Chapter 487: You're Quite Famous Among Assassins

TL: FoodieMonster007

The spot Geom Mugeuk chose was in the center of the inn. As they sat down together, Myeongjin inwardly thought that Geom Mugeuk trusted him.

He's letting his guard down.

Usually, in a suspicious situation, one would instinctively sit with their back to a wall. However, Geom Mugeuk sat in a place that was wide open on all sides.

Myeongjin glanced around the inn's interior, looking at a few corner seats.

Ultimately, it was a good choice.

Several devices had been prepared in the walls in anticipation of him sitting with his back to them. But with Geom Mugeuk sitting in the middle, a few of those devices were rendered useless.

It must be a coincidence, right?

He couldn't have possibly known there were such things in the walls and sat here because of it.

Geom Mugeuk looked at the innkeeper and said in a loud voice, "Bring out the best liquor and the finest dish you have here."

"Please wait just a moment!" The innkeeper entered the kitchen with an excited spring in his step.

"The atmosphere here is quite nice."

Myeongjin nodded at Geom Mugeuk's words. The feeling of not wanting to bring the Young Cult Leader here still lingered. He wished he would just jump up right now and leave. He wished he would suddenly claim something had come up in the Demonic Cult and go. Then he could carry out his mission, and Geom Mugeuk would live.

However, such a thing did not happen.

"Are you still not over your bad mood?" Geom Mugeuk asked.

"Don't you ever try such a ridiculous attempt to drive a wedge between us again."

Though from now on, he wouldn't be able to even if he wanted to.

Geom Mugeuk insisted to the very end that he was telling the truth. "What I said is the truth. It was written in our Cult's report."

Myeongjin stared out of the inn with a stiff expression.

Did the Hell Mansion really annihilate my family? If that's true, shouldn't I be digging deeper into this fact instead of looking out the window? Shouldn't I prevent this Young Cult Leader from dying here? Shouldn't I help him, fight alongside him, and avenge my family?

However, just as he had always done, Myeongjin was looking away again. He tried hard not to believe it, reminding himself that this could be a wicked scheme of the Demonic Cult.

Am I perhaps afraid of him?

His gaze turned to the innkeeper in the kitchen, the Death King.

Am I afraid of death? Or am I afraid of my relationship with him shattering?

Just then, as if he had read his mind, Geom Mugeuk suddenly asked, "Are you afraid of change?"

"……"

"I understand you. It's truly not easy to break free from something that has captured you."

Myeongjin still didn't answer. He thought that perhaps Geom Mugeuk's words were the correct answer. Just as he had never asked the Death King why he had saved him, had he not lived his life simply hoping it would flow on as it was, without getting complicated?

At that moment, the innkeeper, who was bringing the liquor, met Myeongjin's eyes.

"It's been a while since you've visited. How long has it been?"

"It seems to have been about three or four months."

The sight of the Death King with his good-natured smile was unfamiliar. He had completely become the owner of this tavern. Myeongjin had witnessed the Death King's killings many times before, and this was the first time he had seen him so immersed in a role.

Today, the Young Cult Leader will surely die.

That wasn't all. Myeongjin's gaze caught the hidden death traps everywhere, and even the elite assassins waiting outside.

"Here, please start with the liquor, and the food will be out shortly."

Geom Mugeuk offered the Death King a drink. "Have a drink from me before you go."

"Very well." The Death King accepted the drink.

"How long have you been in this business?" Geom Mugeuk asked.

"For a long time."

"Of course! I had a feeling the moment I first saw you!"

Listening to their conversation, Myeongjin was tense. He didn't know when the Death King would launch a surprise attack. The Death King's surprise attacks always defied his expectations.

Now? The moment he puts down the cup? Or the moment he puts down the cup and pours a drink for Geom Mugeuk?

He knew how fast the Death King's moves were. And he himself was here too. The moment the surprise attack began, he would also help him and strike. Could that young Young Cult Leader possibly withstand a joint attack from the Hell Mansion's number one and number two assassins?

Unaware of what a perilous situation he was in, that Young Cult Leader was having a peaceful conversation.

"You could say that."

"Since you've been in business for a long time, you must have experienced all sorts of things."

Right now, Geom Mugeuk was full of openings. However, the Death King was not attacking him. He wasn't one to miss an opportunity like this.

To enjoy this moment? Or to savor a more dramatic one? No, the Death King had no such emotions. That was why he was the best assassin.

But why?

Just then, Geom Mugeuk said something completely out of the blue to the Death King. "Since you're an experienced innkeeper, please give me some advice on a problem I have."

Myeongjin tensed slightly at Geom Mugeuk's words.

