VIP Early Access
Eksklusif untuk member VIP
Password Protected
Chapter ini dikunci dengan kode khusus
Chapter 321. Black Forest
Inside the meeting hall, now emptied of everyone, Buk Won-pyeong let out a long sigh.
"Crazy bastard......."
There was no other way to put it.
What else could one call someone who bared his teeth at the instructors holding his leash and dared them to go ahead and stick the knife in?
'......Is he really the Joint Successor of the Black Path and Kongtong?'
Е̌ n ŭṁ ӓ .і̌ d̈
Somehow, the absurd rumors seemed to grow more and more credible.
Buk Won-pyeong pressed his thumbs firmly into his throbbing temples.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"That bastard's aging me into an early grave. An early damn grave."
Jin So-un was a benefactor who'd granted him the Fortuitous Encounter to find the successor of the Three Pure Ones Peerless Sword, but at this rate, the bastard would have him dead of old age before he even opened his sect—making it impossible to tell whether this was an enemy or a savior.
"And yet, what a surprise...... that the instructors actually backed down."
The privileged class of the Murim Alliance never yielded easily.
W̆ӗ b n ǒv̌е̂ l. Ě n̂ ùma
No—it was safe to say they never yielded at all.
Why would a group possessing wealth, power, and outstanding martial prowess on top of it all ever step back?
They harbored not the slightest doubt in their towering citadel.
They merely kicked down those who tried to climb it and doused them in oil to set them ablaze.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
The fate of those who tried to scale the citadel was much the same.
Climb as you might, eventually you had to fall. The only difference was how high you'd gotten.
Е̄n u.m̈ ӓ. i_d
Buk Won-pyeong had hoped Jin So-un would climb at least higher than he himself had.
Setting aside Lay Disciples and vested interests.
He'd simply grown curious about what it would look like if that kid actually succeeded.
But Jin So-un had kicked away the ladder with his own hands before even reaching the citadel.
[Go ahead. Do as you please. No—I implore you, please do precisely that. That way, when I move against you, Instructors, I won't feel the slightest guilt.]
Then he had snarled that he'd kill everyone sitting inside the citadel.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
"Hah...... crazy bastard......."
It had been a hair-raising moment, naturally.
The privileged class—particularly the Righteous Path Association led by the Nine Sects and One Gang—never tolerated anyone like Jin So-un.
Why could the privileged maintain their position?
Because they crushed every sprout without mercy, no matter how trivial, the moment it dared challenge their authority.
That was why he'd had no doubt this meeting would be the peak of Jin So-un's ascent—and the beginning of his fall.
E n ū m а́
And yet.
[......Grind. Enough.]
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
The instructors had backed down first.
'Why?'
Rather than relief that Jin So-un had survived, it was the question that came first.
The instructors were never the type to yield easily.
Ẁе b n̆_о̂ v́_е̂ l Ӗ n u̇ m ӓ
By backing down here, Jin So-un's exploits and the instructors' humiliation would follow them like a shadow for the rest of the semester.
Even after they returned to the Murim Alliance, the rumors would circulate, and the Qingcheng Sect would undoubtedly be furious at the news.
Yet the instructors had backed down first.
"I truly don't understand."
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Then, on a whim, he tried imagining what he would have done.
As he'd told Jin So-un, he would have smoothed things over during the conference and adjusted the relationship accordingly.
Ëń u̇m ӑ.і̃ ḋ
Because when the instructors had made their proposal to Jin So-un, he'd genuinely thought the terms were decent.
"......"
Because he would have judged that to be the only way to safely scale the citadel without interference.
But Jin So-un hadn't cared.
As though climbing the citadel didn't matter, he'd burned the very lifeline they'd extended, then plummeted to the ground of his own accord.
As if he had no fear whatsoever of what came next.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
As if he could afford to fall as far as it took.
An incredulous laugh escaped him before he knew it.
"......Is that the difference?"
Then, in that moment.
The thought crossed his mind that perhaps Jin So-un's decision had been the correct answer after all.
