Chapter 246

Gang Si-chan’s brow furrowed slightly at the unexpected answer.

‘Is that all?’

Only someone completely ignorant of the Nine Families’ prestige could say something like that.

On top of that, he was haggling over an offer Gang Si-chan had personally brought, like he was bargaining with a passing market merchant.

“You insolent brat……”

“Do you even know who you’re speaking to?”

The two Guardian Law Enforcers unleashed their energy.

Sand and gravel rose from the ground, seething and trembling in midair.

It was a clear sign of how exceptional their Internal Energy and martial arts were.

They weren’t ordinary warriors, but bodyguards who existed to protect important figures.

Any ordinary Arahan would have been trembling the moment they sensed that pressure.

Click!

Chiwoo took a single step forward, and the sand and gravel hanging in the air dropped back to the ground.

He suppressed their energy in an instant.

“……”

Chiwoo said nothing.

He simply dominated the room with his quiet presence.

A glint of interest appeared in Gang Si-chan’s eyes.

‘It seems climbing the Tower wasn’t just luck.’

It was a skill befitting someone who had reached the 73rd floor against a Demon Jiangshi.

Even so, those two Guardian Law Enforcers were outstanding masters even within the family.

They could easily handle most mid-level Arahan.

Yet he hadn’t just neutralized their energy—he had crushed it down.

More than anything, his aura felt like a beast’s.

That gaze, that atmosphere—everything about him was like staring at the king of beasts.

“What do you want?”

Gang Si-chan asked bluntly.

Either way, it seemed certain Chiwoo had seen the ‘Demon Jiangshi.’

Of course, Anton had taken the fall for the crime of turning a demon into a Jiangshi, but until now, Park Chan-woo hadn’t told anyone what he witnessed.

Moreover, as someone from a Hidden Realm, he hadn’t even set foot in the ‘Sanctum of the Sword,’ which he should have entered.

In other words…

…he must want something from the Undead Sect.

Perhaps he wanted to join the Undead Sect.

That was why he’d made such an unconventional offer.

If he was skilled enough to surpass Arisa, there was no harm in recruiting him.

His origin in a Hidden Realm was somewhat concerning, but he seemed well-suited to be used as a disposable pawn.

Park Chan-woo replied.

“It doesn’t seem like something I should be the one to propose.”

“You have no particular desire?”

“I’m saying the price for keeping silent about what I saw in the Mystic Tower is too trivial.”

“Hm……”

Trivial, he says.

Countless Arahan long to join the Undead Sect.

Given the chance, there are those who would give up everything they have to enter.

But the real issue was what this guy had seen.

If it was only the ‘Demon Jiangshi,’ speaking up wouldn’t matter.

Anton had already been named the culprit, so it had nothing to do with the Undead Sect.

The problem was the Jiangshi altered into a ‘Demon Lord.’

Did he see that?

If he did, what did he do?

They couldn’t even recover it because the Mystic Tower had disappeared.

It vanished, just as they say.

“What did you see inside?”

Gang Si-chan probed.

He was genuinely curious what Park Chan-woo would say.

But Park Chan-woo only gave a faint smile.

“You would know better.”

“If you’re talking about the mistake Anton made……”

“If it were only that, someone rumored to be the next successor of the Undead Sect wouldn’t have come in person.”

Gang Si-chan had come down to the Mystic Tower himself because something bigger was involved.

The reason he’d come all this way was clearly the ‘Creator of the Cradle.’

But Park Chan-woo didn’t say it outright.

He wanted to see Gang Si-chan’s reaction.

“Did Anton make an even bigger mistake?”

“It wasn’t a mistake. He left a very significant trace.”

Park Chan-woo took a box out of his inventory.

It was a plain white [Box of Endurance] with no distinctive features.

A reward he’d obtained after clearing the 150th floor of the Mystic Tower.

“Hm…? What’s in that box?”

Gang Si-chan acted as though he knew nothing about it.

He had no choice.

There was no way he could know about a type of box even Park Chan-woo was seeing for the first time.

Bringing it out at this timing was purely bait.

“Anton left clues about his mistake inside this box.”

“Don’t tell me… a research journal?”

“Everything I saw while climbing the Tower is recorded inside here.”

“……Anton made a grave mistake.”

Gang Si-chan’s expression hardened.

Park Chan-woo smiled to himself.

Just as expected.

Why else would Gang Si-chan have been lingering around the vanished Mystic Tower, then sought him out with a recruitment offer?

The Demon Lord Jiangshi was gone.

It had disappeared along with the Tower.

Yet he was still anxious enough to chase Park Chan-woo down and propose recruitment.

‘To recover Anton’s research journal, which might still exist by some chance.’

He’d practically admitted it.

To seal Park Chan-woo’s lips completely, and to find any possible clue about the research journal.

Park Chan-woo put the box back into his inventory.

For a brief moment, murderous intent flashed in Gang Si-chan’s eyes.

