The journey continued.
“Hey, you little rascal! Don’t dig your claws in!”
Squeak!
Jo Yong-sang watched as Namgung Bin struggled under Seo Gong, who was perched on his head, and clicked his tongue.
“What have you done to the Namgung family’s dignity?”
“Well, it’s true that he’s stronger than me, what can I do? Plus, I kind of find him cute the more I look at him.”
Mi-ho, finding Seo Gong’s antics amusing, decided to leap onto Namgung Bin as well, acting like she could fit on top of him. Naturally, it was impossible for the large Mi-ho to actually sit on him without crushing him, leaving Namgung Bin in a situation where he was being squished and screaming.
Seo Gong also ended up caught in the mix.
“Ugh!”
Squeak! Squeak!
With the screaming Namgung Bin and an annoyed Seo Gong squished beneath her, Mi-ho tilted her head in confusion, as if wondering why she couldn’t figure it out. Jo Yong-sang’s feelings about the three’s foolishness were quite complicated.
Seo I-ryeong expressed her uncertainty about how to approach the entities.
At that moment, Jo Yong-sang couldn’t grasp what she meant.
What lay ahead was a matter of life and death for the Martial Artists of the Martial Forest Alliance, concerning the world’s peace on a grand scale and the battle against the influence of the Black Forest Isle on a smaller scale.
However, with everything connected to the Black Forest Isle, Jo Yong-sang could now understand what Seo I-ryeong was trying to say.
Entities had their own way of life.
And their lives had been disrupted because the Blood Sect had pulled them into the human society.
Now, those entities whose lives had been distorted by the Blood Sect were gradually regaining them thanks to Ho Cheon-an.
But if the presence of entities once again shook the world from the Black Forest Isle… could they truly live the lives they desired?
Squeak! Squeak!
Seo Gong, squeezed under Mi-ho, rushed to Ho Cheon-an, crying profusely. Ho Cheon-an nodded and patted Seo Gong as if encouraging him.
Jo Yong-sang looked at Ho Cheon-an.
To Jo Yong-sang, Ho Cheon-an was the embodiment of the incomprehensible.
His talent for whipping up meals with just one pot in the field was merely the beginning of his mysterious charm.
He was the one who had simply let go of entities that each possessed the strength to influence the world.
He handed out precious spiritual medicines without uttering a word about borrowing their strength.
But that wasn’t all.
Despite deciding to engage in battle against the Black Forest Isle, he hadn’t even mentioned rewards until now, even with the isle so close.
It was as if he believed that simply choosing to fight was all he needed.
Moreover, there was something unusual about his martial arts.
Even Jo Yong-sang, positioned at Hwa-gyeong, couldn’t gauge Ho Cheon-an’s martial prowess, leading him to speculate that he must have reached a level long gone from the world of martial arts.
“You seem to be deep in thought,” Ho Cheon-an remarked, snapping Jo Yong-sang back to reality. Realizing he’d been staring too long, Jo Yong-sang quickly apologized.
“I’m sorry. I was lost in thought and didn’t mean to be rude.”
“No need. With the decisive battle looming, it’s only natural to feel unsettled.”
Ho Cheon-an’s gaze shifted back to Seo I-ryeong. Jo Yong-sang wore a wry smile as he looked at her practicing martial arts.
Seo I-ryeong, who had mentioned feeling unsure about how to face the entities, had since devoted herself to training relentlessly.
Perhaps it was a manifestation of her guilt for having drawn the entities into chaos due to her own lacking strength.
“…All I can say to the elder is that I am deeply sorry.”
At Jo Yong-sang’s apology, Ho Cheon-an let out a light chuckle.
Though it was through the game known as the Martial Forest, he had witnessed Jo Yong-sang’s journey countless times.
In the latter part of the Martial Forest, the world invariably fell into chaos in one way or another. Whether it was due to the structure of the game requiring a stronger foe to face the now-empowered character, or the inherent order that quickly breeds chaos, it was hard to tell. Nevertheless, the chaos was a predictable consequence.
