Myst, Might, Mayhem (Novel)

Four days later, in a dense forest not far from the estate of Yeon Mok Sword Manor…

A man wearing a bamboo hat and carrying a backpack filled with old books and tools, dressed in a navy blue Taoist robe with the yin-yang symbol, was walking somewhere, holding a sword technique hand seal in one hand and a talisman with the character "追" (chase) written on it in the other.

The man continuously chanted an incantation.

"The heaven and earth are fixed, the sun and moon are fixed, the qi of heaven and earth is bright, the qi of the sun and moon is bright, the qi of gods and ghosts is formed, the mind and the subconscious mind are united, the subconscious mind and the conscious mind are united, the mind of heaven and all minds..."

This was the Harmony Mantra.

It was a type of Summoning Harmony Technique used to meet someone whose whereabouts were unknown, and he had been searching the surroundings while employing this technique for two or three days straight. Normally, he would quickly find someone with this technique.

'It's concealed.'

A very strong and ominous energy was obscuring it. This wasn't a case of going missing or being killed in an ordinary manner. The power of evil spirits or techniques was involved.

'Who could it be?'

Sak was considered the third-ranking Shaman within Ghostly Spirit Pavilion. Moreover, as she controlled the Imaemangryang entity Guyeo as her spirit servant, she had the ability to single-handedly exorcise ghosts up to the Yellow Spirit level. Yet, for her to be defeated like this was incomprehensible.

…

"What? How could that be?"

"This is a letter sent by the chief wife of Yeon Mok Sword Manor. Read it."

The letter contained a threat-like protest. It stated that if they didn't hand over the penalty of three thousand silver coins and Sak, they would annihilate Ghostly Spirit Pavilion. If the contents of the letter were true, it was understandable for the chief wife to be angry, but it was unlikely for Sak to engage in such an act.

"There must be something more to it. Find her and uncover the truth."

…

So, he had been doing this day and night without rest. He had to find her quickly before Yeon Mok Sword Manor made a move.

At that moment, while he was focusing on the technique again…

*Tremble*

*Tremble*

The talisman of "追" (chase) held in his left hand shook violently.

'It's coming from nearby!'

With that, the man grasped the talisman with both hands and chanted an incantation.

"…The body and mind are virtuous, the ghosts and demons fill the sky, the left protects and the right necessitates, the clouds gather and disperse, the water flows and the valley is deep, the golden lock and the four seals, urgently execute the imperial edict!"

As soon as the incantation ended, The shaking characters on the talisman darkened and floated in the air on their own, flying somewhere.

*Flap*

*Flap*

The man followed the flying talisman. Eventually, the talisman bent downward somewhere. It was hidden by thick bushes, and when he passed through, a quite steep cliff appeared. It was a place where one could easily fall to their death if they mis-stepped.

The man looked around and found a slope to descend. There, he discovered the talisman lying neatly on the ground.

'!?'

Something else caught his eye before the talisman. In the surroundings, there were fragments of flesh and dried bloodstains, making it difficult to recognize the human form. Upon seeing this, the man couldn't help but frown.

'How could this happen...?'

He had never anticipated such an outcome. He had considered the possibility of her being attacked, but this was more serious than he thought. The man swallowed his dry saliva. This was definitely not something that could happen with a mere Yellow Spirit level entity.

'What on earth happened?'

Nothing could be determined solely based on this horrific scene. If at least the corpse had been intact, there would have been a way to find out in detail through necromancy, but with this, the chances were slim.

However, there was no other choice. The man placed his hand on the ground in the centre of the catastrophe and closed his eyes.

*Chak*

*Chak*

He formed hand seals with his left hand.

'Gae (皆)! Tu (鬪)! Jeon (前)!'

Oe-bak hand seal, Oe-sa, followed by the Bobyeong.

They were the hand seals of the Nine Character Dharani.

"Three Yin Bright Method. The Northern Emperor has granted me authority. So reveal all that has transpired. Urgently execute the imperial edict."

*Tremble*

*Tremble*

The bloodstained objects on the ground began to tremble slightly. Beads of cold sweat formed on the man's forehead. When one is killed by an evil spirit, even the soul and the remaining bodily energy are damaged, making it difficult to draw out the traces through incantations.

"Reveal everything. Urgently execute..."

The man's head was thrown back. Then, like a flashback, fleeting memories pierced his mind.

*Swish*

…

"Myoshin..."

"Cough, cough, I deflected the killing technique you sent."

"Are you a Shaman?"

"Whew. It's quiet now."

