Chapter 77
Chapter 77
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Well Done
-----------------------------------------------------------------
< Well Done >
Byeok Taesan walked straight into the pirates' fortress.
The fortress was teeming with pirates, but they were scattered about, drinking, clearly not expecting any visitors.
Had there been at least one guard at the entrance, they wouldn't have been caught so defenseless.
Following Byeok Taesan, the rest of the group swarmed into the fortress.
Only then did a few of the pirates spot Byeok Taesan's group and rise to their feet.
"Who are those bastards?"
A few pirates approached Byeok Taesan. Seeing this, the others stopped drinking, got up, and reached for their weapons.
Byeok Taesan watched them and casually spoke to his companions.
"You handle the pirates. I have someone I need to take care of."
"Yes, sir. Leave them to us. They don't look like much."
The pirates were of a low caliber.
Especially compared to the men they had just fought, they were nothing.
Those men had unleashed their latent potential, making them several times stronger and faster than normal.
Byeok Taesan's group scattered in all directions and began to attack the pirates.
Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon were like fish in water, rampaging through the enemy.
Yeon Harin, too, charged at the pirates with venom in her eyes.
Those three were the most active.
The Divine Doctor of the Ages couldn't fight properly as he was looking after the two physicians, and the One-Needle Eccentric was busy protecting Byeok Taesan's handmaidens.
Naturally, some pirates charged at Byeok Taesan. There were simply too many of them.
However, since the rest of the group was fighting so fiercely, not many pirates reached him.
And the few who did were sent flying by a casual wave of his hand.
Byeok Taesan continued deeper into the fortress.
A horde of pirates rushed out from a building within.
He knew the ones outside weren't all of them, but he hadn't expected so many to be left inside.
Byeok Taesan had no intention of fighting each and every one of them.
The small fry could be left to his companions. It would probably be decent combat training for them.
Though it wouldn't be of much help to Cheon Gyeongwan or Yu Seoyeon.
Byeok Taesan ran swiftly toward the swarming pirates. Reaching them in an instant, he slipped through their ranks like wind through the branches of a tree.
He was so fast that one moment he seemed to be arriving before them, and the next, he was already inside the building.
The pirates were greatly flustered when Byeok Taesan vanished into the building.
Normally, they would have turned back to go inside, but there was no need for that now.
The pirates ran toward where Byeok Taesan's companions were wreaking havoc, letting out a roar.
"Kill all but the women!"
"The Elder wishes it!"
The moment the cry of "Elder" rang out, the pirates' assault grew far more aggressive.
They charged forward, heedless of their own safety.
The battle became more fierce and dangerous.
***
Once inside the building, Byeok Taesan no longer hurried.
With no pirates left inside, he could now take his time and do what he wanted.
It was a three-story building, but it was crudely constructed with loosely woven bamboo, so he could see up to the third floor from the middle of the first.
Right now, only one man remained in the building.
And that man was on the third floor, watching the fight between the pirates and Byeok Taesan's group.
He didn't even glance in Byeok Taesan's direction, as if ignoring him.
Byeok Taesan smirked and headed for the stairs.
He slowly ascended.
Even when Byeok Taesan reached the third floor, the man hadn't moved an inch, continuing to watch the battle outside.
But Byeok Taesan could sense his tension.
He was extremely conscious of Byeok Taesan.
Otherwise, he would have already rushed outside.
The fight outside was a one-sided affair, with Byeok Taesan's group dominating the pirates.
They were like a pack of wolves that had jumped into a flock of sheep.
If the pirates here had also unleashed their latent potential, it would never have been like this.
The man watching the fight, Gok Yangdu, found this deeply regrettable.
Unleashing their latent potential drastically shortened their lifespans, so they had to select specific individuals to use for necessary tasks.
This made them vulnerable to this kind of raid.
Gok Yangdu slowly turned and looked at Byeok Taesan.
"You must be Byeok Taesan."
"And you are?"
"My name is Gok Yangdu. Have you ever heard of me?"
"Should I have?"
Gok Yangdu chuckled.
"Well, not necessarily. I'm not some famous figure like one of the Ten Great Masters or the leader of a major sect."
A peculiar light entered Byeok Taesan's eyes as he looked at Gok Yangdu.
Judging by his tone, he seemed to think little of the Ten Great Masters or the leaders of major sects.
And though he had concealed it thoroughly, the faint aura he exuded was extraordinary.
"Well... you have the right to look down on them."
At his level, he probably didn't need to fear the likes of the Ten Great Masters or the heads of major sects.
And with that kind of skill, he would have made quite a name for himself in the martial world.
