Martial Artist Lee Gwak

Chapter 60: The War of Those Who Do Not Exist (1)

Light Novel: Volume 3 Chapter 10

Manhwa: Chapter 55

Lee Gwak’s eyes narrowed.

The woman who opened the door and entered the annex was someone he knew.

‘Dan Li-yeon.’

She was none other than the Black Martial Empress, Dan Li-yeon.

Dan Li-yeon walked confidently toward Ma Duwon. Her dignified manner made Ma Duwon slightly bow his head in greeting.

“Lady Dan.”

“I’m sorry. I made a very urgent request.”

“I’m thankful for your understanding. In any case, I won’t forget this favor.”

Dan Li-yeon looked at Ma Duwon and smiled gently. In response, Ma Duwon showed an expression of humble gratitude.

Only then did Lee Gwak realize that the inspection of the annex had been requested by Dan Li-yeon.

Dan Li-yeon’s gaze then shifted toward Lee Gwak.

“Squad Leader Lee?”

She recognized Lee Gwak instantly.

“Greetings, Lady Dan.”

Only then did Lee Gwak clasp his hands and bow in greeting.

A look of curiosity appeared on Dan Li-yeon’s face.

“How come Squad Leader Lee is here?”

“This fellow has a knack for trap mechanisms, so I asked him to help me.”

“Is that true?”

Dan Li-yeon looked surprised at Ma Duwon’s explanation. She had not expected that a mere squad leader of the Outer Hall would be proficient in the study of trap mechanisms.

Most martial artists focused solely on martial arts and did not delve into the study of trap mechanisms or formations, as these were considered too profound to learn as a secondary skill.

It was hard to believe that Lee Gwak, a mere squad leader in the Outer Hall, could be so well-versed in such a complex subject. Because of this, a faint trace of doubt appeared in her eyes as she looked at Lee Gwak.

“Master Ma taught me a little, so I only know a bit. It’s not that impressive.”

“Squad Leader Lee is far better than most scholars in the Creation Pavilion. I can vouch for that.”

Lee Gwak did not wish to reveal much about himself if he could help it, but Ma Duwon spoke without any sense of discretion.

Lee Gwak couldn’t hide his awkward expression, and a glint appeared in Dan Li-yeon’s eyes.

“You’re truly impressive, Squad Leader Lee. I see you in a new light.”

“No, I’m not.”

“There’s no need to be so modest. It’s only right for a capable person to be properly recognized. It seems a waste for you to remain in the Outer Hall. How about it? Have you considered joining the Inner Court or the Main Court?”

“I’m content as I am now.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Hmm! Well, if that’s your decision, then I won’t insist anymore. But if you ever change your mind, don’t hesitate to seek me out.”

“Your words alone are much appreciated. Well then…”

After bowing to her, Lee Gwak stepped outside. Dan Li-yeon stared intently at his departing figure.

‘He’s not just an ordinary person, is he…’

She now perceived Lee Gwak in a new light.

Dan Li-yeon had little interest in the power struggles or political conflicts within the Jade Heaven Alliance. She was, by nature, a martial artist, and she intended to continue walking the path of martial arts. However, that didn’t mean she could completely shut herself off from the world.

She needed people who could take care of the troublesome affairs so she could focus solely on her martial arts. Inwardly, she added Lee Gwak to the list of candidates for such a role.

She turned her attention back to the annex.

Just because Ma Duwon and Lee Gwak had inspected the trap mechanisms didn’t mean her work here was done. Now, she had to make this place look the part.

While the great figures of Jianghu gathered outside for the Jianghu Grand Conference, in this place, the prodigies of the world would gather to hold the Gathering of the Young Supremes.

“Hoo!”

She inwardly cursed her second senior brother, Woon Dae-yeon.

It was because the task of preparing for the Gathering of the Young Supremes fell upon Dan Li-yeon, in place of the lazy Woon Dae-yeon.

* * *

Tap, tap, tap!

In the dead of night, a shadow raced down the street outside the outer wall of the Jade Heaven Alliance. It was a man dressed entirely in black from head to toe.

“Ugh!”

A look of bewilderment flashed across the face of the man, who was sprinting at a terrifying speed.

