Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 216

“Still no contact?””Th-that’s correct.”
Hwa-won openly frowned.

‘Could something have gone wrong?’

The Hwa-won Unit’s reporting intervals were no less than half an hour and no more than an hour.

It wasn’t just the Hwa-won Unit. All the units of the Twelve Zodiacs were the same.

The frequency of reports was excessive, but it couldn’t be helped. The Mukryong Faction [a secretive and powerful organization] had yet to reveal itself to the world, so caution was paramount.

That was why they maintained such short reporting cycles, even at the cost of money and manpower.

But now, more than half a day had passed without contact?

‘Could they have been defeated?’

It was unbelievable.

Of course, it was possible that the Black Sheep Unit was stronger than they thought. The Hwa-won Unit might have been helplessly defeated.

Even so, a report should have come in. Unless the entire unit had been annihilated in one place, this couldn’t be happening.

“This won’t do. You go and check the traces of the unit….”

That’s when it happened.

“H-Hwa-won-nim! There!”

Hwa-won turned his head.

‘That guy?’

Along the small path leading to the manor, a young man was walking.

He was over six feet tall. Though his physique wasn’t sturdy, his upright posture, like a bamboo, exuded the spirit of a stubborn scholar who wouldn’t compromise.

It was Yeon Ho-Jeong. Having changed into new clothes and carrying a rather thick bundle, he had finally returned.

Hwa-won moved.

Swish!

Hwa-won’s movement, as he stepped on several rooftops and descended to the ground in an instant, was like watching a spectacle.

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled.

“A monkey-like agility.”

Killing intent surged in Hwa-won’s eyes.

“Where have you been?”

“None of your business. Move. I’m tired.”

“Report immediately.”

“I’ve never had a superior like you. Don’t be a nuisance and get lost.”

His tone was quite harsh.

Hwa-won smiled coldly.

“I guess you haven’t heard from the Vice-Leader. I am your….”

“Bodyguard. If you’re a bodyguard, then guard the manor properly. Don’t displease the person you’re guarding.”

“……”

“We weren’t friends, so I’ll let it slide this once. If you act out of line again, I’ll pluck your eyes out.”

Tzzzt.

From the body of Won-gak (猿脚) [literally ‘monkey leg’, a nickname implying agility], her most trusted subordinate standing behind Hwa-won, a venomous killing intent flowed out.

The Twelve Zodiacs under Yang Cheon were top-tier experts of the Mukryong Faction, and they held positions befitting their martial prowess. They were not in a position to be spoken to like this by some brat who had come from who-knows-where.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s smile deepened.

“A loyal subordinate.”

Hwa-won, who had been staring at him, raised his hand.

Won-gak suppressed his killing intent with effort. He was furious, but he couldn’t disobey his lord’s command.

Hwa-won asked.

“What’s in that bundle?”

“An impertinent question. Clear the way.”

“Let me make it clear. I’m not just a bodyguard, but the head of the bodyguard unit. I was ordered to protect you and also to monitor you.”

“So what?”

“……Do you not understand the word ‘monitor’? If you do anything foolish, in the worst case, I can kill you.”

“That’s a strange thing to say.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong tilted his head.

“You were ordered to kill us, but you don’t have the ability to do so, do you?”

“What?!”

“We are in a deal with Vice-Leader Yang. Whether we serve him or kick him to the curb will be decided in a few days. In other words, we have no reason to follow Vice-Leader Yang’s orders yet.”

A strange smile appeared on Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face.

“Didn’t that man tell you that? I thought you were a favored subordinate, but it seems you weren’t.”

In an instant, Hwa-won felt a surge of anger.

“You little…!”

“But, well, it’s fine.”

“……?!”

“I’ll probably have to go out often in the future. It’ll be tiring to argue every time, and I can’t beat you up for the sake of Vice-Leader Yang’s reputation.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong untied the bundle.

Hwa-won’s eyes deepened.

