Ch.116116. Cyber Joseon

After finishing his counseling session with the troubled teenager(?), Amon paid for the meal with his card.

On their way out, Sunwoo checked the price and scolded Amon.

“Aren’t you a clergyman? Why do you have so much money?”

The boy recalled the many priests and shamans who had deceived him and his sister.

Amon gave Sunwoo a gentle smile.

“Do I look like an ordinary clergyman to you?”

“Not really. Just asking to make sure—it’s not dirty money, is it?”

“Would you believe me if I told you I own several dungeons?”

“Considering how you fight with my sister, that actually makes sense.”

Amon smiled.

Sunwoo returned a self-deprecating smile.

“Come to think of it, this is ridiculous. I was in the Sword Circle.”

He was hardly one to talk about dirty money.

Sunwoo hit his lips as if blaming himself.

Knowing this was the boy’s way of reaching out, Amon welcomed it with a warm smile.

“Aren’t Jews the wealthiest people in the world?”

“…I guess so?”

“I’m something similar to that.”

Pfft.

Sunwoo laughed, seeming to understand the code.

And so, the relationship that began with bad blood gradually grew closer.

.

.

.

“So. How are you planning to get my sister and me back into the Sword Circle?”

At Sunwoo’s question, Amon first checked the date.

Then, looking back at the nun,

“How long will the Hunt Legion take?”

“One day to stop the army, and about a week for the cleanup.”

“So I only need one day?”

“Yes. The cleanup is my job and the exorcist priests’.”

Amon nodded and organized his schedule.

“Sunwoo, I’m going to be quite busy for the next three days. I can’t actively help you until then.”

“I’m grateful for any help at all.”

“So about that…”

“?”

“First, please guide me to the Sword Circle.”

“Huh?”

Sunwoo was taken aback by Amon’s directness.

Amon tilted his head at Sunwoo’s surprise.

“Why are you surprised? What did you think I was going to do?”

“I thought you’d help me accomplish something worthy enough to return to the Sword Circle.”

“Why bother? I can just recommend you.”

“But you’re not part of the Sword Circle.”

“Am I not~? I never said I wasn’t part of the Sword Circle.”

“You were in the Sword Circle too??”

“No? I’m not.”

Sunwoo’s face soured, and Amon wore a faint smile.

Though it was unfortunate for Sunwoo, the young friend’s clear reactions made him fun to tease.

But that was enough teasing.

Amon took Sunwoo to the Sword Circle headquarters.

The peculiar thing was that the Sword Circle didn’t have a fixed headquarters.

For those who worshiped swords without formalized rules, a headquarters was meaningless.

They would travel around the country, and when the leader contacted them, they would gather at a suitable training facility.

That place would then serve as the headquarters for a while.

Therefore, the place Sunwoo guided Amon to was too shabby to be called the Sword Circle headquarters.

But as it was officially the headquarters, elite swordsmen stopped them at the entrance.

“Halt. Identify yourselves.”

Wariness emanated from beneath their deeply worn black hats.

Sunwoo and the squinting nun tried to act as harmless as possible while stating their business.

But…

‘What should I say???’

They had no real business to state.

Since they had just followed Amon’s lead, they hadn’t prepared anything.

In their awkwardness, they rolled their eyes and looked at Amon.

What Amon and Sonia did next was something no one present could have imagined.

Shing!

Suddenly, both of them drew swords from their waists.

The guards were startled and drew their swords too, while Sunwoo panicked and tried to stop Amon.

“Are you crazy?! Who do you think you are, King Yeonsangun?! Drawing your sword out of nowhere!”

Sonia tilted her head at Sunwoo’s outburst, but Amon burst into laughter at the familiar reference.

His laughter eased the tension for both the panicking Sunwoo and the highly alert swordsmen.

Eventually, Amon and Sonia held their swords in reverse grip, showing the decorations on the hilts as they spoke.

“Amon, first disciple of the 34th Vice Leader of the Sword Circle.”

“Sword… Circle… Sorry. I can’t speak Korean. Amon, you do it.”

Amon smiled wryly and spoke again.

“I am Amon, first disciple of the 34th Vice Leader of the Sword Circle. And this is Sonia, also first disciple of the 34th Vice Leader of the Sword Circle.”

