“Fake cobwebs?”
Jongjeong Yak stood on her tiptoes and touched the cobwebs clinging to the wall. Though they looked like cobwebs, they were actually intricately crafted fakes made of cotton.
“Why would such an elaborate trap be needed in a place like this estate?”
A sense of foreboding flashed through her mind.
A secret passage was one thing, but an ordinary estate wouldn’t go to such lengths to disguise it.
Jongjeong Yak hesitated to enter.
“What are you doing? Let’s go,” Neung Joun said, brushing his nose and striding into the passage without a hint of caution.
‘Even after what happened at the Woo River Escort Agency, he’s so reckless.’ With a deep sigh, she reluctantly followed Neung Joun inside.
Step, step.
With each step deeper into the passage, a clunking sound came from mechanisms beneath the floor, and torches on the walls lit up automatically.
Upon reaching the stone chamber at the end of the passage, the scene of a treasure vault filled with various valuables came into view. The wooden box that had contained the Purple Dawn Pills sat atop a smoothly carved square stone, covered by a transparent glass lid.
“Found it,” Neung Joun said, approaching the box with a cautious expression, scanning the surroundings.
He pressed his ear to the floor and touched the glass cover, only to grimace in frustration.
“Damn, there’s a mechanism.” He pointed at the flat stone beneath the box, smacking his lips. “It’s likely set to trigger an alarm if the box is moved.”
“Can you disable it?” Jongjeong Yak asked.
“I’ll try.”
Click.
Neung Joun pulled a small wooden case from his robes, containing various tools for disarming mechanisms.
“There’s no need to bother with the mechanism,” Bu Eunseol said, shaking his head as he stared into the air.
He lifted the glass cover and swiftly grabbed the wooden box.
“Wait! What are you doing?!” Neung Joun shouted, jumping in alarm.
But, miraculously, no mechanism activated.
Click.
When Bu Eunseol opened the box, it was empty.
“What’s going on?” Jongjeong Yak asked.
Looking up at the ceiling, Bu Eunseol said, “It was a trap, as expected.”
“A trap?”
“They knew you were pursuing the Purple Dawn Pills to the end. So they lured you to this estate.”
“How did you know?” she asked.
Bu Eunseol pointed upward. “There’s a battle happening above.”
Jongjeong Yak and Neung Joun exchanged skeptical glances.
‘Can he really hear what’s happening above from this deep underground vault?’
Tap, tap, tap.
Using their movement techniques, Jongjeong Yak and Neung Joun quickly rushed out of the passage.
Emerging from the warehouse, they saw Martial Alliance warriors locked in a bloody battle with unidentified assassins.
No, it couldn’t even be called a battle.
The assassins numbered over a hundred, surrounding the warriors in a tight circle, unleashing hidden weapons and poison.
They were slaughtering the warriors like rats.
“You bastards!” Jongjeong Yak and Neung Joun shouted, drawing their swords and unleashing their sword techniques on the encircling assassins.
Clang!
But something astonishing happened.
The assassins moved in perfect coordination, effortlessly blocking Jongjeong Yak and Neung Joun’s sword techniques.
‘These aren’t like the assassins we faced before.’ Jongjeong Yak’s face paled.
The assassins hiding in the Song Family Estate were incomparably stronger than those at the Woo River Escort Agency. And with their overwhelming numbers, continuing like this would leave her no choice but to surrender her life.
“Retreat! Fall back!” she shouted, desperately wielding her sword techniques to protect the warriors.
She was willing to sacrifice herself to save these newly trained warriors.
But it was a futile hope.
Despite her all-out effort, the surrounded warriors were falling with disheartening ease.
‘Is this the end?’
Despair clouded Jongjeong Yak’s eyes.
In truth, the Purple Dawn Pill incident wasn’t a simple theft. She had uncovered evidence that someone within the Martial Alliance had been siphoning off elixirs for years.
And the culprit was likely a high-ranking figure.
Though she had received approval to investigate the elixir thefts, she had faced repeated pressure.
