Reaper of the Drifting Moon

Hong Ye-seol suddenly threw an unknown object into the bonfire.

Poeng!

Along with an explosion, thick smoke erupted from the bonfire like an active volcano. The smoke spread quickly and obscured the view.

In the meantime, Hong Ye-seol’s figure disappeared.

Using a smoke grenade to hinder the opponent’s field of vision and then hiding is a rudimentary stealth technique that any assassin could use.

The problem is that it was Hong Ye-seol who performed this technique.

The technique might be simple, but the level of execution is different.

Not only did Hong Ye-seol’s figure disappear, but so did the sound of her breathing and heartbeat.

Hong Ye-seol is one of the ten strongest people in the Hundred Wraith Union.

Her stealth techniques were completely different from those of other assassins. It was as if her whole existence had been erased from this world.

Even with Pyo-wol’s senses, it was impossible to detect Hong Ye-seol.

She thoroughly concealed her presence.

She truly has reached the highest level that an assassin could reach.

Pyo-wol honestly thought she was amazing.

As far as he remembers, only So Yeowol and Song Cheonwoo had reached this level of mastery.

Any warrior would have been taken aback when faced with an assassin who had reached this level. And since they are unaware of an assassin’s hiding techniques, there is a high probability that they will be defeated with the opening and weakness they left exposed.

However, Pyo-wol was not an ordinary warrior.

He was an assassin like Hong Ye-seol.

While it was truly amazing that she had reached her present state, the experiences and trauma that Pyo-wol had gone through was so severe that she could not dare imagine.

Srreuk!

In an instant, Pyo-wol’s figure disappeared.

It was foolish to openly confront an assassin.

Because Pyo-wol himself was an assassin, he knew well how to agitate another assassin.

Like Hong Ye-seol, Pyo-wol went into hiding, completely erasing his presence.

When this happened, Hong Ye-seol was taken aback.

She was clearly looking at Pyo-wol with her eyes wide open.

She didn’t blink for a moment, nor did she take her eyes off Pyo-wol. Nevertheless, she didn’t capture the moment when Pyo-wol disappeared.

It was proof that the Pyo-wol had moved beyond her cognitive abilities.

Hong Ye-seol bit her lip.

‘So you’re hiding from me? Are we going to fight as an assassin against an assassin?’

She already knew that Pyo-wol is an assassin who had reached a high level.

After all, her opponent is an assassin responsible for creating the legendary bloodshed in Chengdu.

No other assassin will be able to produce such great achievements as Pyo-wol.

Not only does the person have to master assassination methods, but they also have to reach great heights in martial arts. Above all, what Pyo-wol accomplished was only possible because of his tremendous amount of effort in planting and strategizing.

It was close to impossible for a single person to produce such a result, even for an assassin belonging to the Hundred Wraith Union.

The assassins of the Hundred Wraith Union specialize in hiding and infiltrating, which is not surprising since most assassins are raised this way.

Pyo-wol is actually a strange one.

His very existence did not make sense.

The fact that an assassin could plot against large forces like that and drive the situation according to his will by himself made Pyo-wol worthy of being called a legend.

But when it comes to a fight amongst assassins, the story is different.

Although she may lack the ability of plotting against big sects, she considered herself second to none in terms of pure assassination skills. No matter who her opponent is, they had no choice but to struggle, no matter how much they excel in other aspects.

Hong Ye-seol didn’t think that her assassination techniques would ever lose to Pyo-wol.

Even though her Extreme Yin Hand was pushed back by Pyo-wol, it was just one of her many assassination methods.

Hong Ye-seol’s strength as an assassin comes from her method of killing, and not because of her Extreme Yin Hand.

Cwarreuk!

An invisible thread came out of Hong Ye-seol’s body.

The thread spread like a spider’s web, completely surrounding the room.

Hong Ye-seol focused her senses while holding the ends of the thread.

No movement, no matter how miniscule, could escape the thread. Like a spider web, every movement of her opponent would be detected and transmitted to Hong Ye-seol.

Heavenly Silver Net.1

With Hong Ye-seol’s technique, it was impossible for any master to approach her while avoiding the Heavenly Silver Mesh.

Hong Ye-seol closed her eyes and focused on the Heavenly Silver Net.

