Reaper of the Drifting Moon

Bang!

The roof on which Pyo-wol had been standing broke off.

Pyo-wol looked at the person who attacked him while floating in the air.

An elderly man with a sword.

Mok Hanseong, the captain of the Ghost Brigade.

“What the hell? How did you get in here?”

Mok Hanseong’s eyes, which were looking at Pyo-wol, were calm. He wasn’t stirred up nor did he show signs of agitation.

He only stared at Pyo-wol with cold sunken eyes like a beast looking at its prey.

At the sudden sound of an explosion, the warriors staying inside the shacks came running out. While the warriors were surprised to see someone standing on the roof of their residence, like Mok Hanseong, they, too, were not flustered.

They were on an island surrounded by canyons on all sides.

It was a natural fortress.

They even have a Ten Li Illusionary Array Formation set in place. But an intruder still managed to sneak inside.

Many couldn’t help but be appalled or bewildered in such a case. But they were different.

While it was unexpected for an outsider to infiltrate their camp, they still kept an eye on Pyo-wol without losing their composure at all.

It was truly amazing to see that not just one or two people, but the entire unit, could keep their composure without being shaken up.

It was proof that these warriors had gone through so many situations that they did not panic even in the face of an unexpected situation.

‘Was there such a group in Jianghu?’

Even if people say that there are many strong people that could be found in unexpected places, this was something that Pyo-wol couldn’t understand.

A group of this level can not be created through training alone.

It’s only possible to create an elite of their level by crossing the line between life and death numerous times by fighting countless battles.

However, there has not been a single major battle in Jianghu in the recent decades.

There had been a few small skirmishes, but even then, it’s not enough for warriors of their level to be born just by going through such small battlefields a few times.

Only those who have made it through countless life-and-death battles could have this kind of atmosphere.

In other words, these warriors are someone who could never have been born in the current Jianghu.

‘Then are they forces from beyond the Central Plains?’

Pyo-wol’s eyes shone coldly.

Unlike Jianghu, which had been in a stable period for decades, regions outside of the Central Plains are still full of chaos. War breaks out frequently, and many people lose their lives.

Such a place had enough circumstances for such a monstrous group to form.

Mok Hanseong flew over onto the roof of one of the houses near Pyo-wol.

He said, making eye contact with Pyo-wol,

“I asked you who you are.”

“Who are you?”

“Oho! You don’t want to answer me?”

Bloodthirst flashed over Mok Hanseong’s eyes.

While he is drawing Pyo-wol’s attention, Jong Rigu, the vice-captain, winked at the warriors.

Then the warriors silently move.

Some blocked the retreat, while others took the best position to attack.

Even if they weren’t given any detailed instructions, they went and moved to their own position.

These warriors smelled of blood. It was a smell that could only emerge from staying on the battlefield for a long time.

Mok Hanseong, who was still looking at Pyo-wol, nodded as if he realized something.

“You smell like us.”

He also smelled a thick smell of blood from Pyo-wol. This scent could not come out without killing countless people.

With his gaze still fixed on Pyo-wol, Mok Hanseong said to his subordinates,

“Everyone be careful. He’s dangerous.”

None of his subordinates responded.

They didn’t take their eyes off Pyo-wol even for a moment.

More than a dozen warriors look at Pyo-wol with great fighting spirit.

Pyo-wol felt the need to shake their spirit.

“Did you come here from outside the Central Plains?”

“Ho! You even guessed that? You’re more dangerous than I thought.”

“On what condition did Lee Yul hire you guys?”

“Why? Are you going to give us more if I tell you?”

“There’s nothing I can’t do.”

“Ho! Our fee is quite high. Can you afford it?”

“How much?”

“I think your life will be enough.”

“That’s a little difficult.”

“Then I’m afraid that’s the end of our negotiations.”

Mok Hanseong smiled mischievously.

In the meantime, the siege of Ghost Brigade was completed.

A tiger did its best even when catching a rabbit.

It was the same with the Ghost Brigade.

They did their best no matter who their enemy was. That’s how Mok Hanseong trained him.

Mok Hanseong thought that he had bought some time for his men to surround Pyo-wol without giving him any relevant information, but Pyo-wol actually had obtained the information he wanted from them.

