Chapter 84
Chapter 84
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: The Assassin's Surrender
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Dawn was approaching, the time when the sky gradually brightened.
Sssst!
As the blood-red sword blade sliced through the cold air, blood spurted upward.
The wounded black-clad man clutched his severed shoulder and staggered backward. If he hadn't jerked his head back just moments ago, his neck would surely have been cut.
"Don't kill them, I said."
"......"
Jinmu, who had snapped one assassin's wrist and slammed him into the ground, spoke irritably.
"Kekeke, sorry."
Baekpyo replied while flicking the blood from his sword, but...
Was that a sorry expression? His eyes were utterly smeared with malice.
Moreover, he was enjoying it?
His mouth said sorry, but with the corners of his lips curled up, it was obvious he was reveling in it.
It wasn't madness or demonic qi, but the sight of blood made him lose all control.
He had heard from his master about the side effects of the Blood Absorption Technique, but he'd never experienced them himself.
'Damn it. Should I just not help?'
Jinmu shook his head.
With Jinmu's assistance, Baekpyo's basic cultivation had exceeded one hour when the assassins' attack began.
He had told him to stop cultivating since it was dangerous for Baekpyo, but he had never said to fight. Though he had learned the refinement method of the Blood Absorption Technique, it still wasn't proper internal energy, and if not refined correctly, it would surely dissipate.
Yet he had stepped forward, insisting he couldn't rest easy while only the Benefactor was in peril.
And somehow, he seemed to be enjoying it even more.
'Anyway... their movements have changed.'
Jinmu, dodging the daggers flying at him one after another, took note of the fact that the assassins' movements had shifted.
Until now, it had just been surveillance.
But now they were actively unleashing their killing intent. Organizationally. They had decided to abandon Baekpyo.
For assassins to abandon a comrade meant extermination. In other words, they intended to kill both Baekpyo and him.
And.
'All of them so far have been about the same. They're probably biding their time, hiding in the back.'
Jinmu's eyes sank coldly.
Surely they hadn't sent only these nobodies. There had to be a notable one among them. Someone quite skilled, evading his senses.
'Then, shall I give them an opening?'
Jinmu struck the side of the assassin he was facing, shattering ribs, then leaped back.
Thud.
His back against the wall. Shaded, perfect for concealment, and a position from which he could thrust a sword from behind the barrier.
He intended to give the enemy an opening and lure an attack. And it wasn't long before a chilling sensation grating against his senses was detected.
'It's here!'
A smile crept onto Jinmu's lips.
A bone-chilling aura emanated from behind the wall. And as that sensation intensified to its peak...
Boom!
Jinmu, who had raised both arms, channeled immense energy into his elbows and slammed them fiercely toward the wall.
Kwaaaang!
"Kek!"
"Cough!"
"Keuk!"
Three screams erupted simultaneously as the wall exploded like it had been struck by a bombardment.
A chilling smile formed on Jinmu's lips.
And the moment his feet left the ground.
Pew!
A sinister killing intent hurtled from the side.
'Eh?'
A sharply thrown dagger flew straight for his neck.
Was there another one? Skilled enough to evade his senses?
Jinmu immediately twisted his head and body. Using the torque, he whipped his leg upward like a flail.
Craaaack!
A dull thud of impact.
"Ha! Well, now."
Jinmu's eyes twisted in an odd way.
The black-clad man who had just attacked him.
He gripped the awl-like pointed dagger in reverse. Grimacing from the shock, but he had clearly blocked it.
Though Jinmu hadn't unleashed his full power, blocking an attack from that angle was no easy feat.
Yet in that fleeting moment, he regripped the awl, baring clear killing intent as if ready to counterattack.
Moreover, Jinmu hadn't sensed him right up until the strike.
"What's your name?"
"......"
Silence.
Yeah, he knew he wouldn't answer.
"Fine. I'll give you my all, just for you."
A wicked smile bloomed on Jinmu's lips. His sword was drawn, and a blue flash ignited.
"......!"
Hyeonmuk's shock was indescribable.
Sword gang? Wasn't that a realm only for those who walked the absolute path in the current murim?
Something was wrong.
Assassins didn't even target warriors who infused their will into sword qi. It was nearly impossible to assassinate those who could surveil every area within their sensory range.
Yet a sword gang wielder. Even the Death Veil Lord, hailed as the pinnacle of the assassin world, would refuse such a mark.
The moment Jinmu unleashed his sword gang.
Everything froze.
Not just Hyeonmuk, but even the Three Kills Hall assassins battling Baekpyo staggered backward.
They were dead. The instant he willed it, the sword gang would shred their bodies without fail.
"What are you doing? Not going to fight?"
Jinmu approached playfully, and Hyeonmuk retreated with panicked eyes.
"It's fine. I won't eat you."
"......"
Hyeonmuk wanted nothing more than to spew curses right in the face of Jinmu, who smiled with such kind affability.
How was he supposed to fight?
His mind went white.
The Three Kills Hall was different from structured groups like the Death Veil, composed of disciples from a single sect. It was a band of those who had banded together for mutual gain—assassins formed purely to make money.
The Kill Lord, old man Beomyong, was an exceptional assassin, but these days he was more of a broker who handed out jobs and skimmed commissions.
