Chapter 51: Time for the Hunt (4)

Even with Han Bin's reassurance, Sim Miho covered her mouth with her sleeve and asked.

"Isn't this smoke Mountain Air Poison? Phew."

Finishing her words, Sim Miho tried to expel the breath she'd inhaled.

Han Bin replied with a baffled look.

"Why would I release something that dangerous in a place like this?"

"Then what?"

"Did the squad leader personally feed these guys Mountain Air Poison and now pretend not to know?"

"Me?"

"Maybe if that's the case……."

"The squad leader's guess is correct."

Sim Miho recalled the food she'd shared with the hunters. But doubt followed immediately.

"They were fine until now, so why only just……?"

As if answering her, Han Bin quickly continued.

"Even explosives need a fuse lit to go off, right?"

"So that smoke from earlier……."

It was then.

Two assassins suddenly spewed blood.

"Gah, you coward!"

"Cough, you rotten……."

In sync with their cries, Han Bin gave orders.

"Subdue them. Oh, leave the mute points open. We need to interrogate them."

At the same time, Sim Miho rushed forward and sealed both their pressure points.

Thud.

Thud.

With two dull sounds, the two assassins collapsed like snapped chopsticks.

Thump!

Han Bin beamed brightly at the two assassins fallen by the campfire.

Confirming no one else was around, he slowly approached them.

Han Bin stood by the head of the assassin who seemed to be the leader.

He already knew their identities anyway, and what mattered now were the glowing points flickering on them.

Glancing at Sim Miho, Han Bin said,

"Handle one of them yourself, Deputy Squad Leader Sim."

Han Bin nodded toward one of the assassins.

Of course, he'd assigned that one to her because it had no formula points.

Looking up at the sky, Han Bin chuckled.

He didn't know if it was coincidence or fate, but it felt like formula points appeared at every major turning point in his life.

At Han Bin's meaningful expression, Sim Miho clasped her fists in salute.

"Understood."

She quickly dragged the other assassin aside.

A few steps away from Sim Miho, Han Bin smiled down at the leader assassin.

"Jackpot. Tsk."

This was sincere.

There weren't just one or two formula points on him.

Snapping out of it at the cryptic words, the leader assassin narrowed his eyes.

"W-what does that mean?"

"You don't need to know. Let's just get started."

"Wait, hold on."

Even with his pressure points sealed, the leader assassin twitched.

But Han Bin ignored him and began pummeling the leader with his fists as if he had nothing more to say.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

However, after a while, a problem arose.

The Yongrin Sword Art had lodged in his mind, and unfamiliar text appeared.

Failed?

The doubt was brief; Han Bin didn't stop.

No tree—or assassin—could withstand ten beatings, he thought. After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Han Bin paused his fists and smacked his lips while eyeing the leader.

"Tsk."

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't extract any formulas.

At Han Bin's furrowed brow, the leader assassin cried out in a trembling voice.

"S-so…… let's talk first!"

His actions were beyond even this assassin's expectations. From his expression, there was no curiosity at all.

Normally, you'd start with who sent you, what organization, etc.

Of course, killing him after extracting all info was standard, but Han Bin was just torturing for torture's sake.

Why?

What for?

The same questions swirled in the leader's mind.

Then Han Bin grinned widely and snapped his fingers.

Snap!

With the crisp sound echoing, Han Bin grabbed a suitable wood chunk from nearby and shoved it into the leader's mouth.

The leader grew even more flustered. It seemed like he was preventing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠him from biting a poison pill hidden in his mouth.

In that state, Han Bin tapped his temple as if remembering something while staring at the leader.

The leader's eyes trembled again.

In the greatest crisis of his assassin life, Han Bin's deliberate cough reached his ears.

"Ahem."

At the sound, the leader saw hope.

But it was an illusion.

Han Bin sealed his mute point as well.

Poke!

The leader's eyes quivered.

Something felt off.

At the same time, Han Bin drew the dagger from his leg.

Shing.

Alternating glances between the dagger and the points on the leader's body, Han Bin reached out.

Stab!

As the dagger sank in, text appeared.

Only then did Han Bin realize the precise way to acquire formulas.

For higher-grade ones, he had to dig a bit deeper.

Now that he knew the method, he had to be careful not to kill the assassin.

If the assassin died, the formulas might vanish too.

Han Bin's eyes and hands busied themselves.

……

As Han Bin predicted, it was indeed a jackpot.

With the mindset of a miner extracting gold, he carefully carved into the leader assassin's body with the dagger.

Stab! Stab!

Watching from the side, Sim Miho furrowed her brow.

'Is this the young master's true nature?'

The youngest young master, who used to faint at the sight of blood, had suddenly received a sword from the family head one day.

Then he started spotting assassins and striking them from behind.

And now, he looked like he was enjoying the torture.

A chill ran up Sim Miho's spine.

Her suspicion that the trap in the third young master's quarters might have been set not by the master's confidant, but by the master himself, solidified into certainty.

'Just what is ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my master's true identity……?'