‘Clothes?’

Indeed. The bundle that Yeon Ho-Jeong had brought contained several sets of luxurious clothing. There were both men’s and women’s clothes mixed in.

“Clothes for my companions to change into. Is that enough?”

“……”

“Move.”

“One last word.”

Hwa-won’s eyes blazed.

“If you go out again without reporting, I will deal with you according to the discretion of the head of the bodyguard unit.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong nodded.

“I hope you do. If you make the first move, Vice-Leader Yang won’t be able to say anything even if I crush you.”

Hwa-won smiled coldly.

“You know too little about the Vice-Leader.”

“That’s what I’m saying. If you were favored by Vice-Leader Yang, you wouldn’t have dared to utter such insane words in front of me.”

“……?!”

“Let’s go.”

Hwa-won, who had been staring at Yeon Ho-Jeong, cleared the way.

Yeon Ho-Jeong walked along the small path without a word. And Hwa-won and Won-gak followed behind him.

That’s when it happened.

‘…….’

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes flashed.

‘Telepathic communication.’

The air was faintly vibrating.

Someone was sending a telepathic message to Hwa-won. The surroundings were extremely quiet, and Yeon Ho-Jeong’s senses were sharper than ever, so he was able to perceive it.

Swoosh.

Hwa-won’s gait was slightly disturbed.

Sarak.

Hwa-won disappeared.

Yeon Ho-Jeong said without turning around.

“Looks like you have urgent business. Why don’t you follow your lord?”

Won-gak stared at Yeon Ho-Jeong without a word. But while his eyes were on Yeon Ho-Jeong, he was actually extremely flustered.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes gleamed.

‘Those guys who were wielding that thing, were they that monkey’s subordinates?’

This situation is turning out to be quite interesting.

“Oh my, where have you been?”

Ga Deuk-Sang greeted Yeon Ho-Jeong with a sarcastic tone.

Yeon Ho-Jeong handed over the bundle.

“It’s uncomfortable to wear the same clothes every day. I’ve brought some decent clothes.”

“Huh? No, you should wear one set of clothes for ten years….”

Ga Deuk-Sang, who had unknowingly spoken with a beggar’s mentality, quickly lowered his voice.

“Ahem! Anyway, you’ve worked hard. I wonder what kind of fancy clothes you’ve brought.”

Ga Deuk-Sang, pretending to be nonchalant, took the bundle and went into the residence, and Pae-yul said.

“Did you have a good trip?”

“Yes, I did.”

Pae-yul glanced at the manor gate. Won-gak had come inside.

“What’s with that small fry?”

“That’s the monkey’s direct subordinate.”

Pae-yul openly frowned.

“Get out.”

It was truly straightforward.

Won-gak stood with his hands behind his back, without a word. He looked like he wouldn’t move even if a knife was put to his throat.

Tzzzt.

A menacing killing intent emanated from Pae-yul’s body.

Yeon Ho-Jeong shook his head.

“Just leave him be.”

“I don’t want to. I won’t tolerate some unknown thug messing around in my territory.”

“Just be patient for a little while. If he acts arrogant first, it won’t be too late to deal with him then.”

Pae-yul, who had been silently listening to Yeon Ho-Jeong, glared at Won-gak and growled.

“I hope you try to attack me anytime. I’ll cut your head off with one strike.”

With those words, Pae-yul went into the residence. He seemed to hate the sight of Won-gak.

Yeon Ho-Jeong chuckled.

“He’s quite something. It wouldn’t be easy to live like that.”

Still, it was something that he followed his words obediently. Even though they had made a promise, it was definitely not easy to consistently yield like that, given the sentiments of the Central Plains [a region in China often associated with martial arts and traditional culture].

At that moment, Won-gak asked.

“What exactly are you relying on?”

“Hmm?”

“You and that swordsman, what are you relying on to act so recklessly?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong grinned.

“Skill.”

“Agh! Why are you only coming now!”

