The Demonic Leather Spear
I kept my eyes locked on him, refusing to let my guard down.
"...Prepare for the next search."
The Family Head gave the order to those approaching him and slowly began to move.
Since it wasn't in that room, he seemed intent on searching the next one.
If it's not in there either, we might as well assume it doesn't exist.
It was clearly a room where secret manuals were kept.
If even that place didn't have the manual for the Rain of Flowers Filling the Sky, it would be reasonable to give up by now.
But the Poison King didn't seem to have any intention of doing so.
Hmm.
It was not like I could just tell him the manual wasn't here.
And I really don't want to keep searching while carrying this heavy thing.
The Man-wol strapped to my back was also a nuisance.
This is tricky.
Setting the reward aside, pretending not to know something I clearly did was always uncomfortable.
I let out a quiet sigh that no one could hear and prepared for the next search.
But then.
"...Family Head! Over here...!"
Everyone's attention snapped to the voice coming from inside.
Huh?
My eyes widened as I looked toward the sound.
The one who had spoken was none other than the guy I had been keeping my eye on.
"There is something here...!"
The Poison King reacted to the man's shout.
What is it? Is there actually something there?
There was no way...?
There was absolutely no way what the Poison King was looking for would be in there.
As I watched, certain of this fact.
"What do you mean?"
The Poison King approached him.
Suddenly, the man's eyes flashed.
Swish!
Without warning, the man drew a dagger and lunged at the Poison King.
Oh, that crazy bastard.
My shock at the sudden ambush lasted only a fraction of a second.
Slash!
"Aaargh!"
The Poison King blocked the attack effortlessly and severed the man's hand right at the wrist.
The severed hand rolled across the floor.
Before I knew it, the dagger was in the Poison King's hand. I hadn't even registered his movement until the hand was already cut off.
"Father...!"
Startled by the sudden attack on her father, Dang Ye-ran rushed forward.
The Poison King raised a hand to stop her.
His gaze remained fixed on the man who had ambushed him.
"What is the meaning of this?"
His voice was completely calm despite just being attacked.
However, hearing it sent a shiver down my spine.
Grab! The Poison King seized the man by the throat and lifted him into the air.
Seeing him lift a grown man so effortlessly filled me with an involuntary sense of dread.
"Du Yeong-cheon. What are you doing?"
The Poison King asked, sounding genuinely puzzled.
It seemed the assassin's name was Du Yeong-cheon.
"Ughhh..."
Du Yeong-cheon groaned in immense pain, but his eyes remained locked onto the Poison King.
Meeting his gaze, the Poison King asked again.
"Who sent you?"
He seemed certain that Du Yeong-cheon hadn't acted alone.
"You couldn't possibly have thought I would fall for such a crude trick. What is your goal?"
It was far too sloppy to be called a proper assassination attempt.
No matter how one looked at it, the probability of success was practically zero. Yet, the fact that he had done it anyway meant there had to be a purpose.
The Poison King questioned him with that in mind, but...
"Hehe... Hehehehe."
Du Yeong-cheon merely laughed.
It was bizarre.
The sight of him laughing while bleeding out and in agonizing pain.
It looked incredibly grotesque.
Just then.
"Everything... everything..."
Du Yeong-cheon gasped out to the Poison King.
"...is for the... falling heaven..."
With those words.
Creak!
Thud!
The door to the room the Poison King had entered slammed shut.
"Huh?"
"Family Head!"
"What in the world—?!"
As the door shut, the martial artists waiting outside reacted instantly.
My mind raced as I took in the scene.
I scanned the area.
"Ah."
I caught my breath and looked around.
At that moment.
Creak, creak, creak.
The sound of another mechanism moving echoed from somewhere.
Yoo Chun-gil reacted to the sound as if he had been waiting for it.
Creak! Clack.
Thump!
Rumble!
The moment the noise stopped, another section of the wall slid open.
Just as everyone's eyes darted toward it.
Step.
A footstep echoed.
Shring!
The instant they heard it, swords were drawn all around.
I did the same.
