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| Reaper of the Drifting Moon Novel |
Type- Light Novel, Web Novel
Manhwa- N/A
Translation-MTL
"Insane... How can this be? Pant, pant!"
Gwak Nosaeng muttered as he ran through the secret passage.
He had mobilized hundreds of living Jiangshis.
He'd spent his entire life researching them, but they had been annihilated and couldn’t break through Pyo Wol
It didn't make sense to him.
It was something he couldn't understand with his common sense. But it had already happened.
No matter how much he denied it, the incident wouldn't disappear.
It took him quite a while to accept the fact.
"So they call him the Reaper. That's why he was being watched so heavily from the above."
The nickname Reaper suited the invincible Pyo Wol.
The fact that he drew his energy as thin as silk to create the Spider Silver Net was not only novel but terrifying.
For those who, like him, enjoyed the shadows, Pyo Wol's mastery of the Spider Silver Net was contradictory. Because he never knew when he would be caught in his Spider Silver Net and die.
Gwak Nosaeng was confident in his martial arts skills.
At the very least, his skills were better than Jang Sacheon's. Still, he ran away like a scared dog, lacking confidence to confront Pyo Wol.
The only good thing was that he knew this underground place well.
Just like when the Celestial Demon Troupe was around, the underground paths were woven together like a spider web.
The underground passages were so complex that even Gwak Nosaeng couldn't fully grasp them.
He only knew a small fraction of the underground passages. But he did remember what was in them. And that's where he was running..
Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine.
It was because of the sound of footsteps behind him.
There were clearly two people chasing him, but the footsteps belonged to a single person.
'Is it the sound of that woman's footsteps? Is the man not coming?'
He immediately shook his head.
It was because it couldn't be.
It's not that he's not following me, it's just that I can't hear his footsteps.
The opponent was a young martial artist called the Reaper.
Concealing his presence in the darkness would be as easy as breathing for him.
He couldn't hear the footsteps, but the pursuer would undoubtedly be right on his tail.
Blood gushed from his severed arm at the shoulder, but he didn't have the luxury to stop the bleeding.
If he stopped even for a moment, it seemed like Pyo Wol's pale hand would snatch his throat.
His expression was twisted in despair.
He couldn't believe that he had to flee so desperately.
He didn’t even have the chance to lament his pathetic situation.
At this very moment, the footsteps were getting closer.
That meant Yong Seol-ran was closing in on him.
If Yong Seol-ran's footsteps could be heard so clearly, then Pyo Wol must be even closer.
Perhaps he was right behind him, following him.
His imagination made his whole body shudder.
Gwak Nosaeng squeezed out every ounce of strength he had and increased his speed.
If there was one advantage he had over Pyo Wol and Yong Seol-ran was that he was already familiar with the underground space.
He knew where the rocks were and where the ground had collapsed, so he could move the shortest distance.
A wall appeared at the end of the corridor.
A dead-end space had appeared. However, Gwak Nosaeng did not slow down but rather sped up even more.
Like a gust of wind, he reached the wall and pressed a certain part. Then the wall slid open, revealing another secret space.
Without a moment's hesitation, he threw himself into the dark space.
Right after that, Pyo Wol and Yong Seol-ran arrived.
Yong Seol-ran said,
"It looks like this is the place he believes in. Are you going in?"
Pyo Wol silently nodded.
There had been several opportunities to catch Gwak Nosaeng on their way here. Yet, Pyo Wol hadn't done so because he was curious to see what Gwak Nosaeng believed in..
The Ghost King said that it was here that his eyes opened.
Gwak Nosaeng had also created the living jiangshi here.
The living jiangshi were not something that could be made with just decades of research.
It took generations of research.
The Ghost King and the living jiangshi had something in common.
Pyo Wol thought the answer to the problem would be here.
Just as you have to go into a tiger's den to catch a tiger, you have to get to the root of the problem to solve it.
Pyo Wol and Yong Seol-ran entered the dark space.
