Chapter 264 – Survival of the Fittest (8)

Both arms were cut off, and one leg was twisted.

The only intact part was the black-haired student’s leg, and the rest of the group gathered around him.

Of course, as long as he had his tongue, he could command the surrounding villagers, maintaining the state of the demon lord.

“Well then, shall we have a conversation now?”

“What will happen to me after the conversation?”

I answered with a smile at the polite tone of the guy who had become polite again.

“You’re asking what you already know. You’ll die without pain.”

“If I keep my mouth shut, I’ll suffer and die, right?”

“That’s right.”

I nodded calmly and lightly pricked the area near the arm that had just been cut off with my finger to stop the bleeding.

This should stop the bleeding.

“Kk…Krehuhu…Kkuheuk….”

The black-haired student, who was trying to stop the bleeding, suddenly laughed or cried out, shaking his body.

I and the others looked at him with a puzzled expression due to his sudden behavior.

“Oh, sorry. I just thought it would end up like this.”

“Hmm…you really know about me.”

“How could I not? You’re the one who destroyed the history of Jungwon Mulin.”

“Are you begging as if you were the Mulin itself? You’re so arrogant.”

“Didn’t you actually do that? At least until you encountered the genius disaster called the Demon Lord. I didn’t know that disaster would come here, but it was like that until then.”

“A natural disaster…you don’t think it was a disaster that caused its own destruction until the end.”

Hong Yeon-hwa’s voice was full of contempt. But the black-haired student just groaned without saying a word.

Is he just trying to be pathetic?

When Hong Yeon-hwa clenched her fist, I impulsively put a light knife in his lower abdomen before she could hit him.

Anyway, I had to break the Danjeon once.

The knife wasn’t deeply embedded, but the pain of breaking the Danjeon was not small, and the black-haired student writhed in pain.

“Ugh! Why are you doing this when I answered properly!”

“Because you’re pathetic.”

“Well, I can’t help it then.”

Perhaps because his inner strength was scattered, the guy with a slightly pale complexion suddenly nodded calmly.

What is this guy doing, seriously?

After sighing lightly, I asked Hong Yeon-hwa.

“What should we do? Should I do it?”

“Hmm. Do that. I don’t think I can control my anger and interrogate him properly.”

I tapped the intact leg of the guy and said.

“Did you hear that? You have to answer properly from now on.”

“I’m always ready, so please kill me gracefully. It hurt so much just now.”

“…Why did you suddenly calm down when you were so defiant just a moment ago?”

“I’ve seen many people who made things worse for themselves, so it’s only natural.”

Ah, I see. Knowing Hong Yeon-hwa means that this black-haired student had experienced the Jungma War in the other world.

It wasn’t a war that ended in one fell swoop like the Danjeon War on this side, but rather a long-lasting conflict, so he must have seen a lot of things.

“Oh, don’t worry. Unlike us who played around with prisoners, the Heavenly Demons only extract information cleanly. Is that what you wanted to ask?”

“What…?”

“You know, pretty prisoners or prisoners who don’t die easily, whether they’re male or female, are popular stories.”

I don’t really want to imagine those stories.

Hong Yeon-hwa seems to know why she hates the corrupted faction so much.

“Enough. Just answer the questions. First, what’s your name? Your real name isn’t Hyeok-rang, is it?”

“My name. Yes, my name is Jegal Jung-hyeok. There’s also Jegal Se-ga on this side, so it’s the first time I’ve introduced myself since I came over.”

Hong Yeon-hwa’s prediction was correct, and I became more confident after fighting him myself…he’s really from the Jegal family.

“Okay. Jegal something. So how did you come over here? Are there any other people who came over?”

The black-haired student blinked his eyes as if he was puzzled by my question.

“Um? I was running away from the Ma-gyo and went into a cave, and it led to another world. It’s the first time I’ve met someone from my hometown, the Heavenly Demons. Is it different over there?”

“Why are you asking so sneakily? You’re the one who should be answering.”

I lightly stepped on his ankle that had been twisted before, and the black-haired student screamed in pain.

“Kuaaah! I understand! I’ll answer properly, so please stop!”

