The Return of the Sw Chapter 99 : The Real Target. -02

Chapter 99: The Real Target. -02

"I expect the sa. There’s a significant gap in skill among first-rate assassins, but special-grade assassins are almost all on the sa level. Even so, the fact that a special-grade assassin was taken down ans it would be difficult with the capabilities of an ordinary assassin organization."

"For now, you should get so sleep. You look very tired."

"I’m sorry. I keep asking for help every ti."

Geum Hoyeon lowered his head.

Still, when he was driven into a corner, the only person he could think of was Ban Hojin.

If he stayed at the Geum Family Estate, he wouldn’t die by an assassin’s hand, but instead, he would clearly die from overwork and exhaustion.

Moreover, since he had noticed at a glance that assassins were tailing him, he also felt a sense of expectation.

"When things are hard, helping each other is only human, isn’t it? I’ve received help as well. Because of what you told

last ti, my Master and Senior Disciple were very grateful too."

"Haha. That really wasn’t anything special."

"It may not have been anything special to Young Master Geum, but from the standpoint of , my Senior Disciple, and my Master, it was truly a great help. Just like that, what’s happening now is the sa. So please rest comfortably."

"Thank you!"

Geum Hoyeon’s eyes grew moist.

It was because he was deeply moved by the heartfelt comfort, not a re transactional relationship.

At the sa ti, he thought he had co to the right place.

"For now, please sleep. The escort warriors as well. From the looks of it, none of you have been able to sleep properly for quite so ti. This place is safe, so rest easy."

"Yes!"

Geum Hoyeon nodded vigorously in reply, then entered the guest room Ban Hojin had guided him to.

And just like that, he fell fast asleep.

He had fallen asleep the mont he lay down on the bed.

And the escort warriors also gathered in a heap near the pavilion and fell asleep.

"No matter how I think about it, this feels like a drive."

Looking down at the escort warriors who were snoring deeply, Ban Hojin curled the corner of his lips upward.

It felt like everything had been designed from the Geum Family Estate all the way to here.

Geum Hoyeon, whose judgnt had grown dull, hadn’t noticed it, but Ban Hojin was different.

"Let’s observe for now."

Slurp.

Ban Hojin leisurely sipped his tea.

If everything had indeed been planned, the other side would surely make the first move.

So Ban Hojin could calmly observe the situation and respond accordingly.

"Or I can just capture them and interrogate them."

Either way, Ban Hojin didn’t mind.

Because the choice was his.

Whiiiiing.

Perhaps because it was winter, the sun was setting quickly.

The sun that had been touching the western mountains vanished in an instant, and darkness quietly began to settle over the surroundings.

And black shadows began to gather one after another toward Songshan.

‘ I must have seen it wrong, right? ’

Guwol (九月), who was confirming the presence of first-rate assassins assembling, narrowed his brow.

It was because he couldn’t forget the gaze of Ban Hojin that had brushed past him at the very end.

It had been in the heat of the mont, yet strangely, Guwol felt as though Ban Hojin had seen him.

‘ But that’s impossible. ’

Guwol soon shook off the thought.

No matter how Ban Hojin was currently called the strongest among the Rising Juniors, Guwol was soone who had been active as a special-grade assassin for a full ten years.

The number of peak-level masters who had died by his hand exceeded thirty.

And among them were many of the Hundred Great Masters Under Heaven.

Everyone has assembled.

Even if Ban Hojin had brought down the Green Forest Great Lord, the way of a martial artist and the way of an assassin were completely different.

No matter how great a master one was, if a blade pierced the head, neck, or heart, death was the sa.

And assassins didn’t use only blades.

What about the preparations?

We can start imdiately.

Let’s confirm the plan one last ti. Check the positions as well. As you all know, there’s only one chance.

Yes.

The first-rate assassin next in hierarchy replied in a flat voice and then fell silent.

He was relaying what had been said to the other first-rate assassins.

In the anti, Guwol stared with deeply sunken eyes at the small wooden structure that had been swallowed by darkness in an instant.

