Ch.77Formless Flying Sword Technique

Just as the three of them were leaving the building, Flora blocked their path. With a hardened expression, she spoke.

“Wait a moment.”

It was the serious face of one of her few friends. Sae-rin and Theo silently stopped in their tracks.

“This might be our chance.”

“Chance for what?”

In response to Theo’s question, Flora looked around. Her sharp gaze scanned the distance. Even the gatekeepers who managed entry to Mangeommun had left their posts, with only a few personnel remaining. After surveying the area for a while, Flora finally spoke.

“Everyone’s attention is focused elsewhere. This is the best opportunity to escape.”

“That’s…”

Her words were true. After the shouting was heard, most of the people patrolling the area had headed in that direction. It meant this was the best opportunity to leave this place without being noticed.

But.

Something bothered her. They had mentioned “the Empire’s dog.” It must be a term referring to someone affiliated with the Empire. Sae-rin turned her head to look in the direction the shouting had come from.

The best choice for her own safety would be to leave this place right now. Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to move. Suddenly, the faces of the other members who had joined the mission flashed before Sae-rin’s eyes and disappeared.

“There will be other opportunities.”

The girl turned around, not toward the exit but toward the interior of Mangeommun. She took a large step in the direction of the shouting. Watching her, Flora nodded as if she had expected this.

“It could be dangerous…”

“It’s fine for now. We haven’t been discovered yet.”

Theo and Flora followed Sae-rin. The three exchanged brief glances before hurriedly moving forward.

The construction site of Mangeommun was extremely busy. This was because buildings for major sects that would form the backbone of the city, as well as various residential areas needed for the city, were being built simultaneously.

Debris from various buildings scattered across the paths was common. Since it wasn’t an area where one could walk easily, the three had to jump between unfinished buildings.

They weren’t the only ones moving this way. Masters who could move their bodies freely were also flying through the air toward one location as if racing across the sky.

And now, the three had finally reached their destination. The first thing Sae-rin noticed was the faint smell of blood.

Following the bloodstains with her eyes, she saw a man sprawled across a wide stone platform. Thin blood trickled from his mouth, suggesting internal injuries. Sae-rin’s gaze moved urgently to examine the man’s face.

‘I don’t recognize him.’

A sigh of relief escaped her. He wasn’t a member of Cheongik who had started the mission with them. Theo and Flora also seemed to have confirmed the man’s identity, as they let out soft sighs.

So who was he? Judging by his attire, he looked like a worker from the construction site. Whether he was actually affiliated with the Empire remained unclear. The attention of those who had arrived at the scene turned to the person standing beside the man.

“Isn’t this going too far, accusing an innocent person?”

“Nothing good will come from messing with the workers…”

“Didn’t Lord Mangeomje say not to touch Midas employees?”

The one who had immobilized the worker was a person whose arms were stained black.

Black Fist Marang. A transmigrator who had entered Mangeommun a month before Sae-rin. With arms much larger than those of ordinary people, he lifted the worker who had collapsed on the ground.

He was quite strong. It was said that his temper was so fiery that no one dared to provoke him. Transmigrators who knew each other’s strengths well rarely interfered with one another. It made Mangeomje, who had united these transmigrators into a group, seem all the more impressive.

Sae-rin observed Black Fist’s behavior while placing her hand on her sword.

“I never knew Midas’s employee management was this terrible! Look! The item found on this fellow!”

What Black Fist Marang revealed was a shining gold coin. It was something familiar to Sae-rin, Theo, and Flora—the common currency used in the Empire.

“Isn’t that just an ordinary gold coin?”

“What’s wrong with an Empire coin?”

The reaction was not good. He had accused someone of being an Empire spy and presented a commonly available currency as evidence. The faces of the Midas employees scattered around contorted.

But Black Fist was confident. He carelessly tossed aside the worker he had been holding and snapped the shining gold coin in half.

“There! Look!”

What emerged from the broken coin was a small disc with an intricately engraved griffin. All currency used in the Empire should not contain any foreign substances except for the specified metals.

It couldn’t be counterfeit either. If it were a device to fake the weight, there would be no need to engrave a griffin shape. However, it was clearly a suspicious item. The atmosphere shifted. Expressions of disbelief appeared on people’s faces.

“I’ve seen this a long time ago. The Empire’s dogs carry such tokens for their contacts.”

Was that really true? Sae-rin checked Theo and Flora’s expressions just in case. Both seemed equally puzzled by this information.

It was then that the worker, lying on the ground and breathing with difficulty, managed to speak.

“It’s… it’s not mine…”

“Silence!”

*Thud-!*

With a violent sound, the worker spat blood and was sent flying. He was heading straight toward the girl. Sae-rin stepped forward and extended her hand.

It was an infinitely gentle movement. As blue wind spread from her delicate gesture, the flying worker’s speed decreased, and he slid safely to the ground.

She had tried applying the principles of Formless Flying Sword technique. Though it didn’t move exactly as intended, she was able to greatly reduce his speed.

The man’s breath was faint, as if about to cease. Though she examined him through the contact with her hand, she found no major wounds. Instead, she sensed an irregular internal energy in the worker’s body. The worker was not a transmigrator, meaning he hadn’t learned martial arts.

