Chapter 77 of 100

Chapter 77

7 min read1,784 words

Chapter 76. Part 3 The Inner Thoughts of the Grand Hall Master

This is the third time.

I set the goal to increase the favorability of the squad leaders.

Last time, I managed to raise the favorability of Juk-song and Yong-jin to the maximum. However, I unexpectedly met my death at the hands of the Grand Hall Master while leaving Yo-rim and So-ryeong behind.

So, I must not repeat the same mistake again.

"First, the sword..."

Seol-hwi ran out the door to find the Yeohu Sword.

Since I dropped it around here in my previous life, it should naturally be here.

As expected, the Yeohu Sword was lying to one side, and Seol-hwi immediately picked it up and returned to his quarters.

"Good. This time, I will definitely succeed."

And he made a vow. Not to make the same mistake again.

Four lives.

To become stronger, I must cherish each one.

* * *

The next day, I headed to where the squad leaders were staying.

Knowing the method, I persuaded Juk-song and Yong-jin as before and gained their trust.

[Three days have passed.]

Thus, I moved to the fourth disciple's residence.

"Where did you all crawl out from...?"

With Yo-rim's line, the scene I had seen before unfolded before my eyes.

After that, So-ryeong was pushed to one side, and Yo-rim stumbled backward until he hit the wall.

And as the melee continued, the familiar choice prompt appeared.

▶ Start a fight.

▷ Wait a bit longer.

"Hmph."

This time, Seol-hwi did not hesitate.

He had already learned from his previous death that he needed to start a fight here.

Pfft.

Following the choice, Seol-hwi was assigned to one of the large zelkova trees.

His position was in the air. He stood on a branch, overlooking the battlefield.

Swish.

Without hesitation, Seol-hwi dashed into the center of the battlefield.

"…!"

Were they truly skilled? The experts of the Heavenly Secret Shadow (Cheonmil-yeong) noticed his presence as he leaped.

But it didn't matter.

Seol-hwi immediately switched to simulation mode.

He shouted immediately.

"A method to kill all the Heavenly Secret Shadow experts with one strike!"

<Analyzing...◇>

The simulation responded quickly, and countless figures performed an uncountable number of actions before his eyes.

▶ Suffer 60% damage while delivering a fatal blow to all members of the Heavenly Secret Shadow.

'Damn. 60%?'

Though he felt uneasy, Seol-hwi immediately executed it. After all, without the simulation's help in this situation, it would have been impossible to kill them all with one strike.

Splat.

Time flowed again. One of the Heavenly Secret Shadow experts reacted by retreating.

What Seol-hwi saw projected before his eyes was the Thousand Jin Weight (Cheongeunjwi).

One of the techniques of lightness and heaviness in lightness kung fu.

He used his inner energy to drop his body abruptly.

Whoosh!

'…!'

The 'Cheonil-yeong_3' who was leaping lost his target.

He hadn't anticipated Seol-hwi's body suddenly dropping from the air.

He swung his sword hastily, but...

Swish!

It narrowly missed. As his body was leaping and the opponent's figure dropped, their bodies crossed.

Seol-hwi's sword accurately sliced through his waist.

Squish!

"Ugh!"

And he immediately withdrew.

Thud.

As soon as he landed, Seol-hwi read the flow projected before his eyes.

One nearby. Another a bit further back.

The two masked figures who had been dealing with So-ryeong and Yo-rim finally moved.

Pfft.

Seol-hwi launched his first attack at them.

It was the Lesser Demon Martial Art's Lesser Lower Opening (Sohaegyeong) that the simulation had unfolded before his eyes.

"Huh?"

"Ugh!"

A powerful cold enveloped the enemy's body. The four Heavenly Secret Shadow experts who were charging slowed down.

Pfft.

Seol-hwi used the Ghostly Trace Lightness Skill, leaped diagonally, and instantly beheaded 'Cheonmil-yeong_2'.

And he gritted his teeth.

'Damn. I'll give it one more try.'

Swish!

A nearby Heavenly Secret Shadow expert charged.

While Seol-hwi was beheading 'Cheonmil-yeong_2', this guy had taken the opportunity to stab him with a sword.

Thud!

"Ugh!"

He was hit in the shoulder. Seol-hwi groaned and staggered.

Swoosh.

But he endured the pain and continued his movements.

The actions the simulation had shown were part of the strategy to deal with the remaining three.

"Huh?"

"Ah!"

As Seol-hwi swung his sword in a semicircle, it created an illusion of multiple swords.

This confused the two Heavenly Secret Shadow experts who were a bit further away and had slowed down.

The 9th form of the Lesser Demon Martial Art. They had no way of knowing about the Illusory Sword Technique.

Swish! Swish!

Two sword energy emissions.

The movements of the Heavenly Secret Shadow experts, who were mesmerized by the sword, stopped. They died instantly without any resistance.

But Seol-hwi was not unscathed.

Thud!

"Ugh!"

He was deeply cut on one side of his waist by a counterattack from a nearby Heavenly Secret Shadow expert.

'So this is 60% damage.'

