Chapter 49
You should get rid of foul feelings as they arise; otherwise they become the source of every illness.
With that in mind, I ripped off the full-face mask to feel better.
After all, everyone here was going to die today anyway, so there was no longer any reason to hide my face.
“Who the hell are you?”
Both of them froze for a moment when I appeared.
Surprisingly, the Bandit Lord Yeom reacted first — he bared a murderous look and snarled.
Even though he must have known I’d helped the bandits during my breathing/energy exercise, he still reacted like that. Typical bandit behavior, I thought. Well, with such a suspicious personality, it made sense he’d build a secret passage.
More interesting, though, was this:
“What’s your relationship with the Geumhwa Trading Company?”
Dosanbaek had at least recognized me somewhat.
Even inside the dark cave, with limited vision, it seemed a top-level expert couldn’t be fooled by my face.
“Could it be… the elder brother of Jawoon and Jaseong?”
Finally he reached that conclusion.
They looked enough alike to be brothers, so it wasn’t surprising he recognized me. Still, Dosanbaek looked half-convinced even after figuring it out himself.
That made sense because—
“I heard the eldest of the Geum family is on borrowed time, on the verge of dying…”
So he already had some information about me. But that information was probably out of date.
I didn’t bother to confirm or deny. I let Dosanbaek imagine whatever he wanted.
Maybe because of that, Yeom moved first this time.
“I don’t care who you are — just die!”
At those words, Yeom pulled a huge axe — the thickness of an upper arm — from his waist and hurled it.
Screech!
This wasn’t an axe that could be dismissed as something used by ordinary bandits. It carried the force of inner energy as if he’d poured his strength into it in that brief moment.
But I held my calm and, before responding to Yeom’s attack, I stared at Dosanbaek.
He talked big but wasn’t about to immediately rush in. He was gauging my level and waiting for an opening.
“That won’t do.”
Heh.
I had no intention of letting him speculate freely. I’d even shown them what seemed like a cooperative stance earlier — so I’d make it happen.
“Let’s go.”
I drew the Myeolak Divine Sword, which had now reached the level of a sacred blade.
Come to think of it, this might be the first time I’d truly swung it. A flashy maiden performance would suit.
The Myeolak Divine Sword slashed the air into dozens of threads as if embroidering the void.
On each trace hung an aura I call divine-demonic energy. At that moment, Yeom’s axe arrived.
Slice.
As if cutting through soft tofu, even Yeom’s weapon was swept aside.
This was the first technique listed in Jincheon’s Zaha Divine-Demonic Skill: Divine-Demon Spectrum (神魔分光).
The axe that had cut through the embroidered gaps exploded into not hundreds but thousands of fragments.
All those fragments flew toward Dosanbaek in unison.
“This…!”
Clang!
Dosanbaek, who had been feigning calm, let out a frantic groan and raised his sword. He seemed to decide to block, but it was a clear mistake.
Rattling!
Guh!
Fragments he hadn’t managed to block embedded into his body. Unable to bear the pain, Dosanbaek let out a series of agonized cries.
“…Ugh.”
He staggered badly, but didn’t fall. As a peak-level master, he had somehow protected his vital points.
“You cowardly sneak attack…!”
Blood dribbled from the corner of Dosanbaek’s mouth; damage was not insignificant. His bloodshot eyes flashed with fury as they turned toward me.
I could only shake my head in disbelief.
“I told you to attack together.”
He’d been standing by like an onlooker, waiting for an opportunity, and now he had the nerve to blame someone else.
Then something ridiculous happened.
“Damn it! It can’t be helped. Dosanbaek! Let’s cooperate until we finish this guy off!”
Yeom proposed that to Dosanbaek.
“You betrayed me and now you ask to team up with the guy who killed your men?”
I was speechless—astonished and disgusted. But Yeom, despite being a bandit, was sly enough to think.
“So will getting mad change anything? Do you think I’ll live if I just sulk?” he said.
What I’d just shown had revealed the only path for Yeom to survive; he used that as leverage against me.
“If you just let me go, I won’t have to clamber with that bastard. What do you say? Any sense?”
I had noticed when he built the secret passage that he clung desperately to life.
“He’s a man who values his life above all else.”
Just a moment ago he invited Dosanbaek to join hands, and now he was already scheming betrayal. Folks like that aren’t to be trusted.
Still—
“I told you from the start — attack simultaneously.”
And now he wanted to negotiate with that.
“Looks like he’s stupid again.”
In any case, one thing was certain: he was not someone to put faith in.
I had no intention of continuing to converse with him. I aimed the Myeolak Divine Sword at him.
Yeom shouted urgently — not at me but at Dosanbaek.
“Can you fight?”
Dosanbaek paused for a moment before answering, hesitating whether to join Yeom. He didn’t take long to decide.
“Can you give me a moment to restore my breathing/energy?” he asked.
“You bastard! You really won’t change!” Yeom snapped.
Despite his words, Yeom leapt forward and stood in front of Dosanbaek.
