Chapter 148
Chapter 148
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 148
Chapter Title: Leverage on the Six Harmonies Spear Clan
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“You'll fulfill my desires? Now that's music to my ears.”
Shin Yu-hyun flashed a satisfied smile.
His desire—or rather, what one might call his purpose.
It was revenge.
He wanted to repay the Getia bastards who had taken everything from him, giving them back every bit of suffering humanity had endured.
‘Even killing them won't be a mercy.’
I need to drag them to death as slowly and agonizingly as possible.
Just like the Getia bastards did.
“Does fulfilling the Master's desires require such a long wait?”
Ruber spoke in a subtle tone, her red eyes gleaming.
“Who knows. Is there really any need to rush?”
There's no hurry. He could slowly and methodically tighten the noose around the Getia bastards' necks.
And above all, Getia's main force hadn't even arrived on Earth yet.
He only suspected that advance scouts from Getia and their worshippers were operating in the shadows.
It was still too early to achieve his goal.
“Eek.”
Ruber shuddered at Shin Yu-hyun's words.
To her, Shin Yu-hyun was an existence akin to the founding Immortal King.
He was her sole successor, the one who had inherited everything from him—practically the man himself.
And now, she was alone with that successor!
She desperately wanted to pounce right then and there, but Ruber barely restrained herself and spoke up.
“Y-yes, of course. After waiting centuries, there's no need to rush now.”
Ruber forced a calm expression, struggling to maintain her composure.
Just a few more days—or even hours—shouldn't be impossible to endure, right?
“I see. You've been sealed away for centuries. But don't worry. I'll achieve my desire within the next five years.”
“Five years...”
So that's it. Five years.
Ruber licked her lips with her red tongue.
That meant she could have her successor within five years.
“It might even be sooner.”
If he quickly dealt with the Getia worshippers and captured the Getia on Earth, he might accelerate the timeline for revenge.
“Is that so?”
Ruber smiled dizzily.
She was the princess of the progenitors.
Five years was but a fleeting moment to her.
She could wait that long, no problem.
“That's why I have a task for you.”
“What might that be?”
“You're already aware that rats have infiltrated our clan's territory, right? Bring me information and evidence on what they've been up to here.”
“You mean the ones from today.”
Ruber grinned demonically, her red eyes shining.
She already knew about the incident with the Six Harmonies Spear Clan.
That's why she had lent one of her kin to Shin Yu-hyun.
And how furious she had been that mere rats had dared sneak into the territory ruled by the Immortal King's successor.
“Do you plan to exterminate them?”
“Exactly. Your forces should handle it well.”
“Of course.”
The vampire legion led by Ruber.
As one of the Immortal legions, they specialized in intelligence, infiltration, assassination, and the like.
They could surely uncover the info on the Six Harmonies Spear Clan intruders in Suwon and the evidence of their curse on Kim Soo-yeon.
“Leave it to us. The night is our domain, after all.”
Ruber smiled like a nocturnal predator eyeing its prey.
The next morning.
Ruber's work was swift and precise.
Documents and evidence detailing everything the Six Harmonies Spear Clan had done in Suwon up to now sat on the desk in Shin Yu-hyun's office.
‘As expected of the Immortal King's intelligence unit.’
Shin Yu-hyun was impressed.
Ruber had led ten of her kin to raid the Six Harmonies Spear Clan's secret temporary base.
Finding their base had been simple.
Shin Yu-hyun had attached one of Ruber's kin to the Spear Clan members who visited Kim Sang-cheol's home.
Ruber's kin excelled at stealth and infiltration.
Thanks to them, they easily pinpointed the base's location.
And that very night, Shin Yu-hyun had dispatched Ruber.
To retrieve information and evidence on the intruders.
‘She said if we'd been even a little later, it would've been hard to obtain.’
When Ruber infiltrated, the enemy was already scrambling.
Destroying various documents and evidence.
Evidently, the Six Harmonies Spear Clan wasn't staffed entirely by fools.
They'd realized things had gone south and were preparing to withdraw.
But Shin Yu-hyun's moves had been faster.
‘Now I can pressure them with this.’
Shin Yu-hyun smiled in satisfaction.
With the Six Harmonies Spear Clan's weakness in hand, the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan would be safe from their prying eyes.
And that wasn't all.
“Father will be pleased.”
The Six Harmonies Spear Clan, the largest in numbers, had been overstepping lately, souring Clan Leader Shin Sung-il's mood.
Now, Shin Yu-hyun had the means to put a leash on them.
The Six Harmonies Spear Clan had violated the non-aggression pact among the four great clans, forbidding interference in each other's territories.
On top of that, they'd cursed a child.
What would happen if this got out to the media and public?
The Six Harmonies Spear Clan's reputation and face would hit rock bottom.
Then the hyena-like lesser martial clans lurking beneath the four great houses would start tearing into them.
‘They've done it big time.’
Thinking of Ruber who brought the intel, Shin Yu-hyun smiled contentedly.
This incident solidified his position within the clan even further and made it easier to integrate Ruber and her kin into the Black Tortoise Hall.
