A Tale Of A Scribe Who Retires To The Countryside [EN]: Chapter 386

Under the moonlight, Son Bin stood, a serene figure with one hand behind his back and the other extending his sword, like a painting.

However, Sheh’s face, as he faced Son Bin, was terribly distorted. He had barely managed to escape the tip of that sword a moment ago, using even his tremendous offensive as a feint.

“Why do you look like that?” Son Bin asked quietly, though Sheh could clearly sense the anger in his voice. “Didn’t I say I would demand recompense for your crimes?”

Sheh gritted his teeth, humiliated beyond words. He had completely misjudged this young scholar, Son Bin.

“Hoo-ooh.”

Instead of answering, Sheh half-closed his eyes and slowly composed his breathing. When he opened them again, every trace of distortion had vanished.

“Is that your power?” Sheh asked in a subdued voice. A strange light flickered in Son Bin’s eyes. Sheh’s aura had completely changed in an instant, as if he were a different person.

“Yes,” Son Bin replied slowly. Sheh, who had been staring at Son Bin with deep, intense eyes, smiled faintly.

He realized that Son Bin had noticed his change.

“I see. Then I shall show you mine as well.”

Rustle.

The wind blew. Or rather, it felt like the wind blew. But it wasn’t the wind.

Rustle. Rustle, rustle.

Son Bin could see it. The energy surrounding them slowly flowed towards Sheh. And that wasn’t all. Energy was also flowing out of Sheh, as if he were breathing, or as if the wind were brushing past.

“This is……” Sheh’s voice was very strange. Even though he was speaking right in front of him, it sounded like it was coming from far away.

That wasn’t the only strange thing. Sheh’s appearance, or rather his very existence, was slowly fading away.

“What……!” Old General groaned as he watched. What Sheh was doing astonished even him.

The faded Sheh smiled.

“The power of the Esoteric Order.”

Whoosh.

The wind blew, and Sheh was no longer there. Like his scattered voice, his very form had disappeared.

‘That is……’ Bahadur felt a chill run down his spine as he watched.

‘The true power of the ‘Esoteric Order’.’

The chakras [energy centers] that exist in the human body are the source of life and the path to communicate with the universe. The Esoteric Order has mastered the art of awakening wondrous powers by opening those chakras.

That is the secret of the Esoteric Order’s esoteric transmission, the ‘power to become one with the world and disappear from perception’.

Even though it is treated as heresy by some orders for being pagan, General Bahadur didn’t care, as long as he could win in the ruthless war of power struggles.

Rustle.

The grass that Sheh had been standing on slowly rose and regained its shape. But there was no sense of anyone moving. No, it was as if no one had been there from the beginning.

“Can you see him?” Old General asked Seorin, raising his senses to the maximum. Seorin frowned deeply and scanned around Son Bin before answering.

“No. I can’t smell anything.”

Not the smell, nor the sound, nor the footprints, not even the movement could be felt. Sheh had literally disappeared before their eyes.

Old General gritted his teeth. If Seorin couldn’t sense him, then the situation was very serious. Even Old General himself had completely lost track of Sheh.

Sheh’s disappearance was fundamentally different from the stealth techniques used by assassins in the Central Plains.

‘Did I…… underestimate him too much?’

No matter how perfect the stealth is, it always leaves something behind. Especially since the opponent was right in front of them until just now, wasn’t he?

But there was nothing. Even Old General and Seorin had completely missed him. Such an ability was unheard of.

Old General bit his lip and turned his gaze towards Son Bin.

‘Bin.’

Sheh’s disappearance was not for escape. Clearly, the target he was aiming for was Son Bin. Then wouldn’t it be right to rush out and protect Son Bin right now?

Just as Old General was about to gather his inner strength, he saw Son Bin holding White Dew with both hands, half-closing his eyes, and slowly composing his breathing.

And the next moment Son Bin opened his eyes, the beautiful blade of White Dew drew a cold trajectory in the air.

