Type- Light Novel, Web Novel
Manhwa- N/A
Translation-MTL
Lee Ho-gwan and his followers entered the cave.
He had not accepted this task for nothing.
He and his followers were all specialised in hunting.
Their martial arts, tracking techniques, and mental tactics were all tailored to the hunting of humans.
When hunting humans, there is no difference between day and night.
In fact, hunting is more efficient in the dark of night than it is in the bright light of day.
That's why Lee Ho-gwan and his followers had learned a unique eye technique called Cat's Eye Night Vision, which allowed them to fight freely at night.
When Cat's Eye Night Vision is mastered to the extreme, you become as sensitive to faint light as a cat. Thanks to this, they can move freely in the dark as long as there is a faint light.
Darkness was no great obstacle for them. They had mastered cat's eye night vision.
They boldly stepped deeper into the cave with only a torch.
As they moved inwards, Lee Ho-gwan and his followers checked each of the dozens of iron gates on either side of the cave.
Each time they shone the torch, the people trapped inside the iron gates screamed and covered their eyes.
"Aargh!"
"My, my eyes..."
Having been trapped in the darkness for so long without a trace of light, their eyes were extremely sensitive to the light.
Tears streamed down their faces as they retreated into the corners in pain. It was as if they had been pricked with a needle.
Lee Ho-gwan watched their reactions carefully.
Those who had been trapped for a long time would react sensitively, while those who had come from the outside would not be affected in any significant way, even if a torch was suddenly pointed at them.
It was a simple but effective method of searching.
He didn't care if those trapped inside cried out in pain.
Lee Ho-gwan scanned the inside of the cave thoroughly. His cat's eye night vision was activated.
The only light available was a single torch held by the first person in line, but it was more than enough.
Lee Ho-gwan said,
"Be careful, everyone. If someone has managed to sneak in here without leaving a trace, then he's not an ordinary person at all."
"Still, they can't escape our sight, Captain!"
"Hehe! Aren't we experts at this? There's nothing to worry about."
They were the ones who had tracked down and captured even the world's most elusive fugitives.
It wasn't for nothing that they were confident.
Especially in such a harsh environment, it was their preferred battlefield.
Anyone entering such a difficult environment would naturally feel uncomfortable. The discomfort felt by others was actually a blessing for them.
As the discomfort increased, the senses were dulled and the nerves were scattered. It weakened the defence mechanisms that every human being has.
Lee Ho-gwan and his followers knew human psychology better than anyone, and they enjoyed hunting at such moments.
Lee Ho-gwan walked forward, thinking, 'Anyway, who is the guy who snuck in here?
How did he find this place?
The unreturnable prison was a kind of private prison.
Not many people in Kangho knew about the existence of the unreturnable prison and used it. They kept the secret of the unreturnable prison very well.
They had no choice but to keep it secret because the unreturnable prison was a kind of disgrace.
The faces of those imprisoned in the unreturnable prison were anything but ordinary.
Most of them were people who had been pushed aside by the power struggles of sects and families.
They were too reluctant to kill directly, but if left alone, they would surely become the seeds of chaos in the future.
The powerful were uncomfortable with them. The unreturnable prison approached such powerful people.
'We will take care of this inconvenience for you. If you send them to the prison where we operate, we will not release them to the world until they die. Nor will we kill them ourselves.'
At first they struggled to get clients.
The powerful doubted that the Unreturnable Prison was a trap set by competing competitors. But the Unreturnable Prison patiently introduced itself and eventually gained trust.
At first, when they started the Unreturnable Prison, they doubted how many people would use it, but as time went on, these concerns disappeared.
There were quite a few people in the world who wanted to quietly wipe their brothers, sisters or sworn enemies from the world. They paid a fortune to the Unreturnable Prison for their services.
If their existence were revealed, the shame of the powerful would also be revealed. That's why the Unreturnable Prison was so careful to keep its secrets.