Asking for advice? What on earth is he trying to say?

The words were beyond bizarre. They were shocking to Myeongjin.

"A certain person belatedly found out who his enemy was," Geom Mugeuk said. "But it turned out to be someone he had known for a long time. What should one do in a situation like this?"

Myeongjin never imagined he would say such a thing to the tavern owner.

No way. Did he figure out the innkeeper's identity?

No. If he had noticed, wouldn't he have avoided saying something like this? They were truly words that defied common sense, and Myeongjin was confused.

The Death King said to Geom Mugeuk, "The nature of the relationship would be important."

"One side is using the other, and the other side misunderstands him to be his savior."

At that, the Death King immediately frowned. "An enemy, and he used him too? What a truly vicious person. If it were me, I'd definitely get revenge. If my own strength wasn't enough, I'd hire an assassin to get revenge."

Myeongjin thought both of them were incredible. Geom Mugeuk for asking the question, and the Death King for casually mentioning the word 'assassin' in his answer. He was surprised by how natural the Death King's answer was.

Could he answer so confidently about getting revenge if he had something on his conscience? The fact that his family was annihilated at the hands of the Hell Mansion must surely be the Young Cult Leader's attempt to sow discord.

Conversely, what if the Young Cult Leader's words were true? Could it be that the Death King had even forgotten the fact that he was using me? Of course, it was likely just a faithful answer to the question, but right now, Myeongjin's mind was so complex that a single poke in one spot would make his whole body twist in ten.

He still couldn't tell which side was the truth.

"Well then, please enjoy."

As the Death King returned to the kitchen, Myeongjin looked at Geom Mugeuk and demanded, "Why are you telling that story to him?"

"Shouldn't I ask a third party for an objective judgment?"

"But your words themselves are already not objective."

Geom Mugeuk looked at Myeongjin. "I understand. You've only known me for a few days, but the years you've spent with him must number in the decades."

Geom Mugeuk drank his liquor. Watching him, Myeongjin grew tense.

Is there poison in that drink?

Without any suspicion, Geom Mugeuk emptied the cup. "However, a few days can sometimes overcome decades. This side is the truth, and that side is a lie. A lie, even if built up for a hundred years, cannot compare to a single night of truth."

He had to admit at least one thing. "You're really persistent."

"I admit it. It's probably because I'm such a persistent person that I was able to accomplish the things mentioned in your report."

Myeongjin's eyes trembled. As he watched Geom Mugeuk speak, his instincts screamed at him. That man is telling the truth. You've lived your whole life as an assassin trusting this instinct, so why aren't you trusting it at this moment?

"And as I said before, this is also a way of protecting myself," Geom Mugeuk continued. "Even if you don't believe me in the end, I can console myself by saying I tried this hard. I am a persistent person, and at the same time, I am this selfish."

In the meantime, the Death King finished preparing the side dish and brought it over.

Geom Mugeuk picked up his chopsticks and tasted the dish. "It's delicious! As expected, my eyes weren't wrong!"

"I'm glad it suits your palate."

"Come, come, have another drink."

"I really shouldn't."

Watching Geom Mugeuk gradually let his guard down with the innkeeper, Myeongjin's heart grew urgent. He had to make a decision quickly.

Will I believe the Young Cult Leader? Or not believe him? And so, will I help the Young Cult Leader? Or not help him?

The life, death, and fate of the Young Cult Leader and himself depended on this decision.

What if I believe the Young Cult Leader? I might end up dead. There was no way the Death King would let me live. But couldn't I save that Young Cult Leader? If I'm even luckier, couldn't I succeed in my revenge and live as a pretty decent assassin who takes on one-coin contracts?

Just then, a voice transmission from the Death King reached Myeongjin.

[There is someone protecting him.]

This was the moment it became clear why the Death King hadn't launched a surprise attack on the Young Cult Leader, who was full of openings.

[His concealment skill is extraordinary.]

It was a skill that even Myeongjin, the second-in-command of the Hell Mansion, had not noticed.

[We must take care of him first.]

And at that same moment, a voice transmission from Hwi reached Geom Mugeuk.

[He has noticed my presence.]

Hwi had realized that his opponent had perceived his presence.

From the very beginning, Geom Mugeuk knew the innkeeper was the Death King. He was the only one who would be waiting for him at a place Myeongjin led him to.

Geom Mugeuk took something from his sleeve and placed it in front of Myeongjin. It was the single coin he had offered before.

Myeongjin saw the coin, and so did the Death King.

Myeongjin felt that the moment had come to face the problem before him. Whether it was truth or a lie, more important than the outcome was the act of asking.

