***
After the Gye-ryong Merchant Guild had the Seol-mae-dan stolen.
The traces of the Chu-hon-gaek also vanished cleanly.
It wasn't surprising for thieves to live with multiple identities, but the question was that no figure appeared who seemed to have consumed the Seol-mae-dan.
It wasn't just any treasure; it was a spirit pill.
Even if he sold it—since it was a precious spirit pill that couldn't be bought even with money—there was no appearance of a new expert who seemed to have consumed the Seol-mae-dan.
It was as if the Seol-mae-dan and the Chu-hon-gaek had disappeared into thin air.
“That doesn't make sense.”
That was when I was digging through the library's mission reports and two people caught my eye.
Gu-il-mu of the Jeom-chang-o-geom [Five Swords of Jeom-chang].
Jang Han-gi of the Jeom-chang-o-geom.
Originally, the Jeom-chang-o-geom, who used to travel together, gradually started to split into groups of three and two to carry out missions, and the mission completion rate of Gu-il-mu and Jang Han-gi, who were split into two, was much higher than the other three.
“The tragedy of the Jeom-chang-ssang-geom [Jeom-chang Twin Swords] started here.”
The beginning of the incident where the Jeom-chang would eventually split in two and destroy themselves was here.
‘The person who gave the mission to come to Hap-bi was also a person from the Jeom-chang Sect. I have to assume they planned this from a very long time ago.’
Anyway, since I had grasped the inside story of the incident, the problem was how to steal it.
No matter how much I knew the Jeom-chang Sect's martial arts, including the Je-gal-sam-sik, I couldn't face two of the Jeom-chang-o-geom alone.
That was why I thought of the trap.
No matter how much of an expert one is, it isn't easy to move while worrying about what's under one's feet.
“Stupid guy. Did you think we would be caught so easily?”
Jang Han-gi's feet floated up.
Cho-sang-bi, one of the supreme lightness skills.
Certainly, if it was Cho-sang-bi, the trap might not trigger.
However,
“What kind of warrior in the world can fight while performing Cho-sang-bi? Have you already made a name for yourself among the top 100 experts in the world?”
Without even needing a form, I struck with the Sam-jae-geom-beop [Three Talents Sword Technique] filled with internal energy, and Jang Han-gi's body, which couldn't move his feet rashly, bent strangely to keep his balance.
“You, you know us.”
“Well, I know you very well.”
“Aren’t you afraid of the revenge of our Great Jeom-chang and the Murim Alliance?”
“Can the Jeom-chang-o-geom report another robber they met while committing robbery?”
“.......”
Gu-il-mu barely smashed the trap and said.
“Only that guy knows the location of the traps. Han-gi. Fire a palm strike and flip the surroundings.”
“Yes, Senior Brother.”
The two people who made eye contact with the words nodded and jumped up at the same time.
Puh-buh-buh-buk.
Click.Click.Click.
As the Nak-yeong-jang [Falling Leaf Palm] painfully exploded, the surface of the floor was flipped over violently, and the traps aiming for the ankles revealed themselves, broken.
Due to the Nak-yeong-jang, leaves and branches were tangled up, and the area completely lost its original appearance.
“Now that guy doesn't know where the traps are either.”
The Sa-il-geom-beop [Four Suns Sword Technique] poured out from the hands of the two people who stepped on the broken traps and flew toward me.
I backed away several steps, not even daring to think about countering the Sa-il-geom-beop.
“How!”
The guys were stunned by the fact that I hadn't stepped on a trap even once while backing away several steps.
“The places he stepped on. Only step on those places!”
“Yes!”
After messing up the surroundings, they only stepped on the places the opponent had stepped on.
They were certainly people with brains brilliant enough to be named among the Jeom-chang-o-geom.
“Argh!”
This time, Jang Han-gi screamed and forcibly broke the trap that had dug into his ankle.
“Did you not think that the trap would trigger with a difference of just one footprint?”
Even if you step on the same place, this side is one person and those guys are two. Naturally, one of the two had to get caught in a trap.
“You son of a bitch! I will reveal your identity and tear all your relatives to shreds!”
