Chapter 396 – The Preparation is Over (2)
This woman looks like she might burst if I poke her with a needle.
From the way she’s blatantly showing her guard up like a hedgehog, it seems like Hwangbo Hyosun is worried that I might do something to her.
“Of course, I will, but not right now.”
No Heebang is watching from behind, and I haven’t told Mong-ah anything yet. Why would I stir up trouble in this situation?
Feeling unjustly accused by her gaze, I turned my eyes away and followed No Heebang’s suggestion to sit down.
“You don’t seem to have any injuries. Did you experience any other difficulties?”
“Only my upper body feels a bit sore. I had to come here without asking for help, so I suffered a bit.”
No Heebang chuckled at my response. It seemed like he understood that nothing had happened.
But then, I was a bit surprised when he lowered his head.
“I’m sorry. Kang Sohyup experienced a dangerous situation due to the lack of investigation in the main room.”
“It’s okay. They weren’t someone we could have identified through an investigation.”
“…Seeing Sohyup say that, it seems that Buntaeju was mistaken.”
“Yes.”
From there, I told him in detail about what I had seen. Especially after the disappearance of the Yangsan dog.
“In the end, it all comes down to that person. The unknown masked high school girl… Her martial arts skills are at their peak, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Then, did Sohyup see anything strange that he thought was off…?”
There was something.
I managed to get through last night’s attack somehow, but I couldn’t sleep comfortably because I didn’t know what would happen next.
I had various thoughts that came to mind during that time.
‘But why do I feel like she’s still suspicious of me?’
Maybe it’s because she already suspected me once, but her gaze felt like she was exploring whether there was anything suspicious about me when this incident happened.
‘Well, it doesn’t matter as long as I can use this to my advantage.’
“There was a woman who wore a deer mask among the people who attacked Fahrenheit before, do you know about her?”
“I’ve heard of her. I heard that she’s an amazing martial artist.”
“The mask I saw yesterday looked similar to the deer mask she wore. And the subordinates who used the swordsmanship also used the same technique.”
“Hmm… Then there’s no doubt that they’re on the same side. But if they have similar masks… Does that mean they’re on equal footing?”
Translated by: @jihyosdesk on Twitter
“Well, I’m not sure either.”
It might seem reasonable to think that way in general, but the difference in martial arts skills between the two is too great.
Perhaps the martial arts of the woman behind the mask are higher than mine, but they are incomparable to the level of the ultimate peak.
Of course, it’s not easy to say that the hierarchy of all groups in the martial arts world is determined solely by martial arts, but it’s not entirely irrelevant either.
“Moreover, the martial arts they used were unusual.”
“Unusual… According to Buntaeju, that person uses the Snake Shadow Swordsmanship?”
“Snake Shadow Swordsmanship?”
“Oh, it’s a temporary name we gave it. It’s hard to distinguish it from other swordsmanship just by calling it ‘that swordsmanship’.”
I don’t know who came up with it, but it seems like a name that someone who actually fought against it would give it. It was definitely a swordsmanship that made the snake move silently.
“Anyway, what’s the problem with that?”
“Well, it’s hard to say that it’s a significant problem. We’ve had several clashes with them so far, but there hasn’t been anyone among those strong enough to use the Snake Shadow Swordsmanship… That’s all.”
Usually, there are first-class or second-class martial artists. There were of course some ultimate masters, but they could never escape from the lower level.
The higher-level masters all had their own unique martial arts, and each one was not inferior to the martial arts of the major martial arts schools. But this woman behind the mask broke that rule.
“Hmm… After consulting with some of the swordsmanship masters and experts, we found that the Snake Shadow Swordsmanship is not a normal swordsmanship. It has a fairly deep understanding of martial arts theory, but it is overly well-organized and rigid.”
“What does that mean…?”
“It means that it’s not about adjusting the swordsmanship to the person, but about the person becoming the one who fits the swordsmanship. It’s a completely different story from the qualities of a normal martial artist…”
No Heebang said that such a swordsmanship is good for achieving short-term results, but once you hit a wall, it’s almost impossible to break through. It’s a swordsmanship designed to use the user.
“Then there are two possibilities. The woman I met is the most suitable person for that swordsmanship so far, or…”
“There is a secret technique that should not be revealed to others, one of the two.”
“I think the latter is more likely.”
Actually, if it’s the former, there’s no room for further thought. It would be enough to conclude that there is one master who has deeply studied the swordsmanship of the Eunryunhui.
