Chapter 781: A Chance to Change!
“Which carriages should I choose?”
Mak Chung and Gong Bae held a strategy meeting. Gong Bae already knew that his superior had lost his heart to the golden carriage.
“It’s possible that there’s actually nothing of value inside that golden carriage.”
“A decoy?”
“Perhaps they made that carriage eye-catching on purpose while hiding the true treasures somewhere else.”
It sounded reasonable, but Mak Chung still couldn’t forget the vivid dream of the golden whale.
Geom Mugeuk came up beside him and said,
“Now then, take your time and choose the one that gives you the right feeling.”
Why was this guy so excited when his own possession might be taken away?
Mak Chung had a faint idea. Ah, he must be acting like this because he’s scared out of his wits.
People often pretended to be calm when they were truly terrified. Thinking that, Mak Chung felt a bit sorry for him.
“The carriage, its contents, and even the people inside—it’s all yours, our hero Mak!”
Mak Chung started walking with Geom Mugeuk.
The first carriage belonged to Geom Mugeuk.
Without thinking much, Mak Chung glanced at it—and froze in shock.
“Good heavens!”
He screamed at the unexpected sight.
“Damn it! What the hell is this!”
The shock was so great that a curse slipped from his mouth.
Painted on the carriage was the face of the Heavenly Demon Spirit.
Mak Chung was horrified at how vividly it had been depicted.
“Isn’t it magnificent?”
Mak Chung cautiously asked, just in case.
“Do you even know what that picture is?”
“It’s the symbol of the Demonic Cult, isn’t it? Ever since I started carrying it around, bad people don’t dare to mess with me.”
Mak Chung was dumbfounded. Was this man insane? Or just plain stupid?
“I’m not usually the type to say this.”
After all, he’d even had a good dream.
“But if you go around with that drawing on your carriage, you’ll get yourself into serious trouble.”
At that, Geom Mugeuk proudly replied,
“I heard the artist who painted it was incredibly famous. The craftsman who built this carriage too—renowned throughout the land! Just the carriage alone is a masterpiece. It’s hard to find someone willing to sell one like this. Its value can’t be measured in money.”
When Geom Mugeuk had stepped down earlier, the carriage door had been left open, revealing a large leather bag beside the seat.
“If you choose this carriage, that bag comes with it. It has everything you could imagine inside. So many precious things! Choose this one, and your life will be completely turned around!”
But Mak Chung’s steps moved toward the next carriage.
“So you’re trying to have me killed by making me impersonate the Demonic Cult. Clever move, but I’m not that much of a fool.”
“Ah, it’s a pity that you don’t understand my sincerity.”
Mak Chung flinched again at the next carriage.
It was entirely painted white—truly nothing but pure white. Even the curtains drawn over the windows were white.
Another lunatic, huh? Who in their right mind would make a carriage this white?
“The owner of this carriage has an exceptional fondness for white.”
“Even so, this is going too far.”
“It belongs to someone whose smiling eyes are said to be breathtakingly beautiful. You won’t regret choosing it. For reference, very few people have ever seen those eyes smile.”
Mak Chung asked curiously,
“Why is that?”
Because everyone who saw them ended up dead.
“Well then, why don’t you open the door and see for yourself?”
Mak Chung glanced at the snow-white carriage for a moment.
“Do smiling eyes put food on the table?”
Rejecting the reaper’s temptation, Mak Chung walked on. A faint laugh, that of the Mistress of the Sky Flower Pavilion, slipped from inside the carriage.
At the next carriage, Mak Chung frowned again.
There it was—another lunatic. No, a lunatic carriage.
It was covered in chaotic doodles and swirling symbols. The dizzying, intricate spirals painted across the surface made him feel light-headed just by looking at them.
“What kind of madman painted something like this?”
The moment he said that, Mak Chung’s dizziness grew worse. The swirling patterns almost seemed to spin in reality, pulling him in.
“Even in this chaotic pattern, there’s order and life,” said Geom Mugeuk. “I used to hate it myself, but now I’ve come to like it.”
At those words, the spirals stilled, and a gentle energy flowed out from the carriage.
