Those Guys Again?
Im Gunhyeon sighed as he entered the backyard of the City Lord's manor.
"Bang Jinyu left Unmong City the day before yesterday, so why couldn't he get out of this small city's borders in two days? And why did the news of his death only reach us tonight? Did no one discover his death, or was he secretly staying within Unmong City's borders, carrying out something we don't know about, never intending to leave?" Im Gunhyeon asked.
Behind him stood Yeo Nakyeon and Im Cheonpung. Im Cheonpung, Im Hyeon's father, was once Im Gunhyeon's pageboy, and now, having joined the Im clan, his status had risen significantly.
"The assassin was a Sama," Yeo Nakyeon replied. "Since the Sama's power remained in Bang Jinyu's body, we can't pinpoint the exact time of his death. Therefore, both hypotheses the City Lord mentioned are possible."
Im Cheonpung spoke up. "My Lord, I will take some men and investigate again. We might be able to gather more information before the provincial government officials arrive."
Im Gunhyeon nodded and said, "Take my Golden Token. You must be careful. The Heavenly Evil Gods are elusive; we never know when or where they might reappear, so always be on guard. If a dangerous situation arises, do not engage them. Return to the city immediately."
"Rest assured, My Lord," Im Cheonpung replied.
Im Cheonpung was a tall, slender, fair-skinned middle-aged man. At a glance, he exuded the aura of a scholar with deep knowledge, and having inherited the Im clan's martial traditions, his skill was also outstanding. He took his trusted subordinates from within the City Lord's manor and left to investigate the site where Bang Jinyu was murdered.
"It seems the peaceful days of our Unmong City will be hard to see again for a while. First Sim Bi appeared, and now Bang Jinyu has been murdered... I tried to hide in this small coastal city, but it seems I can't escape the coming storm," Im Gunhyeon lamented.
"Brother Yeo, do you think the sudden appearance of the Divine Void Sama is because of us?"
Yeo Nakyeon replied, "Logically, even if the Sama were pursuing us, it would likely be the Star Scar Sama, not the Divine Void Sama. However, we must not let our guard down. What puzzles me most is why the Sama killed Bang Jinyu. Bang Jinyu has had no contact or connection with the Sama until now. He held no grudges against any of the Sama factions."
Im Gunhyeon entered the great hall, sat down, and nodded. "That is indeed puzzling. Could it be revenge for Sim Bi's death?"
Yeo Nakyeon said, "Sim Bi was merely a small figure. Although he died, the Sama attached to his body escaped. The Divine Void Sama are skilled in manipulating the mind. They must have a purpose in infiltrating our Unmong City using someone like Sim Bi."
Im Gunhyeon took a sip of tea, then suddenly, as if remembering something, he asked, "Where is my wife?"
Yeo Nakyeon replied, "Your wife is in the annex with the young lady."
Im Gunhyeon breathed a sigh of relief. As he gazed at the deepening night sky, a complex expression appeared on his face.
Sighing, Im Gunhyeon said, "Hmph, I must hasten Jin'a's marriage. I heard Wei Myeongshin will soon emerge from his seclusion. Brother Yeo, you must take some people and visit the Wei family. Go and tell them we wish to advance the wedding."
Hearing his words, Yeo Nakyeon looked flustered. "But the young lady..."
Yeo Nakyeon was about to say that Im Jin vehemently disliked marrying Wei Myeongshin. Moreover, recently, Im Jin still hadn't given up on Bukjin and was constantly involving herself with him. Although Bukjin had promised to keep his distance from Im Jin during the Sword Oath, Im Jin continued to cling to him, making the situation difficult. Hastening the marriage at such a time would only make Im Jin resist more fiercely.
Im Gunhyeon gave a bitter smile and said, "At a time like this, even if it's difficult, we need to push Jin'a."
Yeo Nakyeon, who usually doted on his daughter Im Jin and was at a loss when it came to her, could only nod when Im Gunhyeon spoke with such resolve. Furthermore, his wife, Jin Ranseo's will was even stronger, so he felt he had no choice but to quietly follow Im Gunhyeon's words and handle the matter.
Soon, Yeo Nakyeon departed. Left alone, Im Gunhyeon gazed at the bright moon hanging in the night sky and suddenly felt a pang of loneliness. A parent's love for their child was truly profound.
'Jin'a, I hope you can understand your father's heart.'
"Greetings, Master."
Inside the temple, Ya Mi-ang came to Jin Juje after being summoned. Jin Juje stood before the Sword Lord's statue, lost in deep thought.
When Jin Juje didn't respond, Ya Mi-ang spoke again. "Master, why did you summon your disciple?"
Jin Juje slowly turned and looked at Ya Mi-ang. After a moment, she extended her hand, palm open. On her palm rested a shimmering object.
"Have you seen this object before?"
Moonlight streamed through a crack in the window, illuminating Jin Juje's palm. On it was a tiny silver arrow. It was exquisitely crafted, resembling a small swallow in flight. It looked like a sleeve arrow, a type of hidden weapon used from within one's clothing.
