Chapter 1389: Thinking Lightly Of People (Part 4)

A throbbing pain radiated from his thighs. It seemed the impact from the earlier strike was deeper than anticipated.

Dizzy spells intermittently veiled his vision, and he couldn't discern whether it was due to the excessive blood loss or the insidious poison seeping through his wounds, eating at his body. Breathing became increasingly laborious.

"Huff! Huff! Huff!"

But he couldn't afford to stop now.

"Chase him!"

A harsh voice echoed not far away. The pursuers were relentless and brutal. If caught, the agony would be enough to beg for death.

It wasn't the pain that frightened him. It was the prospect of ending his life in such a place, accomplishing nothing, grasping at dirt like a wretched bug awaiting death. That, he could not endure.

Swish!

At that moment, an acute pain in his calf hit.

"Tsk!"

Losing balance, the boy stumbled, continuing to roll on the ground. After several rebounds, he collapsed, and a few figures descended beside him.

"You... "

Cloaked in blue, they glared at the fallen boy with ruthless and malicious eyes. Despite his pitiful state, the boy, lying amidst his injuries, elicited no sympathy. In fact, the gazes upon the boy were seething to the point where they seemed gentle.

Yet, there were reasons for these adversaries to harbor resentment towards the boy.

"Dare…It wasn't enough for you to fearlessly steal our sect's precious techniques and run away, so you slaughtered our disciples and murdered our Leader?"

"We avenge Leader by making you pay."

The seemingly young and powerless boy before them was, in fact, a wicked demon feared even by the Snake-Scorpion Alliance (蛇蠍).

He had attacked the Leader, who had treated him specially and bestowed infinite grace on him, saying that he would make him his successor. Then he stole the Leader's secret technique from his room and ran away. Even the number of people this boy slaughtered while on the run reached the hundreds, attaining a notoriety that rivaled the most notorious figures of the martial world.

"Even a dog knows what gratitude is. You, are not even worth that! The Leader favored you so much!"

"Hehehe."

The boy, lying on the ground, chuckled suppressedly, slowly rising.

"Gratitude... "

Between disheveled bangs soaked in blood, his two light-colored eyes emerged. A sinister gleam radiated from them.

"Is there such a thing in this world?"

"What did you say?"

"That old man just wanted to raise me to use me as his pawn. If I had no talent, would that so-called favor have come my way?"

"You... "

"People are strange. They live their lives without thinking of such things. But when it's time to speak up, they act as if it's something grand."

Clutching the ground as if to grasp it, the boy slowly stood up.

"You fool. Even if the Leader's intentions were like that, if you had leisurely advanced according to the Leader's teachings, you could have become a formidable master. You've squandered that opportunity yourself. And now, you will die miserably in return."

"A formidable master... under the tutelage of such an old man?"

The boy burst into laughter, mocking and self-deprecating. There was nothing remotely humorous in his laughter. Being a renowned master in this remote corner, what difference would it make?

A life devoid of value, a reputation devoid of worth. [...I think I know who this is...]

How futile was the pursuit of such things?

Some might find satisfaction in such pursuits, but this boy was not one of them. A life unable to ascend was more dreadful than a wretched death.

"Not just the Leader! The entire martial world had expectations of you. If you..."

"Expectations? What for?"

Sneering, the boy looked at his adversaries.

"Will your lives change just because I become extraordinary?"

"You, you!"

"Does that change your worth? It's just a useless life anyway."

The man was now so enraged that foam was almost forming at his mouth. At that moment, a sharp voice emerged from the boy's lips.

"Martial arts? Expectations? That's why you live like this, relying on such things. The only thing you can trust is yourself! If you want to change, if you want to gain, the sacrifices you need to make are also yours alone. If an unqualified person tries to obtain something that is beyond his means, all that remains in the end is misery."

"..."

"I don't live like that. If I want something, I will obtain it with my own hands, and I will willingly endure the sacrifices that come with it."

The audacity of a child or the arrogance of someone ignorant of the world... Could such words describe the boy? I

n his voice, there was a venom difficult even for those who had lived through much to bear. It was impossible to guess what the source of that venom was.

"...It was you."

Then, a voice, as if in pain, flowed from one of the men's mouths. It seemed they had finally realized something.

"The one who killed the Sogaju of the Chorung Sect (朝嶺門), the one who killed the lady of the Agho Sect (惡豪房) and escaped with their precious secrets... it was all you."

Everyone looked at the one who spoke with shock.

"T-then, all the incidents in various sects over the past few years...?"

"...Unbelievable. Are they all really that foolish?"

"Did we fall for it?"

Everyone fell silent at that remark.

No, they were not foolish. They could never be so.

The Bright Path Sect (明道房) had a reputation in the region, almost like messengers of death. If the leaders were truly foolish, how could they have attained such a position?

