Disciple of The Three Kings [EN]: Chapter 82

“What do you mean by telling me to jump over to you, hyung?” His tone was full of complaints, but his voice held a hint of delight. “Didn’t you say you wouldn’t associate with the Righteous Army anymore?” The one Lee Ro-woon had called was none other than Lee Shin-woo, the leader of the Azure Army. To face the Hui. If one were to consider who was most suitable for the task, Lee Shin-woo was the perfect fit, no matter what anyone said. “So, you don’t like it?” At Lee Ro-woon’s words, Lee Shin-woo shook his head while wiping his glasses. “There’s no way.” “From the start, didn’t you see this far ahead, hyung?” Asia was already dominated by martial artists. However, the world doesn’t function with just martial artists. Martial artists are a minority compared to the Earth’s population, and they need those who will act as their hands and feet. ‘Players.’ Players are everywhere. Even in martial arts guilds, not all members are martial artists. Players were in charge of various miscellaneous tasks or support roles. The reason why martial arts guilds managed player guilds under their command was also to select suitable players for their use. ‘Hwasan is the same.’ There were also forms of mixed guilds. Guilds where the distinction between martial artists and player guilds was not clear, and the two forces were mixed. ‘Kim Shin-hong.’ That was why he, a member of Dank, was able to rise to the position of official raid leader. That was Lee Shin-woo’s information network. The ability to grasp and understand the details that move the world. Lee Shin-woo had warned Kang Cheol-woo. ‘Someone is targeting you.’ The fact that Ghostly Sound Valley was targeting him. “Didn’t you also know that the Black City was attacked by the Hui?” Moreover, he must have also guessed the relationship between the Black City and Eun-ha, or rather, Lee Ro-woon. So, this situation now. “I don’t really know what you’re talking about.” Lee Shin-woo, pretending not to know, was the one who set up this whole thing. “Don’t pretend you don’t know.” No matter how much more he talked, that sly fox would never admit it. “Anyway, you’ve got a general idea of the situation, right?” “So, we just have to fight the Hui?” Nod. “Just do what you usually do.” “You seem to be misunderstanding, but the Azure Army isn’t particularly good at armed conflicts.” “Not good at it, but that doesn’t mean you don’t do it, right?” As he said that, the brothers looked at the people who were complaining. “No, how can they close on a Friday?” “This place has gone crazy too.” The young people, each dressed to the nines, grumbled with dissatisfaction. At the end of their gaze, a brightly shining sign was illuminating its name. [Club Arein] The place where Lee Ro-woon had met the Black City King. That place was one of the entrances to the main branch of the Hao Clan. *** Club Arein. It was one of the top clubs in Asia, and the hottest club in Gangnam, the entertainment district. Its true nature was one of the Black City’s business establishments. Also, it was a place where one of the entrances to the Black City’s true form, the main branch of the Hao Clan, was located. “Those Black City bastards. I didn’t like how they walked around with their heads held high.” In the club where the music had stopped, martial artists in martial uniforms were chatting as they pleased. “Why don’t we just wipe them all out this time? Why are we letting them live?” “Does the Black City only have one or two businesses?” A martial artist chuckled and said, pouring an entire bottle of champagne into his mouth. “Hey. Who would have known that Arein was owned by the Black City?” “True.” Club Arein. It was famous as a place frequently visited not only by the residents of Earth and players but also by martial artists. The service and treatment for martial artists were good, and Arein was a great place to hang out because it didn’t discriminate between martial artists and players, except for a few services, and prevented conflicts between the two. Some also visited to catch the eye of a martial artist. That was how Arein became the best club in Korea. “Those bugs who used to crawl on the ground in the past. Tsk.” The martial artists, who had never even seen the days when they were just silver [referring to a lower status], were talking as they pleased, drinking Arein’s expensive liquor like water. Whoosh! Steam instantly escaped from their bodies and turned into smoke. They had used their internal energy to expel the alcohol they had consumed. “W-We greet the Clan Lord!” Clan Lord. At that name, the atmosphere of the martial artists gathered at Arein changed completely. The relaxed appearance had completely disappeared, and they were now standing straight like new recruits who had just been assigned to their units. ‘Clan Lord.’ In the Hui, there were a total of five clans and ten divisions under them. Among them, the Clan Lord was a figure even higher than Namgung Mu-jin, the head of the Azure Dragon Division. “We greet the Clan Lord of the Dark Flower Clan!” The Dark Flower Clan. “Everyone looks good.” Although they were said to be the lowest-ranking of the five clans of the Hui, their missions were so secretive that no one could ignore the Dark Flower Clan. Among them, the Dark Flower Clan Lord, Cheong-hyeon, was nothing less than an object of fear for many martial artists. He was…. “How far has the discipline of the Hui fallen?” The prestigious Hwasan. Because he was a former Plum Blossom Sword Master of Hwasan. Not only the Dark Flower Clan Lord, Cheong-hyeon. The entire Dark Flower Clan was made up of people from Hwasan. Especially the infamous assassins of Hwasan, the Dark Plums. A group of assassins was exactly who they were. “S-Sorry….” A martial artist, nervous, gulped. Cheong-hyeon, standing in front of such a martial artist, reached out his hand towards the martial artist and laughed. “But it’s not like I don’t understand.” As he reached out his hand to the other side. Swoosh! A Dark Flower Clan member who had appeared from somewhere handed him a bottle of liquor. Pop! As the lid opened with a cheerful sound, Cheong-hyeon began to drink from the bottle without any hesitation. “Since you’ve achieved the merit of holding the leash of the bugs, it’s okay to enjoy this much