And in every one of those chaotic times, there was one who caught the brunt of it—Jo Yong-sang, the Hall Master of the Martial Forest Alliance.
He was the last bastion, preventing the Martial World from descending into true apocalyptic chaos, navigating through the clutter of conflict with realistic alternatives.
Lacking both the demeanor of a great person and the gallant traits of a knight, he nonetheless upheld the burdens of the Hall Master.
“I would like to ask you something.”
Ho Cheon-an became suddenly curious.
“What do you think about my intention to fight the Black Forest Isle alone, excluding the entities?”
Having observed the peaceful yet chaotic daily lives of the entities, Jo Yong-sang wondered how he would respond.
He was eager to see if Jo Yong-sang would fulfill his obligations as the Hall Master even in this moment.
Jo Yong-sang’s eyes, gazing back at Ho Cheon-an, trembled fiercely. Closing his eyes as if to steady himself, Jo Yong-sang remained silent for some time.
“If that is the elder’s wish, I will have no choice but to follow it. The reason is that you ask for nothing from me, nor from the Martial Forest Alliance. Your compliance to my request stems solely from your own will, so how could I impede your actions?”
Though he uttered words akin to resignation, Jo Yong-sang’s eyes still sparkled brightly.
“However, if I can change your mind with something I can offer, I will give you anything, even if it costs me my life or the insignificant title of Hall Master.”
A silence hung between the two for a while. Ho Cheon-an, whose eyes remained fixed on Jo Yong-sang, lowered his head.
“I understand your intentions well. The night is deep, so it’s best to get some rest.”
“…Good night, elder.”
The last night stretched on into the depths.
—
The next day.
Ho Cheon-an arrived at the coastline where the Black Forest Isle unfolded before him. Observing the distance from the isle to the shore, he couldn’t help but smirk. It was barely over 100 paces. For experts capable of swimming, it was essentially just a hop, skip, and jump across, and even for a martial artist somewhat skilled in swimming, it was nothing more than a trivial journey to reach the shore.
Perhaps aware of this, several ships of the Imperial Army were stationed not far from the harbor.
And hidden in the forest visible from that coastline were the martial artists of the Martial Forest Alliance, making this beach a critical battleground for the world’s political climate.
The Imperial Army was oppressing the entire Martial World, while the Outcast Faction and Blood Sect skirted their wrath yet continued to sow chaos. The Righteous Faction and knights represented by the Martial Forest Alliance could not stretch their remaining strength nor voice their intents without fear of the Imperial Army.
Boom!
Lost in such thoughts, the ground shook, and a sharp snout emerged from the earth.
It was the fifth entity accompanying Ho Cheon-an—Mole Huang Dan.
As the mole, who had been burrowing underground, revealed itself at the shore, it seemed it could dig no further.
“Let’s go.”
Jo Yong-sang joined Ho Cheon-an as they joined the Martial Forest Alliance’s forces.
Ho Cheon-an surveyed the flustering warriors of the Martial Forest Alliance. Mixtures of disciples from the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Clans mingled among them, their aura familiar yet also troubling. Their chests no longer bore the symbols of their sects.
This was due to the severe persecution faced by well-known sects in the current climate.
For disciples from renowned sects like the Nine Great Sects to operate in the Central Plains, they had to conceal their identities.
Ho Cheon-an looked on, disdain creeping onto his face.
In a Martial World where those from the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Clans had to hide their affiliations.
What a ridiculous situation it was.
Yet even in the face of such adversities regarding faction and clan, sending disciples to the Martial Forest Alliance for the peace of the Martial World signified that the spirit of the Righteous Faction had not entirely disappeared.
As Ho Cheon-an gazed at the little over a hundred strong in the Martial Forest Alliance, a flood of emotions stirred within him.
“Hall Master.”
“What’s the situation?”
At Jo Yong-sang’s question, the expressions of those gathered darkened.
