I sipped my Dugang Liquor for a moment, debating whether I should thoroughly pursue and finish off Ilwido River Crossing, or strike the Sword-Breaking Society first.

The assassin in front of me, who had drawn his sword, was only now beginning to spit blood. As I released my internal energy, I had followed up the first wave with a second using the energy of Decapitating Fire.

The tip of his outstretched sword was shaking visibly.

This guy probably wasn’t the one who killed Nam Garak in my previous life. More likely, my current reputation isn’t yet as widely known as Nam Garak’s once was, so they sent someone of equivalent rank.

Compared to Nam Garak’s killer, this one was lacking in internal power.

Then, seeing the sword in front of me, I grabbed it with my left hand.

A Swift Sword?

Only then did the assassin’s expression come into view.

“……!”

Sweat was pouring down his face, so I infused the blade I held with the energy of Scorching Fire.

Fight fire with fire, I suppose.

Watching the assassin’s face contort in pain, I scanned the spectators.

“Everyone, don’t move.”

While I waited for the other assassins to show up, I tortured the one in front of me with internal energy. When both sides have similar levels of power, they can usually disengage from internal contests at any time. But when there’s a large gap like now, retreating recklessly can be fatal.

Before the guy could think about cutting off his own arm, I threw in a warning.

“You move, and you’re ash.”

His sword was already glowing bright red. The assassin’s hand that held it was burning from the heat.

I kept torturing him with the energy of Scorching Fire, then turned my head to the left.

I locked eyes with a traveling merchant.

“……”

I wondered—what kind of weapon would an assassin disguised as a traveling merchant carry?

To my surprise, the bastard just hurled the pack he was carrying straight at me. The bundle burst midair from internal force, and the hidden metal weapons inside shot toward me in a storm.

Did he actually think our energy was evenly matched?

Just like I’d used both Decapitating and Scorching Fire in my earlier blade-drawing form, I pushed back the incoming storm of hidden weapons with a blast of force, then immediately switched to the Absorption Technique, pulling them toward me and twisting their direction.

Screeeee!

The startled merchant reached out toward the assassin still in front of me.

“No—!”

Fwhwhwhwhwhp!

But by then, the assassin I was holding had already been struck by the merchant’s own weapons. Face, neck, shoulder, stomach… his entire left side was riddled with embedded needles.

His internal energy scattered in an instant and was immediately overwhelmed by the flames of Scorching Fire.

It was unclear whether the guy died from the hidden weapons or the fire energy—but either way, he collapsed beside me.

Thud…

I stared at the merchant, now frozen in panic.

“Why’d you kill your own comrade?”

I took another drink of Dugang Liquor and looked past the merchant as I suddenly asked,

“So Gunpyeong, how far have we locked things down?”

From among the crowd, So Gunpyeong answered,

“We’ve surrounded the area in about a thirty-zhang radius. The perimeter is wide—we’ll only kill those who try to escape.”

“Think you can sort them out?”

“I’ll start checking.”

“Hold up—”

“Yes?”

“Kill the merchant first.”

From within the crowd, Hongshin threw a hidden weapon.

Shing!

The merchant flinched, barely dodging it—but then a coin-shaped throwing blade from Baek-in pierced his back.

Thunk!

“Guh!”

Then Cheongjin and Baek-yu followed up with leaf-blades and more needles—one hitting his shoulder, the other his head. After confirming the merchant had collapsed, I called out to Jangsam, who had taken cover inside the inn.

“Jangsam.”

“Yes, Master.”

The moment he stepped outside, Jangsam rushed to stand at my side.

I turned to the spectators and asked him,

“Think you can pick some out? Guys who look off—bit of practice under your belt now, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good. Start pointing out the suspicious ones.”

Jangsam raised his hand and pointed at a man.

“That rice cake seller over there.”

“Ah, the rice cake seller seemed awkward.”

The man in question shoved a passerby aside and bolted at full speed.

I tilted my head and watched him flee.

“Go on. Run faster. C’mon.”

He almost made it out—almost—until a blade shot out and pierced his neck.

Thuck!

Instant death.

I clicked my tongue.

“Aww, poor guy didn’t make it very far.”

Nam Garak, who’d killed him with a single slash, kicked the corpse forward, ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) sending it rolling toward the front of the inn.

Thump!

And just like that, another body added to the pile.

I waved toward the crowd.

