The Difference Between Hunting and Fishing (2)
Chil-ho and I bought some drinks at a tavern and headed out to a nearby field. She suggested that if we were going to drink, we might as well do it somewhere open and free.
It was a brilliant idea. The cool breeze made the drinks taste even better.
To be honest, I had an ulterior motive.
Could I glean some information from her?
But what was her intention? Was she buying drinks just because I treated her to dumplings? Unlikely. Was she trying to extract information from me?
Yet, as I sat beside Chil-ho, sipping our drinks in the wind, it was hard to detect any hidden agenda from her.
What I sensed from her was loneliness. A deeper loneliness than when I first met her.
I felt a desire to rescue her from her enemies.
But I knew better. Half-baked emotions could be dangerous. I’ve seen too many cases where personal feelings ruin everything.
We sat side by side, looking in the same direction, but probably seeing different things.
She was the first to break the silence.
“Did you go to the emergency operations room?”
“Yes. As you know, the sect is in a state of emergency due to the revival of the Demon Cult.”
“You must be busy.”
“There’s no time to breathe.”
“And yet, you find time to drink?”
“I’m only human. I need a break sometimes.”
She turned her head slightly, and I could sense a faint smile.
The topic of the Demon Cult’s revival came up briefly but quickly faded. We both knew it wasn’t truly revived.
We drank at our own pace, without toasts or urging each other. Just comfortably.
When the first bottle was empty, I realized she wasn’t approaching me with any ulterior motive.
After a few more drinks, she suddenly asked, “Are you satisfied with your military work?”
It was an unexpected question. I answered honestly.
“Yes, these days I am.”
“These days?”
“I used to live in a frenzy. I thought it was the best way, but looking back, it wasn’t.”
She wouldn’t understand the true meaning behind my words.
“How did you overcome it?”
“What?”
“You said you lived in a frenzy.”
I paused, watching the tall grass sway in the wind, then finally answered.
“By meeting good people.”
“I see.”
After that, she said nothing more. Nor did I feel the need to speak.
Through past lives, I’ve learned that there’s a certain dignity to life.
It’s not about money, power, or martial arts.
Some people have dignity even in poverty, and some can’t be treated lightly despite weak martial skills.
Dignity might sound grand, but that’s not what I mean. In this context, it’s simple.
I have no intention of using her, nor do I pity her.
What she needs now is someone to share a drink with. Not comfort or advice, just someone to be there.
Having much to say but choosing restraint, considering the other person—that’s what I believe a dignified life is.
Strictly speaking, she’s an enemy. But even if someone questions the luxury of such emotions towards an enemy, at least today, I want to maintain this dignity.
As we drank, using the wind as our side dish, the bottles we brought were soon empty.
“We should have bought more.”
I expressed my regret, and she replied, “We can always get more.”
It was an unexpected response.
“I’ll go get some.”
“No, I was just saying.”
She stood up, flustered, as if she had taken a wrong turn in front of the Justice Pavilion.
“I should get going.”
“Hope to see you again.”
She stopped walking away and, without turning, said, “Be careful.”
“Of what?”
“Just… anything.”
Her slender back seemed to warn of impending danger.
I laughed and said, “Thank you for your concern. You be careful too, Investigator.”
She slowly walked away, and I watched a lone bird fly across the sky before heading in the opposite direction.
“Killing Galsaryang isn’t the hard part. It’s the forces behind him.”
Heuk-seok was trying to uncover who was backing Galsaryang.
“The reason the Heavenly Prince didn’t kill Galsaryang this time is to find out who’s behind him. There’s definitely a formidable master.”
“Recently, a new military officer was appointed. A newcomer who quickly rose to a commanding position. He’s suspicious.”
“It’s not him. If he were skilled enough to kill Pyeon-no, the Heavenly Prince would have noticed.”
“I’ll investigate personally.”
At Cheol-gyeol’s words, Heuk-seok shook her head.
“No.”
“Don’t you trust me?”
“If I didn’t trust you, you wouldn’t be here.”
“Then why? Are you worried I’ll get hurt?”
“He’s a monster that devours everything.”
In the end, it meant she was worried.
Cheol-gyeol didn’t hide his bruised pride and said with a firm expression, “I’m a hunter of monsters.”
“What if it’s a monster that eats hunters too?”
“I’ve never seen such a monster.”
“It might have just been born.”
Heuk-seok trusted Cheol-gyeol. He was certainly stronger than those who had been sacrificed before. There was nothing he couldn’t handle.
‘Then why do I feel so uneasy?’
The more anxious she felt, the stronger Cheol-gyeol’s resolve to capture the enemy became.
“Finding out who’s behind him is simple. If we threaten Galsaryang, they’ll reveal themselves.”
“We can’t kill Galsaryang yet.”
There was no order to kill Galsaryang. The organization still needed him.
“Of course. We don’t need to kill him, just pretend to, and something will surface.”
Heuk-seok nodded, seeing the logic.
“Alright, do it. But send Dok-ya and prepare Bi-sal.”
Dok-ya and Bi-sal were assassins. Among the four most famous assassins in the organization, two were Gwaemang-ryang and Chwirang, who had previously worked with Chil-ho.
Gwaemang-ryang and Chwirang usually took orders from Baek-seok, while Dok-ya and Bi-sal followed Heuk-seok’s commands.
Cheol-gyeol showed a hint of disappointment but couldn’t defy Heuk-seok’s decision. Especially since it stemmed from her care for him.
“I’ll follow orders.”
