Chapter 93 :

Chapter 93. Time to Hunt (7)

“They disappeared.”

Jegal Somyeong narrowed his eyes.

Again.

Another checkpoint plaque had vanished.

The examiners of the Martial Academy entrance examination tracked the checkpoint plaques.

By following the plaques, they could eventually determine who passed and who failed.

However, there were four thousand checkpoint plaques in the first checkpoint alone.

It was impossible to track every single one.

That was why they predicted the examinees’ routes and passed the locations of the checkpoint plaques to the examiners in the next region.

When asked whether human error might be responsible, Jegal Somyeong firmly shook his head.

“There are double and triple safeguards in place to prevent that.”

Moreover, the information delivered by the messenger pigeons was too peculiar to dismiss as a simple mistake.

“Two hundred. And only those belonging to the leading sects.”

Two hundred checkpoint plaques had disappeared across the first and second checkpoints.

Considering that the first checkpoint alone had four thousand plaques, it might have appeared to fall within an acceptable margin of error.

However, the identities of those who had disappeared told a different story.

The Nine Great Sects.

The Five Great Families.

The Hundred and Eight Peaks.

Only those with a high chance of entering the Martial Academy, those destined to become the future pillars of the Martial Alliance, had been targeted.

“Do you believe this was the work of the dark faction?”

Jegal Somyeong looked at Maeng Juwon, who had suddenly joined the conversation.

The darkness beneath his eyes had spread all the way down to his cheeks.

Even so, his eyes still shone brightly.

“Why do you think that?”

“The samples are far too specific for this to be a simple error.”

“Explain in greater detail.”

“Most of those eliminated in large numbers were individuals who could be considered the second line of the Nine Great Sects and the Hundred and Eight Peaks. Their number may seem insignificant when viewed as part of the whole, but they are the ones who would support the middle ranks after entering the academy or joining the Martial Alliance. Removing them would be the perfect way to disrupt the overall balance.”

“Ha.”

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Jegal Somyeong could not suppress a laugh.

If he could find just one more person like this, perhaps he might finally be able to retire from the Ten Thousand Information Department.

“Who do you think is responsible?”

“The simplest answer would be the dark faction.”

Jegal Somyeong frowned.

“However… it was not the dark faction.”

His eyes widened again.

“Do not delay. Speak.”

“If war breaks out with the dark faction, it will become an all-out conflict. The greatest possible benefit the dark faction seeks would ultimately amount to taking control of more than half the murim world. Viewed that way, the Martial Academy entrance examination is merely a test where they can lie beneath a persimmon tree and wait for the fruit to fall. They have no reason to intervene personally.”

Jegal Somyeong nodded.

He was right.

Every time the Martial Academy entrance examination was held, the blood of righteous faction sects flowed throughout the murim world.

The Martial Alliance’s surviving forces became more elite, but its total strength clearly declined.

“Then who do you think is responsible?”

After thinking deeply, Maeng Juwon shook his head.

“There is no one I can identify with certainty.”

“However, I do know what they are aiming for.”

“What is it?”

“The destruction of the Martial Alliance.”

“Haa.”

Jegal Somyeong released a long sigh.

Maeng Juwon had spoken aloud the possibility that had lingered in Jegal Somyeong’s mind, but which he had not dared to pursue further.

He could say it because he was young, hot-blooded, and still somewhat naive.

“Are you simply going to remain still?”

The Martial Alliance never stopped the Martial Academy entrance examination, regardless of what happened.

It was a tradition of the examination that any problem which arose would simply become another part of the test.

“Is this problem not too serious for that?”

“It appears serious, but it has not yet been confirmed to be so. If the Alliance intervenes now, people will question the fairness of the examination.”

Jegal Somyeong wondered why Maeng Juwon, who knew that perfectly well, was suddenly saying such things.

“Something terrible could really happen.”

“…”

Had he seen something beyond what Jegal Somyeong himself had noticed?

“Our Sowoon entered the region where the checkpoint plaques disappeared. We must rescue him before he is placed in danger.”

“We are from the Namgung Family. Who are you?”

While the warriors of the Namgung Family tended to the wounded, Namgung Seonhwa addressed the black figures.

No answer came.

“Prepare for battle!”

Shing, shing, shing, shing!

