 |
| Reaper of the Drifting Moon Chapter 382 |
Type- Light Novel, Web Novel
Manhwa- N/A
Translation-MTL
The Martial Sword Alliance was the ruler of the South Sea.
The island of Haenam, where they settled, was like a huge fortress in itself.
To enter Haenam Island, one had to take a boat, and all the waterways and harbours were under the control of the Martial Sword Alliance.
Because of this, no one could approach Haenam Island or even go near it without the permission of the Martial Sword Alliance.
This tendency became even stronger after Jeon Mu-ok, the Sea King Sword, took office as the head of the Martial Sword Alliance.
Many people were dissatisfied with this, but no one was brave enough to say so in front of Jeon Mu-ok.
Jeon Mu-ok was indeed the ruler of the South Sea. At some point, however, he stopped appearing in public.
This happened after his disciple Dokgo Hwang won the succession battle. After that, he entrusted all the affairs of the Martial Sword Alliance to Dokgo Hwang and went into seclusion for training. Although he hid his appearance from the public, his influence still dominated the South Sea region.
The Martial Sword Alliance consisted of one faction, three gates and five halls.
The central faction was the Haenam Faction, and below it were the three gates: White Blood Gate, Bright Moon Gate and Five Scarlet Gates.
The five halls were the Supreme Martial Hall, the Five Tiger Hall, the Golden Martial Hall, the Upper Moon Hall, and the Central Heaven Hall.
These nine factions formed the core of the Martial Sword Alliance, and needless to say, the Haenam faction was at the centre.
Martial artists from the Haenam faction traditionally wore blue uniforms to distinguish themselves from other factions.
On the positive side, this meant that they were maintaining their identity, but on the negative side, it meant that they were expressing their superiority through their clothing. But that was a story from decades ago.
Now all martial artists wore blue uniforms to eliminate discrimination. Thanks to such measures, severe discrimination had largely disappeared.
The Martial Sword Alliance was located at the foot of the Five Mountains, the highest peak in Haenam.
Over the past few decades, the Martial Sword Alliance had undergone numerous expansions. As a result, its size was unparalleled.
Dokgo Hwang's residence was in a high tower overlooking the Martial Sword Alliance.
With his arms folded, Dokgo Hwang looked down upon the Martial Sword Alliance. Eom Soso stood beside him.
The Martial Sword Alliance looked like a giant living being.
The streets stretching in all directions resembled human blood vessels, and countless people were busily moving up and down them.
They all led to the main hall at the top.
The person sitting in the main hall monopolised everything in this vast land.
Suddenly, Dokgo Hwang opened his mouth.
"I like it."
"What do you mean?"
"Isn't it great? This whole view..."
"It really is."
Dokgo Hwang chuckled at Eom Soso's calm reply.
She was a strange woman.
She could have easily held a high-ranking position in the Martial Sword Alliance if she wanted to, but she had no interest in material wealth.
All she desired was Dokgo Hwang himself.
She didn't pay attention to anything else.
She was the perfect ally for Dokgo Hwang.
A natural smile spread across Dokgo Hwang's face as he looked at Eom Soso.
That's when it happened.
Thump!
Suddenly, a hawk flew through the window.
The hawk, perched on the windowsill and flapping its wings roughly, was peculiarly covered in red feathers as if on fire.
It was the spirit animal of the Martial Sword Alliance, the Thousand-mile Sea Hawk.
This creature, which could easily cover a thousand miles in a day, was used only for urgent reports from the outside world.
The arrival of the Thousand-mile Sea Hawk meant that the matter was significant.
Eom Soso took out a letter from the scroll tied to the hawk's ankle.
Eom Soso handed the rolled-up letter to Dokgo Hwang.
"Hmm!"
Dokgo Hwang's expression hardened as he read the letter.
"What's wrong?"
Eom Soso asked with a puzzled expression.
The Dokgo Hwang she knew had a firm disposition, barely blinking an eye at most matters.
The fact that he showed such agitation meant the contents of the letter were not ordinary.
"Read it."
