Chapter 352 : Even If I Die and Come Back, I Still Gotta Crack a Joke

Translator: FenrirTL

Editor/Quality Checker: Saphartlantis

Murim Term Consultant: Kopke

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Chapter 352: Even If I Die and Come Back, I Still Gotta Crack a Joke 1

As silence fell, one thought floated up in Bih Sa-in’s mind.

‘If you were that man, I’d definitely be dead.’

No matter how strong and terrifying Hwang Seokgyeong was, he still wasn’t that person.

Just the image of facing Geom Mugeuk as an enemy was enough to stir fear.

“If I’m going to die anyway, do you really think layering two, three suits of protective armor will save me?”

“If you’re going to die anyway, you wouldn’t have met me in the first place. So layer up as much as you can.”

Their gazes tangled midair. Bih Sa-in felt it—Geom Mugeuk was genuinely worried that he might die.

“Wouldn’t it be better for you if I die? The Unorthodox Alliance would fall into chaos.”

To words that didn’t even reflect his true feelings, Geom Mugeuk responded with a dose of reality.

“I don’t want to say this to you, but even if you die, the Unorthodox Alliance won’t fall into chaos. Same goes for me dying, or even if our Martial Alliance friend dies.”

He was right. Unless the Cult Leader or the Alliance Leader died, the death of an heir wouldn’t be enough to throw the Unorthodox Alliance into disarray.

“On the contrary, they’d probably be more unified in the spirit of vengeance and punishment, stronger than ever. So? Want to make a noble sacrifice for the sake of the Unorthodox Alliance?”

“I’ll pass.”

Bih Sa-in briefly imagined what might happen after his death. The Thirteen Wolves would grieve, and among them, Il-rang would mourn the most. What about the Alliance Leader? How much would he grieve? The fact that he couldn’t easily picture that reaction made Bih Sa-in realize—I don’t know the Alliance Leader that well yet.

The third person he thought of was Geom Mugeuk.

‘Would he mourn if I died?’

And just as he was beginning to think ‘What pointless thoughts I’m having’, Geom Mugeuk suddenly spoke.

“If you die, I’ll avenge you. I’ll chase them to the ends of the Central Plains, and I won’t leave a single one of them alive—anyone who had a hand in this.”

Seriously, how does he always know exactly what I’m thinking?

“Thanks, even if it’s just words.” 2

A faint smile brushed across Bih Sa-in’s grotesque face. Somehow, if it were Geom Mugeuk, he really would get to the bottom of it for the sake of revenge.

“You look the coolest when you smile just like that. When you fall in love someday, flash that smile from time to time.”

“More nonsense!”

They were exchanging jokes in a moment where he might actually die. Really, if it weren’t for Geom Mugeuk, something like this could never happen.

‘Could I actually die?’

It would be a lie to say the thought had never crossed his mind. But ever since becoming the Unorthodox Alliance’s Young Leader, he’d let his guard down without even realizing it.

‘Who would dare try to kill me?’

It was time to change that kind of thinking.

‘How dare you live as a martial artist and let your guard down like that?’

Especially when, had Geom Mugeuk not told him directly like this, he would never have realized.

“I understand. I’ll prepare for his ambush.”

“Be sure to wear the protective armor.”

“I’ll wear two layers.”

Seeing that Bih Sa-in took his words to heart, Geom Mugeuk felt relieved. Of course, his prediction could still be wrong, but it never hurt to be cautious.

“Is there a version of the official Thirteen Wolves uniform that includes a mask?”

“There is.”

Most bodyguards belonging to large organizations had masked uniforms. That was because they needed to protect their targets covertly while hiding their identities.

“From now on, have them wear that. And give me a set. Also, remove one member from the Thirteen Wolves. I’ll take that person’s place.”

“You’re really going that far?”

“I am. Why? You don’t want me to?”

“I’m fine with it, I just feel bad about it.”

“I’ll collect interest on it later, so don’t worry.”

What Bih Sa-in wanted to ask was this:

You’re the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult. If it gets out that you served under me, it won’t end well for you.

This situation was different from when Jin Hagun and the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Wolves had helped earlier. This time, he was clearly trying to protect him in earnest.

“The Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult isn’t going to serve the Young Leader of the Unorthodox Alliance. Geom Mugeuk is going to Bih Sa-in.”

“!”

Bih Sa-in knew instinctively—he would never forget this line from Geom Mugeuk.

“I haven’t done anything for you to go this far.”

