Chapter 776 – 776. The Ascent To Light
776. The Ascent to Light
“…Oh ho. You’ve figured out my identity. I knew you weren’t ordinary, but you’re more capable than I thought. Did Jong-woo tell you?”
“What do you think?”
“Do you even need to ask? Of course, Jong-woo wouldn’t have said anything. That guy is tight-lipped. Excessively so.”
“Yes, you’re right.”
I had tried to sow discord, but judging by the atmosphere, it wouldn’t work at all. I immediately revised my plan.
“Is the reason you’re hiding your identity and working with Shin Jong-woo because you’ve lost your power?”
“……”
Dun Mok-jeong closed his mouth. He observed me with his sunken eyes. He was probably busy racking his brain.
Would he deny my words? Or would he affirm them?
“…How did you know?”
“Isn’t it strange that the infamous Shadowless Thief is staying in the Namgung Clan with Shin Jong-woo? Even after finding out your information, I was suspicious for a while. I couldn’t believe that the Shadowless Thief would be openly staying in the Namgung Clan with a young punk.”
“So, you deduced that I’ve lost my power?”
“Yes. The first reason is that you, standing before me, seem weaker than me, which is different from the enormous reputation of the Shadowless Thief.”
“There’s a saying in the martial world: be wary of women, children, and the elderly.”
“I’ve been sufficiently wary and came to that conclusion. And the second reason is that you can’t subdue me right now.”
“The third reason?”
“If you hadn’t lost your power, you wouldn’t be working with Shin Jong-woo.”
“…Hmm. Fine. You’re right. I’ve currently lost my power. I’m weaker than you. But don’t look down on me. I can still kill someone like you even in my weakened state.”
That was a bluff.
If he truly had the power to kill me, he wouldn’t have said such things.
“I’ll say it one more time. I have no intention of fighting you.”
“What’s your purpose in finding me without revealing my identity to the Namgung Clan? You must want something, right?”
“Hehe. Isn’t there only one thing to want from the Shadowless Thief?”
The Shadowless Thief’s reputation was high.
The Shadowless Thief, who appeared in the world 30 years ago, was said to have roamed the world, stealing all sorts of treasures. The inner core of the golden phoenix, secret martial arts manuals, jade bigger than a head. The Shadowless Thief was said to have hidden all of those things in a vault.
It was a rumor that could be heard anywhere in the world.
And the Shadowless Thief’s actions were real, not just rumors. The Jin Empire had placed a bounty of 20,000 gold coins on the Shadowless Thief’s head. For reference, one gold coin was roughly equivalent to ten million won in Korean currency. That meant the bounty on his head was 200 billion won.
‘So many high-ranking officials were robbed by the Shadowless Thief that such a huge bounty was placed.’
And because of this enormous bounty, the rumors about the Shadowless Thief gained credibility, and people began to believe them. In some places, the Shadowless Thief was even considered a god, not a human, and revered.
“Huh…. You believe those absurd rumors too?”
“Don’t you?”
“There’s no such thing as the Shadowless Thief’s vault. Why would I put the things I stole in a warehouse? I sold the jewels, and I gave the martial arts manuals to my friends. Elixirs? Elixirs often go to waste if you save them, so of course, I ate them. Let me give you some advice, young man. Don’t save elixirs.”
“…Well, I’ll take that advice loosely.”
The Shadowless Thief’s vault exists.
Because it did in the original story. I also know its location. However, this world is a bit different from the world of ‘Otherworld Heavenly Demon,’ so the place I know might not be it.
“Still, you must have stashed away a few things, right? Surely, you don’t really have nothing? That’s quite disappointing.”
“…Hehe. It’s hard to take too many elixirs. As you said, I’ve stashed away a few.”
“I want those stashed things.”
“In the end, it’s a threat.”
Dun Mok-jeong gripped his dagger tightly. A bluish sword aura formed on the blade of the dagger.
“I don’t associate with robbers.”
“I don’t think a thief should be saying that.”
“Don’t underestimate me. I’m the one who survived after stealing from the Emperor. Do you think I’d be defeated by the likes of you?”
“How many times do I have to say that I have no intention of fighting?”
“I have no intention of sharing my things with you.”
“But you’re sharing with Shin Jong-woo? No, you’re just unilaterally using Shin Jong-woo, so there’s no need to share, I guess.”
