Bu Eunseol, who had taken on the mission to dispose of the Blue Sand Valley assassins active in Yueyang.

As night fell, he intended to secretly infiltrate the Blue Sand Valley’s base outside the South Gate. But suddenly, assassins poured out and were moving somewhere. Feeling strange, Bu Eunseol secretly followed the assassins and discovered them attacking the disciples of the Hengshan Sect.

It truly has become a Ruined Sect.

Watching the sword arts of the Hengshan Sect facing the assassins, Bu Eunseol sighed low.

Supreme martial arts? Secrets of internal energy?

Such things are not absolutely necessary to cut an enemy’s breath. What is truly needed is the intense will and confidence to kill the enemy.

But the disciples of the Hengshan Sect had lost both the will to kill and their confidence. Rather, every time they unfolded sword arts, they wore expressions of despair.

They won’t last a quarter of an hour.

Bu Eunseol, watching the fight between Hengshan and the assassins, snorted low.

And indeed, before even a quarter of an hour passed, all Hengshan disciples except Myeong Woon were injured and fallen on the ground.

“Who are you!”

At the shout of the assassin leader, Bu Eunseol woke from his recollection.

“Asking who I am…”

Bu Eunseol’s eyes, hidden behind the mask, narrowed into crescents. Facing that smiling gaze, the assassins felt a chill down their spines.

“Kill this bastard right n…”

The assassin’s words did not continue.

No questions, no answers. Bu Eunseol, having already decided to exterminate the Blue Sand Valley assassins, abruptly drew his sword and pierced the assassin’s neck.

“Kuh.”

With a choking sound, the assassin fell like a log.

Then the remaining assassins began to surround Bu Eunseol.

Swish-swish.

The assassins divided into two groups and circled around Bu Eunseol.

Like two snakes winding around each other, their movements were dizzying. They had unfolded the Poison Fang Formation (Dok-a-jin), the killing formation boasted by the Blue Sand Valley.

“Useless movements.”

Due to the Poison Fang Formation’s unique dazzling progression, one should normally feel dizzy just by looking at it. But in Bu Eunseol’s eyes, having learned the Way of the Beast, their movements were clearly visible.

“To confuse the enemy, you must move fast.”

Bu Eunseol thrust his sword into the left flank without hesitation.

“Ugh.”

Simultaneously, a groan burst from the mouth of another assassin pierced by the sword.

Bu Eunseol seemed to be stabbing randomly, but nine out of ten times, it was where the gap of the Poison Fang Formation lay.

Slash! Slash!

As Bu Eunseol easily disrupted the formation, someone among the assassins shouted, ”He’s a master of Formation Breaking! Keep distance and shoot hidden weapons!”

Dissolving the formation, the assassins retreated back to keep distance from Bu Eunseol.

But that was the assassins’ mistake.

“Who discusses strategy in front of the enemy?”

Unfolding Shadowless Supreme Speed, Bu Eunseol weaved through the scattered assassins, disposing of them one by one.

“Ugh…”

Fear appeared in the eyes of the assassins watching their dying comrades.

Neither retreat nor attack was permitted.

Bu Eunseol’s sword, moving like a phantom, was steadily cutting the assassins’ lifelines.

Their skill isn’t great.

Bu Eunseol, who had only dealt with strong opponents superior to himself until now. From his perspective, these assassins of the Blue Sand Valley only had numbers. Their skill felt mediocre.

“It’s do or die!”

Realizing they couldn’t escape Bu Eunseol’s grasp, the assassins began to attack all at once.

Whish-whish-whish!

As twenty swords poured down, the momentum was like a tsunami.

Bu Eunseol, quietly watching the swords pouring from all directions, flashed his eyes. The assassins’ sword arts were not composed of moves, but rather an expression of the will to kill the enemy through action. In other words, will itself becomes an excellent technique.

Watching the pouring swords, his sword moved naturally.

And will can be converted into momentum.

Gaining enlightenment, Bu Eunseol hid the naturally moving sword behind his back.

“……!”

In that instant, the assassins felt a strange pressure at their fingertips, and the swords they were holding suddenly moved in strange directions.

“What is this!”

