Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Gwiyeong and the Gale Blade
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Gwiyeong - Gale Blade
-Thwack! Crack!
"Kuaaaargh!"
"Keuheok!"
A commotion erupted in a tavern under the control of the Black Ghost Guild.
A woman in black robes, wielding a cloth-wrapped broadsword, was causing a ruckus.
"You wench! Who in the hell are you?!"
"Keuk! Do you think you can get away with messing with our Black Ghost Guild in this territory?!"
The Black Ghost Guild's warriors, sensing they would lose a direct fight, were busy making threats by throwing their guild's name around.
But such meager threats were not enough to drive away the woman in black, Hyeon-a.
"Silence! I have nothing to say to you lot. Tell your boss to come out!"
Hyeon-a had chosen Gwiyeong, the leader of the Black Ghost Guild—a rising power and renowned young master in the Unorthodox Faction—as the new owner of the Gale Blade.
Of course, there had been several other candidates, but they were all disqualified and ended up dead, making Gwiyeong the fifth one.
*'I hope the rumors are actually true this time.'*
At first, she had been quite diligent in her search for a new master, but as is often the case with the Unorthodox Faction, the exaggerated rumors and titles meant the reality was unimpressive. Hyeon-a was starting to lose interest.
That was why she had decided to stop wasting time and was now openly stirring up trouble like this.
Besides, she was starting to feel the pressure from her subordinates.
One of Hyeon-a's subordinates, quietly observing the situation nearby, spoke to her via telepathy.
"Um, Captain. Aren't these Unorthodox Faction guys unrelated to our mission? So why...?"
Hyeon-a, also using telepathy so others couldn't hear, gave a short reply to the subordinate who had questioned her.
"Don't question my actions. I want to get this over with as quickly as you do."
"Ah, my apologies."
Her subordinate, disguised as a customer, showed a flicker of surprise at her words but quickly resumed his act, putting on a frightened expression.
Inside the tavern were Hyeon-a and the Black Ghost Guild warriors confronting her.
And the terrified customers, a role played by Hyeon-a's subordinates.
Assassins are not merely skilled at killing; they are masters of deception.
They are the ones who blend seamlessly into the background, stealing the lives of their targets in an instant, before any sense of unease can even register.
Among them, the elite members of the assassination squad, trained by the Heavenly Demon Cult itself, were being exploited by Hyeon-a without even knowing why they were doing this.
Of course, being accustomed to acting without questioning their superiors' orders, they didn't have any major complaints. Still, this felt slightly different from their usual missions, so they couldn't completely erase their doubts.
Just then, someone forcefully threw open the tavern doors and entered.
-Crash!
The sound was so loud that even the warriors fighting Hyeon-a turned their heads to look at the door.
Naturally, since killing the Black Ghost Guild members wasn't her real objective, Hyeon-a also turned her gaze toward the door, thinking, "Finally showed up?"
"So it's you. The arrogant brat who's been stirring up trouble at my businesses lately."
Sharp, yet captivating eyes. A slender, beautiful face, but with a charm that came from an endlessly cold expression.
Dressed in loose martial arts robes and a black overcoat, yet unable to hide a curvaceous figure.
A beauty by any measure, but a cruel demon whom no one would dare to see as just a woman.
It was the leader of the Black Ghost Guild, known as the Ghost's Shadow—Gwiyeong.
Seeing her, Hyeon-a didn't let it show, but inwardly she cheered.
*'She's finally here! Her reaction time is much faster than the others. She passes!'*
Having caused trouble in several places already, Hyeon-a knew that most leaders of the Underworld and Unorthodox Factions didn't show up right away when their subordinates and businesses were attacked.
She didn't know why they were so slow to act, but they were the arrogant types who would send their underlings one after another, only appearing after nearly half of them had been defeated.
But Gwiyeong, unlike them, had appeared immediately, after only two days.
Hyeon-a, wearing a human-skin mask, spoke to Gwiyeong.
"Are you the leader of the Black Ghost Guild?"
-Step, step, step.
Gwiyeong strode fearlessly toward Hyeon-a, unsheathing the broadsword at her side and pointing it at her.
-Shing.
Seeing this, Hyeon-a also drew the cloth-wrapped Gale Blade and aimed it in kind.
Though it was wrapped in cloth, Gwiyeong could tell from its aura alone that it was no ordinary weapon. She stared at the Gale Blade for a moment before speaking first.
"If you're doing this knowing who I am, are you acting on someone's orders?"
"Not really."
"Then do you hold a grudge?"
"Not really, no."
"Then what is your purpose? To draw your sword against me, knowing I am the leader of the Black Ghost Guild. That's no ordinary confidence."
"My purpose. Hmm."
Hyeon-a pondered what to say as she handed over the demonic sword, but then gave up.
Her plan was to fight for a bit, and if her opponent's skills seemed decent, she would pretend to flee.
"Your position just looks tempting. Leader of the Black Ghost Guild, fight me to the death. The winner takes all."
At those words, Gwiyeong scoffed in response.
"Hah! Are you even worthy of a fight where I stake my all? You look like you have nothing to your name."
"Of course I am."
Hyeon-a replied confidently, shaking the cloth off the Gale Blade and revealing its form.
-Shwwwk.
As the masterpiece crafted with the heart and soul of the possessed blacksmith was revealed, the tavern filled with the awe-struck gasps of the warriors.
"Huh, hoah!"
"Is that a sword? It looks like a dragon's fang!"
"I've never seen such a magnificent greatsword!"
Everyone was busy marveling at it, and Gwiyeong was no exception.
"…!"
She said nothing, but her eyes widened as she deeply scrutinized the form of the Gale Blade before her.