Galsaryang and I stayed in a small room next to the emergency operations room.
Except for essential moments, I never left Galsaryang’s side.
“During the day, Ju Cheol-ryong came by, pressing again to make Ma Cheol-gun the leader.”
“What did you say?”
“I said I’d think about it. Then he said they’d soon announce Ma Bong-gi’s death to the martial world.”
As if following a set schedule, they were executing their plan.
“What do you think about Ma Cheol-gun becoming the leader?”
“At first, I thought it was absurd. But given the current state and public opinion, it’s not impossible. Ma Cheol-gun’s popularity is sky-high.”
That’s probably why they’re rushing to make him leader before his popularity wanes.
“Oh, and look at this.”
I handed him a book. It was the secret manual, Gui-mun-dun-seo, from the top of Saeng-sa-ru. I had memorized its contents but kept it for this moment.
“Here, take it.”
“This is!”
Galsaryang was shocked.
“I found it at the top of Saeng-sa-ru in Geom-hyang-rim. There was a hidden space in the wall.”
“Ah, it was hidden in a secret space!”
Galsaryang remembered clearly. After winning a past battle and searching Saeng-sa-ru, they found nothing.
“You learned the formation that saved me from this, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Why are you giving me such a precious thing?”
“It’s useless to me. But for you, it could be the most valuable treasure.”
Though not a professional formation researcher, Galsaryang had extensive knowledge of formations and mechanisms. If he mastered this Gui-mun-dun-seo, he could wield incredible formation skills. Even if not, it would be useful for him to learn and keep.
Of course, this Gui-mun-dun-seo wasn’t something to give away lightly. Its value was immeasurable, and Galsaryang knew better than anyone that this single book could cause a bloodstorm in the martial world.
Galsaryang stood and respectfully bowed.
“To be valued so highly, I could die without regret.”
“You can’t die now. You might have no regrets, but I’d be left with a great one.”
“Hahaha.”
Galsaryang laughed heartily at my joke.
“I’ll master it to greatly aid our cause.”
“Good.”
Galsaryang carefully stored the book.
Seeing his joy lifted my spirits too.
Galsaryang asked me, “But are we just going to wait like this?”
Instead of answering, I asked, “Do you know the difference between hunting and fishing?”
“I don’t enjoy either, so I’m not sure.”
“The difference is simple. Hunting is when you go after the prey, and fishing is when the fish come to you.”
“What?”
He looked puzzled for a moment, then laughed.
“Right. There’s a clear difference.”
I smiled meaningfully and said, “They’re hunting, and we’re fishing.”
Dok-ya sliced through the darkness like a bird.
His extraordinary stealth allowed him to blend seamlessly with the moonless night, placing him silently atop the Justice Pavilion’s roof within the Martial Alliance’s inner sanctum.
Dokya moved across the roof with the grace of a shadow, his steps as silent as if he were walking on clouds. It was as if he had erased the very sound of his movements.
At the edge of the roof, he seemed to fall, only to catch himself and hang upside down like a bat.
Through the window, he could see inside the room.
His target, Galsaryang, was reading a book with his back turned.
On the opposite bed lay a man, presumably Byeokridan, the military officer rumored to be sharing the room lately.
His mission was straightforward.
Pretend to eliminate Galsaryang and identify his protector. If killing wasn’t feasible, simply confirming the protector’s identity and retreating would suffice. For someone as skilled in stealth as Dokya, it was a task as easy as pie.
Dokya righted himself, his body moving as if pulled by invisible strings, without making the slightest sound.
Sending him instead of Bisal was a wise choice. While his assassination skills weren’t the best, his mastery of stealth was unmatched among the organization’s top assassins.
Especially at night, as his name suggested, he was in his element.
He heightened his senses to scan the surroundings. No one was there. Galsaryang was completely unguarded.
“Could the higher-ups have gotten it wrong?”
The thought crossed his mind. Killing Galsaryang now would be easier than flipping his hand.
“Should I make more noise to draw them out?”
Once more, Dokya hung upside down.
Galsaryang continued reading, and… the man on the bed… was gone!
“What?!”
Dokya swiftly righted himself, his movements urgent yet silent.
Swish.
Instinctively sensing danger, Dokya spun around like lightning.
Thwip.
A small needle flew from his fingers—one of his deadly secret weapons, the Absolute Death Needle.
The turn and the needle throw were a single fluid motion, and the needle struck the chest of the figure standing behind him.
“Got him!”
The needle was meant to kill instantly upon impact.
But the figure didn’t fall. Instead, he smiled—a smile that belonged to Byeokridan, the man who had been lying on the bed.
In the next instant!
Byeokridan’s hands brushed swiftly across Dokya’s cheeks.
Crack!
Dokya’s head spun around once before snapping back into place. The bones in his neck were already shattered.
The movement was so swift that Dokya didn’t even realize he was dying. Byeokridan’s hands moved with such speed that they were nearly invisible, employing the highest level of martial arts.
Byeokridan gently caught Dokya’s lifeless body as it collapsed, head lolling.
After disposing of the body, I returned to the room as silently as I had left.
Galsaryang, lost in his book, remained oblivious to my departure and the assassin’s demise above.
My movements were as discreet as the assassin’s had been, and Galsaryang was deeply engrossed in his reading.
I quietly lay back down on the bed. There was no need to disturb his studies by alerting him to the presence of a mere small fry.
I closed my eyes again, waiting for a worthy catch to take the bait.
The hunt would continue.