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| Reaper of the Drifting Moon Chapter 384 |
Type- Light Novel, Web Novel
Manhwa- N/A
Translation-MTL
Pyo Wol bought the sword and left the shop.
The middle-aged clerk followed him to the entrance and greeted Pyo Wol.
"Thank you. Please come again."
When the clerk straightened his back, which was bent at almost 90 degrees, Pyo Wol was nowhere to be seen.
The clerk stared for a moment in the direction where Pyo Wol had disappeared.
"Was he just a customer who came to buy a sword?"
The clerk's brow furrowed slightly.
It was an expression that appeared when he had something to think about.
The clerk sensed something strange about Pyo Wol. But he couldn't put his finger on it. That's why he approached Pyo Wol directly to sell him the sword.
He thought that by talking to him, he could find out what the strange feeling was.
Contrary to his expectations, however, he no longer felt anything strange about Pyo Wol.
The clerk scratched his head and muttered to himself.
"Maybe I'm getting old. My intuition is not what it used to be..."
He entered the workshop with a heavy step.
The craftsmen were still wrestling with hunks of metal.
They were true craftsmen.
They only concentrated on making weapons and didn't know how the workshop was run.
The real owner, who ran the workshop, was the clerk.
The clerk went out through the side door at the back of the workshop. He saw a shabby storage shed.
He checked that no one was around and went into the shed.
Inside were piles of iron bars, used to make weapons.
When the clerk pushed aside the shelf of iron bars, a secret room appeared behind it.
Even the craftsmen in the workshop didn't know it existed.
The clerk entered the secret room.
After descending about twenty steps, a rather large underground room appeared.
There were about ten people gathered in the underground room.
There were eight males and two females.
As the clerk descended, their eyes were fixed on him. Then the he laughed and said with a smile, "Is everyone prepared?"
"Yes!"
They replied briefly and firmly.
The clerk nodded as if he liked their attitude and said,
"This is a mission involving the Ten Blood Assassins. We must do our best to assist them. Be prepared for anything, because we don't know when we'll move.
The clerk's name was Lee Myung-hak.
Lee Myung-hak was an assassin for the Hundred Wraith Union.
At one time, his skills were impressive enough to make him one of the Ten Blood Assassins.
However, when he retired from the front lines, his name was erased from the Ten Blood Assassins.
Lee Myung-hak had no regrets.
It was impossible to live a life as an assassin.
When you're young, you can handle the nerve-wracking tension without a care in the world, but when you're older, there comes a point when it's too much.
Lee Myung-hak, who had been one of the Ten Blood Assassins for fifteen years, was at a crossroads.
If he continued to kill, he felt that his character would be destroyed and he would no longer be able to live as a human being. This terrible feeling tormented him.
At a crossroads, Lee Myung-hak decided to retire. However, it would be useless if the leader of the Hundred Wraith Union didn't agree.
As expected, the leader of the Hundred Wraith Union did not agree.
It didn't make sense to let go of such a useful assassin as Lee Myung-hak.
Lee Myung-hak wanted to retire, but the leader of the Hundred Wraith Union did not.
The two came to a compromise.
Lee Myung-hak would retire from the front line and work as a support unit leader.
He wouldn't carry out assassinations on the front lines, but he would support the assassins on important missions.
He would gather information, move decoys to divert the enemy's attention, and create opportunities for the Hundred Wraith Union assassins to move freely.
Lee Myung-hak was well versed in the art of assassination, having served as one of the Ten Blood Assassins.
Naturally, his support was the best.
That's why the assassins who went on dangerous missions hoped for Lee Myung-hak's support.
However, he rarely went out for support, and when he did, it was for very dangerous missions.
This mission was also very dangerous. That's why Lee Myung-hak came out to support them personally.
Lee Myung-hak murmured,
"Will it be all right? With the preparations, we should be able to make it".
***
Yoo Soo-hwan looked confused.
