heel. A good idea came to Dok-gosong. He unhesitatingly ran forward and swung the spiked gauntlet he had on.
If it was a human, it would be called the Achilles tendon. Accompanying an uncanny sound, it was cut along with the muscle. The muscle was cut when the troll was about to turn, so its body suddenly swayed.
The very angry troll used his sound leg to kick backwards. The thick leg that looked like a pillar approached him, while making destructive sounds. He realized he couldn’t avoid it, so Dok-gosong used his sound arm to hug the incoming leg. This was the most appropriate action to be taken according to his years of experience.

Kwang. (TLN: boom)

Accompanying the heavy impact, Dok-gosong spat out a mouthful of blood. However, he was barely able to hold on to his target.

After the food had attached itself to its leg, the troll shook its leg to dislodge it. However, he held on for dear life. Dok-gosong would not fall off easily.

“Eh-it.” (TLN: it’s like a frustrated sound/phrase you say)

While dangling, Dok-gosong used this chance to extend his gauntlet with all his might. The target this time was the leg’s muscle. The regenerative ability of the creature was so strong that he didn’t have time to hesitate. Accompanying green colored blood, he unhesitatingly cut the other Achilles tendon. Dok-gosong’s small body was kicked away, and he fell a good distance away.

“Ki-roo-roo-roo.” (TLN: growling sfx)

After seeing the food fall away, the troll didn’t hesitate to run towards it. The troll was starved for a very long time, so it had only one thing on its mind. It wanted to split the food’s body into two, and chew on it. However, the troll hadn’t realized in its mind that all of its leg muscles were severed.
The troll tried to run with force, but its legs got tangled. It couldn’t hold out after having its muscles severed. The 3 meter tall troll lost its balance, and it started to fall over. Unluckily, it fell towards the Dok-gosong’s direction.
After seeing the incredibly big body falling towards him as target, Dok-gosong used all his strength to roll his body away. The knife fragment that fell from the gauntlet pierced through his back, but he didn’t feel the pain. He just moved his body on pure instinct. Soon his body was covered entirely by a cloud of dust.

Koong. (TLN: sfx heavy body falling)

After barely avoiding getting squashed, Dok-gosong hurriedly stood up. He felt no sensation from his broken left arm, and the blood loss clouded his mind. His back was hotly saturated, so the wound on his back must be pretty deep.
Without any regard for his wounds, Dok-gosong ran towards the troll, who was struggling to get up. It’s head was very large, but Dok-gosong drove the gauntlet into the troll’s head without any mercy.

Zzong. (TLN: another sfx blade breaking)

The remaining knife helplessly broke. The troll’s skull was unexpectedly hard.

“What the heck.” (TLN:이런 was used. It usually is used when you are disappointed)

It was the last weapon attached to the gauntlet, so Dok-gosong tried to grab the broken blade fragment with his extended arm. However, as if it was mocking him, the blade fragment escaped his hands and flew off to a far distance.
Once the pain from the head was transmitted to the troll, it roared. Then it put forth its hands and grabbed Dok-gosong’s body. It was the moment of life or death. However, Dok-gosong did not panic in the slightest. He used his sound right arm to grasp the blade fragment embedded in his back.

Shoo-gak. (TLN: SFX blade being freed)

Accompanying a horrifying destructive sound, the some-what long blade fragment came free with flesh attached to it. It was a situation where the troll had already grabbed Dok-gosong’s waist firmly.
No matter how hard the skull was there is always an empty space where the eyes were. The bloodshot pupil was pierced without resistance, and the blade fragment buried deep inside the troll’s brain. The troll’s body started shaking as if it had been struck by lightning. The shock made its strength automatically enter its hand. Dok-gosong suddenly felt his waist being crushed. The troll already had his waist in a tight hold. The pain was almost unbearable, so Dok-gosong shouted out a wretched scream.

“Ooh-ah-ah-ahk.”

Thankfully, the pain didn’t last too long. Since the troll’s brain was destroyed, the strength to its extremities were drained. Dok-gosong was barely able to escape from its hands.

Tul-suk. (TLN:sfx body hitting floor)

While sprawled on the floor, Dok-gosong panted in short breaths. He didn’t even have the strength to move a single finger. With his blurred vision, he looked over the state of his opponent. The troll had fallen over and it was intermittently twitching. Even that happened only for a moment before the troll’s big body went limp.
In the second battle, he was victorious against a troll. A dry sound squeezed out of his bloody lips.

“That was difficult.”

