After laughing for a while, Bu Eunseol looked at Woo Hak confidently and said, “The Thousand Swords Society’s intelligence network is disappointing.”
“What did you say?” Woo Hak demanded.
“I won’t blame you for not knowing that man’s true nature. But you should reorganize your intelligence network properly.”
Bu Eunseol gazed down at Woo Hak with cold eyes. “That man’s true nature and his crimes have already been exposed to the entire martial world. How outdated is the information you’re relying on?”
“You’re spouting nonsense!” Woo Hak retorted.
“Investigate again,” Bu Eunseol said.
“Hmph, there’s no need for that. Judging by your tone…” Woo Hak began, but Bu Eunseol cut him off coldly.
“If you kill someone without proper investigation, don’t you realize you’d become the very evildoer who slays the innocent?”
At that, Woo Hak fell silent, unable to respond.
“You…” he started.
“Fine,” interrupted Seok Song, standing on the altar, laughing as if in disbelief. “To speak so boldly, you must be prepared for the consequences.”
“No preparation is needed,” Bu Eunseol replied calmly. “Send someone to investigate right now. If the Thousand Swords Society has anything resembling an intelligence network, you’ll find records of that man’s crimes in detail.”
“What?” Woo Hak exclaimed.
At that moment, a middle-aged man without a mask rushed in through the altar’s entrance, likely a member of the Thousand Swords Society.
“He’s telling the truth,” the man said.
“What?” Seok Song and Woo Hak exclaimed in shock.
Scratching his head, the middle-aged man continued, “As of yesterday, that man’s crimes have spread through every intelligence network in the martial world.”
The man leaned in, whispering something to Seok Song and Woo Hak. Watching this, Bu Eunseol allowed a faint smile to form beneath his mask.
“I have a request.”
Before leaving Dongpyoseorang, Bu Eunseol had asked one thing of Leader, that is the lord of Dongpyoseorang, Do Myeong: to uncover evidence of Yeop Hwa’s crimes and spread it through the intelligence networks.
Bu Eunseol knew he would continue his journey through the martial world. If he remained burdened by the false accusation of killing a righteous hero, it would severely hinder his path.
“Hmm,” Seok Song and Woo Hak exchanged glances after listening to the man.
Even if this is a lie, we can’t deal with him now.
Bu Eunseol’s words had struck a chord. If they killed someone without proper investigation and their innocence was later proven, they would become the very “evildoers” who killed the innocent, as they had warned against.
“The truth will be revealed in time,” Woo Hak said with a low groan, narrowing his eyes. “For now, we won’t take action against you.”
“No need to worry,” Bu Eunseol said calmly. “Soon, not only the intelligence networks but the entire martial world will be buzzing with tales of his crimes and debauchery.”
For Dongpyoseorang, a group that handled dangerous tasks for payment, information was their lifeline and livelihood. With the guarantee of the Leader, the rumors would spread swiftly.
“If this turns out to be false, there’ll be no place for you to stand,” Woo Hak warned.
“That won’t happen,” Bu Eunseol replied firmly.
Woo Hak continued, “Then let’s begin the trials.”
Boom.
A square-shaped wall rose from one side of the clearing, its surface engraved with a painting.
“The first trial is to discern the martial technique hidden within this painting,” Woo Hak announced.
The painting was peculiar, colored vividly. It depicted a woman holding a dagger, fighting a tiger in front of a cliff in a snowy mountain. The tiger lunged with sharp claws and fangs bared, while the woman, holding three daggers in one hand, struck at the tiger’s neck, chest, and lower abdomen.
“Once you’ve identified the hidden technique, enter through the door behind this altar,” Woo Hak continued. “Elder Seok there will judge whether you pass. You have one hour. If you can’t uncover the technique within that time, you’re eliminated.”
At Seok Song’s call, the martial artists in the clearing rushed toward the wall.
Dual swords are common in the martial world, but no one uses three swords, Bu Eunseol thought, frowning as he studied the painting from a distance.
There was another oddity. The tiger’s ferocious face was detailed, but the woman’s face was blank, clearly omitted intentionally.
No matter how swift or fierce a tiger is, it can’t defeat a martial artist wielding a sword. But…
Though the woman’s face was absent, her posture suggested she was startled and on the defensive.
“No big deal,” someone muttered, turning to head toward the door behind the altar.
It was Tang Gon, the man in the fox mask.
Has he already uncovered the hidden technique? As murmurs rippled through the crowd, Tang Gon entered the door behind the altar. A moment later, Seok Song’s deep voice echoed.
“Pass.” Most of the martial artists in the clearing were visibly shaken, some stamping their feet in frustration.
“I get it!” exclaimed a man in a rat mask, rushing toward the door behind the altar.
But soon, Seok Song’s solemn voice rang out. “Incorrect.” The door opened, and the rat-masked man emerged, scratching his head.
Woo Hak pointed toward the exit. “You’re eliminated.”
“What?” the rat-masked man protested, his voice sharp. “Didn’t you say we had one hour? I wasn’t told that being wrong means elimination!”