Because, in the end, it was the instructors who had retreated.
W̃ ẽ b̆nǒv̆ ě l Е̌n̄ u m̊а́
His head began to ache again.
"I can't make sense of any of it."
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Whether the schemes of a kid who'd barely passed the age of twenty had worked.
Or whether he—having lived twice that kid's lifespan—had been the one ignorant of the world all along.
Even after the conference had concluded, Buk Won-pyeong could not bring himself to leave the meeting hall for some time.
***
Ẃ е_b̂ nо̌vе̌l E n̈ů m а̀
"Damn it!"
No Jin-ha booted an innocent rock and sent it flying.
Even that failed to quell his rage, and he seethed and vented his fury in every direction.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn that bastard! I'll kill him for sure......!"
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Mental cultivation was fundamental discipline for a Daoist priest, yet his stream of profanity was hardly a good look—but no one stopped him.
Kang Sun-tak's mood was hardly different from No Jin-ha's.
W е̊ b́ṅö v е l Ӗn̂ üḿă
Still, he worried there might be prying eyes.
"Calm down. It's already done, isn't it?"
No Jin-ha, still seething as he spewed his frustration, shot Kang Sun-tak a venomous glare.
"Have you found out why the Azure Dragon Pavilion Master and the Red Dragon Pavilion Master are shielding that bastard?"
"......I'm looking into it."
"Still?"
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
A sigh escaped Kang Sun-tak's lips of its own accord.
Even so, the man had never been this much of a fool before.
"Get a hold of yourself. This is a matter that could spiral into an investigation of the Pavilion Masters themselves. You know as well as I do that we can't approach this recklessly."
"Isn't it because things that make absolutely no sense keep happening?!"
At No Jin-ha's outburst, Kang Sun-tak let out a derisive chuckle.
He was right—had the Azure Dragon Pavilion Master and Red Dragon Pavilion Master not intervened, they'd have crushed Jin So-un without question.
Wе b̃n̊ o v ėl Е_ń um̃а
"It's not as though those two doing strange things is anything new."
Whether it was the Azure Dragon Pavilion Master or the Red Dragon Pavilion Master, they clearly had no connection to Jin So-un.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Yet, as though they'd foreseen their every move, those two had applied external pressure through the White Tiger Pavilion Master.
No matter who they were, they couldn't simply ignore the Pavilion Masters they'd have to face in just one year.
That was precisely why they'd arranged the conference in the first place.
And even that had come to nothing.
W ӗ b̊n̂ ǒv.е̊l Е̂ñ ŭm̀a
"Since that day...... I've been so wronged I can't sleep. I can't sleep!"
"......"
No Jin-ha beat his own chest as though he'd just let an irreconcilable enemy slip through his fingers.
Then again, had he been put through the same thing, he would've beaten Jin So-un half to death first, Pavilion Masters be damned.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Kang Sun-tak patted No Jin-ha's shoulder.
"If you think about it, this might actually work in our favor."
Wë b̀nо v̌ ẽ l̈ Е n ú.m̄ а
"How?"
"Since the Academy Representative and the instructors are practically at each other's throats now, we can use that as our excuse."
"......"
"Our evaluations are absolute for the remainder of the semester, aren't they? That alone should be enough to corner that bastard."
"......I suppose so."
Tonight, Jin So-un would likely savor his victory and sleep soundly.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
No Jin-ha, on the other hand, would barely sleep a wink.
But that would only be temporary.
"It's not over yet. If anything, you could say it's only just begun."
From now on, Jin So-un would go to sleep every night regretting his choices.
Their power wasn't the kind that manifested visibly right before your eyes, after all.
"Let's go. Drinks are on me tonight."
W eḃ n̊ ô v̇е́ l Еǹũ mă
So for now, they just had to soothe their bitter stomachs for a little while.
The time for comfort would come soon enough.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
***
After the confrontation between the instructors and Jin So-un.
The semester began anew.
The Academy students wanted to know how the incident had been resolved, but neither Jin So-un nor the instructors opened their mouths, and it passed as though nothing had happened.
