Chapter 19: Return (2)
The Insect Monster and the Fire Monster.
Two of the Five Monsters had been taken down.
The biggest enemies and headaches for the Demon Extermination Sect were dead.
And they were killed by none other than a newcomer, the man of the hour, Jang Woo-hyun, known as The Blade that Slays the Monkey.
Though he brought back proof, messenger pigeons were sent to confirm it.
The branch leader himself headed to Old Mount Hua.
Upon investigation, everything was found to be true.
Two of the Five Monsters were indeed dead.
Now, only the Elder Ape Monster, being chased by the sect leader, and the leader of the group, the First Monster, remained.
With three of the Five Monsters gone, the Demon Extermination Sect could now launch an aggressive offensive.
Once they announced that the Five Monsters were no more, even lower-ranked warriors would be emboldened.
Without them, survival rates and success rates for missions would rise.
The leadership held constant meetings, and the Demon Extermination Sect began to stir.
Three days after Jang Woo-hyun returned to the sect.
Kwak Dong-ha and Ma Choong-won also returned, and Hwang An used the Beggars’ Sect’s network to inform them of the situation at the White Tiger Martial Hall and Yang Hyo-myung.
“No one is at the White Tiger Martial Hall. It closed its doors months ago.
I heard that the hall master either had some sort of realization or found a new goal, so he shut the hall and went out into the martial world.
This information came from a young girl who worked as a servant at the hall, so it’s reliable.
It seems that you were also found through that girl.”
Listening to Hwang An’s story, Jang Woo-hyun felt relieved.
It seemed that Yang Hyo-myung had gone into training to master the improved Tiger Form Sword and Tiger Step that Jang had taught him.
Because of that, he had avoided any misfortune.
Now that he was sure of Yang Hyo-myung’s safety, Jang Woo-hyun no longer felt any urgency.
He rested, recovering from the exhaustion of the special mission while waiting for Seon Chan and Seon Min, the brothers, to return.
When they did, he divided the merits from the mission equally, just as he had promised.
The merits for capturing two of the Five Monsters, the greatest enemies of the Demon Extermination Sect, were enormous.
The rest of the group could hardly believe it.
Some received money, some received elixirs, and some received martial arts manuals as rewards.
Jang Woo-hyun originally planned to enter the martial arts repository again, but he realized something after this mission and decided against it.
‘I need to fully master what I already have.’
He had grown so powerful so quickly that he had not fully grasped his own strength.
It was time for him to master his martial arts completely.
So instead of martial arts manuals, he chose something else as his reward.
A piece of black steel for forging a weapon and a small wooden case given to him by the vice sect leader.
“This contains an antidote pill from Shaolin and a poison-preventing elixir. You have big things ahead of you, so it’s good to have these just in case.”
Inside the small wooden case was a black pearl and a dark brown pill.
One was the poison-preventing elixir, which could detoxify and prevent poisoning, while the other was Shaolin’s famous healing medicine, the Resurrection Pill.
Snap.
Jang Woo-hyun closed the wooden case and rose from his seat.
Both items would surely come in handy later.
After organizing his rewards, Jang Woo-hyun picked up a heavy box and left his quarters.
He was heading to the street where the artisans affiliated with the Demon Extermination Sect gathered, a place he had heard about from the armory manager.
On his way from the sect to the blacksmith street, many warriors greeted him or made respectful gestures.
It was only natural—Jang Woo-hyun had become even more famous than when he had earned the title of The Blade that Slays the Monkey.
Though they hadn’t officially reported him as a master-level warrior, the fact that he had taken down two of the Five Monsters had elevated his status beyond comparison.
His reputation now surpassed even that of the branch leader and the senior elders, who were typically conservative.
Many had been injured by the Five Monsters or lost comrades to them, so everyone held him in high regard.
There were some who were jealous or envious, but they were few and far between.
To the members of the Demon Extermination Sect, Jang Woo-hyun was practically a legend.
After dozens of greetings, Jang Woo-hyun finally arrived at the blacksmith.
“What brings you here?”
A young man approached him when he saw Jang Woo-hyun.
“I want to have a weapon made.”
“Understood. Please, follow me.”
The young man led him to a corner table in the blacksmith shop and took out a brush and paper.
“What kind of weapon would you like? And what materials?”
“A sword. I’ll be using this material.”
Jang Woo-hyun placed the box he had brought on the table.
When he opened the box, it revealed two chunks of dull black metal.
“T-this is… Are you planning to make a sword with this?”
“Yes.”
“Just a moment. I can’t handle this.”
The young man, flustered, hurried off, and after a short while, he returned with an elderly man who, though short, had a strong, solid build.
“I heard you want to make a sword with black steel.”
“Yes, I’d like you to use this.”
“You want to use it all? Not mix it with other metals?”
The old man was shocked at the sight of the two large chunks of black steel.
Usually, black steel was used in combination with other metals.
This was the first time even the old man had seen such a large amount at once.
“Yes. Please use it all to make the sword.”
“Hmm, are you sure? It’ll be heavy. It’ll be more than twice as heavy as the sword you’re carrying now.”
“That’s fine.”
The old man looked Jang Woo-hyun up and down.
A warrior who didn’t seem that strong at first glance.
But this wasn’t his true appearance.
Anyone who was part of the Demon Extermination Sect and carried two large chunks of black steel certainly couldn’t be weak.
“Forgive me, but could you show me a little of your skill?”
“Is this necessary for making the sword?”
