Chapter 13 (1)
Chapter 13 (1)
"Ohohohohot!"
"Damn it! You're annoying, so don't laugh like that!"
Having barely managed to clear up the misunderstanding and returning to the Black Spot, Jincheon shouted at Sim Eun-nang, who was laughing as if she found it hilarious.
"Ah, fuck. Do you know how much I suffered? I was desperately trying not to kill them, but when I tried to take out the token you gave me, they lunged at me, screaming, 'It's a hidden weapon!' and wouldn't let me take it out!"
"Hahahahaha!"
"That's annoying too! If my personality were just a little bit shittier, I would've killed them all! You know that!?"
"Puhuhu... Phew~ Yes, yes, I understand. But what a coincidence. To think that the people from the Sura Blood Palace would attack the Human Trafficking Ring at the promised time."
She hadn't wanted to reveal the identities of the experts she had desperately gathered, but that had led to an unexpected problem.
Sim Eun-nang had never expected that there would be people attacking the Human Trafficking Ring at the promised time, nor that she would spend unexpected time dealing with a spy she happened to discover among the experts she had gathered.
The only fortunate thing was that they had managed to eliminate all the enemies and occupy the Human Trafficking Ring's base.
Right now, they were in the middle of checking all the documents inside the Human Trafficking Ring and releasing the captured women.
"Tsk. Anyway, what about the Sura Blood Palace women?"
"They are waking up one by one now. It was a coincidence, but since they attacked the Human Trafficking Ring in our place, I intend to help with their recuperation as a reward."
"Damn it. If that bitch hadn't fainted, I wouldn't have gone through this! Why did she have to faint the moment she saw me and cause a misunderstanding!"
"Puhut..."
Sim Eun-nang, who found Jincheon's suffering very amusing, barely managed to hold back the laughter that was about to burst out.
'Damn it! If I'd known, I would've kidnapped that masked bitch separately and trained her!'
'Ahem, calm down, calm down. What's wrong with you, Sim Eun-nang? You're not the type to laugh like this.'
She controlled herself, trying to return to being the cool-headed Haomun Agyang Branch Manager, while Jincheon lamented the missed opportunity to "educate" the Sura Blood Palace woman.
"What about the reward?"
"As I said before, the things you want are quite broad, so we're still sorting through them. Besides, we're working on documenting them so they're easy for you to carry, so it'll take a few more days."
"Is that so? Then, can you also handle the two small personal favors I asked for during that time?"
"Of course. By tomorrow, you'll be able to receive the Black Tablet in your name. And I've also scouted a blacksmith with good equipment."
"I like that you're efficient. Then I'll head to the blacksmith right away."
"Understood. I'll tell them outside, so please wait a moment. Oh, and."
"Yeah?"
It was funny that the annoying Jincheon had suffered a bit, but it was clearly a good result that he had taken care of the Human Trafficking Ring that had been giving her such a hard time.
That was why Sim Eun-nang bowed her head toward Jincheon and expressed her gratitude.
"On behalf of the Haomun, I express my gratitude for your help."
"I was just fulfilling the deal."
With those words, Jincheon walked away.
'It's quite unexpected. Most men with your personality treat promises as if they're worth less than a pebble on the road.'
Sim Eun-nang, who found such a Jincheon fascinating, had a premonition that she would have a rather long-lasting connection with this man.
Not long after, a guide who had heard from Sim Eun-nang led him to the blacksmith that the Haomun had scouted.
And a while later, the interim report from investigating the Human Trafficking Ring's base was completed and reached her hands.
It contained the number of captured women and, through the rough contents of the documents, indicated where the kidnapped women had been moved.
Naturally, there was no description in those documents of who had done such a thing, and the sender and receiver also used titles instead of names, showing an effort to avoid being tracked.
And below the documents, it was noted that they had tortured the underlings of the Human Trafficking Ring to make them spit out everything they knew, but as most had expected, the information was mostly worthless.
"Hmm?"
At that moment, something caught her eye.
It was that one of the underlings of the Human Trafficking Ring had heard the name of a martial art called 'Cheolhwajang' from the mouth of the old master who had fought Jincheon.
'Cheolhwajang? That's a martial art name I've heard somewhere...'
It was familiar.
And ominous.
She thought about something for a moment, and then, her eyes widened, and she gave an order to the person who had brought the report.
"Prioritize tracking the route where the trafficked women were sold!"
"Yes? But we haven't even finished checking all the documents of the Human Trafficking Ring yet?"
"That's not what's important right now! If we're not careful...!"
Sim Eun-nang, who had stopped speaking for a moment and swallowed hard, had a face full of tension.
"The worst-case scenario where the Haomun could collapse might be coming..."
