Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 81

Upon hearing about some of the memories gleaned from Gyu Soha, who had possessed Neung Hwa-yang’s body, Mok Gyeong-un showed an intrigued reaction.

He still had no interest in how the martial world worked, but with the information Soha had read, he could now surmise the relationship between the Righteous Alliance and the Heaven and Earth Society.

‘Adversaries.’

What was interesting here was the reason for their conflict.

They were hostile towards each other due to differences in beliefs and ways of thinking.

To Mok Gyeong-un, this felt quite outdated.

What kind of emotions drove people to risk their lives not over simple grievances, but over differing values they believed in?

“Justice…it’s quite inefficient.”

-Inefficient. Yes, that’s true too. But there’s nothing more fearsome than values and beliefs.

“Why is that?”

-Nothing is more draining than believing oneself to be absolutely right, even more so than resentment.

“Ah, I can relate to that.”

Cheong-ryeong was right.

Although he hadn’t met that many people, Mok Gyeong-un also found those who considered themselves unconditionally righteous the most tiresome.

Most of them saw everything other than themselves as wrong.

Perhaps that’s why Mok Gyeong-un despised such people the most.

“Just hearing the names of the groups is exhausting. Righteous Alliance? Do they call themselves that because they consider themselves just?”

“That’s how those types are.”

“But the Righteous Alliance calls the Heaven and Earth Society evil or demonic?”

-Nonsense!

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, Cheong-ryeong raised her voice.

-They have a dichotomous way of thinking. They’re stubborn fools who think if they’re white, everything else must be black.

“Is that so? Then I suppose the Heaven and Earth Society isn’t the evil faction they make it out to be.”

-The Heaven and Earth Society we created was not such a simple organization.

‘We created?’

Mok Gyeong-un narrowed his eyes.

Had she also contributed to creating this massive organization?

However, without expressing it, he questioned a different part.

“It wasn’t a simple organization?”

-Yes. The notions of demonic cult or evil ways are repulsive labels imposed by those hypocrites. But the Heaven and Earth Society was established to reject that and create a true martial world.

“A true martial world?”

-Since when did the righteous way become justice and everything else the root of evil in the martial world?

“I wouldn’t know that either.”

-Ah, of course.

There was no way for Mok Gyeong-un to know.

He had lived a life far removed from the martial world from the start.

Cheong-ryeong clicked her tongue and spoke.

-What the Heaven and Earth Society pursued was for the martial world to return to its most primitive form.

“Primitive? What’s that?”

-The weak are meat, the strong eat. Survival of the fittest. The strong dominate. The essence of martial arts is ultimately to prove one’s own strength. In the beginning, it was called the martial forest because it was entangled in pursuit of pure strength. But the current martial world is merely a war of rotten values.

“……..”

-Where is there black and white in the world? Even white paper turns black when ink is poured, and a butcher becomes a Buddha when he lays down his knife. If you want to discuss the world in terms of color, shouldn’t it be gray?

Her voice was full of resentment.

That anger felt not one-dimensional like Mok Gyeong-un’s own, but directed at the world.

Mok Gyeong-un then asked as if curious.

“Then are you saying the Heaven and Earth Society is gray?”

-………

At that question, Cheong-ryeong suddenly fell silent.

‘I see.’

Just from that, he could tell what she thought of the current Heaven and Earth Society.

It was likely not the gray she spoke of.

That was probably why she felt disillusioned with the current Heaven and Earth Society.

Mok Gyeong-un changed the subject.

“Well, putting that aside, thanks to this, I learned some good information. The emissaries of the Righteous Alliance…”

When possessing someone, one could read some of the target’s memories.

Not all of them, but he had obtained useful information.

-When an organization’s scale grows to thousands or tens of thousands, naturally gaps form and sending spies to each other becomes frequent. It’s only natural, nothing to be surprised about. But they’re more foolish than I thought.

“What do you mean?”

-I’m talking about these Silent Strides spies.

“Them?”

-Yes. For spies, secrecy for intelligence is their lifeblood. But for the dispatched spies to share this much information about each other…tsk tsk.

Mok Gyeong-un nodded as if agreeing with her words.

It was his first time seeing the existence of spies, but considering they infiltrated enemy organizations as fake members, it seemed like quite a strategically poor choice.

In a situation like now, if one person opened their mouth, they would all be exposed one after another.

However, what mattered now was not their foolishness.

-So what will you do?

“Who knows.”

-It seems too late to just leave them be.

It appeared he had made quite an enemy of the Silent Strides spies.

Of course, it was understandable.

Because of him, their numbers had dwindled, and the probability of successfully completing their mission had also drastically decreased.

-It may be revenge for losing comrades, but they likely think killing you will make it easier to pass future checkpoints.

“From the latter perspective, it’s not a wrong choice.”

-It’s not the right choice either.

