The ambush by the mercenary group had failed.
Of the eighty mercenaries, only about sixty returned, and a significant number of the Human Sword Corps' masters were also missing.
“Hmm.” The returning members of the Human Sword Corps and the mercenaries looked at Bu Eunseol’s group, who were resting unscathed, with displeased expressions.
Mun Kwang felt the same.
They’re mercenaries we didn’t even pay for… I can’t exactly complain. As he suppressed his frustration, a bald man with a large axe slung over his shoulder stormed toward Bu Eunseol, fuming.
He was Jo Cheonsan, the leader of the third group, known as the Blood-Crying Axe.
“Living the good life, huh?” Jo Cheonsan spat on the rock Namgung Un was leaning against, clearly looking for a fight. “Is this why you didn’t take payment? To sit back and watch others die?” His bloodshot eyes glared as he continued, “If you’re sold as a mercenary, shouldn’t you fight? Why are you lounging around like you’re at a market stall?”
“What kind of nonsense is that?” Namgung Un shot back. “That Mun fellow told us to guard this place, and we did!”
“Guard? Like a dog? While others are dying out there?”
“A dog?” Namgung Un sprang to his feet, ready to retort, but Black Leopard grabbed his hands.
“Young Master, please calm down,” Black Leopard urged.
“Calm down? We fought like hell yesterday—” Namgung Un was about to shout but stopped. Black Leopard’s expression was too grim, too pleading.
“He’s grieving the loss of his comrades,” Black Leopard whispered.
Even mercenaries sold for money had camaraderie. Jo Cheonsan was in pain, unable to bear it without blaming someone.
“Please, Young Master, endure it,” Black Leopard pleaded softly.
Namgung Un clamped his mouth shut. “Fine. I’ll drop it.”
Suppressing his anger, he turned away and sat back down.
At that moment, Mun Kwang stepped forward and addressed the mercenaries. “The failure of this ambush is entirely my fault.” With a pained expression, he lowered his head. “The Blade Tyrant Sect saw through our movements and plans, including the ambush.”
Raising his head, he scanned the mercenaries and the Human Sword Corps. “The sect has ordered us to abandon the ambush and return. But I will face them head-on once more.”
A mercenary with a greatsword on his back stepped forward. “No matter how I look at it, that’s a bad idea. It’s like asking us to die gloriously.” Another man with a hoarse voice added, “He’s right. There’s a strange formation around that manor. Unless we break through it, we’ll die before we even get inside.”
The ambush had failed not only because of the assassins’ numbers but also due to the formation laid at the manor’s entrance.
Mun Kwang bit his lip. “I’ll double the reward you’ve already received!” But the mercenaries’ expressions remained cold. Even for those sold for money, no one wanted to die in a hopeless battle.
“A formation, huh,” Bu Eunseol, who had been listening silently, finally spoke. “We’ll dismantle it.”
“What?” Mun Kwang’s eyes widened.
Pointing at Namgung Un, Bu Eunseol said, “He’s an expert in breaking formations. No matter what’s laid out, he can unravel it easily.”
Namgung Un’s jaw dropped. Since when was he an expert in formations?
Flustered, he waved his hands, but Mun Kwang rushed over and grabbed his shoulders. “Is that true?” His eyes burned with fervent hope and expectation.
“No, I—” Namgung Un started to shake his head, but Bu Eunseol answered confidently, “Of course.”
“Then, if you break the formation, I’ll triple your reward!” Mun Kwang exclaimed, nodding vigorously.
Bu Eunseol shook his head. “No need for payment.”
“No payment? Why not?” Bu Eunseol only gave a faint smile, and Mun Kwang clamped his mouth shut. That smile seemed like the grin of a dark reaper in the endless night.
“Understood,” Mun Kwang said, turning away with a reluctant expression.
***
Blade Family Manor.
A dilapidated manor deep in the forests of Sangyang Mountain, it was only accessible by climbing a narrow, winding path through dense bamboo groves, making it a natural fortress.
Bu Eunseol, Black Leopard, and Namgung Un moved swiftly up the steep path using their movement techniques.
“This will be tough,” Namgung Un said, nodding as he studied the narrow path leading to the manor. “There’s a formation on the only route to the manor. And it’s not a simple one—it’s like the Heavenly Twenty-Four Formation of the Divine Maiden Palace, with mechanisms and hidden weapon traps galore.”
Despite his reputation as a wastrel, Namgung Un had received an elite education in the Namgung family, including not only swordsmanship but also poetry, calligraphy, painting, and formations.
“A formation of this level is designed to slaughter at least hundreds of masters,” he continued. “There’s no way we can break it with our numbers.”
Bu Eunseol replied calmly, “We don’t need to break it.”
“Didn’t you just boast to that Mun fellow that we’d dismantle it?”
“I meant we don’t need to dismantle the formation to enter the manor.”
“What does that mean?” Namgung Un asked.
Bu Eunseol stared at him. “Didn’t you just say this formation is designed to annihilate a large number of people?”
“Well, yes.”
“Then, conversely, the ambush failed because they brought too many people, perfectly matching the formation’s design.”
