Chapter 755: Martial Instructor (1)

“One is, because I need your help. And the other is.......”

Right.

Until I came here, even I had not known.

“Because I thought you might need my help.”

Unfortunately, my reason had not noticed Mirinae’s problem.

But.

‘An instinctive intuition.’

The reason I did not know rationally.

My instinct knew it.

Normally, Mirinae would have contacted me first, but for some reason, contact had been cut off.

The guesses about that identity, and the story Seohwan had told me about his master’s wound.

As a result of putting all of that together.

‘Mirinae is in a situation where it needs my help.’

My instinct.

Had noticed that fact and led me here.

‘When you say reason, it sounds impressive...... but reason does not always stand ahead of instinct.’

And.

That was the same in this case too.

“I respect Mirinae’s decision.”

Its reason had clearly made a noble judgment.

Rather than cause damage to other innocent beings.

The judgment that it would quietly face extinction in its own homeland.

“But that decision.”

But.

“There is no need for me to necessarily follow it, is there?”

{What.......}

That was, in the end.

A decision made by Mirinae’s ‘reason.’

{It hurts.......}

{I want to live.......}

{The ones tormenting me...... I will take revenge.}

Wounded souls.

The Mirinaes who had lost reason and were shouting only by instinct.

But, even so.

‘That is also clearly Mirinae.’

And.

Rationally, after cool-headed judgment.

The Mirinae that had accepted its own death.

And.

The Mirinae on the side that was caught by dark energy and suffering.

Simply shouting according to instinct.

‘The Mirinae on the side closer to its true feelings is probably the latter.’

In the first place, it was obvious.

Unless it was a strange case like those zombies.

There is no one who truly wants to die.

There may be situations where one makes a decision for the greater cause in an unavoidable situation, but.

There is no case where one truly wants one’s own death.

If another option for survival exists, wanting to choose that path somehow is the instinct of life.

Choosing one’s own death is nothing more than an act of suppressing that instinct.

{I have to chew up everything, everything.}

Even if that appearance might look a little ugly.

Including that ugly appearance, it is the instinct of life.

If so.

“Well, we are not exactly strangers, are we? I have received a lot of help from you until now.”

What I had to do was decided.

I looked at the wounded Mirinaes and said.

“This time, I will help you a little.”

{You.......}

At my words.

The unwounded Mirinaes frowned and said.

{......The wounded ‘me’ is trying to break free from this seal somehow. Right now I am pressing it down somehow with reason, but that instinct is by no means weak either, I am saying.}

“It looks that way.”

{If you give even the slightest pretext for me to be released from the seal...... the instinct that wants to live will start to rampage even more strongly.}

“I suppose so.”

{That is not all. The wounded me is seized by pain and rage.}

At those words.

I turned my head and looked at the wounded Mirinaes.

{The ones who gave me pain.......}

{I will devour them all, all of them.......}

Certainly.

Many among the wounded Mirinaes were muttering in voices filled with rage.

{The moment I become free, I will begin to rampage in order to take revenge on the targets that wounded me, and to heal my wound.}

“That is probably right too.”

{It might be fine if reason remained instead. But...... the current I do not even have the reason to distinguish the targets of revenge.}

Filled only with rage.

If there is no reason to select the targets of that rage.

The result would probably lead to indiscriminate destruction.

{I do not know what you are trying to do. I do not want to know either. But, I am saying that that action could bring about an absurdly great disaster. Do you know that?}

“Yes, well...... roughly?”

{.......}

But.

While acknowledging all those facts.

I turned my body around and began to move my steps.

{......You said you respect my decision, but there is no need to follow it.}

I turned my back on Mirinae.

And as I was about to descend from the pavilion.

{That is the same for me too.}

A voice came from behind.

{You say you will help me? Fine. If you want, try it. However!}

The Mirinaes that were unwounded.

And maintaining reason.

Shouted loudly at me.

{I will stop you, who are trying to help me, with all my might!}

“Hah-hah.”

At those words.

I smiled faintly and answered.

“As much as you like.”

If Mirinae refused help with all its might.

Then I too.

Only needed to break through that refusal with all my might and give help.

***

“Commander......!”

“Sorry to have kept you waiting.”

When I came down below the pavilion.

Seohwan and Miho, who had been waiting below, approached me.

“Dragon Heaven Pavilion...... no.”

The two sent me worried gazes.

I looked at those two and said.

“Guide me to the place where your master is.”

“.......”

At those words of mine.

Seohwan looked at Dragon Heaven Pavilion and my face as if flustered.

“Commander. Commander may not have felt it, but...... while Commander went up to that pavilion, that energy became stronger.”

The energy I had felt from the pavilion at the mountaintop.

Certainly.

That energy had become more ferocious than before.

‘......It said if there is a pretext to be released from the seal, the instinct that wants to live will rampage more.’

Until now, the reason that wanted to remain inside the seal had been slightly ahead, but.

Because of my appearance.

Mirinae’s instinct that wanted to be released had begun to rampage.

“I do not know what Commander is trying to do...... but the place ahead is truly dangerous. No matter how much it is Commander......!”

Seohwan tried to stop me with a worried gaze.

But.

“......Yes, understood.”

“Senior Sister Miho?”

“Let us go.”

Unlike Seohwan.

