Chapter 133

Heuk Am plunged into the Southern Wood Forest without a single look back.

The thick fog swallowed Heuk Am in an instant.

The distance between Heuk Am and Pyo Wol was merely a dozen steps. For Experts like them, it was a meaningless distance.

They could cover such a distance in less than a single breath.

Indeed, Pyo Wol dove into the Southern Wood Forest at almost the same time as Heuk Am. But what greeted him was not the back of Heuk Am, but an unfamiliar landscape.

Giant trees and bushes, growing so densely there wasn’t a single gap, blocked his path like a wall.

Pyo Wol looked around.

Heuk Am was nowhere to be seen.

Not only had he vanished from sight, but all vital signs like his breathing and body heat had disappeared.

“A… Formation?”

Pyo Wol muttered indifferently.

Countless Formations existed in the Jianghu, among them the Maze Formation and the Phantom Formation. Such Formations could make one arrive at a completely different place, even if they entered through the same entrance.

He suspected that a similar Formation had been cast over the Southern Wood Forest.

Though he had lost Heuk Am right before his eyes, Pyo Wol was not disappointed or frustrated.

The very fact that an unknown Formation was in place was proof that the Small Thunder Sound Temple was here.

If it weren’t for Heuk Am, he would have had to spend several times the effort and time to find the Small Thunder Sound Temple.

Heuk Am would enter the Small Thunder Sound Temple and talk about him.

He wasn’t pleased that information about him would be exposed, but Pyo Wol thought it didn’t matter.

The abilities he had shown Heuk Am were only a fraction of his true power.

They would prepare, but Pyo Wol, too, would have enough time to make his own preparations.

Pyo Wol walked inside the Southern Wood Forest. After walking for a long time, he found himself standing at the forest’s edge once more.

‘A Disruption Formation that distorts the senses, a Maze Formation, and even a Phantom Formation added on top?’

A staggering three Formations were spread across the entire outskirts of the forest.

Just by looking at the vast Formations, which an ordinary person could not even dare to imagine, he could guess the extent of the Small Thunder Sound Temple’s power.

It was the Small Thunder Sound Temple, a group that wielded immense influence throughout all of Tibet. There was no way of knowing for now just how many Experts were gathered at their main headquarters.

Pyo Wol silently gazed at the Southern Wood Forest that had pushed him out.

It was as if the entire forest was glaring at him with hostility.

This was a new feeling.

Now that he had confirmed the enemy’s headquarters, it was time for him to prepare as well.

Pyo Wol walked around the Southern Wood Forest, gauging the size of the woods. The forest was so vast that he couldn’t take it all in with his eyes.

Finding the Small Thunder Sound Temple within it seemed as impossible as finding a needle on a sandy beach. But Pyo Wol was neither disappointed nor frustrated. No matter how vast the forest was, if he followed the traces back, he was bound to reach the origin.

Pyo Wol was very accustomed to such tasks, and above all, he possessed a strong patience and endurance that would never let him give up until he achieved his goal.

Pyo Wol was in no hurry.

He slowly walked around the Southern Wood Forest, collecting as much information as he could.

Pyo Wol did not miss things that others would casually overlook.

From the distribution of plants to the streams flowing out of the Southern Wood Forest, he examined everything meticulously.

The Southern Wood Forest was truly vast, with many streams connecting to the outside. Pyo Wol tasted and analyzed the water from every stream.

As he was gathering information, the day was already coming to an end.

Just then, Pyo Wol spotted a faint light on the outskirts of the Southern Wood Forest.

Following the light, a shabby village appeared.

But the atmosphere of the village was very strange.

It was as silent as if there wasn’t a single person there. He could definitely feel the breathing and gazes of people here and there, but not a single person was wandering outside.

Even though Pyo Wol had entered the village, no one came out to speak to him.

No matter how wary they were of outsiders, this was excessive.

It was then.

Suddenly, a stone flew from somewhere.

The stone hit Pyo Wol in the chest and fell to the ground.

