RDM (Novel) Chapter 509


 C 509
 

"What's that?"


"What's going on?"


Oh Seok-gyeong and his men, who were outside, were startled by the girl's scream and rushed into the cabin.


Under normal circumstances, it would have been unthinkable, but the girl's scream felt unusually ominous to them.


The first sight that met their eyes was Chu Yeon-seung, collapsed, his neck bleeding profusely.


"How can this be!"


"Leader!"


They screamed at the sight of Chu Yeon-seung. But they couldn't hastily approach him.


They noticed the man quietly standing behind Chu Yeon-seung's corpse.


He was a man wearing a black cape and a hat pulled low over his face.


They couldn't see his face because of the hat, but a chill ran down their spines as soon as they saw him.


Drip, drip!


Blood dripped from the dagger in the man's hand.


There was no need to ask whose blood it was.


It was the blood of their revered leader, Chu Yeon-seung.


Oh Seok-gyeong stepped forward and shouted.


"Who are you? How dare you murder the leader of our Sea Hawk Pavilion. Who sent you?"


It was clear at a glance.


That the man who had killed Chu Yeon-seung was from the same assassin world as them.

Instead of answering, the man slightly waved his hand. The girl, who had been standing blankly, fainted and collapsed on the spot.


At the sight, Oh Seok-gyeong and his men swallowed nervously. They couldn't understand what method the man had used to incapacitate the girl.


The opponent was a high-level master whom they couldn't dare to touch.


'Why would someone like this...'


No matter how hard they thought, they had no grudges with a master of this level.


It was at that moment.


"Charge!"


"Damn it!"


Several of the men, unable to overcome their fear, rushed at the man.


Swoosh!


Their swords, hanging on their waists, sliced through the air.


They attacked the man with their best swordsmanship.


The man swung his hand once more. The swords that were about to strike his body jerked violently and deflected.


It was then.


The man swung his hand again. At that, the sword about to strike him swerved wildly and missed him entirely.


"What's going on?"


In that instant, his subordinates widened their eyes, and the man swung his hand once more. The swords that had been flying towards him changed direction and struck their original owners.


Thud, thud, thud!


"Argh!"


"Ugh!"


The swords stuck straight into the chests and faces of their owners.


The men let out a desperate scream as they met their end.


"...."


The rest of the group froze.


To them, it was an inexplicable sight, beyond their understanding.


Only Oh Seok-gyeong among them realized what had happened.


He could see a faint silver thread connected to the man's finger.


The man had skilfully caught all the swords with the threads controlled by his finger, and then sent them back as deadly weapons.


Suddenly, someone came to his mind.


'A man who reaps human souls with a silver thread, who can hide without anyone detecting, and who possesses the world's best assassination techniques.'


There was only one such person in the martial arts world.


"Re...aper ? Why is the Reaper..."


Oh Seok-gyeong was too startled to continue his sentence.


Just identifying the identity of the man made his whole body shudder like a dying bamboo tree.


The two characters, ‘ Reaper', pressed down on his chest and shoulders like a mountain.


Tl/n In korean two characters can mean reaper


There was no hope of resistance.


His opponent was an absolute master, one of the best in the world.


The truth of the rumors surrounding him was unknown, but there were stories of several members of the Eight Constellations losing their livesto him.


Even if all the martial artists of the Sea Hawk Pavilion were to attack him, they wouldn't be able to touch a single hem of Pyo Wol's clothing.


Then the man, Pyo Wol, spoke up.


"Oh Seok-gyeong! The hidden mastermind of the Sea Hawk Pavilion. Is that correct?"


"Yes... it is."


"I heard you are actually the one running the assassin guild operated by Choo Yeon-seung."


"That's... correct too."


Oh Seok-gyeong answered honestly.


Pyo Wol already knew everything.


He wasn't stupid enough to lie to such an opponent.


Moreover, Chu Yeon-seung, to whom he owed his loyalty, had lost his life. There was no reason to risk his life to lie.


Above all, he saw a glimmer of hope for survival from the fact that Pyo Wol was speaking at length.


The Pyo Wol known to Kangho was not the one to talk at length.


Rather, he was a being who would choose to kill cleanly and finish perfectly. The fact that he was speaking at length meant that he undoubtedly had something he wanted from Oh Seok-gyeong.


Pyo Wol said,


"From now on, I'm going to leave the Sea Hawk Pavilion in your hands."


"Do you mean me?"


"Don't you want it?"


"No, not at all. Why wouldn't I?"


Thud!


Oh Seok-gyeong quickly bowed his head to the floor.


His forehead split open and blood flowed, but he didn't feel any pain.


His heart was beating more fiercely than ever.


Entrusting the Sea Hawk Pavilion to him was essentially a declaration that he would watch over him.


This was coming from the Reaper himself.


A man at the pinnacle of all assassins.


There were rumors that even the Hundred Wraith Union conceded to Pyo Wol. He had been given the opportunity to become the subordinate of such a tremendous entity.


Thud!


He struck his head on the floor again and spoke.

 

"If you entrust the Sea Hawk Pavilion to me, I will serve you faithfully."


"Don't forget that promise. The moment you break it, both you and everyone here will lose their lives instantly."


"Such a thing will never happen. This life of Oh Seok-gyeong belongs to the Reaper. I will devote my loyalty to you until the moment of death."


Oh Seok-gyeong was sincere.


It was a matter of becoming a subordinate of the Reaper, no less.


Becoming the subordinate of the reaper was no small achievement for someone on the path of an assassin. At least, that's what Oh Seok-gyeong genuinely believed.


As he bowed his head, Pyo Wol's voice reached his ears once more.


"Cease all assassin activities until I give a separate command."


"I will keep that in mind."


