Chapter 58 Flags (1)

An odd, uncomfortable feeling that for some unknown reason, it seemed they shouldn’t team up together.

Because of that, the boy from the Vermilion Slaughter Valley, who had given up cooperating with Mok Gyeong-un, whispered to the boy from the Esoteric Realm Gate next to him.

“You’re from the Esoteric Realm Gate, right?”

“That’s right.”

“I’ll get straight to the point. Let’s not waste energy and do this gateway together.”

“…”

At the Vermilion Slaughter Valley boy’s proposal, the Esoteric Realm Gate boy frowned as if considering it.

It certainly wasn’t a bad offer.

Gathering with more capable people was a way to pass the gateway more easily.

‘Hmm.’

The Esoteric Realm Gate boy had seen the Vermilion Slaughter Valley boy earlier, hiding in the water and then pouncing on another boy to snatch the iron ball.

It could be said to be a fairly excellent strategy.

From that perspective, he could be helpful in this gateway, which required building a more strategic cooperative relationship than the iron ball struggle.

However,

‘… Do I really need to show even a bit of my skills to someone I might face in the next gateway?’

If they were together for three hours, he would end up revealing quite a lot.

The less his faction’s martial arts skills were revealed, the better.

He judged that it would be more advantageous to avoid cooperating with the Vermilion Slaughter Valley and Demon Fire Hall boys, who were likely to survive until the end along with him.

So the Esoteric Realm Gate boy said,

“I refuse.”

“… You’ll regret it.”

“We’ll see who regrets it.”

The Esoteric Realm Gate boy scoffed at his aggressive response.

Then, as a last attempt, he tentatively asked the short-haired girl from the Demon Fire Hall.

“Hey. Demon Fire Hall. What about you…”

“Get lost.”

“…”

Rejection before he could even ask.

The Esoteric Realm Gate boy closed his mouth with an irritated expression.

Perhaps cooperating with them was impossible from the start.

***

“Huff… huff…”

The boys looked at the mountain beyond the valley with tense faces.

The moment the signal was given, a three-hour period more physically demanding than the earlier iron ball struggle would begin.

It was that moment when their eyes and ears were focused.

“Begin!”

As soon as the demon mask’s shout was heard, the boys rushed towards the valley water all at once.

Just like before, even in this gateway, it was advantageous to secure a higher position by hurrying.

-Splash splash!

The valley water was completely stained with blood due to the dead bodies.

The scent of blood flowing from this valley water heralded another ordeal.

A warrior watching them said to the demon mask,

“They’ll soon realize that the previous gateway was relatively easier.”

“…”

No gateway was easy.

However, this gateway wasn’t just about finding teammates that suited one’s taste and defending the flag.

‘It would be good to find the flags quickly.’

If they were perceptive, they would soon understand the meaning of the flags.

***

The 468 boys who entered the mountain after the starting signal was given.

Once the warriors in red belts were out of sight, the boys took three types of actions.

The first was those who ran towards the mountain without stopping.

‘The flags… I need to find the flags!’

They were the type who believed they had to find the flags first.

Because the number of flags was limited, they considered that a priority over finding teammates.

Of course, this wasn’t a wrong choice either.

If they found teammates but couldn’t secure a flag, it would be meaningless.

Nearly half, about 200 of them, were of this type.

This included the muscular boy from the Esoteric Realm Gate and the girl from the Demon Fire Hall, who were regarded as strong candidates to survive until the end.

And the second type.

“Hey. Let’s team up.”

“… You mean together?”

“Yeah. There’s no point in securing a flag first like them. It’s better to form a team in advance and seize the flags.”

“Huh?”

“That way, it’s easier to defend the flag too.”

In this way, the boys who stopped each found teammates that suited their taste or could be helpful.

Since time was pressing, it was happening quickly.

Still, during this process of forming teams, there were no attacks on each other.

They also implicitly avoided fighting here, knowing that once the teams were formed and they entered deep into the mountain, the stamina depletion would be even more severe.

‘Yeah. This is how it should be.’

The boy from the Vermilion Slaughter Valley snickered inwardly.

With himself as the lead, he had succeeded in making those who entered from fifth to fifteenth place as his teammates.

No, it would be more accurate to say that they had voluntarily joined his group from the beginning.

