Myst, Might, Mayhem (Novel) - Chapter 133 - Skill (3)

Chapter 133 – Skill (3)

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Translated by Jinmu

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Once they had all withdrawn, Mok Gyeong-un sent a voice transmission to Blue Spirit with a smiling face.

-I should kill that blind man first.

-…I knew you were going to say that.

Blue Spirit had expected that a crafty fellow like him would naturally say exactly that.

Blue Spirit clicked her tongue and said,

-You handled things fairly well, all things considered, but what about that fellow?

That fellow.

She meant Go Chan, who was possessing Ha Chae-rin.

Had not the original purpose of coming out been to recover him?

At that question, Mok Gyeong-un sent a voice transmission.

-I already told Guard Go Chan by voice transmission to keep watch on them.

-Keep watch? Hoh.

It seemed like a sound judgment.

For the time being they had withdrawn because of his clever tongue, but it was certain they would become entangled with him again somehow.

At such a time, if Go Chan naturally served in the role of watcher, it would make it easier to respond no matter what happened later.

-Since he does not seem to mind being in a woman’s body, he should do well.

‘Was that so?’

Mok Gyeong-un tilted his head.

He remembered Go Chan wearing a deeply sullen expression the whole time and not even being able to meet his eyes.

In any case, he had said that before long he would change his body into that of a man, so he thought he would carry out the mission well.

At that moment Blue Spirit said,

-Even so, unlike my worries, you resolved things with your head quite well.

While they had been together, he had made abrupt moves so often that she had worried he might, once again, cause trouble without thinking of what came after.

But contrary to those worries, he now seemed to have developed some composure.

But then,

-There were eyes watching too.

-True. Since there was also that eunuch mortal’s man attached to you, it is better to stay careful.

-It was not only because of that.

-Not because of that?

-Yes.

With those words, Mok Gyeong-un glanced somewhere.

Then he let out a faint snort of laughter and headed back toward the Shadow Sect manor.

After Mok Gyeong-un disappeared, two figures revealed themselves from behind a wall some ten zhang away.

One was a short man with a beard, and the other a woman wearing a bamboo hat and face veil.

The short man said to the woman,

“My lady. It seemed that fellow Mok Gyeong-un and Second Young Master had fallen out, so why are you just letting him go?”

The veiled woman in the bamboo hat whom the short man called my lady.

She was none other than Wi So-yeon, the Society Leader’s third disciple.

“Who knows.”

“Pardon?”

She gave an enigmatic answer to the man’s question.

Only an hour earlier, after an informant told her that Mok Gyeong-un, whom she had met in the Corpse Blood Valley report, came from the orthodox sect hostages and had taken first place in the Corpse Blood Valley gate, she had been seized by a strange feeling.

‘Orthodox sect?’

Why did the talent she had wanted have to be from an orthodox background of all things?

When she thought it over carefully, across both orthodox and unorthodox, the only martial family in the Central Plains using the surname Mok, meaning wood, was Yeon Mok Sword Forge.

‘Mok Gyeong-un…’

He was a talent she had coveted enough to entrust even her identity plaque to, yet his true identity was genuinely unexpected.

Because of this, after hearing that information, she had felt considerable regret.

‘Was it something I should not have done?’

At the time she had given him the plaque because she liked him, but once she heard he came from the orthodox hostages, she began to think it might end up catching her by the ankle.

Still, what could she do after already giving it?

So she thought she should meet Mok Gyeong-un once again and judge whether he would be of help to her or not.

Even if he came from the orthodox hostages, since he had passed the Corpse Blood Valley gate in first place and become the Shadow Sect Master’s disciple, he was not in a position she could simply let go of.

But by coincidence, on the way to find Mok Gyeong-un, she saw him meeting and speaking with her second senior brother.

‘…He truly is like a chicken rib.’

Seeing that even her second senior brother coveted him had made her think so.

Chicken rib.

It meant the rib of a chicken, a part with so little meat that it was unsatisfying to eat, yet equally unsatisfying to discard.

That was what Mok Gyeong-un’s existence was like to Wi So-yeon at present.

