Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1651

“Stomp him!”

“You bloody bastard!”

A group of children rushed forward, kicking and shoving. They surrounded a small figure on the ground. These children were thin and pale, their ribs showing under their ragged shirts. They looked much younger than they probably were, their faces already hardened by hunger.

“Haa… Haa!”

The children, who looked to be in poor condition even at a glance, were quickly exhausted after only a few kicks, panting heavily.

“You… disgusting little thing.”

“What kind of creature is this…?”

They exchanged glances, looking down with a sense of disgust.

“…Let’s go.”

“Just like that?”

“Are we gonna kill him or what?”

Silence fell. A look of conflict flickered across everyone’s face. One of the girls bit her lip, looking back at the small figure on the ground. *Are we really any better than them?* she thought. But soon, they all nodded irritably.

“Let’s go.”

“Ugh! Bad luck!”

The children spat with expressions of annoyance and frustration, turning away. Yet, their eyes held an emotion that was hard to describe.

Someone muttered in a listless voice.

“…Are we going to starve again today?”

“If those damned bastards hadn’t started this war, we could at least beg for food.”

“Begging, you say. More than ten people have starved to death in the lower district. Do you think they’ll give us anything when even beggars and respectable folk are dropping dead from hunger?”

“Damn it…”

A similar light flickered across the faces of the children as they trudged away.

It was perhaps a sense of despair, or perhaps fear. Or maybe a feeling of helplessness in the face of hardship they couldn’t possibly overcome on their own.

It is the powerful who shake the world, but the powerless bear the brunt of the aftermath. The despair of those whose lives were shaken and shattered against their will was indescribably deep and heavy.

“Why do you keep looking back?”

“…Don’t you think he’ll die like that?”

“Bloody hell, if he dies, he dies. What do I care when I’m about to kick the bucket myself! Stop talking nonsense and let’s go!”

Eventually, the agreeing child nodded and quickened his pace. But even then, he kept looking back as if something was bothering him.

He kept looking back. Maybe he felt guilty for leaving someone to die. In this world, they had to forget their guilt to survive.

Long after everyone had left.

Rustle.

The one who had been lying as if dead after being trampled by the children stirred and shakily rose.

A withered, tiny body. A young child who looked as if he would collapse at any moment, even without being trampled by so many.

The child, who had taken the full force of violence that even an adult would struggle to endure, steadied himself by placing a trembling hand on the ground.

His clothes were so torn they were barely clothes at all. His hair was wild and messy. He looked more like a wild animal than a beggar.

“Ptooey.”

The child spat out blood. But the bitter taste that filled his mouth did not disappear.

The child, looking around like a weak animal, rummaged through his bosom only after confirming that no one was around.

Soon, a flattened, blackened dumpling, which he had never relinquished despite the brutal beating, was clutched in his grimy hand.

The dumpling smelled of dirt and old blood. It was hard and dry, but he chewed it slowly. The child broke off a small piece of the dirt-covered dumpling with his tiny hand and slowly pushed it into his mouth.

It tasted nauseating, with so much blood and dirt. But the child chewed and swallowed it without any particular reaction. It was disgusting, but he ate it like it was the best food in the world.

His emaciated fingers tore at the dumpling again.

He had been beaten to a pulp to get this in his hands, but the child did not resent it. Being beaten was better than starving to death.

The child was keenly aware.

Someone dies every day. Even among those who trampled him, some will die within days.

People die if they don’t eat. The same goes for the child. So, this beating was a cheap price to pay for getting this one dumpling.

Survive. There is nothing more important than that. At least, not here. *Food. Just food. That’s all that matters now.*

It was then, as the child wiped the blood from his mouth with his dirty sleeve.

“Are you alright?”

As soon as someone spoke to him, the child shoved the remaining dumpling into his bosom and bared his teeth. His crouched posture was as fierce as a wild animal guarding its territory.

At the sight, the beggar, who had spoken from a distance, wore an awkward expression.

“No, I was just worried… I was wondering if you were alright.”

“…”

It was definitely a worried voice. A kindness that was hard to even hope for in this cold world.

But the child only sent a cold and chilling gaze at the warmth. *Kindness? There’s no kindness here. It’s a trick.*

The beggar knew this, but did not easily withdraw his benevolent concern.

“Don’t be so wary.”

The beggar cautiously approached the child, as if he was truly worried.

“If you sleep in the cold with your body so injured, you’ll freeze to death. I…”

The beggar, who had taken a few steps closer, suddenly stopped. He saw the child take out a sharp blade from his bosom instead of the dumpling.

For a moment, the beggar looked confused.

The beggar’s face, which had been alternating between the child and the blade, twisted hideously as if he was lying. It was hard to believe that he was the same person who had spoken kindly a moment ago. His eyes narrowed. *A blade? For a scrap of food? Not worth it.*

“You bloody little brat…”

The beggar, staring intently at the child as if calculating something in his head, gnashed his teeth and took a couple of steps back. It seemed he had decided that risking a blade for a leftover piece of dumpling was too much of a losing proposition.

“You think you’re so tough, huh? You’ll be dead by morning, you little rat.”

“…”

The beggar shouted curses and horrible words at the child. Words you wouldn’t expect anyone to say to a child. Then, he turned and quickly left, looking angry.

Long after the beggar had disappeared, the child, who had been on guard, rose from his spot as if he had made up his mind. His limping steps continued slowly and steadily towards a deserted place.

Night fell.

The child, who had climbed halfway up a deep mountain that would be dangerous even in broad daylight, rummaged through a pile of fallen leaves with practiced hands.

After a couple of tries, a space appeared that seemed just big enough for a crouching person to squeeze into.

