Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 152 – Talent (3)

‘Flying Transforming Ghost Sword Technique[1], 3rd stance, Reflecting Transforming Sword Subjugation[2]!’

The Ghostly Sword Art, the unique swordsmanship of the Shadow Clan Master.

The Reflecting Transforming Sword Subjugation, which could be considered the most destructive stance among the Ghostly Sword Art, slashed Woo Ho-rang, the trusted subordinate of Wi So-yeon, the Society Leader’s third disciple, diagonally from his shoulder to his chest.

-Slash!

“Ugh!”

A scream erupted from Woo Ho-rang’s mouth as he was cut by the sword.

Then, unable to maintain his posture, he staggered backward and collapsed on the ground.

Was this how he was going to die?

At that moment, Woo Ho-rang’s closed eyes opened,

“Cough… Cough…”

Woo Ho-rang coughed up blood.

Fortunately, he had not lost his life.

“Haa… Haa…”

How long had it been since he was directly cut by someone else?

No, this was the first time he had suffered like this.

‘I… lost?’

Mok Gyeong-un was not a superior martial artist compared to him, but rather inferior in terms of internal energy.

Yet, he had never predicted that he would be defeated in a duel of technique execution.

What was the reason for his defeat?

It seemed to lie in Mok Gyeong-un’s unconventional nature and his ability to utilize various martial arts.

If he had even a little understanding of him from the beginning, he might not have let his guard down like this.

But what good would it do to dwell on it now?

Defeat was defeat, with no room for excuses.

A shadow fell over his face.

It was Mok Gyeong-un, who had approached and was looking down at him from above.

At this, Woo Ho-rang said:

“Cough cough… Why… didn’t you… cut me properly?”

Although there was quite a bit of bleeding, Mok Gyeong-un’s sword had not cut him deep enough to be fatal.

If it had been even an inch deeper, he might have died.

In response to his words, Mok Gyeong-un smirked and bent down to perform acupressure on Woo Ho-rang’s chest.

-Tap tap tap tap!

‘Blood stopping points.’

The points Mok Gyeong-un had pressed were acupoints for stopping bleeding.

To the puzzled Woo Ho-rang, Mok Gyeong-un shrugged his shoulders and said:

“If I kill you, your lord, Lady Wi So-yeon, and even Elder Bright Blade King will try to kill me, so that would be a reckless move.”

“…”

-Clench!

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, Woo Ho-rang bit his lower lip tightly.

It was truly humiliating beyond measure.

To put it differently, it meant that if it weren’t for his lord, the young lady, and his master, Mok Gyeong-un wouldn’t have spared him.

But what could the loser say at this point?

“Go.”

Woo Ho-rang said to Mok Gyeong-un briefly.

At this, Mok Gyeong-un asked:

“Where should I go? Didn’t you come to take me? Since the young lady called for me, I’ll escort…”

“Are you trying to make me miserable?”

“Miserable? Ah, is it because of your injuries?”

He could just let it slide, but this fellow deliberately poked at the sore spot.

Woo Ho-rang spoke with a forceful voice:

“I will tell the young lady that I proposed a duel first to repay my disciple’s debt, so just leave.”

This was the maximum concession he could make.

Having been defeated in the duel, he didn’t want to show this miserable state to the young lady and see this fellow gloating.

“Ah. So you’re asking me not to meet the young lady.”

“Who said that…”

“Yes, yes. If that’s what you want, I should comply.”

“…Then just leave quietly. With you, I…”

“Aren’t you forgetting something?”

“What?”

“Don’t you have something to give me?”

“Something to give?”

For a moment, Woo Ho-rang’s eyes wavered.

In his resentment over the defeat, he had forgotten about it.

He was the one who had proposed the wager using the young lady’s tokens they each possessed before the duel.

‘Damn it.’

At that time, he had been certain that he would win.

But the result had turned out to be the opposite.

Woo Ho-rang gritted his teeth and gestured with his eyes, pointing to his lower body, and said to Mok Gyeong-un:

“It’s in the pocket on the right side of my waist.”

“Is that so?”

Mok Gyeong-un unhesitatingly took out the token from the right pocket hanging on his waist.

This token was not directly given by Wi So-yeon anyway, so taking it would only raise unnecessary suspicion and have no effect.

However,

“It’s a pity. You shouldn’t have made such a wager.”

-Crack!

The token crumbled and shattered in Mok Gyeong-un’s hand, and Woo Ho-rang lost the ability to use the token he had received from his lord, Wi So-yeon.

Seeing the fragments of the shattering token, Woo Ho-rang couldn’t hide his despair.

He had wanted to use that token as a pretext to express his feelings to her when he would one day become the most precious person to her.

But all of that had turned to dust.

“Well then, take care of your body, and next time… Ah! I almost forgot.”

