Secret Branch Infiltration Operation 7
Shindogun had only recently joined the pursuit squad — precisely around the time one of the kids took a hit of black flame and plummeted from the sky.
He killed one of the rearmost pursuit members and assumed that man's appearance.
Yes. He had already annihilated the entire force of the secret branch. When he first spotted the kid fleeing alone, it had been pure curiosity.
Flying through the sky at the Peak level. For a moment he'd wondered if the boy was using some strange sorcery.
Then he found himself facing an unexpected enemy. A captain from the same Guangming Palace — Lee Hyeong-seop.
For reasons unknown, the man was trying to kill the boy. Shindogun seized his chance and drove a blade clean through the captain's heart.
If that had been the end of it, none of this would have mattered much. But the kid had already sensed Shindogun's presence.
Something even Lee Hyeong-seop hadn't known. Knowing it, the boy created an opening in his opponent and handed Shindogun the perfect opportunity.
No wonder they called him the youngest Peak expert.
"You... how?!"
"What do you mean, how? A traitor like you should know full well."
"W-wait—"
"You've done well so far, Captain of the Heavenly Net Black Death Squad. Now die."
Puhwaaak!
Shindogun's merciless blade cleaved Lee Hyeong-seop clean in two. Shin Gi-woon was thoroughly drenched in the spray of blood. He didn't even have the strength left to dodge.
"Thanks to you, I'm alive... Captain."
"You. What's your name?"
"Shin Gi-woon, sir."
"Can you stand?"
"To some extent..."
Shindogun held out a hand. Shin Gi-woon took it without hesitation and rose to his feet. Every joint in his body was screaming.
Could he even walk like this? As Shin Gi-woon's complexion turned ashen, Shindogun spoke.
"Want a piggyback?"
"Pardon?"
"I can't lose a promising future talent here. Climb on."
"I-is that really alright?"
"Why wouldn't it be? In exchange, once you graduate from Jamma Cave, join my unit. I'll treat you well."
Shindogun's sudden proposal. But Shin Gi-woon never answered — he simply climbed onto the man's back, then promptly let go of consciousness and blacked out.
"Crafty little bastard... Even in that state, he doesn't say yes."
Even reduced to this, the kid had no openings. A child who had recognized his presence despite being driven to the absolute limit of his mind.
An extraordinary talent. Once he joined the squad, he could be made a squad leader on the spot.
"As for his identity, though..."
Shindogun had eavesdropped on the conversation between Shin Gi-woon and Lee Hyeong-seop. He'd heard something about taking an inner core from some "Gangcheol," whatever that was.
From the circumstances, he could surmise that Shin Gi-woon had consumed a spiritual beast's inner core and gained mysterious powers.
But what intrigued him most was how the boy had been questioning Lee Hyeong-seop's true identity.
Lee Hyeong-seop was the Captain of the Heavenly Net Black Death Squad and the Chief Instructor of Jamma Cave. There was no way Shin Gi-woon wouldn't know who he was.
Which meant it was only right to assume the man had another hidden identity.
More things to report to the Cult Leader.
War was right on their doorstep. A captain belonging to Guangming Palace wouldn't simply become a traitor — he must have risen to the captaincy with the intention of betraying them from the start.
That was the only way to look at it. His head was starting to ache for no reason. This sort of thing wasn't his style.
When you wake up, a lot will have changed, Gi-woon.
He had no intention of sending a child who knew secrets back to Jamma Cave. First, this boy...
Had to have an audience with the Cult Leader.
—oon! Shin Gi-woon! Wake up!
"Hah!"
Shin Gi-woon, who had been unconscious, snapped his eyes open. The memories of the battlefield still hadn't faded, and he tried to rise immediately — only to realize a moment later that both his hands were bound and he couldn't move properly.
When...?
The Captain of the Thousand Transformations Soul Chasing Squad, was it? That man locked you up in here.
The Captain? Why?
How should I know? Still, he doesn't seem like he's going to kill you.
Haah. I guess I should be grateful for that.
Shin Gi-woon sighed and sat back down. Hearing the situation, he finally felt some relief. The problem was that his body was in absolute shit condition.
The internal injuries alone would take a full six months of recovery. At least he'd received basic first aid — the wounds hadn't festered.
He'd take that as a silver lining. If Shindogun hadn't intervened, he'd be dead. Being alive at all was something to be thankful for.
Where is this?
Well, it's definitely not Jamma Cave, that's for sure.
Looking at how my internal energy is sealed, they locked me up for real... Guess I just have to wait.
Even though they'd only just met, the man had saved his life. He didn't think the Captain of the Thousand Transformations Soul Chasing Squad was a bad person.
Especially after treating his wounds. If he waited patiently, he'd find out soon enough. No need to cause a scene.
He couldn't circulate his energy, so meditation was out. Bound as he was, he could barely even keep himself upright.
All Shin Gi-woon could do was lie there. His only consolation was having someone to talk to.
Then—
"How's the body holding up?"
"Captain?"
"Ah, don't ask. I'm about to let you out... Someone else will answer your questions."
Shindogun appeared suddenly, opened the bars, and pulled Shin Gi-woon out. There were more than a few questions.
But Shindogun said nothing, and since there was no one to free him from the silence, Gi-woon kept his mouth shut.
