The Martial Genius Who Remembers Everything Novel - Chapter 209

Chapter 209
Chapter 209. An Enemy’s Grace (2)

The Grand Riding Ground of the Murim Academy.

The area typically reserved for the boarding and care of the Murim Academy’s horses was now teeming with a dense crowd rather than stables.

In the center of the Grand Riding Ground, a pavilion had been erected.

It appeared to be a symbolic installation designed for testing the Mystic Gate Formation.

“It is certainly…… baffling.”

As Song Jeong-mu observed, the configuration of the Mystic Gate Formation spread across the ground was deeply peculiar.

Under normal circumstances, a Mystic Gate Formation aims to lower the wariness of intruders by using natural disguises like rocks or trees.

Its primary function is then to distort the perception of those who wander inside and guide them safely toward the exterior of the perimeter.

The Seven Stars Seven Seizures Formation gained its legendary status in the martial arts community for its ability to manipulate the Eight Gates with precision, naturally leading entrants into traps or dungeons.

However, the Two Principles Eight Trigrams Myriad Phenomena Formation currently occupying the Grand Riding Ground was shrouded in dark haze, and its structural layout was blatantly exposed.

It was failing its fundamental duty to remain concealed and to shepherd people away from lethal zones.

Aaaaaaagh!

Ah, h-h-hah……

Please…… please……

Furthermore, agonized shrieks were incessantly echoing from deep within the formation.

“What is going on here?”

When I moved toward a Formation Master to inquire, I was met with a sharp, impatient retort.

“We are currently handling the situation. Back away!”

Disregarding the insolence of the pale-faced Formation Master, I took a firm step forward.

“I am Jin So-un, representative of the Murim Academy. I require an explanation for these events.”

Only then did the Formation Master, his brow knitted in frustration, display a flicker of hesitation.

“Jin So-un?”

“That is correct. I am he.”

“……This is not a matter for you to interfere with. Stand back.”

“……”

This interaction was hitting a wall.

I channeled a measure of internal energy into my voice and spoke again.

“Where is Jegal Jeong-gi?”

“I-I ordered you to step away!”

“Do I look like I am engaging in idle talk?”

Crushed by the sheer pressure of my aura, the Formation Master and his subordinates began looking around frantically, paralyzed by indecision.

Seeing the deadlock, Song Jeong-mu finally stepped in.

“I am Song Jeong-mu of the Mount Heng Sect. I was told my assistance was required.”

“Ah! Great Hero Seven-Kill Soul-Destroyer!”

The Formation Master’s demeanor shifted instantly as he bowed low.

Look at these people. The sycophancy is so suffocating I can barely stand it.

My expression hardened, and Song Jeong-mu shot me a quick look before questioning the Formation Master.

“What exactly is transpiring within that Mystic Gate Formation? And why was I summoned here with such urgency?”

“T-that is……”

The Formation Master faltered, his eyes darting toward my reaction.

Really? He was so committed to pettiness that he would rather risk lives than speak in my presence?

Just as I prepared to interject, a thunderous rebuke erupted from Song Jeong-mu.

“What do you think you are doing! If the crisis is grave enough to warrant my presence, it must be severe. Yet you persist in these petty power plays while people suffer inside?”

“……”

Song Jeong-mu pressed the advantage.

“If this is your chosen conduct, I can be of no use to you.”

“N-no, that is not the case.”

After gauging the atmosphere for an agonizing moment, the Formation Master exhaled a shaky breath.

“The reality is, the Two Principles Eight Trigrams Myriad Phenomena Formation’s……”

Before he could elaborate on the secret, a booming voice interrupted him.

“What are you implying!”

The Academy students who had congregated around the noise parted to clear a path.

The man approaching with a flushed, furious face was none other than Jegal Jeong-gi.

He panted, clearly preparing to dress down the Formation Master.

“Do you intend to divulge the clan’s secrets to an outsider……!”

The Formation Master’s gaze flickered to the figure standing behind Jegal Jeong-gi, who was still yapping like an agitated mongrel.

Everyone’s attention followed his gaze.

“Grand…… no, Grand Strategist?”

The chattering Academy students fell into an instant, deathly hush.

The Grand Riding Ground, which moments ago felt like a busy marketplace, dropped into a silence as profound as a library archive.

