Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 541

The Strong Survive (9)

“Have you memorized everything?”

“Of course.”

“You’re fast indeed.”

“The teacher’s skills were excellent.”

“That’s unlike you, flattering me.”

Yang Cheon dusted off his hands.

Unlike him, who was perfectly fine, Yeon Ho-Jeong looked rather disheveled. His hair was a mess, and his clothes were torn in several places. He was practically a beggar, except he wasn’t dirty.

“I know you wouldn’t, but never let your guard down. The method I taught you is the ‘bare minimum.’ If it’s an Eumje [a powerful being from Seongcheon], they could incapacitate you with an attack I can’t even imagine.”

“And, I might not even have to fight an Eumje.”

“Of course. But you should always assume the worst-case scenario.”

Yang Cheon shook his head.

“If nothing else, when it comes to massacres, the Eumje is probably the best among the strong of Seongcheon. It’s the power of sound, sound waves.”

“I know.”

“You must be more careful than ever. Not just you, but everyone who goes with you. In a moment of carelessness, you could all die without even knowing how.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong chuckled.

“If you’re so worried, why don’t you come with us, Vice-Chief?”

“Come with you…”

It was a joke, but unexpectedly, Yang Cheon’s face turned serious.

“Yes, it’s not like I haven’t considered it.”

“Are you serious?”

“You’ve come into the Murim [martial arts world] and achieved things that ordinary people wouldn’t even dare to dream of. It’s not something you could have accomplished just by being strong in martial arts. Rather, your other abilities shone brighter than your martial arts.”

“I admit it.”

“That’s certainly impressive, but at the same time, many people are mistaken. They think you have no limits.”

“……”

“Your opponent is a strong person from Seongcheon. In this case, a disadvantage in martial prowess is fatal.”

“I know that as well.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face showed a hint of regret.

Yang Cheon’s words were absolutely correct. With his experience and skill as the Black Demon King, and his keenly honed insight, he had successfully led all sorts of missions.

But he had a fatal weakness: his martial prowess.

If he were to be deployed on a suitable mission, this wouldn’t be a weakness. It couldn’t be a weakness. Yeon Ho-Jeong’s martial prowess was beyond the level of a late-stage disciple; he was a master who could contend for the top spot in the world, excluding the strong of Seongcheon.

The problem was that he was always deployed on missions that were close to impossible. He even wanted it himself.

That’s why even his powerful martial arts became a weakness.

“So I thought, can I really entrust this task to you? Honestly, I even thought about leaving the Mukryong Unit [a special task force] to you for a while and running myself.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face was filled with surprise.

Yang Cheon smiled.

“Why? Is it unexpected?”

“It’s more than unexpected. No matter what, it’s not something the head of the Mukryong Unit would consider.”

“That’s right. It’s not something the head of the Mukryong Unit would consider. But it’s something a Murim person in the Central Plains who wants to win the war would consider.”

“……!”

“But I gave up on it. Or rather, I realized it wasn’t realistic. If I leave my position to recruit a strong person from Seongcheon, no matter how well you hold the center, the headquarters will be a mess.”

“You’re right.”

Yang Cheon shook his head.

“It was all meaningless thinking anyway. What’s important is reality. Especially in this case, there’s no one else I can trust but you.”

“……”

“Actually, I was planning to use you for this purpose from the start… It’s frustrating.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong thought. Yang Cheon had definitely changed a lot.

The Yang Cheon of his past life was not like this. He didn’t talk much in the first place, but back then, he was a madly ambitious man blinded by the unification of the Black Path [a faction of martial artists], not hesitating to commit all sorts of atrocities.

But now?

“It’s thanks to you. You saved my life. And you asked me to join you. Even if it’s just because you saved a chess piece called me to win the war, it doesn’t matter. What’s important is that I’m free from the poison of the Demonic Cult Leader.”

“……”

“I’ve always wanted to say this to you. Thank you, and I’m sorry.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled.

“What day is it today?”

“Hmm? Why do you ask that all of a sudden?”

“Isn’t today the historic day when the Fighting King Yang Cheon showed me his true sincerity? I want to remember it.”

“You’re being silly.”

Yang Cheon put his hands behind his back.

“Thank you is thank you, and sorry is sorry. And that’s the end of it. Our future relationship can change at any time.”

“I know.”

“How is Makwon?”

“He’s recovering. I’ve sent a letter to the Murim Alliance, so we should get a reply soon. Especially if the poison in Makwon’s body is really a deadly poison from the Divine Cult, there’s a reliable person who can treat it.”

“The Western Divine Maiden.”

“That’s right.”

Yang Cheon clicked his tongue.

“The Murim Alliance’s Physician Chief is coming to the Mukryong Unit… It really makes me realize that we’ve formed an alliance.”

He looked directly at Yeon Ho-Jeong.

“Just succeed in this mission and come back safely. As soon as Makwon is treated, you can work with him on the next mission.”

“Don’t worry.”

“Who else would worry about you here if not me? The war will be difficult without you. If you can’t recruit them, run for your life.”

“I’ll do that even if you don’t tell me.”

“I’m sure you will.”

Yang Cheon turned around.

“Let’s go inside and have a drink.”

“Sounds good.”

Unfortunately, the two were not destined to drink today.

“Vice-Chief! Something terrible has happened!”

“What’s the matter with all the fuss?”

“The, the Third Young Master…!”

“Hmm?”

“The Third Young Master… has been found dead!”

Yang Cheon’s eyes blazed with fury.

When he arrived at the scene, several experts were stationed, controlling the area.

As Yang Cheon appeared, they all knelt.

“We greet the Vice-Chief!”

Yang Cheon didn’t even acknowledge their greetings as he approached the fallen Jeon Hong.