Thanks to her status as a Law Enforcement Officer and the support of the Master of the Secret Flower Garden, she had barely secured permission—but was assigned a half-baked team of novice warriors.
‘It was a trap to eliminate me from the start.’
At last, she realized the truth.
Everything had been orchestrated to kill her.
‘I just wanted to resolve this case.’ Her obsession with this case wasn’t driven by a sense of justice but by ambition.
Coming from a powerless family, she had endured countless injustices and scorn, even after becoming a Law Enforcement Officer.
But if she could expose the corruption of a high-ranking Martial Alliance official? If she could secure evidence? She could achieve another meteoric rise in status, never again to be looked down upon.
Yet the investigation had failed, and now she faced death at the hands of these nameless assassins.
Hiss!
A black mist began to spread around them.
To subdue the fiercely resisting Jongjeong Yak and Neung Joun, the assassins had released a poisonous fog.
“Urgh.” Holding her breath, she unleashed her sword techniques, trying to break through the encirclement.
But the assassins leisurely blocked her attacks, clinging to her like vengeful spirits.
Her breath grew short, and her vision darkened.
‘This is the end.’ As her grip on her sword weakened, a fierce whirlwind erupted.
Boom!
The gale scattered the poisonous fog into the sky. At the same time, a strange force radiated outward, pushing the charging assassins back several yards.
“Hold on tight,” a voice said.
A firm hand grabbed her.
Whoosh!
For a moment, she thought her mouth would tear from the force. The sudden rush through the air filled her mouth with wind, exposing her gums.
“Ah!”
Opening her tightly shut eyes, she found herself in a quiet forest, far from the Song Family Estate.
Bu Eunseol, his sword wrapped in bandages, held her arm and looked at her impassively.
“What happened?” she asked.
Bu Eunseol replied calmly, “The assassins were using poison, so I had no choice but to escape immediately.”
Her mind reeled.
Was it really this man who had scattered the poisonous fog and brought her here?
And his movement technique, escaping the estate in an instant—wasn’t that beyond the realm of common sense?
“How could a high-tier mercenary…?”
“My specialty is movement techniques,” he said.
Still dazed, Jongjeong Yak asked with a bewildered expression, “What about Deputy Neung?”
“He’s fighting hard, but it won’t be easy. There are too many assassins.”
“What?!” she exclaimed, jumping in disbelief.
Why had he escaped with only her?
“We have to save him!”
“I told you, my protection is for you alone.”
“So because I’m the only one you’re contracted to protect, you saved only me?”
“Exactly.”
In truth, Bu Eunseol could have saved not only Jongjeong Yak but all the warriors.
However, subduing over a hundred assassins in an instant would require revealing his full martial prowess.
If he fought at the level of a high-tier mercenary, Jongjeong Yak would likely be overwhelmed, and his plan to infiltrate the Martial Alliance through her would be in jeopardy. After careful consideration, Bu Eunseol had feigned exceptional movement skills to rescue only her.
“We have to save Deputy Neung!” she insisted.
“He’s already done for,” he replied.
Jongjeong Yak’s face turned ashen.
Neung Joun was her deputy, a comrade, and a friend she had known since joining the Martial Alliance.
“I can’t abandon him.” Biting her lip, she looked toward the Song Family Estate and said, “Even if it means dying, I’ll save him.”
“Are you saying you’ll throw your life away?” Bu Eunseol asked.
“I have to try, even if it costs me my life!” Bu Eunseol’s expression showed surprise.
People driven by ambition, like her, typically clung to their lives and lacked loyalty. Yet she was different—she valued loyalty to her comrades.
‘I should test her character further.’ With that thought, Bu Eunseol decided to probe her once more.
“Fine, I’ll retrieve the Purple Dawn Pills for you.”
“How?” she asked.
“I said I’m confident in my movement skills. If I act now, I can slip into the chaos at the estate and steal the Purple Dawn Pills.”
“What about Deputy Neung?”
He paused, adopting a cautious expression.
