Chapter 387
Chapter 387
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 387
Chapter Title: The Assassins' Gambit
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*Thud.*
As the doors of the Demonic Palace opened, a single black carriage with eight flags sped down the main road.
Inside, a man in a gray martial arts uniform sat lost in thought, gazing out the window. It was Bu Eun-seol.
‘The rumors must have already spread.’
It had been a long time since he had journeyed through the martial world alone, without concealing his identity.
And this fact would have undoubtedly reached every information network of both the Orthodox and Unorthodox factions.
‘And those who see me as an enemy won’t miss this chance.’
If safety had been his top priority, he would have kept an escort until just before reaching the Southern Security Prefecture.
But Bu Eun-seol wanted to use this opportunity to find out something.
Who his enemies were.
And the extent of their information networks and military power.
‘It’s also possible that the person at Myoga Residence isn’t really the Divine Calculator.’
In truth, Bu Eun-seol did not have high hopes for this journey.
Of course, the information network of the Pavilion of Nothingness was the best among the Ten Demonic Sects.
But his target was the Divine Calculator, known as the sage of the martial world.
The chances of pinpointing the location of the world’s greatest sage, who could not be found unless he chose to reveal himself, were virtually nonexistent.
‘Of course, finding someone’s trail depends not only on information networks but can also be easily discovered through a chance opportunity or a small mistake…’
But he couldn’t imagine a man called a sage making a mistake or revealing his whereabouts by chance.
‘Then there’s only one conclusion.’
What if the Divine Calculator really was at the Myoga Residence?
He must have revealed his location intentionally.
To summon Bu Eun-seol, the owner of the Requital Medallion.
*Rumble, rumble, rumble.*
The carriage traveled day and night without rest.
Having finally left the Demonic Palace’s sphere of influence, the carriage continued its relentless pace for several more days before entering a bustling town near the southern region.
“I’ll go on my own from here.”
At Bu Eun-seol’s words upon alighting from the carriage, the young driver bowed his head respectfully.
*Step, step.*
Without any disguise, Bu Eun-seol walked into the crowded marketplace.
He could feel the piercing gazes of curiosity and admiration from all around.
But their eyes soon fell upon the lustrous black sword at his waist.
“…”
The gazes that had been fixed on him slowly turned away.
To the common people, martial artists were like harbingers of doom.
If they lingered too close and got caught in a fight, they could suffer irreparable damage or injury.
‘Hmm.’
A glint flashed in Bu Eun-seol’s eyes as he headed toward a distant inn.
The moment he entered the marketplace, his hyper-senses had begun to sound an alarm.
In the narrow alleys, merchants had set up stalls in long rows, and many people were coming and going between them.
A woman with a baby on her back grilling dumplings. An old man haggling over vegetables. A middle-aged man calling out to customers at the top of his lungs. Travelers hurrying past with their companions…
Amidst this multitude of people, a sharp killing intent arose.
But Bu Eun-seol continued to walk calmly, as if he hadn’t felt a thing.
Just then,
*Flick!*
It was a minuscule sound of something cutting through the air.
But to Bu Eun-seol’s ears, it was as loud as thunder.
*Whoosh!*
As Bu Eun-seol quickly tilted his head back, a sharp dagger embedded itself in the wall.
A small child who had been passing by had just thrown the dagger at Bu Eun-seol with a completely silent and soundless technique.
*Swish!*
In that instant, a passing old man drew a sword hidden in his cane and lunged at Bu Eun-seol.
*Fwoosh!*
Simultaneously, the woman carrying the baby bowed her head. A shower of poison needles, so fine they were nearly invisible, rained down.
*Whoosh!*
At the same time, Energy-Scattering Powder fell from the sky like a mist.
It turned out the assassins had been hiding among the people filling the marketplace, waiting for Bu Eun-seol.
And as he passed, they unleashed their killing moves without hesitation, completely disregarding any harm to the common folk.
‘Properly concealed.’
Bu Eun-seol was slightly surprised by the ambush.
The Beast Arts of the Nang-ya Pavilion, which could even capture the flow of air, could be called the pinnacle of assassination arts that relied on ambushes.
But this ambush had no warning signs, and he couldn’t even hear the sound of their attacks until they were about to hit him.
Above all, they had blended seamlessly and naturally among the ordinary people.
This meant these assassins were top-tier killers who had even mastered secret arts of stealth and disguise.
‘They’ve studied me well.’
If he were to use his martial arts carelessly, innocent people could be harmed.