As if he had used his body’s strength to exhaustion, fatigue came flowing in. Dok-gosong fell asleep in place with his body fallen face forward. Soon the prison’s door opened and a squad of soldiers rushed in. They recovered Dok-gosong’s body and they started transporting him to an unknown location.

“What was the result?”

“Surprisingly, the foreigner was victorious. The troll we inserted had his brain pierced and it is completely dead.”

“Really?”

Serge made an expression as if he was having a lot of fun. The troll was a mid-tier monster that most soldiers avoided fighting. He had fought the troll one on one and won….. Moreover, he had used a spiked gauntlet, a short ranged weapon, to do so.

“So how did the fight progress? Did he fight well after we gave him the spiked gauntlet?”

The question from Serge made Benitez hesitate for a moment from giving his report.

“That, that is…..”

“Is there a problem?”

Eventually, as if Benitez didn’t have a choice, he started summarizing how the fight progressed.

“To tell you the truth, he is barely alive right now. His left ribs and the bones in his arms are all fractured. Other than that I don’t even need to mention how many bruises he has. In my observation, I think the troll is his limit.”

“Is that right?”

Serge made an expression as if he was having a lot of fun.

“How should we get rid of him?”

“I don’t know? What should I do? What is your thought?

Benitez hesitated for a moment before finally letting out his inner thoughts. No matter what, he had risked his life to bring that person from another dimension. Therefore he didn’t welcome the idea of just getting rid of him.

“As Duke, you probably know that there is a shortage of soldiers. We are sending every young men who could fight to the front-lines. I think we should heal him up and then make him do labor. If not that then I think it is desirable for us to use him as a sentry on the castle wall. If you do not want that, then we could send him to the battlefield. He probably could cover the share of a single soldier.(TLN: he is at least worth a single soldier)”

Serge smiled and nodded. Not long after, he dropped a command.

“First, heal that bastard.”

“Yes? You are going to accept my suggestion?”

However, Serge shook his head side to side to indicate in the negative. His face slowly made a smile.

“I want to test him one more time. This time against an ogre. So you should heal him with all your energy.”

Benitez was surprised.

“The ogre? It is an absurd idea. Ogre is a powerful monster that can’t even be compared to a troll. This test would surely kill him.”

“Then isn’t that the bastard’s fate? Anyways, if he finishes this test safely, I’ll let the bastard live. Of course, it is a presumption to think that he’ll be able to kill the ogre.”

After smiling, Serge stood up. This was an unexpected conversation, so Benitez could only stand in place dumbly.

(TLN: back to the past…)

“There is only one way to dispel your restrictive spell, Kongzi-nim.”

“There is a way to dispel the restrictive spell?”

Dok-gosong’s mouth fell open at the unexpected information. There was a way to dispel the extreme restrictive spell placed on him by the Shaolin holy monk…. It could only be seen as good news. Inside Dok-gosong’s pupil, there was a flame of hope slowly rising up.

It had been one month since Dok-gosong had entered the Bae-sect. Chongsa(TLN: I guess it is like vice president…) Sa-joonhwan had treated Dok-gosong with the utmost devotion. He was treated as if the dead Sect leader Dok-go had come back. This caused Dok-gosong to start trusting Sa-joonhwan deep within his heart. It wasn’t that surprising since he was only despised and harassed in the Shaolin temple. No on had showed him warmth. So the one month Dok-gosong had spent in the Bae-sect was comparable to heaven.

First, the people treated him with extreme loyalty and respect. From the regular warriors to the masters of high status, they prostrated themselves to express their loyalties whenever they saw him. There were none who would treat him with impunity. It was very much like a dream for Dok-gosong.
Originally, Dok-gosong had a tendency to deeply trust people who was nice to him even if it was by a little bit. Even when he was at the crossroads of life and death, he didn’t want to harm the Shaolin holy monk. It was a truth that was known just by looking at this anecdote.
This temperament of Dok-gosong allowed Sa-joonhwan to be able to captivate him deep within his heart. Moreover, there was another incident that made it almost impossible for him to not trust Sa-joonhwan……
This happened after the 10th day Dok-gosong had arrived at the Bae-sect. The Murim-mang(TLN: overall governing body) sent out an envoy with an official document. Of course, the content of the official document ordered them to formally hand over Dok-gosong, who had killed the Shaolin holy monk. However, Sa-joonhwan refused to do so without even thinking about it twice.

