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Translator: penny
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Escape - 4
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"My name is... Yang Yeon-ji."
"Oh, Yang Yeon-ji, yes, I remember now. You're the youngest recruit from this quarter, the pampered jewel of the spear arts family, House Yang, right?"
Seon-u let out a quiet sigh of relief inside at Kang Ha-yun's response.
As expected, Kang Ha-yun seemed to have memorized the names of the new Phoenix Hall recruits.
He'd bluffed by using Yang Yeon-ji's name, and she'd fallen for it perfectly.
"Yes, that's correct."
"Your father, the head of House Yang, must be thrilled to have such a dutiful daughter."
"You're too kind, Hall Leader."
"So, no troubles?"
"The seniors have been taking such good care of me that I have no hardships at all."
"If anything comes up, don't hesitate to tell me. I'm no stranger to your father, so I'll look after you well."
"Thank you."
While keeping up the conversation with Kang Ha-yun, Seon-u shifted his feet around, frantically searching for the turtle statue.
He wanted to dive under and check with his own eyes, but Kang Ha-yun kept talking to him, making the situation far from ideal.
"Anyway, about what I told the young master..."
The hearty and beautiful Kang Ha-yun was incredibly talkative.
In any other novel, her chattiness might have been endearing, but in this urgent moment, it was grating on his nerves.
'Why is this woman so damn talkative?'
That was when it happened.
Click.
He felt something under his foot.
'Found... found it!'
With a hopeful touch, he reached down and felt an object expelling hot water.
'Yes! I'm saved, saved!'
But the joy was short-lived.
"Well then, shall I join you now?"
Kang Ha-yun's voice rang out.
Having finished drying off, she started walking toward the bath.
Step, step.
'If she gets in the bath, I'm done for!'
Splash.
The sound of Kang Ha-yun's foot entering from behind echoed.
Whoosh.
Before he knew it, water overflowed as her body submerged into the bath.
Seon-u racked his brain for a way out of this crisis, but nothing viable came to mind.
'Ambush and subdue her? Or run?'
But neither was realistic.
Even with a surprise attack, he couldn't imagine overpowering Kang Ha-yun, who had reached the exalted Absolute Realm, when he was merely at the Peak Realm.
And fleeing? She'd catch him without fail.
The gap between Peak and Harmony Realm was utterly despairing.
"Ahh, this feels so relaxing. All the fatigue's melting away~"
"...Yes, it feels wonderful for me too, Hall Leader."
Kang Ha-yun sighed in delight at being immersed, while Seon-u had no choice but to chime in.
That was when it happened.
Tap.
A small touch grazed his back, startling Seon-u.
"Eek."
"Ho, your skin is quite rough, and these muscles... I could believe you were a man."
"I'm embarrassed..."
From the feel of it, Kang Ha-yun had prodded him with her finger.
Her hand didn't stop there and began stroking his back continuously.
"Still, the more I touch, the more addictive it feels. It's just like rubbing the young master's back."
She spread both hands and started massaging his back.
"Ah... aaah... ah."
Seon-u let out an involuntary moan at her touch, and she seemed to find his reaction immensely enjoyable.
"Looks like your back is sensitive. I should make it even more pleasurable."
Squish.
The sensation of Kang Ha-yun's massive breasts pressed against his back.
Even without seeing, he could tell they were enormous, asserting their presence powerfully.
In that position, she began rubbing her breasts up and down against him.
"Ahng... ah... ang..."
Every time her nipples scraped his back, she let out wet moans, arousing Seon-u.
He glanced down at his crotch.
Sure enough, his member was rigidly erect, swollen to an indescribable degree.
Squelch, squelch.
In his ears, along with Kang Ha-yun's moans, water sounds began to mix in.
Squelch, squelch.
"Aaaang... ang!!"
Listening closely, the sounds seemed to be coming from Kang Ha-yun behind him.
She was rubbing her nipples on his back while fingering her own slit.
"Haaang... young master."
Seon-u started to panic.
He understood her loneliness without Lee Jae-won, but for the Hall Leader to masturbate using a subordinate's back? It was bewildering and sparked taboo fantasies.
"Haaaaang!"
