Myst, Might, Mahem

Note: This the today's chapter. This time, it did not take that long. I have essentially memorised most of the bs names for the characters. Go Chan becomes Gochan. Guard becomes Howie. Young master becomes Confucius. Mok Gyeongwoon becomes Mo Kyun-un, Mok Gun-un… and many more. But with this information, at the start of every chapter, I just use word's 'Find and Replace' function to fix it all very quickly. Then all I need to do is to fix the grammar mistakes… thought that in itself is a lot. For some reason, all thoughts that happen in '' happen in the past tense, while everything else, the narration, switches randomly between past, present and even future. Still, despite all this, it only took me 1 hour to finish this entire chapter. Hope you all like it!

Note 2: Gimme stones and collections. More importantly, comment on this if you actually want to see more. It gives me enough motivation to keep editing this garbage mtl…

--------------------------------------------

Demon Monk bowed with fear and reverence. When he, a vengeful spirit and a curse, displayed such an unexpected reaction, Mok Gyeongwoon looked at the book in the wooden box with puzzled eyes.

A strange book made from human skin. Why did Demonic Monk react this way upon seeing the book surrounded by prayer beads?

Mok Gyeongwoon unconsciously placed his hand on the book in the wooden box. And the moment his fingertips touched it…

*Thump*

'!?'

Mok Gyeongwoon's eyes narrowed.

'…A heart beat?'

For a moment, just an instant, he felt a heartbeat. It was as vivid as his own beating heart. However, paradoxically, this throbbing was not a sign of life. Rather, it felt closer to death.

*Thump*

*Thump*

The throbbing seemed to be getting stronger.

'…'

Mok Gyeongwoon, who had been staring at the book, soon closed the lid of the wooden box. A strong attraction arose. He wanted to remove the prayer beads and see what was inside, but it seemed impossible for now. The reason Demon Monk had appeared was that someone had broken into the pharmacy.

'An intruder…'

Mok Gyeongwoon licked his upper lip with his tongue as if he felt regretful. Then he turned his gaze upward.

…

*Flack*

*Flack*

There was a black-masked man running across the tiles of the building. The masked man became even more anxious when he noticed Go Chan, the guard stationed at the pavilion on the only road leading to the medicine hall.

'Hmm.'

A strange expression appeared in the masked man's eyes. As expected, Mok Gyeongwoon had two bodyguards. It was safe to assume that one of them was no longer loyal to Mok Gyeongwoon, so in reality, he now had just one bodyguard.

'But why isn't he staying by Mok Gyeongwoon's side?'

Normally, a guard protects the owner's immediate vicinity. But here he was, guarding a road far from the pharmacy.

'It's one of two things.'

The first possibility was that the owner didn't want him nearby, being too sensitive to allow his presence. However, that didn't seem to be the case. It made no sense to protect an injured owner, especially one with a pierced thigh, from such a distance.

If not the first, then it had to be the second.

'Are you keeping watch?'

It appeared the guard had been instructed by his master to monitor the surroundings for anyone approaching. Otherwise, there was no reason for him to be positioned so far away. The masked man stroked his chin.

'In the late morning hours, he's watching without sleeping…'

This situation was turning out to be more intriguing than expected. His name was Jo Ilsang. He was one of the three bodyguards of the second Young Master, Mok Eunpyeong.

'I'll have to check, just in case. I'm not sure if this is a desperate measure or not.'

The order he received from Mok Eunpyeong was simple; to determine if Mok Gyeongwoon had truly lost his martial arts skills. If he hadn't lost them, it meant Guard Kam had lied. If he really couldn't use martial arts, then the request to join Mok Eunpyeong that was sincere.

'Should I just confirm it? No, that wouldn't be fun. If he's really lost his martial arts skills, just scaring him a little would be enough. There is no need to show off unnecessarily. Hehe he~'

Of the three guards, Jo Ilsang was the one sent for this task. Jo Ilsang's martial prowess could be considered the in between a second-class warrior and a first-class expert. He was sent because he was a step ahead of Go Chan.

Jo Ilsang avoided Go Chan's gaze, moved in another direction, and climbed over the wall. He scaled the wall, made his way to the roof of the medicine hall, and crawled into the gap between the roof tiles.

'What exactly is this injured guy up to, setting up such a trap? Was the injury a lie? Or was the information about losing martial arts false? Whatever the truth, there was certainly something going on. Let's see what you're hiding.'

Jo Ilsang entered through a gap in the tiles and infiltrated the pharmacy. One of his eyebrows rose as he quietly hung from the ceiling, holding his breath.

'What?'

