In the wilderness, there are neither borders nor signposts. Standing on that land where nature itself grows wild, one comes to realize just how different a domain is from a territory.
As you walk, the scent lingering in the air changes. Though it looks the same on the outside, the feeling that this land is not what I knew creeps in like a drizzle soaking into you. By the time that sense of alienation rises right under your nose, the domain has already shifted.
A domain is not land, but power. The moment we noticed, we had already entered the domain of the Undying.
Totems carved from living trees appear sporadically. Carved with the faces of old men whose eyes and mouths bulge out, the totems bore terrifying expressions as if threatening intruders. Giant, thick trees were draped with ornaments made of beast bones.
A clear domain marker. Seeing that, Rash nodded his head vigorously.
"Hmm! Seeing the Jangseung, we're here! Follow me!"
Rash began to lead the way with practiced ease.
Usually, the outskirts of a domain are bound to have all sorts of measures—scouts, watchtowers, traps—to guard against and repel outside invasion. But in the Undying's domain, nothing could be seen except traces of habitation. Rather than hiding the fact that they lived here, they seemed to be flaunting it.
Walking a little further, a village came into view. It was a village with a rather striking architectural style. Houses of somewhat clumsy shapes were thrown up haphazardly at random intervals. Humans with tanned, brown skin were idling away under shades woven from leaves.
A roof, walls, and pillars are the components of a house, but merely adding them together does not make it a house. Yet, the houses of the Undying seemed to illustrate just how different the sum of its components could be from the totality of a "house."
Clearly, they had pillars, walls, and pillars. But the houses of the Undying were not houses. They clearly had everything, so what was missing?
Ah, that's it.
There is no intention for it to become a "house." It's like watching a sport where the players are all doing their own thing.
"Right Arm. Have you returned?"
A man with a burly physique approached Rash, who was walking nonchalantly. With sun-tanned, bronze skin and a muscular body, he seemed to embody the rugged land of the wilderness. Sporting a short beard, he strode toward Rash with a welcoming expression.
And then, out of nowhere, he kicked Rash in the shin.
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Crack. Rash's shin twisted.
Though Rash possessed a sturdy physique and had even trained in Qigong, he was helpless against the sudden kick. His body rolled twice and slammed into the ground.
"Woof?!"
"What? An attack?"
Just as the startled Aji barked and the Regressor was about to frown, Rash reached out a hand first and spoke.
"Ah. Do not be alarmed. This is our tribe's greeting."
Despite being attacked out of nowhere, Rash calmly picked himself up as if he had expected it. His shin, which looked like it had been broken, had already regenerated.
"Left Leg. Did anything happen while I was gone?"
"If something happened, it happened; if nothing happened, it didn't. The rain of blessings falls and wets the earth as a matter of daily routine, but is it not still a joy?"
"Nothing special happened, then. That is a relief."
Left Leg spoke to Rash, who was dusting himself off as he stood, with a questioning look on his face.
"By the way, you..."
"Ah, my apologies."
And with that, Rash likewise thrust out a fist with an immense aura.
Crunch. Left Leg's ribs caved in. An impact akin to an explosion erupted, and Left Leg was also sent flying backward, leaving a long skid mark on the ground.
Unrestrained and merciless violence. Despite that, Left Leg spoke with an attitude of regret.
"You've gotten weaker, Right Arm."
The Undying do not die. As long as they are touching the ground, they regenerate quickly no matter how badly injured. Rather than worrying about his own injured and broken body, Left Leg expressed concern over Rash's punch.
"Your momentum fell short at the end. Did you perhaps get your blood sucked by that witch?"
"No. The Blood Fiend does not covet our blood. It is just that I have been spending a lot of time with the Piu lately. I have grown accustomed to holding back my strikes."
"Aha. The Piu."
Left Leg cast a glance at me and the Regressor. Compared to their burly, muscular frames, the two of us looked incredibly small and frail.
Left Leg looked at us and spoke with an endlessly gentle face, filled with sympathy.
"You must have a hard time. Of course, the Piu, who suffer from the fear of death, have it far worse."
"Piu? Fear of death?"
Taking it as a provocation, the Regressor bristled. Rash, who had somewhat grasped the Regressor's temperament from their time in the Abyss, waved his hand before the Regressor could respond to the provocation.
"Ah. Piu refers to those who are not of the Undying Clan. It means friends whom we, the undying, must surely help. Outsiders call us barbarians, but that is only because we do not die. To the Piu, we are kind."
"That is right. Piu. Do not worry. We are not so indiscriminate as to use our strength against the Piu..."