Myeongjin, who had been staring down at the coin, finally opened his mouth. "Innkeeper, I have something I'd like to ask as well."

The Death King was perfectly playing the part of the tavern owner, but he was inwardly surprised by Myeongjin's unplanned action. "This humble person is quite popular today. Please, speak."

"Innkeeper, do you have any friends?"

It was a sudden question, but the Death King was not surprised at all. "I'm too busy making a living to have time for friends, but I do have one."

"What kind of friend is he?"

"He's a friend who is soft-hearted and gullible, so he gets easily deceived by others, but he's a good friend nonetheless."

He probably thinks I'm misunderstanding. That I said something unnecessary to the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult. Or that I was deceived by him.

However, Myeongjin had something more important to do than clear up a misunderstanding. "Innkeeper, have you ever deceived that friend?"

"What do you mean?"

"Didn't you say so yourself? That he's soft-hearted and gullible? Wouldn't you, innkeeper, have had opportunities to deceive him, even unintentionally?"

"Well."

In that moment, as the Death King was briefly lost in thought, Myeongjin sent a voice transmission to him.

[Was it the Hell Mansion that annihilated my family?]

He knew it was not the right moment to ask this question, but after this moment passed, the question would become meaningless.

[A demon has taken root in your heart.]

At the Death King's reply, Myeongjin asked again.

[I asked. Did the Hell Mansion annihilate my family?]

Having watched him for so long, Myeongjin seemed to know a lot about him. The answer he had expected, and feared, came.

[Yes, the Hell Mansion handled it.]

Myeongjin was surprised at himself for not being surprised by this terrifying truth.

[As you know, it was a job. If it wasn't us, someone else would have taken it. And don't forget. I was the one who saved you.]

Surprisingly, what angered him in this moment was not what the Hell Mansion had done. It was the way he admitted this fact so honestly and confidently.

Is this something to be brushed aside so easily? Just how little must he think of me.

However, he soon understood the Death King. This was the kind of person he was. A person with nothing inside him.

"Why did you save me?" he asked, not using a voice transmission.

It was the moment Myeongjin clearly revealed his choice.

The Death King didn't answer.

Just then, Geom Mugeuk answered for him. "Don't attach any meaning to it. Because that's something even he doesn't know."

The gazes of the Death King and Myeongjin turned to Geom Mugeuk.

"It was likely the fickle whim of a little boy who followed his father out on a killing. Sometimes killing a bug, sometimes saving it and putting it in a jar. Even if there was a meaning, what great meaning could it have had?"

Geom Mugeuk's gaze turned to the Death King. "You don't know either, do you? You don't even remember, do you?"

The very instant that question ended!

SWOOSH!

A sound of wind tore at the ears.

CLANG!

A sharp metallic sound erupted. A steel needle, deflected from in front of Geom Mugeuk's eyes, flew through the air and fell to the floor.

A single sword blocking Geom Mugeuk's face was trembling faintly. The one who had blocked the Death King's lightning-fast surprise attack was Hwi, who appeared after dropping his concealment.

The Death King and Hwi stared at each other. The Death King, having already sensed the concealed presence, was not surprised at all. His expression suggested that this attack might have been intended to draw him out.

Assassin and bodyguard. A meeting between the man who kills best in the murim and the man who protects best in the murim. Even among such antithetical encounters, these two men existed at the opposite extremes.

"The bodyguard of the Demonic Cult Leader." The Death King recognized Hwi's identity at once. There could only be one bodyguard with such skill.

"You're quite famous among assassins." A peculiar light, tinged with a strange emotion, flickered in the Death King's eyes.

Even though his opponent had recognized him, Hwi simply stared at him without a word.

Geom Mugeuk spoke to the Death King in Hwi's stead. "Can you still kill me now?"

The Death King was not flustered at all, despite his first surprise attack failing, despite Myeongjin learning the truth, and despite seeing the head of the Heavenly Demon's bodyguards before his very eyes. His eyes became transparent. His killing intent was different from that of a typical assassin. Born without any emotions to begin with, his killing intent was as clean as snow and as clear as ice.

Just from this aura, one could feel it. That no one could easily block the death this man delivered. That this would be a truly difficult fight.

Just then, as a taut tension filled the air, Myeongjin picked up the single coin lying on the table. He repeated the words the Death King had said earlier.

"If it were me, I'd definitely get revenge. If my own strength isn't enough, I'd hire an assassin to get revenge."

The Death King merely continued to stare at him with his transparent eyes.

Myeongjin slowly clenched his fist around the coin in his palm. It was the moment he faced the life he had only ever run from.

"Did you say this one-coin contract was to protect you? No. From now on, this contract is for me. With this single coin, I have commissioned myself."