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Chapter: 05
Even When Given a Chance to Live, They Kick It Away?
“Krk! W-Wait a….”
Taeho had a dagger lodged in his neck—but he wasn’t easy to kill.
A Yeonggeun disciple who had awakened spiritual energy and entered Yeongi could not be compared to an ordinary person. In the Water Cultivation world, methods existed even to reattach a severed neck. With just the strange elixir inside Ganghyeon or Indeok’s sleeves, saving Taeho would not be difficult.
‘Killing is easy. But saving… that’s not hard either.’
Ganghyeon gripped Taeho’s collar and paused, deep in thought.
“Ganghyeon!”
Indeok ran up to him and stood close.
“He’s not dead yet.”
Ganghyeon said calmly, his voice measured. The three children accompanying Taeho regained focus, eyes wide.
“What are you going to do?”
Indeok asked.
“He tried to kill me, so it’s right to kill him.”
“But…”
“This guy has entered Yeongi. Hesitating here might get us hurt instead.”
“W-Wait. Our brother is a descendant of the Lee clan, but also a specially chosen disciple of Hyeonhaegung. So…”
“Are you suggesting that if I kill him, the Lee clan and Hyeonhaegung will come for revenge?”
One of Taeho’s companions tried to intimidate Ganghyeon into sparing him, but it only provoked Ganghyeon.
“T-That’s…”
“If I kill him, do you really think you’ll survive? How will you know it was me who killed him?”
“N-No…”
“We’ll… kill you too?!”
“But we just came with Brother Taeho…”
“Indeok, stop them if they try to run.”
“Uh, okay.”
Ganghyeon had Indeok prevent their escape, and Indeok nodded slightly.
“Can it be used again?”
Ganghyeon gestured at the bamboo tube on the ground. One of the three children stammered:
“It… it can be used five times…”
“So it can be used four more times?”
“We already used it three times, so only two left…”
“You used it on others before me? Who?”
“Well… uh…”
“You killed other trainees, didn’t you?”
The child’s hesitation confirmed it. Ganghyeon’s eyes hardened.
“Young and already committing heinous acts…”
He glanced at Taeho, still hanging from his collar, and moved the dagger in his other hand.
Thunk, thunk, thunk!
“Grrr!”
“Taeho-hyung!”
“Hyung… he… really k-killed him!”
Ganghyeon had pulled the dagger from Taeho’s neck and stabbed his chest twice. The children thought Taeho was dead and panicked.
Taeho fell to the ground with a thud.
“What now? Kill the others too?”
Indeok whispered cautiously. Even sensitive to spiritual energy, the children could hear him, but he habitually lowered his voice.
“Hey, hey, he’s not dead.”
“Huh?”
“He’s not dead. I just made it hard for him to recover immediately.”
“R-Really?”
Indeok’s tense expression relaxed, relieved. She had been ready to act if Ganghyeon killed Taeho—but now it seemed unnecessary.
“You there.”
“U-Us?”
“Take him and go.”
“You’re just letting him go?”
Ganghyeon’s calm statement made one of the children suspicious.
“Who said we’re just letting you go?”
“Well… then?”
“Hand over everything you have. Strip down to your underwear. Take him too.”
Ganghyeon nodded toward the collapsed Taeho.
“You’re really sparing him?”
“Yes. We’ll inform the senior disciples of Cheonroeum about this. They’ll handle what comes after.”
“R-Really?”
“Lucky for you.”
The children exchanged nervous glances but complied. Ganghyeon suspected Hyeonhaegung instructors permitted attacks outside the tower.
“What are you waiting for? Strip them and hand over everything!”
The children cautiously stripped Taeho and themselves under Ganghyeon’s watch.
“Is this okay?”
Indeok asked quietly.
“Why? Did you want him dead?”
“No… it’s not that. Killing is easy. He could have been dangerous, but he was stupid.”
Ganghyeon gestured at Taeho, now stripped to his underwear.
“So that’s it?”
