Chapter 63: It's Not You, Is It?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 63: It's Not You, Is It?
A place overlooking the dazzling city nightscape from the window.
It was the residence of the Sun Moon Sect Leader, one of the Eight Great Sects representing the Korean Martial.
There, Sun Moon Sect Leader Jang Jin-myeong was on the phone with the Great Heaven Sect Master, gazing out the window.
"You must be deeply concerned, Sect Master. It won't be easy to deal with the building damage, and now some petty thugs have attacked your business premises."
[I'm more worried about my disciples than the building. Many were severely injured and wounded in the attack. Especially... the burns and frostbite seem to be causing them great pain.]
Jang Jin-myeong remained silent for a moment before replying to his opponent's subtly probing words.
"...I heard about it. The culprits dared to imitate our sect's martial arts, didn't they? I was already very worried that you might misunderstand, Sect Master."
[I certainly don't think that. Where else would there be experts of Ice Art and Yang-Dominant Martial Arts besides the Sun Moon Sect? However, my injured disciples, perhaps overcome with emotion, keep saying absurd things... I'm just trying to calm them down.]
Though he denied it with words, Jang Jin-myeong could clearly feel the suspicion directed at him.
His expression, reflected in the window, turned cold, but his voice remained soft.
"Instead of this, let's meet soon and talk. We will do our best to help you catch those who attacked the Great Heaven Sect."
[Yes. Let's meet soon. I will also inform my disciples that the alliance and friendship between our two sects are strong, so please don't worry too much.]
"...Don't mention it. I'll send some good medicine for burns and frostbite soon."
[I am always grateful for the Sect Leader's consideration.]
"Not at all. Please go now."
As soon as the call ended, Jang Jin-myeong's face twisted with displeasure.
His low murmur trembled slightly.
"Arrogant bastard. How dare he tell me not to worry..."
Sparks flew from Jang Jin-myeong's exhale.
Not only that, dark crimson flames flickered around his body for a moment before subsiding.
It was a side effect of the martial art he had recently begun to learn; it was difficult to control his emotions when they flared up.
After taking a deep breath to regain his composure, Jang Jin-myeong turned and spoke.
"Heuk Yeon."
A moment later, a Black-Clad Figure materialized from thin air and knelt on one knee before Jang Jin-myeong.
"Yes, my lord."
Heuk Yeon was Sun Moon Sect Leader Jang Jin-myeong's long-time confidant.
He was also the one who, under Jang Jin-myeong's orders, eliminated the Assassins captured in the Martial Alliance's Thunder Prison to silence them, then escaped Sword Demon's pursuit, planted bombs in the Great Heaven Sect, and disappeared.
"Someone imitated our sect's martial arts and attacked the Great Heaven Sect. Do you have any suspicions?"
"..."
Heuk Yeon held his tongue, not answering rashly.
The Sun Moon Sect Leader didn't seem to expect an immediate answer either, and began to organize his thoughts, speculating to himself.
"The most suspicious party is the Martial Alliance. If someone spoke up before you infiltrated the Thunder Prison, the Alliance might have obtained information about us. And at this point, the faction that would benefit most from sowing discord between the Great Heaven Sect and us is also the Martial Alliance..."
Jang Jin-myeong's deduction was intuitive and quite close to the truth.
But then, Heuk Yeon, who had been bowing his head, cautiously raised his head and offered a dissenting opinion.
"In my humble opinion, it doesn't seem to be the work of the Martial Alliance."
"Why?"
Heuk Yeon explained, point by point, why the culprit couldn't be the Martial Alliance.
"First, the Martial Alliance's intelligence capabilities are too lacking to identify the Great Heaven Sect's back-end business premises in such a short time."
"Second, most of the Assassins captured by the Martial Alliance didn't know who commissioned them, and the Black-White Agents are trained by the Cult. The probability of us being exposed is extremely low."
"Third, the methods of the culprits who attacked the Great Heaven Sect were cruel and meticulous. This is certainly not the Martial Alliance's way."
Jang Jin-myeong, who had been listening quietly, nodded, seemingly convinced by the last point.
A sneer formed on his lips.
"Yeo Pil-geuk, that old man, thinks of himself as a righteous hero. And those around him are the same..."
In contrast, the actions of those who attacked the Great Heaven Sect were unconventional and brutal.
So much so that it was impossible to even imagine the stuffy martial artists of the Martial Alliance committing such a deed.
'Then who on earth could it be?'
The more he talked with Heuk Yeon, the more complicated the Sun Moon Sect Leader's mind became.
One by one, potential enemies came to mind.
'Surely there isn't a traitor in our sect, is there?'
