C 350
Dae Juhwa and Deung Mochang's eyes gleamed red in the firelight.
Despite their sudden change in appearance, Pyo Wol didn't seem surprised at all.
Dae Juhwa tilted his head as he looked at Pyo Wol .
"It's strange."
"What is? My wife."
"He's too calm, isn't he?"
"That's true! What's with this person?"
Deung Mochang also tilted his head.
Pyo Wol’s reaction was completely different from any other humans they had encountered so far.
When most people saw their faces change color, they would either be flustered or at a loss. But Pyo Wol was incredibly calm.
Deung Mochang whispered to Dae Juhwa.
"Wife! Did we mess with the wrong person? This one seems strange."
"Hmph! In the end, he's nothing more than meat to fill our dumplings. Just imagine how tender and juicy he will be."
"Hehe! It's going to be delicious."
Saliva flowed from the corners of Deung Mochang's mouth once again.
Just by imagining it, his eyes lost focus. On the other hand, Pyo Wol 's gaze grew even deeper.
"As I thought, there was human flesh in the dumplings we ate earlier."
It was strange that they had appeared in the middle of the night, but he found it even stranger when they started cooking dumplings out of the blue.
Logically, it wasn't something that people who were lost in the mountains at night would do.
What's more, the unpleasant smell that came from cooking the dumplings. It was masked by numerous spices, but Pyo Wol had sensed a chillingly unpleasant odor. That's why he had refused the dumplings when Dae Juhwa offered him.
He had heard stories about people who provided food made with human flesh, such as human dumplings or other dishes.
The rumors grew even stronger during times of famine.mymtlnoveltranslations
Although most were baseless gossip, there were indeed people who developed a taste for human flesh.
The couple in front of him was just that.mymtlnoveltranslations
Dae Juhwa and Deung Mochang hunted down people passing through the mountains and made human dumplings out of them.
The mountain was so dense and treacherous that a few missing travelers went unnoticed.
Thanks to that, they were able to continue their heinous acts without getting caught.
This time, they chose Pyo Wol as their prey. mymtlnoveltranslations
He was handsome, with fair and delicate skin that made their mouths water just by looking at him.
Dae Juhwa took out a large knife from her bundle and said.
"It's best if you don't think about running away. Then I'll kill you without pain."
"You've been doing this for quite a while, haven't you? What are the local martial artists or authorities doing?"mymtlnoveltranslations
"Hmph! Do you think they care about what happens in these mountains?"
"Listen, young man! Martial artists and warriors are too busy fighting among themselves to care about what happens in remote places like this. Hehe!"
"When some of them escaped and reported, I was scared, but they didn't even care enough to punish us. That's when I realized that martial artists wouldn't get involved in matters like this without a profit." mymtlnoveltranslations
After realizing this fact, the couple became bolder in their hunts.
Once you've tasted human flesh, you can never escape it.
The same was true for the couple.
The beginning of their cannibalism was truly accidental, but now they were deeply addicted to human flesh and couldn't escape.
Dae Juhwa aimed her knife at Pyo Wol and said.
"You'll make really delicious dumplings. I can guarantee that."
"Declined."
"Hehe! It's useless to decline. I've already set my mind to it."
Dae Juhwa gathered her energy. Then, a bluish aura surrounded her body.
She was a master who had learned martial arts. mymtlnoveltranslations
The same was true for Deung Mochang.
Although they were not well-known masters in the world, they had reached a level where they could adequately protect themselves. akhi buy me a coffee
With their level of martial arts, they would be treated well in any martial arts sect.
However, it was unknown why they became addicted to human flesh and lived in the mountains. And they were not curious about it either.
Pyo Wol asked Dae Juhwa.
"Have you been active here for years?" mymtlnoveltranslations
"If you count the years, it's been more than seven. What are you so curious about?"
"It means that nobody has paid attention to you for seven years."
"Do you think we're the only ones? The martial arts world is so vast. How many places are uninhabited like this? Just think that monsters live in such places."
"Monsters?"
"Yes! We know too. We're definitely not normal. So we're monsters. The problem is that we're not the only monsters. Hehe! Do you know how funny people are? They say this is the most peaceful time. But from our perspective, it's rather the most dangerous and chaotic time." akhi buy me a coffee
Dae Juhwa laughed with a smirk.