“True.”

If they succeed, it’s a different story, but if they fail, they must pay the corresponding price.

That was the current situation.

Gyu Soha, who had taken over Neung Hwa-yang’s body, spoke in an eager voice.

“Master. Shall I go and deal with them one by one?”

They had obtained the body of Neung Hwa-yang, a Silent Strides spy.

Since they knew each other’s identities, she could easily induce carelessness to kill them or destroy their danjeon and turn them into half-cripples, just as they had tried to do.

However, Mok Gyeong-un shook his head.

-What? Don’t tell me you’re going to let them off?

“No. It seems there’s no need to go through that trouble.”

-No need? Then what will you do?

“This might be better.”

The corner of Mok Gyeong-un’s mouth curled up eerily.

***

-Pat pat!

“Hahahaha! To think you found the spies, it’s all thanks to you!”

One of the red-belted warriors patted Mok Gyeong-un’s back, praising his achievement.

Mok Gyeong-un’s choice regarding the Silent Strides spies was simple.

There was no need to deal with them one by one.

It was to inform the red-belted warriors of who the spies were.

‘Killing two birds with one stone.’

He dealt with them without getting blood on his own hands and gained an opportunity to earn merit with the Heaven and Earth Society by revealing the spies’ existence.

It was truly killing two birds with one stone.

Of course, the only one in an unfortunate situation was Green Spirit Gyu Soha, who had to divulge being a spy with the body she had barely obtained and then discard it again.

“Ah! That guy over there is also from the Silent Strides like me!”

However, Gyu Soha faithfully played her role.

The place Gyu Soha pointed to with her finger was the stairs leading to the upper floor, and a boy there looked flustered and at a loss.

‘Huh?’

Mok Gyeong-un recognized who that boy was.

It was the boy who had passed the second checkpoint in his group.

He remembered him because he had tried to kill Mo-ha-rang, who had lost consciousness after getting injured while fighting Mok Yu-cheon.

Was his name Ma-sang?

At that moment,

-Swish!

Ma-sang hurriedly leaped up the stairs.

“Get him!”

-Swish swish swish!

The red-belted warriors shouted and chased after him.

If the information in the Silent Strides spy Neung Hwa-yang’s memory was correct, he should be the last of the four spies who barely survived.

He had come looking for them himself, what bad luck.

However,

‘Why is he glaring at me like that?’

Mok Gyeong-un looked at Mok Yu-cheon, who was glaring at him as if he wanted to kill him.

His eyes were filled with considerable resentment.

Come to think of it, it seemed he had come down the stairs alongside Ma-sang, the Silent Strides spy.

At this, Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes narrowed.

‘He seems to know something.’

There was no way he would glare at him like that otherwise.

What a simple guy.

If it were him, he wouldn’t have shown such emotions if he had some connection or collusion with the spies.

Yet Mok Yu-cheon was very honest with his own feelings.

Mok Gyeong-un smirked at this.

‘Simple-minded.’

Was it because he was still young?

Should he just use this opportunity to brand that guy as a spy along with the fleeing one and deal with him?

In a split second, Mok Gyeong-un internally rejected this idea.

‘Not yet.’

Although it was fake, in the Heaven and Earth Society, he and Mok Yu-cheon were from the same Yeon Mok Sword Manor’s lineage.

If he gave even the slightest cause for suspicion while they were connected, it might hinder his assimilation into the Heaven and Earth Society.

‘I should leave him be a bit longer.’

There would be plenty of opportunities to deal with him.

Mok Gyeong-un waved at Mok Yu-cheon and gave him a smile.

As if even more enraged by this, Mok Yu-cheon stomped up the stairs with a reddened face.

Just then, someone approached and spoke to him.

“Mok Gyeong-un.”

“Ah. Yes.”

It was a middle-aged man who looked older than the other red-belted warriors.

A senior warrior, was it?

He pointed to the lower floor and spoke to Mok Gyeong-un.

“The master is summoning you.”

‘Master?’

Did he mean the one with the demon mask?

Mok Gyeong-un followed the senior warrior and headed downstairs.

***

The first-floor lodging was being used by the red-belted warriors conducting the checkpoints, and the room attached to the office in the center was being used by the master of the Corpse Blood Valley.

-Knock knock!

Someone knocked on the door and spoke.

-I’ve brought him, my lord.

At the voice coming from outside, someone who had been sitting in a chair in the office, gazing at a bronze mirror, opened his mouth.

“Have him wait a moment.”

-Yes.

The person sitting in the chair pushed the bronze mirror to the side.

Through the gap of the mirror being moved aside, a face with burn scars briefly flashed by.

Soon, the person put on a mask that had been placed on the office desk.

It was a demon mask.

“Send him in.”

-Yes.

At the demon mask’s command, the door soon opened, and a handsome boy entered.