He saw something different from what he expected. In Jo Ilsang's disappointed eyes, he saw Mok Gyeongwoon, sitting upright in bed with only his upper body raised, reading a book under the light of a lamp.

'You're just reading a book?'

Jo Ilsang looked around suspiciously. However, there was no one else in the pharmacy besides Mok Gyeongwoon.

'Weird.'

He didn't come in through the door, and Go Chan, his only bodyguard, was outside keeping watch. There was no way Mok Gyeongwoon would have noticed him. He considered the possibility that someone had warned him, but that didn't seem to be the case.

Then…

'Is there a secret in that book?'

That possibility couldn't be ruled out. In any case, Jo Ilsang needed to confirm whether Mok Gyeongwoon still possessed martial arts skills, so he had to make contact. Jo Ilsang carefully suppressed any signs of his presence and moved across the ceiling toward Mok Gyeongwoon's bed.

And then… he jumped down. At the same time, Jo Ilsang snatched the book Mok Gyeongwoon was reading, moving as fast as lightning.

*Pot*

Jo Ilsang, holding the book, expected Mok Gyeongwoon to be startled or to counterattack. However, contrary to his expectations, Mok Gyeongwoon neither fought back nor appeared surprised. Instead, he simply looked at Jo Ilsang as if nothing had happened.

"Who…"

As Mok Gyeongwoon began to speak, Jo Ilsang aimed a dagger at his neck and whispered.

"If you don't want to die, stay quiet."

"…"

Mok Gyeongwoon closed his mouth. Things seemed to be going smoothly, but Jo Ilsang didn't feel that way.

'This guy…'

Someone wearing a mask suddenly appeared, stole his book, and pointed a dagger at his throat. Normally, anyone would show surprise, fear, or nervousness. Yet Mok Gyeongwoon remained expressionless, his lack of emotion almost unnerving.

'Just look at this guy's reaction…'

It seemed as though he had known Jo Ilsang was coming. But that couldn't be possible. For someone to remain so calm, they would need to have immense confidence in their ability to protect their own life.

'!?'

Jo Ilsang's eyes narrowed. Regardless of whether someone had martial arts skills, a startled person would reflexively move or react in some way. Yet Mok Gyeongwoon didn't move at all.

'Is the information about this guy losing his martial arts false?'

*Glance*

Jo Ilsang turned his gaze to the book he had taken.

However, his eyes widened in shock when he saw the title of the book.

'!!!!!!!'

It was the Yeonmok Hall Sword Technique (然木成劍訣).

Among the members of the Yeonmok Sword Hall, there wasn't a single person who didn't know about this sword technique. This was a technique symbolic of the Yeonmok Sword Hall; a martial art containing advanced techniques that only the leader could learn.

'Hah…'

Overcome with shock, Jo Ilsang acted without thinking. He grabbed Mok Gyeongwoon's shoulders using a martial arts technique to forcefully pulled him down. At the same time, he struck the back of Mok Gyeongwoon's head with the dagger-holding hand.

*Puck*

Mok Gyeongwoon's head slumped forward from the blow. Jo Ilsang's heart raced as he took rough breaths.

"Ha…"

For a moment, he had been so surprised by the Yeonmok Hall Sword Technique that he had struck Mok Gyeongwoon without thinking.

'Is this why the trap was set up?'

Jo Ilsang placed a hand on Mok Gyeongwoon's acupuncture point to check whether he truly lacked martial arts skills.

*Sigh*

He let his energy flow into Mok Gyeongwoon's body.

'Ah!'

He didn't need long to confirm it. If there had been even a trace of internal energy, there would have been some resistance or reaction when his true energy entered. But there was nothing.

*Squeeze*

Jo Ilsang pressed Mok Gyeongwoon's stomach near the Danjeon.

'Nothing.'

There was truly no inner energy. A grin spread across Jo Ilsang's face. Now that he had confirmed Mok Gyeongwoon's lack of martial arts, the instructions from Mok Eunpyeong to scare him had completely slipped his mind.

Jo Ilsang opened the book and began flipping through its pages.

"Cough!"

After just a few pages, his lips twitched involuntarily. He almost laughed out loud. Although he briefly wondered if it could be a fake, the intricate details confirmed it was the genuine Yeonmok Hall Sword Technique.

'Calm down.'

Jo Ilsang never imagined Mok Gyeongwoon would have this in his possession. Even the vassals had been worried about the missing official seal and the secret martial arts manual, both crucial for succession.

Yet here it was.

'This is great!'

It was truly fortunate that the Yeonmok Hall Sword Technique had surfaced. If Mok Eunpyeong, his lord, mastered this technique, if the current lord were to die, the next leader would undoubtedly be him.

'This puts us in a favourable position.'

