Chapter 31
“……!”
From his face, chest, both sides, shoulders, and abdomen down to his thighs and calves.
Looking at the old man, whose entire body was burned and torn, covered in blood, the remaining members of the Black Society couldn’t speak, their eyes wide open.
“Ugh……”
The old man’s groaning figure looked all the more miserable.
His wounds looked as if his body had been savagely struck with a metal flail, his flesh and bones crushed everywhere. This was likely because the combination of ‘lightning,’ derived from the ‘thunder’ attribute, and the Gale Fist created a force closer to a heavy lump of iron than sharpness.
“C……Can’t we stop now?”
Unexpected words came out of the old man’s mouth.
The old man I saw was a man of great pride.
So, I thought he wouldn’t beg for his life even if death was imminent……
As expected, it’s difficult to remain indifferent in the face of life and death.
Even the old man, who surpassed the first-rate, crumbled before the physical pain.
But I shook my head.
“Old man. I don’t want to kill either. But if I was going to show mercy, I wouldn’t have come to the Black Society in the first place. People don’t change easily. If I let you live now, you will definitely seek revenge later.”
“……”
“So just die.”
Yes.
I want to let the old man live, but I can’t.
If the old man was just a small fry, it would be a different story……
But the old man is a master no matter what anyone says, and someone like him can easily end dozens of lives like they’re flies, so the risk is high.
Also, from the beginning, my goal itself was to dismantle the Black Society, so I decided to just kill the old man.
“I understand. If you say so, then I’m a dead man. But even if I’m going, let me ask you one thing.”
“What?”
“What is your true identity?”
My true identity……
For a moment, I was bewildered and couldn’t open my mouth.
Right.
Now is the time for me to remind myself of my identity once again.
If, after my reincarnation until now, I was So-yun’s father, a former hunter, and Jin So-cheon who uses the ‘force’ attribute, from now on, I will be the sect leader of the Dawn Heaven Sect, an authority on the Nature Meridian who uses two attributes, ‘force’ and ‘thunder’, a peerless master of the martial world, and a successful martial artist who appeared like a comet in Chang’an and expanded his influence to the entire Shaanxi region. So, yesterday’s me and today’s me are different.
“Jin So-cheon.”
But……
Then, and now.
I am still Jin So-cheon, and So-yun’s father.
I don’t know what position I will be in or what kind of life I will live in the future, but……
Even then, I will still be So-yun’s father, Jin So-cheon, so my essence will not change anytime, anywhere.
“Huh…… So you won’t even tell me your identity.”
“Old man. Identity is just an illusion. For example, what does it matter if I’m a first-generation disciple of the Wudang Sect or an executive of the Demonic Cult? I’m just Jin So-cheon, and you’re just you.”
“……Those are fine words. You’ve won not only in martial arts but also in the mental game.”
The old man smiled bitterly and slowly looked up at the sky.
Is he previewing his path to the afterlife?
Anyway, that’s how the old man appeared to me, and I walked towards him to finish him off.
“My name is Baek Gui-ho. It was a pleasant duel.”
At that moment, the old man revealed his name, which I hadn’t asked for, and surprisingly, I had heard that name before.
Demon Slayer, Baek Gui-ho.
The Baek Gui-ho I know was originally from the Cult of the Evil Path in his younger days, left the Cult in middle age, wandered around aimlessly, and became an active villain in the Black Path.
I thought he was a decent fighter, and as expected, he was someone with a background.
Tsss━!
Regardless, I drew the ‘thunder’ attribute True Qi, boiling like lava in my lower dantian, into my fist to beat the old man to death.
Perhaps because it was a power I had just opened the gate to, it felt like it was eager to rampage, heating my body up. Unfortunately, my physical body was exhausted, so after this strike, I thought I would need to recuperate for at least a week.
Dudduddud━.
As lightning crackled from my fist, the old man’s legs trembled.
He must have been facing the fear of death, but I felt the ‘spirit of a martial artist’ anew in his attempt to accept that fear calmly.
