Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 462 – Karma (1)

It was invisible to everyone else’s eyes.

While the bamboo-hatted figure and others were puzzled, only Jung-sun’s eyes clearly saw someone’s figure.

That someone was a young girl with half of her hair turned white, her entire body wrapped in chains.

‘Gyu, Gyu So-ha?’

Gyu So-ha.

She is a spirit servant belonging to Mok Gyeong-un, who has reached Blue Spirit rank.

How did she, who always refers to herself as “this young master” or as a man, arrive here before them?

And why is she in the state of a vengeful spirit instead of possessing someone?

This was due to an instruction from Mok Gyeong-un.

***

Just a few hours earlier, around sunset.

Gyu So-ha, possessing the body of Seo Hye-in, the leader of the Four Peaks faction under Jang Neung-ak, the second disciple of the Society Leader, was leading a force of hundreds of experts and escorting Go Chan, who was possessed by Wi So-yeon, back to the society.

They would have arrived sooner, but their return was delayed due to several encounters with Secret Society’s trackers and having to avoid them.

However, they were now only a few hours away from arriving.

At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un’s thoughts were transmitted into her mind.

-Gyu So-ha. Where are you now?

-Master!

-Are you at the society?

-No. We had to take a detour because they were following us, so it took some time.

-I see. Then it would be difficult.

-Pardon?

-They are targeting the Assassin King of the Sea sealed in the hidden vault of the Corpse Blood Valley. The wooden box…

-Master! We’re not far now. We should arrive at the association in less than half a day. So I can retrieve the wooden box…

-No, this is urgent. Leave it to Ma-seung, you focus on your current mission.

-Master? Master!

No matter how much she called, Mok Gyeong-un didn’t respond.

Gyu So-ha was feeling dejected when, coincidentally, as they approached the society, they found another force waiting for them.

It was none other than the force led by Lee Ji-yeom, the master of the Corpse Blood Valley.

[Oh?]

[Is that Seo Hye-in, leader of the Four Peaks faction? Our lord sent us. From now on, I will command the escort team.]

The meticulous Mok Gyeong-un had sent Lee Ji-yeom in advance as a precaution.

Thanks to their appearance, she thought it was fortunate and left things to Lee Ji-yeom, then separated from the body and returned first in her vengeful spirit state.

***

‘H-How?’

Gyu Jung-sun, one of the Five Tigers, the highest-ranked Five Peaks of the Heaven and Earth Society, and the grand leader of the Spear Demon Group.

He couldn’t hide his bewilderment at the sight of Gyu So-ha flickering before his eyes.

The memory from that time was still vivid, as if it had happened just yesterday.

He was rejoicing in his hidden talent awakening after being chosen by Him, when he heard someone’s voice calling for him from somewhere.

[Jung-sun! Jung-sun! Where are you? Answer if you’re alive!]

It was that girl’s voice.

Could she have come down to this ravine to look for him?

Just as he was starting to feel strange, His voice echoed in his ears.

[Your chance has come.]

With that, the subtle emotion that had momentarily gripped Jung-sun disappeared, and his heart filled with murderous intent.

Seized by such intense killing intent, he secretly approached Gyu So-ha from behind and struck the back of her head with a sharp rock.

Puk!

[Ack!]

Gyu So-ha turned her head, gasping for breath.

She was looking at him with eyes filled with both shock and disappointment.

[Y-You… How…]

Don’t look at me with those eyes.

This is all your fault.

Puk!

[Ack!]

Jung-sun brought the rock down on her face as she glared at him.

Seeing her suffer with her eyes sunken in, Jung-sun’s mouth stretched into a wide grin.

Feeling her pain brought him such joy that he felt ecstatic.

[S-Stop.]

[You damn brat. What do you mean stop? Everything will be solved if you just die.]

[You… You…]

[Every time you acted superior, pretending to sympathize while having everything…]

[I… I… didn’t…]

[You were just born before me, that’s all.]

With those words, Jung-sun frantically brought the rock down on her face.