It was the moment they set foot on the floor.
Ping!
Suddenly, a sharp sound of a mechanism echoed.
'Trap!'
Pyo Wol wrapped his arm around Yong Seol-ran's slender waist and unfolded his meandering steps.
Splash!
Immediately after, an arrow pierced the spot where they had been.
It was an arrow the size of a child's palm.
The arrow, also called a flat arrow, had been fired by the mechanism.
If it hadn't been for Pyo Wol's quick reaction, Yong Seol-ran would have been seriously injured by the arrow.
No one could have imagined that a trap would be triggered as soon as they set foot in here.
"Hold on tight."
Pyo Wol carried Yong Seol-ran on his back.
Yong Seol-ran's senses were significantly dulled at the moment.
Her senses were too dull to detect the traps being activated in this darkness, making it impossible to respond properly.
Knowing this, she obediently climbed onto Pyo Wol's back.
Without a word, Yong Seol-ran tightly hugged Pyo Wol's neck.
Whoosh!
Flat arrows flew at them one after another.
The flat arrows, fired with the power of the mechanism, were much more powerful than those shot by a person.
Moreover, the pitch-black darkness hid their forms, making it difficult to detect them. However, Pyo Wol avoided the flat arrows with ease.
As if he could see the incoming attacks clearly, he moved minimally to dodge all the flat arrows and advanced forward.
The flat arrows were just the beginning.
Suddenly, the floor gave way, and a trap was triggered that brought the entire ceiling down.
The entire ceiling was made of steel.
If they had been crushed under the tens of thousands of pounds of steel, it would have been instant death.
It was a terrifying trap that sent shivers down one’s spine.
Pyo Wol narrowly avoided all traps and mechanisms.
While being carried on Pyo Wol's back, Yong Seol-ran didn't feel any sense of danger.
In fact, she was surprised to feel comfortable on his back.
"Do I still have feelings for this man?
Yong Seol-ran quickly shook her head.
Pyo Wol was the sworn enemy of her master and the Emei Sect.
Although she had left the Emei Sect on her own, she had never forgotten them for a single day.
Even though her master, the abbess of nine calamities, had been condemned by the world for her actions, she was still her one and only master.
She couldn't possibly have feelings for Pyo Wol, the man who had killed her master.
'That day was just a simple mistake. It won't happen again.'
Yong Seol-ran bit her lip slightly.
She didn't regret what had already happened. However, it would be troublesome if it happened again.
Mechanisms and traps continued to threaten them.
The traps were so terrifying that Yong Seol-ran would have already been caught if she had entered alone. However, Pyo Wol narrowly avoided all traps and mechanisms.
It was an incredible ability.
'As they say, he's the greatest assassin in the world. He really lives up to his reputation.'
She marveled at his abilities all over again.
Suddenly, Pyo Wol seemed endearing to her.
Yong Seol-ran buried her face deeply in the nape of Pyo Wol's neck.
Contrary to his delicate face, she could sense the strong scent of a man.
'Hmm!'
Yong Seol-ran deeply inhaled Pyo Wol's scent.
"Haah!"
A heavy breath involuntarily escaped her lips.
Her face turned red, although it couldn't be seen in the darkness.
Her white hand pressed against Pyo Wol's chest.
The desire to embrace Pyo Wol and roll around with him overwhelmed her.
That's when it happened.
"Pull yourself together. It's a psychological technique."
Pyo Wol's cold voice snapped her out of her daze.
Her mind cleared as if she had been doused with ice water.
"A psychological technique?"
"It's a technique that stimulates the basic human psyche. If you let your guard down, you'll be controlled by illusions. Use your internal energy."
"Yes!"
Yong Seol-ran answered and utilized her internal energy. Her mind immediately cleared.
In an instant, her face turned bright red.
She was embarrassed by her behavior, being distracted by a mere psychological technique.
'I really don't deserve to be a martial artist.'
She had never regretted going into hiding before, but now she couldn't help but feel regretful for having neglected her martial arts.
