Chapter 49
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: Red Snake Tattoo
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Clang!
At the sudden scream, the pirates drew their swords, radiating a fierce aura as they fixed their gazes on the cargo hold. Deputy Leader Gu Deok's face hardened.
Something was terribly wrong.
If the scream had come from the guy in the cargo hold, Mu Chi should have rushed out immediately... but he still hadn't emerged?
"Elm Ho! Chu Myeong!"
"Yes!"
Judging the scream to be Mu Chi's, Gu Deok shouted, and two pirates dashed into the cargo hold.
Thwack! Crack! Smack!
"Argh!"
"Gah!"
The sounds of impacts and two screams erupted the moment the pirates entered.
"You son of a bitch!"
Gu Deok's anger shot straight to the heavens.
He had sent in two stronger ones, assuming Mu Chi had been taken down, but even they had fallen.
Whoosh!
Cursing, Gu Deok launched himself toward the cargo hold.
Whoosh! Thud! Thud-thud-thud!
Sounds of something breaking and blows being exchanged echoed fiercely.
While everyone strained to listen to the noises from below the gunwale, Yu Hyun gazed at one spot on the deck with narrowed eyes.
Crack!
At the same time, the deck splintered as something shot up.
A person?
Everyone's eyes turned skyward in unison.
"You bastard!"
Followed by the curse, what burst through the floor was none other than Deputy Leader Gu Deok.
But unless he was a bird, how could he hover in the air?
The two, who had exchanged blows while rising and falling, landed on the deck and immediately separated, facing off at a distance.
As Yu Hyun watched them with an intrigued glint in his eyes, Nangong Seong grew anxious and tried to intervene.
"U-Uncle, remember what I said? If you get involved at all..."
"Yeah, shut up."
"......"
Yu Hyun brushed off Nangong Seong's hand gripping his arm and smiled amiably.
Who said he was getting involved?
As long as he didn't step in, it was fine.
Someone once said watching a fight or a fire was the best spectacle.
Besides, didn't that man's skill pique his curiosity?
A deputy leader of a pirate gang was bound to have some chops, yet this guy was holding his own?
Whatever else, that meant it would be entertaining and thrilling.
Who won? What did it matter?
The ship owner seemed like a bad egg too, and the guy who popped out or the pirates didn't seem much better.
Whoever died in the fight, so be it. Once you dove into the martial world, dying on a boat was your own fate.
"You fucking bastard's spawn. You dare kill three of my men?"
Despite Gu Deok's cursing, the man didn't respond. He silently scanned the surroundings with sharp eyes, then looked at Gu Deok with a relieved expression.
"Good thing."
"What?"
"I heard the Beggars' Sect was sniffing around lately, so you must've been really cautious. Hiring lowly pirates like you for the job."
"What the hell? Lowly? You scum-sucking bastard!"
"Why? Upset at being called lowly? Then what do you call bloodsucking scum like you?"
"What did you say?"
Gu Deok's face flushed beet red at the man's sharp words.
He snorted roughly through his nose, clearly fuming.
"Trash that infests the world."
"You dog! Shut your mouth!"
"I was planning to anyway. No need for chit-chat when blood's about to spill. Come on! I'll snap your neck for you."
"You... you...! I'll kill you!"
Unable to contain his rage any longer, Gu Deok charged wildly, swinging his fist.
Whoosh!
The moment the fist passed over his fully arched waist, the man sprang up like a whip and struck Gu Deok's exposed side hard, where his swing had left him open.
Crack!
But Gu Deok hadn't earned his deputy position for nothing; he raised his elbow to block the punch.
"Urk!"
Grimacing in pain, he was pushed back steadily, yet he didn't draw his curved sword, holding his ground. The man smirked.
The bastard's goal was probably to capture him alive. Killing him would make the secrets he carried vanish.
That worked in his favor.
He could use lethal moves, while they couldn't—this imbalance was key.
Take down the leader fast, deal with the underlings, erase traces, and escape.
Thwack!
Having decided, the man closed the distance and pressed in. As expected, Gu Deok's hands were tied, taking hits repeatedly and falling into a defensive slump.
Crack!
