Episode 78 – Flash Silk Thread
When I returned to the Clan Head’s Hall, sure enough, the treasure had arrived.
They were the items Paeng Soso had sent from the safehouse, discreetly rerouted two or three times for security before reaching me.
Tak Horak was guarding the goods with an overly stern expression.
Anyone looking might think he was General Zhang Fei guarding the Changban Slope.
Then again, perhaps that wasn’t so absurd.
The Black Shadow Corps had recently been reorganized into the Black Shadow Lifeguard Unit, a personal force directly under the clan head.
Naturally, Tak Horak was now constantly bathed in envious stares—and whether it had gone to his head or not, he had started acting excessively solemn.
On top of that, being favored by the clan head had catapulted his status and influence within the cult.
“You've arrived, sir.”
He bowed with unusual discipline, which was laughable—considering he was just a clown inside.
I wanted to warn others not to be fooled. Tak Horak was the biggest victim of the “side character intelligence nerf” trope.
“Yeah.”
“I haven’t left my post for even a second, waiting for your return.”
Well, to be fair, he was one of the few people I could genuinely call a close aide. Without Tak Horak and Saweol, my time in the Cult would’ve been a nightmare.
“Not even a rat got close.”
“I see. Good work.”
At those simple, expected words of praise, Tak Horak looked like he might tear up.
“Oh, right—there was a letter with the treasure shipment.”
I took the letter he handed me.
To my dear brother Kim, from Paeng Soso, Sorry I’m late.
The ruin you mentioned was too difficult, so I couldn’t loot it.
But I raided a few other places instead and sent everything I found.
Thanks to that, our reputation’s grown—we even recruited a well-known formation expert.
Once we’re ready to tackle the ruin you mentioned, I’ll send a list first so you can pick and choose. Keep supporting us, okay?
P.S. Where exactly are these treasures going? Don’t tell me you’re stockpiling weapons to attack the Martial World from the East?
P.S. #2. Thanks for trusting me.
I let out a small chuckle and folded the letter.
“Aren’t you going to burn it?”
“What?”
“You know... Usually in these situations, it’s stylish to burn the letter with a triple-flame technique or something.”
Yep. That’s the Tak Horak I know.
“Think before you speak, Tak Horak.”
Before I could scold him, Saweol beat me to it.
“What the clan head is doing right now is weakening the Martial World’s powers while strengthening the Cult. If you burn the evidence, it could look like you’re covering something up—maybe even committing betrayal. This letter must be kept.”
“Of course! So there was a deeper meaning behind it all!”
Honestly, I had planned to burn it when no one was around, so Saweol saved me there. It’s all about perspective—what seems like cooperation with the righteous sects could be twisted into treason.
“Especially if the Sun and Moon Chu Clan catches wind of it, they’ll try to tie me up in any way they can.”
It was a sobering reminder of how dangerous the Cult could be, even for its leader.
Thankfully, Paeng Soso’s line about “stockpiling weapons” gave me a perfect excuse. I checked the inventory that came with the carts.
There were a total of 37 items—30 treasured relics and 7 artifact-level items.
“That’s a pretty good haul.”
The only problem was that they hadn’t looted the specific ruin I’d asked for, so none of the treasures were immediately useful to my current needs.
‘Like a cactus that shoots thorns when touched...’
One item was exactly that—a cactus, the size of a forearm, sealed in a glass case like an aquarium.
A note warned to be extremely careful, as it would shoot its countless needles when disturbed.
“The Tang Clan would go crazy for this. I’d better hold onto it for when I meet Tang Siyuk later.”
There were other oddities too—like a “playing monkey figurine” and “leather shoes that never wear out”.
Valuable if sold, for sure, but...
“They’re useless to me.”
What I needed were items to make up for my lack of martial strength. Still, a few artifacts were potentially useful.
[Flash Silk Thread. Good for visual interference.]
A decorative thread made from red, green, and blue fibers. Its function was simple—it could emit an intense flash of light at the desired moment.
Basically, a fantasy flashbang.
“In that case...”
I tied the Flash Silk Thread to the end of Skybreaker’s hilt.
[I despise this.]
“Why?”
[It’s hideous. This beautiful blade deserves better than that tacky thing.]
I was speechless.
“Look, combining this with my glare technique should be pretty effective. It’s thread—of course I’m tying it to the tip of the sword.”
[You sure are getting more and more crafty.]
“Without tricks like this, how would I even survive a day here?”
[Fair point.]
Ignoring Sky’s grumbling, I turned to the next item.
It was sealed in a small box with bands covered in strange markings.
Inside—was a jade.
A mysterious piece of jade emitting a pulsing blue light, like something inside was constantly exploding.
“Hmm...?”
Saweol instinctively stepped back. It reminded her of Cheol Muguk’s forge—because the moment I opened the lid, the room began to heat up.
[Aside from it being fire-related jade, there’s no other info.]
That was the problem—jade was infamous for being high-risk, high-reward.