No secrets could leak from here.
Gu Ja-hwang and his followers did not go out unless absolutely necessary, and they kept contact with outsiders to a minimum.
It was also difficult to see that the mighty who had commissioned this place had revealed the secret themselves. It was like exposing their own weaknesses.
'When I catch the intruder, I'll know everything. How did he find this place and infiltrate it?'
Then it happened.
"Eh!"
Suddenly, the scream of a follower echoed through the cave.
Lee Ho-gwan finally woke from his reverie and looked ahead.
In the dim torchlight stood a man.
At first glance, he looked like a hunchbacked dwarf.
This person, whose pupils flickered more intensely in the torchlight, was none other than So Geoksan.
With his arms stretched out, So Geoksan stared at Lee Ho-gwan and his followers who had entered the cave.
Lee Ho-gwan asked, "Who are you?"
"So Geoksan!"
A thick, phlegm-like voice gurgled from So Geoksan's lips.
"So Geoksan? Is that you? You snuck in from the outside."
"No! I was one of the people trapped inside."
So Geoksan gestured to the iron door.
"Really?"
For a moment Lee Ho-gwan's lips curled into a smile.
He knew that those trapped behind the iron door were addicted to the demon heart poison.
Once ingested, the Demon Heart Poison would invade the mind, causing it to lose its reason and follow its master's orders. Those addicted to Demon Heart Poison could not use their internal energy unless they took the antidote regularly.
He didn't know how So Geoksan maintained his sanity, but as long as he was addicted to Demon Heart Poison, he shouldn't have been able to use his internal energy. Then there was nothing to fear.
"It seems that the rat that snuck in here has freed you. Where is he? If you answer obediently, I'll send you back to your cell."
"You're wrong."
"What?"
"He's not a rat. He's a snake, yes, a poisonous snake. A snake that hides in the darkness, waiting to strike at the vital point."
"What nonsense are you talking? It would be better for you to go back to your cell if you continue with this nonsense."
"Hehe! How can I leave you and go back there? I won't leave this place until I've taken all your lives."
"You must be out of your mind. What are you waiting for? Send this fool back to his place."
"Yes!"
Two of Lee Ho-gwan's subordinates replied and approached So Geoksan.
Knowing that So Geoksan was addicted to the demon heart poison, they were completely unprepared.
They reached out to grab So Geoksan's arms from both sides.
That's when something unexpected happened.
Pwoof!
"Argh!"
So Geoksan jabbed two fingers into the eye of the warrior grabbing his right arm.
The Warrior whose eyeball exploded screamed in agony.
The one trying to grab his left arm was taken aback and tried to pull back. But So Geoksan was much quicker.
Crunch!
So Geoksan lunged forward and bit the warrior's throat.
With his teeth sunk into the warrior's neck and his eyes rolling wildly, So Geoksan looked like a beast. Everyone froze in fear.
So Geoksan's movements were not those of someone who had lost his internal strength.
"Krrr!"
The warrior bitten by So Geoksan struggled, but it was in vain.
He finally perished with So Geoksan's teeth still clenched around his throat.
Swoosh!
Lee Ho-gwan drew his spear and said,
"You haven't lost your internal strength, have you?"
"I had lost it!"
So Geoksan released the warrior whose throat he had bitten and replied.
In his hand was the sword that had been hanging from the warrior's waist.
Lee Ho-gwan's face contorted.
"Lost it? You mean you've found it again? How? It should have been impossible before the demon heart poison was detoxified."
"I got some help from a little friend."
Geoksan shook his wrist.
Two red dots appeared on his wrist.
Lee Ho-gwan frowned, not knowing what it meant.
Swoosh!
At that moment, So Geoksan disappeared into the darkness.
He had hidden himself with a stealth technique.
Lee Ho-gwan shouted, "Everyone be careful. It seems that he has really regained his internal strength.
