Chapter 222 : Chapter 222
Chapter 222 - Tower of Causalitas (10)
“I thought I had controlled my qi perfectly in my own way, but you found me out at once.”
“Can a tiger truly become a fox just because it pretends to be one?”
I looked at the Murim Alliance Leader and slightly raised the corner of my mouth.
Of course, it was sophistry. If I put my mind to it, I could conceal my energy completely at any time. The Murim Alliance Leader must have known full well that my words were mere flattery, yet he laughed heartily all the same.
“So the rumor that you defeated that old geezer, the Leader of Evil Path Alliance, at the Sahwang Banquet must be true.”
“So many people saw it. Did you not believe it?”
“I tend not to believe anything I have not seen with my own eyes. All the more so if it is a rumor that defies common sense.”
“That is not a very good attitude for the head of an intelligence organization.”
The Murim Alliance Leader nodded, as though he agreed with me.
“That is why I try not to interfere in the Gokwol Unit’s affairs whenever possible. Today is an exception, however.”
“But is it all right for you to reveal your identity like this? It would be troublesome if it became known that the Murim Alliance Leader had been secretly running an intelligence organization.”
“Are you planning to spread the rumor?”
Of course, I had no intention of spreading such a rumor, and even if it somehow did get out, there was a high chance it would be dismissed as nonsense. If an enormous organization like the Murim Alliance deliberately tried to cover it up, it would die down quickly enough.
“As you say, if this fact were revealed, it would put me in a rather difficult position. But even so, I could hardly remain still after receiving intelligence that someone was coming to kill me. I have become more timid with age, you see.”
“In any case, it was a refreshing shock.”
“Then let me ask one thing at this point. Why are you trying to assassinate me?”
Naturally, I did not hold any particular grudge against the Murim Alliance Leader. The reason I wanted to fight him was merely because of the quest.
But I could not exactly tell him that honestly.
“Just as one climbs a mountain because it is there, the Evil Faction has the Leader of Evil Path Alliance, and the Righteous Faction has the Murim Alliance Leader. I merely wish to test myself against you. So rather than assassination, let us call it a surprise attack.”
“Then half of the information was false.”
“If you wish, I do not mind finishing it as an assassination.”
When I provoked him confidently, the Murim Alliance Leader laughed heartily.
“So you are determined to receive full value for the information you brought, are you?”
“How much will you pay?”
At my question, the Murim Alliance Leader smiled faintly.
“Tell me first how much you expected to receive.”
“I am thinking of taking a few pieces of information that the Gokwol Unit possesses.”
“So there was something you wanted after all. Had you simply revealed your identity and come to me, I would have given it to you without conditions.”
It seemed I really was a hot topic in Murim.
“I appreciate the offer, but I will still cross swords with you, Alliance Leader.”
At my words, the Alliance Leader remained silent for a while, wearing an intrigued expression.
From his perspective, two feelings must have coexisted. The thrill of facing a strong opponent, and the fear that he might lose what he had.
Even so, his circumstances were much better than the Leader of Evil Path Alliance’s. He already knew that his rival had been crushed miserably.
After some thought, the Alliance Leader finally spoke.
“I will make you one promise. If you defeat me, I will give you any information the Gokwol Unit possesses.”
It seemed that the blood of a warrior burned hotter in him than his position as the Murim Alliance Leader. He accepted the Bimu I had proposed.
If he had tucked his tail and backed down, he would have suffered a far worse humiliation, so it was a wise decision.
“Thank you, Alliance Leader.”
“Then let me ask just one more thing.”
“Go ahead.”
“Are you from the Demonic Cult?”
That damned Demonic Cult.
The problem with Murim was that its trichotomous worldview was far too distinct. Even though there were clearly people who did not belong to any of those three places.
“I will tell you after the duel.”
Still, as expected of the head of an intelligence organization, the Murim Alliance Leader did not jump to conclusions.
I suddenly grew curious about how the Gokwol Unit would record my existence.
***
Behind the Gokwol Unit’s building stretched a manor far larger than I had expected.
Well, since it was the foremost intelligence organization of the Righteous Faction, it must have had many warriors under its command. The training ground was also quite impressive.
However, at the moment, not even a single ant was allowed near the surroundings. Only three people, there to officially witness the duel, stood around the training ground like ancient trees.
“Let us announce the result through the Murim Alliance as soon as the duel ends.”
The quest had not demanded this much, but I thought it was only fair. After all, many people had watched the Leader of Evil Path Alliance lose to me in real time.
“I accept.”
At the Murim Alliance Leader’s glance, the official witnesses nodded.
“I do not know how long it has been since I had a duel like this. When one sits in the position of Alliance Leader, one’s sword nearly rusts away.”
“In that case, it does not seem to be a very good position for a warrior.”
At one time, even though I had sat on the throne of a king, I had roamed the battlefield more than anyone else. Whether I was waging war against opposing factions or against inhuman beings, I had always stood at the vanguard, and whenever I heard of a hidden master somewhere, I would rush there in a single stride.
“You may be right. At seventy-three, I should still be in my prime, yet I feel as though I am rotting away on a throne.”
The Murim Alliance Leader drew his sword.
Once he held his sword, the aura he gave off certainly changed. Like the Leader of Evil Path Alliance, he had reached the realm of a Sword Master. In Murim terms, it was called the Transcendent Realm, and even compared to me in my days as Johan Raven, he did not seem as though he would fall far behind.
“Then I will begin at once.”
