Surviving as a Rival in a Martial Arts Novel

Chapter 3 – The Assassin Appears and Kills Everyone (01)

“Be careful, Samae. If we lose our way here, we’ll become lost children.”

“Yes, executioner.”

Samae held my hand tightly as we moved.

She may not have a small and delicate body like before, but for me, she still remains as the first impression, someone I have to take care of indefinitely.

To others, I might appear as an older brother taking care of a younger sister with a slight age difference.

“Hmm…”

Unexpectedly, but ultimately unable to resist the persistence of Seolhwa, I found myself diving into the story of our journey together.

“Well… This is quite awkward.”

Originally a penniless and dispirited beggar, Cheongha would drink cheap liquor given by roving bandits on the streets, then take a sleeping pill, pass out, and end up being sold to a shabby brothel under the control of Haomun.

However, as soon as I regained my senses and effortlessly broke the chains that bound my hands, I found myself shaking in front of the owner of Haomun, who was upset, claiming that I had mistakenly offended a martial artist. I casually offered to play the role of a bodyguard, stating that I had nowhere else to go, and spent time getting to know the courtesans. Eventually, I got entangled in the plot witnessing the scene where the owner of Haomun meets the black-cloaked members of the dark organization.

“But wait a moment… Didn’t problems arise from the beginning?”

In the state of carrying Seolhwa, I couldn’t afford to pass out with her and get captured. Seolhwa, being a beauty, was likely to be sold to a different place than me, and I couldn’t bear the thought of putting my precious siblings in such danger.

Even if we were captured together, I had planned to gather information while getting close to the courtesans and wait for the right moment. But showing such a demeanor in front of Seolhwa was a bit…

“I should have forcefully placed my siblings in the master’s residence, even if it meant creating a scene from the start.”

Everything is entangled from one to ten, damn it.

Let’s skip the natural progression and focus only on major events.

Firstly, I had to smash the lackeys of the dark organization here in Sacheondang in order to be attacked by them as an obstacle, and secondly, I had to meet the protagonist and the heroine, pick a fight with them, and become an opportunity to get close to them.

Originally, due to laziness and indulging in alcohol like a beggar, my inner strength naturally accumulated thanks to the effect of the Three Leaf Grass. However, due to impurities, I fell behind in skill even though I had the ability to overwhelm the protagonist. Shocked by that incident, I decided to start training again.

“Hmm. Following the main storyline shouldn’t cause any issues. If I embellish the historical background a bit, it might be overlooked as being similar to the original…”

Thinking so, I, with an innocent expression, turned my attention to the sibling who clung to me like a chick, holding onto my hand.

“Wait a moment. Even if everything else is acceptable… If I take Seolhwa with me, when the protagonist’s group clashes with us, it won’t be 2:1, but 2:2, right?”

Moreover, given Seolhwa’s personality, she wouldn’t just stand by quietly and watch me being attacked. Especially when it came to the crisis of her family, Seolha was sensitive and would react strongly.

“If that happens, won’t our brotherly duo just end up in a brawl and it’s over?”

In that case, the story would become a complete mess right from the start.

“You know, Ok Samae?”

“Yes, execution. You called?”

Even now, absentmindedly watching the various mysterious gadgets of Sacheon, she turns her head towards me like a puppy when I call, meeting my eyes.

How adorable this is. Naturally, a smile forms on my face… but now is not the time for that.

“By any chance, do you miss… your father, Master?”

It’s been three days since we descended from the mountain. For Samae, who has never left her father’s side since birth, it was a time when she would miss her parents in her own way.

‘I’m tearing up just mentioning my parents while keeping candles lit in the evening, even if I can’t see them for a day or two during training.’

“With you by my side, Samae, I’m fine.”

It’s comforting, but it’s not the answer I wished for.

“I don’t want to go home or miss the mountain… anything like that.”

Even now, with the look that seems to relax when seeing the various strange items and numerous people in Sacheon, she’s holding my hand, preventing her from getting lost, which is fortunate.

‘I need to rethink the plan.’

Most things are handled after putting Samae to sleep at the inn at night.

‘Besides, the dark organization… I know well where they operate, how they get caught. Today happens to be the day of their gathering…’

Knowing the future comes in handy like this.

You can reach conclusions without going through complicated processes.

“Samae, would you like to try that?”

“Execution, please have some too.”

So, let’s spend the day having a good time with Sa-mae.

After playing too enthusiastically and getting tired, the idea is to be able to collapse in exhaustion in the evening.

* * *

“Isn’t it later than I thought?”

Originally, I thought that around Hashi (9 to 11 PM), Sa-mae would be sound asleep, and I could sneak out unnoticed. However, maybe because I booked a cheap lodging, I kept sensing the presence of people wandering around Sa-mae, and not being accustomed to feeling others’ presence (I never felt it when I lived in the mountains), I couldn’t sleep. As a result, I ended up being caught up until Jashi (11 PM to 1 AM).

In modern times, this wouldn’t be considered late, but as the sun sets, in the martial arts world where people start preparing for bed, this time was at a level where no one would be active.

After Sa-mae fell asleep, I cautiously started looking for the place described in the novel, and it was roughly past Chookshi (1 to 3 AM).

“Chookshi mid-phase, where humans supposedly sleep the deepest… At this moment, I shouldn’t face any disturbances, but… since I’m included in those humans, being sleepy was the problem.”

“Um… let’s pull ourselves together. We need to finish the job neatly before Sa-mae notices, and there won’t be a problem.”

