Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 171 – Cho Tae-cheong (3)

Gasp!

The girl looked at Mok Gyeong-un with startled eyes.

‘What’s with this person? He noticed this demonic energy even before I did?’

Among the beasts, those that reach the level of monsters become cunning enough to conceal and hide their own demonic energy.

If such monsters intentionally conceal their demonic energy, it is difficult for average diviners to detect it, so she couldn’t hide her surprise at him noticing it first.

‘Could he be a diviner of the Moon-level or above?’

At first, she had thought Mok Gyeong-un was a martial artist.

That’s why she helped him, thinking she might get assistance if she saved his life.

However, upon closer inspection, he wasn’t a martial artist but someone from the same industry.

In that case, they might be able to communicate better.

The girl whispered, “You’re quite sensitive to demonic energy, aren’t you?”

“Is that so?”

“I also just noticed this demonic energy. If you’re this sensitive to detecting demonic energy, you’re not an average diviner. Which pavilion are you from…?”

“Shh!”

“Gulp.”

At this, the girl held her breath again and shut her mouth.

Even while talking about this and that, she readily followed his instructions.

At that moment, Cheong-ryeong spoke to Mok Gyeong-un.

-Is it a Toru?

-Toru?

-The one that tried to trample and crush you with its hooves earlier.

-Ah… There seems to be one more besides that.

-One more? Ah! It’s Heum-won.

-Heum-won?

-Yes. Like Toru, it’s also a beast from Kunlun Mountain. In some ways, it’s much more difficult and dangerous to deal with than Toru.

-Two beasts at the monstrous-level…

It was a more troublesome situation than he thought.

He had fought beasts at the monstrous beast level before, but this was his first time facing those at the higher than monstrous-level.

Thus, it was hard to gauge how powerful monsters were.

Of course, he had broken through the wall and reached the Transformation Realm, so he didn’t think he would be pushed back by beasts.

He was just being cautious.

At that moment, the girl clicked her tongue and said in a small voice, “Two? So the rumors were true.”

“Rumors?”

“Yes. There were stories that the Three-Eyed uses two beasts at the monstrous-level as his familiars.”

These words from her piqued Mok Gyeong-un’s interest.

This girl seemed to possess quite a lot of information, more than he expected.

So Mok Gyeong-un asked, “But how did you enter this place?”

“Pardon?”

“From what I heard, you’re not from the Primal Killing Pavilion but from the Harmonious Immortal Pavilion, right? You said you were from there, so why are you here in such attire?”

“Um, well, about that…”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s question, the girl suddenly became restless.

That was understandable, as she wasn’t supposed to be here originally and was in a position where her identity couldn’t be exposed.

Unable to think of a suitable excuse, she hurriedly changed the subject.

“W-What about you? You’re just as suspicious as me.”

“Suspicious?”

“Yes. You’re not from the Primal Killing Pavilion either. Moreover, that Three-Eyed tried to kill you using his familiars. How do you explain that?”

“I don’t know.”

“What?”

“I simply tried to kill him because he threatened my life first.”

“Ah, so that was the reason… Wait, what? You tried to kill the Three-Eyed?”

The girl asked with wide eyes.

“Is there something wrong with that?”

“Rather than wrong, I’m just surprised that you tried to kill him.”

“Is that something to be surprised about?”

“It is. Do you know how dangerous that Wretched Fiend is? And you tried to kill him alone?”

“Is he that dangerous?”

“Of course. It’s said that three hundred diviners who tried to subdue him were brutally slaughtered by his hands in a single night.”

‘!?’

Three hundred diviners were killed?

Is his power strong enough to handle that many diviners alone?

No, it made sense that average diviners couldn’t handle him since he could single-handedly subdue and seal a spiritual beast.

“If I hadn’t helped you earlier, you could have died too.”

“Ah, thank you for that.”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, she spoke with a puffed-up face.

“…Your gratitude sounds quite dry for a thank you.”

“How could that be?”

“Nevermind. Anyway, you’re quite daring. To think you planned to kill such a monster alone. Even I, who possesses a protective talisman given by my master, only observe him from a distance.”

Mok Gyeong-un chuckled at her words.

The girl had unintentionally revealed why she was here.

Realizing this, her face turned red, and she stamped her feet.

“Argh! How can you pry information out of others like this?”

“You directly told me with your own mouth. I didn’t pry it out.”

“No, that’s…”

“Shh. Please be quiet. If you continue being noisy like that, I think the monsters outside will notice.”