[State, Status]

Seol-hwi [Commander of the Yin Ying Squad]

Health 290,000 (↓420,000) / 710,000

Inner Energy 1,010,000 (↓200,000) / 1,210,000

Realm: Supreme

Combat Power: Below 5,910,000

[State, Status]

Juk-song [Heavenly Secret Shadow_1]

Health 2,850,000 / 3,300,000

Inner Energy 2,050,000 / 2,200,000

Realm: Supreme

Combat Power: 4,400,000

As soon as he switched the combat mode to turn-based, the stats of the last remaining person appeared before his eyes.

Seol-hwi's stats also seemed to have decreased by 60%.

Moreover, the opponent, sensing his sudden collapse, immediately attacked.

'I need to finish this here...'

"Hey? Why...!"

"Quiet!"

Seol-hwi raised his voice irritably at Yo-rim's call.

He had no choice.

The Grand Hall Master would be here soon. Or he might already be here.

If he exposed his identity after dealing with these guys, it would be a disaster.

Squeak!

'...!'

But that was a mistake.

Taking a different action from what the simulation showed, he fell into a greater crisis.

Swish!

He deflected one of the enemy's attacks, but was unprepared for the subsequent assault.

'Ah...!'

Just as the thought of missing the enemy's sword pierced his mind.

The opponent's body, which had approached his throat, turned red.

And.

Boom!

It exploded immediately.

'What, what is this!'

Seol-hwi sat down and stared blankly at his surroundings. And one figure caught his eye.

A young man with a drooping outer robe, looking at him with a subtle gaze.

'It's him.'

Tremendous martial arts. And overwhelming movement.

The Grand Hall Master had appeared.

"Hey. You guys attacking the Yin Ying Squad...?"

The young man raised his gaze and looked around, then said.

"Ah."

The Grand Hall Master stroked his chin thoughtfully and glanced at him.

But he soon turned his gaze back to Seol-hwi and continued.

"Would you like to take off that mask?"

"...?!"

"Since I saved your life... I would like to receive at least a greeting in return."

It was a reasonable request. Seol-hwi pondered.

'Damn, what should I do?'

Given the Grand Hall Master's nature, he would have exploded at Yo-rim's impertinent question from earlier.

But he had restrained himself. This indicated that he found Seol-hwi suspicious.

"Why no answer?"

If he remained silent, he might be forced to take off the mask by force.

As the Grand Hall Master pressed him, Seol-hwi racked his brain.

Should he do something to divert attention?

Or should he escape from this place?

"Hey. You're ignoring me..."

"You've come from a long distance."

At that moment, a young man appeared at a truly opportune time.

'Oh...?'

Actually, it made sense that he would appear here. This was right in front of his residence.

"Master Gon-ma..."

The Grand Hall Master showed respect.

The fourth disciple of Heavenly Demon. Gon-ma.

He appeared at this critical moment.

And as if he had been waiting for this moment, a light began to project before his eyes.

* * *

Part 3 The Inner Thoughts of the Grand Hall Master

When the light brightened again, it was inside a room that looked like the fourth disciple's residence.

There, the Grand Hall Master and Gon-ma were seated facing each other.

Drip.

Tea was poured into their cups, and a servant carefully left the room.

As soon as the door closed, Gon-ma spoke as if he had been waiting.

"There was a commotion right in front of my residence. May I ask what happened?"

"Nothing much."

The Grand Hall Master thought for a moment and replied.

"There seemed to be some infiltrators from the Yin Ying Squad. The squad leaders were in danger, so I took action and dealt with them immediately."

"Is that so?"

Gon-ma smiled slightly, and the Grand Hall Master responded with a stiff posture.

"Yes. Coincidentally."

"Indeed."

Gon-ma nodded. After a pause, he raised his gaze from the table and continued.

"Indeed, it was quite coincidental. Although I had informed you separately, such an incident occurred just when you arrived here."

"Ah, yes."

"However, it was even more coincidental. I need to investigate who these guys were and what they were thinking to come to my residence, but there are no traces left."

"Heh. Heh. I was a bit startled at the time. I was trying to save the Yin Ying Squad members."

Didn't you erase all the traces? With Gon-ma's barbed words, the Grand Hall Master laughed and continued.

"That... I did manage to bring down the attackers, but they were still breathing. There could have been any number of hidden dangers, like concealed weapons or poison, so I had to use a bit more force."

"Use a bit more force."

"Yes. As you know, Master Gon-ma, I have been a bit sensitive recently due to the spies who have been infiltrating my residence. If it offended you, I apologize again."

The Grand Hall Master bowed deeply.

"..."

Gon-ma stared at him sharply for a long time.

The Grand Hall Master kept his head bowed, receiving the gaze.

After a while, Gon-ma withdrew his gaze.

"No, there's nothing like that between us."

Gon-ma picked up his teacup.

After taking a sip, he continued.

"Then, why did you want to see me today?"

"The First Disciple, Sal-ma, had a message for you."

"Really?"

"I just wrote down what I heard."

"Is that so?"

Thud.

The Grand Hall Master's face suddenly stiffened.

Gon-ma had thrown the parchment in his face.

"If my answer is this, what will you do, Grand Hall Master?"

With an unexpected provocation.