But his name was completely unfamiliar.
Byeok Taesan tilted his head.
"Just a name? Nothing else?"
"I have no title. I'm not fond of roaming the world."
He looked to be just over forty at most.
"For someone of your caliber, it couldn't have been easy to live in hiding. You're unusual."
Gok Yangdu did not answer.
Byeok Taesan hadn't really expected a reply.
"Putting that aside, let's hear about your organization. Who are you people?"
"Nameless."
"Nameless? As in, you have no name? It's not that you just don't know it?"
Gok Yangdu shook his head.
"We simply call ourselves Nameless because there is no need to have a name."
"No need?"
Byeok Taesan's expression turned peculiar.
A name represents an organization's identity. What could it mean to not need one?
"In any case, you're different from the dogs who just do as they're told without knowing anything, aren't you?"
Gok Yangdu looked at Byeok Taesan impassively.
"No, I am a dog. I was raised as one, and I live as one."
"But a dog that knows a lot, I presume."
"You won't get to hear it anyway."
Gok Yangdu said this while calmly watching Byeok Taesan. His eyes slowly moved, scanning Byeok Taesan from head to toe.
He was gauging Byeok Taesan's skill.
After studying Byeok Taesan several times, Gok Yangdu finally shook his head.
"I can't tell. You're a strange one."
Byeok Taesan grinned.
"From my perspective, you're the stranger one."
Gok Yangdu took a large step toward Byeok Taesan. In that moment, a powerful fighting spirit erupted from his body.
The fighting spirit washed over Byeok Taesan like a wave, sweeping past his body.
Gok Yangdu's expression hardened.
"Even after sending out my energy, I can't gauge you."
It was one of two things: either his opponent's skill was so high that he couldn't possibly measure it, or he possessed a specialized ability for concealment.
Like the assassins raised by an assassination guild, for example.
But to Gok Yangdu, Byeok Taesan seemed strange.
He didn't seem to be particularly skilled at hiding his presence or his power.
In fact, he had blatantly displayed his aura and skill on his way here.
That would mean his skill was too high to be measured, but it didn't feel that way.
Gok Yangdu had faced many opponents with vast differences in skill.
But Byeok Taesan was somehow different from those people.
'He seems strong, yet he doesn't. Truly strange.'
While Gok Yangdu was lost in thought, Byeok Taesan beckoned with his finger.
"Let's get this over with. I have a lot to do."
I have elixirs to take, after all.
Gok Yangdu nodded and drew the sword hanging at his waist.
As he drew the sword, he swung it wide, unleashing a sharp sword energy that spread out in a crescent-shaped arc.
As the sword energy reached him, Byeok Taesan leaned his body all the way back.
The sword energy passed right through the space where his neck had been.
Having anticipated that Byeok Taesan would dodge like that, Gok Yangdu lunged forward the moment he released the sword energy.
He then swung his sword in a sweeping motion at Byeok Taesan's lower body.
He had attacked the most difficult spot to dodge from that position.
In that instant, Byeok Taesan's feet lifted into the air.
Gok Yangdu's eyes widened as his sword cut through the space where Byeok Taesan's knees had been.
Having simply lifted his feet while his upper body was bent backward, Byeok Taesan was now in a position as if lying in mid-air.
Normally, one would fall and roll on the floor from there, but Byeok Taesan twisted his body to regain his balance and landed lightly.
Simultaneously, he used the momentum from the twist to swing his leg.
*Whoosh!*
Byeok Taesan's foot grazed past Gok Yangdu's temple.
Despite being in an unstable posture from swinging his sword, Gok Yangdu had twisted his head to avoid Byeok Taesan's kick.
However, he hadn't dodged it completely, so it grazed him slightly.
Blood burst from Gok Yangdu's temple.
But he didn't even blink, spinning his body and throwing a hidden dagger from his robes.
*Shwick!*
The dagger flew precisely into Byeok Taesan's blind spot. It was a move that seemed calculated.
A powerful and stealthy energy was imbued in the dagger.
He hadn't imbued it with energy the moment he threw it; he had started channeling energy into it from the beginning of the fight.
Fearing he would be discovered if he moved his energy before the fight, he had intentionally emanated strong streams of energy, like his sword energy, during the battle.
And even now, as he threw the dagger, he was emitting a powerful aura from his entire body.
The moment he threw the dagger, Gok Yangdu was certain. He had succeeded.
It was an instinct honed by countless experiences. And this instinct had never once betrayed him.
*Thud!*
The dagger was embedded in the wall.
Gok Yangdu stared at Byeok Taesan with disbelief in his eyes.