He glanced back briefly.

All he could see was an empty street, with no sign of anyone. But the man knew.

Someone was secretly following him.

‘Damn it!’

The man clenched his teeth.

He was an assassin.

An experienced assassin who had planned and executed numerous assassinations successfully before.

He was a man who struck fear into others, never someone who felt fear himself, and yet here he was, running through the streets with a look of fear on his face.

Under normal circumstances, he should have infiltrated the Jade Heaven Alliance tonight.

His preparations were perfect.

He had recruited an insider, and arranged for the optimal infiltration route.

He had absolute confidence he would be able to infiltrate the Jade Heaven Alliance without issue. While he had failed in ambushes before, he had never once failed in infiltration.

It was when he moved to contact the insider at the agreed time that he first felt a sense of crisis.

The insider did not show up at the designated location. At that moment, he realized something was wrong and immediately withdrew.

His decision was swift and without hesitatation. The reason he had managed to survive so many assassinations up until now was because he trusted his instincts and acted accordingly.

If he felt even the slightest sense of unease, he would immediately halt all assassination activities and rethink the entire plan from the ground up. That was his creed.

He intended to return to his safe house and reassess the plan. But as he was on his way back to the safe house, he sensed the subtle gaze of someone following him. He was being followed.

Without delay, he employed his lightness skill at full speed to shake off the pursuer. But the prying eyes didn’t go away. He couldn’t shake them off.

It was only then that the assassin realized— the pursuer was someone of the same kind as him. And that they were deliberately guiding him back to his safe house.

‘Do you really think things will go your way?’

The assassin clenched his teeth, a determined gleam in his eyes.

There was nothing more humiliating than an assassin being chased by another assassin and having his safe house exposed.

Reaching a dead end, the assassin came to a stop. He could have jumped over the tall wall that blocked his way, but he chose not to.

‘I’ll settle this here.’ `

Shing!

He stood with his back against the wall, drawing his sword.

It was a long, slender rapier.

A blade optimized for silent assassinations. The number of people killed by his rapier had surpassed three digits.

He stood motionless with the long rapier in hand. It was as if to communicate with his body that no matter how much they tracked him, he would not be led back to the safe house.

‘Come out!’

The assassin’s eyes glowed eerily in the darkness.

At that moment, a black shadow appeared soundlessly in front of him. It was another assassin who had been tracking him. However, the curvaceous figure suggested that the pursuer was a woman, not a man.

The assassin raised his rapier and pointed it at the female assassin.

“Who are you, woman?”

“……”

“Well, of course, you wouldn’t reveal your identity.”

Remaining silent at all costs was an unspoken rule among assassins.

Regardless of the woman’s identity, his first task was to subdue her and find out.

Shiiing!

Without warning, the assassin launched a sudden attack on the female assassin.

His rapier, moving faster than a beam of light, aimed straight for the woman’s shoulder. He was certain his rapier would pierce through her shoulder without fail.

Clang!

The next instant, the sound of clashing metal erupted, and the assassin’s body was thrown backward.

The assassin felt a fiery pain in his side.

‘When?’

His pupils flickered.

Before he knew it, a long gash had appeared on his side. Blood spurted out from the gaping wound like a fountain.

He couldn’t even see what kind of sword technique the female assassin had used. She had countered his attack with speed beyond his perception and senses.

The assassin realized that the woman had mastered a far superior assassination technique compared to his own. That’s why in the next moment, he chose not to fight back but to flee.

He swiftly turned backwards and tried to get away, but before he could take even a single step, his left ankle was severed.

“Keuhk!”

The assassin let out an involuntary groan from the extreme pain.

No matter how accustomed he was to enduring pain, he couldn’t keep his mouth shut when a perfectly healthy foot was severed.

‘What is this? What kind of monster is this woman?’

For the first time, a gleam of fear appeared in the assassin’s eyes.

Using his rapier as support, he steadied himself and glared ahead.

Step, step.

The female assassin, who had taken his ankle, was walking silently toward him.

Her face hidden by the darkness made her seem even more monstrous.

