(TN: Changed “Dang Seon Yeong” to “Tang Seon Yeong”.)
***
After leaving Jang Sam behind, Tang Seon Yeong led the Divine Dragon Team out of the village and surprisingly went deeper into a dense forest beyond.
“This place…”
Baek Woo Jin looked at the sight before his eyes with a dejected expression.
It was no wonder, as this was the very place he had passed on the first day he began searching alone.
“So, the darkest place is under the lamp.”
It was the perfect phrase for the situation.
Jegal Yeon Ji stepped forward and scanned the surroundings.
“It’s understandable why you couldn’t find it…”
The energy disturbed by the core objects forming the formation flowed differently from the kind of energy disturbed by a human presence.
For someone unfamiliar with this, it would naturally be difficult to detect, and the formation laid out in front of them was far more elaborate and concealed than the one spread throughout the village.
“If I hadn’t known there was a formation here… even I wouldn’t have been able to find it.”
Baek Woo Jin’s face darkened further. For the daughter of the Jegal clan to speak this way meant the formation before them was no ordinary one.
“What about breaking it?”
“I’ll need to take a closer look for a moment…”
“I’m sorry, but we’re short on time. Please, as quickly as possible.”
“Y-Yes!”
She walked along the outer edge of the area where the energy flow was subtly changing. She reached out her hand here and there and occasionally dug into the ground to investigate further.
After what felt like about fifteen minutes, Jegal Yeon Ji turned back.
She returned with a weak gait and spoke in a trembling voice.
“I-I’m sorry. I think this is beyond me…”
She couldn’t help but feel disheartened by the fact that the person who had set up this formation was more skilled than herself.
She felt even more miserable when she thought that her younger sibling would be able to break such a formation in less than five minutes.
“I-I’m sorry I couldn’t be of help, hic…”
As she let out tearful sobs, Baek Woo Jin reached out and gently wiped the tears from her eyes.
“You’re already helping enough, so don’t cry.”
“O-Okay…”
Her face flushed a deep red like an apple when Baek Woo Jin’s hand touched her face.
“Where’s the most difficult part?”
“Th-There are roughly three methods to break the formation…”
The first method was to dismantle the formation from the outside. To do this, one had to read and calculate the flow of natural energy generated by the core object and then set up a formation around it to nullify the flow.
“But this method requires calculating all the energy of the opposing formation, and right now, I…”
A formation created by a formation master was like a martial artist’s technique.
Just as a single technique involved a series of complex movements like thrusting, slashing, retreating, and advancing. One had to read every move to counter it, and a formation was no different.
But it was impossible for her with her current skills.
“The second method?”
“It’s to destroy the formation itself from the outside….”
The second way to dismantle a formation from the outside was to break the formation itself with overwhelming power.
However, cutting through all the energy flowing through a space that covered a considerable area was no easy task.
“Even if all of us charged at it, it would be impossible.”
The more skilled the formation master, the tighter and tougher the flow of energy became.
To disrupt the formation in front of them with brute force, they would need at least one martial artist who had reached the Transcendent Peak level to even attempt it.
“The last method… is to find the core object from the inside.”
The last method was to dismantle the formation from the inside, not the outside.
“I heard you lose your way unless you follow a predetermined path.”
She nodded in agreement.
“Yes… but if we can read the flow of energy, we can move forward, even if it’s slow.”
“Then even if it takes time, we should use that method….”
“B-But.”
Jegal Yeon Ji hurriedly cut him off and continued.
“The flow inside the formation gets stronger the closer you get to the center, and especially near the core object.”
“So the closer we get to our goal, the harder it becomes to even take a step, is that it?”
“Yes… If we aim for the center, it could take days, maybe even… we could get trapped inside if we can’t keep reading the flow….”
Going forward meant risking their lives while going back left the safety of the Gu Wang Soo in question. They had truly fallen into a dilemma.
What should I do…?
A deep sense of self-reproach washed over him.
If only I had thought more carefully… if only I were a bit stronger…
If he hadn’t let his guard down, none of this would have happened, and if he had been just a little stronger, he would have been able to cut through the formation without hesitation.
At that moment, someone gently grabbed Baek Woo Jin’s shoulder and gave it a light shake.
“Snap out of it.”
It was Tang Seon Young.
“Do you think sighing so deeply that the ground could collapse will give you the answer?”
“…The ground could collapse?”
“Yeah, with the way you’re sighing so hard—”
Before she could finish speaking, Baek Woo Jin reached out and pulled her into his arms.
“Hyah!”
A cute scream followed.
Baek Woo Jin, without a care, hugged her tightly and cheerfully shouted.
“It’s that!”
“L-let go of me…!”
When Tang Seon Young struggled and pushed him away with both hands, Baek Woo Jin finally let go. He then approached Jegal Yeon Ji who was sitting weakly on the ground.
“Miss Jegal.”
“Tch, yes…”
Her voice was grumpy. She was sulking after seeing Baek Woo Jin hug Tang Seon Young so casually.