Although the Three Great Clans and the Three Gates dominated the martial arts world, they couldn't see everything. In fact, more events occurred in places where their gaze didn't reach. Yet people still thought this was an unprecedented era of peace. akhi buy me a coffee
"Hehe! Times like these are even better for monsters like us. People are blinded by the word 'peace' and lose their fear. So, there are never-ending people like the master who spend the night alone in these dangerous mountains."
Dae Juhwa approached Pyo Wol with her sword in hand.
She regarded Pyo Wol as if he were already a captured prey. This was because Pyo Wol appeared as a weak, pale scholar in her eyes.
As Dae Juhwa approached Pyo Wol , she suddenly felt something strange.
The voice of her husband, who should have been grumbling nearby, could not be heard.
Although she nagged him every day, he was still the person she had spent her life with. He was more precious to her than anything else.
Without looking back, Dae Juhwa shouted.
"What are you doing? Why aren't you by my side?"
"..."
"Really..."
When Deung Mochang didn't reply, Dae Juhwa nervously looked back. Her face turned pale in an instant.
Deung Mochang was leaning against a rock with his tongue sticking out.
His face was discolored and dark, and his eyes were rolled back, showing the unmistakable signs of suffocation. akhi buy me a coffee
A red, rope-like object was wrapped around Deung Mochang's ankle.
"A snake?"
A small snake, shining like a red gem, had bitten Deung Mochang's ankle.
The snake's poison was so potent that it was clear Deung Mochang had died instantly upon being bitten.
"My love!"
Dae Juhwa screamed at her husband's death.
At that moment, Pyo Wol spoke softly.
"Come back, Gwia!"
Swoosh!
The red snake returned to Pyo Wol.
Only then did Dae Juhwa realize that Pyo Wol had commanded the snake to kill her husband.
"You, you? You wicked bastard! You used a snake to kill my husband."
Infuriated, Dae Juhwa charged at Pyo Wol without any regard.
Whoosh!
At that moment, Pyo Wol kicked the bonfire, and Dae Juhwa was showered with sparks and ashes.
"Ahh!"
With ashes in her eyes, Dae Juhwa screamed and swung her sword wildly.
Pyo Wol looked at Dae Juhwa and said,
"You've survived this long with such skills."
"Where are you? I'll kill you."
Dae Juhwa swung her sword towards where she heard Pyo Wol 's voice.
However, her sword only sliced through the air.
Swish!
Dae Juhwa's frenzied movement came to an abrupt halt. A creepy slicing sound was heard from her shoulder.
"Ahh!"
Dae Juhwa screamed as if her neck was being torn apart.
Her arm holding the sword had been severed from her shoulder. Blood gushed from her cleanly cut shoulder. akhi buy me a coffee
Dae Juhwa tried to cover the wound with her remaining hand, but it was no use.
She didn't feel any signs of pain until her arm fell off.
"Please, spare me! I was wrong."
Only then did Dae Juhwa realize that her opponent was an exceptional master and began to beg for mercy.
She had killed countless people, but the thought of her own death was terrifying.
She knelt down without shame, but Pyo Wol 's expression remained cold.
Pyo Wol swung his hand, and Dae Juhwa's remaining hand was also severed.
"Ahh! You devilish bastard! Aaah!"
Unable to bear the pain, Dae Juhwa cursed.
She spat out all sorts of curses at Pyo Wol .
"What gives you the right to do this? Are you some sort of champion of justice?"
"I haven't lived so gracefully as to believe in such a flimsy word as 'justice.'"
"Then why do this? You could have just passed by quietly."
"I don't have a broad enough heart to spare someone who picks a fight. Besides, you people are vile. I don't consider myself a normal human being, but at least I'm not a monster who craves human flesh."
"Shut up! What do you know?"
Swish!
At that moment, a sharp blade grazed Dae Juhwa's neck.
Dae Juhwa froze, her face still twisted in the act of screaming.
Pyo Wol looked at Dae Juhwa and muttered,
"I don't even want to know."
Swoosh! Thud!
A red line appeared on Dae Juhwa's neck, and her head fell to the ground.
Pyo Wol kicked Dae Juhwa's rolling head.
Her head disappeared into the bushes.
Pyo Wol looked up at the dark night sky and muttered,
"Perhaps the troubled times began long ago."
In a normal world, monsters craving human flesh wouldn't be able to roam freely.
People may not have realized it, but the world may have already entered an era of chaos.
