Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1275

Humans had tried everything to conquer the sea. Because of this, people who weren’t meant to travel on water could go past the coast and into the deep ocean.

It’s hard for ordinary people to imagine. But humans have worked very hard to fight the sea. And they have achieved amazing things.

But the more they fought the sea, the more they realized how big it was. No matter how much they rowed or used the sails, a time would always come when they couldn’t control the ship anymore.

At those times, they could only wait, hoping the sea would guide them, that the Dragon King of the Sea would show them mercy.

Gwak Hwan-so stared at the sea, his eyes unfocused. He felt numb, like the crashing waves had washed away not just the ship’s direction, but his own sense of purpose.

Towering waves slammed against the wooden hull, spraying cold seawater that stung his face. The wind howled like an angry beast, tearing at the sails above. In moments like these, human strength meant nothing. They could only roll up the sails, put away the oars, and wait in silence, tossed about like toys.

Usually, Gwak Hwan-so didn’t mind these times.

He used to think it was when humans became one with the sea. The sea’s rhythm, and the rhythm of man, beating together.

But now, as he watched the endless waves, he felt no peace, no unity. Only complete helplessness washed over him, cold and heavy as the sea itself.

He had always thought that people should live in harmony with nature, not fight it. So, he thought being swept along by the waves wasn’t so bad.

Now, Gwak Hwan-so was realizing that his thoughts were just how a powerless man comforts himself.

“War….”

His hand was still shaking. Even though they had left the coast, it didn’t stop. He didn’t even want to take his hand out of his sleeve because he didn’t want them to see it shaking.

It was strange. When he thought about it, what had just happened was what he had always dreamed of, right?

He had waited a long time for the day he could fight the evil people of the unorthodox sects who caused trouble in the world.

He had waited until now because the time wasn’t right. But he had promised himself that if he had the chance, he would fight more bravely than anyone else and show that Hainan’s swords were filled with righteousness.

But the war he saw was very different from what he had imagined.

The smell of blood was still in the air.

He realized for the first time that human blood could smell so disgusting. He also learned that the screams of people dying while their insides spilled out were so desperate. He also found out that in the middle of that terrible battle, people would step on the heads of their dead friends to move forward.

The exciting stories about war that he had heard were a lie. Chivalry and righteousness in a fight to the death?

“Bullshit….”

Gwak Hwan-so bit his lip hard.

He wanted to show the wide eyes of a man who had been stabbed in the heart to those who said those things. Anyone who had seen the empty eyes of a man reaching for his cut-off arm would know that the battlefield was nothing but the smell of dead bodies.

Gwak Hwan-so wrapped his shaking hand around his shoulder.

The screams of those dying still echoed in his ears.

And what made it even harder for Gwak Hwan-so was that his disciples were among those who screamed and died.

“Yang So….”

He was a disciple he really cared about.

He was smaller than the others and kind. He didn’t really fit in with the tough people of Hainan. So, Gwak Hwan-so thought it would be better for him to leave the mountain and live his own life. Yang So… the quiet disciple who always brought Gwak Hwan-so tea after training.

But Yang So never left Hainan. Even though he wasn’t very skilled, he went with them to Gangnam, determined to share Hainan’s fate.

And he died without even leaving Hainan Island, miserably.

So that they couldn’t even find his body.

Gwak Hwan-so felt an indescribable sense of loss.

‘What was I even looking at?’

If he could, he would tear apart his past self, who had dreamed of glory on the battlefield.

The blood on the battlefield was the blood of his cherished disciples, and the glory gained on that battlefield cost countless lives.

What had he been looking at, what had he been dreaming of?

“Sect Leader.”

Gwak Hwan-so turned his head. His disciple, Lee Ja-yang, was coming closer. He looked paler than usual, so he seemed to be suffering too.

“What is it?”

“…Eight.”

“…”

“Eight are missing.”

Gwak Hwan-so squeezed his eyes shut.

‘Even though it was such an easy fight.’

They had kept their advantage. They broke through the enemy’s defense and took the ship quickly.

A great victory. An overwhelming victory.

And yet… eight had died.

Then how many more would die in Gangnam, where they would have to fight a battle much worse than anything Hainan had ever faced?

“…Did you find out who they were?”

“Yes, Sect Leader….”

Gwak Hwan-so was about to ask for their names, but he shook his head, looking sad.

What was the point?

Even if he knew who died, he couldn’t find their bodies and hold funerals. They weren’t just leaving the battlefield, but going to another one.

“The losses are big.”

“Yes… But if it wasn’t for the Mount Hua Sword Saint, the losses would have been much greater. Maybe….”

Lee Ja-yang stopped talking. But Gwak Hwan-so knew what he was going to say.

‘He was probably going to say that Hainan could have been destroyed there.’

It wasn’t wrong.

Even if they had taken the ship quickly, if they had been caught before they could move it, they would have all become fish food.

Chung Myung had stopped that from happening by himself.

“…Thinking about it, it really was dangerous.”