There is no place as obsessed with the name 'Strongest' as the Murim world.
That is why no one can use the name 'Strongest' carelessly.
Nevertheless, there is a place that uses the name 'Strongest,' and others cannot resist and accept it.
The Dokgo Clan of Henan Province.
When people think of Henan, most think of the Shaolin Temple, a giant of the Murim world, but now the Dokgo Clan stands shoulder to shoulder with the Shaolin Temple.
In the past, there existed the strongest martial artist named Martial Emperor Dokgo Murin.
Traveling the world with just a sword, defeating those called strong, and resolving the grudges that arose from it with just his sword, he was recognized as the strongest martial artist in the Murim world, receiving the name Martial Emperor.
Dokgo Murin himself was a human who was the crystallization of martial arts, finding power and such things bothersome and focusing only on training and strength.
However, the descendants of Dokgo Murin did not think so.
Possessing the fame and honor of being the 'Strongest,' they wanted to show off their power to the world.
Those who inherited the blood of Dokgo Murin also had the talent to walk the path of the strongest through the martial arts established by Dokgo Murin, although they did not quite reach his level.
Furthermore, when Dokgo Murin died of old age, the Murim people who had been suppressed by the name 'Strongest' began to attack his descendants as if to retaliate.
The descendants of Dokgo Murin, who experienced such a situation, came to the thought that if they wanted to survive, they had to unite under the name of Dokgo.
Having settled in Henan by spending all the wealth left by Dokgo Murin, the descendants of Dokgo Murin survived against the Murim people who tried to gain the fame of being the 'Strongest' by attacking them.
With that event as a turning point, the descendants of the Dokgo family settled in Henan and became the Dokgo Clan, the clan representing Henan.
The descendants of Dokgo Murin who created the Dokgo Clan succeeded in expanding their power by developing martial arts that weakened the power of the martial arts but increased their versatility, and teaching them to the martial artists who entered the clan.
Even now, hundreds of years later, thanks to remembering the family motto of Dokgo Murin, 'Do not stop. The moment you are satisfied and stop, the world is moving forward,' they were able to become the strongest clan in the Central Plains from the strongest in Henan by constantly improving their martial arts, unlike other conservative sects.
A basement that only a few special people in the Dokgo Clan know about.
Chwaak!
Chak!
Puk!
There exists a room designed so that the blood flowing out while cutting the bodies of unconscious women automatically flows toward the center.
In the center, there was a round bathtub-like place where a person could lie down, and a beauty without a single blemish was soaking her body in that bathtub.
The beauty, who was in a posture of cultivation while sitting cross-legged, contemplated the inside in the blood bath that reached up to her neck.
"Heup!"
At the moment the beauty let out a shout, her body began to shine with an ominous dark red color, and the red blood in the bathtub she was in turned into black dead blood.
Chwaak!
The naked beauty came out of the blood bath, revealing a body with perfect golden ratio curves.
It was a ratio that one could believe had been trained for martial arts since birth.
"Sa Yeon-hwa."
"Yes, Miss."
When the beauty opened her mouth, a young woman called 'Sa Yeon-hwa' brought a clean towel and a basin full of water to wash and wipe her body.
Even while receiving her actions, the beauty moved without stopping and headed to where her clothes were.
As soon as she arrived where the clothes were, Sa Yeon-hwa threw the cleanly wiped towel into the corner and dressed the beauty.
"Phew."
"Why are you sighing, Miss?"
Sa Yeon-hwa could not understand the beauty who sighed as if she felt empty.
Born into the best family, possessing the best talent, in the best environment, learning the best martial arts.
Yet, the beauty was feeling emptiness.
"I've become stronger again today."
"That is natural. The Yin energy contained within the essence of countless women has been gathered through your Qi Absorption Technique, making you one step stronger."
The beauty, who had been born with extreme Yin energy incomparable to ordinary women, was used for the purpose of testing a new martial art developed by the retired former clan leader.
Since that martial art should not be known to the outside world, it was not named, but those involved in this work were calling it by the temporary name 'Qi Absorption Technique'.
This Qi Absorption Technique accepts the energy of essence through human blood and circulates it as internal energy, and because it also accepts the Yang and Yin energy of men and women, it is called a half-failed martial art because it is difficult to control the ratio.
If the harmony of Yin and Yang is broken, it would not be strange for any side effects to occur.
Even if one is a woman, there is bound to be Yang energy in the body, and if one receives the Yin energy of countless women, that balance is broken.
However, the beauty, who was born with extreme Yin energy, had a unique constitution that did not break that balance even when receiving countless Yin energy.
Naturally, the current work is an unethical and cruel act.
