Though she possessed a fiery temperament, Ha Chae-rin had been rigorously trained and educated by the Flying Kill Flame Assassin, one of the Four Great Assassins of the Central Plains. The foundation of assassination lies in gathering information and preparation. That was why she had begun to investigate her target, Mok Gyeong-un, in various ways.
However, when she actually began her investigation, this Mok Gyeong-un was no different from a spoiled young master. She had heard that his martial talent was so lacking that he was merely in the third-rate realm, failing to gain recognition even from his own brothers and vassals in the Lotuswood Sword Manor.
'But how did a guy like that kill the intermediate-level assassin, Number Twenty-Nine?' From this, she could surmise two possibilities. One, the true culprit might be someone else.
The one who had leaked this information to them was a person from the same Lotuswood Sword Manor, but it was another young master who was a rival in the succession battle. That was entirely possible. And second, 'He hid himself for this very day?'
She had considered this less likely than the first possibility. He was only seventeen years old, and if he was in a situation where he had to fight for succession, there was no reason to hide his strength. The Manor Lord of the Lotuswood Sword Manor had only recently fallen ill.
For that reason, she was all the more certain.
‘…My predictions were completely off.’
For a moment, Ha Chae-rin doubted her own eyes. Though born a woman, she had reached the Peak Realm with the full support and teachings of her grandfather. Even she could not perform the technique of telekinetic grasp.
But the third young master of the Mok family, whom she had considered a seventeen-year-old spoiled brat, could do this? Ha Chae-rin’s eyes narrowed as she looked at Mok Gyeong-un.
‘But why?’
If he possessed internal energy profound enough to be capable of telekinetic grasp, he should have at least reached the pinnacle of the Supreme Realm. But according to her spiritual sense, he was no more than a third-rate. Exactly as the information had stated.
‘Strange.’
He displayed the ability of telekinetic grasp, yet his spiritual sense indicated he was third-rate. But the atmosphere he exuded was strangely ominous. Because of that, she couldn't gauge him at all.
Perhaps he had concealed his energy, which was why she couldn't sense it.
“Y-Young Master…”
At that moment, Guard Go Chan called out to Mok Gyeong-un in a voice close to relief. And for good reason. Had he been a moment later, his throat would have been slit and he would have lost his life.
But the crisis was not over.
Pak!
“Heok!”
Ha Chae-rin gripped Go Chan’s throat and pulled him toward her. The startled Go Chan twisted his body to try and escape, but the difference in their internal energy levels was too great for him to resist. Holding onto Go Chan, she spoke to Mok Gyeong-un.
“If you don't wish to see your guard die, I would advise you not to move, Young Master Mok.”
‘…’
At her words, Go Chan let out a faint sigh. It was understandable. Ha Chae-rin knew nothing about that fiend.
Though he had just saved him, that fiend was not the type of person to play along with someone else’s tune. Just then, Mok Gyeong-un opened his mouth.
“Who are you?”
To this question, Ha Chae-rin let out a smirk and said, “There’s no reason for me to tell you that, Young Master. More importantly, I’d appreciate it if you would step back a little.” She was wary of Mok Gyeong-un.
If it weren't for that telekinetic grasp technique just now, she wouldn't have been so cautious. But she needed to prepare for the unexpected. It was difficult to gauge Mok Gyeong-un’s precise martial prowess, and now that the situation had come to this, a normal assassination was already out of the question.
‘Should I retreat?’
As she pondered this, she felt the throat in her grasp tremble slightly. She noticed Go Chan mouthing something. At this, she gripped his throat even tighter.
Gwak!
“Keck!”
“Mister Go, it seems you're determined to make an enemy of me. Seeing you pull a stunt like this, that is.”
At those words, Go Chan was dumbfounded even through his pain. It was laughable for the one who tried to kill him first to be talking about making enemies.
“An assassin from the Flying Kill Sect? Ho-oh. So you were an assassin?”
Geudeuk.
At Mok Gyeong-un's words, her expression turned annoyed. He had exposed her identity so succinctly.
“Ah… you damn bastard.”
There was nothing worse for an assassin than not only failing an assassination but also having their affiliation revealed. Now that it had come to this, she had to kill Mok Gyeong-un one way or another. No, even if she retreated, her objective was to kill him, just by changing her method.
