“Alright, I’ll explain the plan now, so settle down.”

The chaotic main hall fell silent in an instant. The table was cleared, the area tidied, and one of the officers brought over the situational board that Chief Byeok used.

I waited calmly until the officers were ready to listen.

Once the setup was complete, So Gunpyeong spoke.

“My Lord, we’re ready.”

I pointed at the large sheet of paper Chief Byeok had used.

“Lay that out on the table.”

The blank sheet was placed flat, and an officer from the end of the table handed me a brush soaked in ink. I took the brush, stood up, and looked at the paper before putting down a single dot.

“Black Cat Pavilion.”

Just above it, I wrote the character for ‘Water.’

“Master Su.”

Between the Black Cat Pavilion and Master Su, I drew a rough triangle like a mountain peak.

The point aimed directly at “Master Su,” with the base resting beneath “Black Cat Pavilion.”

“An all-out assault formation.”

Hongshin asked,

“Is this an ambush?”

I nodded.

“It is. The team will be limited to those who can maintain light footwork all the way from here to Master Su without stopping. So Gunpyeong.”

“Yes.”

“You understand what kind of operation this is?”

So Gunpyeong asked for confirmation.

“Full-speed light footwork straight to Woonwoo Society. Anyone who falls behind isn’t even part of the ambush, right?”

“Exactly. But that’s not all. You’ll need to handle the details too. Think of this as a light footwork race following me. I’ll run at the front with the officers. I won’t bother checking who’s keeping up. Naturally, gaps will form based on each person’s skill. That’s fine. Just keep moving. As soon as you reach Woonwoo Society’s wall, jump over and keep going. Head straight for Master Su.”

So Gunpyeong’s eyes widened.

“We keep running even after reaching Woonwoo Society?”

I nodded.

“Keep running until you spot Master Su. I’m the spearpoint, the tip, the drill. The rest of you follow behind, slicing through anyone who tries to stop us or throwing hidden weapons. Keep moving. Leave anyone who runs. Kill only those who block us head-on. Charge, charge, charge… Follow only me until I meet Master Su. Got it?”

I checked everyone’s expressions.

“You all understand now?”

“Yes!”

“Everyone goes—except the slow ones.”

“When do we move?” Cha Seong-tae asked.

“Now.”

Everyone jumped to their feet the moment I said it.

Even Yu Sacheong, who had been listening quietly, rose nervously.

I turned to him.

“Not you. You’re a prisoner.”

“Yes.”

“Cha Seong-tae, you’re on watch duty.”

“…Huh?”

Dokgo-saeng slapped Cha Seong-tae on the shoulder as he walked by.

“Chief, do your best.”

Even the squad leaders were speaking casually to Cha Seong-tae now.

“Good luck, Chief.”

“Don’t screw it up.”

“Watch him closely.”

“Finally earning your meal.”

So Gunpyeong said urgently,

“My Lord, there’s no time to explain to the subordinates—”

“There’s no time. Just tell them to follow. If they fall behind, consider it training. As long as you and I are there, we don’t need anyone else for Master Su.”

Muak Gate’s leader and Lady Iron Fan had defected last night, and morale was already low within Woonwoo Society. Plus, I’d already killed their vice leader with my axe. We didn’t need to go after Iryong Nogun first—Woonwoo Society was the weaker prey.

At the front gate, I paused and glanced back at the officers.

“I’m curious who’ll arrive first. Think of this as a ranking match. Let’s go.”

As soon as I said “let’s go,” Dokgo-saeng kicked the gate open and shot off like a gale.

So Gunpyeong glared at him.

“That crazy bastard…”

I turned to the officers and disciples.

“What are you waiting for? Move. I’m faster than all of you anyway.”

“…What?”

“Ah…”

Quick on the uptake, Hongshin launched forward to chase Dokgo-saeng. Baek-in, Cheongjin, and Baek-yu followed at the same time. Only then did So Gunpyeong and the others panic and start using light footwork.

I took a few walking steps and only then unleashed my speed.

Increasing my pace, I quickly caught up with So Gunpyeong and the rest of the Black Cat Pavilion officers.

As I passed So Gunpyeong, I said,

“Gunpyeong, faster.”

He didn’t respond—just focused on his footwork.

Up ahead, Cheongjin and Baek-yu were running side by side. After overtaking them, I spotted Baek-in. I passed him, then looked ahead to see Hongshin and Dokgo-saeng competing for the lead.

I came up right behind them and whispered,

“Already caught up.”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Hongshin let out a scream and suddenly surged forward, reclaiming the lead.

I ran alongside Dokgo-saeng and let out a snort.

“Not bad, Dokgo-saeng.”

He let out a weird screech, the kind you’d hear from a pig getting slaughtered. Leaving his shrieking behind, I chased after Hongshin.

As I caught up to her, I said,

“Hong-sa, are you running from the bathroom? You’re pretty fast.”

She didn’t have the breath to reply, but she maintained her pace. She was surprisingly gifted—not only did she have deep internal energy, but she could run, too.

Deep energy doesn’t always mean speed.

But I had deeper energy than her, and running was practically in my blood.

Recalling the speed masters of the Swift Party, I sped up and passed her.

“Hong-sa, you’re the fastest right now. Keep this pace. If you do, the others won’t be able to catch up.”

She replied briefly,

“Yes.”

As I ran ahead, leaving her behind, I thought—

Maybe Hongshin could actually join the Swift Party one day. She wouldn’t qualify yet, but if she keeps building her energy and trains relentlessly, she has the potential to earn their attention.

The distance between me and my subordinates widened, but I didn’t slow down.