But if it’s the latter?
‘If she’s proficient in martial arts, we can narrow down the range of the secret technique she’s learning.’
From what I could tell, the woman was undoubtedly a master of swordsmanship.
If she could display that level of swordsmanship while primarily using other martial arts, she could have easily subdued me with her original style.
A female master who primarily used a sword, and had expertise in a well-known martial art.
Just that much narrowed down the search range significantly. I’m not sure about the Saparang, but the Jeongpa would probably have around twenty or so even if they caught all of them. If the Munpa was also identified, there would be at most three or four.
Assuming that the number of ultimate masters in the Jeongsapa was similar to the current state, there would be around forty. It’s not a small number, but it’s not a lot either, considering that the target is someone in a relatively high position within the Eunryunhui.
And since she appeared at Yongunsangdan, it’s highly likely that she’s a member of the Gupa…
“It would have been dangerous if she had been caught.”
Even if I didn’t know, I don’t think they would have let her go easily. At the very least, it would have been kidnapping and confinement, and in the worst case, she might have been killed…
“What’s dangerous?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Even I’m making a wicked plan to overturn the entire gang, so if I thought my identity was going to be revealed, I wouldn’t just sit there and do nothing.”
“Oh… I didn’t hear wrong, did I?”
Wait, who just asked that?
As soon as I turned my head to the voice that sounded strangely sunny, I wanted to blame myself for what I just said.
“Situation, I mean…”
“No, no. Even if you don’t organize it, I can understand the situation just by listening to the story.”
Mong-ah’s eyes, which were lightly waving her hand, were not smiling at all.
The only thing Mong-ah ever asked of me, even though she said it was okay for me to make a deal with the devil or betray her.
My heart sank.
Because No Heebang was confident that it wouldn’t be too difficult, Mong-ah didn’t oppose him going into enemy territory.
Maybe that’s why…
“Oh my god, Bang-ju! Something terrible has happened! Right now, Kang So-hyeop is facing an incredible master…”
As soon as the voice of the Yangsan dog, who was blabbering without any sense of urgency, reached my ears, I felt like the sky turned yellow and the ground crumbled beneath my feet.
An incredible master? How strong? Is he dangerous?
Again?
Is it because of me? Because I accepted him?
When she came to her senses, she realized that a considerable amount of time had passed since Hwangbo Hyosun had left.
She had followed him, but when she met him near Yongunsangdan, she had no choice but to believe that he was safe and return.
But she had been plagued by a sense of unease all night, and it wasn’t until today that she was able to confirm his safety and completely put her mind at ease.
“But what? It would have been dangerous if she had been caught?”
Of course, she knew what he meant. It meant that she had realized that it was more dangerous than she thought, rather than not knowing the danger.
But when she recalled his calm tone, Mong-ah became angry.
“I was worried sick, and he doesn’t even know what I was thinking!”
Mong-ah pounded the bed in frustration. She had stayed up all night worrying yesterday, and tonight she seemed to be staying up all night venting her anger.
Knock, knock.
But that wasn’t the case.
Mong-ah briefly wondered who it could be as she got up from the bed and headed to the door.
“Are you asleep, Mong-ah?”
“…”
The voice that followed confirmed her thoughts.
Of course, there might be other reasons why he came, but if that were the case, he would have come before it got dark.
Mong-ah immediately opened the door roughly, intending to dismiss him.
“What brings you here at this late hour? Don’t waste my time…”
She was about to say “go in and sleep,” but when she saw him, she was speechless. His demeanor was definitely unusual.
“Did you come all the way here for that?”
“Well… to be honest, not really… I just happened to be passing by.”
Squelch.
Just then, a door opened on the main building of the inn, and someone came out. They were too far away to be seen or felt, but it was different from Mong-ah’s perspective.
“Come in first. Even if someone sees us…”
“It’s okay. We won’t be seen anyway.”
“Hurry up!”
Mong-ah forgot her initial intention to chase him away and forcibly pushed him into the room, grabbing his wrist and closing the door.
“What’s that? Take it off quickly.”
Although the man’s demeanor wasn’t particularly strange, he had something strange hanging around his neck.
It was a flat, square piece of wood with a string attached to both ends, and the writing on the wood contained a clear and pathetic message.
Fortunately, there was no room for misunderstanding, but Mong-ah found it difficult to understand the confident and shameless man’s thoughts even in such a pathetic state.