At first, she screamed in pain, but by the time her face was almost completely crushed, she could no longer make any sound.

Finally, the damn girl was dead.

Even after confirming that Gyu So-ha had breathed her last, he continued to strike her face, unable to quell his anger.

But now, what was happening?

Seumul seumul!

The figure flickering before his eyes now, with half-white hair and body wrapped in chains, was undoubtedly Gyu So-ha.

Although the whitened hair and chains looked bizarre, what bewildered Jung-sun more was seeing the dead girl flickering before his eyes.

‘W-What on earth is this?’

This chilling, hair-raising ghostly energy that gave him goosebumps.

Could she have become a vengeful ghost after death?

As he unconsciously took a step back, his father, the Shadow Spear King Gyu Jong-sin, grabbed his shoulder and asked:

“What’s wrong?”

“Can’t you see it?”

“See what? What are you talking about?”

“What?”

As he questioned back, even the family retainers beside them were showing reactions as if they couldn’t understand what was happening.

“Young Master?”

“What on earth is wrong with you?”

Could it be that they can’t see that thing in front of them?

That Gyu So-ha thing is glaring at him as if it’s going to kill him, and they can’t see it?

Then, his father, the Shadow Spear King Gyu Jong-sin, pointed to where the ghostly energy was felt and asked:

“Do you mean over there? What exactly do you see?”

“T-That…”

Jung-sun couldn’t bring himself to answer.

How could he say that Gyu So-ha, whom he had killed with his own hands, was visible right in front of him?

“Huu.”

Seemingly deciding this wouldn’t do, the Shadow Spear King Gyu Jong-sin approached where the ghostly energy was felt and aimed his personal weapon, the famous spear Han-wi, which he wore on his back.

Then, concentrating true qi at the spear tip and imbuing it with sword energy, he thrust it forward.

Puk!

At the moment he thrust the spear,

Seureuk!

Gyu So-ha leaped backward, avoiding the attack.

She had distanced herself because even a vengeful spirit in ethereal form could be somewhat harmed by the qi of an outstanding internal martial arts master.

However, because of this,

‘She dodged?’

Jung-sun, who had been momentarily gripped by fear thinking it was a vengeful ghost, came to his senses.

Why would a dead vengeful ghost dodge an attack?

Could it be that this isn’t what I think it is?

Seuk!

Jung-sun reached for the spear on his back.

Although he didn’t know how it had appeared before him again, it was clear that it had appeared with malice towards him.

The fortunate thing was that no one else could see it.

‘Whether it’s a vengeful ghost or whatever, I need to deal with it.’

His father, the Shadow Spear King Gyu Jong-sin, only knew that Gyu So-ha had died in an unfortunate accident during the Corpse Blood Valley test.

Thanks to that, he had naturally been able to become the young master.

He didn’t know why such a thing had appeared now, but he couldn’t let it become a unnecessary disturbance.

He had been momentarily shocked and confused, thinking the dead girl had appeared, but he was no longer his former self.

Now, he was one of the Five Tigers, the highest-ranked Five Peaks, and a supreme expert who had reached the pinnacle-stage of the transcendent realm, gazing beyond the wall.

Moreover, if he used the technique that he had passed down, he could exert even greater power.

Because of this, none of the Five Tigers could match him.

Judging by that youthful appearance, she doesn’t seem any different from before, but are you trying to take revenge on me now?

‘Hmph!’

If physical attacks work, I’ll kill you again.

Just as Jung-sun was about to launch himself towards Gyu So-ha,

Gyu So-ha extended her palm towards him and muttered incomprehensible words.

-Ghost Intent Domain. Chain Immortal Prison.

Pat!

What’s this?

At that moment,

Chwarurururururu! Papapapat!

Suddenly, chains began to burst out and surge up from the perfectly normal floor.

Jung-sun, who had been about to attack Gyu So-ha, was startled by the chains surging up from the floor and used a movement technique to avoid them.

Chwarurururu!

