Everything Except the Position of Cult Leader
Seo-ah and Dan-ryang climbed the mountain without pause. If someone discovered the two dead White-Clad Warriors, they would surely follow the trail to hunt us down. And ominous premonitions always had a way of coming true.
About an hour into the climb, Seo-ah realized that someone was rapidly closing in on them. What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?
What indeed? Should she hide Dan-ryang like before and aim for a surprise attack from behind? Or should she abandon Dan-ryang and run away alone? Countless thoughts raced through her mind—from cowardly tactics she couldn't even bring herself to speak aloud, to hopeful futures where she imagined a sudden landslide burying the pursuer under a pile of rocks.
Seo-ah spoke to Dan-ryang.
"Dan-ryang. You go on ahead."
"What? What are you talking about?"
"Someone is chasing us. Run without looking back."
"Uh... what? Did I hear you wrong?"
"Listen carefully. The fact that they’re still chasing us even after seeing the two martial artists I killed means they are at least far stronger than those two. If we both try to run, we won't make it."
"..."
Dan-ryang looked at her with an expression of utter confusion. "Why... why are you being so good to me? I’ve treated you so poorly until now. Why are you doing this? You could just leave me behind."
Dan-ryang was right. There was no reason for her to be this kind. Yet, the reason she told Dan-ryang to run was simple: she wasn't confident. Even if she abandoned Dan-ryang, she didn't think she could shake off a pursuer moving at such a terrifying speed. Furthermore, against a master of that caliber, Dan-ryang’s clumsy attacks would be easily deflected. It would be a miracle if Dan-ryang didn't end up as a hostage.
To put it bluntly, "Even if I abandon you, it won't help in this situation."
"..."
"So, run far away so you don't get in the way. If possible, it would be even better if you brought someone to help."
Dan-ryang gritted her teeth in frustration. Seo-ah didn't know the full details of Dan-ryang’s life, but she felt she could understand her feelings, if only slightly. To be told to disappear because she was a hindrance—to a half-wit born under the Cult who couldn't even master internal energy, those words must have been sharper than any blade.
But this was the only answer.
"I understand. Don't die. I still haven't properly apologized to you and So-so yet."
Dan-ryang turned her back and began climbing the mountain again. Seo-ah could feel her glancing back as if she had lingering regrets, but Seo-ah did not look at her. If their eyes met, she feared Dan-ryang would stop. Seo-ah hid her body in the bushes and closed her eyes. The pursuer was drawing closer.
Seo-ah could feel it. She had definitely changed a lot from before—both as a person and as a martial artist. The hesitation and distracting thoughts that had faintly lingered in her sword were gone, and she could now imbue her strikes with a much stronger intent. Not only that, but her senses, which had never been particularly sensitive to external changes, were now sharp enough to detect the movements of her pursuer.
She didn't know if this was a temporary phenomenon caused by being in a life-or-death situation, a characteristic of the demonic art she had inherited, or because the intense heat had burned away her distractions. But only one fact mattered: she had one chance to land a decisive blow against the unsuspecting pursuer.
'If I become the disciple of the Old Man, I should ask if he knows any hidden weapon techniques.'
It was strange. Her identity was clearly that of a swordswoman, yet the weapon she found most useful was the dagger she kept tucked away in her clothes. She finally understood why the Murim world advised one to hide thirty percent of their strength. It was the same principle as carrying a hidden dagger—to keep the opponent from gauging your true power and to facilitate a surprise attack. The problem was that if you hid thirty percent of your strength, you might end up with your head lopped off.
Seo-ah buried the thought of learning hidden weapon techniques deep in her heart.
Rustle. Rustle.
The pursuer was following their trail with his hands behind his back, looking completely relaxed. To Seo-ah, this was a desperate sign. The fact that he could maintain such speed while being so relaxed meant he was a master incomparable to the two White-Clad Warriors.
'Not the Peak Realm... is he Peak First-Class?'
He was clearly a master on a level she couldn't compare to, but Seo-ah had already encountered Peak Realm masters a few times. Compared to the aura of the Gyomaguan instructor or the Sword Family’s Chief Steward, this pursuer was definitely a tier below.
'This is driving me crazy.'
Of course, whether it was Peak First-Class or Peak Realm, both were walls far too high for Seo-ah, so it didn't make much difference.
Suddenly, the pursuer stopped. Seeing him examine the ground carefully, it seemed he had noticed that the trail of two people had narrowed down to one. Seo-ah threw the dagger from her clothes, imbuing it with the intent to 'kill.'
Whiz!
Unfortunately, Seo-ah’s dagger only grazed the pursuer’s cheek. Of course, that in itself was a great achievement, but that didn't matter now. Seo-ah didn't look back and ran toward the bottom of the mountain.
The Third Chief stopped as he felt something strange while tracking the trail. 'They split up.'
Was this to shake him off, or a ruse to ambush him? After a moment of deliberation, the Third Chief decided to pursue the other trail first. It seemed they had tried to hide their tracks, but the technique was amateurish and easily discovered. The fact that they hadn't been caught despite half an hour passing, yet hadn't moved very fast, suggested their skills weren't that high.
Just as the Third Chief was about to move, Whiz!
His heart skipped a beat as a dagger flew toward him. 'A master!'