“Looks like the assassins are underestimating me. I told them I had more subordinates. Jangsam, pick another.”

Jangsam raised his hand to point again, but then pulled it back. The assassins’ reactions were too quick.

He said,

“The man next to the cart.”

Turned out that guy had already been tagged. The brothers from the Namyeong Society, including Nam Yeon-pung, had deliberately surrounded him, preventing any escape. The moment Jangsam identified him, they drew their swords and began stabbing without a word.

Stab! Stab! Stab! Stab!

This time, Nam Yeon-pung booted the not-yet-dead corpse toward the inn.

Thunk!

The body rolled over and stopped.

I briefly locked eyes with Nam Yeon-pung and gave a big grin. He scratched his cheek with a sheepish look.

“Well done, Jangsam. Any more?”

Now every time Jangsam scanned the spectators, people shrank back in fear.

He answered honestly.

“Other than that… I can’t really tell.”

I asked Nam Garak, still hiding among the crowd.

“What do you think, Lord Nam?”

“There’s probably more.”

“Then let’s keep weeding them out.”

“Agreed. If we’re going to hunt assassins, we need to practice patience, too.”

“Right you are. Anyone here who knows Jangsam—come forward and check in with him, then go about your business. One at a time. There’s probably no one in this town Jangsam doesn’t know. Probably.”

Strangely enough, the crowd followed my orders quite well.

One by one, people came up, exchanged a few words with Jangsam, then either sighed with relief or quickly slipped away.

The number of innocent bystanders shrank rapidly.

Now that things were a little calmer, Jangsam began waving off the ones who came up to confirm themselves.

“Go on in. Yes, have a drink sometime. Mister Go, go ahead. Yes, yes, move along. Next, next, next. Yes. Keep it moving.”

What was this overwhelming order and tightly controlled atmosphere?

I found myself chuckling as I watched Jangsam’s zeal, Jangsam’s dedication, and Jangsam’s nosiness.

No one understands Jomsoi’s strengths better than I do. When there are no customers, he spends the whole day watching the street, sticking his nose into every little thing—it’s just who he is.

Once the people Jangsam had vouched for cleared out like the receding tide, the fiddler crabs left on the mudflats blinked their eyes.

I wasn’t the only one hunting assassins.

My subordinates were narrowing their eyes too, scouring for assassins in the now-cleared space.

When only five people remained, one man, trembling with fear, dropped to his knees.

“I’m not one of them! I don’t even know martial arts!”

I spoke to the remaining five.

“All of you—come over here. I won’t kill you recklessly, so don’t worry.”

Surprisingly, the four not on their knees immediately used light footwork and scattered in all four directions—north, south, east, and west.

I picked up a chopstick and hurled it at the first runner, aiming for the back of his head.

Shing! Thwack!

I stood up and swept my eyes left and right.

No need to give additional orders.

One was leaping to the second floor of a building, with Nam Yeon-pung right on his tail. Subordinates darted into position to give chase. Meanwhile, Nam Garak approached the kneeling man.

Nam Garak held out his hand.

“Give me your hand.”

After checking for internal energy, Nam Garak looked back at me and said,

“Master, this guy really doesn’t have any internal power.”

I looked at the man’s face and said to Nam Garak,

“Send him over here.”

Nam Garak gave him a light kick on the butt.

“Go on.”

Jangsam brought over a chair, set it down across from me, and spoke to the approaching man.

“Please, have a seat here.”

The man sat down looking absolutely terrified.

I looked him over and said,

“Put everything you’ve got on the table.”

“Pardon?”

At that moment, Baek-in dragged one of the dead runners back and kicked the corpse into place in the center.

I turned to Baek-in, concerned.

“Disciple, did you touch the body?”

Baek-in raised a hand in reply.

“Elder Brother, I’m wearing gloves.”

“Good.”

Then Nam Yeon-pung kicked a corpse down from the rooftop. So Gunpyeong came dragging another, strangled with a sash, completing the clean-up.

Now only the man in front of me remained.

“……Everyone else is dead. Only you’re left.”

“……”

“If you’ve got nothing to say, I’ll kill you.”

“I don’t even know martial arts—how can you just kill someone like that?”

“If you were mixed up with Ilwido River Crossing in any way, then dying is only right. What, you mad? Thought I’d spare you?”

Soon after, the officers gathered inside the inn and took their seats. Cha Seong-tae showed up late, handed out gloves, and quietly began helping others move the bodies.

