Chapter 59: Heavenly Net (3)
This was the martial world, but it wasn’t like the typical stage from novels. Usually, the martial world was built around ancient China.
‘This place is just… a completely different world.’
It was as if a martial world had simply sprung up on some unknown continent.
If Chinese murim was an A-rank murim world,
Then this felt more like a C-rank one.
Since the gate itself was a fragment of another world, there was nothing strange about it.
In any case.
Since I’d planned to escape from the start, I’d thoroughly scouted all the castles that could serve as escape routes and the sects inside them.
‘Hanlim Fortress.’
A fortress with 10-meter-high walls, ruled by the Yi Clan House, which belonged to the Murim Alliance.
‘Come to think of it, their eldest son died by my hand.’
Yi Se-hyeong, the one with the aged appearance.
He’d been taken out while trying to gang up on me with three orthodox faction members.
They must have heard the news by now, so he was probably grinding his teeth in rage toward me.
‘I heard the martial clans here move the government officials.’
That was how the murim worked in this world.
Government untouchable?
It wasn’t even on that level.
The government was the kind you had to bow your head to eagerly.
The reason was simple.
‘The martial world produces a supreme expert every hundred years.’
What good were soldiers or numerous masters? The true strongest couldn’t be touched by a hair.
If those who obtained the key to ascension kept staying on this land, the martial artists might have just become emperors generation after generation.
‘Good thing they go to heaven.’
From what I heard, they’d dominate for a few decades and then suddenly vanish one day.
Probably ascending to the heavenly realm like Mu Tap-ta.
In any case.
After getting butchered like that a few times, the government started bowing its head on its own.
You could easily move the government.
= If you wanted to, you could just take their words as truth.
= You could command the fortress soldiers as you pleased.
Something like that.
‘Well, it’d be hard to deploy the soldiers outside the walls…’
I’d heard the Yi Clan House was fairly strong, but it was just one of many clans under the Murim Alliance.
Still, with the emperor’s government having its face to save, they couldn’t hand over command of even the small fries to just anyone.
You’d need to be the Murim Alliance itself, or the Demonic Alliance, or the Demonic Cult proper for that kind of performance.
Huh?
But all three were banding together?
‘…If I get caught, they’ll come swarming like a pack of dogs.’
Right now, they were probably chasing with some dignity, laughing it off.
But if I kept evading better than expected and fled far away?
They could drag out every soldier from the capital and scatter them.
‘That’s why it’s called the heavenly net?’
Damn it.
In the end, it was a race against time.
Dark night.
Far off, a firmly shut fortress came into view.
Between the blazing torches, the silhouettes of patrolling soldiers.
“Here, take these.”
I handed her several potions.
[Some Kinda Suspicious Stealth Potion]
[Grade: Common+]
[A potion that’ll probably make you invisible. But it probably has side effects too.]
[Effect 1. Grants invisibility for 20 minutes upon consumption.]
[Effect 2. Inflicts a random side effect upon consumption.]
“…Some kinda suspicious stealth potion?”
She tilted her head as she examined the potion.
It was made by the skeletons.
Originally, it lasted 5 minutes at first, but as crafting level rose, it extended to 20.
“…It has side effects, though?”
“I tested it. It’s nothing major. Just some stat reductions for a few hours. A small price compared to going invisible.”
“How invisible?”
“Nighttime, so even up to level 200 won’t spot you.”
Lowbies can’t find you, mid-tiers can—that level.
‘Well, it should be usable.’
Easy to dodge the soldiers on the walls.
Plain HP, mana, or stat boost potions were common.
But potions with unique effects like this couldn’t be made without recipes or passed-down methods, so they rarely hit the market.
Luckily, the skeletons had been directly trained by elves, so no issue.
‘Elves aren’t called the price of gold for nothing.’
They churned out potions that ordinary human alchemists couldn’t make in a lifetime.
Just like dwarves.