“…”

At this, the girl stopped stamping her feet and tightly shut her mouth.

Being rowdy risked being discovered by the beasts.

Mok Gyeong-un said to her, “Anyway, you received orders from your master to monitor that Three-Eyed, right?”

“…That’s right.”

Since she had already been exposed by her own words, there was no point in lying.

The girl answered honestly.

“Is it for revenge?”

“Revenge?”

“Yes. Didn’t you say he killed hundreds of diviners?”

Among that many diviners, there might have been some related to the girl or her so-called master.

At this, the girl shook her head.

Mok Gyeong-un asked in puzzlement, “If not for revenge, then why are you monitoring that Three-Eyed?”

“Because he’s dangerous.”

“Dangerous?”

“I don’t know the details either. My master only said that the Three-Eyed would soon disrupt the Heavenly Qi, so I received orders to monitor him.”

“Heavenly Qi?”

Heavenly Qi refers to the energy of the heavens.

In sorcery, Heavenly Qi signifies things like fate, the principles of the world, or its flow.

Such Heavenly Qi should flow according to a predetermined course, and if it is disrupted, the world becomes precarious.

“Yes, Heavenly Qi. Anyway, I’m here for a righteous cause, not personal reasons. So don’t even think about interfering.”

“Did I interfere?”

“Things got complicated like this because I tried to save you. Do you know how hard it was for me to infiltrate this place?”

The girl pointed to her maid attire.

He could roughly guess how she had infiltrated there.

“Ah… I see.”

“…Is that all you have to say? Sigh, I should have just left you to die or live.”

The girl clicked her tongue and spoke.

At this, Mok Gyeong-un chuckled and asked, “Come to think of it, I don’t know your name.”

“My name? Ah, right. My name is… No, wait. If you’re going to ask a lady’s name, shouldn’t you reveal your name first?”

“Mok Gyeong-un.”

“Mok Gyeong-un?”

“Yes.”

“Mok is an unusual family name. I’m Yeo Su-rin.”

“Yeo Su-rin? That’s a pretty name.”

“You think it’s pretty?”

“Yes.”

“W-Well, do you think I’ll be pleased with such flattery?”

Contrary to her words, she covered her reddened cheeks with both hands, feeling shy.

-What a simple-minded wench.

-Indeed.

She seemed to be the type whose emotions were easily visible, just as they appeared.

Of course, Mok Gyeong-un didn’t mind this and immediately changed the subject to the main point.

“Miss Yeo, you said this is the kitchen earlier. How far is it from the main hall of the Primal Killing Pavilion?”

“Pardon?”

“Judging from how quickly the beast chased after us, it doesn’t seem too far.”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, Yeo Su-rin answered with intrigued eyes, “You’re quite perceptive, aren’t you? That’s right. This place is about a hundred jang away from the main hall.”

“A hundred jang?”

It was neither a long nor a short distance.

So Mok Gyeong-un asked, “Couldn’t you have gone further with that… technique you used to create the entrance earlier?”

“Sheesh, do you think it’s that easy? It was barely possible thanks to this treasure my master gave me.”

Yeo Su-rin showed the two connected rings worn on her fingers.

It was a silver-colored item with two luminous green jades embedded in each ring.

Judging from the extraordinary energy emanating from it, he understood why she called it a treasure.

“So you used that to create a connecting door that shortened the distance to this place?”

“That’s right.”

“It seems quite convenient.”

“Even if it looks convenient, it has a few drawbacks.”

“Drawbacks? What are they?”

“If you don’t preset a medium to the desired location in advance, it can only travel about twenty jang, not a hundred.”

“Twenty jang? That’s a significant decrease.”

It was reduced to not even half, but close to one-fifth.

“That’s why I said there are a few drawbacks.”

“I see. Are there any other drawbacks?”

“Other drawbacks? Apart from that, after using it twice in a row, you have to wait at least a quarter-hour before you can use the treasure again.”

“Hmm.”

It seemed to have several limitations despite its convenience.

Well, if such a treasure had no restrictions on distance or time, it would be the most dangerous item.

However, if used well depending on the situation, it seemed quite useful.

‘It’s a nice item.’

Perhaps sensing Mok Gyeong-un’s gaze, Yeo Su-rin took off the rings she was wearing and put them in her bosom, speaking as if warning him.

“Just in case, let me make this clear. Don’t covet this. It’s a treasure that no one but me can use.”