Part of him desperately wanted to turn around and thrust his member madly into that lewd slit, but he endured with superhuman restraint.
If he gave in here, his head would fly for sure.
Seon-u tried to calm his erection while mentally singing the national anthem, desperately wishing this moment would pass quickly.
"Aaaaaang~~~~~~~~~~!!!!"
Only after he'd sung it ten times did Kang Ha-yun reach her climax. Her moans and water sounds gave way to ragged breathing.
"Haa... haa... ah."
Regaining her senses, she spoke in a shy tone.
"Sorry about that. With the young master away on a trip lately, I must have been lonely."
"No, I completely understand."
"Thank you for understanding. You really have such an alluring back, kid."
Expressing her gratitude, Kang Ha-yun continued stroking his back.
"...Thank you."
"Mind if I call on you now and then?"
"...Yes, please do."
"Hehe, thanks. If you ever need anything, just say the word. I'll help however I can."
Her tone implied she'd become his backer. With that, she rose from her spot.
"I'll head out now. I'll send over some cold medicine by morning."
"Thank you..."
"I should be the one thanking you. Hehe."
Creeak.
Bang.
Finishing her words, Kang Ha-yun closed the door and left the communal bath.
Seon-u felt a complex mix of emotions.
Seeing the lewd side of the character he'd admired most aroused him, yet also brought a sense of betrayal.
Still, thanks to his iron will, he'd escaped the clutches of that monstrous Kang Ha-yun.
If he'd lost control and lunged at her, he'd have become a ghost.
He'd shaken off Kang Ha-yun, but he couldn't let his guard down.
Someone else could walk in at any moment.
Seon-u quickly dove under, confirming that what he'd found was indeed the turtle statue.
In the clear water, the turtle statue was expelling hot water.
Seon-u grabbed its neck and twisted it to the right.
Griiind.
The grinding sound of the neck turning echoed as the hot water from its mouth stopped.
"Puhah!"
Emerging urgently, Seon-u caught his breath.
He stepped out of the hot bath and waited quietly by the entrance for it to open.
"........."
But nothing happened in the communal bath.
"What the? Why isn't anything happening?"
He twisted all the statues in the cold bath, hot bath, warm bath, and medicine bath, but only the water stopped flowing—no sign of the hidden entrance appearing.
"No way!?"
An ominous thought crossed Seon-u's mind.
In truth, using the secret passage in Phoenix Hall to reach the hideout was a gamble at best.
With the Murim Alliance becoming the Heavenly Martial Alliance, setting conflicts might have broken it, or it could have been sealed during maintenance.
With no better options, Seon-u had bet on it anyway—and lost.
Despair washed over him.
After risking his life to get here, his last hope had vanished.
'Fine, just turn myself in. Say I fled in fear and beg for mercy.'
The moment he resolved to give up and surrender—
Shiiiish.
With a loud whoosh, all the water in the hot bath began draining away.
Sensing the unnatural speed, Seon-u watched intently.
Soon, every drop vanished, revealing the white floor beneath.
Rumble, rumble.
Rumble, rumble.
The floor at the end of the hot bath split open, forming a hole large enough for one person.
Seon-u peered into it, but visually gauging its depth was impossible—it seemed bottomless.
Fear crept in anew, but he couldn't stay.
Grabbing his clothes and sword, Seon-u leaped into the hole.
As he entered, the split earth began closing behind him.
The statues, which had been turned, simultaneously twisted their necks back.
Griiind.
Griiind.
Griiind.
Griiind.
Water began flowing again.
Gush, gush, gush, gush.
The hot bath refilled rapidly, returning to its original level.
The communal bath in Phoenix Hall's Chrysanthemum Pavilion looked as normal as ever.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Plunging into the hole, Seon-u kept falling endlessly.
"Damn it, how long is this drop gonna last?!"
At first, entering had filled him with relief at surviving, but the endless fall bred anxiety.
'Am I gonna die like this?'
Even the protagonist Lee Jae-won had only been described as finding the secret exit and descending—no details—which amplified his unease.
If the bottom was stone instead of water, his body would shatter on impact.
'No, it won't be. It won't!'
He tried denying it, but doubt grew into terror.