The swordsmen believed their identities after seeing the decorations on the hilts.

Those swords were “Hwando” that Amon and Sonia had received when graduating from their sword training school.

Not Chinese, not Japanese, but Korean swords, Hwando.

There was only one reason their master had given them these.

– “Hwando! Please use Hwando!”

It was due to Amon’s strong Korean soul.

Originally, their master was an eccentric who had mastered swordsmanship across Korea, China, and Japan.

He called himself a samurai in Japan, a member of the Sword Circle in Korea, and a ronin in China, mastering swordsmanship everywhere.

‘Though it’s comical that such a person settled in that alley because of a condom mishap…’

Nevertheless, the swordsmanship Amon had built under that master was still serving him well.

And the decorations on Amon and Sonia’s sword hilts were marks indicating they were his direct disciples.

‘Of course, Master isn’t quite a legend among the swordsmen.’

Still, it was enough to make the Sword Circle lower their guard.

The title of being a retired Vice Leader’s disciple carried that much weight.

Once their identities were verified, the swordsmen sheathed their swords back into their pitch-black martial attire.

“What brings you here?”

On behalf of Sonia, who couldn’t speak Korean well, Amon spoke eloquently.

“We wish to tour the headquarters and meet the Leader.”

Perhaps not expecting such fluent Korean from someone with a 100% American face, the swordsman’s head trembled slightly.

The colleague beside him quietly pressed his temple to turn off his translation implant.

Amon smiled again at the consistent reaction of Koreans whenever they saw him.

Afterward, Amon’s group followed the black-clad warriors into the building.

“This is kind of disappointing…”

Sonia, who had been expecting a traditional tiled-roof house, muttered in English.

Understandably so, as they were walking through a modern building.

Specifically, it was a closed baseball stadium.

Amon agreed with Sonia’s disappointment.

‘There’s no Korean flair.’

He had expected to see people wearing black hats and hanbok robes, striding across courtyards.

Amon was disappointed not to see that distinctive historical flair.

Moreover, seeing swordsmen filling a baseball stadium while wearing black hats and hanbok created a sense of cognitive dissonance.

Eventually, Amon’s group reached the VIP viewing area where the Leader was located.

The guiding swordsmen, having completed their role, disappeared among the other swordsmen.

Watching the disappearing swordsmen, Sonia whispered.

“Everyone in the Sword Circle looks the same.”

“That’s the point of their uniform.”

While they were an unofficial state military group, they weren’t allowed to openly kill people.

Being in a profession that involved killing with swords meant accumulating many grudges.

The all-black hat and hanbok combination was designed for this reason.

Of course, it also helped them hide in the darkness of night and conceal stains, but the aforementioned reason was much more significant.

Even if an investigation were launched, individuals couldn’t be identified, making the Sword Circle’s activities much easier.

“By killing individuality, they distribute responsibility.”

It was one of the Sword Circle’s strategies.

However, there were those who were exempt from this strategy.

Mainly individuals with distinctive swords, or the Leaders and Vice Leaders.

And naturally, the Leader Amon met was one such person.

“Disciples of that man… how interesting.”

A man with a large scar on his chin greeted them with his bare face, having discarded the black hat.

For an assassin to reveal his face was itself a sign of trust.

Amon and Sonia smiled again, recalling their master’s past.

“Why are you laughing?”

“We’re just once again impressed by our master’s greatness.”

“…Your Korean is fluent? Did your master teach you?”

It was a slightly different reaction from those Amon had received for his Korean on the way.

Amon played along with the Leader’s misunderstanding.

“Master didn’t teach me. But I admired the sword and taught myself.”

“So that man lived a successful life. Did you inherit his sword?”

Amon nodded.

“Not his sword, but his will.”

Of course, Amon hadn’t fully inherited his master’s sword techniques.

From the beginning, Amon’s style was more like a patchwork of convenient styles rather than following a specific school.

But his master’s combat style resembled Amon’s in many ways.

Learning, analyzing, and exploiting weaknesses whenever necessary.

It was the way of the wandering warrior who had mastered Korean, Chinese, and Japanese styles,

And now it was Amon’s combat method.

Though he hadn’t inherited the sword, Amon prided himself on inheriting the spirit.