The warriors of the Namgung Family and the Iron Sword Sect simultaneously drew their silver swords and formed a sword formation.

“If you refuse to reveal your identities, we will attack!”

They had not even met him properly, yet she was already calling him “our Sowoon.”

“At this rate, I will die before getting married, never have sly little children, and never find a rabbit-like wife—Aaargh!”

A beating was the best medicine for someone who could not come to his senses.

Jegal Somyeong’s judge’s brush struck Maeng Juwon using the Red Leaf Flying Flower technique, which was regarded as one of the finest methods in the murim world.

“Die!”

The nearly twenty black figures did not answer.

They did not appear to exchange opinions with one another either.

They merely stood motionless like wooden statues that had always occupied that spot, making the sight even more chilling.

For some unknown reason, my heart was now beating even more violently.

Unable to endure the pressure any longer, Cho Mubin finally shouted.

“Attack!”

At that moment, white sword blades extended from between the cloaks that had resembled black rocks.

The swords were uneven and jagged rather than smooth.

Most horrifying of all, blood continuously dripped from the entire length of each blade.

The warriors charged even more fiercely to overcome their fear.

Then they sensed the trembling in the air and instinctively stopped.

It was the same sensation they had felt at Zhenjiang Harbor.

An oppressive force that seemed to draw in all the surrounding air.

After this vibration in the air came—

The shock wave arrived sooner than expected.

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!

The same palm art that had instantly shattered dozens of ships departing Zhenjiang Harbor now surged toward the black figures.

“Run… We have to run!”

“What?”

They did not know the reason.

The sight of Jin Sowoon, who had remained calm in every situation until now, displaying such urgency made the warriors even more anxious.

Gang Seopyo and Cho Mubin instinctively looked at each other.

They had entered the examination to ensure the young ladies passed, but their foremost duty was ultimately to protect Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran.

Gang Seopyo and Cho Mubin decided to trust the Jin Sowoon they had observed until now.

“Let us go!”

“Move!”

The warriors quickly gathered the wounded and kicked off the ground.

Jin Sowoon moved in the opposite direction, throwing himself into the space where the aftermath of the Mad Heaven Divine Palm had not yet faded.

He returned almost immediately.

In his hands were one of those horrifying swords and a severed arm.

“Young Master Jin…”

“Explanations can wait. For now, we must enter Feng County no matter what.”

They had originally intended to go around Feng County to avoid attracting attention.

However, after seeing Jin Sowoon’s expression, no one was in a position to argue.

‘Why are they here? And what is their objective?’

Jegal Somyeong was an extraordinary genius.

After placing all the information of the Ten Thousand Information Department inside his mind, he came to understand something.

He was not merely intelligent.

He knew how to create systems.

Without a system, no sect could endure for a long period.

There were systems designed to last ten years.

Systems designed to last fifty years.

And systems designed to last a hundred years.

Jegal Somyeong had created a hundred-year system for the Martial Alliance.

That system had been built through his unique method of managing information.

He organized the Ten Thousand Information Department and established Simhyeon Pavilion to classify information according to its importance.

By efficiently using the limited personnel of the Heavenly Eye Pavilion and the Martial Alliance, he established eyes and ears throughout the murim world.

He then arranged all gathered information in chronological order, filling the gaps that human messengers could not convey.

From his seat in the Ten Thousand Information Department, he could observe the world as though it rested in his palm.

However, even after establishing double and triple safeguards, gaps sometimes appeared in the information.

He classified these as “missing pieces.”

Even after creating a system worthy of confidence, he had always considered the possibility that something might still remain beyond his knowledge.

He had also written that one had to locate the surrounding pieces in order to discover the missing one.

‘The Missing Piece Theory.’

Following his Missing Piece Theory, the fragments inside my mind began gathering one by one, revealing the piece that had vanished.

The attack on Moyong Sangwon.

The Demonic Cult, which intended to conquer the murim world in the future.

The disappearances of Wudang Sect’s Hyeonjeong and Mount Hua Sect’s Yeon Umun.

The traces of Corpse-Fluid Bone Swords found in the bones of Hyeonjeong and Yeon Umun.

And the Dark Severing Soul Corps, which should not have existed here.

