Disciple of The Three Kings [EN]: Chapter 385

The Ghost of Mount Hua.

It was a famous story from long ago.

Not a story known to outsiders, but here.

– “The ghost of Mount Hua, you say?”

It was a very well-known story in the Mount Hua Corpse Disposal Site.

– A ghost of Mount Hua lives here.

The story went that it appeared at the same time as the creation of the Mount Hua Corpse Disposal Site, an old ghost that had existed since then.

A ghost known to wander around without any purpose or reason.

It was said that anyone who saw the ghost could not survive and would disappear without a trace.

That, which seemed so out of place in this era, was like a legend here.

I knew it well.

‘Because I found that ghost too.’

Yi Rown lived under constant surveillance as a specially managed subject.

Old Man Guigap’s torment was part of that.

The bastard who was once his friend forbade him everything, even taking his own life.

– Useless actions.

All attempts were forbidden, and each time, a pain worse than death would strike.

In fact, until he returned, he lived a life where he couldn’t even approach the undead wandering in the Corpse Disposal Site.

That’s why.

‘I sought the ghost of Mount Hua to die.’

He thought that the ghost of Mount Hua might end his miserable life.

“That’s just a rumor….”

Someone said.

The ghost of Mount Hua was just a rumor.

Just a form of entertainment in this hellish place.

“I’ve never seen it.”

Also, someone said they believed in the ghost of Mount Hua but had never seen it.

“…….”

And then someone else.

“I think I saw it.”

Said they had seen the ghost of Mount Hua.

“Tell me.”

Yi Rown strode up to him and asked.

“That’s….”

A quiet, low voice, a voice that seemed somewhat uneasy.

“I once left the area to die.”

The place where the prisoners lived was considered the safest area in the Corpse Disposal Site.

The deeper into the cave, the deeper underground, the more the poison of the old corpses piled up.

A place where prisoners did not set foot, a darkness that even Mount Hua had abandoned.

“The Abyss….”

It was also a place where Yi Rown had once set foot.

“I fell there and was poisoned by the corpse poison and lost consciousness.”

“That’s right. That happened.”

Another person chimed in.

“I saw a flickering shadow then.”

In his hazy mind, he had only taken steps to die.

And.

“It was the ghost of Mount Hua.”

He had seen it.

“It had long white hair and gleaming eyes.”

But.

“That’s the last thing I remember. And when I opened my eyes, I was back inside the area.”

He then looked at Old Man Guigap with angry eyes.

He had left the area and returned in some way.

Such an act would have been a burden on Guigap, who was in charge, and he would have had to pay the price.

“Ugh.”

“What about the others?”

Everyone shook their heads at Yi Rown’s question.

It seemed that only one person had even seen a trace of it.

Then Yi Rown turned his gaze.

“Tell me.”

A fixed gaze.

As if he knew the answer….

“Tell me what you know about the ghost of Mount Hua.”

He said to Old Man Guigap.

This was another use he had.

The old monster who had been in the Mount Hua Corpse Disposal Site longer than anyone else.

“That is… Keeeuk!”

As Yi Rown clenched his hand, the Blood Gu [a parasitic worm] that had burrowed into Old Man Guigap’s heart writhed and screamed.

“P-Please! Stoooop!”

Old Man Guigap cried out in pain.

“I saw it! I saw it!”

The old man, who was in his eighties, sobbed like a child.

* * *

There was a reason why he had to come to the Mount Hua Corpse Disposal Site.

– Limit Release.

The way for players to become stronger.

The only way for players to break free from oppression.

The methods of the Unknowns have limitations.

Yi Rown could not personally release the limiters of each player.

– You’re right. It was wrong from the start.

It was Lee Shin-woo who had been digging into that secret for a long time.

– From the beginning.

He finally discovered a fragment of the truth.

– The player’s limiter was definitely set by someone.

And that someone is.

– The Association.

It was clear.

– It’s the doing of the Martial Arts Association.

It was a story he had dug up after a long time.

– There’s a martial artist who wants to join our side. Not for his own safety, but with a true heart of atonement.

Martial artists and players.

The martial artists discriminated against and ignored the two as if they were different species.

But their essence as humans was no different.

A life of using others like slaves, even if it was comfortable, was not peaceful.

Among the few remaining with a conscience, and among them….

– He wasn’t a high-ranking official of the Association, but he was someone who handled classified information.

Someone who knew about secrets.

– It would be one thing if it was just his story, but there was other information too.

This one was for his own safety.

– He thought he might be eliminated at any time because he knew too many secrets. Especially since he seemed to have touched information that he shouldn’t have.

The martial artist contacted Lee Shin-woo to survive.

– There was something they both said in common.

What Lee Shin-woo had been looking for for so long.

– The world’s stakes.

It was about the secrets of the world.

– The stakes in the world limit the players and solidify the rule of the Silver [a powerful group], and that the stakes are the secret to maintaining the current system.

And he also said.

– This is just a story that is considered a legend, and all those who know the truth are already dead.

But, secrets were not maintained that way.

– There is a survivor.

A survivor who knows the secret.

– One of them is….

That’s right.

– The ghost of Mount Hua.

“It’s here, you say.”

In the Mount Hua Corpse Disposal Site.

That’s why Yi Rown chose to infiltrate.