“If you can survive from here.”
Gu-il-mu began to unfold the Sa-il-geom-beop to the extreme.
It was clear that he didn't care about traps anymore, and I simultaneously unfolded the Pa-swae-sik [Breaking Technique] of the Sa-il-geom-beop.
Ta-ta-ta-ta-tang.
The moment we clashed for six moves in an instant.
Gu-il-mu's face twisted severely as he stared at his sword.
“What on earth.......”
The Pa-swae-sik was not simply a defensive form that blocks the opponent's martial arts.
It was a method of blocking the path of the martial arts and twisting the energy, making the opponent unable to use their strength.
Naturally, as one countered the Pa-swae-sik, one would feel their internal energy cut off and their body not moving as they pleased.
Originally, one might be able to push through with sheer will and internal energy, but now it was a situation where one didn't know where the lethal traps were buried.
“Do you have time to be dazed like that?”
The opposite foot of Gu-il-mu, who was pushed back by the Pa-swae-sik, stepped on a trap.
“Argh!”
“Gu Sa-hyeong!”
When Jang Han-gi came to unfold the Baek-geum-geom-beop [White Gold Sword Technique], I threw a stone at the trap I had installed where his feet would touch, triggering it, and Jang Han-gi's feet became strangely tangled.
“Keuk!”
“You shouldn't take your eyes off.”
And I thrust my sword as if waiting.
The rising form of the So-cheon-geom-beop [Small Heaven Sword Technique].
Although it was inferior compared to the Sa-il-geom-beop, the speed of the So-cheon-geom-beop, which was the foundation of the fast sword, was not something that could be easily avoided in a flustered situation.
Swish.
Thud.
“Keuk.”
Red blood burst from Jang Han-gi's lips, and Jang Han-gi collapsed to the floor with his bloodshot eyes wide open.
“Han-gi!”
Gu-il-mu was trembling, as if Jang Han-gi's death was shocking.
After some time had passed and Gu-il-mu came to his senses, he threw the wooden box and the secret manual he had kept in his arms to the floor and said.
“If you let me go like this, I will forget what happened here.”
“Good. Then I will let you go.”
As I nodded readily and made a gesture to pick up the wooden box, Gu-il-mu unfolded the Mu-hyeong-gwon [Formless Fist] and Chil-jeol-su [Seven Severing Hands].
At the same time, my sword, as if waiting, crossed the shapes of the fist and hands, leaving a deep scar on Gu-il-mu's neck.
“Ho, how.......”
“I experienced painfully in my past life how much you guys don't keep your promises.”
Gu-il-mu collapsed onto the cold floor with an expression of not knowing what that meant.
“Haa, haa.”
My breath finally subsided, and I stared at Jang Han-gi and Gu-il-mu for a long time.
The miserable sight of their deaths.
“I won.......”
It was a terrible scene where people had died, and this scene, which had entered my eyes once, would never be forgotten, but I didn't want to turn my head away.
It was because this was the first time I saw the death of people who were chosen like them, not a third-rate warrior like me.
I didn't even think about taking the Seol-mae-dan or the secret manual, and I took the time to remember this scene more vividly.
<><><>
“The Tae-eul Sect of Hap-bi?”
Je-gal So-myeong, who was thinking, “Was there such a sect?”, soon nodded his head, saying “Ah!”.
“Isn't it one of the Baek-pal-bong [108 Peaks]?”
“Weren't there many powerful martial sects in Hap-bi too? It's about time to replace them with new peaks.”
If it was a martial sect expanding its power in Hap-bi...... that was where the Cheol-geom-mun [Iron Sword Sect] was, and since Nam-gung Tae-won said he was pushing the Cheol-geom-mun recently, it must be because of that.
Je-gal So-myeong stared steadily at the elder who was pretending to be elegant and drinking tea while playing dumb in front of him.
“Did the Tae-eul Sect commit some wrongdoing?”
In principle, a sect that has once been named among the Baek-pal-bong is not replaced unless it commits a major wrongdoing.
That is the meaning of the blood alliance.
