Chapter 56
Bu Eun-seol had taken on the mission to eliminate the assassins of Blue Sand Valley operating in Yueyang.
As night fell, he attempted to infiltrate their headquarters outside the South Gate in secret.
But suddenly, assassins burst forth and began moving somewhere—wasn't that odd?
Sensing something amiss, Bu Eun-seol stealthily trailed them, only to discover them attacking disciples of the Mount Heng Sect.
'They truly have become a ruined sect.'
Bu Eun-seol let out a low sigh as he observed the sword techniques of the Mount Heng disciples facing the assassins.
Advanced Martial Arts? Secrets of internal energy?
Such things weren't absolutely necessary to cut an enemy's breath short. What was truly needed was the fierce will and confidence to kill.
Yet the Mount Heng disciples had lost both—the will to kill their enemies and even their confidence.
Rather, each time they unleashed their sword techniques, their expressions twisted as if in frustration.
'They won't last even a quarter-hour.'
Bu Eun-seol exhaled a quiet breath through his nose as he watched the battle between the Mount Heng Sect and the assassins.
And indeed, before even a quarter-hour had passed, all the Mount Heng disciples—save for Myeong-un—lay wounded on the ground.
"Who are you?!"
At the lead assassin's shout, Bu Eun-seol snapped out of his thoughts.
"You ask who I am?"
The masked Bu Eun-seol's eyes narrowed into a thin line. Facing that cold smile, the assassins felt a chill run down their spines.
"Kill this bastard right no—!"
The assassin's words were cut short.
No need for further talk. Having already resolved to exterminate the Blue Sand Valley assassins, Bu Eun-seol abruptly drew his sword and pierced the man's throat.
"Ghk—!"
With a choked gasp, the assassin collapsed like a felled log.
At once, the remaining assassins began encircling Bu Eun-seol.
Swish, swish, swish—
The assassins split into two groups, swirling around Bu Eun-seol like twin serpents coiling around their prey—a dizzying, disorienting movement.
They had unleashed Blue Sand Valley's pride: the lethal Poison Fang Formation.
"Pointless movements."
The Poison Fang Formation was renowned for its bewildering maneuvers—just watching it should have been enough to induce dizziness.
But to Bu Eun-seol, who had mastered the Way of the Beast, their movements were as clear as day.
"If you want to confuse your enemy, you must move faster."
Without hesitation, Bu Eun-seol thrust his sword toward the left flank.
"Ugh—!"
Simultaneously, another assassin groaned as the blade found its mark.
Though Bu Eun-seol's strikes seemed random, nine times out of ten, they landed precisely where the Poison Fang Formation had its weak points.
Thud! Thud!
As Bu Eun-seol effortlessly disrupted the formation, one of the assassins shouted,
"He's an adept of the Formation-Breaking Art! Keep your distance and use hidden weapons!"
The assassins, now freed from the formation's constraints, retreated to put space between themselves and Bu Eun-seol.
But that was their mistake.
"Who discusses tactics right in front of the enemy?"
Unleashing the Ultimate Speed Shadowless technique, Bu Eun-seol weaved through the scattering assassins, cutting them down one by one.
"Ugh...!"
Terror rose in the assassins' eyes as they watched their comrades fall.
Neither retreat nor attack was permitted.
Bu Eun-seol's sword, moving like a vengeful specter, methodically severed the assassins' lifelines.
'They're not particularly strong.'
Until now, Bu Eun-seol had only faced opponents far above his own level.
From his perspective, these Blue Sand Valley assassins were nothing more than a large headcount—their skills felt utterly mediocre.
"It's do or die!"
Realizing there was no escape from Bu Eun-seol's grasp, the assassins launched a simultaneous assault.
Clang! Clash! Shing—!
As over twenty blades rained down, their momentum was like a tidal wave.
Bu Eun-seol, calmly observing the storm of swords from all directions, suddenly narrowed his eyes.
The assassins' sword techniques weren't mere forms—they were the embodiment of their will to kill.
'In other words, even will can become an excellent martial form.'
His sword moved naturally as he watched the descending blades.
'And will can be transformed into momentum.'
With this realization, Bu Eun-seol smoothly withdrew his sword behind his back.