Actually, I’ve never done this kind of interrogation before, so I just followed what I saw and heard from here and there, but it doesn’t seem too bad.

“Hey, wait a minute, Yeon-hwa. Can’t we just use a bone-chilling technique? I don’t know how to do it, but you do.”

“Of course, I can do it, but bone-chilling is not a panacea. It’s a technique that puts a lot of strain on the body internally, so even though there’s no external trauma, the person will not be able to withstand it and die quickly.”

“Tsk…”

Well, I did break through the black-haired student’s Danjeon with my strength.

In the process, I must have suffered considerable injuries. There may have even been a shock that broke my Danjeon.

Looking down at the guy with regretful eyes, he urgently pointed his head.

“You said you’d let me go painlessly if I answered properly! Bone-chilling is worse than death!”

“Ugh, fine.”

If that’s the case, I’ll just stick to what I know.

“That guy who’s about to die…talking back?! Don’t say useless things and just answer the question. When did you come over?”

“It was not long after Namgung Segaga fell. Namgung collapsed, and I thought, how long can I hold out if Jegal tries to hold on, so I ran away alone.”

So I wondered when that was, and Hong Yeon-hwa was staring at me with round pink eyes.

“Well then! How many years have passed since you came to this world?”

“Excuse me? It’s been about 15 years…”

Hong Yeon-hwa stiffened at the black-haired student’s answer. Then she looked at me with a confused voice.

“I destroyed Namgung Segaga in my memory three years ago. However, if it has been close to 15 years here…”

“Maybe the flow of time is different. Or maybe you fell into a different time period during the transition.”

It’s a common occurrence. By now, it’s like a predetermined development.

I died in modern times and was reborn in a different world hundreds of years ago.

“But it’s not our concern, right?”

According to the teacher, all the problems that arise are an inevitable cost of the crash landing process.

As if losing all my strength, there are time differences as well.

So if we make a proper path and cross over, we don’t have to worry about preserving our strength or time differences.

“Hmm. I only cared about being able to keep my inner strength intact, and I didn’t think about anything else. Your words are right. It was just a silly excitement for me to be concerned about something that doesn’t concern us.”

The black-haired student who was listening to our conversation looked surprised.

“Did…did you find a way to go back…ahhh!!”

Before he could finish his sentence, I kicked his intact leg and silenced him.

“I told you to shut up until I ask you.”

“….”

Brat. He’s been subtly and annoyingly friendly since earlier.

***

We continued the interrogation for about half a day.

And we were able to find out quite a bit from the black-haired student.

From the fact that he made his own child a gangster and shook the mind of the opportunistic, to the unexpected information that the blood-red horse’s absorption method was a failed martial art that was being made to counter Hong Yeon-hwa in the other world.

Unpleasant stories such as suggesting the “efficient consumption of commoners” by combining Jegal Segga’s tactics with the opportunistic technique of the other side.

As I listened to the whereabouts of the guy who had been hiding his identity thoroughly, I learned one thing.

Isn’t this black-haired student like the villain of the Jungsa War?

He had always secretly helped someone to improve their gangster technique and fueled resentment towards the royal family.

He pretended to be loyal to the blood-red horse and acted as a spy.

And when the dissatisfaction of someone reached its peak and the blood-red horse repeatedly missed the opportunity to kill Samamaeng, he began to cling to them.

I wondered how the two, who were located in the far-off regions of Hahbuk and Gwangdong, formed an alliance… and it was because of this guy.

If he hadn’t been there, someone’s rebellion would have been easily suppressed, and the blood-red horse would never have become the Samamaeng lord in the first place.

Each of them had their own spark, but it was the work of the Heukrang Seosaeng to combine them into a great fire.

Even though he lost three limbs and his inner strength, he couldn’t help but ask the guy who was still stubbornly alive and training his body until he reached the Hwagyeong.

“What the hell were you thinking, doing something like this?”

“What do you mean, what was I thinking… isn’t it simple?”

Even after being beaten to a pulp and left for dead, the guy still laughed and spoke.

“Of course, I wanted to go back to the past.”

In the guy’s eyes as he spoke, there was a faint glint of madness.