Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1002

A demon, huh….

‘That’s an interesting thing to say.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked at Namgoong In’s face.

Bloodshot eyes. A pale complexion.

His frame was ordinary, but the body that had hidden firm muscles was considerably shrunken.

It wasn’t shrunken from poison. Nor was it from skipping meals and losing muscle.

This was entirely due to mental shock.

Now, Yeon Ho-Jeong was more knowledgeable about the human body than anyone else. He had been before, but after awakening the Yellow Dragon, he knew well how the body moved, what mysterious substances were secreted within the human body.

When the mind receives a strong shock, a young man who hasn’t even reached adulthood can turn white-haired overnight.

Namgoong In’s body was the same. He possessed powerful internal energy, but even his peak-level internal energy couldn’t stop the rapid changes in his body. That’s how great the shock was.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had been quietly observing Namgoong In’s body, spoke as if throwing a stone.

‘He knows me.’

‘Of course, I know you. Who wouldn’t know you?’

Namgoong In chuckled.

He seemed like a madman. Or perhaps someone who had given up on everything.

Maybe it was both. He had given up, and he was on the verge of losing his mind.

‘The rumors about you are much less than what you’ve actually done. Even with that alone, your fame is enough to be called the best in the Central Plains. Well, reaching the Saintly Heaven [a high level of martial arts mastery] at your age is enough to call you a great hero.’

‘…….’

‘Maybe that guy is right. You’re a demon. With demonic talent and divine insight, you’ve overturned the balance of the world in just a few years. Who else could do that? In this endless world.’

Namgoong In refilled his own cup again.

Now that he looked, his hand was also trembling slightly. He wouldn’t be like that if he used his internal energy.

In other words, it also meant that his body was so broken that he had to use his internal energy.

Yeon Ho-Jeong said,

‘Stop drinking.’

‘If I don’t even drink, it’s hard to hold onto this mind. Are you going to kill even the mind that’s barely holding on because of you?’

‘…….’

‘Leave me alone. My life is ruined like this because of you.’

‘Because of me?’

Thud!

Namgoong In, who roughly put down the bottle, had intense jealousy, deep anger, and endless self-loathing in his eyes.

‘It’s because of you.’

His tone changed.

‘Nothing worked out because of you! My daughter, my son, and even the main family! If it weren’t for you, maybe, just maybe, the main family could have really become the best!’

‘There were too many prominent figures to say that.’

‘We have always dreamed of being the best! The Nine Great Families? Ha! Everyone praised them as the best in the world, but the families and sects with history laughed at them! Everyone knew that just having power didn’t make you the best in the world!’

‘…….’

‘We had several pieces of evidence to bring them down! We were preparing step by step to step on them and soar! But before that, you appeared!’

Namgoong In’s eyes were now like those of a madman.

‘It started then. From then on, you ruined everything. If you hadn’t become so strong, if you hadn’t taken charge of the Meng’s incidents!’

‘…….’

‘If you had shared enough information about the Three Teachings [Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism]! If that had happened, the main family could have surpassed everyone and become the best!’

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes turned cold.

‘The reason you couldn’t become the best is simple.’

‘It’s because of you!’

‘No, it’s because of your lack of insight to see the world properly.’

Namgoong In’s face contorted.

Yeon Ho-Jeong spoke in a calm yet deadly tone.

‘You were preparing to bring down the Nine Great Families? The Moyong family did the same. But both Namgoong and Moyong didn’t try to expose it right away, even though they had enough evidence. It was to create a situation where they could become the best.’

‘Is that wrong?!’

‘If you had acted in time, the people who were suffering could have escaped hell a day sooner. People who didn’t have to die could have lived.’

‘That is!’

‘I just acted. To crush them no matter what. Unlike you, who are cunning and only think of yourselves, I just moved right away.’

Namgoong In’s face contorted.

‘Sacrifice is…!’

‘Even if you’re a has-been, don’t cross the final line with your words.’

‘What?’

‘Weren’t you about to say that the lives of the suffering were unavoidable, a necessary sacrifice for the greater good?’

‘……!’

‘You are disqualified as the head of a family and as a martial artist of the White Path [the righteous path in martial arts]. There aren’t many hypocrites like you even in the Black Path [the evil path in martial arts].’

‘You…!’

‘Everyone dreams. Striving for a dream is the privilege of all living beings. But you only blame others. The Moyong family head, who has only committed evil deeds, is a much greater man than you. Even if his direction was wrong, he was always passionate about his life.’

Namgoong In’s fists trembled.

He wasn’t comparing himself to Yeon Ho-Jeong, but to the Moyong family head. That’s why the dagger pierced his heart even more.

‘It’s life to try your best and give up if it doesn’t work out. If you put death at the end, it’s also life to try until you die. You didn’t know how to give up, and you didn’t even try to the end, yet you’re complaining that things didn’t work out easily.’

‘…….’

‘And I didn’t come here to listen to the anger of a moron who doesn’t know how to live life.’

Tap. Tap.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s index finger tapped the table.

‘I came to find you to grasp the reality of what’s happening in the Martial Alliance. My only purpose is that. If you’re just going to keep spouting nonsense, I have no more business with you.’

Namgoong In’s breathing was very rough.

He couldn’t dare say anything. It would only be a loss for him to speak. Because he couldn’t refute it.

