Chapter 280. How Old Hands Train (3)
‘Clank…’
The sound of chains.
‘Hoo…’
Faint breathing.
Lastly, the sensation of magic touching his skin.
This was the deepest part of the Heavenly Demon Cult’s prison where the most dangerous criminals were kept.
Jinhyuk took a step forward.
He saw iron bars stretching on either side and humans muttering inside them.
‘It seems like they don’t get to eat properly. They can’t even stretch their legs and sleep comfortably.’
The punishment of staying in this place until death, with no promise of release, was more dreadful than he had imagined.
At that moment…
Boom!
An old man with a bushy beard in the cell right in front of Jinhyuk screamed.
“Let me out! Get me out of this hellish place!”
That was the spark.
“Hehehe!”
“Kuhaha, what is this? A visitor after so long?”
“Someone’s here? I can’t even sense anything anymore.”
“Whoever you are, if you help us escape, I’ll give you the whole martial arts world! Wealth and honor, I promise it all!”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Boom!
The sounds of kicking iron bars and mad laughter mixed together.
These people were once revered and respected as strong warriors…
This shows that living without committing crimes is the best way.
No need to pay attention to these guys.
After all, his purpose in the dungeon was to deal with the superior goblin at the end. The hidden quest also seemed to suggest finding a specific clue there.
“Hey, don’t ignore us and stop!”
“Do you know who I am? Open this immediately, or I’ll tear you apart!”
Sure. Like I’d stop for you.
“Elders, there’s no point in yelling until your veins pop. Given that you barely get to eat, straining yourselves might give you a stroke.”
It seems these cells were made with a mix of Everlasting Steel and were sealed with talismans by the Spirit Commanders. Even if they died and came back to life…
But then.
Click!
“Huh…?”
The prison doors opened simultaneously.
＊＊＊
“As you ordered… I have released the seals on all areas except the Beast Zone…”
The head of the prison guards, Naeryeongdan’s leader, spoke up.
A large jade orb before him reflected the interior of the prison.
“Are you sure… this is okay?”
His gaze turned to Dokgo Ryong.
Even if it was the Left Guardian’s order, this was insane.
It defied common sense.
“Head of Naeryeongdan.”
“Y-Yes!”
“Just do as you’re told. Have you already forgotten? While the Heavenly Demon is absent, who is it that enacts his will?”
“Of course, that would be…”
Fear flashed in the leader’s eyes.
The Heavenly Demon had disappeared after closing the sect, and the Dark Emperor acted on his own whims.
The de facto ruler of the Heavenly Demon Cult was clear.
Besides, standing next to Dokgo Ryong was Chae Hong-ah, another of the cult’s top ten experts.
Even as the leader of Naeryeongdan, he wasn’t bold enough to defy two of the top ten experts.
“I should go down myself.”
Chae Hong-ah rested her red spear on her shoulder.
“Yourself? Aren’t the prisoners enough?”
“It’s better to handle things personally than just watching. I have the pass given by the Left Guardian, so just open the door for me and I’ll take care of the rest.”
“Hmm. If you insist.”
Dokgo Ryong nodded slowly.
If Chae Hong-ah took the initiative, there would be no variables left.
“Head of Naeryeongdan, open the door.”
To survive, one must neither question nor doubt.
“…Understood.”
Only obedient dogs live long. The leader knew this better than anyone.
“Now, how will you handle this?”
Dokgo Ryong watched the prisoners and Jinhyuk. Although weakened from long imprisonment, these were fearsome martial artists. No matter how skilled Jinhyuk was, he couldn’t overcome this. Death was the only outcome.
＊＊＊
Boom!
Simultaneously attacked, Jinhyuk’s body flew back.
“Hahaha! Freedom, we’re free!”
“How long has it been since I stretched my body? Hehehe!”
Their eyes bulged with madness as the crazed prisoners went wild.
“You’ve got to be kidding me. So, you want to go all out now.”
Jinhyuk quickly got up and took a stance.
The talismans that had firmly sealed the iron bars were shredded to pieces. It was as if someone had intentionally released the seals.
No need to wonder who orchestrated this.
Left Guardian Samaja and his followers.
Using the previous incident in the Heavenly Demon Hall as an excuse, they planned to bury everyone in the dungeon.
He had no intention of going down without a fight.
[Activating unique ability ‘Grave of Swords’!]
Buzz!
Black energy enveloped the Fang and Twin Dragon Swords.
The blades were perfectly shrouded in a fearsome sword aura.
“Ho, you know how to use sword aura?”
“You’re someone worthy of reaching the Infernal Hell. This will be fun.”
Despite seeing the sword aura, the prisoners showed no signs of being intimidated. Instead, they closed in, forming a tighter encirclement.
‘I have no choice but to cut them all down.’
Hesitation or holding back would only get him killed.
Having made his decision, Jinhyuk moved first.
His horizontal slash targeted a prisoner’s neck.
Boom!
Fang was blocked. Not by a sword, but by a fist.
“If you thought you were the only one capable of using energy, you made a grave mistake.”