"...!"
In that instant, the assassins felt a strange pressure at their fingertips—then, the swords in their hands abruptly veered off in unnatural directions.
"What the hell is this?!"
The assassins swung their poisoned blades again in bewilderment.
But Bu Eun-seol merely raised his sword once more, adopting that strange stance.
Clang!
This time, the blades meant to pierce him instead clashed against each other mid-air.
"Sword Extreme Force!"
Realizing that Bu Eun-seol had unleashed a technique only sword masters could wield, the assassins recoiled in terror, stumbling backward.
"Is this all you have?"
As Bu Eun-seol stepped forward with an indifferent expression, the assassins flinched and retreated again, their faces twisted in fear.
"So this is the level of Blue Sand Valley."
He didn't bother hiding his disappointment.
Back on Hell Island, even teenage assassins—not yet twenty—had employed every grotesque method imaginable to kill one another.
Poison and hidden weapons were the basics. Some even gambled with their own lives—or their comrades'—attempting Mutual Destruction.
'To think a renowned assassin faction of the Martial World would be this... ordinary.'
It wasn't that Blue Sand Valley was weak—it was that Bu Eun-seol's strength had grown exponentially.
Yet he remained utterly unaware of his own power.
"Don't get cocky!"
One of the assassins glared at him and shouted.
"Our main faction will hunt you down without fail!"
Crack!
A grotesque sound erupted from the assassins' mouths.
At the same time, dark crimson blood began trickling from their lips.
Realizing they could neither defeat Bu Eun-seol nor escape, they had bitten down on their false teeth—filled with Extreme Poison.
Thud. Thud.
As the assassins collapsed like felled logs—
"Ugh...!"
Only groans echoed through the forest.
Turning around, Bu Eun-seol saw the surviving disciples of Mount Heng Sect, tears streaming down their faces.
But it wasn't from pain—it was shame.
—Nine of them couldn't defeat those assassins, yet this young masked man had done it alone.
Swish.
Wiping his tears, Ok Gi-heun staggered forward and clasped his hands in gratitude.
"Thank you... for saving us."
"You're mistaken."
Bu Eun-seol turned away, his voice icy.
"I didn't do it for you."
"Even so... you saved our sect's disciples. We owe you our lives."
"Think what you want."
Just as Bu Eun-seol turned to leave, Myeong-un suddenly stumbled forward.
"Sir!"
Biting his lip, Myeong-un pleaded:
"At least tell us your name! Our sect will repay this debt someday!"
Bu Eun-seol studied Myeong-un's blazing eyes.
The playful, wine-loving rogue was gone—replaced by the gaze of a martial artist hungry for strength.
"Quit drinking."
"Huh?"
As Myeong-un gaped in confusion—
"..."
The masked man had already vanished without a trace.
"Quit drinking...?"
When Myeong-un muttered those words, Hong Jeon-gun beside him spoke up.
"Could he... have been the Divine Body of our Great Master Neung-ryeong, ascended to the Land of Immortals?"
Neung-ryeong, who had disappeared without leaving behind any oral cultivation formulas or martial arts manuals.
While the Martial World believed he had gone missing, Mount Heng Sect secretly held onto the belief that he had ascended to immortality.
"Impossible."
Ok Gi-heun scoffed, his expression hollow.
"His swordsmanship leaned toward the Demonic Path. How could he be Great Master Neung-ryeong?"
"Was it really like that?"
As Hong Jeon-gun scratched his head, Myeong-un shook his.
"His swordplay adapted to the enemy's movements."
"What?"
"He even used Sword Extreme Force. For someone his age to wield such a technique... he must be a rising master of the Demonic Path. But then why would he help our sect?"
At Myeong-un's words, Hong Jeon-gun muttered:
"I truly don't understand. Just whose faction does he belong to?"
"It doesn't matter."
Ok Gi-heun's voice was firm.
"He saved our disciples. Orthodox or Unorthodox, we owe him a debt. And to repay it... we must grow stronger!"
The disciples all nodded in solemn agreement.
The Mount Heng Sect, which had fallen into despair after losing their martial arts.
Yet through this incident, they had regained the fighting spirit and aspirations they had lost.
