Chapter 1526 – 1526. Ascent To The Light
I told Cheon Yu-un exactly what I had told the Great Monk of Extinction.
Of course, I changed some parts.
“The monsters that attacked the city. They were the work of the Mookji Alliance.”
“I knew it. Did you see the blonde woman who killed the Supreme Sect Leader of the Jongnam Sect?”
“No. I was in Jongnam City, so I don’t know what happened to the Jongnam Sect. It’s surprising that the woman killed the Supreme Sect Leader. Do you know who she is?”
Cheon Yu-un didn’t answer right away. After a moment of thought, he spoke.
“She’s the master of the Mookji Alliance. The Rakshasa Woman. She’s the woman I must kill to obtain the Mookji Alliance.”
“…Obtain the Mookji Alliance?”
“I’ll explain the details later. How did the task I asked you to do go?”
“If you’re talking about the Jongnam Mountain branch of the Mookji Alliance, I checked it before leaving Jongnam Mountain. They boldly dug a tunnel under Jongnam City. There were no barriers there either. Thanks to that, I was able to enter easily.”
“What was there?”
“Only corpses.”
“…Corpses?”
“Monster corpses that looked like people. Monster corpses that looked like insects. Human corpses that looked like monsters. They were all corpses that had been cut down by swords.”
Cheon Yu-un slowly nodded.
“The Rakshasa Woman must have cleaned up the branch. Who knows about this? Did you tell the Great Monk of Extinction?”
“Cheon Yu-un, I have some sense. I kept quiet about the Mookji Alliance. No one knows except me.”
“Good job.”
“…Are you perhaps thinking of killing me to silence me?”
“That’s a boring joke.”
Cheon Yu-un chuckled. I know. This guy is the type who can abandon his comrades if things go wrong.
“Yeom Gu-seok. I heard you were called the best swordsman of Joseon in Jongnam. What did you mean by that title?”
I was taken aback by his sudden question. I had forgotten, but Cheon Yu-un was a transmigrator. And a Korean transmigrator at that.
“It doesn’t mean anything special. It means I’m a swordsman from the Joseon Sect. It’s a title I made up.”
“Joseon Sect? Was there such a sect?”
“I heard it was a one-person sect. I just heard it in passing.”
“I see.”
He didn’t seem convinced. He would probably investigate it separately.
‘I should tell the Rakshasa Woman to create a sect called the Joseon Sect and manipulate the information. I don’t think I can completely fool him… but since the war is right around the corner, Cheon Yu-un won’t be able to dig too deep.’
I changed the subject and said to him.
“Cheon Yu-un, what are you planning to do with the Mookji Alliance? Are you going to report the existence of the Mookji Alliance to the higher-ups?”
The moment Cheon Yu-un reports the Mookji Alliance to the Heavenly Demon Sect, the Mookji Alliance will disappear from this world. The Rakshasa Woman would also be killed by the armed forces dispatched by the Heavenly Demon Sect.
“I won’t. That’s the worst option.”
Cheon Yu-un said firmly.
The beginning of the Mookji Alliance was Cheon Yu-un. I don’t know how he met the Rakshasa Woman, but that fact was certain. The Mookji Alliance grew rapidly in the shadows, and now it has become one of the top organizations in the shadows. Cheon Yu-un’s influence still remains strong in the Mookji Alliance. If the Mookji Alliance collapses, Cheon Yu-un, who is connected to it, will also be in trouble.
“I need to set a trap. Kill the Rakshasa Woman and take the Mookji Alliance completely into my hands. It would be good during the war. That way, the Rakshasa Woman will also be off guard….”
Cheon Yu-un muttered. The fact that he was doing this in front of me meant that he trusted me. To be precise, he trusted the Yeom Gu-seok from the original story that he knew. Because the Yeom Gu-seok from the original story was a supporting character who kept his loyalty and faithfulness to the end.
“What do you want me to do?”
Cheon Yu-un paused for a moment before speaking.
“I’m thinking of getting you into the Mookji Alliance through my recommendation.”
“Into the Mookji Alliance? I’m a member of the Extinction Squad. The war is right around the corner. I don’t have time to join the Mookji Alliance.”