Mok Gyeong-un, who was about to get up, bent down again and whispered in his ear:

“Just in case, let me tell you, I don’t care who you like. So you don’t have to worry about me telling her.”

“…”

At his words, Woo Ho-rang frowned.

Could he trust this fellow’s words?

He had been worried that this fellow might reveal his hidden true intentions to the young lady.

As he was thinking that, Mok Gyeong-un said with a smile:

“Rather, thanks to you, it has become much easier for me to choose. Thank you.”

“What?”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, Woo Ho-rang’s expression stiffened.

What did he mean by that?

It had become easier for him to choose?

‘Could it be?’

Realizing the true meaning behind those words, Woo Ho-rang’s face turned red, but Mok Gyeong-un nonchalantly got up, leaving him behind.

Mok Gyeong-un looked at the blade of his short sword.

“It’s magnificent.”

It indeed seemed like a precious sword made by the legendary craftsman Gu Ya-ja before it became the Demon Sword.

There was not a single drop of blood on the blade.

Swords that were crudely forged or made would have blood sticking to the body after cutting something, making them sticky or rusty, but strangely, this sword was clean.

As if it had cleansed itself.

-…That mortal won’t choose that wench.

As Mok Gyeong-un was looking at the sword with satisfaction, Cheong-ryeong’s voice reached his ears.

Mok Gyeong-un didn’t deny it.

-Probably not.

After dealing with Yeop Wi-seon and now his elder martial brother Woo Ho-rang, there seemed to be no one particularly useful around the Society Leader’s third disciple, Wi So-yeon.

The so-called trusted subordinates saw her as a woman before seeing her as their lord.

Therefore, Mok Gyeong-un had decided to exclude her.

-I agree with your judgment.

Cheong-ryeong also agreed with Mok Gyeong-un’s decision.

Woo Ho-rang, who had fought against Mok Gyeong-un, was one of the Five Tigers, known as the top disciples of the Heaven and Earth Society, and could be considered her right-hand man.

Such a person harbored romantic feelings and acted against the will of his lord?

If that was the case, there was no need to consider that organization anymore.

-The lack of capable subordinates can also be said to reflect the poor qualities of the leader.

No matter how outstanding Wi So-yeon was as an individual, if the people around her were not up to par and had other ulterior motives, the position of the successor would be out of reach.

-But what will you do? The second disciple doesn’t seem like a good choice either.

In Cheong-ryeong’s view, it wasn’t just the third disciple, Wi So-yeon, who was the problem.

The second disciple, Jang Neung-ak, seemed to have many capable talents under him, but he himself didn’t seem to possess good qualities as a leader.

-It’s difficult to choose between the two.

-That’s true.

What Mok Gyeong-un wanted now was someone who was closest to and most suitable for the position of the successor.

By getting close to such a person, the chances of somehow contacting the Society Leader would increase.

-If you’re not satisfied with either of them, there’s another option.

-…Another option?

-Why are you asking when you already know?

-Are you referring to the original plan?

-Yes.

-That’s also one way, but the situation has changed.

-…It’s still a time when you need to build your strength, mortal. The situation hasn’t changed.

-Focusing solely on building strength seems a bit inefficient.

-Inefficient? Are you getting too impatient after finding out that the Society Leader is connected to your revenge target?

-Well, I just want to know.

-Don’t rush. To shake things up from the inside, you still need to grow and make allies internally.

In response to Cheong-ryeong’s words, Mok Gyeong-un showed a faint smile.

Mok Gyeong-un’s goal was to find the one who killed his grandfather, but her goal was to fulfill her own grudge.

Therefore, their thoughts were bound to differ at this point.

Mok Gyeong-un halfheartedly replied to her advice.

-Yes, yes.

-…At least try to listen, even with one ear.

Cheong-ryeong clicked her tongue inwardly.

This fellow never listened to other people’s advice once he made a decision.

At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un said:

-I don’t think we need to limit ourselves to the second or third disciple.

-What? Don’t tell me you’re…?

-I want to meet the Eldest Young Master once.

-…Are you talking about that fellow who is currently closest to the Society Leader’s position?

-Yes. I remember him being mentioned as such.

Both the Corpse Blood Valley Leader Lee Ji-yeom and the Shadow Clan Master had said that the one who currently had the most support within the Heaven and Earth Society and was closest to the successor’s position due to his strength alone was none other than the Eldest Young Master Na Yul-ryang.

Considering this, joining his faction might actually increase the chances of contacting the Society Leader.

Cheong-ryeong clicked her tongue and said to Mok Gyeong-un:

-Tsk tsk. It doesn’t seem like a particularly good choice.

-Why not?

-The second and third disciples are in a position to follow you, but that Eldest Young Master fellow has nothing to gain. Do you think you can make him move according to your will?

