—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
011
“Heavenly Clan or Blood Clan?”
At Lee Rowoon’s question, Kang Eun-ha’s eyes widened as if they would tear.
“Wh, What….”
“Aren’t you a demonic cultivator?”
“……!”
“You….”
Kang Eun-ha regained her composure and answered with lowered eyes.
“Were you a church member?”
Her demeanor was markedly different from the polite and cautious attitude she had shown earlier when addressing Lee Rowoon as a nobleman.
‘Is it because I asked if she was a demonic cultivator, or….’
Did she think he was a church member?
Lee Rowoon thought it was the latter.
‘She must be quite a big shot.’
If he were a church member, it meant she could cover up the situation she was in or the favor she owed.
In other words, it meant she could suppress him with power.
Or it could have been a habit that naturally developed due to her always having been in a position of authority.
‘That means she holds a fairly high position within the Demonic Cult.’
Indeed.
Rustle!
He felt the presence of people surrounding himself and Kang Eun-ha.
A secretive and dangerous aura.
It was similar to the aura of the Black Plum of the Hwasan Guild.
“Answer me. Are you a church member?”
“Your attitude has changed a lot from before.”
“…….”
Kang Eun-ha seemed to be organizing her thoughts as she took a deep breath.
Meanwhile, the presences drew closer, completely surrounding him.
“You should answer first. Blood Clan, Heavenly Clan….”
Lee Rowoon’s question was left unfinished.
Clang! Clatter! Clash!
The sounds of weapons rang out in an instant.
Warriors clad in black exuded a murderous aura towards Lee Rowoon.
‘They’re all first-rate or peak-level.’
This was definitely a level of warriors comparable to the Black Plum.
“How dare you speak such nonsense to the Lady!”
Among them, one who clearly seemed to be at the peak, or perhaps even the extreme peak level, stepped forward and spoke.
“Il-yeong! What are you doing?!”
Kang Eun-ha called the man Il-yeong and stopped him.
“Lady…!”
“He’s my benefactor.”
“……!”
A benefactor.
The only thing he had done to help her was to deal with Kim Cheol-ho, a peak-level warrior.
Even that, Kang Eun-ha could have handled on her own.
‘This is interesting.’
Kang Eun-ha was calling him her benefactor based on seeing him save her life.
“It’s the Blood Clan.”
“Lady!”
“Then will you answer me now, Ronin?”
Kang Eun-ha looked directly at Lee Rowoon and spoke. Having shown this much consideration, she meant for him to back down.
“Sure, I’ll say I’m a church member.”
“Sheathe your swords.”
“Lady….”
“Il-yeong!”
At Kang Eunha’s shout, the man called Il-yeong and the other black-clad warriors finally sheathed their swords.
“I haven’t heard what you want yet.”
Kang Eunha said to Lee Rowoon.
“I promised to help you with whatever you wanted, so tell me now, or….”
Gulp.
As if she had made up her mind, Kang Eun-ha swallowed hard and spoke.
“Will you come with me?”
This woman was quite perceptive.
Lee Rowoon’s choice was obvious.
“I’ll come with you.”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
In the back seat of a luxury sedan, free from even the slightest tremor.
Due to the characteristics of the limousine, Lee Rowoon and Kang Eun-ha sat facing each other.
Of course.
Glint.
Next to them sat Il-yeong, his eyes promising that he wouldn’t tolerate any funny business.
“Excuse me, it’s stuffy.”
With those words, Kang Eun-ha brought her hand to her chin.
“L, Lady…!”
Riiiip!
Skin peeled away.
It was what was called a “Human Skin Mask”.
It was Eun’s special technique of substituting artificial skin for one’s face.
Since it wasn’t an item imbued with magical power, it was known for its versatility.
Perhaps this explained the car – depending on the grade, even the cheapest Human Skin Masks cost hundreds of millions of won.
Kang Eun-ha revealed her real face after removing the Human Skin Mask.
Skin like white jade, eyes shining like obsidian, everything compactly placed within her small face seemed to glow.
A cat-like face that seemed innocent yet held a subtle allure.
“You’re beautiful.”
It was Lee Rowoon’s honest assessment.
“Th, This bastard…!”
“Thank you.”
Unlike Il-yeong, who looked ready to pounce, Kang Eun-ha smiled faintly and spoke.
