Reaper of the Drifting Moon

Pyo-wol threw away Ice Slayer’s spear in a secluded place.

Even if the spear was transparent, its shape could not be completely hidden. Moreover, its length was too long to carry around.

Even if he just used it once or twice, he would end up standing out if he keeps on carrying it around.

The reason why assassins prefer to use small weapons such as daggers was to avoid being noticed by others. In that respect, the Ice Slayer’s spear is the worst weapon.

Perhaps by now, the warriors of the Snow Sword Manor have already noticed that Pyo-wol assassinated Ice Slayer and stole his identity.

It would be foolish of him to keep using Ice Slayer’s identity.

Pyo-wol immediately changed his face and appearance.

It was his favorite plain face.

After changing into the kind of face that is common among the people on the street, Pyo-wol moved on.

After staying in the Snow Sword Manor for several days, he had already thoroughly familiarized himself with its internal structure. He might even know its layout better than the manor’s inhabitants.

Many warriors and workers were busy moving around.

It might have only been a day since Geum Suryeon died at the Snow Sword Manor, but its effect was immediate.

The Golden Mountain Manor announced that it would sever all of its ties with the Snow Sword Manor.

The affluence that the Snow Sword Manor used to enjoy and take for granted was now gone.

Warriors who originally belonged to the Snow Sword Manor were not that much affected by the sudden change.

But the same couldn’t be said to those warriors who were recruited. They were all noticeably shaken and agitated. That caused the atmosphere at the Snow Sword Manor to be very unstable.

“How could someone be attacked by an assassin in the Snow Sword Manor? Do you think the assassin is still here?”

“I only joined the Snow Sword Manor because I thought they had the upper hand, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.”

“By the way, what will the Golden Mountain Manor do now? Since Lady Geum lost her life inside the Snow Sword Manor, do you think they’ll just cut off their relationship with them?”

Pyo-wol listened to the chattering of those around him.

He knows best that he could gain important information from these small talks.

Pyo-wol was nearby, but no one suspected his presence. Pyo-wol naturally blended into his surrounding environment.

It was then.

“Hey you, you, and you…! All of you come here!”

He suddenly heard a gruff voice.

When Pyo-wol looked towards the direction where the voice was coming from, he saw a young warrior pointing and calling the workers.

The name of the young warrior is Ji Gang-pyo.

Pyo-wol was included among the workers Ji Gang-pyo pointed to and called out. He mistook Pyo-wol for a worker.

Pyo-wol calmly approached Ji Gang-pyo.

When the workers have all gathered, Ji Gang-pyo said,

“Everyone, follow me.”

“Yes!”

The workers answered without asking why.

Pyo-wol also responded and then followed Ji Gang-pyo.

If he refused to follow Ji Gang-pyo’s orders and fall back, he would only raise suspicion on himself. And nonetheless, it wouldn’t be too late for him to change his mind and escape after following along.

Ji Gang-pyo took the workers to a village deep in the Snow Sword Manor.

The place was so highly hidden and secluded that most warriors belonging to the Snow Sword Manor wouldn’t even know that such a place existed.

There was a small mansion in the village, with a strange stench coming out of it. The stench was enough to make a person’s head hurt, besides stimulating their sense of smell.

The workers had a dumbfounded expression on their faces. They did not know why Ji Gang-pyo brought them here.

Baek Do-kyung was standing on one side.

Ji Gang-pyo led the workers to Baek Do-kyung.

“I’ve brought them.”

“Good work.”

Baek Do-kyung looked at the workers with cold eyes.

“Your job is very simple. All you have to do is move the cargo in there.”‘

Baek Do-kyung’s eyes were fierce as he looked at the workers. Just making eye contact with him made the workers tremble in fear.

Pyo-wol examined Baek Do-kyung closely with his head lowered.

While Baek Do-kyung didn’t pay Pyo-wol any attention, Pyo-wol immediately noticed Baek Do-kyung’s true nature the moment he saw him.

He was a shady type of person just like him. He had this unique damp smell of someone used in living in the shadows.

He is an existence that did not fit in the Snow Sword Manor.

Pyo-wol memorized Baek Do-kyung’s face, eyes, and smell.

Baek Do-kyung, who remained oblivious to Pyo-wol’s scrutiny, nodded towards Ji Gang-pyo. Only then did Ji Gang-pyo lead the workers inside the mansion.