Е n ū m ӓ
Naturally, in the monotony of Academy life, the students were not about to let such a juicy story go, and they concocted all sorts of tales.
"I heard Representative Jin ended up kneeling before the instructors, sobbing and begging them to spare him just this once."
"I heard Jin So-un rallied Black Path masters and raided the instructors' quarters one by one."
"I heard Jin So-un handed the instructors a blank promissory note."
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
The topic came up at every drinking table and every meal, but nowhere could the truth be verified.
As rumors always did, the stories that had boiled up like wildfire eventually fizzled away—but left something else in their wake.
Е̄ ṅu̇ mӑ . і ď
"No...... how is my grade a C? I clearly made it to the top four in the martial duel tournament......"
"Tsk, the instructors said your understanding of forms was low, didn't they?"
"Are you insane, what kind of bullshit is that?! How many times have they even watched our sect's forms?!"
"Ever since they switched to absolute grading, things like this keep happening...... tsk tsk. Maybe what Representative Jin said was actually true."
Cases of those not affiliated with the Righteous Path Association receiving harsh evaluations multiplied.
Of course, given that the instructors had declared the overall standard was low, it could appear as though the grading criteria had simply been raised.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
But if that were the case, it was hard to explain why the scores of those belonging to the Righteous Path Association—or those connected to it—had started rising above their previous levels.
"......That's a bit strange. That guy drinks every day and has a ton of absences, yet he gets a Grade B?"
"Hmm...... does he have some hidden trick we don't know about?"
"Hidden trick, my ass! Obviously they're playing favorites and handing out good grades!"
Discrimination that had been carried out subtly at first grew more and more blatant as time wore on.
By the time the End-of-Term Evaluation came around, three months into the semester, the disparity had become unmistakable.
E n̄ũm а́
The majority of Righteous Path Association members received the highest scores, while roughly half the Orthodox Path Association members received favorable marks.
Members of the Twelve Peak Citadels and everyone else were left with the lowest scores, scraping the bottom.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Once the discrimination reached this brazen a level, the atmosphere within the Academy began turning increasingly hostile.
Those not part of the Righteous Path Association grew antagonistic toward it over the injustice they suffered.
The Righteous Path Association, meanwhile, took their treatment for granted and dismissed the others' hostility as mere envy.
"I hear the Twelve Peak Citadels lot went to the Academic Affairs Office again yesterday. Claiming the evaluations aren't fair."
W̄ ė b ṅ о̌vеl En̆ um̃а́
"Idiots. They can't be bothered to improve their skills and just whine instead."
"Exactly. They never stop to think they only got good evaluations before thanks to that damned Jin So-un."
"We should teach Jin So-un a lesson one of these days too...... Huh? Who the hell are you?"
One of the men who had been badmouthing Jin So-un as he walked grabbed the shoulder of a pint-sized fellow who'd bumped past him and spun him around.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"Walking away without an apology......! Wha...... Mad Weasel?"
The moment he saw the face, his expression changed.
Е.nũ m̃ ǎ
"Mad Weasel?"
The brow of the young man—who looked as though his youthful softness had barely faded—furrowed, and the other hastily swallowed his words.
"N-no. It's nothing, Yaryul Geuk."
The man was called "Mad Weasel" for the way he clamped on and never let go, coming at you day and night without rest—a fact only he himself remained ignorant of.
If Jin So-un was the awl in the pouch, this one was a massive cow patty lying in the middle of the road.
The moment you stepped on it, the only one who suffered was the person who stepped.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
The man from the Righteous Path Association let out a fake cough and tried to turn away.
"W-well, if you'll excuse me......"
"Hold on......"
"Y-yeah?"
"You said you'd rough up Jin So-un?"
"Huh?"
W̄_ё b̂ ṅ оv̇ е́l Ė n ûm̃а̀
"You just said that, didn't you? Or not?"
"......"
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
CRACK.
Yaryul Geuk suddenly cracked his knuckles.
The man's face went white.
"What? What's wrong? What did I even do......"
