Chapter 109
Chapter 109
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: Drunken Moon Shadow
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Paeng Man-ho guided the group to where the family head was waiting, then stepped back outside. There was no need for him to stick around. He clearly still needed to issue new orders to the Fierce Tiger Corps, who were undoubtedly waiting out there.
Stepping out of the hall, Paeng Man-ho wore a puzzled expression. Contrary to his expectations, the Fierce Tiger Corps was nowhere in sight. Only three members had remained behind to wait for him.
"Where did everyone else go?"
"They headed to the training grounds, sir."
Paeng Man-ho let out a low murmur of admiration as he listened.
"Hoh. So you've finally pulled yourselves together. Heading straight to the training grounds the moment your mission ends? I can't miss out on a day like this. Let's go."
The Fierce Tiger members exchanged awkward glances at Paeng Man-ho's words. But they couldn't defy their leader.
The training grounds were quite a distance from the hall. Yet Paeng Man-ho moved with such speed it was as if he were employing lightness skill, arriving in an instant.
Upon entering the training grounds, Paeng Man-ho sensed something off in the atmosphere. His eyes sharpened. He spotted an injured member. In that moment, the distance between him and the wounded man vanished.
"What happened here?"
Paeng Man-ho pushed past the startled members to examine the injury. The shoulder area was soaked in blood.
"This is a wound that can't be brushed off lightly."
Paeng Man-ho's eyes gleamed. All Fierce Tiger Corps members wielded sabers. Not a single one used a sword. That meant the injury came from someone outside the corps.
Paeng Man-ho quickly scanned the surroundings, lifting his head. His gaze landed on Jong Chil, who was holding a sword in an awkward stance.
"Was it you?"
With those words, Paeng Man-ho launched himself at Jong Chil. Just like when he'd approached the injured man, the distance closed in a flash. It was a truly astonishing lightness skill.
Just as Paeng Man-ho's hand was about to seize Jong Chil's throat, Jong Chil startled and leaped back a step. Paeng Man-ho's grasp cut through empty air.
Paeng Man-ho stared at Jong Chil in surprise.
He didn't look that strong. Nothing impressive at all. It was hard to believe he'd beaten a Fierce Tiger member.
So Paeng Man-ho had assumed he'd used some dirty trick. There was no way he could have wounded a Fierce Tiger warrior otherwise.
But now he saw that wasn't the case. He'd dodged his hand. Sure, the distance had been greater, but Paeng Man-ho's Capturing Hand wasn't something you could easily evade just because of that.
Paeng Man-ho reined in his boiling rage for a moment. After all, the opponent was a guest of the Paeng family. He couldn't handle this rashly.
"Explain what happened."
Paeng Man-ho turned to the Fierce Tiger members. They stammered through the events.
"W-well, Sang-ho here was sparring with this guy..."
"Sparring? You're saying Sang-ho lost a spar?"
Paeng Man-ho furrowed his brow. He glared at Jong Chil.
"Even in a spar, was there any need to go that far?"
Jong Chil flinched at Paeng Man-ho's overbearing tone. Back then, desperation had forced his hand, but he couldn't voice it now. He was completely overwhelmed by the man's presence.
The Fierce Tiger members skipped the rest. If Paeng Man-ho learned they'd ganged up on Jong Chil, he wouldn't let it slide. And mentioning the saber energy vanishing with a thunderclap? They'd be dead for sure.
None of them had seen Dan Hyeong-u move. They'd only caught sight of the lightning. No one could believe it had been deliberately conjured by someone.
"Do you have the guts to spar with me too?"
Paeng Man-ho figured he had to pay back what was done. Since Sang-ho's shoulder had been pierced, he'd lop off an arm in return. His eyes blazed at Jong Chil as if to incinerate him.
Terror made Jong Chil tremble. And in that instant, he felt a palm press against his back.
"Wha—?"
The palm lightly shoved Jong Chil forward. He stumbled several steps ahead from the force.