“…You’ve given me more reason to kill you here.”
I felt a dense killing intent. My breath hitched. Even if he was weakened, his accumulated experience was still there.
“Let’s make a deal. I’ll help you instead of Shin Jong-woo.”
“……”
“I can do better than Shin Jong-woo. I’m the son-in-law of the Namgung Clan, and I have skills comparable to Shin Jong-woo. Connections, wealth, martial arts. Overall, I’m more suitable than Shin Jong-woo.”
“That’s certainly true. But you won’t do. You don’t know why I lost my power. Once you find out the reason, you’ll try to run away.”
“You mean the betrayal of the Black Dragon Lord.”
“How?!!”
Dun Mok-jeong’s eyes widened. He was so surprised that the killing intent that had filled the space disappeared, and he even took a step back.
“Hehe. I’m more capable than you think. Has your mind changed a little now?”
The flustered Dun Mok-jeong quickly regained his composure.
“Yes. It has changed.”
He gritted his teeth, bent his knees, and took a fighting stance.
“I realized that it would never end well if I joined hands with you! Unlike Shin Jong-woo, you’re the kind of person I can’t control. I will definitely kill you here!”
His voice was filled with anger, but his actions were cautious. He was slowly closing the distance between us.
I drew my Fire Lotus Dagger. A blue sword aura flickered on the red blade.
“Are you really going to do this? You and I could be good allies.”
“Allies? Do I look stupid enough to fall for such words?”
Dun Mok-jeong came closer. Before his dagger could fly, I opened my mouth first.
“Xinjiang. The Duanmu Family. The back mountain. Duanmu Soha.”
“You…!”
Dun Mok-jeong’s concentration wavered. I didn’t miss that opening.
‘Flash.’
With the first flash, I instantly approached him.
‘Flash.’
With the second flash, I slashed Dun Mok-jeong’s abdomen.
‘Flash.’
With the third flash, I cut off his right arm holding the dagger and grabbed Dun Mok-jeong’s head as he fell.
“Keuk, how, how did you know that information…. What are you…!”
Dun Mok-jeong didn’t die immediately. He had the reputation of the Shadowless Thief, so it would be strange if he died instantly just from having his lower body and arm cut off.
“Judging by your reaction, the Shadowless Thief’s vault must be on the back mountain of the Duanmu family.”
Dun Mok-jeong’s real name is Duanmu Jeong. There are only two people in the world who know that truth. Duanmu Jeong and his granddaughter, Duanmu Soha. Duanmu Jeong is officially a dead man.
The Duanmu family is in Xinjiang, and the Shadowless Thief’s vault is on the back mountain of the Duanmu family. Fortunately, this setting is the same as in the original story.
“Soha…! What did you do to Soha!”
“I didn’t do anything. Not yet. Hehe.”
“You, you, you…!”
He squeezed out his last bit of energy and swung his left arm. His fingers twisted, and his nails grew long and sharp like a beast’s. It was the Shadowless Thief’s trump card from the original story. If you were touched by that hand, your heart would be stolen.
‘I already predicted your last struggle.’
I calmly swung my sword. Dun Mok-jeong’s left arm was cut off and fell to the ground.
“……If I had accepted your offer, were you really planning to help me?”
“I would have used you appropriately and then killed you.”
Dun Mok-jeong tried to open his mouth wide. He was trying to call for help.
‘Flash.’
I stabbed my sword into Dun Mok-jeong’s neck, beheading him. With that, Dun Mok-jeong was definitely dead. I took out a box from my inventory, roughly put Dun Mok-jeong inside, and put it back into my inventory.
Before leaving, I also cleaned up the blood on the floor with magic. The Namgung Clan would be in an uproar due to Dun Mok-jeong’s sudden disappearance.
‘If the body is found, things will get too big. It’ll become a murder case in the Namgung Clan. Disappearance is better.’
Using the Illusionist, I made my body transparent and returned to the detached residence, hiding my presence as much as possible. Since I had erased all traces, there was no way I would be discovered.
•••
A week after Dun Mok-jeong’s disappearance.
Namgung Rin, Shin Jong-woo, and I left the Namgung Clan. Unlike before, Namgung Rin didn’t hide her appearance, drawing the attention of the people. Of course, no one didn’t know Namgung Rin’s identity. It wasn’t just her face, but the word “Namgung” was openly written on the clothes she was wearing.