“…About twenty Blood Monsters have gathered at the Black Forest Isle. It seems the Imperial Army has caught wind of it…”
“So, they’re only planning to sound the alarm?”
“Most likely.”
In the past, the Imperial Army was known for its strict discipline, but the current Imperial Army had long since lost that rigor. The morale had hit rock bottom due to relentless abuses of royal orders, and local officials merely pretended to follow orders.
In truth, even if the Imperial Army stationed at the harbor maintained discipline, it was impossible to stop the forces of the Black Forest Isle. Their numbers were considerable, but what good would it do if standard soldiers could not handle a single Blood Monster, no matter how many there were?
For the Imperial Army, engaging in combat against the Blood Monsters swarming the Black Forest Isle would be tantamount to suicide, and they would only pretend to attack the isle after the fighters had all vacated.
“What about the movements of the isle?”
“Cheers have been ringing out daily, and people are bustling about. It’s not surprising if they pour out any moment. Moreover, the Beast King leading the entities… surely there are those who have seen him in the Black Forest Isle, so won’t there be a reaction?”
The leader of the Black Forest Isle, Jo Yong-sang, had adorned himself with the pretext of protecting the progeny of the Blood Sect while seizing the assets of the Blood Sect, allying with the Beast King to recruit remnants holding Blood Monsters.
Given such rationale, the Martial Forest Alliance anticipated that Ho Cheon-an’s presence would evoke some form of reaction.
‘It’s tough. Very tough.’
Jo Yong-sang sighed inwardly.
If those crouched in the Black Forest Isle surged forth into the Central Plains, it would undoubtedly lead to another tumultuous era in the already devastated region. Yet the Martial Forest Alliance’s power was critically insufficient to prevent this, leaving them with no choice but to hide and watch for the right moment.
“For now, we will maintain our current status.”
With Jo Yong-sang’s command, the meeting concluded, and the gazes of the alliance members gradually shifted towards the entities and Ho Cheon-an.
“Hall Master, will that person be moving with us then?”
Jo Yong-sang felt a wave of hope from the members’ eyes and bit his lip. With barely over a hundred men in the Martial Forest Alliance, their strength was already stretched thin just to deal with the martial artists of the Black Forest Room, and the members were well aware of this.
In such a situation, hearing that the Beast King was joining them only fueled expectations for his strength.
Feeling a twinge of guilt for not being able to meet that expectation, Jo Yong-sang opened his mouth.
“That person will be joining us… but the entities will not be moving.”
Confusion etched itself across the members’ faces. Wasn’t the Beast King the one who commanded the entities? Why would he not bring them with him?
“Hmm… then how powerful is the Beast King’s martial arts level?”
“I can’t quite gauge it myself, but I would venture to guess he’s at the level of the past.”
“That’s astonishing.”
“The Beast King was that strong…”
“But it’s a pity he won’t be moving his entities.”
Surprise and disappointment crossed the faces of the members. The news of an expert joining was encouraging, yet the notion of multiple entities joining the fight seemed to fall flat.
“Well, rumors in the Central Plains often get exaggerated, so surely the Beast King has some discrepancies from the tales.”
“Yes. The truth is, even the Blood Ancestor, who has tamed many entities, has never achieved that. The fact that the Beast King managed that is startling, and it’s not strange if he can’t command them as freely as well.”
“Regardless, having the power of an adept is a huge win for us, so you and the Sword Maiden have achieved something significant.”
Jo Yong-sang lowered his head amid the members’ conversation.
How long had it been since he had seen them? For decades he’d been struggling to restore order amid the chaos reigning throughout the Central Plains.
Although the members spoke as if the Beast King’s tales were exaggerated, Jo Yong-sang could sense the underlying intent behind their words.
They knew Jo Yong-sang had failed to persuade Ho Cheon-an. They were just pretending not to realize it to console him.
At that moment, Jo Yong-sang’s heart felt heavy.
Just then, one of the alliance members rushed over with urgent news.
“Hall Master! A ship is pouring out from the Black Forest Isle!”
The Black Forest Isle had begun to move.