The lingering noise seemed to irritate the Grand Strategist, who merely whispered a single sentence to the Academy Head beside him.

“It is far too loud.”

“I will handle it immediately.”

As Buk Won-pyeong signaled the instructors, they systematically ushered the students away from the Grand Riding Ground.

Recognizing that the arrival of the Grand Strategist meant the situation was far beyond their purview, the students quickly vacated the area.

A total silence blanketed the grounds.

Only then did Jegal So-myeong, his face a mask of stern solemnity, turn his gaze upon Jegal Jeong-gi.

“Now, report the status.”

At the Grand Strategist’s inquiry, delivered with his hands clasped firmly behind his back, Jegal Jeong-gi started to respond but then glared at me, his eyes narrowing.

His guarded expression silently demanded to know why I remained.

It was an unsubtle order for me to leave.

Seeing this, Jegal So-myeong’s brows arched.

“I was informed this situation was urgent enough to demand my presence. Was that not the truth?”

Faced with Jegal So-myeong’s subtle command for me to stay, Jegal Jeong-gi bit his lip in frustration before speaking.

“……A malfunction has occurred within the Two Principles Eight Trigrams Myriad Phenomena Formation.”

“I have eyes. Do you not even understand the fundamentals of a proper report?”

At the icy rebuke from Jegal So-myeong, Jegal Jeong-gi’s posture slumped.

“……We were attempting to demonstrate the upgraded prototype……”

“Ha……! We have barely finalized the standard Mystic Gate Formation, and you have the audacity to tamper with an unverified, improved version?”

“I apologize. Grandfather……”

“You foolish child!”

A roar echoed from Jegal So-myeong.

The temperature in the Grand Riding Ground seemed to plummet.

“Do you believe I am standing here as your grandfather?”

“……”

At that exact moment.

Ah, h-h-hah.

S-stop! Please, stop! I…… I was mistaken!

I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m deeply sorry!

It wasn’t me…… It wasn’t me! I swear I wasn’t the one who triggered it!!

The desperate wailing from within the formation filled the space.

Jegal So-myeong let out a weary sigh and turned toward Song Jeong-mu and me.

“I assume you brought the Mount Heng Sect here because you believe the Steadfast Hearts of those trapped are beginning to fracture?”

Song Jeong-mu stepped forward, offering a respectful greeting with clasped hands.

“It has been quite some time, Grand Strategist.”

“Indeed it has, though it is a pity our meeting occurs under such grim circumstances. Tell me, what is your assessment? Will the Mount Heng Sect’s Dispelling Evil offer any relief?”

“……”

In the silence that followed, Jegal Jeong-gi thrust his head forward.

“The Mount Heng Sect’s Dispelling Evil and Exorcism are peerless under heaven! They will undoubtedly aid those caught inside……”

“I did not address you!”

“……”

Jegal So-myeong looked at his grandson with utter disdain before returning his gaze to Song Jeong-mu. Song Jeong-mu sighed quietly.

“As you are well aware, Grand Strategist, there is unfortunately nothing I can do to intervene.”

Jegal Jeong-gi recoiled in shock.

“W-what are you saying! C-could it be that because you are collaborating with Jin So-un, you intend to abandon the Jegal Clan?!”

At Jegal Jeong-gi’s accusation, Song Jeong-mu’s eyes hardened into icy blades.

His look was one of pure, unadulterated contempt.

“Do I…… and does the Mount Heng Sect appear so pathetic in your eyes?”

“……”

Every time Jegal Jeong-gi spoke, he steered the situation into a deeper disaster for himself.

For reasons of his own, Jegal So-myeong alternated his gaze between his grandson and me before sighing again.

“I offer my apologies. Jin-myeong spoiled him far too much. I warned him repeatedly against it.”

“Did you not come here in your capacity as the Grand Strategist?”

“I shall discuss this with the Sect Leader at the appropriate time.”

During this exchange between Jegal So-myeong and Song Jeong-mu, Jegal Jeong-gi’s face was a mask of confusion.

“Grandfa…… no, Grand Strategist, what do you mean by that?”

“Are you truly unable to distinguish between the energy of the Unorthodox Side Path and the righteous path?”

“……Pardon? What are you implying……?”

