Chapter 85

Chapter 84. Intrusion (1)

Changryongmun had a structure where several Samhapwon and Sahapwon buildings were mixed together.

Samhapwon refers to a layout where three buildings surround a central courtyard. Sahapwon is a residential layout where four buildings, in the east, west, south, and north, surround a central courtyard.

This building form is commonly seen in Sichuan and has various uses, such as living and lodging.

Changryongmun, in particular, used most of its buildings for training and receiving guests.

Therefore, this massive dojo had as many as ten Samhapwon and Sahapwon buildings.

'According to the plan, I need to pass through three residential buildings.'

Seohwi recalled the infiltration route he had prepared in advance.

The direction was not the front gate but the back gate.

The back gate had relatively fewer guards, and it was closer to Baekyangcheon's residence, making the route shorter.

Additionally, the height of the outer wall of Changryongmun was relatively low, making it easier to infiltrate.

'The problem is the patrolling guys...'

Yongdo. A passage between buildings.

Almost every half an hour, warriors patrolled this area.

It was the first place to pass through when moving from the outer wall to the buildings.

Here, he had to move extremely carefully.

At night, the patrolling warriors would be more vigilant, and even the slightest sound could lead to discovery.

'And there are also the guard posts.'

He had to consider the high watchtowers that overlooked the residential buildings.

In other words, the ones patrolling the surroundings and the ones looking down from above.

He had to break through both lines of defense simultaneously.

'At least... half an hour per residential building. I need about one and a half hours in total.'

Baekyangcheon's residence was located in the fourth building, after passing through three mixed Samhapwon and Sahapwon buildings.

If the information from Geumman-jung was correct, it wasn't impossible.

He knew the number of guards and the times they changed shifts.

But not everything goes according to plan.

If someone had a different idea or if the information was incorrect, it would take much more time.

Thus, the plans he had made were completely ruined by the time displayed before him.

'Damn it.'

280... 278...

Seohwi knew from his experience what this time meant.

One and a half hours was roughly 1350 seconds.

So his mind was in turmoil.

Just 300 seconds. No, 278 seconds.

He had to reach Baekyangcheon's residence within this tight timeframe.

Naturally, he couldn't be discovered during the move.

The goal was assassination.

Swish.

While Seohwi was pondering, his subordinates stopped moving.

The first Samhapwon building they passed through the back gate.

It looked like a guest room or a main hall.

Five subordinates were crouched on the eaves, waiting for orders.

And among them,

Whip. Whirr.

The leading subcommander raised her hand and sent a signal.

She was responsible for identifying the warriors patrolling the courtyard.

'Three...'

Pit!

Suddenly, Seohwi's pupils turned blue.

Yabaekan.

He used his inner energy to detect objects in the dark.

Swish.

Seohwi raised his hand and watched the warriors on the watchtower. He needed to confirm the blind spots in their field of vision.

210... 219...

The numbers mercilessly ticked down.

It felt like his spine was freezing and his blood was drying up.

Then, at some point,

Sak!

Seohwi lowered his hand.

Papapap.

Yorim, Jeongsong, and Yongjin immediately leaped to the ground.

Thud! Crack!

The noise wasn't loud.

The subordinates swiftly approached and snapped the necks of the patrolling warriors one by one.

'Handle it quickly.'

The subordinates threw the bodies into an empty room in the nearby Sahapwon.

During this time, Seohwi didn't blink as he surveyed the surroundings.

He was checking the field of vision of the guards in the watchtowers.

Creak.

Seohwi, who had been standing quietly like a statue, raised his hand again.

He pointed to a spot.

Sak. Sak.

The subordinates moved in unison, skillfully climbing the outer wall and moving to another residential building.

However, Seohwi's expression was seriously tense.

'Damn it. At this rate, I won't make it on time.'

150... 149...

Half the time had already passed.

There were still two residential buildings left.

If he moved as cautiously as before, he wouldn't make it halfway before the time ran out.

'This is impossible with normal methods!'

Tap.

Seohwi climbed the wall and reached the eaves. Indeed, he could confirm the numerous signs of people everywhere.

The outer wall's guard, the watchtowers on each building, and the spaces where movement was easy were all under surveillance.

'No matter how fast I move, I'll be discovered.'

Drip.

Seohwi broke out in a cold sweat.

Each of those gazes was a potential trigger for an explosion.

Death could come at any moment, and a single mistake could end everything.

He needed to find a way. A way to avoid all those gazes and reach his destination.

"Uh... Commander?"

Yumu, hanging from the eaves of an unknown main hall, turned his head.

The leader, who should have been behind him, was still on the other side, not even having crossed the outer wall.

'What's he doing? Is he looking at something good?'

If he could hear thoughts, Seohwi would have been impressed by Yumu's reaction.

In fact, he was already looking at the world through a different perspective.

Combat Style <Simulation Level 2>

<Analyzing the number of Seohwi's martial arts techniques.>

<Analyzing the forms of Seohwi's martial arts techniques.>

...

<Analysis complete.>

The time stop ended.

The newly changed simulation asked him directly.

<What simulation would you like to run?>

"Tell me the shortest time to reach Baekyangcheon's residence without being seen by the enemies!"