'What if one of the Eight Great Sects was involved in this?'
'Could that thorn in my side, the Glacier Goddess, have noticed something...'
The thought that someone had noticed his plan and was interfering made his killing intent boil over.
His mind was in turmoil, and he felt a rush of blood to his head.
"No matter who it is..."
All he could think was that if they were in front of him, he would grind them alive and drink them.
He would tear off their limbs while they were still breathing, brutally butcher them, and make their blood gush like a waterfall.
"Heheheh..."
It was as Jang Jin-myeong let out a grotesque laugh, oozing thick killing intent, that a great commotion suddenly erupted outside.
"G-Grand Elder! You can't just barge in like this!"
"Get out of my way. I've been patient enough!"
Familiar voices arguing outside the Sect Leader's Office could be heard.
The one causing the commotion seemed poised to force her way in.
Jang Jin-myeong, quickly regaining his senses, ordered Heuk Yeon.
"Go find out who the culprit is and report back. Right now!"
"Understood."
Immediately after Heuk Yeon vanished like a mirage, the door to the Sect Leader's Office burst open, and a woman strode in.
A middle-aged woman with snow-white hair fluttering in the air.
It was none other than the Glacier Goddess, Hyeon Eun-ha, the Sun Moon Sect's top expert and Grand Elder, whom even the Sect Leader could not ignore.
"Grand Elder, what brings you here so suddenly, without even a call?"
Jang Jin-myeong asked, not bothering to hide his displeasure, and the Glacier Goddess shot him a fierce glare as she replied.
"I tried to contact you several times to arrange a meeting. But since the Sect Leader wouldn't see me, I had no choice but to be rude. I apologize for startling you."
However, contrary to her words of apology, the Glacier Goddess's head remained stiff.
Her gaze, instead, scanned the room as if searching for something, disrespectfully rude.
"I thought there was a guest, but perhaps a bug just flew in and out?"
She was being sarcastic, having sensed Heuk Yeon's presence just moments before.
It was also an accusation, asking what he was hiding.
Jang Jin-myeong's expression hardened as he retorted.
"Do I need to report my every move to the Grand Elder?"
"When did I ever say that? It seems you have something to hide, Sect Leader?"
"..."
"..."
The Sect Leader and the Grand Elder.
The two leaders of the two factions, divided into Ice Art and Yang-Dominant Martial Arts, glared at each other as if they wanted to devour one another.
After a moment of staring each other down, Jang Jin-myeong asked gruffly.
"Alright. Let's hear what urgent matter brings you here in such a rude manner."
The Glacier Goddess placed a document on the Sect Leader's desk and said.
"We will formally investigate the masterminds behind the attempt to kidnap Ha Yun-i. We also plan to request cooperation from the Martial Alliance and the other Eight Great Sects. I need the Sect Leader's approval."
The Glacier Goddess had not forgotten that her only disciple had almost been kidnapped by Assassins, and she planned to pursue them to the ends of hell, uncover the mastermind, and exact retribution.
"..."
Jang Jin-myeong briefly scanned the document, then placed it back on the desk and said.
"I understand your feelings, Grand Elder. But right now, there are several more urgent matters than this..."
CRASH-!
The Glacier Goddess slammed her hand down on the Sect Leader's desk.
Her hair flared out in all directions, and fierce qi waves swirled like a blizzard.
"Ha Yun-i is not just my disciple; she is a candidate for the next Sect Leader. The future of our sect was almost cut short, and you say there's a more urgent matter than this?"
"...What is the meaning of this?"
Flames of qi also erupted from Jang Jin-myeong's body, coiling around him.
The two, having raised their qi as if ready to strike at any moment, glared at each other.
"Jang Jin-myeong."
"Hyeon Eun-ha."
The two called each other by their given names, but it was far from affectionate.
They had been rivals since their Rising Star days.
And Jang Jin-myeong had harbored an inferiority complex towards the Glacier Goddess for a very long time.
"Your actions right now are a clear overreach of authority. Just because you're revered as the sect's top expert, do you look down on the Sect Leader?"
"Why is your conclusion always like that? You've always thought I ignored you whenever I said anything."
"Because you did."
"Your inferiority complex made you hear it that way."
The two had entered the Sun Moon Sect around the same time and competed, but the sect's top Rising Star was always the Glacier Goddess.
Because of this, Jang Jin-myeong had to endure whispers that he "became Sect Leader simply because the timing was right."
From the first time they met decades ago, until now.
"Hyeon Eun-ha. Don't cross the line any further."
"..."
The Glacier Goddess stared at the Sect Leader for a long time, then sighed and finally turned away first.
