Chapter 78

Episode 78

Damun asked.

“What would you like to do?”

“How are you sleeping?”

I responded in a pessimistic tone and checked the contents of the letter.

Just as Cheon Ga-ryeong had said, the place and time were written down, as well as a threat to kill the group if they did not come out.

However, the sender’s name was not written.

It seemed like he had no intention of revealing his identity.

“There is no need to deal with it quietly, avoiding other people’s attention.”

“Do you plan to hand over a letter to the Lord of the West and ask him to find the culprit?”

“That’s right.”

There was no reason for it to be dragged out according to the intention of the person who wrote the letter.

In fact, it didn’t matter whether the culprit was Seo Do-bang’s leader or a third party.

Either way, this side will take the same approach.

An unknown person made a contract with Seodo Ark and threatened the person who came under his protection.

In that case, Seodo Bangju has a duty to find the culprit and punish him.

There was no need to bother with this.

But Damun’s thoughts seemed different from mine.

“That doesn’t seem like a very good way to deal with it.”

“This is a matter that depends on the safety of Damun Cooperative, not anyone else. “I won’t just watch the Ark of the West with both hands.”

“If the person behind this was Seo Dao Ark, wouldn’t the story be different?”

“...That’s true too.”

I clenched my chin and was lost in thought.

What if the West Island Ark is behind this, as Damun said?

Even if I went to see him with a letter, there was a high chance that I would just pretend to look for the culprit and get away with it.

“Seo Do Bang-ju is a very cautious person. He seemed easily excited when signing the contract a little while ago, but even that was likely an act. He probably intended to accept my offer from the beginning. “I only pretended to worry because I wanted to ease the terms of the contract.”

“The West Island Ark cannot be excluded from the list of dragons just because a letter came in while negotiations were in progress. Is that what you want to say?”

“That’s right.”

“Then what should I do?”

“It would be better to catch the culprit directly and find out the purpose and background.”

“Does that mean I have to go to the place written on the letter?”

“There is no need for that. There is no reason to fall for the opponent’s provocation. “I knew what would be prepared at the designated location.”

“then?”

“Didn’t you say that the letter contained a threat to kill the group? “The other side says they will come to us on their own, so there is no reason for us to refuse.”

“...!”

“Drawing the enemy into a battlefield that is advantageous to you is the basis of military strategy. “The other side kindly gave us a notice, so all we have to do is prepare a prepared plan and wait.”

After finishing speaking, Damun took out several fetishes from his pocket and placed them on the table.

* * *

Thanks to Seodo Ark’s consideration, Cheon Ga-ryeong and I were each assigned a private room.

Each room was located to the left and right of the accommodation where Damun was staying.

After spending two days in my dorm, not leaving the house, practicing and meditating, I quietly got up from my bed late at night when I heard an electric noise coming from the next room.

-It’s an intruder.

-intruder?

I immediately released my senses widely and detected the presence, but I was unable to determine the location of the intruder.

To be precise, it was impossible to pinpoint who the intruder was due to the presence of robbers everywhere.

-What are the numbers?

-There is one. I lean my back against the wall outside the guest room and look around.

-How did you find out?

-I have installed a simple lineup. So that if an attacker appears, you can notice it in advance.

-Is there a way to accurately identify and react only to attackers?

– To be exact, it is a strategy that responds to stealth techniques.

-I’ve never heard of such a method.

-I learned it recently. I applied the diagram of the basic strategy left by reporter Cheon.

I quietly got off the bed and tied the sword I had left loose on my belt.

When I peeked my head towards the window outside, the figure of a masked person silently climbing up the wall came into view.

The masked person’s gaze and mine momentarily crossed.

‘No. Is the assassin acting as an individual rather than a person dispatched by a specific force?’

The masked man’s eyes trembled slightly.

It seemed like he never thought he would be captured.

At that time, the noise of the calligraphers who had rushed out of the guesthouse penetrated my ears.

“What’s going on!”

“Find the source of the noise!”

I glanced back at them running around holding torches, then lifted the masked man onto my shoulder and moved to a deserted place.

I had no intention of handing over the Masked Man’s new recruit to them.

If they and the masked people are in the same group, things will get complicated.

‘The interrogation is conducted directly.’

Only when I reached a field where I could feel no signs of presence, I put down the masked person, took a breath, and released the guy’s blood.

The masked man looked up at me with fearful eyes and asked.

“Who are you?”

“I think that’s a question I should ask.”

“I’ve never heard of someone as skilled as you.”

“From now on, I will be the one asking the questions. “All you have to do is answer that question.”

“Tell me one thing. “Who the hell are you...”

Blink!

I unsheathed the sword from my belt, took it in my hand, and struck the masked man on the shoulder with it.

The sensation of bones breaking reached my fingertips.

Veins appeared in the masked man’s eyes.

A suppressed moan escaped his lips.

“Off......”

“For what purpose did you throw the letter?”

“.......”

“answer.”

Wow!

He swung the sheath again and struck the other shoulder.

The masked man couldn’t hold back and screamed.

Since the surrounding area was surrounded by a membrane, there was no need to worry about the noise escaping outside.

I raised the scabbard above my head and asked again.

“I will ask again. “What is the purpose of your letter?”

“I received a request from the Lord of the Five Ghosts!”

The masked man urgently raised his head and shouted.

I lowered the scabbard to the floor and continued asking questions.

“The letter said that I fell in love with your face reflected in the window.”

“It’s just a phrase written down to avoid suspicion! In fact, I’ve never even seen the faces of our companions!”

Contrary to Damun’s concerns, it did not seem like Seodo Ark’s doctor was involved.

Of course, we should not rule out the possibility that the masked person is lying.

“So, for what purpose did you do this?”

“The Five Ghost Arks requested the assassination of a young man named Damun and his companions. But I have already joined hands with Seo Do-bang...”

“You have joined hands with Seo Do-bang?”

I narrowed my eyes and placed my hand on the man’s mask.

There was a corner where I could guess.

The conversation I overheard earlier in Geumhwa’s guest room came to mind.

[They say Cheoksageom got involved in the battle for Bidong.]

[Is that true?]

[Yes. They say you joined hands with Seo Do-bang’s Ark?]

[Huh. With the addition of such a master, the momentum of the calligraphy room must have increased significantly.]

When the mask was removed, the angular face of a man who must have been in his mid-thirties was revealed under the moonlight.

“......”

After seeing the man’s face, I froze in place like a stone statue.

It was a familiar face.

He was a little younger than I remembered, but his overall appearance and vibe matched perfectly.

I muttered, staring at the man with a blank expression.

‘Why is this guy here?’