Myst, Might, Mayhem - Chapter 40

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Episode 11: Dangerous Visit (2)

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“I need the head of the young master you serve.”

‘!?’

At those words from Ha Chae-rin, the Gate Leader of the Flying Kill Gate, Guard Go Chan was momentarily speechless.

Go Chan had wondered why she intended to enter Yeonmok Sword Manor, but this was bound to leave Go Chan bewildered.

“Wh-what do you mean?”

“Exactly what you heard. I came to take Mok GyeongUn’s head.”

Go Chan’s thoughts grew complicated.

Assassins had several rules.

One was that, as long as they belonged to a killing gate, murder without a commission was forbidden.

That applied even to the Gate Leader.

Go Chan swallowed dryly and asked,

“...Did you receive a commission?”

“No.”

“What?”

Go Chan frowned at the swift answer.

She had not received a commission, yet she had come for Mok GyeongUn’s head? What did that mean?

As Go Chan stared at her in confusion, Ha Chae-rin twisted a lock of hair around her finger and said,

“I received some information from someone in Yeonmok Sword Manor.”

“What information?”

“Mid-rank assassin Number Twenty-Nine.”

Thump!

Go Chan’s heart pounded.

Mid-rank assassin Number Twenty-Nine.

‘Senior martial brother Gam.’

That had been the assassin number of Gam Icheong, Go Chan’s senior martial brother.

Ha Chae-rin touched Go Chan’s stiffened chin as she said,

“Number Twenty-Nine, no, Uncle Gam, was killed by Mok GyeongUn, the Mok Family’s third young master. Is that right?”

“...”

“It surprised me. The Mok Family’s third young master, who was no more than a third-rate martial artist, killed an Advanced master who had once been a mid-rank assassin of the Flying Kill Gate with a fairly decent record.”

“...”

“But there is something else I find even stranger. As I recall, Uncle Gam was Uncle Go’s assassin mentor... so why are you still at Mok GyeongUn’s side?”

“...”

Go Chan was left speechless by her question.

Go Chan was in an exceedingly difficult position.

If Go Chan said they had submitted to Mok GyeongUn, she might harm Go Chan for ignoring the death of a fellow disciple, even if Go Chan had retired. Yet if Go Chan remained silent, that would likely put them in an equally bad situation.

‘Damn it.’

After a brief moment of deliberation, Go Chan finally parted their lips.

“...I had no choice but to wait for an opportunity.”

“An opportunity?”

“I had been retired for quite some time. With my skills, I could not immediately deal with that Mok Family brat who killed my senior martial brother.”

Ha Chae-rin had looked at Go Chan suspiciously, but then she grinned.

Placing a hand on Go Chan’s shoulder, she said,

“Just as expected of Uncle Go. I knew it. Even if you retired, could an assassin of the Flying Kill Gate ignore what happened to their own assassin mentor and submit to the enemy?”

It felt as though a Dagger had flown into Go Chan’s chest.

But this was the only way for Go Chan to escape the situation.

Though Ha Chae-rin was young, if she had become Gate Leader and inherited the title Flying Kill Flame Guest, her martial prowess had to be at least at the Expert realm.

If Go Chan could not run, they had to use their head.

“Of course not. Do you know how much my senior martial brother cared for me?”

Gam Icheong had cared enough to torture Go Chan with muscle-and-bone manipulation out of suspicion, and to cut off two of Go Chan’s fingers.

So Go Chan felt neither longing nor a desire for revenge, even after Gam’s death.

Still, Go Chan’s words seemed effective. Ha Chae-rin nodded, then promptly removed the flying needles embedded in Go Chan’s chest.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Once the needles came out, Go Chan’s rigid body could move again, and Go Chan could finally draw a proper breath.

“Haah...”

“Don’t feel too offended. I needed to find out whether Uncle Go had submitted to the Mok Family’s young master or had some other circumstances.”

“...”

Go Chan silently steadied their breathing before asking,

“...But, young lady... no, Gate Leader.”

“Yes?”

“This matter does not seem important enough to require the Gate Leader’s personal involvement. Why have you come yourself?”

“Why?”

“Pardon?”

“Is there some reason I cannot act personally?”

“N-no, of course not.”

There was no reason she could not.

It was merely strange that someone who had inherited the title Flying Kill Flame Guest, one of the Four Great Assassins, would personally involve herself in a matter concerning a retired assassin rather than a special-grade commission.

Of course, considering her temperament, it could simply have been a whim.

Ha Chae-rin grinned at Go Chan.

“Strike while the iron is hot. Let’s head to Yeonmok Sword Manor.”

Go Chan’s expression darkened at her eager appearance.

‘Somehow, I have to warn that bastard.’

Otherwise, Go Chan’s life might truly be in danger.

* * *

Step! Step-step-step-step!

Mok GyeongUn had been practicing the basic steps of the Body-Lightening Technique for nearly three two-hour periods.