“If you ride this one, our hero Mak, you’ll see sights that no living man could ever witness—like the very depths of hell, for instance. When else would you get the chance?”
Mak Chung looked at Geom Mugeuk. What nonsense was he spouting from earlier? He must be trying to confuse me so I can’t pick the carriage with the real treasure. Not happening, you fool!
Finally, it was the golden carriage’s turn.
Mak Chung examined it closely and shouted,
“This is it!”
It truly was a gold-plated carriage—not cheaply plated, but thoroughly and meticulously done. Just the carriage alone would fetch a hefty sum, and Mak Chung’s face brightened at the thought.
“I’ve always had a fondness for gold.”
“Ah, then you’ll get along splendidly with the owner of this carriage. That person is absolutely obsessed with gold.”
Flap.
The curtain of the golden carriage window fluttered. A chill seeped out from within.
Swoosh!
Press—
Geom Mugeuk discreetly released his energy and pushed that cold aura back inside the carriage.
“Then, will you choose this carriage overflowing with desire and greed?”
Swoooosh!
Creeeak—
“But still, let’s at least look at the last one.”
Mak Chung walked toward the final carriage. It was longer than the others, and a thick scent of alcohol wafted out from within.
“This one’s a liquor carriage!”
A fake carriage, a white carriage, a scribbled carriage, a golden carriage—and now, a liquor carriage! To see so many different kinds all at once was almost absurd.
“That’s right! It’s filled with the finest liquors. You won’t regret choosing it. It holds drinks so rare that money alone couldn’t buy them.”
“No matter how expensive liquor is, it’s still just liquor.”
At that moment, a hand suddenly extended out from between the curtains of the liquor carriage’s window.
It held a wine cup—an invitation to taste it.
“Try it, and then decide.”
Of course, Mak Chung didn’t drink it.
“No thanks. Who knows what’s in that drink?”
“Our hero Mak keeps making regretful choices. When else would you have a chance to taste one of the greatest wines in the world?”
Geom Mugeuk went up himself, took the cup, and drank it down.
“Ahh, what a heavenly taste.”
Mak Chung, who loved alcohol, felt a brief tug of temptation—but he wasn’t foolish enough to fall for such a cheap trick.
Then his eyes turned toward the Tenebrous Ghosts Corps warriors standing a little apart from the last carriage.
The female assassins from the Third Squad had intentionally fallen back and were now out of his sight.
Don’t move. Don’t stand out!
To follow Geom Mugeuk’s order, the Tenebrous Ghosts Corps and the escort warriors all stood with deliberately subdued expressions, hiding their energy completely. They even lowered their heads to avoid eye contact, looking every bit like terrified subordinates.
Yet, despite that, Mak Chung felt an odd sense of unease while looking at them. What is this unsettling feeling?
At that moment, Gong Bae came closer and whispered softly to Mak Chung.
“All these carriages clearly look like ones that carry people, don’t they? Instead, how about choosing those two big ones over there? They’re probably loaded with silks or treasures!”
But Mak Chung couldn’t bring himself to give up on the golden carriage.
As he hesitated, Gong Bae suggested,
“You can choose two, right? Then open one of the big carriages first, and afterward decide whether to take the golden one.”
“That’s a good idea.”
Mak Chung and Gong Bae began walking toward the large carriages.
“The one at the very back probably holds the most precious goods.”
“Why’s that?”
“Wouldn’t you keep your most valuable belongings closest to yourself?”
“That makes sense!”
Following Gong Bae’s advice, Mak Chung walked toward the large carriage standing just in front of Geom Mugeuk’s.
What could be inside? Please, let it be filled with gold, jewels, porcelain, and paintings!
Mak Chung opened the carriage door.
His face was full of expectation as he looked inside—
“!”
Inside the carriage, about twenty members of the Demonic Army were seated, lined up on both sides. Among them was Jangho, who had hurriedly climbed aboard.
All of them turned their heads at once to stare directly at Mak Chung.
Clack!
The moment their eyes met, Mak Chung reflexively slammed the door shut.
