Emperor Namgung Mu of the Thousand Years - Chapter 52

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#052

 

-Kwareurung!!

 

Thunder tore through the night sky.

 

Rain lashed violently against the land.

 

It was a forested hill shrouded in darkness.

 

I had been motionless for over an hour, silently enduring the winter rain while staring straight ahead.

 

“Huuk… huuk…”

 

The downpour fell without cease.

 

With each breath, white vapor mixed with rainwater splashed around my mouth.

 

A complex of buildings with countless roofs piled up like whale backs.

 

Hwangbo Family’s Jiakpaekyeong Bunta.

 

The tall walls that coiled around like a giant serpent were filled with flickering torches.

 

“…Indeed, it lives up to being the intermediate stronghold where all the wealth of the southern Hwangbo Family gathers.”

 

I observed the patrol formation of guards moving in pairs of two along the walls at regular intervals, comparing it with my memories.

 

In my previous life as an assassin, I had experience breaking through the original Eight Gates Prohibition System of the Jegal Family.

 

‘That formation is definitely the first shell of the Eight Gates Prohibition System – the Human shell.’

 

Then the remaining two would also be derived from the eight prohibitions of the Eight Gates Prohibition System.

 

“But starting with the Human shell from the beginning… This is troublesome.”

 

The Human shell.

 

The very first of the triple prohibition that I had to break through.

 

The torches writhing and coiling around the walls seemed almost alive.

 

Those carrying the torches were not martial artists who could handle internal energy.

 

Like an ant colony, they were guards trained at high intensity solely for this formation, overwhelming in their sheer numbers.

 

Some might think that breaking through this Human shell would be easy since the guards weren’t martial artists who could handle internal energy.

 

But that would be a miscalculation.

 

A trained collective can overwhelm superior individuals.

 

Even ants are weak individually, but when they swarm like water poured into an anthill, even tigers fall victim.

 

Moreover, this place was Jiakpaekyeong where internal energy cultivation was impossible.

 

Even Pasabeolsik had to be used in its most basic form, not enhanced with internal energy.

 

‘I’ll rely on my skills and experience from my previous life.’

 

-Cheolkeok, cheolkeok.

 

I gathered all my internal energy and sealed it within the jade belt at my waist that Sword Master Hwirong had given me.

 

I also removed the Ebony Dragon Bracers from my wrists and tucked them into my clothes.

 

I wrapped rope around my waist and tightened the iron gauntlet on my right hand. I wound the chains over it firmly and adjusted the three-section spear on my back. I tied the leather straps of the three awls and ceramic bottle bundle at my waist and legs tightly across my chest.

 

I pulled up the mask that hung to my nape, pressing it down to cover up to my nose tip as I planned my next move.

 

‘Getting detected will be unavoidable. But I’ll take the shortest route in the shortest time, striking straight to the center and getting out before the Human shell can fully activate.’

 

From the start, it was impossible to steal and escape unnoticed from within that ceaselessly writhing barrier of torches.

 

Then I would proceed as quietly and swiftly as possible at my maximum speed, making any alarm meaningless.

 

The key would be to strike through at full speed without stopping, before the next wave of surveillance arrived.

 

‘If by any chance the Human shell fully activates before I can escape…’

 

A catastrophe too horrible to imagine would unfold.

 

“Let’s go.”

 

The moment I decided, I moved.

 

There was no turning back now.

 

-Tadadadat!

 

I ran through the darkness.

 

-Swoooosh.

 

The downpour blurred my vision, and thunder numbed my hearing.

 

And in this perfect chaos, I became a streak of shadow melting into the darkness.

 

The massive main gate came into view. Beyond the blazing torches, two gatekeepers stood hunched against the cold.

 

“Ah, damn it. It’s cold to the bone.”

 

“On days like this, the best thing would be to down a cup of strong liquor and lie down on a warm spot.”

 

I caught my breath with the guards’ chatter behind me.

 

‘Two guards. There might be some commotion, but I’ll take them out quickly and enter.’

 

I drew an awl from the white downpour.

 

“Damn, I need to piss so bad. Does this rain even stimulate the bladder? I have to go to the latrine.”

 

My body, about to leap out, hesitated.

 

“I’ll stay here to sober up, so hurry back.”

 

“Take the lantern. The night road is dark.”

 

“Of course.”

 

One of them grumbled and turned toward the corner of the wall.

 

The second guard disappeared.

 

Only one remained.

 

I watched the distant guard’s swaying movement through the downpour, then looked back at the remaining guard.

 

‘…Let’s try it. If I can buy even a little more escape time.’

 

-Hwiririk.

 

I changed my mind. The awl flipped in my palm.

 

I gripped the awl tip so the heavy handle stuck out like a club.