"Hoh, you've got some nerve."
Jong Chil saw Paeng Man-ho's lips curl into a sinister grin. His heart sank, blood draining from his face.
'What the hell?'
He couldn't believe it. Dan Hyeong-u had shoved him toward this embodiment of death. That palm belonged to Dan Hyeong-u.
Jong Chil whipped around to look at him.
"D-Dan... Great Hero, did I do something wrong...?"
As if. Dan Hyeong-u shook his head. He met Jong Chil's eyes directly and gave a single nod.
No words were spoken, yet Jong Chil strangely felt at ease. Somehow, he understood what Dan Hyeong-u wanted from him. His gaze turned back to Paeng Man-ho.
Paeng Man-ho no longer seemed so frightening. Jong Chil's presence began to swell, gradually pushing back the aura that had enveloped him completely.
Paeng Man-ho watched wide-eyed. An ominous premonition stirred within him.
"Then let's begin."
Paeng Man-ho decided he had to nip this in the bud before the opponent's momentum built further. Dragging it out felt dangerous. A saber rose from his waist in a surge.
A swift, sharp strand of saber energy flew toward Jong Chil's throat.
Bam!
Jong Chil barely blocked the saber energy. But the sudden assault forced him to retreat nonstop. Paeng Man-ho's saber crashed down like waves.
Clang clang clang!
Boom!
Paeng Man-ho gritted his teeth and pressed the attack. The saber energy coating his blade grew denser. Yet even that failed to threaten Jong Chil. His defense stabilized more with each passing moment.
Jong Chil focused solely on defense. He knew full well he couldn't handle Paeng Man-ho with his own skill. But pure defense might just hold. He'd endured far too much from the Sword King already.
Jong Chil had weathered the Sword King's torments for quite some time. Those "torments" were brutal enough to teeter him on the brink of life and death at times.
How could one compare the Sword King to Paeng Man-ho? Blocking his attacks effectively was only natural for Jong Chil.
Paeng Man-ho was flabbergasted. He might have been a bit hasty in his excitement, but he was giving it everything. Yet this guy parried flawlessly, sapping his strength bit by bit.
'A hidden master who was holding back.'
Paeng Man-ho's face twisted. This was unforgivable. A master of this caliber had gravely wounded a Fierce Tiger member.
Shouldn't disagreements be settled through talk? Or a light suppression at most.
"Hah!"
Paeng Man-ho's fury melted into his strikes. The saber energy on his blade condensed, soon radiating blinding light. It was saber aura.
Jong Chil startled at the sight. Saber energy he could somehow manage, but saber aura changed everything.
And Paeng Man-ho's assaults were so ferocious that even blocking was a challenge. His sword would surely shatter, his body cleaved in two by the aura.
"Urk!"
Jong Chil hurriedly fell back. Paeng Man-ho thrust his saber aura into the opening. Blinding light flooded Jong Chil's vision.
Boom!
As light particles scattered before his eyes, Jong Chil's jaw dropped.
"Cough!"
Paeng Man-ho spat blood and staggered back. Half his saber was gone—snapped clean off.
Between them stood a figure casually lowering his sword.
The Sword King.
"What do you think you're doing?"
The Sword King's low voice echoed across the training grounds. The Sword Demon quietly approached behind him. The two had appeared in the grounds at some point.
No one else was visible, so their business must not be finished yet.
The Sword King glared at Paeng Man-ho. His gaze felt like iron bands squeezing Paeng Man-ho's body. The shock from moments ago had already inflicted severe internal injuries. Now crushed by the Sword King's pressure, he couldn't endure.
"Cough!"
Blood burst from Paeng Man-ho's mouth again.
"Tsk tsk. You can't just browbeat him like that."
The Sword Demon muttered as he approached. His palm lightly touched Paeng Man-ho's back, then withdrew.
"Gah!"
