Monsters can occur naturally, but they can also be summoned through specific methods.
Just like the cultist summoned the Fire Phoenix before, Mack was one of the monsters that could be summoned in such a way.
As if to prove this, the moment Mack appeared, a noxious aura began spreading around, piercing through the noses of everyone nearby.
At this point, even the Murim Alliance should notice…
“Sayoon!!”
Hongryeon shouted as she confirmed Mack’s presence. At her signal, Sayoon jumped up, and with a sneer, Mack began manipulating the elderly woman’s body.
“Darling!!”
As Munsahgong’s scream sounded, Sayoon’s sword was unleashed towards the elderly woman’s body.
However, Sayoon only moved her sword coldly.
The plunging sword trembled lightly, naturally changing direction to dart past the old woman and stab the tail connected to her back, causing the creature to let out a roar filled with pain.
– Kraaaar!!
At that moment, a sinister energy spread out. Just as the ghosts summoned by Mack were about to approach, Hyunhwi raised her fist.
“Whoa!!”
With a powerful thrust downward, the energy of the land collided with the Inner Energy of Hongseong Divine Art and exploded, blocking the sinister presence trying to assist Mack.
As Mack was about to blow up with frustration, a massive sword gleamed in the air.
– Kwaaang!!
You wouldn’t even get this kind of sound when hitting a colossal pillar.
With one strike, Hongryeon struck Mack’s head with the great sword and then signaled Sayoon again to slash at the tail connected to the elderly woman.
Hongseong Divine Art Sword Technique. Huiyoohwan.
This slash belongs to the latter half of the Hongseong Divine Art sword techniques.
The sword wrapped in red sword energy formed a circle.
“Oh…”
I heard Chaejin next to me gasping in admiration. Was the Huiyoohwan executed so neatly that even she found it impressive?
“Sayoon has grown quite a bit on this journey. It seems fighting against the challengers helped her.”
I guess she must have recognized Sayoon’s skills from when I did a few spar sessions with her. Chaejin was impressed with Sayoon’s rapid growth, and that was enough to make my chest swell with pride.
I couldn’t help but think that I had a fair share in Sayoon’s growth.
“I think she’d make a good match against Ryun.”
“If they fought, who do you think would win?”
“Well… But Ryun is hiding a lot of her strength, so she’s not to be underestimated.”
Even if Sayoon has grown, does that mean she still can’t overpower Ryun?
But just receiving such praise right now was satisfying enough for me, considering Sayoon had grown much more than we had expected in our script.
While Chaejin and I watched from the back, Munsahgong looked quite worried.
“Is, is this really okay?”
“Yes.”
Mack was trying to turn the situation around using the elderly woman, but Sayoon’s sword strikes were sharp and precise.
So she could attack only the parts connected to Mack without ruffling a single hair of the elderly woman.
Moreover, Hyunhwi’s striking technique was both destructive and restrained, accurately eliminating only the sinister ghosts summoned by Mack.
And while coordinating all those situations, Hongryeon, wielding her great sword with the help of Chaeran, was putting plenty of pressure on Mack.
Even if I were here, they certainly looked confident.
“…Impressive. So you really are the disciple of a Sword Saint… Oh, and that girl too.”
“She’s the Doje’s daughter.”
“The Doje’s daughter…? Ah, now that you mention it, I heard one of the Doje’s daughters has ties to the Royal Academy… So that girl must be her.”
I looked at Chaejin, who slightly cleared her throat.
“Ryun makes sure her name is known around a lot of places.”
“Haha, she must be quite a handful, huh?”
After all, Chaeran was still eyeing the position of the successor to Moonjeong. It looked like Chaejin would have a tough time dealing with her.
“Well, it’s okay. I have you, right?”
“What power do I have?”
“I’m not very useful.”
“You’re actually a great help.”
Chaejin, saying this, swung her weapon without even looking. A silver crescent appeared and easily blocked debris from the battle.
“…Wow, that’s amazing.”
“Hehe. You’re too kind.”
Chaejin smiled brightly in response to Munsahgong’s praise.
Meanwhile, Mack was gradually falling apart.
-KA-AA-A-A-K!!
Was this a death throe? A final struggle?
As Mack roared, trying to gather energy, Sayoon skillfully seized the opportunity and unleashed her circular technique again.
-SSCHOK!!
It was severed.
Mack’s tail, connected to the old lady.
Confirming the magic pouring from that spot, Sayoon quickly embraced the old lady and retreated, while Hyunhwi blew away the incoming evil energy with the later stages of Hongseong Divine Art.
So, only Mack was left.
“I’m coming!!”
“Yes!!”
Rising up, Hongryeon brought down her great sword toward Mack.
Meteor Strike. An unfinished technique.
But when the overwhelming power contained in Hongryeon’s strongest technique hit, Mack’s body was severely damaged.