He prided himself on being a skilled assassin after having survived countless battles, but this was the first time he had been overpowered so one-sidedly.

Her tracking skills, reaction speed, swordsmanship, and overall ability as an assassin all far surpassed his.

‘An assassin like this was in the Jade Heaven Alliance?’

He bit his lip hard enough to draw blood.

He knew his opponent was far stronger than him, but that didn’t mean he could just give up.

“Chaaaat!”

With a fierce battle cry, the assassin thrust his rapier forward with all his remaining strength.

It was an assassination technique known as Single Blood Point.

With the rapier, he turned into a streak of light, charging toward the female assassin.

His left foot, which had been severed at the ankle, didn’t even touch the ground. He concentrated all his internal energy into his right foot, which gave him tremendous speed.

“Die!”

He squeezed out every last drop of his internal energy into the attack. The assassin was confident that if he couldn’t kill the woman with this one move, he could at least inflict a grievous wound.

Even if it cost him his life, it didn’t matter. He had already resolved to throw his life away.

At that moment, a flash of light flickered.

The assassin fell forward, still in the stance of his Single Blood Point technique. A hole the size of a coin had been cleanly bored through his forehead.

‘What the—?’

The assassin’s face was full of questions.

He couldn’t understand why his body was tilting and why he had lost his grip on the sword he had been holding so tightly.

Thud!

His body collapsed to the ground.

He was never given the chance to resolve his confusion. His life had ended, and his thoughts could no longer continue.

That was the end of the assassin.

“Hoo!”

The woman who had confirmed the assassin’s death let out a quiet sigh and retrieved her outstretched sword.

Her sword, like the dead assassin’s, was a long and slender rapier. It was her favorite weapon, optimized for silent ambushes.

The female assassin walked over to the body of the man she had just killed. As she did, her face, hidden in the darkness, was revealed under the moonlight.

She had very thick eyebrows. Just as thick as her eyebrows, a melancholy was cast over her black eyes, and her small lips, reminiscent of a plum blossom, were as red as blood.

She was none other than Han Socheon.

Han Socheon looked at the corpse of the assassin without speaking. His wide-open eyes seemed to be glaring at her.

The Hidden Blood Battalion had been discreetly eliminating assassins whose identities had been exposed, based on the information they had gathered.

There was a risk of striking the grass and startling the snake¹ but they felt compelled to act, fearing that leaving the situation unchecked would only make things worse.

For a while, Han Socheon could not tear her gaze away from the assassin’s eyes.

Beeeep!

Just then, a sharp whistle echoed through the streets. It was the signal from her comrade, calling for help.

Only then did Han Socheon avert her gaze away from the assassin’s dead body.

Han Socheon flew to her comrade’s aid, her figure quickly disappearing into the darkness.

In the place where she had disappeared, only the dead assassin’s body remained, sprawled on the ground, exposed to the cold night wind.

How much time had passed?

When the moon was no longer visible, a black figure suddenly appeared soundlessly in front of the dead assassin’s body.

It was a middle-aged man dressed in light blue robe, the Dark Cloud Reaper.

Rising from the shadows, he straightened the assassin’s body. The sight of the gaping hole in the assassin’s forehead came into view.

Dark Cloud Reaper extended his hand and touched the gaping hole in the assassin’s forehead. Blood, which had begun to harden, stained his hand, but he didn’t seem to mind.

Suddenly, a cold smile appeared on Dark Cloud Reaper’s lips.

“I’ve found it.”

The sword wound that had been left on his friend Ko Jin-rak’s body— it was the same mark found on the dead assassin’s corpse.

He had thrown a few of his underlings as bait, just in case, and now he had caught a big fish.

“My friend! At last, I can avenge you. Just wait a little longer. It won’t be long.”

SoundlessWind21’s Notes:

If there are any errors, whether it be grammatical, spelling, translation, or website-related issues, feel free to let me know. (´◡`) Anyway, thank you for reading!

1. Striking the grass and startling the snake. Raws: 타초경사(打草驚蛇). Chinese idiom. This originally means that punishment for someone can serve as a warning to others. But in this case, it was to indicate that premature actions which could put the enemy on guard (in other words, inadvertently alert an enemy).

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