WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Damned Transmigration ◈
Chapter 103: Faceless Killer 1
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Perhaps because it was a fairly large village, there were quite a few beggars around. Still, it was hardly an ordinary sight for every beggar in town to gather in the alleys around the inn and stare this way.
“Even in this village, you’re receiving the fervent gazes of beggars.”
Yuri had been standing by the window, looking down at the beggars. He turned with a grin and gave Haryeong a round of applause.
“Woman of the beggars.”
“Shut up.”
Haryeong had just returned from washing up. She flopped onto the bed and massaged her calves. Even at the fifth tier, and even after taking an elixir, spending three straight days running with lightness skills had left her legs aching.
Fortunately, they did not have to sleep outdoors. After running all day, they found a nearby village or an inn for travelers whenever the sun went down.
They drew attention every time. In villages, beggars from the Beggars' Sect with knots tied around their waists watched them. At inns, it was servers and suspicious-looking peddlers.
“If you hate being watched by beggars, Yuri, go tell them to stop staring and fuck off.”
“I’m not the kind of man who finds beggars unpleasant and discriminates against them, Aunt Haryeong.”
“I’m not your aunt, so why do you keep calling me that?”
“Just because, Aunt Haryeong.”
“Seriously, stop.”
Haryeong, who had been diligently kneading her calves, widened her eyes and picked up a shoe. She looked ready to throw it like a concealed weapon, but perhaps decided that was too much. With a deep sigh, she set the shoe back down.
“Even after hearing my tragic past, so sad that no one could hear it without tears, you still call me aunt and use that mocking title. Your character is truly remarkable, Yuri.”
“I don’t call you Aunt to mock you.”
“I have no idea what wonderfully absurd bullshit you’re about to say, but if you have a reason, I’ll hear it.”
“You have a strong aversion to being called Aunt. So whenever I get the chance, I plan to call you that and help you grow less resistant to it.”
It was, as expected, wonderfully absurd bullshit. Haryeong grabbed the shoe she had set down and glared at Yuri.
“If you become accustomed to being called Aunt because of me, then when you meet Tang Seo-woo again someday, you’ll be able to slap that bitch across the face without chickening out like last time.”
“Give me a fucking break.”
“That’s harsh.”
As time passed, the curses seemed to be getting more frequent and more intense. Was it just his imagination? Still, Yuri had no intention of yielding to that kind of abuse. When he had such a good opportunity, he had to tease her while he could.
Yuri had not forgotten being teased during his time in Rutlan, nor being called pathetic in Alderan.
“That attention isn’t necessarily all because of me. You and Estor are more than notable enough to attract the Beggars' Sect or Haomun’s attention too.”
Haryeong set the shoe down again and shot Yuri a sidelong look.
They were promising young martial artists who had crossed over from the West. In particular, two young martial artists of their generation who had earned dragon titles, accompanied by Dark Blossom, known as the Dang Family’s youngest daughter.
Before the three had even crossed into the East, they had become involved in one major incident after another related to the cultists. There was more than enough reason for the Beggars' Sect and Haomun to keep an eye on them.
“We need to shake off those tails before we go to the Salhomun.”
They would likely reach Jeokwon, where the Salhomun was located, tomorrow or the day after.
An assassin sect could not openly hang a signboard like other sects or families. Even Salmun and the Dang Family, whose influence was immense, could not openly advertise themselves.
No matter how they dressed it up, an assassin sect was fundamentally a group that made its living through contract killings, murdering people for money. Such sects naturally had many enemies, so only the location of the office that accepted commissions was publicly known. Their headquarters were kept thoroughly hidden.
It had been the same in the game. Reaching the Dang Family’s headquarters required fulfilling specific conditions, while the Salhomun’s headquarters had not even been implemented in the game.
“The Salhomun’s headquarters is hidden somewhere in the mountains outside Jeokwon. I don’t know if the Sect Leader will be there, but let’s go and find out.”
The reason Yuri had chosen the Salhomun as their destination was to obtain information on Fist Wolf’s whereabouts.