‘Even at the moment of death, he lives up to his name.’
Sswaaaek━.
My Gale Fist, imbued with lightning, flew towards the old man’s head like a heavy sledgehammer.
◈ ◈ ◈
“W, What is this?”
“Oh my god……”
“Holy sh t!”
“What in the world is going on?”
Il-dong, Yi-dong, Sam-dong, Seok Yeon-u, along with a dozen disciples of the Dawn Heaven Sect, and all the members of the Seokga Estate who were staying in Chang’an, arrived at the Longevity Merchant Guild, the Xi’an branch of the Black Society, and were speechless at the sight before them.
“Wh…… Who?”
It was none other than the remaining members of the Black Society who greeted them.
They were all kneeling with their hands raised, as if being punished. Surprisingly, next to them was Jin So-cheon, lying on his back, snoring away.
Chaengchaengchaeng━!
Regardless, the members of the Dawn Heaven Sect and the Seokga Estate all drew their weapons and quickly entered the Black Society, surrounding the remaining members who were being punished, and asked.
“What happened? How did my brother end up…… sleeping like that?”
Seok Yeon-u blushed, bewildered by the situation.
It was understandable, because no matter how you looked at it, it seemed like the Black Society was being punished by Jin So-cheon, not the other way around……
“Well…… that is.”
One of the remaining members, covered in blood, answered Seok Yeon-u’s question.
Jin So-cheon, who suddenly appeared early in the morning, saying he wanted to make a deal, beat the gatekeeper like a dog.
Jin So-cheon, who subdued 150 members of the Black Society in the Xi’an branch without a single weapon.
Jin So-cheon, who beat to death Gwak Seong-ho, the Blood Demon Blade, the chief elder who oversees the entire Black Society.
Jin So-cheon, who beat to death Baek Gui-ho, the Demon Slayer, the leader of the Black Society.
As the stories of Jin So-cheon, who either beat people up or killed them, combined with the sight of him snoring while the remaining members were kneeling with their hands raised, Seok Yeon-u’s group became dizzy.
“Is what you said true?”
“It’s true.”
“But why are you kneeling with your hands up even while my brother is sleeping?”
“Master Jin said that if we so much as flinch from our punished position, he would wake up and crush our heads……”
“How long has my brother been asleep?”
“It’s been over an hour.”
“Huh……”
Seok Yeon-u was at a loss as to how to interpret this situation.
‘I knew my brother was strong, but……’
To think he would beat to death Blood Demon Blade Gwak Seong-ho and Demon Slayer Baek Gui-ho in a single day.
‘This is an incident that will shock the entire martial world. If I tell my father or Grandmaster about this…… they’ll immediately try to find out my brother’s identity.’
That’s right.
Seok Yeon-u had already figured out that Jin So-cheon was a ‘real’ one, on a different level from ordinary criminals.
So, the fact that Jin So-cheon single-handedly destroyed the Black Society itself didn’t surprise him.
However, Seok Yeon-u was worried that Jin So-cheon, who had caused such a big incident, would be deeply involved in future conflicts in the martial world, and he couldn’t shake off the anxiety that the noise arising from this process and Jin So-cheon’s ‘reckless’ nature would cause conflict.
‘But I can’t just ignore this. Ah…… I don’t know.’
On the other hand,
“Kkkkk. As expected of our big brother!”
“Wow! I didn’t know he’d destroy the Black Society all by himself? This guy is the real deal, right?”
“Kekeke. Brothers. It seems we’ve truly seen what our big brother is capable of. As soon as we establish the Dawn Heaven Sect, he lands a big one. Il-dong, Yi-dong Older Brother. At this rate, I wonder if we’ll end up having our names listed among the Nine Great Sects?”
The Kang brothers, Il-dong, Yi-dong, and Sam-dong, burst into laughter while looking at Jin So-cheon snoring, and Seok Yeon-u was dumbfounded, thinking that in some ways, the Kang brothers and Jin So-cheon were a perfect match.
