"The moment I guide you there, the odds of my survival drop significantly."
The odds of dying are high?
What is he even talking about?
I stared at Monk Seungju with my mouth agape. He offered a faint smile before speaking.
"The sparring match earlier was truly impressive."
After resolving the matter of persuading the temple's people to some extent, there had been a brief sparring session between Monk Seungju and my unit.
"You were remarkable. To be honest, I never imagined that individuals as strong as you existed outside of the Awakened members of our temple. Particularly, the large gentleman who fought last... his movements were..."
He must be talking about Corporal Jeon Gwangil.
Yeah, the guy’s definitely something else.
"His power was incredible. If the legendary Vajra warriors existed in real life, they’d probably look just like him. However..."
But if you’re asking whether that strength alone is sufficient, that’s a different story.
It seemed Monk Seungju understood this as well.
"That immense strength... It looked as if he wasn’t fully in control of it."
Well, he wasn’t wrong.
In the sparring match between Monk Seungju and my unit, the outcome was...
"Our unit got thoroughly beaten."
The only one who managed to draw a tie, and only because he didn’t unleash his full berserk mode, was Gwangil.
From my perspective as someone who had worked tirelessly to train my unit, the results were honestly disheartening.
"This guy... he’s a monster-level expert."
Compared to Monk Hyeyeon, whom we met at the temple gate, this guy was on an entirely different level.
Despite having significantly lower stats than my squad members, he demonstrated an overwhelming level of combat ability.
If he were equipped with the gear our unit developed, he might even stand toe-to-toe with a berserker-mode Gwangil. His strength could rival the best our battle-hardened unit had to offer.
The source of that power was clear.
"The martial art... it’s something we monks have registered in our skill windows, at least for now."
The technique practiced by the monks of this temple.
"I assume you’re here because you want to learn this power as well."
He reached behind him and pulled out a steel staff, its weight evident in his practiced grip.
"As you likely noticed during our sparring, our martial art is fundamentally based on staff techniques."
"Yes, you mentioned that before."
"Before we Awaken someone, we first teach them this 'warrior monk martial art' to a certain extent. While the martial art doesn’t hold much significance before Awakening, we’ve found that this method increases the likelihood of developing staff proficiency traits after Awakening."
I see.
It seems they’ve developed their own efficient methods for preparing for Awakening.
The problem, though, is...
"That doesn’t apply to you and your squad."
"Yeah, no kidding."
Take me, for example. My class is "Chef." My weapon trait is "Dagger Proficiency."
Unlike skills that can be learned through skill books, traits are notoriously difficult to acquire once established.
"I’m confident that if you could learn it, your squad’s capabilities would increase exponentially. However, I’m afraid I can’t simply hand over what I have."
No matter how extraordinary and refined this monk’s "martial art" might be, there’s no way to just slap a staff into someone’s hands and expect them to master it without the relevant traits.
"Instead, I’ll guide you to the place where I learned this technique."
"..."
"I can’t guarantee success, but at that place, you might find the martial art your soldiers need."
Well, that’s fine by me. I was the one who requested to know where he acquired it, after all.
"But what do you mean by 'the odds of dying are high'?"
The real issue was why this guy suddenly started acting like he was writing his will.
"If it’s traps or monsters, just tell me. Our unit has handled plenty of situations like that before."
"Haha... I appreciate the sentiment, but I doubt it’ll be so simple."
Adjusting his posture, the monk spoke again.
"We’re ready to leave. Will you follow me?"
Despite my lingering questions, I decided to follow Monk Seungju to the place he wanted to show ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) me.
"By the way, sir."
"Yes?"
"Have you noticed how the other monks treat me at this temple?"
At his question, I thought back to my observations.
I hadn’t been at the temple for long, so I hadn’t seen much.
"Hmm. The monk who fought Gwangil at the gate bowed to you very respectfully. And the head abbot seems to place a lot of trust in you. People were saying things like how many lives you’ve saved or how your merit is immeasurable."
"Haha..."