"How can you grasp an Imaemangryang with your bare hands?"

"You said you'd do anything, right?"

"...Now I'm retreating like this, but before long..."

*Shiver*

At that moment, along with an ominous and spine-chilling energy, the man's consciousness returned. The man muttered with trembling eyes.

"Wh-What was that?"

The memory was cut off along with the tremendous fear Sak had felt at the end. It seemed like something had snipped off that part. If it were this level of fear and dread, there should have been at least a little bit of the final fragment visible, but there was none.

'Strange.'

All beings fall into fear in the face of death. However, the fear seen before this abruptly cut-off memory wasn't the fear felt before dying but the emotion experienced while facing some immense terror.

'What on earth happened?'

He grew even more curious. The memories were too short, like fleeting moments, so it was impossible to know exactly what had transpired. Through the glimpses of some memories, he had only learned one thing.

'Mok Gyeongwoon...'

That person was at the centre of Sak's death and this incident. Although it was just a fragment, there was one particularly memorable memory.

'...Grasping an Imaemangryang with bare hands?'

It was a difficult feat even for Shamans unless they met special conditions. From this, one of two things could be inferred. Either this young master named Mok Gyeongwoon was possessed by a Yellow Spirit, as they had initially suspected, making this possible.

Or he might have been born with spiritual talent. If it was the latter, it was a remarkable talent.

'...He might be a natural-born Shaman.'

Such talent was hard to find. It was said that even the slightest ability to sense spiritual traces through one of the five senses indicated talent. However, touching an Imaemangryang, a mass of demonic energy, without any conditions was on a completely different level.

The man shook his head.

'This isn't what's important.'

For now, he had to make contact with this fellow named Mok Gyeongwoon to find out what had happened.

The man glanced at the air and muttered, "Go-jo. I have a feeling we shouldn't let our guard down."

With those words, he gestured for someone to follow. Then, the shadow of an eagle on the ground flapped its wings in response. The strange thing was that the head of the eagle in this shadow had a peculiar set of horns.

…

Shining Orchid Pavilion, located at the southern end of the back alley in the low-end market. It was overflowing with various low-quality prostitutes.

"Hahahaha."

"Drink up. I'll pay for everything today."

"Let's get wasted today!"

Due to these individuals, other customers couldn't even muster the courage to enter.

'Phew.'

Watching them, escort guard Go Chan, who was standing at the entrance, sighed.

'At least this is the only information organization in this area.'

It was a place of quite low quality. If categorized into high, middle, and low, it would barely qualify as low-grade. Just looking at the gathered individuals, the level was significantly inferior.

However, he had an order from Mok Gyeongwoon, so he came to make a request at a nearby place.

…

"Ask if they know this symbol."

"Pardon? How do I…"

"You don't need to know the details. Escort guard Go Chan, just submit the request to that information organization or whatever it is."

"Understood."

…

'What could this be?'

The symbol Mok Gyeongwoon had shown him was quite simple. However, he had never seen it before. It might be because he had retired a long time ago, but if even he, a former assassin, didn't know it, it could be something trivial.

'Where is he, anyway?'

The leader of this place should be here. Since it was a low-quality place, there were no special rules, and they would bring information in exchange for money.

'Ah, there he is.'

He had met him a few times after settling here. Go Chan sighed once and called out to someone, "Boss Gwak."

At his call, a man sitting in the middle of the inn, filled with the scent of alcohol, slowly turned his head without getting up. Then, blinking his eyes, he seemed to recognize Go Chan and stood up with a bright expression.

"Oh my. Isn't it escort guard Go Chan from Yeon Mok Sword Manor?"

Although it had been a long time since they met, he was still a person immersed in alcohol and women. Even now, he had a woman who looked like a courtesan by his side, which was a distasteful sight.

Go Chan shook his head and said, "I have a request to make."

"A request?"

"I will pay the proper price."

"I understand. Come up to the second-floor office."

Although he didn't like it, he had heard that Boss Gwak was originally from the Hao Sect. That's why his information network wasn't too shabby. Not long after entering the private room, a thumping sound was heard from the second-floor corridor.

He always made such noise due to his large build.

'He's disqualified as an assassin.'

The basics of an assassin lie in secrecy and confidentiality. Of course, individuals with such qualities were rare.

At that moment, the door to the private room opened, and Boss Gwak entered.

"...What are you doing?" Go Chan asked, raising an eyebrow.