“When people start measuring each other on a scale, they’re merchants, not friends. That’s how human relationships work. One of the two always likes the other more. In this case, it’s me. Me.”

Bih Sa-in was deeply grateful for this Geom Mugeuk who spoke like this.

From birth until the day he became heir of the Unorthodox Alliance, not once had he thought he could ever have a friend. He had believed it forever impossible.

With a smile, Geom Mugeuk added,

“Honestly, this is for my own good. If someone other than you becomes the Alliance Leader, I might die of frustration. But if it’s someone like you in that position, my happiness level goes up. So don’t worry. Just assume I’m doing all this because I want to.”

That’s exactly why Geom Mugeuk was so likable. He made a big show of everything, yet deep down, he wasn’t someone who enjoyed being praised for it.

‘I lost.’

Bih Sa-in admitted it. Even if Geom Mugeuk came in under him, he had lost. Admitting it brought him peace of mind.

The two sat in silence for a long time on that windy cliff.

*         *         *

The next day, two things had changed.

The two things that had changed were: the outfits of the Thirteen Wolves guarding him, and the fact that one of the masked figures was Geom Mugeuk.

“Isn’t the mask a little uncomfortable? I think it’d be better if the inner lining were a bit softer.”

At those words, the Seventh Wolf nodded as if agreeing, only to quickly avert his gaze under Il-rang’s scolding glare.

Il-rang was displeased that Geom Mugeuk had entered the Unorthodox Alliance’s inner grounds. If it weren’t for the fact that he was guarding Bih Sa-in, he would never have allowed it.

Geom Mugeuk and Bih Sa-in exchanged sound transmissions whenever they had a moment.

―Wouldn’t it be unnecessary for you to go inside the Alliance?

―I actually think this is the most dangerous place. Isn’t it always where you feel the safest that assassinations happen? 3

Bih Sa-in looked out the window. Thinking that those trying to kill him were in this very place, the familiar scenery of the Unorthodox Alliance suddenly felt foreign.

Il-rang said to Bih Sa-in,

“Let’s go. There’s a meeting with the Division Leaders.”

As he left his quarters, he sent a sound transmission to Geom Mugeuk.

―Are you seriously going to follow us all the way into the meeting?

―Of course I am.

―Could it be you’re trying to steal the Alliance’s secrets?

―You just figured that out?

It was clear that Geom Mugeuk fully intended to follow him around all day. He wouldn’t be doing this if the enemy wasn’t the Battle King. The Battle King he knew was someone who truly loved fighting, and just as much as he loved it, he hated losing.

To him, the conspiracy underway inside the Unorthodox Alliance was just another battle.

He would never allow himself to lose this fight, and in order not to lose, the most direct course would be to eliminate Bih Sa-in. Because Bih Sa-in was the person who posed the greatest threat to him.

Before the fire reached the Alliance Leader, removing Bih Sa-in would be the surest path to victory.

Il-rang sent a sound transmission to Bih Sa-in.

―I know you trust the Young Cult Leader, but you shouldn’t be showing him every part of the Alliance like this. If the Alliance Leader finds out later, there will be problems.

―I understand your concern, Il-rang. But just this once, trust my judgment.

Il-rang looked at Bih Sa-in. Seeing that it wasn’t the gaze of someone being swayed by Geom Mugeuk, he gave a small nod. He resolved to keep a closer eye on things. Trusting a Demon entirely would be foolish.

And so, Bih Sa-in attended the meeting.

When placing the Thirteen Wolves outside the meeting room, Il-rang positioned Geom Mugeuk as far away as possible. It was to prevent him from overhearing anything.

Geom Mugeuk obediently followed Il-rang’s instruction.

After the meeting, Bih Sa-in exited and saw Geom Mugeuk standing at the end of the hallway. He didn’t need an explanation—he immediately understood what had happened.

―Please forgive him. Il-rang is just naturally upright and rigid.

―It’s fine, I understand.

Bih Sa-in moved as usual.

Once a day, he always had a meal at the same inn. Today was no different.

While eating, he sent a sound transmission to Il-rang.

―What’s happening on Hwang Seokgyeong’s side?

Surveillance had already been placed on that side as well.

―Nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, he’s undergoing even more intense training than usual.

If he didn’t trust Geom Mugeuk, it would’ve seemed like he was falsely accusing Hwang Seokgyeong—he was acting completely normal.

Bih Sa-in glanced at Geom Mugeuk.

Standing near the entrance of the inn, Geom Mugeuk was clearly looking outside.