However, there was one slight difference in my actions.
Swish!
Thud!
"Gah...!?"
I didn't just draw my sword; I swung it at a Dang Clan martial artist who was sneaking up behind Dang Ye-ran.
The martial artist, stabbed through the neck, collapsed in a pool of blood.
The onlookers gasped in horror.
"Young Master Bang...?!"
"Bang Seong-yeon! What are you doing?!"
Cheon Ui-jin and Do-hyeong shouted at me, but I didn't have time to explain.
"Young Master Cheon, the second one to the northwest. Senior, the one to the bottom right. They are enemies."
"...!"
The moment the words left my mouth, Do-hyeong's gaze sharpened.
And then.
Whoosh!
The very men I had pointed out lunged forward, swinging their swords.
Clang! Do-hyeong and Cheon Ui-jin hastily blocked the strikes.
"What in the world...!"
Meanwhile, Dang Ye-ran's eyes widened at the sudden outbreak of chaos.
The situation was escalating rapidly. A sharp, murderous intent swept through the room.
I glared at Yoo Chun-gil with a deep frown.
Yoo Chun-gil was looking toward the entrance with a bright, cheerful smile.
Is this...
...the situation you wanted? Troubled by the turn of events, I looked away from Yoo Chun-gil and turned to Dok-jon.
Dok-jon looked displeased, but he didn't say anything.
...What are they trying to do?
It was clearly a dangerous situation. I looked down at my hands.
Tremble. My fingertips were shaking. At the same time, I looked at the man lying dead on the floor.
I didn't know his name or his age. All I knew was that he was a man.
Damn it.
I had killed someone again. That was why my hands wouldn't stop shaking.
Whew. I took deep breaths, forcing my emotions down.
Just then.
Clang! Clang, clang!
Sharp metallic sounds echoed. Do-hyeong and Cheon Ui-jin were locked in combat.
Should I join in?
As I hesitated.
"How unexpected."
A heavy voice echoed from somewhere.
At the same time.
Slash!
"..."
The heads of the enemies they were fighting were suddenly severed, rolling onto the floor.
Startled, Do-hyeong quickly raised his sword.
Clang!
A harsh sound erupted from Do-hyeong's sword as a massive shockwave rippled through it.
"Ugh."
Do-hyeong grimaced and retreated.
"Oh? You blocked that?"
Someone walked out, sounding amused.
It was him.
The owner of the footsteps.
The owner of the footsteps that had been echoing for a while now.
The very person whose presence had made the hairs on my body stand on end.
It had to be him.
"Haa... Whew."
The breath I had managed to calm began to tremble again. It wasn't just me; everyone in the room seemed to feel it.
All eyes converged on a single spot.
Step. Step.
Although there were multiple footsteps, for some reason, only one rang out clearly in my ears.
Before long, a group of people emerged from the open entrance.
There were about fifteen of them.
All of them wore black martial robes and masks.
Except for one. Only one man showed his bare face.
He stood nearly eight feet tall.
A long-haired man boasting broad shoulders and a massive, imposing build.
Cold sweat trickled down my cheek as I looked at him.
I knew the moment I laid eyes on him.
He was the source of the alarm bells ringing throughout my entire body.
"Mmm."
The giant exhaled softly.
Then, the corners of his mouth curled up into a wide, tearing grin.
Showing his yellow teeth in a broad grin, the giant addressed us.
"Pleasure to meet you."
"...Who are you?"
Do-hyeong asked warily, keeping his eyes locked on the giant.
"Me?"
The giant pointed a thick finger at himself.
"Well. I wonder if telling a bunch of wet-behind-the-ears brats would mean anything to you."
Tsk, tsk, tsk.
As the giant chuckled, my heart hammered against my ribs. The sheer bloodlust laced within that quiet laugh was chilling.
"This old man is called Palduyeok. Have you heard of me?"
"...!"
Palduyeok. Hearing the name, Cheon Ui-jin reacted instantly.
"The Demonic Leather Spear...?"
"Oh."
The giant clapped his hands at Cheon Ui-jin's words.
