Chapter 234

The moment the word “Geon” left Park Chan-woo’s lips, the energy of the surrounding challengers—including Yula—began to waver.

Seeing their reaction, Park Chan-woo was certain.

‘I picked the right one.’

Drawing a trigram was already the start of the test.

And it was now clear that the eight trigrams weren’t distributed evenly inside the box.

Geon, Tae, Ri, Jin, Seon, Gam, Gan, Gon.

The eight components of the Eight Trigrams.

Judging by how startled everyone had been when Chiwoo drew Tae, the trigrams listed earlier were likely rarer.

“…What remarkable confidence.”

Yula clicked her tongue softly.

Those who had overwhelmingly passed Lee Sabek’s test would naturally be brimming with confidence.

After all, Lee Sabek’s test was infamous for being simple in form and brutal in reality.

However, the second test had limits that couldn’t be overcome by individual martial prowess alone.

It was practically a team battle disguised as an individual contest.

Collecting all eight trigrams alone was nearly impossible.

Especially once it became known that someone had drawn Geon and Tae, they would instantly become everyone’s target.

Both were low-probability draws, and everyone would want them—eyes blazing.

And there was no way to take it back now that it had been announced openly.

“If possible, I advise you not to enter immediately. Unless you want to die a violent death.”

It was her final warning.

Hidden Realm or Non Selected Individual—recklessness always had a price.

Even at the foot of the mountain, disregarding the Arahan gathered here could invite disaster.

It would be wiser to delay as long as possible and join a strong faction.

Like the first test, the second test also judged only the outcome—gather all Eight Trigrams, regardless of method.

If they offered up Geon and Tae, they could likely secure extremely favorable terms.

‘Though the score differs depending on how you gather them.’

The path to the result was free.

But it wasn’t a test that judged only the result.

Naturally, the grade differed depending on the route taken.

The three tests at the foot of the mountain.

Since the combined score determined one’s status and position on the mountainside, simply taking the easiest path wasn’t the answer.

That was why she tried to scare them off.

She was intensely curious how they would handle the pressure and hostile attention pressing in from all sides.

“I’ll enter immediately.”

Park Chan-woo didn’t care.

If the test had already begun, then his decision right now was part of it as well.

This was the Mountain of Ascetics.

A place where Arahan who had honed their pure skills gathered.

Then the answer was a frontal breakthrough.

Only those with a warrior’s blood could climb higher.

‘Even his attitude is splendid.’

Yula smiled faintly.

It was a refreshingly direct reply—more than she expected.

Had there been any Arahan in recent times who faced the test with such confidence?

The second test had remained unchanged for a long time.

Selected Individual came in with some prior knowledge.

They hid their trigrams, joined factions, and gathered the Eight Trigrams as efficiently as possible.

But the Arahan in front of her was different.

He didn’t hide his trigram.

And he had no intention of seeking anyone’s help.

If anything, his stance was simple: come at me if you dare.

Arrogance, recklessness—so what.

Just seeing an Arahan like this made her blood stir for the first time in a long while.

“I wish you good fortune.”

—

“Geon! Geon has appeared!”

“Tae has appeared as well!”

The news of Geon and Tae spread instantly among the other Arahan.

Faction leaders who heard it trembled.

“The Geon trigram…”

“Finally…!”

“It’s been a year, right?”

For a full year, Geon hadn’t appeared at all.

Of course, someone could have obtained it and kept it hidden, but at the very least, no one had passed the second test for the past year.

So they had waited, helplessly.

Please—let Geon appear.

There were easily over a thousand test-takers stranded in the second test.

Among them, the faction leaders had gathered nearly every trigram except Geon.

Naturally, curiosity followed.

“Who is it?”

“They say it’s the ones who passed Lee Sabek’s test with ‘Superior’ and ‘Special top grade.’”

“…In that Lee Sabek’s test?”

It was shocking enough that Geon had appeared.

But it was just as shocking that they had passed Lee Sabek’s test with Superior or higher.

Because Lee Sabek was known for his abysmal pass rate and for never giving a score above Medium.

In other words—

“That means they’re considerable masters.”

“I heard they’re from a Hidden Realm…”

“…A Hidden Realm?”

What kind of talk was that?

Hidden Realm.

A place said to exist somewhere in the deepest, darkest part beneath the mountain.

There were no weaklings among Arahan from Hidden Realms.

Without exception, they would appear and ascend to at least the mountainside, flaunting their power.

More like a guaranteed success check.

If they were truly from a Hidden Realm, the families on the mountain would inevitably take notice.

“What should we do?”

“….”

There were three obvious methods.

Kill and take.

Trade.

Or recruit.

The first was simplest, but if they were truly strong masters from a Hidden Realm, it would require significant sacrifice.

Since they were bold enough to reveal their hands and enter immediately, the second would likely be useless.

So should they recruit them?