Jegal So-myeong clicked his tongue, clearly finding him hopeless.

“The Mount Heng Sect’s Dispelling Evil is the power to rectify corruption through righteousness. I am asking whether the illusions of the Two Principles Eight Trigrams Myriad Phenomena Formation, which were constructed using righteous energy, can be reconciled by their specific techniques.”

“……”

Only then did the blood drain from Jegal Jeong-gi’s face, as if he finally grasped the truth.

“How many are trapped inside?”

At Jegal So-myeong’s question, the Formation Master answered with rigid tension.

“S-seventy-eight.”

Hearing the number, which was significantly higher than anticipated, Jegal So-myeong’s eyes narrowed sharply.

“You trapped quite a many. How long have they been confined?”

“T-thirty minutes…… no, it has been almost forty-five minutes now.”

“Hoo…… How long to safely dismantle the formation?”

“T-that is……”

After the Formation Masters huddled together for a tense, hushed discussion, one of them eventually gulped and replied.

“I-it appears it will take…… three days.”

Jegal So-myeong massaged his temples, a clear sign of a mounting headache.

“And that is the optimistic projection, is it not?”

“……That is correct.”

“Because you have no idea what consequences the experimental, improved equipment is having on the interior.”

“Yes……”

At the Formation Master’s helpless admission, a heavy, collective sigh rippled through the group.

The situation had turned critical.

Since the Orthodox Path Association’s event had officially resumed, most individuals trapped within the Two Principles Eight Trigrams Myriad Phenomena Formation were figures of significant influence within the Association.

In other words, they were individuals of high status, both within the Orthodox Path Association and the broader martial world, whose loss would be catastrophic.

That immense pressure was the very reason Jegal Jeong-gi had been forced to summon Jegal So-myeong.

“Grandfa…… no, Grand Strategist. You must have a solution, surely?”

Even to this desperate appeal, Jegal So-myeong did not respond lightly.

‘Of course he has no immediate answer. How could he? What kind of ultimate formation is the Two Principles Eight Trigrams Myriad Phenomena?’

It was the pinnacle of the Jegal Clan’s work, a project developed over two decades of intense research.

It was an advanced Mystic Gate Formation that had reached an supreme level through countless refinements.

Though the public criticized the Jegal Clan for being blinded by profit and toying with dangerous formations, one could not deny that countless people had survived the Demon Cult’s grasp thanks to these very improvements.

But that was a concern for another time.

Given the current circumstances, the Jegal Clan was left with only one way to dissolve the Two Principles Eight Trigrams Myriad Phenomena Formation.

Jegal So-myeong met Jegal Jeong-gi’s expectant eyes.

“There is one!”

“T-then…… use it immediately!”

And then he ruthlessly snuffed out that flicker of hope.

“But everyone inside will be killed.”

“Pardon? What are you saying……?”

“The stability of the Mystic Gate Formation is failing due to the flawed, upgraded equipment. That is why the Steadfast Hearts of the people trapped inside are shattering.”

The Jegal clan members gathered nearby gasped in unison as the weight of his words sank in.

Jegal So-myeong continued, his tone devoid of warmth.

“But because of that instability, it can be destroyed.”

“Destroyed?!”

Jegal Jeong-gi looked as if he might lunge forward in panic.

Yet, Jegal So-myeong did not even flinch.

“Do you possess an alternative?”

To break the Mystic Gate Formation at this moment meant collapsing every gate, including the Eight Gates, in a singular, violent motion.

It was essentially like torching a house with the inhabitants inside just because a flea had been spotted.

Jegal Jeong-gi shook, unable to process the cruelty of the choice.

“Then…… will the people inside not die?”

“Otherwise, we will watch them emerge as broken, raving madmen three days from now.”

“……!”

Jegal So-myeong’s gaze was colder and more clinical than I had ever seen it.

“Make your choice. Would you prefer corpses? Or would you prefer children whose minds have been irreparably shattered?”

“……Ugh.”

“You must have understood the burden of responsibility the moment you authorized this.”

Jegal So-myeong was holding Jegal Jeong-gi to account not as a grandfather to a grandson, but as a judge to a criminal.

It was clear he had no intention of letting this disaster slide once the dust settled.

‘What is the best course of action……?’