The child crammed himself inside and slumped down, exhausted.

He was getting very sleepy. But instead of falling asleep, he took out the dumpling from inside his shirt. He broke off small pieces and started chewing again.

The child’s expression did not seem to belong to a young child at all. Chewing the dumpling, the child looked down at the foot of the mountain.

It’s a hellish world.

The value of life is not always the same. In a peaceful world, a life is worth so much. But here, a life is worth less than even this old dumpling.

The value of the child’s life would be even less.

In the most miserable place, the most wretched are eventually pushed to a place where no one lives.

Numerous lights came into the child’s eyes as he looked down from the high place.

It’s a village. A place that is still too far and too frightening for him.

The light was like a line between the village and the mountain. The village was where people lived, and the mountain was where he lived. The light looked weak, like it could disappear any second, but it was also very beautiful and caught your eye.

The boy, without much interest, tore off a piece of dumpling and put it in his mouth, staring as if he was under a spell at the river of lights below.

He tasted the strong flavor of earth and smelled the scent of leaves rotting.

The boy looked further into the distance.

The lights in that faraway place were much brighter and more amazing than the lights he saw near him.

It was a place where the boy, as he was now, didn’t even dare to go. The people in the bright lights were powerful. They were much stronger than those who depended on the small, weak lights here.

The boy slowly reached out a thin, bony hand.

The light seemed close enough to touch. It felt like it would be truly warm if he could grab it.

But, of course, it didn’t reach the boy’s hand, not even a bit of the warmth inside that light.

All he could feel was the biting cold that went deep into his bones.

Yet, the boy didn’t give up or feel sad.

Because he had come to understand something.

Those lights hadn’t been there from the start. The ones who lived in that place were those who had taken and stolen the lights of others to get more light.

If they could steal, then he could also steal and take. Just like the stale dumpling he had stolen and hidden in his shirt today. Those lights, too, would someday…

The lights in the boy’s eyes grew bigger and bigger.

The light, which had been spreading warmly, soon covered the world as if it was on fire. The borders disappeared, and every place in the world was filled with bright light.

It was magical. Knowing he couldn’t feel the warmth, the boy reached out his hand again.

But at that moment…

Crack!

Cracks like spiderwebs appeared in the world that had looked red and warm. Then, dark red blood poured out from the cracks.

The boy’s eyes shook.

The dark red blood quickly covered the world. There was no warmth. Cold, horrible emptiness swallowed everything.

“Ah…”

For the first time, a voice came from the boy’s lips.

But that was it; the voice, unable to make real words, only came out like the moan of a hurt animal.

“Ah… Ah…”

The world was turning completely black, leaving nothing behind. Cruel sadness filled the boy’s eyes.

“Aaaaargh!”

“Lord Ryunju.”

“…”

“Lord Ryunju?”

The long eyelashes, thick along his closed eyes, moved slightly. His eyelids slowly opened, showing pale eyes.

He looked around the empty room with blank eyes. Then, he saw the person standing in front of him.

“Everything is ready, Lord Ryunju.”

Instead of answering, he looked down.

He saw a robe as red as a strong fire, beautiful dragon designs sewn with gold thread, long fingers sticking out from the wide sleeves, and colorful, fancy rings on them.

This was real. He was not wearing torn and dirty clothes.

He turned over the hand that had been resting on the armrest. Cold sweat had gathered on his open palm. He stared at it closely for a while before finally speaking, his face hard to read and without any expression.

“…Donggyeong.”

“Yes.”

At his command, a servant quickly held up a bronze mirror, Donggyeong, in front of him.

He looked at his own face in the mirror with strange eyes.

A face with many decorations. He saw the figure of a grown adult through the beaded strands of the crown over his face. He was different from that animal-like child. He had pure white skin, red lips, and dark, sunken eyes.

Was he still that hungry boy inside? Or was he someone new now?

He put aside the mirror and slowly stood up.

Servants hurried to him, carefully fixing his clothes for the last time, but he didn’t notice them touching him. He just walked to the door.

Thud. Thud.

He grabbed the doorknob and stopped for a moment.

– Do you accept it?

He still hadn’t answered that question. Or maybe, he might never be able to.

But…

He opened his eyes, which had been closed, and finally threw the door open roughly.

Bang.

The sight that appeared beyond the wide-open door, as if about to break, came into view at once.

Countless people were lined up in rows.

They were trying to hide how excited and eager they were.

The people waiting for him had sharp, intense eyes. They looked like they were ready to fight. They were all waiting for him.

The red corners of the man, Jang Il-so’s, lips slowly turned up, making a deep smile.

He looked to the side.

He met eyes with Ho Ga-myeong, who was standing to one side of the lined-up people. After standing there for a moment, their eyes met, and Ho Ga-myeong bowed his head deeply.

“Lord Ryunju, we are ready.”

“…”

“Your command.”

Jang Il-so’s eyes slowly turned to the sky. It was blue without a single cloud. The sun, rising in the east, was shining brightly as if to welcome him.

“It’s a good day.”

His eyes began to look like those of the boy from a past day, staring at lights he couldn’t reach.

He still hadn’t gotten what he wanted. Therefore…

“Let us go.”

Now, he had to go and take it, those things he had only ever looked at.

Thud.

He took a step forward. A deep smile spread across Jang Il-so’s lips.

The most amazing place in the world, the place where those with the most power lived. The path to that place was already wide open.

“Shall we start with… Hanam first?”

His sleek eyes curved like crescent moons.

“Let us go. To take the world into our hands.”

“Yes!”

Those lined up followed him.

The blades, which had been holding their breath for a moment, now began to be used against the world. They were ready to not stop until everything was over.