“Well, you could say that.”
At the old man’s request, Jang Woo-hyun stood up and drew his sword.
With a single clean motion, the old man could already gauge Jang Woo-hyun’s skill and nodded.
As an experienced artisan, the old man could assess a warrior’s skill just from how they drew their sword.
But that wasn’t the end.
When Jang Woo-hyun released his energy and raised his momentum, a powerful aura filled the blacksmith shop.
The young man was so startled by the intense aura that he hiccupped.
“Haha, you’re certainly no ordinary warrior. Looking at your age, I’d say you’re not one of the elders of the sect… But you’re too strong to be the branch leader. What’s your name?”
“Jang Woo-hyun.”
“The Blade that Slays the Monkey!”
It was the young man behind the old blacksmith who recognized the name first.
“The Blade that Slays the Monkey… I’ve heard much about you. It’s an honor to be able to craft a sword for the most outstanding figure in the Demon Extermination Sect right now. Once it’s completed, I’ll send someone to deliver it. The fee will be fifty nyang. It’s expensive, but that’s the best I can do.”
“Understood. Should I pay you now?”
“It’s post-payment, so you can pay later. The sword will be slightly longer and bigger than the one you’re carrying now—will that be fine? Or would you prefer it to be exactly the same?”
“It’s fine if it’s a little bigger.”
“Alright. See you when it’s done.”
Leaving the sword commission with the blacksmith, Jang Woo-hyun headed to his next destination.
* * *
“I heard you were looking for me.”
“Come in and sit down.”
Hwang An had come to the office of one of the elders of the Demon Extermination Sect.
The middle-aged man with an impressive beard was named Lim Jung-young.
He was one of the elders of the Demon Extermination Sect and had been dispatched by the Beggars’ Sect to the sect.
Lim Jung-young, seated across from Hwang An, downed a glass of cold water as if he were parched.
“What exactly is his strength?”
“He’s a master-level warrior. Until recently, he was a first-rate martial artist.”
“Are you sure? He was really a first-rate warrior until just recently?”
“Probably. I haven’t been with him constantly, so how could I know for sure? It hasn’t even been that long since I met him. Why do you ask?”
“I’m assessing his value.”
“Do you even need to assess it? Jang Hyung is a hero who appears in chaotic times. We must bring him to our side.”
“He’s just a master-level warrior. What kind of hero is that?”
While master-level warriors weren’t exactly common, large factions like the Nine Sects had plenty of them.
The famous Plum Blossom Swordsmen of Mount Hua, the Twelve Golden Swordsmen of the Namgung Clan, and the Eight Swordsmen of the Murong Clan were all master-level warriors.
In the Demon Extermination Sect, only five people had reached the elder level, but it was different for the major factions of the martial world.
“I’m not talking about his martial arts level, but his actions. On his first mission, he single-handedly fought the Iron Armor Monkey and earned a nickname. On his second mission, he became a master-level warrior and took down two of the Five Monsters. How many people in the martial world show this kind of progress?”
“Yes, I agree that he’s remarkable. But he’s also too dangerous.”
“Dangerous? What do you mean?”
“I looked into the Cloud Sword Sect in Guizhou, as you mentioned.”
Lim Jung-young sighed deeply before continuing.
“This is dangerous. The Cloud Sword Sect was destroyed recently.”
“What? But their sect leader and elder tried to kill Jang Hyung, so isn’t that enough of a reason…”
“No, that’s not it. Another faction got involved.”
“What faction? Who?”
“The Asura Sword Sect.”
At the mention of the large faction’s name, Hwang An flinched.
The Asura Sword Sect was one of the Ten Demonic Paths, comparable to the Nine Sects of the orthodox world.
“A while ago, Sang Mun-cheon, who had just become the junior sect leader of the Asura Sword Sect, visited the Cloud Sword Sect. After that, the sect was wiped out. No matter how exceptional The Blade that Slays the Monkey is, it’s dangerous to get involved with them. He’s a master-level warrior now, and we don’t know how much stronger he’ll become in the future, but he’s not yet strong enough to deal with the Asura Sword Sect. And he has no special ties to us either.”
“…”
Lim Jung-young’s judgment was accurate, and Hwang An couldn’t refute it.
Realistically, even in his own assessment, it wasn’t worth risking the Beggars’ Sect going against the Asura Sword Sect just to ally with Jang Woo-hyun.
After all, there was no relationship between Jang Woo-hyun and the Beggars’ Sect yet.
“Stop getting involved with him. It’s not just a matter of inconvenience—if you’re not careful, you could die. Understand?”
Hwang An couldn’t respond easily.
Even if Jang Woo-hyun was tangled up with the Asura Sword Sect, he still wanted to stay by his side, to watch his growth and journey.
“Well? Your answer?”
“I’m not sure yet.”
“You idiot, you’re talking nonsense. Stay away from him. Don’t help him either. Now, get out.”
“Understood.”
As Hwang An left, Lim Jung-young shook his head.
‘I need to reduce his authority.’
If Hwang An kept using the power of the Beggars’ Sect to assist Jang Woo-hyun, it could lead to trouble later on.
* * *
“Master Jang, welcome.”
“Where are you going? I saw you packing your things.”
After leaving the blacksmith, Jang Woo-hyun went to see Ma Choong-won.
“Oh, I’m retiring.”
“Retiring?”
“Yes, I’m not young anymore. That’s why I exchanged most of my merits for money this time.”