Chapter 484: Because I Don't Have a Single Assassin Friend.
Chapter 484: Because I Don't Have a Single Assassin Friend.
Geom Mu-geuk stared at Myeong Sin in silence.
Myeong Sin met his gaze with equal composure.
In that moment, they both felt it. Starting with this encounter, their fates—and the fates of many others—would be decided.
“Are you surprised?”
At Myeong Sin’s question, Geom Mu-geuk replied with an expression that suggested the answer was obvious.
“Have you forgotten already? The last time I saw you, all I got was a view of your back as you showered me with steel needles and fled.”
Myeong Sin chuckled.
“Have you forgotten? You were the one who pulled that handle.”
This time, Geom Mu-geuk laughed.
“Well? How about a drink?”
Myeong Sin didn't miss the shift in the atmosphere and made his offer, but Geom Mu-geuk didn't accept immediately.
“What kind of person do your reports say I am? Do they describe me as a fool who would follow a terrifying assassin out for a drink right after that same man tried to kill him?”
“That is exactly what they say. That’s why I’m here.”
Geom Mu-geuk blinked, then let out a long, exaggerated sigh.
“It’s frustrating, but your investigation of me was thorough.”
Had Myeong Sin ever met someone who would give such an answer in a situation like this? Would he ever again?
Myeong Sin was certain: this was the first and last time. The Young Cult Leader was likely the only person in the world who would entertain such an absurd meeting.
Geom Mu-geuk’s eyes grew cold as he spoke pointedly.
“But what if I kill you here and remove the variable?”
Myeong Sin reacted without a hint of fluster.
“The report on you also mentioned that you would make such a threat.”
It was a joke. There was no way a report would go into such specific detail.
Of course, Myeongbu had investigated Geom Mu-geuk thoroughly, and Myeong Sin knew a great deal about the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult. He had memorized every detail, yet much of it still felt unbelievable. There had never been a Young Cult Leader like him in the history of the Demonic Cult.
“Fine, let’s go.”
Geom Mu-geuk readily accepted the proposal and stepped out of the main gate.
It was Myeong Sin who was surprised now.
“Are you really coming? You know it could be a trap.”
“Of course it is.”
“Then why accept?”
“I can’t exactly live inside my house forever, can I? And your people can’t wait for me to come out forever, either. Especially since for people like you, time is money.”
Geom Mu-geuk took the first step, and Myeong Sin walked beside him.
The hidden Hwi would be following secretly. As Geom Mu-geuk had said, from this point on, Hwi was a man who existed yet did not. The moment he revealed himself would be the moment everyone’s life or death was decided.
The two walked toward the marketplace, maintaining a distance of a few paces. Even so, it was a distance from which they could launch a lethal surprise attack at a moment's notice.
Myeong Sin imagined assassinating Geom Mu-geuk.
Being an assassin, it was natural for him to have such thoughts whenever he met a master. Could this man block my hidden strike? If I attack like this, he’ll block like that, and then I’ll follow up with this... Usually, he could visualize how it would play out.
But for some reason, he couldn't form a clear picture with Geom Mu-geuk. This was despite having read so much information about him.
Suddenly, Geom Mu-geuk spoke up.
“Why you?”
It was an abrupt question with no context, but Myeong Sin knew exactly what he meant.
Myeong Sin recalled his conversation with the Murder King.
— Why me?
— The Young Cult Leader reminds me of you.
Myeong Sin didn't share those words.
“I suppose I was an eyesore within the organization.”
Geom Mu-geuk corrected his self-deprecating joke.
“Or perhaps you’re the most skilled.”
Myeong Sin didn't deny it. In Myeongbu, he was undoubtedly the most skilled assassin after the Murder King.
“Since this involved the merchant world, I thought there would be others. I didn't realize your lot was behind this.”
Myeong Sin knew the reason. The organization had entrusted Myeongbu with the money because they knew the Murder King had no greed for wealth.
What had they promised him?
To Myeong Sin, moving the Murder King’s hollow heart seemed like the most difficult task in the world.
“By the way, seeing you that day, your weapon-making skills were that of a master.”
“It’s just a hobby.”
“It’s a waste of talent to use those hands only for killing.”
If those had been empty words, Myeong Sin might have been offended, but he could tell the Young Cult Leader genuinely admired his craftsmanship.
“If Master Gwak of our Cult’s iron workshop saw you, he would have begged me to kidnap you and bring you back.”
“He might also have asked you to kill me out of jealousy.”
At Myeong Sin’s display of pride, Geom Mu-geuk laughed.
“He’s not quite that petty.”
Hearing him say that, Myeong Sin realized Geom Mu-geuk’s praise wasn't just a mindless attempt to flatter him.
