SYM 75

The outside world was a mountain full of oddly shaped rocks. Strange, barren mountains stretched endlessly, and a cool moon hung in the sky. Eun-hyeon chuckled in disbelief.

If he had come to such a place for sightseeing, he would have marveled at its bizarre scenery.

But at this moment, the vast, desolate mountain range before him was the very essence of despair.

Seeing this bleak landscape, Eun-hyeon understood why they hadn’t bothered to closely guard the sacrifices. This was a place from which one could not escape, even if one regained their senses.

The few trees that dotted the landscape were all shorter than Eun-hyeon’s knees. There was nowhere to hide or conceal oneself.

The only way to hide here would be to dig into the ground. And the Hongbaek Sect must have dug their ant tunnels for the same reason.

How did the Hongbaek Sect find such a place? Had they been hiding in such places all along?

Even Cheong-un, could he find his way to a place like this? Eun-hyeon sighed softly.

“…Hey, you there!”

Eun-hyeon was startled by the sudden voice and nearly jumped, but he barely managed to restrain himself. Cold sweat trickled down his back.

“What are you doing here? Didn’t you hear the call to gather for the ritual preparations?”

Eun-hyeon flinched at the man’s words but quickly regained his composure.

The man didn’t seem to suspect that he was one of the sacrifices.

“…I finished the task I was assigned and came out here to catch my breath.”

Eun-hyeon tried to steady his voice as much as possible and kept his head down so his face wouldn’t be seen.

Then, a harsh curse and a shout came flying his way.

“What? Have you ever seen such a crazy bastard? Can’t you see everyone else is working their asses off?”

The man continued to hurl insults for quite some time.

“Fine. Since you say you’ve finished your assigned task, I’ll give you another one.”

The man grabbed Eun-hyeon by the scruff of his neck, opened a door, and threw him inside.

Lightweight compared to the burly man, Eun-hyeon was tossed like a paper doll.

“Clean those ritual implements in there until there’s not a speck of dust! I’ll be checking myself in a little while. If there’s even a smudge or a speck of dust, I’ll peel the skin off your back today, you hear me!”

The man slammed the door shut. From outside, Eun-hyeon could hear him grumbling about how these days, guys only do what they’re told and are useless.

Eun-hyeon remained still and silent until the man’s shouting faded away, then finally let out a long breath. He had been so tense that his clenched fists were difficult to open.

“It seems they don’t even know who’s who among themselves. Either these people were hastily assembled for this task, or they’re operating as a clandestine organization. One of the two.”

Inside, ritual implements were piled up like a mountain. He picked up one or two and examined them, finding that they were chipped or broken in places. No matter how urgent the situation, these were not suitable for use in a ritual. This place was probably a warehouse for discarded items.

Among the ritual implements, he spotted a worn-out piece of clothing. It was the same type of clothing worn by the man who had been cursing at him earlier.

“Huh, could this be the uniform of the Hongbaek Sect?”

Come to think of it, the clothes Eun-hyeon was wearing were also dark in color, making them appear similar in dim light. However, Eun-hyeon’s clothes were made of high-quality Hangzhou silk, and anyone could easily tell the difference if they saw them in a slightly brighter place.

Eun-hyeon hesitated for a moment, then dusted off the worn-out clothes he had found and put them on. The musty smell made him grimace involuntarily.

Because Eun-hyeon was small, the length and sleeves were too long, but it was enough to pass as a disguise.

After changing his clothes, Eun-hyeon surveyed his surroundings. Now that he had found the Hongbaek Sect’s uniform, he intended to venture further inside. Since there was no way to escape outside right now, he would try to find a way to save the children by going inside. Then, he found a small door leading inward. It seemed to be a door leading to the interior.

Eun-hyeon hesitated, then opened the door and headed inside.

* * *

“…More impressive than I thought.”

When he opened the door and stepped out, he saw a long corridor and Hongbaek Sect members moving busily. They were so busy preparing for the ritual that they didn’t pay attention to anyone else, and they were all wearing the same clothes as Eun-hyeon.

Eun-hyeon slipped into the crowd, watching what the others were doing and imitating them. Everyone was so busy as the time for the ritual approached that they didn’t pay much attention to Eun-hyeon. It was surprisingly easy to blend in, making his nervousness seem pointless.