As Sim Miho's eyes trembled, the assassin assigned to her shouted.

"I'll tell you everything! Everything!"

Sim Miho tilted her head.

She hadn't even started the torture, and he was spilling already?

But seeing the assassin's gaze, she understood.

The assassin under her was trembling while watching Han Bin's torture.

She got it.

Even to her, Han Bin's current appearance was terrifying.

Anyone could see he wasn't wielding the knife for interrogation—he was reveling in the act of cutting itself.

As everyone stared at Han Bin in shock, he casually looked ahead unperturbed.

[Bok (return). Bok (return), Bok (return), Bok (return), Bok (return)]

The recovery formula had increased to five.

[Human-grade - Hwe (times), Gi (rise)]

Two Human-grade formulas now.

And finally, he completed one technique from the Application Section.

Ineffective against higher realms?

Considering it also required a full year of inner power, it was nearly useless.

But having two Human-grade formulas was what mattered. Han Bin's heart began to race.

Thump, thump.

A bit more effort, and he could reach a new realm in the Yongrin Sword Art.

It was then.

The head of the leader assassin Han Bin was interrogating lolled to the side.

Thud.

He'd passed out.

Looking at Sim Miho, Han Bin said,

"This guy's out cold. Deputy Squad Leader Sim, you'll have to step it up."

"Master, the interrogation's done."

"It hasn't been that long, and it's already over? What do you mean? Before we even started……."

As Han Bin widened his eyes in surprise, Sim Miho grew flustered instead.

"Master, he spilled everything earlier. They're from Heukcheon. ……They claim not to know the client."

Reciting the details smoothly, Sim Miho pointed at the assassin at her feet.

Heukcheon was one of the four great assassin organizations of the Central Plains.

It matched the info from the Rogue King of Cheonri Pyoguk perfectly.

Han Bin eyed the remaining assassin.

The lone survivor was trembling like an aspen leaf despite his pressure points being sealed.

With a satisfied smile, Han Bin said,

"As expected of Deputy Squad Leader Sim. Glad you came along. You're so reliable."

"Well, I didn't really do anything……."

"So humble. No one handles it like you, Deputy Squad Leader Sim. Making him spill without laying a hand—that's torture skill beyond Super Peak realm, in terms of martial arts."

"Ah, that's……."

Sim Miho trailed off, mouth agape.

She was stunned that Han Bin had completely forgotten what she'd actually done.

As Sim Miho stared in bewilderment, Han Bin spoke up.

"Anyway, now we can start for real."

"Start what?"

"The hunt."

"What hunt? Are there more assassins?"

"Who knows."

Han Bin grinned and gazed at the moon high in the night sky.

The true hunt he'd envisioned was just beginning.

Han Bin stripped the clothes off the assassin Sim Miho had interrogated.

"Master, what on earth are you doing?"

"Gotta collect the spoils."

"Why not just take their heads?"

"What good are their heads? Just extra baggage. I know you hate blood too, Deputy Squad Leader Sim."

"Ah, true."

Sim Miho nodded, then glanced at the distant mountains.

Hating blood was the old master's trait.

Han Bin stuffed the clothes into his satchel and told Sim Miho,

"Pile them together and cover with some leaves."

"They seem barely alive…… Should I finish them off?"

"Nah."

Finishing, Han Bin kicked dirt over the campfire to extinguish it.

Pointing upward from a spot far from the fire, Han Bin signaled.

It meant climb the tree branches above.

As instructed, Sim Miho climbed the branches and whispered softly,

"Master, what are you doing?"

"Making bait."

"Bait?"

"Well, when their comrades realize they're dead, they'll come asking for help on their own, right?"

"What if no other assassins show?"

"Wolf food."

"Ah."

Han Bin's plan was so simple that Sim Miho let out an exclamation.

Through this mission, she realized she needed to reevaluate her master, Han Bin.

As Sim Miho narrowed her eyes,

The leader assassin, who had passed out, pulled something out.

It was a flute as thick as a hairpin.

A Peak realm assassin blew the flute.

Phee-ik!

It sounded just like wind rustling leaves.

Han Bin whispered quietly,

"Deputy Squad Leader Sim, suppress your presence as much as possible and wait. And read this in one hour."

"Understood!"

Sim Miho replied softly as Han Bin handed her a note and immediately descended.

He then resealed the leader's pressure points.

Next, he half-buried them in the ground and covered them with leaves again.

Finishing everything, Han Bin vanished into the darkness.

Sim Miho, watching from the tree, widened her eyes to their limit.

The shock was brief; soon, nine black shadows appeared.

Swish.

The nine shadows, appearing like illusions, lingered around the extinguished campfire.

Looking closely, they wore ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the same outfits as the subdued assassins.

They were Heukcheon assassins too.

They examined the traces around.

Missing Sim Miho, they followed the tracks Han Bin had deliberately left.

It was uncanny.

As her hair stood on end at the arrival of the other assassins, Sim Miho held her breath.

All the black shadows seemed to be at Peak realm.

If her presence was detected, death was instant.

Sim Miho swallowed dryly.