Chapter 488: I’m Not the Type to Drop My Sword for a Hostage
Chapter 488: I’m Not the Type to Drop My Sword for a Hostage
Myeong Sin had issued a contract to himself.
He asked himself to avenge his deceased parents.
It was the first contract he had ever given himself in his life, and it would be his last.
Having accepted his own contract with this lone coin, he would have to accept the contracts offered by others as well—provided he survived this fight.
At this moment, Myeong Sin relished a sense of relief he was feeling for the first time since the day he was born. He was finally looking directly at the life he had spent his entire existence avoiding.
Even now, the Murder King merely stared at him, his eyes devoid of a single shred of emotion.
Even at this moment, when I am choosing to forsake you, is that empty gaze all you have for me?
The words Geom Mu-geuk had once spoken echoed in his mind.
— Do not search for meaning in it.
Until now, Myeong Sin had desperately believed that some deep, hidden sentiment he couldn't yet grasp lay within those transparent eyes.
Again, Geom Mu-geuk’s voice resonated.
— Even if there is a meaning, how significant could it really be?
Indeed, there was nothing in that gaze.
Myeong Sin had simply been trying to manufacture meaning out of the terror that if there truly was nothing, then his own life amounted to nothing as well.
It wasn't that the Murder King considered him special; it was simply that Myeong Sin, being special, had managed to survive.
Once he settled his heart, Myeong Sin did not look back.
The Murder King was the leader of the organization that had annihilated his family, and he had raised Myeong Sin as an assassin while concealing that truth. That alone was reason enough to end things here.
Before the first strike, however, Myeong Sin spoke to Geom Mu-geuk.
“There are five assassins hidden among the guests.”
At those words, the guests—already paralyzed by the unfolding tension—turned deathly pale. Not only had a fight broken out, but killers were lurking among them, posing as ordinary customers.
They desperately wanted to bolt for the exit, but they couldn't. The innkeeper, whose true identity had been revealed, stood blocking the entrance. If they moved now, they would surely be the first to die.
Some wept in terror, some collapsed to the floor, and others watched the confrontation while trembling uncontrollably.
Geom Mu-geuk didn't bother to comment on their safety. He didn't issue a warning not to touch them, nor did he bluff by saying he wouldn't blink an eye if the hostages were killed.
If the enemy had investigated him at all, they would know he was the type of person who tried to keep people alive.
They would actively use the guests as hostages. But there was a silver lining to that: it meant they wouldn't kill them recklessly.
Myeong Sin pointed the five out with lethal precision.
“The assassins are the third, fourth, and fifth from the left. And the eighth and ninth.”
On one side stood the Murder King and the five revealed assassins.
On the other stood Geom Mu-geuk, Hwi, and Myeong Sin.
In the midst of that suffocating confrontation, Geom Mu-geuk and the Murder King’s gazes locked in midair.
The Murder King showed no sign of irritation. His expression suggested that even this betrayal was merely one of the many variables he had predicted.
“Why did you join hands with them?” Geom Mu-geuk asked.
What desire of the Murder King’s had they provoked to make him ally with them?
The Murder King replied flatly.
“I cannot speak of the client. That is the principle of assassins.”
Since they were likely the ones who had commissioned this murder.
Geom Mu-geuk slowly drew his Black Demonic Sword.
“I have a principle as well. My Demonic Path forbids the breaking of tavern tables. However, it seems I must break that rule today.”
Just before the brawl erupted, Hwi spoke up.
“There are six assassins, not five. That man over there as well.”
Hwi pointed to a guest sitting alone in a corner.
He was someone even Myeong Sin didn't recognize.
Hwi had used the unique intuition of an escort warrior to find the assassin hiding his identity.
“As expected! Nothing escapes your eyes, Uncle.”
As Geom Mu-geuk expressed his delight, a Voice Transmission from Hwi reached him.
— There are still others I’m unsure about. Do not let your guard down.
If that was the case, it meant they had prepared extensively. They had hidden assassins among the guests capable of fooling even Hwi’s seasoned eyes.
Meanwhile, Myeong Sin realized a cold truth upon seeing the assassin he hadn't known about.
You never trusted me.
Normally, Myeong Sin would have helped the Murder King kill Geom Mu-geuk in this fight. In such a scenario, an assassin unknown to him should never have existed.
Perhaps that man had been prepared specifically to kill Myeong Sin himself.
Suddenly, he recalled something the Murder King had once said.
— If we weren't friends, you would be dead already.
His relationship with the man became even clearer. Now, even the slightest possibility that he might have misjudged the situation vanished.
