Chronicles of the Martial God’s Return - Chapter 75

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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“This is the place!”
“This is it.”
With the newly acquired Map in hand, the two men found their way swiftly. Though the location lay some distance from the Manor they’d left behind, the Map proved so accurate that they wandered without hesitation.
Upon arrival, what greeted them was a Cave concealed beneath dense brush. Not even the trace of beasts lingered in the air, and the interior lay so dark that a Torch seemed essential to proceed.
Kwon Mu-jin tore a strip from his own tunic and fashioned a Torch from the wooden scraps.
“I’ll lead the way. Stay close behind me.”
“Yes!”
Kwon Mu-jin answered with unbridled enthusiasm. The prospect of claiming the Golden King Beast’s treasure kindled hope within him, and his entire body surged with renewed vigor.
Since they’d found it together, surely he wouldn’t refuse to share a portion?
Once he received it, what would he do first?
With such an enormous sum, he’d taste every fine wine under heaven!
Though they hadn’t yet located the treasure, mere thoughts of it banished any gloom. Meanwhile, Dan Woo-hyun stepped into the Cave’s depths.
Their footsteps echoed heavily throughout the passage.
The deeper they ventured, the more a biting chill assailed them. It seemed impossible that moments before they’d been sweating in the heat—their bodies cooled rapidly, and cold crept over their skin.
After advancing merely a Quarter Hour into the passage—
Squelch. Squelch.
Walking grew laborious as the ground beneath them turned treacherously muddy.
“Mud……”
“……Yes……”
Mud? Inside a Cave?
Nowhere bore traces of sediment washed down from above, yet mud clung everywhere, swallowing their feet with each step.
This only deepened the cold that surrounded them.
Their lower garments were already ruined by the muck.
Still, both men pressed forward in silence.
Once they crossed this muddy expanse, the Golden King Beast’s treasure would be theirs. Grueling as it was, there was a certain satisfaction in the struggle, wasn’t there?
Compared to what awaited them, this hardship was nothing.
As they slogged through the mud for another Double Hour’s time, the mire finally vanished, replaced by ordinary stone beneath their feet.
“Phew—I don’t understand why mud exists in a place like this.”
“Sediment must have washed in ages ago. The passage of time has erased those traces……”
In truth, Dan Woo-hyun couldn’t entirely suppress his own puzzlement. No matter how much time had passed, upon first entering the Cave, he’d found no evidence of earth having been carried inside.
Though an unease gnawed at him, he didn’t slow his advance.
The Cave ran deeper than anticipated.
As they progressed, the passage narrowed and the ceiling dropped lower. To navigate the constricted sections, they had to squeeze through crevices in the rock; to pass the low points, they were forced to crouch and crawl along the floor.
From the Cave’s entrance to their present location—
it seemed they’d traveled roughly a Double Hour’s worth of distance, yet in reality only a Quarter Hour or so had elapsed. The path was so twisted and treacherous that both body and spirit were wearing thin.
“Gasp…… Gasp…… Wait, my lord…… I can…… barely……”
“Mmm…… Come along.”
Dan Woo-hyun and Kwon Mu-jin crawled across the stone floor.
The ceiling hung so low that raising one’s head meant cracking a skull against it. The Stalactites were razor-sharp besides; Kwon Mu-jin’s garments had been torn and he’d been cut more than once by their jagged points.
Dan Woo-hyun fared little better.
His body was subtly protected by his Internal Energy, so his skin neither tore nor bled, but his clothes had become rags and his face was caked with dirt.
They crawled onward for a considerable time.
Whenever snakes appeared, they shrieked and swatted them away, rolling, being cut, and stumbling through the passage.
Both men’s appearances deteriorated rapidly.
To any observer, they resembled beggars now.
“……”
“……”
By now, neither spoke.
Dan Woo-hyun, leading the way, showed no change in expression—whether from building frustration or steely determination. They’d come this far, so forward was the only path; had it been otherwise, he might have destroyed the entire Cave outright.
Kwon Mu-jin, by contrast, was utterly exhausted.
After an grueling forced march with barely any rest, crawling through this wretched Cave, scraping himself raw, hunching, and stumbling—he desperately longed to abandon it all and turn back.
If only Dan Woo-hyun weren’t here.
“We’re nearly there.”
The words spurred Kwon Mu-jin to greater effort. The thought of seizing that staggering treasure burned bright again, and he forced trembling legs to push forward.
Thus they crawled onward for roughly another Quarter Hour.
At last, a Cave Chamber revealed itself—so low that standing upright was impossible for men of their height.
“……”
“Ugh… I’m going to lose my mind…”
Dan Woo-hyun said nothing, while Kwon Mu-jin ground his teeth.
The chamber was so low that they could barely move forward in a crouch. Crawling across the floor might have been easier, but countless razor-sharp stones lay scattered everywhere.
If they’d tried the crawling position, they’d be shredded.
But that wasn’t the problem.
Unlike what he’d thought—that this chamber would be the last—the passage continued ahead. Worse, he couldn’t see anything in this space at all.
Crack-crack-crack!
Then came the sound of Dan Woo-hyun’s teeth grinding.
Kwon Mu-jin started in alarm, looking at him.