“Is that your real face, nobleman?”
Lee Rowoon took off his hood and nodded.
“Your name… you said it was Lee Rowoon. Is that your real name too?”
Il-yeong flinched slightly at the name Lee Rowoon.
Nod.
“Yes.”
“Then….”
“You asked and I answered, so now it’s my turn to ask.”
Kang Eun-ha nodded.
“Was your reason for being with Ahn Min-hong’s party to recruit followers?”
Kang Eunha had saved Ahn Min-hong’s party in the Gate.
But instead of returning to their parents’ sides, Ahn Min-hong and the others were taken somewhere by the people who called this man Il-yeong.
He’d considered the possibility that they were trying to collect ransom instead of Kim Cheol-ho, but after seeing the luxury limousine, he shook his head.
Then was there some kind of connection that made Kang Eun-ha try to save Ahn Min-hong and the others?
‘No.’
Ahn Min-hong and his group didn’t seem to know that Kang Eun-ha was this skilled.
They probably wouldn’t even recognize her real face without the Human Skin Mask.
Then there were only a few things to consider.
‘Kang Eun-ha approached Ahn Minhong’s group while hiding her true identity.’
And while building a rapport, Ahn Min-hong fell into a trap set by Kim Cheol-ho.
Kang Eunha…
‘Saved Ahn Min-hong and his group to achieve her original objective.’
That objective was to recruit followers.
“That’s right.”
Kang Eun-ha admitted honestly.
“Originally, I planned to build a relationship with them and slowly bring them over, but things got a little rough thanks to Kim Cheol-ho.”
“Do you brainwash them and send them back?”
“Something like that. If they join us without any complaints, we just place a restriction, but if they refuse… there’s no helping it. It’s still better than dying, isn’t it?”
Lee Rowoon nodded.
They say it’s better to be alive, even if it means rolling around in a dung heap.
Of course, rolling around in a morgue or something might be worse than death.
“They were the children of nouveau rich, so the contributions must be substantial.”
“That too, but what they ultimately want is….”
Kang Eun-ha’s eyes gleamed.
“A Guild, after all.”
The reason the nouveau rich poured all sorts of support into their children who became Players was this.
They raised them as Players to join famous Guilds, or even create new Guilds.
“We can help them create a Guild. Of course, they’ll have to pay tribute in return. Isn’t that what the Association does, too?”
She had a point.
They receive compensation for saving those who were near death and also give them what they want.
The problem was that if they refused, it meant annihilation.
He had no intention of condemning them.
‘That’s how the world has become.’
The law of the jungle.
Amidst the world’s intrusion, the world’s laws had long since changed to this.
“My turn. What martial art do you use?”
“That’s a rather intrusive question.”
Asking about someone’s martial art was even more impolite than asking about their level.
“I’ve practically told you the secrets of our sect. Can’t I ask about your secrets, Ronin?”
Grin.
“I can’t use martial arts right now.”
“That….”
Disbelief filled Kang Eun-ha’s eyes.
“You’re saying you can’t use martial arts after blowing up a peak-level warrior’s head?”
“It’s similar to Finger Flick. Do you consider that a martial art?”
Kang Eun-ha closed her mouth.
Finger Flick was a technique of gathering and shooting energy from one’s fingertip.
Any warrior above the peak level, regardless of their specific level, could use it.
“What about the rumors circulating in the black market? If it was a coincidence that occurred because you separately approached Ahn Min-hong, something doesn’t add up.”
“Are you talking about the special request?”
Lee Rowoon nodded.
“It’s not a false rumor. Cultists sometimes take on requests from the black market to gain experience.”
“Kidnapping and murder?”
“No! Hunting Red Players and Ronin.”
So that was it.
Demonic Cultists intentionally participated in black market requests, gaining experience by eradicating criminals, just as Lee Rowoon had intended to do.
“Recruiting followers would be another objective.”
“That’s right.”
It was Kang Eun-ha’s turn again.
“Ronin…, no, you.”
Kang Eun-ha’s eyes shone.
“Are you the colleague murderer, Lee Rowoon?”
It was at that moment.
Flash!
Lee Rowoon’s half-closed eyes emitted a deep red light.
“Ugh!”
“Mmmph!”
