Chapter 353: Chapter 354

Cheorya Assassination Corps.

The most infamous and dangerous assassination squad among the countless such groups that exist in the Central Plains. What makes them even more notorious is that they operate independently, unaffiliated with any organization.

Assassination squads in the Central Plains are somewhat tacitly accepted. What does this mean?

Even though it is evident that they are mercenaries who take lives for money, the fact that the Alliance knows about them and doesn’t actively hunt them down serves as a sort of proof of their existence.

Moreover, it’s a well-known fact that even the most prestigious clans, known as the "Noble Families," raise assassins and use such groups internally.

This can be seen even among the pillars of the orthodox factions, like the Four Great Noble Families.

Take the Tang Clan, for example, the rulers and masters of Sichuan, renowned for their mastery of poison and metal. Not too long ago, they weren’t considered part of the orthodox sects.

After the Blood Calamity ended and the Blood Demon disappeared, people recognized the achievements of Tang Jemun, the head of the Tang Clan and one of the heroes of that time.

It was decided that the Tang Clan would join the orthodox sects. This decision was influenced by Yeon Ilcheon, the first leader of the Martial Alliance.

Tang Jemun himself agreed, and thus, the Tang Clan became one of the Four Great Noble Families, members of the orthodox factions. However, it hasn’t been that long since they discarded their more unsavory practices.

Even now, their martial arts, specialized in torture and assassination, and the body modifications that go hand-in-hand with these techniques, give the Tang Clan an air of secrecy and darkness, unbefitting of the orthodox sects.

Though they claim to have shifted their focus entirely to weapon crafting, there are rumors that their inner workings remain the same.

Are these just rumors?

I know what truly lies within the Tang Clan.

But it’s not just the Tang Clan among the Four Great Families. The Namgung and Moyong families are less certain, but I’m sure even the Peng Clan utilizes such methods.

Even the lower-ranked Huangbo family likely does as well.

As for the Gu family... I'm not sure. They seem not to, but who knows what that family hides.

Even the Martial Alliance, the heart of the orthodox sects, makes use of assassination squads. The King of Darkness, the leader of the Cheorya Assassination Corps, has become a near-mythical figure to them.

He is the king of assassins.

A perfect, godlike figure, revered as the ruler of the night. He is known as the Amwang (King of Darkness).

‘Why would someone like him be here?’

It’s said that no one in the Central Plains knows the true identity of the Amwang.

No one knows his age.

No one knows if the Amwang is male or female, how tall he is, what his face looks like, or even what his voice sounds like.

Even the martial arts he uses are shrouded in mystery.

‘Yet I’ve uncovered it all.’

It was absurd.

No, it’s not quite right to say I uncovered it all. There were still many unknowns.

Anyone can hide their gender, face, and voice if they wish.

The little that is known about the Amwang is that he has been active for decades, so he likely isn’t young. That’s about all anyone can guess.

Not only is the Amwang here, but he sought me out through the Sword Empress. I never could have predicted that.

Moreover...

‘It must have been the Amwang who intervened back then.’

When the martial artist known as the Black Dragon Sword underwent a mysterious transformation and turned into a monster...

The one who appeared and slashed the monster, saving me, was the Amwang.

Does he have another motive for being here?

The moment I realized the Amwang’s identity, he spoke to me.

"Now that I’ve seen your face, that’s enough. You may leave."

It seemed he was satisfied with revealing his identity to me.

"...Just seeing my face and now you’re done? Then why did you call me here?"

Ah, my damned mouth.

I couldn’t help but blurt out such a comment. I should’ve thought before speaking, but once again, my mouth acted on its own.

Only after speaking did I realize I had made a mistake.

I was suddenly dizzy. At the very least, I should’ve been more careful with my words now that I knew who he was.

…

The Amwang looked at me with slightly widened eyes, seemingly surprised by my outburst.

What should I do? Should I apologize first?

Hah.

