Chapter 169: Do You Know Who I Am (3)
Chapter 168 – Do You Know Who I Am (3)
“Ugh…!”
“Ahggg…!”
The Azure Eagle Squad members, who stood up while groaning continuously, soon looked around and opened their eyes wide.
Son U-gon also lost himself in the surrounding sight and turned back to look at Namgung Cheon.
“Lord… here is…?”
“It seems like a royal tomb.”
“A royal tomb?”
Namgung Cheon nodded.
In his past life, while traveling around various parts of the Central Plains, he had entered ancient royal tombs.
He happened to get to know a tomb raider, and he remembered suffering to death after following that fellow inside.
Of course, he had later shaken off the Martial Alliance based on that experience.
In any case, the atmosphere of the royal tomb he had seen back then and this place now was extremely similar.
“Those bastards, they used their brains a bit.”
Namgung Cheon smirked and muttered to himself.
Madan Valley was built just before the Demonic Cult fell.
In short, it meant it was a hastily built place.
Therefore, he had thought there would be no conditions to install decent mechanical traps.
That was also why he had jumped in without fear right after discovering the entrance.
However, it was a misconception.
Although the Demonic Cult on the verge of ruin might not have had the spare capacity to install mechanical traps, they would have had the capacity to hide things in already existing mechanical traps.
Redirection: in other words, the Heavenly Demon had known about this place long ago and had been planning to use it if something happened.
Perhaps Son U-gon was also convinced by Namgung Cheon’s words, as he silently nodded.
“Certainly, making Madan Valley to this extent doesn’t make sense.”
Yes.
The place where Namgung Cheon and the Azure Eagle Squad stood now felt like a detached palace.
They felt naturally solemn, overwhelmed by its grandeur.
The marble floor would shine if it were not for the dust, and the carvings engraved in relief on each pillar were marvelously delicate.
The top-grade night-glowing pearls embedded here and there also made them lose their minds.
It was too elaborately made to be used as a mere warehouse.
Of course, describing the spirit pills accumulated by the Demonic Cult as ‘mere’ was misleading.
At any rate, it seemed clear that this place was not originally built as Madan Valley.
“This has become trickier than I thought.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Son U-gon asked cautiously.
He was relying on Namgung Cheon before he knew it.
Although it was also surprising that he recognized it as a royal tomb as soon as he saw it, he did not bother to question him.
Because surprising himself while watching Namgung Cheon had now become a common thing.
Namgung Cheon said, tracing the memories of his past life.
“Most royal tombs have mechanical traps installed. And they called the best engineers of that era to do it.”
“Is it because of tomb raiders after all?”
“Probably.”
Namgung Cheon nodded.
If this place was indeed a royal tomb as he guessed, it should be regarded as an underground palace.
And even in the underground palace, one would have to go to the king’s chambers, namely where the king’s coffin was buried, to obtain the spirit pills.
In the end, the map he had heard about from Do Jeol-gwi was as good as half-complete.
The Regional Commander did not actively set out to find Madan Valley even though he had the map.
He must have known through some channel that this map was not complete.
‘This has become a headache…’
Furthermore, right now…
“The path splits from the entrance.”
Son U-gon said, looking up at the two large doors in front.
As he said, there were two entrances.
One door had the king wearing a golden crown in relief, and the other had the queen wearing a golden crown in relief.
Probably, one of the two would be the door of death.
“What should we do?”
“I don’t know either.”
“Uh… then… we can’t turn back either…”
“Why turn back? How did we even get here. Let’s think for a moment.”
Of course, it did not seem like a problem that would be resolved by thinking.
Even so, when cornered, catching one’s breath for a moment could be a way.
“Ah… if someone were chasing us, I feel like a good idea might come up.”
This is why habits are scary.
* * *
“Namgung Cheon… maybe through here…”
There was a hole barely large enough for one person to enter where the ground met the cliff wall.
Baek Mu-geuk stood in front of it.
He looked down at the dark entrance with a blank expression.
Whoooosh.