“Good for you, good for you. You guys are amazing, as always. Sigh !”
When Seok Yeon-u grumbled, the Kang brothers, who couldn’t understand his feelings, just tilted their heads at each other.
‘What’s wrong with that guy?’
‘He’s a strange one.’
‘Should I just curse him out if he weren’t our brother’s friend?’
◈ ◈ ◈
I had a dream.
A very long dream……
Fortunately, even while I was dreaming, I had received ‘lucid dreaming’ training for over three years, practicing assassination. Later, I became the foremost expert in this field, even teaching the Assassin’s Guild brats myself. So, even in my dream, I was clearly aware that I was dreaming.
Despite that, I refrained from artificially designing, manipulating, or creating the dream. Instead, I simply observed as fragments of my consciousness and subconsciousness fully unfolded through the medium of the dream.
‘Interesting.’
Indeed, it was.
My dream was truly entertaining and delightful beyond measure.
In a peach blossom paradise where the entire mountain was filled with colorful, blooming flowers, I plucked and ate fruits dripping with honey. I swam in waterfalls with turtles that seemed to have lived for over 100 years. When I got tired, I built a fire in the valley and grilled fish……
Just then, So-yun would run towards me shouting, ‘Daddy!’ I’d lift her up and spin her around in the air, listening to her cheerful laughter.
As night deepened, I’d tilt cups of alcohol with Master Dongbyeok, the Dongdong Brothers, and Yeon-u in an octagonal pavilion with a clear view of the mountain scenery……
As I enjoyed the dream like a sage who had transcended the world, I wondered if there was any need for me to intervene in its unfolding.
However, my dream, filled with ‘happiness,’ couldn’t last until the end.
‘……’
As if a hole had suddenly opened in the sky, rain poured down like a deluge. As darkness fell upon the world, a ‘person’ appeared before me.
「Number 7. Are you happy?」
That person was the Cult Leader.
「I am happy.」
I answered the Cult Leader that way.
Seeing the Cult Leader’s appearance, I wanted to interfere with the dream and destroy everything. However, I was curious about what he would say, so I answered naturally.
「I miss you.」
「I’m right here, Cult Leader. As you can see.」
「I don’t want to meet you like this. Isn’t this a fantasy world created by your consciousness?」
「Of course, this is a dream world. However, this dream is a space where my desires are expressed, and I will eventually live a life like this.」
「No. Someone like you could never waste their time in a place like this. I know you better than you know yourself. Number 7, you will meet me again. And the ‘power’ you possess, you will reveal it to the world once more.」
「You’re wrong, Cult Leader.」
「……」
「Of course, I will regain my strength and step back into the world. And I will meet you again someday. However, this life is by no means a waste of time. At least, for me, it’s a value far more precious than your absurd ambition to conquer the world.」
「Huhuhu…… You’ve become a sage in the time we haven’t seen each other.」
「I was always close to being a sage. You, and everyone in the Demonic Cult, just didn’t know it, nor did I.」
「Number 7. Stop this and come to me now.」
「I’m not ready yet.」
「We were the closest of friends in the world. But what preparations do you need?」
「Preparations to kill you.」
「Can you kill me?」
「Cult Leader.」
「……」
「Remember this.」
「What?」
「I am weaker than you in martial arts, and you are the most outstanding martial artist in the current generation. However, I have never failed to kill a target I had to kill. I am the Greatest Assassin of All Time, and you are the one who made me that way.」
「Number 7……」
「You are destined to die at the hands of the ‘Greatest Assassin of All Time’ that you created.」
It was refreshing.
Even though it was just an illusion, confessing my true feelings to him made my heart feel lighter and my breath easier.
“My breathing is returning to normal. That’s a relief.”
At that moment.
I naturally woke up from the dream, opened my eyes, and saw Master Dongbyeok gazing at me intently and So-yun running towards my bed.