The Heavenly Silver Net shook slightly.

‘Wind.’

It was not as if someone had moved.

The net only swayed because of the wind.

Even with her eyes closed, Hong Ye-seol was able to accurately recognize the reason for the shaking of her threads.

Such a keen sense was Hong Ye-seol’s best weapon.

She didn’t know how much time had passed.

She did not move, as if she turned to stone.

Most assassins who reached a high stage were very patient.

In order to kill their target, they would stay and hide in one location for days or even weeks. They would sometimes even hold out from drinking a sip of water.

For that reason, most assassins thought their patience was among the best in the world.

The same goes for Hong Ye-seol.

She had a knack for patience.

She thought that she would have the upper hand in the battle of patience with Pyo-wol.

Hong Ye-seol endured and waited for Pyo-wol to move.

However, no matter how much she waited, she couldn’t detect any of Pyo-wol’s movements.

‘Did he leave?’

Hong Ye-seol soon denied the idea.

The Pyo-wol she knew was not one who would give up before achieving his goal.

Time passed relentlessly.

Her whole body became stiff and sore. But Hong Ye-seol endured with her superhuman patience.

Sueue!

At that moment, she felt a slight vibration in the Heavenly Silver Net.

‘He’s moving.’

Hong Ye-seol became even more focused.

Pyo-wol’s movements were so stealthy that she wouldn’t be able to detect it unless she heightens her focus to the limit. Not even a stray cat could move more silently than this.

Pyo-wol was heading towards exactly the location where she was hiding.

A smile formed on Hong Ye-seol’s lips.

Before she went into hiding, she scattered various hidden weapons around her surroundings.

Not only did she install hidden weapons, but she also smeared poison on it.

In order to approach her, Pyo-wol will inevitably be poisoned.

She didn’t think that she could kill Pyo-wol with poison. However, she just needs a momentary gap in his defenses.

For an assassin like Hong Ye-seol, that was more than enough.

She concentrated qi in her hands. She is preparing herself to execute the Extreme Yin Hand at any time.

Seueu!

The vibrations were getting stronger.

At the same time, Hong Ye-seol’s tension reached its peak.

Ting!

Hong Ye-seol opened her eyes the moment she heard the sound of a single thread being cut off.

Then, she executed the Extreme Yin hand toward the direction of the torn off thread.

Kwaa!

She channeled all of her energy into the Extreme Yin Hand. It boasted a different level of power than what it had before.

The moment she executed the Extreme Yin Hand, Hong Ye-seol’s eyes widened. She instinctively felt that something was wrong.

There was nothing in the direction where she unfolded the Extreme Yin Hand.

She had executed her technique in an empty space.

Bang!

The Extreme Yin Hand hit the floor hard. Due to the impact, the hidden weapons that had been installed on the floor flew up into the air.

Hong Ye-seol caught one of them and tried to throw it at her back. However, her opponent’s movements were far faster than her.

Puk!

She suddenly felt a burning pain in the back of her left shoulder.

When she turned around, she saw a small dagger stuck, leaving only the handle.

Hong Ye-seol bit her lips and turned around, trying her best to swallow the scream rising from her mouth.

Then she saw Pyo-wol standing there.

‘How?’

Hong Ye-seol’s eyes shook.

The Heavenly Silver Net was obviously shaken from the front, but the spot where the Pyo-wol appeared was at her back. She couldn’t wrap her head around it since it didn’t make any sense.

Hong Ye-seol hurriedly swung her sleeves. Then, fine sand dust came out of the leather belt wrapped around the wrist.

The fine sand dust was poisonous.

The poisonous sand spread like mist and covered Pyo-wol.

The sand is an extreme poison that is capable of melting the five organs with just one sniff. But because it was so difficult to make, she doesn’t use it except during an emergency.

She could see Pyo-wol inhaling the poisonous sand as if he hadn’t expected it to be sprayed.

‘It’s finished.’

Hong Ye-seol clenched her fists.

Although she was struck by an unexpected blow and had a dagger stuck in her shoulder, it didn’t matter at all since she hit her opponent with a lot of poisonous sand in return.

Pyo-wol’s five internal organs should be starting to melt by now.

Nevertheless, Hong Ye-seol did not lower her guard.

