Chapter 497
One mealtime.
That was the longest I could hold out. Feeling the cold blade against the back of my neck, I muttered under my breath.
“This is seriously awful.”
Swoosh.
A sharp sting followed as blood trickled down my neck. The intent was obvious, and I let out a sigh.
“I lost. Let’s end this.”
“Wrong. Again.”
A dry voice I hadn’t been able to hear during the fight. And yet, I already knew the answer the voice’s owner wanted to hear.
“…I died. Satisfied?”
The blade that had been slowly pressing into my neck came to a halt. Soon, the chilling sensation of metal disappeared. Pressing a hand to my neck to stop the bleeding, I turned around.
A short distance away, someone was sitting on a rock.
“Do you even know how many times you’ve died?”
“Twelve times.”
Five times, my tendons were severed, leaving me unable to move. Three times, my vital points were struck, cutting off my life force. Another three times, my heart was pierced. And just now, my throat was slit.
I hadn’t actually died, but the result was the same. Wiping the sticky blood from my neck with my sleeve, I looked at Moon Kyung.
“Next time will be different.”
“That’s the eleventh time I’ve heard that.”
“This time, I’m certain.”
“That makes twelve.”
What a memory. I was at a loss for words when Moon Kyung spoke again.
“Do you even know why you died?”
Every battle leaves a result, and every result brings reflection.
Thinking back on my fight with Moon Kyung, I spoke.
“Because I fought like an assassin?”
“As expected… You know nothing.”
Moon Kyung had spoken almost at the same time as me, but then he trailed off.
“Was I wrong?”
“Go on.”
“I’m not sure when exactly, but at some point, I started copying you—your movements, your techniques.”
At first, I was beaten so badly that I had no choice but to pay attention to everything around me. Eventually, I started imitating Moon Kyung’s movements little by little.
Fighting him two or three times a day, I gradually absorbed what I saw.
But—
“That was my mistake.”
“And why is that?”
“When you wear new shoes, your heels get blisters. And if the shoes don’t fit, it’s even worse.”
“Explain further.”
“Instead of clumsily imitating you, I should have fought in my own way. Especially when facing an assassin.”
Moon Kyung, who had been silently staring at me, finally spoke.
“Well, at least you’re not completely brainless.”
“Oh? Was that… a compliment?”
“It means you’ve only grasped the basics.”
“Still sounds like a compliment to me. Thanks.”
Moon Kyung frowned.
“Are your ears clogged?”
“Nope, they work just fine.”
“…You have a talent for making people angry.”
“Well, if I’ve grasped the basics, isn’t that a good thing? Why won’t you just admit it? Are you going through puberty or something?”
“I said no!”
“Whoa, why are you suddenly yelling?”
“When did I ever—! I said no!”
“…Actually, now that I think about it, maybe you are.”
No way he isn’t.
But if I argued one more time, my head might roll.
After shouting, Moon Kyung quickly regained his calm and spoke in his usual dry tone.
“The basics are just that—basics. There have been others like you before.”
Others?
A suspicion crept into my mind as I asked,
“Do you have other students?”
“Of course. Didn’t you meet one in Sichuan?”
“If you mean that old man, I don’t think he counts. You know exactly what I’m asking.”
Silence. Which meant yes.
The idea of Moon Kyung having a hidden student piqued my curiosity.
“Who is it? Do you still keep in touch? Do you all have dinner together on Teacher’s Day?”
“I have no reason to answer that. And what nonsense is this about Teacher’s Day?”
“You’re being so difficult.”
“…You’re getting more and more insolent. Do you have five lives to spare?”
“Well, considering I’ve already died twelve times and come back, I’d say I have at least thirteen. So, are you really not going to tell me?”
Moon Kyung stared at me for a long moment before finally speaking.
“I’ll tell you. But there’s a condition.”
A condition from an assassin. I feigned indifference and changed the subject.
“It’s about time for a meal. I’ll be going now.”
“I remember you already ate.”
“I eat five meals a day.”
“Even so, you seem curious. Why not stay and listen?”
“People have their own lives and secrets. No need to pry. I’ll be off now.”
“Stop. Unless you want your head to fly off.”
Damn it, I shouldn’t have asked.
I reluctantly turned back, my nerves on edge.
Fine, might as well hear him out.
“So, were there really other students?”
“They weren’t students. But there were many whom I taught.”
“So, they’re gone now?”
“A long time has passed. None of them could have survived.”
“Were they… assassins too?”
“They were. Members of the Heavenly Killing Gate.”
Heavenly Killing Gate. Even the name reeked of blood.
‘So he was part of a sect too, huh.’
Thinking about it, it made sense. Even someone like Moon Kyung wasn’t born an assassin.
‘But if it was a sect of assassins, it should be well known.’
Yet no matter how much I searched my memory, Heavenly Killing Gate was completely unfamiliar.
Almost as if he had read my thoughts, Moon Kyung spoke.
“There’s no point in trying to remember. It disappeared long ago.”
When a sect disappears, it can only mean one thing.
Carefully gauging Moon Kyung’s expression, I cautiously asked,
“Extermination?”
“Yes.”
