Chapter 54: But That Wasn't the Case

Despite the terrifying verbal assault, the Vanguard Assault Unit member barely processed what was being said.

He was proud to be a warrior of the Heavenly Demon Cult.

The sect followed the law of absolute strength—meaning it was basically a breeding ground for lunatics.

Cannibals? Plenty.

Sadists who enjoyed torture? Of course.

People who loved killing? No shortage.

Having seen and interacted with countless demons in human form, he had developed an instinct for recognizing the real ones.

And the girl standing before him?

She was the real deal.

Why the fuck is something like this hiding in a righteous sect?

No—forget that. This thing isn’t even the same species as the rest of us…

His jaw trembled.

"P-please… spare me…"

A first-rate martial artist groveled like a beggar.

Such was the advantage of the demonic path.

Without a rigid sense of honor or morality, a man’s own life was always his highest priority.

Qing looked down at him.

Just another worm that deserved to die.

Her head tilted slightly.

"Why should I?"

"I-I’ll do anything… just let me live…"

Qing lifted her foot.

The man panicked.

"W-wait! I have information! I’ll tell you everything! It’s about Bokshinjeok! We were searching for it!"

Qing’s movement froze.

She had no idea what the fuck Bokshinjeok was—

And she didn’t care.

But her status window clearly had a different opinion.

The [Premonition: (Unknown) Crisis] mission screen suddenly ignited in flames—

Then refreshed with an entirely new prompt.

Qing sucked in a sharp breath.

Fucking hell. Again?

Can you fucking NOT?

At this rate, the status window was more clingy than a desperate ex.

Like, bro, go to sleep. Stop bothering me.

She barely even reacted to these pop-ups anymore.

Hadn’t she already reached the final boss fight with Yeon-young?

Why the hell was a prologue event triggering now?

Did that mean if she just killed Yeon-young, the game would be over?

Or did she really have to clear all three random crises?

At the very least, this mission wasn’t as brain-melting as the ones involving martial arts techniques.

"Haah…"

Qing let out a deep sigh.

She really wanted to vent her frustration.

Instead, she spoke in an irritated tone:

"Okay. What the fuck is Bokshinjeok? Why the hell are you acting like it’s some legendary secret that only you know? Do you know what we call that? A fucking crime. And the punishment?"

She leaned in slightly.

"Death."

"I-I’ll explain!"

Two hundred years ago, there was a legendary blacksmith known as Master Fan Chi—

Qing’s temper immediately exploded.

"The fuck?! Why are you telling me a bedtime story?! Do I look like I need some old grandpa’s historical monologue right now?!"

She cracked her knuckles.

"Want me to help you look like an old man by smashing all your teeth out?"

"N-no! I’ll get to the point!"

One of Master Fan Chi’s greatest works was a flute made of Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron—

The Bokshinjeok.

Qing stared blankly.

"Wait. All this bullshit is over a flute?"

"It’s not just a flute! It’s made of Cold Iron! It’s a priceless treasure that every musician in the world dreams of! Even the Azure Emperor himself praised its sound!"

The Azure Emperor—Fuxi—was the legendary figure who supposedly created all human knowledge, including music.

For any artist, receiving praise from him was the highest honor imaginable.

But to Qing?

If someone told her, "This flute is so beautiful, it surpasses the sound of nature itself!"

She wouldn’t give a single shit.

She couldn’t even imagine what that meant.

But if someone said—

"That flute is worth ten-thousand gold."

Qing’s eyes would immediately widen.

"Oh? So it is a treasure? Damn. Okay. I respect that."

Because ten-thousand gold?

That was insane money.

The kind of wealth that completely changed lives.

No wonder the status window was making a big deal out of it.

Qing quickly reached a decision.

No way in hell was she handing this thing over to a bunch of Demon Sect assholes.

But the Murim Alliance? Also not an option.

After all, the supposed "final boss," Yeon-young, was literally one of their patrol officers.

Giving them the treasure was basically the same as losing it forever.

So what should she do?

Oh, right.

Her master played the flute sometimes.

Wouldn’t this make a great gift?

Qing smirked.

Decision made.

"What are you waiting for?"

"…Huh?"

"Start leading the way. Now."

"T-then you’ll let me live—?"

Qing’s eyes narrowed.

"Did you just talk back to me?"

The man paled instantly.

"N-no! I’ll guide you! I want to guide you! Please allow me to guide you!"

Qing’s expression relaxed.

"Good. Now get moving."

Hundreds of drawers were strewn across the tomb floor.

Rotten pills, rusted hairpins, broken jade ornaments, and corroded daggers lay scattered like trash.

The final step of the treasure map’s grand scheme?

Ripping out drawers in a blind rage.

The absurdity of it was enough to make a man lose his mind.

Normally, this wouldn’t be something a proud demonic warlord like Yeom Sa-rae-dal would lower himself to do.

But with enemies breathing down his neck, he had no choice.

So he had been reduced to this—

A supposed great demonic leader ransacking a dead person’s drawers.

Who knew how long they had been at it?

But finally—

In one of the highest compartments, so inconveniently placed that they had to dangle off the wall to reach it—

A deep blue flute fell to the ground.

