Chapter 162
Sssshhh!
Before I could react, the blade attached to the end of the segmented spear was already hurtling toward my back.
This was it.
The thought of dying so absurdly made a hollow laugh escape my lips.
Then—
Thwack!
The spear, which had been about to pierce through me like a ray of light, collided with something and was deflected to the side.
‘!’
Startled, I turned to look.
What I saw was a deep navy-blue orb of light flying through the air.
And instantly, I knew what it was.
‘Kanghwan?! But who could it be?’
It was Kanghwan.
Not the slow, clumsy Kanghwan I’d seen before, but a version far faster and denser with energy.
Both Amhyeolhyang and I snapped our heads toward the direction the light had come from.
There, we saw a one-eyed swordsman strolling casually, his sword’s hilt wrapped in cloth, the blade hanging loosely at his side.
His gait was loose and swaggering, like a third-rate thug.
But the moment I saw him, I knew.
‘He’s strong! Not quite on the level of Senior Son of Yeoryeong or the Sword Saint, but definitely on par with the Martial Alliance Leader, Moyonggeom!’
And so, I immediately understood who he was.
A one-eyed swordsman with a similar aura to Moyonggeom, the King of the Martial World, and with the rough demeanor of a lowlife—there could be no one else.
Amhyeolhyang, who had realized the same, muttered with a groan.
“The One-Eyed Strange Sword… Seo Il?”
He smirked and said, “Judging by your looks, you must be that Amhyeol something assassin. I have business with that guy, so why don’t you step aside?”
His tone was as light, rude, and arrogant as his walk.
Even Amhyeolhyang, the King of Assassins and one of the Thirty-Six Stars of the World, was treated with blatant disrespect.
Amhyeolhyang’s eyes twitched slightly at the insolence, though he maintained his composure.
But it seemed Seo Il had no intention of fighting Amhyeolhyang.
He spoke politely.
“This is an unreasonable request, Strange Sword. I am currently carrying out a mission—”
Seo Il cut him off with a snort, his fierce expression radiating a storm-like energy.
Whoosh!
“Hah, did you think I was asking you for a favor? You’re seriously deluded. And not too bright, either. How about I spell it out for you—if you don’t want to die, get lost.”
With that, Seo Il slowly raised the tip of his sword, which had been hanging loosely.
The storm-like energy that had been radiating in all directions suddenly focused on Amhyeolhyang.
Though invisible, the force was so intense it felt as if you could see it with your eyes.
Amhyeolhyang couldn’t hold out any longer.
He swallowed hard, then swiftly vanished.
Sssshhh!
A true assassin’s retreat—cold and without regret.
I suddenly felt a wave of emptiness wash over me.
The man who had been like an impenetrable Great Wall to me was driven off with nothing more than a threat.
Yet Seo Il, the one responsible, wore an expression as if this was only natural.
Without even glancing at the direction Amhyeolhyang had fled, he turned to me and asked,
“Where did you get that sword?”
His gaze was fixed on my sword, Mukrang, and the emotion shining in his eyes was unmistakable—greed and curiosity.
‘The Strange Sword interested in Mukrang?’
I was taken aback.
It seemed clear now that he hadn’t saved me out of pure kindness.
‘Well, I heard Seo Il became the absolute ruler of the martial world despite being a petty-minded man.’
He was an undefeated gambler in battle, yes.
But that title didn’t mean he was overwhelmingly powerful—it was more like he was a hyena who never bared his teeth at anyone stronger than himself.
That was why Seo Il had no followers.
Even the Blood Demon, a public enemy of the martial world, had countless disciples, but Seo Il was the only absolute ruler who commanded no respect.
And now, Seo Il was eyeing my Mukrang.
‘What should I do?’
I, who couldn’t even stand up to Amhyeolhyang, was no match for him.
I had to try to resolve this through conversation.
“My Mukrang is…”
But as I opened my mouth, I realized words wouldn’t come out.
Though the pain was blocked by the Moonlight Phantom Sword Dance technique, my body was in terrible shape.
I decided to release the third form of the Moonlight Phantom Sword Dance, Hyunmangwol.
Normally, I should have been overwhelmed by hallucinations, but I’d managed to keep my wits despite the constant threat to my life—a fact that made me laugh bitterly.
But the next moment, the laughter died in my throat.
As soon as I broke free from Hyunmangwol, a tidal wave of agony crashed through my body.
Whoooosh!
“Ughhh!”
It felt as if my entire body was shattering.
My whole being screamed in pain.
My right chest was pierced, a third of my thigh sliced open, and I’d been pushing my body beyond its limits—if I were unharmed, that would have been stranger.
Moreover, the bleeding had already passed the point of no return.
My mind blurred.
My body collapsed instantly.
I couldn’t even answer Seo Il’s question.
Thud!
