Chapter 128: Hunting (2)

Crackle.

Hiding in the darkness, I made my way toward the alleyway. The darkness enveloped me, settling into the chilling confines of the alley. Signs of life were scarce.

Under the moonlight,

I found myself leaning against the wall, awaiting Seolhwa Ryeon.

‘Seolhwa Ryeon hasn’t arrived yet.’

Though we had agreed to meet here, her presence was still nowhere to be felt.

However, she usually heeded my calls, so her arrival seemed imminent.

After a period of waiting, my swordsman’s senses faintly picked up on a presence.

‘It feels stronger than before?’

It was hard to conclude that Seolhwa Ryeon had weakened.

Rather, it appeared that my senses had sharpened since I developed the Black Flame Divine Body. Concealed by the shadows, Seolhwa Ryeon silently approached me.

I observed Seolhwa Ryeon’s attire.

She wore a black crop top that exposed her navel, black shorts that allowed for easy movement, and black sneakers. To describe it generously, it was practical for activity; more bluntly, it was quite revealing.

Before I could comment, Seolhwa Ryeon bowed and said,

“Elder, it’s been a long time since we last met. Have you been well? Every time I took the necks of Mines in America, I worried about you, so I couldn’t torture them and had to kill them immediately. But seeing you in good health, it seems you’re doing fine. Or perhaps, as an elder, you might be pushing yourself too hard. But now that I’m here, I hope you won’t overdo it.”

“…Right, I’ll take better care of myself next time. You should take care of yourself too.”

“I will engrave your words into my bones.”

Feeling awkward, I nodded in response to Seolhwa Ryeon’s words.

“But where are we?”

“This is a hideout for the Mines.”

The building was specifically designed for Mines.

Its structure prevents magic from leaking outside. A quick inspection revealed it was solidly constructed. Even in the event of a conflict, it wouldn’t attract attention for some time.

‘Hmm…’

Inside, I sensed a dense and malicious magic.

The sense of intense evil was palpable, the magic thick with pain and despair.

“Elder, I will go in first.”

“It’s fine.”

“No, your power should be reserved for future use. It’s not meant to be spent on the riffraff here.”

With that, Seolhwa Ryeon tapped her scabbard, the basic twin ring swords provided by the Korea Hero School in hand.

She pulled up a scarf wrapped around her neck, like a mask, up to her nose. Then, she took out a mask similar to mine from her pocket.

“I thought it might suit your taste, so I prepared one. Since we are from the same family, I thought it wouldn’t be bad to have a unified outfit. Does it suit me?”

Seolhwa Ryeon put on the mask and took out a coat folded into a square. She unfolded it and draped the coat over herself.

“…I see.”

“I knew it would suit your taste.”

It’s not really my taste.

But knowing that saying so would dampen Seolhwa Ryeon’s spirits, who seemed excited, I responded appropriately.

“Then, let’s get going.”

“Yes.”

Before I could lead, Seolhwa Ryeon stepped forward.

In front of the building entrance.

We could sense someone inside.

“There’s someone waiting inside the building.”

“They don’t seem like Mines. A villain?”

“Should we just subdue them?”

“Yes.”

At my word, Seolhwa Ryeon lightly leaped forward.

Landing with the agility of a cat.

Yet, not a sound was heard, thanks to the secret footwork passed down by the assassin family.

‘Among them, Seolhwa Ryeon is unique.’

If Hong Yu-hwa possessed the talent to burn and plunder,

Seolhwa Ryeon was born with the talent to freeze and manipulate shadows.

If she focused on her freezing ability, she could eventually obtain the Absolute Freeze, capable of even freezing time and space. If she concentrated on her talent for hiding, she could become the master of the underworld.

‘If she were a beginner, that would be the case.’

But the direction I envisioned for Seolhwa Ryeon was a bit different. With Seolhwa Ryeon’s capacity, she could achieve both.

Maximizing her talents to freeze everything and manipulate shadows, she will become a formidable force in the future.

‘…I also need to nurture Kim Seo-hyun.’

Kim Seo-hyun was currently the most enigmatic. Ershil could grow on her own; she had the best teacher anyone could ask for. The same seemed true for Kim Ara. Seo Ga-yeon was under Celestial’s watchful eye for nurturing.

Kim Seo-hyun remained somewhat elusive. She had an unparalleled teacher and was learning everything.

Martial arts, magic, superpowers, mysteries.

Especially martial arts, which continue the millennia-old history of Murim, had not yet shown significant achievements. However, if all these elements were combined in the future, her performance would be monstrous.

In the ending where extraterrestrial beings invaded and everyone perished, she alone annihilated all the extraterrestrial beings.

‘Humanity was destroyed, though.’

Crunch.

The sound of crushing a head with a fist snapped me out of my reverie.

Seolhwa Ryeon had already crushed a Mine’s head with her fist and was now slashing another Mine’s neck with her sword.

Crack-!

And the severed part began to freeze.

Mines were dangerous. Their ideology, physical, and regenerative abilities surpassed those of humans. Therefore, to kill them easily, a power to suppress their regeneration was necessary.

‘In my case, it’s convenient because I possess the Energy of Defying Heaven.’

