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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“…Stairs. It’s definitely a man-made space.”
“Is it okay to go in?”
Hye-ryeong blinked, looking up at me. Was she scared now that the door was open? I placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to rush in.”
While I had opened the door with gusto, charging blindly into an unknown space was suicidal. I scratched my chin and channeled aura into my eyes, peering into the darkness.
“It looks like it goes down at least two levels.”
“That deep? I’m scared of the dark…”
“You casually decapitate people, but you’re afraid of the dark?”
“That’s different!”
…Different?
The sensibilities of martial artists were difficult to grasp. Even Mokgyeong was nodding in agreement beside her.
Was I out of touch?
“Darkness has always been the enemy of a martial artist. Even the most perceptive warrior cannot fully perceive threats in the dark.”
Now that he mentioned it, that made sense.
Darkness was indeed dangerous. While my eyesight had improved, and my night vision was better, I couldn’t see perfectly in the dark.
While some martial arts techniques might grant the ability to see through pitch-black darkness, we didn’t possess such skills. We needed torches.
Torches to protect us from the darkness.
“…It’s too late to go in now. Let’s return to camp.”
I closed the door and turned away. Since there was no one around, it should be safe to leave it like this.
Anyone who came here would be the ones who built this place, or someone they knew.
Judging by the moss on the boulder, the hidden entrance was quite old, so it was unlikely anyone would stumble upon it.
I piled some leaves on top of the entrance and returned to camp.
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“Mokgyeong, the torches?”
“Here they are.”
“Mister, do we really need so many?”
“You never know what might happen. It’s best to be prepared.”
One should always prepare for the unexpected.
Life rarely went according to plan. If it did, I wouldn’t be in the Murim in the first place.
I thought of my friends from the slave ship, whose bones were probably scattered across the ocean floor, and took the torches from Mokgyeong.
“Mokgyeong, do you have flint and steel?”
“Hand me the torch…”
I tilted the torch towards Mokgyeong. He touched the tip and snapped his fingers.
“Mystic Flame Arts for lighting a torch? Isn’t that a bit excessive?”
“It consumes less internal energy than you might think.”
That was good to know. I tied two torches to my bag and distributed the rest to Hye-ryeong and Mokgyeong.
“If we get separated, hang a torch somewhere visible. That way, we’ll know where you’ve been.”
“I won’t drop it.”
We would check out the hidden space, and if there was nothing of interest, we would continue on our journey.
I kicked away the leaves I had piled on the entrance and opened the door. The rusty hinges creaked as the door swung open, revealing the same scene as yesterday.
What could be inside to warrant such a hidden entrance?
I held the burning torch in front of me and examined the stairs.
“The stairs are intact.”
“As you said, Benefactor, the stairs seem sturdy.”
“Mister, can we hold hands?”
“We need to be prepared for anything, so no.”
Hye-ryeong looked disappointed, but her safety was my priority. I planned to explore quickly and efficiently, so it was best to keep a slight distance.
“Let’s go.”
We began our descent, unsure of what awaited us in the darkness.
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These stairs were incredibly long.
We had been walking for what felt like an hour, and there was still no sign of the bottom.
“Benefactor, are we trapped in a formation…?”
“Perhaps…”
“I don’t think it’s a formation!”
Hmm?
We looked at Hye-ryeong. She beamed, seemingly pleased to have something to contribute. She glanced at Mokgyeong.
…She seemed to consider him a rival for some reason.
“My master taught me how to check for formations! First, try going back the way you came. Second, leave marks as you go!”
“Simple enough.”
I drew my sword and carved an X into the wall.
“Let’s keep going.”
We descended a bit further, and finally, the stairs ended.
So, they were just really long.
“The difference in technology is…”
This was medieval China?
It seemed centuries ahead of its time.
Was this…right?
Overly advanced technology in Chinese wuxia stories was nothing new, but seeing it firsthand was surreal. Even in the 21st century, building something like this wouldn’t be easy. What kind of people had built this place?
“At least there aren’t any night pearls…”
Though there were rings for hanging torches.
I placed the torch in a ring and lit a new one.
“Judging by the dust, it doesn’t seem like anyone has been here for a long time.”
“As you say, Benefactor, it appears to have been abandoned for quite some time.”
Mokgyeong held his torch aloft, examining the surroundings.
“Mister, doesn’t this look like another passage?”
“It does.”
The space had widened, but it was still a straight path. What was the purpose of this place?
Was it a secret passage?
If so, where did it lead?
We continued walking, occasionally placing torches in the rings. After some time,
We stopped and found a figure lying on the ground.
“Benefactor, this is…”
“Mister…”
“It appears to have been here for a long time.”
Only clothes and bones remained. The skeleton, bearing the marks of time, seemed to be decades old.
How did it die?
The answer to that question might reveal the purpose of this endless passage.
I carefully removed the tattered clothing and examined the bones. Fortunately, the skeleton was mostly intact, allowing us to determine the cause of death.
“A broken spine and the position of the body suggest…”
“It looks like it was attacked from behind!”
“I agree with Hye-ryeong.”
“…I have a feeling we’re about to get involved in something troublesome.”
Ever since I arrived in the Central Plains, I seemed to attract trouble. This time, it was my own fault, but still…
I stopped examining the skeleton and stood up.
“Let’s keep moving.”
“Wouldn’t it be safer to go back? Like you said, we might get involved in…”
Hye-ryeong clutched my sleeve, her voice filled with concern. I took her hand and looked at her.
“Don’t worry. You trust me, right?”
“Mister…”
“…Benefactor, perhaps we should continue…”
Mokgyeong’s awkward tone brought me back to reality. This wasn’t the time for sentimentality. I resumed my lead, navigating the passage.
“Mister, another skeleton.”
“Judging by their scattered positions, it seems like they were killed one by one during a chase.”
What had happened here?
I examined the remains, trying to piece together the events that had transpired in this seemingly endless passage.
“Another backstabbing victim.”
“If the way we came in is the exit…then something happened at the other end of this passage, and these people were killed while trying to escape.”
“We’ll find out when we reach the other side.”
I felt a draft, suggesting the other end was open. We would know more once we got there.
We continued forward.
Soon, we reached what appeared to be a door.
It was cracked open, as if someone had forced it. A fortunate circumstance for us.
“Be careful from now on. This is where things might get…”
“Who’s there?”
Hmm?
A voice came from beyond the door.
I looked at Hye-ryeong and Mokgyeong, surprised by the unexpected voice.
“…Mister, like I said, unexpected things always happen when I’m with you.”
“…I agree.”
I grasped the handle and pushed the door open.
To find the owner of that aged voice, who had sensed our presence.
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Thanks cutie!