Black Fist Marang had sealed the worker’s pressure points.

Black Fist’s gaze, still holding the gold coin, fell on Sae-rin. As if he had been waiting for her, he smiled broadly and shouted.

“You’ve come at the perfect time! Sera, you should deal with this fellow!”

Acting familiar when they’d never met before? Sae-rin frowned at Black Fist’s words. Regardless, Black Fist looked around and spoke.

“Do you all see? Evidence that he’s an Empire’s puppet has been revealed right here! This isn’t a matter to be taken lightly! Unfortunately, Lord Mangeomje isn’t present right now. It means we can’t presume to act! But there’s no need to worry! Here is someone whom Lord Mangeomje instructed us to treat as his equal!”

At Black Fist’s words, everyone’s attention turned to Sae-rin. According to Mangeomje’s orders, they couldn’t easily harm Midas employees. All construction materials for Mangeommun, as well as the food and drink they consumed, came from Midas.

No one wanted to take unnecessary responsibility. Everyone present shared the same thought. Sae-rin finally realized Black Fist’s intention.

‘Shifting responsibility… no, he has another motive.’

“You should have no problem! Quickly, deliver punishment to that fellow!”

Sae-rin looked at the worker sprawled at her feet. Silence descended. Everyone around was waiting for Sae-rin’s decision. In the end, she did not draw her sword.

“What are you hesitating for? Why not punish him quickly?”

Perhaps because she wasn’t acting according to his plan, he looked around, urging her with exaggerated gestures, as if seeking support for his opinion. Sae-rin stepped back.

“That would be presumptuous. Why should I handle something that Lord Mangeomje should deal with…”

“Could it be you can’t do it? Ah, now that I think about it, I heard there’s a girl who recently joined Cheongik. A swordswoman of small stature… They say she possesses considerable beauty…”

As Marang continued speaking, the gazes around them subtly changed. The three naturally placed their hands on their swords.

There was no certainty. He was fishing for information. Sae-rin could detect a slight hesitation in Marang’s gaze.

*Whoosh-*

A long exhaled breath stirred the air. The mana that flowed out created a breeze that made Sae-rin’s hair flutter.

“What are you saying…”

“The timing is suspicious. According to my sources, that knight girl recently went on a mission. If you calculate the time roughly, it matches when she could have arrived at the wilderness. Isn’t that suspicious?”

Small doubts seemed to spread on the wind. A faint hostility flickered in the gazes directed at the three. Some even placed their hands on their weapons. Sae-rin took a deep breath.

“Are you suspicious of me? Right now?”

“Just… saying it is. Not necessarily suspecting you. But think about it—unless you’re from the same Empire, what other reason could there be for hesitating so much to punish that fellow…”

Rough mana spread throughout the hall. The unique coldness of Sae-rin’s mental state permeated her mana. When the hot, dry wind turned bitingly cold, four swords rose around the small girl.

Two came from her waist, and the other two from Theo and Flora’s waists. Sae-rin moved her friends’ swords behind her back and whispered in a small voice.

‘I’ll borrow these for a moment.’

The four swords positioned themselves behind her like wings. Still not enough. Sae-rin naturally realized she could handle more swords. The girl’s cold gaze swept across the hall. There were no more suitable swords in sight.

Then she would substitute with something else. This place was a construction site, after all. Various leftover construction materials rose into the air at Sae-rin’s gesture.

Thin, long metal levers and cut-off iron rods made up for the lack of swords. That made ten in total. She could prove she wasn’t from Cheongik by using a different martial art.

“Do you still suspect me?”

At Sae-rin’s words, Black Fist’s eyebrows twitched significantly. He persisted.

“You were the one who said you could use others’ martial arts just by watching them… So you could have learned after arriving here…”

“That was a lie.”

At Sae-rin’s bold declaration, murmurs spread. Everyone seemed to understand.

“I thought as much.”

“Did anyone actually believe that?”

“Learning someone’s martial arts just by watching? That’s nonsense. It defies logic. Martial arts isn’t such a simple discipline. It was a ploy to disturb Yeonhwa’s mind. Everyone present at that time noticed.”

“Well… it seems Black Fist really thought it was true…”

The atmosphere shifted again. It meant her precarious balancing act had succeeded. Sae-rin walked lightly forward, and the White Dragon Sword flew to her front. The girl’s feet gracefully stepped onto it, wrapping herself in cold wind. She looked just like an immortal riding a sword.

At that moment, dozens of swords flew in from a distance with a rough wind. The internal energy of Mangeomje could be felt from the wind and swords. Had he been watching from afar? Sae-rin didn’t twist her body to avoid the wind.

‘Not intervening directly…’

Quite a cunning person.

The dozens of flying swords arrived around Sae-rin and lined up. Sae-rin could normally handle only about ten swords. But now it was different. The dozens of swords that had flown in carrying enormous internal energy compensated for her limitations.

*Swish-*

Dozens of swords simultaneously sharpened their blades. They were pointing toward Black Fist Marang. The girl’s mouth slowly opened.

“Do you still suspect me?”

A brief silence descended. Black Fist, who had been gauging the situation, spoke.

“I made a mistake…”