Chapter 477

How can someone be named Dayeoreum?

A woman with such a peculiar name punches her way out of a stone wall.

When she went in, it was just her fists; when she came out, she was wielding a sword in each hand.

Then, a guy with dual swords sticks his arms out to the sides like a good boy.

The woman, with a flashy and noisy flourish, swirls her swords and neatly tucks them into the scabbards at his waist.

Their gaze crosses in an almost telepathic connection.

The woman flamboyantly waves her palm, and the young man, looking quite excited, raises his fists.

The woman’s palm slices through the air, and the young man’s punch awkwardly hovers in place.

Again, they lock eyes.

A silent exchange.

Then, this time, the woman extends her fist.

The guy’s palm cuts through the air.

People started to realize.

Those two clearly weren’t on the same wavelength.

Both now stare at each other awkwardly-

“Lady. This won’t do! Let’s go!”

“Hmm. Alright then.”

And then they leap off into the air.

“Wait! What the-”

Someone finally catches up, calling them back in a hurry, but just then, Dayeoreum’s melodious voice rings out.

“My name is Dayeoreum! The one who opens every door in the world! Save your thanks for later!”

“Save them!”

And then they’re gone in a flash.

The remaining warriors blink, bewildered.

What was that? What kind of lunatics just passed by?

All that remains is a massive pit in the stone wall, deep cracks spreading like spiderwebs.

At the center, two small holes gaping wide.

And from those holes, a trickle of cracks spreads out in real time.

“Ahhhh!”

Among the technicians, the one from the Blood Sect screamed.

“Ugh! Dammit! Why! Why is this happening! Why! Has the sky forsaken me again?!”

The Blood Sect Technician thrashed about frantically.

Fueled by anger and frustration, all he could do was jump around in rage.

But even more pressing issues loomed.

The Blood Sect Technician hurriedly opened the direct line to the Lord to report.

“Lord, currently at the North Gate…”

Guisanmanbak Am Ha-ryong was in a bad mood.

That was because the grand plan that had taken twenty years was falling apart.

If he was in a good mood at such a time, one might suspect dementia or mania.

His impulsive decision to blow away the South Gate had stemmed from this discomfort.

Even with three passageways left, would he dare to demolish a maze crafted over two decades?

This was a warning full of rage.

If they messed around too much, they might not get in at all, buried somewhere in the mountains.

Stop fooling around and just kill each other gently to hand over the heart of a supreme master.

Those martial artists, staring at the collapsed South Gate’s stone wall, would split to the north and south to relay that disaster, that stern warning.

Do something reckless, and the entrance will crumble!

Raise your swords and take the heart of a supreme master!

After giving such a grave warning, had only a short time passed?

-The North Gate is about to collapse. Should we still destroy the passage? Or—

“Why!? Why! Why! You’ve already shown us it’s collapsing! So why! Why! Why! Is it falling again! Are these idiots illiterate!? It’s written there! Hand over the heart!”

The Blood Sect Lord Am Ha-ryong bellowed.

-That, that Dayeoreum,

“Again! Again! Why is that Dayeoreum at it again! What grudges does she hold against us?!”

-Lord, the North Gate is about to collapse. What should we do!?

“Ugh, huh?!”

Am Ha-ryong gritted his teeth.

Three passageways remain.

Are they serious about demolishing another one?

Then the prepared passage will be cut in half, right?

Am Ha-ryong could not easily laugh it off, thinking, ‘At least half is left.’

“Why! It’s just one heart, just one heart! You said you’d open it if we offered that! Did we ask for anything extravagant!? Just one heart! It’s not like we begged you to sacrifice a hundred lives!”

Am Ha-ryong’s temper began to boil.

Raging like lava erupting, red with fury.

“Just one heart! Just that much blood, and you’d willingly open it! But now you can’t even do that! We’ve prepared for twenty years! Damn those fools, can’t even offer a heart! How can this be! How can this be!”

The technicians at the North Gate were experiencing the same breakdown of composure.

Perhaps overwhelmed by emotion, the moist voice of the North Gate technician echoed through the copper tube.

-Cough…!

That salty tear touched Am Ha-ryong’s fiery heart.

Thanks to that, Am Ha-ryong managed to suppress his rage.

“Dammit, open the North Gate. All personnel should prepare for the trap zones. I’ll say it again. The North Passage is now open, all personnel should focus on their duties.”

As Am Ha-ryong issued the command, a bitter taste lingered in his mouth.

To demand only the heart of a supreme master upon entry was not simply a ploy to be satisfied with a bit of blood.

It was to reveal the true nature of those despicable martial artists before they entered the passageway.

And thus, after offering the heart of a supreme master, those martial artists would finally realize their barbarism.

If they wish to achieve their goals, they would need to sever all ties with the world, these barbarian bandits.

