Chapter 205
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 205
Chapter Title: Infiltrating the Black Mountain Stronghold
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As the You hour (5-7 p.m.) passed, the sky grew dim.
“…….”
Seol Hwa-un, who had been sitting cross-legged, rose to his feet, and Sa In-gyeol and Hong Seong-chil, who had been resting nearby, followed suit.
Seol Hwa-un turned his head toward them.
Hong Seong-chil asked.
“Are you going to infiltrate now?”
Seol Hwa-un nodded, and he continued.
“From what we’ve observed so far, they seem to rotate guards every two hours. They just switched, so if we take them out now, we’ll have at least an hour’s leeway.”
“I think the same. However…… I’ve been thinking.”
“……?”
“It might be best if I go in alone.”
“That’s……!”
“It’s a stronghold we’ll have to wipe out eventually, but right now, finding the culprit comes first. Sneaking in without being detected and scouting their movements would be easier for one person than three, wouldn’t it?”
“Even so…….”
The two retainers couldn’t argue.
Seol Hwa-un was right. And if it had to be just one person, it made sense for the superior martial artist, Seol Hwa-un, to go.
“At least be careful, Pavilion Master.”
“We’ll keep watch, and if anything seems off, we’ll rush in immediately.”
“Understood.”
Afterward, the three moved toward the gorge, silently neutralizing the sentries hidden in various spots along the way.
By the time these bandits realized something was wrong, Seol Hwa-un would be long gone from the Black Mountain Stronghold, so it didn’t matter.
Having subdued all the sentries, they finally arrived at the gorge entrance.
Sa In-gyeol looked at Seol Hwa-un and said.
“Pavilion Master, no matter what, come out within half an hour at the latest. If that time passes, we’ll head in right away.”
Hong Seong-chil nodded.
“That sounds good. With your skills, Pavilion Master, nothing should go wrong, but we need to prepare for the worst.”
Seol Hwa-un gave a faint smile.
“I shall.”
Ta-at!
He kicked off the ground, and his figure vanished into the gorge.
“…….”
Surprisingly, there were no additional guards patrolling the path through the gorge.
‘They must trust the men they posted outside.’
Indeed, the ones Seol Hwa-un’s group had taken out were of a fairly high caliber for mere sentries.
‘It could be seen as efficient, but…….’
In the end, it made crossing the gorge far easier for Seol Hwa-un.
However, at the far end of the gorge stood two sentries.
“……!”
Spotting them, Seol Hwa-un accelerated instead.
Shuwaak!
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
They were so fast that by the time the bandits registered “What’s that?”, Seol Hwa-un was already swinging his hand right in front of them.
It was a terrifying speed that allowed no reaction.
“Gurk!”
“Keuk!”
Struck in the throat by Seol Hwa-un’s hand blade, they couldn’t even cry out.
‘An enemy?!’
‘Signal quickly……!’
But their thoughts didn’t continue. In that brief hesitation, Seol Hwa-un struck their knockout acupoints.
Pa-pak!
Thud!
Thud!
They fell without the slightest resistance to the man who appeared before them.
“…….”
Seol Hwa-un lowered his stance and scanned the surroundings.
‘No more sentries nearby.’
After dragging the two brutes aside, he pressed on.
A wide clearing held row after row of buildings.
‘The Black Mountain Stronghold is larger than I thought.’
Judging by the number of structures alone, there seemed to be over six hundred bandits.
Uncharacteristically for bandits, there were training grounds scattered here and there, suggesting they practiced martial arts.
“Hahaha!”
Bonfires blazed everywhere, with bandits gathered around drinking feasts.
“Gulp, gulp, gulp!”
“Ah, this hits the spot!”
Some were too engrossed in booze and snacks to notice anything.
“Kill him!”
“Dodge! Dodge!”
Fierce spars raged in other spots, surrounded by cheering bandits.
Piles of silver nearby indicated they were betting.
There were also various other games and gambling groups.
Everyone was so caught up in their revelry that no one paid any heed to their surroundings.
“…….”
Seol Hwa-un slipped past them in the shadows. No one sensed his presence.
‘First, I need to check on Yang Mu-seung’s status.’
He moved deeper inward, staying vigilant.
“……!”
At last, Seol Hwa-un spotted a particularly lavish building that stood out from the rest.
‘Anyone could tell that’s the stronghold leader’s quarters.’
As he instinctively moved closer, he sensed something and froze.
“……!”
Seol Hwa-un’s eyes sharpened.
‘That was close. One more step and…….’
Someone inside had detected him.
‘A formidable expert.’
Not Yang Mu-seung.
‘Who the hell is in there?’
Seol Hwa-un quietly closed his eyes. He recalled what the Yangtze Dragon King had taught him.
“…….”
His already faint presence grew even fainter until it vanished completely.
‘Good.’
Now confident he wouldn’t be detected, Seol Hwa-un slowly advanced.
* * *
Inside the grand building.
Before Yang Mu-seung, seated on a plush chair, stood a figure draped in bloodwind robes.
Yang Mu-seung wore a sinister smile, though his complexion seemed oddly darkened.
In stark contrast, his eyes gleamed with an inscrutable madness.
“Heh heh heh.”
“…….”
“What does Teacher Gal think?”
He held up his hand as he spoke.
Tsk tsk tsk!