At that moment, the Regressor sharply readjusted his fist and unleashed a fist wind. Dozens of strikes landed on Left Leg's body in a fleeting instant. Left Leg, who had approached, was sent flying far away once again.
"Don't look down on me. From your perspective, I am the Undying one here. At your level, you couldn't even manage to injure me."
To use his fists simply because he was looked down upon—it was a barbaric act that would make any civilized person click their tongue. But this was the land of savagery. Barbaric actions were virtues in themselves.
The sent-flying Left Leg grinned broadly and shouted.
"Hahaha! You are a warrior!"
Boom. And immediately, Left Leg charged in and swung a leg thick as a log at the Regressor. A leg that looked far thicker than those of the others engulfed the Regressor.
At that moment, the Regressor drew up his Qigong and struck the shin. Compared to the log-like leg, his fist was infinitely small and shabby.
However, the fist, with a current of air compressed by Qigong swirling around it, contained a power far greater and far more intense than its appearance suggested.
Cheonbangyeong, Gigeokgwon.
A fist-shaped indentation appeared on Left Leg's body. The wind swirled like an awl, piercing deep into Left Leg's frame. Having achieved a complete, overwhelming victory in the clash of raw power, the fist strike sent Left Leg flying once more.
"To break my Gongyangsin...!"
They attacked out of nowhere and even inflicted bodily harm. But this village was the domain of the Undying Clan. The Undying, who regenerate flawlessly no matter how grievously wounded, harbored no fear of cuts or injuries. Naturally, they didn't much care if someone hurt them.
Rather, they welcomed it.
"Incredible! It's been a long time since a warrior like this came around!"
Left Leg grabbed his crushed left leg and squeezed it like a tube. As he did, the leg that had been crumpled by the fist wind popped back to its original shape like a balloon. Repairing his body with nonchalant grotesqueness, Left Leg threw his arms wide and shouted.
"Welcome! We shall treat you not as a Piu, but as a warrior!"
"Whatever. I don't care."
'It's easier to show force to these barbarians than to bother talking. This is the way.'
Whether he was smart or just had good instincts, the Regressor's judgment was surprisingly sharp. In contrast to his violent outburst upon entering the village, the gazes directed at the Regressor had shifted considerably.
The Undying, who had previously been glancing at us with indifference or pity, seemed to be... how should I put it. They looked a little envious and proud.
In any case, Left Leg, having acknowledged the Regressor, now turned to me with a face full of anticipation.
"Now! What about you, then?"
"No. I'll just stay a Piu."
No way. I'm going to live receiving the consideration given to the weak.
Having finished the "greeting," Rash led us along and spoke.
"Well, it's roughly like this. It might seem a bit lacking to the people of Gunguk, but it's not that barbaric, is it?"
"That's true. Even if they call us Piu, they don't particularly look down on us, and they don't just blindly throw punches without any consideration."
"They say that a very long time ago, we were just as violent as beasts. But upon becoming the people of Manguk, we learned to live alongside others. We came to understand the immense fear and suffering that the Piu—those who die easily—live with. Since then, a tradition of protecting and helping the Piu emerged among us."
The Undying's village was not inhabited solely by the Undying. Here and there, humans whose attire clearly distinguished them from the Undying could be seen. Each and every one of them wore a large, red armband signifying that they were Piu.
It was the same for me. As I walked wearing the red armband, I could feel the eyes of the Undying on me. They were treating me with caution, as if I were a fragile toy.
"If you are acknowledged as a warrior, things like what just happened might occur. Since we are undying, we do not shy away from testing our strength. With the boy's level of power, it shouldn't be a major issue, but still, be careful. If you let your guard down, you might end up taking a hit."
The Regressor, who was not wearing an armband, scoffed and replied.
"That's an unnecessary worry. I can react to any attack even while I sleep..."
'...Then why didn't you notice me slipping in while you were asleep and ended up sleeping together?!'
The Regressor slapped both of his cheeks hard with his hands. Rash looked on in bewilderment at the Regressor suddenly harming himself.
"Do the Piu also fix their bodies by hitting themselves? Well, regardless. Teacher, since you are a Piu, you must go to Piu Village. It is the only inn where outsiders can stay, in any case."
Piu Village, huh. What an intuitive name. Then again, the original inhabitants, the Undying Clan, probably all have their own homes...
Ah, wait. He said he was going to marry Kalis, but I haven't even caught a glimpse of her.
"Where is Kalis?"
At my question, Rash's complexion darkened slightly as he spoke.
"It is the same. She is also a Piu, so she is in Piu Village."