Lee Ho-gwan's face was filled with disbelief.
The antidote to Demon Heart Poison was extremely rare and carefully stored. In addition, it was not as if their internal strength would be restored as soon as they took it.
It would take at least a few days for one to regain enough internal strength to use it. However, the disappearing figure seemed to have recovered his internal strength perfectly.
It was something impossible in his understanding.
It was then.
"Khek!"
Suddenly, a subordinate holding a torch behind him screamed.
Turning quickly, he saw the subordinate clutching his throat and collapsing. Behind him stood So Geoksan, holding a sword dripping with blood.
So Geoksan rubbed his foot on the torch, extinguishing it. Then the terrible darkness engulfed their vision.
At that moment, Lee Ho-kwan was sure.
So Geoksan had really expelled the demon heart poison and regained his internal strength.
There was no time to find out how this was possible.
So Geoksan had gone into hiding again.
An assassin with his internal strengthrestored.
A closed environment on all sides. And the dense darkness that engulfed everything.
A nightmare had begun for them.
＊＊＊
Pyo Wol walked on.
Hong Yushin followed him.
Hong Yushin looked back and said, "Is he really enough on his own?"
"That's what he wanted."
"He could die."
"Do you think someone who has lost everything is afraid of death?"
"Well, that's true, but..."
"It's his choice. It's not for us to argue."
"Understood."
Hong Yushin nodded.
He, too, harboured a fiery desire for revenge against the warriors of the unreturnable prison.
The only difference was that he was a bit more rational, while So Geoksan, who had lost everything, had lost his cool.
If he had been in the same situation as So Geoksan, he would have done the same thing.
.
Suddenly, Hong Yushin's gaze was drawn to Pyo Wol's arm.
To be more precise, he looked at the small snake wrapped around Pyo Wol's arm.
At first, he thought it was a tattoo or a red string tied around his arm.
He didn't know how surprised he was to find out that it was actually a little snake.
The small red snake that had been released from Pyo Wol's arm bit So Geoksan.
Amazingly, the little snake sucked up the demon heart poison. It filtered out and consumed only the Demon Heart Poison, as if it was drinking water through a straw.
After a long time, Gwia, who had devoured the extremely poisonous food, looked very satisfied as he licked his little red tongue.
The extremely poisonous food that humans had put so much effort into making was nothing more than a satisfying meal for Gwia.
Pyo Wol stroked Gwia's head with his finger, and Gwia closed her eyes, enjoying the touch.
Before they knew it, Pyo Wol and Hong Yushin had reached the iron door at the innermost part of the cave.
It was a room deeper than the one where So Geoksan was imprisoned.
This meant that an even more important person was being held here.
It couldn't be helped.
The person who had been trapped in the box that So Geoksan had brought from Yeonnam was being held here.
So Geoksan knew who he was. But he didn't tell Pyo Wol directly to confirm it.
When he was captured and brought to the Iron Cage, the person in the box was imprisoned here.
Creak!
Pyo Wol opened the iron door.
Inside, a man sat with his back to the wall.
Although his hair and beard had grown long and it was hard to see his face, his eyes were still sharp and bright.
There was also a hint of the scent of the Demon Heart Poison the man had ingested. The unique scent was carried on his breath.
However, there was no sign that his mind had been paralysed or that he had been overcome by madness. It meant that he was maintaining his sanity with strong mental strength.
The man opened his mouth and looked at Pyo Wol.
"Who are you?"
"Pyo Wol! And you are?"
"Yoo Soo-hwan. I am the disciple of Master Jeon Mu-ok of the Martial Sword Alliance."
**Mugyreom Clan(Dokgo Hwang's Sect) changed to Martial Sword Alliance.
Editor's notes from my mtl novel translations
Hey Folks,
As I said, there are some deep, dark secrets in this arc. So, if you can't wait for So Geoksan to get his revenge and find out the secrets too. You can read the advanced chapters here.
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