Instead of answering, Dokgo Hwang handed the letter to Eom Soso.
Eom Soso quickly read the contents of the letter.
"Hmm!"
Her reaction was no different from Dokgo Hwang's.
The contents of the letter were indeed shocking.
"My goodness! The Unreturned Prison was attacked and it collapsed?"
"Yes! It says that it was attacked by someone, and that those who guarded it chose annihilation."
"Well, that's fortunate."
"Fortunate?"
There was a chill in Dokgo Hwang's eyes, but Eom Soso calmly replied.
"Anyway, there are no survivors. He must have died too."
"We didn't see it with our own eyes."
"Well, that's true..."
"You know what it means to be an heir in the Martial Sword Alliance. If he's alive, my legitimacy could be shaken."
"It's an issue that needs to be verified for sure."
"Exactly! I can't entrust this to anyone else. Understand?"
"Yes! Then I should go check it out."
"Yes! You're the only person I can trust."
It was Dokgo Hwang who sent Yoo Soo-hwan to the Unreturnable Prison.
To hide the fact that he was involved, he deliberately made contact with So Geoksan in Yeonam, far from Haenam, and entrusted the job to him.
He couldn't entrust the task to anyone else. The fact that he was involved in this matter had to be kept a strict secret.
Knowing this, Eom Soso also said she should go.
"Take the Sea Dragon Squad with you."
The Sea Dragon Squad was the Martial Sword Alliance's hidden secret weapon.
Possessing enough power to annihilate any ordinary small or medium sect in an instant, they were warriors carefully nurtured by the Sea King Sword Jeon Mu-ok.
Eom Soso shook her head.
"I'm enough on my own."
"I know! But you must be fully prepared. So take the Sea Squad with you. That way I can feel safe."
"Alright. If that's what you want..."
Eom Soso nodded reluctantly.
"Leave immediately!"
"Yes! I'll be back soon."
Eom Soso bowed and left immediately.
Dokgo Hwang's face twisted as he was left alone.
Irritation bubbled up from the depths of his heart.
On the surface, he seemed cheerful and generous, but in reality, he was a perfectionist. Everything had to go his way for him to be satisfied.
The bursting sound out of his line of sight infuriated him.
Grrr!
Dokgo Hwang, who had been grinding his teeth for a moment, suddenly approached the wall cabinet.
When he touched a certain part of it, the cabinet slid aside, revealing a hidden space.
The dark space, like the mouth of a giant beast, was a staircase leading down to an underground chamber.
No one knew that such an underground chamber existed in Dokgo Hwang's residence.
Dokgo Hwang had kept this place a strict secret. Eom Soso was the only person who knew about it.
Dokgo Hwang went down the stairs to the cellar.
He descended hundreds of steps and finally reached the bottom.
The underground was pitch black, not a single ray of light penetrated.
Suddenly Dokgo Hwang reached out and touched the wall.
He grabbed a pole.
Thud!
Dokgo Hwang lit a flame on the end of the staff and the previously dark underground space brightened, revealing its interior.
It was a massive underground room, about ten chambers in size.
It was not a naturally formed cave, but a man-made space. However, Dokgo Hwang was not the only one in the underground area.
"Kheh!"
A strange man was sitting in the middle of the underground room.
He had chains as thick as his own arms on both arms, and both legs were cut off below the knee.
He had been trapped here for an unknown length of time, and his wild hair not only covered his face, but reached down to his belly button.
The strange man groaned in pain as the sudden light hurt his eyes, but only for a moment, and soon he was emitting an eerie glow.
Dokgo Hwang approached him, and the light in the stranger's eyes became even more intense.
Dokgo Hwang spoke to the stranger.
"It's been a long time, Master!"
"Go away!"
The strange man's voice echoed in the underground room.
"Do you still think you can live? Your voice is so loud..."
"You scoundrel! How dare you do this to your master! Can you still call yourself human?"
"This is all because of your karma, Master."
"Karma?"
"Yes! Karma! Master, didn't you first turn me into a beast? So I had no choice but to bite like a beast..."
A bitter smile crossed Dokgo Hwang's lips.