***
The Jamsan region of Hebei province has long been famous for its beautiful scenery. Behind it stood the great Tianzhushan Mountain like a folding screen, and in front, the vast river flowed, creating a spectacular view. However, in recent years, what made Jamsan more famous was a martial arts sect.
Rain Mountain Manor, one of the most prominent powers in the world, was located in Jamsan.
After Rain Mountain Manor settled in Jamsan, the area became even more famous, and many people visited. The head of Rain Mountain Manor, Jang Pyeongsan, was a renowned swordmaster whom every martial artist wished to learn from.
Although he was said to be a step behind the Sword Saint Han Yucheon, the difference between them was considered extremely small.
All members of Rain Mountain Manor were martial artists skilled in swordsmanship.
While other sects allowed their members to learn various martial arts such as fists, swords, blades, and palms depending on their talents, the martial artists of Rain Mountain Manor practiced only the sword.
It is often said that it takes one hundred days to master the spear, a thousand days for the saber, and ten thousand days to become skilled with the sword.
This meant that one should spend more than ten thousand days to handle the sword proficiently.
As a result, many people called the sword the king of all weapons. However, there was no shortage of people who argued against this.
In terms of utility and destructive power, they believed that the sword was actually the weakest, with the spear and saber being far superior.
To these people, the martial artists of Rain Mountain Manor were like a disaster.
The martial artists of Rain Mountain Manor firmly believed that the sword was the king of all weapons and drove away those who opposed this idea.
For this reason, martial artists who did not use the sword were extremely reluctant to come into contact with those from Rain Mountain Manor.
It was to the point where it was almost impossible to find martial artists wielding other weapons within the Jamsan region.
On the other hand, scholars and artists visited Rain Mountain Manor without hesitation.
Unlike their exclusive treatment of those who used other weapons, they treated scholars and artists with utmost hospitality.
Jang Pyeongsan enjoyed interacting with scholars and artists, and thanks to this, he developed an exceptional eye for art. He was also quite skilled in painting himself. Thus, the people living in Jamsan praised him as a perfect martial artist, excelling in both martial arts and arts.
At least, Jang Pyeongsan's outward appearance seemed flawless. However, those who knew him were aware of the truth.
They knew how terrifying and obsessive he could be.
In particular, his obsession with famous swords was truly frightening.
What Jang Pyeongsan was especially obsessed with were old swords with historical value.
Among these, he was nearly insane in his obsession with swords that had once belonged to rulers who had dominated their era.
Jang Pyeongsan entered his treasure chamber after a long time.
Inside the chamber were numerous famous swords he had collected so far.
There were so many that just one being leaked would cause a sensation in the world.
After admiring his collection for a while, Jang Pyeongsan murmured,
"It's still not enough."
His gaze fell upon an empty sword stand.
It was a sword stand that he had specially commissioned from a craftsman.
The sword named Gongpo (공포) was supposed to be placed on this stand.
He had no doubt that he would be able to obtain Gongpo eventually. However, Gongpo had disappeared, and the stand remained empty ever since.
When he thought of Gongpo, anger welled up in his heart.
The only sword he couldn't obtain despite his desire. That's why his obsession grew stronger.
"Tsk!"
Jang Pyeongsan clicked his tongue and turned away.
After admiring the famous swords, his heart should have been full, but instead, his anger only grew.
Boom!
The treasure chamber closed as Jang Pyeongsan exited.
There was someone waiting for him outside.
"Master, have you come out?"
The man bowing his head was Yang Jeonghak, the chief steward of Rain Mountain Manor.
It was very rare for Yang Jeonghak to wait in front of the chamber, so Jang Pyeongsan asked,
"What is it?"
"We've received some interesting news."
"Interesting news?"
"Yes! It's about the Reaper."
"The Reaper?"
"He appeared in Taeho of Kangho Province."
Jang Pyeongsan showed an intrigued expression.
There was a lake called Taeho in Jamsan where Rain Mountain Manor was located. Of course, it was much smaller than the Taeho lake in Kangho, but the scenery was no less beautiful.(There are two lakes with the same name)
Naturally, he became interested when he heard that the Reaper had appeared at a lake with the same name.
"So?"
"We don't know the exact details yet, but Taeho has turned into a wasteland. However, the Reaper himself is said to have left Taeho and headed south towards the Hebei Province."
"Hebei Province?"
"Yes! It's not too far from our Manor."
"That's interesting. The one who killed our second-in-command has the audacity to come near Rain Mountain Manor?"