Normally, if the top eleven joined together, there would be eight members, but some of them ran without stopping to find the flags first, so the team was formed like this.

‘This will do.’

It could be said to be the most dominant team.

Since they had passed the iron ball struggle in the upper ranks, they were composed of individuals who possessed both skill and strategy.

So if they could just secure a flag, all they had to do was focus on conserving their stamina as much as possible.

“Let’s go!”

With that, the boy from the Vermilion Slaughter Valley, who had formed his team the fastest, headed towards the mountain.

Other boys also quickly formed teams and moved.

Among them was Mok Yu-cheon, but,

‘… Not that guy.’

Mok Yu-cheon shook his head, looking at Mok Gyeong-un in the distance.

Even though they were half-brothers, they were still brothers, so he had considered joining forces with him.

However, he absolutely didn’t want to.

His affection had fallen as far as it could after being immobilized helplessly during the journey here.

‘Whether he lives or dies, it’s not my business… No.’

For now, his priority was his own survival.

Fortunately, the guys nearby offered to team up with Mok Yu-cheon, so he was able to join them.

Although it was creepy since they weren’t from the righteous faction, he had no choice but to survive.

He had to grasp at straws.

‘I will survive.’

No matter what.

Persuading himself like that, Mok Yu-cheon also set off with his teammates.

Meanwhile,

-What are you trying to do, mortal?

Cheong-ryeong, who was in Mok Gyeong-un’s bosom, asked.

In response, Mok Gyeong-un quietly answered in a whisper,

“I thought I’d try to find teammates.”

-… Why are you doing such a useless thing? Just find a flag and they’ll naturally flock to you.

Mok Gyeong-un shrugged his shoulders.

Of course, what she said was also true.

It was still early, and in a situation where the location of the flags was unknown, if he just secured one first, they would naturally join him even without pre-forming a team like this.

-Are you trying to manage your stamina or something?

Forming a team in advance was to reduce risk by joining forces and conserve stamina.

It could be seen as preparing for the next gateway in advance.

However,

“That’s not it.”

-What?

If it’s not that, why is he trying to form a team now?

Cheong-ryeong couldn’t help but find it strange.

In the first place, she knew well that he wasn’t the type to cooperate with others on anything.

But here, Mok Gyeong-un encountered an unexpected problem.

“This is troublesome.”

-Heh.

Cheong-ryeong let out a scoff.

That’s because, unexpectedly, when Mok Gyeong-un approached the boys to form a team, they distanced themselves as if on guard.

Some had seen Mok Gyeong-un’s cruel hands when he passed first.

So they seemed to be reluctant to form a team with Mok Gyeong-un.

Although they whispered softly, he could hear their voices.

“It might be better to get rid of that guy now.”

“Did you see? How he ripped out the throat to take out the swallowed iron ball.”

“He’s completely crazy.”

That aspect made them avoid Mok Gyeong-un.

A considerable number found it burdensome to team up with Mok Gyeong-un, who had such a tendency, and thought it would be better to isolate him and eliminate him.

Because of this judgment, they were in a hurry to avoid him when he approached.

-Seems like you made quite an unpleasant impression, mortal.

“I guess so.”

-You just wasted time for nothing.

“Hmm.”

As Cheong-ryeong said, if it was like this, it might be difficult to find teammates.

He wanted to start a bit more comfortably, but should he change his approach?

While he was thinking that,

A boy with short hair timidly approached Mok Gyeong-un.

“… Do you need a teammate?”

“Yes. But…”

“We’re seven people. Want to join us?”

At the boy’s suggestion, those around him whispered.

Who the hell is trying to bring that guy in?

If they had even a little bit of sense, it would be better to exclude that guy in advance since it would be annoying to compete with him later.

That was,

-Swish!

because there was a girl waving her hand towards Mok Gyeong-un.

She had exceptional beauty, and around her, five boys were accompanying her like bodyguards.

It was a team formed with the sole girl at the center.

A boy whispered softly,

“Sohwa^[1]. Are you sure? That guy is a bit…”

“Yeah. Even the other guys aren’t accepting him in the same team because they judged it’s better to exclude him in advance.”

Another boy agreed.

At this, the girl named Sohwa smiled and said,

“Trust me.”

