Chapter 135 – Net of Heaven and Earth (3)

The party that boldly left the shrine had to stop before even going three hundred steps.

The path of the rising stars who set out confidently was blocked and they couldn’t go.

“Why won’t it break through!”

The Demon Cult warrior appeared to be merely mid first-rate level. Namgung Jihyeon, who couldn’t advance further blocked by such a warrior, spat out resentment in his frustrated feelings.

He was top first-rate level with absolute level right before his eyes, yet was blocked by an enemy more than two stages different.

Clearly this was a kind of formation. When one person seemed about to lose fighting, that person fell back and a new warrior emerged from somewhere to face him.

‘Where on earth are they all coming from?’

Namgung Jihyeon, who fell into a maze, couldn’t grasp where and how the Demon Cult members appeared.

It was the same for others too.

To absolute level warriors, several top first-rate level warriors took turns clinging, and to first-rate level rising stars, warriors one or two stages lower took turns grabbing their ankles.

Rather, the rising stars fell into danger several times from enemies’ attacks, but barely escaped with guard warriors’ help.

It was different from when herded to the collapsed shrine before.

Back then if the Demon Cult drove the party with ambushes while hiding, now they were thoroughly just blocking these people from escaping.

In the midst of that, some Demon Cult members tried to attack the burden-carrying warriors in the party’s center, but they had no choice but to fall back blocked by Nanseol.

Nanseol was responding effectively to the formation.

Though top first-rate level warriors clung to her, she easily blocked coordinated attacks and even had room to look around.

However, even she had no room to help the warriors whose advance was blocked.

[Let’s return to the shrine! It’s hard to hold out like this.]

Single Moon Sword, who was blocking enemies in front of team members and behind the rising stars, grimaced at Tang Samin’s sound transmission.

As he said, since they got tied up here, if they became exhausted like this the possibility of annihilation was great.

Clearly the encirclement had thinned for sure, yet they had this much strength left.

‘I must have lost my mind.’

Single Moon Sword blamed himself for getting swept up in the rising stars’ bravado.

At least they could hold out thanks to Nanseol’s efforts, but even she was reaching her limit.

Single Moon Sword swung his sword greatly to make those attacking him fall back, then turned to look at the back where team members were.

Single Moon Sword about to speak of retreat became a blank expression.

Single Moon Sword could see why the encirclement thinned by the sight visible in the distance.

A tremendous master was running toward this side.

“What kind of martial art is that?”

The master running toward this side was consecutively using martial arts he was seeing for the first time in his life.

***

‘Fire Ball!’

Sun-woo cut the Demon Cult member blocking ahead in half, then spread his right hand to the side and shot a fireball.

Though it was still low-grade fire system magic, if he used mercenary mages’ utilization methods learned from Toshi’s experience, he could see sufficient effects during combat.

The Demon Cult members rushing from the side threw their bodies sideways to avoid the suddenly shooting fireball.

And got tangled in the ground that became a mud pit due to water system magic and got planted on the floor.

After that, there was no way to block Sun-woo’s sword sweeping past.

With fireballs flying around, water puddles everywhere, water pouring on faces, and even the ground shaking, when a warrior just before super absolute swung his sword, forming a formation or not was meaningless.

Regrettably he couldn’t use illusion technique and summoning magic because they were filming a zombie movie in the back, but he could sufficiently toy with this level of personnel with just other skills.

“The enemy uses evil arts!”

“Wasn’t he a righteous faction warrior?”

“A master doing dirty things!”

Until then the Demon Cult members had rushed silently, but when Sun-woo started using skills they began spitting out resentment.

Sun-woo listening to their cries felt only absurd at the feeling of let’s be fair and square in killing people.

“Fair and square can freeze to death!”

When the Demon Cult members who additionally came forward to block Sun-woo were annihilated, eventually other Demon Cult members surrounding the area withdrew like an ebb tide.

The exhausted transport team and rising stars couldn’t even dare chase opponents and stopped in place catching their breath.

Among them, several people who saw Sun-woo’s fight looked at Sun-woo with expressions mixing awe and doubt.

The absolute level warriors could roughly gauge his skill by seeing Sun-woo’s fight.

However, after confirming Sun-woo’s youthful face, they couldn’t help but feel doubt about his skill.

Especially Dark Dragon Tang Samin’s expression was hardened beyond compare.

Clearly it was a face that didn’t seem to differ much in age from himself.

His pride as the strongest among righteous faction rising stars was shattered.

Only Nanseol was at the same absolute level as him, but far from jealousy he was rather satisfied.

Rather he just thought she was a marriage partner befitting himself.

“Could it be rejuvenation? Or did he make himself look young with evil arts?”

“Rejuvenation that returns to a young body through enlightenment is only transmitted by word. On top of that, even if rejuvenation exists, wouldn’t it only be possible after surpassing super absolute and reaching mythic realm? Looking at the fighting just now, he seems proficient in evil arts. Probably that face is also evil arts.”

Dan Pyeong answered his nephew’s quiet question. Though it was a completely different answer from reality, there was nothing like it for explaining Sun-woo’s skill too excellent for his age.

Tang Samin nodded at Dan Pyeong’s answer.

However, their misunderstanding(?) was soon resolved. Nanseol spoke with a gentle smile to Sun-woo who approached the party.

“Fortunately you were summoned.”