Wе̂ḃnо̃ v е ĺ Ě num̃ ǎ
The mad wease—no, Yaryul Geuk's eyes gleamed.
"Jin So-un...... that bastard's mine. I'm going to smash him."
"......"
"But you can't get to him before I do, right?"
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
What the hell was this crazy brat even talking about?
The moment the man tried to offer an excuse—
Е n̈ ū mа . і d
THWACK—!
His body was already crumpling to the ground.
The man was still screaming internally.
'What the hell is that supposed to mean?!'
***
Even after the summer break had ended, there was no trace of regret or gloom on the Academy students' faces.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
No—before that.
There were hardly any who'd actually spent the break resting.
Because once the summer break ended, a full two-month Great Journey would begin.
It was a process that tested a crucial portion of the academic evaluation, and also served as a starting point for Academy students to make a name for themselves in the murim.
"Has anyone heard anything about the Great Journey?"
Seong Mo-ran chewed her fingernails anxiously.
Ѐ_ń ŭm̆ а . і̆d
"Unni, why do you look so nervous?"
"I hate the heat, but...... I absolutely despise bugs."
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Three locations had been nominated as candidates for the Great Journey.
Fire Desert.
Ice Sea.
Black Forest.
Ė n ũ m ӓ
Because advantages and disadvantages among the Academy students varied depending on the destination, the location of the Great Journey was of paramount importance.
"I hope we go to the Ice Sea."
At Eun Seol-ran's words, Seong Mo-ran opened her eyes wide and asked,
"Right! Seol-ran, you're from Bukhae, aren't you? There aren't any bugs there, right?"
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"......Mm."
Eun Seol-ran hesitated before answering.
Еṅǔm а́ . і̊ d̂
Her expression alone made it clear what she wanted to say.
She probably wanted to point out that in Bukhae, there was barely anything 'alive' to begin with.
"Young Master Jin, you really haven't heard anything?"
I hadn't heard anything, but I knew where we'd be going.
The academic plan was drawn up two years at a time, after all.
In my previous life, the Great Journey never went ahead due to the Sichuan Blood Calamity, but the destination had already been decided.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"I haven't heard anything, but I do know where we're going."
"What?! Really? Where?"
"The Black Forest."
"..............Huh?"
Seong Mo-ran shook her head in disbelief.
"N-no...... right? You're joking, right? You're teasing me? Haha...... right? Tell me I'm wrong! Tell me!"
Е̌ n̈ûm а .і̌ d̆
I spoke resolutely, even as Seong Mo-ran's hands whipped me back and forth.
"Didn't Yong So-ah single-handedly subjugate the Takun tribe in the Fire Desert last class and make a name for himself?"
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
"......E-even so, that's not necessarily proof we're going to the Black Forest."
"And in the class before that, half the Academy students who went to the Ice Sea suffered from frostbite."
"......"
Seong Mo-ran's face went from blue to outright black.
Ӗn u̇ m ӓ.і d
"Th-that's impossible! No...... no! Tell me it's not true!!"
Seong Mo-ran screamed and stormed out of the Representative's Office.
Why did she hate it that much?
Aside from the humidity and abundance of venomous insects, the place actually had more advantages.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Besides, wasn't the Black Forest a place where a massive spiritual vein flowed?
Academy students throughout the generations had always hoped to be sent to the Black Forest for the Great Journey.
Еn ů m̄а̃
The Black Forest was normally designated as a Forbidden Zone, making it a place no one could simply walk into.
Just then, Namgung Seon-hwa widened her eyes and asked,
"Hm? Young Master Jin, is that a necklace I haven't seen before?"
"Ah...... this? I received it as a gift from Woo-jae's father some time ago. I had it worked on over the last break."
"Oh, it's so pretty."
"You think so?"
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
I fiddled with the necklace and stared at the spot Seong Mo-ran had fled from.
I truly couldn't understand her.
The Black Forest was such a wonderful place.
Konten Bab Belum Tersedia
Bab ini belum memiliki konten teks atau sedang dalam proses penyuntingan.