“The plan’s simple. I’ll go in and open the outer gate from inside. Yerim, get me horses. As many as possible.”
“To shake off the pursuers?”
I nodded.
The bag was equipment too.
Even if skeletons were reverse-summoned, equipped gear and the misc bag stayed due to armament mounting.
Load skeletons on the horses?
‘Weights’ll match.’
The pursuit would be thrown into chaos again.
“Get them, intimidate with momentum or whatever, just lure them my way. Then head for the gate I open.”
Ride and bolt.
They’d run fresh for about a day. After that, horses tire out.
‘I’ll think about it then.’
Ran all day, no sleep.
No horses, exhaustion ending.
She nodded.
“Then I’ll circle around to the other gate. When the commotion starts, I’ll bring the horses.”
“Yeah.”
We split.
‘I’ll draw eyes first.’
Quite a few skeletons reverse-summoned so far. Around five hundred by count. Not entire squads wiped.
A few per squad. Probably the ones holed up in caves or mountains. With Dolsae, Cedric, and five hundred skeletons?
‘Opening the gate’s a breeze.’
Night raid.
Would they even imagine two people assaulting the fortress?
‘Doubt it.’
News reached them, so some alert, but just that level.
‘Alert isn’t too tight.’
Few warriors.
Soldiers filled the gaps with patrols.
Patrol times scouted, now infiltrate.
Downed the stealth potion.
[Invisibility for 20 minutes!]
[Side effect: Strength and Agility -10 for 2 hours!]
Leaped onto the wall as a soldier passed.
Insane stats let me vault 10 meters in one go.
Nighttime, inner city dead quiet.
‘No guards below either.’
Dropped down, dashed forward. After 20 minutes of running, the opposite gate appeared.
Same here: few warriors, many soldiers on guard.
Drew sword, charged.
“Who’s there!”
Warriors sensed presence a beat before soldiers. But distance already closed to point-blank.
Skeletons bursting from ground, iron maces smashing warrior legs.
“Gahk!”
Skeleton severing throat of fallen warrior with crushed leg using axe.
Kim Minwoo instantly felled one charging warrior too.
“A-ambush!”
The whole fortress erupted in chaos.
* * *
Yi Clan House Patriarch Yi Won-pyeong.
He opened his eyes to the outer commotion while sleeping.
“What’s going on?”
“P-Patriarch! Disaster! The fugitives our Alliance has a bounty on—they’ve appeared!”
“…What? You saying those bastards entered the fortress?”
“Yes. North gate breached, fled with dozens of horses!”
Yi Won-pyeong’s hair stood on end.
Baek So-cheon and Choi Aeng-aeng.
Heard they hadn’t been located yet.
Uncertain if heading to capital, and if so, assumed they’d bypass it.
Who’d be crazy enough to enter the fortress with a massive force chasing them!
It was like shouting their location everywhere.
‘That dog Baek So-cheon…’
Yi Won-pyeong gnashed his teeth.
Heard he passed the test killing all but three. Could be the enemy who killed his eldest son. Score suggested good chance.
Yet stuck inside, unable to leave due to Alliance blockade order.
This changed things.
Their location pinned long ago.
Could pursue now.
“Send messenger bird to Alliance immediately, gather clan warriors! I’ll track those bastards myself!”
“Understood, Patriarch!”
He dashed toward the government office, brows furrowed.
Government office long in uproar over intruder news.
Yi Won-pyeong approached the Hanlim Fortress magistrate.
“Magistrate Kim! Can I borrow government soldiers?”
“…Didn’t we already actively aid the blockade? That’s all we can do.”
“They’re traitors the Alliance is hunting! Cooperate fully!”
“…Traitor’s not a word for this. Only after rebellion are they traitors.”
“…Magistrate Kim. This is trouble. Think the Alliance will stay quiet if they find out later?”
“So, got a document stamped with the Alliance seal like before?”