"We found it!"

"Finally…!"

Yeom Sa-rae-dal let out a gasp of relief as he laid eyes on the relic that would save his life.

An unadorned, deep-blue body.

A length of about one and a half cheok.[^45 cm, about the length of a slightly elongated forearm, from elbow to fingertips]

At a glance, it looked more like a simple iron club than a musical instrument.

But its true value was immeasurable.

"Good. Now, we just—"

And then.

A thump.

Someone landed inside the tomb.

Yeom Sa-rae-dal jumped, immediately gripping his iron mace.

"Who goes—oh. It’s you. Where are the others?"

He recognized the face of his subordinate.

Didn’t know his name, but whatever.

He knew his face.

The man hesitated.

"Uh… well, that is…"

—"Hey, is this the right spot? I’m coming down!"

A cheerful voice rang out from above.

At the same time—

A light tap echoed as a young girl landed effortlessly in the tomb.

Qing took a long look around.

At the center, an open stone coffin revealed faded silk and the remnants of a long-decayed corpse.

All around, drawers lay pulled out and discarded across the floor.

Qing slowly nodded.

Then—

"What the fuck? Are you grave robbing? You degenerate bastards! Disturbing the rest of the dead—unforgivable!"

Yeom Sa-rae-dal shot a murderous glare at his underling.

Qing, meanwhile, turned to the piss-stained guy.

His expression twisted.

The underling hesitated—

Then drew his sword.

Qing narrowed her eyes.

"Are you seriously trying to betray me? Now? You think this is your best option?"

"Shut up! I only led you here!"

Qing scoffed.

"Oh, don’t worry. I was never gonna let you walk out of here alive anyway."

She had never promised to let him go.

She had simply needed him to lead the way.

Now that they had arrived?

It was time to send another piece of shit on a one-way trip to the afterlife.

"Cry, oh Moonlight Severing Demon Saber! Moonlight Slash! Demon Counter-Slash!"

Qing yelled out nonsense and lunged.

Yeom Sa-rae-dal swung his iron mace to meet her attack.

CLANG!

Steel clashed against steel, ringing out like a gong.

Yeom Sa-rae-dal’s face drained of color.

How the fuck does a little girl have this much internal energy?!

He was already drained from breaking down a tomb wall, and now he was losing ground to this brat?

"What are you standing around for?! KILL HER!"

At his command, the four remaining subordinates charged.

Qing deflected the first blade, twisting her hips back just in time to dodge a spearhead by millimeters.

Then she swung her sword upward.

That was when—

Clink!

A chain snapped around Qing’s forearm, wrapping tightly in coils.

It was a steel whip, known in Murim as an iron chain blade.

"Now!"

The man holding the chain shouted.

Yeom Sa-rae-dal wasted no time.

He raised his mace high, muscles tensing.

He was going to crush her skull in one blow.

A spiked iron mass hurtled toward Qing’s head.

Qing’s arm yanked back.

Her monstrous strength and internal energy surged through her body.

The chain-wielding warrior was ripped off his feet—

And slammed directly into Yeom Sa-rae-dal’s path.

CRACK!

The iron mace smashed into his back, instantly shattering his spine.

Blood spewed from his mouth as he collapsed in a lifeless heap.

At the same time—

DONG!

A sudden, gong-like ringing sound. [^Budda Palm!]

Another enemy—

His entire torso suddenly exploded, his shredded organs splattering across the tomb walls.

A thrilled voice echoed through the chamber.

"Half-Sword Enemy eliminated!"

"…You little—!"

The speaker hesitated.

Despite the confident tone, there was a slight pause.

Because even he could tell—

This girl?

She was stronger than him.

Qing grinned.

"Did you just use ‘you’ to address me? Where are your manners?"

She wiggled a finger.

"If you don’t like it—well, you know what to do."

Yeom Sa-rae-dal flicked his gaze to his last remaining subordinate.

Then—

His fingers twitched in a familiar signal.

A silent order.

Attack simultaneously.

The subordinate lowered his gaze for a fraction of a second.

Acknowledged.

And then—

"NOW!"

Yeom Sa-rae-dal roared, channeling the last of his internal energy into his feet.

He launched himself upward—

Straight toward the hole in the tomb ceiling.

His subordinate did the same.

A perfectly synchronized escape attempt.

The kind of betrayal that only true scumbags could coordinate without prior discussion.

But the hole was narrow.

And they had both jumped at the same time.

BANG!

Their bodies collided mid-air, sending them both crashing back to the ground.

They hit the floor hard, groaning in pain.

"You fucking idiot! I told you to attack, not escape!"

"And YOU were trying to flee first! Fucking hypocrite!"

"You disobeyed direct orders! TREASON! That’s a death sentence!"

"Oh, fuck off! You’ve been treating your men like disposable garbage for years, you fucking bastard! I should’ve known you’d try to run first!"

"What did you just say to me, you piece of shit?!"

The two men turned on each other, voices rising in fury.

Qing watched with an unimpressed expression.

So this is the great Demonic Cult or whatever?

They look like a bunch of fucking morons.