Of the two, the smaller building contained the target of this assassination.

‘ Complete the mission and withdraw imdiately. ’

Guwol’s gaze grew heavy.

It wasn’t inside Shaolin, but it wasn’t far away either.

For martial artists, it was close enough to reach with a stumble, so he had to escape at the sa mont he took the target’s life.

If luck was on their side, everyone present might et again alive, but realistically, Guwol expected that fewer than half would be seen again at the safe house.

‘ There’s only one thing to think about now. The death of the target. ’

Guwol closed his eyes.

It wasn’t the ti to think about losses.

He was an assassin, acting under orders from the higher-ups.

So there was only one thing he needed to think about.

Srrrk.

Perhaps the transmission of instructions had ended, as the first-rate assassins began to scatter in all directions.

Riding the sound of the wind, the first-rate assassins dispersed in an instant and took their positions.

Preparations are complete.

Begin.

Yes.

With the reply, a total of ten first-rate assassins began to move covertly.

They moved in coordination with one another according to the established plan.

All of them were experts capable of assassinating most peak-level masters without difficulty, yet no one let their guard down.

Given who their opponent was, they focused all the more.

Swish.

And following behind them, Guwol also moved.

The ten first-rate assassins were bait, and the core was him.

Since he was the one who would assassinate the target, Guwol raised all his senses and focused on the target.

Ssssk.

Without making a single sound, with only the sound of wind whipping across the clearing, the first-rate assassins reached the wooden structure.

It had taken a fair amount of ti, but they had arrived at the wall without being detected.

At the sa ti, the first-rate assassins began climbing up the wall.

Clatter!

But at that mont, the window flew wide open.

Just as one of the ten neared the window, it opened on its own.

At the sight of the window opening as if it had been waiting for the first-rate assassin to approach, everyone’s pupils dilated sharply.

"An assassination inside Shaolin, huh. That’s bold. Or did you receive a commission fee so large that you didn’t bother thinking about the aftermath?"

Sssseeeek!

As Ban Hojin appeared at the wide-open window with a tone and expression that showed not a hint of fluster, the assassin closest to him threw a concealed weapon.

The concealed weapon, blackened to block any reflected light, rushed toward Ban Hojin like a flash of lightning with a faint whistling sound.

As if to prove he was no First-Rate Assassin for nothing, despite the sudden appearance, it flew straight toward Ban Hojin’s heart with perfect precision.

“You’re awfully impatient. I wasn’t even finished talking yet.”

Thud.

It was a lightning-fast strike, yet Ban Hojin did not even blink.

Instead, remaining where he stood, he rely flicked his finger and sent the concealed weapon flying off into the mountains.

Astonishingly, he had struck the incoming concealed weapon precisely with a Wind Blade, knocking it away.

Ssshiik!

However, the assassins did not look surprised.

As if this too had been expected, the remaining assassins began scattering their concealed weapons one after another.

They threw every single concealed weapon they carried all at once.

Boom!

Not only that—they also used smoke bombs and poison bombs.

They intended to overwhelm Ban Hojin in a single rush before he could regain his bearings.

Unfortunately for them, the situation did not unfold according to their intentions.

Whooooom!

Even after detonating the smoke bombs and poison bombs, they could not get anywhere near Ban Hojin’s body.

He had rely swung his left arm once in a wide arc, yet the poisonous smoke was blasted out through the window.

At that, the five First-Rate Assassins who had been charging in all halted.

With the poisonous smoke that had concealed their bodies gone, all of them were thrown into confusion.

Pop-pop-pop-pop-bang!

Ban Hojin did not miss that opening.

Wind Blades were driven with pinpoint accuracy into the glabellas of the First-Rate Assassins who had hesitated for just a mont.

Thud! Thud! Ku-ku-thud!

The five First-Rate Assassins toppled backward, their eyes still wide open in shock.

Each and every one of them had a hole punched clean through the back of their heads.

Yet despite their comrades’ deaths, the remaining First-Rate Assassins did not waver.

Rather, they used the mont when the five collapsed to close in on Ban Hojin.