"You were the first to Awaken here, weren’t you? And you’re the one who learned and spread that martial art. I’d say you’ve genuinely saved many lives. The only issue was people opposing Awakening."
The monk gave a bitter, embarrassed smile.
"To be honest, I feel ashamed of that praise."
"Oh, I kind of get that. It’s a little embarrassing when people over-praise you, even if you’ve worked hard."
"No, that’s not what I mean."
"?"
"In my case, I genuinely deserve to be ashamed."
It seemed Monk Seungju’s situation was a bit different from mine.
Eventually, we reached our destination—a remote part of the temple, perched high in the mountains.
"This is..."
"As you can see, a cliff."
Before us stretched a steep, jagged cliffside.
"Wow. One wrong step, and you’re dead. Good thing it’s blocked off to prevent falls."
"Surprisingly, it’s not as steep as it looks."
"What?"
"If you descend carefully, like a rock climber, even an ordinary person could make it down alive."
"Really?"
"Yes. In fact, I might be the only one in this temple who knows about this."
Uh... what?
"You’re speaking as if you’ve gone down there yourself."
"I have. A couple of times."
"And why, exactly, would you do that?"
"The first time was an accident."
With a strange look in his eyes, he stared down the cliff.
"Do you know what I did on the day those monsters appeared?"
"No clue. According to the head abbot, you disappeared on the first day and were presumed dead."
"I ran away. I was terrified of the monsters."
"...!"
I stared at Monk Seungju, my mouth falling open.
He ran away?
"The monsters struggled to scale the cliff, so most of them headed toward the temple gates. The monks and visitors trapped in the temple made for excellent bait."
The problem my unit and this temple shared was the need to Awaken people.
I remembered why I had forced everyone in my unit to Awaken.
"If I didn’t, the unit would weaken."
A weakened unit would lead to soldiers feeling insecure, increasing the risk of desertion, which would weaken us even further.
But this guy...
"So he was the first deserter here."
Monk Seungju was the temple’s first runaway.
“Huff... hic.”
A middle-aged man sobbed like a child, clinging to a protruding rock as he cautiously set his foot down the cliffside.
"At least one person has to survive..."
Though he had been a monk for quite some time, Seungju had never been particularly devout.
He’d heard that many of the so-called revered monks were actually quite well-off, living comfortably in their temples.
The monastic life didn’t seem particularly strict or grueling to him.
For Seungju, it was simply a decent career.
He’d gone to university, obtained the necessary qualifications, and became a monk because it seemed like a stable option—not out of any deep spiritual conviction.
If there was ever a term for a monk who wasn’t truly committed, he’d thought it might apply to him.
Even so, Seungju had found a sense of satisfaction in temple life.
His hobbies were simple—playing foot volleyball with the other monks after a day’s work.
That ordinary life came to an abrupt end one day.
The monks he played volleyball with were brutally killed before his eyes.
“Sniff...”
Myohyangsa was a well-known temple, attracting many monks and visitors alike.
Perhaps the monsters that appeared suddenly had seen it as a well-stocked pantry of food.
The beasts climbed over the temple walls and dragged people off into the forest.
Those dragged off were the lucky ones.
The real horror began when he saw one of his fellow monks, disemboweled and partially eaten, rise to its feet with a guttural groan.
- What the hell is happening?
- We need weapons. Anything we can use. We can’t just sit here and die.
The more clear-headed among them held an emergency meeting to come up with a plan for survival.
Some armed themselves with ornamental staves intended for ritual purposes.
They tried various measures, but...
‘Those monsters aren’t stray dogs. You think a wooden staff is going to kill one of them?’
To Seungju, it was hopeless.
- Escape is... impossible, isn’t it?
- Yes. Those monsters... They’ve completely surrounded the temple.
- Damn it. They’re keeping us here like livestock, picking us off one by one when they’re hungry.
As the conversation turned to escape, a single idea popped into Seungju’s head.
‘The cliff.’
The temple was surrounded on three sides, but no monsters had appeared at the steep cliffside behind the temple.
Seungju remembered a time when he had nearly fallen off that cliff while sneaking a drink of alcohol.
