Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 1017

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 1017
In that eternal instant, the assassin witnessed it.
Sama Hyeon’s lips moving with incredible speed.
His dynamic vision allowed him to interpret Sama Hyeon’s words.
‘Wow~ quite the impressive assassin, aren’t you?’
Sama Hyeon’s eyes suddenly blazed with explosive brilliance.
Whiiiing!
Clang!
Yet.
Remarkably, Sama Hyeon caught that hidden blade between his teeth.
Then, with a mischievous grin, he worked his lips as if chewing candy.
Pft!
And he sent that blade back.
Astonishingly, it was executed with the exact same martial technique the assassin had thrown.
‘He mastered my Jeolcho after seeing it just once!?’
Normally, someone who can observe a martial technique demonstrated once in a training ground and replicate it is called a genius.
But what should one call someone who perfectly mirrors an opponent’s technique at the brink of life and death, then sends it back to kill them?
‘That can’t be. He must have only copied the form!’
Yet the assassin’s instincts told him otherwise.
In the end.
The assassin threw his body to evade the blade.
At that moment, as if Sama Hyeon had been waiting, he pulled the hand holding the sword toward himself, wrenching it away.
Tremendous grip strength!
In that gap, the assassin’s movements slowed.
He couldn’t completely avoid the blade—it grazed his shoulder.
The assassin’s body began to tremble violently.
The humiliation of having his sword and technique completely stolen?
Of course, that was part of it.
But there was a more practical reason.
His blade had already been coated with deadly poison!
Sama Hyeon must have anticipated this—he caught the blade, put it in his mouth and chewed while carefully avoiding the poisoned section.
Even the chewing was an act.
“Why bother with such tedious tricks?”
At his words, Sama Hyeon lowered his head.
His bangs obscured his eyes.
Yet the sharp jawline and the crimson lips visible beneath were so bewitching that it seemed he could devour a person’s very soul and swallow it whole.
Soon that mouth opened.
“…because it’s more fun that way.”
“What?”
But Sama Hyeon merely smiled, and did not deliver the final blow to his poisoned opponent.
Behind him, hidden weapons thrown by other assassins were already flying toward him.
Silent projectiles.
Yet Sama Hyeon showed no panic whatsoever, twisting his sword-wielding hand backward in a fluid rotation.
Every hidden weapon thrown by his fellow assassins bounced off the blade!
Each movement resembled a graceful dance.
Ultimately, not a single attack reached Sama Hyeon.
Clang clang clang!
‘What kind of strength is this?!’
In desperation, he finally blew a whistle.
Shrieeeeek—
A sharp, high-pitched sound inaudible to ordinary people pierced outward in all directions.
As the signal erupted, someone appeared on the rooftop.
And someone else emerged from the end of the alley.
Masked and dressed in the plain clothes commoners wore, they each held a sinister-looking blade in their hands.
Assassins.
And they had appeared right before the Baekrin Medical Guild.
Though visible to the eye, they left no trace of presence.
Moreover, they emanated no killing intent whatsoever.
If they removed their masks and walked through the streets, they would appear as ordinary commoners.
Assassins of the Hao-mun Five Killers Faction.
In truth, the chaos within Hao-mun had not yet been resolved. And in fact, it was not something occurring only within Hao-mun itself.
I had not mentioned this to my esteemed brother.
But the Demonic Sect’s distribution of dark arts manuals was exerting far deeper influence on the martial sects than on commoners.
The sacred cultivation techniques were certainly remarkable, and learning the Infinite Lotus Brahma Heart Technique, which I had annotated in meticulous detail, was far easier than any other sacred cultivation method.
However.
That did not mean it could help one transcend realms.
If an ordinary person learned the Infinite Lotus Brahma Heart Technique.
At best, they might become a peak master. Or if fortune smiled upon them, they could become a transcendent master.
Then.
What of those already at the peak or transcendent realm?
Would the Infinite Lotus Brahma Heart Technique benefit them?
It could provide stability. And perhaps sharpen their minds somewhat.
At least they would not die learning it.
That alone was enough for it to be treated as a sacred cultivation technique in the martial world.
But ultimately, that effort must come from one’s own strength, and luck and talent remain beyond one’s control.
What if there were an easier way to elevate one’s realm?
Dark arts offered exactly that.
If one accepted the side effects.
Or if one made the mistaken judgment that the side effects would not occur for oneself.
The temptation to leap to a higher realm through dark arts.
How sweet that temptation must have appeared to the Black Dao Cultivators trapped against the wall.
Because of this, knowingly or unknowingly….
Dark arts still ran rampant among the Black Dao Cultivators of Gangho.
Human malice had always been boundless.
The temptation of an easy path was sweeter than opium itself.
It was something even immortals could not prevent.
‘My brother blocked people from obtaining dark arts within his reach, but he cannot control the darkness beyond that.
He wouldn’t capture and brainwash people, after all.
Beyond that point lies human free will.
Yet within this, Sama Hyeon reads affirmation for humanity.
My brother trusts people.
Though he claims otherwise, from my perspective as his younger brother, he is someone who believes in human goodness.
That is precisely why he can serve as a doctor in this Gangho of the Dosan Sword Forest.
‘However, humans are far weaker than what my brother believes.’