“Wrongdoing...... isn't regressing day by day without development also a major wrongdoing as a blood alliance of the Murim Alliance?”
Je-gal So-myeong postponed answering Nam-gung Tae-won’s words and only drank tea.
An elder of the Murim Alliance.
Occupying a seat in a decision-making body that only had thirty seats even within the Alliance meant that the person himself had not only ability but also a formidable backing.
Je-gal So-myeong would not lose to anyone in terms of martial power or background, but to counter the elder’s pestering like this, there had to be some justification.
Je-gal So-myeong, who had finished organizing his thoughts, opened his mouth.
“The Baek-pal-bong regressing should also be the fault of the Murim Alliance. Hmm, if that's the case, then right now the Murim Alliance...... no, I must be doing something wrong.”
Nam-gung Tae-won’s face grimaced slightly.
“That is not what I meant.”
Nam-gung Tae-won, who revealed his inner thoughts immediately.
Watching that, Je-gal So-myeong could only have questions.
‘Why did that guy Tae-ha entrust this guy with the elder position?’
Originally, it was a seat that Nam-gung Tae-ha, the head of the Nam-gung Clan, should sit in.
Although he was of the same blood as the Nam-gung Clan, it was not a seat that Nam-gung Tae-won, who was strictly a collateral branch, could easily sit in.
“I also know that the influence of many Baek-pal-bong is gradually tilting. But in the first place, the Baek-pal-bong were not created to rank the sects in the Murim Alliance. They were created to continue the meaning of having fought together in the past, during the most dangerous and difficult times.”
“Hmm.......”
Nam-gung Tae-won smacked his lips as if he thought it was already hopeless, then opened his mouth.
“Still, if the Baek-pal-bong only remain in stable positions that do not change, won't they stagnate and rot?”
“That is why we are continuing to manage them, albeit irregularly.”
“Hmm...... I understand. However, I heard that the Tae-eul Sect is doing business with the 'Special Admission' right.”
“.......”
A problem that had been going on for a very long time.
However, there were no major side effects, and I left it alone, thinking, what if there wasn't even such a benefit for the Baek-pal-bong, which was full of obligations?
“Ah, well, it's just a story. It's not that I want to put someone into the Baek-pal-bong or anything.”
“Hmm. Is your business finished?”
“I heard that the Cheol-geom-mun Master of Hap-bi is holding a banquet for his 60th birthday. Since it is his 60th birthday, I sent an invitation like this, wondering if the Chief Strategist could participate.”
“Hehe. Huh.”
Was the Chief Strategist of the Murim Alliance such a free position?
“Of course, I know you are busy. But the Chief Strategist must also rest a bit. You will get sick at this rate. How about going to the Cheol-geom-mun together to investigate the 'Special Admission' corruption case I just mentioned?”
How much money did the Cheol-geom-mun feed Nam-gung Tae-won to invite the Chief Strategist of the Murim Alliance?
In the first place, Nam-gung Tae-won’s purpose must have been this.
Naturally, I could have made up a hundred reasons to refuse, but I stopped soon.
Because even if I told this guy a hundred times, he wouldn't listen. Things go right only when I crush the guy who stuck this guy here.
“Hmm, that’s not a bad idea. So, when is the 60th birthday?”
<><><>
The Jeong-ma-dae-jeon [Great War between Righteous and Demonic Factions] was hell itself.
Demonic people, each one like a monster, and the low-level warriors who were constantly being ground down as they ran towards them.
There were no contingency plans or strategies.
The Murim Alliance used its absolute dominance over the Kang-ho to gather warriors and push them into the battlefield.
The low-level warriors, who were pushed to the battlefield with vague expectations of making contributions and succeeding in the Murim Alliance, saw their swords break helplessly and realized that they had been naive, but it was already a long time too late.
Compensation for the warriors who were ground down like that?
There was none.
At least those who were already registered as members of the Murim Alliance could send a death notice home.
But that was also the case in the early days of the Jeong-ma-dae-jeon.
There were countless people who were affiliated with the Alliance but whose whereabouts in death could never be known.
