Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: Punishing the Iron Forge Group
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"I am Master's contractor. There's no need to worry."
Shub spoke with a benevolent smile. At the same time, her red eyes glowed with an alluring light.
The moment Shub's benevolent red eyes met those of Choi Jeong-hoon and his group...
"Ah, I see."
"Understood."
"No need to worry, then."
Choi Jeong-hoon's group nodded with expressions of agreement.
Not just them—Shin Cheol-ho, the Black Tortoise Hall members, and even Isia, who arrived late, were the same.
The Charm Evil Eye Shub had just used was at a low output, enough to instill only mild goodwill.
If she'd used it at full power, everyone except Shin Yu-hyun would have become her puppets.
There were no superhumans here of a higher rank than Shub, after all.
It actually worked.
Shin Yu-hyun watched with a complicated expression. It was he himself who'd ordered Shub to use the Charm Evil Eye.
To make them accept that she was a demon. But it had worked too well.
Should he be pleased or not?
Either way, thanks to it, the clan's superhumans no longer eyed Shub warily—despite her devilish goat horns.
Now I can finally catch my breath.
Shin Yu-hyun looked relieved.
The east, west, and south might still be fending off magic beast attacks, but at least the north was safe.
But.
"It's not over yet."
"What?"
Shin Yu-hyun turned to Shub with a puzzled look at her sudden words.
"What do you mean?"
"My detection spell picked up a dungeon gate reaction. It's not far from here, and there are heterogeneous humans—different from your clan's superhumans."
"A dungeon gate?"
Shin Yu-hyun furrowed his brow at Shub's words.
A dungeon gate reaction, plus humans with an alien vibe.
The Iron Forge Group after all, huh?
Grind.
Shin Yu-hyun clenched his teeth.
Since it was later than in his previous life—when the Iron Forge Group had attacked the clan using magic beasts—he'd held out hope it might not happen.
But it had.
"Probably the Iron Forge Group's doing."
"You're saying they are behind this?"
Choi Jeong-hoon, who'd overheard Shin Yu-hyun's quiet mutter, ground his teeth as he spoke.
Shin Yu-hyun nodded.
"Yes. High chance. We clashed with them at a dungeon near the clan recently. Looks like they're targeting us."
"Hah."
Choi Jeong-hoon let out a hollow laugh.
But Shin Yu-hyun could sense the rage hidden beneath it.
Just days ago, the Iron Forge Group had messed with Black Tortoise Hall members.
And now they'd used humanity's enemies—magic beasts—to assault the clan.
They'd trampled the dignity of the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan, one of Korea's four great houses.
As Black Tortoise Hall's deputy leader, responsible for his members' safety and the clan's defense, Choi Jeong-hoon couldn't forgive them.
"Hall Leader, what do you plan to do with them?"
"Make them pay, obviously."
Shin Yu-hyun had no intention of letting the Iron Forge Group off either.
Those who'd used magic beasts to attack the clan? He'd hunt them to the ends of hell if needed.
"Shub, where are they?"
"Not far. I'll guide you."
"Got it."
Shin Yu-hyun nodded at Shub's words. Then Choi Jeong-hoon spoke up.
"Hall Leader, I'll come with you."
"The deputy leader?"
"Yes. Can't let those trampling the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan go free, can we?"
Choi Jeong-hoon smiled coldly.
He couldn't forgive the Iron Forge Group either.
Shin Yu-hyun thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Alright."
He'd planned a small elite team anyway—to catch them without notice.
No one escaping.
A 5-star superhuman like Choi Jeong-hoon would be a big help.
Leave Dia and Chiron behind. Take half the skeleton soldiers.
Shin Yu-hyun planned to bring the skeleton soldiers.
Ka-mang-i's shadow storage skill allowed silent transport, and they'd help encircle the Iron Forge Group to prevent escape.
Moments later, fully prepared, Shin Yu-hyun headed to the Iron Forge Group's hideout with Shub, Ka-mang-i, and Choi Jeong-hoon.
"Things are going better than expected."
On a hill in the mountains, away from the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan's estate.
A man in his early thirties, Madate Heitaro, smiled as he spoke.
"Yeah. All thanks to that one."
In response, Ishii Hideki—a man in his late thirties—nodded gravely.
They were overlooking the clan from the hilltop.
And at the base of their hill, spatial rifts emitting various lights had formed.
Dungeon gates between 3-star and 5-star.
"Just like they said. Didn't expect we'd pull out this many magic beasts."
"When I heard Sasaki Shiro failed, I was terrified."
Ishii Hideki shook his head.
Not only had the magic beast control experiment failed, but they'd lost to the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan. His vision had gone dark.
But that one's plan was flawless. No—better results even.
Learning from the failure, they'd refined the crystal device further, boosting its performance.