I ran with the mindset that I’d storm the place alone.

Even if Master Su had scouts near the Black Cat Pavilion, there was no way they could beat me there. No ambush could stop me now.

As I ran, I imagined what Master Su might be doing.

He’d have a lot on his plate.

First, he’d be anxious, probably already trying to move his assets.

He’d have sent messages to whatever experts he knew, asking for help.

If he happened to be with Iryong Nogun, then I planned to burn Woonwoo Society to the ground altogether. Whether he was there or not, my goal today was to annihilate the entire place.

Soon, I spotted the wall of Woonwoo Society.

I soared high into the air.

I couldn’t see my subordinates anymore—only Master Su’s underlings.

Maybe I’d jumped too high.

As I came down over the wall, some of them just muttered “Huh?” while staring blankly.

Kicking off the ground, ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) I started sprinting again, and only then did I hear them shout,

“Enemy!”

But they didn’t seem to recognize me as the same lunatic who danced under the moonlight with a blade.

As the rear burst into chaos, guards began chasing after me.

I passed a pond, dashed by the incinerator, and drop-kicked the main building’s entrance.

The place was empty—probably a venue for performances.

In one bound, I soared over the audience seats, stepped once on the stage, and entered the back corridor. Only there did some stragglers finally start attacking.

Since I was still running, I let harmless attacks slide past and only kicked or struck the pressure points of those who blocked me head-on. I passed through the corridor, up the stairs, slapping aside the faces of anyone who jumped out, pressing forward until I stopped in front of a room guarded by escorts—and drew the Fang of the Black Rabbit.

To the usual shouts from the guards, I responded,

“It’s me. The lunatic under the moonlight…”

The startled escorts fumbled for their swords at their waists.

I unleashed a horizontal blade wave, then kicked the large door.

Boom—right after the sound rang out, the blade wave sliced through the escorts’ necks, sending their heads rolling. I stormed into the room and offered a casual greeting.

“Master Su, it’s me. Sleep well last night?”

It was a massive room, with a large bed at the far end. Master Su, just pulling on his pants, scrambled toward the sword on the table.

There were others there, but I only had eyes for Master Su.

I closed the distance in an instant and swung the Fang of the Black Rabbit. Master Su, barely grabbing his sword, blocked the strike and finally looked me in the face.

“……!”

In that moment, neither of us spoke—we simply clashed swords furiously. I kept my mouth shut as I swung. Master Su, still half-dressed, slashed back wildly in resistance.

I stared into his eyes as I fought, pouring out internal force with my left palm, unleashing a flurry of blade waves with the Fang of the Black Rabbit, followed by Earth Palm and the Yeomgye Daesu-in. I deflected his sword, activated the Absorption Technique, and gripped Master Su’s throat in one swift motion.

“Ghhk.”

I locked eyes with him.

“Master Su?”

At the same time, I drove the Fang of the Black Rabbit into his abdomen and slammed him into the wall. With another wet thud, the blade pierced through his belly and embedded in the wall behind.

I grabbed his jaw and turned his face side to side.

“So this is what you look like?”

Only then did I pull the blade out.

Splurt!

Master Su collapsed to the floor, slumping against the wall.

I shook the blood off the Fang of the Black Rabbit and sheathed it.

I brushed my messy hair back and looked around. That’s when I noticed the young women on the large bed, trying to cover themselves with the blanket. Both looked completely stunned.

I crouched and looked back at Master Su.

He seemed like he was trying to say something, so I asked,

“What? Can’t hear you.”

“Son of a…”

“Son of a? That’s what you’re going with for your last words? Pathetic. Why didn’t you come to surrender? Didn’t I tell you that you wouldn’t get another chance? Learn to believe people sometimes. Stop acting like only your words are ever right. What the hell were you doing in broad daylight, huh? Master Su?”

“……”

Looks like he stopped breathing.

I turned to the women who were still staring at me.

“Who am I even talking to right now? Guess I was chatting with a corpse.”

The women replied,

“Please… spare us…”

I cut them off before they finished.

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll spare you.”

Right then, my subordinates appeared at the door. Blood was still dripping from the weapons in their hands.

The disciples looked stunned as they stared at Master Su’s lifeless body. Clearly, they hadn’t expected their master’s long-standing enemy to be killed so easily.

Dokgo-saeng showed up late, peeking inside as he asked,

“It’s over?”

I turned to the subordinates.

“Go down and finish things. Spread the word that Master Su is dead. If they kneel, don’t kill them. If they keep fighting, kill every last one.”

“Yes!”

The officers who’d followed me grouped up and headed back down.

I descended the stairs slowly to finish up. As I walked, the sounds of shouting, clashing weapons, and screaming gradually faded.

When I stepped outside the main hall, a good number of people were already kneeling.

With things wrapped up, many of the Black Cat Pavilion’s subordinates still hadn’t arrived yet. Some were just now staggering in, panting, through Woonwoo Society’s main gate.

I looked at the gasping subordinates and said to So Gunpyeong,

“Looks like we’ll need harsher training. How are we supposed to fight a strong faction like this?”

So Gunpyeong nodded.

“I’ll push them harder.”

I slowly looked over the kneeling enemies and our own troops. All of them were staring at me.

“…I slept well last night, had a nice breakfast, even drank some booze this afternoon—and when Master Su didn’t come to surrender, I came here to kill him myself. If anyone still wants to fight, I’ll gladly send you to join your master. Cooperate with my subordinates. Woonwoo Society is finished.”

I felt like they were expecting me to say more, so I added one more line.

“But I’m not the kind to fall. Do I look like someone who’d lose?”

“……”

The reaction wasn’t great.