As the deep night fell, the lights scattered across the island began to flicker out one by one.
Swish. A dark figure darted through the shadows toward the heart of the island.
It was Bu Eunseol, now clad in tight-fitting night attire.
‘This is the Blood Sound Sect.’ Arriving at the island’s center after a long sprint, Bu Eunseol’s eyes gleamed sharply. Dozens of grand halls stood in rows, and cult members draped in red veils patrolled the area.
‘The deputy leader of the Soul-Snatching Hall.’ Recalling Ma Yun’s explanation and the details from the manual, Bu Eunseol quickly scanned the interior of the Blood Sound Sect.
Though he had never formally learned stealth techniques, he moved with the finesse of a seasoned assassin.
Swift Beyond Shadow.
This peerless movement technique, created by the great thief Gowol, combined with Bu Eunseol’s sharp yet cautious nature, allowed him to move like a ghost.
Halt.
Skimming past several halls, Bu Eunseol suddenly froze. Across from him, beneath a hall, he spotted a middle-aged man conversing with someone. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, and his lips were thin and red. He looked like a sinister snake transformed into human form.
‘Seok Jeong.’ The snake-like man was none other than Black Snake Seok Jeong, the deputy leader of the Soul-Snatching Hall.
‘As expected…’ Observing Seok Jeong from a distance, Bu Eunseol narrowed his eyes.
Even in the darkness, the man’s piercing gaze was faintly visible, and a sharp, blade-like aura emanated from his entire being.
At a glance, it was clear he was no ordinary master. Moreover, this was the heart of the Blood Sound Sect’s stronghold. A single misstep could lead to discovery before he even got close.
‘I’ll have to play the assassin for real.’ Bu Eunseol had already survived countless ambushes on Hell Island.
Among them were those who attempted assassination with bizarre methods and even trainees from the infamous Extreme Blade Sect which was an assassination sect.
‘First, I need to find the best spot for an ambush.’ The most critical factor in an assassination is the location.
An ill-chosen spot could lead to a counterattack or allow the target to call for reinforcements.
“Then, let’s do it that way.” At that moment, Seok Jeong finished his conversation, and the other person departed. Seok Jeong turned and re-entered the hall.
Swish.
Unfurling his ghostly movement technique, Bu Eunseol silently followed Seok Jeong into the hall.
‘This place…’ Passing through a long corridor, he spotted stairs descending into the underground.
Cautiously moving downward, he was hit by the pungent smell of medicine.
‘Here.’ Entering deeper, he found a vast stone chamber.
One side held an armory lined with weapons, while the chamber was filled with large jars big enough to hold a person. These were the jars used by the Blood Sound Sect to brew and store the elixirs for their sinister techniques.
‘The perfect place for an assassination.’ As a storage area for elixirs, only members of the Soul-Snatching Hall were allowed entry. Being an underground chamber, it was unlikely that noise would escape outside.
‘Good.’ Bu Eunseol slowly reached for one of the assassin’s swords strapped to his back.
An assassination attempt was akin to the ultimate real combat. It required precise timing and distance, and a single missed strike could lead to irreversible consequences.
‘I’ll take him down here.’ At that moment, Seok Jeong was inspecting the jars.
There could be no better opportunity for an assassination.
Gripping the assassin’s sword tightly, Bu Eunseol approached Seok Jeong’s back as he examined the jars. Just as he was about to strike—
“…!” Bu Eunseol’s pupils dilated, and time seemed to freeze.
His beastly instincts sensed something plummeting from the ceiling.
Whoosh.
Without time to think, he spun to the side to evade.
Thud thud thud!
Dozens of sharp steel arrows pierced the stone floor where he had stood.
“Assassins never change,” Seok Jeong said with a smile, turning to the jar where Bu Eunseol was hiding.
“Why do they always pick this place for their ambushes, as if they’d made a pact?”
Hearing this, Bu Eunseol realized something.
‘The ninth attempt…’ Seok Jeong had survived eight assassination attempts.
He had anticipated the actions of assassins entering this place.
“Come out. There’s no escape anyway.” At Seok Jeong’s words, Bu Eunseol, who had been hiding, slowly stepped forward.
With the exit already blocked, there was, as Seok Jeong said, no way out.
“Quite a young one this time.” Staring into the eyes visible through Bu Eunseol’s mask, Seok Jeong spoke. “Old or young, your kind is all the same. You sneak onto incoming ships, bide your time, and try to assassinate me when I come here.”
Looking at Bu Eunseol, who had lowered his stance, Seok Jeong touched his forehead and sneered.
“So I installed a trap to detect assassins. To know when rats sneak in.”
‘So that’s it.’ Seok Jeong, who had repeatedly faced assassins in this same spot due to its obviousness, had set up a mechanism to detect intruders.
‘This is a flaw of the Nine Deaths Squad.’ Bu Eunseol finally understood the Nine Deaths Squad’s weakness.
They operated without knowing each other’s sects or identities, performing only the missions assigned by the branch. While this was ideal for concealing an agent’s identity and secrets, it was inefficient for achieving objectives.
Without sharing information, they were doomed to repeat the same mistakes—as was happening now.
Shing.
Instead of the Black Snake Blade at his waist, Seok Jeong picked up a large blade from the armory.
“Assassins like you end their own lives when they run out of options.” With a cruel smile, he continued, “The struggles of a desperate assassin are as addictive as opium. Heh heh heh.”
Seok Jeong intended to deal with Bu Eunseol himself without alerting anyone of the intrusion.
‘Just what I wanted.’ Though the assassination had failed, he had gained an opportunity to fight.
Drawing one of the two assassin’s swords from his back, Bu Eunseol stepped toward Seok Jeong.