The assassins swung their poison swords once more in bewilderment. But Bu Eunseol raised his sword again and assumed a strange posture.

Clang!

Then the thrusting swords began to collide with each other among the assassins.

“It’s Sword Extreme Stance!”

Realizing that what Bu Eunseol unfolded was the Sword Extreme Stance that only masters of the sword could use, the assassins retreated in panic.

“No other tricks?”

As Bu Eunseol approached with a calm expression, the assassins stepped back once more, terrified.

“So Blue Sand Valley was only at this level.”

Bu Eunseol couldn’t hide his disappointed expression.

Back on Hell Island, boy assassins not even twenty years old used all sorts of bizarre methods to kill each other. Poison and hidden weapons were basic, and there were those who risked their colleagues’ or their own lives to attempt mutual destruction.

To think Blue Sand Valley, an assassin group of the Gangho, has such a mediocre level.

In fact, it wasn’t that Blue Sand Valley was weak, but that Bu Eunseol’s skill had increased rapidly. But he himself was completely unaware of his own strength.

“Don’t get cocky!”

At that moment, one of the assassins glared at Bu Eunseol and shouted, ”Our Valley will definitely deal with you!”

Crunch!

A bizarre sound echoed from inside the assassins’ mouths. Simultaneously, dark red blood began to flow from their mouths. Realizing they could neither defeat Bu Eunseol with their skills nor escape, they had bitten into fake teeth containing deadly poison.

Thud. Thud.

As the assassins fell like logs…

“Ughhh!”

When the assassins died, only groans echoed in the forest.

Turning back, the surviving disciples of the Hengshan Sect were shedding tears.

It was not because of pain, but shame.

—The assassins we couldn’t defeat even with nine people, that young masked man handled alone.

Swish.

Wiping his tears, Ok Gi-heun approached Bu Eunseol with staggering steps and gathered his hands. “Thank you for helping us, Benefactor.”

“Do not misunderstand,” Bu Eunseol turned his body and spoke coldly. “It was not to help you people.”

“Still… as a result, the disciples of our sect saved their lives, so it is all thanks to the Benefactor.”

“Think as you please.”

As Bu Eunseol turned silently, suddenly Myeong Woon staggered and ran over.

“Benefactor!”

Myeong Woon bit his lip and said, ”Please tell us your name at least. Our sect will definitely repay this grace in the future!”

Bu Eunseol looked into Myeong Woon’s blazing eyes.

The playful appearance like a idler who liked alcohol was gone, and he now had the eyes of a martial artist pursuing strength.

“Quit drinking.”

“Yes?”

Just as the flustered Myeong Woon widened his eyes…

“……”

The figure of the masked man standing before him had completely vanished.

“Quit drinking…”

As Myeong Woon muttered, Hong Jeon-gun beside him said, ”Could it be… the manifestation of Grandmaster Neung Ryeong, who became an immortal and disappeared?”

Neung Ryeong, who suddenly disappeared without leaving behind formulas or martial arts manuals. Although known as missing in the Murim, the Hengshan Sect believed he had suddenly ascended to the realm of immortals.

“How could that be?” Hearing that, Ok Gi-heun spoke with a hollow expression. “The Benefactor’s sword art was rather closer to the Demonic line. So how could he be Grandmaster Neung Ryeong?”

“Is that so?”

As Hong Jeon-gun scratched his head, Myeong Woon shook his head.

“His sword art changed according to the enemy’s movements.”

“What?”

“He was even using the Sword Extreme Stance technique. If he uses such techniques at that age, he must be a famous rising master of the Demonic Path… but there’s no reason for him to help our sect.”

At Myeong Woon’s words, Hong Jeon-gun said, “Really don’t know. Which sect’s master he is.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Ok Gi-heun spoke with a forceful voice. “He saved the lives of our sect’s disciples, so regardless of Orthodox or Demonic, we just need to repay the grace to the Benefactor. And to do that… we must become strong!”

At those words, all disciples nodded.

The Hengshan Sect, which had been in despair due to the loss of martial arts. But because of this incident, they regained their lost fighting spirit and passion. To recreate the glory of the past once again, the sleeping dragons of the Hengshan Sect stretched greatly.