The monster that exuded a powerful presence in the completely enclosed underground space was none other than his master, the absolute authority of the Martial Sword Alliance, the Sea King Sword Jeon Mu-ok.
It was rumoured that he had retired to meditate, but in reality he was imprisoned in this lightless underground chamber.
Rattle!
Jeon Mu-ok stretched out both arms and shouted.
"It wasn't that I trusted you. You colluded with Jang Mugak and brought your master to this state."
If he could, he would have strangled Dokgo Hwang on the spot. But the iron chains that bound his arms prevented his hands from reaching any further.
Even as he watched Jeon Mu-ok struggle with his hands in front of him, Dokgo Hwang showed no mercy.
"Have you forgotten? It was our master who pushed me and my sworn brothers into the abyss under the guise of competition. Our master, who learned martial arts from the royal family, forced us to compete. Thanks to him, my hands are stained with the blood of my sworn brothers".
"It was for your own good. To make you stronger..."
"That's why I've become so strong. Just as our master wanted, I became a beast without blood or tears. Haha!"
"Hwang-ah! Don't do this. I am your master."
"Isn't that why I've spared you so far? I've killed all the other sworn brothers. Ah, I sent Brother Yoo to the Unreturnable prison."
"Why Soo-hwan?
"Because he was the only one who was kind to me. I didn't want to stain my hands with his blood. So I sent him to the unreturnable prison, but now it has collapsed. Now I have no one left. Ah, there's Soso."
"Don't go near that witch. She will lead you to destruction.
Despite Jeon Mu-ok's advice, Dokgo Hwang replied with a snort.
"Who am I to argue with you, Master? You have led us down the path of destruction."
"It was all for you. To make you stronger. Why can't you understand my sincerity?"
"Haha! That's why I became so strong. Are you proud? Your pupil has grown just as you wanted."
"Hwang-ah!"
"Don't call my name with that filthy mouth, Master. Do you know how much I wanted to kill you every time you called my name?"
A terrible fury erupted from Dokgo Hwang's eyes.
Ever since he had become Jeon Mu-ok's disciple, every day had been like hell.
He had never been able to sleep peacefully for a single day.
He had to worry about the attacks of his sworn brothers and he was afraid of not living up to his master's standards.
As he grew older, his body grew bigger and stronger, but his heart grew sicker.
That's when he met Eom Soso and Jang Mugak.
Without them, he would have died every day under his master's abuse.
From that moment on, Dokgo Hwang changed.
He began to learn martial arts, not just to survive in competition, but with a greater goal in mind.
He had a solid foundation.
He had exceptional talent and an indomitable will.
He immersed himself in martial arts like a madman.
As a result, he achieved amazing results, even beyond what his master, Jeon Mu-ok, had wished for.
Finally, Dokgo Hwang carried out the plan he had been planning for a long time.
It was to overthrow his master, Jeon Mu-ok.
Jeon Mu-ok was a martial artist known as the Sea King Sword.
He possessed immense power that matched his long life.
Alone he would have been impossible. But he had a friend with a common goal.Jang Mugak.
He had joined forces with Dokgo Hwang.
Jeon Mu-ok was indeed an incredible fighter. His swordsmanship could cut through the ocean and still have power to spare. But amusingly, he didn't know how to use his swordsmanship to its full potential.
He had emphasized ferocity and competition among his students, but Jeon Mu-ok himself lacked the fierce fighting spirit.
In the end, Dokgo Hwang and Jang Mugak were able to subdue Jeon Mu-ok after a fierce battle.
Dokgo Hwang had no intention of killing Jeon Mu-ok easily.
He wanted to keep him alive until the end to repay him for the pain he had suffered.
Dokgo Hwang smiled as he pulled a specially made dagger out of his pocket.
The dagger, with serrated edges like a shark's teeth, was specially made to inflict pain on a person.
"Well, master, let's start again today."
"Go away! Aargh!"
Jeon Mu-ok's desperate screams echoed in the darkness.
0 Comments
Share this post with your friends who want to enjoy light novels.