* * *

Son Bin clearly saw Sheh disappear before his eyes. In fact, no one had witnessed it more clearly than Son Bin. From the moment Sheh’s existence began to fade, Son Bin knew what was happening.

“This is……” The faded Sheh smiled at Son Bin, who was frowning.

“The power of the Esoteric Order.”

Whoosh.

Along with the sound of the wind blowing, Sheh’s voice disappeared. Following that, he heard the urgent voices of Old General and Seorin. Even those masters of external affairs had lost track of Sheh’s existence.

It couldn’t be helped. The reason Sheh had concealed his presence just now was not because of some secret martial art or strange sorcery.

‘But no way.’

With a firm expression, Son Bin recalled the feeling from just now. He first sensed the anomaly when Sheh, trapped at the tip of White Dew’s blade, began to open his chakras.

So Son Bin let him go. He wanted to see what kind of power Sheh possessed, what his ability called chakra was like, even considering what might happen in the future.

‘I didn’t expect it to be like this.’

When Sheh began to fade, Son Bin immediately knew that this was some kind of transcendent power.

It couldn’t be helped. The power of the Esoteric Order was very foreign to Son Bin, but it also felt familiar, creating the same flow as the ability of the former Jade Dragon.

Sreuk.

Son Bin held White Dew with both hands. There was no fear of an invisible enemy.

And Son Bin quietly took a breath with his eyes half-closed. If an ignorant person saw it, it would be a scene that looked as if he had given up. General Bahadur, who was watching, also thought so and sneered.

But Son Bin hadn’t given up. Rather, Son Bin knew more clearly than anyone else where Sheh was and what the situation was.

Even more than Sheh himself.

Hoo-woo-oong.

Countless flows surrounding Son Bin. The vast flow that embraces even the stars, and the countless flows that exist within it, appearing and disappearing.

Sheh was among those flows. And Son Bin could recognize the existence of the flow that he had assimilated with more clearly than any other flow.

It wasn’t just because Son Bin could see the flow. There was another reason why Son Bin’s gaze had to sink coldly.

Seuk.

Thus, when Son Bin opened his eyes, his eyes were shining like starlight. Son Bin took a step and drew White Dew without any hesitation.

Shwik.

The enchanting trajectory of White Dew, drawn under the blue moonlight, was an all too beautiful sword technique that was simply slashing down from above.

However, the result brought about by that simple sword technique was something no one had expected.

Clang.

A small metallic sound echoed, and Sheh revealed himself before everyone’s eyes. The curved sword in his hand, which was about to stab Son Bin, was surprisingly cut in half.

Clatter.

“Cough.”

Along with the sound of the severed blade falling, a short groan escaped. Sheh’s body staggered and retreated a few steps.

“Kuh-euk.”

Sheh bent over and clutched his chest. It wasn’t just because his appearance had been revealed.

The power of the Esoteric Order, which transcends perception, is the power to become ‘one with the world’ that surrounds him. The fact that that power was broken meant that he had been separated from the world and pulled out.

In other words, Sheh’s opened chakra had been forcibly stopped, which was the same as having his dantian [energy center in the abdomen] shattered for a martial artist.

Therefore, the shock Sheh received was beyond imagination. Sheh’s body could not withstand the tremendous shock that shook his very existence.

Clatter.

The curved sword and dagger that Sheh was holding also lost their strength and fell to the ground.

“Cough, cough.”

Once again, Sheh let out a painful groan. He raised his head and looked at Son Bin.

“H-How……” Blood was flowing from the corner of Sheh’s mouth as he looked at Son Bin in disbelief.

Son Bin silently stared at his confused eyes.

“How could you, my power……”

“Well,” Son Bin said quietly.

Sheh was clearly one with the flow. The reason Son Bin could clearly recognize Sheh among those countless and endless flows was because of another reason.

It was malice.