‘So they’re war mercenaries from outside the Central Plains.’

Pyo-wol doesn’t know if there’s a better way of describing them, but at the moment, there’s no other word to define them.

They weren’t just a group of mercenaries like the Black Cloud Corps.

They were far more elaborate and highly trained warriors.

“I think we’ve seen enough of each other now. Kill him.”

Mok Hanseong ordered.

Cwaeac!

At that moment, an arrow went flying towards Pyo-wol.

Pyo-wol flung himself backwards to avoid the arrow. Then, some of the members jumped out and fired arrows at them.

It was only about half the size of a normal arrow. Its size was enough for a child to play with. But its power was beyond imagination.

Cwaeac! Cwaeaac!

Every time an arrow was fired, the sound of the air being ripped echoed.

Even just brushing against the arrow could cause a serious injury. If the arrow landed properly, the person should at least be prepared to lose at least one limb.

The arrows they used were not from Jianghu. It’s a precious object brought from the faraway Haedong1, and its power surpassed Jianghu’s arrows several times.

As the archers shot their arrows, the swordsmen who were waiting charged Pyo-wol at great speed.

Chelcoc!

They approached Pyo-wol in unison.

They bent their waist in the same posture, drew their sword at the same speed, and attacked Pyo-wol.

Suac!

Silvery sword lights shone in all directions.

Pyo-wol avoided their attacks by a narrow margin.

Tatatak!

By the time Pyo-wol could hear another set of footsteps, warriors holding swords jumped over the heads of those in the frontline and attacked him.

Shigaak!

Dozens of swords went for Pyo-wol.

At that moment, Pyo-wol took out his phantom dagger and held it.

Kakakang!

Pyo-wol hit their swords with his phantom dagger and stepped back. However, swordsmen were already blocking his retreat and swinging their swords.

The swordsmen moved and attacked Pyo-wol synchronously.

While the archers waited and aimed for a gap in Pyo-wol’s defences.

All of them were coming together, putting terrifying pressure on Pyo-wol.

Their attacks were like an endless crashing wave.

They didn’t give their opponent time and opportunity to breathe. This kind of operation was only possible for those who clearly knew how to subdue their opponents in the most effective way.

Their movements did not require instructions.

Just by looking at their colleague’s eyes and position, each of them knows where to enter and attack.

They attacked Pyo-wol again and again, completely blocking all of his attacks, without even a drop of water leaking.

Kakakang!

Pyo-wol blocked their wave of attacks with two phantom daggers.

Sparks flew in all directions, and the sound of metal clashing reverberated.

Mok Hanseong did not directly participate in the battle. He just stood by and watched as his subordinates attacked Pyo-wol.

They were hand-trained subordinates.

In terms of individual strength alone, they could not dare to compare with a first-generation disciple of the orthodox sect. At best, they’re on the level of second-generation disciples.

Even so, the reason why Mok Hanseong did not worry about his team is because they were trained on the battlefield.

The Ghost Brigade is composed of warriors who were trained on the battlefield outside of the Central Plains.

To be more precise, they were war mercenaries.

If ordinary mercenaries simply accept money and offer their martial force, then war mercenaries are someone who draws a much bigger picture.

They establish an overall plan, deploy personnel accordingly, and carry out the war.

They will do everything in their power to win.

Poisons, hidden weapons, traps, and even hostages.

They didn’t possess the vain pride that martial artists usually have.

All that mattered to them was winning the war.

They’re the kind that values cowardly victories more than fair defeats.

The Ghost Brigade was such a group.

And at its center was the Mok Hanseong.

Mok Hanseong wanted a group that could win.

A group of warriors who do not succumb to any wounds and know how to achieve victory, not foolish warriors whining like children at the slightest wound.

The Ghost Brigade was such a group.

With how they have waged countless wars and brought down countless enemies so far, killing a person who hid himself like a stray cat is not a difficult task.

Jong Rigu approached Mok Hanseong and asked,

“Do you have any idea about his identity?”

“Seeing that he mentioned the monk2, I’m guessing he’s a warrior on the side of the Jin family.”

“Are you saying someone from the Jin family managed to put a tail on us?”