The habit of staying on her guard until she was sure of her opponent’s death is ingrained in her body.

In particular, she had to be even more careful when hunting a big shot like the Pyo-wol.

No matter how careful she was, she’s sure it wasn’t enough.

Unfortunately, her predictions were correct.

Kwac!

She suddenly felt something tighten around her ankle before she was pulled away.

Pyo-wol had spread the Soul-Reaping Thread to where she was standing without her realizing it.

“What—?!”

Hong Ye-seol shouted involuntarily.

Charleuk!

She was dragged towards Pyo-wol at a terrifying speed.

Hong Ye-seol tried to hold out, but to no avail.

She couldn’t understand the situation at all.

Pyo-wol clearly inhaled her poisonous sand. But how come he is moving normally without being affected?

What she doesn’t understand the most is the qi wrapped around her ankle.

She had heard of sword qi, but she had never heard or seen a thread made of qi before. She also didn’t know that a thread made of qi could exert such force.

She took out a dagger from her bosom and swung it to cut off the qi thread.

Tung!

But the dagger bounced off in vain.

‘Huh?’

She realized that she would have to cut off her leg to get rid of the qi thread.

The act of cutting her leg was not difficult by itself, but that would entail ending her life as an assassin.

While Hong Ye-seol hesitated, her body continued to be pulled nearer to Pyo-wol.

Only then did she realize how Pyo-wol had tricked her senses and approached her back.

‘He touched the Heavenly Silver Net with his qi thread. So I didn’t notice.’

For the first time, fear shone in Hong Ye-seol’s eyes as she gazed at Pyo-wol.

Through the reports she received, she thought she had understood Pyo-wol’s martial arts and assassination methods to some extent. But the report was missing something crucial.

It was regarding Pyo-wol’s strength.

He wasn’t just strong in assassination and martial arts. He knew how to make good use of what he had learned.

She never imagined that a single thread of qi would be capable of driving her into such a predicament.

“Hey, wait!”

Hong Ye-seol opened her mouth for the first time.

Her face was full of urgency.

But she couldn’t stop Pyo-wol’s actions with just a few words.

Sreung!

Pyo-wol took out his phantom dagger.

Hong Ye-seol, who was dragged along, was struggling.

Hong Ye-seol should have known in advance.

That Pyo-wol had been in this location first.

Pyo-wol had already grasped the topographical features of the land as if it were the back of his palm.

There was only one place where Hong Ye-seol could hide. It didn’t matter if she hid with her Heavenly Silver Net spread out, there was only one place where she could hide her presence.

Pyo-wol didn’t have to search elsewhere since he had already known where she was hiding.

In the end, Hong Ye-seol gave up on cutting the Soul-Reaping Thread and instead ran at Pyo-wol.

The Extreme Yin Hand, which was her famed technique, aimed for Pyo-wol.

However, Pyo-wol evaded her Extreme Yin Hand with his snake-like movements and instead, implanted a phantom dagger on her right shoulder.

Puk!

Hong Ye-seol fluttered like a fish pierced by a harpoon.

When Pyo-wol was about to take out his phantom dagger again,

“Let’s talk for a second!”

Hong Ye-seol said something unexpected.

Pyo-wol frowned and looked at Hong Ye-seol.

Her reaction was different than he expected.

Assassins were usually the kind of people who were willing to die just to protect their client’s secret. So, Hong Ye-seol’s reaction was different from the norm.

“It hurts so much. Can you pull out the dagger first?”

“………”

“I’ll tell you everything. So don’t make such a scary face.”

“What are you up to?”

“My ulterior motive? It’s not really a secret so I’ll tell you.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that in the beginning? If you did, you wouldn’t have suffered.”

“I still have my pride so how can I do that? A woman who easily gives up is not attractive.”

Hong Ye-seol laughed bashfully.

SoundlessWind21’s Notes:

Thank you for reading!

Heavenly Silver Net. Raws: 천라은망사(天羅銀網繰). 天 tiān – sky, heaven; god, celestial 羅 luó, luō, luo – net for catching birds; gauze 銀 yín – silver; cash, money, wealth 網 wǎng – net, web; network 繰 zǎo, qiāo, sāo – to reel silk from cocoons