The Energy of Defying Heaven negated even the regenerative abilities of Mines.

It negated life and the magic they wielded. Thus, I could easily combat Mines.

If it was not me, when severing a Mine’s body part, it needed to be burned or frozen. Or eradicated fully of its brain.

“Good attitude. It’s better to ensure a thorough aftermath than to conserve a bit of magic power.”

“…Hehe. Ahem. Thank you, senior.”

Seolhwa Ryeon offered a slight smile and bowed her head.

‘She has changed a lot since the last incident.’n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Somehow.

It felt like her admiration for me had grown, yet so had the distance between us.

‘Admiration is the furthest emotion from understanding.’

Seolhwa Ryeon and I ventured deeper.

No sound, presence, or scent was detected. Seolhwa Ryeon concealed them, and I negated them.

Black Flame Divine Body.

This was one of the additional abilities I gained after obtaining the Black God.

“Hm? What’s that?”

“What’s wrong? Thinking about the girlfriend you left at home?”

“No, suddenly I feel a chill…”

We overheard the men’s conversation. A sticky and malicious magic lingered in the air.

Seolhwa Ryeon glanced at me.

I nodded, signaling that they were Mines.

Upon my signal, Seolhwa Ryeon crouched.

And then she leaped.

“What nonsense. It’s still summer. Well, it will be winter in about a month…”

Those were the last words of the Mine. She drew her ring sword and decapitated him in one swift strike.

“Stop right ther…”

Swish.

With the agility of a cat, Seolhwa Ryeon quickly decapitated another Mine and landed softly.

“Are you still not accustomed to the Black Shadow Technique?”

“…Yes, elder. By the time I began learning, the Black Shadow Technique was only partially developed…”

“Hmm, then I’ll teach it to you next time.”

“Do you, elder, know it?”

“Of course. Have you mastered all of the Eternal Techniques?”

“Yes, I’ve mastered both the first and second halves.”

“I see.”

We continued forward. Seolhwa Ryeon eliminated all the Mines as we progressed.

Even when I attempted to intervene, Seolhwa Ryeon refused.

‘She must think I’m in critical condition.’

But I wasn’t upset about it.

Perhaps it’s the feeling of being protected, though it should be the other way around.

“There are two staircases.”

“The enemy is below.”

The magic emanating from below was proof of that.

“Then I will go down, elder.”

We descended the stairs. Like on the first floor, there were Mines. Seolhwa Ryeon effortlessly dispatched the Mines.

And on the second floor.

“…You’ve made quite a spectacle.”

The Mines were assembled.

“There are about 30 of them.”

The Mines stood on either side, creating a path reminiscent of a scene from a movie. In the center, someone who appeared to be the boss was seated.

He seemed to hold a high rank.

“So, you’ve finally come to us, the remnants of the assassin family.”

“…”

Seolhwa Ryeon hesitated.

“How do you know that?”

“Well, when you dwell in darkness, various pieces of information flow to you. It’s surprising that this information has only now come to light, especially for those who act as foolishly as you.”

The man said this as he quietly stood up. Various presences could be felt. The presence of two high-ranked and five mid-ranked individuals was particularly noticeable.

“You’ve marked yourself. Not very boss-like for someone from the dark world.”

I stepped forward leisurely. The man’s eyebrows furrowed as if he was disturbed.

“It doesn’t matter. Let those hiding come out too. It’s easier to deal with everyone at once.”

“How arrogant.”

“Isn’t it easier to kill all the bugs at once? No need to bother using your hands twice.”

Provoked, the Mine flared up.

Mines were like this. They gained immense physical abilities but at the cost of being easily overwhelmed by their emotions.

I focused on the Black Flame Divine Body, negating and marking with the Seal of Absorption on the pure flames close to the source.

‘With a sense of spreading it widely.’

I drew out the power gathered on the floor and in the air.

Whoosh!

Black flames materialized. The ground beneath me burned with black flames. The pure Energy of Defying Heaven gathered.

“This is…”

“Block him! Kill him! Use whatever means necessary to prevent him from using that technique!”

The seated individual shouted as if in desperation.

His body swelled in an instant, achieving Mine transformation. His body size doubled, and black magic enveloped him. He then charged with a hammer.

But it was far too late.

Thud.

Just a light kick. It was laden with a massive amount of Energy of Defying Heaven.

Flames and their source. The shockwave of the Energy of Defying Heaven spread out, scattering across the ground like wildfire.

Boom──!

“Cough, this is impossible…!”

The black flames devoured everything in their path.

The waiting boss, along with 30 Mines, and the two high-ranked plus ten mid-ranked Mines that appeared later, were all incinerated in a single strike.

I wasn’t unscathed either. This strike had depleted most of my Energy of Defying Heaven.

‘Recover.’

I silently chanted the activation word in my mind.

Then, most of the Energy of Defying Heaven was replenished. The black flames that had obliterated the entire hideout receded.

‘Sigh.’

I sighed inwardly.

Despite the presence of three high-ranked individuals.

My Energy of Defying Heaven did not increase.

This meant that the time for harvesting Energy of Defying Heaven from Mines had come to an end.

‘Such a sad thing.’

It was nothing short of a truly sad occurrence.