 

At the same time, I pulled out a ceramic bottle from my clothes.

 

After confirming the small metal ball and sand inside moved properly with a rattling sound, I threw the ceramic bottle into the air.

 

-Sareureureuk… pajak. Pajajak.

 

As the ceramic bottle rolled, it made a distinctive sound like a small animal such as a weasel passing by, piercing clearly through the sound of rain.

 

“…What’s that?”

 

The moment the gatekeeper’s head whipped toward the sound-.

 

-Tadat!

 

I rushed at the turned guard and struck the back of his head with the awl handle like a hammer.

 

With a brief groan that couldn’t even become a scream, the guard collapsed unconscious.

 

I dragged the guard.

 

I sat the limp guard under the entrance eaves where rain couldn’t reach. I made him lower his head as if he were dozing while leaning.

 

‘It should be time for him to return.’

 

-Cheolbeok.

 

In the distance, wet footsteps approached along with a dim light beginning to spread from around the corner. The second gatekeeper who had gone to urinate was returning.

 

‘He’s coming.’

 

I hooked my chain onto the protruding part at the edge of the eaves above the fallen guard.

 

-Cheolkeok.

 

I climbed up in one swift motion.

 

Gripping the chain with my left hand, I hung upside down like a bat just above the eaves roof.

 

My vision flipped.

 

The sensation of blood rushing to my face.

 

I held my breath, feeling cold rainwater from my soaked body flowing down my forehead.

 

“Lululu… Ah, refreshing…”

 

A colleague leaning against a pillar with his head down.

 

The light of a lantern slowly approaching.

 

Everything was upside down, rippling beneath me.

 

“Hey, I’m here. Where did you go?”

 

I held my breath. I gripped the chain with my left hand and pressed myself closer to the ceiling.

 

-Creak…

 

The iron gauntlet’s right hand clenched like a mace.

 

Strength entered my left hand gripping the iron chain.

 

My blood-rushed face grew hot.

 

The circle of light grew larger as it approached.

 

“Huh?”

 

The guard stopped.

 

“This crazy bastard, no matter how drunk he gets, he’s already sleeping!?”

 

The guard rushed over frantically. He reached out to his fallen colleague.

 

“Hey, snap out of…!”

 

I let go with my left hand.

 

-Swoosh!!!

 

The iron chain released and my body fell, cutting through the rain.

 

-Crash!

 

My weight-loaded iron gauntlet fist struck the guard’s back of the head hard.

 

I saw his body bend forward with a groan. I landed and caught his body in my arms.

 

Releasing the breath I’d been holding, I stacked both bodies and crammed them into the corner as much as possible.

 

‘Next…!’

 

At least this place would be fine until the next shift came.

 

I quickly touched the lock at the entrance under the eaves.

 

It was locked.

 

I searched the guards’ belongings just in case, but lowly soldiers wouldn’t have keys to the entrance.

 

‘Then.’

 

I took out two steel spear shafts from my belongings.

 

I crossed them like applying torture and inserted them into the lock’s ring.

 

I raised the iron gauntlet on my right hand, preparing to strike down.

 

-Flash.

 

With white lightning, the entire world burned white.

 

I felt the intervals between thunder growing shorter.

 

Feeling the epicenter causing thunder and lightning in the torrential rain drawing closer, I tensed my entire body.

 

One, two, three, four-.

 

-Rumble…!!!

 

‘Now!’

 

I struck down the shaft end in time with the thunder.

 

-Clang!!!

 

The lock shattered under my fist strike amid the thunder.

 

I removed the broken lock and broke through.

 

‘From now on it’s a speed battle. Inside Jiakpaekyeong…!’

 

I could see numerous mansions like whale oil lamps. I raced through the alleys between the mansions.

 

And what I saw straight ahead was a four-story watchtower!

 

As I had expected when viewing it from afar, the watchtower’s structure allowed a clear view of all movement within the outer wall’s inner castle.

 

One person positioned each on the second and fourth floors.

 

Each floor’s height was three times an adult’s height.

 

The wall up to the second floor had one ledge to step on, but the wall from the second to fourth floor was smooth without any foothold.

 

Since the guards keeping watch in the watchtower could observe each other, it was impossible to just eliminate one and pass, or fool just one person’s gaze and break through.

 

This time too, I had to catch both simultaneously.

 

If I couldn’t, they would sound the alarm for everyone.

 

-Click!

 

As soon as I visualized what to do in my head, I moved quickly.

 

I took out the three-part spear from my back and began assembling it.

 

I quickly tightened the spiral-grooved rods, connecting the three parts into one long spear.

 

I tied a rope to its end.

 

I held up the spear and aimed.

 

-Whoosh…!

 

In the torrential rain, in the pure white rainwater bright enough to illuminate even darkness, I aimed the spear and waited.

