Chapter 1837 – Return of The Mount Hua Sect

 

Chapter 1837. This Is Why It’s Not Fun. (2) ❀ ❀ ❀

“Hmm.”

Jang Ilso let out a short nasal sound as he flicked the blood dripping from his fingernails, as if it were nothing of concern. A single droplet of blood flew through the air and landed with a soft plop into the pool of blood already gathered on the ground.

Drip.

There was no way such a tiny sound could be heard, yet it felt as though everyone had heard it clearly. A suffocating silence had overtaken the space.

Breaking the stillness, Jang Ilso slowly opened his mouth.

“You all don’t look too happy.”

Step.

He took a step forward, treading indifferently over the corpses soaked in blood, the torn and shattered remains of the battlefield—everything that could only be called the result of malice.

Step.

Everyone watched him as if entranced. Why was he here? Why, of all people?

Drawing in all the gazes, Jang Ilso clicked his tongue with a disappointed expression.

“I thought you’d be at least a little glad to see me... how disappointing.”

His eyes swept over the crowd. Those who met his gaze instinctively recoiled, stepping back. It was an instinctive reaction.

Everyone felt their blood run cold. The determination that had filled them just moments ago vanished as if it had never existed in the first place.

How strange. No matter how strong Jang Ilso was, he couldn’t possibly compare to the entire Blood Palace. Logically speaking, they should be more wary of the Blood Palace warriors rushing toward them than of Jang Ilso himself.

But none of them could do that. The reason was simple.

Because the man standing before them was Paegun Jang Ilso.

A single man, yet not merely a man. That was why no one dared to speak or move. They could only freeze, like frogs before a deadly viper.

All except for one. Of course, even Tang Gunak couldn’t suppress the slight tremor in his gaze. But that was all.

Jang Ilso grinned. A smile on his bloodstained face only made him look more terrifying.

“Hmm, are you surprised?”

Tang Gunak stared at Jang Ilso for a long time before forcing out a response.

“...I can’t say I’m not.”

Jang Ilso burst into laughter.

“How refreshing.”

His laugh was unguarded, as if greeting an old friend.

He was relaxed.

Even as he stood alone before more than a hundred enemies, not a trace of fear showed on his face. His demeanor only added to the oppressive pressure suffocating his opponents.

Tang Gunak bit his lower lip hard enough to turn pale. But he quickly changed his expression and spoke.

“Of course, I’m surprised. Who would’ve thought the great Paegun would be cowering among corpses like a frightened dog?”

“Hah? Hahahahahah!”

Jang Ilso burst into wild laughter at Tang Gunak’s mocking words.

“A frightened dog! Hahahahah! That’s such a perfect expression! Hahahahaha!”

The eerie sound of his laughter weighed even heavier on the hearts of those listening.

Still chuckling, Jang Ilso wiped a tear from his eye and looked at Tang Gunak.

“Well, it’s not so bad, is it?”

“….”

“Whether a dog, a chicken, or whatever else—if it gets me the Poison King’s head, then so be it.”

Tang Gunak remained expressionless as he replied.

“What an honor. To think the great Paegun would hold me in such high regard.”

Jang Ilso smirked, his eyes curving like a crescent moon.

“In high regard? Hmm… not quite.”

Squelch.

He stepped into the blood pool, approaching Tang Gunak at a leisurely pace, as if strolling through a park.

Squelch. Squelch.

“You…!”

Just as Tang Pae, overwhelmed by the sheer intensity of the moment, could no longer hold himself back and was about to charge forward, Tang Gunak firmly grabbed his wrist, stopping him in his tracks.

Tang Pae turned to him with wide, startled eyes, but Tang Gunak didn’t even spare him a glance. Instead, he simply tightened his grip, wordlessly conveying his intent.

“Hmm.”

Jang Ilso watched the exchange with amusement.

“To be honest, I don’t particularly think you’re anything special. It didn’t matter who it was. Anyone here would have sufficed.”

His gaze pierced through Tang Gunak.

“But if that ‘anyone’ just so happens to be Tang Gunak of the World, well… that’s not so bad, is it?”

Then, Jang Ilso’s expression slowly twisted.

A chilling, ghostly presence radiated from him. Tang Gunak’s fingertips trembled.

‘Can this even be called a strategy?’

While the Evil Tyrant Alliance fled and the Heavenly Comrade Alliance advanced, Jang Ilso had hidden among the corpses.

He had buried his face in filth, in rotting blood. He had thrown himself beneath the feet of those marching forward.

The Paegun of the World, the one who rules over the Evil Tyrant Alliance, had willingly endured the ultimate humiliation himself.

Because to him, such disgrace meant nothing.

Even if he had to shed his signature robes and remove his ceremonial crown, ordinary warriors of Evil Tyrant Alliance trampled on his back and passed by, it made no difference.

“If anyone… if anyone had noticed, you wouldn’t have just lost your head. Did you really think you could survive even if you failed?”

“Hmm.”

At Tang Gunak’s words, Jang Ilso chuckled as if entertained.

“Of course not. Even though you lot are nothing but incompetent pigs, surely not every member of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance is as useless as you.”

“….”

“If anything, I would have died. And not a pleasant death, either.”

Tang Gunak’s face grew even paler—not just from his wounds, but from something deeper.

Jang Ilso continued.