He had only begun proper Martial Arts training four days ago, yet his form was so precise that one might think he had trained for years.

Blue Spirit clicked her tongue as she watched him.

‘What kind of bastard is this?’

He was studying Martial Arts entirely on his own.

Blue Spirit had thought he would ask for some guidance eventually, but there had been no sign of it.

Yet he had already become this proficient.

‘...Unbelievable.’

Blue Spirit had seen numerous people with martial talent while alive.

But this type was a first.

Normally, when someone began learning Martial Arts, they practiced basic movements.

A movement was a kind of form, and when those movements connected, they developed into a technique.

That was why learning movements was important.

‘The reason one repeats the same form is to make the body familiar with it.’

Life-and-death battles were common in the martial world.

In such moments, victory or defeat could be decided in an instant.

There was no time to calculate many things in that instant, so the outcome changed entirely according to how ingrained the movements were in one’s body.

That was why martial artists repeated their forms constantly during training.

Yet...

‘...Aside from the first time he took the form, he has not made a single mistake from the second repetition onward.’

Mok GyeongUn’s form did not contain the slightest deviation.

He had repeated that form dozens of times over three two-hour periods without being off by even a fraction.

Two conditions made that possible.

‘His memory is absurd, and his body is internalizing it exactly as he remembers it.’

Calling it astonishing would not be an exaggeration.

Remembering something with the mind and performing it exactly with the body were separate matters.

Yet this bastard could do it.

He could move his body exactly as he wished, according to what he had learned or intended.

There was almost no deviation.

Some movements required repeated adaptation because the necessary muscles had not yet developed, but otherwise, prolonged training was nearly meaningless for him.

Pufff.

Smoke thickened in the air.

Blue Spirit kept drawing from the pipe.

Watching this bastard kept stirring the urge to teach him something.

But she forcibly suppressed it.

Her art could only be learned by someone who qualified.

Besides, Mok GyeongUn had already obtained even the Eight Forms of Force Breaking, which could once be called a supreme Realisation.

That alone was tremendous fortune.

Step!

Mok GyeongUn, who had been practicing the forms of the Body-Lightening Technique, soon adjusted his posture and steadied his breathing.

“Whew.”

“How long do you intend to keep this up?”

Blue Spirit spoke to him.

The sun, which had already passed its zenith, was beginning to set.

“Good question.”

After dealing with Guard Gam and having the Demonic Monk take over Quartermaster Sang Ung-baek’s body, Mok GyeongUn had gained a certain degree of freedom. Since he had also acquired Yeonmok Sword Manor’s foundational Martial Arts, he had devoted himself to training for the past four days.

Martial Arts had been his purpose here from the beginning, so he was merely staying true to it.

‘The conditions are good.’

It was ideal because no one disturbed him.

Of course, Mok GyeongUn expected that would not last long.

Once the Manor Lord drew their last breath, there would probably be one troublesome matter after another.

‘Leaving at the right time would not be a bad idea.’

He had acquired Martial Arts, after all.

There was no need to remain here.

He had only one goal.

Crack!

To make a wine cup from the skull of the bastard who killed his grandfather and place it on the ancestral altar.

Mok GyeongUn smiled faintly.

“Then shall we go inside and eat?”

At those words, the corners of Blue Spirit’s mouth rose as though she had been waiting for them.

* * *

Munch, munch!

Across from Mok GyeongUn, who held a book in his hands, a female servant sat intently eating.

After taking a bite of a meat dish, she drained a cup of wine with a blissful expression.

“Ahh. Nothing beats this.”

Mok GyeongUn snickered as he watched her.

The female servant filled her cup again and said,

“What are you laughing at?”

“You look very happy.”

“One of the three joys of the living is eating. One day, mortal, you too will understand why they say it is better to live in this world, even if you must roll in a field of dog shit.”

The female servant was none other than Blue Spirit, who had possessed her body.

At every meal, Blue Spirit took over the body of the servant who brought in food.

For the past four days, this had been Blue Spirit’s pleasure.

Throb. Throb.

The problem was that it did not last long.

Blue Spirit, inhabiting the female servant’s body, clicked her tongue while looking at the back of the hand holding the wine cup.

“Tsk, tsk.”

Blackened veins were swelling beneath the skin.

An ordinary body could not endure the vengeful spirit of Blue Spirit, who had attained the stature of the spirits and goblins.

Four days earlier, Blue Spirit had entered the body of a pretty servant, declaring that any body would do. The servant had nearly died from it.

“This one cannot even last a gak.”

“Please endure a little longer, until an appropriate body turns up.”

“Find one quickly, then.”

Mok GyeongUn smiled at those words.

In truth, he had no intention of finding Blue Spirit a body immediately.

Blue Spirit was of high rank and could remain at his side constantly. That made her a hidden card.

“Don’t laugh.”