As he was observing the situation, a bell suddenly rang. At the same time, people’s movements quickened. After some time, the bell rang again.

Then, people stopped what they were doing, lined up, and began to head somewhere. Eun-hyeon lowered his head and joined the procession.

People were gathered, but no one spoke. Eun-hyeon moved with them in an eerie and chilling silence.

The people walked for a long time along a maze-like path. At the end of the path, a large cavern appeared.

A person in white robes was kneeling at the very front, followed by various foods, and musicians with instruments on both sides. The Hongbaek Sect members in black robes sat in perfect rows at the very back.

Eun-hyeon was taken aback by the sight, as if everyone had their assigned place. As he was wondering where to go, someone grabbed him by the scruff of his neck.

“Hey, you! When did you get all the way over here…? This place is only for the higher-ups! You just stand over there in the corner!”

“Ah! Th-thank you.”

The person who grabbed Eun-hyeon by the scruff of his neck and pulled him back was the one who had ordered him to clean the ritual implements. Eun-hyeon bowed his head in thanks, but inside, he was sweating profusely.

At that moment, the musicians began to play.

The man in white robes at the very front stood up and began to dance.

Did the dance have some kind of magical meaning?

Since the Hongbaek Sect used so many strange spells, he couldn’t even guess what might happen.

The only good thing was that he still couldn’t see the children.

Eun-hyeon scanned his surroundings, trying to hide his anxious expression.

Was Cheong-un coming? Did he know that he was here?

Before escaping from the room where the sacrifices were gathered, that priest had counted the number of sacrifices himself. It seemed that the number 300 itself was important. Now that he had escaped and there were only 299 people, they would surely try to find the missing sacrifice while the ritual was in progress.

The priest, who had been dancing for a long time, knelt down. At the same time, the musicians stopped playing all at once.

“Oh, Heaven, the Hongbaek Sect’s followers are holding a ritual here today to embrace the will of Heaven. Please accept this ritual.”

“Please accept it.”

As the priest spoke, a large drum boomed, and those in the back repeated the same words and prostrated themselves.

Eun-hyeon trembled involuntarily.

The strangely rhythmic booming of the drum made him feel strange. He wondered if the drumming was also some kind of spell or sonic attack.

Then, the priest who was kneeling on the altar shouted loudly.

“Oh, Heaven, we offer our small sincerity, please accept it. First Offering!”

At the words “First Offering,” the people kneeling behind the priest, those sitting in the very front, raised their heads and drew their swords. And without hesitation, they slit their own throats.

Eun-hyeon’s body twitched for a moment. He barely managed to suppress the urge to jump forward and shout, “What are you doing!”

But Eun-hyeon was the only one who was shocked. Everyone around him had a nonchalant expression, staring only at the priest. They even seemed to be waiting for their turn.

Eun-hyeon involuntarily stepped back. His body trembled slightly.

He felt dizzy. All of this was so surreal that he even wondered if it was all a dream.

“Oh, Heaven! Please accept our sincerity. Second Offering!”

At the words “Second Offering,” the people sitting directly behind those who had just fallen calmly drew their swords. And again, they slit their throats.

The spilled blood formed a puddle on the floor. The pooling blood flowed and reached Eun-hyeon’s feet. Eun-hyeon staggered backward. The stench of blood made him dizzy.

Were they sacrifices, not followers? Or did the Hongbaek Sect have its followers offer human sacrifices in this way?

Watching the dozens of people who had fallen, Eun-hyeon bit his lip tightly. He now had a slight idea of what they were trying to do.

All those sitting in the front were sacrifices who would commit suicide in that way.

“Oh, Heaven! Please accept our sincerity. Third Offering!”

Seeing those behind them draw their swords at the words “Third Offering,” Eun-hyeon couldn’t bear to watch any longer and turned his head away. The sight of dozens of people committing suicide without a single scream was surreal in itself.

“Oh, Heaven, we offer you young and lowly sacrifices, please accept them and open the heavens.”

The priest in white robes shook the bell in his hand.

Turning his head at those words, he saw the children walking in with blank eyes.