“…How? Weren’t you the sect leader?”
“I chose the wrong path, and I paid the price for it. That’s all there is to say.”
Moon Kyung finished speaking and rose to his feet. At some point, a small sword had appeared in his hand, exuding a chilling aura.
“Now, it’s time to pay the price.”
“…What?”
“Avoid my strike. That is the condition.”
Most people would think, How the hell am I supposed to dodge that? But for me, it was doable.
I had already held out for a whole meal’s time against the greatest assassin in the world while clumsily imitating an assassin’s style. One strike? That much, I could handle.
“If I dodge this, will you tell me more later?”
“Of course.”
“Alright, fine.”
Moon Kyung added one more thing.
“Close your eyes.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“If not, then you’ll die—not for the thirteenth time, but for the first and last.”
Before he even finished speaking, his sleeve flicked.
By now, my instincts were sharp enough to react. I turned my head, expecting a hidden weapon, but what flew toward me was something entirely different.
That’s…
A fine powder, so minuscule that only by straining my vision to the utmost could I even perceive it.
The moment the wind carried the powder toward me—
Fwoosh!
Darkness swallowed the world.
No, not the world.
Me.
Beep!
– [You have been poisoned by Blinding Powder!]
– [Your vision is temporarily lost!]
– [Immediate detoxification is required! Delayed detoxification may cause permanent damage!]
System alerts echoed in my ears, and every hair on my body stood on end.
Blinding Powder? I didn’t care about poisons. I was still wearing the Universal Antidote Ring.
The problem was that Moon Kyung’s strike was much faster than the ring’s ability to neutralize the poison.
Ssshhh…
I couldn’t see. But I could feel it.
In a world that seemed to slow to a halt as if someone had pressed the pause button, I sensed it.
The assassin’s sword, slicing through the air toward me.
This is…
A technique wielded by the greatest assassin of all time.
An unseen, silent, and utterly lethal killing blow unlike anything I had ever encountered.
I stood there, enveloped in pitch-black darkness.
And in that suffocating void, something inside me awakened.
Slash!
—
The Wudang Sect. The Zhuge Family. And the Beggar’s Union.
Even though only trusted elites had been selected for secrecy, their presence was still overwhelming.
And in the midst of these renowned martial artists—numbering in the hundreds—the young physician’s presence stood out.
“Oh, it’s you. Just coming out?”
“I was just visiting Young Master Jin.”
“You’ve been going there quite often lately, haven’t you?”
“Yes. His training has been especially rough lately, so he keeps getting injured.”
“Hah… I see. That Jin is really something else. He’s younger than my own son, yet he’s never content with his current level and continues to push himself…”
“He must be an exceptional master. I wouldn’t know, though. I have no knowledge of the martial world.”
At the young physician Moon Kyung’s innocent response, the Zhuge family warrior standing guard let out a chuckle.
He had been wary at first, but now he felt foolish for scrutinizing a boy whose only knowledge was medicine.
“Exceptional indeed. You’ll understand one day.”
“Hmm. Is that so?”
“Not being involved in the martial world, I suppose you wouldn’t know. Anyway, has today’s training ended?”
Pretending not to know anything, Moon Kyung tilted his head.
“No. He said no one should approach him for the next four hours.”
“Understood. We wouldn’t dare interfere with Master Jin’s training. I’ll inform the next shift as well.”
“Yes. Take care.”
Moon Kyung bowed politely and turned to leave, but the warrior suddenly spoke again.
“By the way, the training must be quite intense.”
“…Pardon?”
“The blood on your sleeve. Did Master Jin get seriously injured?”
But before his words could fully reach their listener, Moon Kyung had already fallen silent.
He stared at the bloodstains on his sleeve and murmured.
“The basics, huh…”
“Hm?”
“Ah, it’s nothing. Young Master Jin is fine, so don’t worry.”
“Ah, I see. Alright then.”
Leaving behind the uneasy-looking warrior, Moon Kyung walked away.
Several familiar faces greeted him along the way, but his thoughts were fixated on a single person.
Jin Taekyung. Jin Taekyung…
He hadn’t expected it. But that guy had actually dodged the final strike.
The results from these past few days of testing, and especially today—
They had exceeded expectations. No, they were beyond imagination.
So something like this is possible after all.
Everything Moon Kyung had said to Jin Taekyung was true.
Once, there had indeed been those who could be called his disciples. And every one of them had mastered the basics.
But there was something he hadn’t mentioned earlier—something crucial.
The time it took.
The fastest one took nearly a year.
Yet Jin Taekyung had done it.
In just seven days and nights.
A speed utterly beyond comparison.
Whether it was because of his Heavenly Martial Body, or because he was already a supreme expert—Moon Kyung didn’t know.
But one thing was certain: Jin Taekyung was special.
“…I never expected it to be this much.”
Muttering so quietly that no one could hear, Moon Kyung rolled up his sleeve.
His skin had been cut by something razor-sharp, and fresh drops of blood were welling up.
And at that moment, a certain thought crossed his mind.
Now I understand… Fire King’s thoughts.
But Moon Kyung didn’t realize—
That a faint smile had formed on his lips.