His face was expressionless, but he looked furious.
Kwon Mu-jin, who’d been about to voice his complaints, clamped his mouth shut. He knew well enough that the wisest course in moments like this was to match Dan Woo-hyun’s mood.
“We’re… we’re almost there, aren’t we? I’ll… I’ll hang in there, sir.”
“…Right.”
In a curt tone, Dan Woo-hyun and Kwon Mu-jin began to crouch-walk forward. No one would ever believe that these two figures—the famous Petty Swordswoman and the man who had become the first to bear the title of Martial God in Central Plains history—looked like this.
Crunch-crunch.
The two pressed forward in their crouch like children being punished, and soon they emerged from the chamber onto the passage ahead.
As the pair continued in their awkward crouch, they felt the passage growing more difficult. The low ceiling alone was claustrophobic, but they were climbing an incline besides.
“Hah… hah… hah…”
Behind him, Kwon Mu-jin’s panting echoed continuously. Dan Woo-hyun, walking ahead, still hadn’t shed a single bead of sweat, but his face flushed crimson—a clear sign of his irritation.
Then Dan Woo-hyun suddenly stopped in his tracks. The passage ahead was blocked. There was nowhere else to go forward.
Frowning, he glanced to the side and spotted a faint image—a drawing of some kind, though he couldn’t tell who’d made it.
“H-hah… wh-what is that?”
“A drawing. It’s pointing at something.”
Dan Woo-hyun stared at it intently. One shape was an arrow, faintly pointing toward the blocked stone ahead. Looking elsewhere, he saw an image in the form of a lion that became distinct each time the torch’s light fell upon it.
But unable to decipher its meaning and finding the crouch itself unbearable, Dan Woo-hyun quickly reached out and struck the wall with his palm.
Bang!
The wall shattered with a violent sound.
The entire cave trembled greatly, the sound reverberating through every corner.
Anxious that the cave might be collapsing, Kwon Mu-jin darted his eyes about, then rolled his body after Dan Woo-hyun, who was already moving away.
After composing himself, he looked around.
“…”
“…Huh?”
And he saw it.
Somehow, this place felt disturbingly familiar.
A landscape he seemed to have seen many times before.
Kwon Mu-jin stared at the Lion Statue standing motionless, tilted his head in confusion, then slowly looked around the surroundings. Then, as if something occurred to him, he pressed his brow tightly and looked at Dan Woo-hyun.
“Don’t say anything.”
“Y-yes…”
Dan Woo-hyun, taking several deep breaths, came into view.
It was here.
Yes, the Manor.
The withered Pond.
They’d broken through the stone wall built around that pond and emerged back in this place. In other words, they’d descended, suffered through that ordeal, and found their way back here.
“Ha…”
The sense of futility was indescribable, and his irritation was reaching the boiling point. In all his days, he’d never seen Dan Woo-hyun this furious.
If the Golden King Beast had been in this place, not a trace would remain.
“Lion… lion…”
Dan Woo-hyun muttered to himself repeatedly. He pushed aside the thought that he’d been duped and decided to focus on the objective at hand for now.
He gazed quietly at the Lion Statue, then kicked it with his foot.
Crash!
With a majestic sound, fragments scattered in all directions. Given Dan Woo-hyun’s skill, he could have reduced it to powder easily, but it seemed he was venting somewhat—his kicks were quite forceful.
Kwon Mu-jin felt cold sweat roll down as he watched awkwardly, then his eyes suddenly widened. From within the shattered Lion Statue, a large Box came into view.
Dan Woo-hyun was shocked, and so was Kwon Mu-jin.
Because of that shock, he spoke words he shouldn’t have.
“Why didn’t we just break it open from the start?”
“What did you just say?”
“N-nothing…”
Crack!
Dan Woo-hyun’s jaw clenched.
When he’d first found the Map to that cave, he could have simply destroyed the statue then and there. There was no need to endure all that suffering in the cave and climb back out to this place.
The more he thought about it, the more his irritation boiled over.
He hadn’t felt this kind of fury since his encounter with the Blood Demon.
But having finally obtained what he sought, he felt his anger recede somewhat. After all this grueling effort, there had to be something substantial waiting inside.
Otherwise, this Golden King Beast—
he would shred him to pieces.
Dan Woo-hyun steadied his breathing and drew back his leg.
With a sharp crack, he lashed out at the box. Even without much force behind the blow, his foot shattered the lock effortlessly, spilling its contents into view.
For a moment.
Both of them fell silent.
Neither spoke a word.
They were transfixed by the sight of Gold and Silver Treasures before them.
Glittering brilliantly, they dazzled the eye with such radiance that even an emperor commanding an entire nation would have his vision swimming.
At the center of it all lay a Letter, carefully folded.
Dan Woo-hyun let out a soft laugh.
Then he slowly reached in and plucked the Letter from the box. Unfolding it carefully, he read its contents, and his gaze lifted toward the heavens.
Then he looked down at the ground, composing himself.
He rubbed his eyes once, as if to confirm whether this was a dream or reality, and read the Letter again.

[Bang! Better luck next time]

Dan Woo-hyun read it and smashed the box.
Two Iron Coins that had been inside flew spinning into the air.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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