“He entered Yeongi and had offensive tools. If he used them properly, we’d be in trouble.”
“Right… if you hadn’t blocked his first attack… we could have died.”
Indeok grimaced, realizing how close they were to disaster.
“Die!”
“Take this!”
Puhwahk! Shshshsh!
The three children suddenly attacked Ganghyeon and Indeok. Two struck, one formed a water-based barrier.
“Those brats!”
Indeok reacted first, emitting energy that turned his clothes golden and expanding into a massive shield.
“Tch… I tried to spare them…”
Ganghyeon clicked his tongue as the children’s fire and needle attacks were blocked.
“Bad choice!”
He leapt through the shield and charged at them.
“Huh?!”
“D-Damn it!”
“Stay alert! The barrier is still there—prepare another attack!”
The two attackers faltered, while the third concentrated spiritual energy into the water barrier.
Puhwahk! Shshshsh!
Ganghyeon anticipated this. He dodged sideways and stabbed the dagger into the water barrier.
“Hmph!”
The child with the barrier sneered confidently, believing it unbreakable.
Thunk!
The dagger pierced halfway before halting.
“Hahaha! You’re already dead!”
The child laughed, confident because of Taeho—still trying to rise despite injury. Ganghyeon realized too late that the children had given Taeho elixir-like substances.
“No time. Let’s finish this.”
He concentrated spiritual energy into the dagger, and green energy condensed at its tip, swelling rapidly.
Ouuuuung! Ouuung!
“Wh-What?”
“S-Save…!”
“Ugh!”
The green energy exploded into a massive tree—trunk three jang wide, five jang tall, roots protruding above ground. It shook, splitting the children’s shields and wrapping Taeho and the attackers in its branches and roots.
“What… what’s that?”
Indeok asked, running to Ganghyeon in shock.
“A Trant.”
“Huh? What’s that?”
“Just a tree. A moving tree.”
“A tree monster?”
“Not exactly… let’s deal with this first.”
Connected to Ganghyeon’s mind, the Trant obeyed without verbal commands.
Auwoooong! Auwoooong!
It wrapped the children with branches and roots, drawing them inside.
“W-What?”
Indeok stared, then turned to Ganghyeon:
“Is it… a tree monster? Or… your servant spirit?”
Ganghyeon nodded. For disciples, spirits tamed from beasts or monsters were all considered servant spirits.
“Yes, think of it that way. No major difference.”
“Did it… eat them?”
Sigh.
Ganghyeon explained that the children weren’t dead yet. He could release them if he chose. But he didn’t.
Though only twelve in this world, in his previous life he was in his mid-thirties, a hunter in dungeons and against awakened humans. Killing was nothing to him. The only concern was the children’s age.
“Will Hyeonhaegung find out…?”
Indeok asked nervously.
“Do you care that they might die?”
“They deserved it. They killed others and tried to kill us twice.”
Indeok, usually gentle, agreed even she could not forgive this.
“Ganghyeon… does it bother you they’re not dead?”
“Hmm?”
“Don’t worry. Our senior said the Water Cultivation world is full of life and death. This was bound to happen.”
“You talk well, but weren’t you trembling before?”
“That was natural. I was startled.”
“And now?”
“Now, I’m prepared to fight.”
“That included a willingness to kill?”
“Of course! At first, your dagger surprised me, but I realized I must be able to do the same.”
“Words are easy, action isn’t. I hope we never face this again…”
Ganghyeon’s voice trailed. The Water Cultivation world was harsh beyond desire.
Ouuuuung! Ouuung!
“Uh? What’s happening?”
The Trant shivered. Indeok asked worriedly:
“Using all your energy?”
“Yes.”
The tree spirit returned to a condensed green energy mass, sucked into Ganghyeon’s palm.
“Wow…”
Indeok’s eyes widened in amazement.
“Let’s finish this—harvest the Zaryeonghwa and erase any trace of the children.”
Ganghyeon moved first, pale-faced, with Indeok close by to assist.