The Amwang let out a laugh.

"You speak just like your grandfather."

"...Excuse me?"

I couldn’t help but react briefly to those words.

My grandfather? There’s only a handful of people who would say something like that to me.

"…You know Elder Iljang?"

Elder Iljang. The people associated with him would often say similar things. Does that mean the Amwang is related to him?

What in the world was my grandfather involved in during his prime to have connections with people like the Amwang...?

"Elder Iljang? Who are you talking about?"

"Uh, you mean Elder Guryeon?"

"Guryeon is not your grandfather, is he?"

"No, but most people call him that…"

Wait a minute...

If the Amwang wasn’t referring to Elder Iljang...

"...If not Elder Iljang, then who exactly are you saying I resemble?"

The Amwang responded as if confused by my question.

"Naturally, I meant your actual grandfather. Who else would I be referring to?"

He was referring to the former head of the Gu family, who died before I was born.

‘Does this mean the Amwang knew my grandfather?’

The ease with which he spoke suggested they had been active in the same era. Of course, Elder Iljang was also from that time.

But hearing about my grandfather was quite a fresh surprise, as I had hardly ever heard stories about him.

Amused by the change in my expression, the Amwang smiled faintly and spoke to me.

"I will come find you soon."

The Amwang said he would seek me out.

What a strange statement. The king of assassins said he would come find me—should I be waiting for this?

Just imagining it made me uneasy...

Things were already in chaos, so what more could possibly happen?

Crack.

In the quiet night, I was loosening up my body in the now-deserted training grounds.

Whirr.

As I willed it, my Qi quickly surged to my upper dantian, moving at an impressive speed.

My exhausted body filled with energy. Well, it wasn’t so much true energy but rather an artificial burst of vitality, driven by my Qi.

‘It’s definitely increased.’

The efficiency had improved greatly.

After reaching the Fire Boundary (화경), not only my five senses but all my abilities had developed.

Now that my upper dantian was open and fully functional, the efficiency of my martial arts was at its peak.

This was the realm I had reached in my previous life and where I had spent the most time.

Not only had my Qi increased, but now I could achieve greater results with less Qi.

The realm where one can do more with less—that’s the Fire Boundary.

If I were a sword master, I could manipulate a sword at a distance, levitating it with my will.

This technique is known as Sword Control Art (어검술).

Aside from the head of the Wudang Sect, hardly anyone uses it, even among those who have reached the Fire Boundary. The efficiency is just too poor.

That’s the nature of the Fire Boundary.

It’s a realm where the impossible becomes possible.

After several years of regression...

I had reached the realm I had only been able to touch with the aid of demonic arts in my previous life.

‘But it’s still incomplete.’

Although I had reached the Fire Boundary ahead of time, when I returned to this life, I lost everything I had achieved in the demonic realm.

So I’m still not at the level I was before.

There’s a disconnect between my previous accomplishments and my current state. However, this won’t be a major problem.

‘That disconnect was there from the start anyway.’

I had already experienced the overwhelming emptiness when I first regressed and lost everything from my previous life.

So this isn’t an issue.

What’s important is...

‘What do I do next?’

I’ve reached the Fire Boundary. While this would be a shocking achievement to others...

‘It’s not enough.’

From my perspective, I’m still far from satisfied.

Especially when I think of Cheonma.

Cheonma is an overwhelming presence. Though I knew it from my memories of my previous life, experiencing him again in this life only confirmed it further.

I can’t defeat Cheonma in my current state.

If Cheonma decides to act, I wouldn’t last even a moment.

‘So what should I do?’

It’s overwhelming to think about.

I don’t know much about the realm beyond the Fire Boundary.

Records mention its existence, but it’s unclear how many have actually reached it.

‘Have the Three Sovereigns... reached it?’

They’re the ones most likely to have achieved it, but even they were ultimately killed by Cheonma.

