Reaper of the Drifting Moon Chapter 519

Defying the sternly flowing river, two people climbed aboard the Umado River Boat.

They were Pyo Wol and Hong Ye-seol.

“Thank you for your efforts.”

Sal-no, who had been waiting in advance, handed a towel to Hong Ye-seol.

Hong Ye-seol took the towel and dried her wet hair.

“Thank you.”

“That’s nice of you, but how did it go?”

“What do you think?”

“I assume it went well since you returned here.”

“You’re correct. The leader of the White Moon Guild pledged his loyalty to him.”

“So, it’s as I suspected.

Sal-no nodded as if he had expected it.

Hong Ye-seol continued,

“Already two Assassin guilds have pledged their loyalty to him.”

“The pace will only quicken from now on. Among the assassin guilds currently gathered at Poyang Lake, none possess the strength to resist him.”

“I think you’re right.”

Hong Ye-seol nodded in agreement.

She knew Pyo Wol’s martial arts skills better than anyone else. However, subduing the martial art factions and assassination guilds were separate issues.

As a member of an assassination guild herself, she understood the strong pride of these assassins.

Truly subduing them was never an easy task. Assassins were like springs; the more you pressed them down with force, the more they resisted. But Pyo Wol had suppressed them with such force that they dared not retaliate.

Seeing Pyo Wol, she realized.

Resistance is only possible if the gap is not too big. If the gap is too big, you wouldn’t even dare to resist.

That’s what Pyo Wol had shown.

As a result, Lee Si Chang’s spirit broke, and he pledged his loyalty in the end.

Lee Si Chang, a man so unbending he wouldn’t even submit to the Hundred Wraith Union, eventually knelt before Pyo Wol.

The leaders of the other assassin guilds were not as unbending as Lee Si Chang. At least, that was what Sal-no and the Hundred Wraith Union assessed.

Given Pyo Wol’s martial arts skills and presence, they could be subdued more easily.

Whoosh!

Steam rose from Pyo Wol’s body.

He used his internal energy to evaporate all the moisture from his body.

In no time, Pyo Wol was completely dry.

He looked around the deck and asked, “Where are the kids?”

“They’re resting in the cabin. Shall I call them?”

“No, that’s fine.”

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“No!”

“Of course, you, the supreme leader, would not fall to the likes of Lee Si Chang.”

“Supreme Leader?”

“Aren’t you set to become the Supreme Leader of the assassin guilds? So naturally, you’d be addressed as the Supreme Leader.”

“Are you going to swear allegiance to me too?”

“Why not? Shall I do it right now?”

“But she’s glaring at us like that, is it okay?”

At Pyo Wol’s words, Sal-no turned his head to look at Hong Ye-Seol.

Just as he said, Hong Ye-Seol was staring fiercely at Sal-no with wide eyes.

Sal-no chuckled lightly.

“Despite acting that way, she’ll be glad inside.”

“Why?”

“Because she’s not suited to be a leader.”

“Can you say that?”

“Because it’s true.”

Sal-no shrugged his shoulders.

Hong Ye-Seol’s face flushed red.

It seemed like she might explode any moment, but surprisingly, she was gritting her teeth, holding it in.

Sal-no sneakily smiled and continued his words.

“Given her skills in assassination techniques, there’s hardly anyone in the Hundred Wraith Union who can match her. But personal strength and the ability to lead a large organization are two different things. The previous guild leader excelled in martial arts and showed great skill in running the Hundred Wraith Union. Of course, his poor decisions led to chaos in the organization, but there was no one better than him in comprehending and leading the vast organization of Hundred Wraith Union. So much so that even those who were dissatisfied with him chose to remain silent”.

“Was he that influential?”

“Yes! It was his ability that grew the Hundred Wraith Union to this extent. But he only focused on the operation of Hundred Wraith Union, neglecting his own martial training. As a result, he was killed by the new leader.”

“He probably didn’t expect anyone in the Hundred Wraith Union to challenge his authority. So he neglected his martial arts.”

“Exactly.”

Sal-no revealed an expression of genuine admiration.

Anybody could have figured that out with a little thought, but by saying it, he was attempting to earn Pyo Wol’s favor.

“The new leader has certainly reached a high level as an assassin. That’s why she could kill the former leader, but her ability to manage the Hundred Wraith Union is lacking. She might be feeling it too- that she is not suited to manage the Hundred Wraith Union. Hence, she is shadowing you instead of managing the Hundred Wraith Union.”

“How dare you! Who’s shadowing whom?”

Unable to listen anymore, Hong Ye-Seol burst out. But Sal-no didn’t care and continued his words.

“Many people avoid situations that are hard to handle. Like the new leader who’s shouting over there.”

“So, what then?”

“My suggestion is that you, the Supreme Leader, assume the role of leader of the Hundred Wraith Union. If the new leader is left to run the Hundred Wraith Union, she will surely mess it up one day or try to escape on her own. It’d be better for the guild if we address this beforehand.”

“Was the position of the Hundred Wraith Union leader so worthless? Enough to be casually handed over to someone else.”

“The most important thing is to survive, even if it means doing that. And in my experience, going against the tide is not very wise. When the times change, the organization must change too. Only then it can avoid extinction.”

“Hmm.”

“Aren’t you set to become the Supreme Leader of the Killer Gates anyway? Instead of maintaining an ambiguous relationship with the Hundred Wraith Union, why not take them under your command? It would be good for you as well.”

Sal-no poured out his words with conviction.

Pyo Wol turned his gaze to Hong Ye-Seol.

“And you?”

“What?”

“What do you think?”

“I don’t think his words are all wrong.”

“So, you agree.”