“Concealed weapons, poison bombs, and now a physical charge. Looks like you’ve used every card you had.”

Even as daggers bored in from his sides, back, and above his head, Ban Hojin’s expression remained relaxed.

They probably thought it was a flawless encirclent, but that was not the case for Ban Hojin.

Back during the war against the Four Tyrants of the World, an ambush of this level barely even qualified as one.

As if to prove that point, Ban Hojin did not even draw his sword, blasting away those charging from four directions using only the Heavenly Light Hand.

Pop-pop-pop-thud!

As befitting First-Rate Assassins in na alone, despite the bones throughout their bodies being shattered, the four did not let out a single groan.

Instead, even as they were beaten back, their eyes glead.

Although they themselves had failed, the assassination was not yet over.

Crunch!

At the sa mont the four were flung away by Ban Hojin’s Heavenly Light Hand, the floor burst open and a black silhouette shot upward.

Using the four as bait, the last remaining First-Rate Assassin launched a surprise attack on Ban Hojin.

Claaang!

But even that decisive strike did not work on Ban Hojin.

As Ban Hojin casually flicked the dagger away with a kick, as though he had known all along, the First-Rate Assassin’s pupils shook violently.

He had not expected it to be blocked so effortlessly.

Crack!

However, that thought could not continue any further.

Ban Hojin’s foot slamd cleanly into his jaw.

Though it was rely a front kick swung from where he stood, its power was more than enough to shatter a head.

The instant the blow landed on his jaw, the First-Rate Assassin died on the spot.

“Co out already. All your bait is dead.”

After dispatching ten people as easily as swatting flies, Ban Hojin muttered.

His gaze was fixed precisely on the place where Guwol was hiding.

At that sight, goosebumps ran over Guwol’s entire body.

At the sa ti, he realized that what he had seen earlier had not been a mistake.

Paaat!

The mont that thought reached him, Guwol turned his body.

An assassin whose position had been exposed was no longer an assassin.

Knowing there was no chance in a frontal confrontation, Guwol chose to flee without hesitation.

“You can co however you like, but you’re not leaving. That requires my permission.”

Sssseeeaaak!

Ban Hojin’s sword transford into a single streak of lightning.

The instant he drew the sword at his waist, he hurled it toward Guwol.

Thunk!

The sword flew like a lightning bolt and embedded itself precisely into Guwol’s right thigh.

His full-speed sprint rendered aningless, Guwol staggered from the penetrating wound and then collapsed to the ground.

Thud!

Until the mont the sword pierced his thigh, Guwol did not even feel it.

Only after rolling across the ground did he realize the sword was lodged in him, and he hurriedly grabbed the hilt.

Fortunately, the bone was not broken, so he planned to pull the sword out, stop the bleeding, and then flee again.

But before he could even pull the sword free, Ban Hojin descended in front of him.

Tap.

Just as the sword was almost fully drawn out, Ban Hojin’s finger touched Guwol’s body.

And Guwol’s body stiffened.

The instant of contact, his Paralysis Acupoint had been sealed.

Looking down at Guwol, who had gone rigid like a block of wood in the blink of an eye, Ban Hojin calmly finished pulling out the sword and stopped the bleeding for him.

Shiver!

However, at that touch, Guwol’s body trembled.

Unlike the other First-Rate Assassins, the fact that Ban Hojin did not kill him imdiately ant he intended to interrogate him.

“There’s no need to worry too much. I already know you belong to the Dark Moon Bridge. Let’s see. Around here is where you usually carve the tattoo.”

Rip!

Ban Hojin lightly tore open the Night Clothes around Guwol’s right shoulder, where he could not move at all.

Just as expected, a tattoo resembling a full moon overlapped with a crescent moon ca into view.

At the sa ti, Guwol’s pupils expanded to the point they could not widen any further.

He had never imagined that Ban Hojin would know about the Dark Moon Bridge.

“You look curious about how I know. Too bad for you—I don’t feel like telling you. Ah, but I can tell you one thing. Wolbyeok.”