‘Silencing by death…’

Killing them to shut their mouths and erase the evidence would be the simplest method.

But Park Chan-woo and Chiwoo were drawing far too much attention.

Even now, countless eyes in the surroundings were watching them.

An energy barrier had been deployed to keep their conversation from leaking, but killing the two of them without anyone noticing would be difficult in the current situation.

Moreover… he couldn’t gauge their strength.

Not that he believed they were stronger than him, but Chiwoo’s skill, at least, was real.

Killing them quietly was impossible.

Especially since Arisa and the Hidden Realm wouldn’t stay silent.

A commotion would be inevitable, and it would only breed unnecessary rumors.

“In exchange for handing over that journal, what do you want?”

Gang Si-chan asked, finishing his deliberation.

Park Chan-woo answered at once.

“I believe I already said.”

“You want me to bring you what you want on my own?”

“Glad we understand each other.”

“……Ha.”

What kind of absurd man was this?

In all his life, he’d never been treated this way.

‘This is why men from Hidden Realms…’

Rotten to the core from the start.

It had been a mistake to try dealing with them in the first place.

He should’ve crushed them like he did with Arisa.

Should he crush them now?

‘The Family Head wants this resolved as quietly as possible.’

…the Family Head was the problem.

The master of the family.

He couldn’t defy those words.

This needed to end quietly, with Anton’s mistake as the final conclusion.

If he ignored the Family Head’s will and caused a commotion…

‘It’s excommunication.’

No matter how likely he was to become the successor, they would cast him out.

They’d probably turn Gang Si-chan’s corpse into a Jiangshi.

The Family Head was that kind of man.

Cold-blooded, without a shred of mercy.

And his vacant position would be taken by another who’d been waiting for it.

After coming this far, he couldn’t let that happen.

“I’ll come again tomorrow.”

With that, Gang Si-chan turned and left.

The Guardian Law Enforcers followed.

Once they were completely gone, Chiwoo spoke.

“Did you really obtain a research journal?”

“Of course not.”

“……So it was a probe.”

“Now we know the Undead Sect still hasn’t found Anton’s research journal. That’s good.”

“If they find it by some chance, things will get complicated.”

“Wouldn’t it be fine if we find it first?”

“Huh?”

“The research journal is Anton’s last lifeline. He’d never reveal where he hid it unless he had no other choice.”

Thanks to Gang Si-chan, Park Chan-woo was now certain a research journal existed.

And the location of that journal would, of course, be known to Anton.

The fact they hadn’t found it yet was proof Anton was keeping his mouth shut.

In other words…

The research journal still existed.

The entire process of creating and modifying the Jiangshi into a Demon Lord would be recorded in detail.

Therefore—

“……I should go rescue Anton, then.”

“That would be best.”

Rescuing Anton and obtaining the research journal was the ideal outcome.

But they had no way of knowing where Anton was being held.

Even if they found out, it wouldn’t be easy.

“It seems I must return to my original profession after a long time.”

Chiwoo let out a soft chuckle.

Though he carried himself like a swordsman, he was, in truth, an assassin.

And the strongest assassin at that.

Someone who specialized in handling matters without anyone knowing.

Soon, Chiwoo bowed his head.

“It won’t take long.”

—

Exactly six hours later.

Anton was in front of Park Chan-woo, bound and ruined beyond recognition.

Park Chan-woo was left speechless.

He never imagined Anton would be rescued in less than half a day.

“How did you find him?”

“I followed Gang Si-chan. As expected, he went straight to where Anton was. I waited for the right moment and brought him out.”

The explanation was simple.

But the process couldn’t have been.

Even with what must have been heavy defenses, Chiwoo pulled it off in six hours.

Without a single misstep.

‘…He truly is the world’s greatest assassin.’

Park Chan-woo couldn’t help being amazed.

No assassin he’d seen before could compare to Chiwoo.

And the surprise didn’t end there.

“Ah, and this. The research journal.”

“…….”

Chiwoo casually handed over the research journal.

He hadn’t just rescued Anton—he’d brought the journal as well.

That meant he’d secured the journal and forced Anton to talk even faster.

“…How did you do it?”

“After using about five techniques to make him talk, he spilled everything on his own.”

“So that’s why he’s in that state.”

“He’ll be out of his mind for a while. Shall I dispose of him?”

Maybe because it had been a long time since he’d returned to his original work.

He seemed almost energized.

Now that they had the research journal, Anton was no longer necessary.

As Chiwoo said, disposing of him would be safer.

Just then—

“P-p-please, s-spare…”

“……His will to live is impressive.”

“I-I’ll tell you s-something even more amazing, if you s-spare me.”

“It’s surely nonsense.”

A desperate struggle to survive.

Park Chan-woo shrugged.

“Let’s hear it.”

“T-there is a Corpse of the Demon King!”

“……A Corpse of the Demon King?”

“Y-yes…! A Corpse of the Demon King, incomparable to the likes of the Creator of the Cradle, is hidden within the Undead Sect!”