Even if the current lord favoured his youngest son, Mok Yucheon, or even the eldest, Mok Yeongho, the vassals would ultimately have no choice but to support Mok Eunpyeong due to his mastery of this martial art.

Jo Ilsang's elation was interrupted.

*Startle*

A sudden chill ran down his spine, freezing him in place. Something pressed down on his shoulder.

'What is this?'

Startled, Jo Ilsang tried to summon his strength. At that moment,

*Puck*

"Ugh!"

Someone struck his Danjeon with a fist. It was Mok Gyeongwoon, who Jo Ilsang had thought was unconscious.

'What kind of power…?'

How could someone without inner strength possess such power? It was at least the strength of a second-rate warrior.

*Parr*

Caught off guard and struck before he could react, Jo Ilsang's body momentarily froze. That brief hesitation proved disastrous.

"Argh!"

*Tutuk*

*Tutuk*

His veins seemed to swell unnaturally. A strange sensation climbed from his crushed shoulders, tormenting him with unbearable pain. Jo Ilsang gritted his teeth, trying to push back the overwhelming sensation.

*Puck*

Mok Gyeongwoon struck his chin with his fist and followed it with repeated blows to his stomach.

*Puff*

*Puff*

*Puff*

Under normal circumstances, these attacks wouldn't have worked on Jo Ilsang, who was on the verge of becoming a first-class warrior. But having let his guard down and being paralyzed by something strange, he couldn't withstand the persistent punches to his Danjeon.

"Ugh! You bastard…"

"You're tough…"

*Park*

Mok Gyeongwoon grabbed Jo Ilsang's head with both hands and kneed him in the face.

*Quad*

"Guh!"

The sound of breaking bones echoed as Jo Ilsang's nose and teeth shattered. Despite this, Mok Gyeongwoon continued pummelling his face.

*Puk*

*Puk*

Even as his fists became soaked in blood, he didn't stop.

'So… terrifying…!'

Jo Ilsang lost consciousness quickly. When he regained consciousness, Jo Ilsang slowly opened his eyes, his head throbbing.

'What… happened?'

At first, his memories were hazy. Then it came flooding back; Mok Gyeongwoon, expressionless, relentlessly punching him in the face.

'Damn…'

He had been completely caught off guard. Or perhaps, he had just been careless. The initial blow might have been due to his assumption that Mok Gyeongwoon was powerless, but what followed was far more than a mistake.

'What was that feeling?'

He couldn't forget the sensation that sent chills down his spine, the one that left his body paralyzed. Even with internal energy, he had been rendered defenceless, and Mok Gyeongwoon's relentless strikes had knocked him out.

'What… is he?'

Jo Ilsang couldn't reconcile this with what he had confirmed; Mok Gyeongwoon truly had no inner strength. Yet the power he had displayed was almost equal to Jo Ilsang's own.

"Shit. Ha…"

But at the moment, none of that mattered. Jo Ilsang struggled to open his blood-covered eyes and looked around.

'!?'

What he saw made him frown. This wasn't the pharmacy. He now realized the air was cool and damp; it was a cave.

*Snap*

*Pop*

"Huh?"

Jo Ilsang noticed drops of blood floating in the air, perhaps from sweat dripping off his bloodied body. He wondered what the phenomenon was but then thought,

'Could it be… am I hanging upside down right now?'

Now he understood why his face felt like it was going to explode. He had assumed it was from the pain of being hit so hard, but it was actually the result of blood rushing to his head while hanging upside down.

"Ha… ha…"

Jo Ilsang's breathing grew rough. He didn't know where he was, but an overwhelming sense of unease crept over him. He felt he had to get out quickly.

"Woo!"

Jo Ilsang focused on his breathing and tried to draw energy from his Danjeon.

'What… what is this?'

There was no strength in his body. He wanted to concentrate, but it felt as if he had lost all sensation in every part of his body except his face.

"Why is this happening?"

A voice escaped from his mouth, tinged with confusion and fear.

*Sigh*

At that moment, he heard someone deliberately making a sound, signalling their presence.

"It looks like you're awake."

Jo Ilsang turned his eyes toward the source of the voice and saw Mok Gyeongwoon walking on the ceiling; at least, that's how it appeared to his upside-down view. Flustered by the paralyzing sensation throughout his body, Jo Ilsang shouted,

"What on earth did you do?!"

In response, the corners of Mok Gyeongwoon's mouth curved upward in a grin that seemed ready to tear his face apart.

"Well. What did I do?"

'…Creepy'.

Despite the smile, the sheer malevolence in Mok Gyeongwoon's eyes was unmistakable. For the first time in his life, Jo Ilsang felt truly terrified.