Chapter 242: Chapter 242

“Pant…… Pant…… E-Enough already…….”

“Huh? But we can’t go back.”

Hong Jin-rang grabbed hold of Dan So-mi, who was walking ahead. It felt like they had been walking into the cave for nearly two hours, but it was filled only with traps, with no sign of treasure, let alone a miraculous encounter.

Suddenly, rocks would roll down, or the ground would cave in.

At one point, a horde of venomous snakes had even poured out.

If not for Dan So-mi, they would have already become corpses.

Zhu Zhi-ya felt the same way. She had entered the cave just for fun.

She had not thought that traps capable of actually killing someone would be installed, and even when the iron spears first flew out, she had naively thought that would be the only one.

However, the deeper they went, the more venomous they became.

“J-Just when can we get out? Is there even a way out?”

Zhu Zhi-ya looked back with an anxious expression.

She did not dare to break through those traps they had seen earlier and go back. Of course, most of the traps had been dismantled, but she did not want to tread that path again, which was no different from a nightmare.

If so, they had to find another exit.

“Hmm…… Since a wind is blowing from inside, shouldn’t there be a way out?”

However, Dan So-mi pointed into the cave with an expression that showed she did not care in the slightest.

Since she clearly felt the wind flowing, the exit would surely be nearby, and the intended end must also be close.

“Let’s go a little further.”

“Okay.”

“Sigh…….”

Unlike Zhu Zhi-ya, who could not help but nod her head, Hong Jin-rang sighed and shook his head.

It was surprising enough that children had entered such a scary place and remained alive, but Dan So-mi, who did not even blink an eye in this situation, was even more surprising.

“Aren’t you even scared?”

“But we’re just walking.”

“You’re the only one who thinks that way.”

Dan So-mi really just walked.

Whether the ground suddenly caved in, snakes appeared, or boulders rolled down, she simply walked forward and broke through the traps as if it were nothing.

It was to the point of being miraculous that she did not even have a scratch.

“You must be possessed by something. For sure…….”

When Hong Jin-rang asked with an exhausted expression, Zhu Zhi-ya also nodded. It was because there were too many things that made no sense no matter how much she thought about them.

“Ahaha, I’m not really sure.”

Dan So-mi gave a short laugh and marched forward. The strength of the wind changed little by little, and a strange scent wafted from not too far away.

Before long, after walking for about fifteen more minutes, a large space, different from before, stimulated the three children’s eyes.

“W-Wow…….”

They opened their eyes wide as they looked around.

It was a space large enough to easily accommodate over a thousand people.

As the light leaking faintly from various parts of the ceiling wrapped around their pupils, the fantastic scenery came clearly into view.

Although it was a cave, it was like looking at a paradise.

Grass grew thick on the ground.

On one side, lush vines tangled here and there, wrapping around the entire cave.

In the middle, a pond, seemingly dug out by the person who made this place, created an even greater harmony with the surrounding scenery.

The children’s eyes did not deviate from that scenery.

Even Zhu Zhi-ya, who prided herself on having traveled to many places and seen countless things, could only stare blankly, lost in admiration.

“See! I told you there was something, right?!”

“Yeah, y-you’re right.”

Hong Jin-rang’s eyes flashed.

If there was such a mysterious place, there would surely be a miraculous encounter. Which era’s expert was it? Whose martial arts could it be? Might there be a spiritual herb like the thousand-year snow ginseng?

With those thoughts, he kept looking around.

On the other hand, Dan So-mi was busy looking around and sightseeing.

She seemed intent on capturing this beautiful scenery in her eyes without missing a single part of it.

Then, she suddenly looked up at the ceiling.

The light coming through the cracks in the rocks was so wonderful that she unconsciously opened her mouth, going “Heh.”

Drip-!

Something fell and entered Dan So-mi’s mouth.

“Ugh?!”

At first she thought it was a bug, but there was no foreign sensation in her mouth. The moment she swallowed it down unconsciously, a chilly sensation wrapped around her entire body.

Tilting her head, she looked up at the ceiling once more and tried to find the reason, but nothing particularly strange was visible.

Her gaze naturally lowered to look at the ground.

On the ground, she saw water pooled in a small puddle the size of a child’s fingernail. Unconsciously, Dan So-mi kicked at the water with her foot.

“What are you doing?”

Zhu Zhi-ya approached and asked with a strange expression.

“I swallowed some strange water…….”

“Huh?”

“So I’m taking it out on the puddle.”

Zhu Zhi-ya looked at Dan So-mi with an absurd expression. Did she mean the kind of water that pooled and dripped in a cave by strange water?

But no matter how much she looked around, there was no place where water would pool and drip.

She had probably mistaken something.

“Look at this! Take a look at this!”

Just then, Hong Jin-rang called out to the two children in a loud voice. Startled by that urgent voice, Dan So-mi and Zhu Zhi-ya hurriedly approached where Hong Jin-rang was.

Soon, their eyes widened at what they saw.

“What is this?”

“You see it? Right? I was right, wasn’t I?”

Hong Jin-rang gave a smirk. In his hand, he held a book, which at a glance was worn and tattered, making them realize it was ancient.

Though faint, the writing was legible enough to read.

“Martial God…… Scriptures?”

“This is definitely the secret manual of the Martial God!”

Hong Jin-rang’s eyes shone brightly.

The one who was passed down only in legends.

The name of the Martial God, whose very existence was uncertain, had appeared right before their eyes. For Hong Jin-rang, who aimed to be a martial artist, there was nothing grander than this.

“That’s far enough, brats!”

Just then, a voice was heard from the entrance they had come through.