Thus, once they entered the passage, they’d be able to kill each other without hesitation.

Step by step, stirring the pot of violence and ramping up the slaughter…

Finally, cracks from the North Gate reached the corners, and a faint tremor began to rise.

“Whoa, that, that…!”

The warriors by the North Gate hurriedly scrambled backward.

And then, boom!

With a tremendous sound, thick clouds of dust erupted violently.

Cough cough! The warriors doubled over with hearty coughs.

And finally, as the dust settled,

the once towering stone gate, like a giant wall, had vanished, leaving a gaping hole in the darkness beyond.

“Wait, wait. It really opened?”

“Did, did we break through…?”

“The one who opens the door, the Door Opener, Dayeoreum.”

If Qing had heard, she’d feel quite wronged.

Having witnessed the South Gate sliced open in a reckless display, she wasn’t about to make the same mistake at the North Gate, especially not under the threat of pursuers.

With time tight, she had literally bolted while giving it her all.

But how could she know it would actually open?

The only thing Qing had overlooked was this:

Whether it’s a person or an object, if you hit it hard enough, it’ll eventually listen!

Then it happened.

“Dayeoreum! Did you smash yet another door?!”

With a loud roar, Jeolnak-seong’s Lord Jun Gi-chung descended.

Looking around frantically, his mouth hung open upon spotting the newly opened, pitch-black passage.

What the? It opened?

Jun Gi-chung whipped his head around, spotting a familiar face and shyly spoke up.

“Hey, Guang Longseong, has a woman named Dayeoreum with a funny name shown up here?”

“She did. She appeared out of nowhere, smashed a stone door, and then vanished. Do you happen to know her?”

“Well, she, um?”

Jun Gi-chung trailed off while gazing at the gaping passageway.

Suddenly, a flickering light illuminated the once-dark tunnel.

Torches lining the walls started to spontaneously ignite, as if beckoning them to enter.

Jun Gi-chung hesitated.

Thinking about it, why would chasing after Dayeoreum be that significant?

There’s an open passage right before him, why should he bother chasing after her?

An opening leading straight to the Heart Consumption Technique lay wide open.

After that thought, justifications typical of the Sapa way began to take root.

Why seek Dayeoreum?

Because she’s a trickster who dared to deceive the Lord of Jeolnak-seong.

But was it truly a deception?

If the North Gate was destroyed, then perhaps Dayeoreum truly might be a master of mechanical systems who knows how to open doors.

Wasn’t it those who were slicing at the stone gates, that barbarian Lama monk, who kept poking around, causing this mishap?

Unless she was fooling him?

Rather than chasing after her, he should find that secret manual quickly.

There was no need to twist and turn things that don’t matter for some greater gain.

“Dayeoreum headed east. She was quite nimble on her feet, so you might want to hurry if you’re looking for her.”

Lord Guang Longseong Il Young-chang spoke.

It’s time to get lost quickly, if you know what’s good for you.

Jun Gi-chung cleared his throat.

“I’m not particularly keen on finding her. Anyway, now that the door is open, we should start searching…”

At this, Il Young-chang’s expression soured severely.

Why is this guy messing around at someone else’s entrance?

Opening the North Gate had been a rational choice no matter how one looked at it.

After having demolished one entrance already, taking down another would just be pointless venting.

However, he couldn’t shake the feeling of defeat gnawing at his heart.

Damn these fools, couldn’t they at least sacrifice one heart after the time and effort we put into this?

Just as Am Ha-ryong was swallowing his wrath…

-Lord, we have a report from the East Gate…

“What? Did they sacrifice a heart? Are they about to open it now?”

-Not quite; it seems Dayeoreum is causing some trouble…

“Again! Why her! Why can’t she just give us a break once she opens the door!?”

-Um, it’s that, Dayeoreum tried to smash the door but got stopped. Now she went and just smashed another door open; the guards at the East Gate are currently standing outside in confusion…

Am Ha-ryong let out a loud scream.

“Just open it! Open it now!”

-Huh?

“Now that I see it, it’s clear that she doesn’t care about opening doors! She’s trying to smash it down by any means!”

Am Ha-ryong was not an idiot.

He suspected that after her failure at the South Gate, Dayeoreum would come to the North Gate.

But if she was showing up at the East Gate after having opened the North Gate, what could her motive possibly be?

“So just open it!”

-Okay, then we’ll open the East Gate.

“South Gate, are you listening? You open as well!”

-Huh? You’re serious? Right now, it’s—

“Just open it! All personnel to their posts! This is it! The beginning of the bloodbath, the outcome of the fishermen’s catch begins now!”

Am Ha-ryong proclaimed heroically.

Now that he’s trying to act like a great general, it’s clear that this operation is going off the rails before they even start.

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