If she recruited him immediately, his origins as an orthodox hostage made him a great burden, especially when she needed to gather even more supporting forces.

Yet since he had become the disciple of the Shadow Sect Master, who oversaw information and spies, and since even her second senior brother Jang Neung-ak was after him, it was hard to simply let him be taken.

Then the short man, observing something, said to her,

“That aside, do you think what was said earlier is true?”

“What are you referring to?”

“Did not Young Master Jang Neung-ak say that the orthodox hostage fellow had gone beyond the realm of the peak?”

At those words, Wi So-yeon’s eyes narrowed behind the face veil.

They had hidden at a distance and suppressed their presence as much as possible, so they had not seen or heard things properly.

But she too had heard Jang Neung-ak’s words.

[For a fellow not even twenty yet to go beyond the realm of the peak is a very rare thing.]

‘Strange.’

That point was what made her suspicious.

Only two days ago, she had met Mok Gyeong-un in the Corpse Blood Valley report.

At the time, she had personally examined his martial prowess and had even exchanged blows with him to confirm roughly what level he was at.

But at that time, Mok Gyeong-un’s martial prowess had been, at the very highest estimation, the realm of a seasoned peak master.

‘He was definitely not hiding his skill.’

Then how had he, in just two days, gained a reputation for having gone beyond the peak?

This gave rise to doubt.

There was no chance that her second senior brother Jang Neung-ak would make up a story when facing someone he had just met for the first time.

“My lady?”

At the short man’s call, Wi So-yeon quietly opened her mouth.

“…I will have to confirm it myself.”

Nothing was quicker than experiencing it with her own eyes.

If he truly had gone beyond the realm of the peak in so short a span, then regardless of his background he was someone she had to recruit.

* * *

Seok-jung, a Shadow Sect guard, guided Mok Gyeong-un to his lodgings inside the manor.

Now that he had become a formal disciple, his treatment in the Shadow Sect was certainly solid.

He was allowed to use an entire detached residence with its own garden by himself, and there were even four guard warriors protecting the place and two attendants.

But looking at them, Mok Gyeong-un clicked his tongue inwardly.

‘Every one of them is surveillance.’

They were attendants in name, yet they too had trained in martial arts.

Thanks to that, Mok Gyeong-un was able to clearly recognize that all of them were there to watch his every move.

-It seems they found you very untrustworthy.

At Blue Spirit’s words, Mok Gyeong-un let out a faint snort of laughter.

It was troublesome, but understandable.

Even if he himself had been the Shadow Sect Master, he did not think he would so easily set aside his suspicions just because he had taken him as a disciple.

Surveillance was the natural next step.

It would probably continue for a while, until all suspicion had truly been laid down.

-At what level are they?

-The two attendants are third-rate, and all four guards are first-rate warriors.

In the eyes of Mok Gyeong-un, who had opened the Ghost Eyes, their levels were perfectly clear.

It was not difficult to estimate martial prowess simply from the size of their energy.

-Even if their martial prowess is low, with so many watchers it will be hard to move carelessly.

-Then I will make it so that it is not.

-Make it not so?

It seemed he had thought of something again.

As he was looking over the detached residence, Seok-jung brought his hands together in a cupped-fist salute and said to Mok Gyeong-un,

“My duty is finished, so I will now take my leave.”

“Ah. You said your name was Guard Seok-jung?”

“Yes.”

“There is something I would like to ask quietly, so could we speak for a moment?”

“Pardon?”

At those words from Mok Gyeong-un, Guard Seok-jung could not hide his puzzlement.

However, since there were many watchers around, it did not seem that anything especially problematic would happen merely because they had a conversation inside.

Guard Seok-jung sent a light hand signal to the guards protecting the detached residence and followed Mok Gyeong-un into a room inside.

-Creak! Bang!

After closing the door, Guard Seok-jung naturally asked Mok Gyeong-un, who had sat down at the round table chair,

“What was it you wished to say?”

“You are going to report about me, right?”

“…Pardon?”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s sudden question, Guard Seok-jung blanked out for an instant and only belatedly asked back.

