Chapter: 667
Time passes while our eyes are locked.
I took a deep breath, concealing my creaking body.
‘Why.’
Why is ‘that thing’ here?
I see a woman who spots me and waves her hand.
Her hair has a purple tint, and her eyes shine even brighter.
There’s even a remarkable appearance that reminds me of someone.
It was the same as the one I encountered before heading to the North Sea.
If that’s the case, it means this isn’t just a figment of my imagination.
Then.
‘Why are you here?’
Why is she here?
I had to find out.
‘I was already trying to look for her.’
Heavenly Demon.
I knew she was in Hanam. I’d met her before, and because of that, I had ordered my men to gather information about her.
That information was the second task I had entrusted to Pilduma.
But.
‘There was strangely little information.’
The information Pilduma provided wasn’t very reliable.
Of course, I wasn’t depending solely on him for information; I was gathering intel from other sources as well.
But.
‘That wasn’t any good either.’
The information about the Heavenly Demon in Hanam was way too scarce.
Did she hide because she knew I was following her? Or had she already vanished from Hanam?
Even though the Dark King’s forces were moving, it was only natural to consider the two scenarios above since there was so little information…
‘Are you saying you couldn’t find her even when she was right in front of you?’
The Heavenly Demon has never left Hanam.
Looking at her appearance, it seems she has no hidden enemies.
Did she leave and come back?
That could be possible, but I won’t consider that for now. The Heavenly Demon I know wasn’t someone who ran away.
For now, let’s consider this.
The most crucial thing here.
‘Can I kill her?’
Can I kill the Heavenly Demon in this spot?
I couldn’t do it when I saw her at that hidden noodle shop in a back alley.
So what about now?
I have regained the level of my past life.
Now, if I take on the guardians and elders of famous families and clans alone, I can swiftly eliminate them without much difficulty.
This is an objective self-assessment.
The level of the heads of several prestigious families, including Cheonma and the head of the Gupailbang.
This means that as long as they aren’t among the so-called ten masters of the Central Plains, I won’t lose.
‘Then what about the Heavenly Demon’s level?’
I recalled the time we met at the old Shinryongwan.
Back then, she was strong enough to toy with someone like me.
If her level is the same as in my previous life, I would be defeated.
Should I back off here, then?
Gyiiiiinn—!
Despite my rational judgment, my body’s energy instinctively entered a combat stance.
Wriggle—! The magic was boiling.
What have I been holding off all this time? Will I stop just when the chance is right in front of me?
Magic, baring its fangs, began to speak.
Just as I was about to charge, feeling my heart racing.
“Confucius.”
“…!”
The instant I heard that voice from the side, my blood ran cold.
“Why are you like that?”
I forgot for a moment who was next to me.
Mo Yong-hee asked with concern, taking a deep breath.
There was something next to me that I had to protect.
So I can’t move carelessly.
Will I have enough leeway to fight while safeguarding Mo Yong-hee?
I’m not sure about this.
The less certain I am, the more cautious I must be.
“Ah.”
In the meantime, Mo Yong-hee glanced in the direction of what I was observing and quietly approached me.
“As I thought, you know her, right, Confucius?”
I frowned at her words.
Confucius “also”, huh?
What does that mean? My puzzled gaze nudged her to explain.
“That person. She’s the one Geombong brought with him.”
“…What?”
Her following words made my body freeze.
“Who did you say brought her?”
“Geombong.”
“…Geombong means… my sister? Are you talking about my sister?”
“Yes, I’m talking about your older sister.”
Are you really referring to Gu Hee-bi?
“A few days ago, Geombong came looking for me and told me to give that person a job.”
I kept hearing her words, but they took time to sink in.
It was simply incomprehensible information.
“They say she’s unmanned and quite strong… Since I was planning to get a badge today, I just put it aside for now. Anyway, I guess you know her too, Confucius?”
“…”
Are you saying Gu Hee-bi not only brought the Heavenly Demon but also brought her here?
‘What kind of crazy situation is this?’
I still have no clue how this situation came to be.
What on earth is unfolding here?
On one hand, I was bewildered by this absurdity.
“Uh, you know…”
“Yes?”
More than anything, I felt something strange happening.
So I looked at Mo Yong-hee and pointed at the Heavenly Demon who was a bit far away.
“How do you see her?”
“Pardon?”
Mo Yong-hee furrowed her brow as if to say, “What a random question.”
However, perhaps understanding that there was a reason behind my inquiry, she looked at the Heavenly Demon without adding any further comment.
Then she said.
“…A person, a woman.”
“More details, please.”
I knew it sounded odd, but I had to ask.
This was because, aside from the bizarre fact that the Heavenly Demon was here, I noticed something strange in Mo Yong-hee’s reaction.
“She looks shorter than me. She has black hair.”
A person brought by Geombong. And someone I think I know.
