Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Assassin 2
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Sa Il-gon of the Killing Gate had been lying in ambush for a long time in the shadows of a pass that North Heaven Alliance warriors used when heading to the inn.
Sa Il-gon was an assassin who favored hurling hidden weapons from extreme distances and endured waiting in position with more patience than anyone.
It was around the Hai hour—9 PM—when Sa Il-gon spotted Baek Moo-jin emerging from the North Heaven Alliance. The intelligence passed on from the Iron Blood Gang included a brief description of Baek Moo-jin's features. This implied the Iron Blood Gang had a mole planted inside the North Heaven Alliance.
Sa Il-gon recognized him immediately.
'Eh? So that's the guy.'
In fact, Seo Moon-geuk made him even easier to spot. The report had mentioned a man with a frivolous expression who often lingered near Baek Moo-jin, fanning himself and acting cheeky.
'That must be Seo Moon-geuk...'
Seo Moon-geuk was flashy enough to stand out on his own. Sa Il-gon felt things were progressing smoothly but never dropped his guard.
It was just then, as Sa Il-gon prepared to launch the eight steel needles pinched between his fingers with utmost restraint—
Baek Moo-jin, who had been walking along expressionlessly, suddenly turned his head toward the patch of darkness where Sa Il-gon lay hidden.
'...!'
Sa Il-gon froze on instinct. Locked in an awkward halfway pose after halting his throw, he thought:
'What the hell? I haven't even thrown yet—how...'
Baek Moo-jin slowly swiveled his head, peering into the shadows this way and that.
"What's up?"
Seo Moon-geuk asked Baek Moo-jin as he too came to a stop, scanning the darkness.
"Why, something there?"
Truth be told, Baek Moo-jin wasn't entirely sure himself. He was just alerting Seo Moon-geuk out of caution.
"Brother Seo Moon, steel wire..."
The words trailed off unfinished, but Seo Moon-geuk got the message at once. With a sharp rustle, he unfurled his steel wire. In a newly hushed tone, he asked Baek Moo-jin,
"Want me to check? No killing intent, no presence at all..."
Even this sharp Seo Moon-geuk sensed nothing.
Baek Moo-jin stared piercingly into the darkness a moment longer before tilting his head.
"Hm, guess it was nothing."
"Ah, really... don't mess around."
Baek Moo-jin resumed walking.
"Felt like something was there, though..."
"You're killing my buzz... This is North Heaven Alliance turf. No one's got the balls to come this far."
"Iron Blood Gang might."
"Iron Blood Gang? Ah, that guy from before, huh."
Baek Moo-jin turned the tables and teased Seo Moon-geuk.
"Scared? Head back then. Booze another time."
"You nuts? Finally out for once. Even if they shove a blade down my throat today, booze is going down first."
"Such foul talk..."
"Let's move!"
Seo Moon-geuk strode toward the inn, then bellowed out of nowhere.
"Damn it, pipe down. Silent Sword Unit'll drag you off."
In the shadows, Sa Il-gon listened to their exchange with a face frozen stiff. Even long after, he stayed crouched in his throwing stance.
He couldn't even fathom how Baek Moo-jin had zeroed in on him. It wasn't a matter of martial prowess. Sure, he'd seen quick reactors pick up on the wind of a launched needle—but no one like Baek Moo-jin, squinting from afar before the throw.
Only now did Sa Il-gon recall the Killing Gate's order: don't strike solo.
'Damn it... gotta team up with that main branch punk?'
The mere possibility that Baek Moo-jin might double back the instant he moved left Sa Il-gon paralyzed for the moment.
2.
The inn was bustling far more than expected. As a haven under North Heaven Alliance protection, it drew merchants about their business—and it was prime time for off-duty veterans with freer schedules to knock back drinks.
As such, plenty of patrons recognized Baek Moo-jin.
"Oh! Warrior Baek! Good to see you!"
Baek Moo-jin returned the first few clasped-hand salutes politely. But with greetings coming from every direction, he and Seo Moon-geuk had no choice but to bolt upstairs.
Seo Moon-geuk shook his head.
"Man, when did you turn into such a big shot?"
"Beats me."
It stemmed partly from tales of his escorting the West Light Branch Chief—and partly because his name kept getting tossed around alongside First Grade Warrior Lee Jeong-nam's in mission comparisons.
Above all, rumors of "Baek Moo-jin is insanely strong" had spread like wildfire. North Heaven Alliance elites itching to test the pecking order bandied his name about daily.
Ignoring the stares, Baek Moo-jin and Seo Moon-geuk claimed a corner table and ordered drinks.
Before the booze even arrived, Seo Moon-geuk griped.
"How's fame treating you?"
"Fame? Nah."
"Ah, so you're saying you're still a long way off?"
Seo Moon-geuk kept poking fun with nonsense until Baek Moo-jin cracked up and shot back,
"Gotta be on the level of Great Seo Moon Family's second son to call yourself famous anywhere."
"Overpraise, my friend. Overpraise."
"Yep, total overpraise."
Seo Moon-geuk took it in jest, so Baek Moo-jin tossed it right back the same way.
The drinks arrived. Clutching his forehead, Seo Moon-geuk thrust out his empty cup.
"Pay up your dues—pour."
As Baek Moo-jin filled it, Seo Moon-geuk pressed on.
"So, what're you dying to know? Black Path outfits lurking around North Heaven Alliance? South Martial Forest lay of the land? Demonic Path rundown? Or should I list off the mystery players?"
"Mystery players... those a thing?"
"They are."
Baek Moo-jin topped off his cup as he said,
"Let's hear about those mystery forces, then."
"You ever catch wind of Demon Soul Sect?"
"Nope. That's one of 'em?"
