Chapter 84: Observation Class (1)

Deep in the night…

A group of people clad in the white uniforms of the Murim Alliance gazed down a cliff.

A secluded manor, brightly lit, stood out against the darkness that swallowed everything else.

After observing for a while, a figure descended with a swift, wind-like movement.

The Murim Alliance warriors bowed in unison to the old man with a ragged beard and worn clothes.

“Greetings, Elder Dok of the Beggars’ Sect.”

Elder Dok straightened his back, stroking his beard.

“Is that the place?”

“Yes. We’ve confirmed multiple times that the trails lead to this manor.”

“We finally found it.”

Elder Dok gazed at the manor, lost in thought.

It hadn’t been an easy journey.

‘The Murim Alliance traitor, the death of Gang Sok, the Green Blood Swordsman, and the mysterious group involved…’

They had even cooperated with the Hao Clan, which was unprecedented.

They had followed every lead and finally tracked down the headquarters.

“There won’t be any gaps in our encirclement, right?”

“Not even an ant can escape.”

Elder Dok nodded in satisfaction.

“Good. Let’s attack.”

*Whew-*

A low whistle pierced the air.

*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*

The Murim Alliance warriors, who had been hiding in the darkness, shot towards the manor.

***

*Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!*

The sounds of metal clashing filled the air.

As soon as they stormed the manor, they were met with fierce resistance.

They were facing a formidable force.

‘How could they have remained hidden for so long?’

To conceal such a powerful force from the eyes of the Murim…

He was constantly surprised by their hidden strength.

“Kill!”

A warrior from the manor charged at him, his eyes bloodshot.

*Whoosh!*

The sword Qi aimed at his forehead was chilling.

“Hmph.”

Elder Dok calmly shifted his stance and waved his sleeves.

*Hummm…*

Internal energy surged through his arms, forming a pale blue dragon in front of his palms.

*- Waving hands to play with the dragon soaring through the void.

Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, First Stance, Dragon Play.*

*Crack!*

“Gah!”

The warrior’s chest caved in, and he stumbled back, spitting blood.

“Hmm.”

Elder Dok flicked his wrist and strode forward.

He climbed over the well-maintained inner gate.

*Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!*

A fierce battle was raging inside the manor.

Fortunately, they had the upper hand.

‘It was worth bringing the elites.’

He continued to walk deeper into the manor, and then he heard a loud crash.

*Crash! Crash! Crash!*

Beyond the manor warriors, who were falling like leaves, he saw a group of Murim Alliance warriors entering the main building.

“Elder Dok, you need to see this.”

He hurried towards them.

He found them standing in front of a small building that looked like a storage shed, their faces grim.

“What is it?”

“We found drag marks, and when we investigated, we discovered a hidden space.”

“Hmm.”

A secret room?

“Those scoundrels probably have an escape route.”

But as he approached, his face contorted in disgust.

Even before he entered, the stench of blood assaulted his nostrils.

Elder Dok, a veteran of the Murim, recognized the smell instantly.

“It reeks of rotting corpses.”

*Crash!*

He blasted the entrance open with his internal energy and rushed inside.

And what he saw…

“Oh my god.”

*Splash.*

A pool of blood, ankle-deep, and countless corpses.

“…What in the world…?”

“What is this?”

The warriors who followed him were speechless.

Elder Dok scanned the pile of corpses with sharp eyes.

“It’s an altar.”

An altar made of stone, engraved with terrifying demons.

It was stained black with dried blood, evidence of its long use.

Fresh blood was still dripping from the top, as if a ritual had just been performed.

*Thud.*

A warrior who had been examining the altar groaned.

“There are signs of human sacrifice.”

“We found jars filled with hearts and organs over here.”

“This looks like the knife used for the sacrifices.”

Elder Dok, looking at the blood-soaked ritual implements, asked, “Where’s Warrior An?”

A warrior who had been searching the pile of corpses replied, “…He’s here.”

“…”

“It’s hard to tell because of the damage, but…”

Elder Dok’s face darkened.

‘They weren’t just an ordinary martial arts sect?’

A sinister cult?

He hadn’t expected this.

Their secrecy and martial prowess were astonishing.

‘To think that such a wicked cult existed…’

Even the Demonic Heavenly Cult, which had once terrorized the Murim, didn’t practice human sacrifice on this scale.

There were demonic arts that involved sacrificing lives to enhance one’s power, but they were ultimately about taking lives to become stronger.

But this was different.

They had sacrificed everyone, from children to women to adults, indiscriminately.

“This is the worst possible outcome.”

If they had been an ordinary sect, he could have disbanded them by defeating their leader.

But fanatics like these were driven by blind faith. They didn’t care if their comrades died.

He would have to kill them all, not just their leaders.

‘They were hiding their secrecy, their martial prowess, and their fanatical beliefs from the Murim Alliance?’

What did they believe in? What was their goal?

“Hmm?”

Elder Dok noticed something sparkling on the altar.

“What’s this?”

He retrieved it from the chest of a child’s corpse.

“A jewel?”

It was a small, crimson jewel.

It was about the size of his pinky finger. He tilted it towards the flickering candlelight, and it shimmered with an eerie glow. It was clearly no ordinary object.

“Is it a relic? Or something they left behind? It looks like a ruby, but I can’t be sure.”

He knew a lot about the Murim, but he had lived his entire life as a beggar. He didn’t know much about jewels.

‘It’s definitely not something you see every day.’

He was examining it with a strange sense of unease when a warrior returned after disposing of the corpses.