It was because Pyo Wol, who had returned to the guest room, was holding a sword he had never seen before.
"What is this?"
Yoo Soo-hwan knew that Pyo Wol did not use this kind of long sword. It was natural for him to be confused when Pyo Wol appeared with a sword in his hand.
Pyo Wol threw the sword to Yoo Soo-hwan and said,
"You use it."
"Me?"
"You use a sword as a weapon, right?"
"But I haven't regained my martial arts skills yet... Well, anyway, it seems like a gift, so I'll accept it gratefully."
Yoo Soo-hwan gently touched the sword.
It had been a long time since he had handled a sword.
Although he had lost his martial arts skills, he had never forgotten that he was a swordsman.
Yoo Soo-hwan said,
"This is a good sword. The craftsmanship seems to be quite good."
"It seems so."
"I'll use it gratefully."
"Use it? Isn't it too soon?"
"Indeed, but it seems that the deadline for regaining my martial arts skills will be shortened."
"How?"
"It turns out that the healer who can repair my body is not far away. I thought I would have to go to the South Sea to meet him."
A smile appeared at the corner of Yoo Soo-hwan's mouth.
The unexpected news came from a meeting between Nam Gung-Wol, Yong Ha-sang and Yeom Hee-su.
During their various conversations, Yeom Hee-su mentioned that she had met a strange doctor.
On their way here, they met a doctor wandering in the nearby mountains, and his characteristics were exactly the same as the healer Yoo Soo-hwan knew.
"So you're saying that this healer was discovered wandering around nearby instead of being in the South Sea?"
"That's right. So I'd like to leave this place for a while."
"To find the healer yourself?"
"Yes!"
"Can you find him alone?"
"I know the Healer's temperament best. Since I know roughly where he is, I can find him myself. Now that I have a good sword, I'd like to find him as soon as possible."
Pyo Wol nodded at Yoo Soo-hwan's words.
He understood his feelings.
Ordinary people tend to feel a sense of loss when they become weak. Especially if it was a martial artist who had mastered martial arts to a high level.
Martial artists trained their martial arts to elevate their bodies and minds to a higher level. The sense of deprivation felt by those who had transcended human limits when they lost everything they had built up was much more severe than the emotions felt by ordinary people who became weak.
Yoo Soo-hwan was no exception.
Although he pretended to be fine on the outside, he was hiding a great sense of loss.
He feared that he would never regain his martial arts skills. But he couldn't reveal his true feelings to Pyo Wol or anyone else.
"Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Nothing."
Yoo Soo-hwan replied firmly.
Pyo Wol looked at his face for a moment and nodded.
He had read the strong determination on Yoo Soo-hwan's face. People with such strong determination don't change their minds easily.
Even if the price was their own death, they would still do it.
Here, saying that Pyo Wol would help was no different from insulting Yoo Soo-hwan.
"I wish you luck."
"Thank you."
"When will you make your move?"
"I plan to go right away."
"Really?"
"Yes! The sooner the better. If he moves somewhere else while we're wasting time, that would be a big problem."
"I suppose."
"Well then..."
Yoo Soo-hwan took a hug from Pyo Wol and left the guesthouse with only his sword.
Pyo Wol sat on the seat where Yoo Soo-hwan had been sitting and watched his retreating figure for a moment.
The view of Poyang Lake came into view.
The scenery resembled the southern sea where Yoo Soo-hwan was born and raised. It couldn't compare to the sea, but it was enough to make waves in Yoo Soo-hwan's heart.
Although Yoo Soo-hwan's departure was unexpected, Pyo Wol didn't feel empty.
That's how it was with all encounters in Kangho.
You never knew when a connection would be made and then broken.
A sudden connection could unexpectedly lead to a long relationship, while a relationship that seemed to last a long time could end abruptly in Kangho.
The unexpected meeting and sudden departure with Yoo Soo-hwan was not strange at all.
Pyo Wol organized his thoughts as he looked at the view Yoo Soo-hwan was enjoying.
