NOVPUBIn a section of Eun-gwang District where the traces of the explosion and the trap abilities had disappeared, a figure stood silently who was neither a fake nor an imitation—Seong Guk-eon himself.
Seong Guk-eon thought about Jo Eui-shin, who wasn’t present at this moment.
“Just as Eui-shin predicted. I hoped the forecast would be wrong, but...”
Jo Eui-shin had based his plans on the assumption that their movements would be read by the enemy.
Through the transcendent technology known as Replay, Seong Guk-eon had grasped the assassin's intentions, so he thought such an assumption would be unnecessary. However, he decided to follow Jo Eui-shin's advice.
Seong Guk-eon thought that if Jo Eui-shin’s prediction turned out wrong, it wouldn’t be too bad if the real Seong Guk-eon were captured instead.
While Seong Guk-eon couldn’t see it now, there was a legendary hojo clan member nearby, hiding his body with the skill ‘Jeokyeon,’ so there was no problem with their strength.
Moreover, there was someone here with whom Seong Guk-eon had wanted to fight by his side.
“It’s unfortunate that I missed the chance to fight alongside my teacher. The enemy is using every vile trick to target my teacher, so it would be safer to avoid fighting...”
Seong Guk-eon looked at the figure disguised as Jeon Mu-young.
At first glance, the build and appearance were almost identical to the Jeon Mu-young Seong Guk-eon knew well.
Moreover, the clothes and posture matched perfectly with Jeon Mu-young's.
The only noticeable oddity was the deliberate trace of reverse alchemy on the face.
Although the reverse alchemy was intentionally sloppy, unless the enemy used special abilities, it would have been impossible to see through the fake Jeon Mu-young.
“Such a sloppy use of reverse alchemy... My teacher is an even greater player than I remembered.”
The identity of the fake Jeon Mu-young beside Seong Guk-eon was his mentor, Kim Shin-rok, who had been Seong Guk-eon’s pillar of support during his youth. Now, using the name Kim Shin-rok, he was here to protect him.
"We've received word from the dragon. The watchful eyes on Eun-gwang High have disappeared," Kim Shin-rok spoke in a small voice, careful not to let his words leak outside the barrier.
Since Seong Guk-eon, as the target of the assassination, was at high risk of being eavesdropped, Kim Shin-rok had been in charge of communication during the operation.
The barrier was in place, and with the eyes gone, the voice, tone, and speed matched Jeon Mu-young’s.
While using Jeon Mu-young’s appearance, Kim Shin-rok seemed to continue to mimic him.
However, there was a flaw in the words he just spoke.
“The dragon referred to as 'that dragon' could be fixed, but everything else would be perfect.”
Despite the flaw, Seong Guk-eon chose not to point it out and quietly observed as Kim Shin-rok continued.
Kim Shin-rok, after checking the situation through his earrings, appeared slightly uneasy.
Without thinking too much, Seong Guk-eon could tell what was troubling Kim Shin-rok.
His caring teacher was surely worried about the others who had vanished, in place of Seong Guk-eon.
Seong Guk-eon waited for Kim Shin-rok to finish before responding.
“I understand. It seems there are no problems elsewhere.”
“...I haven’t been able to properly confirm the situation of the disappeared ones.”
“They’ll be fine. Mu-young has already completed the tasks Eui-shin assigned. Don’t worry.”
When Jo Eui-shin’s name was mentioned, Kim Shin-rok’s face softened noticeably.
Even without openly saying so, it was clear Kim Shin-rok trusted Jo Eui-shin deeply.
‘Just hearing his name reassured my teacher. That’s impressive.’
It wasn’t just Kim Shin-rok—most of the hojo clan seemed to trust Jo Eui-shin deeply.
Though it could have been complicated if the one they trusted wasn’t a direct descendant or a relative, Seong Guk-eon felt thankful instead.
The fact that Jo Eui-shin was trusted so much proved that he had done something remarkable, something Seong Guk-eon wasn’t even aware of.
At that moment, Kim Shin-rok’s expression became clouded.
“There’s been an issue at Tanlae Middle School.”
Jo Eui-shin had made some adjustments to the plan after Maeng Hyo-don’s attack.
The revised plan now included monitoring the area around Tanlae Middle School.
Seong Guk-eon couldn’t quite understand the connection between the Tanlae Middle School incident and his assassination plan, but he remembered a past incident involving Tanlae.