The person who had thrown the dagger immediately fled the scene. Cold sweat broke out on his back. If he had been even slightly more careless, he would have been pierced and killed by that blade. 'Was he hiding his strength?'
He had expected them to be on par with his subordinates, but it seemed he was a First-Class master with deep schemes who had been hiding his power. He had imagined a middle-aged man with a weathered, dirty face, but the pursuer who had thrown the dagger was the exact opposite.
"Hah. A young girl? And a maid at that?"
The pursuer, cornered with nowhere left to run, was glaring at him. Was she sent by the Dark Shadow Pavilion? Her eyes looked filled with despair, yet she was still aiming for his throat. It meant she was ready to strike at any moment. To think they would send a late-stage rising star who had reached First-Class at such a young age into the Gyomaguan—the leadership of the Dark Shadow Pavilion must have gone mad.
The Third Chief drew the sword from his waist. "Too bad. Out of all the chiefs, you had to run into me. If it had been any of those other incompetent fools, you would have already been sent to the afterlife with a hole in you from your own dagger. You can be proud of that."
"..."
"No words for your enemy? Is that it? Perhaps it’s because you’re from the Dark Shadow Pavilion that your lips are so tight."
With that, Seo-ah and the Third Chief stared each other down, gauging one another. The Third Chief was on high alert due to the skill Seo-ah had displayed, while Seo-ah was pouring all her energy into finding a gap in a master she couldn't possibly defeat.
Seo-ah initiated the first strike. A simple horizontal slash. The Third Chief admired the clean, textbook form, but as he blocked the sword, he fell into confusion. 'No intent?'
She was clearly a First-Class master, so how could there be no intent imbued in her strike? That wasn't all. Seo-ah unleashed every technique she knew with all her might, but none of them were anything special. The only decent moves were the horizontal and vertical slashes. It was the Swift White-Shattering Sword, a basic sword style that anyone who completed the Gyomaguan could learn—nothing more than a clumsy display.
The Third Chief grew even more wary, thinking she must have a hidden trump card. But after a long time passed, he had no choice but to change his mind. 'She’s not from the Dark Shadow Pavilion?'
No, that wasn't all. She wasn't even a First-Class master. It didn't even look like she had learned martial arts systematically. Now that he thought about it, he recalled hearing that there were a few people who self-taught martial arts to escape the life of a common cultist. 'Her body can't keep up with her enlightenment...'
He had never heard of a talent who used First-Class techniques despite not being a First-Class master. The Third Chief realized Seo-ah’s dazzling talent. 'If... such a talent could brighten the future of this Palace...'
The Third Chief lowered his sword. He was certain that no matter what trick Seo-ah used, she couldn't even scratch him. "You weren't a First-Class master, nor were you one of those gloomy Dark Shadow Pavilion types. You... are you truly just an ordinary maid?"
Seo-ah, who had been keeping her mouth shut, finally acknowledged that she had been completely defeated and that there was no point in staying silent.
"And if I am?"
"That’s impressive. By any chance, would you like to become a martial artist of this Palace?"
"Palace? Aren't you from the Murim Alliance?"
For someone asking that, Seo-ah’s face already looked as if she had guessed the truth. The fact that they weren't the Murim Alliance was no surprise to her. 'A mind that knows how to think and judge for itself. I like it.'
The Third Chief smiled faintly. "How could that be? We are from the Sun Palace (Il-shin-gung) that serves the Cult Leader."
"...Isn't the Sun Palace part of the same Cult?"
At the mention of being part of the same Cult, Seo-ah’s tone changed. Anyone watching would have thought she was a faithful believer. The Third Chief thought so too.
"A minor internal power struggle, you could say... If you want to know more, you should take a genuine interest in our Palace, rather than using improvisation to stall for time. What will you do?"
"What can I gain if I go to the Sun Palace?"
"With your talent... everything except the position of Cult Leader."
"Is that so?"
Seo-ah lowered her sword from her grip, looking satisfied. "I will follow you."
The Third Chief approached Seo-ah, who had lowered her sword, with a smile. Seo-ah, not missing the moment, tried to pull the dagger from her clothes. Futilely, the Third Chief, as if he had expected it, grabbed her wrist and easily restrained her.
"Hmm... excellent. Truly excellent. A martial artist should never easily trust others. Rest for a moment. When you wake up, many things will have changed."
The Third Chief subdued Seo-ah and struck her pressure point.
Seo-ah felt her mind growing hazy as her pressure point was struck. 'Ah... what happens now?'
The one silver lining was that, contrary to her worries, her life was no longer in immediate danger. However, that didn't mean being kidnapped was okay. Seo-ah had no desire to get involved in some internal Cult power struggle, nor did she want to cooperate with those who had threatened her life. Above all, she didn't know if they would treat her well. Like in a novel, they might plant a Gu-poison in her to use her as a slave.
Seo-ah struggled to keep her eyes from closing. If she fell asleep, she wouldn't be able to respond to unexpected situations. And just before Seo-ah closed her eyes, an unexpected situation occurred.
Slash.
With a clean cutting sound, the attacker’s arm flew through the air. A horrific scream followed. "Gyaaaaaaah!!!"
Beyond that, she saw the familiar face of the old man and the figure of Dan-ryang urgently pointing at her. 'Old Man...'
Was all of this a dream? The Old Man couldn't possibly be here. Seo-ah smiled weakly at the surreal scene before her and lost consciousness.