To stand a chance, I’ll need to reach the level of the Divine Sword from my previous life. But that’s easier said than done.

It’s giving me a headache.

Kuuuu.

As I pondered, I suddenly stirred my demonic energy. I felt my heart begin to beat faster.

At the same time, a burning heat surged within me.

As the demonic energy coiled around my heart, I opened my eyes.

“…It seems I can still do this.”

Though I couldn’t see myself, I was certain that my eyes had turned purple.

I had activated the Demon Transformation (마인화).

I didn’t need to use martial arts to feel it—my body had grown significantly stronger than usual.

I checked my condition one by one.

Since the battle ended, I hadn’t had a chance to assess my state, so now was the time.

I examined not only my physical body but also how my Qi was circulating and my mental state.

‘My body is strengthened, my Qi is calm, and there’s no issue with my mental state.’

Additionally, the biggest gain from activating the Demon Transformation was that I could revert to my human form afterward.

That’s probably the most important thing. There were so many regrets when I first became a demon.

‘But there’s something bothering me...’

I rolled up my sleeves to examine my arms. There, I found the anomaly I was experiencing.

The reddish bandage wrapped around my left arm had turned black.

And there was an unfamiliar mark on my right arm, which should have been unmarked.

‘What is this?’

It wasn’t large, only about the size of two knuckles.

But the problem was its strange appearance.

It looked like...

‘...Reptilian skin.’

The unsettling texture resembled that of a lizard or snake.

This change had not occurred in my previous life.

‘Why did this happen?’

It seemed to be a new transformation tied to becoming a demon in this life.

But why had such a change occurred?

‘Do you know anything about this?’

I asked internally, directing the question to the beast within me.

[Groan…]

But the beast responded in a weary tone, indicating it didn’t know either.

One more thing I learned from this was that whenever I activated Demon Transformation, the beast inside me became exhausted for some reason.

[Growl…]

‘Alright. I’ll take a closer look for now.’

It seemed to be whining at me to stop.

Though the beast’s complaints were annoying, I still needed to finish my inspection.

Looking at the bandage on my left arm, I muttered again.

“No-ya.”

[…]

I called out to it, but there was still no response from No-ya.

I needed to ask why this bandage was tied around my arm... but the god No-ya showed no signs of awakening.

“Tsk...”

Clicking my tongue in frustration, I released the Demon Transformation. The heat that had been boiling within me cooled, and my body felt slightly heavier.

Additionally, there was a dull pain in my dantian and heart.

It wasn’t too intense, but... this meant that...

‘I can’t keep using it for too long.’

It seemed I would need more time to understand how this transformation worked fully.

‘And there’s still...’

There was still much I had to check.

But the most pressing issue came to mind first.

“…She hasn’t woken up yet.”

I thought of Wi Seol-ah, still unconscious.

Thinking of her, my mouth started to dry up without me realizing it.

It was because I was nervous.

I had stood my ground in front of the Amwang, but thinking of her made me tense up.

‘How did she end up here…?’

How could she be here?

Did she regress, like me?

When? From the beginning?

That didn’t seem likely. If that were the case, she would have killed me with her sword before asking me if I wanted to eat potatoes.

When did it happen?

I didn’t know, and that only made me more curious.

The most frustrating part was that I couldn’t do anything but wait for her to wake up.

I looked up at the sky.

The dark sky was the same as always. Of course, it was night, so it was naturally dark, but the problem was that the sky wasn’t just dark—it was ominous.

‘Why hasn’t it cleared?’

The Black Dragon Sword had been subdued and sealed away.

Most of his followers had been captured.

Of course, not many survived. I personally killed more than half of them.

It seemed the Alliance hadn’t sent reinforcements because of that barrier…

“You know, this is really too much, don’t you think?”

“…!”

I was startled by the voice that suddenly came from behind me.

I hadn’t sensed anyone approaching.

“How could you not even come to see me once?”

How deep in thought had I been to not notice her coming?