“Elder, we’ve moved all the bodies.”

“Good. Clean up this place and send a report to the Murim Alliance. We need to find someone who knows something about this cult.”

“I’ll send a carrier pigeon right away.”

“And…”

Elder Dok tucked the jewel into his pocket and turned around.

“I have somewhere to be.”

He needed to investigate the Heavenly Destruction Society.

***

Meanwhile…

At a small inn on Eight Flavors Road, a haven for those with empty pockets…

Cho Un-hwi frowned.

“Hahaha, oh my stomach.”

Mo Yong Seon-ya was clutching her stomach and laughing, and Cho Un-hwi said sullenly, “What’s so funny?”

“Don’t you find it funny?”

He was being serious.

“That’s Instructor Cho for you. Never failing to meet expectations, even on the first day.”

“Sister, are we really going to be okay? I think we’re going to get kicked out.”

Mo Yong Seon-ya finally stopped laughing and wiped her tears with her sleeve.

“It’s fine. Don’t worry.”

“But the Euncheon Hall instructors are being so hostile towards us.”

“…We’re being ostracized.”

“Don’t worry.”

Mo Yong Seon-ya dismissed their concerns.

“Euncheon Hall needs you.”

“…Do they?”

“Yes, they even asked Dongcheon Hall for help, which is unprecedented. They won’t give up valuable reinforcements just because of a little trouble.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“We all expected this. They always try to intimidate new instructors with harsh treatment and hazing rituals. It’s not like this is the first time someone got hurt.”

The outcome was a bit different this time, though.

Mo Yong Seon-ya added, “And the instructors in charge of the supplementary classes are all rookies. The experienced instructors don’t want to deal with the troublemakers.”

“So we’re the cleanup crew.”

“Hehe, exactly. Anyway, the higher-ups won’t change their minds just because the young instructors are complaining.”

She skewered a piece of grilled meat with her skewer and said, “And they need all the help they can get with the Murim Excursion coming up. They won’t send you back now.”

“That’s right, the Murim Excursion.”

They had been dispatched to Euncheon Hall to help with the Murim Excursion, which had been postponed due to the recent incident.

‘They said the preparations for the Murim Excursion are quite extensive.’

Even without Dokgo Yul telling him, he knew that taking a bunch of rookies out into the dangerous Murim wouldn’t be easy.

There would be a lot to prepare.

“Sister, I don’t have much experience in the Murim. Will I be of any help?”

“Of course you will.”

Mo Yong Seon-ya’s face darkened.

“There’s so much to do. Updating the information on the Murim, familiarizing ourselves with the terrain…”

Her voice became gloomy.

“We have to remember the routes where bandits have appeared and avoid them.”

“And we’ll get scolded by the seniors if we choose a route that’s flooded because of the rain.”

“And the students will be so excited that they’ll be uncontrollable.”

“Why does that senior bastard keep dumping his work on me?!”

“And why does my father keep nagging me about getting married?!”

‘That last part seems a bit off.’

Mo Yong Seon-ya slammed her fist on the table.

“You’ll be helpful! I’m sure of it!”

Actually, it didn’t even have to be a human.

She just wanted a smart and hardworking monkey to do all her work.

It didn’t even have to walk on two legs.

She would welcome a venomous snake that could bite her senior.

Yeo Mae-hong felt sorry for her, as she mumbled to herself.

She pulled Mo Yong Seon-ya’s face towards her ample bosom.

“There, there, you’ve been through a lot. You’ve worked hard, Sister.”

“Sob… sob…”

“You did well. I’m proud of you, Sister.”

“…Mmm.”

She patted her back.

“Come on, let’s have a drink and forget about it.”

Mo Yong Seon-ya’s sniffling finally subsided after they ordered more drinks and grilled meat.

“Anyway…”

Mo Yong Seon-ya, her words slurred from the alcohol, waved her skewer threateningly and said, “Don’t worry.”

***

On their way back to their dormitory at Dongcheon Hall…

“That was fun, wasn’t it?”

Yeo Mae-hong giggled, her face flushed.

“It’s been a while.”

She had enjoyed the drinks, but she had also overheard a lot of interesting conversations.

The most intriguing one was…

“The Myojin Sect…”

Yeo Mae-hong’s eyes sparkled.

“There are such amazing places in the world, aren’t there?”

She pumped her fist excitedly.

“No wonder all the girls are talking about the Myojin Sect. I didn’t know it was such a wonderful place.”

“Is it well-known?”

“It seems to be gaining popularity recently. I heard they opened their doors to the public after the new Sect Leader took over.”

Mo Yong Seon-ya, unusually excited, exclaimed, “Wow, I want to go there! I hope the Murim Excursion takes us near there. No, I’ll sneak out and visit them on the way.”

“You’ll be disciplined if you abandon your duties.”

“That’s not fair! I can still dream, can’t I? And it’s within the instructor’s discretion to change the itinerary.”

She was so desperate that she looked like she would run away if they didn’t let her go.

Yeo Mae-hong clasped her hands together, her eyes sparkling.

“A sect that raises cats… how wonderful.”

“I heard they have hundreds of cats that perform a synchronized dance.”

“And they even demonstrate the Meow Meow Fist Technique!”

“It sounds like a dream come true.”

Even the passionate instructor was captivated.

‘Well done, Danya.’

It seemed that the suspicious bait his subordinate had prepared was more effective than he had expected.

Now all they had to do was build up their achievements and join the Murim Excursion.