“I’m not keen on risking my life to save him. Just wait here a bit, and I’ll secure the Purple Dawn Pills discreetly.” Then, coldly, he added, “If you want to risk your life to save him, do it yourself. I’m done with this.”
“What?”
“I’m a mercenary who works for money. I don’t risk my life for loyalty.”
For someone consumed by ambition, a comrade’s life would mean little.
Surely, she wouldn’t recklessly attempt a doomed rescue.
“Of course, the Purple Dawn Pills are important,” Jongjeong Yak said, her voice earnest yet resolute. “But Deputy Neung’s life is more important to me.”
She was saying that her comrade’s life mattered more than her own advancement.
“There’s nothing more precious than your own life,” Bu Eunseol countered.
“Now I understand why someone with your martial skills is just a mercenary,” she said, glaring at him with contempt before turning away. “Live like a coward, hiding your head like a turtle!”
“Are you really willing to throw your life away?”
“You might live safely to sixty by being a coward. But the rest of your life will be filled with misery and regret!” With a piercing shout, Jongjeong Yak ran toward the estate without hesitation.
“Hmm.” Watching her, Bu Eunseol gave a faint, enigmatic smile.
He had thought her driven solely by ambition, willing to trample over anything for success, but she proved to have a surprising sense of loyalty.
Snap!
Bu Eunseol lightly flicked his finger.
Swish!
A soft, sticky finger wind grazed Jongjeong Yak’s Wind Palace acupuncture point. Instantly, her body froze from the neck down.
“What are you doing?” she demanded, glaring at Bu Eunseol as he approached, her eyes wide. “Why did you seal my acupuncture points?”
“Stay here. I’ll bring him back.”
“What?”
“Wait here while I save him. You’d only get in the way.”
“What nonsense is this? Release my acupuncture points now!”
As she shouted, Bu Eunseol sighed and said, “Since you’re giving up on the Purple Dawn Pills, I have no choice but to save him.”
“…”
“I told you, my movement skills are exceptional. But if you join in, I won’t be able to save him.”
Jongjeong Yak suddenly recalled how Bu Eunseol had carried her from the estate to the forest in an instant. With his movement skills, he might actually be able to save Neung Joun.
“Can you really save Deputy Neung if you go alone?” she asked, her eyes filled with desperation.
Bu Eunseol’s gaze held no emotion, yet it was cold, resolute, and strangely reassuring.
‘This man…’
In truth, no amount of movement skill could break through a hundred assassins to save Neung Joun.
Yet trust flickered in Jongjeong Yak’s eyes.
If this mercenary said he could do it, it felt like it might actually be possible. Hadn’t he just saved her with his incredible movement skills?
“Alright. I’ll wait here obediently, so release my acupuncture points.” As her eyes calmed, Bu Eunseol nodded.
“Very well.”
Pop.
With a light finger wind, her paralyzed body regained mobility.
In that instant, Bu Eunseol vanished from her sight.
***
Inside the Song Family Estate
The bodies of Martial Alliance warriors lay scattered across the ground.
The assassins had restrained Neung Joun, the only survivor, sealing his acupuncture points and forcing him to his knees.
“What a mess. We were told to capture her at all costs,” the apparent leader of the assassins said, his voice tinged with frustration.
They had trapped her with poisonous fog and surrounded her tightly. Yet the gray-robed man by her side had unleashed a powerful fist wind and escaped with astonishing movement skills.
“Where did that woman go?” the leader demanded, pressing a sword to Neung Joun’s throat. “Speak, or die.”
“You’ve tracked her movements so well until now. Why ask me?” Neung Joun retorted, his eyes glinting. “Your trap only went this far. You have no plan beyond this.”
“If you understand the situation, speak,” the leader said, kicking Neung Joun’s face with force.
Neung Joun collapsed, his body covered in dust, blood seeping from wounds that had reopened.
“Kill me,” Neung Joun said, raising his head with a fearless expression. “You’re all dead men anyway.”
“What?”
“How dare you slaughter Martial Alliance warriors so brutally. Do you think you can still survive in the martial world?”