“…Ah.”

The beauty who had approached furrowed her brows at my brief reaction.

“‘Ah’? Did you just say ‘ah’ to me?”

“No, I was just busy… I was just about to come see you.”

“Is that really an excuse right now?”

The woman scolded me sharply, clearly angry. It was Moyong Hee-ah.

Right… I hadn’t gone to see her.

‘I figured she’d handle herself just fine, so I didn’t bother.’

I had heard she was alive.

I also heard she wasn’t injured and had been working with the healers.

‘Her?’

I was surprised to hear that someone as calculating as her had chosen to help the healers, but I also felt proud of her.

Still, I hadn’t gone to see her, which was the issue.

“…You’re really heartless, you know.”

Moyong Hee-ah pouted, her eyes welling up with tears.

Oh no. She’s crying...

The usually cold and calculating Seolbong was on the verge of tears in front of me.

I must have really messed up.

“I’m sorry. It wasn’t on purpose.”

“…I’m sure it wasn’t. I don’t think you’d forget me on purpose. If you had, you wouldn’t be human.”

“…”

“Can you at least respond with a bark?”

Without thinking, I almost replied.

“I’m sorry…”

“…”

Hearing me apologize repeatedly, Moyong Hee-ah pouted again.

“…I wasn’t always like this, you know?”

“Huh?”

“My emotions melting away at such a simple and insignificant apology... It makes me feel pathetic.”

“…”

“I came here thinking I would cuss you out. I even sought you out first.”

“…Ah… Sor—”

“Don’t apologize. It’s annoying…”

“Alright.”

Was this the first time since I regressed that Moyong Hee-ah had been this angry?

In my previous life, it felt like she was angry at me every second of every day.

It was strange how nostalgic it felt now.

“Are you smiling right now?”

“It’s dark. You must have seen wrong.”

“Do you think I’d mistake the face of the Gu family’s young master?”

“…”

“Oh, this is so frustrating.”

She was grumbling, clearly unhappy with her own words, and kept kicking the ground.

It seemed her reason and emotions were at war with each other.

“…Hah, forget it. This isn’t what I came here for.”

“To cuss me out?”

“That too, but…”

Moyong Hee-ah trailed off, glancing me up and down before asking.

“…Are you hurt anywhere?”

“No.”

“…I see.”

Was that what she wanted to ask?

“And you?”

“You’re just now asking? Can’t you see?”

“…”

I guess I failed again.

Seeing my blank expression, Moyong Hee-ah let out a deep sigh.

“How did I end up liking such a fool…?”

“A fool...”

“You know what’s coming, don’t you, Young Master?”

“…”

Hearing Moyong Hee-ah’s words, I shut my mouth.

“I came here because I thought you would know what’s going to happen next.”

“…Ah, that?”

For a moment, I was startled, thinking she had figured out I had regressed.

But it didn’t seem to be that.

“You’re not guessing—you know for sure. After everything that’s happened.”

Finally, I started to understand what Moyong Hee-ah was trying to say.

“…If we manage to survive this, they’ll definitely do it. This incident is that significant.”

“Mm.”

“A Gathering of the Righteous Sects. They’ll surely call for it.”

The Nine Great Schools, the Four Noble Families, and the influential merchants of the Martial Alliance will come together.

For the first time in decades, there will be a formal Gathering, triggered by this incident.

“And when that happens… my father will come, won’t he?”

“Most likely.”

As one of the Four Noble Families, the head of the Moyong family, known as the White Heavenly Sword Master, will undoubtedly attend.

“Before that happens.”

Moyong Hee-ah gently tugged at my sleeve and spoke.

Her face was filled with melancholy, making me wonder what she was about to say.

Then, the words that came out...

“Let’s run away.”

“Huh?”

I couldn’t help but blurt out something stupid in response to her words.

“If we don’t, you’ll die, Young Master!”

What in the world was she talking about?