Chapter 118

CHAPTER 118

Lightsword Tomb-4

For a brief instant, Seonu Jin prepared to strike first.

If he was going to be discovered anyway, then launching the first attack would be better.

Given the overwhelming difference in skill and his own battered body, victory was nearly impossible—but he had no intention of dying quietly.

He was just about to spring at the man lifting his head upward when suddenly—

— Young Master! Please, be safe!

The voice of Tang Yeo-eun rang out from far away.

At that, Mok Woojeon’s head, which had been rising toward him, snapped around in that direction.

“Grrrrrrr!”

Then, with a pang!, he leapt off again, charging toward the sound with furious momentum.

Just as before, he sprinted with feral intensity.

Seonu Jin barely suppressed the sigh of relief that rose in his throat.

He had come within a hair’s breadth of death.

“I survived… barely. Haah.”

Most likely, Tang Yeo-eun hadn’t shouted because she understood the danger, but simply because she was worried for him.

And though she must have known it could put her in danger, she had still done it.

The realization filled him with deep gratitude.

When Mok Woojeon was finally out of sight, Seonu Jin dropped back down to the ground.

As thankful as he was for her concern, he couldn’t allow her to become the beast’s target.

Once Mok Woojeon was far enough away not to see, he gathered his energy and let out a loud, mocking laugh.

“Kihahahahaha!”

It was the Ghostly Laughter of the Twin Demonic Swords.

Sure enough, his senses picked up Mok Woojeon halting abruptly.

Then the beastly footsteps thundered back toward him.

“Good. Come at me!”

Grinning fiercely, Seonu Jin dashed in the opposite direction.

His body was in no condition for fighting, but if he wanted to live, he had to run.

And he was confident he could still outrun the monster—at least for now.

But then, to his shock, he had to stop short.

“What—?!”

From the other end, someone else was running toward him.

Not as fast as Mok Woojeon, but still very quick.

And Seonu Jin instantly knew who it was.

“Vice Guildmaster Ga Yuak!”

The maddened Ga Yuak must have been chasing Mok Woojeon all along.

Now he was trapped.

Strong foes ahead and behind—an inescapable pincer.

But Seonu Jin only hesitated for a moment before gritting his teeth and dashing toward Ga Yuak’s side.

Both were far stronger than him, but between the two, Ga Yuak was the lesser threat.

And he had no intention of fighting them head-on anyway.

In a direct clash, there was no chance at all.

Running with focus sharpened to a knife’s edge, Seonu Jin measured the distance and timing.

He needed to act at the precise moment, the exact range.

Just before both came into visible range, he sprang to the ceiling again and concealed himself.

Pahpak!

A heartbeat later, both Mok Woojeon and Ga Yuak came into view, charging from opposite ends.

From the ceiling, Seonu Jin smirked in silence.

“There, old friends—aren’t you happy to meet again? Now, go on… catch up properly.”

And as if answering his prayer, the two saw each other—

And roared like beasts before colliding headlong.

“Grrrrrrrrr!”

“Kekekekeke!”

The two wild beasts clashed violently.

“Kraaaahhhh!”

“Kyaaaaaahhh!”

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!

Right beneath where Seonu Jin clung, two masters with over ninety years of cultivation unleashed earth-shaking combat.

Sword against fist, kicks, headbutts, brutal strikes—it was a savage brawl.

It looked like Mok Woojeon had the upper hand, but Seonu Jin paid no mind.

His sole focus was to creep silently along the ceiling, moving in the direction Ga Yuak had come from.

“Slow and steady… better to remain hidden than to rush.”

Quang! Quang! Kwa-quang!

Below, the two fought with such ferocity it seemed the tunnel might collapse entirely.

In fact, it was a wonder it hadn’t already.

Clearly, the Radiant Sword’s owner had reinforced this place with great care.

But as with all things, even durability has limits.

Kruuuuumble!

A wall shattered under one of Mok Woojeon’s devastating strikes, and the surrounding stone began to collapse in a chain reaction.

Even the section of ceiling where Seonu Jin clung began to give way.

Warruuumble!

“Damn it!”

He fell helplessly along with the collapsing ceiling, cursing inwardly.

But he hadn’t given up yet.

The two combatants were too engrossed in their savage brawl to notice him.

“Good. Stay that way.”

Whoosh!

Deflecting the falling stones aside, Seonu Jin twisted midair and landed silently like a cat.

Tak!

But in that instant, he realized his mistake—

He had landed right within Mok Woojeon’s line of sight.

Their eyes met.

For a heartbeat, time froze.

Then, as Seonu Jin bolted away with a whoosh!, Mok Woojeon let out a roar of rage.

“Kraaaahhh!”

But just as he was about to pursue, Ga Yuak’s fist slammed into him.

Pwoom!

Kwa-dang-tang!

Meanwhile, Seonu Jin ran with everything he had.

His internal injuries burned, but he had to hold out until he escaped the circular passage.

Before long, he sensed Mok Woojeon’s presence pursuing again.

Apparently, the beast had shaken off Ga Yuak.

It was disappointing—but even so, he was grateful for the reprieve.

Now, all that mattered was whether his body could hold out until the exit.

“Please… endure, body!”

After gauging his condition, Seonu Jin judged it was manageable.

Not as bad as he had feared after coughing blood.

Fighting was impossible, but running—running he could do.

And the tunnel, aside from the collapsed section, remained intact.