Jeagal Ayeon had a rather grim expression. It seemed she had been racking her brain quite intensely in the short time.

“Hurry up and help me with the organization restructuring! Damn it, my head is about to explode.”

“You’ve worked hard. Go in and rest. I’ll take care of the rest.”

“……Is that okay?”

“Yeah. Thinking is no easy task. I’ll also look over the work you’ve done, so I’ll finish it alone today.”

Jeagal Ayeon clicked her tongue.

“When you say it like that, I feel bad for resting.”

“Stop saying things you don’t mean and go get some sleep.”

“Things I don’t mean! How rude! Oh? But what about the thing you went to do?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled and nodded.

“It went pretty well. Things will be easier from now on.”

“That’s good news!”

Jeagal Ayeon flopped onto the bed.

“I’ll just sleep for a bit, so wake me up in an hour. It’s better to work together on things that require a lot of thinking.”

There was no time to stop her. She closed her eyes and fell fast asleep before she could even count to three.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, as if saying she was hopeless, chuckled at Jeagal Ayeon and sat down.

While looking over the organization restructuring chart, Yeon Ho-Jeong suddenly fell into thought.

‘It was quite dangerous.’

After crushing all the guys wearing the Black Sheep masks, another twenty experts had rushed in.

They weren’t wearing masks like the ones he had eliminated earlier. However, judging by their sinister inner energy and the blood-soaked aura, he immediately knew they belonged to the Mukryong Faction.

‘To think they would have something like that.’

They were quite formidable, but burying those experts was not a difficult task.

The problem was the thing they were carrying.

‘It was similar to the Violent Rain Pear Blossom Needles.’

The Violent Rain Pear Blossom Needles.

One of the ultimate hidden weapons that the Sichuan Tang Clan [a famous clan known for their mastery of hidden weapons] was proud of. It was a dangerous hidden weapon that was not given to just anyone, even within the Tang Clan.

If not managed properly, misfires would occur frequently, so deep knowledge of hidden weapons and mechanisms, as well as skilled experience, were essential.

Yeon Ho-Jeong also knew the power of the Violent Rain Pear Blossom Needles well.

‘It was tremendous.’

Not to mention experts at the peak level, even experts who had broken through the Wall of No Species [a metaphorical term for reaching a high level of martial arts mastery] would have a hard time escaping the clutches of the Violent Rain Pear Blossom Needles if they let their guard down.

How such a dangerous thing ended up in the hands of the underworld thugs was beyond his understanding.

‘To be precise, it wasn’t the Violent Rain Pear Blossom Needles, but something similar.’

Could it be that the Mukryong Faction was mass-producing such things?

‘That can’t be. If that were the case, they wouldn’t be so desperate to recruit experts in hidden weapons.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong stroked his lips.

Just in case, he had brought one with him, but he wasn’t sure if he should show it to Dang Sang-ah.

‘…….’

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had been lost in thought, sighed.

“There’s still plenty of time. Let’s think slowly.”

What was important now were three things.

First, to capture Yang Cheon’s heart with the organization restructuring chart in one go.

In fact, the organizational structure was something he had pondered countless times while establishing the Black Emperor Fortress, so it wouldn’t be difficult. It was important, but not a problem that needed much worry.

Second, Gang Ryang.

He had killed all twenty of the experts who had come later and left all sorts of chaotic traces in the valley area. Even if a seasoned expert came to investigate, they would conclude that two groups had fought and annihilated each other.

And immediately after that, he had made Gang Ryang stay near a mountain not far from here. He had drilled into his head what he absolutely shouldn’t do, so he would be quiet for the time being.

Perhaps after this is over, he might have to take that guy with him. No, he absolutely must.

And finally, the third.

“I believe in you.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked out the window.

Moyong Gun’s eerie eyes came to mind.

“Just create one piece of proper information. I’ll charge straight into the depths of the Mukryong Faction.”