“Yes, yes.”

“More importantly, you are far too interested in occult arts.”

“They are interesting.”

The book Mok GyeongUn was reading was a manual of occult arts called the Six-Person Spirit Descent Art, which had belonged to the dead Taoist occultist Sak.

Mok GyeongUn had asked for all of Sak’s belongings to be brought to him.

He had acquired many more useful items than Myo Shin had possessed.

There were several talisman techniques and many related talismans among them.

They were more than enough to pique Mok GyeongUn’s interest.

“There are quite a few fascinating sorceries here. For instance, the dead...”

Mok GyeongUn flinched, then frowned and turned his head to the side.

Blue Spirit’s eyes lit up at his reaction.

“You really have become sensitive.”

At those words, Mok GyeongUn closed the book and rose from his seat.

* * *

Half a gak earlier, in Guard Go Chan’s room.

Go Chan brought a set of clothes before Ha Chae-rin.

“They are clothes worn by the female servants.”

Ha Chae-rin lifted the garments slightly to inspect them, then muttered with a snicker,

“How tacky. A courtesan’s clothes would be better.”

Go Chan glanced at her.

Go Chan had to warn Mok GyeongUn somehow, but she had given Go Chan no opening.

In desperation, Go Chan had thought of female servant’s clothes.

Go Chan intended to sneak away and tell Mok GyeongUn while she changed.

Go Chan lowered their head slightly.

“Gate Leader, I will step outside while you change.”

“Don’t you want to watch?”

“N-no, of course not.”

“You do not often get the chance to see a naked body with a figure like this.”

As she spoke, she slightly displayed her cleavage.

“Ahem.”

She was still just as mischievous.

The previous Gate Leader was truly remarkable for passing on the position despite her still being like this.

Go Chan bowed and waved their hands, attempting to leave.

Ha Chae-rin smiled at him.

“Uncle Go, thank you. Thanks to you, it was easy to get inside.”

Go Chan felt bitter inside.

Go Chan had let her in more or less by force, against their own will. This was not a situation where Go Chan should be receiving thanks.

“It was nothing. Then I will wait outsi...”

Go Chan could not even finish speaking.

Thk! Thk! Thk! Thk! Thk!

‘!?’

Needles embedded in Go Chan’s paralysis points.

They were Jade-Flame Flying Needles.

Go Chan looked at her in bewilderment.

Ha Chae-rin lowered her right hand, which wore the wrist ring, and sneered.

Then she approached him and spoke.

“There is no need.”

“Wh-what are you doing?”

“What I need from you ends here.”

“What?”

“It ends here.”

“G-Gate Leader?”

“Did you really think I believed that flimsy excuse you gave me? Hah.”

‘Damn it.’

Go Chan bit their lip.

She had never believed Go Chan’s words from the beginning.

She had merely used Go Chan to enter Yeonmok Sword Manor easily while avoiding its security.

“Since your assassin mentor died and you still obediently serve beneath the one who killed him, you obviously submitted. What is a useless bastard who retired because his martial talent was lacking babbling about enduring it for revenge? Pfft.”

Ha Chae-rin mocked Go Chan.

Go Chan gritted their teeth at her laughter.

Her personality was just as ruined as ever, and it naturally made Go Chan’s teeth grind.

How had someone like this passed Hundred Days, Hundred Killings and become Gate Leader of the Flying Kill Gate...

‘!?’

Suddenly, Go Chan frowned and spoke.

“Could it be... are you in the middle of Hundred Days, Hundred Killings?”

The rite of passage to become Gate Leader of the Flying Kill Gate, a martial clan of assassins, required one to take a test.

That test was called Hundred Days, Hundred Killings.

Ha Chae-rin said nothing, merely raising the corner of her mouth.

It was an affirmation.

‘Ha.’

No wonder something had felt strange.

It made no sense for someone in her position as Gate Leader to personally handle a matter like this.

Unless she was carrying out Hundred Days, Hundred Killings, there was no reason for her to act personally.

Ha Chae-rin smiled with one corner of her mouth raised.

“At least you are not completely stupid. That is right. Mok GyeongUn, Yeonmok Sword Manor’s third young master, is the sixtieth sacrifice of Hundred Days, Hundred Killings.”

“...”

Go Chan felt drained by such helplessness.

When had everything become so tangled?

Everything had gone wrong after that fake Mok GyeongUn appeared.

No, had things turned out this way because Go Chan was too weak to rise beyond Second-rate even at their age, allowing everyone to push them around?

Then Ha Chae-rin pulled the Short Sword from Go Chan’s waist.

“Wh-what are you doing?”

She sneered at Go Chan’s question.

“You killed the young master you served to avenge Uncle Gam, then took your own life. Understand?”

“From the beginning...”

Tap-tap-tap-tap!

Ha Chae-rin sealed Go Chan’s Mute Point as well.