"Nah. Buckle up. Long ago, the Demonic Path—dormant for ages—infiltrated the righteous alliance and assassinated their leader. Demon Soul Sect was behind it. Their sect lord crushed a horde of Nine Great Sects elites in a blink and declared demonic dominion. But that reign? Curtains in just ten days."
"How come?"
"Some outfit torched the sect lord and every outpost to ash. No clue where they came from or vanished to—but at the Demon Soul Sect ruins, 'Secret Heaven' was carved in stone. Any yarn about mystery forces starts there."
"Whoa... Secret Heaven, huh."
Right then, a newcomer from downstairs piped up as he reached their table.
"Secret Heaven talk? Mind if I pull up a chair?"
Baek Moo-jin looked over. A Sword Unit warrior stood there—early thirties, thick brows, sharp features giving off a steadfast vibe.
Baek Moo-jin said,
"Don't think we've met..."
The man flashed a bright smile and introduced himself.
"Silent Sword Commander Dam Ji-woon."
Baek Moo-jin and Seo Moon-geuk shot to their feet with clasped-hand salutes.
"Ah, Commander! Baek Moo-jin."
"Seo Moon-geuk."
"No need to stand. A First Grade outranks even me..."
Dam Ji-woon plopped down uninvited and held out his cup.
Seo Moon-geuk knew Baek Moo-jin had bested the Silent Sword deputy commander in the sparring review. He grinned at Dam Ji-woon.
'What's this? Here for round two?'
Dam Ji-woon reached to pour for Baek Moo-jin and Seo Moon-geuk when another man slowly ascended from downstairs. He glanced around before beelining straight for Baek Moo-jin's table.
Not coincidence—he looked like he'd been waiting for Baek Moo-jin to show.
"Room for one more at the drinks?"
"Heh heh."
"Whoa..."
"Hm..."
Baek Moo-jin, Seo Moon-geuk, and Dam Ji-woon each reacted in their own way as they eyed the arrival.
North Heaven Alliance First Grade Warrior Lee Jeong-nam—who'd deployed alongside Baek Moo-jin as inspector—stood there, utterly nonchalant. He addressed Dam Ji-woon casually, though.
"Commander Dam, been a while."
"Indeed. What brings you to the inn?"
"You too, first time here in ages, I take it."
With Lee Jeong-nam seated, Seo Moon-geuk flashed a sly smile.
'This is getting good. First Grade versus First Grade...'
Seo Moon-geuk still smarted from his loss to Baek Moo-jin. If North Heaven Alliance's commander and a First Grade both took a shot and fell—somehow it'd salve his own defeat.
Seo Moon-geuk thought as he downed his drink.
'Not bad at all.'
Word on Lee Jeong-nam in North Heaven Alliance wasn't exactly glowing. Before joining, he'd been little more than an assassin—and on the last mission, he'd cut down the East Branch Chief and others in a bloodbath.
Baek Moo-jin, though, couldn't help but feel thrown. Both men clearly wanted a piece of him. Only now did he recall Execution Hall Supervisor Jang Yoo-seung's warning from before.
'Word travels fast here. The other commanders won't sit idle. Might even escalate till the alliance brass sends down a "stand down" edict amid the uproar.'
Jang Yoo-seung had straight-up warned him he'd be swamped with challenges.
Seo Moon-geuk, eyeing the trio intently, let out a booming laugh at the prospect of prime entertainment.
"Heh heh heh... alright, a toast from me."
3.
Dam Ji-woon and Lee Jeong-nam.
Both had their reasons for wanting a gauge of Baek Moo-jin's strength.
Lee Jeong-nam had been hearing the name nonstop lately. The constant comparisons especially grated.
Dam Ji-woon needed no explanation—his deputy's defeat had besmirched the Silent Sword Unit's honor.
No way drinks dragged on like that. With Lee Jeong-nam and Dam Ji-woon sitting in awkward silence, Seo Moon-geuk stepped in to grease the wheels.
"So, you two look like you're here to spar with Warrior Baek. Am I right?"
Dam Ji-woon and Lee Jeong-nam eyed each other.
'You too?'
'Figured as much.'
After the weird standoff, Lee Jeong-nam turned to Baek Moo-jin.
"That's right."
Dam Ji-woon chimed in.
"But I got here first."
Baek Moo-jin sighed.
"Haa..."
Of course, he had zero intention of dodging.
'Silent Sword Commander and a First Grade Warrior...'
Dam Ji-woon spoke up.
"My deputy lost—Silent Sword's name took a hit. You can go next..."
Lee Jeong-nam cut him off with a raised hand.
"Lately, this Baek Moo-jin keeps getting compared to me. I've got a mission soon enough, so yield today. Silent Sword's always around headquarters—plenty of chances."
As the two bickered over dibs, Baek Moo-jin broke in calmly.
"Back-to-back works."
"........"
Dam Ji-woon and Lee Jeong-nam shot him death glares. Seo Moon-geuk alone barely stifled his glee.
'Jackpot.'
Baek Moo-jin addressed them.
"Outside?"
Dam Ji-woon and Lee Jeong-nam rose in sync.
"Heh, taking on two at once..."
"Pissing me off before we even start."
Yet Baek Moo-jin—mindful that Iron Blood Gang assassins might still lurk nearby—was heading out to spar anyway.
He anticipated a far tougher clash than either realized.
Even so, backing out never crossed his mind. Stepping into the cool night air, Baek Moo-jin murmured,
"Night air's perfect."
Seo Moon-geuk alone burst out laughing at the casual remark.
"Ha ha ha! Damn right! Ideal night for a match."
Dam Ji-woon and Lee Jeong-nam, meanwhile, wore faces already locked in grim resolve.