Boss Gwak had entered with a woman under his arm. Judging by her upswept hair, heavy makeup, and clothes that showed her cleavage, she seemed to be a courtesan. Her face was so beautiful that it drew the eye, but this wasn't the occasion for that.

"This is a new girl who recently joined. Isn't she nice?"

"Didn't I say I had a request to make?"

"She's one of our girls, so you don't need to mind her presence. If you have something to say, go ahead. I need to go down soon."

'...This pathetic fellow.'

Go Chan inwardly felt murderous intent rising within him. No matter how low the quality was, this was truly below standard. If things continued like this, there was no need to make a request.

"Send her out."

"Oh, escort guard Go. As men, we should enjoy..."

"If she keeps coming out like this, I'll just leave."

"..."

Those words had an effect.

Boss Gwak, who had become like a mute who had eaten honey, irritably said to the courtesan, "Go down and wait for this gentleman obediently. If I find you in the arms of another man, be prepared for the consequences."

Then, as he tried to slap her buttocks with his palm,

*Tak*

The courtesan caught Boss Gwak's hand.

"Oh?"

"Phew. How unpleasant," the courtesan muttered as if annoyed.

"You wench!"

At her attitude, Boss Gwak was dumbfounded and tried to slap her face.

*Puk*

The courtesan's hand had already reached Boss Gwak's ear. Then, Boss Gwak staggered like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

"You!"

Startled by this sight, Go Chan hurriedly tried to draw his dagger, but something that flew from the courtesan's hand pierced his acupoint.

*Pu*

*Pu*

*Pu*

*Puk*

It was a very thin needle. As the needle pierced him, Go Chan couldn't open his mouth or move. It was as if his acupoints had been struck.

*Deu*

*Reu*

*Rue*

The courtesan pulled out a chair from the table and pushed it behind the staggering Boss Gwak. Then, Boss Gwak naturally sat on the chair. Of course, from the front, it didn't look like he was in good condition, with his eyes rolled back, showing only the whites of his eyes.

'This... This is...'

Go Chan couldn't hide his bewilderment as he looked at the needle stuck in his chest. As a former member of the Flying Kill Sect, he couldn't possibly not know what this was.

'Lustrous Jade Flying Needles?'

It was the unique secret skill of Flying Killing Yama's Guest technique, the Sect Leader of the Flying Kill Sect and one of the four great assassins in the Central Plains.

...

It was impossible for a mere courtesan to use the Lustrous Jade Flying Needles, which could be considered the symbol of the Sect Leader of the Flying Kill Sect. The current Sect Leader, Flying Killing Yama's Guest, was a man who had reached the age of sixty.

Although he was older compared to the active members, his skills were truly unrivalled, allowing him to firmly maintain his position as one of the four great assassins for over twenty years.

Yet, for his unique secret skill to be in the hands of this courtesan...

'!!!'

Go Chan couldn't hide his surprise. He seemed to understand this courtesan's identity now.

'C-Could it be?'

Flying Killing Yama's Guest had a granddaughter. Her name was Ha Chae-rin. She was the only surviving blood relative after losing her entire family in an unexpected attack. Flying Kill Sect Leader poured everything into this remaining bloodline.

So far, it was good. It was something that everyone could fully understand. The problem lied elsewhere.

'...Is the Sect Leader in his right mind?'

All the assassins of the Flying Kill Sect believed that Flying Killing Yama's Guest would never pass on his Sect Leader position to his only granddaughter. Because she was utterly unsuitable as an assassin. It was no exaggeration to say that the foundation of an assassin lies in cold rationality.

However, that granddaughter was far from it. She was the embodiment of a personality disorder. Her foul language that didn't match her pretty and young age, her extreme mysophobia, her anger management issues... Nothing was suitable for an assassin.

'Everyone opposed it.'

The last time he saw her was four years ago.

It was before he retired, but when the executives and all the assassins of the Flying Kill Sect protested, Flying Killing Yama's Guest forcibly confined her in the Bisaldong, saying he would set her straight.

'It's impossible.'

Everyone was convinced that it was absolutely impossible to set her straight. How could he possibly control her fiery temper and make her possess the cold rationality of an assassin?

With that, he had forgotten about her. It had been four years since he retired, so she would have grown into a proper woman at the age of nineteen by now.

'Proper...'

Just looking at her impressive breasts that could be grasped, it was evident. She had indeed grown up splendidly. With such an alluring face, anyone would easily fall for her unless they were exceptional.

At that moment, she extended her hand towards the wall of the private room.

*Seuk*

The needles embedded in the wall were pulled out and attached to the bracelet on her wrist.