Byeok Taesan was already standing right in front of him.
The dagger had passed through Byeok Taesan's afterimage and struck the wall.
'Shadow Form Displacement?'
Gok Yangdu swung his sword reflexively. It was a reaction etched into his body through tens of thousands of repetitions.
*Swish!*
Gok Yangdu's sword crushed the space where Byeok Taesan had been.
By taking just one step closer, Byeok Taesan had nullified Gok Yangdu's attack.
Now right next to Gok Yangdu, Byeok Taesan lightly placed his palm on him.
*CRACK!*
With a violent explosion, Gok Yangdu's body was sent flying backward.
*Thud! Clatter!*
After hitting the wall, Gok Yangdu crashed to the ground disgracefully before staggering back to his feet.
As Gok Yangdu was getting up, Byeok Taesan strode over and casually swung his hand.
*SMACK!*
Struck across the cheek, Gok Yangdu spun half a turn in the air before his head slammed into the floor, and he lost consciousness.
Byeok Taesan took a moment to catch his breath.
Then, with an utterly refreshed expression, he grinned.
"Now I'm starting to warm up."
Gok Yangdu had been a fairly strong opponent. Because of that, his old combat instincts had reawakened a little.
In truth, the Heavenly Demon in his prime hadn't fought like this.
Having accumulated immense power through the Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts, there was no reason for him to fight in such a complicated manner.
Simply releasing his power was enough to devastate his surroundings.
Thus, it had been so long since he fought like this that the memory was faint.
"Maybe because it's been a while? This is really fun."
Muttering to himself, Byeok Taesan went downstairs.
It was time to see the half-jiangshi.
***
Byeok Taesan carried the unconscious Gok Yangdu out of the building.
The battle with the pirates was also in its final stages.
The pirates here were a bit different from the ones who had set the trap.
The pirates from the trap—whether because they had unleashed their latent potential or because Nameless had done something else to them—had fought to the very end.
Even the reconnaissance team that had fled had done so only to return to the trap, not to escape.
That was why they were able to eliminate all the pirates in the trap.
But the pirates here were not like that.
When the situation turned against them, they had no qualms about fleeing.
Of course, they wouldn't be able to escape.
The Underworld Sect, having dealt with the pirates at the trap site, would come here once they were finished.
There was no way the Underworld Sect would let a single one of these fleeing chaff-like pirates get away.
In any case, perhaps because of this, the fight ended sooner than expected.
As soon as the situation was resolved, the group rushed over to Byeok Taesan.
Byeok Taesan first scanned the group to check for injuries.
Even as he checked, Byeok Taesan was inwardly a bit baffled.
'What is this? Since when have I ever checked on such things?'
During his time as the Heavenly Demon, and even before, he had fought countless dangerous battles.
He had fought quite a few battles alone, but he had far more experience leading his subordinates into battle.
And battle always brings injury or death.
But during his time as the Heavenly Demon, he had never once checked on the condition of his subordinates immediately after a fight.
He had no interest at all.
The Heavenly Demon only paid attention after returning to the Heavenly Demonic Cult.
It was only then that he would see to subordinates who had problems, and even then, he didn't do it himself, merely giving a light order.
But now, he was checking on his companions' well-being the moment they returned, and it felt strange.
"Hm?"
Byeok Taesan frowned upon seeing the wound on Cheon Gyeongwan's shoulder. Shifting his gaze, he saw that Yu Seoyeon had a similarly sized wound in the same spot.
Fortunately, no one else was injured.
He could roughly guess what had happened. Those two must have pushed themselves extremely hard to protect their other companions from getting hurt.
Byeok Taesan looked at the Divine Doctor of the Ages and said,
"Treat them first."
The Divine Doctor of the Ages' eyes widened.
Byeok Taesan then tossed Gok Yangdu in front of the astonished doctor.
"And keep him alive."
Byeok Taesan spun around and began to walk away.
The group started to follow him in a crowd.
Byeok Taesan stopped, turned to look at them for a moment, and then sat on a nearby rock.
"Let's rest a bit before we go. It's not like the half-jiangshi are going anywhere."
As Byeok Taesan said this and gestured with his chin, the corners of the Divine Doctor of the Ages' mouth lifted slightly.
"Then please rest well. In the meantime, I will treat them with the utmost care."
The Divine Doctor of the Ages grinned as he looked at Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon.
The two of them looked utterly pale.
It was due to a sinister premonition that the intensity of their training would increase significantly from today onward.
Byeok Taesan, whose eyes met theirs, quickly looked away and tossed out a remark.
"Well, you did well."
The two's eyes widened like saucers.
< Well Done > End