―There you go again, sending me that suspicious look. I told you to trust me.

―How could I not be suspicious when I’ve got someone with eyes in the back of his head under my command?

Geom Mugeuk turned to look his way. The eyes glinting through the eye holes were smiling.

―Isn’t it tiring?

―Tiring enough to kill me. I scarfed down my meal while standing earlier. You should treat your bodyguards better from now on.

―Come and eat with me.

―No thanks. I’ll keep suffering so I can hold it over your head for a long time. I’ll bring up this story every time we meet.

And with that, the meal peacefully ended and they quietly returned. Nothing happened that day.

Nothing happened the next day either. Hwang Seokgyeong also went about his day just like usual.

Three days passed like that.

Once again, Bih Sa-in was eating at the same inn he always visited.

―The Young Cult Leader might’ve made a mistake in judgment.

To Il-rang’s sound transmission, Bih Sa-in gave no response. Today as well, Geom Mugeuk stood by the entrance, gazing at the scenery outside.

Over Geom Mugeuk’s shoulder, people passed by, merchants called out for customers, and children ran through the streets.

‘Yeah, he’s still human. He can’t be perfect. Not all the time.’

Finishing his meal, Bih Sa-in and the Thirteen Wolves left the inn.

While returning to the Alliance, a girl carrying a flower basket approached them. She wasn’t someone he’d seen before. 4

“Buy some flowers? I’ll give them cheap.”

The Thirteen Wolves watched her with caution.

One of the martial artists among them went to inspect the girl. On the surface, there were no signs of martial arts training. The basket she carried was filled with nothing but flowers. She was, by all appearances, just a regular flower-selling girl.

As Bih Sa-in passed by her, the girl held out a flower.

He was about to walk past, but then turned to her.

“How much for one?”

“For someone noble like you, I’ll give it for free.”

“Do you know who I am?”

“You’re the Young Leader, aren’t you? My father told me to behave politely if I ever saw you.”

“Where’s your father?”

“He’s sick. Lying down at home.”

“I’ll buy all the flowers you have.”

“Really?”

The girl’s eyes widened in surprise.

“As a memento of our meeting today, I’ll buy them specially.”

Just as he was reaching for his money to hand it over—

“I’ll give you this flower too.”

The moment the girl reached for the flower in her hair to place it into the basket—

Tak.

Il-rang swiftly struck the girl's pressure point, subduing her, and snatched the flower from her hand.

“It’s Yin-Yang Absolute Poison Grass. The yin-poison flower in her hair and the yang-poison flowers in the basket—if combined, they release a deadly toxic scent in an instant.”

Everyone turned to look at the girl.

Before they realized it, her face had turned pitch-black and she collapsed silently.

Il-rang, inspecting her already lifeless body, reported with a hardened expression.

“It appears the moment she removed the flower from her head, it triggered an intense poisoning effect.”

Whether it was her own will or someone else’s, it had been a ruthless assassination attempt, throwing her life away in the process. 5

Just as everyone’s attention was locked onto the girl—

“Watch your back!”

The voice was Geom Mugeuk’s.

As all eyes were fixed on the little corpse, an attacker disguised as a passerby behind Bih Sa-in launched an ambush in that fleeting moment.

Kwaaaaang!

With a blast, dozens of needle-like projectiles erupted from a cylindrical hidden weapon in the attacker’s hand. 6

Shwik! Shwik! Shwik! Shwik! Shwik! Shwik! Shwik!

Crossing the space with Lightning Flash Step, Geom Mugeuk swung his sword, deflecting the projectiles.

But that wasn’t the end of it. On the other side of the road, a man who had been pretending to browse the street stalls turned and launched another barrage of hidden weapons. Again, with a loud blast, the projectiles flew.

The Thirteen Wolves threw themselves forward, slashing their swords through the air.

At that very moment, from the rooftop on the opposite side, another man appeared and was about to launch an attack—

Slice!

His arm, holding the hidden weapon cylinder, was severed and fell.

Geom Mugeuk’s sword, already in flight, had sliced through the attacker’s arm.

After deflecting all the incoming projectiles, Geom Mugeuk had immediately surged forward and killed the attacker on the roof. His movements had been so swift that those watching thought someone else had intercepted the attack.

The wounded assailant tried to draw another weapon with his remaining hand, but what couldn’t be done with two arms certainly couldn’t be done with one.

Thuck!

The Black Demon Sword pierced through his throat.