And the Murim Alliance, which should have been held accountable for that, had already moved to the North Sea.
If it were the Jeom-chang-o-geom, they would have a grade of 5~6 within the Murim Alliance.
Their disappearance would be taken seriously within the Murim Alliance, and Alliance members would be dispatched throughout Hap-bi to find their traces.
So, I dug a deep hole not far from where the Chu-hon-gaek was buried, buried the Jeom-chang-o-geom, and then put an animal caught in the mountains on top of them and packed the ground.
At the very least, there would be no chance of their corpses being discovered due to the smell of the corpses.
To recover my body, which had become fatigued from the battle with the Jeom-chang-o-geom, and to absorb the Seol-mae-dan, I took an inn and stayed for several days.
Every time I went down to the restaurant to grab a meal, people were busy talking about the Seol-mae-dan that the Gye-ryong Merchant Guild had lost this time.
As in the past, the Gye-ryong Merchant Guild Leader and Gye Cheol-yeong wailed, and the Hwa-san masters pushed the responsibility onto Gye Yeon-seok and returned to the Hwa-san Sect.
The story of where the disappeared Seol-mae-dan went was a good snack for people.
Who wouldn't be interested in the fact that such a precious treasure had disappeared without an owner, even if they couldn't have it themselves?
They just didn't imagine that there was someone on the floor above where they were drinking alcohol who was trying all sorts of efforts to absorb that Seol-mae-dan.
“Whew.”
When I opened my eyes quietly,
Deep darkness had settled around.
My two eyes, adapted to the darkness, had become bright enough to see the dust piled up in a corner of the small room without a single ray of light, and not a single sound of muscles colliding was heard while moving my arms and legs.
Because I had been immersed in Un-gong [Circulation of Energy] for several days, my insides were empty, but I was not hungry.
‘It's roughly a little over half a gap-ja [60 years].’
The internal energy that could be felt in the Dan-jeon [Dantian] had grown from the size of one finger to the size of two fingers now.
It was the level of internal energy I had accumulated throughout my entire previous life.
Although I gathered it rapidly, it was all gathered with precious spirit herbs and spirit pills, and thanks to gathering it with the pure Tae-eul-sim-beop [Tae-eul Heart Method], much of the body's turbidity had been removed.
“Ugh. The smell.”
When I pushed my skin with my fingers, black dirt came out quickly, and I, surprised, headed straight to the bathhouse.
“Are you out?”
The young waiter, who had been guarding the restaurant all night, was nodding off, then soon came to his senses and shook his head.
“You hadn't come out for several days, so I thought something had happened.”
Because I paid the accommodation fee in advance and even gave a tip to avoid being disturbed while absorbing the spirit pill, the waiter's behavior was extremely polite.
“Is there anything edible now?”
“Small noodles and dumplings are possible.”
“Please give me that.”
A moment later, steaming small noodles and dumplings were placed in front of the table.
“But are there usually not this many people at this time?”
The inside of the restaurant was extremely quiet.
“No. Just until a few days ago, because the Gye-ryong Merchant Guild suddenly canceled the banquet, more people gathered than usual.”
“Ah.......”
“You know why, right?”
“I heard they lost something.”
“Yes. Whoever it is, they are truly amazing. They stole a spirit pill without anyone knowing in that crowded place. The investigation team came from the Murim Alliance, but they said they tracked the culprit, but the traces were cut off quickly, so they couldn't find them.”
“Really? That’s too bad.”
“Right? Anyway, thanks to that, I thought I would regain some of the lost customers, but this time, the Cheol-geom-mun is holding another banquet.”
“At the Cheol-geom-mun?”
“Yes. This time, the Cheol-geom-mun Master is 60 years old, so they say they will hold a banquet for seven days and seven nights and carry out various events, and all the drinkers in the nearby villages are going to Hap-bi.”
“Ah, has it already been that long?”
“Didn't you know?”
I couldn't possibly not know.
The 60th birthday banquet of the Cheol-geom-mun Master.
Because at that place where countless people gathered, my father and I had knelt and apologized to the Cheol-geom-mun Master.
30.9s