Reaper of the Drifting Moon Chapter 538

September 24, 2023 • 11 min read • 718 views

Namgung Seol’s beautiful face contorted grotesquely.

Despite her frightening look, Pyo Wol did not care and looked at Eun-yo, who was cradled in his arms.

“Brother!”

“I’m a bit late. Are you alright?”

“No.”

Eun-yo shook her head.

Namgung Seol’s attack had left her with severe internal injuries.

The injuries were so severe that she would need several months of rest and cultivation.

That’s when Do Yeonsan came to Pyo Wol’s side.

Do Yeonsan’s entire body was drenched in blood and sweat.

His eyes shook as he looked at Eun-yo.

Because he hadn’t dealt with the Snow Flower Swords quickly enough, Eun-yo was injured. Do Yeonsan couldn’t bring himself to look at her directly.

“Damn it!”

Pyo Wol handed Eun-yo over to Do Yeonsan.

“It’s okay! It’s possible to get a bit hurt.”

Eun-yo spoke differently from Pyo Wol.

While she complained to Pyo Wol, her tone was reassuring towards Do Yeonsan.

TL/N- She cries to her brother, while she’s reassuring her lover. Truly Wholesome moment

Do Yeonsan gritted his teeth.

He couldn’t shake the thought that Eun-yo was injured because of his weakness.

‘I need to become stronger. More!’

Do Yeonsan held Eun-yo and retreated quietly, giving her a life-saving pill. But he never took his eyes off Namgung Seol.

Namgung Seol’s gaze was fixed on Pyo Wol.

She was glaring at Pyo Wol with a terrifying look, but inside, she was utterly perplexed.

She couldn’t sense the presence of the Snow Flower Swords that usually hovered around her.

She felt as if she was left alone in the world.

It was a feeling she had never experienced before, so it was scary.

“What on earth have you done? You didn’t get rid of all the Snow Flower Swords, did you?”

“I just temporarily suppressed them.”

“You mean to say you suppressed all those people by yourself?”

“It’s not impossible.”

“Lies!”

Namgung Seol adamantly denied it.

A smile crossed the corners of Pyo Wol’s mouth.

The sight of him smiling, his white teeth slightly exposed, made Namgungseol shiver slightly.
Pyo Wol spoke.

“You’re right, it’s a lie.”

“So, you weren’t alone.”

“There’s no need to act alone.”

“Wait! If you weren’t alone, then….”

Namgung Seol’s face turned deathly pale.

Pyo Wol was known in Kangho as a lone wolf roaming Kangho.

Armed with unimaginable assassination techniques and powerful martial arts, he didn’t belong to any faction nor did he move under any particular objective.

For that reason, while everyone feared Pyo Wol, they did not particularly guard against him.

There’s always a limit to what you can do alone, especially in turbulent times like these in Kangho.

In a chaotic world where ideals, ambitions, and personal convictions clashed and clashed violently, there was an obvious limit to what an individual could do.

That’s why, despite fearing Pyo Wol, no one was particularly wary of him.

But with his followers, it’s a different story.

No matter what anyone says, Pyo Wol is a man who has reached the pinnacle of assassination.

Though an assassin, he was a man who could fight the Eight Constellations head on and not be
pushed back.

If such an absolute master had followers, it becomes a serious issue.

Forming a power structure is like a snowball: the more it rolls, the bigger it gets.

It’s hard at first. But once you have a following, it’s not hard to expand your influence.

‘They aren’t typical martial artists or sects. If they were following him, it would have been detected by the intelligence network.’

Given Namgung Seol’s intelligence and brainpower, she could quickly grasp the movements of any ordinary sect. But the Kangho was vast, and there were areas beyond her influence.

Those were beings who, like Pyo Wol, existed in the shadows.

‘Could it be assassins?’

The worst assumption surfaced in her mind.

It was entirely possible.

If Pyo Wol, standing at the pinnacle among assassins, decided to rally them, there would be no one to stop him.