In the haze of fading consciousness, I heard Seo Il’s annoyed voice.
“What’s this?”
Then everything went black.
Seo Il frowned deeply when Sun Woojin, who had been fighting Amhyeolhyang just moments ago, suddenly collapsed.
He thought Woojin was faking illness to avoid answering about the Mukrang sword.
With a fierce glare, he spat,
“How dare you pull that stunt in front of me?!”
But when Seo Il lightly flipped Woojin’s body with his void manipulation, he realized the man was truly on the brink of death.
His face was as pale as paper, and his body was battered.
Surprised, Seo Il muttered,
“Huh, so you were fighting like this all along?”
He admired the incredible willpower it must have taken.
But not one to give compliments easily, he soon sneered.
“Foolish to the last.”
Seo Il looked at Woojin with a mix of irritation and reluctance.
He wanted to leave him to die, but he still had questions to ask.
If he wanted answers, he had to keep him alive.
He took Woojin’s Mukrang sword and focused his mind.
But he felt nothing from the blade.
Even swinging it through the air a few times yielded no different result.
Swish!
It was just a sharp sword.
Sighing, Seo Il slowly laid Woojin down on the ground.
“I guess I have to keep you alive for now. What a nuisance.”
Seo Il was in a foul mood.
He hated wasting the alcohol needed to disinfect wounds, the golden ointment to apply, and above all, his time on such a pest.
He muttered with a fierce expression,
“You’ve made me this annoyed—just wait, if you don’t know anything, I’ll tear you apart.”
Of course, no matter what answers he got, he had no intention of sparing Woojin’s life.
Seo Il, still irritated, used his void manipulation to strip Woojin’s clothes.
Then, with the same technique, he poured a strong liquor over the wounds to disinfect them.
After applying the golden ointment, he wrapped the injuries with cloth.
Finally, he muttered again in annoyance,
“After all that, no reaction to the pain? You must really be close to death. Should I give you some elixir now?”
He hesitated.
He had some elixirs on hand, but they were too precious to waste on this guy.
Frowning deeply, Seo Il rummaged through Woojin’s bundle and brightened a little.
“Huh, carrying around several elixirs? You must have been living well.”
He randomly picked two elixirs from Woojin’s pack, crushed them into powder with his void manipulation, mixed them with water, and forced the mixture into Woojin’s mouth.
He handled the legendary void manipulation as if it were an extension of his own hand.
Once finished, Seo Il muttered with a weary tone,
“If you die even after all this, I’ll grind your corpse to dust.”
But moments later, Woojin’s pale face began to tremble.
He was losing blood and his body temperature was dropping.
Seo Il gritted his teeth and lit a small fire beside him.
He was truly exasperated.
I don’t know how much time passed while I was unconscious.
When I finally opened my eyes, the first thing I heard was a cold voice.
“So, you’ve finally woken up. To think you’d keep me waiting for a whole day. You’d better have a proper explanation for me.”
I turned my half-open eyes toward the voice and saw a one-eyed warrior staring at me with icy eyes.
Suddenly, the events before I lost consciousness came flooding back.
Amhyulhyang and the Poison-Eyed Strange Sword, Seo Il.
The pain was excruciating, the bleeding relentless.
I suddenly took a moment to assess my condition.
Though I still wasn’t in great shape, I realized I wasn’t as close to losing consciousness as before.
My clothes had been torn off, and the wound was wrapped tightly in cloth.
I had the distinct feeling some kind of healing ointment had been applied.
And when I focused inward, I sensed an unfamiliar energy—so I must have been given some kind of elixir as well.
I looked up at Seo Il, the Poison-Eyed Strange Sword, who was watching me with a curious expression.
For reasons I couldn’t understand, he had saved me.
I opened my mouth to thank him, but my throat was so dry that no sound came out.
“Ugh…”
A hoarse groan escaped me, and he let out a bitter chuckle, clearly exasperated.
“Hah!”
At that moment, the water flask beside him suddenly floated into the air.
With a swift motion, it tipped and splashed water onto me.
Splash!
He muttered irritably, “You really are something else.”
But I couldn’t focus on his annoyed tone.
Before me was a sight I’d never seen before—astonishing and strange.
Not only had he poured water from thin air, but the droplets seemed to gather into a single stream, flowing directly into my mouth.
Gulp, gulp.
The water felt cool and life-giving, clearing my foggy mind.
As I drank, I quickly pieced together the situation—his intentions, my position, and how I should respond.
‘He definitely asked me about the Mukrang Sword earlier. Did he save me just to get an answer?’
My Mukrang Sword was currently in Seo Il’s hand, as if it belonged to him.
‘It’s clear he covets the Mukrang…’
But that alone didn’t explain why he went through the trouble of saving me despite his obvious annoyance.
There had to be another reason.
‘Could it be…?’