“…”
Yi Won-pyeong fell silent.
Earlier blockade order backed by Alliance document to move government.
Not now.
Fugitives just spotted.
Even fastest messenger bird takes hours to reach Alliance. No stamped document possible.
“Without it, can’t send soldiers outside. We have duty to protect His Majesty’s land and people.”
“…Ha! Noble scholar arrived!”
What’s that emperor anyway.
Swallowing retort, Yi Won-pyeong whirled. Could get horses at best.
They’re strong.
Yi Clan alone too burdensome to block. Came to government for that reason.
‘No choice. We move first.’
Huge merit at stake.
Even stalling buys big recognition.
Plus.
‘Took several horses.’
To switch midway?
‘No.’
No need for that many then.
One person’s weight difference. Run a day, all tire out.
‘To confuse pursuit.’
Heard they toyed with undead.
Load on horses, same trick. Pursuit splits again. If he chased and found real direction?
‘Top contributor not a dream.’
Yi Won-pyeong’s eyes gleamed.
At clan house.
Nearly four hundred warriors mounted, awaiting him.
“Chase them down. Ride like you’re prepared to die. Go!”
“Yes, Patriarch!”
Pursuit squad departed fortress. Even after twenty minutes galloping, mass hoofprints stretched ahead.
‘I’ll foil all their tricks!’
If they split horses two-by-two to confuse, they’d split forces too.
Each squad had fireworks, main force five messenger birds.
Numbers only a thriving Yi Clan could boast.
Entering straight forest path.
Yi Won-pyeong’s eyes narrowed sharply.
Something glinted in darkness.
Even he, top level, barely spotted it.
Eyes bulged.
‘Chain?!’
Thick chains stretched between trees, using shadows.
“Dismount!”
Yi Won-pyeong hurled sideways. Front warriors followed without hesitation.
The lower-ranked warriors were a different story. Before they could react, the lead horse caught the chain and tumbled, dragging the others down in a tangled heap. The warriors went down with their mounts.
Skeletons burst from both forest sides, attacking fallen warriors.
Hundreds perished in fatal ambush.
Worse.
Thud.
Thud.
Massive bone monster appeared, not enough.
‘Baek So-cheon! Choi Aeng-aeng!’
Exactly matching wanted posters.
‘They dug a trap!’
Yi Won-pyeong’s eyes widened.
Thought only fleeing, not reverse trap.
Hasty chase backfired.
“You bastards…!”
Yi Won-pyeong gnashed teeth.
One trap.
Devastating blow.
Nearly three hundred fifty warriors shredded.
Left: elite fifty at best.
Enemy scale?
‘Nearly two thousand.’
Undead fields everywhere.
Catch undead and those two with fifty warriors?
Break this encirclement?
Faces darkened.
True experts handle dozens of peers easily.
Those two massacred late-stage Dragon-Phoenix Conference geniuses. Yi Won-pyeong yelled at subordinates.
“Send messenger birds now!”
Fireworks useless.
No nearby support forces. Subordinates scribbled notes frantically, released birds.
Five messenger birds took to sky.
Then.
Choi Aeng-aeng grabbed bow on back.
Swoosh!
Pierced one precisely.
Unimaginable sight, Yi Won-pyeong and experts’ eyes bulged.
“Block that wench!”
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Swoosh!
Choi Aeng-aeng drew without breathing. Four birds died instantly.
Finally reaching her, Yi Won-pyeong thrust sword with bloodshot eyes.
“You bitch!”
Clang!
Choi Aeng-aeng parried with sword. Only then Yi Won-pyeong relaxed.
At least one lived.
Sucked into encirclement center, but averted worst.
“Break through! Fend for yourselves!”
“Yes!”
Yi Clan warriors charged every direction.
To survive even one. Melee erupted.
Then.
Sole surviving messenger bird mid-flight.
Boom!
Collision sound, body crushed like compact car hit by truck, plummeted powerlessly.