Chapter 82: Chapter 82

First, I placed the Transcendent Gallery terminal back into my inventory. As I descended again to the lower deck lined with shabby cabins, I heard two voices speaking deliberately in hushed tones.

— “We’ll do everything we can to escort you safely to the Arena of the Heavens.”

— “Thank you, Hyung-ro.”

The conversation was happening beyond the wall, but extending my qi sense was enough to catch every word.

— “...However, since Mu Seong-rak, who was supposed to act as the representative, has died, we’ll need to find another. You must avoid going into the match yourself at all costs, Young Lady.”

Right after their conversation ended, a notification window popped up before my eyes.

『You’ve uncovered the truth behind the narrative!』

As expected, they were directly tied to the quest.

『Quest: Ensure the safety of Yeon Seol-ah, eldest daughter of the Hubei Yeon Clan.』

『Quest failure condition: Death of Yeon Seol-ah.』

『Upon failure, this quest will convert to: “Survive in the Central Murim for 30 days.”』

I spread my qi sense even further, more precisely, but I detected no pursuers.

“They’re not on the ship.”

Then it was highly likely the pursuers were waiting at the ship’s docking point.

Yeon Seol-ah of the Hubei Yeon Clan.

I pulled out the terminal and quickly typed out a post.

Title: Apparently I have to protect Yeon Seol-ah of the Hubei Yeon Clan

— Hubei Yeon Clan. Was this one of the Murim factions seniors experienced too? Seems like the clan’s eldest daughter is fleeing with one subordinate. If Yeon Seol-ah dies, the quest fails. And there’s no second chance or alternate route. Looks like it’ll just switch to a “Survive for 30 days” quest.

ㄴ ?? One of the Yeon Clan’s own is fleeing?

ㄴ That clan ranks just under the Five Great Sects in the tower’s Murim world in terms of prestige and influence, so why would they be running?

ㄴ The greeeeat—Huubei Yeon Clan, fleeing?

ㄴ Well, decades have passed in this Otherworld too. If time moved in the same way, it’s plausible that the Yeon Clan fell.

ㄴ Heavenly Demon) “Indeed. It doesn’t take long for even the most stable clan to collapse.”

ㄴ Gutter Swordsman) “There’s a living example right here. Mount Hua almost crumbled. Even prestigious sects can fall surprisingly easily.”

ㄴ What is this masochistic humor 😳😳😳

ㄴ Sect Leader of Mount Hua: ‘Even great sects collapse more easily than you’d think.’

ㄴ ㅇㅇ) Swordmaster-sunbae, how did Mount Hua end up on the verge of destruction?

ㄴ Bruh, climber, what’s your deal?*

ㄴ Suwang) “My friend!!!! What are you saying!!! That’s like asking the ruined restaurant owner why his place failed right to his face!!!!!!!”

ㄴ Honestly sounds like that’s exactly what he meant.

ㄴ Tbh, kinda impressed. Sharp thinking.”

ㄴ Gutter Swordsman) “Clans don’t need grand reasons to fall. When chaos hits, even a firm house can shake from the smallest crack. And the enemies that’ve been waiting for that moment? They’ll be all too eager to strike.”

ㄴ Shrine Maiden) “Hawawa~ Just being located in Hubei makes a clan ripe for conquest in the tower’s Murim setting, yes it does~”

ㄴ Shrine Maiden) “Hawawa~ Though surely there’s more behind it, I’m sure~”

ㄴ Spear King) “Any other details?”

*ㄴ ㅇㅇ) Arena of the Heavens, representative.”

ㄴ Shrine Maiden) “Hawawa~ I think I can guess what the Yeon Clan is trying to do, yes I can~”

ㄴ Absolute Monarch) “Indeed. I can also make a prediction.”

Even the seniors outside the Murim faction seemed to understand what the Hubei ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) Yeon Clan was aiming for.

Well, even in Hard Mode, everyone must have experienced a Murim setting by now. Even if they weren’t originally from Murim, they must be deeply familiar with how this world works.

ㄴ Archmage) “They’re probably trying to secure a promise.”

ㄴ Danghayeon) “The Arena of the Heavens is the greatest martial tournament among the righteous sects! If you win first place, you can set forth a binding regulation that all sects under the righteous faction must follow!”

ㄴ Danghayeon) “Why is it binding? Because the Murim Alliance Leader and the Five Great Sects act as official witnesses!”