To reclaim their past glory once more, the Hidden Dragons of Mount Heng stretched their limbs wide and prepared to rise.
"Time flows like water."
Six months had already passed since Bu Eun-seol joined the Slaughter-Seeking Squad's Yueyang Branch.
During that time, he had carried out missions without rest.
Assassinations, reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, theft of treasures or artifacts, background investigations on targets, extermination of hostile sects, partial destruction of facilities...
Not just one type of mission—he flawlessly handled every kind of task that came his way, across all fields.
To grow stronger.
That did not necessarily mean taking up arms and fighting enemies head-on.
It meant analyzing situations with cold precision, adapting to emergencies, and reaching conclusions faster than others through diverse experiences.
He had come to realize—that was true strength.
"Just what is happening in the Yueyang Branch?"
As one difficult mission after another—previously deemed unsolvable—was swiftly completed, the Demon Hall's high command began to take notice of the Yueyang Branch.
"Number Eighteen. He has single-handedly handled all of the Yueyang Branch's missions."
Number Eighteen of the Yueyang Branch.
Normally, unit members only took on missions within their expertise.
But he accepted any mission without discrimination—handling them all, faster than anyone else, without leaving a single trace.
"How intriguing."
Eventually, the Demon Hall's high command expressed interest in Number Eighteen.
And because of that, Bu Eun-seol found himself facing an unexpected situation.
Inside the secret chamber of the Hoehyeon Old Bookstore.
Bu Eun-seol furrowed his brow deeply as he stared at Sang-ryang and Ma-un.
And for good reason—Sang-ryang had just said something utterly absurd.
"Bodyguard duty?"
The Slaughter-Seeking Squad handled all manner of impossible tasks—but bodyguard duty was not among them.
"That's right."
"I refuse."
Bu Eun-seol, who had been standing silently with his arms crossed, turned away coldly.
After six months weathering the storms of the martial world, his tone had become as icy and rigid as any seasoned veteran's.
"I joined as a member of the Slaughter-Seeking Squad."
"Wait—just hear me out first."
Sang-ryang's voice and demeanor were unusually cautious.
And for good reason—without Bu Eun-seol, the Yueyang Branch would effectively grind to a halt.
Because he had performed so brilliantly that even the Demon Hall's high command took notice, the branch was now flooded with missions so extreme that no other member could even attempt them.
"This is a direct order from above."
For an instant, Bu Eun-seol's eyes flashed in the lamplight.
"So you're saying this is an 'A-rank' mission?"
"Well... Not exactly, but close."
Sang-ryang scratched his head and sighed.
"It just doesn't have the official 'A-rank' stamp, that's all."
"I don't follow."
"It's a mission neither you nor I can refuse. It wasn't assigned as a Slaughter-Seeking Squad task—it's a direct order to our branch. Ma-un."
At Sang-ryang's signal, Ma-un handed Bu Eun-seol the letter he had been holding.
"..."
Bu Eun-seol's brow furrowed even deeper as he read it.
The contents were simple:
Proceed to the rendezvous point with the protection target and follow their orders. The mission concludes once the target leaves Yueyang.
In short—guard the target for as long as they remained in Yueyang.
"Who is the protection target?"
At Bu Eun-seol's question, Ma-un shook his head.
"We don't know. Only that they've come to Yueyang for leisure..."
'Must be someone of considerable status.'
In other words, the high command had personally issued a bodyguard mission—for someone who was just here to have fun.
Meaning the target was either a heavyweight of the Demonic Path or someone closely connected to the Demon Hall's leadership.
"A direct branch order..."
Seeing Bu Eun-seol's displeased expression, Ma-un quickly added:
"But the reward matches the task. Ten thousand taels per day... It's been set at a level comparable to an A-rank mission."
Ten thousand taels a day.
If it lasted ten days, that would be a fortune of one hundred thousand taels—enough to retire and live in luxury for the rest of his life.
"I'd rather take a different mission."
"You're refusing a job that pays ten thousand taels a day?"
"I don't need money."
"It's an order from above."
"So what?"
At Bu Eun-seol's blunt reply, terror filled the eyes of Sang-ryang and Ma-un.
—This madman would even dare to defy an order from the high command!