There was no need to worry about misunderstanding and being chased by others, but the ones moving right now were either Yangsang military or a covert organization gathering information, and there was no one else.

A port attached to the Chang River flowing within the Sacheon Fortress. This was the place where the Black Veil organization met with collaborators active in Sacheon.

“Let’s finish as quickly as possible and leave. It’s still a stage where the Black Veil organization won’t move properly, and it’s a regular reporting phase…”

As described in the novel, Cheong-ha, who became close with a nun, witnesses their meeting by chance while attempting to secretly steal something from the port. If she hadn’t recognized who they were, she could have saved her life, but unfortunately, due to trying to identify the owner of a limp by looking at their legs, she lost her life.

So, I also stationed myself near the port and am looking for a person limping…

“No sign of a person or anything.”

I knew the rendezvous date was on such a moonless night. Was I wrong?

“And something… feels like I’m forgetting something.”

Since this novel I’m possessed by isn’t a masterpiece and was just casually read to pass the time, I don’t remember every detail of the content.

Cheongha’s kidnapping occurred around this time, during a period of about a month when she was getting acquainted with the maidens. In other words, originally, a month later, the maiden would go missing, and Cheongha would inevitably break through their identities without knowing who they were… But what happened before that?

Honestly, I only remember the movements of the main characters, the protagonist couple, and the main rival Cheongha. Other side characters are easily forgettable.

There seems to have been something important, or maybe not…

“Huh?”

As time passed like a condensed summary, and as the scenes were unfolding, there was nothing, and I was dozing off, but something was detected in my senses.

“Someone is there.”

It was a discreet movement.

It wasn’t the clumsy footsteps of a middle-aged man who had just mastered secret martial arts, even if the owner of the inn, Kiro, had secretly trained. It felt more agile and discreet.

If the opponent hadn’t let their guard down by pure chance, it would have been difficult to feel such a discreet movement.

“A secret organization gathering information… Ah!”

Only then did I recall the background setting I had forgotten.

Among the intelligence personnel of the protagonist’s trio, there was Jegalse’s Jangryeong Lady, also known as Jegal Yeonji. The reason she became entangled with the protagonist was that she came to Sacheon to find information about her missing twin sister and was attacked by a dark organization chasing Cheongha. The protagonist rescued her, and they became close. In the novel, it is casually mentioned as “a member of the family missing,” but in reality, it was about her missing twin sister. When Jegal Yeonji left, she disguised herself and played the role of her sister, who had to hide her identity externally. The protagonist comforted her, and they became close.

This story takes place about two months after the duel with Cheongha.

“I remember the news being cut off for about three months, and Jangryeong Lady came to Sacheon to lure the protagonist, the Blue Sacred, as bait or something…”

Thanks to that, at the beginning, it was a mix of killing and saving, but then affection grew, and they even talked about marriage. As they gained influence in the martial arts world, they became prominent.

“So… if today is said to be that day, is it the day she dies today…”

I seemed to know why there was no sign of her popularity in this harbor.

The reason I couldn’t remember was that it had transitioned to the background setting, and it didn’t connect to today’s date right away.

“Hmm…”

As I spread out my senses and looked around, I saw numerous assassins closing in on me. I could sense the presence of the twin sister of the Zilang heroine, who I had been feeling, as she prepared for battle, revealing her presence in response to the assassins’ presence.

“Fortunately, it seems like I haven’t been discovered…”

Shoo!

The assassins swiftly started moving, surrounding her. Without hiding their presence any longer, the sound of weapons clashing filled the darkness as the slaughter unfolded.

Thud.

The assassin who had been running agilely just moments ago now fell to the ground, turned into a lifeless lump of flesh. But the number of assassins sent by the organization was thirty, and she was merely one.

Jegalsega’s martial arts skills were not particularly strong, and her martial arts were not meant for assassination or combat, but rather for infiltration and gathering information. There seemed to be no way for her to escape from this place…

“If I want to progress the predetermined story, then I shouldn’t intervene while hiding here.”

That way, the protagonist would revisit this place, and his relationships with the Wulin League and other connections would develop.

Swish!

Even though three assassins fell, drenched in blood, they used their dying breaths to entangle her body with hidden threads, preventing her from moving and cutting into her flesh. Eventually, she was dragged into the shadow of the cargo piled up at the harbor, caught in a thin net like a trapped beast.

If she continued to be dragged like this, she would become someone who even Jegalsega’s intelligence network couldn’t find. Most likely, she would be disposed of cleanly without leaving a single trace, not even a corpse.

“Ugh.”

While observing this scene, I could see the black doll being dragged helplessly in the net.

Judging from the way she was being constricted by the net, she seemed to be a woman with a slender figure. The moment she made eye contact with me, she sent a signal to my mind.

“I don’t know who you are, but please, contact Jegalsega… Just let him know that the mission has failed, and I will reward you greatly.”

Even though she knew she was going to die, she didn’t ask for help. Truly a professional spy with a strong sense of professionalism.

“Yes. This is also… just part of the story…”

I closed my eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.

“Come to think of it… if I suddenly intrude now, would it turn into a development where a masked assassin jumps out and kills all the characters who were doing well in the story? What should I do for the next part?”

I was trying to justify the situation where I had to ignore her while thinking like that.

Chin.

“… But even that content is quite thrilling, isn’t it? Don’t you think so?”

Who wouldn’t say that?

If you’re a novelist, you have to create a more thrilling development than suddenly having a masked assassin appear and kill off all the characters.

I’m just a character who has been possessed, so the story development will be taken care of by the author.