By the time Geom Mugeuk landed back on the ground, all the assassins had been subdued. The Thirteen Wolves had formed a tight circle around Bih Sa-in, and in the center, Il-rang was shouting.

“Young Leader!”

A hidden weapon was lodged in his chest. All the projectiles had been aimed at Bih Sa-in, and they had come at such speed and from such close range that not all of them could be deflected.

“I’m alright.”

As Bih Sa-in opened his robes, it revealed he was wearing protective armor underneath. Not just one layer—he had indeed worn two. The projectiles were embedded in the first layer, unable to pierce through the second. 7

Three of the Thirteen Wolves who had blocked the hidden weapons were injured. However, all of them had avoided critical wounds. They, too, had been wearing protective armor.

Geom Mugeuk and Bih Sa-in locked eyes.

―Well done.

―Because of your nagging, I borrowed protective armor from the Alliance armory and had the Thirteen Wolves wear them too. 8

In the end, it had been a truly wise decision.

―What about me? You gave it to everyone but me? I should’ve gotten one too!

―I figured you’d handle it just fine on your own. We didn’t have enough to go around anyway.

―And yet you wore two layers?

―Because you told me to wear two layers!

The two bantered like that. Even after nearly dying, Geom Mugeuk had to crack a joke.

Soon, Geom Mugeuk dropped all playfulness and spoke calmly.

“The flower-selling girl was a decoy to draw attention. The plan was to attack when everyone's gaze was fixed on her.”

“How did you know?”

Because the enemy was the Battle King. If the attackers had truly followed his orders, they wouldn’t have been so sloppy.

“I just had a bad feeling.”

Bih Sa-in realized Geom Mugeuk had been right. The enemy really had come to kill him.

‘That lunatic! He’s really trying to kill me? And right in front of the main Alliance hall too?’

If not for Geom Mugeuk, he might have really been done for. Even if he had survived, the Thirteen Wolves would’ve surely taken severe losses.

The Thirteen Wolves knew that too. They lowered their heads in gratitude to Geom Mugeuk. Even Il-rang, who had previously disapproved of his presence, was among them.

Bih Sa-in revised the thought he’d had earlier. He’s still human, so he can’t be perfect, he’d told himself. But no—

‘This man is perfect. Clearly, he’s not human.’ 9

Il-rang collected the hidden weapons the assassins had used.

“These hidden weapons are ‘Blood Heaven Storm’. It’s a type of forbidden weapon classified as a golden-dragon weapon throughout the entire martial world.”

Not only were they unobtainable through normal means, but they also required a fortune to acquire. And three of them had been used in this attack.

To try and kill him—not just with any method, but with forbidden golden-dragon weapons? The enemy had not even a shred of honor or pride as a martial artist. All they had was a desire to kill.

Bih Sa-in looked at Geom Mugeuk with a furious expression.

Geom Mugeuk said nothing, only showed a face that indicated he would follow whatever decision Bih Sa-in made. Bih Sa-in didn’t thank him for saving his life. The reckoning for that gratitude would come only after everything was over.

“Using a golden-dragon weapon like that—clearly lacks the basics of a martial artist.”

Bih Sa-in turned and began marching toward the Alliance. Since the other side had paid their respects, it was time to return the courtesy.

“Let’s go check whether our Alliance Training Center is properly teaching the basics.”

1 : Yeah, that’s kinda Mugeuk’s motto XDXDXD Ruin the joy of your enemy by taunting and laughing till the end !!!

2 : Nah, it’s the truth. Look at the extent he went to obtain revenge on Hwa Moogi.

3 : Yeah, the monsters always wait until you let down your guard after locking every door and windows to silently loom behind your back. So annoying.

4 : Preventive attack !!! *was really just a civilian* Naaaah, I don’t believe it at all.

5 : Let’s hope she was a trained assassin, and not an innocent coerced into this. Using kids is always so unpleasant. *Bitterly shake my head*

6 : Needle gun ? Those are actually historically accurate, actually. Just put some gunpowder in a bamboo tube, stuff some metal needles inside, point it to your target and light it up. Here you go, a very volatile and unstable Chinese hand cannon !!! More than 3/4 chances to blow up in your face rather than hit your target by the way, just like modern overheated plastic guns.

7 : Lol, he did that cliche move in the movies when the one who was just shot rip open his shirt to reveal he was wearing a bulletproof vest XDXDXD

8 : Good job ^^ Your preparations saved their lives ^^

9 : And it took a lot of work for that. An entire life actually.