Even if a sword had been flying straight at his face, he wouldn’t have reacted that fast.
Because he’d opened and closed the door so quickly, Gong Bae, standing behind him, hadn’t seen what was inside.
“What’s in there?”
At Gong Bae’s question, Mak Chung swallowed hard. He wanted to ask the same thing himself.
‘What on earth were those?’
There was no way such a transport carriage could be filled with martial artists—especially ones with bodies that large.
‘Ah! Maybe they were statues of warriors?’
When Gong Bae reached to open the door again—
“Don’t open it!”
Mak Chung’s shout startled Gong Bae into stepping back.
Statues, my foot! Even though it had been only a split second, he was sure—they had looked right at him. That terrifying gaze from those hulking figures was something he would never forget for the rest of his life.
Still, Mak Chung pretended he hadn’t seen anything. If he admitted it, he feared that door would burst open and those things would leap out.
“Since I didn’t see inside, that means I haven’t made a choice yet.”
Mak Chung started arguing with Geom Mugeuk.
“I changed my mind at the last moment. If you’re a real man, you should at least allow that much, shouldn’t you?”
Even so, Geom Mugeuk was all smiles, for reasons Mak Chung couldn’t fathom.
“Of course. Even I would have trouble deciding. How could anyone choose so easily? Go ahead, pick again.”
“Thank you.”
Mak Chung didn’t dare approach the large carriage again. Instead, he returned to the golden one. His legs were trembling so badly it felt like he might collapse.
‘Alright, just pick one quickly and get out of here.’
Even after what he had seen inside the large carriage, greed held him back. Normally, he would have run far away—but he couldn’t just abandon the golden carriage. Yes, let’s just think of them as statues. They were all statues!
‘I made the mistake of not picking this one from the start.’
Standing before the golden carriage, Mak Chung declared boldly,
“I choose this one!”
Then he carefully opened the golden carriage’s door.
Inside, Demonic Buddha sat with his eyes closed.
The moment he saw him, Mak Chung cried out,
“A golden Buddha statue!”
He was ecstatic—almost as if he could fly. Today, he’d been seeing illusions all day long.
“See? Didn’t I make the right choice?”
Gong Bae, stunned, looked past Mak Chung’s shoulder.
“C-Chief! The Buddha statue opened its eyes!”
“What?”
Startled, Mak Chung turned around—Demonic Buddha was staring right at him, eyes wide open.
From those eyes, a crimson glow flowed, as though the Blood Buddha himself had manifested in the flesh.
“Uwaaah!”
Terrified, Mak Chung stumbled backward and fell flat onto his backside.
With a flick of Demonic Buddha’s hand, the carriage door closed. His gaze toward Geom Mugeuk seemed to say, ‘Are you going to keep bothering me with this nonsense?’
Geom Mugeuk used Void Telekinesis to reopen the door.
“There, you’ve been chosen!”
Demonic Buddha looked at Geom Mugeuk with an utterly baffled expression.
“Our hero Mak should now board the carriage.”
Feeling the faint golden killing aura emanating from Demonic Buddha’s body, Mak Chung frantically waved his hands.
“Let’s pretend I didn’t choose that one.”
“That won’t do. You agreed that once a carriage is chosen, it must be taken. Since you’re someone who loves gold, I’m sure you’ll get along well once you talk.”
But Mak Chung’s survival instinct screamed that getting into a carriage with a man radiating golden energy would be a death sentence.
“If you keep forcing me, that boulder up there might just fall on your head.”
Geom Mugeuk replied softly, twisting the threat right back at him.
“Then I’ll just catch it with one hand and hand it to you, our hero Mak.”
Mak Chung flinched. The image flashed vividly in his mind—the man before him catching that massive boulder with one hand and tossing it at him, saying, ‘Here, take it.’ And himself crushed into a bloody smear beneath it.
Geom Mugeuk smiled and stepped beside him.
“I’m joking, I’m joking. How could I possibly catch something like that with one hand? Maybe with two hands, but not one. Anyway, you still need to pick one more carriage, don’t you?”
