episode_0055

“What are you looking at like that?”

“Oh, you’re here. Jang Il-ah.”

Bang So-un looked up from his book and grinned.

Then he closed the book and showed the title.

Martial Arts Rankings.

That’s what was written on the title.

“Martial Arts Rankings? Where did you get a book like that?”

“Where did I get it. These kinds of books are rolling around in the alleys.”

It’s human nature to want to rank and line up everything.

If it stimulates primitive interest, not to mention human strength.

So it wasn’t strange for publishers to release books ranking the strength of martial artists.

And they sold well enough to be circulating in the market.

But since the rankings varied greatly from book to book, few people took these books seriously.

With so many martial artists in the world and so many unknown geniuses, how could mere publishers accurately rank the martial arts skills of so many people?

However.

That’s not to say that the rankings were completely unreliable.

Any martial artist who made it into the top hundred in any rankings was recognized as a strong master in the martial arts world.

What about the top fifty?

Regardless of their actual skill level, these masters had such a great reputation that their names alone could intimidate countless opponents.

“So it was a common book? I didn’t know.”

Jang Il scratched his head.

“Haha, it’s a common book, but this one is different.”

Bang So-un said, his eyes sparkling.

“Because it’s the Hao Mun Martial Arts Rankings.”

Hao Mun, the twin information organization.

The rankings they produced were incomparable in accuracy to those of ordinary publishers.

And with new information being added more frequently, it was even more valuable.

“Oh, did you get it from that horny fox girl?”

“Of course.”

“It was worth the trouble.”

Jang Il chuckled.

Then he asked, “But why are you suddenly reading that book?”

“I think we’ll need a lot of information to catch our prey this time.”

“Oh, the girl who draws so well, right? She said she’s amazing at it?”

“She said she’s the best.”

“Hehe, if that girl draws the naked bodies of slave girls, I’ll kill her.”

Just thinking about it made Jang Il smile with anticipation.

Finally, he could fill the important portrait that had been blank for so long.

“Excitement is forbidden, Jang Il. There’s a very big problem.”

“Oh, you mean that husband guy. Choo… Hon… Assassin? I heard he has a really brutal nickname.”

It seemed like he hadn’t heard the details yet.

Bang So-un explained in detail.

Only then did Jang Il’s expression turn surprised.

“What? He’s completely insane, isn’t he? Killing four martial artists in broad daylight, cutting off one’s limbs and making them a blind, crippled idiot…”

“That’s an understatement, Jang Il. He’s killed a thousand people.”

“A thousand? A crazy serial killer? Why isn’t the government catching him?”

“If he’s strong, they won’t catch him.”

And most of those killings were contract killings.

Different from assassination contracts given to assassins.

Assassination is killing secretly.

But contract killing is openly ordering someone to kill.

So the deaths caused by a contract killing given to a martial artist are the responsibility of the client.

Otherwise, what crazy person would take on a contract killing?

“Oh, this damn world. It’s so unfair, you have to be strong to be born.”

“…”

It was ridiculous for a guy who hypnotized innocent women and brainwashed them into sex slaves to say such things.

“Is this possible? Do you have any good strategies?”

Master of Complacency, Jang Il-do, had a very cautious expression this time.

Of course, it was natural for people to fear someone who had killed hundreds of people even if they were just a lowly commoner under hypnosis.

“Well, not yet. But now we have a new weapon.”

The weapon of hypnosis they already had.

The money they obtained by brainwashing Hwang Bo-seol as a disciple of the Golden Dragon War, a weapon.

The information obtained by taming Eun Hwa-yeong of Hao-mun, another weapon.

“A new weapon? Are you talking about information?”

“Yes, let’s try using the power of that weapon this time.”

There was strength in Bang So-un’s words.

Believing in the power of information without doubt.

“Come, take a look here.”

Bang So-un unfolded the early part of the roster and pointed to something with his finger.

The Hao-mun roster, which recorded the names of a thousand martial artists.

Among them, the name recorded as the fiftieth.

[Rank 50]

Name: Akbulbeom

Nickname: Chuhon Salgui

Affiliation: None (Wanderer)

Age: Estimated to be in his mid to late forties at the time of recording

Family: Father- Unknown, Mother- Unknown, Wife- Myo Ryeo Hwa Sun Yang Yeon-hwi, Children- None

Martial Arts: Superlative, Poisonous Martial Arts (School Unknown), Swift Swordsmanship (快劍覇刀)

Weapon: One Sword, One Blade (一劍一刀)

Appearance: Eight-foot tall, muscular and sturdy build, long arms

Special Note: Successfully completed a thousand assassination requests (No failures)

“Wow, Rank 50? Isn’t that really high?”

Jang Il was surprised when he saw the roster.

It was higher than he had expected.

“It’s very high indeed. Even if we were to talk about the elders of the Gufa Ilbang that we know, we wouldn’t dare to say that they could confidently enter the top 50.”