“Sell me a few of those daggers you’ve made next time. I happen to be running low.”
“So you can kill me with them?”
“You don’t look weak enough to be killed by a dagger you aren't familiar with.”
Myeong Sin didn't feel uncomfortable talking to the Young Cult Leader. The man certainly had a knack for leading a conversation with ease. Even awkward topics didn't feel so awkward when he brought them up.
Chatting about this and that, the two arrived at the marketplace.
The place prepared as a trap was not in this specific market. It was a resting area located between this village and the next.
“Where shall we drink?”
Myeong Sin gave Geom Mu-geuk the choice of taverns.
Geom Mu-geuk looked around at the few establishments and pointed to one.
“Let’s go there.”
He chose the shabbiest tavern of them all. Myeong Sin followed him without protest.
The interior of the tavern felt similar to the one the Murder King was preparing.
This Young Cult Leader really does like this kind of atmosphere.
Myeong Sin asked him, “I heard the Three-Party Summit was held in a tavern like this as well.”
“Doesn't it have a certain charm?”
Geom Mu-geuk looked toward the owner.
“The food and drink here will be excellent.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“I can tell the quality of the food just by looking at the owner’s face. It’s a natural gift.”
However, a short while later, Geom Mu-geuk put his chopsticks down with a grimace.
The side dishes were terrible. The liquor was even worse.
With a dejected face, Geom Mu-geuk muttered, “The owner must have changed his face. Perhaps this is a place where a retired assassin is trying to run a business after washing his hands of blood.”
Myeong Sin gave a faint smile at the joke.
But there was a hint of bitterness in that smile. The phrase "retired assassin" felt heavy.
Until now, he had carried out his killings according to his own principles.
Never kill a child. Never kill those who do not know martial arts. Never kill those who are not evil.
But at some point, the Murder King had begun to challenge these principles.
Especially the last one.
— Who can decide what is evil and what is good? If you work as an assassin with such principles, does that make you a good person?
Myeong Sin hadn't been able to answer that.
— I’ll grant you the rule about children. I’ll grant you the rule about non-martial artists. But I cannot accept your rule about not killing those who aren't evil.
It was a command to kill without question when the organization gave the order.
— This is for your own sake. What if you set these useless principles and then make a mistake later? Will you wash your hands of this life out of guilt? Or will you take your own life? Why try to make an already difficult world even harder for yourself?
The Murder King’s persuasion had been pressing in on him.
Myeong Sin could feel it. The moment was coming when he would have to give the Murder King his answer.
He would break his principles.
No, he would not.
At the end of that agonizing deliberation, one doubt always awaited him.
What if I wasn't the second most skilled in Myeongbu?
Would he have survived this long? Would he have been able to cling to the icy cliff that was the Murder King’s heart? Had he survived because they were friends? Or because his skills were too valuable to throw away?
With the moment of decision regarding his principles drawing near, his mind was a mess of complications.
What he had said to Geom Mu-geuk earlier wasn't just a joke. The part about being sent because he was an eyesore. Perhaps the Murder King intended to use the hands of a powerful enemy like Geom Mu-geuk to remove that thorn.
Geom Mu-geuk watched Myeong Sin staring silently into his cup, then looked out the window.
For a moment, both men were lost in their own thoughts.
It was Geom Mu-geuk who broke the long silence.
“I have something I’m curious about. May I ask?”
“Ask whatever you like.”
“Why didn't you run away? You must know that several of your colleagues have already died by my hand.”
And were those colleagues ordinary masters? They were absolute experts who would have become the Twelve Zodiac Kings in the future.
As the Murder King’s right hand, Myeong Sin likely knew.
Indeed, his expression showed he was aware. He knew they belonged to the same side.
Myeong Sin replied calmly, “Because we are the people needed for times like this. We are experts in the business of killing.”
As Geom Mu-geuk nodded silently, Myeong Sin added subtly, “Aren't you people just as much experts in killing as we are? No, you’re even worse. We never move unless we’re paid, but you people kill indiscriminately regardless of money, don't you?”
This was how the Murim had viewed the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult until now.
“Indiscriminately? That’s a thing of the past. The Cult has changed a lot lately. Your report should have detailed that.”
Of course, Myeong Sin knew. He knew this Young Cult Leader was at the forefront of that change.
“Fine, since we’re on the subject, let me ask you something.”
Geom Mu-geuk threw an unexpected question.
“Is being an assassin fun?”
It seemed like a casual remark, but it was a question with intent.
“Who does this for fun? It’s just work. Why do you ask?”