Fist aura.
Black energy covered the prisoner’s fist entirely.
“However, not all energy is the same.”
The balance of power quickly tilted. The prisoner’s energy, weakened by years of confinement, couldn’t withstand the Sword Demon’s energy.
“…Urgh!”
The prisoner’s confident face twisted in pain.
“W-Wait!”
But it was too late.
Slash!
Fang sliced through the neck.
The cleanly severed head disappeared into the darkness.
At the same time.
“Attack!”
The remaining prisoners moved.
Front, back, left, right.
Knowing they couldn’t win in a direct confrontation, they used a hit-and-run strategy.
Their experience from countless battles showed in their seamless attack and retreat techniques.
“…This is troublesome.”
Jinhyuk gritted his teeth and deflected an attack from behind.
First the neck.
Then the waist.
Luckily, they were unarmed, but the relentless strikes were dizzying.
Jinhyuk leapt sideways without a moment to catch his breath.
Boom!
The spot he had just occupied shattered.
‘…This?’
In mid-air, Jinhyuk swung Fang quickly.
The silently approaching stone fragments were split apart.
Silent throwing technique.
Come to think of it, there were also prisoners specialized in assassination here.
Dealing with close combat was hard enough, but now there were long-range attacks too. Moreover, as time passed, their bodies began to adapt, making their attacks sharper and more accurate.
But Jinhyuk wasn’t the only one surprised.
“He countered all that?”
“Unbelievable. We didn’t even scratch him.”
“Is there an 11th expert in the Heavenly Demon Cult?”
Nearly thirty top experts had coordinated their attacks.
Yet, they couldn’t even scratch him.
In fact, not only had they failed to injure him, but several prisoners were already incapacitated from his counterattacks.
At this rate, the damage would be uncontrollable.
They didn’t want to waste their hard-earned freedom.
“…Hey.”
“Yes.”
They still wanted to shed blood but didn’t necessarily need it to be his. Once outside the dungeon, the martial world offered plenty of easy prey.
The decision was swift.
Everyone exchanged glances and slowly retreated.
This might turn out easier than expected.
At that moment.
“Heh… you’re more of a monster than I thought. If I had stayed up there watching, things could have gone terribly wrong.”
A new figure appeared along the corridor.
A woman with long hair cascading down to her waist.
Jinhyuk recognized her from the incident at the Heavenly Demon Hall.
‘This keeps getting better.’
There must be a hidden passage. If she had come through the main route, she would have encountered Alice first.
“I’m Chae Hong-ah.”
“Is this the right time for friendly introductions? I expected tricks, but this is blatant.”
“Don’t be so cold. You intruded on our sect at a critical time, so you’re at fault.”
Clatter!
Chae Hong-ah dropped the bundle she was holding, and various weapons spilled out.
“Our… weapons…”
“My sword… it’s my sword!”
“Black Bird. I can’t believe I’m seeing you again.”
The prisoners’ eyes widened.
Their martial emotions stirred upon seeing their familiar weapons after so long.
“I have a proposal. Kill him, and you’ll gain the freedom you’ve always wanted. Absolute freedom, free from any pursuit.”
“R-Really? Is that true?”
“Freedom…”
“Kekeke… all we have to do is kill him.”
The atmosphere shifted.
The eyes of the hunting dogs gleamed with bloodlust.
Adding insult to injury.
The prisoners picked up their weapons and stared at Jinhyuk.
Hmm.
It was challenging enough unarmed, but with weapons, it was even more so.
Especially now that Chae Hong-ah had joined.
Jinhyuk slowly retreated.
“Thinking of running?”
“Running? Let’s call it a tactical retreat.”
He had to hold out until Alice and Goguma arrived.
“However… if you’re waiting for backup, it’s futile. We’ve unleashed some tricky goblins on your comrades. They won’t be able to reach you for at least a few hours.”
“Wow. This really is checkmate.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure the Dark Emperor thinks of it as an unfortunate accident. So, there’s no need to feel regret.”
The tone implied she didn’t care if his master found out or not. As expected, these bastards planned to overthrow the entire Heavenly Demon Cult.
“What are you waiting for? Start the fight. Don’t you miss your freedom?”
Chae Hong-ah nodded.
“Attack!”
“This time, we’ll cut you to pieces!”
Boom!
Clang!
Swords clashed. The onslaught was more ferocious than before, a storm of vicious attacks. Jinhyuk focused all his senses on defense, maintaining his stance.
‘Even if I can heal wounds with the Blessing of the Stars, I have to protect my legs.’
Being surrounded would spell the end.
Jinhyuk leaped toward a wall to minimize blind spots.
But then…
Thunk!
His back hit something.
Not a wall, but iron bars.
“What…?”
Jinhyuk tilted his head.
Hadn’t all the cell doors been opened?
In his haste to retreat to the innermost part, he hadn’t noticed that some cells remained closed.
At that moment.
“Grrrr…”
A beastly growl came from inside the cell.
These guys…
Ho.
A rather interesting idea came to mind.