Before they could exchange more than a few moves, the man's kick landed on Gu Deok's leg, sending him tumbling across the gunwale.
"Close one. Next time, I'll break your neck."
"You fucking bastard..."
Humiliated in front of his men, Gu Deok finally gripped his curved sword, seething with fury.
Yu Hyun watched the scene with sparkling eyes.
Fun.
He half-wished he had popcorn.
From what he could tell, even drawing the curved sword wouldn't save Gu Deok.
When the foundation crumbles, you can't exert proper power. With that limp, the fight was as good as over.
"Oh? Finally ready to get serious?"
"Fine, you fucker. Capture my ass. I'll just lop your head off."
Veins bulged sharply on Gu Deok's forearms as he glared at the man, and the curved sword's blade began to quiver.
"Sword aura?"
Black qi smoke rose from the blade, surprising Yu Hyun.
Pirates with sword aura...
Well, the leader of that Nine Dragons Stronghold had weapon aura too, didn't he?
"Not bad. For a mere pirate, that's impressive skill."
"Hmph! Think this is all?"
"What?"
"Haaah!"
At the man's retort, Gu Deok roared, gripped the curved sword with both hands, and swung with all his might.
Swoosh!
The man quickly leaped back.
Out of the blade's range, then dive in to target the neck.
But as the curved sword reached the peak of its horizontal arc, the following momentum suddenly cut off.
"Thrown qi?"
Even Yu Hyun was genuinely startled.
He hadn't seen that coming...
The man panicked too, leaping into the air to evade.
But wait, the direction that qi was flying...
Yu Hyun's eyes widened.
Gu Deok's qi was heading straight for him and the passengers.
What kind of damn idiots were these?
Whether launching or dodging, they didn't give a damn about innocent lives?
"You double..."
"U-Uncle!"
Nangong Seong's face twisted as Yu Hyun blocked the incoming blade qi.
He said he wouldn't get involved...
But there was no choice now.
If they didn't act, innocents would get hurt.
Clang!
Yu Hyun gathered inner energy in his palm and smashed Gu Deok's blade qi to pieces.
Then, with fury on his face, he glared at the two locked in combat.
But...
"Huh?"
Yu Hyun's eyes suddenly widened like saucers.
He had spotted a small tattoo revealed beneath the sleeve of the man scattering qi everywhere as he fought Gu Deok.
That—that's! The Red Snake Tattoo?
A memory flashed through Yu Hyun's mind.
'In the Justice Alliance's Thunder Prison, there will be a man with a red snake tattoo on his wrist.'
'His name is Hwang Deok-sam, and he knows the location of your second spirit object.'
It was him. The man his master, the Heavenly Mechanism Diviner Jeon Gal-murin, had mentioned.
Damn, Child Ginseng was a huge stroke of luck already—what kind of jackpot coincidence was this?
Anyway, for you to show up here...
A bastard who didn't care about innocent lives, but now he couldn't just stand by.
"Seong!"
"Uncle! You can't get involved anymore! You promised me you wouldn't..."
But that was before seeing the Red Snake Tattoo.
And promises were made to be broken, right?
"Protect the people from the shockwaves! If even one gets hurt, you'll train Fury for two straight days!"
"...T-Two days!"
Non-stop!
Nangong Seong shuddered instinctively at Yu Hyun's shout, drew his sword, and stood before the passengers.
Wait, this wasn't right?
Why suddenly join the fray...
But now he couldn't stay out.
The passengers were fully exposed to the countless qi fragments bouncing from their fight.
Damn bastards.
Didn't they think about anyone else?
Involving and harming innocent bystanders in martial artists' squabbles was something Yu Hyun couldn't tolerate.
But the range was too wide, the fragments too many.
Even the variations of Azure Bow Infinite Sword couldn't block them all.
The only solution was to increase his sword speed.
"Hoo..."
A short exhale calmed his mind, sad memories flashing by, and grief welled up, loosening his grip on the sword.
One of the Seven Emotions Swords Yu Hyun taught: the Sword of Grief embodied infinite lightness.
Swish.
Nangong Seong's sword traced faint trails in the air like silk fluttering from a dancer's fingertips.
Clang!