Once the surrounding fragments aligned, the missing piece appeared exactly as Jegal Somyeong’s theory predicted.

The assassination of major Martial Alliance figures in preparation for the Righteous-Demonic War.

“Damn it.”

The problem was that the missing piece would attempt to silence us permanently in order to conceal its intentions.

The Dark Severing Soul Corps.

A special operations unit consisting of only twenty members, despite being classified as a corps.

They were monsters created by the Demonic Cult.

They were taught the Dark-Side Demon Sword, a bizarre demonic art that combined stealth arts and swordsmanship.

Once they became peak experts in that technique, they underwent the unnatural procedure known as the Corpse-Fluid Bone Sword.

A single squad contained only four members.

However, as long as the proper environment was prepared, one squad could easily contend with ten of the Top Hundred Experts Under Heaven.

Such beings were now hunting us.

“Light… We need light.”

The most important factor when fighting them was the environment.

The darkness of night was their stage.

After firing the Mad Heaven Divine Palm, my internal energy had nearly reached its limit.

I had restrained the technique as much as possible, but it was such a violent martial art that I now had to scrape the very bottom of my dantian merely to use the World-Solitary Divine Movement.

Even so, the attack had achieved something.

One member of the Dark Severing Soul Corps had been caught off guard by the Mad Heaven Divine Palm and had become a wandering ghost, leaving behind only one arm.

Had the Sojeong Unit of my previous life witnessed that achievement, they would probably have handed me all their monthly wages.

“What in the world…”

“Do not stop under any circumstances!”

A sword form faster and more efficient than Gang Seopyo’s own flashed across his body, attempting to cut him into four pieces.

I barely activated the World-Solitary Divine Movement.

In an instant, I reached Gang Seopyo from behind, grabbed him by the back of the neck, and fled again.

Slash! Slash!

He narrowly avoided being cut into four pieces, but a long stream of blood erupted like a fountain from Gang Seopyo’s chest.

“Guh!”

At the same time, I fired every spare signal flare I had received.

Of the four signal flares that shot into the sky, three were intercepted by objects thrown by the enemy and fell while releasing only white smoke.

One signal flare barely managed to explode, illuminating the members of the Dark Severing Soul Corps for a brief moment.

“Eek!”

Gang Seopyo, who was being dragged behind me, forgot his injury and screamed as though he had witnessed something he should never have seen.

“The village!”

After passing through the area filled with darkness, Feng County appeared in the distance, glowing like a firefly.

Whether we possessed a way to fight them was a problem for later.

If we confronted them now, the lives of the Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers could not be guaranteed, much less those of the Namgung Family and the Iron Sword Sect warriors.

“Guh!”

Despite my warning, another scream rang out from behind us.

Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran finally turned their heads.

A warrior lay face-down on the ground, reaching out with one hand.

Gang Seopyo nodded toward another warrior.

That warrior took over guiding Namgung Seonhwa and continued forward, while Gang Seopyo immediately ran back.

A black figure was about to drive its white sword blade into the fallen warrior.

Gang Seopyo unleashed the Boundless Blue Sky Sword Art with a sword wrapped in sword energy.

Shing, shing, shing!

Gang Seopyo’s sword instantly cut the black figure into three pieces.

However, rather than showing relief at successfully landing a strike, his eyes widened in shock.

Stab!

Despite being struck by Gang Seopyo’s sword, the black figure merely scattered briefly like smoke before reforming and piercing the warrior’s throat.

“What in the world…”

After confirming that the warrior had stopped breathing, the black figure once again swung its white sword at Gang Seopyo.

Whoosh!

“Would you perhaps require the company of a courtesan?”

The owner of the pleasure house examined everyone present.

Upon seeing the faces of Seong Moran and Namgung Seonhwa, he closed his mouth.

“Ahem… Then would you like me to summon a skilled entertainer?”

“Just bring us some food.”

Cho Mubin tossed him a pouch.

However, the owner appeared dissatisfied and turned away while muttering.

That was understandable.

We had occupied the largest seating area on the first floor of the pleasure house.

Only thin gauze curtains separated one area from another.

Whenever one turned their head, men and women could be seen entwining their bodies.

Moans passed back and forth through the silence surrounding us.

I was the one who had chosen the pleasure house instead of the Changgung Merchant Guild branch in Feng County.