Pyo Wol silently looked at the stone rolling at his feet. Although it had hit his chest, it didn’t hurt at all. It had been thrown with no force behind it.

Pyo Wol looked in the direction the stone had come from.

A boy who looked to be about thirteen or fourteen was glaring at Pyo Wol. In his hand was another stone.

“Get out of our village!”

The boy threw another stone at Pyo Wol.

He had no intention of getting hit by a stone for no reason again. Pyo Wol simply snatched the stone the boy had thrown.

Even seeing his thrown stone caught by Pyo Wol, the boy, far from fleeing, glared with bloodshot eyes.

The boy’s eyes, as he looked at Pyo Wol, were filled with resentment and anger.

It was then.

“Aigoo! My lord. Please forgive my son. He did this because he doesn’t know any better.”

“Please forgive Ah-myeong.”

People rushed out from the previously quiet houses and stood in front of the boy.

The eyes of the people, who had formed a human wall to block Pyo Wol, were filled with nothing but fear.

Pyo Wol’s gaze fell on the middle-aged man shielding the boy who had thrown the stone. He was the only one among the villagers who was one-armed.

The one-armed man pleaded as he hugged the boy.

“Please forgive Ah-myeong, my lord!”

Despite his father’s plea, the boy named Ah-myeong did not avert his gaze from Pyo Wol.

“Dad! I’m not scared at all.”

“You brat! Do you want to end up like your brother? Be quiet!”

“They turned my brother… Soma… into a monster, but I won’t become like that.”

“This kid, still…”

The father covered his son’s mouth with his large hand. His effort to protect his son, even in this way, was simply heartbreaking.

Pyo Wol asked Ah-myeong.

“Who were the ones who took your brother?”

“Are you asking because you don’t know? It was you people. The Small Thunder Sound Temple!”

“The Small Thunder Sound Temple?”

What little human emotion was left in Pyo Wol’s eyes vanished.

In that instant, Ah-myeong and the villagers all felt a shiver. A sudden chill had washed over them.

“Ugh!”

The villagers looked at Pyo Wol with fearful eyes.

They had realized that the man with the inhumanly beautiful appearance before them was, in fact, an Expert beyond their imagination.

Everyone wore a terrified expression, but Ah-myeong alone, his spirit unbroken, shouted.

“You took my brother and all the village children, didn’t you? Is that still not enough?”

“…”

“Fine! Take me too. Go on, take me.”

Ah-myeong screamed in a fit of rage.

Pyo Wol stared intently at Ah-myeong and said,

“I am not taking you.”

“Lies!”

“I prefer to kill someone cleanly rather than needlessly take them away.”

“Ugh!”

“So I have no reason to take you.”

“Aren’t you from the Small Thunder Sound Temple?”

“No.”

“Really?”

“No matter what I say, you won’t believe me. So, judge for yourself. But I swear, if you push me any further, I will snap your neck in an instant.”

“Ugh!”

At Pyo Wol’s words, which contained no emotion whatsoever, Ah-myeong pressed his lips tightly together.

Everyone he knew spoke with emotion, whether positive or negative. But Pyo Wol had none of that.

It felt like looking at a great serpent, devoid of any feeling.

Ah-myeong’s father asked cautiously.

“Are you truly not from the Small Thunder Sound Temple?”

“I believe I told you not to ask again.”

“I’m sorry. But our hatred and fear of the Small Thunder Sound Temple are so great that we can’t help it. We have lost everything to the Small Thunder Sound Temple. That’s why we have to ask again.”

“Is it related to the children?”

“Yes! They took all the children of the village.”

The one-armed man lowered his head.

Tears like large beads dripped from his eyes. It was the same for the other villagers.

Just a few years ago, the villagers had lived happily.

Although their lives were impoverished by poverty, they managed to get by without starving by farming and hunting.

They knew the Small Thunder Sound Temple was nearby, but as long as they didn’t enter the Southern Wood Forest, nothing happened, so they didn’t worry much.