If Pyo Wol had indeed gathered the assassins as his followers, then the current situation made sense.

This tranquility.

The silence of the Snow flower Swords.

The clash of martial artists that suddenly stopped.

The silence in Duchang, it all made sense.

All this was the work of the assassins who followed this man.

Incredibly, but inexplicably, it was the work of Pyo Wol’s followers.

“Does this mean that this terrifying man has gained power?

A word rose in her mind.

“Unified Assassins? Did you unify the assassin guilds?”

“….”

“My goodness!”

Pyo Wol gave no answer, but Namgung Seol was certain.

That’s when it happened.

Swoosh!

Dark shadows began to gather around Pyo Wol.

These were the very same beings that Namgung Seol had mistaken for a black tidal wave.

Hong Ye-Seol, Thunder Eye, Blood Rain, Death Shadow, Sal-no, even the ten blood assassins.

They all quietly lined up behind Pyo Wol.

The dreariness and silence of the assassins took over the streets.

The chilling dark aura they emanated made it difficult for Namgung Seol to breathe.

This feeling, as if hundreds of blades were pointing at her body, was something no one could know unless they had experienced it.

Namgung Seol’s gaze turned to Hong Ye-seol behind Pyo Wol.

The moment she saw the assassin who had killed the seven sage scholar, and unleashed this chaos, she knew.

There was no way she couldn’t have known, as she had moved the troops herself to capture Hong Ye-Seol. In fact, Hong Ye-Seol was severely injured and hovered on the brink of life and death.

For this reason, Hong Ye-Seol held a deep grudge against Namgung Seol. Even though she was persecuted for her actions, she couldn’t forget that Namgung Seol hunted her like prey.

If it were up to Hong Ye-Seol, she would attack Namgung Seol immediately and take her life. But she knew how to discern between public and private matters.

And so, Hong Ye-seol forcibly suppressed her anger, remaining quiet.

Namgung Seol spoke to Pyo Wol,

“Are you going to kill me?”

“Not yet……”

“It seems you don’t want the problem to escalate any further.”

“Not yet……”

“Alright. I’ll step back quietly. It just doesn’t seem to be my day today.”

Deep down, she wanted to attack Pyo Wol with everything she had. However, doing so would have increased the chances of her getting hurt or even losing her life.

She wasn’t afraid of getting hurt, but she didn’t want to sustain injuries for nothing.

Pyo Wol said,

“It would be best for you to withdraw from the Silver Lotus Hall.”

“Is that a threat?”

“Consider it advice.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“So you’re saying you won’t step back.”

“I have my own reasons, too.”

“Is it because of Geomhan?”

“To some extent, yes.”

“He wouldn’t want you to act this way.”

“He’ll understand in time.”

“You’re stubborn. You only see things your way.”

“That’s how most successful people think. Sometimes, this one-sided way of thinking becomes a powerful driving force for success.”

Namgung Seol glared at Pyo Wol as if to bore a hole through him.

Her expression was undoubtedly one of fear. Nevertheless, she hid her emotions until the end, fighting for her dignity.

Pyo Wol said,

“Go back. I’ll let you go today.”

“Because of Geomhan?”

“Right!”

“Because you don’t want him to get involved in this mess?”

“You know well.”

“Do you know what I’ve realized? You and Geomhan are very similar.”

“I take that as a compliment.”

“I’m not joking. You’re similar, except for your temperaments. Your way of thinking and the essence of who you are.”

“So what’s your point?”

“Why don’t you join us?”

“Is this a recruitment offer?”

“Yes!”

Namgung Seol replied without hesitation.

Currently, there were two emotions colliding in her heart.

One was her fear of Pyo Wol, and the other was her desire to use him despite her fear.

Having Pyo Wol, who had unified the world of assassins, under her command was like Lee Geom-han getting massive wings.

Pyo Wol’s potential was truly endless.

If used correctly, one could achieve effects more powerful than any martial arts group or warrior in the kangho.

“I will grant whatever you wish for.”

