novelraw Chapter 41
Chapter 41
Chapter 41
Pyo Inhaeng looked at Seo Mugyeom in surprise, just as much as Ho Jo-yeong. It was because Seo Mugyeom had noticed and reacted to something he himself hadn’t sensed at all. At that moment, Ju Jirang passed by him and charged toward Ak Seol-ah.
One of the Masked Men, seeing this, attempted to pursue Ju Jirang.
Seo Mugyeom thought it would be best to keep both Masked Men in place and deal with them alongside the Division Leader, so he launched himself forward. However, the enemy’s movement arts were too fast. At that speed, it looked like he would soon overtake Ju Jirang and grab Ak Seol-ah.
In that instant, a memory of Un Jongak’s hidden weapons flashed through Seo Mugyeom’s mind.
Seo Mugyeom had taken the hidden weapons and poisons found in Un Jongak’s belongings, and it seemed he might be able to put them to use.
He was deeply concerned that his attempt might fail. If he lost the Masked Man in that moment, both Ju Jirang and Ak Seol-ah would be in danger.
‘I have to trust.’
With that thought, Seo Mugyeom pulled out the hidden weapons. He infused them with as much internal energy as he could and hurled them toward the Masked Man.
Seo Mugyeom had already confirmed the enemy’s strength. He knew this opponent wasn’t easy. The thought that Ak Seol-ah and Ju Jirang might get hurt if he failed made him more unsure than ever.
‘Trust, Seo Mugyeom!’
He encouraged himself once more.
The first few hidden weapons he threw missed entirely and fell to the ground. Meanwhile, the distance between them kept growing, and the Masked Man was on the verge of catching up to Ju Jirang.
Seo Mugyeom unleashed his movement arts and shot forward like a lightning bolt, closed some of the distance, and hurled the hidden weapons again.
This time, they nearly reached the Masked Man but still failed to strike.
Seo Mugyeom couldn’t help but feel frustrated and looked back.
Behind him, he could hear the clashing of weapons. Just from the sounds, he could tell that the Division Leader wasn’t holding out comfortably.
As Seo Mugyeom looked back, Pyo Inhaeng shouted loudly.
“Forget about this and go save Young Mistress Ak!”
Seo Mugyeom’s hesitation to advance stemmed from his concern for the Division Leader and the warriors.
“Kill that guy and come back to finish off this one! That’s an order!”
Pyo Inhaeng shouted again. It seemed he believed that if Seo Mugyeom didn’t focus, he’d end up doing neither properly and get caught up.
Seo Mugyeom understood the intention behind the Division Leader’s words.
Save Ak Seol-ah, then assist the Division Leader.
With a simpler mindset, Seo Mugyeom decided to focus on those two tasks and carry them out one by one.
Meanwhile, the Masked Man chasing Ak Seol-ah had almost caught up to Ju Jirang.
But he didn’t seem interested in Ju Jirang—he didn’t even bother to get close. Ju Jirang also realized he was going straight for Ak Seol-ah.
“Face me first!”
Ju Jirang halted and drew her sword. In an instant, internal energy surged into her sword, and a crimson aura swirled around the blade.
Seo Mugyeom thought Ju Jirang had poured almost all her strength into that one move. It was clear she was determined not to let the Masked Man pass. But the Masked Man looked at her like she was a pesky rat getting in his way.
He didn’t even try to avoid Ju Jirang blocking his path. With a casual gesture, he swung his sword without any preparation—just like swatting a fly. But the result was terrifying.
Ju Jirang’s sword qi was effortlessly shattered, and the Masked Man’s sword qi flew toward her torso with the force to split her in two.
Ju Jirang knew she couldn’t block it, but she didn’t try to dodge. She was a proud warrior of the Guardian Ten Division. To die carrying out the Sect’s orders was an honor.
On top of that, Ju Jirang bore the guilt of possibly pushing Ak Seol-ah into danger. Rather than live the rest of her life with that guilt, she would rather fight to the end and die here.
The Masked Man thought just scaring Ju Jirang would be enough to clear his path. A single clash would show her she wasn’t his match, and she would give up.
But this fool stubbornly held her ground like nothing else mattered.
Even as he scattered sword qi, the Masked Man hadn’t intended to kill her. His mission was to kidnap Ak Seol-ah, and he didn’t want to waste internal energy causing unnecessary trouble.
Was that a misjudgment?
When Ju Jirang, who had been thrown back several meters by his sword qi, charged at him again, he flared with irritation.
Now that it had come to this, he raised his sword with the intent to kill.
At that moment, the Masked Man sensed a strange aura he had never felt before and turned his head.
His instincts, which had saved his life many times, were sounding an alarm.