Whoosh! Without hesitation, he thrust his sword at Seok Jeong’s throat.
It was an instinctive killing move, adapted from the swift sword techniques of the Hwa Wu Lightning Sword.
“Hoh.” Noticing the stability of Bu Eunseol’s swordsmanship, Seok Jeong’s expression showed surprise. “This isn’t the swordplay of an assassin.”
With a leisurely smile, he raised his blade to a middle stance.
“Let’s see you block this.”
Swish.
As Seok Jeong unleashed his blade technique, a murderous aura, like black sand, enveloped Bu Eunseol’s entire body.
The Black Snake Blade Art. The signature technique that had made him renowned in the martial world for over a decade was revealed in an instant.
Clang! Sparks flew as sword and blade clashed.
Before mastering inner energy techniques, Bu Eunseol would have been pushed back by the overwhelming force. But now, it was Seok Jeong who staggered back two steps due to Bu Eunseol’s defense.
“A young one with profound inner energy,” Seok Jeong remarked, surprised by Bu Eunseol’s strength. He then unleashed the full force of his Black Snake Blade Art.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
The cascading blade strikes preemptively blocked all directions Bu Eunseol could move. At the same time, relentless killing moves pressed him without pause.
Pop pop!
Bloodstains appeared on Bu Eunseol’s body as he blocked the Black Snake Blade Art.
‘Strange.’ Though he blocked the strikes precisely, Seok Jeong’s blade tips somehow grazed his body.
‘One more time.’ As a strike aimed for his head, Bu Eunseol slowly extended his sword to intercept.
Whoosh.
But Seok Jeong’s blade seemed to vanish mid-motion, only to reappear slashing at his shoulder.
‘I see.’ As the blade grazed his shoulder, Bu Eunseol’s eyes flashed. ‘He’s altering his moves midway.’
It seemed to target the head but struck the shoulder. It feigned a thrust to the chest but slashed the waist.
Feints. The Black Snake Blade Art created afterimages to deceive the opponent, a form of variable swordsmanship—or rather, variable blade technique.
‘The difference experience makes.’ No matter how skilled one was with variable techniques, maintaining such composure to freely use feints in a life-or-death situation was difficult.
It was a feat only possible for Seok Jeong, who had survived by cutting down countless enemies.
‘I need to steal that technique.’ Observing Seok Jeong’s blade work for a while, Bu Eunseol’s swordplay began to change.
He started altering his normally straightforward strikes, sometimes halting them mid-motion or striking wildly at unexpected angles. As a result, Seok Jeong’s offensive slowed slightly.
‘Not such a remarkable technique.’ Bu Eunseol, mimicking the Black Snake Blade Art, couldn’t hide his disappointment.
But this was not true.
Using feints recklessly in combat could expose vulnerabilities. Thus, variable sword techniques were typically taught slowly by a master demonstrating practical feints.
However, with his beastly instincts and innate combat sense, Bu Eunseol was naturally absorbing Seok Jeong’s blade techniques like flowing water during the fight.
‘This guy?’ Seok Jeong felt a chill as Bu Eunseol began to mimic his Black Snake Blade Art. ‘Imitating my technique in a life-or-death situation?’
Seok Jeong gripped his blade tightly.
‘He’s a threat!’
Swish! Slash! Changing his blade technique, Seok Jeong attacked relentlessly, pressing Bu Eunseol without pause.
“Try copying this!” With a thunderous shout, Seok Jeong’s blade work grew fiercer.
After about thirty moves, red scratches began to appear on Bu Eunseol’s body again.
‘This is what it’s like to fight a stronger opponent…’ The only time Bu Eunseol had faced a superior master was during a test against the master Go Gunpyeong of White Horse Temple, where he merely endured five moves.
But Seok Jeong’s blade work was no test—it was a relentless assault aimed at ending his life.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!
A storm of killing moves, not mere blade techniques, poured forth.
Yet Bu Eunseol, with the prowess of his beastly instincts and unique combat sense, countered each move. Seok Jeong, seeing Bu Eunseol hold on despite seeming on the verge of collapse, shouted in frustration.
“You rat! Are you just going to keep dodging?!”
Boom!
At the same time, he stomped hard on a stone slab on the floor, activating the chamber’s trap mechanism again.
Shoosh shoosh shoosh!
Thirty-six steel needles rained down on Bu Eunseol with staggered timing.
Swish.
In that moment, Bu Eunseol’s form blurred, and the needles passed through him. Using Swift Beyond Shadow, he shifted positions thirty-six times in place.
Slash!
But Seok Jeong seized the moment, his blade grazing Bu Eunseol’s forearm.
Shlick.
Seok Jeong licked his lips with satisfaction.
“Heh heh heh! I can see the reaper looming behind you!”
Click! Shoosh shoosh shoosh!
As Seok Jeong triggered the needle mechanism again and continued his blade assault, Bu Eunseol’s defenses began to show weaknesses.
‘Should I use Unmatched Thunderbolt?’
Unmatched Thunderbolt was currently Bu Eunseol’s most powerful technique.
However, it consumed immense strength and inner energy with each use. Moreover, if it failed to kill the enemy in one strike, it could leave him vulnerable.
‘Let’s apply the techniques I’ve learned.’
The Heavenly Tyrant Sword Momentum, Dual Mind, Dual Use Technique, and Heavy Sword from So Jeon, Je Woon, and Han Dan, respectively. Joining the Nine Deaths Squad was, in part, to master these three martial techniques and combine them into one.
Clang!
By chance, their blades clashed, sparking. Seizing a weakness, Seok Jeong slashed at Bu Eunseol’s shoulder once more.
Slash!
Blood spurted, and Bu Eunseol’s senses sharpened. He realized something.
‘He’s not trying to kill me!’