Il-yeong, who had been about to move urgently, stopped as if malfunctioning and held his breath, and Kang Eun-ha did the same.
‘How can this be?’
Who were they?
Peak-level warriors.
Moreover, at the extreme peak! They were on the verge of transcendence, equivalent to around level 79 as Players.
And yet now…
Tremble.
Let alone moving, they couldn’t even open their mouths under the murderous aura Lee Rowoon emitted.
One second, two seconds.
For a strong person like Lee Rowoon, it was more than enough time to behead Il-yeong and Kang Eun-ha.
“Hmm.”
But Lee Rowoon soon withdrew his murderous aura.
“Looks like we’ve arrived.”
The limousine had come to a stop.
Snicker.
Lee Rowoon chuckled.
It wasn’t because Kang Eun-ha had led him to a strange place.
Rather, she had led him to his intended destination.
[Kangha Group]
The Kangha Group building.
It was a giant corporation with considerable influence not only in South Korea but throughout Asia.
The funny thing was that this was his destination.
The place Kang Eun-ha was taking him to should have been related to the Blood Cult.
‘You see what you know, huh?’
He hadn’t imagined that the Kangha Group would not only be related to the extremist terrorist Demonic Cult but also specifically to the Blood Cult.
“A, Are you going in?”
Kang Eun-ha, finally completely free from the aftereffects of the murderous aura, asked cautiously.
“If I say I’m not going, will you just let me go?”
Lee Rowoon said so, looking at the warriors disguised as escorts.
“If you don’t want to go in, you don’t have to.”
“Then you’ll chase me to the end. In that case….”
Grin.
“After the Hwasan Guild, I’ll have to deal with the Blood Cult’s pursuit as well?”
“……!”
Lee Rowoon’s words were also an answer to Kang Eun-ha’s question.
‘Colleague murderer Lee Rowoon.’
He had said that he had been sentenced to hard labor in the Hwasan Guild’s monster corpse disposal area for that crime.
“If I kidnap you and go, would that at least lessen the pursuit?”
“……!”
Not only Kang Eun-ha but also Il-yeong and the other escorts trembled and brought their hands to their waists.
They were ready to draw the knives hidden beneath their cloaks and attack Lee Rowoon at any moment.
“I’m joking.”
“Such jokes… are best avoided here.”
Kang Eun-ha said, exhaling.
“I know you’re strong. But things are different here. Truthfully, what I’m doing is… no different from gambling.”
“…….”
“I hope you’ll make a wise decision. After that, I’ll definitely keep my promise.”
A wise decision.
Lee Rowoon liked Kang Eun-ha even more.
She was trying to keep her initial promise without betraying him until the end.
“How long are you going to stand there?”
“Ha. Do you really… not know anything? Or do you have other thoughts?”
Kang Eun-ha said and started walking ahead.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The main entrance, where ordinary office workers would pass dozens of times a day.
But right now, not a single person could be seen, not only at the main entrance but also in the lobby.
Whir.
Lee Rowoon, Kang Eunha, and Il-yeong all entered the revolving door.
Finally, when the revolving door made half a turn.
“-Lady-!”
A loud shout echoed, shaking the entire building.
“What in the world are you thinking?!”
Thump! Thump! Thump!
A large, elderly man ran across the lobby.
“Grandfather!”
Kang Eun-ha greeted him happily.
‘Kang Hancheol.’
Lee Rowoon recognized him too. The owner of the Kangha Group, Chairman Kang Hancheol, whom he had seen in the media in the past.
He was also…
‘The Guild Leader of the Kangha Guild.’
An S-rank Ranker, a master of the Transcendent Realm.
Thump!
Kang Hancheol stopped in front of Lee Rowoon and Kang Eun-ha.
His cold gaze seemed to sweep over Yi Rowoon’s body in an instant.
“Hoho! You’re the one! Our Lady’s benefactor!”
Contrary to expectations, Kang Hancheol welcomed him warmly and extended his hand toward Lee Rowoon.
But his expression changed instantly.
“What is your purpose in seeking out the Blood Cult?”
A thick murderous aura was felt despite his smile.
It wasn’t just Kang Hancheol.
Rumble.
Hundreds of auras seemed to emanate from all directions in the lobby, all focused on a single person.
Grin.
They were glaring at Lee Rowoon.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