Incredibly, a black-qi aura gathered in his palm.
“My Fiend Heavenly Art has already reached perfection. Isn’t it time to proceed?”
The silent figure in bloodwind robes finally spoke.
“Not yet. It’s beyond your current level.”
Yang Mu-seung’s eyebrow twitched.
“Didn’t you see me take on two stronghold leaders at once? I’ve elevated it even further since then, and you still say it’s not enough?”
“You’ve grown drunk on power and lost your sense. ‘He’ is far stronger.”
“You damn……!”
Yang Mu-seung slammed the table.
Boom!
Bloodshot veins bulged in his eyes.
“How much stronger do I need to be?!”
“At least twice as strong as you are now.”
“Hah! You want me to be the world’s top master or something?”
Teacher Gal chuckled.
“You think that’s enough to claim the title of world’s best?”
“Grrr! Aren’t you underestimating me too much, Teacher Gal!”
His eyes reddened further. Seeing this, Teacher Gal clicked his tongue.
“Tsk! The episodes are getting more frequent.”
Paht!
Vanishing suddenly, he reappeared behind Yang Mu-seung.
“Graaaah!”
As Yang Mu-seung convulsed and tried to rise, Teacher Gal unhesitatingly grabbed his head.
Thud!
“Calm down, child.”
Ssssh!
A dark crimson energy poured from his hand into Yang Mu-seung’s Baihui acupoint.
“Ughhh!”
His bloodshot eyes and flushed face slowly returned to normal. Fully pacified, Yang Mu-seung slumped forward as if unconscious.
“The Fiend Heavenly Art is great and all, but the side effects are too severe. Heh heh heh.”
Gazing down at Yang Mu-seung, Teacher Gal suddenly flinched and turned his head.
“…….”
But outside the window he stared at, nothing was visible.
“……A false alarm?”
Leaving Yang Mu-seung behind, Teacher Gal departed.
“…….”
Once his presence fully vanished, Seol Hwa-un emerged from the shadows.
His face was rigidly tense.
“The Fiend Heavenly Art.”
It might be unfamiliar to warriors of this era, but not to Seol Hwa-un.
‘Even the Demonic Cult designated it one of the Three Great Forbidden Demonic Arts due to its severe side effects…….’
A technique presumed lost with the destruction of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
‘How did Yang Mu-seung learn the Fiend Heavenly Art? And who is this Teacher Gal……?’
A master with senses sharp enough to faintly detect Seol Hwa-un’s completely concealed presence.
Moreover, he exuded an aura that even made Seol Hwa-un feel a chill.
‘Not someone to take lightly.’
In any other situation, Seol Hwa-un might have risked subduing him to uncover his identity, but not now.
He couldn’t handle the bandits who would swarm at any commotion.
‘Who is he, exactly?’
No one matching Teacher Gal came to mind among the experts he knew.
‘Their conversation hinted at some conspiracy, too…….’
He’d come simply to find the attackers targeting merchants, but things were more complicated than expected.
Seol Hwa-un’s gaze fell on Yang Mu-seung.
‘Should I take him down and interrogate?’
He shook his head.
‘With the Fiend Heavenly Art, he’s no pushover. Any disturbance would complicate things.’
Especially with Teacher Gal lurking nearby.
“…….”
After a moment’s deliberation, he came up with an alternative.
‘Then I’ll ask someone else.’
A regular bandit probably wouldn’t know about Teacher Gal.
Seol Hwa-un stealthily subdued a staggering, drunken bandit.
Seeing Seol Hwa-un’s eyes gleaming in the dark snapped the bandit sober.
“Gasp! W-Who……!”
Seol Hwa-un had already sealed the area with his qi, so no sound would escape.
“Tell me one thing, and I’ll spare your life. Where is the Vice Stronghold Leader’s quarters?”
“……!”
Meanwhile, Sa In-gyeol waiting at the gorge entrance couldn’t hide his anxiety.
“Seong-chil, how much longer until half an hour?”
Hong Seong-chil replied leisurely.
“About fifteen minutes more.”
“Really?”
Hong Seong-chil looked at him pityingly.
“Come on. Don’t you trust the Pavilion Master?”
“Of course I do. It just…… feels ominous somehow.”
“Don’t worry. Like he said, he’ll be out before the half hour’s up. Just wait calmly.”
“……Alright.”
Another fifteen minutes passed. Yet Seol Hwa-un still hadn’t appeared.
Hong Seong-chil frowned.
“This…… isn’t good.”
Sa In-gyeol said with a grim expression.
“Let’s go in. The agreed time…….”
As they moved to enter the gorge, a figure appeared as if on cue.
Paat!
“……!”
It was Seol Hwa-un. Smiling, he asked.
“Did I keep you waiting?”
Hong Seong-chil shook his head.
“You’re right on time.”
“Any results?”
To Sa In-gyeol’s question, Seol Hwa-un nodded with a peculiar expression.
“Yes.”
“Ah!”
“Let’s move.”
“Yes, Pavilion Master.”
The three deployed lightness skill and left the gorge.
Right after they vanished.
The figure called Teacher Gal appeared.
“Keke, you came sooner than expected. Impressive.”
Staring in the direction they’d gone, he flashed a sinister smile.
“We were once allies as enemies of enemies…… but since you’re in our way, I can’t let you be.”
His eyes glinted with murderous intent.