Nevertheless, the surging chains, as if alive, rushed towards him.

In response, Jung-sun unleashed a powerful spear technique to block the chains.

Chaechaechaechaechaechaeng!

Has this damn girl learned some kind of sorcery?

He couldn’t understand what was happening.

As he continued to block the chains, Jung-sun, feeling a sense of crisis from the continuously advancing chains, hurriedly shouted:

“Father! Please help—!?”

At that moment, Jung-sun’s pupils shook.

The figures of his father and the three retainers were nowhere to be seen.

As he wondered where they had disappeared to, he saw chains, incomparably more numerous than before, rushing towards him like hundreds of snakes swarming in.

‘…Damn it.’

There were so many that he was at a loss for how to block them all.

However, Jung-sun’s worry didn’t last long.

This was because, while watching the oncoming chains, he became certain of one thing.

There was no way such a large quantity of chains could exist in the hidden vault of the Corpse Blood Valley.

Which meant this must surely be an illusion.

‘You’re trying to deceive my eyes, but do you think I’ll fall for it so easily?’

Pakang!

Jung-sun fixed the shaft of his spear to the ground and closed his eyes.

Then he concentrated on his sense of qi.

‘This is fake. Fake.’

It’s merely deceiving his sight and other five senses.

If it’s just an illusion, it absolutely cannot harm him.

Yes, absolutely…

Chwarurururururu!

He felt numerous chains wrapping around his body.

At this, Jung-sun circulated his true qi throughout his body while repeating to himself:

‘It’s an illusion. It’s an illusion. It’s an illusion. If I concentrate…’

But then,

Kkwaaaak!

As hundreds of chains, not just one, wrapped around his body and tightened, he couldn’t help but scream in pain.

“Kuuuup!”

What on earth is this?

He had closed his eyes and tried to convince himself that nothing was there.

But the sensation of chains constricting his body felt too real.

Because of this, Jung-sun finally unleashed his anti-shock energy throughout his body, trying somehow to shake off the chains wrapping around him.

However,

Kkwaaaak!

“Kyak!”

The chains tightened even more strongly, making him feel like his body was about to burst.

He had definitely raised his power to the ten-star level, so how could mere illusory chains have an even stronger constricting force?

Then, a voice reached his ears.

-Does this look like an illusion to you?

“Huh?”

Surprised, Jung-sun tilted his head back and shouted:

“Y-You, what exactly are you? Why do you have that girl’s appearance…”

-That girl? Judging by your tone, I can tell how you thought of me.

“You…”

Jung-sun’s expression distorted.

This familiar intonation and way of speaking.

Even though more than 15 years had passed, it was impossible for it to be erased from his mind.

“…It can’t be. You’re dead.”

-Yet here I am in front of you.

With those words, Gyu So-ha made a gesture of slightly clenching her hand.

At that, the chains wrapping around Jung-sun tightened even more.

Kkwaaaaaaak!

“Kek kek!”

The pressure was so strong that Jung-sun’s face trembled, and blood spurted from his mouth.

Despite his suffering appearance, Gyu So-ha showed no sign of satisfaction.

This was because she hadn’t yet bestowed upon him the proper pain.

-To be in such pain from just this much. How pathetic.

“Kek kek. You… you bitch! You’re… fake. Gyu… So-ha is… dead.”

Even in his pain, he tried his best not to make any verbal mistakes, thinking his father and the retainers might be watching.

But then,

-Yes, I died. So I’m here to let you taste the pain I experienced after death.

“What?”

-You coveted what I had, right? Then you should share the pain too.

Tak!

As Gyu So-ha snapped her fingers, everything around them darkened.

Then suddenly, the surroundings changed.

It had clearly been the hidden vault, but now it had transformed into the bottom of a cliff ravine.

The moment he saw this place, Jung-sun’s pupils shook violently.

‘This is…’

That place.

The bottom of the cliff ravine in the Corpse Blood Valley.

The place he called “solitude”.

And also the place where he had killed Gyu So-ha.