“There is time. Because the internal reorganization won’t be finished in an instant. You go into the Mookji Alliance, show your abilities, and gain their trust as quickly as possible. I’ll push you, so it won’t be difficult.”
“The Rakshasa Woman will be wary of me.”
“That woman tries to use anyone who is capable. There’s a high chance she’ll try to recruit you. At that time, pretend you don’t know. If you give the Rakshasa Woman information about me, you can gain some trust.”
“……And?”
“Later. When the time comes, I will call the Rakshasa Woman. I’ll need your help then.”
“Understood.”
A conspiracy is swirling.
And I was at the center of the conspiracy.
***
The audit of the Underworld Squad was over.
I passed the audit without difficulty, and I immediately received a mission and left the Heavenly Demon Sect.
Normally, it was rare for individual missions to be assigned in this chaotic atmosphere. It was possible because Cheon Yu-un had pulled some strings.
Soyong City, a city 50 days away from the Heavenly Demon Sect.
Soyong City, which was located along a river, was a glamorous city. Thanks to its location along the river, it had quickly accumulated wealth through trade with other cities.
I entered the city. No one stopped me. Soyong City was a city that welcomed travelers. It was open, perhaps because it was in the territory of the Heavenly Demon Sect but far away from it.
‘It’s too open, that’s the problem. It’s easy for spies to infiltrate.’
My mission had three parts.
First, to purge the Heavenly Demon Sect branch located here. The corruption of this branch was too severe. So much so that I, a member of the Extinction Squad, had to come to this city myself.
Second, to find and eliminate the spies hiding in the city. My spatial pouch contained a list given to me by the Underworld Squad. I just had to find the guys on the list and kill them.
Third, to blockade the city. I would manage the city until the new city manager arrived.
I was walking through the city streets when I stopped. There were beings that didn’t fit in with the glamorous city.
They were beggars.
Clothes that were no different from rags, disheveled hair, skin covered in black grime, and a stench that made one frown. They were beggars, common in any city. The beggars were leaning against the wall, sitting listlessly.
The beggars were young. At most, they looked to be in their late 20s. Their limbs were intact. Yet, they were living as beggars.
As I stared at him, he made the most pitiful expression he could and begged with both hands.
“Just a coin… just one coin, sir…. I’m so hungry….”
His voice sounded like he was dying. If you looked down a little more, you could see a begging bowl. There were three coins in the dented, rusty bowl.
I kicked the bowl.
The bowl rolled across the ground and flew far away. The three coins rolled on the ground with a clattering sound.
“……”
“……”
The beggar with a bewildered expression looked up at me, and I looked down at the beggar with a blank face.
“S-Sir, did I do something wrong…?”
“……”
“I was wrong! Please forgive me! I’ll beg like this! Please forgive me!”
The beggar slammed his head into the ground. The top of his head was visible. Small, white bugs were crawling around in his black hair. The beggar’s bowing was irritating.
The beggar bowed to me several times. But when I didn’t react, he started to move, looking around. He picked up the three coins that had fallen on the ground and his old bowl. I followed the beggar.
The beggar, who had come to the middle of the street, looked around and pointed at me.
“That’s a suspicious guy! A suspicious guy is following me! Please save me! Please!”
He had used his head quite well.
In broad daylight, in the middle of a street where hundreds of people were passing by, he was causing a commotion. Most people would run away because they were afraid of the attention. Even if that wasn’t the case, there would be chivalrous people with hot air in their lungs who would try to save him. Because gathering attention also meant an opportunity to gain fame.
I kicked the beggar’s joint.
Crack!
With a crisp sound, the beggar’s right calf was crushed.
“Aaaaaaaah!”
The beggar fell to the ground and screamed.
I stepped on the beggar’s left knee with my foot. It broke easily when I applied force. Next was his right arm and left arm.
“Save me! Haa! Please save me! Someone, someone please…! My arms and legs won’t move! Save me, please save me!”
“……”
But no one helped him.
The onlookers were watching the situation with fear, but also with gleaming eyes. Of course, there were a few people among them who were sane.
“Shouldn’t we help that person?”