These people had a perfect grasp of even Bu Eun-seol’s disposition.
‘If it were before I learned the Glacial River Arts, it would have been difficult to counter.’
A white, cold energy was already emanating from Bu Eun-seol’s left hand.
He had drawn upon the ultimate ice art of the Glacial Great Emperor, the Glacial River Arts.
*Shwoooosh!*
In that moment, something incredible happened.
As Bu Eun-seol extended his left hand, the shower of hidden weapons and Energy-Scattering Powder instantly turned into ice shards and clattered to the ground.
“…”
Simultaneously, the assassins who had launched the surprise attack froze in place.
They had already anticipated that this ambush would not succeed.
However, they had planned to use the passersby as shields once Bu Eun-seol began to counterattack, turning the area into a scene of chaos.
But not only had their barrage of weapons and poisons turned to ice dust and fallen, but their own bodies had been frozen solid in an instant.
—To think such an ice art exists.
Moreover, he had precisely directed the formidable glacial energy, which seemed capable of freezing the very sky, only at the assassins who had ambushed him.
Even if there were many masters of ice arts in the martial world, not just anyone could display such a divine skill.
*Clang!*
The frozen assassins mustered their internal energy to resist the glacial power, instantly shattering the ice that encased them.
But in that brief moment, Bu Eun-seol’s left hand flicked repeatedly.
*Ping! Ping! Ping!*
Sharp shards of ice shot out and pierced through their hearts.
*Thud. Thud.*
The assassins, who had been disguised as commoners, collapsed like logs, impaled by ice.
“…”
The passing civilians stared, utterly dumbfounded.
To their eyes, people who had been walking perfectly fine had collapsed to the ground for no reason at all.
‘This should do.’
Bu Eun-seol nodded as he passed by the assassins’ bodies after a quick glance.
Because they were pierced by thin, sharp ice, no wounds or marks were left on their bodies.
The ice that passed through them would melt away quickly, so no matter how closely one examined them, it would be impossible to tell what kind of technique had killed them.
‘Are they trying to gauge my martial arts again through this ambush?’
The purpose of assassins attacking even when they knew they couldn't kill him was obvious.
It was clearly to meticulously observe and study the level and techniques of his martial arts.
‘But they won’t find any traces.’
When using the Glacial River Arts, all the moisture in the body freezes.
This damages and destroys the body’s tissues… making it impossible for even the greatest masters to find any traces of the martial art used.
*Step, step.*
Bu Eun-seol calmly walked past the fallen assassins and pedestrians and entered the inn before him.
Even on the third floor, the inn was so packed with customers that not a single empty seat could be seen.
“Sir. There are no open seats, so you might have to share a table…”
Instead of answering, Bu Eun-seol took out a heavy silver coin and pressed it into the waiter’s hand.
“…If there are no seats, we’ll make one. Please wait just a moment!”
The waiter rolled up his sleeves and his eyes widened.
He then ran inside the inn, whispered with the manager, and quickly arranged an empty table on the third floor.
“Please have a seat right here, sir.”
After sitting down, Bu Eun-seol ordered five bottles of yellow wine and three dishes.
He then sat in silence, quietly sipping from his cup.
He had deliberately come to a bustling inn because he could naturally overhear various news and information.
‘Hm.’
As he brought the cup to his lips, Bu Eun-seol’s brow furrowed slightly.
As the wine entered his stomach, an unsettling energy seemed to gather in his dantian.
The wine was poisoned.
‘Interesting.’
Bu Eun-seol looked at the wine bottle filled with poison.
It was easy to poison the dishes served in such a large inn.
The poison could have been added in the kitchen while the food was being prepared, or the waiter could have added it.
Or, as the waiter carried the tray, someone could have secretly approached and poisoned the food.
*Gulp.*
Knowing full well the wine was poisoned, Bu Eun-seol tilted back the cup again as if savoring it.
A gritty, fishy scent lingered on the tip of his tongue.
‘The fact that they used Blood Scorpion Powder so openly suggests they’re actually from the Orthodox Faction.’
The Orthodox Faction primarily used poisons extracted from plants like poisonous herbs or mushrooms, while the Unorthodox Faction mainly used poisons derived from animals like scorpions or snakes.
Furthermore, poisons used by the Orthodox Faction generally acted slowly, whereas those used by the Unorthodox Faction were fatal and fast-acting.