Ya Mi-ang said, "A swallow-shaped silver arrow... This is something Im Bukjin uses. He has a pair of Eagle Swallow Twin Bows that go with it. Its power is extraordinary; I've seen it myself. Huh? But Master, why do you have this silver arrow?"
Jin Juje put the silver arrow back into her robe, then turned to face the Sword Lord's statue and slowly said, "You once told me that Im Bukjin gained water-attribute Hyeongi from the Immortal Heaven after praying before the Sword Lord's statue. And that he was truly the prophesied one, protected by the Sword Lord. Is that correct?"
Ya Mi-ang replied, "I am certain that is the case."
Jin Juje said calmly, "The silver arrow I just showed you was found on Bang Jinyu's corpse."
Hearing her words, Ya Mi-ang's expression changed dramatically. Ya Mi-ang was naturally aware of Bang Jinyu's death. But the discovery of a swallow-shaped silver arrow, belonging to Bukjin, on Bang Jinyu's corpse was utterly unexpected.
"That's impossible," Ya Mi-ang exclaimed after thinking carefully. "Im Bukjin had no time to kill anyone. He was participating in the Academic & Martial Arts Competition all afternoon. And after the competition, he was at a banquet in Manseung-ru. Even if he had time to kill someone, he would never be a match for Bang Jinyu."
Jin Juje said, "That's right. That's why, when I found this silver arrow, I quietly retrieved it. To prevent those with ill intentions from using it as an excuse. Even if we don't know how this silver arrow ended up on Bang Jinyu's corpse, its mere presence will put Im Bukjin in a very disadvantageous position. Since this matter is related to the Heavenly Evil Gods, if Im Bukjin gets entangled in it, he won't be able to escape easily."
Ya Mi-ang said, "I must tell Im Bukjin about this."
Having finished speaking, Ya Mi-ang rushed out before Jin Juje could say anything more.
Jin Juje gazed at the silver arrow in her palm, lost in deep thought. A moment later, a surge of Hyeongi flowed over her hand, and the silver arrow completely disintegrated into dust and vanished. She knelt before the Sword Lord's statue and began to pray.
She didn't know why, but for the past few days, Jin Juje had prayed without ever receiving a response from the Sword Lord. It was as if the divine being known as the Sword Lord had disappeared. This situation made her heart even more anxious.
"Man up, boy! The buff effect of How Lonely Is the Invincible is twice as strong as Invincible! With this effect, I can temporarily boost my abilities to the 4th Grade Martial Warrior!"
Inside his bedroom, Bukjin was filled with excitement. The two new abilities he gained from the system update were perfectly suited to his current situation. Bukjin believed these two abilities would be a great help in the team battle.
After testing all the new smartphone functions, Bukjin gradually regained his composure. He had already planned how to use these functions in the team battle.
Just as Bukjin finished everything and was about to go to sleep, an unfamiliar noise suddenly echoed from outside the Juk-won.
Bang! Bang!
It was the sound of A-kwang's mushroom-shaped poop bombs exploding. It was a familiar sound to Bukjin.
'Did someone invade the Juk-won?'
Bukjin rose from his seat, opened the window, and shot out of the Juk-won. He leaped into the air, landed on the Juk-won's rooftop, and began to scan his surroundings.
As Bukjin expected, a blue poisonous smoke was rising from within the bamboo forest surrounding the Juk-won. Inside the smoke, three figures in black clothes were convulsing, paralyzed. Besides the three affected by the poisonous smoke, there were seven more suspicious individuals in black clothes. Before the smoke reached them, they pulled out what looked like gas masks and covered their faces.
The seven masked figures then fired iron grappling hooks with chains attached to the Juk-won's wall, using the momentum to swing into the Juk-won.
'Those guys again.'
Bukjin instantly recognized who the suspicious figures were. They wore the exact same outfits as the assassins who had attacked the Juk-won last time.
'It seems they still haven't given up.'
Killing intent flared in Bukjin's heart.
"Wang Chung! Defend the first floor!" Bukjin shouted, and simultaneously summoned the Iron Wall Bow and Four Dragon Arrows from his Storage app.
With the bow in hand, Bukjin drew the string.
Thwip!
The moment Bukjin released his hand, a steel arrow shot out with incredible force. The steel arrow, fired by Bukjin, pierced one person and buried itself deep into the ground. He had eliminated an enemy with a single strike.
Whoosh!
The arrow's power was so immense that its steel tail vibrated for a long time even after being embedded in the ground. Bukjin continued to fire arrows without a word.
Thwip! Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!
The steel arrows flying through the air were like the beckoning hands of the Grim Reaper. The suspicious figures in black were not weak. But Bukjin's arrows were too fast and too strong to evade or block. In the blink of an eye, seven of the attacking figures were struck by arrows and died outside the Juk-won wall.