Like the thin and old traces seen in the Great Devil of Seojang, it was faint, but now he couldn’t miss it, that distant abyss of malice was in Sheh’s flow.

Seuk.

Son Bin raised his eyes and looked at Sheh.

Sheh’s still confused eyes were demanding an answer, but Son Bin didn’t tell him.

Even if he told him, Sheh would never understand or accept it.

“No, it can’t be,” Sheh staggered and muttered like a groan.

“It can’t be. I am Sheh of the Esoteric Order, receiving the will of the great god……”

His words could not continue. Son Bin, who was listening to Hwang Bang-ju’s translation, suddenly opened his mouth.

“That will of the great god,” Son Bin said, still with a cold gaze.

“It seems that he was not with you.”

Gritting.

Sheh gnashed his teeth.

“How dare a heretic……” Sheh said, pointing to the sky with trembling fingers.

“How dare you speak of the will of the great god? The great god who created everything will never……”

“Why not?” Son Bin smiled lightly. At the end of that somewhat empty smile, Son Bin said.

“If that ‘great god’ created everything, then this indignation within me must also be something he gave me.”

Sheh’s eyebrows twitched as if convulsing. As he was about to say something, he covered his mouth with his hand and coughed.

“Cough.”

Blood flowed out between his fingers. Sheh folded his waist and coughed painfully.

But Son Bin no longer looked at Sheh. Son Bin turned his head towards Bahadur, the general of the Empire, who was glaring at this place with a distorted expression.

“The same goes for you,” Son Bin said, looking straight at Bahadur, who was riding on his horse.

“The massacre of civilians is a serious crime in any era, in any country, especially if the target is their own people.”

Son Bin’s gaze was as cold as when he was looking at Sheh.

“There is no room for excuses.”

A moment of silence flowed. But that silence was not long.

“Kekeke.”

Bahadur laughed. And he straightened his body and looked down at Son Bin.

Clap, clap, clap.

“Amazing,” Bahadur said, clapping his hands as if admiring. But it was clear that it wasn’t sincere. The smile on Bahadur’s lips was a sneer.

“We respect the strong. So you can say whatever you want now, because that is the privilege of the victor.”

Bahadur shrugged his shoulders.

“But to be honest, I’m still not sure if you’re strong. It’s true that you defeated Sheh, but I don’t know how you did it, so I don’t feel anything.”

Anger began to surge in Bahadur’s eyes towards Son Bin.

“But I warn you, it’s best not to be too cocky. Your talent is nothing compared to the mighty military power of the Empire.”

Gnashing.

Bahadur gnashed his teeth. The sneer had already disappeared. It couldn’t be helped. All of Bahadur’s plans had gone awry because of Son Bin before his eyes.

If Sheh had succeeded, everything would have been over. The moment he killed Son Bin, Old General would have rushed in, and the three subordinates who were hiding would have ravaged Old General’s empty back.

Then everything would have ended according to his plan. He would have obtained the best material to control the lord of this territory.

But Sheh failed, and there is no way to overturn this annoying situation. So Bahadur couldn’t help but be angry.

“Heh, as I said before,” the person who answered the angry Bahadur was not Son Bin, but Old General.

“What are you relying on to make such a loud noise even in this situation? Are you out of your mind? Are you crazy?” Old General said angrily. Hwang Bang-ju slyly translated, omitting ‘as I said before’, because he couldn’t translate it at that time.

Looking at General Bahadur, who was hardening at the blatant insult, Old General continued in a blunt voice.

“You’re not doing that because you believe in the guys hiding, are you?”

Bahadur’s expression changed slightly.

“Hey, no way,” Seorin looked at Old General with an absurd expression and said.

“What else could there be? I’ve known since earlier that three people were hiding and aiming for us, so would he believe in such obvious tricks?” Those words were directed at Old General, but Hwang Bang-ju deliberately translated them. Even he felt a sense of satisfaction at Bahadur’s increasingly distorted expression.