Meanwhile, my own mind was churning as intensely as Jegal Jeong-gi’s.

The dilemma was whether stepping in now was the correct move.

If I intervened unnecessarily, I risked creating an enemy out of the Jegal Clan, a group with whom my standing was currently not unfavorable.

Conversely, if I stood by, I could allow this event to weaken the prestige of the Orthodox Path Association and seize the opportunity to consolidate my own influence.

‘That may be true, but……’

Aaaaaaagh!

M-mother! Father!!!!

I’m sorry! I was wrong!

The screams intensified, vibrating from the heart of the Two Principles Eight Trigrams Myriad Phenomena Formation.

The decision I had to make became blindingly clear.

After organizing my thoughts, I exhaled a sharp breath.

“Grand Strategist.”

Every gaze in the vicinity snapped to me.

I met Jegal So-myeong’s eyes with steady intensity.

“I do not believe now is the time to assign blame.”

“……”

“……”

“……”

At my declaration, a frigid silence took hold of the Grand Riding Ground.

Not only the Academy’s Training Masters but even the Formation Masters of the Jegal Clan stared at me as if I were a lunatic.

However, only one person responded.

Only Jegal So-myeong replied, holding my gaze.

“Then what do you propose?”

“Should we not prioritize the lives of those trapped inside?”

For a fleeting second, the corner of Jegal So-myeong’s mouth seemed to twitch upward.

“……Do you have a method to rescue them? Because the internal structural pillars have shifted, the pathways are in constant flux. Even with your legendary memory, of what use is it if the map changes every heartbeat?”

“I cannot claim with certainty that I can enter and locate them.”

A flicker of genuine curiosity touched his eyes.

“Then?”

I swept my gaze over the Jegal Clan Formation Masters before turning back to Jegal So-myeong.

“May I…… attempt to break the formation?”

“Break the formation?”

At those words, Jegal Jeong-gi’s eyes widened, and he struggled violently.

“Jin So-un! How dare you speak so glibly of Formation Breaking! What do you take the Jegal Clan’s Mystic Gate Formation for……! What are you all doing? Seize that bastard at once……!”

Slap!

With a sharp, cracking sound of flesh on flesh, Jegal Jeong-gi stared at Jegal So-myeong in utter disbelief.

“G-grandfather……”

Jegal Jeong-gi’s face was etched with raw betrayal, as if he had been struck by an ally he trusted implicitly.

Jegal So-myeong roared, his expression more terrifying than I had ever witnessed.

“You fool!!! Human lives are hanging by a thread! Is the fragile vanity of a single clan more important than them!”

“……”

His icy gaze lingered on me for a moment before snapping back to his grandson.

“You no longer have the right to remain here! What are you waiting for! Drag this idiot away at once!”

Another thunderous command was barked at the stunned guards.

“Did I not order you to remove him immediately!”

“Y-yes, sir!”

Jegal Jeong-gi was hauled away, his body limp and his feet dragging across the dirt.

Jegal So-myeong looked at me with a hardened, questioning face. “Can you truly break the formation?”

Jegal So-myeong and the Jegal Clan’s Formation Masters watched me with eyes that could not find it in themselves to believe it possible.

If not for Jegal So-myeong’s authority, they would have likely swarmed me in their skepticism.

It was only natural. “Formation Breaking” required an intimate knowledge of a formation’s structural weak point to dismantle it from the exterior.

They struggled to believe I could dismantle the Two Principles Eight Trigrams Myriad Phenomena Formation, which represented two decades of work from the brightest minds in their clan.

Even in my previous life, until the Demon Brain appeared, no one had ever successfully “broken” the Two Principles Eight Trigrams Myriad Phenomena Formation.

Of course, I could not guarantee I could dismantle it with the same precision as the Demon Brain.

Still, it had to be better than watching dozens of people crushed to death inside or seeing Academy students emerge as hollow, raving shells.

‘Would this not be the better path?’

I couldn’t even begin to predict how this would alter my future relationship with the Jegal Clan.

Aaaaaaagh!

Ah, h-h-hah.

Please…… please……

Forgive me! I was wrong!

For now, saving those lives was the only choice that mattered.

“Yes. I believe it is possible.”

In that moment, I thought of nothing else.

Nothing else mattered.