—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
I knew instantly.
These men in black, radiating a chilling aura, were killers.
Not martial artists honing their skills, but assassins, experts in the art of death.
The realization sent a jolt of adrenaline through me, time seeming to slow to a crawl.
“…I’ll handle this one. The rest of you, go after the target.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Don’t fail. You know what will happen if you disobey.”
The leader’s voice was laced with that unsettling madness.
The other assassins sprang into action and raced away.
Whoosh!
I watched them go, knowing I couldn’t pursue them.
‘This one’s more than enough to handle…’
I swallowed hard.
The remaining assassin slowly drew a dagger.
I asked, with my voice steady,
“…Who are you?”
“…You think I’d tell you that?”
“We’re about to fight to the death. At least tell me your name.”
“…”
He smirked, with a grotesque twist of his lips.
“I don’t have a name. I’m the leader of the assassination squad. Call me One Sword.”
“…I see. You use a dao, yet you’re called One Sword. How amusing.”[1]
“That’s just a designation. It doesn’t matter. I’m just one of his tools. What about you? What’s your name?”
He asked without any real interest.
I replied, with my serious voice,
“Eun Ha-seong of Mount Hua.”
“…Hmph.”
He scoffed and lunged at me, his movements a blur.
Shing!
Several daggers whizzed past my ear.
I narrowly dodged, with my face grim, and slashed at the empty air.
Swish!
Sword Qi erupted from my blade, bisecting the afterimage he’d left behind.
He was far faster than Zhongli Chu.
‘He’s strong…!’
I gritted my teeth.
I’d sensed it earlier.
The other assassins were somewhere between first-rate and second-rate.
Some were close to Zhongli Chu’s level, while others were weaker.
But this one, the assassination squad leader, was on a completely different level.
He was the first true opponent I’d encountered in this damned Deer Brand murim world.
‘This… is going to be tough.’
Whoosh!
Daggers flew at me from all directions, interspersed with bursts of Dao Qi.
He was a true assassin, a testament to what decades of training with the sole purpose of killing could achieve.
Even in the midst of this deadly dance, I heard him mutter,
“…You’re not bad.”
“…”
“Then I’ll get serious.”
Wham!
A searing pain shot through me.
One of his attacks had landed, striking me in the abdomen.
I stumbled back, gasping, and spat out a mouthful of blood.
“…You too.”
“…”
“This is the first time I’ve fought a Daoist who doesn’t use a sword.”
“Heh… still making jokes, huh?”
He sneered and unleashed another attack, a secret technique that seemed to cast shadows on the ground.
It was the culmination of a lifetime of training, honed to a razor’s edge.
‘He’s developed his own techniques, beyond what his organization taught him…!’
But such thoughts were a luxury I couldn’t afford.
The air crackled.
Shing!
His Dao Qi tore through the air, like the claws of a black dragon.
I barely managed to block the attack.
“…You should have dodged, not blocked.”
“…!”
As if to prove his point, another dagger flew towards my side, a strike from my blind spot.
Even at my level, it was too fast to fully dodge.
I managed to deflect it with my knee.
Thwack!
Blood sprayed.
“Ugh…!”
I looked at my body, covered in wounds.
I couldn’t afford to hesitate.
I channeled my energy into my sword and slashed horizontally.
His confident demeanor faltered.
He’d been so focused on pressing his attack that he hadn’t expected my counteroffensive.
His eyes widened, and he bit his lip.
Boom!
Our attacks collided, a clash of raw power.
They seemed evenly matched, but mine, unleashed with greater speed, pushed through.
His body contorted and buckled under the force.
“Gah…!”
“…Ha…”
“Ugh…!”
He coughed up blood and a dark crimson stain spread across the ground.
I asked,
“…Who are this man and this child? Why would someone of your skill be after them?”
“You don’t need to know…!”
“…!”
Enraged, he unleashed another attack, his Dao Qi rippling with destructive power.
Rumble…
The ground cracked and splintered around us, like a miniature earthquake.
I kept my eyes open, focusing all my energy on him, and unleashed my own technique.
‘The essence of the Plum Blossom Sword Technique is the scattered swords that emerge from the illusionary swords…’
Falling Sword, Snow Flower.
I’d recently developed this technique, a variation of the Plum Blossom Sword Technique, and now I used it to counter his attack.
Boom!
The force of the impact was immense, like a boulder shattering, the sound echoing through the air.
My sword hummed, and I continued my assault.
“What…?!”
I heard his cry, but I didn’t falter.
Another explosion rocked the air.
Boom!
‘I’m running out of energy. I need to use everything I have.’
I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood.
It trickled down my chin and onto my neck.
“…”
My clothes were torn and tattered.
I gathered my remaining strength and watched as he emerged from the dust cloud, his body battered and broken.
“G-Gah…!”
“…Ha…”
“Such power… Even the strongest defensive techniques wouldn’t withstand that…!”
“…”
I stared at him.
He’d lost an arm, and a deep gash ran across his abdomen, exposing bone.
I spoke, with my voice low and final,
“…Farewell.”
“…!”
Shing!
I felt the power surge through my arm.
He was already defeated.
It was only a matter of time.
I needed to end this quickly and deal with the other assassins.
‘I must decide.’
I narrowed my eyes.
As a final courtesy, I swung my sword horizontally, aiming for his neck.
Swish!
A thin, crimson line appeared across his throat.
Spurt!
“…”
With a slightly dazed expression, I looked down at something starting to roll beneath my feet.
Its eyes were staring blankly up at me.
Thud…
One Sword’s head landed at my feet.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
[1] Dao [도(刀)] refers to a curved single-edged weapon like a Korean hwando.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
I love it, that there are actual fights, that push the MC