Startled, the three children stared at that place with wide eyes. They saw the men who had first entered this place, panting with haggard faces and holding swords.

The moment they saw them, the three children realized.

‘They were here…….’

They had not even remembered the fact that those men were there.

Because they had undergone such an arduous journey, it had been erased from their minds. But only then did they realize those men were here, and they looked at each other in a somewhat threatening situation.

The eyes of those holding the swords were rather fierce.

“Hand that over quietly.”

The two men gradually narrowed the distance and approached.

They tried stepping back, but there was no proper place to flee.

The moment their backs touched the wall.

“Huh?”

Dan So-mi’s body pushed straight back. Tumbling as if falling, Dan So-mi reached out unconsciously and grabbed Zhu Zhi-ya, and Zhu Zhi-ya forcefully pulled Hong Jin-rang by the scruff of his neck.

“Uh…… Ack!?”

Feeling a sensation of strong choking, Hong Jin-rang fell backward. Soon, the figures of the three children disappeared in an instant.

“The…… The exit!? What are you doing? Pursue them!”

“Damn it!”

The two men ran forward, unable to hide their embarrassment.

They had already wasted a significant amount of stamina breaking through the traps, and now they were in a position where they had to run to chase after the children.

Beads of sweat formed on the foreheads of the two men.

* * *

“Aaaaah-!”

The screams of the three children resounded. They were sucked infinitely down a long slope, showing no signs of stopping.

In a hurry, Zhu Zhi-ya put the rolling Hong Jin-rang at the very bottom and climbed on top of him.

“So-mi! This way!”

“Urgh!”

As she reached out and pulled Dan So-mi up, Hong Jin-rang shrieked in pain.

His buttocks were constantly scraped, and two children were riding on top of him.

The weight and the pain were indescribable.

“I…… I am! I’m not a sled-!”

“If you’re a man, endure this much!”

At Zhu Zhi-ya’s shout, Hong Jin-rang wore a tearful face.

He felt extreme pain as if his buttocks were completely skinned.

Before long, the sky with the setting sun welcomed the three children.

“W-We survived…….”

They had escaped the cave.

Though they did not know well where they currently were, a sigh of relief leaked out just from the fact that they had come outside.

“This is no time for this! Run, quick!”

However, Zhu Zhi-ya grasped the situation and grabbed Dan So-mi’s hand.

Showing no concern for the hurting Hong Jin-rang, she was trying to escape this place as quickly as possible.

Hong Jin-rang also ran hurriedly and followed behind them.

“You rascals-!”

The voices of the two men were heard from behind.

As if they would never let them go, they pursued with fire in their eyes.

Since they had heard the words “Martial God Scriptures” of all things, they had to retrieve it.

Moreover, since they had to silence them, they had to kill them all.

Not a single one must be allowed to escape.

With fire in their eyes, they advanced by unfolding their lightness art.

Intending to kill them in one blow, they even infused internal energy into the swords they held and swung them, but because the children suddenly tripped, the swords cut through the empty air absurdly.

“You bastard! Can’t you do it right?”

“I did do it right!”

The man who swung his sword gritted his teeth.

Who would have known they would fall down at that exact moment?

Just as he scowled and tried to swing his sword once more.

Roaaaar-!

A roar that covered heaven and earth resounded.

That sound paralyzed everyone’s bodies.

Whether it was the man holding the sword, the man chasing from behind, or even Hong Jin-rang and Zhu Zhi-ya, they felt such an immense pressure that cold sweat broke out all over their bodies.

A tiger.

And a white tiger so large that they had never even imagined it revealed its appearance, casting its sharp gaze upon the two men.

Growwowl-!

Approaching Dan So-mi’s side, the white tiger circled around the men. The man who had been holding the sword unconsciously lost his strength and put it down.

“S-Spare me…….”

“Wow…… How did you get here?”

At that moment, Dan So-mi’s innocent voice was heard. Not to mention the children whose entire bodies were frozen, even the men looked at Dan So-mi.

Dan So-mi, who jumped up from her spot, approached the white tiger.

Embracing the white tiger that was making threatening sounds, she fully enjoyed its thick fur.

The white tiger also accepted it naturally.

“H-Hieek…….”

Startled by that sight, the men hurriedly turned their backs. Not only was she touching the white tiger as if it were nothing, but from the white tiger’s body, a murderous intent toward them flowed continuously.

Despite that, Dan So-mi was the only one who was perfectly fine.

“S-Spare me-!”

Shouting out loud, the two men ran away in a hurry.

It seemed their desire to live was greater than their greed to snatch the Martial God Scriptures.

They had seen the faces of who the children were.

Though they were running away out of fear of the white tiger, they could find them anytime.

Right now, they only wanted to escape from the white tiger’s range.

Meow-!

It was just then that the sound was heard.

The two men, who had been running for a long time, stopped dead in their tracks at the strange cry.

Did they feel somewhat relieved because they had already run far enough that the children were no longer visible?

Or did that sound catching up to them pull them back?

With blank expressions, the two men turned their trembling lips to look to one side.

A tiny cat.

A pure white cat appeared in front of them.

It was a size that would fit in a palm, with an appearance that would never be considered threatening. Therefore, the two men felt relieved and let their guard down.

“What is this…….”

“More importantly, let’s go quick……!”

However, the men could not finish their sentences.

Slash-!

“Urgh!”

“Ack.”

The white cat, which soared in an instant, lightly swung its front paw. Its tiny claws grazed the necks of the two men, and a fountain of blood sprayed from their throats.

The eyes of the dying men did not even seem to comprehend what had just happened.

Thud-

Leaving behind the two corpses gushing blood, the white cat licked its red-stained fur and let out a low cry.

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