Miho nodded calmly and began to guide me.

PAK!

Miho and I began running at tremendous speed.

“......Senior Sister Miho!”

Seohwan hurriedly followed us and shouted.

The pavilion at the summit was right before us.

The figures of those gathered before it were already beginning to appear.

“Hwan. You know the truth too, do you not.”

Looking at that pavilion.

Miho opened her mouth toward Seohwan, who was following.

“Now the time has come for us to choose as well.”

“Choose, you say.......”

“Our homeland has perished. This martial hall is nothing more than a fragment of a world that has perished.”

At that sight.

I recalled the way Miho had acted in this martial hall.

-That place is Taepyeong Pavilion.

-This place is Seonghyeon Pavilion, where the records of our sect’s previous masters and disciples are stored.

When we arrived at the martial hall.

For some reason, Miho had looked around every pavilion of the martial hall.

Even though she could have headed straight here, to Dragon Heaven Pavilion.

She looked around every building of the martial hall, and guided me through them.

At that time, I had not known what the reason was.

Now, I felt like I could understand.

‘......Miho had expected that something would happen here.’

Right.

They said she was the wisest person even in this martial hall.

She had guessed that something unusual would happen here.

At one time.

Miho had wanted to choose death in this martial hall, but.

As repayment for waking the other senior and junior disciples.

She had joined the Legion.

“I too once wished to face a peaceful end in this martial hall.”

“.......”

“If it was destruction that could not be overcome anyway, then rather than suffer while resisting that destruction for no reason...... I wanted to spend the end with my senior and junior disciples in this peaceful world.”

I still remembered what Miho had said then.

-Futile resistance has its own meaning too. Only after failing after giving one’s all, can one finally let go of attachment and give up, no?

Even at that time.

Miho was probably thinking of helping us to a certain extent and then returning to this martial hall again.

“Now, I do not.”

But, even if that motive had not been much.

She had watched the Legion’s struggle, and had been with it.

After facing a massive destruction, and experiencing a miserable defeat.

She had fallen into despair from which it seemed she could never rise again, but.

“I no longer want that kind of end.”

The struggle of these past several years.

Had changed her thoughts.

“It is time to make a choice, Hwan.”

When we arrived before the pavilion.

We saw the figures of those looking down at us.

The five disciples of the martial hall, holding weapons and glaring at me.

“Whether to perish together, as a disciple of the martial hall. In this world that has already perished.”

And.

Looking at those five.

“......Or”

Shrrng.

“To live onward as a member of the Legion.”

Miho.

Drew out her blade.

“I have made my answer. Rather than a life waiting only for death...... I want to live a life for the sake of living.”

“......Senior Sister.”

“Hwan. What about you.”

She had already made her decision.

That was why.

As a meaning of saying farewell to the homeland that had already disappeared.

To the last remaining fragment of that homeland...... this martial hall.

She had taken its appearance into her eyes for the last time.

And engraved that memory into her head.

“A choice.......”

At Miho’s words that forced a choice.

Seohwan’s gaze turned toward that pavilion at the summit and the beastkin standing there.

“Why are you asking something like that.”

Soon.

It returned to me again.

And.

“Master will probably never take in a new disciple. So, if I were to live in the martial hall, I would probably never be able to escape the role of the youngest for my entire life.”

“What?”

“Senior Sister held a high position from the moment you entered, so you may not know, but life as the youngest in a martial hall is not easy.”

Seohwan began saying something a little out of the blue.

“Not only laundry, but cooking, washing dishes, cleaning the latrine too...... all of that is the youngest’s role.”

“.......”

“When you struggle to throw out the food waste and come back, the smell soaks into your body and suffering all day is the norm. So.......”

A list of evil customs that strangely gave me a sense of déjà vu.

At those words, as I looked at his face with disbelief.

The guy scratched his head with a strange expression and said.

“Rather than being the youngest in the martial hall, life as an instructor of the Legion does seem a bit better.”

“Puhah!”

Right.

In the first place, this question had not even needed to be asked.

Miho had simply made a rational decision a little faster.

Seohwan too.

Only had not yet realized it himself.

[Awakened: Seohwan]

[Lv.56 Martial Artist]

[Awakened: Miho]

[Lv.59 Martial Scholar]

Since long ago already.

He had reached his conclusion.

“......I wished you would go back.”

“If you truly wish to enter this place.”

When we reached the pavilion.

The five martial artists drew their weapons and looked at us.

“We have no choice but to block you, benefactor...... no.”

“Intruder!”

Unlike when I had faced them before.

They were armed with the Legion’s weapons and equipment.

“It is an order.”

I looked at that sight and opened my mouth.

“The operation objective is inside the pavilion. We enter until the place where the master of the martial hall is.”

“Yes.”

“The guard force is five. Since the situation is urgent, there is no time to waste dealing with them. Therefore!”

Until now.

I had thought of Seohwan and Miho as martial instructors of the Legion.

And before that.

As martial artists of the martial hall.

“Handling them will be left to you two. Can you do it?”

“Of course.”

Now, that was no longer the case.

“Then...... operation start.”

“Loyalty!”

Against the five martial artists of the martial hall.

“For the.......”

“For the victory of the Legion!”

The Legion’s two martial instructors launched themselves forward.