Chapter 75 of 100
Chapter 75
6 min read1,537 words
Chapter 74. Simulation Lv2 (2)
Thud!
Seohwi, who had been dashing fiercely along the red line, felt more worry than relief.
About five meters away from Heukbi.
If it was close, it was certainly close enough.
Since she is the protector and shadow of the Taehwang Pavilion’s master, she might be skilled in throwing daggers or long-range attacks.
Because of this, he hesitated to run straight at full speed, as a dagger could pierce his back at any moment.
Thud. Thud.
‘...What? ’
So, while moving irregularly across the rooftops, Seohwi suddenly noticed a peculiar point ahead.
Flash.
The long red line, which had been guiding his direction, suddenly turned sharply under the eaves.
‘I have to... follow it! ’
Whoosh.
Seohwi faithfully followed the red line.
Thud. Whirl!
Throwing his body under the eaves, he discovered a large inscription on the ground.
<Fourth Verse of the Traceless Ghost Steps (無痕鬼神步), Illusory Face (虛面)>
“...? Haat!”
There was no time to think. Seohwi immediately followed the instruction before him.
Whoosh!
He performed the Traceless Ghost Steps as soon as his feet touched the ground, and his body shot forward as if propelled.
Whoosh!
He was using a light movement technique that represented the Yin Ying Corps.
Whoosh. Whoosh! Thud!
Then came a full-speed breakthrough.
Ding!
After passing the red line that turned to the left and the point where it bent left and right, he saw another inscription.
<Third Verse of the Traceless Ghost Steps (無痕鬼神步),纵横路 (Zongheng Road)>
“Hiss!”
Whoosh!
Facing the row of buildings, he moved his figure in a zigzag pattern, alternating left and right.
Whoosh.
Running like this, he leaped again at a marked point and flew between the trees planted in the garden.
“What is it?”
“Who is it?”
Thud.
The moment Seohwi touched the ground, the warriors around him reacted.
They are the private guards. Though it’s unclear why they gathered, they seemed startled by his appearance.
And one of them asked, looking at him.
“Who are you? You.”
“...Pant. Pant...”
His vision was yellow. Seohwi knew who it was without even looking.
According to the choice text, since he had arrived at his destination, the person in front of him must be the private guard leader, Bijun.
“...Phew.”
Seohwi took a deep breath and turned his gaze to the building opposite.
There, Heukbi was, and after a brief moment of looking at him, she disappeared into the darkness.
Thud.
Seohwi finally let out a sigh of relief. Then, he barely circulated his inner energy to deactivate the Reverse Flow Technique and the Submerged Body Technique.
“Reveal your identity, you!”
As he didn’t respond, the private guards approached, on guard.
Originally, he should have been tense, but now, he found their actions somewhat welcome.
“It’s been a while, Bijun.”
Swoosh.
Seohwi slowly removed his mask and looked at Bijun with a pleasant expression.
“...Commander?”
“Yes.”
Seohwi smiled brightly.
It was a sign of his joy at rescuing Yongjin and his gratitude for the help.
“...”
A brief silence ensued.
Just as the private guard leader was about to say something, the perspective naturally shifted to another place.
- You missed? Even you, who rarely makes mistakes...
- I see. As expected, it wasn’t easy to capture him while avoiding the attention of others.
- Alright. In this situation, I need to try a different approach.
The voice of the Taehwang Pavilion’s master was heard.
[Where would you like to look?]
▶ The residence of the fourth disciple of Heavenly Demon
The text appeared before his eyes.
‘Is this the last one?’
Seohwi looked at the newly generated choice text.
This choice window was likely the last one to increase the favor of the squad leaders.
<‘Moving to the residence of the fourth disciple of Heavenly Demon’>
A familiar message appeared as Seohwi made his decision.
[Three days have passed.]
A bright white light enveloped his vision.
* * *
“Hmm...”
His vision cleared. Seohwi had some difficulty recognizing the surroundings.
It wasn’t due to the white light from a moment ago. It was now the middle of the night, not daytime.
“Haa. Haa.”
“Thud. Hiss.”
Two figures, a man and a woman, stood back-to-back, surrounded by five masked men.
The sudden situation and the two clearly in danger caught his eye.
‘Soryeong? Yaolin? Who are they?’
The two figures were Yaolin and Soryeong, his subordinates.
And the figures surrounding them were unknown.
Draped in black masks and cloaks, they would have remained unidentified if not for the information window that appeared.