-There’s some truth to that. But there’s no harm in trying.

-You’re the type who won’t be satisfied until you try it yourself, whether it’s dung or paste. Anyway, I’ve warned you. It’s still too early.

-Yes, yes. I understand…

-Flinch!

Suddenly, Mok Gyeong-un frowned.

-Why are you doing that?

-The energy…

-Energy?

Mok Gyeong-un turned his head and looked at the southwest corner of the wall.

In fact, he already knew that someone else was hiding there and observing him.

Mok Gyeong-un guessed that this person was probably sent by Jang Neung-ak, the Society Leader’s second disciple.

So, he thought that if he moved from this spot, they would reveal themselves.

But suddenly, the person’s energy fluctuated and then subsided.

‘What?’

The sudden subsiding of energy meant that there was an incident such as the consumption of true energy or injury.

As he was puzzled,

-Thud!

‘!?’

At the sound of someone collapsing, he turned his head and saw that his guard, Seok Jung, had collapsed on the ground at some point.

He looked around, but no one was in sight.

Mok Gyeong-un frowned and approached Seok Jung to check his pulse, and it seemed that he had fainted after his acupoints were suppressed.

‘Who is it?’

“Hmm.”

Then, when he heard something again and turned his head, Woo Ho-rang, who had been lying on the ground with injuries, had his eyes closed and his head drooping to the side.

He also seemed to have lost consciousness.

At this, Mok Gyeong-un let out a soft sigh and said:

“Who are you?”

There was definitely someone there.

At that moment, a voice came from behind.

“You’re a peculiar fellow.”

‘When?’

Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes narrowed.

Without him even noticing, an unidentified person had approached him from behind at some point.

Since gaining enlightenment at the Corpse Blood Valley’s treasure warehouse and thanks to his keen eyes, he had become more sensitive to energy and could quickly find the energy of others.

Yet, he couldn’t sense the other person’s energy.

That meant,

‘Can they conceal their energy like the Death Qi?’

It seemed to be the case.

Otherwise, there was no way he wouldn’t be completely caught by his energy perception.

As he was thinking that, the voice continued:

“Judging from your fighting, you seem to have reached the level of a grandmaster, but the energy you emit is at most at the early peak stage.”

The unidentified person was evaluating him.

What was peculiar was that this person seemed to be deliberately disguising their voice, making it thick, as if to conceal their identity.

At this, Mok Gyeong-un spoke:

“…I apologize, but may I ask who you are?”

In response to Mok Gyeong-un’s question, a smirking laugh was heard.

Then, the unidentified person said:

“Try to guess.”

At those words, Mok Gyeong-un scratched his head as if he was in a difficult situation.

“Oh my, this is quite troublesome. Hearing your voice, I’ve never met you before, but you’re telling me to guess.”

“Then why don’t you directly confirm my face?”

“Is that so? Since you say that…”

-Swish!

Mok Gyeong-un quickly turned his head.

But there was no one behind him.

There was hardly any sound of movement, but in an instant, the person had left his field of vision.

This alone was enough for Mok Gyeong-un to know for certain.

‘…Fast.’

The fact that their movement was faster than the speed of turning his head meant that the other person had definitely reached a higher realm than him.

They seemed to be much stronger than Woo Ho-rang, who was known as one of the Five Tigers (五虎, o-ho), the top disciples within the Heaven and Earth Society.

That meant they were at least at the level of a Valley Master (谷主, gok-ju) or above.

“How can you face me like this?”

The unidentified person lightly provoked Mok Gyeong-un.

It seemed as if they were testing him.

‘Hmm.’

Should he play along?

As he was thinking that, Cheong-ryeong’s voice reached Mok Gyeong-un’s ears.

-That mortal fellow behind you. The colors of his pupils are different. The right one is white.

‘!?’

Unlike Mok Gyeong-un, Cheong-ryeong could clearly see her immediate surroundings.

At Cheong-ryeong’s words, Mok Gyeong-un realized the identity of the person behind him.

It was because he had heard about the appearance of some important figures through the Shadow Clan Master.

At this,

-Swish!

Mok Gyeong-un brought his hands together, slightly bowed his head, and said:

“Mok Gyeong-un, disciple of the Shadow Clan, greets the Eldest Young Master.”

‘!?’

At Mok Gyeong-un’s greeting, there was a brief silence behind him.

Then,

-Swish!

Someone poked their face out to Mok Gyeong-un’s right.

As Cheong-ryeong had said, one of his pupils was black, while the other was white, or more precisely, a grey-white color. He was a handsome man with thick, striking features.

The moment their eyes met, Mok Gyeong-un felt a strange sensation.

That sensation was none other than a sense of kinship.

‘What is this?’

As he was wondering, the handsome man asked in an intrigued tone:

“How did you know?”