“You. You haven’t lived enough of your life yet. Can’t you see the sword hanging from the waist of that man wearing the black robe? That’s a matter for the martial world. Matters of the martial world are for martial artists to handle. It’s not something we should get involved in.”
“Still, shouldn’t we inform the soldiers of the Heavenly Demon Sect?”
“You go inform them. And you take responsibility for the aftermath.”
“……”
The young man closed his mouth.
I watched the beggar. He was wriggling. He was trying to get away from me as much as possible with a face full of fear. His face was covered in snot and tears.
“You’re not a beggar, you’re like a bug.”
I put my foot on the beggar’s back. The beggar was terrified.
“P-Please save me! Why are you doing this to me, sir!”
“I know you’re a beggar from the Beggar Clan. There must be a branch leader-level beggar. Tell me where he is. Then I’ll kill you peacefully.”
“I, I’m not affiliated with the Beggar Clan! I don’t have the knots that the beggars of the Beggar Clan have!”
“I heard that beggars of the Beggar Clan who haven’t learned martial arts are called knotless beggars. Did you think I wouldn’t know that?”
The beggars of the Beggar Clan wear knots on their waists. A beggar who has just learned martial arts is a one-knot beggar, a branch leader-level beggar has five knots, an elder-level beggar has seven knots, and the clan leader is famous for having nine knots.
“It’s really not true! I have nothing to do with the Beggar Clan!”
“You don’t want to die easily, do you? The beggars of the Beggar Clan are amazing. I’ll let you experience what bone-crushing is.”
“No!! It’s not!!”
I flicked my finger, putting a moderate amount of internal energy into it. The internal energy pressed on the acupoints.
Thud!
The beggar’s shoulder exploded. Blood, flesh, and bone fragments splattered.
“…Tsk.”
I failed to control my power. It was a mistake caused by my lack of experience in using finger flicking to hit acupoints. The beggar died from shock.
I took out a chair from my spatial pouch and sat down.
“Attention.”
I spoke softly, putting internal energy into my voice. Tense gazes gathered on me.
I pointed at a young man. It was the young man who had said earlier that we should help the beggar. The people around the pointed young man hurriedly backed away, creating distance. The young man’s legs were shaking like he was doing a crab dance.
“Go to the Heavenly Demon Sect branch and tell them. Yeom Gu-seok, the Lightning Blade of the 6th Extinction Squad, has arrived, so blockade the city right now.”
“Ah, th-that….”
“Run right now.”
“Yes, yes!”
The young man started to run. I watched the people around me. They were looking at the retreating young man’s back with envy.
I took out a money bag from my spatial pouch. When I opened the money bag, silver coins poured out.
“Bring me the beggar bastards hiding in this city. I’ll give you 50 silver coins per head.”
For reference, the average person’s monthly income is 5 silver coins. 50 silver coins. You can earn 10 months’ worth of money by catching beggars.
Greed was burning in people’s eyes. The saying “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush” exists for a reason. These guys were blinded by the money piled up in front of them.
“Here! I caught a beggar here! He was loitering nearby!”
A burly man reeking of alcohol grabbed a beggar by the back of the neck and approached me. The burly man was trash, but there were traces of him having learned martial arts.
I stood up from my seat and stepped on the beggar’s leg as I spoke.
“Good job. You were the first to catch a beggar, so I’ll give you an extra 50 coins. Take 100 coins!”
“Really?!”
“Take it yourself.”
“I’ll take exactly 100 coins! Thank you, sir!”
The burly man quickly took the money. A smile appeared on the burly man’s face.
“With this money, I can pay off my debts and still have some left over…. B-But sir. If I catch another beggar, will you still give me money?”
“I will. It’s 50 coins per head. If you catch ten, it’s 500 coins.”
“Hahaha! The god of wealth! The god of wealth has descended upon me! Wait a moment! I’ll go catch some beggars for you!”
The burly man laughed heartily and ran somewhere. A few people who had been watching the situation looked around and then ran.
I continued my interrogation, stepping on the arm of the beggar who was lying on the ground.
“Spit out the information about the Beggar Clan. How many beggars from the Beggar Clan are there in this city? Where is the branch leader?”