If Hong Ye Seol is targeting someone, it must not be an ordinary opponent.
Under normal circumstances, Pyo Wol would not care about Hong Ye Seol's assassinations.
She had her own life as an assassin, and an assassin's life was fulfilled by killing someone.
The problem was that the target she was supposed to kill was at Poyang Lake.
Poyang Lake was like a volcano about to erupt.
Golden Heavenly Hall and Silver Lotus Hall.
The Je-won Merchant Group and the Blood Ant Chamber.
The interests of numerous martial artists and sects were intertwined, resulting in countless conflicts centred around these groups.
The situation was currently balanced, but it was so precarious that it could be shattered with a simple flick of a finger.
It was in such a situation that the assassin Hong Ye-Seol appeared.
The intensity of the volcanic eruption would depend on whom she assassinated.
Hong Ye Seol, as Pyo Wol knew her, had a strong sense of pride.
She once abandoned a mission because other assassins were involved.
Such a person accepts the help of another assassin.
The workshop manager was an assassin, and Hong Ye-Seol had visited the workshop.
This meant that the mission was so important that she had to swallow her pride and accept the help of another assassin.
There was not enough information to deduce Hong Ye Seol's target.
The easiest way to get information was to subdue the assassin at the workshop who was in contact with Hong Ye-Seol. However, doing so could provoke Hong Ye-Seol and possibly bring about the worst outcome.
This is difficult!
Pyo Wol, who trusted his intellectual abilities, found the situation at Poyang Lake too complicated to draw conclusions easily.
At times like this, he wanted to forget everything and have a drink. But he didn't want to change his principles and drink now.
Alcohol might feel good, but it also calms the nerves and slows down physical reactions.
No matter how complicated the situation, you couldn't rely on alcohol.
Instead, Pyo Wol ordered tea from the tea house.
After drinking a cup of well-brewed tea, his head felt a bit clearer.
"Sigh!"
Pyo Wol let out a soft sigh.
Someone opened the door of the inn and entered.
For a moment, the eyes of the inn's guests were focused on the newcomer.
Normally, people would feel awkward or embarrassed by such attention, but the newcomer showed no such signs.
The new guest glanced around the inn and then walked straight towards Pyo Wol.
Only then did Pyo Wol turn his head to look at the guest.
The guest was a woman.
And a very beautiful one at that.
The moment Pyo Wol saw her, he thought of an ice flower.
It was because he felt a cold beauty, like a flower made of ice.
A single sword hung from her waist. She was no ordinary woman, but a martial artist.
When Pyo Wol looked at her, the woman opened her red lips.
"Are you Grandmaster Pyo Wol?"
"Who are you?"
"It seems you are. My name is Namgung Seol."
"Namgung?"
"I'm Wol's elder sister."
"From the Thousand Kingdom School, I see."
"That's right."
Namgung Seol nodded her head.
It was well known that the Thousand Kingdom School was an organisation centred around the Namgung family, composed of the old Five Great Families.
After the Great War, the traces of the Five Great Families faded as many martial artists from outside joined. However, the Namgung family still held the position of leadership in the Thousand Kingdom School.
Although the Namgung family did not inherit through blood, they continued to lead the Thousand Kingdom School due to their outstanding martial arts skills.
Namgung Seol was no exception.
From a young age, she had great talent and a strong reputation.
Despite being a woman, she showed such genius that she could compete for the position of the next leader.
If it weren't for her rival, Namgung Jin, who was also her cousin, she would definitely have become the leader - that was the general opinion in the Thousand Kingdom School.
Her cousin Namgung Jin was a true child prodigy. Having shown his genius early on, Namgung Jin rose to the position of deputy leader, blocking any competition.
Namgung Seol didn't express any particular ambition for the position of leader. However, there were rumors that she spent most of her time training because of her great ambition for the martial arts.
Namgung Seol asked, "May I join you for a while?
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