As he was designated as a target for the Hundred Days, Hundred Kills, if she failed to kill him, she could neither receive the title of one of the Four Great Assassins nor become the Sect Master of the Flying Kill Sect.
‘Do I have to see this to the end?’
She still wasn't sure of Mok Gyeong-un's martial prowess, but she did have a hidden card up her sleeve. It was the Extreme Killing Needle attached to her wrist guard.
It was specially made and could only be used once, but if used within a distance of thirty feet, even most masters would find it difficult to block with their protective energy. She was told to use it when her life was in danger, but this might not be a situation where she could afford to save it.
‘If I let my guard down, I could be the one to get hit.’
Without letting down her guard, she slowly lowered her left hand. At this, Mok Gyeong-un spoke.
“Let him go.”
“What?”
“If you let Guard Go Chan go, I’ll let you leave this time. It’s a very rare thing for me to just let someone who is after my life go.”
‘What?’
Go Chan was inwardly surprised. He never thought that demonic fiend would offer to let an assassin who came for his life go, all for his sake. Wasn't he just a pawn to be used by that fiend?
He had naturally thought he would be abandoned, so this was truly unexpected.
‘Just let me go? Ha!’
On the other hand, at Mok Gyeong-un’s words, one of Ha Chae-rin's eyebrows shot up. His attitude, as if he were bestowing mercy, was grating. But she also thought it was for the best.
The fiend had made a mistake. Letting go of an assassin who was after his life just to save one guard was proof that he did not take Go Chan lightly. As she held Go Chan by the throat and retreated backward, she said, “Young Master Mok.
You seem to care a lot for your guard.”
“No, not particularly. It’s just my whim, not wanting to let a useful person like Guard Go Chan die right now.”
“A whim. Pfft.”
With a scoff, she said to Mok Gyeong-un, “Well, if you want to save this man according to your whim, then retreat more than ten paces and get on your knees. Then I will release your guard as soon as I am out of the manor.”
With those words, using her concealed blind spot, she turned the dial on her wrist guard and loaded the Extreme Killing Needle. She had already played out the situation in her head several times.
The moment Mok Gyeong-un tried to step back, her plan was to use Go Chan as a shield, push him forward, and then fire the Extreme Killing Needle from her blind spot.
“Hurry up and step ba…”
‘!?’
It was at that very moment. She noticed that Mok Gyeong-un’s gaze was not on her, but slightly behind her.
Simultaneously. Flinch!
Feeling a strange sensation from behind her, she hastily switched her wrist guard and fired the Spirit Needles.
Pupupupuk!
But there was nothing behind her.
‘What was that?’
She had clearly felt something approaching from behind just now. It was a chilling feeling, but what in the world was it…!?
Pak!
“Keck!”
In an instant, she pulled Go Chan, whose throat she was holding, and twisted her body to one side. At that moment, a dagger grazed past her right side. Seeing Ha Chae-rin dodge it, a glint of fascination appeared in Mok Gyeong-un's eyes.
‘She’s faster than Mok Yu-cheon.’
And her senses were sharper. The Blue Spirit, who had been aiming for Ha Chae-rin’s back, said, -The senses of a Peak Realm master are incomparable to those of a first-rate master. This master's ghostly energy is too strong, so it's not easy to approach within ten feet.
It seemed so. Even Mok Yu-cheon, throughout his narration, would occasionally glance at the Blue Spirit’s location. It appeared that upon reaching the Peak Realm, one’s ability to handle qi became so fluid that they reacted sensitively even to spiritual energies.
At that moment, Ha Chae-rin spoke to Mok Gyeong-un with sharpened eyes.
“Young Master Mok. So you had an accomplice.”
“…”
She was certain. The chilling, foreign presence she had felt from behind. She didn't know what it was, but with her senses on high alert, there was no way she could be mistaken.
And she realized one more thing.
‘It was weak.’
The dagger Mok Gyeong-un had thrown just now was a surprise attack, but the force behind it was weak. If a master at or above the Peak Realm had thrown it with intent, she would have been hit in the shoulder in that brief moment. Something was strange.
It was a perfect opportunity, yet he missed it.
‘Could it be?’
Perhaps the telekinetic grasp technique he had shown earlier was not Mok Gyeong-un's own skill. It might have been the help of this strange existence that couldn't be caught by her spiritual sense. When her thoughts reached this point, the corners of her lips curled up slightly.