In his growing panic, Seon-u drew his sword, gripping it in his right hand and the scabbard in his left.
He channeled inner energy into them.
Zing.
A bluish membrane coated the sword and scabbard, making them glow.
Seon-u thrust them into the walls.
Thanks to the sword aura, they sank in easily.
But the enhanced cutting power meant his descent speed didn't slow.
Thus, he slid down, carving both walls with sword and scabbard.
Seon-u gradually reduced the inner energy in the aura-coated sword and scabbard.
Tssst, tssst.
Tssst, tsssst.
As energy waned, cutting power diminished, dulling the blade and slowing his fall sharply.
Seon-u finely adjusted the energy flow for control.
The key was finding a speed survivable on impact.
Soon, he stabilized at a manageable pace.
He wanted to jam the sword deep to halt abruptly, but that would snap it. Instead, he tediously modulated energy to brake safely.
At this speed, even a stone floor wouldn't kill him.
About half an hour passed since slowing.
Still falling, maintaining energy strained him slightly.
'Did this thing go all the way to my dantian?'
As ridiculous thoughts swirled—
Thud.
His feet hit solid ground.
He'd finally reached the bottom.
Touching down sent chills through him.
Without slowing his fall, he'd have burst apart.
"Thanks to that damn author, I nearly died."
Cursing the lazy writer who'd skimped on descriptions for convenience, Seon-u first scanned his surroundings.
The hole's floor led to a single narrow passage.
A glittering beam shone from within.
'Why so bright? No sunlight down here.'
Puzzled by the illumination, he followed it.
'Night pearls?!'
He quickly identified the source lighting the cavern.
Night pearls—gems that glowed naturally, valued highly by intensity.
These lit the passage brilliantly, top-grade for sure.
Confirming the light, Seon-u pulled his sword and scabbard from the wall.
Under the glow, he checked for damage.
Fortunately, with minimal energy maintained, the edge was intact.
He sheathed the sword and dressed hastily.
The passage was chilly; soaked as he was, hypothermia was a risk.
At Peak Realm, not Harmony where cold meant nothing, body heat mattered.
Tying his shoes tight, Seon-u proceeded slowly into the passage.
Night pearls appeared frequently ahead.
Lee Jae-won must have forgotten to collect them—or the hideout info entirely.
A few sold would fund luxury for generations.
Seon-u vowed to grab some on exit, hastening his steps.
A tedious journey began.
Walk, walk, walk—no end in sight.
Unlike the fall, he could pace himself, a small mercy.
Overall, not bad.
Despite trials, he'd found the hideout entrance and was en route unscathed.
No pursuers meant relaxation.
Advancing leisurely, he pondered ahead.
Would supplies last in the hideout?
Could Lee Jae-won clear Jang Sam's false charges?
Could he return home?
How?
Only headaches arose.
But he couldn't stop thinking.
Quitting meant no progress.
Seon-u delved deeper.
Worst case: Lee Jae-won turns enemy.
Or the entire murim.
How to survive?
The Heavenly Martial Alliance dominated murim.
Opponents: Four Evils Alliance, Demonic Cult.
Even allied, they'd lose to the Alliance 100 times out of 100.
The gap was like a five-year-old versus an adult.
No war needed—Absolute Martial God Lee Jae-won at Transcendent Realm could slaughter leaders, forcing surrender.
The two were survivors by his mercy.
In High School Senior Goes to the Murim!, the protagonist was godlike.
Absolute power to reshape the world unchallenged.
Enemy Lee Jae-won? No solution.
Seon-u cleared his aching head.
No hobby clinging to impossibles.
If so, bite tongue and end it quick.
As he pondered—
A light brighter than the passage's dazzled his eyes.
Seon-u looked up ahead.
A vast cavern appeared.
Night pearls studded everywhere, bathing it in immense brilliance.
'Made it!'
The cavern's first impression: enormous.
Awe at creating such underground scale.
No modern drills—this era, all by shovel.
A few earthen huts inside; walls scarred with sword marks, occasional fist dents.
Past protagonist's training remnants.
Seon-u walked slowly, inspecting closely.
Hoping for leftover elixirs to scavenge.