He had wondered what would be asked, but he had not expected something this blunt and direct.

So Seok-jung feigned ignorance and answered,

“I am not sure what you mean by that.”

“There are only the two of us, so you may speak honestly. You are going to report, aren’t you?”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s question, Guard Seok-jung’s expression stiffened.

Was this brat calling him to the room separately so that he could ask him not to make a report?

If so, it was a grave miscalculation.

Seok-jung said in a serious voice,

“I do not know what you mean, but this subordinate follows only the Sect Master’s commands.”

“Yes. I am sure you do. But do not do that.”

“…What in the world are you saying?”

“Exactly what you heard. You may keep acting as my watcher from now on, but report to Master only the parts I have permitted.”

At those words from Mok Gyeong-un, Seok-jung’s eyes sharpened.

Now he understood the Sect Master’s order to keep the orthodox hostage under strict watch.

Just what sort of fellow was this?

If he had recognized that he was watching him under the Sect Master’s orders, was it not normal for him to be cautious or at least not to treat him carelessly?

-Tap!

Guard Seok-jung joined his hands and courteously said to Mok Gyeong-un,

“I will pretend not to have heard what you just said. However, if you continue to force such things on me, then I too will have no choice but to…”

“You will regret it.”

What? Regret it?

This fellow was truly arrogant beyond measure.

He might be a formal disciple, but the Shadow Sect Master could throw him out anytime if he changed his mind.

Yet was he now trying to threaten him, the one watching him?

At this, Guard Seok-jung seemed no longer able to endure it and turned his feet as he said,

“I can no longer continue listening. This subordinate will now take his leave…”

-Swoosh!

At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un stretched out a hand.

The next moment,

-Wham!

“Huh?”

Guard Seok-jung’s body, which had been about to leave, was forcibly dragged by an unseen force.

He tried to endure by raising his inner force, but it was useless.

-Pak!

In an instant Seok-jung flew forward and sprawled onto the floor.

-Thump!

“Hurk!”

Then Mok Gyeong-un stomped on Seok-jung’s back with his foot.

-Press!

“Urk!”

Since he had just seen Mok Gyeong-un spar with the subordinates of the Society Leader’s second disciple, Seok-jung had already recognized that he could not match him.

But what in the world was this?

Could it be that he had just dragged him with the technique of grasping objects through the void?

‘Impossible.’

To be able to drag a person with grasping objects through the void, did one not have to be nearly at the extreme of the transcendent peak?

If one was at the extreme of the transcendent peak, that meant a supreme expert on the level of one of the Five Kings.

Of course, this was not true grasping objects through the void.

It was the Form of Attachment, one of the Eight Forms of Mind-Breaking.

“Wh-what in the…”

“Shh. Let us stay quiet. If you make too much noise, the people outside who want to eavesdrop will only grow curious.”

“……..”

At those words from Mok Gyeong-un, Seok-jung shut his mouth.

Beforehand, through a hand signal, he had already instructed the guards outside to stay nearby in case anything happened.

That was why the guards and attendants were all gathered close to the detached residence now.

Seok-jung said calmly,

“…Since you know that, why are you doing this to me?”

“Why am I doing this? Are you asking because you truly do not know?”

“Even if you are an expert I cannot handle, young master, I follow only the Shadow Sect Master’s commands…”

-Shing!

At that moment Mok Gyeong-un drew his sword from its leather sheath.

At the sharp yet lustrous force flowing from the blade, Seok-jung swallowed dryly in tension.

Did this fellow truly see nothing before his eyes?

He was saying there were watchers outside, yet he had even drawn his sword, so was he really about to…

-Swoosh!

At that moment Mok Gyeong-un gripped the blade and touched the hilt of Seok-jung’s sword intent.

Just as he wondered what in the world he was doing,

-Slash!

‘!?’

Seok-jung blinked.

What in the world had that just been?

With a vague dazed feeling, for an instant he could not remember what had just happened.

It felt like waking up from sleep.

Then Mok Gyeong-un’s voice was heard.