ㄴ Danghayeon) “Most likely, since the Yeon Clan has no suitable martial artist at the moment, they want a representative to win on their behalf and use that victory to establish their right to safety for the next five years!”

A promise, huh. But if you think about it, in this Otherworld, promises can be crushed with brute force.

*ㄴ ㅇㅇ) But isn’t it pointless? Couldn’t someone just break the promise and attack anyway?”

ㄴ Danghayeon) “You are correct!! As expected of Mister Climber! So smart!! The Zhuge Clan would be impressed!!”

ㄴ ? Bro’s simping harder than anyone ever has

ㄴ Classic Sichuan Tang Clan survival instincts — cling to the strongest 😳😳😳

ㄴ I gotta admit, I’m kinda impressed that he’s starting to think like a Tower-native now

ㄴ For real 😂😂😂 becoming someone suited for the Tower life

ㄴ Danghayeon) “It’s all built on faith! But despite that, those promises are usually upheld. Why? Because a promise proclaimed by the Murim Alliance and the Five Great Sects carries overwhelming weight! The ultimate contract!”

So it really was the most secure way to guarantee five years of safety.

*ㄴ ㅇㅇ) But the quest doesn’t say anything about winning that Arena. The main goal is to keep Yeon Seol-ah safe. It doesn’t specify how I’m supposed to do that.”

*ㄴ ㅇㅇ) What gives me the best chance of success? Should I try to win that Arena of the Heavens thing, or would just fleeing with Yeon Seol-ah give me a better survival rate?”

ㄴ Room Conspiracy Theorist) “Oddly enough, entering the Arena offers the higher probability of keeping her alive. — The world is a giant closed room.”

ㄴ Sword of Light) “I agree.”

The first seniors to speak up added kind explanations.

ㄴ Room Conspiracy Theorist) “Participating in the Arena carries risks, yes. But during the tournament itself, you can secure safety — The world is a giant closed room.”

ㄴ Sword of Light) “Right. And once you’re officially stationed, there are fewer unpredictable threats to worry about.”

ㄴ Danghayeon) “All eyes will be on the event. Which means that during that attention, safety is achievable!! As long as you stay inside the Arena grounds!”

ㄴ Absolute Monarch) “What I’m curious about is, why is the Hubei Yeon Clan being targeted in the first place?”

I was wondering the same thing.

No matter the reason, even if the Yeon Clan was being chased for valid reasons, the fact that I had to protect Yeon Seol-ah on their behalf wasn’t going to change.

I’d have to ask about that soon.

I looked down at my clothes. It was a black coat I’d bought to hide my identity during the Exchange Meeting.

I’d chosen it because it was less conspicuous, but even so, it still drew attention.

I approached a man nearby who had a pile of decent-looking clothes next to him.

“Got any spare clothes?”

The man, with his hair utterly disheveled, slowly opened his eyes and scanned me up and down.

“...That outfit’s definitely unusual. And you’re asking for clothes?”

I pulled a gold shard from my inventory and held it out to him. It was a byproduct from the Golretra I’d fought previously.

“This should be worth something.”

“Hmph! I was about to ask for that outfit you’re wearing, but this is much better. How many do you need? Can’t give you everything I’ve got on.”

Thankfully, the man treated the gold shard as valuable — even though I had a hundred of them.

“Just the two cleanest sets you’ve got.”

“Oho, big spender, huh?”

I took the clothes and returned to the cabin I’d been summoned in.

After changing into the new clothes, Han Yuseong stepped out and sat diagonally from Yeon Seol-ah and Hyung-ro, who were standing on the upper deck. And then, he completely suppressed his presence.

Yeon Seol-ah and Hyung-ro. Though they were doing their best to hide their faces, the name tags above their heads were clear to Han Yuseong’s eyes.

[NPC – Yeon Seol-ah, Eldest Daughter of the Hubei Yeon Clan, Rank 4]

[NPC – Hyung-ro, Martial Artist of the Hubei Yeon Clan, Rank 4]

The ship slowly approached land.

The anchor dropped onto the dock.

After crossing the Yangtze River, passing through Jingang on the southern bank, the ship had finally reached the end of the waterway—its destination: Suzhou.

From the ground ahead, Han Yuseong sensed bloodlust rising like smoke.

“Two Rank 5 martial artists.”

And four Rank 4s. The remaining seven were small fry.

The two Rank 5s had come all the way to the dock.