“……?!”

Yang Cheon’s eyes widened.

Not only him, but Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had come with Yang Cheon, was also shocked by Jeon Hong’s corpse.

‘A mummy?!’

Jeon Hong’s corpse was as dry as a piece of firewood.

It looked as if all the blood and moisture had been drained from his body. His sunken eyes and hollow cheeks were truly gruesome.

“What is this…?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong checked Jeon Hong’s pulse.

He turned to Yang Cheon.

“All his life force has been sucked out. Even his internal energy.”

“……”

Yang Cheon silently looked down at Jeon Hong.

His expression didn’t change much, but it was clear to anyone that he was in turmoil.

Baek Seo approached and said,

“The Third Young Master left his residence about an hour ago. And he came straight here.”

“……”

“He was found half an hour ago. So, the Third Young Master’s time of death is between an hour and half an hour ago.”

Yang Cheon asked,

“Who did he meet during that time?”

“……There is one person.”

“Who is it?”

“It’s Gang Ryang.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes flashed.

Yang Cheon nodded.

“Bring him here.”

Shortly after, Gang Ryang arrived at the scene, escorted by warriors. He also looked serious, having heard about the situation on his way.

As Gang Ryang arrived, everyone except Yang Cheon looked at him.

Yang Cheon asked without turning around,

“You saw this guy today, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I did.”

This place was right in front of Gang Ryang’s residence in the first place.

Yang Cheon said briefly,

“Explain.”

His voice was devoid of emotion.

Gang Ryang said in a somber tone,

“I was meditating when I got hungry and went outside. That’s when he was already waiting for me. He started picking a fight, so I ignored him, but his insults went too far, and a fight broke out.”

“A fight.”

“Yes. Of course, it was a fight that ended in one blow.”

He wasn’t trying to brag. He was trying to explain the situation as accurately as possible.

“And then?”

“I drew my sword to intimidate him, but that was all. No matter how angry I was, I couldn’t kill a subordinate of the Mukryong Unit inside the unit.”

Swoosh.

Yang Cheon stood up.

No one knew what he was thinking.

“Just one question.”

Yang Cheon was still turned away.

“Besides the martial arts of the Guicheol Sword Sect, have you learned any other martial arts?”

Gang Ryang nodded.

“Yes, I have.”

“What martial arts?”

“It’s Byeoksan Yeonga, the Cheolgeom Daeyeon martial art that Lord Yeonga taught me. I haven’t learned the latter part, though.”

“Sword techniques, is that all?”

“Yes, it is.”

Only then did Yang Cheon turn around.

Yang Cheon’s eyes were not as intimidating as expected. However, his expression was serious.

“Check his pulse.”

No Murim person would easily offer their pulse to another. If they were careless, they could have their insides destroyed by the dark energy entering through their pulse.

But Gang Ryang willingly extended his arm.

Yang Cheon checked Gang Ryang’s internal state through his pulse.

After a while.

“Is that the Guiwang Jinqi [a type of internal energy]?”

“Yes, it is.”

“It’s an amazing divine art. It’s indeed worthy of being called the best prestigious family of the Black Path.”

Yang Cheon said to his subordinates,

“Preserve the scene. Don’t let anyone in here.”

“Understood!”

“Baek Seo, and Vice-Commander Yeon, come talk to me. Gang Ryang, you too.”

Yang Cheon didn’t sit on the grand chair when he entered the main hall.

He stood leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

“Baek Seo. Do you have any idea why the Third Young Master ended up like that?”

“I apologize. I don’t know exactly, but…”

“You don’t know, but there must be a martial art that comes to mind right away.”

“That’s right.”

Then, Yeon Ho-Jeong said,

“It’s a type of Absorption Technique. I’d guess it’s probably in the same category as the Death Absorption Technique.”

Baek Seo looked at Yeon Ho-Jeong with surprised eyes.

“You know about the Death Absorption Technique?”

“I do.”

“That’s amazing.”

Yang Cheon nodded.

“You’re right. That’s a type of Death Absorption Technique, which is a minimized version of the Absorption Technique, but can only be used when one has almost completely lost their internal energy.”

The Absorption Technique itself was a rare martial art.

The reason was simple. It was a martial art marred by fatal side effects.

The Absorption Technique was a method of absorbing an opponent’s internal energy to enhance one’s own power.

However, the absorbed internal energy would clash with the user’s internal energy, causing them to fall into a state of demonic possession or even die.

If the power was strong, even a demonic art would be learned by Murim people. But even Murim people who risked their lives for strength did not learn the Absorption Technique.

The reason was simple. There was no benefit to learning it.

Even if they absorbed internal energy, they had a high chance of dying or becoming crippled, and even if they succeeded, they would become an enemy of the Murim. No matter how strong they wanted to become, there was no reason to take such a risk.

There was a time when the Absorption Technique was popular, but that trend faded after only a few years.

Now, it was no exaggeration to say that no one learned the Absorption Technique. Even the younger generation often didn’t even know that such a martial art existed.

But the Death Absorption Technique was different.

“Even a corpse that has been attacked by the Absorption Technique would have at least some energy left. Especially a corpse that has only been dead for half an hour.”

“That’s right.”

“The Death Absorption Technique is different. The Death Absorption Technique is, in a way, a healing martial art. When one’s internal energy and life force are extremely depleted, it’s a way to temporarily achieve explosive recovery by absorbing the internal energy and life force of others.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes deepened.

“Then, that means someone in the Mukryong Unit is in a life-threatening situation.”

“……That’s right.”

“There’s no physical evidence, but there’s someone I suspect.”

Yang Cheon closed his eyes.

“Baek Seo.”

“Yes, Vice-Chief.”

“Release the unit’s forces and bring the First Young Master here.”