And this Blood Scorpion Powder was a poison extracted from venomous scorpions, a representative poison of the Unorthodox Faction and…
Ironically, it was also the poison most frequently used by the Orthodox Faction when they wanted to disguise themselves as members of the Unorthodox Faction.
‘I should find out which sect they’re from.’
As the heir to the Demonic Palace, it wasn’t surprising that the Orthodox Faction would target him.
But until now, he had made almost no enemies among the Orthodox sects.
On the contrary, he had constantly clashed with the Unorthodox Faction, so being attacked by an Orthodox sect was rather strange.
*Swish!*
Just then, a sharp dagger flew toward Bu Eun-seol.
It was thrown by an assassin disguised as a merchant, sitting far away.
*Clang!*
But with a clear metallic sound, the dagger was now embedded in the merchant’s own throat.
Bu Eun-seol had used the chopsticks in his hand to execute a technique that returned the projectile to its sender.
*Swish!*
Simultaneously, an old couple sitting behind Bu Eun-seol swung their sharp poison swords at him.
*Flash!*
With a flash of light that cut through the air, fountains of blood erupted from the necks of the attacking couple.
He had used the Meteor Chasing the Moon Form with his chopsticks to slit both their throats.
*Rumble.*
In that instant, all the other customers on the third floor of the inn fled.
As soon as the sword fight broke out, they had quickly vacated their seats.
*Swish!*
Those who remained on the third floor were all assassins targeting Bu Eun-seol.
They charged at him without a hint of fear, brandishing their poison swords.
*Pow! Craaash!*
Before long, with a loud explosion, the entire third floor of the inn was obliterated, and dozens of frozen corpses were flung out the windows.
Their skills were all formidable, but they were not on a level to be Bu Eun-seol’s opponents.
“Oh, dear heavens.”
The manager, looking at the scene of the wrecked interior and the hole in the roof, fell to his knees, sobbing.
“We’re ruined.”
It was rare for a martial artist to pay for damages after causing a fight in an inn.
In that respect, the owner of this inn had gotten very lucky.
“Take this.”
Bu Eun-seol held out a bundle of bank notes to the collapsed manager.
“This should be more than enough to rebuild.”
The manager’s eyes widened as he took the bundle of notes.
“Y-You’re giving this to us?”
The money Bu Eun-seol gave him wasn’t just enough to rebuild the building.
It was enough to fully compensate for the loss of business during the reconstruction as well.
“Th-Thank you, thank you!”
The manager and all the staff bowed deeply to Bu Eun-seol as he departed.
He was probably the first martial artist to ever leave an inn he had destroyed to such a warm send-off.
Even after that, Bu Eun-seol was relentlessly attacked by assassins.
They did not hesitate to ambush him in broad daylight, especially in crowded marketplaces or inns.
At first, he thought they were doing this because it was easier to escape and ambush from such places.
—Ugh.
But when they eventually resorted to using explosives in their ambush, commoners and merchants were caught in the attack.
No, it was as if they were attacking the commoners instead of Bu Eun-seol, indiscriminately launching firebombs.
*Craaack.*
Having instantly frozen the assassins, Bu Eun-seol looked down at them with cold eyes.
“So that’s what it was.”
Finally understanding the assassins’ intentions, Bu Eun-seol muttered in a low voice.
“If you had just told me outright, none of this would have happened.”
A bloody glint appeared in his eyes as he looked at the commoners lying fallen around the marketplace.
“That I should only travel through quiet, deserted places.”
But the assassins, already frozen to death, could not answer.
The fact that the assassins constantly attacked him amidst crowds of people…
It was a silent pressure, telling Bu Eun-seol not to travel through cities but to stick to deserted roads.
“I have no choice.”
What if they kept sending assassins relentlessly?
A collapsed building could be compensated with money. But if commoners were constantly getting hurt in ambushes like this…
Regardless of fame or honor, that was something Bu Eun-seol absolutely did not want.
“This will be a long journey.”
He let out a deep sigh and looked up at the distant sky.
Now he had to avoid cities and towns, sleeping outdoors on his way to the Myoga Residence.
*Step, step.*
Gazing at the marketplace filled with the acrid smell of gunpowder, he slowly turned around. Then, with very slow steps, he left the town.
So that the assassins trailing him could see him clearly.
*Whoooosh!*
Rain was pouring from the sky.
Walking across a field, Bu Eun-seol looked up at the gray-stained sky.
The raindrops were as large as beans; it didn't seem like a short-lived shower.
“Hmm.”
Looking around, Bu Eun-seol spotted a flickering light among the trees in the distance.