"Fine. I'll leave it for today. It seems you're not in a state to have a proper conversation anyway. I'll formally bring this matter up at the next leadership meeting."
As she was about to leave the Sect Leader's Office, the Glacier Goddess stopped and turned back to Jang Jin-myeong.
A hint of unease flickered in the Grand Elder's eyes as she looked at the Sect Leader.
Hesitating for a moment, she finally parted her lips with difficulty.
"Jin-myeong. It's not you, is it?"
"...You're trying to cross the line again."
"I trust it's not you. It can't be. If your name comes up in anything related to my disciple..."
WHOOSH-!
A terrifying chill swept through the room.
It was a sight that seemed capable of freezing the entire surrounding area in an instant.
"Even if it means tearing the sect apart, I will make you pay the price."
Leaving a brief warning, the Glacier Goddess closed the door and left.
Even after she disappeared, Jang Jin-myeong stared at the same spot for a long time, muttering.
"That monstrous woman..."
The Sun Moon Sect.
One of the Eight Great Sects representing the Korean Martial.
The cracks in their seemingly solid fortress walls began to spread wider and wider.
*
"Hahahaha! What a harvest, what a harvest!"
Hwang Suk-su's face had brightened considerably over the past few days.
It was because of the goods piled high in the Hidden Tower's warehouse.
All of it had been taken from the Great Heaven Sect's business premises, including stacks of cash and valuable goods.
An amount equivalent to several years of Hidden Tower's revenue was piled up.
"Just looking at it makes me feel full!"
Some complicated processes remained for fencing the stolen goods, but that minor trouble was nothing compared to what they'd earned.
"Uncle. Calculate the commission accurately. If you secretly pocket anything, I'll feed you to Kkagwi."
Even when Kim Bok-ja glared at him with wide eyes and threatened him from the side, he didn't feel bad at all.
Even when the Bandaged Swordsman glared dramatically, he couldn't suppress his laughter.
"Hahaha! I, Hwang Suk-su, am a dead man without my credibility. Just trust me with it!"
His oily smile felt uneasy, but Kim Bok-ja didn't say anything more.
Instead, she looked at Ki Mu-hyeok next to her, with an expression that asked if this man could really be trusted.
Ki Mu-hyeok shrugged and said.
"He's the expert when it comes to stolen goods, so we have to trust him."
"Haha! That's why you need an expert in every field. I'll make sure to get the full value for everything, so..."
Hwang Suk-su's mind was full of thoughts about how much 'additional commission' he would take after selling all the stolen goods.
"And if a problem arises later, our expert can step in then."
"Huh?"
The moment Hwang Suk-su tilted his head in confusion at the meaningful words, he felt the chilling touch of a blade against his neck.
"You took quite a lot from those rotten bastards."
"…!"
It was a voice Hwang Suk-su had never heard before.
The opponent's sharp voice had a blade-like keenness.
'When did he get here? No, how?'
The warehouse they were in was the most heavily guarded place in the Hidden Tower.
It was difficult to even find, let alone secretly infiltrate.
As Hwang Suk-su slowly turned around, an opponent wearing a black Yaksha Mask had placed a single finger on his neck.
What he had clearly thought was a blade was actually a finger!
"W-Who are you?"
Gulp...
Hwang Suk-su had met and dealt with countless Assassins during his Vagrant days.
But this was the first time he had encountered an opponent whose presence he hadn't even sensed.
The hairs on his entire body stood on end, and cold sweat trickled down.
'This is a top-tier assassin, isn't it? Just what kind of place is this Cheongrang Crew...'
Hwang Suk-su's assessment of the Martial Crew Cheongrang continued to reach new heights.
"This is our crew's professional Assassin."
When Ki Mu-hyeok introduced him in a playful tone, the masked Sword Demon let out a small laugh.
"Is this the informant you mentioned? The way he's darting his eyes around, he doesn't look trustworthy..."
"His abilities are solid, though. And he has a decent reputation."
"Well, I'm sure you'll handle it. Anyway, I stopped by quickly because I have news to deliver."
"Um..."
Hwang Suk-su, who had been darting his eyes left and right while listening to their conversation, tried to subtly slip away.
Hwang Suk-su knew his limits.
This was it. His mind was filled with the thought that he shouldn't get any more deeply involved.
"You two, please talk comfortably? I need to go check on the shop..."
Ki Mu-hyeok watched him intently, then turned his head to look at Sword Demon, who, understanding the meaning of his gaze, finished what he was saying.
"The Martial Alliance will also begin to move in earnest soon."
"…!"
When a name too difficult to handle was mentioned, Hwang Suk-su wished he could just faint.