Assassins who never failed had failed.
He had been confident that a martial artist’s fight and an assassin’s fight were different. That no matter how great an expert, they could not withstand a hidden blade.
Why had that hidden blade failed to pierce the belly of that smirking bastard?
In any case, he had judged that remaining with that man was disadvantageous to him, and had coldly issued an order of dismissal.
As if saying he seemed to know who had sent the assassins?
This was bait he could not resist biting.
“Who is it?”
Geom Mugeuk stared at him and spoke.
“It seems you are finally curious.”
Geum Ahhyeok responded calmly.
“I believe this assassination attempt is related to your grudge. So I am not curious about the client. I am trying to see what kind of person you are. How honest a person you are.”
It was not easy to be so shameless and confident when someone you had tried to kill was standing alive before your eyes. Moreover, in a situation where the opponent’s martial arts were overwhelming. In other words, it was proof that he had someone he trusted.
‘So this guy meets with the backer directly.’
Thus, Geom Mugeuk inferred the relationship with the mastermind from Geum Ahhyeok’s reaction.
“So tell me.”
Between the two, the second son, Geum Ahjong, was caught in a misunderstanding.
‘This cute little swindler, going so far as to stage a false flag?’
Geum Ahjong had regarded the assassins’ intrusion the night before as Geom Mugeuk’s staged act.
Assassins suddenly entering the Geumryong Clan, which had been perfectly fine all its life—wasn’t that impossible?
But he had never imagined that his father or brother had called the assassins. He thought he had the worst temper in the family, but as it turned out, he was the most naive.
‘In any case, he succeeded in catching my brother’s attention.’
Geum Ahjong was curious how this swindler would manipulate his brother.
Geum Ahhyeok pressed strongly.
“If you do not wish to speak, leave. And never seek me out again.”
Geom Mugeuk spoke with a smile.
“I am someone who wishes to become close with the Eldest Young Master. Could you not tell from my visit today to pay my respects?”
Geom Mugeuk sat at the reception table in the office.
“Ah, this is the kind of story that should be shared over a drink at a street tavern. You people must drink at expensive taverns or pleasure houses, but among the shabby taverns on the street, there are hidden gastronomic gems like Jangbyeongdo.”
“If you’re going to spout nonsense, leave!”
Geum Ahhyeok glared at his younger brother. His eyes told him to take him and get out immediately.
‘Ah, so this guy isn’t easy for my brother either.’
Lately, his brother had changed a lot. He had never liked him to begin with, but these days he even seemed repulsive and strange.
“Don’t press him so hard. That man must have said that because he knows something.”
Then, Geom Mugeuk suddenly spoke.
“You.”
Silence fell for a moment.
“The client is you.”
Geum Ahhyeok had never imagined he would be accused. And to his face, at that.
Geum Ahjong, who had been listening, burst into laughter.
“As expected, an interesting fellow.”
But Geom Mugeuk and Geum Ahhyeok did not laugh. The smile vanished from Geum Ahjong’s face as he laughed aloud.
“What? Surely you were not speaking in earnest?”
Geom Mugeuk nodded. The word “Madman!” involuntarily escaped Geum Ahjong’s lips.
“Why do you suspect me? Choose your words carefully. You are currently treating the Eldest Young Master of the Geumryong Clan as the one who commissioned the assassins.”
Geom Mugeuk stared at him. His turmoil could be felt from his trembling pupils. No matter how hard he tried, it would not be easy to remain calm in this situation.
Then, another shocking statement flowed from Geom Mugeuk.
“One of the assassins confessed your name as he died.”
Geom Mugeuk lied without a change in expression.
On the other hand, Geum Ahhyeok flustered at the word “confession.” The corners of his eyes trembled.
Geum Ahjong’s heart sank as he watched that sight. His brother’s eye corners had always trembled like that when he was struck in a vital point or when his lie was exposed. He had been like that since childhood.
“If you heard such words, why tell them to me?”
To the calm question, Geom Mugeuk replied with a smile.
“I believe our Eldest Young Master has been framed. Would the future successor of the Geumryong Clan possibly commit such an act? I am now a member of the Geumryong Clan as well; should I not provide such information to the one who will inherit the clan?”
Geum Ahhyeok said nothing.
As the conversation could continue no further, Geom Mugeuk rose from his seat.
“You must be busy; I have taken too much of your time. I shall take my leave for today.”
He added one more thing before leaving.
“Think carefully about who might have framed you.”
Leaving those words behind, Geom Mugeuk left the place first.
Geum Ahjong looked at his brother. Geum Ahhyeok went to the window and did not look back.
His heart was half-convinced, half-doubting now.
‘Did he really commission the assassins? No?’
If this were true, it was the perfect opportunity to drive his brother out of the successor position.
But he could not simply be happy.
‘This madman could have commissioned them against me too, couldn’t he?’
* * *
That night, in a small smithy, a middle-aged man placed heated iron on an anvil and struck it with a hammer.
Clang! Da-clang!