“You have a modest desire. To hold a wedding with your lover, who likewise came from the ranks of the guards, build a manor in the outer castle, and live happily…”

‘!?’

Seok-jung’s eyes widened.

What?

How in the world did this bastard know that?

To the bewildered man, Mok Gyeong-un pressed down on his back with a foot and said,

“But if that lover dies, then that simple wish will come to nothing.”

At those words from Mok Gyeong-un, Seok-jung, overcome for an instant, tried to push himself up from the floor.

But,

“Grrrk.”

There was no way that could be possible when he had already been outmatched in inner force from the start.

To him, Mok Gyeong-un said with a broad smile,

“I would appreciate it if you did not waste your strength on pointless struggles.”

“You…you! If you dare do such a thing…”

“Whether I do such a thing or not depends entirely on Guard Seok-jung’s efforts, would it not?”

“……..”

At that threat, Guard Seok-jung clamped his mouth shut.

For now, he had to endure no matter what.

This bastard was absolutely not someone the Sect Master should ever have taken as a disciple.

He resolved that he would pretend to submit, then go to the Sect Master at once and report everything.

But then,

-Puk!

A sound came from the direction of the window.

It was the sound of something piercing the papered lattice,

-Tap!

When the butterfly-shaped ornament fell before him, Guard Seok-jung’s eyes shook madly.

It was the ornament he had given to his lover as a gift.

“Th…this…”

To the bewildered man, Mok Gyeong-un bent at the waist and whispered into his ear.

“Next time it will not be an ornament. You will be seeing your lover’s severed head. Do you understand?”

‘!!!!!!!’

At the sight of Mok Gyeong-un’s face in that moment, Seok-jung felt as though his heart had stopped.

He was smiling, yet the instant Seok-jung met Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes, utterly full of malice, his spine went cold, and more than that, he felt as though he might vomit everything inside him at once.

“That face looks as though you might cry at any moment. Has someone eaten you up? Come now. Get up.”

-Pat pat!

Mok Gyeong-un lightly patted his back, then raised him to his feet.

And to the deathly pale Seok-jung, he said,

“Tell Master only that the Society Leader’s second disciple came looking for me, but I politely declined and they returned. Leave out the parts about whom I fought and what happened. Understood?”

“…Ah, understood.”

“Yes. Then go out.”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, Seok-jung hurriedly tried to go outside.

But his legs trembled so badly that it was hard to walk properly.

Only after circulating inner force through his whole body was he barely able to make it out of the room.

Once he stepped out, he saw the guard warriors and attendants standing right in front of the detached residence in preparation for any emergency.

To them, Seok-jung asked,

“Did the young master happen to come out while I was with him?”

“What are you talking about? Were you not speaking with him inside the whole time?”

“That is right. No one came out. Was something happening inside?”

‘!?’

At the guards’ words, Seok-jung’s expression hardened.

Judging by their reaction, Mok Gyeong-un had not come outside at all.

Then how in the world had he brought that butterfly-shaped ornament?

He could make no sense of it whatsoever.

-Shiver!

Goosebumps rose all over Seok-jung’s body.

What sort of ghostly business was this?

He had not said aloud the wish he longed for, yet the bastard knew it. He had not gone outside, yet he had brought the ornament he gave to her.

It was hard to believe any of this was reality.

“Guard Seok. Just what did you speak about inside for you to be like this?”

“…N-nothing much was said.”

“Then why are you like this?”

“My stomach feels a little unwell, that is all.”

Seok-jung could not say anything.

If this was a man who could do such bizarre and terrifying things while simply sitting still, then it truly seemed as though he could carry out his warning as easily as breathing.

‘I cannot say anything. Nothing at all.’

All Seok-jung wanted now was to escape this place at once and catch his breath.

“…My business is done, so I will be going now.”

With those words, Seok-jung hurriedly left the detached residence.

As they looked on in puzzlement, wondering what in the world had happened to him, Mok Gyeong-un came out from the detached residence and walked toward them.

Then he smiled brightly and said,

“You all are working hard. Since you will be staying with me from now on, shall we share a cup of warm tea together?”