[State, Status]
Zhao Ge [Heavenly Secret Shadow (天密影)_1]
Health 2,850,000/3,300,000
Inner Energy 2,050,000/2,200,000
Realm: Supreme
Combat Power: 4,400,000
[State, Status]
Yang Ji [Heavenly Secret Shadow (天密影)_2]
Health 2,770,000/3,100,000
Inner Energy 1,840,000/2,000,000
Realm: Supreme
Combat Power: 3,950,000
...
‘Heavenly Secret Shadow?!’
Upon confirming the affiliation through the choice text, Seohwi felt a chill run down his spine.
The Heavenly Secret Shadow. The 12 operatives who carry out the Taehwang Pavilion master’s secret missions.
An organization he had only heard of in rumors, whose very existence was uncertain, had appeared here.
‘What’s going on here?’
As Seohwi watched the battle, he noticed something.
The five masked men were all far superior in combat power to the squad leaders.
Yet, they continued to prolong the fight. If they had used their full strength, the fight would have been over quickly.
‘What is it? If their goal isn’t to kill...’
Seohwi’s thoughts continued.
The way the masked men kept pressing the attack on the two seemed off.
More precisely, he felt hesitant to intervene.
‘For now... I’ll observe a bit more.’
After a moment of contemplation, Seohwi made his decision.
Though the masked men clearly exuded killing intent, they didn’t seem to want to kill the squad leaders immediately.
If so, the reason.
He needed to figure out what the masked men were after.
<‘I’ll wait a bit more.’ has been selected.>
Time resumed.
The intense battle suddenly paused.
To be precise, the masked men stopped fighting.
“...What?”
In the tense standoff, Yaolin asked.
And right then.
Whoosh!
“...!”
Their bodies were torn apart as if by magic.
Not just one, but all five at once.
“Ah...?!”
Soryeong’s mouth dropped open.
The masked men vanished as if by magic, and in front of them stood an old man.
A figure that even Soryeong and Yaolin couldn’t identify.
“Phew. You’ve been through quite a bit, haven’t you?”
‘Sama Gui!’
Seohwi doubted his eyes.
The Taehwang Pavilion master had so easily killed his secret operatives, whom he had raised in secret.
“...How did the Taehwang Pavilion master get here?”
Yaolin’s mouth moved slowly. He was just as startled.
“I came to meet Gonma. I even sent a message this morning...”
“Y-You did?”
Thud.
Yaolin got up from his crouched position and bowed.
“Then, who are these people? Why were they attacking you?”
The Taehwang Pavilion master, looking down at him, asked.
“We don’t know. They suddenly appeared and asked where the commander is...”
“Is that so?”
The Taehwang Pavilion master had a peculiar expression. He nodded and said,
“Well, it’s fortunate I arrived. I almost lost Gonma’s precious squad members.”
“...Ah. Thank you.”
Yaolin and Soryeong bowed.
Though the Taehwang Pavilion master usually had a poor relationship with the Yin Ying Corps, he had indeed saved their lives.
“Alright, good work.”
The Taehwang Pavilion master gave a casual nod and turned to leave. After a few steps, he stopped.
Thud.
He halted and turned his head.
With a calm gaze and an unreadable expression.
“By the way, where is the commander’s residence?”
Time froze.
<Returning to the residence.>
The text appeared before his eyes.
* * *
Whoosh!
His vision showed his residence.
Somehow, Seohwi had been moved back here.
“What’s going on here?”
He couldn’t understand what was happening.
No choice text appeared, and he was suddenly brought here. What was going on?
“Well, it wasn’t a situation to intervene in...”
It was a baffling situation.
He had a feeling something sinister was afoot, so he was cautious, but as a result, he missed the opportunity to increase Yaolin and Soryeong’s favor.
Was this how it was supposed to progress?
Or had he missed something?
“Maybe, nothing special was supposed to happen here?”
He still couldn’t be sure.
Yaolin and Soryeong hadn’t died, so it wasn’t entirely bad that he was brought here.
‘But the problem is...’
The Taehwang Pavilion master’s question about his residence at the end was unsettling.
“Just in case, I should save...”
Perhaps due to his unease, he felt it was a good idea to record the time.
However.
<Someone is outside. You cannot refuse.>
‘What? ’
His unease quickly turned into reality.
Creak.
The door opened, and an old man entered.
It was the damn Taehwang Pavilion master he had just seen.
“Haha. So you were hiding here like a little mouse.”
There was no more talk.
The Taehwang Pavilion master, with a fierce glare, was clearly enraged.
And Seohwi finally realized.
[Warning! The Taehwang Pavilion master has discovered Seohwi’s weakness. How will you respond?]
▶ Confront him.
▷ Defend yourself.
▷ Run away.
Choosing ‘Wait a bit more’ was the last chance, and this time, it was the wrong choice.