The blade qi fragments shattered against that lightness, scattering, and the trails grew more intricate.
Swish-swish-swish-swish-swish.
The accelerating trails left countless overlapping marks in the air, transcending speed limits to form a sturdy wall.
Thud! Clang! Clang-clang-clang!
But it couldn't block everything; parts of the ship splintered and broke.
Still, the people were safe.
Nangong Seong ensured no one behind him was harmed.
Meanwhile, Gu Deok, eyes rolled back in rage, swung his curved sword at the middle-aged man's waist.
The contract called for capture, but that was long forgotten in Gu Deok's mind.
"Die, you dog!"
"......!"
Qi clung sharply to Gu Deok's curved sword as he swung.
Strong qi, but overpowered, lacking variation.
An opening. A chance to kill.
The man read the sword's path, eyes flashing blue, and dove into Gu Deok's guard.
To pierce his throat in one move.
But as he moved to strike lethally, a pale shadow slipped between them.
...What the—?
In that moment of confusion, the shadow—no, Yu Hyun—lightly shoved the man's back with his own, then slapped the underside of the incoming curved sword upward with his palm.
Clang!
With a metallic ring, the sword's path shifted from horizontal to vertical, and the hand that deflected the blade extended straight, pressing into Gu Deok's side.
"......?"
Gu Deok was equally stunned.
Who was this youthful man smiling as he blocked between them?
As their eyes met in bewilderment, Yu Hyun's innocent smile remained, but he poured weight into the hand on Gu Deok's side and crushed down hard.
Crunch!
The clear sound of breaking bones rang out.
"Gaaack!"
Gu Deok groaned, collapsing as breath caught in his throat.
It felt like his ribs had caved in entirely, crushing his lungs beneath.
As Gu Deok crumpled limply, all eyes turned to Yu Hyun, and a hush fell over the deck.
A youthful face.
A handsome young man, barely past twenty perhaps, left everyone speechless.
Pirates, the man...
But no one dared speak rashly.
He hadn't displayed any flashy supreme technique.
He just pressed and dropped him.
That casual motion had stolen everyone's attention.
"Who... are you...?"
The man asked in a trembling voice.
He'd been saved, but why had this young man helped him?
At that moment, Yu Hyun turned from Gu Deok, smiled brightly, and spoke.
"You're Hwang Deok-sam, right?"
"......!"
The man's eyes went wide.
"Gotcha!"
"......"
"I can tell from your face. Good, I'll save you. I have questions for you."
"......"
"Wait here."
Yu Hyun grinned and turned without waiting for a reply.
As the man watched Yu Hyun approach the pirates, a whirlwind of emotions flashed in his eyes.
Who the hell was this guy? How did he know his name?
Was he with the pursuers?
...No, he didn't seem like it.
But nothing felt safe now.
The man, Hwang Deok-sam, whipped his head around, scanning everywhere.
Water or islands were close all around.
If he fled to an island while they fought, he could recover for a bit.
"Hey, I kinda need that guy, yeah? What'll it be? Walk away, or all die?"
"......"
Was it the casual smile?
Despite Yu Hyun's threat, the pirates just swallowed dryly, tense, without lowering their weapons.
"Fine then. If you wanna keep going, no choice. No time, so come at me all at..."
Splash.
"......"
Before he finished, Yu Hyun whipped around at the sound.
Far off, Hwang Deok-sam's head bobbed up, then started swimming away.
What the—this guy. Saved him, and he bails?
But hey, even jumping into a cave had its limits.
For him to dive into the water in front of pirates, who outswam even experts...
"Chase him down!"
At Gu Deok's belated shout, recovering his wits, the pirates leaped into the water after Hwang Deok-sam.
See? Knew it.
The situation turned annoyingly messy, but no helping it. Thirsty himself, he'd just have to dig the well.
"Seong!"
"Yes?"
"Keep that one well-beaten."
"......"
Yu Hyun jerked his chin at Gu Deok and dove straight into the water.
Water combat? Martial arts counters?
With his current skill, no way. But instead...
Splash-splash-splash-splash-splash-splash!
Yu Hyun shot forward at tremendous speed, swimming furiously.
Kicking up impressive sprays as he splash-splash-splash...