Chapter 57

Chapter 57

In that situation where unidentified figures were launching an attack against the Alliance-Demonic coalition, the northwestern side of Gunja Island was incredibly quiet.

Because everyone was moving to block the attack of the men in black, it seemed only a small number remained to guard the entrance.

A group of masked men was moving rapidly toward that place.

Moving more stealthily than anyone, they appeared so skilled in stealth that not only their footsteps but even the wind did not shake.

The sounds of battle echoing from afar did not draw even a shred of interest from them.

They only searched for the entrance that led into the secret cave.

Their steps were relentless, as if they had known where it was from the very beginning.

At the same time, if an obstacle appeared before them, they swung their swords without hesitation.

Slash-!

"Keuk!"

A person's head flew off in an instant.

They did not care whether it was the Murim Alliance or the Demonic Cult. Their gaze remained fixed on the entrance, and their feet seemed to do nothing but move toward it.

-Move faster. Two quarters of an hour left.

The men in black each nodded their heads.

Then, they lowered their bodies further and channeled strength into their legs.

It felt as if their speed as they sprang forward in an instant had become even faster.

The sound of cutting wind echoed, and they soon cut down the three individuals guarding the entrance, slipping inside before the corpses of the dead could even fall to the ground.

The time it took to enter the secret cave was not even the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

They were that stealthy and agile.

They seemed like people specialized in this kind of work.

Even as they entered the long and winding cave, they did not even cast a glance at the surrounding scenery.

Even though darkness where one could not see an inch ahead pressed in, they seemed to see clearly in front of them.

-It is quite long. It will take longer than expected.

-No, I hear the sound of water. It is getting closer.

Listening closely as the man in black said, the sound of water was indeed heard. Seeing also that the strength of the wind was changing, the place that could be called their destination did not seem very far.

The men in black looked at one another, nodded, and moved their feet even faster. Their speed rose to a point where even Jang Sam-tae would have stuck out his tongue in amazement.

Finally, the moment they emerged from that path that seemed to stretch endlessly and a massive cavern revealed itself.

Thud-!

Crash-!

The body of one man in black flew back helplessly and crashed into the wall. Seeing his figure slide down, he no longer seemed to be a living person.

Clang, clang, clang-!

However, the men in black were not flustered.

Because it was not their first or second time experiencing this sort of thing.

They quickly drew their swords and stared ahead.

"……Who are you?"

The massive cavern.

What were presumed to be three sets of remains.

Sword marks covering the walls, and strangely written words.

All of these were just as they had heard, but one different thing caught their eyes.

A man was standing there.

And he stood blankly.

His gaze, staring intently without saying a single word, was beyond calm, as if no emotion was contained within it.

However, the man soon smirked.

Even that smile was bizarre.

"You saved me some trouble."

What did he mean by that?

Though they did not understand the meaning, they did not ponder deeply.

Falling for an opponent's trick and dying was also a part of this Murim, which was why they had received training that surpassed everything and could maintain a cool mind no matter the situation.

Aiming their swords at the opponent, they released their momentum.

"I did not expect this. For things like you to enter here first…… I stayed behind because the sound of footsteps was unusual, but……"

Dan Woo-hyun spoke thus as he slowly looked around at the men in black. Their postures holding their swords were extremely stable.

Just looking at that, one could guess they were experts hovering around first-rate.

However, more than that, their bodies seemed specialized in assassination and infiltration. They looked agile and also quite cold. It was like seeing the assassins of the past.

Furthermore, they did not look weak in direct combat either. It was entertaining because they showed a completely different appearance from the garbage he had seen last time.

To think such people still remained.

Was it not interesting?

"So, for what business did you come here?"

"Kill!"

There was no value in replying.

No matter who the person before their eyes was, since he was inside the secret cave and might have obtained something, he was an important figure who had to be killed.

The men in black scattered in all directions and formed a formation.

The opponent was definitely an expert.

They must not let their guard down.

This formation was one used when facing an expert stronger than themselves.

Because not a single person caught in it had ever survived until now, they were confident.

"Oh? Quite a decent formation. Perhaps even better than Shaolin's."

Dan Woo-hyun looked at those scattered in all directions.

Although they appeared to be simply scattered, they had established intervals where they could close the distance in an instant at any time.

It was also suitable for throwing hidden weapons, and they would be safe even if poison was sprayed. Furthermore, since they could close the distance to fight at any moment, once caught, there was no escaping it.

One person rushed forward.

The moment he narrowed the distance, dozens of hidden weapons poured in from another side.

Although the rushing man in black surely knew that he too might easily fall victim to those hidden weapons, he did not slow down.

Dan Woo-hyun quietly watched this and moved his hand.

He caught one of the hidden weapons flying straight at him and ducked. That happened almost simultaneously with the man in black ducking.

In the brief moment the startled man opened his eyes wide, Dan Woo-hyun's hand moved lightly, slitting the man in black's neck with the hidden weapon.

"Keuk!"

Clutching his neck, he let out a painful groan. But as if that was not the end, Dan Woo-hyun grabbed the man by the collar and pulled him slightly.

Thud, thud, thud-!