“I trust you. But…”

“While other stupid guys think it’s the answer to exclude him in advance, that’s not it. Having that guy with us will be advantageous for us too.”

Sohwa had considered it but thought it would be beneficial to accept Mok Gyeong-un.

Apart from his cruel hands, he was a guy with enough strength to rip out a throat with one hand even with his danjeon sealed.

If they had this guy with them, other teams wouldn’t recklessly attack them.

And,

“We can just use him until dawn and then kill him. Do you think he can handle seven people alone, no matter how strong he is?”

She had even planned to eliminate him after using him.

Of course, if this happened, one person would be left out at the end.

But for this, one person was supposed to keep a distance and follow behind in advance.

If that bastard died, that empty spot would be filled.

‘Stupid guys. A useful pawn is meant to be used and discarded like this. Make him fight to his heart’s content on our behalf, conserving our stamina and killing two birds with one stone.’

She scorned both her teammates and the other guys.

The brain is meant to be used.

***

Like that, within an hour, most had formed teams and entered the mountain.

The team led by the sole girl named Sohwa was the same.

From now on, it was a matter of quickly finding a flag and securing it.

Otherwise, they would have to snatch a flag claimed by another team.

While moving like that, Sohwa subtly approached Mok Gyeong-un.

“You were quite impressive earlier.”

“Was I?”

“I’m Sohwa. What’s your name?”

“I’m Mok Gyeong-un.”

“Mok Gyeong-un?”

Sohwa tilted her head.

It was a name she had never heard before.

His cruel hands and seemingly considerable skill made her curious about his background, but she couldn’t tell from just his name.

‘Among the martial families, there’s only one place with the Mok surname on the righteous side.’

Yeon Mok Sword Manor, the famous martial family of Anhui Province.

But there was no way someone from that righteous Mok family would be here.

Then the only way was to ask directly.

“Where are you from?”

“Does that matter?”

‘Does he mean he has no intention of telling me? Well…’

Even if they had a cooperative relationship now, they would have to compete again later.

The answer was to hide oneself as much as possible.

‘This guy… is quite handsome though.’

To call Mok Gyeong-un’s appearance pretty would be an understatement; his beauty was exceptional enough to be described as having outstanding looks.

It was even more so up close.

Because of that, her interest was slightly piqued, contrary to her original plan.

‘Should I try seducing him?’

Men were simple and surprisingly vulnerable to a woman’s seduction.

If she just pretended to show a little interest, they would fall for it on their own.

In that sense, if she could make this guy hers, she might be able to use him a bit more without the need to eliminate him.

-Swish!

Sohwa slightly loosened the collar of her top to reveal her cleavage and stuck close to Mok Gyeong-un.

At this age, men’s sexual desire was at its peak.

So the effect was definite just by showing her ample cleavage and having their bodies touch.

Sohwa, who had pressed her body against him, whispered,

“You know. I like a guy like you.”

At this, Mok Gyeong-un glanced at her.

Then he smiled and said,

“I feel the same way.”

‘Heh. As expected.’

Handsome or not, it didn’t matter.

If she deliberately seduced them, any man would fall for it like this.

-Tap!

At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un placed his arm on her shoulder.

‘Ha. Look at this.’

Since she seduced him, he was openly showing confidence.

If it was like this, she might be able to seduce him faster than expected.

If she coaxed him well and used him as her shield until the end and survived, she could adequately…

“I’ve been choosing since earlier.”

“Huh?”

What is he talking about now?

-Grip!

Mok Gyeong-un’s wrist, which had been wrapping around her shoulder, grasped her neck.

Then,

-Crack!

in an instant, he twisted her neck.

It happened so abruptly that she couldn’t even scream or do anything, drawing her last breath and dying on the spot.

‘!!!!!’

Everyone was momentarily taken aback.

They had just been watching, thinking she would coax Mok Gyeong-un.

But who would have known such a situation would unfold?

A boy shouted,

“Y-you crazy bastard, what are you doing?”

At the boy’s shout, Mok Gyeong-un said, the corners of his mouth twitching,

“Should I say it’s a delightful mealtime?”

In front of his eyes, all of them were appetizing prey that would fill him with death energy.

The mountain was vast, so shouldn’t he start comfortably?