“Can you get inside the formation and reach the vicinity of the core?”
After a brief moment of serious thought, she changed her attitude and cautiously nodded.
“It might take some time, but… I think so.”
“Is the core usually buried underground?”
“It depends on the location… In a forest like this, the ground would be the most likely place…”
I see.
Baek Woo Jin smiled slyly.
“Miss Jegal.”
“Yes…?”
“How much do you trust me?”
Although it was a question that required careful consideration, she answered without hesitation.
“I-I trust you… completely.”
Receiving more than the answer he was expecting, Baek Woo Jin nodded in satisfaction.
“Then trust me and go into the formation to find the way.”
“Is there… a way?”
“I can’t be certain, but it’s the best option we have right now.”
“Then… alright.”
She trusted Baek Woo Jin enough to answer without hesitation.
Except when it came to his relationships with women.
After receiving her clear response, Baek Woo Jin told her to wait for a moment and then headed towards Tang Seon Young.
“Wait here. Once the formation is broken, enter immediately. If nothing changes for a while… take Jang Sam and withdraw.”
Tang Seon Young gazed into Baek Woo Jin’s eyes as he spoke.
All she could see in them was pure trust.
This made her even more curious.
“How much do you really trust me?”
The answer she received was even more ridiculous.
“As long as you don’t betray me, completely.”
“Hah…!”
A laugh of disbelief escaped her lips.
“Then I’ll leave it to you.”
“…There will be no retreat. Make sure it succeeds.”
He left after he made that cryptic remark.
“Okay.”
***
The inside of the formation was eerily silent. However, their senses told a different story.
“It’s completely all over the place.”
Their senses began to scatter in every direction, making them question whether what they saw in front of them was even real.
The sound of the wind, which had been flowing from left to right, suddenly reversed. It was now blowing from right to left as if it had always been that way.
“Please, I’m counting on you, Miss Jegal.”
“I’ll do my best…!”
She was supposed to be their guide, so she moved ahead of Baek Woo Jin.
She shut off most of her senses and focused solely on the flow of energy.
All five senses threw her into confusion, but nature itself didn’t offer the right answer. Instead, she moved in the direction the current wasn’t taking her, navigating through the chaos.
Just like anyone who hides something important, the core was often hidden in a place where no one would think to look.
The flow of the formation was similar. By taking advantage of this tendency, she calculated the flow and stepped in the direction with the least guidance.
She looks like she’s struggling…
As they moved deeper inside, with each step she seemed to be struggling more and more.
Baek Woo Jin thought about wiping the sweat off her forehead and lightly did so with his sleeve. Her face turned bright red as she suddenly yelled out.
“I-I-If you do this, I won’t be able to concentrate!”
“…I was just wiping your sweat…”
“Th-That… is a really difficult thing for me to handle!”
“Alright.”
Baek Woo Jin decided to just stay quiet.
The time they spent standing still grew longer. Sometimes they took a wrong step and had to backtrack.
As she seemed to reach her limit, her complexion darkened.
“I’m sorry… I think this is as far as I can go…”
Her voice trembled as she admitted she could no longer move forward.
Baek Woo Jin gently stroked her head and asked,
“Can you tell how far it is from here to the core?”
“I can only say roughly …”
“That’s enough.”
Then Jegal Yeon Ji turned around and muttered in a barely audible voice, before she turned around again and answered in a hesitant voice.
“About… a banjang… maybe?”
“So at most, a banjang, right?”
“I’m not sure, but it’s probably close…”
“That’s good enough.”
Baek Woo Jin drew his sword. At the same time, he pulled Jegal Yeon Ji who was standing a little distance away, behind him.
“From now on, no matter what happens, don’t leave my side.”
“Y-Yehs…!”
She was so surprised that her voice even cracked slightly.
“Hoo…”
As Baek Woo Jin let out a soft sigh, sword energy erupted from his sword. The ease with which his energy flowed was proof that his physical body was steadily catching up to the level of his advanced spirit.
“Hup!”
Following a short shout, he slashed downward with his sword that was enveloped in a razor-sharp energy.
His target was the ground beneath his feet.
When the blade dug so deep that it was barely visible, Baek Woo Jin poured all of his energy into it.
This was a technique he had learned from his master, the Sword Demon, in the fantasy world. It was inspired by the overwhelming force of nature that made humans feel insignificant. Like a bolt of lightning.
Rumble…
..
….
……
“A-Ah…!”
Suddenly the ground began to shake, and the startled Jegal Yeon Ji grabbed tightly onto Baek Woo Jin’s sleeve.
The tremor was only the beginning.
The earth around them erupted, soil flew everywhere as the ground split and tore in all directions.
“Th-This is…”
Though she had never experienced it herself, a memory from a book she had read flashed through her mind. This was a phenomenon she had only learned about in theory.
A disaster where the ground shook, cracked, and broke and destroyed everything on the ground.
“An earthquake…”
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