So Gunpyeong took a seat and asked me,

“Should we kill him?”

I nodded.

“He’s not with Ilwido River Crossing.”

“Then who?”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“Outsourced even further down. He won’t know anything about the main base.”

Baek-in crossed his arms, glaring, and asked me,

“Could it be the Sword-Breaking Society?”

“Who knows.”

I turned and looked at Jangsam.

“Jangsam.”

“Yes, sir?”

“Turn your head that way for a second.”

When Jangsam turned away, I struck the man in front of me with a single palm, instantly killing him.

Thwack— The sound of the blow mixed with the crunch of a breaking neck, and Jangsam flinched beside me.

He exhaled long and slow as he turned his head back.

“Phew…”

I turned to the gathered officers and said,

“Let’s hold a quick meeting here and wet our throats a bit.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Jangsam, pass the drinks around. You’ve worked hard.”

“Yes, Master.”

Since everyone was waiting for me to speak, I took a moment to gather my thoughts and then laid out the plan.

“If I stay here any longer, I’ll just make life harder for the people working here. Based on the last two days, it’s clear—I’m the only target.”

That the target is me isn’t such a bad thing.

“Finding Ilwido’s main base won’t be easy. They’re at least competent enough to stay hidden. Baek-in.”

“Yes, Elder Brother.”

“The Sword-Breaking Society is linked to some trade groups, right?”

“They’re tied to several merchants.”

“Then summon Disciple Geum Hae and have him investigate every merchant connected to the Sword-Breaking Society. That’s our way in to tracking Ilwido River Crossing.”

“Will merchants know anything?”

“Probably not. But they might know how contact is made. And merchants fear death more than assassins. Even if not, if we dismantle the Sword-Breaking Society, the trade groups clinging to them will need sorting out. We can’t kill them all, so tell Geum Hae to step in and seize the profits through Geumsan Trade Group. Baek-in, help him manage it wisely. Geum Hae’s likely to make the most money anyway. He knows how merchants fight better than we do. Once we collect those gains, we’ll compensate those who took losses in this mess. Geum Hae should handle that math carefully. When all this ends, the biggest beneficiary will be Geumsan Trade Group.”

Baek-in nodded.

“Understood.”

“I might be wrong. But I’m leaving the mission to find Ilwido to you disciples entirely.”

“Yes, sir.”

I looked at Nam Garak.

“Lord Nam, let’s hit the Sword-Breaking Society.”

“What’s the plan?”

Nam Cheon-yeong was also involved, so it was a question about strategy.

But since I always fight the way I want, Nam Cheon-yeong’s involvement didn’t matter at all.

“A small elite unit will strike. Don’t kill anyone. Just burn their key bases and retreat.”

Nam Garak replied with a confused look.

“Why?”

“What do you mean why? If we burn their homes, they’ll have nowhere to sleep. That’s inconvenient. Plus, we’ll hit them in the pocket.”

“That’s all?”

“Of course not. We’ll stir up Nam Cheon-yeong too. Think about it on the way. Let’s get the two sides to fight until they drop.”

I decided on a broad strategy: instigate war between the Sword-Breaking Society and Nam Cheon-yeong.

“We need to move as a small unit. Burn, escape. Kill a few, escape again. Make the Sword-Breaking Society think Nam Cheon-yeong did it. Make Nam Cheon-yeong think the Sword-Breaking Society did it. So along the way, steal their uniforms, wear masks again for a change. You get the picture? We’ll keep stirring them both until they lose their minds.”

Maybe because it was a job that didn’t involve subordinates dying, Nam Garak actually looked cheerful for once.

“Ah… I like it.”

I looked at Nam Garak and smiled.

“Lord Nam.”

“Yeah?”

“Let’s have some fun with this. No need to be serious when dealing with a bunch of morons.”

Nam Garak didn’t answer right away. He leaned back and burst into laughter.

“Hahahahaha…”

The martial world I envision has its serious moments, but not always.

The point is—

As long as you torment your enemies, it’s enough.

Until they pass out from the pain.

Until they collapse from madness.

And when it comes to the art of division and stirring chaos between enemies—no one knows it better than me.

At this point, as far as I’m concerned, the Sword-Breaking Society is already erased from the martial world.

And my heart…

Is filled entirely with plans to divide and ruin them.

“We’ll know who the real bastard is once this is all over.”