*Zip!*
He instantly unleashed his movement technique, speeding through the forest, and saw a dilapidated, abandoned temple at the foot of the mountain.
Passing through the mountain gate and entering, he saw a main hall where a large Buddha statue was enshrined.
Inside, a Buddha statue with all its gold plating peeled off was visible on the altar, and a candle was lit to one side.
And below the altar, a skinny figure was squatting with its back to the statue.
It was a young girl with her shoulder-length hair tied into one.
Her body was pitifully small and thin, and a silver shortbow was slung across her back.
She must have learned some martial arts to be able to sit alone in such a remote mountain.
“There was someone here first.”
Bu Eun-seol spoke in a low voice so as not to startle the girl.
“I’ll just take shelter from the rain and be on my way.”
The girl with the shortbow didn’t answer, remaining motionless.
*Whoooosh.*
Bu Eun-seol turned his gaze back to the sky, which was pouring down rain as if a hole had been punched through it.
How much time had passed?
*Chirp, chirp, chirp.*
With the sound of chirping birds, the heavily clouded sky revealed the bright sun again, as if it had never been overcast.
“It was just a shower.”
Muttering to himself, Bu Eun-seol quietly left the hall.
*Swoosh.*
But a sound cut through the air, and soon, fifty warriors dressed in black assassin uniforms descended from the sky in front of the temple entrance.
‘Is it starting now?’
Bu Eun-seol narrowed his eyes.
As soon as he started traveling on deserted roads, the assassins had finally revealed themselves in full.
‘Their skills are formidable.’
Even though their approach was masked by the sound of rain, he hadn't sensed their presence until they were within a hundred feet.
Each of these fifty assassins possessed skills outstanding enough to make a name for themselves in the martial world.
Moreover, a powerful aura emanated from their bodies, making them seem not like assassins who specialized in ambushes, but like warriors who used frontal assaults to eliminate their enemies.
*Shing.*
Seeing the assassins’ impressive prowess, Bu Eun-seol drew his black sword with a rather pleased expression.
If the enemy was strong, he could have a life-or-death battle. That meant it could be another opportunity to enhance his martial prowess.
*Ssk.*
At that moment, the skinny girl who had been inside the hall turned and walked forward.
The girl’s appearance, revealed from the dark hall, was very unique.
Her skin was extremely pale, and her eyes were a shade of gray.
Furthermore, her hair, glinting in the sunlight, was not pure black but had a subtle blue tint mixed in.
‘She wasn’t a native of the Central Plains.’
It turned out the skinny girl was a foreigner.
“Stay out of this.”
Bu Eun-seol opened his mouth to speak.
“This is my business.”
Cutting him off curtly, the girl walked past Bu Eun-seol and toward the assassins.
The one who appeared to be the leader of the assassins stepped forward and spoke.
“Little Demon. How far do you think you can run?”
“…”
“If you hand it over obediently now, we will spare your life.”
‘Little Demon.’
Listening to their conversation, Bu Eun-seol found himself nodding.
Soyo.
The name of the skinny girl with the silver eyes suited her appearance all too well.
“No.”
When the girl called Soyo gave her short reply, killing intent swirled in the assassin’s eyes.
“Then, there’s no need for more words.”
*Click.*
At his signal, all the assassins drew black shortbows.
Their shape and size were identical to the silver shortbow the skinny girl carried.
This meant the girl was undoubtedly from the same assassins' guild as them.
*Twang!*
Half of the fifty assassins fired their arrows at the girl, while the other half fired diagonally up into the sky, not at her.
*Pop!*
The dozens of arrows that shot up split into hundreds of pieces, becoming sharp, short needles that rained down from the sky and flew straight ahead.
‘The Hundred-Shatter Arrow. So they’re from the Hundred-Shatter Assassins' Guild.’
Seeing a single arrow transform into a hundred short needles, Bu Eun-seol identified them as assassins from the legendary guild of the Western Regions.
The Hundred-Shatter Assassins' Guild.
‘I don’t know why they’ve come all the way to the Central Plains.’
The Hundred-Shatter Assassins' Guild was an outstanding guild comparable to the Pavilion of Ultimate Assassination, the grandmaster of assassination arts and one of the Ten Demonic Sects.
They specialized in exceptional shortbow archery and were known for their superior movement techniques.
The Hundred-Shatter Assassins' Guild, where each member possessed the skills of a top-tier assassin and was said to operate only in the Western Regions.
Why had the assassins of that unique guild come all the way to the Central Plains?