“It was.”

“If I had known it was so dangerous, I wouldn’t have agreed.”

“Maybe.”

Gwak Hwan-so was calm. Lee Ja-yang frowned.

“Sect Leader… aren’t you… angry? This was so dangerous! We could have all been killed. And… and we lost disciples because of it.”

Gwak Hwan-so stared at him, not answering. Lee Ja-yang closed his mouth.

“Is it their fault that the disciples died?”

“…No, I mean….”

“And if they had told us from the start that this would happen, you wouldn’t have participated, like you said. Then what would have happened to us now?”

Lee Ja-yang couldn’t answer.

Because they would probably be dead, fighting the main force at the headquarters. There was no guarantee that going to Gangnam would save Hainan, but it had at least kept them alive a little longer.

‘There’s no way they could have said it before.’

Because people wouldn’t understand it just by hearing it. They wouldn’t believe it without seeing it themselves.

Who would believe that one person could hold back the main force of the Myriad Man Manor and give them time?

So, they couldn’t say it. Because a truth that no one believes is worthless.

“It’s not that they are wrong. If anyone is at fault, it’s us, who were so excited about going to Gangnam that we didn’t think about the situation carefully enough.”

“That’s….”

“How could people from the land know when the tide is going out? Would they even know that the tide goes out? You should have thought about it, and I should have thought about it. We almost killed everyone because we were fools. And now you’re going to blame others?”

“…”

“Those who aren’t skilled are so eager that they can’t even do what they can properly. And now you’re going to blame innocent people?”

Lee Ja-yang frowned and bit his lip until it bled.

Gwak Hwan-so sighed as he looked at him.

He understood Lee Ja-yang’s bad behavior. Even a sect leader felt that way. How could he comfort the heart of someone who had lost a fellow disciple because he was weak and foolish?

Even knowing it’s not true, people want to blame someone, and even knowing it’s not true, they want to be angry at someone.

“I’m sorry, Sect Leader.”

Lee Ja-yang bowed his head to Gwak Hwan-so.

“I….”

He squeezed his eyes shut and said.

“…Was foolish and cowardly.”

“Ja-yang….”

Gwak Hwan-so looked at him for a moment and then shook his head.

He knew Lee Ja-yang’s heart better than anyone else. Besides, Lee Ja-yang thought he was the most reasonable person in Hainan. The shock must have been greater.

A short silence passed between them.

Just as Gwak Hwan-so was about to say something to break the silence, Lee Ja-yang spoke again.

“Sect Leader.”

“…Speak.”

“How can they be like that?”

Lee Ja-yang looked empty.

“I don’t understand. How can they stay calm even in that situation? Even after seeing that Myriad Man Manor….”

He stopped talking. Lee Ja-yang was clearly shocked.

It was like someone who had only seen the sky covered with clouds had finally flown above the clouds and found an endless sky.

Before joy, there would be confusion.

“How can they be so calm even in that situation? And how can they not be afraid?”

“How would I know?”

Gwak Hwan-so shook his head.

He could understand strength. They were strong, and they were weak. That didn’t need to be explained. If they trained harder, they could get closer, even if they couldn’t be as strong.

But….

He could still see Chung Myung’s back as he charged alone against hundreds of soldiers.

‘Even if I become as strong as that person, could I do that?’

Gwak Hwan-so already knew the answer.

“What’s certain is that while we were just feeling wronged and frustrated on this island, they were bleeding and fighting.”

“…”

“We’ve been cursing the landlubbers for being pretentious without any guts….”

Gwak Hwan-so chuckled.

“The real landlubbers were us. Landlubbers who have never fought properly and killed a person.”

“Sect Leader….”

“You said you were curious about how they could fight like that, right?”

Lee Ja-yang looked at Gwak Hwan-so. Gwak Hwan-so was looking far away, towards Gangnam.

“We don’t know now, but we will soon find out. No….”

Gwak Hwan-so’s face suddenly became serious.

“We must realize it. If we don’t, we’ll just die there.”

Lee Ja-yang nodded slowly.

Their journey had just begun. If they could survive in Gangnam, which was full of those unorthodox sects, they might understand the battle that had happened on the coast.

‘I can only hope so.’

Gwak Hwan-so quietly closed his eyes.

After calming his troubled heart, he asked as if he had suddenly remembered.

“How is Head Disciple Chung Myung?”

“…He seems to be pulling out the steel needles stuck in his body and stitching up his wounds.”

“Pulling out steel needles?”

“Yes. They say there were more than ten steel needles, longer than fingers, stuck in his body. Yeop Dong said that if it were an ordinary person, they would have died more than ten times over.”

Gwak Hwan-so was shocked.

“He looked fine….”

“…It seems to be nothing much.”

Lee Ja-yang said quietly.

“For that person, that is.”

Gwak Hwan-so looked towards the ship’s cabin.

Gwak Hwan-so stared silently at the cabin where Chung Myung was being treated, then sighed deeply.