‘Eui-shin’s first request was regarding Tanlae. There was something odd about it.’
Last year, Jo Eui-shin had filed a complaint about Tanlae Middle School.
Jo Eui-shin had written about the underdeveloped facilities, the oppressive school staff and parent council, the suspicious financial flows in the budget, statements, and final accounts.
When the education department reviewed the complaint and found no issues, Jo Eui-shin had asked for Seong Guk-eon’s help.
‘Eui-shin’s complaint wasn’t flawed. The education department just tried to bury it.’
The education department could silence a student, but not a sitting member of the National Assembly.
Seong Guk-eon suspected that the education department had its reasons for blocking the complaint and thus reviewed the accounting records of all middle schools in Gyeonggi Province.
Through this, Seong Guk-eon discovered that over 50 public middle schools, including Tanlae, had problems.
There were embezzlement, breach of trust, and other kinds of corruption, but they had one thing in common.
The disappearance of the Youth Pre-Player Support Fund, sponsored by the Player Association.
‘At the time, I didn’t think much of it. The amount was large, but it was easy to target, so it made sense.’
The association, relying on its own power, couldn’t manage and assist all the young players without government cooperation.
While they built the cooperation process, there were issues and structural loopholes that allowed certain individuals to take advantage of it.
Even if some were found embezzling, the association couldn’t stop supporting those young players in desperate situations.
So, at that time, under Seong Guk-eon’s direction, a full audit was conducted, and the teachers involved were disciplined or criminally prosecuted, and he moved on.
It had always bothered him that the schools around Tanlae Middle School were so corrupt, but considering that the problematic teachers had passed through these schools, Seong Guk-eon had concluded they were the culprits.
However, the situation now seemed to indicate that something else was hidden.
‘So, the teachers at Tanlae Middle School hated Maeng Hyo-don? Because if a prominent player like him emerged, the association might start paying attention.’
Thanks to Maeng Hyo-don, who had connections to Jo Eui-shin, Seong Guk-eon began to focus on Tanlae Middle School.
So, if someone was targeting Maeng Hyo-don and Seong Guk-eon at once, it made sense that it would involve Tanlae.
Seong Guk-eon asked Kim Shin-rok.
“Dong-ha must have contacted us. What happened?”
“Yes, while observing Maeng Hyo-don...”
Suddenly, Kim Shin-rok awkwardly stopped speaking.
Instead of urging him for the next words, Seong Guk-eon quietly checked the surroundings for any traces.
Someone was approaching them down a long alley.
Because the figure had chosen to walk in the shadows, it was hard to see.
When the person got close enough that Seong Guk-eon could spot the blue mask they were wearing, he spoke.
“O person with the qualities of a king, I’ve come to fulfill the promise.”
The voice of the demon wearing a blue mask was filled with amusement.
In the other world, filled with thick clouds and fog, the sound of the crackling of Tak Geo-san’s energy pierced through the silence.
Shwoosh!
The stance was perfect, as though it could be included in a martial arts manual.
The strength needed to break any rare weapon with a punch.
The strength required to wield it.
The speed so fast that evasion was impossible.
The timing to strike a vital point.
Everything was flawless.
Maeng Hyo-don, who saw Tak Geo-san’s martial arts every day, was once again amazed.
But Tak Geo-san’s attack didn’t land.
Swish...
The incorporeal enemy dispersed like mist and reformed in the air.
The incorporeal enemy could temporarily erase its form, as its name suggested.
Maeng Hyo-don didn’t remember all the details of his lessons about incorporeal enemies, but he knew they were the kind of opponent that was troublesome to hit.
‘I was told to step aside when something like this happens. The enemy’s strengths don’t match ours, so it’s better to retreat and assist instead of wasting energy.’
The incorporeal enemies were strong against physical attacks but very weak to other types of powers.
For example, they were vulnerable to wind techniques like those of Sa Wol-seum, druidic magic like Goo Seul-bi’s, barrier techniques like Hwang Ji-ho’s, and attacks using enchanted instruments like Kwon Je-in’s.
However, Tak Geo-san and Maeng Hyo-don were martial artists without any special tricks.
“This is a bothersome one.”
Pah!
Energy infused with pure vitality burst from Tak Geo-san’s toes.
As he soared into the air with the energy, he kicked out.