-KA-AA-A-K…
The finishing blow came from Chaeran. Holding her weapon with both hands, she closed her eyes and…
“…Hah.”
With a sharp gaze, she swung her weapon.
Moonlight Slash. One of the techniques from the Moonlight Sword technique unfolded, slicing Mack’s body into dozens of pieces.
-Ah… Aaa…
It seemed he couldn’t withstand two fatal strikes.
Despair was etched on Mack’s face as it gradually turned to ashes.
“Ah.”
As Mack completely disappeared in a cloud of ash, Hongryeon lowered her great sword. She glanced over with a gentle smile.
“Good job.”
“No, it was nothing much.”
Hongryeon spoke casually, but I knew better.
Mack wasn’t someone who could be captured so easily.
Yet, it had become possible because three people had mastered the Hongseong Divine Art, which was practically Mack’s natural enemy, and due to Chaeran’s support.
Still, it’s better to take it easy. Difficulty doesn’t guarantee better rewards.
“…Uhhmm…”
The old lady, held in Sayoon’s arms, began to stir awake.
Seeing this, Munsahgong rushed over, and the old lady faintly smiled at him.
“My dear…”
“My dear! My dear!! Aah! Thank you! Thank you!!”
Sayoon beamed at Munsahgong, who was joyfully cradling the old lady.
“I thought you might be weak, so I used a bit of recovery energy while holding you.”
“Thank you! I can’t express enough my gratitude to the lady warrior!”
“Hehehe…”
It seemed the term ‘lady warrior’ put her in a good mood.
As Sayoon scratched her head while chuckling, Munsahgong stood up with the old lady.
He repeatedly bowed toward us.
If left unattended, he would just keep thanking us.
“I’m glad things worked out well.”
“Ah… Truly… truly…”
Calming down, Munsahgong led us away from the garden, still bearing the marks of battle.
He took us to his study and personally served us tea with a big smile.
And the way he held the old lady’s hand looked like a lovely couple.
Wondering if Hongryeon and Chaejin were thinking the same thing, they also gazed at the two with warm smiles.
“Your skills are extraordinary, lady warriors… I will never forget this grace.”
“Oh no. It wasn’t anything special. Actually, it was the Yu Wol Innkeeper who suggested this…”
“Huh? Given the circumstances, it feels a bit wrong to ask… but why? Did Cheonilhwa request it?”
“Not really; I happened to hear the news by chance. I merely made a suggestion to Hongseong and Moonjeong. What have I truly done?”
“Could it be possible?”
“I’m not joking; I really haven’t done anything.”
At my response, Munsahgong smiled faintly and nodded.
“I truly don’t know how to express my gratitude. I wonder if this would suffice as a reward. The martial artists value elixirs highly, after all. I wish to give you this which I obtained long ago as a token of my gratitude.”
What he offered was a luxurious box. Inside was a fragrant herb and a talisman.
“This is a hundred-year-old Huasuo. If I were still in office, I could offer something better, but I’m already retired…”
“This is more than enough. A hundred-year-old Huasuo… it’s an elixir you can just consume, right?”
Hongryeon chuckled leisurely and naturally handed it towards me.
“I’m good. As I mentioned earlier, I really haven’t contributed much to this.”
I returned what Hongryeon had handed me, and she pushed it towards Sayoon.
“Ah? Senior Sister. I—”
“I noticed earlier that your cultivation seems a bit lacking, doesn’t it? If you take this, you’ll be able to absorb its effects and you won’t need any elixirs for a while. And after that, if you get more, just think of giving it to the others. You need to return what you’ve received.”
At Hongryeon’s words, Hyunhwi also nodded in agreement. Eventually, the hesitant Sayoon accepted it, making Munsahgong beam with a smile.
And then there was the remaining Taeguk talisman.
A talisman infused with the power of Taeguk, which is used for a variety of purposes. Hongryeon passed it back to me.
But this time, I gave the same response as before and handed the Taeguk talisman to Chaejin, who shook her head.
“I haven’t really done anything either, you know?”
Saying that, Chaejin passed the box back to me, and I looked at Chaeran, but she too just shook her head.
“I think the Innkeeper is more suited to use it than I am.”
“Um… if that’s the case…”
As the Taeguk talisman came back to me again, Munsahgong burst into laughter.
“Hahaha! You all are martial artists, yet unlike what I know, you are not greedy at all.”
“Hehe. It’s something I learned from someone.”
The gazes of Hongryeon, Hyunhwi, Sayoon, and Chaejin fixed on me, and Munsahgong said to me,
“If you ever desire an official position, come find me. Even though I’ve already retired from my position, I have quite a few connections in the central government. I can give you a recommendation.”
“Haha. Yes. Well.”
There might come a time when having an official position is necessary in the storyline, so let’s look forward to that.
After wrapping up our business, we returned to the inn.
Of course, we secured a clue for the connected event.