The rough, savage-looking ornaments.
The black and red blade and hilt.
The edge, jagged and fierce like the fangs of a beast.
And an overall appearance that exuded a mystical aura.
Completely captivated by the Gale Blade's beastly aspect, Gwiyeong let out a smirk and replied.
"Hoh, I see. You certainly carry a unique weapon."
The Gale Blade had thoroughly stoked Gwiyeong's strong possessiveness.
She spoke, her gaze burning with greed.
"Very well. I accept your proposal."
The moment she finished speaking, Gwiyeong swung her broadsword at incredible speed, blade energy flaring.
-Fwoosh!
Despite the sudden attack, Hyeon-a leisurely dodged backward, creating distance.
Gwiyeong swiftly pursued Hyeon-a, swinging her sword wildly.
-Whoosh!
Although it appeared to be a wild and barbaric swordsmanship on the surface, it possessed its own kind of precision.
She thrust her blade along trajectories that were difficult to evade, designed to break her opponent's stance if they did manage to dodge.
Every single move was focused solely on taking the enemy's life.
It was a practical martial art, specialized for street fighting.
An ordinary warrior would have been sliced to pieces long ago.
But her opponent was none other than the captain of the Heavenly Demon Cult's elite assassination squad.
She was far too formidable an enemy for a mere Unorthodox Faction warrior who came up from the streets.
Hyeon-a calmly evaded Gwiyeong's attacks and began her assessment.
*'She certainly has some talent for wielding a weapon. It would've been better if she'd had a proper teacher. Well, these Unorthodox Faction thugs who pick things up off the street are all pretty much the same.'*
Realizing her sword techniques were ineffective, Gwiyeong immediately poured more power into her blade energy.
With that, white, thread-like strands bloomed forth, revealing blade threads.
It didn't stop there; it burned like fire and soon revealed blade force.
Blade force, a sublime art that only those at the Transcendent level and above could wield.
Although the prestige of Transcendent masters wasn't what it used to be, due to the continuous development of martial arts manuals and elixirs leading to a general rise in warriors' skills, that was something only those who hadn't faced one would say.
Facing their blade force, which could slice through human bone like tofu and split a person's head with the side of a hand, would instill a primal fear in any living creature.
As Gwiyeong unleashed streams of azure blade force, the faces of the onlooking warriors turned pale, and they retreated.
With the fight escalating this much, Hyeon-a had no choice but to have her subordinates withdraw.
She spoke quietly via telepathy to her subordinates who were guarding the perimeter, making sure Gwiyeong couldn't hear.
"You all should start backing away. This area is about to become a warzone."
Hearing her telepathic message, the members of the assassination squad immediately fled the tavern, maintaining their roles as terrified citizens.
-Clang! Clang!
The harsh clang of metal rang out as Gwiyeong's and Hyeon-a's blades clashed.
The problem was that with every clash, only the edge of Gwiyeong's broadsword was being chipped.
Normally, one would be upset in this situation, but instead, Gwiyeong's desire to possess the Gale Blade only burned hotter.
*'...It's not just its appearance; its performance is overwhelming too. I want it even more now.'*
Gwiyeong unleashed her blade force even more fiercely, aiming to end the fight quickly.
Seeing this, Hyeon-a smirked and thought.
*'Quite aggressive. And her skills seem to match her personality. This should be more than enough to pass, right?'*
With her quick actions, decent skills, and a personality she found appealing, Hyeon-a decided on Gwiyeong as the owner of the Gale Blade.
-Fwip.
Hyeon-a leaped far back, creating some distance, and gathered her energy to prepare a powerful strike.
Seeing this, Gwiyeong also unleashed a torrent of azure blade force, preparing to counter.
In that moment, as the tension between the two warriors reached its peak.
-Fwip.
Hyeon-a charged first, leaping forward with the Gale Blade extended.
Gwiyeong met the attack, thrusting her own sword forward as the two warriors' energies collided.
-Kagagagagak!
As the power struggle between Gwiyeong and Hyeon-a continued, Hyeon-a subtly eased her strength, pretending to be pushed back.
"Keeeeuk!"
Realizing the momentum was shifting in her favor, Gwiyeong pressed her attack even harder. Finally, seeing her chance, Hyeon-a completely released her strength, pretending to be defeated and flying backward.
"Keuhaaaaak!"
-Crash!
Thrown back by the force, Hyeon-a 'naturally' let go of the Gale Blade, letting it fall to the ground.
Gwiyeong, feeling that something was off with the impact, grew suspicious.
*'What? Did she just intentionally release her...'*
But before she could finish the thought, Hyeon-a turned and fled, leaving the Gale Blade behind.
"Keeeuk! You're pretty good! As promised, I'll hand over my weapon! But don't think this is the end!"
Leaving behind a line worthy of a third-rate villain, Hyeon-a vanished from the spot at an imperceptible speed.
Gwiyeong flinched for a moment at the sight of such incredible footwork, but her gaze soon returned to the Gale Blade.
*'Your footwork is certainly exceptional, but your failure to utilize it was your downfall.'*
Though she had survived a harsh world, she had never encountered such a bizarre method of bestowing a treasure, and so she was completely taken in.
She slowly approached the Gale Blade, which was stuck proudly in the floor. She swallowed dryly and, in the moment her hand slowly closed around the hilt...
-Kiiiiing!
Suddenly, the red eye on the blade's body flashed, emitting a crimson glow.
Then, a man's voice reached the bewildered Gwiyeong.
[So you are the new contractor? You look rather unimpressive at a glance. A pleasure. I am the Gale Blade. An uncontrollable wind, and the very power that can grant your wish.]