“No, no. It wouldn’t have ended that simply, would it? I might have gone down in history as the greatest fool. A moron who didn’t even know how to flee, who pretended to be dead and got caught like an idiot. But…”

Jang Ilso trailed off, tilting his head slightly.

“Does that even matter?”

For a moment, no one could find the words to respond. They simply stared blankly at the man before them.

His blood was just as red as theirs. And yet, there was something different about him. So different that they didn’t even dare try to understand.

Jang Ilso smiled faintly.

“Does it really matter that I could have died? What matters is that I didn’t—and now, here I stand before you. That’s what’s important.”

A quiet sigh escaped Tang Gunak’s lips. 

‘Something that was never meant to be predicted.’

Why hadn’t he thought of it? Jang Ilso was someone who could gamble his own life without a second thought.

Trying to judge such a person’s actions based on common sense was a mistake from the start. It was bound to fail.

At that moment, Zhuge Zain, who had remained silent, finally spoke. His face was pale, as if he had seen a ghost.

“Are you saying... we’ve been playing into your hands from the very beginning?”

Zhuge Zain couldn’t help but react this way. After all, he was the one who had shouted the loudest that they had to chase the fake Jang Ilso and end this war.

But if all of that had been Jang Ilso’s plan from the start... then he had led the entire Alliance into a trap, becoming the greatest traitor of all time.

“So foolishly...”

“Foolish....? Hmm. That’s not quite right.”

Jang Ilso shook his head gently.

“I never underestimated you. Quite the opposite. I believed you would come up with the most perfect solution.”

“What...?”

Jang Ilso halted his slow steps and suddenly turned around. Even at that moment, people were still charging toward the fake Jang Ilso.

“I was certain you would find the most perfect way to end this war and execute it flawlessly. Because you have the ability to do so.”

The blood drained completely from Zhuge Zain’s face. Jang Ilso smiled as he looked at him.

“And indeed, you did as well as I had hoped.”

Jang Ilso’s smile was pale, almost benevolent.

“I trusted you. And I’m sure you trusted me, too.”

“......”

“That made my task simple. I just had to act a little foolish. If I did something you’d think ‘Jang Ilso would never do’, it would be all too easy to deceive you. Just like now.”

Zhuge Zain’s hands began to tremble.

He wasn’t wrong.

Hiding among corpses—it wasn’t that he didn’t know such a tactic existed.

He had simply dismissed the possibility. He had assumed that Jang Ilso would never stoop to such a crude and pathetic trick. In fact, he hadn’t even considered it.

And Jang Ilso had exploited that blind spot perfectly.

Zhuge Zain felt like ripping his own mouth apart in frustration.

No matter what hidden meaning lay within the process, it didn’t change the fact that he had helped Jang Ilso’s plan succeed.

A strategy is ultimately about deceiving others to achieve one's goals.

Jang Ilso had been seen as so perfect and infallible that by doing something sloppy and obvious, he had fooled them all completely.

“D-Do you really think this will change anything? No matter how great you as Paegun, just leading them alone won't change the tide of war-...”

“Shh.”

Jang Ilso pressed his index finger to his lips.

“Be quiet.”

“What...?”

“Conversation is something that should be done between those of equal status.”

“......”

“A dog that jumps on the dining table just because it’s been thrown a few scraps gets beaten. That means this isn’t your place to speak. Do you understand?”

Jang Ilso turned his gaze away from the stunned Zhuge Zain and looked at Tang Gunak instead.

“What do you think? I believe I’ve shown a fair amount of courtesy. Does the Poison King need more time?”

Tang Gunak knew exactly what that ‘time’ meant.

“What are you planning to do?”

At this moment, Tang Gunak wasn’t concerned about his own fate. Jang Ilso wouldn’t have taken this risk just to capture one man. What was he really after? That was Tang Gunak’s biggest question.

“Planning to do...”

Jang Ilso slowly repeated the words as he clasped his previously relaxed hands together. With a jingling sound, the bracelets slid down and settled into his grasp.

“This is why it’s not fun. Talking to those who don't understand.”

“......”

“I don’t particularly want to do anything. I just want to see.”

“You want to see?”

“Yes.”

Jang Ilso nodded.

“I want to see what expression he makes when he loses you. Especially if he realizes that his own shortcomings were the cause of that loss. What do you think? Aren’t you curious too?”

Tang Gunak’s face hardened.

Clink.

Jang Ilso’s bracelets chimed as they collided. Realizing what that meant, Tang Gunak reached into his robe and pulled out a dagger.

“That will only happen if you can defeat me.”

“Hahaha! This is why I like you.”

Jang Ilso let out a burst of laughter and stepped forward. Tang Gunak whispered, so softly that only the person beside him could hear.

“Pae.”

“Yes, Father...”

“If you get the chance, run. Don’t look back.”

“But...!”

“That is an order from your family leader. And...”

Tang Pae looked up at Tang Gunak with trembling eyes.

“It’s also a request from your father.”

Tang Pae bit his lip until it bled, then finally nodded with difficulty.

“I... understand.”

Only then did Tang Gunak smile.

“Live.”

Wooong.

The dagger in Tang Gunak’s hand let out a deep hum.

Sensing the intensity of his resolve, Jang Ilso’s lips curled into a grin, revealing teeth starkly white against the blood splattered on his face.

“Yes, this is how it should be. This is what makes you the Poison King.”

Shiiing!

Tang Gunak’s dagger shot toward Jang Ilso’s forehead like a bolt of lightning.

Next Chapter

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