I didn't survive because we were friends.
He knew for certain now. The Murder King had simply found it amusing that the child he had picked up out of curiosity had become his second-in-command. He simply needed the murders that the second-in-command performed for the sake of the Underworld. That was the only reason he had been kept alive.
Myeong Sin had only denied it because he didn't want to feel miserable. He had desperately assigned meaning to his existence, even going so far as to create an ice cliff in his mind.
In his mind, Myeong Sin envisioned himself climbing that ice cliff and standing at the summit.
“Since we’re no longer friends, why don't you try and kill me!”
The will to kill the Murder King blazed in Myeong Sin’s eyes.
Geom Mu-geuk looked at Hwi. Though no words were exchanged, Hwi understood his intent perfectly.
He was telling Hwi to watch Myeong Sin’s back.
This fight was Geom Mu-geuk’s own, but it was also Myeong Sin’s, and simultaneously Hwi’s.
While the three of them fought, Geom Mu-geuk intended to wipe out every assassin in the room.
I’ll finish them as quickly as possible and help the other two.
Geom Mu-geuk shouted.
“Everyone who hasn't been identified as an assassin, get down on the floor!”
At his command, everyone except the assassins dropped to the ground.
Simultaneously, Myeong Sin lunged at the Murder King.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Their daggers clashed in a blur of steel. They knew each other better than anyone else—their martial arts, their habits, everything.
Driven back by the fierce momentum, the Murder King leaped out of the tavern.
Geom Mu-geuk could tell. The King had lured Myeong Sin outside on purpose.
He was confident the remaining assassins could kill Geom Mu-geuk here. He wanted them to freely unleash everything they had prepared in this space of death.
Hwi looked at Geom Mu-geuk, and Geom Mu-geuk nodded silently. Normally, Hwi would never leave his side, but Geom Mu-geuk’s eyes spoke for him.
Trust me, and protect him. I will be out shortly.
Hwi’s hesitation didn't last long. He hadn't volunteered to escort Geom Mu-geuk this time just to protect his life. He wanted to protect the people Geom Mu-geuk cherished and, by extension, his convictions.
Swish.
Hwi vanished without a sound.
At the same moment, the assassins in the room simultaneously thrust their hands toward Geom Mu-geuk.
Special hidden weapons were concealed within their sleeves.
Soul-Killing Thunder.
An assassination weapon crafted by the Underworld.
The Soul-Killing Thunder was so powerful that if the user’s internal energy was even slightly lacking, the recoil could tear their arm from their shoulder.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The hidden weapons detonated like miniature explosions.
Geom Mu-geuk flipped a table and infused it with internal energy. But the moment he tried to use the table as a shield—
Sh-sh-sh-sh!
Steel needles launched at Geom Mu-geuk from small holes in the bottom of the table.
It was a trap designed for the exact moment an opponent tried to flip the table to block an attack.
This hidden move was so potent that the Soul-Killing Thunder of the six assassins could be considered a mere distraction for this ambush.
Fortunately, Geom Mu-geuk’s instinctive evasion was faster than the attack. If he had been even a fraction of a second slower, he would have succumbed to this strike that caught him off guard.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Even then, the hidden weapons from the Soul-Killing Thunder slammed into the table. They were no ordinary projectiles; each one possessed enough power to shatter a steel sword and pierce through stone walls.
However, they could not break the table infused with Geom Mu-geuk’s internal energy.
Geom Mu-geuk hurled the table and lunged toward an assassin.
The moment the assassin swung his sword to knock the table aside—
Geom Mu-geuk was no longer behind it.
Slice.
Geom Mu-geuk’s sword, surging forward as if sliding across the floor, sliced through the assassin’s abdomen.
The assassin, his torso nearly severed, collapsed on the spot.
As the pungent scent of blood wafted through the air, screams erupted from the guests huddled on the floor.
Another volley of Soul-Killing Thunder poured toward Geom Mu-geuk.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The projectiles tore through the floorboards.
But Geom Mu-geuk was already soaring through the air, rushing toward a second assassin.
It was then. Another assassin slammed his hand down on the abacus sitting on the counter.
In that instant!
Pop-pop-pop-pop!
The abacus beads shot forward all at once. They looked ordinary, but the way they separated and flew was anything but.
This was the hidden weapon known for never failing to kill an enemy within its range!
The Ghost Calculation Shot.
Dozens of abacus beads flew at a terrifying speed. These beads were no ordinary hidden weapons. Rumor had it they could even pierce the Body Protection Qi of masters.