“I fell in a slightly odd place so it took time coming to find you.”

“Still, I’m glad you’re safe.”

“But what’s going on? When I was summoned, a contaminated area spread out, and out of nowhere a mission dropped to help Miss Nanseol.”

At Sun-woo’s question, Nanseol briefly explained her escort mission.

“Then, there’s something they want in the tribute being transported now? People must be the target.”

“Probably the tribute side is correct. Just now they rushed aiming for the tribute too.”

“Then, there’s something in the tribute. Hmm, do you happen to know the contents?”

At Sun-woo’s question, Nanseol shook her head.

“I only know it was received as a symbol of alliance with a huge sect in Tianzhu. They say it’s an alliance to pressure the Demon Cult from front and back…”

Political situations weren’t important right now, so Sun-woo decided to finish the mission first.

“If we transport the tribute to the Righteous Alliance, we’ll be able to know what happened.”

While the two people chatted intimately(?) in others’ eyes, Tang Samin approached before long and asked.

“Could I know senior’s title?”

‘What’s this?’

At Tang Samin’s words Sun-woo was absurd, and Nanseol who had been continuously tense wore a faint smile.

Sun-woo also knew the term senior was an honorific given to older people in the martial world.

‘Could I look old?’

Sun-woo tilted his head and corrected his words.

“I have no title, and I’m probably not a senior either.”

“What? Surely, that face isn’t made to look young with evil arts like youth-preserving wine?”

“This is my real face. This isn’t even the world where I live, so there’s no reason to hide.”

There were words mixed in that Tang Samin couldn’t understand, but ultimately he could know Sun-woo wasn’t an aged senior master.

“Could it be, with that age such martial arts… Evil arts?”

Strictly speaking, Sun-woo’s martial arts skill could be seen as thanks to the sinister technique called the skill system, but hearing such talk before his eyes, his brow couldn’t help but furrow.

However, Sun-woo couldn’t refute.

“Young Master Tang! Your words are too harsh! Apologize!”

Because Nanseol fumed with anger beside him.

“Sir Min Sun-woo is an official warrior belonging to the Righteous Alliance! To such a person saying he learned martial arts through evil arts! Apologize right now!”

At Nanseol’s fury, Sun-woo decided to keep his mouth shut and watch the situation. It seemed better not to step forward unnecessarily.

People who had been continuously concerned about Sun-woo openly focused attention at Nanseol’s cry.

Dan Pyeong who was watching the situation from afar also rushed this way quickly, perhaps worried.

“You belong to the Righteous Alliance?”

Tang Samin was extremely troubled. If he belonged to the Righteous Alliance, it was definitely a slip of the tongue.

Moreover, the opponent was someone far superior to himself though called young in age, and though his own family was good, with that level of martial force it wasn’t easy to ignore.

“Ah, that.”

However, an apology didn’t come out easily from Tang Samin’s mouth.

Though he showed himself stepping forward for justice and considering surroundings, all was only giving from a position of having, not viewing other people as the same position.

For such a person, apologizing to another person was a truly difficult thing.

Eventually, his apology could only come out after Dan Pyeong ran over and exchanged a few words through sound transmission.

“I misspoke. I seem to have misunderstood because of techniques I’ve never seen before.”

Though it was also quite an ambiguous apology, he bit his lips filled with indignation and strode back to his place.

“My nephew seems to have misunderstood. Please let it pass for my sake and our family’s sake. And don’t we not have time to hesitate here now. We must hurry and move.”

After Dan Pyeong who remained behind spoke words half-mixed with apology and threat then left, the party prepared to move again.

As he said, though the Demon Cult members withdrew, they didn’t know when they might attack again. They needed to escape quickly.

After that, team leader Single Moon Sword approached and greeted, then the party departed again.

Sun-woo began running at the party’s rear together with Nanseol.

“I’m sorry. I think I stepped forward too much.”

Nanseol quietly apologized while using lightness skill matching the party.

“But why were you so angry?”

“It was because of the evil arts talk. No matter how strong martial arts one has, if one starts being misunderstood for evil arts, in the worst case one can be marked as a martial world public enemy. Moreover, Sun-woo-ssi is a summoner so you can’t even explain the situation.”

Nanseol had blocked in advance in case Sun-woo was misunderstood.

“Then, it’s something I should be grateful for.”

“But it seems we’ll likely get on Tang Clan’s bad side. If you get on the bad side of such a huge great family, it becomes very arduous. I’ll talk to my sect and try to clean it up.”

At Nanseol’s words, Sun-woo smiled slightly and shook his head.

“You don’t need to do that. I’m not a person of this world anyway, and if you put it that way, with Tang Clan we might naturally be mortal enemies right now.”

Whichever way, Tang Samin’s younger brother had already been killed by Sun-woo’s hands. Only she, Huangbo Jagyeom, and Wang Munpung knew, but that didn’t make such a fact disappear.

“And there are too many places to worry about to worry about places like Tang Clan. Starting with right now too.”

Sun-woo turned his head while running and looked at the contaminated area they were escaping from.

One person was running toward this side mercilessly smashing the summoned monsters and illusions he scattered.

The qi that person spit out seemed like viewing the past Spear Master.

“I wondered why they held us so much, finally a super absolute master seems to be making an appearance.”

Sun-woo stopped walking and drew his sword again. Finally the time came to confirm his grown skills.