Killing Baekpyo was partly for the bounty, but even more so because of the countless secrets he knew.
The moment he surfaced, the Three Kills Hall would be dragged into the light, and they would face vengeance from all those they had slain.
That was another fate of assassins.
Those who danced between life and death, guarding secrets even before the blade.
They had no sturdy backing like the Death Veil to shield their lives. Thus, they had to safeguard themselves.
The moment Jinmu revealed his sword gang, the fight was as good as over.
The bounty on Baekpyo was one nyang of gold—pocket change compared to his own life. Death was the end.
He had to flee.
But could he escape? Facing head-on an opponent even ambush failed against.
In the end, Hyeonmuk steeled himself with some resolve, erased his killing intent, and switched the awl to his other hand.
Slice. Thud.
"......"
Hyeonmuk severed his own right arm and dropped to his knees.
Blood fountained from the stump, followed by searing agony, but he didn't so much as grimace.
"This is the offering of my apology to you."
"......"
Jinmu frowned at Hyeonmuk's calm declaration, blood still flowing unchecked.
For a warrior, cutting off the right arm meant to wield the sword carried profound significance.
Losing the familiar arm made swordplay with the other exceedingly difficult. There were left-handed swordsmen, but they were exceedingly rare. More importantly, being one-armed made maintaining balance a challenge, rendering the relearning of martial arts a torturous ordeal.
Yet now, he was offering that precious arm to beg for his life.
And with Hyeonmuk—the strongest of the attackers—tucking tail, the rest hardly bore mentioning.
"Tsk, this takes all the fun out of it."
Jinmu clicked his tongue, dispersed his energy, and sheathed his sword.
He hadn't planned to kill them all anyway. The goal was simply to help Baekpyo sever ties with the assassin group.
He didn't harbor the righteous faction's hatred for assassins either. Murim had its own laws, and people simply lived their lives differently.
Whether they scraped by as assassins or hauled dung, it was irrelevant so long as they didn't target his life.
Besides, there was no sport in beating a dog that couldn't even bark and had already tucked its tail.
"My gratitude for your grace."
Hyeonmuk finally stanched the bleeding from his shoulder.
A useful one.
In a world teeming with moth-like fools who rampaged blindly, knowing when to advance and when to retreat was no small feat.
"Hey."
"......?"
Jinmu called to Hyeonmuk, who had halted the blood with simple acupressure.
"Where's your Kill Lord?"
"That's..."
Hyeonmuk's expression turned hesitant.
He may have been defeated, but assassins had their own code. Violating it meant he could never return—and he'd have to stake his life.
Having barely saved his skin, he was at a loss for how to respond.
"Never mind. You have your own code too."
"......My thanks once more for your grace."
Hyeonmuk bowed respectfully.
"But what about you? Won't this bring repercussions?"
"I'm merely an assassin who failed his contract."
"Hmm."
That was their way.
He divulged nothing. It was simply a failure due to insufficient skill.
In the Death Veil, he'd face punishment, but for these ronin-like sorts, it was merely a blemish on their record. And if viewed as the blemish that saved his life, hardly a loss.
"One more thing. What's your standing in the Three Kills Hall?"
Hyeonmuk pondered briefly at Jinmu's question.
"......There's only one better than me."
Hyeonmuk had no choice but to answer.
Letting an ambusher go unquestioned? Absurd.
If captured alive, the norm was torture—branding flesh with irons, yanking nails with tongs—until confession.
With such a massive concession from the foe, he couldn't refuse to answer.
"Good. Go on back."
"My gratitude."
Polite for an assassin.
As Hyeonmuk and the assassins bowed once more and vanished, Baekpyo approached with a murderous glare.
"Kekeke, Benefactor, shall I kill them?"
He'd just told them to leave?
"Vile assassin scum. I'll slaughter them all. Why not head to the Three Kills Hall right now and wipe them out?"
"......"
Crazy bastard—you were an assassin too?
Jinmu stared into Baekpyo's eyes, gleaming with bloodlust, then let out a sigh.
He'd thought he was getting better, but here he was again. Not madness or demonic qi, but that viciously wicked glint.
The scent of blood alone sent him off the rails. The silver lining was that he listened well to his "Benefactor" Jinmu.
"Just let them go."
"Understood. Kekeke."
Kekeke... damn it all.
Karma, pure karma.
Jinmu inwardly chanted the Infinite Sutra in a most unbecoming fashion. Being around Baekpyo almost made him feel like one of the righteous faction.
The night was ending anyway. Once the sun rose and day broke, further assaults would be foolhardy. They might try, but he'd already faced twenty assassins through the night.
Unless it was some massive assassin sect, that was likely most of their forces.
Moreover, he had just admitted there was only one better than him. Which meant.
"The assaults are over... Ah!"
Jinmu slapped his forehead as something occurred to him.
"What's wrong, Benefactor? Shall I chase them down and kill them now?"
"......"
Jinmu eyed Baekpyo, whose eyes sparkled with hopeful bloodlust.
What to do with this ruthless bastard. If not reined in, he'd pursue the assassins and rend flesh from bone without hesitation.
Anyway, it was a blunder. He should have captured a few and drained their energy.
Stopping the basic cultivation midway meant the qi would definitely dissipate like a deflated bellows.
"Haa."
A sigh escaped him naturally.