The Leader seemed to understand this and showed interest.

“Then show me your sword.”

As he spoke, the Leader looked over Amon’s shoulder.

The Leader’s eyes met with Sunwoo, who had been expelled in the past.

He smiled coldly.

“If you do, I’ll also permit that friend’s return.”

“Did I bring that up?”

“When you’ve been in this position long enough, intentions become clear. Besides, your face is too honest. You should wear a black hat.”

“I don’t think so, but since you mentioned it, wearing one while in Korea wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

“So, will you do it or not?”

Amon’s lips curled upward.

“I like how quickly you get to the point.”

“People like us communicate with swords, don’t we?”

“Hmm. I can’t agree with that part. I’m someone who communicates through words.”

The Leader tilted his head.

“Yet the vengeful spirits clinging to your body are so thick?”

“That happens naturally when you scuffle with demons. I resort to violence only when necessary.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. I love peace.”

The squinting nun listening from behind barely managed to hold back the words rising in her throat.

The Leader stood up and grabbed his beloved sword.

Amon asked the Leader:

“What are the rules?”

“No implant equipment, no magic, no other equipment. Only enhancements to physical abilities are allowed. For weapons, bring only swords.”

It was a setting meant to showcase only swordsmanship.

“What about Divine Power?”

“Hmm. You’re an interesting one every time I see you. Yes, Divine Power can’t be used as magic either.”

“How many swords can I bring?”

“As many as you wish.”

Amon’s lips curled up again at the Leader’s answer.

Eventually, Amon and the Leader put on their equipment and walked out to the dueling ground.

The Leader, who arrived at the dueling ground first, wore simple martial attire that didn’t flutter.

At his waist was a single Hwando.

He waited for Amon to walk onto the dueling ground.

Finally, Amon appeared, his black martial attire fluttering, borrowed from the swordsmen.

He was in stark contrast to the Leader’s minimalism.

Amon set the mood by pressing down his conical hat deeply.

Click! Click!

“Oh my, oh my. Amon looks so handsome like this too. What should I do? Don’t you agree, Sister?”

Sonia kept pressing the shutter from the audience seats.

The squinting nun’s expression soured in real-time amid her daughter’s gushing.

Before the duel began, there was a battle of nerves between the two.

“Putting on such airs against me. You must think quite little of me.”

“What a coincidence. I was also disappointed that you didn’t bring spare swords.”

Though they spoke this way, both knew they were at their best.

The moment the duel began, Amon leaped forward first.

As always, Amon kicked the air three times, instantly gaining momentum as he approached the Leader.

In Amon’s view, the Leader had not yet drawn his sword.

Then, when about 15 meters remained, the Leader finally began to draw his sword.

About 10 meters.

The Leader’s sword was halfway out of its scabbard.

5 meters.

The Leader murmured.

“A tree with deep roots…”

And then…

Clang!

The Leader’s sword, which had seemed stationary, broke Amon’s sword.

Seeing this, Amon, far from being flustered, curiously observed the sword fragments spinning in the air.

Meanwhile, the Leader’s sharp gaze turned to Amon’s other hand.

Though the right sword was broken, Amon’s left hand remained.

As the left sword was raised diagonally, the Leader swung his sword in perfect timing.

“Silently overcome the wind!”

The sword cut through even the wind, effortlessly breaking Amon’s remaining sword and rushing toward him.

It was a moment when all the swordsmen were certain of the Leader’s victory.

Then, Amon murmured in response.

“Behold.”

“?!”

Clang!

A new sword appeared in Amon’s hand, which had seemed to have lost all its swords.

The fluttering robes had concealed it.

As soon as his right sword broke, Amon had hidden a new one.

While the Leader wore a combative smile, suddenly Amon’s straw sandal kicked the Leader’s sword.

Tang!

With a sound unbelievable for human leg strength, the Leader flew backward.

When the Leader took a falling stance and looked back at Amon,

“Mother shall be with you, and your arrows shall not be in vain, like an eagle eyeing its prey.”

Amon was holding three swords in each hand, from who knows where he had hidden them.

“?!”

Just as Yodo had been when he first saw this, the Leader was also taken aback.

And what followed was even more bewildering.

Boom!

With a sound of air bursting, the swords rushed forward like arrows.