[NPC – Yang Ga-myeong, Rank 5 Wandering Swordsman]

“Come quietly. The representative we politely invited is already dead, is he not?”

[NPC – Deung Jeong, Rank 5 Wandering Swordsman]

“If you cooperate, there’ll be no blood. We swear it.”

Though one spoke imposingly and the other gently, they both emanated terrifying killing intent.

“We have some business with certain people aboard. Everyone else, disembark quickly.”

That alone was enough to get people moving. No one wanted to get caught in the middle of a fight between martial artists and spill blood.

Passengers and crew poured off the ship in seconds.

Except for Yeon Seol-ah and Hyung-ro, only Han Yuseong remained.

“I was thinking of just leaving with the crowd.”

But that came with too many variables. Someone could fire a crossbow or throw a hidden weapon. It wouldn’t be surprising if one of them took Yeon Seol-ah out instantly.

Yeon Seol-ah turned her head and looked at the still-standing Han Yuseong.

“Why didn’t you get off?”

“Got a cramp in my leg.”

She stared blankly at his casual tone. Han Yuseong added,

“Hurry and get off. If you go down, I won’t get dragged into some pointless crap.”

Yeon Seol-ah looked at Hyung-ro.

“I’ll act as a decoy and buy you time.”

“No. I don’t want to see you die meaninglessly. There’s not that much difference in our skill level anyway.”

With a soft sigh, she continued,

“If I get captured, I’ll just be a burden to my father who’s already fighting alone.”

They had clearly anticipated the dock would be occupied.

Yeon Seol-ah, determined to make a last stand, gripped her sword. Even if the situation was hopeless, letting it slide without resistance would be worse.

As Deung Jeong watched Yeon Seol-ah charge at them, he sneered and turned to his subordinates.

“The guard with her is expendable. Just make sure you secure Yeon Seol-ah.”

“There’s one more behind her — an unfamiliar face.” Content orıginally comes from 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⚫𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖⚫𝕟𝕖𝕥

Their eyes reached Han Yuseong.

“Either a companion... or a lazy sloth. Doesn’t matter. Kill him.”

As soon as her feet hit the ground, Yeon Seol-ah charged. Her blade traced a sharp arc — but it was easily blocked by Yang Ga-myeong’s sword.

Yeon Seol-ah and Hyung-ro were Rank 4. They couldn’t overpower Rank 5s like Yang Ga-myeong and Deung Jeong.

With swift footwork, he stepped between Yeon Seol-ah and Yang Ga-myeong.

His right arm extended diagonally.

This was a different form from Flowing Strike — a rough, destructive fist.

— Heavenly Demon) “You must’ve seen the appendix section in the back.

— Heavenly Demon) “You can skip the front. Just use the Strike formula.”

A direct, violent fist line slammed into Yang Ga-myeong’s chest.

His mouth gaped as he staggered backward.

He swung his sword in desperation—

But the blade, wrapped in sword energy, cut only air. His balance had been utterly broken — with just one blow.

Han Yuseong’s hands moved again like lightning.

A sound of collapse rang out from Yang Ga-myeong’s stomach and shoulder.

His body flew backward.

Deung Jeong looked down at him.

There was no need to check. His breath was gone — completely.

The man who killed Yang Ga-myeong in just three strikes. Every gaze locked onto Han Yuseong.

“Who the hell are you...!?”

“Do you know what you’ve just gotten involved in!?”

“Yang-hyung went down that easy...!?”

Countless voices rang out, but he didn’t bother listening.

Han Yuseong looked at Yeon Seol-ah.

“If we’re escaping, I don’t have the leeway to hold back.”

Yeon Seol-ah blinked, confused.

“I’ll break them. Roughly.”

He wasn’t just talking about Yang Ga-myeong’s corpse. He meant the entire pursuit party.

Killing all of them would take time, if he dragged it out — but they didn’t have time. And it didn’t feel was all of them.

Kill a few. Figure out the situation. Inflict enough damage to stall the pursuit.

That was Han Yuseong’s conclusion.

“You’re the one who needs to lead the way. I’ve never been here before.”

He stepped forward again.

At the very least, Deung Jeong had to be neutralized.

The pursuit team flinched and assumed battle stance.

“Young Lady, now’s your chance to escape.”

Hearing Hyung-ro’s voice, Yeon Seol-ah, who had been staring at Han Yuseong, finally started to think.