The incoming hidden weapons embedded themselves all over the man's body.

"Is this all?"

Their formation was not broken.

It was merely that one person had died.

However, the movement was so miraculous that they could not believe it even though they saw it with their own eyes.

The man who appeared to be the leader signaled his subordinates with his eyes.

He was, after all, only one person.

There might be some sacrifices, but he was not someone they could not defeat.

Rustle-!

The men in black moved while unfolding their formation. Each time they did, hidden weapons flew in, threatening Dan Woo-hyun.

They were quite fast and sharp.

Since their movements were hard to follow even with the eyes, it seemed anyone would fall prey to it without overcoming this dazzling display.

Clang-!

Clang, clang-!

Moment by moment, the men in black struck using fast lightness art and swung their swords. Each time, the hidden weapon held in Dan Woo-hyun's lightly moving hand blocked them.

The sight of him deflecting even the simultaneously flying hidden weapons seemed to surpass the level of what a human could do.

The leader bit his lips tightly.

There was no time, so they could not afford to drag things out in a place like this.

"Kill him!"

Raising his voice loudly, he also rushed forward.

Showing a desperate resolve, he channeled internal energy into his drawn sword.

At the same time that the massive power boiling up from his dantian gathered on the blade, the circling men in black narrowed the distance in an instant and swarmed toward Dan Woo-hyun all at once.

"Is this the best you can do?"

Snicker-

However, Dan Woo-hyun sneered.

They were doing something that was not even funny.

If they had used their brains a bit more, they might have found a way to break through. Though it would have been a situation with less than a ten percent chance at best.

However, this was currently nothing but throwing away their lives.

Yet, that was also entertaining.

Dan Woo-hyun stepped back and thrust the hidden weapon forward.

With a stab! it pierced a man's neck, and at the same time, he swung it horizontally and stepped aside.

Slash!

The head of the man approaching from the right flew off. Kicking the corpse before it could even hit the ground, the flying body clashed like an arrow with another approaching man.

Thwack-!

It was a situation hard to believe had occurred in a single instant. However, Dan Woo-hyun's movements had not finished yet, and it was bound to remain as terror for them.

Slash-!

It was unclear whether he was using internal energy or not.

Although he appeared to be simply swinging, the necks of the men in black were cut and their heads pierced.

Like being caught in a noose from which they could not escape no matter how they struggled, none of them could retreat, and none could even reach the space right in front of Dan Woo-hyun's nose.

Splurt!

"Having internal energy does not make one omnipotent. This is how you use a blade."

Dan Woo-hyun had not used internal energy until now.

He was slaughtering those called experts with merely his movements.

The hidden weapon held in his hand looked superior to any legendary sword under heaven, and it took the opponents' lives as if it had eyes of its own.

"No wa, keuk!"

Piercing the neck of the leader, the last survivor among the more than twenty men, Dan Woo-hyun looked at him as he trembled and spoke calmly.

"Keep your mouth shut. You will wake those who are sound asleep."

Thump!

The leader's body collapsed slowly, unable to even let out a proper death groan.

Staring at it indifferently, Dan Woo-hyun spotted something on the dead man's body and reached out.

"Is this a signal flare?"

He roughly understood the situation.

Someone had attacked Gunja Island, and taking advantage of that gap, these people were to obtain the remains and whatever else might be in the secret cave.

If they shot the signal flare, all those who were attacking would probably withdraw.

Because it would be a signal that they achieved their goal.

Thinking up to that point, Dan Woo-hyun smirked.

Putting the signal flare in his pocket, he dragged the dead one by one and threw them off the cliff. Doing this, no one would be able to find them for the time being.

He even erased the bloodstains splattered in all directions.

It was an action like that of a criminal dreaming of a perfect crime.

Soon, carrying the remains of the three people one by one, he placed them at the cave entrance and looked for the boat the men in black were presumed to have come on.

He did not have to go very far to see it.

The boat was anchored in a place hidden from people's eyes, and there were a few guarding it.

The moment Dan Woo-hyun leaped lightly and boarded the boat, before the guards could even react, the hidden weapon he held moved.

Slash-!

"Gueuk……"

The bodies of those who could not even speak properly sank one by one to the bottom of Dongting Lake. No one could react properly to what happened in an instant.

Once everything was cleared, Dan Woo-hyun carefully brought and placed the three sets of remains on the boat.

He seemed to exercise the utmost caution so that the bones, which had decayed over a thousand years of time, would not erode even a little.

Once that series of tasks was finished, he shot the signal flare high into the sky.

Screeech-!

Dan Woo-hyun quietly watched it rise high and began to row, and just when it seemed he was leaving Gunja Island, he strangely moved toward another place.

A place that was not easily visible even if a boat was docked, due to the bushes and rocks. There seemed to be no better place than this to hide something.

It was even the exact opposite of where people gathered.

The probability of those whose minds were distracted elsewhere coming to search this place did not seem very high.

Anchoring there, Dan Woo-hyun muttered.

"Stay here for a moment. I will return shortly."

He conversed with the remains that could not even speak anymore.

If Jang Sam-tae had been by his side, he might have doubted Dan Woo-hyun's sanity first.