In fact, having the Small Thunder Sound Temple nearby guaranteed their safety, as bandits did not dare to Raid them.

The Small Thunder Sound Temple didn’t seem to care whether the villagers lived nearby or not. Consequently, the villagers’ vigilance also faded.

The incident happened then.

Monks from the Small Thunder Sound Temple suddenly stormed the village.

They took away all the village children.

At that time, Ah-myeong had gone into the mountains alone to gather mushrooms, so he was able to escape the disaster.

“We begged them to return our children. But not only could we not enter the forest, they didn’t even pretend to listen to us.”

At that moment, Ah-myeong stepped forward and said,

“And they turned my kidnapped brother and friends into monsters.”

“Monsters?”

Several years had passed since the children were kidnapped.

As the villagers were spending their days in despair, the monks of the Small Thunder Sound Temple appeared again. And beside them were the kidnapped children.

Naturally, the parents recognized their children.

They thought the monks were returning the children and approached, weeping.

That was when the monks of the Small Thunder Sound Temple gave the children an order.

“Fight amongst yourselves.”

Naturally, the children hesitated.

No matter how harshly they had been brainwashed after being kidnapped by the Small Thunder Sound Temple, they did not want to point their swords at the friends they had grown up with since birth.

Then, the monks brutally killed the parents of the hesitating children.

The monks said,

“If you don’t fight your friends, your parents will die instead. The parents of the losers will also die. So, fight with your parents’ lives on the line.”

The children had no choice but to eventually swing their swords at each other.

To save not only themselves but also their parents.

And so, the children fought fiercely.

Winners and losers were decided.

The losers died, and even their parents were brutally murdered.

In this way, half of the villagers lost their lives.

Those who survived were also left with deep scars on their hearts.

More time passed. And the monks of the Small Thunder Sound Temple came again, bringing the children with them.

The same situation repeated itself.

The surviving children fought each other, and the losers, as well as their parents, all lost their lives.

In this way, the village’s population was instantly reduced to a quarter of its original size.

They didn’t know when this situation would repeat itself. Yet, the people could not leave the village.

The children kidnapped by the Small Thunder Sound Temple had lost their humanity and were reborn as human butchers.

“I don’t know what tricks they used, but now the children don’t even recognize their own parents.”

Just a few months ago, the monks of the Small Thunder Sound Temple appeared again with the children. The monks ordered the children to injure their own parents. The children attacked their parents without hesitation.

Ah-myeong’s father showed his severed arm to Pyo Wol.

“This arm, too, was cut off by my son.”

He could endure having his arm cut off. But he could not bear that his son had lost his reason and become a beast that would harm even his own parents.

Drip, drip!

The villagers shed tears.

What parent could watch with a peaceful heart as their child became something other than human? Their hearts had long since rotted away. The reason they still couldn’t leave the village was the fear that their children might be harmed if they left.

Pyo Wol looked at the villagers.

The remaining people numbered only about fifteen. There were some couples, but most were left with only one spouse. That would mean the number of remaining children was about ten.

But one could not look down on them just because there were only ten. They were individuals whose humanity had been erased to the point where they would injure their own parents without hesitation. He didn’t know the extent of their abilities, but if the Small Thunder Sound Temple had poured their heart and soul into raising them, it was safe to assume they were already perfect killing Weapons.

Ah-myeong’s father mustered his courage and asked,

“Are you really here looking for the Small Thunder Sound Temple?”

“I am.”

“Why are you looking for them?”

“To kill them.”

“All of them?”

“Every last one.”

At Pyo Wol’s answer, Ah-myeong’s father glared as if he could devour him.

The father’s gaze was fierce.

His insides had already rotted away, and he had even contracted a serious illness.

He instinctively felt that he did not have much time left to live.

A man who had appeared suddenly one day.

Just looking into his perfectly still eyes made his mind go blank.

The father decided to bet everything he had on this man with an inhuman appearance.

“I will tell you about the Small Thunder Sound Temple.”