Ring.
“Huu.”
I took a deep breath and opened my eyes. As daybreak hit, there was someone sitting in a dimly lit room.
‘I failed again.’
Silently, I made a fist.
How many times did I try, twenty times? Thirty times? The important part was the results. This time I failed again at trying to pull my Qi out.
‘At least I’m getting better at it?’
Dealing with my Qi was becoming easier. I wasn’t a F-rank hunter but a C-rank. No, if I was at least a D-rank then I’m sure I would have become more familiar faster but reality was cold-hearted.
‘It might be thanks to my Internal, External State improving steadily.’
Qi flowed along the meridians. The more I trained using cultivation, my meridians became firmer and stronger because of the improvement seen through my Internal and External State. If I compared it with my first time, I was able to circulate larger amounts of Qi at a faster face.
‘Maybe it’s because of the skill points.’
I was able to see the results of the 10 points I received after levelling up. There wasn’t a better nutrient than improving my Internal and External State.
Remaining Points: 0
‘I can see the possibilities.’
The impenetrable fortress was becoming small. If I kept going, I felt like I could open the doors.
Thankfully, even though I didn’t have any talent, at least I was persistent.
‘Let’s keep trying. Until it works.’
It was at the moment when I was about to start Qi Cultivation.
Maybe because of the Qi Cultivation, but I could hear an alarming sound.
‘This…’
Hum hum hum. What sounded like a swarm of bees, was actually the sound of people buzzing.
‘I wonder what happened?’
I concentrated Qi into my ears. Maybe because it was far away, it wasn’t enough to hear clearly. But it was still enough.
Among the sound of people talking, I could hear one word.
‘Battle!’
It was Mount Heng Sword Sect. Battle was finally happening.
I got out of my lotus position and stood up. And left through the half-opened window.
I landed like a cat, and I could see the lights from all directions.
‘In the end…’
It started.
—
Twenty-five. It was a neat number.
As I saw the bodies lying there like lifeless, old trees, I spoke after I was at a loss of words.
“This.”
I was a hunter. I encountered numerous battles and saw death multiple times.
Those who were poisoned, cut into, crushed, exploded…
There were numerous ways a person could die depending on the monster you faced. But they all had one similarity.
They were all ‘adults’.
That was the basic requirement in order to experience an awakening. No one knew exactly why. But it was a natural law when it came to the existence of gates.
That was why when it came to the numerous deaths that I saw, a child wasn’t included in one of them.
‘This is a game. This is just a game.’
I muttered repeatedly to myself. But it was too horrific to dismiss so easily when it was right in front of my eyes.
Blood (血).
Words engraved on a forehead. The torch shone over the dried blood. Over ten bodies of children were becoming cold like that.
At the most they were middle-school students. Not including children who looked even younger. They were lying there, dead.
“Hurrk.”1
The warrior who held up the torch with his shaking hand, bent at the waist and started to throw up.
There was someone who grabbed the torch that was dropped.
“Somi. I’m for certain it was that name. It was when I became acting Head, the Yingxian branch head bragged, saying she was his treasure.”
It was Jin Huikyung. He shone the light over the child with dark eyes. One person. One person. As the light shone over each face, he called out each of their names.
As he called out the name of the last child, Jin Huikyung looked at me.
“Do you know this child?”
“… I do not know.”
“They are the family members of the branches Yingxian (應現), Shanyin (山陰), and Shuozhou (朔州).”
I didn’t know where those places were. But I could guess what kind of end these kid’s parent’s could have imagined.
I felt nauseous from Mount Heng Sword Sect’s intentions.
‘Crazy psycho bastards.’
Look, we can kill even young kids like this. You guys will become like this too.
I didn’t even know what members of Mount Heng Sword Sect looked like but I felt like I could hear their voices.
“Everything is my fault. To think they would kill children who don’t even know Mugong…”
It was when Jin Huikyung, his voice shaking, was blaming himself.
“That is the nature of war. Clan Leader.”
The Head Elder approached while touching his moustache. He was looking at the bodies with a calm gaze.
“Win or lose. Death exists between either option. Mount Heng Sword Sect. I think the Sect Head is called Lee Chun Baek? He knows war well. I can tell by just looking at these children.”
At his words, I felt chills.
‘What kind of artificial intelligence is this.’
This NPC was lacking in some way. That was why he felt even more dangerous. I kept my mouth closed, and Jin Huikyung with a lost face opened his mouth.
“… Your words are too harsh. They are a part of our Sect.”
“No, those children are fallen soldiers. Numerous people will probably die. Even at this moment.”
“Head Elder. I ask that you refrain from speaking.”
Jin Huikyung growled. If people didn’t have eyes, I felt as if something would have happened. But like always, the Head Elder was calm.
“Did you not expect this?”
It was a sudden low-blow. But it was so natural that I, as well as Jin Huikyung were unaware.
“Yingxian, Shanyin, Shuozhou. They were all places reachable from Mount Heng Sword Sect. Are you saying even though you sent carrier pigeons out, that this was something you didn’t expect to happen?”
“That.”
“You knew. That they would be angry. Sending carrier pigeons was a way to solve your guilty conscious.”
“Stop. Please stop.”
“It was an impressive decision. If you would have come to their aid, you wouldn’t have been able to rest for at least seven days and seven nights, and you would have needed to fight in that exhausted state. Isn’t that right?”
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