Bang So-un explained further.

If we were to talk about the elders of the Gufa Ilbang, they would be considered extraordinary beings to most martial artists.

To dare to say that they could enter the top 50 would be to say that there are monstrous experts besides the famous masters in the martial arts world.

Chuhon Salgui Akbulbeom was one of those beings.

“Wow… Is that so? How can we deal with the wife of this monster?”

“To be honest, it won’t be easy. But you see, that monster doesn’t seem to be normal.”

“What?”

“Look here.”

Bang So-un pointed to the section describing the appearance with his finger.

“Eight-foot tall, muscular and sturdy build, long arms… Isn’t that a bit strange?”

“Oh? Now that you mention it, didn’t the gentleman say that he was a tall, skinny guy like a skeleton?”

“That’s right. But look. This description was updated earlier this year, and it’s completely different, isn’t it? Can someone’s appearance change so drastically within a year? Is that possible?”

“It’s impossible, it’s impossible. Unless he’s been injured and his bones have changed… Huh?”

Jang Il seemed to realize something and opened his mouth wide.

Bang So-un chuckled.

“That’s not the only strange thing. Look here. His weapon is listed as One Sword, One Blade.”

Although Bang So-un and Jang Il didn’t know much, One Sword, One Blade was a weapon that was synonymous with Chuhon Salgui.

The swift sword of the right hand and the overwhelming power of the left hand’s blade that crushed everything.

But.

“Oh, I see. Didn’t the gentleman say that the monster only used one weapon? Was it a sword…?”

“That’s right. It was a sword.”

Chuhon Salgui, who killed four and crippled one with a sword.

Of course, it was possible that he only used a sword because his opponents were so weak that he didn’t even need to use a blade.

But the witnesses clearly stated.

Chuhon Salgui only had one weapon.

Then the possibility in front of us disappears.

“So where did the knife go? If a skilled expert like the Ghost Slayer used it, it must have been no ordinary weapon, right? There’s no way he would have forgotten about it.”

“Um… it broke?”

Jang Il nodded his head in response.

“I think so too,” Bang So-woon said with a twisted smile, as if confident in his assertion.

“He must have suffered severe injuries from someone to the point where even his beloved knife broke, resulting in severe internal injuries. That’s why he has become a skull-like figure. Isn’t this speculation the most reasonable?”

***

-Cough!

He was a pathetic guy.

He hungered for blood, having taken countless lives, yet he took steps even though it wasn’t a request.

But he turned out to be nothing special.

This guy was the legendary Ghost Slayer?

The real top-notch demon hunters of the fallen Heavenly Demon Sect would roll in their graves unjustly.

-It was pointless.

I was about to turn back.

But then.

A young woman deliberately made her presence known, emitting a sense of alertness.

“Are you the Ghost Slayer? Judging by your swordsmanship, it seems to be true.”

She was a young woman.

It seems like I need to revise my previous thoughts.

She’s not a mere girl.

She’s a skilled warrior with proper training.

She was much better than that fake demon hunter earlier.

“Who are you?”

“I am Yu Seol-young. I don’t particularly like it, but I have the nickname ‘Sword of Justice.’”

“I see, you’re quite famous.”

My interest, which had waned due to the fake demon hunter, began to pique again.

Yu Seol-young, the current top-ranking posthumous index.

But those in the know understand.

The real greatness lies not in such titles.

The mysterious martial arts of the mysterious demon hunters, where the true elite are found.

A single-digit ranking obtained from such martial arts.

And it’s in the top four.

That’s the true greatness that reveals she is the real deal among the real deals.

But.

“It’s too difficult.”

I’m a bit past my prime.

I may have great talent, but I lack experience.

To truly blossom, talent needs a lot of practical experience.

It might be possible in your thirties, but it’s impossible in your twenties.

The posthumous index is just that, for a reason.

This is a fact proven by the long and rich history of the martial world.

“I won’t beat around the bush. Let’s spar.”

Yu Seol-young spoke without hesitation.

Indeed, the boldness of youth.

But sometimes, that boldness needs to be broken to learn humility.

“It’s interesting. Go ahead and try.”

I’ve never backed down from a challenge.

That’s how I’ve lived.

……

……

……

……Sigh, I should have lived differently.

***

-Myoryeo Hwaseon is looking for a house near Wolyeongcheon.

“I see.”

Bang So-woon smiled as expected.

Wolyeongcheon.

One of the famous hot springs on the outskirts of Hangju.

And even a third-rate novice like himself knew that hot springs had healing properties for injuries.

“The Ghost Slayer is just holed up in the room of the Dragon’s Roar Inn without any movement.”

“He still hasn’t made a move? Is his injury so severe that he can’t even move, or is there some other reason for his inactivity?”

Whatever the reason, it was time to wait.

Gather information calmly and come up with a plausible plan.