Security's tight.
As they walked somewhere, Shin Gi-woon noticed the security was far from ordinary. An excessive investment of manpower, you could say.
Work that could easily be done with fewer people, yet deliberately staffing it with many — an unnatural feeling. This place was clearly no ordinary location.
He began to grow tense. At least it was definitely Cult territory. The only thing that bothered him a little was the lack of allies nearby.
I've gone soft.
To think the legendary Ghost Spear would get nervous just because he had no allies around. He seemed to have adapted well to this life, yet he found himself reflecting on whether he'd grown too lax.
After walking for a while, Shindogun stopped before a massive door and removed Shin Gi-woon's shackles.
"Don't be too shocked."
Shindogun grinned as he gave the warning. Gi-woon wanted to ask what he meant by that unreadable expression, but—
"Pardon?"
"Shindogun, Captain of the Thousand Transformations Soul Chasing Squad! Requesting an audience with the Cult Leader!!"
"..!"
The words that left Shindogun's mouth left him stunned. An audience with the Cult Leader? Suddenly? Here?
Jumping the gun is one thing, but meeting the Heavenly Demon already?!
There was no time to be confused. The heavy doors slowly opened, and the absolute being's intense aura began spreading in every direction.
Shin Gi-woon instinctively slammed his face to the ground. The man reputed to have the foulest temper among the Twin Stars, One Venerable, and One Demon.
The Heavenly Demon, Cheon Yu.
Shin Gi-woon didn't dare lift his head. Among the many rumors, some might have been exaggerated.
But it was said the Cult Leader had a hobby of killing people who displeased him. Better safe than sorry.
Whatever Shindogun made of this behavior, he smiled with satisfaction, patted Shin Gi-woon on the shoulder, and dropped to one knee.
Shin Gi-woon, taking the hint, followed suit.
"Ten thousand years to the Heavenly Demon, all demons bow in submission! Shindogun, Captain of the Thousand Transformations Soul Chasing Squad, greets the Cult Leader!"
"Ten thousand years to the Heavenly Demon, all demons bow in submission!! Candidate 295 of Jamma Cave, Shin Gi-woon, greets the Cult Leader!"
"Both of you, enter."
"Yes, sir!"
"Yes!"
The two stepped into the Cult Leader's hall. Shin Gi-woon was more tense than he had ever been.
In his past life, the only absolute expert he'd met was a single Alliance Lord of the Unorthodox Alliance.
The oppressive presence he'd felt then had been seared deep into his mind — but today, the nature of that pressure was different.
The Cult Leader's power surpassed that of an Alliance Lord. Perhaps he was even stronger than the Twin Stars of the Orthodox faction.
The subtle force permeating the air proved it. Cheon Yu was an absolute powerhouse with no equal under heaven.
"Both of you, raise your heads."
At the Cult Leader's command, Shindogun and Shin Gi-woon lifted their heads. Cheon Yu stared fixedly at Shin Gi-woon.
His daughter had said this was the first friend she'd grown attached to in Jamma Cave, hadn't she? Looking at how the boy's upper dantian was open despite his young age...
The claim that he'd reached the Peak realm wasn't a lie. As Cheon Yu felt a quiet satisfaction—
Shin Gi-woon was overwhelmed by Cheon Yu's gaze looking down on him. Every pore from head to toe was being read.
In the Cult Leader's eyes was a deep boredom, along with a very faint spark of interest. Shin Gi-woon desperately wanted that interest.
It was far better than being regarded as a worthless existence of no interest whatsoever.
What exactly was the man trying to see in him? In a moment where a single second stretched as long as two hours—
"Shin Gi-woon... The foremost talent of Jamma Cave, a genius who reached Peak at the age of sixteen. Is that correct?"
"It is."
"I have much to ask you. But first, there is something you must hear as well. Captain, speak."
"Understood!"
The Cult Leader's gaze shifted to Shindogun. The reason he insisted on hearing Shindogun's report here was singular.
Shin Gi-woon was deeply involved in the report Shindogun was about to make.
Because of Lee Hyeong-seop.
A captain belonging to Guangming Palace had committed treason. And though it had been to buy time, Shin Gi-woon had interrogated Lee Hyeong-seop about his identity right in front of Shindogun.
Lee Hyeong-seop hadn't denied it and had continued the conversation.
He was merely kneeling, but this place was undoubtedly a harsher environment than any interrogation chamber.
"Lee Hyeong-seop, who was the Chief Instructor of Jamma Cave and Captain of the Heavenly Net Black Death Squad. That man ordered an operation of absurd difficulty, sending Shin Gi-woon and four others — the so-called Five Stars of Jamma — to infiltrate the Kunlun Secret Branch."
"The exact composition of the Five Stars of Jamma."
"Shin Gi-woon, Ma Ra-jin, Bi So-hyang, Sama Yul... and lastly, Cheon Se-hwa."
Kugugugung.
The Cult Leader's hall trembled. Cold sweat poured down Shin Gi-woon's face. The moment Se-hwa's surname was revealed as Cheon, and the hall twisted—
He learned the identity of Se-hwa that he had only guessed at. Se-hwa — Cheon Se-hwa — was the daughter of Cult Leader Cheon Yu.
Which meant...
Haha. Fuck.
He was well and truly screwed.