It was a win for him all around.
All that remained was handing the information to someone who could use it effectively.
‘The vice hall leader will handle it perfectly.’
He'd sprinkle MSG everywhere and cook up the Six Harmonies Spear Clan.
With a small smile, Shin Yu-hyun picked up the intercom in his office.
Choi Jung-hoon lived up to Shin Yu-hyun's expectations, masterfully dismantling the Six Harmonies Spear Clan.
Not just with the Black Tortoise Hall—he even coordinated with the Clan Leader's Hall to strip them bare.
As a result, the Six Harmonies Spear Clan ended up with their weaknesses exposed to the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan.
‘Their reaction was as expected.’
Initially, the Six Harmonies Spear Clan denied any involvement.
Claiming it was news to them and flatly denying it.
But when the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan shoved the evidence in their faces, they finally admitted fault—blaming rogue low-level operatives acting on their own.
They proposed settling it amicably between clans.
Now, the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan just needed to make its demands.
Rumor had it that Clan Leader Shin Sung-il was in high spirits.
‘I'll get some compensation out of this.’
Shin Yu-hyun curled his lips upward.
Having obtained crucial leverage over the Six Harmonies Spear Clan, he was due for clan rewards himself.
‘Time to equip our kids properly.’
He thought of the Black Tortoise Hall members.
The Black Tortoise Sword Division operatives were advancing at a rapid pace.
They'd recruited capable instructors, and Second-in-Command Uncle Shin Sung-hyun occasionally visited to teach swordsmanship.
It would be weirder if they weren't growing stronger.
Plus, they'd mass-recruited talented disciples poached by other halls in the past.
However, their equipment was subpar by comparison.
Just standard issue.
So Shin Yu-hyun planned to secure high-quality gear from the clan this time.
“All that's left is reclaiming Gangneung.”
About a month remained until the magic beasts broke out from Gangneung.
All preparations for the reclamation needed to be complete before then.
And by the time prep wrapped up, the custom weapon he'd commissioned from Kim Sang-cheol for Choi Jin-seong should be ready.
Choi Jin-seong's sniping would prove invaluable against the magic beasts.
‘Not a bad debut.’
Shin Yu-hyun grinned.
He'd been working hard to develop the Black Tortoise Hall.
The Golden Arrow Guild of long-range dealers.
The Red Tower Guild of fire-attribute mages.
And the Black Tortoise Sword Division members.
Through the Gangneung reclamation, he planned to show the world the power he'd built in the Black Tortoise Hall.
The Six Harmonies Spear Clan's main estate.
Near Gyeyang Mountain in Incheon Metropolitan City stood their vast compound.
The estate housed the clan's extended family and disciples training in Six Harmonies Spear arts.
The actual headquarters managing Incheon operations was in a central skyscraper, functioning practically like a corporation.
As the most populous of the four great clans, they oversaw numerous dungeons.
This fueled their dungeon-related businesses, mainly processing magic beast byproducts from dungeons.
They'd also dipped into real estate.
“Shin Yu-hyun of the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan.”
On the 12th floor of the Six Harmonies Spear Clan's HQ building was the Strategic Planning Team's director office.
Its occupant was Kim I-shin, the clan's heir and a man in his early thirties.
He sat lost in thought in his private office.
“His name keeps coming up lately.”
Kim I-shin frowned.
In his position, all sorts of rumors and gossip reached his ears.
The most persistent lately was that the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan's useless trash had turned a new leaf.
‘People don't change that easily...’
At first, he'd dismissed it as mere rumor.
Until recently, his focus had been on the seas off Incheon.
Faint traces of a battle with magic beasts lingered there.
Who the hell had fought magic beasts in the dead of night?
‘They tried to erase the traces, but it's impossible to wipe them clean.’
Kim I-shin chuckled.
The tide had washed most away, but some beast-like footprints remained on the beach.
Based on those, he'd inferred a large-scale battle off Incheon's coast.
Intrigued, he'd investigated—only to get smacked hard from behind.
By his arch-rivals, the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan, no less.
“Shin Yu-hyun...”
Kim I-shin ground his teeth.
The third son of the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan, rumored to be ignored by his family.
And that man had thwarted him.
To monitor and check the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan, he'd dispatched Team Leader Lee Ki-young.
Just days ago, reports had been smooth sailing.
But a day after the last update, came word of withdrawal.
‘Back then, I thought that bastard Lee was spouting nonsense...’
Lee had been right.
Before another day passed, formal complaints arrived via official channels from the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan.
Because of it, Kim I-shin got reamed out—not just by his father the clan leader, but by the clan elders too.
Asking if he had a brain or not.
“I can't just take this lying down.”
The humiliation from Shin Yu-hyun was indescribable.
‘I don't want to contact him, but no choice.’
Kim I-shin dialed someone on his smartphone.
[For Director Kim I-shin to call me? Must be something big.]
Moments later, a voice emanated from Kim I-shin's phone.
None other than Nam Min-hyuk, eldest son of the Namdu Group.