We were heading to a forest outside Anhui Province. It was a forest where a certain eccentric sorcerer was said to reside. Namgung Rin and I were following him under the guise of helping Shin Jong-woo.
“……Shin So-hyeop.”
Namgung Rin called out to Shin Jong-woo. He slowly looked at Namgung Rin.
“Rin So-jeo. What is it?”
“Ever since Dun Mok-jeong went missing, you seem on edge. Are you alright?”
“……He’s not the type to disappear without a word, so it’s a bit shocking. Maybe…. No. That’s a slip of the tongue. Dun Mok-jeong is a seasoned martial artist. He probably had some reason to leave us. I can roughly guess what that reason is.”
Shin Jong-woo walked ahead, trudging along. I looked at his back and fell into thought. If he didn’t get any results from the sorcerer we were meeting today, he would leave Anhui Province tomorrow or the day after.
‘Should I kill him before that? Or should I kill him when he leaves? Maybe it’s better to secretly follow him and kill him when he leaves?’
It was a difficult decision.
‘Why did I come with Namgung Rin to follow Shin Jong-woo today? If a good opportunity arises, let’s kill him today. While letting Namgung Rin know who her master is.’
As he walked, Shin Jong-woo asked Namgung Rin.
“Rin So-jeo. The answer to the question I asked before. Can I hear it today?”
The question he had asked before was whether she would leave Anhui Province with him.
Namgung Rin glanced at me once and then answered.
“……I’m sorry, Shin So-hyeop. The reason I left the clan was to find a cure for Seol-yi. Now that I’ve found that method, there’s no reason for me to leave the clan. Even if I wanted to leave, the clan wouldn’t allow it.”
“I see.”
Shin Jong-woo answered plainly.
“I’m sorry.”
“There’s no need to apologize. Actually, I expected that answer. Even so, the reason I asked was….”
“The reason you asked was…?”
“…It’s nothing.”
Shin Jong-woo answered emotionlessly and only stared ahead. His pace quickened. It was a good thing. I made sure there was no one else around and reached out to fondle Namgung Rin’s butt.
Namgung Rin flinched but didn’t push my hand away. As expected, it was a bouncy and nice butt.
We entered the forest.
“Ugh.”
I let out a small groan. My body felt heavy. Namgung Rin also seemed to be the same, slightly staggering. Only Shin Jong-woo was fine.
“It’s a barrier. It seems we’ve come to the right place. How are you two?”
“…It’s a bit stuffy, but I’m okay.”
“I’m fine too.”
Namgung Rin and I answered.
“From here on, I can go alone.”
“No, Shin So-hyeop. This might be the last time, so I’ll help you until the end.”
“It’s nothing much.”
We started walking again. As time passed, we got used to it, and the stuffiness disappeared.
Flap.
A pigeon flew towards us from the sky. It was strange. Usually, small animals like pigeons would avoid people. We stopped walking and looked up at the pigeon.
The pigeon sitting on a tree branch opened its mouth.
“What business do you have in this forest? There is a lady of the Namgung family, but it doesn’t seem like you’ve come as a representative of the Namgung family.”
A deep, solemn voice echoed, different from the cute appearance of the pigeon.
The Hidden Bird Master.
A sorcerer who lived quietly in the forest near Anhui Province. The person who controlled pigeons with magic was definitely the Hidden Bird Master.
“We came to ask the Hidden Bird Master something.”
“To me?”
“My name is Shin Jong-woo. I’ve been searching for answers by visiting renowned sorcerers.”
Shin Jong-woo bowed respectfully.
“Oh ho. You’ve piqued my interest. The fact that you’ve come to me means that all the sorcerers you’ve met before couldn’t answer your question. Am I right?”
“…Yes. None of them could answer.”
“What is your question?”
“It’s a question about other worlds. I want to go to another world.”
“…Haha. Are you talking about outside the Jin Empire?”
“I’m not talking about outside the Jin Empire, nor am I talking about heaven or hell. I’m talking about a world that is literally different from this world.”
“……Indeed. I feel like talking to you. Follow this pigeon.”
The pigeon flew into the sky.
And then, an arrow flew from afar, piercing its body, scattering blood, and falling to the ground. A frustrated voice came from the pigeon’s mouth.
“Damn it… an intruder….”
A gray aura flowed out of the pigeon’s body and disappeared into the air.