Then he snarled at me.
“Fuck! Don’t expect me to go down nicely — be prepared.”
His voice was full of murderous intent, but I couldn’t help smiling.
“They say dogs that are scared bark louder.”
That was exactly Yeom’s state. Apparently Jincheon’s Divine-Demonic Skill had startled him badly. Even I, who had just shown it for the first time, was inwardly surprised. To produce such power merely by imagination — with no full training — was startling. If I trained properly, who knows how powerful it would be.
‘Same as with that Guiheoja incident — it forces acknowledgement.’
Jincheon had devised a truly astonishing martial art. I could probably accomplish it myself if I wanted… but why bother when Zaha Divine Skill already did it for me? I chuckled.
‘I’ll enjoy using your martial art from now on.’
Even peak masters were made fearful by just one move. It was fortunate the Mount Hua sect’s techniques were unavailable here.
“Then I’ll train until the full power shows.”
At that moment there was tasty prey — no, suitable practice opponents — right in front of me. Two of them, no less.
“Grrr.”
An animalistic sound escaped me — likely a lingering effect from wearing the tiger mask.
Yeom Bang-gyeom.
He had some problems with character, but as a leader of a bandit lair among the Seventy Forest Strongholds, his fighting skill deserved respect. Perhaps because he cherished his life terribly, he’d endured critical moments several times. Of course, I’d held back some to build my own skill familiarity, but that was only possible because Bang-gyeom himself was such a strong fighter.
Finally—
“You did well.”
“Damn! That took a while, bastard!”
Bang-gyeom succeeded in holding out until Dosanbaek finished his breathing/energy exercise. Exhausted, he showed joy that didn’t last long.
Thuck!
Dosanbaek stabbed a sword into Bang-gyeom’s back.
Guh!
As Bang-gyeom’s body pitched forward, he turned his head with a look of disbelief toward Dosanbaek.
Dosanbaek said to him coldly, without much emotion:
“What a pathetic fellow. How can you be so gullible? I’m getting tired of feeling sorry for the ones I trick.”
Thud.
Finally Bang-gyeom fell, and only Dosanbaek remained.
I expected him to immediately attack, but instead he surprisingly tried to talk to me.
“If you’re the elder of Jawoon and Jaseong, I remember you. Your name was Jamun, wasn’t it? Jawoon and Jaseong talked a lot about their elder brother. They were proud of him.”
Why was Dosanbaek suddenly bringing this up? It was obvious: he wanted pity points.
“I’ll attack before I’m bored to death listening.”
Before Dosanbaek could say anything more, I swung the Myeolak Divine Sword.
This time, Dosanbaek, though startled, neatly blocked the attack. He was ready to swing his sword at any moment — he’d been looking for an opening after all.
“As I thought. The kind of guy who betrays as easily as eating rice wouldn’t betray me, right?”
“Damn you! You bastard!”
Dosanbaek launched a counterattack. I felt the flash of his sword — it came right up to my face. An incredible quick blade previously unseen!
“Gotcha! You bastard!”
Dosanbaek cheered. It seemed he was happy his hidden quick blade had worked — but I already knew he was hiding such a blade. Hao Moon had sent that information.
Still, it was top-grade intel. I marvelled again at Hao Moon’s ability to reveal the final secret techniques even of peak masters. And one more thing:
“You didn’t need to know.”
Dosanbaek’s sword halted inches from my face. Naturally it wasn’t because Dosanbaek had stopped — I had grabbed his sword hand.
“Arrgh, you bastard!”
Dosanbaek strained to thrust his held arm forward, pouring out his inner energy. But the sword didn’t budge.
Haah.
I yawned without meaning to.
“This is why I said you two should attack simultaneously.”
This was too trivial.
Dosanbaek’s face flushed red. He gave up the strength struggle and prepared a footwork technique to pull away, but that was already within my expectations.
My foot pressed down on his knee, breaking the footwork easily.
He still tried to extend his other leg, so I stomped his pinned knee. I hadn’t intended to break anything — only to throw him off balance — but a cracking sound came.
Crack!
Aaaah!
A broken bone pierced the flesh. This wasn’t a place that should break so easily. Apparently, for a peak master, his lower-body training was poor.
“That must hurt.”
I didn’t say it out of concern — it was just an observation.
Dosanbaek looked at me with resentful eyes. I clicked my tongue.
Did he still not realize this whole mess was his own fault?
“You should’ve lived a decent life. At least haven’t targeted the Geumhwa Trading Company. Then none of this would have happened, and your knee wouldn’t be smashed.”
How nice that would have been.
“…You bastard.”
Dosanbaek spat the words in rage, but what use was that?
“Tell me everything and ask for your life — how about that?”
Wouldn’t that be more constructive? But thinking it over, I realized I’d misspoken.
“Ah, so you have no intention of letting me live.”
Then let me put it more carefully.
“If you confess everything related to the Geumhwa Trading Company, I’ll at least let you die peacefully.”
I liked that idea. Dosanbaek — what do you think?