Old General clicked his tongue as if he was dumbfounded by Bahadur’s reaction.

“Tsk, so that’s really it.” Despite the blatant ridicule, Bahadur didn’t bother to hide his crumpled expression.

‘I managed to draw their attention……’

The only reason he continued this useless conversation was to draw their attention and make the subordinates’ attack more advantageous.

However, if Old General had already noticed the subordinates’ concealment, then further conversation was meaningless.

‘I was wrong.’

Now he has no choice but to go on the offensive. Even though the concealment has been exposed, the subordinates’ skills should be able to create enough time for him to escape.

Seuk.

It was the moment Bahadur raised his hand to signal his subordinates.

“Ugh!” With a short groan, Son Bin’s expression hardened at once. He immediately turned his head and shouted at Old General.

“Elder! Seorin!”

“Okay!” Perhaps there was no need to call them. Old General’s expression had already hardened. He quickly scanned here and there in the dark forest with sharp eyes.

“I felt it too!” Seorin also shouted that and began to be wary of her surroundings, just like Old General.

Bahadur frowned. He couldn’t figure out what was going on. But perhaps now is the chance.

Seuk.

It was the moment Bahadur was about to put his hand into his chest.

Crunch.

A chilling sound flowed out of the darkness of the forest, and a faint groan followed it.

“Kkeueo-eo-eo-eok.”

The groan heard from the forest soon disappeared. But Bahadur had no choice but to freeze, because he immediately recognized the identity of that groan.

Crack, thud.

“Aaaagh!”

This time, a sharp scream echoed in the forest, as well as the sound of something heavy falling to the ground.

“Seorin!”

Tat.

Old General spoke in a low voice and at the same time threw himself towards Son Bin. Seorin also immediately hugged Hwang Bang-ju and flew down next to Son Bin.

Sreung.

The cold blade of So-ryeong revealed itself under the moonlight. Old General, who was standing next to Son Bin, drew his sword.

“……Euaaaagh.” A faint scream was heard from afar. Bahadur’s complexion hardened. He couldn’t possibly not know what these groans meant.

Silence descended. Perfect silence descended on the dark forest. Not even the cries of night birds, not even the sound of the wind could be heard.

Whoosh.

At that time, something flew towards the open space. Bahadur was startled and looked at it.

Thud.

It fell into the open space with an unpleasant sound. Bahadur gritted his teeth as he realized the identity of that slimy thing revealed in the moonlight.

Because it was the remains of someone who had been Bahadur’s subordinate until just now.

“Be careful!” Son Bin’s warning echoed sharply. Bahadur, who had been distracted by the flying debris, suddenly raised his head.

And fortunately for him, Son Bin’s warning was not directed at Bahadur.

Hook.

“Heo-eok!” Bahadur unknowingly swallowed a dry breath, because something huge was rushing towards Sheh like the wind before his eyes.

Crunch.

It was instantaneous, and Bahadur was shocked by the sight that appeared before his eyes.

“Kkeueo-eo.” A painful groan flowed from Sheh’s mouth, but the fangs of the huge beast mercilessly dug into Sheh’s neck, shoulders, and sides.

“God……” Bahadur muttered without realizing it.

A huge beast was tearing Sheh apart before his eyes. An unbelievably large body, huge forepaws that were sickening to even look at, and deadly fangs that gleamed white.

The beast, whose black fur was glistening under the moonlight, had the form of a huge black tiger that was large enough to swallow Sheh in an instant.

“This is……” Old General frowned and groaned. Seorin also frowned deeply and made an openly disgusted expression.

Hwang Bang-ju couldn’t even speak with a completely horrified face. But Hwang Bang-ju also knew.

Krrr.

A huge body, an abnormally large and torn mouth, and red eyes gleaming in the darkness.

Although its appearance was different from the monsters of Seojang, this beast before his eyes was clearly a monster.