He grabbed Mak Chung by the arm.
“No, that’s enough. I don’t need to choose another. Just let me go, please!”
“That won’t do. You agreed to pick two, so you must.”
“I’ll pay the protection fee! Just let me leave!”
But Geom Mugeuk’s grip was unyielding, impossible to escape.
“Come on now.”
His eyes were no longer those of a harmless fool. Mak Chung could tell for certain—things had gone wrong. Terribly wrong.
From the Drunken Demon’s carriage, a wine cup once again appeared between the curtains—a signal inviting him to choose it. The gesture only made him more afraid to do so.
Mak Chung’s eyes drifted to the pure-white carriage.
He nearly chose it, but at the last moment, he changed his mind and pointed elsewhere—to the carriage of the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme.
“I’ll take that one.”
It looked chaotic on the outside, but he hoped something unexpectedly calm might lie within.
Please! And fortunately, his hunch was right.
Clack.
When the door opened, a woman sat inside, exuding a mysterious and alluring aura.
The woman glanced in their direction and gave a faint smile.
Mak Chung thought she was smiling at him, but of course, her smile was meant for Geom Mugeuk, who stood beside him.
With a look of pity, Geom Mugeuk said,
“I’ll give you another chance to change!”
To change? That was it! This was the carriage that could save his life!
“No need.”
Mak Chung dashed forward and clambered into the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme’s carriage on his own accord.
“I’ve decided on this one! So don’t make me ride that golden carriage!”
“No, that one’s even more terri—”
At that moment, the carriage door shut.
Clack.
And immediately after, it opened again. The Soul Reaper Demon Supreme was still seated inside—but Mak Chung had vanished.
“Chief!”
Gong Bae shouted, but Mak Chung didn’t reappear.
“Who are you people? If you lay a hand on us, every last member of the Green Forest will rise against you!”
Geom Mugeuk smiled as he replied,
“If you knew who we are, you’d all be sitting quietly again.”
Gong Bae looked up toward the cliff above them. A single signal would trigger the attack—arrows would rain down, and the rocks would tumble in unison.
But he didn’t dare give that command. Something deep inside told him it would be a fatal mistake.
Gong Bae fell to his knees, pressing his forehead to the ground.
“Please spare us!”
The Green Forest bandits who had been watching anxiously from behind all followed suit, bowing flat against the earth.
Clack.
Once more, the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme’s carriage door opened.
The vanished Mak Chung was now sitting exactly where he had been before.
His face was vacant, lifeless. Then he suddenly screamed and threw himself out of the carriage.
“Aaaargh!”
He rolled across the ground in terror, as if he had just returned from hell itself. His entire body trembled with fear.
The Soul Reaper Demon Supreme hadn’t killed him. The Young Cult Leader had clearly forbidden it. The Young Cult Leader wasn’t the type to toy with those he intended to kill.
Now, Geom Mugeuk’s expression shifted as he stood before the two men.
“Hero Mak.”
“Y-yes! No, I’m not a hero! Please, spare me!”
Mak Chung was trembling, begging for his life.
He thought surely, after being toyed with so cruelly, Geom Mugeuk would strike him dead with a single blow. But instead, the man spoke in his usual gentle tone.
“I’m busy right now, so let’s choose your carriages when I return. Stay here and wait for me.”
Mak Chung instinctively understood what that meant.
It wasn’t an instruction—it was a death sentence. If he was still living as a bandit when they returned, he and everyone else here would be slaughtered.
The golden whale dream truly had changed his life—just not in the way he’d ever expected.
“Alright, let’s move out again!”
The carriages and horses began to move once more.
The Tenebrous Ghosts Corps warriors, who had earlier hidden their energy and looked subdued, now revealed their true presence as they passed the two men at the front.
Among those riding behind, not a single one seemed ordinary.
And so, the golden carriage drifted farther and farther away—like a golden whale swimming into the distance.
Watching it go, Gong Bae muttered a belated complaint.
“That’s why I told you we should’ve picked the big carriage.”
Mak Chung let out a long sigh and replied,
“That’s because you didn’t see what was inside.”