That was all the information Mo Yong-hee provided.
“In addition, she has dark eyes and slightly tanned skin… Should I describe her features as well?”
In reality, the most crucial thing to observe was something else.
“No, that’s fine.”
After hearing Mo Yong-hee’s words, I became convinced.
I sensed something was incredibly off.
“Why are you like that?”
Mo Yong-hee asked me questioningly, but I was unable to answer easily.
That’s understandable.
‘She’s not even mentioning that the Heavenly Demon looks exactly like Wi Seol-ah.’
Anyone who looked could see that she resembled Wi Seol-ah to a tee.
The only differences were the hair and eyes, but aside from that, they could be considered identical twins.
Mo Yong-hee hadn’t questioned any of this.
Moreover.
‘There was something off about her descriptions too.’
Her height was ambiguous, and while her hair was black, it wasn’t completely black.
There was a distinct purple tint in it, and her eyes were certainly not black either.
As for her skin color…
‘If you say it’s slightly tanned, then I think those eyes are swollen.’
It was so white that it was almost pale.
It simply didn’t make sense to say she looked tanned.
Then why did Mo Yong-hee say this?
Considering that reasoning, perhaps—
‘The perception has changed.’
That suggests that Mo Yong-hee’s view of the Heavenly Demon is different.
‘Is it the same for others?’
Is this just Mo Yong-hee, or are others here seeing the same thing?
Or—
‘Are my eyes the ones deceiving me?’
Is Mo Yong-hee’s gaze correct while mine is wrong?
While I had my doubts, I trusted my own eyes.
No, more than my eyes, I relied on the energy in my body.
I silently stared at the Heavenly Demon.
The Heavenly Demon also didn’t shy away from my gaze; she met my eyes directly.
There was a somewhat vacant expression.
It was completely different from the arrogant and condescending look I’d seen in my past life.
It made me wonder if she was a completely different person despite having the same appearance.
As I watched this unfold, I swallowed my sighs, and time continued to tick by.
After making my decision, I turned to Mo Yong-hee and asked.
“…What should I do first?”
I decided it would be best to just observe for now, even if just to confirm the source of this persistent sense of alienation.
—
If counting the number of people, it would be less than thirty.
Seven of them must be selected.
That was what Mo Yong-hee asked me to do.
“I mean exactly seven.”
“That’s right. You can choose as you see fit.”
“So, you’re saying I can do whatever I want.”
While listening to the explanation, my eyes landed on someone.
A woman, her back against a tree, wearing a blank expression, staring at the Heavenly Demon.
I was nervous, unsure of her intentions and what she planned to do.
With this thought in mind, I took a step forward.
As I moved ahead, the gazes of those around me were fixated on me.
Each expression screamed dissatisfaction.
It looked like they had been waiting quite a long time.
Amidst all this, the faces of the warriors were in a flurry of interest as they were about to finally do something.
“There.”
I pointed to one person with my finger.
Before the man could voice his confusion.
“Pass.”
“…?”
“You passed.”
The man widened his eyes at my blunt statement.
I waved my hand as if telling him to exit quickly.
The man looked bewildered but offered no objections and stepped aside.
The person I pointed out was the second strongest warrior here.
Excluding Cheonma, of course.
Right after eliminating one like that, I started moving my finger to pick out others.
“The old man on the left is out. The ponytail guy next door is out too.”
“Eliminated. Eliminated… Eliminated. Another one out.”
One by one, I swiftly eliminated them, and within a time that didn’t even take a half angle, I cleared out more than half.
There were a total of eleven people who passed, and everyone else was eliminated.
Nodding my head as I glanced at the roughly selected individuals.
“At this point, we’ve filtered most of them out…”
“What exactly are you doing?”
As I began to feel satisfied with my clear choices, someone yelled out at me.
I cast a glance in their direction.
It was someone with a strong aura.
“You suddenly appeared and said, ‘What are you doing?’”
A middle-aged man was visibly furious and flared up.
A fighter with a long scar on his face.
His level was—
‘A ripe peak.’
He was the kind of person who would receive respect anywhere he went and live comfortably. He was also the strongest among those gathered here, and oddly enough, he was the first person I eliminated.
I nodded toward him.
“Why?”
“Huh?”
The man’s expression crumpled even deeper at my attitude.
“Is that the kind of question you’re asking right now?”
“What part of this do you find disagreeable?”
At my question, anger seeped into the man’s voice.
“It has already been over an hour since we gathered here and waited. We sat here baking under the blazing sun, and then out of nowhere someone we don’t even know shows up and eliminates us. Do you think that’s something that would sit well with anyone?”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at those words.
“Didn’t you hear what the branch manager just said? He said to do whatever I want.”
“Stop making a fool of me!”
Kuung—! The man erupted in anger as his energy flared.
With that burst, a pressure blew out and engulfed the surroundings.
Huff-!!