The hammering was cheerful and powerful. The shirtless man was skinny and frail, yet it was perplexing how such powerful blows could come from that bony, emaciated body.
Then, Geum Ahhyeok entered.
He quietly waited for the hammering to end. This man forgave anything else, but he absolutely could not tolerate being disturbed while working.
Clang!
With the long, resounding hammer blow as the finale, the man raised his head and looked at Geum Ahhyeok.
“You’ve come?”
“Elder, have you been well?”
The middle-aged man’s name was Myeongsin.
This was the very man Geum Ahhyeok referred to as “that person” before his father.
Geum Ahhyeok truly respected Myeongsin.
A strong and smart person. Someone different from ignorant martial artists.
It was pleasant being with him. He learned about the martial world, and about human affairs. Especially, when they were together, he felt the relief that no one could kill him.
Blood cannot be denied; the pathological fear of martial artists that his father, Geum Cheonbang, harbored had passed down to his son, Geum Ahhyeok.
“You seem to have grown thinner. Please take care of your meals.”
Now he looked like a common laborer in the smithy, drenched in sweat, but if he donned white robes at Haksageon and held a fan, he would truly look like the smartest person in the world. And he actually was smart.
Occasionally making swords and daggers as a hobby, his skill was truly remarkable.
“The assassination failed?”
“How did you know?”
Instead of answering, Myeongsin simply nodded once with an inscrutable expression.
The reason Geum Ahhyeok had invested a great sum to commission through the registry was for Myeongsin.
“Though we failed this time, I will sell all my possessions if I must to protect you, Elder.”
His father would faint in shock if he heard these words, but they were Geum Ahhyeok’s sincere feelings. Geum Ahhyeok believed in and followed Myeongsin like someone possessed.
After declaring his resolve, Geum Ahhyeok carefully broached another subject.
“But there is one thing I find puzzling.”
“What is it?”
“I was told that one of the assassins confessed, as he died, that I had placed the commission.”
“Who said so?”
“A man named Geomyeon said so.”
Myeongsin fell silent for a moment at the name Geomyeon. This expression was the first Geum Ahhyeok had seen from him.
It was unfamiliar because he felt an inexplicable tension. At this moment, he felt toward Myeongsin the same strange emotion his father had felt toward him.
“That is a lie. An assassin who carries out an assassination does not know who the client is.”
Geum Ahhyeok made an expression as if to say, “As I thought.” He had thought the same.
“Then why would he lie to me?”
Myeongsin looked at him. It was a look that asked if he truly did not know, but Geum Ahhyeok could not know. Myeongsin knew the answer.
“I have a guest to meet today, so return for now.”
A guest at this hour? How could that be? He probably did not want to see him much after the failed commission.
Geum Ahhyeok was disappointed. He had wanted to stay together longer on a day like today.
With this uneasy heart, unable to cleanly resolve the problem, he would not sleep a wink.
“I will visit again.”
Geum Ahhyeok courteously bowed and turned around.
Then, turning back, he said.
“Please do not worry about this matter. I will handle it well.”
“That is reassuring.”
Myeongsin showed a bright smile.
As soon as Geum Ahhyeok left, someone entered.
It was Geom Mugeuk, who had tailed Geum Ahhyeok to this place.
He had taken many detours to shake any tail, but how could he evade Geom Mugeuk’s eyes?
“Please forgive me for seeking you out with such shallow tricks.”
“How can a technique that accurately reads its opponent be called a shallow trick?”
It was something that would have truly hurt Geum Ahhyeok if he were here, but Myeongsin spoke without showing much emotion.
Their gazes met.
Geom Mugeuk could tell one fact from his eyes.
“You know who I am.”
A smile formed at Myeongsin’s lips.
“Indeed. Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult, Geom Mugeuk. Welcome.”
Though he had not introduced himself, Geom Mugeuk had already guessed who his opponent was. That was partly because of this place.
Myeongsin.
The right hand of the King of Assassins.
An assassin ranked second in the martial world.
Originally, he should have contended for supremacy under heaven alongside the King of Assassins, but for some reason, he had made the decision to become a subordinate to the King of Assassins.
No one in the martial world knew what had passed between them. There were only speculations that Myeongsin might owe the King of Assassins a debt of life-saving grace.
But Geom Mugeuk knew the reason. In his life before regression, it was revealed after Myeongsin died. The one who killed Myeongsin, who had been loyal his whole life, was the King of Assassins.
“You do not ask who I am?”
“Do assassins even have names? By what number are you called?”
Despite the provocative words, Myeongsin maintained his composure.
That Geom Mugeuk had immediately realized he was an assassin caused a strange light to flash in his eyes.
Myeongsin was an assassin of a type Geom Mugeuk had never experienced. In truth, his bearing was different from ordinary assassins.
Emotion could be felt in his bearing.
Geom Mugeuk looked around at the items hanging inside the smithy.
“Did you make all of these yourself?”
“Indeed.”
“May I touch them?”
“By all means.”
