"Cheonyeong has failed."
A man in black robes knelt and reported.
His voice was devoid of emotion.
"…Failed?" The one receiving the report was an executive of Heukrim, one of the three major assassin organizations in the martial world.
He had neither a name nor a nickname.
He was simply called the Third Master, as he was the leader of the Third Assassin Squad.
The Third Master frowned and clicked his tongue.
"Muyeong said we wouldn't even need to intervene... He was just a loudmouth, typical of someone from the imperial palace. Did the guard named Heukyeong escape? What is the target's location?"
The Third Master asked within the scope of his expectations for failure.
However, the response from his subordinate exceeded his imagination.
"The assassins of Cheonyeong have been annihilated. The location of Heukyeong is currently unknown, and the target has not shown any special movements yet."
"…What?" The Third Master doubted whether there was an error in his subordinate's report.
The assassins of Cheonyeong had been wiped out? They were not even comparable to the assassins of Heukrim, but they were still a decent organization with capable assassins.
"Where is Muyeong now?"
"He was found dead along with the other assassins."
"…Did Heukyeong do this alone?"
"It is hard to say for certain, but judging by the state of the bodies, it appears to be the work of one person."
"…."
The Third Master's expression grew serious.
Cheonyeong, who had been confident of success, had failed.
Not just failed, but had been completely annihilated. 'Is the guard named Heukyeong an unexpected master, or were there other guards we didn't know about...?'
For now, it was impossible to tell.
What mattered was that their own situation had become urgent. 'No wonder I felt uneasy from the moment this mission was assigned.'
The Third Master had been skeptical about this request.
Killing a powerful figure who had once been the Prime Minister of a nation.
If things went wrong, it could turn the country upside down.
- "Lord Rim. This mission carries too much risk."
Before coming here, the Third Master had pleaded with Rim, the master and owner of Heukrim.
However, Rim had insisted on accepting the request.
- "…Salmak and Hyeolbang have accepted. We cannot sit idly by."
Salmak, Heukrim, and Hyeolbang.
The assassins of the three major assassin organizations of the martial world were all mobilized for this task.
Cheonyeong had been overly confident, so not everyone had sent their full strength... but they had not sent a weak force either.
After all, the Third Master himself had come to lead the Third Assassin Squad.
- "Third Master, there is no need to worry too much. If things go smoothly, we can quietly return after receiving our reward."
'That is what I hoped for as well... but it seems difficult now.' With Cheonyeong's failure, other assassins would have to step in.
The Third Master sighed and asked his subordinate, "…Is everything ready?"
"All forty members of the ten squads are prepared for deployment."
"What about the movements of Salmak and Hyeolbang?"
"They likely received information similar to ours. Hyeolbang has already moved."
Hearing that Hyeolbang had moved first, the Third Master scoffed.
"Hyeolbang can be ignored. They are just a bunch of useless people with numbers."
Hyeolbang had originally grown into a large organization by accepting murder contracts indiscriminately to survive.
The only reason they were considered one of the three major assassin organizations was due to their size; Heukrim did not regard Hyeolbang as equals.
What the Third Master was concerned about was the other side. "…Who came from Salmak?"
"According to reports, it is Chilsal."
"Chilsal... A significant figure has come."
Although the Third Master had dismissed Hyeolbang as mere lowlifes, his expression hardened when discussing Salmak.
Salmak.
The undisputed strongest assassin group in the martial world.
Even combined, their numbers were just over thirty, but among them, the ten assassins known as Sipsal were said to be capable of assassinating even peak masters.
The current lord of Heukrim had once been one of Salmak's assassins.
"Keep track of Salmak's movements and report regularly."
"Yes."
"Huuh..."
The Third Master sighed and rose from his chair.
Salmak, Heukrim, Hyeolbang.
Though they were collectively referred to as the three major assassin organizations, most martial artists believed the reality was in the order mentioned above.
'Perhaps this is an opportunity for us.' Heukrim's goal was to surpass Salmak and become the top assassin organization in the martial world.
The Third Master recalled Rim's orders.
- "Third Master. If Cheonyeong succeeds as planned, we can quietly return after receiving our reward. But if they fail... it must be Heukrim that takes the Prime Minister's head."
He was instructed to intervene cautiously based on the situation, but if he did, he was to do it properly.
- "Never let others take the target from us."
The rewards promised by the clients for this contract were not just money.
The powerful figures of the imperial palace had promised to lift the bounty placed on Heukrim's assassins and to create several useful forged identities.
Furthermore, since Cheonyeong had been wiped out, they could also assign work to fill their void.
If Heukrim could bring back the Prime Minister's head.
'In the end, the greater the risk, the greater the reward.'
Having organized his thoughts, the Third Master issued orders to the assassins kneeling before him, their dull eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"Go and bring back the Prime Minister's head. As quickly as possible."
The assassins nodded and scattered in all directions.
Paat! Pababat!
At the same time, the assassins of Salmak and Hyeolbang were having similar thoughts.
[Ilho.
Target confirmed.]
[Samhwa.
Target confirmed.]
[Sahwa.
Target confirmed.]
One by one, the reports came in.