What on earth is going on?

“You… What the hell did you do? How did you bring me to this place?”

Jung-sun’s shout echoed all around.

“What? W-Where did you go?”

Gyu So-ha, who had been right beside him until just a moment ago, was nowhere to be seen.

Where on earth did she disappear to?

As he wondered about this,

Seumul seumul!

At that moment, something unbelievable happened.

Bizarre things with terrifying forms began to appear before his eyes from all directions.

These things, with not a single normal aspect to them, were literally vengeful spirits, vengeful ghosts.

Even though he had reached the transcendent realm, he couldn’t help but feel a chill run down his spine at the sight of these terrible things swarming towards him.

Startled by the appearance of these approaching beings, he tried to undo the chains, but,

Kkwak!

“Kuuuu.”

The chains constricting his body didn’t budge an inch.

In the midst of this, unfortunately, as he struggled to move, he ended up falling backwards.

Kung!

Having fallen, he frantically tried to somehow undo the chains.

But by then, the vengeful spirits had reached where he was.

‘Huk!’

The vengeful spirits that had reached him began to frantically cling to him and burrow into his exposed parts.

Kwaduk! Kwajijik!

Ujeok ujeok!

“Kyaaaaa! Let go! Let goooo! Don’t bite! Uwaak!”

Jung-sun frantically turned his face and twisted his body, trying to shake them off.

But the more he did so,

-Let us eat you. Let us eat you.

-Die! Die!

-Why… should we be here.

-Save us! Give us your body.

-Just die already.

They clung to him even more frantically.

As they bit his face and burrowed into his flesh, more than the physical pain, extreme emotions of terror and despair flooded his mind, tormenting him.

“Kyaaaaa!”

The torment was so severe that he felt he might go mad.

Could he really die like this?

As he thought this, suddenly he saw Gyu So-ha watching him with a chilling smile on her face.

She was genuinely happy at his suffering.

‘You… You really are trying to take revenge on me? You… how dare you… how dare you do this to me?’

Reaching the extreme of agony and rage, he finally couldn’t hold back anymore and unleashed the secret technique he had been hiding.

It was a technique called the Exploding Acupoint Skill that he had taught him, which momentarily increased all his power exponentially at the cost of depleting his vital energy.

Pachachachachacha!

His power instantly surged to more than double, causing the mass of chains that hadn’t budged an inch to shatter into pieces.

Along with this, the vengeful spirits that had been biting and clinging to him were also flung away.

Pat!

Jung-sun then launched himself and grabbed Gyu So-ha.

He roughly grasped her neck with both hands and threw her to the ground.

Kek!

“You wench! How dare you try to take revenge on me!”

-Kek kek! Stop… Stop…

“Stop? Stop? Kuhahahahaha!”

Jung-sun burst into maniacal laughter as he watched Gyu So-ha suffering.

He had thought she was a vengeful spirit, but it seems that wasn’t the case.

After all, a dead person wouldn’t suffer from being choked.

Jung-sun tightened his grip on Gyu So-ha’s neck even more, sneering with a face twisted by madness.

“I don’t know how you survived with your face crushed, but So-ha, you’re really stupid.”

-Kek kek! You! You!

Gyu So-ha’s face gradually turned pale as she struggled for breath.

Watching her dying appearance, Jung-sun scoffed and said:

“Why, are you frustrated? You tried so hard to get revenge, but you couldn’t even do that properly, and now you’re about to die by my hands again.”

No sooner had those words left his mouth.

Gyu So-ha, who had been suffering with a dying face, suddenly smiled.

‘!?’

She’s smiling?

At that moment.

He felt something cold and sharp against his neck.

It was a spear blade.

‘This… This is…’

And it wasn’t just any spear blade, but Han-wi[1], the famous spear that was his father Shadow Spear King Gyu Jong-sin’s personal weapon.

Startled, he tried to lift his head, but his father’s voice, filled with killing intent, shook his heart.

“Just now… Repeat what you said.”