Myeong Sin thought he had investigated everything about Geom Mu-geuk, but in truth, Geom Mu-geuk also knew about Myeong Sin. While Myeong Sin had more detailed information, Geom Mu-geuk knew the most critical fact.
He knew Myeong Sin’s end. He knew why Myeong Sin had been loyal to the Murder King and why he was eventually killed by him.
“You just don’t seem to suit being an assassin.”
“I can’t say I trust your intuition.”
Myeong Sin’s gaze shifted toward the owner sitting at the counter as he added, “Hasn't it already been proven how poor your eye for people is?”
Geom Mu-geuk laughed heartily. At that genuine laughter, Myeong Sin laughed as well. In that moment, a thought occurred to him: Who is letting their guard down more right now?
Geom Mu-geuk asked Myeong Sin, “The liquor is terrible here. Let’s move. Do you know any good taverns?”
Myeong Sin slowly shook his head.
“I don’t.”
He wanted to say he had a regular spot not far from here.
But he didn't. He judged that Geom Mu-geuk was asking to test him.
He had to make the arrival at the trap look completely natural. It had to happen at the moment his guard was down—the kind of moment that would make him think, I can't believe this man did this.
Instead, Myeong Sin stood up first.
“Let’s call it a day. We’ll drink again another time.”
“Ending it already? Let’s hang out more!”
“I’m busy. There’s a line of people waiting to be killed.”
Before leaving, Myeong Sin asked, “Why did you risk the danger to come out and drink with me?”
Geom Mu-geuk gave an answer he never expected.
“Your reports probably say this, but I like making friends. It’s just that I don’t have a single assassin friend.”
“...!”
Myeong Sin looked stunned and bewildered.
Geom Mu-geuk said to him, “Everyone starts with that exact expression.”
*
By the time Myeong Sin returned to the Murder King’s tavern, the street had been completely rearranged.
The assassins had taken on the roles of shopkeepers and clerks in every building. These top-tier killers were now fabric shop owners, tea house masters, or even casual customers. Even to another assassin, there was no sense of dissonance.
Furthermore, ordinary travelers who weren't assassins were mixed in. Their presence was actually the most important. They would serve as the perfect shields to hide the assassins.
If the Young Cult Leader comes here, he will surely die.
Myeong Sin entered the Murder King’s tavern. There, too, travelers passing through were eating and drinking.
The Murder King, who had even joined their table and was chatting away, greeted Myeong Sin.
“Welcome!”
Myeong Sin sat in a corner and ordered a light snack and some liquor.
After delivering the order, the Murder King went back to chatting with the guests. He looked exactly like the talkative tavern owners one might encounter while traveling through the Central Plains. Who would ever suspect this man was the master of Myeongbu?
Once the travelers left, the Murder King finally approached Myeong Sin.
“Did you meet the Young Cult Leader?”
“Yes, I met him.”
“How was he?”
“Did you say he reminds you of me?”
Of course, it hadn't been meant as a compliment. It was a comment on how, despite being a demonic practitioner or an assassin, they both tried to walk a different path.
“Then you’ve overestimated me greatly.”
He meant that Geom Mu-geuk was no ordinary man.
“In what way?”
“He’s strange. It’s hard to put into words.”
The Murder King poured himself a cup of Myeong Sin’s liquor and drank it.
He had expected as much. He already knew Geom Mu-geuk was something else.
“You said you wouldn't kill anyone who isn't evil, right? Is he evil? Or is he good?”
Myeong Sin couldn't answer. Generally speaking, the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult would naturally be classified as evil. But was the man he spoke with today evil?
The Murder King was trying to use Geom Mu-geuk to persuade Myeong Sin.
“This is why. Because it’s a question with no answer. Dismiss those principles of yours as a youthful whim.”
Myeong Sin said nothing. The fact that those words made him uncomfortable meant he wasn't ready to accept them yet.
“Can you pull this off?”
“I will.”
He had already been told that if they weren't friends, he would have died several times over. The assassination had already begun, and there was no turning back now.
“With this killing, we will be etched into the history of the Murim.”
Myeong Sin remained silent at the Murder King’s words.
“If you can’t just bring him here, use the Golden Dragon Clan. They’ll have to be cleaned up and discarded once this is over anyway. Even if we don’t kill them, their clan is doomed. The moment the Young Cult Leader dies, the Demonic Cult will wipe out everyone involved, down to the last blade of grass.”
Myeong Sin stood up and gave a polite bow.
“I’ll be going now.”
As he left, the Murder King spoke. His words reflected the patience of an assassin that Hwi had mentioned—the resolve of a man standing at the pinnacle of that patience.
“If you fail to bring the Young Cult Leader here, I will have to live out the rest of my life as the owner of this tavern.”