“Hmm…”
To celebrate the successful completion of our task, albeit a bit late, we decided to have a drink at the inn.
Perhaps because it was late, there weren’t many customers, and as we sat in the quiet inn enjoying our drinks and dishes, we looked over the map Munsahgong had given us.
“Cheonhwa Mountain, huh.”
It was a mountain owned by Munsahgong and desired by the demonic sect.
We received access permission and investigation rights for that place.
And like before in Heavenly Bright Moon, options emerged.
“What should we do about this?”
“Well, we could hand it over to the Murim Alliance, or we could investigate it ourselves.”
“Cheonhwa Mountain is quite far. It’s a mountain located further east from Cheongho, isn’t it?”
“That’s right.”
As Chaeran tapped the map, I nodded.
Since Cheonhwa Mountain is on the way to the capital, it means getting further away from Seomhwa Village.
“What do you think?”
At Hongryeon’s question, I pondered for a moment before responding.
“Well… usually, when it comes to such matters, eating it all alone leads to stomach troubles. So, I think it’s better just to ask the Murim Alliance for cooperation. This is more about fighting the demonic sect rather than helping someone in need.”
In our scenario, we had planned to collaborate on this connected event with the Murim Alliance, to be precise, to leave most of the work to them while just having our names included for fame, focusing on other tasks.
After all, traces of Cheonma can be found in other places too, and I have no clue about where all the remaining stuff is or how to obtain it.
“Where are all the remaining things, and how to obtain them, is another matter.”
“Moreover, the traces of Cheonma are merely symbolic; they don’t yield good equipment or even a stat boost.”
“The only effect is one thing.”
“If you have it, the dark sect members will come at you hard.”
“Of course, in Heavenly Bright Moon, there were some who intentionally carried it around, aiming for tokens, equipment, or reputation obtainable by catching the dark sect members.”
“I was one of them.”
“But now, it’s not just meaningless; it becomes a hindrance to progressing the scenario.”
“It would be better to tell Sayoon later when she is stronger and it’s time to build experience and reputation by catching dark sect members.”
“I heard that the Inspection and Law Enforcement Departments don’t get along well. If the Inspection Department gives a little, wouldn’t the Law Enforcement Department also yield something else to the Inspection Department? Let’s take that opportunity.”
“Well… if that’s the case, the sub-lord won’t oppose it, then let’s do that.”
Just then, when Hongryeon nodded at my proposal.
“….Hongryeon.”
A cold voice came from the entrance of the inn. Turning my glance, I saw a woman with long silver hair holding a staff.
Seeing her, Hongryeon tilted her head.
“Um? Dokanryong Myojae?”
“What brings you from the Law Enforcement Department?”
Myojae, from the Law Enforcement Department, was a prominent martial artist representing a competitive faction against the Inspection Department of the Murim Alliance.
She was a bit simple-minded, overly chasing honor, and liked fighting, but she wasn’t a bad person; she helped not only Sayoon but also many other protagonists in Heavenly Bright Moon.
“There’s definitely a trace of the dark sect… The dark energy from Munsahgong…”
She surely sensed the dark energy that Mack emitted earlier.
Did she think she had her research stolen?
Her eyes were filled with tears from frustration.
Regardless, it was an opportunity.
I stood up and greeted her.
“Greetings. I am Yu Wol from Seomhwa Village.”
“Ah, hi there.”
Only then did she notice me and hurriedly responded.
“I am Myojae, the deputy of the Law Enforcement Department. But I…”
“Perfect timing! I actually have a favor to ask of the Law Enforcement Department.”
“Eh?”
Pointing at her in a daze, I asked Hongryeon and Chaejin.
“Can we trust her?”
“Well, if it’s Myojae, she’s reliable.”
“She does get the job done.”
“Ah, haha… I’m not that great.”
Myojae, who had almost been on the verge of tears a moment ago, blushed at their sudden praises.
And for a moment, as she was about to shout, I invited her to sit.
“Please, have a seat. Let me explain the background of this situation first.”
I invited Myojae to a seat. After pouring her some drinks, I explained the situation.
After listening for a while, she looked surprised and asked me.
“So, to put it simply, you came purely to help Munsahgong?”
“Exactly. But fighting the dark sect is an important task for the Murim Alliance, so it should be handled by the Alliance.”
“That’s true.”
“I would like to formally report this matter to the Murim Alliance and request cooperation between the Inspection Department and the Law Enforcement Department to solve this together. I hope you will uphold the righteousness of the orthodox Murim and defeat the dark sect.”
“…….”
Myojae didn’t respond.
Hmm… Is she not on board?
But surely, working together wouldn’t harm the Law Enforcement Department.
“Haha! Of course, it should be done! I’ll show you what the orthodox Murim is all about! I can’t ignore the request of someone stepping forward with pure intention!”
Well, this is going well.
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