“Yes!”

Hong Ye-Seol obediently answered.

She didn’t say it, but she regretted killing the former union master. She had too much on her plate.

The most troublesome among them were the Ten Blood Assassins.

Being one of them, she knew.

How strong their pride was.

They had a hard time accepting Hong Ye-Seol, who had been one of the Ten Blood assassins until recently, as their superior.

They used various means to express their discontent, though they did not openly disobey her orders.

In the typical murky, crafty ways of assassins, they were rejecting Hong Ye-Seol.

This has been causing Hong Ye-seol a great deal of stress lately.

Sal-no had suggested that she must somehow completely re-establish her relationship with them, but it wasn’t that easy.

She missed the times when she was one of the Ten Blood Assassins.

Being around Pyo Wol made her yearn for the past.

Back then, there wasn’t such heavy pressure and responsibility.

Hong Ye-Seol stole a glance at Pyo Wol.

Pyo Wol stood there blankly, staring at the river.

His thoughts were inscrutable.

Neither Hong Ye-Seol nor Sal-no disturbed his thoughts.

Pyo Wol’s silence lengthened.

The atmosphere grew heavier with each passing moment.

“Huh?”

Even Do Yeonsan and Eun-yo, approaching them, were taken aback by the weight of the silence, halting their steps.

They didn’t know the details, but they all felt it was not the right time to intervene.

Finally, after a lengthy silence, Pyo Wol opened his mouth.

“What does it take to become the leader of the Hundred Wraith Union?”

“It’s simple.”

“How so?”

“You overpower the current leader with your strength.”

“Is that all it takes?”

“Yes! The current leader also came to her position in the same way. The basic principle of the
Hundred Wraith Union is that the strongest one should lead.”

“But I’m not a part of the Hundred Wraith Union.”

“But you’re the Reaper, aren’t you? There’s nothing in the murim world that precedes that title. At least not in the current Kangho.”

He was the only man in the current kangho who was given a title containing the character for ‘god’.

It wasn’t just a handful of people who called him this, but all the martial artists in Kangho.

At least, they all recognized that his abilities as a martial artist had reached the level of divinity.

Especially for the assassins of the Killer Gates, the weight of the title reaper was beyond words.
Pyo Wol looked at Hong Ye-Seol.

“I’ll take over the position of the Hundred Wraith Union leader.”

” I can’t just hand it over to you, you know?”

“Of course.”

Pyo Wol nodded.

Public and private matters had to be clearly differentiated.

Just as Hong Ye-seol had seized power, Pyo Wol would have to do the same. If not, the assassins of the Hundred Wraith Union would not accept him.

Sal-no said,

“We will reach a small dock soon. It will take about half an hour to unload and load the luggage there.”

“That should be enough time.,”

Pyo Wol responded affirmatively.

At this, Hong Ye-Seol’s expression grew cold.

“Are you confident? I’ll be doing my best. If you don’t want to be disgraced, you should too.”

“Don’t worry.”

“Hmph! See you later, then. I have to prepare too.”

The battle was not against anyone else, but Pyo Wol.

Though she’d clashed with him several times before, she’d never sincerely fought him.

She’d only provoked him to a certain extent and then placated him.

But now, things are different.

Despite her forced calmness, a fierce determination was boiling within her.

Hong Ye-Seol went to her cabin to prepare.
＊＊＊

As Sal-no had predicted, a dock appeared after a while.

The moment the Ummado River Boat was docked, Pyo Wol, Hong Ye-Seol, and Sal-no got off.

Do Yeonsan wanted to follow, but the atmosphere was too serious to do so.

No matter how close they were to Pyo Wol, they couldn’t interfere in the affairs of the Hundred Wraith Union.

Nam Shin-woo looked with worry at the reed field where Pyo Wol and Hong Ye-seol had just disappeared.

Do Yeonsan put his arm around Nam Shin-woo’s shoulders, saying, “It will be okay.”

“Nobody will get hurt, right?”

“It’ll be fine.”

“Huh…”

“Don’t worry. We just need to trust in our brother. Just like we’ve always done.”
At Do Yeonsan’s confident words, Nam Shin-woo nodded.

Eun-yo looked at the vast, spreading reed field with deeply sunken eyes.

The reeds were so tall that it was impossible to see the people inside.

Swooosh!

The wind blew, causing the reed field to ripple like waves.

Despite the dazzling spectacle, Eun-yo couldn’t purely admire it.

She knew how fierce the battle must be behind the beautiful scene.

Both Pyo Wol and Hong Ye-seol were top assassins in Kangho.

They were trained to endure great pain without a groan.

Even if an arm was cut off, they would not scream.

They were forced into a silent war from the moment they picked up their swords, and they were raised that way.

In the silent reed field, where only the wind could be heard, a fierce battle was underway.

Eun-yo thought she could hear the sound of clashing swords mixed in with the wind.

Suddenly, the crazy wind and the wavering reeds abruptly stopped.

Eun-yo felt it.

That everything was over.

Regardless of the outcome, the duel between the two had reached its climax.

Eun-yo jumped off the Unmado River Boat and dashed into the reed field.

“Huh?”

“Let’s go with her.”

Do Yeonsan and Nam Shin-woo, surprised, followed her.

They pushed through the reeds and went deep inside.

A large open space had been created in the reed field. There, they saw it.

Hong Ye-seol and Sal-no were deeply bowing.

Behind them, all members of the Black Shadow Assassins were kneeling on one knee.

All their respects were directed towards one man.

The man standing alone in the middle of the reed field, Pyo Wol.

“We greet the supreme leader.”

The voice of the Black Shadow Assassins echoed in the reed field.