Seohwi's shout was immediately met with a response from the simulation.

However,

<Impossible! The information is insufficient. Move to a location with a clear view of Changryongmun to gather data.>

"Damn it."

There was no choice.

Seohwi headed towards the nearest watchtower.

Tap. Tap.

The height was five zhang. From the eaves, he could jump and reach the roof, which was seven zhang high.

However, he also had to be cautious of the Changryongmun warriors moving below.

- Eliminate the three under the blue roof.

- Only the subcommander remains; everyone else follow me!

Hesitation.

Despite hiding their faces with masks, the subordinates' hesitation revealed their slight panic.

They realized something was wrong with Seohwi's secret communication, which was different from the plan.

However, the subcommander, more than anyone, quickly took action.

Creak.

She drew her dagger and quickly scanned the area under the blue roof.

As soon as she spotted the three patrol members, she didn't hesitate.

Swoosh!

She immediately turned, stepped on the outer wall, and threw her daggers at the walking patrol members.

"…!"

"…Ugh!"

The three daggers pierced their necks without a single error.

Papapap.

At that moment, Seohwi kicked off and leaped onto the roof.

The distance to the watchtower was about ten zhang.

As he leaped over the fallen enemies and ran, he saw two more patrol members in the courtyard.

- Yorim!

Seohwi's secret communication was immediately responded to by Yorim.

Moving almost like his body was bending, he swiftly decapitated the two patrol members.

Papapap.

By then, Seohwi was almost at the watchtower.

However, it was a mistake.

The area around the watchtower was not a residential building like a Sahapwon.

There were as many as eight people below the watchtower, watching him.

- Eliminate them all!

Instantly, Jeongsong, Yorim, and Yumu leaped and attacked them.

In the darkness and the sudden ambush, their movements were more agile than usual.

Papapap.

Meanwhile, Seohwi reached the top of the watchtower, stepping through the air.

Two more patrol members came into view.

Swoosh!

In the blink of an eye, he decapitated them.

"Huff. Huff."

Seohwi checked the time without a moment to catch his breath.

78... 77...

The remaining time was desperate.

Nonetheless, the time continued to flow, and a line of text appeared naturally before his eyes.

<Data sufficient. Analyzing...◇>

A glimmer of hope.

And Seohwi's earnest wish to use this combat style only as a last resort.

<Ming, Choe-lang, Xiao-ming, Wanbo Laozu 13,000, 50,000, peak, 150,000/150,000 Yu-mian Qing-shan...>

Swoosh.

In the densely dark buildings, numerous characters were rising as if from the ground.

And soon,

<Found it!>

<The simulation shows the shortest route to reach Baekyangcheon's residence within 55 seconds.>

<There are 7 enemies you will inevitably encounter during the move. All must be eliminated in close combat.>

<If you fail to take them down in one strike, the estimated time will increase.>

The path marked in bold red.

The first step was to leap from the watchtower railing into the air.

<Follow.>

With the text signaling the start,

* * *

Pap!

Seohwi flew through the air like a bird.

His leap from a height of five zhang rose to seven zhang and soared over the building.

Pap!

He barely touched the high outer wall and leaped again.

At the point where the red line in his vision sharply turned downward,

he saw two guards.

"…Huh?"

He landed silently with his lightness technique, but the warriors detected the faint presence.

The warriors, who were looking in the opposite direction, turned around at that moment.

Suddenly, the flow of time slowed to an extreme.

"…!"

Three projections appeared in Seohwi's vision.

In the extremely slowed time, they moved, mimicking Seohwi's usual movements.

'All different!'

Three projections, each moving differently.

One rushed at the two guards and suddenly turned into a red shadow and disappeared.

Another hid to the side and ambushed the enemies through a nearby passage.

The last one stepped on the wall of the adjacent building, narrowly avoiding their field of vision.

However, what was strange was that there was no indication of how to kill them.

Perhaps because of this,

<Choose.>

▶ Rush at them.

▷ Hide in the building and ambush them.

▷ Turn your body, step on the right wall, and attack.

5... 4...

These were the options presented.

In the rapidly decreasing time, Seohwi chose the third option.

<You have chosen 'Turn your body, step on the right wall, and attack.'>

And as the flow of time returned to normal,

Papapap.

Seohwi ran, stepping on the wall of the adjacent building. Just as he kicked off and leaped,

"…!"

"…!"

He came into their field of vision.

Swoosh!

He beheaded one and swung his sword at the other.

Clang!

The other blocked it. Seohwi quickly struck the opponent's right shoulder to push him away.

Thud!

"Ugh!"

As the opponent's balance was lost, Seohwi immediately stabbed his chest and covered his mouth.

"Ugh... Ugh..."

Shiver.

The trembling gradually subsided. As he panted and lifted his head,

<Time increased by 5 seconds.>

'Damn it!'

A nerve-wracking message appeared.

65... 64...

The absolute time was decreasing, but the estimated time was increasing.

<Estimated time: 60 seconds>

Seohwi had no time to think.

Five more to go.

To reach Baekyangcheon's residence, he had to eliminate them with the best choices.

This was a life-or-death struggle against time, not the enemies. It was just beginning.