"We are not foolish. It's just him! He deceived everyone so convincingly in such a short time."

The men bit their lips. Someone muttered with a contemptuous face.

"Worse than a dog."

"Hehehe..."

The boy wiped the blood flowing down his face slowly. The red blood along the corners of his mouth resembled the exaggerated makeup of a theatrical actor. At a glance, it seemed like the face of a madman laughing heartily.

That alone completely changed the boy's impression. The innocent and gentle-looking face had transformed into the face of a sinister demon.

"Is that really my fault?"

"What nonsense is he babbling about now...!"

"How could I know? What I'm thinking right now, how I'm looking at you."

The man's face distorted. He couldn't understand what that evil bastard was talking about.

"You probably don't know. Of course, you wouldn't. Understanding someone else's heart, understanding someone else's intentions, is impossible. Just standing here, glaring at me with hatred, you'll never know."

The eyes of the men flickered briefly. The boy smiled.

"But why did you believe an incomprehensible stranger so blindly? And why are you so angry, claiming betrayal? Is the trust you gave supposed to be returned? If not, do you have the right to blame and curse?"

"What nonsense..."

"If that's the case, you guys are truly pathetic."

Perhaps this was not just mockery but genuine curiosity.

The boy couldn't understand. Those who relied on others, those who placed expectations on others, even those who thought others would move according to their will.

In the boy's eyes, they were all like acts of throwing oneself into a deep well without knowing what kind of monster or abyss might be inside. It was a madman's act of placing everything on baseless optimism and faith.

Maybe they saw him as crazy, but in the boy's view, it was the world that was truly insane. It was filled with those who were not in their right minds.

To the boy, observing such a world was repulsive... yet at the same time, it was unbelievably beautiful. It sparkled.

That was why he wanted to grab it with his hands. This world, filled with things he could never have forever.

"Say whatever you want. It doesn't matter. We will make you pay for what you've done."

"People like you?"

"Your audacity is acknowledged. But, boy, you knew too little about the world. And because of you, others will come to know. How cruel and thorough the revenge of the Bright Path Sect is!"

Upon hearing that, the boy let out a scoff.

Of course, his physical condition was at its worst. Meanwhile, there were other pursuers in the distance, still following him. But the boy felt no trace of loneliness or isolation.

"This is why those with twisted minds..."

"What did you say?"

"You said it with your own mouth. I am the one who stole the secret of the Chorung Sect and the precious techniques of the Agho Sect."

The listeners flinched at those words.

"So, what do you think I did with those things? Perhaps sell them for a pittance?"

"J-just capture him now!"

"Do you understand now? The reason I escaped wasn't because I feared the likes of you. I just didn't want my name to spread more here. You should've known in advance!"

A sinister madness emitted from the boy's two eyes.

A scream reinforced by wickedness echoed from somewhere.

A palpable energy that pierced the skin, felt even from a distance.

It seemed as if the entire world was vehemently swirling in evil, all focused on capturing that one being.

But it didn't matter. The world had always been like that from the beginning. He didn't want it to be different.

The moment he subjugated this filthy world under his feet, he would truly discover the reason for being born in this world.

Even if he walked that path and got torn apart, leaving not a single trace of his flesh, he would have no regrets.

Just laugh once and go to hell.

"Bring it on!"

As the approaching ones rushed, the boy, Jang Ilso, narrowed his eyes and laughed.

'I will obtain it.'

Everything he couldn't have.

* * *

Slowly opening his eyes, Jang Ilsu looked out the window with a weary expression.

'A rare occurrence.'

He didn't often have dreams, especially not ones from that miserable time.

Lost in thought without saying a word, Jang Ilso suddenly wanted to ask himself:

Did he get what he wanted?

No. He hadn't obtained it yet. Not a single thing was in his hands.

The power that others envied so intensely, the elevated fame, and even the wealth that would never dry up in a lifetime, all still seemed insignificant.

None of those were what he truly wanted.

But Jang Ilso was convinced. Once he pursued this path, everything would fall into his hands soon enough.

After that...

"...Who knows."

Muttering with a languid expression, Jang Ilsu continued.

"I don't know what comes after that. Don't I?"

Most people wouldn't understand.

For some, it's not about the life gained through achieving a goal but the fact of achieving the goal itself.

Perhaps someone who could understand would be struggling in a situation similar to hell right now, just like the past Jang Ilso did. And maybe, they would feel exactly what the past Jang Ilso felt.

Jang Ilso discarded everything and survived. But could he really do that?

"Either way is fine."

A seemingly compassionate smile flashed across his face. However, his red lips gradually twisted, emitting a creepy aura.

"It's not bad for you to come this way too."

Then, Jang Ilso might obtain it.

The one and only person in the world who could truly understand him.