However, the people of the Dokgo family, who had become addicted to the taste of power and honor of being the best and strongest and took it for granted, considered the lives of thousands of women to be a very trivial matter in order to maintain their position as the best and strongest.
In fact, the beauty did not feel even the slightest bit of guilt, even though she knew how many women had died for her to become stronger.
Thus, the beauty, who had natural talent and the full support of the family, was the future world's strongest person planned by the Dokgo Clan.
According to the calculations, in 20 years... no, in 10 years, the beauty would be recognized as the strongest martial artist in the world, and the Dokgo Clan would be placed on the foundation of being the eternal strongest.
The problem was the beauty.
At first, she was happy and moved by her own appearance becoming stronger, but as no one in the family could defeat her anymore, she began to feel boredom.
"Sa Yeon-hwa."
"Yes, Miss."
"To be honest, I don't care about becoming stronger. But... it is too solitary and lonely to have to become stronger according to the family's orders without being able to meet anyone or go out into the world like this."
She was a young girl with outstanding talent along with extreme Yin energy.
Therefore, the family managed her specially, and because of that, the people who met her had to be screened several times by the family.
"It feels like my emotions are wearing away as I become stronger. At first, I felt pity for those women dying, but now I feel nothing."
"Miss..."
If a stranger saw it, they would think she was crazy for being blessed despite being born into the world's strongest clan that even commits crimes for talent, but it was a very important problem for her.
As the two men and women came out of the basement, a man approached as if he had been waiting.
"Thank you for your hard work, Miss. I'm sorry, but may I borrow Sa Yeon-hwa for a moment?"
"Do so."
"Thank you. Then."
The man headed to a corner with Sa Yeon-hwa.
"It's a big problem."
"What is it?"
"The Haomun in Agyang has finally caused trouble."
"Yes?"
Sa Yeon-hwa is the beauty's servant, but she also plays the role of managing the materials for the Qi Absorption Technique for the beauty to become stronger.
Therefore, she knew that the Haomun in Agyang did not look kindly on the Human Trafficking Ring and kept playing tricks, but,
"Didn't Elder Bang Woo go there himself? Besides, the elite agents of the Dark Shadow Group went with him."
That was why Elder Bang Woo of the Dokgo Clan was personally stepping forward to manage and guard it.
Elder Bang Woo, who had reached the peak of martial arts, and several first-class warriors were there, and the Agyang side was defeated?
"I don't know the details, but the contact from Agyang was cut off, so I checked urgently and it seems Elder Bang Woo was defeated. The agents of the Dark Shadow Group as well..."
"Then... things have become dangerous. And of all things, the Haomun..."
The Haomun is an organization that buys and sells information along with the Black Spot.
Since important secrets of the Dokgo family have entered such an organization, the problem could become serious if things go wrong.
"But they wouldn't know the purpose. Anyway, since we were caught in the Haomun's surveillance network, we have no choice but to stop all operations for now."
"We'll have to settle things with the Haomun."
"Yes, the higher-ups also plan to shut them up with money, or in the worst case, even resort to force."
"Then, in the meantime, the Miss's training..."
"Since a problem has arisen, we have to stop for now."
"If there's such a problem, I'd like to take a trip outside for a while."
"Ugh!?"
"Eek!?"
At that moment, the two men and women were surprised by the voice that was heard quietly.
When they turned their gaze toward the direction of the voice, the expressionless beauty had approached them at some point.
'She approached this closely, and I didn't notice until she spoke...! The Miss's martial arts have made another great leap forward!'
The man was surprised but smiled, feeling happy about the beauty's martial prowess.
"A trip, indeed, the Miss has reached an age where it is good for her to debut into the Murim world."
'Yes, the Miss has been feeling boredom and emptiness lately, so she might need a change of mood. In this state, there will be a problem with learning martial arts.'
Sa Yeon-hwa, who thought so, agreed with the man's opinion.
"I will submit the story to the Master."
"Would you do that? Thank you, I have to deal with the aftermath, so I'll go first."
The man said so and ran somewhere in a hurry, and Sa Yeon-hwa, who was left alone with the beauty, sighed at the beauty.
"Miss, please, I would appreciate it if you would make your presence known next time."
"Hmm, I will do so."
The beauty nods with an expressionless voice that seems to have no emotions.
'A trip. I just said it without thinking, but...'
Thinking about it, the beauty had long passed the age of twenty, but she had not debuted into the Murim world.
A Murim debut is a kind of initiation ceremony to let the world know that one has officially become a Murim person.
'Honestly, I'm excited.'
A world she doesn't know.
Martial artists she doesn't know.
Among them, wouldn't there be a strong person who would make her kick away her boredom?
The eldest daughter of the Dokgo Clan, Dokgo Yak-ran.
Murim debut.