***

Time flows like a stream.

Six months had passed since Bu Eunseol entered the Yueyang Branch of the Nine Assassination Squad. During that time, he handled missions without rest.

Assassination, reconnaissance, information gathering, or theft of treasures or artifacts, background checks on targets, annihilation of hostile sects, or partial destruction of facilities…

Not just one type of mission, but he digested missions of all fields pouring in without hesitation.

Becoming strong.

It didn’t necessarily mean fighting enemies with weapons. Analyzing the situation coolly, responding to unexpected situations, and reaching conclusions faster than others through diverse experiences.

He realized that was true strength.

—What on earth is happening at the Yueyang Branch?

As difficult missions that hadn’t been solved until now were handled one after another, the leadership of the Demonic Palace began to pay attention to the Yueyang Branch.

—Number Eighteen. That person handled all the work of the Yueyang Branch.

Number Eighteen of the Yueyang Branch.

Usually, members handle only missions in their specialized fields.

But he handled all missions regardless of type. Also, he handled them faster than anyone else and never left a trace.

—Interesting.

Eventually, the Demonic Palace leadership showed interest and curiosity in Number Eighteen.

And because of that, Bu Eunseol faced an unexpected situation.

Inside Teaching Mystery Old Bookstore, secret room.

Bu Eunseol was looking at Sang Ryang and Ma Woon with a deeply furrowed brow.

It was because Sang Ryang was saying something too absurd.

“Escort?”

The Nine Assassination Squad handles all sorts of impossible tasks. But there is no mission called escort within it.

“That’s right.”

“I refuse.”

Bu Eunseol, who had been standing silently with folded arms, turned coldly. Having experienced the wind and waves of the Gangho for six months, Bu Eunseol’s tone had become cold and hard like any old veteran.

“I came as a member of the Nine Assassination Squad.”

“Wait, listen to me for a moment.”

Sang Ryang’s tone and behavior were very cautious.

Because now, without Bu Eunseol, the Yueyang Branch wouldn’t run at all.

Because he handled missions so excellently that he received attention from the Demonic Palace leadership, atrocious missions that other members couldn’t even touch flooded in.

“This is a mission that came directly from the higher-ups.”

Instantly, Bu Eunseol’s eyes reflected in the oil lamp flashed.

“Then you mean this is Code Jia?”

“Hmm… it’s not Code Jia, but similar.”

Scratching his head, Sang Ryang sighed, ”It just doesn’t have the Code Jia stamp on it.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“It means it’s a mission neither you nor I can refuse. Because it didn’t come down as a Nine Assassination Squad mission, but an order given to this branch. Ma Woon.”

At Sang Ryang’s words, Ma Woon held out the letter he was holding to Bu Eunseol.

“……”

Looking at the letter, Bu Eunseol’s brow narrowed again.

The content was simple.

‘Go to the contact point where the escort target is and follow their orders. The moment the escort target leaves Yueyang, the mission ends.’

In short, protect the side of the escort target while they stay in Yueyang.

“Who is the escort target?”

At Bu Eunseol’s question, Ma Woon shook his head. “Don’t know. Only that the escort target came to Yueyang for sightseeing…”

Must be quite a high-ranking person.

In short, for someone who just came to play, the higher-ups directly issued an escort mission.

In other words, it was clear the escort target was a big shot of the Demonic Path or someone connected to the leadership of the Demonic Palace.

“Branch direct mission…”

When Bu Eunseol made a dissatisfied expression, Ma Woon said, ”Instead, the reward is good. Ten thousand nyang a day… It was set at a level equivalent to Code Jia.”

Ten thousand nyang a day.

If it’s ten days, a huge sum of one hundred thousand nyang comes in. Even if he retired right now, he could live in luxury for the rest of his life.

“I will just take another mission.”

“You refuse a job worth ten thousand nyang a day?”

“I don’t need money.”

“It’s a mission from the higher-ups?”

“What do I care.”

At Bu Eunseol’s blunt answer, Sang Ryang and Ma Woon’s eyes were dyed with fear.

—That crazy bastard is more than capable of refusing an order from the higher-ups!