Despite the absurdity of the decision, the others had followed without complaint.

No one could bring themselves to speak first.

There was not even time to mourn the dead.

No one knew when the people still alive might follow them.

In that respect, serving in the Sojeong Unit had felt somewhat easier.

Surrounded constantly by death, we had at least been able to choose how we felt in each moment.

“What were those things?”

Gang Seopyo had a large bandage wrapped around his chest.

Fortunately, the wound was not deep, but it was wide.

Red blood still seeped through the bandages.

“I-I have never seen anything like that before. Nothing so horrifying.”

Gang Seopyo was the oldest and most experienced among the Namgung Family warriors.

His words caused the other warriors’ fear to deepen.

“…Is this place safe?”

Namgung Seonhwa looked at me anxiously, seeking an explanation.

Since I could not tell them everything I knew, I once again fabricated a lie.

I felt no hesitation.

Only this lie could keep us alive.

“There was a time when I left the Taeul Sect and traveled through the murim world alone. During that time, I witnessed them attack a merchant caravan.”

I selected a vanished caravan from my memories and used it for the story.

“The escort warriors were highly skilled, and the escort agency itself was famous, so I naturally assumed those men would lose.”

“…But they did not.”

I mixed truth into the lie.

“The escorts’ swords could not touch them. They seemed to have learned some unusual martial art. Even when they were cut, they suffered no damage, as though their bodies were water.”

The bodies of those who learned the Dark-Side Demon Sword and underwent the Corpse-Fluid Bone Sword procedure could transform like air or water.

In darkness, their true forms could not be identified.

They could freely travel from one patch of darkness to another.

They became existences that could not be cut, no matter how many times one swung a blade.

“Then the reason you used that palm art…”

“I had only ever imagined fighting them before. I never considered that it might actually work.”

I took out the severed arm of the Dark Severing Soul Corps member.

“I deliberately brought this with me. I wanted to determine what kind of beings they are.”

When I tore away the cloth, black skin was revealed.

“Th-This is…”

A pale, knotted sword protruded from the palm.

“Is that bone?”

The sharpness of the bone sword piercing through the palm sent chills through everyone.

Namgung Seonhwa, Seong Moran, and the warriors all stared in disbelief.

“We must stop the examination immediately.”

The missing piece told me the truth.

The Dark Severing Soul Corps, or rather the Demonic Cult, intended to use the examination to uproot those who might become future pillars of the Martial Alliance.

“You know that is impossible.”

Once the entrance examination began, it was never stopped.

The victims of the Dark Severing Soul Corps would be treated as people who had died during the examination.

No proper investigation would ever be conducted.

Even if the examination ended here, no trace of the Dark Severing Soul Corps would remain.

“Th-Then…”

They erased all evidence of themselves while inflicting damage only upon their enemies.

It was an exceptionally intelligent operation.

With preparations this thorough, it was no wonder the Martial Alliance had collapsed so quickly.

“For now, the most important thing is reporting their identities to the Martial Alliance.”

“That is right.”

“After we escape alive.”

“What? What do you mean? We already…”

“They will not simply give up.”

What they feared most was even the slightest hint of their identity becoming known throughout the murim world.

If that happened, the Martial Alliance would become wary of a future invasion by the Demonic Cult.

“…”

“They were people who carried out attacks while concealing their identities completely. The reason we had not been attacked until now was likely that they were eliminating other examinees first.”

Gulp.

If they stormed this place immediately, they might be able to kill every one of us.

“They will never abandon their pursuit of us.”

However, doing so would expose them to witnesses.

Once seen, they would attract suspicion.

That was what they wished to avoid above all else.

“Then… the reason we came to this pleasure house…”

“Because this is the only place where the lights remain on throughout the night and people continuously gather.”

I had heard that the strange fragrance drifting through the pleasure house eased people’s tension.

However, neither the warriors nor the women could relax.

Moreover, we now possessed the corpse fragment of one of their members.

Even if they had to abandon every other operation, they had more than enough reason to capture us.

“What should we do? Should we contact the main family?”

“Then would we not fail the examination?”

Namgung Seonhwa looked at me as though wondering what kind of person could say such a thing.

“We will continue taking the examination.”

And I intended to escape their grasp using the method they would hate most.