 

Again, I waited for the right moment.

 

I just needed one moment when all noise would be buried.

 

Before the sentinel circling the watchtower spotted me first,

 

Until just before that moment, if lightning struck even once, I would proceed in sync with it.

 

-Rumble…!

 

Like an extremely stretched bowstring, my tensed muscles throughout my body contracted in the torrential rain.

 

All my joints creaked as they firmly fixed the spear shaft.

 

As Pasabeolsik activated, blood vessels bulged throughout my body as if about to burst.

 

And then.

 

-Crash!

 

With the roar of white thunder and lightning, the thrown long spear embedded in the fourth floor wall.

 

I began running with all my might.

 

-Thud thud thud!

 

I kicked off the ground with my feet, and only after that momentum ended did water spray shoot up from where I had stepped.

 

I arrived in front of the watchtower.

 

With a single leap, I stepped on the middle foothold and jumped up to the second floor, rushing at the enemy on the second floor roof.

 

“How did an enemy get here…!”

 

-Bang!

 

An iron fist smashed into his mouth. I grabbed the guard’s arm as he was about to be knocked away and pulled him while striking his jaw again with a palm strike.

 

With a whoosh sound, the moisture in the guard’s hair scattered in white spray.

 

The guard went limp. I threw the guard inside while drawing awls in both hands.

 

‘Without stopping, up to the fourth floor!’

 

I drove one awl into the smooth wall to climb to the third floor and launched my body into the air. I grabbed the diagonally embedded rope to make up for the insufficient height, spun around using the momentum, and soared into the air again.

 

-Thud!

 

As soon as I landed on the roof, right in front of me was the fourth floor guard who had just discovered the long spear and rope embedded in the fourth floor wall.

 

Our eyes met.

 

The opponent was startled.

 

“You-!”

 

Agile!

 

A better fighter than the lower floor…!

 

The opponent’s hand drew his sword.

 

“Hmm!”

 

My form blurred as I approached like lightning. I struck down the handle of the opponent’s drawing sword with my palm. At the same time, both my hands swung out.

 

-Flash!

 

Multiple thunders flashed as lightning struck down.

 

During the brief moment when white lightning illuminated the world, two silhouettes grappled together on the 4th floor rooftop.

 

With sounds of thud, crack, and snap, my fists and feet struck home, and I saw teeth flying with blood before being swallowed by darkness again. In the next series of white flashes, I saw the guard’s both arms breaking and one leg snapping from a side kick.

 

And when the next white lightning struck, there was no one on the 4th floor.

 

As soon as I finished clearing the 4th floor, I threw myself down, hanging from the taut diagonal rope.

 

The moisture clinging to the rope was scraped off by my steel gauntlets, spraying as white mist.

 

The moment I landed on the ground, I pulled the rope with all my strength to retrieve the long spear.

 

With a sharp sound, the spear shot out like a spring and embedded itself right beside me.

 

-Wooong…

 

The spear tip stuck in the ground vibrated with a tremor.

 

I disassembled the long spear back into three parts, stored them upside down on my back, and without hesitation ran through the front alley into the central mansion, the inner chamber.

 

As soon as I opened the door and entered, I quickly closed it behind me.

 

Under the massive whale-like roof, all sounds of rain were blocked out.

 

“Phew…!”

 

I exhaled heavily. The cold winter rainwater that had soaked into my mask trickled down my lips and scattered into the air with my breath.

 

I held my breath for a moment and listened outside, but there was no commotion.

 

As if no one had been disturbed, only the gentle sound of heavy rain could still be heard beyond the door.

 

“…Did I succeed?”

 

Three gates of the Jegal Family’s Eight Gates Prohibition System that organically utilized formations, geography, manpower, and techniques.

 

Among them, I had broken through what could be considered the most basic – the shell of Man, the first gate.

 

I let out a sigh of relief and entered the interior.

 

“I cut through more thoroughly than expected, so it should be quiet for a while. I need to finish this before the shell of Man reactivates…”

 

The scene that unfolded before my eyes.

 

My words slowed down.

 

-Drip… drip.

 

Water drops falling from my soaked body landed on the completely dry wooden floor, as if it were another world.

 

The sound of massive rainfall continued to echo endlessly from outside the door.

 

“…This is it?”

 

And there was a sound that even all those noises couldn’t mask.

 

-… … …

 

White noise, like something crawling like a centipede.

 

Fine, alien little sounds continued without rest.

 

-Chirp chirp chirp…

 

Fireflies were flying around.

 

I smiled bitterly.

 

“Really, it still gives me chills even after all this time.”

 

The scene spread before my eyes was a vast garden that appeared out of nowhere.

 

In its center, an oil-filled pond faced me along with the fireflies.

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