Oh Seok-gyeong answered with a voice so loud that his throat might burst. And then he waited for Pyo Wol's next command. But no matter how long he waited, he didn't hear Pyo Wol's voice.


Oh Seok-gyeong and his men cautiously raised their heads.


"Ah!"


"Huah!"


A sigh of relief unknowingly escaped their mouths.


Because Pyo Wol had already disappeared.


Just as when he appeared, he had disappeared completely without a trace.


Everyone present, as assassins, believed they had achieved significant accomplishments, but compared to Pyo Wol, they were merely low class scum.


After a long time, one of his men cautiously asked Oh Seok-gyeong.


"What do we do now?"


"What do you mean? We must follow the command of the Reaper."


"Are...are we really going to follow his command?"


"Do you think you can survive without following?"


"......"


"Let me make it clear here. I will follow him. I will take over the Sea Hawk Pavilion as he said and wait for his command. Anyone who will not follow me, speak now."


Oh Seok-gyeong looked at his men with eyes full of resolve.


His men shuddered.


They had no courage to resist Oh Seok-gyeong, who had been directly chosen by the Reaper.


"We pledge our loyalty."


"You're pledging loyalty to the wrong person. Swear loyalty to the Reaper."


"We pledge our utmost loyalty to the Reaper."


"Good. From now on, we take control of the Sea Hawk Pavilion and wait for the command of the Reaper."


"Your command!"


"First, return that girl to her father. Apologize and return her respectfully."


"Yes!"


Oh Seok-gyeong's gaze turned to the girl who was unconscious.


He felt fortunate that the girl was still young and hadn't been tainted by Chu Yeon-seung.



***


Xiangyin was a city located to the south of Dongting Lake.


It was a fairly large city located at the mouth where the Naengsu lake merged.


At the Xiangyin pier, numerous boats were anchored.


A significant number of the boats that came into Dongting Lake anchored in Xiangyin, thanks to its large and extensive pier.


Around sunset, another boat was making its way to the Xiangyin pier.


It was a massive ship, a Unmado River boat.


"Wow! We've reached land."


"We've finally arrived at Xiangyin."


The passengers on the Unmado River boat cheered.


Their bodies had been itching for days due to the lengthy voyage.


Their eyes were all set on the port. They hadn't noticed.


A man had quietly appeared behind them.


The man who appeared without a sound or signal was Pyo Wol.


Hong Ye-seol welcomed Pyo Wol's return.


"Have you arrived?"


"Hmm!"


"How did it go?"


"It went well."


"That's a relief."


Hong Ye-seol nodded with a smile on her face.


It was unusual for Pyo Wol to affirm anything. His confirmation implied the mission had indeed been successful.


"Brother!"


"Big Brother!"


Do Yeonsan and Eun-yo, who had been a bit late, spotted Pyo Wol and approached him.


Pyo Wol spoke to them.


"Let's disembark the ship."


"Okay!"


"So, are we staying at an inn tonight?"


The three of them were visibly excited.


They weren't usually picky about where they slept, but the restless nights on the swaying ship had been exhausting. They desired at least one night on solid ground.


Unlike them, Chae Mu-ok, who was observing from a distance, seemed fatigued due to his overnight worries.


"Phew!"


He let out a sigh.


He felt he had been swept up in something too big while just traveling together by coincidence.


Although he had ended up fighting them, he realised afterwards that he had not thought it through. He didn't even dare to imagine the consequences of this incident.


Chae Mu-ok shook his head slightly.


"Well, somehow it'll work out."


Thump!


Then, the ship docked at the pier.


As soon as the gangplank was lowered, the passengers rushed to get off.


Pyo Wol and his party waited for all the other passengers to disembark, being the last to set foot on land.


"It feels alive."


"I never knew I would miss the ground so much."


Do Yeonsan and Nam Shin-woo made a fuss.


Eun-yo chuckled as she watched the two.


Pyo Wol looked around and said,


"Since we have to board the ship again tomorrow morning, let's find a nearby inn for the night."


"Sounds good."


"Agreed!"

Eun-yo and Nam Shin-woo responded simultaneously.


Hong Ye-seol smiled and said,


"Don't worry about a place to sleep. Sal-no would have already arranged it."


Come to think of it, Sal-no was nowhere to be seen.


He had gotten off the ship earlier to find a place for Hong Ye-seol and the others to stay.


Shortly after, Sal-no appeared and bowed his head to Pyo Wol.


"I've found an inn. Let's move."


Hong Ye-seol frowned slightly and said,


"No, I'm the leader, why do you always report to him?"


"Is that so?"


"Yes, it is! Even though I'm technically the leader......"


"I'm sorry. Maybe this old man is losing his mind."


"Hmph! Losing your mind? You probably think he fits the role of leader more than me."


"That's not it."


"Then what is it?"


"Just... Because he is the god of the assassins."


"Assassins?"


"Who but the Reaper dares to call himself the God of Assassins? I'm an assassin myself, though retired. So I am naturally drawn to him.


"Tsk!"


Hong Ye-seol chuckled, but she didn't seem annoyed.


She shared similar thoughts with Sal-no.


She used to see Pyo Wol as a competitor, but not anymore.


She had clearly realized the gap between herself and Pyo Wol, and understood that putting Pyo Wol above herself was not a blow to her pride. That's why she wasn't too bothered by Sal-no prioritizing Pyo Wol over her.


Sal-no whispered in a low voice to Hong Ye-seol,


"We are witnessing a great journey that is unparalleled in Kangho."


"What great journey?"


"What could be more monumental than the journey of all assassin guilds submitting to a single

individual?"


"Hmm!"


"The birth of a true supreme lord of the assassin guilds. It is an immense honor to be a part of this glorious journey."


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