It was none other than Mok Gyeong-un.

Mok Gyeong-un lightly bowed his head in greeting.

The demon mask waved his hand and pointed to a chair for receiving guests.

“Sit.”

“Yes.”

As Mok Gyeong-un sat in the chair, the demon mask also rose from his office chair and walked over to sit across from him.

The demon mask stared intently at Mok Gyeong-un.

In response, Mok Gyeong-un also met his gaze head-on without avoiding his eyes.

‘Look at this guy.’

He was bold to not avoid his gaze.

A glint of interest flashed in the demon mask’s eyes visible through the gaps of the mask.

Since taking on the role of master of the Corpse Blood Valley, this was the first time he had encountered such a fellow.

Naturally, there had occasionally been those with outstanding martial talent who passed the checkpoints in a short time or used unexpectedly clever methods, but this guy was different.

They say you can tell a tree that will grow well by its leaves.

This fellow seemed to have something that could take him higher than any of the ones he had seen so far.

However, there was one thing he needed to clarify.

“Mok Gyeong-un.”

“Yes.”

“You’re from the righteous faction’s Yeon Mok Sword Manor, right?”

“Yes.”

“You don’t have to give short answers now.”

“…….I understand.”

“From what I’ve heard, you and that fellow named Mok Yu-cheon were brought here as hostages in exchange for leaving the Yeon Mok Sword Manor alone as an expelled disciple. Is that correct?”

At the demon mask’s words, Mok Gyeong-un inwardly felt puzzled.

Did he not know the exact reason why he had come here?

He had thought he would know that it was to memorize and master the secret manual called the treasure of the Heaven and Earth Society.

‘Then…..’

He didn’t feel the need to reveal this.

Mok Gyeong-un just nodded and replied.

“That’s right.”

At this answer, the demon mask’s eyes narrowed through the gaps of the mask.

Then he spoke in a somewhat heavy voice.

“But it’s strange.”

-Shing!

No sooner had he finished speaking than a sword was pressed against Mok Gyeong-un’s neck.

‘!?’

Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes sharpened at this.

He was sure he had heard the sound of the sword being drawn and even saw the muscles moving.

Yet without blinking, the sword was suddenly at his neck.

‘………Fast.’

It was a quick blade, too fast to even recognize.

He understood why Cheong-ryeong had said his current skills were still far from being able to do anything within the Heaven and Earth Society.

It was difficult to gauge how strong he was.

As he pondered this, the demon mask continued.

“Even though you were forcibly brought here against your will, why did you reveal the Righteous Alliance’s spies?”

This was what the demon mask wanted to confirm.

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t understand why Mok Gyeong-un had revealed this.

“I had hoped to be rewarded for informing you of the spies, so this is unexpected.”

“Before you speak of rewards, you must first convince me.”

“Hmm. Is that so?”

One of the demon mask’s eyebrows rose.

He had the tip of a sword pressed against his neck, and with just a bit of force, the sword would pierce through.

He was in a situation where he was being doubted, yet he showed no signs of wavering.

The demon mask spoke in an impressed tone.

“Do you realize that you’re in a position to be suspected?”

“How could I not when there’s a sword at my neck?”

“Then are you gutsy? Or do you have something that can dispel suspicion in an instant?”

“Let’s say it’s the latter.”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, the demon mask clicked his tongue.

Then he warned in a low voice.

“Let me warn you in advance. Within the Corpse Blood Valley, the authority over life and death lies with me. You may leave this office as a corpse.”

-Sizzle!

No sooner had he finished speaking than a scorching heat emanated from the sword.

Wondering what this was as the sword’s heat rose, Cheong-ryeong’s voice rang in his ear.

-It seems that this man is his descendant.

‘Huh?’

What did she mean by that?

As he felt puzzled, Cheong-ryeong spoke.

-Mortal. Ask the man in front of you.

With that, Cheong-ryeong informed Mok Gyeong-un of something.

Meanwhile, the demon mask brought the sword tip, heated by the scorching energy, even closer and spoke.

“My patience is not very long. Quickly convince me…”

“Has the Lee family now gained control over the Fiery Yang Qi within their bodies?”

‘!?’

As soon as he finished speaking, the demon mask’s eyes trembled.

The only visible body part through the mask was his eyes, but one could tell he was considerably shocked. Just as Mok Gyeong-un had anticipated, the demon mask was truly surprised.

How does this kid know about this?

Information about the Fiery Yang Qi[1] was something only a few within the Heaven and Earth Society knew.

-Smack!

The demon mask pulled away the sword and grabbed Mok Gyeong-un’s collar with his other hand, pulling him close and interrogating in a whisper.

“Who the hell are you? How do you…”

To him who was trailing off, Mok Gyeong-un smiled brightly and said, “Are you asking about the Crimson Flame Sword Art[2]?”

‘!!!!!!!!!’