Conversely, he had become a person who could only say things that could be refuted.

He was angry, but there was no way to resolve it. He had no intention of looking back at himself. He just wanted the world to revolve around him. He wanted to be the master of the world.

Those thoughts dominated Namgoong In’s mind. That was why a conversation was impossible in the first place.

‘Tell me. Where is Namgoong Hyeon? Who is that demon?’

‘…….’

‘Even if you roll in the mud, a jewel is still a jewel. If you were so afraid that you were on the verge of going crazy, he wouldn’t be an ordinary person.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes narrowed.

‘I think he’s at least a peak master level. Just based on skill.’

‘…….’

‘Is he a high-ranking member of the Alliance?’

‘……Heh heh.’

Namgoong In suddenly burst into laughter.

‘Hahahaha!’

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked at Namgoong In without blinking an eye.

Namgoong In, who had been laughing for a while, spoke with a distorted smile.

‘Your imagination is also very poor. High-ranking? Ha! Martial arts mean nothing to a demon. Martial arts are just martial arts. Whether martial arts are third-rate or sorcery is third-rate, anyone can become a demon. It’s just difficult to reach that point.’

It was a strange thing to say.

Namgoong In’s words meant that the demon’s martial arts were not absolutely strong.

‘So who is it?’

‘Didn’t I tell you? I just ‘understood.’ I can’t talk about him. Because I know too well what will happen the moment I speak.’

‘What will happen?’

Namgoong In’s eyes became even more bloodshot.

‘……Who are you?’

‘……?’

‘What is your identity that even that demon is terrified of?’

‘This is not a conversation.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong got up from his seat.

Namgoong In smiled coldly.

‘As expected. That guy said. That you would soon reach me. But he also said that you would get up from your seat quickly, convinced that there was nothing to dig out.’

‘You only saw him once, but he seems to have told you a lot. So, did he also predict what I would do next?’

‘……He said that your thought process is so unique and unconventional that it’s almost impossible to deduce.’

‘I don’t know if that’s a compliment or a curse.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong walked out from under the pavilion.

Namgoong In said,

‘However, because he investigated you very deeply, he said he could predict a few unconventional actions you might take in this situation.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s steps stopped.

Namgoong In continued.

‘He told me three possibilities.’

‘What are they?’

‘The first is to go straight to the Alliance Leader. But he said you wouldn’t choose that because it’s too cliché.’

‘…….’

‘The second is to secretly investigate the upper echelons of the Alliance with the spy unit that the Moyong family head brought. You chose that method when you caught the spies before, and he said that because you have confidence in yourself, you might think that seeing and talking directly is the most certain way.’

That’s quite eerie.

Listening to Namgoong In’s words, Yeon Ho-Jeong was quite surprised. He thought that the demon, whoever he was, had a good grasp of his principles of action.

Suddenly, he became interested.

‘What’s the third one?’

Namgoong In’s eyes deepened.

‘To go find Sword Saint Namgoong Seung.’

‘……!’

‘He said it was the most likely option.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes widened slightly.

He was actually going to find Namgoong Seung.

Sword Saint Namgoong Seung was a cold and strict elder. After entrusting all responsibilities to his son, he did not interfere in any family matters, but in this situation, he was the person who could directly govern the family members and support him.

For Yeon Ho-Jeong, the most unconventional and certain move was Namgoong Seung.

But from an outsider’s perspective, it was impossible to think of Namgoong Seung as an option. Blood is thicker than water, so they would assume that Namgoong Seung would reject Yeon Ho-Jeong.

The mental exchange between Yeon Ho-Jeong and Namgoong Seung was something only the two of them knew. The fact that he saw through that meant that his insight was incredibly sharp.

‘Huh?’

At that moment, Yeon Ho-Jeong felt a strange feeling.

‘The Moyong family head and the spy unit?’

There were very few people who knew that the Moyong family head had brought a spy unit. The Alliance Leader and the military advisor, or a little wider, the Bonggong members [a group of high-ranking officials]?

The fact that he knew that meant that his intelligence was also great.

Moreover, it wasn’t something from the past, but something recent. To deduce even the fact that the spy unit would be operated, and to see through Yeon Ho-Jeong’s intrusion and his subsequent actions, required analytical skills and intelligence that surpassed imagination.

How many people in the current martial world would be like that?

‘Could it be the Beggars’ Union?’

You never know with people. No matter how well the Union Leader and the Vice Union Leader handled things, anything could happen in this world unless they controlled every single member of the Union.

But Yeon Ho-Jeong didn’t think it was the Beggars’ Union. He could put them on the list of candidates, but he thought the probability was low. Because if he gave clues like this, anyone would point to the Beggars’ Union.

‘Then who is it…?’

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who was reviewing his conversation with Namgoong In, suddenly realized that he had said something strange.

‘If I don’t even drink, it’s hard to hold onto this mind. Are you going to kill even the mind that’s barely holding on because of you?’

The words ‘kill even the mind.’

In other words, it meant that his body was already dead.

Yeon Ho-Jeong turned to look at Namgoong In.

Namgoong In’s bloodshot eyes contained even sadness and sorrow.

‘You can’t go to your father.’

‘You…!’

Splat.

Blood flowed from Namgoong In’s nose and mouth.

Thud!