His eyes widened behind his hat and mask—though no one else could see it, he was clearly shocked.
A figure was rushing toward him at terrifying speed.
He recognized that figure. Wasn’t it the one who had cut down his comrade? He hadn’t yet shaken off that shock, and now this person was targeting him.
‘Was his name… Seo Mugyeom?’
He had shown off his superior martial arts on purpose to warn Seo Mugyeom: you’re no match for us, so back off. And yet, that same man was now charging straight at him.
What shocked him even more was the movement arts Seo Mugyeom was using.
‘Why is that…?’
It didn’t make any sense.
The very movement arts he had used to flaunt their skill gap were now being used by Seo Mugyeom before his eyes.
Until that point, he had believed Seo Mugyeom’s kill had been pure luck. If his comrade’s sword hadn’t gotten caught on Un Jongak’s bone, he wouldn’t have died so helplessly. Sure, he could’ve let go of the sword, but that’s not easy in the heat of battle—it’s instinct.
So he’d dismissed Seo Mugyeom’s victory as a fluke. But now, seeing Seo Mugyeom approach using the exact same movement arts, his eyes began to waver.
Seo Mugyeom was closing in rapidly, his figure growing larger—not because he’d actually grown, but because he was getting closer. Yet, to the Masked Man, it felt like Seo Mugyeom’s very presence was swelling.
Seo Mugyeom’s actions were so absurd, so impossible, that it almost felt like he could do the impossible.
The dark clouds that had been chasing now nearly blanketed the sky.
Yet Seo Mugyeom’s figure was perfectly clear.
Without realizing it, the Masked Man instinctively activated his movement arts and leapt backward.
Who would’ve thought someone like Seo Mugyeom could scare him into retreat? But he had no time to feel shame.
‘If I fight him, I might die.’
That thought completely overtook his mind.
But the distance he had created was instantly erased by Seo Mugyeom.
Seo Mugyeom approached with startling ease and came to a stop right in front of him.
Seo Mugyeom’s eyes, glaring at him, seemed to blaze with fury.
“Who are you? Why are you after us?!”
Seo Mugyeom shouted, but the man didn’t respond. He couldn’t speak, even if it cost him his life. Death was not the end.
He remained silent in response to Seo Mugyeom’s question.
Seo Mugyeom quickly scanned him, but with the wide hat and mask, there was nothing to identify. Suddenly, Seo Mugyeom slashed with his sword—apparently aiming for the hat.
The man leapt back, thinking that would get him out of range.
But Seo Mugyeom, as if he had anticipated this, closed the distance by just enough to follow him.
Slash—
With a short sound, the wide hat shattered and fell.
The Masked Man hurried to grab the falling hat, but it was a wasted effort.
Seo Mugyeom’s sword cut through the hat—and the mask.
Cutting a mask so snugly fitted to the face without injuring the skin was no small feat. Clearly, Seo Mugyeom had no intention of doing that. His sword cut through the mask and the man’s face alike.
As the skin split open deeply, the Masked Man was left in stunned disbelief.
The pain was bearable. He’d endured worse tortures alive than this. This wasn’t even suffering.
At last, his face was exposed before Seo Mugyeom. But even then, Seo Mugyeom’s expression didn’t change. It was an unfamiliar face. He had never seen him before. He’d expected as much, but still felt a bit deflated.
“Who are you? I won’t wait long for an answer.”
Perhaps due to the Division Leader, Seo Mugyeom’s voice came out anxious.
“If I tell you my name, will you know it? If you want a name, I’ll give it.”
He was in no rush. He spoke as if mocking Seo Mugyeom.
“Jang Doosan. Does that ring a bell?”
Seo Mugyeom seemed increasingly agitated by Jang Doosan’s slow tone.
If he cooperated, they might learn this group’s identity—but they couldn’t capture both men at once, which frustrated him.
Jang Doosan was pleased by Seo Mugyeom’s frustration. Though he was the one at a disadvantage, it felt like he might still turn the situation around.
He had only taken one hit from Seo Mugyeom’s sword. He knew that wasn’t something to downplay, but still, he wanted to brush it off somehow.
Meanwhile, the explosive sounds from the Division Leader’s side grew louder, and a few screams followed.
Seo Mugyeom grew increasingly desperate.
At that moment, Ju Jirang, who had risen to her feet, silently approached.
Jang Doosan didn’t consider Ju Jirang a threat. He believed someone like her could be dealt with using just a finger.
But there was one thing he hadn’t accounted for.
Ju Jirang, who suddenly closed in, struck one of his acupoints by surprise.
Although the gap in internal energy between them was vast and Jang Doosan quickly broke free, there was a brief moment in between—