Somehow, cool air blew out from the dark hole.
Baek Mu-geuk muttered to himself again.
“Did you really see it clearly?”
“Yes.”
“Why would Namgung Cheon enter a hole like this?”
“I don’t know.”
“Why on earth do you keep looking for him!”
“To beat you up.”
“Crazy bastard.”
Baek Mu-geuk, who was bickering with Il-geuk, looked at the dark hole and sighed.
“I want to follow.”
“What? You crazy bastard! Do you know where this leads? Just looking at it is suffocating!”
“If Namgung Cheon went, I go too.”
“No, why is this idiot hanging onto such a guy so much? Get it together!”
Baek Mu-geuk said nothing.
Namgung Cheon had definitely stood in front of this hole.
He had confirmed it clearly with his own eyes during the very brief moment when the smoke cleared.
However, immediately after that, someone set off another smoke bomb, making the smoke thick again.
By the time he barely made his way here, Namgung Cheon was gone.
Trace: however, there was a trace of someone having slipped into this hole.
Baek Mu-geuk was certain that it was Namgung Cheon.
Because it seemed Namgung Cheon was talking with someone, and threw his body into the hole immediately after.
“Okay, the decision has been made.”
“You crazy bastard! What are you deciding by yourself! No way! I’m not entering that molehole-like place!”
“I am going.”
As Baek Mu-geuk was about to push his body in, Paeng Su-hyeok happened to appear.
“What are you doing there?”
“I’m trying to find Namgung Cheon.”
“Namgung Cheon? Where is that fellow?”
“Over there.”
As Baek Mu-geuk pointed to the dark hole with a chin gesture, Paeng Su-hyeok frowned heavily.
“Are you joking?”
“It is real.”
“What kind of nonsense is that in the middle of battle? If your mind is hazy, go hide somewhere and take a breath…”
“I’m going.”
Baek Mu-geuk threw himself toward the molehole without listening to Paeng Su-hyeok’s words further.
As Baek Mu-geuk vanished into the dark gap in an instant, Paeng Su-hyeok’s eyes widened.
“No, that crazy bastard…! What on earth is he planning!”
“Young Hero Paeng! What is going on?”
As Yu Hyeon happened to appear and ask, Paeng Su-hyeok quickly threw himself toward the entrance of Madan Valley.
“They say Namgung Cheon is inside here. I’ll check first!”
“Uh? Let’s go together!”
Paeng Su-hyeok threw his body into the hole first, and Yu Hyeon followed right behind him.
Like that, the three men vanished cleanly into the black hole in an instant.
* * *
“There seems to be no answer. It’s just a frontal breakthrough.”
“If you say a frontal breakthrough…?”
At Namgung Cheon’s words, Son U-gon asked with an anxious expression.
“It is either hit the jackpot or go broke.”
“If we go broke, we might die.”
“Originally, life is about having one foot in the underworld anyway.”
“Then which way…”
“Hmm, for now…”
Namgung Cheon alternated his gaze between the king’s door and the queen’s door, and was just about to open his mouth when,
“Hm?”
Flinching, he tilted his head and spoke quickly.
“Everyone, hide.”
“Yes?”
“Someone is coming! Quick!”
“Understood!”
Rustle.
Simultaneously with the reply, the Azure Eagle Squad members cleanly erased their presence.
‘Erasing their presence is truly amazing.’
It was a part that made one understand why the world regarded the Azure Eagle Squad as one of the best organizations.
And a brief moment later.
Rumble.
It seemed stone dust was crumbling down from the distant ceiling, and was something not falling at a high speed soon after?
Whoosh, crash!
The figure that crashed onto the floor just like that flinched and trembled.
“You… Baek Mu-geuk?”
As Namgung Cheon stared with wide eyes, Baek Mu-geuk smiled like a fool while nosebleed trickled down.
“Found you. Namgung Cheon.”
Why did those words sound chilling?
Namgung Cheon swallowed his saliva, and just then, another scream was heard from the ceiling.
“Uwaaaaaah!”
“Aaargh!”