“We cannot give you our sect’s young sect leader, even if the cost is war. ”

The Murim-mang’s envoy had no choice but to return forlornly. He couldn’t go against Sa-joonhwan’s will as he was ready to go to war. At the time, Dok-gosong had watched this scene while hiding behind the curtains. He was deeply impressed by Sa-joonhwan’s will to protect him no matter what. However, it was inevitable that Dok-gosong was flabbergasted by the news that the Shaolin holy monk had died.

“I killed the holy monk? What has happened?”

After the Murim-mang’s envoy left, Dok-gosong mindlessly ran towards Sa-joonhwan and gave him a gloomy expression.

“I think it is a ruse. The pill I gave Do-wichung and taken by the Shaolin holy monk was undoubtedly a sleeping pill. Kong-zi had already tasted it so you should already be able to guess the identity of the pill.”

“That is correct, but.”

“Originally, the Righteous sects enjoys using crafty and underhanded methods. Those bastards are trying to find fault with the Bae-sect to fight us. The holy monk was a senior monk that even I had much respect for. There is a high possibility that the holy monk was done in by the Righteous sects.”

“Then, then the holy monk was killed by the Righteous sect’s hands…..”

“That is my prediction. The Murim-mang’s lead clan could do such an act and much more.”

Finally, Dok-gosong’s eyes were burning with the light of anger. His anger was directed toward the members of the Righteous sect. Even though the person had put a restrictive spell on him, he was the only one to treat Dok-gosong as a person. He couldn’t remain a mere spectator to his death.
However, he didn’t have any mu-gong, and he had no way to take revenge. Eventually, he pleaded with Sa-joonhwan to teach him mu-gong.

“I want to become strong. Please pass down a peerless mu-gong to me.”

Of course, Sa-joonhwan showed his disapproval.

“Huh!(TLN: more like him exhaling hard) You want to learn mu-gong. In our current situation, this isn’t an easy proposition.”

The biggest stone obstructing Dok-gosong’s way from learning mugong was the restrictive spell that was put on him. Seven Sect’s Beating Gold Technique. The existence of this restrictive spell made learning mu-gong a fruitless effort. No matter how strong the mu-gong he learned, if he could not kill the opponent then what was the point…. Sa-joonhwan had secretly investigated Dok-gosong’s situation, so he already knew this. However, Sa-joonhwan made it so that there was a lingering image in Dok-gosong.

“Do not worry too much over it. I’ll definitely think of a solution.”

Dok-gosong had retreated half in doubt. However two days later, Sa-joonhwan came directly to Dok-gosong with the good news.

“By any chance, have you heard about the Emperor’s Blood Demon Art?”

“The Emperor’s Blood Demon Art?”

Dok-gosong was an outsider regarding the Murim, so he didn’t know anything about this mu-gong. Sa-joonhwan started explaining to Dok-gosong about the Emperor’s Blood Demon Art in an elderly tone.

“Emperor’s Blood Demon Art. This mu-gong was made 200 years ago by One Thousand Bloody Hands Dong-Bahng-ryun. He was the 14th sect leader of the Bae-sect before he was deposed. This mu-gong was directly made by him. To tell you the truth, this is the strongest mu-gong in the Bae-sect’s 700 year history. ”

It was a topic that appealed to his taste, so Dok-gosong paid attention without even breathing. Sa-joonhwan told him the secrets of the Emperor’s Blood Demon Art without hiding anything.

“At the time, Dong-bang-ryun absorbed the life blood of a 1000 young men and women to train and complete the mu-gong. Of course, this was kept as a secret from his followers. The method of creation was so evil that even the inner Bae-sect(TLN: inner and outer sect-inner more important) was forbidden from learning it. However, the power could not be taken lightly. At the time, Dong-bahn-ryun, with this one mu-gong, was considered to be the top expert. However, there cannot be an eternal secret. A coincidental incident exposed Dong-bahng-ryun’s secret, and he was disgraced. He was endlessly chased, and numerous murim experts eventually killed him. The Emperor’s Blood Demon Art is a mu-gong with such background. ”

“Did you say 1000 young men and women?” (TLN: i say young men/women but more like children-innocent)

Dok-gosong was scared to death after hearing this. He sacrified 1000 children for the sake of one mu-gong…..

“You want me to learn that cursed Ma-gong.(TLN:devil/evil martial art-it’s a category was technique that require such things as blood/sacrifice etc.) I refuse. Even if I become strong, I refuse.”

Dok-gosong unwittingly stepped back, while waving his hands. Sa-joonhwan smiled in an effort to calm Dok-gosong.

“You don’t have anything to worry about. Our sect’s mugong disciples came up with an alternative method that doesn’t require the young men and women.

“An alternative method?”

