Chapter 34 – Closer, Beside Me
While I was briefly lost in thought—
Rumble!
The second blocked passage finally opened. From within, Tak Horak stumbled out, looking thoroughly defeated. He was covered in dirt, scratched all over.
“Y-Young Lord!”
He looked at me in shock.
“Gasp—what happened to your shoulder?!”
Realizing he’d arrived only after everything was already over, Tak Horak scratched his head awkwardly.
“I ended up falling into one of the ruin’s traps… They say the Tang Clan are relic experts, but it’s all the same in the end.”
“You must’ve had a rough time.”
Sniff!
Tak Horak looked as if he were about to cry from the praise. Well, it made sense. Among the Demonic Cult’s superiors, those who actually praised their subordinates were rare. Frankly, if you weren’t actively trying to kill each other, it was considered a good relationship.
“What in the world…”
Tang Siyuk spoke in disbelief.
“What happened to you, and why is that guy lying there dead?”
Then he looked toward another side and added:
“And why the hell is that crazy woman over there doing a sword dance?!”
Indeed, Paeng Soso was still dancing with her blade.
I gestured with my chin and said:
“Seems she’s reached enlightenment. She’s expressing it through a blade dance. Best not to interrupt her—if you disrupt her now, she might lose what she’s gained.”
“I want to interrupt her. Violently.”
“What?”
Tang Siyuk trembled with fury.
“She’s already a menace. If she gets stronger, who knows what she’ll do? No—we have to wake her up before she gains enlightenment. That’s the only way to protect peace in the Martial World!”
As Tang Siyuk put on a solemn face, Yun Yeopja sighed and grabbed his collar, pulling him back. Tang Siyuk struggled, trying to escape.
It looked like the brief restoration of his intelligence had ended again. I sighed—though I couldn’t help but chuckle a little.
Anyway—
“So, is everyone unhurt?”
I asked, and Yun Yeopja replied.
“A few of our Tang Clan warriors were injured. Just some scrapes, nothing serious.”
“And you, Master Yun?”
“I’m fine. But it seems you were the one seriously hurt…”
Yun Yeopja narrowed his eyes, glancing between my bandaged shoulder and Saweol.
As a Transcendent Peak master, he could probably tell the extent and nature of my wound just from the wrapping. He likely realized I’d been injured by Saweol—she was the only one here who used a dagger.
Before it became a problem, I spoke up first.
“That dead man—Jo Yang—his goal was to resurrect the Witch of the Small Marsh.”
“You mean the demonic witch of the previous generation? I thought she was eliminated by the Sword King due to her wicked ice arts… Resurrected, you say?”
“Her power was sealed within this object.”
I revealed the Small Marsh Jade.
Yun Yeopja, sensitive to energy as a Transcendent Peak expert, flinched at the malicious aura it emitted.
“A truly vile and immense energy…”
Jo Yang planned to revive her using this jade and blood-fueled sorcery. Apparently, the two were lovers. I suppose he aged better than most.
“So he intended to sacrifice Miss Paeng as revenge against the Sword King.”
“Yes. We were just unfortunate bystanders. Saweol lost her reason for a moment due to Jo Yang’s spell.”
I could feel Saweol glance in my direction. But there was no need to explain that it was due to trauma.
“Wait a second.”
Tang Siyuk interrupted.
“Then did you defeat the Witch of the Small Marsh, Brother? The same demonic witch the Sword King barely managed to kill decades ago?”
A sudden silence filled the air.
In the Martial World, age doesn’t weaken a warrior as much thanks to internal energy. While the body declines, high-level masters who maintain training lose very little.
With that in mind, just how powerful had the Witch been?
I sensed the mood shifting—no longer awe or admiration, but something else… especially among the Tang Clan warriors.
Caution.
I was posing as someone from the Eastern Lands. Though the Eastern Lands had friendly ties to the Martial World, I was still an outsider.
A protruding nail gets hammered down.
This was a world where individuals could suppress entire factions—but also where factions could easily erase even the strongest individual if they posed a threat.
Even prestigious sects would eliminate those who threatened their power. Even if I held a Divine Token, our connection was still only a few days old—fragile.
Yun Yeopja probably wouldn’t act that way. Neither would Tang Siyuk. But the warriors they brought would surely report this to the Tang Clan elders. And once the upper ranks grew wary of me…
By then, even Tang Siyuk’s support would be too late.
Unless I were an overwhelming force like the Heavenly Demon, or a madman like Sword Saint Maeng Wihak, drawing suspicion while pretending to be powerful was dangerous.
“There’s no way. The Witch of the Small Marsh was just a mindless puppet. She couldn’t manifest true martial arts techniques. That’s why I could deal with her. If she had been complete, I’d be the one dead.”
“Ah, I see.”
Tang Siyuk nodded. Honestly, it was more believable than the idea that I had defeated the real Witch on my own.
“Still, it’s impressive that you were the one to stop her. You’ve done a great service for the Martial World.”
“Anyone here would have done the same. Regardless…”
I turned the focus away from myself.