“No one else can use it?”

“Yes. If it gets more than one zhang away from me, its power will weaken, and it will break. So I’m telling you not to covet it in vain.”

‘Ah…’

At Yeo Su-rin’s words, Mok Gyeong-un inwardly clicked his tongue.

He had thought of killing her and taking it, but if that was the case, there was no point.

He had found it strange that she explained the treasure in detail to someone she was meeting for the first time, naive as it may be.

It had some safeguards in place, so she could talk about it.

If that was the case…

‘…She might be hiding some of the drawbacks.’

Although she seemed talkative and had a fluctuating personality, this woman wasn’t stupid.

Sorcery was a quite complex field of study, so one couldn’t master it without basic intelligence.

Considering that, he believed she was definitely hiding something.

The more gaps she seemed to have, the more cautious one should be. That was Mok Gyeong-un’s belief.

At that moment, Yeo Su-rin quietly said, “I think a quarter-hour has passed.”

“Ah, you can use that now.”

“Yes. The beasts still seem to be searching for us outside, so let’s move about twenty zhang at a time. Fortunately, there are nearby buildings within twenty jang, so if we take some time, we can leave the Primal Killing Pavilion.”

“I see.”

“Since the Three-Eyed is greatly angered, it would be best not to catch his attention for the time being.”

With those words, Yeo Su-rin put on the treasure on her index and middle fingers.

She was about to inject her power into the treasure and use it, but…

“Wait a minute.”

“Yes?”

“Is this possible too?”

“What do you mean by this?”

At her question, Mok Gyeong-un spoke with the corners of his mouth twitching.

***

-Thud!

The head of Diviner Jo Ui-gong rolled on the floor from a kick.

Cho Tae-cheong, who had kicked his head, spoke with a slightly flushed face.

“It was the same guy.”

Then, his facial muscles moved irregularly, and soon a hoarse voice came out.

“I see.”

Diviner Jo Ui-gong, bound in the pavilion master’s room.

He had tried to find out who had placed the chains of incantation through the Blood-Solving Gu.

But he was found with his head cut off, dead.

That meant one conclusion could be drawn.

‘It was one guy.’

Everything was done by the same fellow.

The one who had manipulated the greedy disciple Jo Ui-gong to control the Primal Killing Pavilion while he was away, the one related to the vengeful spirit of the Cheong-ryeong level or above, and the one who had boldly come to him and threatened his life—it was all the same guy.

-Crack, crack!

Cho Tae-cheong, whose face had returned to normal, raised the corners of his mouth bitterly and muttered.

“It’s been a while since I’ve had a worthwhile hunt.”

He had been hiding in the shadows, concealing himself.

But to dare to touch him like this, what a fearless fellow.

It seemed he would have to enjoy the hunt after a long time.

‘Run away if you can. It’ll still be within my grasp…’

-Swoosh!

At that moment.

Cho Tae-cheong’s eyes wavered.

Something sharp and black pierced through the floor, grazed past his right elbow, and shot upward.

And with a burning sensation…

-Thud!

His right arm fell to the floor.

“Kuughh!”

Cho Tae-cheong’s face contorted in immense pain as his arm was severed.

In an instant, he was dumbfounded.

He thought the guy had run away, but he came back?

‘This bastard?’

He was an unbelievably cunning fellow.

Normally, if an assassination failed, one would hide or continue to attempt escape to save their life.

But he appeared again and sniped at him from a distance below the lower floor.

What kind of guy was this?

-Grit!

‘I’ll kill him.’

Cho Tae-cheong’s facial muscles twitched as he glared at the floor, and soon his forehead began to split.

However…

-Whoosh!

‘!?’

A strange power was felt from above.

As Cho Tae-cheong unconsciously tried to raise his head…

-Swish!

Someone fell from above and stabbed a dagger into his splitting forehead with lightning speed.

-Stab!

‘!!!!!!!!!!!’

Black blood and white fluid flowed from his splitting forehead.

The one who fell from above somersaulted and landed on the floor.

-Tap!

The person who had their face covered with a black cloth was none other than Mok Gyeong-un.

“Phew.”

Mok Gyeong-un looked at Cho Tae-cheong, who was staggering with a dagger stuck in his forehead, and raised the corners of his mouth bitterly.

‘Ha…’

Yeo Su-rin, who was watching this scene through the round door of smoke opened near the ceiling of the 4th floor, was stunned.