Same dilemma as with the Blink Orb.
You never really knew what a jade’s effect might be. Some, like Golden Jade, were borderline cursed.
“If I absorb a fire-type jade recklessly, I might end up in deep trouble...”
In NovelBins, fire powers were often stylish and romanticized. But if this jade caused uncontrollable flames or constant explosions, I’d be in real danger.
In theory, someone at Transcendent Peak or higher could suppress the jade’s energy with their internal force. But for a fake Transcendent Peak like me? No chance.
“Let’s just hold onto it for now.”
You never knew when it might come in handy.
I packed up the jade and Flash Silk Thread.
“Store the rest in the clan’s vault.”
“Why not sell them?”
Tak Horak again. I sighed—classic nerfed side character logic.
“All of these came through the Treasure Hoarders. And do you remember who leads them?”
Paeng Soso—not some distant Tang Clan branch, but the direct granddaughter of the Poison King himself.
If word got out that these relics ended up in the hands of Cult members? Absolute chaos.
“Kghh. Such a waste...”
“The less conspicuous items will be distributed to the Black Shadow Lifeguard Unit.”
Tak Horak and Saweol had often been seen by Martial World outsiders alongside me, so even if they used the items openly, it wouldn't cause problems.
Besides, their growth only strengthened my position.
Our simple-minded Tak Horak looked deeply moved again.
“Anything new within the clan?”
“It’s quieter than expected,” Tak Horak said. Saweol nodded in agreement.
“The New Faction members come every day to see you, but no real incidents. The Elders’ Faction has also made no moves. Shall we check their correspondence?”
“No need.”
If they were doing something serious, their messages were probably encrypted or passed through alternate means anyway.
[Is this the calm before the storm...or are they hiding like a startled turtle?]
“Either way, we’ve only got about two weeks left.”
[Then we’d better get moving.]
“Right. We need to hurry.”
I needed Cheol Muguk’s seal before I could get the Gwak Clan’s seal. Only then would the “marry into the Gates family” strategy work.
“Wait.”
Just then, I remembered the jade Paeng Soso had sent. If it was fire-related, the Cheol Clan might know something about it.
After all, Cheol Muguk spent every day starting and extinguishing fires.
“You’re both dismissed. Get some rest.”
Saweol and Tak Horak bowed and left. When I opened the window, moonlight peeked faintly through the clouds.
Thinking about it... I really was a proper villainous boss now.
Waking people up before dawn and making them work overtime through the night.
They say if you stare into the abyss too long, the abyss stares back. Had I become CEO Kim from back home after enduring him for so long?
[Just who is this Kim boss? For you to be that traumatized... he must’ve been some kind of grand Demon.]
With that final misunderstanding from Sky, the day came to an end.
***
The next day.
As always, I woke before sunrise and grabbed the jade box, heading to the Cheol Clan. Naturally, Saweol accompanied me.
“Impressive.”
Young Master Cheol looked at me, half-exasperated.
Though really, he was the impressive one—already training at this hour. Not that I could admit that out loud.
“What’s impressive?”
“Even as the Clan Head, you show up here every single day.
Don’t you have affairs to manage in the Sado Clan?”
There was no malice in his tone. More like friendly teasing.
He was still of the Cheol Clan—and Cheol Muguk’s son—so perhaps he admired my ‘grit’.
“No harm in staying ahead of the game.”
“To be honest...”
Young Master Cheol scratched his bald head.
“Back during the previous clan head’s era, the Sado Clan was just a nuisance. But under your rule, Lord Sado... you feel like a real threat.”
“It’s simple.”
I replied with a smirk.
“Just don’t oppose me.”
“You’ve got guts saying that in the Cheol Clan’s courtyard.”
“There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask.”
“What is it?”
“Your clan head—why does he keep lighting and extinguishing the fire repeatedly?”
“If you’re curious, ask him yourself...Though you’ll be lucky if you don’t get scolded.”
Young Master Cheol added:
“To become a Heaven-grade blacksmith, one must master a specific ore.”
“Demoncloud Ore?”
“How did you know that?”
Of course I knew. I was a Return of the Murim lore nerd.
But judging from his surprise, it wasn’t common knowledge. I just shrugged.
“You’re a hard man to read. Anyway—Demoncloud Ore can’t be forged with ordinary flame. You need an extremely high-temperature, perfectly pure fire without a trace of impurity.”
Even with my non-science brain, I figured it was like complete combustion—where no byproducts are produced at all.
Kind of regretted not going into science. Knowing only surface-level principles was frustrating.
“So... he can’t do it? Weren’t previous clan heads Heaven-grade blacksmiths? Is it a martial arts problem?”
“No, it’s not related to martial arts. I knew early on that I was more suited to martial arts than smithing, so I walked that path instead...”
What he said next made Saweol’s eyebrow twitch.
“It all started when the Gwangmyeong Seong Clan was wiped out over a decade ago.”
Ah.
Of course.
Another crime of Sado Gwang.