Myeongsin had exceptional skill in crafting concealed weapons, and even the King of Assassins frequently favored those he made. The reason the King of Assassins liked his concealed weapons was not solely because of their lethal power. It was said that among the weapons Myeongsin made, there were many that were bizarre and extraordinary.
Unfortunately, the items hanging here were merely ordinary daggers and blades. Weapons with perfect balance, as if flaunting his skill.
“Do you sell them?”
“I do not sell them, as this is but a pastime.”
“That is a shame. I was planning to buy everything here if they were for sale.”
Myeongsin formed a strange smile.
“Just as the rumors say.”
“What rumors of me have you heard?”
Myeongsin slowly walked toward Geom Mugeuk.
The man who was the second-best at killing people in the martial world was approaching.
Geom Mugeuk tensed every nerve and maintained the calmness of his mind.
Gazing quietly at Geom Mugeuk, he spoke calmly.
“I shall have to forget all the rumors.”
It sounded like words saying he would judge for himself by seeing directly, so Geom Mugeuk spoke with a disappointed expression.
“There must have been many decent rumors. A shame.”
The distance between the two was close enough to reach with a swung sword.
“Amazing. That you show yourself like this instead of fleeing when we have come.”
“Rather, I am amazed. That they would leave you so unattended.”
It was a statement implying that he could kill the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult, who traveled alone.
“That is because my father raises his children so harshly. He is the type to throw one off a cliff and tell them to devise a movement technique on the way down.”
Myeongsin received the joke with a laugh. He was certainly composed. The composure given by strength and confidence.
“You must have expected that I would track Geum Ahhyeok here. Why did you wait?”
Myeongsin spoke, gazing at Geom Mugeuk.
“I waited to tell you to leave.”
Precisely because it was calm, it was a threatening warning.
“If you know who I am, you must also know who came with me this time. Would you leave if he told you to? Go tell him yourself.”
With an expression that said that would be troublesome, Myeongsin made a persuasion for the sake of persuasion.
“Be persuaded. Then nothing will happen.”
Of course, there was no way it would work.
“I am still young. A life in which nothing happens is far too dull.”
With an expression that said he had expected as much, Myeongsin walked toward the opposite wall and said,
“We intend to resolve this matter with money.”
He gripped a handle protruding from the wall beside the brazier.
“Do you know what this is?”
“What is it?”
“A device that issues an order to every assassin in the murim to spread a certain piece of news. The moment I pull it, my subordinates will begin delivering the message all at once.”
“What news?”
Then came words he had not expected.
“The news that a bounty has been placed on your head.”
Geom Mugeuk’s gaze deepened.
“You would have to put up quite a sum to make them want to kill the young cult leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.”
“So we did put up quite a sum.”
An astonishing amount flowed from Myeongsin’s lips.
“Ten million nyang.”
“!”
It was a sum that even startled Geom Mugeuk.
“The highest bounty in the history of the murim. Not merely enough for the young cult leader of the Demonic Cult—enough to make them leap into hell in search of the target.”
Myeongsin said with a cold gaze,
“The moment I pull this, you will be busy starting today. Will you still not leave?”
A taut tension flowed between the two of them.
Geom Mugeuk slowly began walking toward him.
Myeongsin grew tense at Geom Mugeuk’s reaction.
“Come any closer, and I’ll pull it.”
But as if daring him to pull it if he could, Geom Mugeuk did not stop.
At last, when he reached Myeongsin’s side, Geom Mugeuk did something completely unexpected.
He also seized the handle that Myeongsin was holding. Because of that, their hands overlapped.
It was a moment in which a fierce battle could have erupted in an instant, but Myeongsin simply watched what Geom Mugeuk did.
Both their actions and reactions defied common sense, yet they were calm and tranquil.
Geom Mugeuk looked at Myeongsin, grinned, and pulled the handle with all his strength.
Clank.
Then the door of the brazier swung open. This handle had been the mechanism for opening that door.
“How did you know?”
Geom Mugeuk answered with a faint smile.
“Aren’t you people staying with the Golden Dragon Clan because of money? And yet you’d spend that much just to kill me?”
Myeongsin showed his admiration honestly.
“You’re rather clever.”
“It should have been in the rumors about me. Not just clever, but brilliant; not just brilliant, but genius.”
Myeongsin grinned.
“Genius young cult leader, then we shall meet again.”
The handle was not only a mechanism for opening the brazier. After a short delay, another device activated.
Clank.
The floor beneath Myeongsin opened, and he dropped downward. At the same time, steel needles poured down on the place where Geom Mugeuk stood.
Swish swish swish swish swish swish swish swish swish!
Clang clang clang clang clang clang clang clang clang!
By the time he drew his sword and struck down all the steel needles, Myeongsin had already escaped. For some reason, Geom Mugeuk did not pursue him down the hole.
Instead, he shouted into the hole through which Myeongsin had vanished.
“You don’t look like you have ten million nyang—let alone a thousand!”
From far within the hole, it seemed as though Myeongsin’s laughter echoed back.
Absolute Regression, Chapter 482