Geom Mu-geuk threw himself forward. It was an attack that seemed impossible to dodge, yet Geom Mu-geuk found a sliver of safety amidst those lethal trajectories. He twisted and bent his waist, arms, and body violently to evade the incoming fire.
His movements were grotesque, but not a single bead struck his body. The Ghost Calculation beads grazed past him.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The beads pierced through the surrounding walls.
Sunlight streamed into the room through the dozens of holes, creating lines of light.
A sudden spectacle of light was born.
For a fleeting moment, the scene looked fantastical.
Amidst the beams of sunlight, hidden weapons flashed as they flew.
Whish! Whish!
The top-tier assassins did not hesitate. Their judgment was swift, and their actions were devoid of fear. If their opponent hadn't been Geom Mu-geuk, they would have been congratulating each other on a job well done.
Dodging the incoming projectiles, Geom Mu-geuk vaulted over the counter.
Thwack!
The jaw of the assassin who had fired the Ghost Calculation Shot shattered as he was sent flying backward.
At that moment, another assassin pulled a beaded curtain hanging in the kitchen. The moment the curtain was yanked—
Splash!
Bone-Melting Acid poured down onto Geom Mu-geuk’s head from above the counter.
Sizzle.
A foul, acrid stench rose along with the smoke.
The previous abacus attack and this acid attack were a coordinated ambush. If someone tried to eliminate the one who fired the abacus, the Bone-Melting Acid would immediately be dumped on them.
However, Geom Mu-geuk’s form blurred as he crossed the space in an instant, escaping the trap.
The Wind God Four Steps displayed incredible divine power in this cramped space.
Another assassin charged in, kicking a table toward him.
As he kicked the table, it shattered, and the items on top of it went flying.
Bowls, liquor bottles, and dishes soared into the air.
Among them was a container holding chopsticks.
Bang!
What exploded in front of Geom Mu-geuk was the chopstick container.
It was a device designed so that when the container was struck and the chopsticks flew out, it would explode and release poison mist.
Who would pay attention to a chopstick container when an opponent was breaking or flipping tables? This, too, was Myeong Sin’s creation. This was why the Murder King had taken Myeong Sin outside; most of the traps prepared for today had been developed by him.
Thud.
Geom Mu-geuk, caught in the face by the poison mist, collapsed abruptly.
The man who had attacked by flipping the table also fell, his chest slashed by Geom Mu-geuk’s sword. Even as he died, a satisfied expression crossed his face, believing he had fulfilled his mission.
Two assassins approached cautiously to confirm Geom Mu-geuk’s death.
As they leaned over him, they prepared to plunge their daggers into his neck from both sides to finish the job—
Snatch.
Their daggers stopped in midair.
Geom Mu-geuk, his eyes now wide open, had grabbed both of their wrists.
While his hands held them fast, they quickly tried to strike him with their other hands.
Whoosh!
Geom Mu-geuk exhaled the poison mist he had been holding in his mouth.
The poison was so potent that the two assassins let out agonized screams before dying instantly.
Then, the last remaining assassin grabbed a hostage from the floor and pulled her up.
“Aaaah!”
The assassin held a dagger to the woman’s throat.
“Drop your sword. Or this bitch dies.”
“You must not have investigated me properly,” Geom Mu-geuk said. “I’m not the type to drop my sword just because of a hostage situation.”
The moment he finished speaking, Geom Mu-geuk lunged.
Flash.
Using the Blink Step, he surged toward the assassin holding the hostage.
The moment the assassin shoved the woman forward as a shield and thrust his sword from behind her—
Slice!
Stab!
The sound of tearing flesh echoed in succession.
Tragically, both the hostage and the assassin collapsed.
Blood sprayed from the severed neck of the hostage woman, and blood gushed from the assassin’s heart.
One might have thought the assassin killed the woman, but surprisingly, Geom Mu-geuk had killed them both.
The dying assassin asked with a look of shock.
“...How did you know?”
A dagger was clutched in the hand of the dead "hostage."
Incredibly, she was an assassin as well. When she was pushed forward, she had intended to launch a decisive surprise attack. In fact, her martial arts skill was even greater than that of the assassin who had held her "hostage."
She was the core of the assassins prepared for today.
If he hadn't known in advance, it was an attack so unexpected and lethal that even Geom Mu-geuk might not have been able to dodge it.
But Geom Mu-geuk had cut her down and then the assassin behind her as if he had known all along.
Geom Mu-geuk left the dying assassin with words he would never understand, even in death.
“Because our Uncle said there was someone he was unsure about.”