“Ha, you naive fool,” the leader said coldly, holding a poisoned sword to Neung Joun. “Even if we cut down hundreds of nobodies like you, it won’t harm us. Do you understand?”
Neung Joun’s eyes wavered.
The leader’s confident demeanor and gaze suggested he wasn’t lying. What kind of assassin sect didn’t fear the Martial Alliance?
“Well, since there’s no other way, we’ll return to the Martial Alliance,” the leader said, raising his sword. “We’ll wait along the way and kill her.”
With a murderous glint in his eyes, he looked down at Neung Joun.
“Just die…” As the raised poisoned sword descended toward Neung Joun’s neck, the estate’s gate creaked open.
Creak.
Step, step.
A man in gray robes walked slowly through the open gate.
It was Bu Eunseol.
“It’s that guy from before,” the leader said, looking at him with a puzzled expression.
Why would someone who had barely escaped return alone?
“Where are the Purple Dawn Pills?” Bu Eunseol asked, staring at the assassins with a bored expression. “Hand them over, and I’ll spare your lives.”
The assassins stared at him blankly for a moment before bursting into laughter.
“Pfft, hahaha!” Neung Joun also looked at Bu Eunseol with a dumbfounded expression.
If he had escaped with Jongjeong Yak, he should have fled the area. Why return alone to pull this stunt?
“Is the Law Enforcement Officer safe?” Neung Joun asked.
Bu Eunseol gave a faint smile.
Even on the brink of death, Neung Joun was concerned for Jongjeong Yak first.
‘They’re both loyal.’
“She’s safe,” Bu Eunseol replied.
“Then why did you come back?”
“She said she’d save you, even if it meant dying.” Hearing this, Neung Joun was moved but shook his head.
“So you came alone to die with me?”
“I’m quite fast with my movement skills.”
Ping.
Something strange happened.
Bu Eunseol flicked his finger, instantly striking Neung Joun’s acupuncture points.
“What?” Neung Joun looked down at his chest, bewildered.
Why had this man sealed his acupuncture points?
“Why…?” With that single word, Neung Joun’s eyes rolled back, and he fainted.
Bu Eunseol looked down at Neung Joun, collapsed face-first on the ground.
Perhaps because he had risen to a high position at a young age, Neung Joun was steeped in arrogance, pride, and inflexibility. Yet he feared no death and prioritized his superior’s life.
That alone made him worth saving.
“I’ll give you one more chance,” Bu Eunseol said, turning to the assassins. “Hand over the Purple Dawn Pills, and I’ll let you live.”
“He’s insane,” the leader scoffed, pointing to his chest. “The Purple Dawn Pills are here. If you’re capable, come take them.”
“I see,” Bu Eunseol said, letting out a deep sigh as he realized the leader wasn’t lying. “You never intended to sell the Purple Dawn Pills.”
Understanding the situation, Bu Eunseol nodded as he looked at the assassins surrounding him.
“The Purple Dawn Pills were the payment to hire you, weren’t they?”
“…”
“The theft of the Purple Dawn Pills was a trap to kill her.”
From the Woo River Escort Agency to the Milmilsi and now the Song Family Estate, tracking the stolen Purple Dawn Pills had been absurdly straightforward.
The theft was merely bait to lure Jongjeong Yak out of the Martial Alliance and kill her.
“He’s too dangerous to let live,” the leader said, nodding to his subordinates.
Swish, swish.
The hundred-plus assassins formed a large circle, tightly surrounding Bu Eunseol. Knowing his movement skills were exceptional, they intended to give him no chance to escape and kill him.
But something was off.
The mercenary showed no intention of fleeing, calmly observing the situation.
“Ugh, ugh…” The assassins’ faces twisted with growing unease.
They were the ones surrounding him, yet they suddenly felt as if a dark reaper clung to their backs.
Their bodies refused to move.
An inexplicable fear of death gripped them, paralyzing their limbs.
“No time to waste…” Bu Eunseol said, his eyes glinting with a bloodthirsty light as he looked down at the assassins.
“Let’s end this quickly.”
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