Perhaps even Mount Hua didn’t know the secret, and if he attacked the Mount Hua Corpse Disposal Site directly, Mount Hua might move to cover up the secret even more deeply.

That’s why he hid his identity and returned to this hellish place.

Swoosh.

A strange energy emanated from the distance.

A huge aura of death enveloped the group.

Twitch.

Old Man Guigap, whose face was bruised and blue, trembled.

It was the price he had paid to the prisoners before coming here, to atone for his past misdeeds.

But his atonement was not over yet.

“Let’s go.”

Guiding the way.

‘I had already entered the Abyss once.’

The place where he had hidden to avoid Mount Hua’s gaze and regain his strength after returning from the chaos was this place, the Abyss.

And….

– I saw it!

Those who had seen the ghost of Mount Hua all spoke of this Abyss.

But Yi Rown had not seen it then.

So.

“What are you doing?”

He needed a guide.

As expected, Old Man Guigap had seen the ghost of Mount Hua, having spent so many years here.

“Haa…. Haa….”

Old Man Guigap stood trembling before the endless dark abyss.

“Are you still afraid of death?”

Yi Rown approached him and said.

“Please….”

“Weren’t you afraid of what you did all this time?”

He had killed hundreds of people.

Divided them into eight pieces.

And showed the pieces to their families.

Even though he was caught like that.

“S-Save me….”

His evil deeds did not end there.

He enjoyed the pain.

Not receiving it, but giving it.

Both the wicked and the virtuous trembled before him.

Every time.

– Kehaha!

He laughed it off.

As if he were the king of this hell, he enjoyed all that pain.

“Old Man Guigap.”

“Please save me! After you went in here, do you know what Mount Hua has done! I’m going to die! I’m going to die!”

He hadn’t changed at all.

Perhaps it was only natural.

This place was not a hell to fall into for atonement, but just hell.

“Please…. I’ll do whatever you tell me….”

Old Man Guigap was trembling.

He didn’t look pitiful.

That was.

“It’s your sin.”

It was probably because he had lost his emotions.

And Old Man Guigap was definitely involved in the reason why he lost his emotions.

If so, then this is.

“You’re finally going to atone.”

Atonement.

Yi Rown stood before Old Man Guigap.

Swoosh.

Yi Rown’s hand quietly gripped Old Man Guigap’s neck.

In the next moment.

Whoosh!

Old Man Guigap’s body was falling into the depths of the Abyss.

There were those who had survived after stepping into the Abyss.

Those who were very lucky.

But today, that luck would not apply to Old Man Guigap.

“Wasn’t he needed to guide us?”

Ha Se-min said to Yi Rown.

“Not really.”

It was enough to confirm that it was in the Abyss.

“Let’s go.”

Slowly, Yi Rown stepped into the empty air where nothing existed.

Skywalking.

Yi Rown, who had reached the center of the Abyss.

Whoosh!

He cut off the internal energy that had been spreading from the soles of his feet and began to fall.

* * *

“Looks like you weren’t lucky this time.”

Yi Rown said, looking at the shattered corpse.

It was Old Man Guigap who had fallen earlier.

He might have survived falling into the Abyss before, but this time was different.

– What has Mount Hua done!

He knew.

That Mount Hua’s formation was spread in the Abyss, watching those who went inside.

So.

“It will be handled as Old Man Guigap’s suicide.”

He dropped Old Man Guigap first.

When the formation was shaken by that, they entered.

“He’s been living it up all this time, so whether it’s suicide or murder, the higher-ups will take care of it. Mount Hua won’t come this far.”

Old Man Guigap’s usefulness was over.

Saaah.

The wind poured in from all directions.

Thick corpse poison was mixed in it.

Slowly.

Whoosh.

Yi Rown’s eyes turned golden.

The Ring of the Emperor.

Yi Rown began to concentrate in the most suitable way to find something.

Whirring, whirring.

From the ring that was wrapped around his heart, ring-shaped waves spread out like ultrasonic waves.

Some went through the walls, and some bounced off the walls.

‘So this is what it looks like.’

He drew a map of the Abyss.

He saw things he hadn’t seen in the past when he was too busy moving forward.

He also saw the place where he had eaten the corpse of the Four Dragons.

“Did you find it?”

“If it was that easy to find, Mount Hua would have already found it.”

There was still nothing to grasp.

Then.

Creak, creak.

A strange cry-like sound echoed.

“It’s been a while.”

The undead.

Those who had returned from death by eating the corpse poison and evil energy of the Corpse Disposal Site.

“I’ll take care of them.”

Tatat!

Without Yi Rown’s command, Lee Yong-jin rushed out and swung the daggers he had prepared.

The cleanly cut necks were separated and fell.

“Refrain from using internal energy as much as possible.”

Yi Rown said.

“The entire place is still being monitored. I’m concealing it with my power, but it’s better to be careful.”

Creak, creak.

The zombie hordes were getting closer.

Among them were undead of mid-level monsters like trolls.

“Understood!”

Lee Yong-jin moved forward, and Ha Se-min stood guard to protect Yi Rown.

Now, it was quite different from the past, which was not even a few years ago.

Step.

Yi Rown simply took a step like an emperor.

Whirring, whirring.

The golden rings continued to spread, and when those who had returned from death returned to death again.

“I found it.”

Yi Rown finally found a trace.