Paeng Man-ho vomited violently—black, dead blood. Afterward, his body felt noticeably lighter.
The Sword Demon's hand touched his back once more. Paeng Man-ho felt an immense surge of energy flooding through and lost consciousness.
"It's been a while, so it's not coming out right."
The Fierce Tiger warriors stared blankly at the Sword Demon's casual remark.
A few members hurriedly moved. They hoisted Paeng Man-ho and carried him out of the training grounds. The rest had to explain the day's events to the Sword King.
After hearing them out, the Sword King nodded in satisfaction.
"At least the training stuck a little. You're pulling your weight now."
The Fierce Tiger members were stunned by his words. The implication was huge.
'The Sword King's disciple!'
They couldn't shout it aloud, but their hearts screamed it until it hurt.
They'd picked a fight and ambushed the Sword King's disciple. They'd pegged him as just an escort or porter from the bureau—never dreaming he was that.
Realization dawned, and fear crept in. The Sword King wouldn't let anyone who touched his disciple off easily.
Word was, the Demonic Alliance's fall was because of it.
The members stood frozen, stealing cautious glances at the Sword King. How much time passed like that?
The Sword King eyed them curiously.
"Do you still have business here?"
"N-no, sir!"
"Then what are you waiting for? Get lost."
Their faces lit up like they'd grasped a lifeline.
"Th-then we'll take our leave."
They didn't forget a respectful fist salute, pouring every ounce of sincerity into it before fleeing the grounds.
Now only five remained: Dan Hyeong-u and company.
"You think you can show your face after getting pushed around by trash like that?"
Jong Chil startled at the Sword King's words. He could guess what was coming. He shot Dan Hyeong-u a pleading look, begging for help.
Dan Hyeong-u gave Jong Chil a faint smile and walked out of the grounds.
The escort followed swiftly in his wake. Sticking around might drag them into trouble.
Watching them go, the Sword Demon muttered,
"Boring. This'll liven things up."
At those words, Jong Chil felt the sky collapse.
'Liven things up? My ass!'
He wanted to scream, but with that fist so close, he swallowed every curse.
Moments later, agonized screams echoed relentlessly from the training grounds.
Dan Hyeong-u, emerging from the grounds, slowly headed toward the hall where the others had entered.
A subtle smile played on his lips—one that, unlike usual, lingered.
He felt like he understood the world a bit better now.
Part 4
Drunken Moon Shadow
In a spacious room, Jo Seol-yeon and her group sat across a large table from Paeng Jin-pyeong, the Paeng family head, and the family's notable masters.
Paeng Cheol-yeong, who should have been at the Martial Alliance, was there too.
"What do you think? It's a bit sudden, I know, but it shouldn't be a bad deal for you."
Paeng Jin-pyeong addressed Jo Seol-yeon, then glanced around at those seated beside her, as if seeking agreement.
But no one nodded approval. Jo Seol-yeon herself couldn't hide her discomfort.
"I'm sorry."
As she hinted at refusal, Paeng Jin-pyeong waved a hand lightly and spoke up quickly.
"Don't decide so hastily. I get that it's sudden—take a few days to rest and think it over."
With that, Jo Seol-yeon couldn't press the refusal further. Paeng Jin-pyeong ended the conversation swiftly, as if he'd anticipated her response.
Jo Seol-yeon glanced awkwardly at Paeng Jin-pyeong and Paeng Cheol-yeong beside him. Paeng Cheol-yeong's face was calm, but his eyes weren't— they spoke volumes.
She sighed inwardly.
"Well, we've held up weary travelers long enough already."
Paeng Jin-pyeong rose with those words. Maids waiting outside entered to guide the group out.
Once they were gone, Paeng Jin-pyeong turned to Paeng Cheol-yeong.
"From what I saw, the others looked decent enough. Are you really set on that one?"
"Yes. No one else catches my eye."
Paeng Jin-pyeong nodded at Paeng Cheol-yeong's reply.