Back then, he’d discovered that while the cliff appeared dangerously steep, it wasn’t as treacherous as it seemed.
With careful climbing, it was possible to descend and even climb back up.
The monsters were concentrated on the other three sides of the temple, as if it were a buffet.
If he could somehow sneak down the cliff and escape into the mountains, he might be able to find the police or the military for help.
- Uh, excuse me.
Seungju tried to suggest his idea.
- What is it, Monk Seungju?
- Ah... it’s nothing.
The monsters were gathered near the temple gates because they knew the people inside were trapped.
‘If everyone tried to flee down the cliff, the monsters wouldn’t just let us go.’
So there was only one way to escape using the cliff.
‘Slip away while the monsters are focused on everyone else.’
It wasn’t like he felt no guilt.
He was leaving everyone else behind to die while he ran for his own life.
But staying in the temple wouldn’t change anything.
‘If I can get out and warn people about the monsters at the temple...!’
With that rationalization, Seungju made his decision.
That night, he climbed down the cliff to escape.
“Hngh...”
Using the dim light from his nearly-dead smartphone to guide him, he slowly descended.
The climb wasn’t easy, but eventually, his feet touched solid ground at the bottom of the cliff.
Just as he was about to let out a sigh of relief...
- Grkk...
A sound came from behind him, one he recognized immediately.
“A-aah...”
The same monsters that had devoured his colleagues that morning.
One of them was waiting for him at the bottom of the cliff.
Abandoning everyone else for his own survival, only to die alone where no one would see him—
“Haha... karma’s a bitch.”
Seungju had never been confident about fighting, not even against a medium-sized dog.
Against a monster, he had no will to resist.
But there was one thing he hadn’t noticed.
The section of cliff he had climbed down was partially obscured by a black veil-like substance.
And by pure chance, his retreating steps brought him closer to it.
“Heek!”
Just as the monster lunged for his neck—
*Crack!*
“...Crack?”
Something shot out from the veil behind him and grabbed the monster by the neck.
“What... what is this?”
Turning around, he saw the black veil.
From within it, a long, shadowy arm emerged.
*Snap.*
The hand twisted the monster’s neck with a sharp crack, leaving it unconscious.
Seungju had no idea what was happening, but one thing was clear: that hand had just saved his life.
“Th-thank you... Thank you so much...”
- Hmph. What a pitiful creature.
“Excuse me?”
- But I have no choice either... So be it.
The voice sounded indifferent, almost dismissive.
Then it asked,
- Do you want to live?
The hand pointed at him.
Though he couldn’t understand what was happening, Seungju nodded frantically, tears streaming down his face.
“I... I want to live. I don’t want to die like this.”
- Then let’s make a deal.
“A deal?”
- Bring me the corpses of monsters.
“W-what?”
The hand’s demand was absurd, and Seungju couldn’t hide his shock.
“Th-that’s impossible! You want me to kill monsters? Those things tear down gates with their bare hands!”
- Don’t worry about that part.
“What do you mean, don’t worry?”
- If you accept the deal...
The hand reached out, touching his head, and directed his gaze toward the unconscious monster on the ground.
- I’ll give you the power to survive.
From then on, the hand taught him martial arts.
It was a technique far beyond ordinary human capabilities, designed to harness the enhanced physical abilities of the Awakened.
“It took me about three days to learn the martial art.”
“...”
“Before I returned to the temple, that hand gave me some instructions.”
- You may teach a diluted version of the technique to others.
- However, you are forbidden from passing on the original.
- You are also forbidden from revealing my existence to anyone.
- If you violate these terms...
- I’ll personally devour your heart.
“That’s the whole story.”
“Hm.”
“I don’t know exactly what that entity is, but it’s not normal. A being that demands lives in exchange for power... I doubt it’s anything benevolent.”
Monk Seungju’s story was one of guilt and shame, but...
“Even if it hadn’t demanded secrecy, it’s not something I could easily tell others about.”
Still, my mind had latched onto one detail from the story.
If what he said was true, then the hand beyond the veil must be—
“A Trainer NPC...!”
This was huge.