“Anything?”

“What about ruling the underworld and influencing the world?”

“If I want, can you give me all of that?”

“I can.”

“Quite impressive.”

“All you have to do is join hands with me. Then I will protect you and all the assassins under your command. It wouldn’t be a bad deal for you either.”

“I decline.”

Pyo Wol dismissed her offer as if it had no worth at all.

A spark of anger ignited in Namgung Seol’s eyes.

“Think again. I won’t propose this a second time.”

“It would be the same no matter how many times I think about it.”

“You’ll regret this.”

“Regret?”

“You’ll regret today’s decision for the rest of your life. I’ll make sure of it.”

“You seem to be mistaken about something.”

“What is it?”

Wham!

At that moment, a pain like fire struck Namgung Seol.

“Argh!”

Unconsciously, Namgung Seol let out a cry and staggered. A tiny silver thread was embedded in her collarbone, barely visible to the naked eye.

It was an unannounced attack by Pyo Wol using his Soul Reaping Thread.

Even if she’d known in advance, she couldn’t have defended herself against such a stealthy attack.

Namgung Seol hastily swung her sword to sever the ‘Soul Reaping Thread. But at that moment, she felt a fiery pain in the hand holding the sword.

Another strand of Soul Reaping Thread had penetrated her arm.

“Ugh!”

Even if she had detected it in advance, she couldn’t have defended against such a stealthy attack.

Though Namgung Seol heightened her senses, she simply couldn’t detect it.

“Hmph!”

With a loud shout, Namgung Seol summoned all her qi to protect herself.

Cling!

The protective barrier she had erected was struck by several strands of Soul Reaping Thread, which bounced off. But she couldn’t afford to let go just yet.

Pyo Wol, who had been in front of her, had vanished without a trace.

Feeling an intense sense of danger, Namgung Seol quickly retreated.

At that moment, she heard Pyo Wol’s whisper.

“You better stop. Unless you wish to die….”

Namgung Seol didn’t ignore Pyo Wol’s warning.

She instinctively froze in her spot.

Rip!

At that moment, her sleeve was sliced off.

Something sharp had sliced through her sleeve. Had she stopped a fraction slower, not only would her sleeve have been severed, but also her wrist.

Cold sweat ran down Namgung Seol’s cheeks.

She cautiously looked around.

A faint silver aura surrounded her like a spider’s web.

It was one of Pyo Wol’s techniques, known as the Spider’s Silver Net.

He had already spread out the Spider Silver Net in the areas where he anticipated Namgung
Seol would move.

Had Pyo Wol’s whisper been a fraction later, Namgung Seol would have been sliced into dozens of pieces by the Spider Silver Net.

“Damn!”

Namgung Seol’s body shivered.

She could feel that she had stepped into the river of death.

If it weren’t for Pyo Wol’s whisper, she would have already been on the other side of that river.

Pyo Wol pulled out a book from her possession. It was the book that she had taken from Eun-yo. Only then he retract the Spider Silver Net.

Despite the disappearance of the silver net encircling her, Namgung Seol couldn’t move.
Her body refused to respond, petrified by the horrific fear.

‘Move! Please move!’

She didn’t want to give up.

She didn’t want to show her weakness, even in death.

Showing fear would disgrace the honor of Lee Geom-han, whom she represented.

These thoughts forced her to move.

“Hah! Hah!”

Barely able to move, Namgung Seol took heavy breaths.

Pyo Wol spoke to her.

“Do you still think the same? That you can rule the underworld and influence the world?”

“No. I was mistaken. You’re not someone to serve under anyone.”

Namgung Seol responded honestly.

She realized it now.

Pyo Wol was not a clumsy sword to be wielded at will.

He was a dangerous weapon, sharp even at the hilt, capable of harming its wielder. It was impossible to tame and use such a person. He was warning Lee Geom-han through Namgung Seol not to think of using him.

‘He’s crazy. But he’s more than qualified.’

Namgung Seol clenched her teeth until they bled.