And that wasn't all.
"To think we could even open dungeon gates artificially. What is this crystal device? And the one who made it..."
"Don't pry. You'll get hurt."
Ishii Hideki shook his head at Madate Heitaro's words.
He was curious too, but instinct told him otherwise.
Prying into the secret means death.
Magic beasts were humanity's enemies.
Yet this controlled them and warped space to create dungeon rifts?
Ishii Hideki shuddered at the mere thought.
Danger coursed through him—not just his Danger Sense skill, but the crystal device's power screamed it.
"We just do what we're told from above. No need to stick our necks out."
"True enough."
Madate Heitaro nodded at Ishii Hideki's words.
Even as Iron Forge Group executives, they knew little about the crystal or its creator.
The Iron Forge Group was a lower organization to begin with.
Executives like them were near the bottom, obeying the upper organization's every command.
And the recent order from above? Use the crystal device to assault the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan.
Which was why they were doing it now.
"They're holding out better than expected. How many hundreds of magic beasts have we thrown at them already...?"
Madate Heitaro stuck out his tongue in dismay.
As expected of Korea's strongest sword clan. They'd confirmed the Sword King Shin Sung-il and top successor contenders Shin Cheol-min and Shin Yu-ra were absent.
Yet they held.
"What about the north?"
"Who knows. By now, anywhere else maybe, but Black Tortoise Hall in the north should be smashed, right?"
"It better be. Sasaki Shiro was a moron, but he was an Iron Forge executive. They dared touch him—time to pay."
Madate Heitaro and Ishii Hideki didn't think highly of Sasaki Shiro—the weakest among executives.
But he was still one of them.
So they couldn't let Black Tortoise Hall, who killed him, off easy.
Iron Forge Group's face was at stake.
"Heard their hall leader interfered. What about him?"
"Shin Yu-hyun, right? Heard he's showing his skills lately."
"Yeah. Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan's third direct son—mocked as talentless. But now he's revealing power, even gunning for successor spot."
"Hmph. Doesn't matter. Can't let him who interfered walk."
"What do we do with him?"
"Show an example to the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan and other Korean houses. What happens when you touch the Iron Forge Group."
"Live torture broadcast would be perfect. Pull nails and toenails, gouge eyes. Fingers and toes too—they'll get the message."
"Live vivisection show's not bad either."
Madate Heitaro and Ishii Hideki cackled.
They feared neither the clan nor its leader, the lauded Sword King. They knew someone more fearsome.
But.
"You lowly humans dare!"
Whoosh!
In an instant, a whip of black flame snaked toward Madate Heitaro like a serpent.
Crack!
"Gaaahhh!"
In the blink of an eye, the black flame whip raked his back, drawing a agonized scream from Madate Heitaro.
"W-What?!"
Ishii Hideki jumped in shock.
The whip had flown from the shadows under the dense trees behind the hill at tremendous speed.
"You bastard!"
And from those shadows, a figure burst out.
Choi Jeong-hoon, red-faced with rage.
Revealing himself from the shadows, he unleashed footwork at blinding speed, charging Ishii Hideki.
"Y-You're who?!"
It happened so fast Ishii Hideki barely activated Body Strengthening Technique in time.
He was a top 4-star martial artist.
As the sudden intruder swung his sheathed sword at his face, he raised his gauntlet-clad arms to block.
Thwack!
"Guh!"
But the face strike was a feint.
The blade's path whipped sideways, slamming the sheath into his right flank.
"You sons of bitches!"
Choi Jeong-hoon wrapped aura around his sheathed sword and hammered Ishii Hideki relentlessly.
Ishii Hideki didn't take it lying down—he guarded with his gauntlets.
Bang! Bang!
"Ngh! Ack!"
But Ishii Hideki was top 4-star.
Choi Jeong-hoon was 5-star.
No matter the guard, he couldn't withstand full-force strikes from a berserk Choi Jeong-hoon.
Crack!
"Urk!"
The sheath to the head snapped Ishii Hideki's neck sideways, blood spraying.
"You bastards deserve to die screaming! What was that about the hall leader? Forget dying easy!"
Choi Jeong-hoon already had a grudge against them.
Overhearing their torture plans for Shin Yu-hyun via Shub's shadow stealth had snapped him.
Ishii Hideki crumpled to the ground under the assault.
Choi Jeong-hoon raised his foot and stomped down on Ishii Hideki's arm.
Crunch!
"Gaaaaah!"
Ishii Hideki thrashed, screaming madly.
But he had it better.
"Trash like you dared talk about harming Master?"
"S-Stop... Grrk."
Madate Heitaro writhed in hellish agony from furious Shub's torture.
Shub whispered to Madate Heitaro, burning in black flame pain, with a seductive smile.
"Shall we crank the sensitivity up five times, then?"