It was dark and smelly inside the mansion.

“Cough! Cough!”

“What’s that smell—”

The workers coughed as soon as they entered the mansion.

Pyo-wol pretended to cough as well while simultaneously checking the inside of the mansion.

All the windows in the mansion were nailed with wooden planks. That caused very little sunlight to seep in from the outside.

The stench was coming from a large pot in the middle of the mansion. Inside the pot was some mushy liquid. They don’t know exactly what it was but a terrible order was coming off from the leftover thick liquid. Next to the pot were a stack of tightly sealed wooden boxes.

Ji Gang-pyo ordered the workers,

“Move those boxes outside.”

“Yes!”

The workers answered in unison and then hurriedly ran towards the wooden boxes.

Because of the terrible smell, they wanted to finish the job as soon as they could so they could go ahead and get out of here.

They don’t know what it’s inside the box, but it was very heavy.

Each worker came out of the mansion while carrying a box.

A large manor usually had a small side or secret door through which ordinary people could enter and exit. It was the same with the Snow Sword Manor.

There was a small secret door in the mansion that led straight to the outside.

Ji Gang-pyo guided the workers there.

There was a horse-drawn cart waiting for them outside.

“Load it there.”

At Ji Gang-pyo’s command, the workers loaded the wooden box into the cart with difficulty.

Pyo-wol also loaded the box he was holding onto the cart.

“Drive the cart and follow me.”

Ji Gang-pyo said coldly. He then hopped on to a nearby horse.

The workers followed Ji Gang-pyo with no questions asked.

They were all people who had recently been hired by the Snow Sword Manor. They simply work for money, so they do not know anything about the internal affairs of the Snow Sword Manor.

If there’s a job they would just be summoned to the Snow Sword Manor.

Pyo-wol looked at Ji Gang-pyo’s back, who was advancing ahead, while thoroughly hiding his expression.

At a glance, he could tell that the job they had done was not something that was done through a formal chain of command. This kind of work often requires secrecy.

And there was only one surefire way to keep a secret.

Pyo-wol knew that fact better than anyone else.

One of the workers suddenly talked to him,

“Where do you work? I don’t think I’ve seen you here before.”

“Ah! I work at the guest house.”

“Is that so? What is it like to work there? The place where I work is full of people.”

“It’s the same with me. There’s no end to it.”

“Damn it! There’s no comfortable place anywhere.”

Pyo-wol did not raise the suspicion of the worker because of how calmly and casually he replied.

The place where Ji Gang-pyo took the workers was at a river far away from Runan.

A small ship was waiting for them by the river.

A group of warriors boarded the ship. They were all wearing black uniforms. Their appearance alone was suspicious even at first glance.

“Wait here.”

Ji Gang-pyo ordered the workers to stop and then approached the ship alone.

Then, a man who seemed to be the captain of the ship came down. He spent a long time talking with Ji Gang-pyo.

After a while, Ji Gang-pyo returned to the workers with a smile as if his conversation with the captain went well.

“Load all the cargo from the cart onto the ship”

“Yes!”

The workers answered and transferred all of the wooden boxes from the cart to the ship.

Balancing while carrying a box was not easy to do since the riverside was all muddy. The workers were barely able to keep their balance as they walked.

Pyo-wol also staggered as he carried his own box.

As Pyo-wol approached the ship, he heard the voices of the men talking.

“He’s amazing, too. I can’t believe he’s making a Demon Transformation Pill1 in the Snow Sword Manor.”

“Isn’t he the kind of person who uses whatever means available?”

“That’s true! That’s probably how he managed to reach such a position at a young age.”

They would never have imagined that Pyo-wol would be listening to their conversation. This is because there is quite a distance between them and the workers, and they were whispering to themselves.

At that time, the captain shouted,

“Don’t blabber around! We’ll leave as soon as cargo is loaded, so get ready!”

“At your command!”

The captain appeared to be in his mid-to-late fifties. He had a goatee on his chin, and his eyes were grim enough to give anyone goosebumps just by looking at them.

Workers whimpered as they walked to and from the ship and the cart.

Thud!

Finally, the last box was loaded onto the ship.

“Phew!”

“I’m dying–!”

The workers wiped the sweat off their foreheads and then held their backs with their hands. Loading and carrying those boxes onto the ship was several times harder than carrying it around on a flat surface, so they failed to see Ji Gang-pyo and the captain exchanging glances.