revelry, right?” “Y-Yes, that’s right.” “There’s only one thing you guys did wrong.” Clap. He clapped his hands. “That there are no toys.” Cheong-hyeon turned his head and saw a door opening. Numerous people were entering through it. They did not distinguish between men and women, and all of them were young. Especially, the energy felt from them was unique. Smirk. Those who did not feel any internal energy. It was a mix of ordinary people and players. Also, their faces were all the same. Clench. Biting their lips, terrified, or. Otherwise, they were spaced out as if they had given up on everything. “I’ll have to stay here for a while, but it’s no good without toys.” They were all players or ordinary people who belonged to the Black City. “The Black City will become the Hui’s dogs from now on, and it’s not good to have even dirtier bugs mixed among the bugs. Isn’t that right?” “Y-Yes, that’s right.” As Cheong-hyeon said that, he reached out his hand. Whoosh! The man at the front was pulled towards Cheong-hyeon’s hand as if he were being dragged by a rope. “Enjoy as much as you want. There are plenty of bugs.” Cheong-hyeon grabbed the man’s neck. It was the moment he lightly put strength into his fingers. Snap! With the sound of something breaking, the man’s neck drooped down. “This is my gift.” It was the moment when the fate of all of them was decided. A fate to be treated as toys, no matter what. And when they got tired of them, they would be broken, just like throwing away toys. “Am I in the way?” “No, sir!” The eyes of the martial artists changed. Their eyes, which had been tense due to Cheong-hyeon’s appearance, were now gleaming with greed and bloodlust. As they went one by one to find the toys they would play with. Swoosh! A fountain of blood erupted from the neck of one of the martial artists. * * * Fwoosh! A stream of blood gushing from the martial artist’s neck. As expected of the Hui’s martial artists, who were made up of experts, they immediately changed their gazes and picked up their weapons. Shwook! Shwook! However, the mist that was quickly scattered blocked their vision. Thud! Thud! In the meantime, the sound of throwing knives piercing their bodies rang out in succession. One-hit kill. They were dying with a single move. Whoosh! The thick fog gathered in an instant and swirled around Cheong-hyeon’s hand. Clang! The throwing knife that had flown towards Cheong-hyeon was deflected by a Dark Flower Clan member who had hidden his presence. “Quite a skilled assassin.” Cheong-hyeon had lost a Hui martial artist to an attack right in front of him, but his face did not show any agitation. That was because not all Hui martial artists were the same. For Cheong-hyeon, only the Dark Flower Clan was important. Shweeeek! Another throwing knife flew again. Clench. Cheong-hyeon snatched the throwing knife, which was gleaming with internal energy, with one hand. “Did the Black City have such an assassin?” A voice full of interest. “Or….” The moment his eyes gleamed with murderous intent. Shweeeek! He threw the throwing knife he had grabbed back towards somewhere. Clang! With the sound of glass breaking, the space distorted and shattered. A barrier. “…A big shot has appeared.” At that sight, Cheong-hyeon’s face, which had not shown even a single sign of agitation, changed. His face, which had been stiff for a moment. Smirk. A devilish smile spread across his face. “Cheong-gwi [a term referring to a powerful individual].” A clan of the Hui. As a member of the Dark Flower Clan, he could not be unaware of this ability. A man who could push the power of the system core to its limit. “Red-faced Devil… Cheong-hyeon.” Lee Shin-woo, who had revealed himself in the shattered space, said. The Dark Flower Clan Lord, Cheong-hyeon. He had a title that was too out of place for someone who was said to be from the prestigious Hwasan. Red-faced Devil. A name given to him for being a ghost with a red face after covering himself with the blood of those he had killed. “You didn’t come looking for me. Did the Black City and the Azure Army have a relationship?” Cheong-hyeon, who had already taken out a short dagger and was twirling it, said. Sssst. “It seems the Black City is hiding more from me. Oh, dear. Still, I should give you a reward.” Flash! “For giving me the chance to catch Cheong-gwi.” Clang! A flash of light shone, and the sound of glass breaking rang out once again. In front of Lee Shin-woo, who had reached out his hand, Cheong-hyeon, with the face of a demon, was smiling and stabbing his dagger. Clang! Clang! Clang! The barrier shook as if it would break at any moment from the relentless attacks of the dagger. “Did you come alone?” Cheong-hyeon said to Lee Shin-woo while standing in front of the barrier. “I’m not married yet….” Lee Shin-woo’s glasses flashed. “I’m too scared to go around alone.” Boom! Boom! Boom! Skills that flew from all directions simultaneously collided with Cheong-hyeon. Boom! With the explosion, the magic lights of Arein shattered, and darkness fell. Flash! Flash! In the meantime, light shone from here and there. “Ugh!” “Attack!” Screams and shouts. The Azure Army and the Dark Flower Clan had clashed. “Toys have come rolling in on their own, it’s a good day.” Cheong-hyeon’s dagger began to emit an even darker light. The manifestation of internal energy. Moreover, his internal energy, which was at the level of the profound realm, began to emit a slightly more special light. Pop. Something like a droplet fell from the dagger. Soon, it turned into dark, black petals that adorned the air. “I’ve always wondered what your blood would taste like….” Whoosh. “It’s perfect.” Cheong-hyeon, protected by the black petals, quickly closed the distance with Lee Shin-woo and stabbed his dagger into Lee Shin-woo’s neck. Sway. However, the figure of Lee Shin-woo, who he thought he had caught, became blurry. In terms of martial artists, it was a technique similar to shifting forms. However, what Lee Shin-woo used was a magic-type skill, Blink. And at the same time. ‘Crushing Slash.’ A swordsmanship skill. Lee Shin-woo’s sword, held in reverse, fell from behind Cheong-hyeon. The Intervener, a special job, was a job with the authority to use even the skills of the surrounding players. ‘Go.’ Lee Shin-woo sent a gaze into the darkness, aiming for Cheong-hyeon’s back.