Seeing this, it was clear that it was indeed Flying Killing Yama's Guest's unique secret skill, the Lustrous Jade Flying Needles. Her using this meant she had inherited the Sect Leader position.

'...Then does that mean she succeeded in the Hundred Days, Hundred Kills?'

To become the Sect Leader of the assassin sect of Flying Killing, there was a rite of passage. It involved taking a test called the Hundred Days, Hundred Kills. The Hundred Days, Hundred Kills required completing a hundred designated requests within a hundred days. If one achieved this, they would be called one of the Four Great Assassins.

'Impossible.'

Given her temperament, it was doubtful she could have accomplished this. Or did the former Sect Leader truly succeed in raising her into a proper assassin? Perhaps that could be the case. Come to think of it, it was also surprising that she, with her severe mysophobia, was enduring and serving alcohol among the prostitutes.

'Was there room for rehabilitation?'

If that were the case, the former Sect Leader might become admirable. After all, he had managed to raise that personality-disordered individual into one of the Four Great Assassins. Then, a small voice reached his ears.

"Oh my. Damn it."

'...!?'

He saw Ha Chae-rin, disguised as a courtesan, wiping a small drop of blood from her cheek. She had a cold gaze, as if displeased. Seeing her like that reminded him of her younger days when she used to swear.

'...Is she really fixed?'

As he was feeling doubtful, she approached him. Approaching him, she pulled out one of the needles embedded in his chest. Then, a cough escaped from Go Chan's mouth.

"Cough, cough."

The fact that his voice came out seemed to indicate she had removed the needle blocking his vocal cords.

Ha Chae-rin sat on the table, crossing her exposed smooth legs, and said, "I never expected to see a retired person like this. Uncle Go Chan. Or should I call you Former Low-Rank Assassin No. 83?"

'Damn it.'

It was indeed Ha Chae-rin. He thought she would have forgotten since it had been four years, but she remembered him just from the few encounters they had. Go Chan parted his lips with a tense voice.

"...It's been a long time, Young Lady."

"Sect Leader."

"Pardon?"

"I'm the Sect Leader now."

He had been sceptical, but his conjecture was correct. She had become the current Sect Leader of the Flying Killing. As this fact was revealed, Go Chan was overwhelmed by a sense of unease. The reason was simple. When a retired assassin meets an assassin from their former assassin group, it usually means death.

As he was feeling anxious, Ha Chae-rin said, "Is it because you retired that you don't see me as a Sect Leader?"

"N-No, how could that be? Congratulations on becoming the new Sect Leader."

"Hmmph. Kneel and receive my blessings."

'...'

At the thick curse that flew out of her mouth, Go Chan was at a loss for words. No matter how he looked at it, she was exactly the same as he remembered her. Even before, it didn't suit her pretty face to utter such profanity.

Ha Chae-rin covered her lips with her hand and said, "Oh my. Look at me. I must have become too comfortable meeting someone I know after a long time. I should put on some airs and such, but a curse slipped out without me realizing it."

"P-Please feel free to be comfortable."

"How can I do that? A lady should have manners."

'...'

What manners at this point? He thought that inwardly but kept his mouth shut. Of course, he didn't have the courage to say it out loud. Rather, he became even more tense. He didn't know what words would come out of her mouth.

At that moment, Ha Chae-rin parted her red lips. "Someone might think I came here to kill you. Grandfather also cherished you two, allowing you to retire together with Uncle Gam. So, relax."

"...Is that true?"

Go Chan asked with wide eyes. He had been worried that she might be after his life. But if she said that, it seemed there wouldn't be any significant problems.

'Phew...'

He felt relieved. But suddenly, he also found it strange. If she wasn't after him, why did the new Sect Leader personally appear here and use the Lustrous Jade Flying Needles on him?

As he was puzzled, Ha Chae-rin said with a smile, "It's a good thing."

"Pardon?"

What was a good thing?

"I was planning to enter and leave Yeon Mok Sword Manor through the eldest young master, who I heard enjoys wine and women, but I can go in together with you, Escort Guard Go Chan."

'!?'

For a moment, Go Chan furrowed his brow, wondering what she was talking about. Why did she want to enter Yeon Mok Sword Manor with him?

"Wh-What do you mean by that? Why would you enter Yeon Mok Sword Manor with me?"

At that question, Ha Chae-rin slightly lifted Go Chan's chin with her fingertip and spoke in a murderous voice, "I'm thinking of taking the head of the third young master of Yeon Mok Sword Manor."

'!!!!!!'