“I’m not following,” Namgung Un said, shaking his head.
Bu Eunseol’s eyes glinted. “What if just one person enters?”
“Well, since it’s a formation meant to kill large groups, it probably wouldn’t use all its mechanisms.”
Sensing something ominous, Namgung Un quickly added, “But that’s just a theory, isn’t it?”
“We’ll know if one person tries,” Bu Eunseol said.
“Haha, who’d be crazy enough to enter a formation that could slaughter hundreds alone?” Bu Eunseol fixed Namgung Un with a deep, unwavering gaze.
Feeling a chill, Namgung Un stepped back, forcing a smile. “You’re not talking about me, are you?”
Without answering, Bu Eunseol turned to Black Leopard. “Wait here. When the manor’s gate opens, fire a signal flare. The mercenaries and Heavenly Tremor Sect masters waiting below will come.”
“Understood,” Black Leopard replied.
The mercenary group had set a condition: they would engage only if Bu Eunseol’s group cleared the path by dismantling the formation.
“Brother Seol, are you serious? You’re sending me in alone?” Namgung Un asked.
“Didn’t you say you wanted martial world experience?”
“Yes, but not a tour of hell!” Sweating coldly, Namgung Un shook his head. “If I wanted to die, there are easier ways. Why choose something so complicated?”
When no response came, Namgung Un’s eyes lost focus. “Brother Seol, you know the Valley’s assassins fillet their victims, right? They love dual short swords for slicing flesh.”
“I see,” Bu Eunseol said.
“So, I’m not going in.”
As Namgung Un stepped back, Bu Eunseol’s lips curled slightly. “Scared?”
“What?”
“Are you scared?” Bu Eunseol repeated.
Scared.
That word was like a spell that triggered Namgung Un’s outburst.
“Damn it! Who said I’m scared? I’m just saying!” Gripping his Golden Needle Sword, he bared his teeth. “Watch and see if I’m scared or not!”
Like a boar charging through a wildfire, he rushed headlong up the steep path to the Blade Family Manor.
Whoosh!
As soon as he entered the path, dozens of steel needles rained from both sides and above.
Normally, Namgung Un would have deflected them all to show off his swordsmanship. But, tempered by past experience, he had shed such theatrics. Crouching low, he sprinted forward, dodging the barrage.
Whirr! Thud!
Suddenly, trees and boulders fell from above like a meteor shower.
What’s that?
Under the formation’s influence, faint shadows overlapped, making it impossible to distinguish real from illusion.
“Argh!” Namgung Un charged forward, slashing at the falling objects with his Golden Needle Sword.
But the sword’s thin, light blade could cut trees but struggled against large boulders.
“Damn it! If a group came through here, they’d be annihilated.” In this narrow path, a large group would have no room to dodge. But as a lone fighter, Namgung Un could cut through trees and evade boulders.
However, as the formation’s influence intensified, the shapes of trees and boulders began to blend with shadows.
“What now?” Despite pressing forward, his speed was slower than usual. The ground had turned sticky, like glue, flowing backward.
This is on the level of the Divine Maiden Palace’s formations!
It was unthinkable that a mere assassin sect could create such a supreme formation. The Blade Tyrant Sect, composed solely of sword-wielding fighters, lacked anyone with such expertise. There had to be another ally involved.
This doesn’t feel right. Gazing at the endless cascade of trees and boulders, Namgung Un pressed on with his movement technique.
“Ha… ha…” His tongue hung out, but he couldn’t stop. Halting would pull him back into the falling debris due to the formation’s influence.
Boom!
A loud crash echoed, and white powder scattered through the air.
Mountain poison powder again? Recalling being trapped by Wang Jeong in the Buljeong Mountain Gorge, Namgung Un gritted his teeth. “Fool me once, but not twice!”
Unleashing the Swift Blade Chaos Form of the Sky-Soaring Sword, he sent the powder swirling back into the sky.
His martial world experience shone through.
“Take that!” he shouted, grinning at the sky—until his expression froze. A massive iron slab, large enough to cover the ground, was plummeting toward him.
“What the hell is that?” Spanning at least a jang (about ten feet) in both directions, it was impossible to dodge, no matter how fast he ran.
Boom!
A ground-shaking tremor followed as a massive bell landed beside him. It wasn’t iron but a giant bronze bell meant to trap a person.
“The Blade Tyrant Sect really prepared well,” Namgung Un muttered.
“Brother Seol,” he said, calming his racing heart as he noticed Bu Eunseol had followed him. “When did you get here?”
“You broke through well,” Bu Eunseol said, nodding as he surveyed the trap-laden surroundings.
No more hidden weapons rained down, and the formation’s influence had vanished. They had finally passed through the mechanism-filled path and reached the gate of the Blade Family Manor.
Creak.
As Namgung Un flung open the gate and peered inside, despair filled his eyes. “What in the world…”
The manor’s buildings were completely empty, and another forest stretched within. The woods were thick with the murderous intent of hidden assassins.
In the end, the manor was merely a facade, its interior no different from the forest.
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