Before reaching Alderan, there had not been much reason to reunite with Fist Wolf. Now, there was. Yuri had to tell Fist Wolf, who was searching for the culprit that had massacred his family, about Agwi.
If they could obtain information about Fist Wolf from the Salhomun, they would head that way. If not, Yuri intended to visit Gangyu, where USAUSAMI, Myou-hee, had fallen.
“Why are you going to the Salhomun?”
It had been Haryeong who first suggested that they go there together.
-If you truly have nowhere else to go, why don’t you visit the Salhomun with me?
-I’ve never brought a friend home in my life, so if I bring you, the Salhomun Sect Leader will be delighted.
After opening the conversation that way, Haryeong had dangled Fist Wolf as bait.
“I finished handling my two-year commission, so I should report in.”
“Couldn’t you do that by letter?”
“I could, but I can’t announce that I’m leaving the sect through a letter.”
“Leaving the sect?”
“Because I no longer need to remain an assassin.”
Haryeong moved on to massaging the soles of her feet and stared straight at Yuri.
“I’ll graduate from being a cold, ruthless, terrifying assassin and become a bright, cheerful, lively young lady.”
“Can you just leave the sect because you want to?”
Ignoring Haryeong’s words, Yuri asked again.
“Usually, no. In most sects, if a disciple asks to leave, they destroy their dantian so they can never use martial arts again. Even then, it’s better than being expelled and having the tendons in all four limbs severed.”
“Then shouldn’t you avoid asking to leave?”
It was an obvious concern, but Haryeong only shrugged with a blank expression.
“I’ll ask, and if they say no, I’ll withdraw the request.”
“Ha...”
“Do you think they would try to cripple my dantian, when I’m the youngest child of the Poison King, the Dang Family’s retired Grand Head? Anyway, if my request to leave the sect is rejected, I plan to formally introduce Yuri to the Sect Leader and immediately draw up a contract with him.”
The Salhomun accepted escort commissions as well as contract killings. Although they traveled together, Haryeong still belonged to the Salhomun. If the Salhomun specifically assigned Haryeong another mission, she would be left in an awkward position.
“To be honest, I’m not skilled enough to protect you, Yuri. Still, if you’re ever in danger, I’m ready to throw away my life without hesitation.”
“Don’t. That’s too much pressure.”
Yuri shook his head in horror.
“But if they entrusted Haryeong to the Salhomun, the sect must be connected to the Dang Family anyway. Won’t there be trouble if we go there?”
“Are you worried that the Dang Family’s fucking assholes and assassins are lying in wait at the Salhomun?”
“Maybe the Salhomun Sect Leader will subdue us and hand us over to the Dang Family.”
“I think that’s unlikely. Salmun and the Salhomun are not equal in strength, but the Salhomun is not subordinate to them either. I doubt I was entrusted to the Salhomun because of an order from the Dang Family.”
“Then why?”
“I don’t know the exact reason. It isn’t as if I have no suspicions, but... I’m not certain. In any case, what you’re worried about won’t happen.”
As she spoke, Haryeong glanced at the closed door. Only Yuri and Haryeong were in the room. Estor had gone down to the dining hall to order food and had yet to return.
“How much is he ordering that he still isn’t back?”
“Should I go bring him up?”
“He might be eating alone and leaving us in the room.”
That was unlikely, but he had been gone for quite a while, so Yuri was a little worried. Perhaps someone had attacked him. Yuri rose from his seat and headed for the door.
Knock, knock, knock.
Someone knocked before he reached it. Yuri tilted his head in confusion and opened the door.
“...?”
The server he had seen on the first floor earlier was standing there. For a brief moment, Yuri and the server stared at each other. Haryeong also looked at the server with wide eyes.
“What is it?”
The instant Yuri asked, the server made a move.
Zzt.
It was a covert ambush, but Sealing Thunder at the Gate of Death detected it, and Yuri reacted.
Thwack!
Yuri hurriedly stepped back several paces, and he and Haryeong moved almost at the same time. Concealed weapons drawn from thin air rushed toward the server. Yuri immediately closed the distance as well.