One person popped out of the hole in the ceiling, and was another not falling right after?
Crash! Boom!
“Arghhh!”
“Ugh…!”
Namgung Cheon looked at the two of them with an absurd expression.
“No, why on earth did you guys come here?”
“Ugh…! Oh! Namgung Cheon! You were really here!”
Paeng Su-hyeok stroked his butt, then jumped up and shouted.
Yu Hyeon also rotated his shoulders and legs here and there, then soon approached Namgung Cheon.
“You are safe. What a relief.”
“No, I asked why you guys came here?”
“We came to rescue you.”
At Paeng Su-hyeok’s words, Namgung Cheon asked with an expression of still not understanding.
“So why so suddenly?”
“Because that fellow said you fell in here.”
Paeng Su-hyeok pointed to Baek Mu-geuk with a chin gesture.
Baek Mu-geuk walked heavily toward Namgung Cheon, then suddenly clasped his hands and shouted.
“Namgung Cheon! Beat me up.”
No, what is this brainless guy talking about all of a sudden?
As Namgung Cheon frowned deeply, Baek Mu-geuk said pleadingly.
“I beg you. Please beat me up.”
“What? Was that your preference?”
“What do you mean?”
“Ha! Is that a strategy to make all the demands and then make only me look like trash?”
“I don’t know what you mean, but I want you to beat me up a bit.”
At this point, Paeng Su-hyeok and Yu Hyeon did not just watch and stepped forward.
“No need to listen to that crazy guy. How on earth did you fall into a place like this?”
“Did you fall into a trap?”
No, I entered on my own feet.
Paeng Su-hyeok, who had not heard Namgung Cheon’s inner thoughts, looked around and was surprised anew.
“Huh, but this place is amazing? What on earth is this place?”
“It seems like looking at an imperial palace.”
“There’s no way an imperial palace would be in a place like this. Nor would a royal palace be underground… Huh?”
Paeng Su-hyeok spun around to look at Yu Hyeon as if some thought had struck him.
Yu Hyeon also nodded, apparently sharing the same thought, and said.
“This is a royal tomb.”
“Yes, a royal tomb! Then, Namgung Cheon, you…!”
Paeng Su-hyeok spun to look at Namgung Cheon and stared at him intently.
In the end, Namgung Cheon also resigned himself.
There was no way to hide it at this point.
Namgung Cheon let out a sigh and nodded.
“Yes, just as you think, I…”
“Are an extremely lucky guy!”
“……Huh?”
“To think that the place you fell into after falling into a trap happened to be a royal tomb! We’ll become rich just by taking the gold, silver, and treasures buried here!”
He had briefly forgotten. That this fellow was Paeng Su-hyeok of the Hebei Paeng Clan, who was terribly simple-minded.
While Namgung Cheon was pondering how to react, Yu Hyeon got to the core.
“That won’t be it, Young Hero Paeng.”
“What do you mean it won’t be? Are you saying there are no gold, silver, and treasures in a royal tomb?”
“Not that part… meaning Young Hero Namgung probably didn’t fall into a trap, but entered this place on purpose. Is that not so?”
Yu Hyeon’s clear eyes stared intently at Namgung Cheon.
“Did you perhaps break the carriage wheels on purpose as well?”
Tsk, I can’t fool this one.
Namgung Cheon had no choice but to admit it.
“Correct. It was to come here.”
“As expected… may I ask for an explanation? If this place is really a royal tomb, we must join forces. To survive various mechanical traps and formations.”
Well, since things had turned out this way, he wouldn’t be able to hide it anyway.
Namgung Cheon nodded.
“I will explain, but you must keep one thing without fail.”
“What is it?”
“If you aim for what is mine, ally or not, you will all die.”
“……?”
* * *
After Yu Hyeon entered the entrance of Madan Valley, unorthodox martial artists gathered there one after another.
Since they only checked the wall and the ground while running along the cliff wall, it was not difficult to find the already exposed entrance.
The Red Robe Gang Leader twisted his lips.
“Finally!”