‘They revealed Geon and Tae despite holding them. It’s foolish… but it also means they’re that confident in their skills.’

Geon and Tae were the best trigrams.

In a trigram showdown, no trigram could beat them.

However, a trigram showdown only worked when neither side knew the other’s hand.

Now that everyone knew their trigrams, no one would ever agree to such a match.

“Let’s watch a little more.”

So they chose a fourth option.

Let’s see what kind of lunatics they really are.

After all, the ones targeting Geon and Tae were overflowing here.

If they turned out to be less than expected, they could be killed.

If they turned out to be more incredible than imagined, it wouldn’t be too late to worry then.

And if they truly were from a Hidden Realm, it wouldn’t hurt to become friendly.

Because those from Hidden Realms held absolute influence on the mountainside.

—

“Just a rabble.”

Chiwoo clicked his tongue.

The moment they entered the test area, a group rushed them.

But they were nothing but minnows—barely worth a yawn.

“It seems they’re more wary of those from Hidden Realms than I thought.”

He quickly grasped the situation.

Both of them were being mistaken for Hidden Realm Arahan.

At first, he hadn’t realized how significant that was, but the higher he climbed, the more he understood the weight that single phrase carried among the Arahan.

That was why they couldn’t charge in recklessly.

Chiwoo nodded.

“Hidden Realms are often seen as places where cursed Arahan gather.”

“…So it wasn’t a positive label.”

“They’re objects of wariness. Precisely because they’re mysterious and little is known, they’re perfect as a mask.”

Park Chan-woo nodded.

They were operating under the cover story of a Hidden Realm successor and his guard.

“Of course, the real Hidden Realms are places where Arahan who committed grave sins are imprisoned…”

“Like that ‘hell’?”

“…Yes.”

Avici Hell.

The endless cave where the Twelve Heavenly Kings had been imprisoned also belonged to the Hidden Realms.

Hidden Realm was a term that encompassed such prisons.

And among them, Avici Hell was the worst.

“Don’t worry. Hidden Realm or not, no family on this mountain dares to touch the name of the Heavenly Demon.”

Even though they were currently wearing the Hidden Realm mask, if the mountain learned that Park Chan-woo was the successor of the Heavenly Demon and Chiwoo was one of the Twelve Heavenly Kings, the repercussions would be enormous.

No matter how much it was said to have been erased, since when was the name of the Heavenly Demon something that could be erased just because someone erased it?

And the Twelve Heavenly Kings were beings who stood above all the families that served the master of the mountain.

‘Too much time has passed. Until I see the changes on the mountain with my own eyes, I can’t act rashly.’

They didn’t know what would happen if they revealed everything immediately.

They had been imprisoned in Avici Hell for hundreds of years.

In that time, everything could have vanished.

The forces that once supported them, and those who inherited the Heavenly Demon’s will.

If the Godslayer was still intact and his faction still dominated, the two of them alone would be hard-pressed.

They needed to ascend to at least the mountainside and find a method.

Until then, keeping it hidden was best.

However…

“It seems not all of them are cowards.”

Park Chan-woo muttered.

In front of them, no fewer than fifty Arahan appeared.

So it wasn’t just fear and caution.

“Hand over the Geon and Tae trigrams and get lost. Then we’ll spare your lives, at least.”

The leader commanding the fifty Arahan.

The Mana he carried was dense, and the martial level of those behind him wasn’t something to ignore.

Heh!

“Looks like I can finally warm up a little.”

Chiwoo laughed.

After Rebirth and Reverting to Youth, his martial prowess had surpassed even his prime.

But until now, he hadn’t had a chance to properly show it.

And now, prey had delivered itself right to him.

“Tsk. Foolish bastards who don’t know the value of their own lives. Kill them.”

Seeing no sign of concession, the leader gave the order.

And it began.

…A massacre, equal parts terror and exhilaration.

—

They couldn’t see him.

They couldn’t even sense him.

Before they knew it, that man—no, that monster—was taking Arahan lives.

With a flick of a hand, a shift of a foot, exactly one life was extinguished.

The time it took to dispose of more than fifty Arahan was shorter than the time it took to drink a cup of tea.

“…Wiped out?”

“Sabahn’s faction?”

The news reached the other factions in an instant.

Sabahn’s faction was one of the top groups in this second test.

For them to be wiped out without being able to put up a fight—

No, that wasn’t quite right.

To be precise, it wasn’t a complete wipeout.

Because one was spared.

As a messenger, to deliver this crushing record to everyone.

“So that’s what it means to be from a Hidden Realm?”

“And they say it was just one person.”

“…One person killed all fifty?”

“Yes. They say it was the man who received a ‘Superior’ grade in Lee Sabek’s test…”

“….”

Silence fell.

A man who received only Superior had wiped out Sabahn’s faction alone.

And at the same time, the same thought flashed through everyone’s mind.

‘Madness. Then just how strong is the one who got the Special top grade?’