The server spun around, and dozens of concealed weapons ricocheted away in every direction. Yuri slipped through them and threw a punch.
“?!”
There was no sensation of impact. The server’s body scattered and vanished like a ghost. The web created by Sealing Thunder at the Gate of Death, which Yuri had activated at the same time he attacked, saw through the server’s movement. Yuri immediately twisted his body and swung a leg behind him.
Whoosh!
A sharp kick, like a blade slicing through the air, drew a red line through the air. The server barely ducked beneath Yuri’s heel, and an unusual light flashed in their eyes.
Haryeong had already leaped from the bed and pressed her back against a corner of the ceiling, moving both arms. She drew the concealed weapons she wanted from the Subspace connected to her necklace and gripped them in her hands.
The Scripture of Reversing Taiji Intent. This martial art overturned and destroyed the taiji, the source of human life, using Intent. Taiji was also the origin that formed all things, so the Intent Poison that reached the ultimate state of the Scripture of Reversing Taiji Intent could go beyond poisoning and destroying a human body. It could poison heaven, earth, and all creation.
That realm was the ultimate state and ideal of the martial art, one that even the Heavenly Killing Poison Physician, who had created the Scripture of Reversing Taiji Intent, had failed to reach. Haryeong had entered the fifth tier and only recently begun learning the Scripture of Reversing Taiji Intent. She had barely taken her first steps and was nowhere near a level where she could discuss Intent Poison.
Still, the Scripture of Reversing Taiji Intent was a divine art that could not be compared to the incomplete Vast Righteous Return-to-Origin Art Haryeong had previously learned. The inner power it controlled made Haryeong’s attacks much faster, stronger, and sharper.
The Dang Family concealed-weapon art, Merciless Killing Flow, Ghost-Killing Tenfold Chain.
Ten daggers left Haryeong’s hands at once. The server’s eyes moved rapidly as the concealed weapons rushed in along separate trajectories.
Fwoosh!
The server swept a sleeve through the air, knocking aside the concealed weapons and counterattacking.
At that moment, Haryeong, who had been in the corner of the ceiling, had already gripped another dagger and slipped into the server’s blind spot. The server’s lips parted slightly as daggers stabbed in from different directions.
“Huh.”
It was a brief exclamation. The server stomped down and swung both arms wide.
Clang!
Before the daggers could reach their targets, Haryeong’s body was sent flying backward.
The server could not continue the attack. A chilling killing intent descended from directly behind them, and their eyebrows twitched. They immediately spun halfway around and stretched out a hand to respond, but they could not completely redirect the power of the incoming punch and were pushed back several steps.
“Mm...!”
Their hand tingled. The server clenched it and let out another exclamation of admiration.
Haryeong, who had been thrown back, was uninjured. She did not attack again, though. She only frowned deeply and dusted off her collar. Yuri glared at the server, tense because his previous attack had been blocked too easily.
“What are you?”
Before the server could answer, the door flew open again.
Estor, smiling brightly with a large tray balanced on his head and an even larger tray supported in both hands, froze as he was about to enter the room.
“...”
It did not take him long to grasp the situation.
Chewing on flavorless jerky was no way to reward himself for struggling through a whole day of running, nor the friends who had traveled all the way here with him. It was time for a joyful dinner to end the day, plates filled with steaming food freshly made after he had pressured the kitchen staff.
Only a few seconds ago, he had restrained the urge to take a bite first. He had been happily looking forward to sitting around and eating together.
“Who the fuck is this bastard?!”
Estor roared and hurled the tray in his hands at the server.
Crash!
The tray on his head fell as well, and all the hot dumplings burst open. It was a shame he was not holding his sword, but Estor charged at the server barehanded, radiating intense killing intent.
“He’s not an enemy.”
Haryeong’s voice stopped Estor’s charge.
“What?”
Estor looked at Haryeong with his eyes still wide and trembling. All the food had already been spilled, and this person was not an enemy? That could not be. This had to be an enemy he had to kill here today.
“Stop your childish prank.”
Haryeong pulled a concealed weapon from the nearby wall and glared at the server.