No sign of further collapse.

“Good. Then all that’s left is to run with everything I’ve got!”

With a grin, he pushed his pace faster and faster.

The distance between them actually widened.

“Perfect! Let’s make it to the exit!”

But before long, a different presence appeared ahead.

And Seonu Jin froze in shock.

“Miss Tang?!”

It was unmistakable—he would know her presence anywhere.

Yet she should have been outside by now.

Instead, her presence radiated from straight ahead.

Seonu Jin was utterly bewildered.

“Why is she still in here?!”

And moments later, his eyes confirmed it.

Tang Yeo-eun appeared before him, tears brimming in her eyes.

“Young Master! You’re safe!”

The pure joy in her face made Seonu Jin, who had been about to scold her, only smile awkwardly instead.

He first offered gratitude.

“It’s thanks to you crying out earlier that I survived. Thank you.”

“Oh, so it really helped! I only tried it on a hunch… thank goodness!”

Though it could have put her in danger, she had risked herself anyway.

Seonu Jin was deeply touched, and ashamed he had almost shouted at her.

But there was still no time to waste.

“But Miss, why didn’t you leave? Why are you still here when they’re right behind me—”

At that, Tang Yeo-eun’s face crumpled into tears as she replied.

“I kept running, but there was no way out. I’m sure I ran much farther than the distance we came in, but there was no exit at all…”

“…What?!”

At first, Seonu Jin thought it was impossible. But then he realized it could be true.

This was a trap built by the Radiant Sword—an insane design meant to drive intruders mad. A mechanism that ensured anyone who entered could never leave was perfectly plausible.

Or perhaps the earlier collapse had sealed the entrance shut.

As that thought took shape, a heavy chill gripped him.

“Then… does that mean we’re trapped in here? Together with those monsters? And with the passage half-collapsed?”

If so, then the situation was dire.

Even if they ran, they’d only find a dead end.

He swallowed hard.

Then Tang Yeo-eun pointed to something and spoke urgently.

“Young Master, look over here.”

“What is it?”

She pointed to the upper part of the inner wall.

“I thought I might have missed something, so I kept looking carefully… and I saw this written up there.”

Etched into the stone were the characters: 二人關.

“I-in-gwan?”

The Gate of Two Persons.

Seonu Jin’s eyes sharpened.

If such words were inscribed, then surely this was some kind of gate.

And from its placement, it looked just like a plaque above a doorway.

He inspected the stone beneath the characters.

Indeed—the boundary between the stones formed a neat rectangle, unlike the other walls.

“…A door?”

It looked exactly like one.

Tang Yeo-eun nodded in agreement.

“Yes, that’s what I thought too. But no matter how hard I pushed, it wouldn’t budge…”

Rushing over, Seonu Jin pressed against the stone wall with all his strength.

It didn’t move at all.

Just then—

Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!

The sound of Mok Woojeon charging closer.

He was closing the gap fast.

Panic set in.

“Tang Yeo-eun is slower than him. I can’t carry her in this condition. If we try to run, he’ll catch us… And even if we escape, what if the entrance really is gone?”

And the middle of the passage had collapsed.

“Damn it.”

Gritting his teeth, Seonu Jin shoved the wall again.

If they were to live, it had to be through this gate.

But it still didn’t move.

Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!

“Grrrrrrr!”

Now he could hear Mok Woojeon’s footsteps with his bare ears.

Then Tang Yeo-eun cried out:

“Young Master! There’s a handprint here!”

“What?!”

On the wall beside the gate was a faint palm mark.

“Press it!”

“Yes!”

She pressed her palm against it with all her strength.

Nothing happened.

“Move, let me try!”

Seonu Jin ran up and slammed his hand against it.

Still nothing.

Tat-tat-tat-tat!

“Grrrrrrr!”

Now Mok Woojeon’s figure was visible in the distance. His crimson eyes blazed like burning coals, and his speed surged as he spotted them.

Grinding his teeth, Seonu Jin shouted:

“Damn it! Run, Miss Tang!”

There was no choice left but to flee.

If they wasted another moment, they wouldn’t even have that option.

Curse this damned ‘Gate of Two Persons’!

But then, the phrase struck him differently.

“Gate of Two Persons? Two people…?”

Abruptly halting, Seonu Jin glanced at the wall opposite Tang Yeo-eun’s handprint.

There—another faint palm mark.

“Miss Tang! Wait!”

“What?!”

He wasn’t sure it was the right move.

Mok Woojeon was only a few paces away.

“Grrrrrrr!”

But something in his gut told him this was it.

He dashed to the opposite wall and planted his palm on the mark.

“Press yours again—now!”

Understanding instantly, Tang Yeo-eun cast a terrified glance at the charging beast before slamming her palm back into the mark.

Together, they pressed.

Creak…

Ruuumble!

The stone wall began to shift inward.

“Grrrrrrrrr!”

Mok Woojeon was now only a few strides away.

Sword drawn, Seonu Jin shouted, glancing between the opening gate and the onrushing monster.

“The moment there’s space, go through!”

Then, with a roar, Mok Woojeon hurled himself at them.

“Kraaaaahhh!”

But Seonu Jin didn’t meet him head-on.

By then, a narrow gap had opened.

Grabbing Tang Yeo-eun’s hand, he dove into it.

“Go!”

Whoosh!

And just as they slipped through, Mok Woojeon’s palm slammed uselessly into the stone.

Kwaaaaaang!