The incorporeal enemy tried to erase its form again, but as soon as the dense energy hit it, its form solidified.
Finally, with a tearing sound, the incorporeal enemy scattered.
“Not a big deal. Let’s move.”
Tak Geo-san spoke nonchalantly, but Maeng Hyo-don realized it was more of a boast than a calm remark.
The person behind this whole incident had definitely lured them into this garden filled with enemies, targeting Maeng Hyo-don and Tak Geo-san’s weaknesses.
The rarity of the enemies wasn’t high, but due to the bad matchup, they had wasted a lot of energy.
If they kept wasting energy like this and met the floor master or the garden’s owner, the outcome was predictable.
‘...Can I protect my teacher?’
Fortunately, the incorporeal enemies focused on attacking Tak Geo-san and Maeng Hyo-don first.
Though Maeng Hyo-don’s middle school teacher hadn’t been hurt, escaping the garden on her own was impossible. Therefore, Tak Geo-san and Maeng Hyo-don had to conquer the garden.
“I feel like I’ve seen all the enemies I’ll ever see in my life. Tanlae Middle School’s surroundings are so quiet that they’re considered a clean zone in the other world.”
The middle school teacher spoke lightly, despite being deeply shaken.
Tak Geo-san and the middle school teacher seemed to be hiding their anxiety, trying to seem calm in front of their student.
“There’s a garden like this near Tanlae Middle School, so no other otherworlds can intrude. If a terrible entity guards the area, even the small ones can’t wander.”
“Is this near Tanlae Middle School?”
“Seems so. No matter how much we prepared, moving through the transfer’s power means...”
Tak Geo-san briefly explained his theory about the distance and energy consumption of the transfer, as well as the decrease in the frequency of otherworld occurrences due to the existence of the garden.
Maeng Hyo-don, who didn’t fully understand, began to suspect that the Taoist was speaking in another language.
It seemed easier to just fight the incorporeal enemies than try to interpret those words.
As Maeng Hyo-don distractedly fought off the enemies, he suddenly felt the heavy atmosphere and snapped back to attention.
Krrr...
The energy inside the garden swirled violently.
The garden’s structure was shifting, and the complicated paths had transformed into simpler ones.
Beyond the wide open path, an enemy riding on a low cloud was visible.
There was only one enemy wielding powerful abilities and altering the very fabric of the other world.
“The floor master has arrived.”
Tak Geo-san looked up at the translucent floor master.
Around the floor master were several smaller incorporeal enemies, flickering in and out of existence. 𝓃𝓸𝓿𝓹𝓾𝓫.𝓬ℴ𝓶
All of them were incorporeal enemies.
Whoosh!
The floor master moved its vortex-like eye apparatus and glanced at Tak Geo-san, Maeng Hyo-don, and the middle school teacher.
The spinning eye stopped when it landed on the middle school teacher.
It seemed that the floor master, who had far superior intelligence compared to the other enemies, had already figured out their weaknesses.
Tak Geo-san and Maeng Hyo-don tensed up, realizing what the floor master was planning.
The floor master gave an order, and the smaller enemies rushed toward the middle school teacher.
Seeing this, Maeng Hyo-don acted before his mind even caught up with his body.
Pah!
A massive fist materialized from Maeng Hyo-don’s energy, rising into the air.
Maeng Hyo-don dashed forward and activated Fighter’s Gravity, designating all the enemies in the vicinity as his targets, and making the area far from the middle school teacher his battlefield.
Tak Geo-san, seeing the large fist materialize from Maeng Hyo-don’s energy, realized that the enemies had now turned their focus on him.
The battle had shifted, and the floor master had ordered the enemies to attack Maeng Hyo-don instead.
Just as Maeng Hyo-don felt time slow down in that instant, the air seemed to freeze, and the situation was unfolding too fast for him to grasp.
Tak Geo-san was about to come to his aid, but was blocked by the floor master’s attack.
The middle school teacher was frozen in place, unable to comprehend what was happening due to the overwhelming speed.
Maeng Hyo-don, realizing he might have to sacrifice his left arm to defend a vital point, was making quick decisions in his mind when he suddenly heard a familiar voice.
“Don’t move, Hyo-don.”
In the darkened garden, a voice he knew well echoed through the air.
A pair of wings, seemingly backlit, suddenly appeared and rushed toward Maeng Hyo-don.