“This is not a prank.”
The server spoke. Their voice changed with the short reply.
Crack. Crunch.
Their bones twisted, their body suddenly grew taller, and their face changed into a completely different one.
“I simply wished, as the Sect Leader, to see how much a disciple who returned after so long had grown over the past two years.”
The server, once an ordinary person of average height and unremarkable face, became a tall man with patchy short stubble and a haggard appearance. He narrowed his hazy eyes and looked at Haryeong.
“I heard you earned the title Dark Blossom. Your skills have improved greatly since the last time I saw you. It isn’t only thanks to your many experiences. I don’t know what it was, but you took a spiritual medicine and learned a new martial art.”
“Yes.”
“You learned another martial art without even asking permission from your Sect Leader? What an irreverent disciple.”
“Don’t you feel sorry calling me your disciple? You never taught me martial arts, Sect Leader.”
“I may not have taught you martial arts, but I taught you the techniques of an assassin. Besides, you had learned an incomplete Dang Family martial art. There simply was no martial art I could teach you, and in the first place, my martial art cannot be learned by anyone but me.”
The man answered with an indifferent expression.
“So what spiritual medicine did you take, and what martial art did you learn?”
“It’s a secret.”
“You refuse to answer even when I, your Sect Leader, ask?”
“You were the one who taught me that an assassin must keep their mouth shut and never speak even under torture.”
“Excellent.”
The man, the Salhomun Sect Leader and Faceless Killer, nodded and flopped onto the bed. He looked at Yuri and Estor, who had not yet lowered their guard.
“I’m not in a position to say this after barging in unannounced, but don’t stand there. Sit down and make yourselves comfortable. I apologize for attacking you. At first, I only intended to see how much that troublesome disciple of mine had achieved, but things somehow turned out this way.”
“...”
“If I may offer an assessment, it was excellent that you did not remain startled by the situation for long and attacked immediately. Your reaction speed was particularly impressive. If what I sensed was correct, you spread out lightning energy and used it like an external sense. Is that right?”
Yuri did not answer and simply stared at the Faceless Killer. The Faceless Killer did not avoid his gaze and slowly nodded.
“So I was right. As far as I know, the only art that controls lightning energy that precisely and connects it to the nerves is Heavenly Thunder’s Sealing Thunder at the Gate of Death. Are you Heavenly Thunder’s disciple?”
“Sect Leader, don’t ask such personal questions.”
“I cannot help being curious. The Heavenly Thunder I know is not someone who would take in two disciples.”
“Why are you here instead of in Jeokwon?”
“Because we’d meet sooner if I came your way too.”
“Did the Dang Family tell you to capture me?”
Even though she had said it was unlikely, Haryeong asked the Faceless Killer outright. The Faceless Killer gave a hollow laugh and turned to her.
“Do I look like a dog that wags its tail and obeys whenever the Dang Family gives an order?”
“No.”
“Why did you refuse the Dang Family’s invitation?”
“Do I look like a dog that wags its tail and follows when the Dang Family calls?”
“No.”
The Faceless Killer shook his head as he answered, then stared directly at Haryeong.
“Why did you return?”
“I don’t understand what you mean.”
“The letter I received from Heavenly Thunder said that Mad Thunder was very satisfied with her escort contract with you and wished to extend it. Yet you refused the extension and ended the contract.”
“Didn’t I write it in the report? What kind of escort is weaker than the person they’re supposed to protect?”
“The one who decides that is Mad Thunder, not you. It must have been comfortable and pleasant to remain at Mad Thunder’s side. Why did you leave her?”
“I didn’t expect to be scolded the moment we met.”
“Was it because of Cloud Dragon?”
The Faceless Killer’s hazy eyes shifted to Yuri.
“Don’t tell me he’s your lover?”
“Sect Leader.”
“An assassin must not have someone like that.”
“I’m glad you brought that up.”
Haryeong did not back down. She lifted her chin stiffly.
“As of today, I intend to quit being an assassin of the Salhomun. Sect Leader, may you live a long and healthy life.”
Footnotes:
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