“I think there’s something wrong with the monk with how things turned out right now.”

“The monk is not the kind of person who would make a mistake–”

“This just shows how great the infiltrator is. Anyway, for the sake of secrecy, we must exterminate him today.”

“He’s already dead.”

A smile crept up on Jong Rigu’s mouth slowly.

Until now, no powerful enemy has managed to stop and defeat the Ghost Brigade. Even more so for a warrior who came and infiltrated alone.

However, contrary to Jong Rigu’s expectations, the fight did not end easily.

Suaac!

The Ghost Brigade pushed Pyo-wol back relentlessly. However, like a snake, Pyo-wol would always manage to deflect or dodge their attacks by a hair’s breadth.

Pyo-wol didn’t get hurt as much as he thought.

Pyo-wol’s complexion was still much brighter than Jong Rigu expected.

Seeing his appearance, Jong Rigu felt that something was wrong.

“What’s up with that guy? I can’t believe he managed to stand this long against the Ghost Brigade.”

“It seems that the martial arts skill of our uninvited guest is stronger than we think.”

“So you’re saying that his martial arts is on the same level as that of the Eight Constellations?”

At that moment, Pyo-wol’s face became visible to the Ghost Brigade.

A face that was more beautiful than anyone Jong Rigu had ever seen.

The moment he saw that appearance, which did not look human at all, Jong Rigu remembered the information about a certain assassin he had recently obtained.

“Pyo… wol!”

He has recently emerged as the most dangerous person in Jianghu, and information about him has been specially managed.

“If that man is really Pyo-wol, then this could be dangerous—”

Ciiit!

At that moment, a small piercing sound rang out.

Goosebumps crawled from both Mok Hanseong and Jong Rigu’s neck.

From their long experience on the battlefield, they felt a sense of crisis looming upon them.

“Everyone—”

Jong-ri-gu’s cry did not continue until the end.

“Keugh!”

“Keuk!”

This is because about a dozen warriors who attacked Pyo-wol collapsed with blood on their foreheads.

Each of their foreheads had holes that were so tiny that it was hard to see with the naked eye.

“What—?”

“How?”

For the first time, the Ghost Brigade were in a conundrum.

They initially thought they were winning.

They were confident of their victory since they had already cornered Pyo-wol on all sides.

But something happened at the last minute.

They didn’t notice that ten strands of Soul-Reaping Thread were released from Pyo-wol’s fingers.

The Soul-Reaping Thread was so fine that it was difficult to distinguish with the naked eye.

It was already too late when they heard the ominous sound. The Soul-Reaping Thread had already gone through their foreheads in an instant.

In the past, Pyo-wol used to wield the Soul-Reaping Thread by attaching phantom daggers at the end, since it was the best way of exerting its maximum power.

But it was different now.

Even if a phantom dagger is not attached at the end, Pyo-wol could use the Soul-Reaping Thread as he intended. This allows him to move more stealthily.

The Soul-Reaping Thread without the phantom dagger is the best martial art for Pyo-wol.

It was like adding wings to a tiger.3

But that didn’t mean he had no more need for the phantom daggers.

Sususuc!

Pyo-wol threw out phantom daggers in all directions.

Some managed to avoid the phantom dagger, but some got hit on their backs and shoulders.

“Keoh!”

“Euack!”

Screams erupted from their mouths.

No matter how hardened a warrior was on the battlefield, they could not completely endure such excruciating pain.

Their formation collapsed in an instant.

Pyo-wol did not miss that moment and swung vigorously.

At this moment, he was not an assassin.

He was just a martial artist.

SoundlessWind21’s Notes:

Thank you for reading!

Haedong. Raws: 해동. Ancient name for Korea. “East of the Sea” (here being the West Sea separating from Korea). This was used a lot during the Three Kingdoms period and the Goryeo period. Monk. Raws: 수사(修士). I guess they’re referring to Lee Yul here but I’m not sure why they’re calling him a monk. I’ll go back on this once Lee Yul’s identity is confirmed in the future chapters. Adding wings to a tiger. Raws: 호랑이가 날개를 단 격이었다. Meaning: To make what is already strong, even more stronger.