He was moving freely even with her on his back.
Yong Seol-ran knew very well how amazing that was.
'The gap between us has grown so much that I can no longer catch up.'
The gap was so vast that she didn't even feel jealous.
She focused on her internal energy while tightly embracing Pyo Wol's neck.
Pyo Wol silently raced through the darkness.
He detected and avoided the traps and mechanisms before they were even activated, and the illusion formation had no effect on his mind.
His mental strength was as solid as a rock, leaving no room for illusions to penetrate.
Darkness was like a sanctuary to Pyo Wol.
His abilities were amplified in the deep darkness.
Ordinary people couldn't even imagine the extent to which his senses expanded, not missing even the slightest change.
His heightened senses accurately guided him, even in the darkness.
Pyo Wol moved forward without hesitation, never faltering or hesitating in choosing the right path.
Bang!
Finally, the last mechanism and a massive stone door blocking their path shattered as Pyo Wol burst through.
Despite racing through the darkness like lightning, his breathing remained as calm as ever.
Pyo Wol surveyed the newly discovered space.
It was a large stone chamber.
The rectangular chamber was easily over ten meters in length on one side.
In the center was Gwak Nosaeng.
Gwak Nosaeng was shocked to see Pyo Wol suddenly entering the room.
"How did you?"
He thought it would take at least two hours to break through the mechanism and formation. In fact, it took him and his subordinates even longer when they first encountered them.
It wasn't easy to break through the intricately interwoven mechanisms and formations. But Pyo Wol had done it in an instant, without even a scratch.
It was an impossible feat in Gwak Nosaeng's understanding.
Whether Gwak Nosaeng was shocked or not, Pyo Wol looked around the stone chamber.
The walls of the chamber were filled with various mysterious patterns, incomprehensible characters, and drawings.
They were not recently created.
The presence of moss on each character and drawing indicated that they were written at least several years ago, perhaps even decades.
This place was undoubtedly someone's research area in the Celestial Demon Troupe.
The person had recorded their research in the form of murals on the walls.
It was clear that Gwak Nosaeng had gained some insights from this place and applied them to create the living Jiangshi.
Pyo Wol spoke as he set Yong Seol-ran down.
"Is this the place? The source of your knowledge…
"
"Ugh!"
"With the knowledge you learned here, you created the Living Jiangshi."
Gwak Nosaeng couldn't utter a single word of defense. Pyo Wol's words were true.
Pyo Wol's gaze suddenly turned to a mural on the wall in front of him.
It was much larger and more vivid than the other drawings on the walls.
A man lying on a stone bed, another man in a splendid outfit seemingly injecting something into the former's head, and the man on the stone bed rising in the next scene.
A creepy light radiated from the resurrected man's eyes.
The drawing was so vivid that the eerie energy in the man's eyes could be felt.
Pyo Wol glanced at the writing next to the drawing for a moment.
While the other writings were all related to magic, the writing beside the drawing he was looking at was simply a personal account.
[I've been here for several years.
I finally started to see some clues, but I had to move due to the Alliance's situation.
It's a pity that I couldn't complete my research on immortality and had to move.
Personally, I'd like to stay here, but since it's the Alliance leader's decision, I have no choice. However, my research will continue even after moving to the Heavenly Martial Sect. Eventually, my descendants, who will inherit my will as Gyeong Chuweol, will surpass the magic of the Gyeong family.]
"Gyeong Chuweol?"
He had never heard the name before. But upon seeing the name, another name came to mind.
"Is it related to Gyeongmusaeng?"
The master of Life and Death Gyeongmusaeng also had the last name 'Gyeong.' It was a plausible story.
However, what Pyo Wol focused on was the word 'Heavenly Martial Sect.'
The Celestial Demon Troupe moved to Heavenly Martial Sect? So, does that mean the Heavenly Martial Sect is the successor to the Celestial Demon Troupe?"
Important updates from my mtl novel translations
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