“As your senior by many years, propriety would dictate that I yield the first three exchanges to you. However, I will not indulge in such leisure.”
I nodded.
WHOOOSH!
The Alliance Leader’s sword flew swiftly toward me and collided with the Holy Sword.
KABOOOOM!
It was only the first exchange, but I could already feel a style quite different from the Leader of Evil Path Alliance’s. He was the type to win through the orthodox method rather than through variations.
KABOOOOM!
His concise, swift sword, based on deep and profound mana, was exceptional. His sword shot toward me while suppressing all the space around it.
KABOOOOM!
Three exchanges passed like that.
They were the first attacks I had secretly yielded to him.
‘He is about half a step stronger than the Leader of Evil Path Alliance.’
According to Gal Un-hyeon, the difference between them was as thin as a sheet of paper, but as expected, that had been an evaluation biased inward from the perspective of someone from the Evil Faction.
If the two of them fought ten times, the Murim Alliance Leader would likely have the advantage eight or nine times.
Of course, that did not mean my own mindset would change. There was a clear difference in our levels.
I had heard that in Murim, there was a realm called the Profound Realm above the Transcendent Realm. I vaguely understood that the Transcendent Realm was roughly equivalent to a Sword Master, but I suddenly became curious about just how high the Profound Realm was.
KABOOOOM!
In any case, I had yielded three exchanges, so it was time to begin my counterattack.
At my single sword strike, the Murim Alliance Leader wavered slightly. I did not miss that opening and immediately thrust in the next technique.
KRAAAASH!
The Murim Alliance Leader’s complexion instantly turned pale.
“...You are not from the Demonic Cult.”
“You have a keen eye after all.”
“Then what on earth are you...?”
“The duel is not over yet.”
Without hesitation, I closed the distance between myself and the Murim Alliance Leader.
And then...
KRAAAASH!
A decisive move.
In the end, the Murim Alliance Leader dropped his sword.
[You have cleared the sub-quest.]
[The main quest has been unlocked and can now proceed again.]
[You have obtained a Mana Rune as a reward.]
***
“Since you did not finish it as an assassination, should I be grateful to you?”
The Murim Alliance Leader spoke playfully.
He readily agreed to announce the result of this duel. Since the leaders of both the Righteous and Evil Factions had been defeated equally, it would not be terribly shameful.
“You were injured a little, but you should be able to recover quickly. Is seventy-three not an age when you are still full of vigor?”
“That is true.”
A short while later, our conversation moved to the main topic.
What I needed was information about the Demonic Cult. In particular, information about the Heavenly Demon.
The Murim Alliance Leader had publicly declared that he would hand over any information the Gokwol Unit possessed, and he would not take that back.
“Before that, may I ask about your identity?”
“My name is Seo Ji-han.”
“So I finally get to hear your name.”
“As for the affiliation you must be most curious about, let us say that I am someone from a fourth world, belonging neither to the Righteous Faction, nor the Evil Faction, nor the Demonic Cult.”
“You truly belong nowhere? Is such a thing possible?”
“Even if it is not common, is this not a world where anything can happen?”
There was no way to know when another outsider from another world might come to Murim. Since Murim was also connected to the Abyss, that possibility was always open.
Each time that happened, it would be ridiculous if they kept barking up the wrong tree and assuming it was the Demonic Cult.
“Yes. You are right. I feel as though I have realized something even greater than swordsmanship.”
The Murim Alliance Leader immediately understood and nodded.
And now it was my turn to obtain information.
“As promised, I will give you anything. After all, I was able to keep my life as well.”
“Is the Heavenly Demon alive?”
At my question, the Murim Alliance Leader’s gaze wavered slightly.
It seemed he had not expected that this was the kind of information I wanted.
“He is alive. But surely...”
“That is right. I have visited the Righteous Faction and the Evil Faction in turn, so is the remaining destination not obvious?”
“You truly intend to go fight the Heavenly Demon?”
“I do.”
When I answered firmly, the Murim Alliance Leader let out a hollow laugh.
“After living this long, I find myself experiencing all sorts of things.”
“The Heavenly Demon must truly be strong.”
“The martial artists of the world desperately deny it, but he has clearly reached the Profound Realm. It is the only such realm in the current Murim.”
“Then how would he compare to me?”
I asked him directly.
In truth, even asking such a question felt unfamiliar to me. My swordsmanship had always been superior no matter whom it was compared to.
“That is a difficult question. The truth is, I do not know everything about the Heavenly Demon’s true power.”
And that kind of answer, too, was extremely unfamiliar to me.
“This is interesting.”
“I feel the same.”
“Is the Heavenly Demon still in the place called the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains?”
“Most likely.”
“But I heard that the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains disappeared.”
Honestly, when I had first heard that, I had found it absurd.
An entire mountain range had vanished.
I had wondered whether such a concept was even possible.
“To be precise, it did not disappear.”
“Then what exactly happened?”
“It was disguised so that it would appear to have disappeared. By activating an enormous Qimen Formation.”
“A Qimen Formation?”
The Qimen Formation the Murim Alliance Leader explained to me was truly astonishing. It was something like a kind of illusion magic.
Even though this was a world where magic did not exist, the fact that such a phenomenon could be created made a hollow laugh escape me.
“Then is there no way to meet the Heavenly Demon in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains?”
“There is none.”
“None?”
“Not unless the Qimen Formation is undone.”
As the Murim Alliance Leader said this, he wore a meaningful smile, making it clear that there was something more.