"You know me."
"How... how are you..."
The Demonic Leather Spear?
It was a title I wasn't familiar with. But Cheon Ui-jin clearly knew it, and both Do-hyeong and Dang Ye-ran looked visibly shaken the moment it was mentioned.
"If you are the Demonic Leather Spear... you are supposed to have died ten years ago... And by..."
Dang Ye-ran spoke with a tense expression before trailing off. Seeing this, the giant chuckled and finished her sentence.
"Indeed. Your father gave me quite a beating."
"..."
"Well, well. It makes me happy to see that you all know who I am. Now then."
Tap.
"...!"
Everyone's body froze. By the time we realized it, the giant, Palduyeok, was already standing right next to us.
I hadn't even registered his movement.
He was clearly far away just a moment ago. When did he move?
"I'd like to ask something as well. Will you answer me?"
Thud. Palduyeok draped an arm over Cheon Ui-jin's shoulder.
"Which one of you is the successor of the Sword Saint?"
I froze at his words. Cheon Ui-jin's eyes trembled.
"I heard he was a handsome fellow... but all of you have decent faces, so it's hard to tell. Is it you?"
Palduyeok asked, looking at Cheon Ui-jin, but quickly shook his head.
"No. Doesn't seem to be this one..."
Then, his gaze shifted to me.
"Hmm, that one... that one is even more ambiguous. In that case..."
Finally, his eyes landed on Do-hyeong.
"It's you. You look the part the most."
"..."
Palduyeok spoke with certainty.
"You are the successor of the Sword Saint. Am I right?"
Do-hyeong frowned slightly at the question.
"That is correct."
He admitted it.
However.
"I—!"
Boom!
He couldn't finish his sentence. Palduyeok vanished again and threw a punch straight at Do-hyeong.
"Ugh!"
Do-hyeong barely managed to block it with his sword, but the force sent him flying through the air.
He managed to land and absorb the impact, but Palduyeok was already standing right in front of him.
"You shouldn't lie when someone asks you a question."
Then, his gaze swept back to me.
"Isn't that right, Bang Seong-yeon?"
"..."
I couldn't help but scowl.
The bastard already knew everything.
Damn it. I ran a hand through my hair with fingers that were still trembling.
Yeah, shit. I knew something like this would happen eventually.
I should have expected this the moment I got involved with that crazy ghost.
"Senior... did you come looking for me?"
I didn't really know who he was, but I addressed him as senior for now.
"Mmm."
Palduyeok squinted at me with interest.
"The description matches... but you are really the successor of that monster?"
"I'm certainly a lot better looking than that old man."
"Haha."
Thud.
With a brief sound, Palduyeok materialized right in front of my nose. Who does he think he is, some kind of teleporting thief? Why does he keep flashing around like this?
My back was already soaked.
I stared back at him, trying to hide the fact that I was drenched in cold sweat.
"I like the way you wag your tongue. A man needs to have some spine, after all."
Palduyeok laughed heartily. His laughter seemed to shake the very room, but after laughing for a good while, his face suddenly went blank.
"However."
Rumble!
"Ugh...!"
An overwhelming pressure weighed down on my entire body.
"You should choose the right time and place for that."
It was pure bloodlust.
I had never felt such a suffocating aura of death. To think that mere bloodlust could physically weigh me down.
...I'm seriously screwed, aren't I?
He was on a completely different level from anyone I had faced so far.
A monster who had far surpassed the realm of ordinary masters.
He exuded the unmistakable aura of an absolute master.
What the hell was going on? Why did someone like this suddenly show up?
And...
What are you thinking?
What was that old ghost thinking, just standing by and watching as things went to hell?
Just as the questions began to pile up.
"It's truly fascinating. You look like nothing special... so why is that person so concerned about you? Or is he concerned about that monster of yours who is already dead?"
Palduyeok said.
Even as he spoke, his murderous intent continued to press down on me.
"After all, he was the one who erased him personally. Isn't that hilarious?"
"...What?"
At his next words, my fear instantly vanished.