Ilho, having confirmed the positions of his team members, sent a message to each of them. [Ilho.
Target confirmed.
Everyone, remain in your current positions.]
"Buy Bing Tang Hu Lu! Sweet and delicious Bing Tang Hu Lu for sale~"
Ilho was a man, but he was currently disguised as a plump middle-aged woman.
Women generally aroused less suspicion, and it was easier to wear loose clothing.
He had hidden dozens of weapons beneath his skirt.
[Target is moving.
Maintain distance.]
"Bing Tang Hu Lu for sale~"
Ilho pulled a small cart and gradually closed the distance to the target.
The assassins, organized into teams of four, moved as one body.
Being an assassin required extreme patience.
The target was always on guard, and strong guards surrounded them, watching closely.
Especially if the target had once been a powerful figure like the Prime Minister...
"Hahaha! It feels good to be outside!"
Even if the target appeared to lack caution, rushing in immediately was the act of an amateur.
If it were the usual Ilho, he would have approached more carefully.
However, recalling the Third Master's command to bring back the Prime Minister's head as quickly as possible, Ilho moved his team faster than usual.
Yet, being amidst a bustling crowd, he judged that the chances of being noticed were much lower than usual.
[Ilho.
High possibility of contact with the target within half a breath.]
[Samhwa.
Arrived at a sniping location.]
[Sahwa.
Encountered an unexpected troublesome guest.
Will handle them within half a breath and then move.]
After confirming all his team members' reports, Ilho issued a command. [We will begin the hunt after half a breath.
From now on, I will signal with a whistle.]
While the reports required individual responses, delivering simple commands was much easier with a whistle.
Whiik!
As Ilho whistled, three responses of "Understood" came back.
Whiik! Whiik! Whiik!
A sound that could not be heard by civilians who had not undergone special auditory training.
A sensitive martial artist might hear it, but without understanding its meaning, it would just be an annoying noise.
'No martial artist would pay attention to a whistle that is hard to hear in such a noisy place.'
The promised half a breath quickly passed.
Spotting the target, Ilho whistled again.
Whi~ik!
After whistling to signal "Wait," he pushed the cart toward the target.
"Bing Tang Hu Lu! Sweet and delicious Bing Tang Hu Lu for sale~"
He saw the target turn their head in his direction.
At the same time, Ilho, who had been showing off his strength from a distance, drew a blade from his mouth, while Samhwa, standing by the window of a building across, discreetly readied a specially made small crossbow.
However, the figure of Sahwa, who had been dealing with the troublesome guest, was nowhere to be seen. 'Looks like he couldn't shake off the nuisance.'
Ilho did not panic.
In an assassination, it was rare for everything to go according to plan.
He smiled warmly and naturally made eye contact with the target.
"Sir~ Would you like to try some Bing Tang Hu Lu? It's very sweet and delicious. Your grandchildren would love it if you bought some for them too!"
"Haha. Bing Tang Hu Lu. I used to enjoy it so much when I was young."
As Gongson Su took out his coin pouch and walked over, Ilho pursed his lips and whistled a long note.
Whiik- 'Prepare for the assassination.'
At that signal, Ilho and Samhwa tensed their bodies, ready to spring into action at any moment.
Ilho took the Bing Tang Hu Lu from the cart and smiled broadly.
"We have both hawthorn and plum fruit. Which one would you like?"
"Of course, I want to try both. Give me two of each."
"Oh, thank you very much."
Bing Tang Hu Lu is a snack made by threading fruit onto bamboo skewers and coating them in syrup.
However, in the hands of an assassin, even a thin bamboo skewer could become a deadly weapon.
"Here…."
Ilho, holding Bing Tang Hu Lu in both hands, approached Gongson Su with a smile.
At the same time, he secretly gathered his internal energy and prepared to whistle.
Whi...
As he was about to blow the whistle, signaling the attack, a sudden voice interrupted.
"Oh my! Sister Bok-soon!"
A woman unexpectedly stepped in between Gongson Su and Ilho.
"Who...?"
Ilho had never seen this woman before.
Bok-soon! He had never used such a silly name.
The woman, flustered, hugged Ilho tightly.
She was a tall, slender beauty with fair skin.
"Sister! It's me, Oki! Don't you remember? You left our hometown ten years ago to make money, and now you're here...!"
Pababat!
In an instant, Ilho's blood vessels were suppressed, and his eyes widened in shock.
The Bing Tang Hu Lu fell to the ground, covered in dirt.
Gongson Su, who had been approaching, stepped back.
He watched the reunion of the two women with a pleased expression.
"Haha. It seems you've met an old acquaintance. Don't mind me, just continue your conversation."
"Oh my. Thank you, sir. It's been ten years since I met my hometown sister. Sister! Let's go to that tea house over there!"
"…."
Ilho blinked in disbelief at the sudden turn of events.
He couldn't even speak due to the pressure on his blood vessels. 'Where is Ilho? Where is Samhwa?'
He looked around but couldn't see them.
Instead, the woman who claimed to be his hometown sister whispered softly in his ear.
"Heukrim? Hyeolbang? It can't be Salmak."
"!!"
That was a low, chilling male voice that sent shivers down his spine.