Guhk!
Everyone nearby gasped at the exceptionally powerful energy.
The first successful candidate appeared especially shocked.
It seemed he immediately realized that someone was stronger than him.
It was only reasonable to feel confusion that someone like him was eliminated.
“Do you have any idea who I am to dare do this? It’s ridiculous for a brat who doesn’t even know the matters at hand to be judging me—!!”
Hearing the man’s fury twisted the expressions of others as well.
They shared in the audience’s sentiment, already discontent from the quick eliminations.
“I agree; what does he know to conduct an interview?”
“Has the Baekhwasangdan gone insane? We’re being assessed by someone as simple as that guy!!”
The atmosphere grew tense.
Considering they were already upset about being abruptly eliminated, it seems their frustrations multiplied as a strong one stepped up to voice displeasure.
And there.
“No matter how you see it, the test should be done properly, right?”
“This isn’t acceptable…”
Even those who had managed to get through the selection weren’t overly satisfied.
They were likely feeling uneasy about being evaluated by someone they hardly knew.
‘It seems they are truly obsessed with honor and evaluations.’
Warriors in the Central Plains tended to treasure their dignity, and they fixated on evaluations.
Why do they feel the need to raise such issues, even when they could have just celebrated passing?
‘Living in this world is such a hassle.’
Anyway, this wasn’t sitting right with me.
Noticing the attention was shifting toward him, the man let a sinister smile surface amid his rage.
“I never fathomed I would ever be treated like this, Branch Manager. Is this really the intent of Baekhwasangdan?”
“…”
Mo Yong-hee didn’t respond.
She merely regarded me with an expressionless demeanor.
It implied that I should just carry on. Noting this, I relaxed my muscles just a bit.
“The treatment was remarkably good, which piqued my interest. How dare they treat me in such a manner…”
“As always, the most significant trouble comes from those who have nothing but noise.”
“What…?”
“The ones swept along with them are troubling too.”
At my remark, the man’s eyes narrowed with malice as he glared at me.
I met his gaze with a grin.
“The reasons you got eliminated must be evident. Why are you making this difficult? If you possess any grievances, just walk away.”
“This brat really…!”
Guuuuuu—!
The air around us quaked between life-and-death energy.
The heavy, ripe energy was fitting for the peak.
“It seems you’re entangled with the upper echelons, so correcting your attitude would be prudent. Though Baekhwasangdan is plenty impressive, my sword is much closer to you.”
It suggested he’d take my life should I raise my voice.
The murderous intent lingered around his blade, affirming his statement.
Duly noted, I observed the intensity.
He wasn’t a bad warrior at all.
By level, it didn’t make sense for him to have been eliminated.
He was the strongest fighter amongst them, aside from Cheonma.
That outlined his stature.
So, had there been no ‘issues’, I would have likely allowed him through the first go.
Yeah, if things had been ‘normal’.
“So, what? Want to come at me with your sword? How frightening.”
“Hah, this foolish brat! I should take your tongue to teach you who’s boss-.”
“Seriously, those Murim Alliance kids pull their swords at the drop of a hat. No difference from bandits.”
“…!”
The man halted his retort at my words.
Then his pupils began to tremble slightly.
“Don’t you dare insult my fellow clansmen. What the hell? With roots like those, how do you expect this world to operate?”
“What are you saying now…?”
A sigh escaped before I even realized it.
The cause for the man’s elimination was none other than the fact that he belonged to the clan.
“What the heck…”
He took a step forward, muttering curses.
Just like that, the scene shifted abruptly.
Before I knew it, I was right in front of the man.
Huff…!!
Taken by surprise, he began to move.
Instinctively, it seemed he was about to draw his sword, but I quickly seized his arm and crushed the bones.
Crack—!!
“…!!!”
As he attempted to move, a terrifying shatter echoed, suppressing his scream.
And then.
“You’re being too picky about your place.”
Thud—!!
This time the sound came from his lower body.
In an instant, he sank to his knees.
“Gaaaah—!!”
Finally, a proper scream erupted.
The man found his limbs cracked but kept howling in pain.
“Quiet down.”
Smack—!!
With a single blow, I struck his head, knocking him out cold.
Is it because he’s larger than average? His screams were unusually loud, making it quite annoying.
Thud.
The ripe warrior lost consciousness and tumbled to the grass.
Silence soon enveloped the surroundings, following the echoes of his screams.
The atmosphere had become significantly quieter than before.
As I glanced around, everyone else was staring at me with their mouths agape.
First, I casually tossed the knocked-out man aside.
Fwoosh—!! Thud!
I heard the rustle of leaves as he landed out of sight.
“So?”
After dusting my hands off casually, I asked:
“Anyone else have complaints?”
“…”
“…”
Thanks to my straightforward explanation, nobody uttered a peep of dissent henceforth.
What a relief that was.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.