Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Firm Ground After Rain (9)
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The moon, which had hung high in the midday sky, slowly dipped toward the horizon and vanished from sight. In its place rose the brilliantly shining sun. Its light bathed the world equally, without discrimination.
And Nameless, his face and body splattered with blood, was no exception. As he stared blankly at the blood caking his hands, the sound of a stream flowing reached his ears.
Thanks to that, Nameless spotted the clear stream flowing leisurely, sparkling in the sunrise. He quietly settled by the creek and washed the blood from his hands and face.
"...Whew, now I can finally breathe a little."
The chill of the stream water cooled his feverishly hot head and chest. With his mind cleared, Nameless could calmly reflect on the current situation and himself.
Surprisingly, the Black Death Squad leader Won Gi hadn't held out as long as expected and had spilled everything he knew right away. Thanks to that, Nameless had no choice but to kill him as promised.
He had inwardly wrestled with whether to honor a promise to a fiend who had tried to wipe out an entire village with poison. But from the start, Nameless had no hesitation about killing—he just didn't enjoy torture.
In any case, he'd confirmed what he suspected: the Demonic Cult was lurking in the shadows. And their roots ran far deeper than he'd initially thought.
They weren't just targeting the Moyong Clan, an Orthodox family cut off from the martial world. At the same time, they were coercing the Sapa Black Epidemic Sect to inflict massive damage on the Orthodox side.
It was the textbook definition of using one's enemies against each other. If the Demonic Cult's goal was to widen the rift between the Orthodox and Sapa to spark an all-out Orthodox-Sapa war... A chill ran down his spine at the thought.
'They're planning to attack when both sides are weakened from total war. It's brutally simple, but if it succeeds, it's the most effective strategy possible.'
"If they were just drunk on power and rampaging wildly, they'd be easier to deal with."
Come to think of it, they were drunk on power in a way. Hadn't the Demonic Cult tempted the Moyong Patriarch with exactly that? That the strong should claim everything in the end.
The Demonic Cult was often portrayed in wuxia tales as a group that worshipped absolute power above all. In other words, they were a force that combined overwhelming might with cunning schemes—a true martial and strategic powerhouse.
The deeper he delved, the more it felt like answers were slipping away. Yet surprisingly, Nameless wasn't breaking. Instead, he felt his cooled chest heating up again with a fierce pulse.
'Right, if it's the Demonic Cult, they need to show this level of caliber. Of course!'
The audacity and resources to actually pull off the insane idea of pitting martial artists against each other. And with real competence to boot—no leaks, no gaps.
But in that brief clash with the Demonic Cult, Nameless had glimpsed a thread of hope. His master's legacy wasn't limited to a thatched hut and a small field.
'I knew my master was no ordinary man, but I never imagined he'd leave behind a legacy like this.'
Of course, the foundation remained unchanged. The Three Disasters Sword Art was essentially the endpoint all sword arts reached at their root. Every sword technique boiled down to slashing and thrusting in the end.
But if he could reach the martial art his master had left him through that process? If he could comprehend the subtleties embedded within and make them his own? It was impossible right now, but...
Someday, he just might. Anyone who'd even glanced at a wuxia novel had heard of it—the name that set every man's heart racing like nothing else.
The World's Greatest.
His goal was the lantern illuminating the darkness, the starlight guiding the lost traveler. Without purpose, one wandered blindly in the shadows and eventually lost even themselves.
So what was his goal now? At first, he'd been content just sightseeing the martial world. Objectively, his own talent wasn't anything special.
But now his thinking had changed. Even if his talent was lacking, he had the opportunity his master had left him. Used well, even becoming the World's Greatest wasn't out of reach.
"Right, any man worth his salt has to claim at least the world, doesn't he?"
The fog in his mind finally cleared, and he grasped a firm purpose. Nameless's eyes showed no hesitation whatsoever.
Besides, after tangling with them twice now, the Demonic Cult would surely realize something was obstructing them. It was far too late to back out.
With his resolve set, Nameless boldly turned and headed back toward the village. As he'd firmly instructed from the start, Sua was guarding Seolhwa and the villagers.
The house had burned a bit, and people were injured, but fortunately, no one had died or suffered irreparable wounds. The physician Yi Cheongu let out a sigh of relief.
"Thanks to the Great Hero arriving in time, no one was seriously hurt."
"How's your hand?"
"This? It'll heal with some rest. Back in my day, I've had worse."
"You don't look like some country doctor. Just who are you, really?"
"Haha, just a plain old physician."
From what he heard, Yi Cheongu had seen the black-clad thugs and known they meant no good, so he hadn't revealed the patients' locations.
Nameless couldn't help but react with surprise. He'd figured a money-grubbing type like him would fold for cash, but Yi Cheongu replied,
"I chase money because of my circumstances, but I'm not so far gone that I'd forget my duty as a physician. I can't allow the patients I saved to die by my own hand."
"I apologize. I underestimated you for a moment."
"Then instead of an apology, give me some money. Looks like you've got someone who needs treatment too."
"You're consistent, I'll give you that."
A man demanding payment for treating his benefactor's savior—probably a first. But far from annoyed, Nameless found it amusing.
Wasn't it because he realized the man had a pure heart, firm convictions?
The sunrise could be seen by anyone, regardless of status or position, as long as they looked up from under the sky. Naturally, the Sapa Evil Path Union atop Golden Summit Mountain saw it too.
The Evil Path Union had been formed by Sapa warriors banding together to counter the Orthodox Murim Alliance, effectively filling a role akin to the Murim Alliance Leader.
Of course, nitpicking the details, the Union Leader's authority fell a bit short of a true Alliance Leader's. Still, the Union Leader's influence over Sapa was considerable.
The black-haired woman quietly watching the sunrise from the Union Leader's pavilion, emblazoned with the Evil Path Union's black dragon emblem, turned her head. Her icy gaze fixed on the man.
"What came of the matter I told you to investigate?"
"Union Leader, that is..."
"Speak. Without a single lie—exactly as it is."
"..."
Perhaps sensing the hesitation in his voice. The man could only sigh under the Union Leader's chilling rebuke. Young as she was, her dignity as leader was unquestionable.
How could he, her subordinate, dare lie? In the end, he poured out everything he knew. A cold voice soon echoed.
"The Black Epidemic Sect's Black Death Squad all headed to Golden Summit Mountain... And wasn't that near where my father went missing?"
"Union Leader, if I may... It's been thirty years since the Sword Demon vanished. Given his age, it's unlikely he's..."
"How can you be so sure? Did you see his body?"
"No, I didn't."
Even his desperate resistance crumbled futilely under the Union Leader's sharp thrust. No one in the Evil Path Union could stand against her in that state.
"I understand your feelings, Union Leader. But right now, the Union is surrounded on all sides by enemies."
"So, you mean we should focus on the matter at hand first?"
"Yes."
"I'm no fool. I know full well what's more important."
"Th-then..."
"I've heard rumors of some mysterious old master on Golden Summit Mountain."
The man's face stiffened at the utterly unexpected response. The Union Leader turned, placing a hand on his shoulder with a smile brighter than the rising sun behind her.
"Isn't it strange? I clearly ordered reports on every single rumor from Golden Summit Mountain."
"I-I'm sorry...!!"
Her smile, shining brighter than the sunrise, chilled to winter's frost in an instant. Then came the sharp words piercing his lungs.
"If you know, then move—now."
Before she killed him on the spot.