“Everyone has worked hard.”

Ji Gang-pyo smiled as he approached the workers.

“Oh, it’s nothing. It’s something that we have to do.”

The oldest among the workers said as he bowed his head with a humble expression.

“Hm, since everyone worked hard, I should give you all a reward.”

Cwaeac!

Ji Gang-pyo suddenly swung his sword and cut the old worker at once.

“Keuk! W-Why?”

The worker, who suddenly had his head decapitated, looked at Ji Gang-pyo with an expression of disbelief.

Ji Gang-pyo laughed with his sword slung over his shoulder.

“Are you asking why I have to do this? It’s because I don’t want to leave any witnesses.”

“WAAH!”

“Run away–!”

At the sight of the old man being killed, the workers fled in all directions. Pyo-wol also ran away like the other workers.

Ji Gang-pyo used qinggong in pursuing the workers.

While the workers’ steps were slow because of the mud, Ji Gang-pyo moved like the wind with his qinggong. He flashed in the east and west, slaughtering all the workers.

“ARGH!”

“Keuk!”

The screams of the workers echoed along the river.

Ji Gang-pyo’s remaining target is Pyo-wol.

Unlike the other workers, Pyo-wol was running towards the river.

“Foolish! Do you think you can escape me if you go there?”

Ji Gang-pyo immediately followed Pyo-wol.

Pyo-wol looked back once he felt a presence behind his back.

Ji Gang-pyo could clearly see the terrified expression on Pyo-wol’s face.

Ji Gang-pyo swung his sword toward Pyo-wol’s chest.

Sugeok!

He could feel the sword cutting through Pyo-wol’s chest.

Pungdong!

Pyo-wol fell into the river without even letting out a scream.

Ji Gang-pyo stood by the river and waited for Pyo-wol’s body to float. However, no matter how long he waited, Pyo-wol’s body did not appear.

Ji Gang-pyo looked at the sword in his hand.

“I guess it was a bit shallow… oh well, it doesn’t matter.”

The feeling he got after cutting Pyo-wol was different from usual. Usually, when he manages to land a deep cut on a person, there will be resistance. But he didn’t feel any of that at all.

However, Ji Gang-pyo didn’t think much of it.

He couldn’t imagine someone, especially a worker, surviving after being wounded by his own sword. It would be an insult to his swordsmanship.

Ji Gang-pyo looked at the warriors on the ship and said,

“I’ve killed them all already, you can now leave with confidence.”

“Hm! Take care of the monk. He’s a person to watch out for even among the Assassin Guild’s members.”

“Don’t worry.”

“Then I’ll see you again next time. There’s a good chance I’ll see you somewhere else.”

“That’s right. You should take care of yourself too.”

Ji Gang-pyo said his goodbye to the captain.

The captain of the ship nodded and ordered his subordinates to depart.

The ship glided through the water.

When the ship had completely disappeared from his sight, Ji Gang-pyo looked around.

The bodies of the workers he killed were still scattered all over the river.

Ji Gang-pyo threw all the bodies of the workers into the river. The river swallowed the corpses and flowed on as if nothing had happened.

“Come to think of it, the last guy made my work easier. He already chose the river as his own grave.”

Ji Gang-pyo laughed.

* * *

Heuk-ho picked up a transparent spear.

It was a spear made of ice crystals.

There was only one person he knew who used this kind of weapon.

“Ice Slayer!”

Ice Slayer was found dead in his residence with tiny holes in his forehead, heart, and both hands. In particular, the hole through the forehead and heart was fatal.

The hole was so tiny that only a silk thread could pass through.

Heuk-ho had killed countless people and had seen just as many corpses. However, none of the wounds he saw were similar to those of Ice Slayer.

“Did he use a thread?”

The only weapon he could think of was a thread. But a thread is so thin that it’s almost impossible to use it as a weapon.

“He’s more terrifying than I thought.”

Heuk-ho’s eyes sank deep.

The enemy whom he had thought was simple, actually possessed more terrifying claws than he thought.

After the incident with Ice Slayer, they couldn’t find a trace of Pyo-wol anywhere. It was clear that he had changed his identity and completely hidden himself somewhere, or he had left the Snow Sword Manor.

“That bastard!”

Heuk-ho’s gaze swept through the inside of the Snow Sword Manor.