If Mok Gyeong-un was not the kind of master she needed to be wary of, she could certainly kill him.
‘Extreme Killing Needle!’
In a fleeting moment, killing intent erupted from her. Sensing this, Mok Gyeong-un spoke in a cold voice.
“That would be your worst move.”
“No. Not at all!”
With those words, Ha Chae-rin pushed Go Chan straight at Mok Gyeong-un.
Papak!
And as the distance closed to nearly thirty feet, she struck her left palm against Go Chan’s back.
Paaaaang!
There was a sound of something exploding.
“Keok!”
The Extreme Killing Needle, having pierced through Go Chan’s back, flew precisely toward Mok Gyeong-un’s brow. The power of the Extreme Killing Needle, flying at a tremendous speed, was powerful enough to pierce through the protective energy of even internal energy masters. But then, Hwirik!
The flying Extreme Killing Needle veered upward from its path and ended up piercing through Mok Gyeong-un’s raised right palm.
Puk!
‘!?’
Ha Chae-rin’s eyes widened. The flying Extreme Killing Needle had changed its path. What in the world had just happened?
In that moment of confusion. -You should have just left when I offered to let you go, mortal. Startled by the woman's voice that came from her left ear, she threw her body to the right and fired the Spirit Needles. But there was nothing there.
Pupupupuk!
The voice had clearly sounded right next to her. But why couldn't she see anything? As she was bewildered, something pulled her body to the ground with immense force.
Pak! Kwang!
“Ack!”
A short scream escaped Ha Chae-rin's lips as she hit the ground. Panicked, she circulated her energy, raising her internal power to its maximum. She tried to create a rebound to shake off the force suppressing her body.
But then, “Heop!” In that moment, an unbelievable thing happened.
Bubububble!
The area around her, pinned to the floor, filled with blood, and her surroundings turned red. At the same time, a nauseating smell of blood filled the air, and she felt her breath catch. Experiencing such a strange event for the first time in her life, she had no idea what was happening.
Gadeuk! Gadeuk!
‘!!!!!!!’
For a moment, she doubted her own eyes. Dozens of red hands shot out from the floor, grabbing and pulling at her limbs. It felt as if her heart would burst.
She was so frightened that not even a scream would come out.
Wriggle, wriggle!
All she could do was twist her body. Watching Ha Chae-rin, the Blue Spirit sneered. -This will be the body this master will use, so I shall leave as few scratches as possible. She was enjoying herself.
Looking at the Blue Spirit and the terror-stricken Ha Chae-rin, Mok Gyeong-un shook his head.
“I told you it was your worst move.”
He had clearly warned her. He had even given her a chance to live when she held Guard Go Chan by the throat and threatened him. But in the end, she had thrown that chance away.
“Cough, cough.”
Mok Gyeong-un checked on Go Chan, who was growing paler and colder by the second. Blood filled his mouth, and it flowed endlessly from the hole in his chest. It seemed his heart had been pierced; there was no hope.
Looking down at him, Mok Gyeong-un said with an emotionless gaze, “A pity. I thought we could be together a little longer.” He had done his best to save him.
But he was truly unlucky. Mok Gyeong-un looked down at the dying Go Chan and continued.
“You’ve worked hard. I won’t forget Guard Go Chan’s efforts.”
“Cough… d-don’t want to… die…”
Go Chan managed to mutter something with great difficulty. It was the intense desire to live of a dying human. Mok Gyeong-un, who was staring blankly at this, said, “Your attachment to life is strong.”
“Cough, cough… please…”
Staring down at him as his eyes gradually glazed over, Mok Gyeong-un’s lips twitched as he muttered, “Perhaps there’s a way for us to be together a little longer.” With those words, he took something out from his waist. Something was written on it in red ink, but his eyes were growing so dim he couldn't see it clearly.
Mok Gyeong-un placed that talisman on Go Chan’s forehead.
Then, he placed his palm over Go Chan's heart and said, “According to the Six-Person Spirit Summoning Art, a vengeful spirit can be born from strong resentment, but it is said they can also be born under the influence of overflowing lingering thoughts and death energy at the place of their demise.” As soon as those words ended.
A cold and ominous energy surged into Go Chan from Mok Gyeong-un’s palm.
Gooooooooo