“When fighting an enemy, does a failed technique mean the end?” Woo Hak said sternly. “In real combat, a single mistake can cost your life. Didn’t you sense that from the painting?”
The rat-masked man stammered, “I just thought there was a hidden technique…”
“This trial is no different from real combat,” Woo Hak said firmly. “You can’t afford multiple mistakes.”
It was true. Though they weren’t fighting other competitors, this was a fierce competition. Mistakes were not tolerated. The man, hearing “one hour,” had acted hastily and erred.
“Understood,” the rat-masked man said, trembling slightly before swiftly exiting.
Hmm. Bu Eunseol, unperturbed, stared at the painting, lost in a trance.
As expected, he figured it out first, he thought, having already discerned the hidden technique, just as Tang Gon had.
The painting didn’t depict a woman holding three daggers but rather throwing them in three different directions.
To throw three different hidden weapon techniques with one hand…
While there were techniques for throwing dozens of hidden weapons in a single move, it was rare for someone to execute three distinct techniques with one hand.
The tiger’s posture must represent the essence of the hidden weapon technique.
The tiger’s face and lower body were angled in different directions. While it appeared to be lunging dynamically, it actually symbolized throwing hidden weapons in multiple directions.
“Pass.” By now, over ten masters had passed into the next chamber.
Though Bu Eunseol had already identified the technique, he didn’t approach the altar. Something about the painting felt off.
There’s something missing.
An inexplicable sense of unease gnawed at him, keeping his eyes fixed on the painting. By now, only four people, including him, remained in the clearing.
The other three, drenched in sweat, stared at the painting, unable to grasp the technique.
Not exceptional prodigies, then, Woo Hak thought, shaking his head as he looked at Bu Eunseol. Despite his apparent talent, he was struggling with the first trial.
“Only a quarter of an hour remains,” Woo Hak announced.
Startled, the three remaining challengers rushed to the altar. But Bu Eunseol continued to gaze at the painting leisurely.
Hmm.
The more he looked, the stronger the sense of incongruity grew. A tiger encountering a woman on a snowy mountain cliff in winter was practically impossible.
That’s it.
At the woman’s feet, dodging the tiger’s leap, small flecks of snow were scattered. While this could be seen as expressing dynamism, to Bu Eunseol, it looked like an intricate footwork pattern.
If you execute the hidden weapon technique while moving in that footwork pattern…
A technique that releases three hidden weapons in one move, paired with corresponding footwork.
In his mind, Bu Eunseol combined the two techniques.
This is…
Realizing something, he finally entered the testing chamber. Torches, not lanterns, illuminated the room, and Seok Song stood solemnly.
“Can you identify the martial technique in the painting?” Seok Song asked.
“It’s a fist technique,” Bu Eunseol replied.
“A fist technique?” Seok Song’s eyes gleamed with interest at the unexpected answer. “Can you demonstrate it?”
Nodding, Bu Eunseol executed the hidden weapon technique and footwork simultaneously.
Whoosh.
As he threw a punch, his fist split into three shadows, slicing through the air.
Combining the hidden weapon technique with the footwork created a remarkably intricate fist technique.
“I see,” Seok Song said, nodding. “Pass.”
Bu Eunseol clasped his hands lightly and moved to pass through the chamber.
“Wait,” Seok Song called. “How did you know there were two martial techniques in the painting?”
“What do you mean?” Bu Eunseol asked.
“We gave you a limited time of one hour and told you to find the technique in the painting,” Seok Song said, narrowing his eyes. “In a competitive setting with a time limit, people naturally seek the quickest, most obvious answer. It’s human instinct.”
Pausing, he asked in a low voice, “Why did you look for two techniques?”
“You never said there was only one technique,” Bu Eunseol replied.
“Weren’t you impatient?”
“You said to solve it within the time, not that it was first-come, first-served.” Bu Eunseol spoke nonchalantly. “I simply found as much as I could within the given time.”
It was a simple answer, but Seok Song’s eyes shone with admiration. He recognized that Bu Eunseol had the insight to see through to the essence.
“Most who passed identified the hidden weapon technique and moved on,” Seok Song said with a faint smile. “Some exceptional prodigies noticed the footwork as well. But no one combined the two into a fist technique like you did.”
Nodding, Seok Song looked at Bu Eunseol. “I have high expectations for the next trial.”
“Understood,” Bu Eunseol replied, nodding without much expression and moving to the next trial.
“His temperament is too cold,” Seok Song muttered, clicking his tongue. “Being composed is good, but it can also make many enemies.”
At a glance, Seok Song could tell Bu Eunseol was among the most talented prodigies gathered here. Yet his personality seemed ruthless and, in some ways, cruel. Such a disposition often led to a solitary life, unable to connect with others while dominating the martial world alone.
“The Thousand Swords Society was founded by masters weary of walking the martial world alone,” Seok Song reflected.
The martial world was not a place where one could survive alone. From this perspective, Seok Song felt a slight disappointment in Bu Eunseol.
“Perhaps it’s a pointless hope,” he mused.
Now was not the time to be picky about a prodigy’s personality. The Thousand Swords Society needed to find someone to master their sword technique and kill that man.
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