Chapter 104 —
“How are you feeling? Any better?”
“Ugh… My whole body still hurts.”
Yeom Ji-hak slowly raised his upper body, frowning from the pain. Even though the master of Shingak had treated him personally, he still wasn’t healed—proof that his enemy had terrifying strength.
Crack!
“I’ll definitely kill him…!”
He clenched his teeth with fury, recalling the person who had hurt him. The killing intent in his eyes was so strong it seemed like he could tear that person apart if they were in front of him.
Chuwon, the master of Shingak, just chuckled at his reaction.
“Heh, you’re lucky to even be alive. If it weren’t for me, you’d have died before even getting close to the base. Who did this to you?”
“Find out yourself.”
“Tsk, judging by that vicious martial art, it feels like someone from the southern tribes.”
“…Southern tribes?”
“Yes. I’ve seen someone who used a similar technique.”
“Are you talking about the Beast Fist King?”
Chuwon nodded, his eyes gazing at a flickering candle like he was lost in memory.
“A long time ago, I went to the southern tribes to retrieve a sacred item by divine order. There was someone there who fought just like this.”
“Was that the Beast Fist King?”
“He wasn’t called that back then. But he was incredibly strong. So strong that even I had a hard time.”
Chuwon remembered Ak Guchun. He had been young, but extremely powerful. Chuwon had underestimated the martial arts of the southern tribes, and almost paid with his life.
“So what happened then?”
“What else? I needed to live, so I distracted him by killing his family right in front of him.”
“You… killed them?”
“Yeah. I dodged his fists and slit their throats one by one. The way he cried tears of blood—ha! I still remember it clearly.”
Chuwon laughed coldly, as if reliving the pleasure of that moment. That was why he studied medicine—to watch people scream when he pressed on their injuries. That’s all it was to him.
“But… you didn’t get the sacred item, did you?”
“Nope. What we found wasn’t the real thing. Just something similar. Total failure.”
Chuwon frowned, remembering the frustration. He had followed a strong lead, but the item turned out to be fake.
“Because of that, Ak Guchun came after us for revenge. We clashed several times across the land.”
It had been a bloody series of fights. Chuwon still remembered it clearly.
“The last time I saw him… was about ten years ago?”
He hadn’t seen Ak Guchun since then, but the pain in his ribs reminded him of the powerful punch he had taken back then.
He still looked forward to the day he could get revenge—watching Ak Guchun’s face as his loved ones screamed in pain.
Lost in those thoughts, Chuwon was interrupted by Yeom Ji-hak’s question.
“Was it really the Beast Fist King?”
That’s what mattered most to Yeom Ji-hak. If it was truly the Beast Fist King, then he would know where to direct his revenge.
But Chuwon shook his head.
“The style was similar, but no. If it were really him, you wouldn’t even look human right now.”
He laughed again, but his words were sincere. Even ten years ago, Ak Guchun’s martial arts had been monstrous. Chuwon was sure Yeom Ji-hak would be dead if they had truly fought.
Yeom Ji-hak seemed to sense that honesty, but still looked at Chuwon suspiciously.
“If you’re that curious, want to go check?”
“Check where?”
“The southern tribes. I need to look into something myself anyway.”
“What are you talking about?”
I stared at Ak Guchun, who had appeared suddenly. His sharp gaze and fierce energy were completely different from his usual calm self.
Without giving any explanation, he walked straight toward me and stood in front of my bed.
“The ones you’re chasing—who are they?”
“Why do you want to know all of a sudden?”
“I got curious.”
He smiled, but only with his lips—not his eyes. There was a chilling aura in every word he spoke.
I stared at him. Did he have a connection to them?
But I had never heard anything like that before. He never talked much about himself, and he had disappeared after training Jang Chuhyung for just under three years.
When I didn’t answer, Ak Guchun turned away.
“If you won’t tell me, I’ll just go ask that Muryong bastard myself.”
“You want to fight the Sword Emperor?”
“He was there, wasn’t he? That means the Muryong Clan is involved too.”
I didn’t know exactly what he meant by “there,” but it seemed Ak Guchun had figured out some connection between them.
I gave a bitter smile and replied:
“They call themselves Shingyo.”
“Shingyo?”
He looked puzzled, so I nodded.
I didn’t know who their “god” really was, or how powerful they were—but I did know that many people were willing to die for that one person.
“All for just one person?”
“Isn’t it similar to a demonic cult?”
“No, that’s different. The demonic cult worships power, not a person. If someone stronger shows up, they become the leader. This is different.”
Ak Guchun sat down in a nearby chair and gave me a look like he wanted me to share more.
“That’s all I know. I’ve dug deep, but I don’t know much.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
It wasn’t a lie. Even after years of research, I only found scraps of information. I had managed to decode a secret language, discovered the Twelve Corners, and learned that each “Corner Master” had special abilities.
Some of them even lived in plain sight.
But the one called “God”? I knew nothing.
“Then… have you met a hunchback old man with bad breath? Older than me.”
Immediately, I thought of someone—Chuwon, the hunchbacked master of Shingak.
He had strange powers—like controlling fog—and was the only one among the Twelve Corners with medical skills, rivaling even Chae So-ha.
I nodded.
“Yes. His name is Chuwon. Like Yeom Ji-hak, he’s one of the Twelve Corner Masters.”
“Yeom Ji-hak?”
“The one you almost killed a few days ago.”
“Oh, that guy? He’s that important?”
“Yes. The Twelve Corners support the entire Shingyo. Each master is said to be as powerful as one of the Ten Kings.”
Ak Guchun tilted his head. Since he had beaten Yeom Ji-hak so easily, he didn’t think much of that claim.
I smiled awkwardly.
“When you attacked, I had already cut one of his eyes. And he was completely unprepared.”
“Tch. He was nothing special.”
“Only you can say that.”
Yeom Ji-hak wasn’t someone to take lightly. If he had been calm, he might have posed a serious threat—even to Ak Guchun.
“Every Corner Master has a unique ability. Be careful if you meet them.”
“Even that hunchback?”
“He controls strange fog.”
“Fog… Chuwon…”
Ak Guchun repeated the name, clearly storing the information. It seemed he had personal history with Chuwon.
“What about that Muryong bastard?”
“I think they’re just allies.”
“Tsk. That mutt always acts like a dog.”
Who else could talk like that about the Sword Emperor?
I smiled awkwardly.
“Even just his involvement makes things hard for me.”
“Sword Emperor, my foot. A few years ago, I heard about him and went to test my new martial art—beat the crap out of him.”
“…What?”
“Yeah. He had a lot of inner power from using elixirs, but lacked control. His martial arts were messy, cobbled together from different styles. I pinned his head into the ground—and there was dog poop there. He probably ate some. Hahaha!”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. A secret battle between two of the strongest warriors—and Muryong Jungcheon had lost?
If that got out, it would shake the entire martial world.
But Ak Guchun didn’t care.
He shifted the topic casually:
“Anyway, what’s the goal of this Shingyo group?”
“I’m not sure… but they’re looking for an item.”
“What kind of item?”
“A jewel called ‘sacred jade’—a gokok.”
Ak Guchun’s eyes widened.
“Does it shine with a purple light?”
I immediately turned to him in shock.
He drew the shape of a curved jewel with his fingers, watching my reaction, and smiled.
“Ah-ha—so that’s what this is all about.”