“Miss Paeng needs to finish what she started so we can finally leave these ruins.”
“That’s why I said I’d wake her!”
“Are you trying to start a war between the Tang Clan and the Paeng Family?”
Tsk.
Paeng Soso’s blade dance didn’t seem to be ending anytime soon. She had been going at it for half an hour, and her energy was only growing.
Don’t tell me she’s reaching Transcendent Peak…
That would be absurd. The gap between Peak and Transcendent Peak was massive.
“Let’s at least make plans for what comes next.”
Basic security was handled. Now, we had to return to the Demonic Cult.
The thing the Demonic Cult hated most was betrayal. If I wasn’t careful, I could be labeled a traitor. That would be a disaster. Even Return of the Murim’s protagonist suffered horribly trying to clear that mark.
But continuing to think became difficult.
As the pain subsided, intense fatigue began to crash over me. Today had been insane—fighting animated statues immune to sword energy, clashing with a monster like the Witch, and getting seriously wounded for the first time in my life.
If not for the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, I probably would’ve already collapsed.
Should I just close my eyes for a bit…?
As my eyelids began to fall—
“Witch of the Small Marsh!”
Paeng Soso’s voice rang out, loud and sharp.
When I looked over, I saw her blade flying toward me.
Her eyes were still unfocused—drifting between trance and reality.
In short, she was still out of it.
“Why the hell…? Ah!”
I remembered. I still had the Small Marsh Jade in my possession.
She must have sensed its energy and reflexively attacked.
Despite being out of her mind, the force behind her attack was terrifying. Did she really grow stronger from her enlightenment? Even at ten meters away, I felt tingling across my whole body.
“What the hell?!”
It seemed she finally snapped out of it and looked horrified. But her sword technique, aggressive and straightforward, didn’t veer much from its trajectory.
I quickly gathered qi to enhance my vision.
Damn it.
At this rate, I’d be struck.
I tried to rise—but I was a bit too slow.
I’ll have to use Blink—
But then.
Sshk—
Saweol stepped in front of me. Of course.
If I die, the contract breaks, and Saweol dies too…
Her dagger met Paeng Soso’s massive blade.
The problem was compatibility. Though Saweol was a seasoned Peak master, her techniques leaned more toward assassination than direct confrontation.
Clashing head-on with a greatsword wasn’t in her favor.
Sure enough—
Skkkrrk—!
Her feet dug deep into the ground. Her body only stopped just inches from me.
“Witch of the Small Marsh!!”
Paeng Soso was still out of her senses. Her body tilted back—prepping her signature technique.
And then—
“HAAAH!!”
Yun Yeopja’s thunderous voice echoed through the cave.
Whoa… I actually got to witness that.
In wuxia stories, when someone needed to be snapped out of it, someone always shouted “HAH!” It was a cliché.
And apparently, it actually worked.
As soon as she heard it, Paeng Soso returned to herself.
With the clean qi unique to Daoist sects—and especially Yun Yeopja, who had awakened the power of “Heavenly Demon”—his voice carried weight.
“W-What have I done…?”
Paeng Soso stumbled back in shock.
“Compose yourself. You nearly fell into qi deviation.”
Yun Yeopja explained the situation. Hearing it, Paeng Soso sighed and slumped to the floor.
She seemed drained.
“I really made a mess of everything… Sorry, Brother Kim.”
“It’s fine.”
“And sorry about your protection, too. I shouldn’t just walk away from this, but… I’ve got nothing to offer right now. I lost everything.”
She looked at Jo Yang’s corpse bitterly.
For the Changbi Party, the losses were substantial. They’d lost people and gained nothing.
I was the only one who profited from all this.
Still, that was that.
“So you owe me now.”
“Fair. Got anything in mind?”
I did.
Paeng Soso was full of exploitable value.
“I want—”
Just as I was about to speak—
Rumble!
The final, third passage opened.
“Big Sis—!”
“Noonaaah!”
The rest of the Changbi Party burst out. Covered in dirt and blood, utterly miserable. A few even teared up at the sight of Paeng Soso.
“Why do you guys look like beggars? What are you, from the Beggar’s Sect?”
“We almost died out there!”
“That’s why I tell you to train regularly. Weaklings.”
“You’re so cruel!”
Paeng Soso smiled.
[What a reckless woman.]
‘Yeah, but still—’
There was no trace now of the madwoman who’d once burned her own clan.
[Are you okay?]
‘Are you actually worried about me right now?’
[It’s my body. If you don’t treat it right, there’ll be consequences.]
‘Then maybe worry better. I do feel like I’m dying.’
[What did you say?! No. You’re not allowed to die.]
“You yelling in my head is what’s killing me.”
My shoulder throbbed like hell, my eyelids felt like lead. I couldn’t take it anymore.
“Saweol, are you hurt?”
“No. I’m fine.”
“Then sit.”
Saweol sat—not too close, not too far.
“Closer.”
She scooted closer. Just as she neared—
I leaned on her shoulder.
“Just stay like this for a bit. It’s your punishment.”
Before she could respond, my eyes slowly closed.