Even masters at the pinnacle with patience like diamond stone crumble like tofu when faced with the temptation of easily crossing the wall.
The Hao-mun sect descended into chaos for this very reason.
‘Currently, the Osalji Faction is attempting to break away from Hao-mun.’
Hao-mun is fracturing due to the dark arts of the Demonic Sect.
And the one subtly supporting such an Osalji Faction is the Tudo School, one of the five sects within Hao-mun.
Naturally.
The Hao Munzhu does not tolerate this.
First, he disciplined the nearby Tudo School, and the Osalji Faction used that gap to abandon their base and hide.
‘I’ve dealt with about half of them. Exactly half.’
The remaining half still lurks in hiding, with clear evidence of collaboration with the Demonic Sect.
Of course, normally that alone wouldn’t prompt them to attack Sama Hyeon.
Even if they betrayed Hao-mun, would they really unleash assassins for a surprise attack on Sama Hyeon, a mere sect leader?
That would be quite a losing proposition.
Sama Hyeon knows this well.
Though people say the Golden Blood Hall is the most money-obsessed place in the world, in truth, no place covets wealth more than the Assassin’s Guild.
It is a place where human lives are converted into gold.
Even assassins who die during missions here are converted into gold, and profits and losses are calculated.
No matter how much Sama Hyeon engages in trade, smuggling, or manipulates battlefields, it is impossible for him to covet money more than they do.
Such people would never commit the futile act of attacking Sama Hyeon.
However, if others place a bounty on Sama Hyeon’s death, and if that accumulated gold exceeds the danger he poses?
And if stronger assassins are cultivated with dark arts manuals added to the mix?
“Did the Osalji Faction really make such a poor choice? How sad~ I really don’t want to kill people in my brother’s domain.”
Sama Hyeon laughed languidly.
A smile as if clouds were melting away and the moon were distorting.
At that same moment, five assassins rushed forward.
The assassin addicted to dark arts threw himself forward first.
I sense the resolve of mutual destruction—a willingness to take Sama Hyeon down even at the cost of her own life.
It is madness.
Already, I could see that his eyes were half-brainwashed.
In the past, when Seok Nosa taught me puppet theater, the marionettes had eyes just like that.
Eyes as inorganic as if painted with a brush.
Even so, I do not pity him.
I do not grieve for him.
I do not show mercy.
Simply unmoved.
I merely bring my hand to that face.
Crunch.
My delicate fingers crushed the assassin’s face entirely, tearing away the skin.
Then I turn my body to face the remaining four assassins.
Assassins of the Five Killers Faction. Originally, they too possessed emotions.
They knew pain, they knew fear, and they had desires of their own.
But now they are stripped of fear, reduced to puppets that obey commands.
The Demonic Sect.
Or perhaps the Hyeolseonggyo?
‘Ah, what does it matter now~ It’s clearly the Demonic Sect. The Five Killers Faction, one of Gangho’s most renowned assassination schools, has been completely consumed by the Demonic Sect~’
How convenient it would be if the Hyeolseonggyo committed all the world’s evils.
With that thought, I charged forward to meet those rushing toward me.
The nearest assassin withdrew his hands from his sleeves and swung them, releasing dozens of needles in a torrent.
Each one infused with qi, their power was enough to pierce holes through stone.
But I paid no attention and ran forward even faster.
Clang clang clang!
The projectiles bounced away with a sound like metal colliding, and I had already reached the assassin, extending my hand.
Crack. Snap!
His neck shattered. He couldn’t even scream before the assassin fell dead.
Holding that corpse’s neck, I hurled it at the next approaching assassin, then pressed my body close and continued forward.
As the corpse was thrown, the assassin hesitated for a moment, unable to respond properly.
Five finger flicks shot from my hand, piercing straight through the assassin’s face, including his eyes.
Three fell dead in an instant.
Of the five, only two remained.
Without hesitation, they retreated and fled.
Even for someone like me, I could not catch them in a single bound when they had already put considerable distance between us.
So I simply stood there, motionless.
I had no desire to cause a disturbance on this street, bustling with festival crowds.
This was the land of my beloved hyeong, after all.
It was then.
Screech!
Something falls from the sky.
Two streaks of light pierced straight through the heads of the two fleeing assassins.
Thud!
With a brief sound, the two assassins collapsed.
Now there were no assassins left alive.
In the pool of blood, a familiar voice rang out from above.
“I knew it would be him.”
“Indeed. Your words were correct, Patriarch.”
“Listen here. Wouldn’t it be problematic to drag your sect’s affairs all the way here?”
“It was reckless of me to bring Hao-mun’s business this far. If Soggakju learns of this, he will surely intervene.”
And.
On the rooftop stood two masters, each radiating a terrifying aura in waves.
The one who had long served as Jegalling’s sword, protecting Baekrin Medical Guild.
Martial Arts Guild Master Dokgo Junghu.
He clicked his tongue, his appearance now younger than before.
And beside him stood a middle-aged man radiating an aura similar to Dokgo Junghu’s.
Baekrin’s Master.
Gungwi Wang Chae-baek.
The two of them looked down at Sama Hyeon.
Sama Hyeon gazed up at them with a radiant smile.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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