“Yes. It is to use beasts. Instead young men and women, one just has to kill 1000 young lambs, and absorbs its life blood daily. The power would be worse than the original method, but the Emperor’s Blood Demon Art could be formed. It won’t lag too far behind the original power. Also, if Kongzi learns this method, then you could fully overcome the Seven Sect’s Beating Gold Technique.”

“Mmmm.”

For a moment, Dok-gosong fell into his thoughts. He had to absorb the life blood of lambs instead of young men and women. Dok-gosong was ready to endure that much hardship. This was only if he was able to become strong.”

“Of course, I will bury this secret forever. This time, no matter what happens, this business won’t be revealed. I will stake my name on this promise.” (TLN: Remember he eventually reveals this secret to get rid of Dok-gosong, which led to the evend in the first couple chapters)

After Sa-joonhwan came out like this, Dok-gosong had no reason to hesitate. He willingly agree to learn the Emperor’s Blood Demon Art.

“Alright. I’ll try it once.”

“That is an excellent decision.”

A smile started spreading on Sa-joonhwan’s lips. This was a smile of satisfaction. Everything had went according to his will. In truth, there was one thing he didn’t reveal to Dok-gosong.

The Emperor’s Blood Demon Art. One was able to become an expert in a short amount of time using an extremely evil formation method. However, there was a serious side-effect to this mu-gong. It was the fact that the fiendishness penetrates one’s head, and the person becomes a blood starved devil.(TLN:Ma-in, devil person-lose thought, become blood thirsty) One would lose any guilt over killing a person, and as time passes on, one would only know about slaughter. This was a cursed Ma-gong(TLN:devil’s martial art) that forged the person into a mindless vampire. Sa-joonhwan was suggesting this mu-gong to Dok-gosong.

The truth was Dok-gosong was too old to learn mu-gong. Even if he learned diligently starting from now, it was impossible for him to become a peak expert.
In the vast history of Murim, there have been numerous methods used to train a sect’s disciple. It was concluded that there were only about half a dozen correct formulas. Normally, if one wanted a top expert to be born then the Murim sect has to lay down a fundamental foundation when the person was a baby.
In extreme cases, there were children who had their foundation laid when they were still inside the pregnant mother’s womb. This causes the bones and sinews to strengthen. As soon as the child is able to understand words, they learn about training their foundation.
Depending on the sect, there were differences, but all the process were similar.
During this process, the children’s future is decided by the Secondary Amendment of the Foundation law. (TLN: Tried to come up with something that didn’t sound too weird)
The sect’s elders, who has abundant nae-ryuk, would insert their nae-ryuk into the child to forcefully open up the pathway, which nae-gong flows through. This allows the nae-ryuk to flow smoothly. However, this Secondary Amendment of the Foundation Law wasn’t easy to do. First, the person who attempts this has to be somewhat of an expert. Moreover during the Amendment process, a good amount of nae-gong is used up.

Therefore, one has to be the sect’s direct disciple. To say it again, this method is only used on a few geniuses that could forge the sect’s future. After the Amendment of the Foundation law is carried out, the gap between the children, who could train in mu-gong, starts to appear. The children, who received the Foundation law, will have achievement that no one could match, and they would grow up to be the pillar of the sect. The other rejected children grow up to be regular sect warriors.

(TLN: With some ‘method’, they strengthen the body at an early age. Then an expert has to inject their qi to forcefully open up their meridians/qi pathway.  The earlier you do it, the better you are off.  Also you have to start training as soon as possible.)

When looking at this pre-requisite, it could be seen that it was almost impossible for Dok-gosong to become a peak expert. The most important time period to learn mu-gong was a person’s childhood, but Dok-gosong spent that time imprisoned in the Shaolin temple. In terms of nae-gong, he was a layman. That may be why he was fine after using the Seven Step Dispelling Heart, which the Shaolin holy monk had also taken. The Seven Step Dispelling Heart was a deadly poison for a person who has nae-gong, but it acts as a beneficial medicine for a normal person.
If viewed in a certain way, he had no alternative, but to learn the Emperor’s Blood Demon Art to become a peak expert. Moreover, the Ma-song(TLN: fiendishness) would invade his marrows and he’ll become a blood thirsty Ma-in(TLN: devil), However, the Emperor’s Blood Demon Art will allow him to sufficiently overcome the Shaolin holy monk’s restrictive spell.

No matter what Sa-joonhwan’s intentions were, Dok-gosong decided to practice the Emperor’s Blood Demon Art. He was totally in the dark that Sa-joonhwan had totally fooled him.