<The Demon Lord of the Swordsmanship Family Chapter 46>
On the outskirts of Seoul lies a certain mountain.
Despite being a quiet place with no city in sight, no bus stops, and not even a common convenience store around, there isn’t a single person in this country who doesn’t know the name of this mountain.
The Mountain of Jin-ryong.
For generations, it was the homeland where the Jin-ryong family had settled their territory.
And right now, at the peak of this Jin-ryong Mountain, at the center of the mansion where the Head of Family resides, a woman lies sprawled out.
“Spring, find it!”
“How do you expect me to find it!”
“Aah, I don’t know! Just find it!”
Yes, Jin Yu-ri.
The second daughter of the Jin-ryong family and the one endorsed by Park Ki-hyuk as the real idiot of the era.
But here’s the astonishing fact.
Apparently, the Jin Yu-ri that Park Ki-hyuk knows displays less than 10% of her true personality.
Jin Yu-ri, who inherited the richest lineage of the Jin-ryong bloodline.
But as they say, blessings and misfortunes often come together…
Despite possessing outstanding talent, ever since childhood, Jin Yu-ri had been constantly teetering between life and d*ath due to the rare Mana Drain phenomenon that only occurred in a small number of the Jin-ryong lineage.
Because of this, she monopolized the love not only of her parents but of the entire clan residing on this mountain.
And here in the Jin-ryong Mountain, there is no one who can control Jin Yu-ri.
That’s why she earned her nickname, quietly whispered behind her back.
“The Madcap of the Jin-ryong Family.”
Look at her now. Here she is, lying down in front of her mother to get what she wants, using her trump card – the whining scream.
Yoo Hae-ryun, watching her completely unprepared-for-such-situations daughter, feels a mix of emotions crossing her mind.
“She was quiet for a while, so why is she acting like this again?”
“Aaaah, I don’t know anymore!!”
“Jin Yu-ri, how long will you behave like this without any manners? How old are you? Until when will you act like this?”
“I don’t know, I don’t know! Just find Spring!”
“Haa… What to do with this kid…”
Yoo Hae-ryun knows roughly what happened. She heard from Kim Yeon-hee.
Since last night, ever since receiving a call, Jin Yu-ri had been like this.
From what Yoo Hae-ryun heard during the call, the mention of “Ki-hyuk?” led her to ask Kim Yeon-hee.
“Ki-hyuk has gone missing.”
“There was a boy named Spring in the orphanage we were in charge of. Ki-hyuk formed a deep bond with the child. But… he… has gone missing. Yes. It seems he was caught up in this recent mass abduction. It’s likely that those villains were responsible.”
“Ki-hyuk must be chasing after them. Haa…”
She’s aware the country is in chaos due to the recent mass abduction.
While the government and the police are talking about some mysterious villain group, the secret information she knows is that it’s quite possibly the Evolutionary Group.
But just because of this, that doesn’t mean we have a reason to get involved.
We’re dragons, after all.
Dragons don’t meddle in worldly affairs for trivial matters.
When a calamity or a crisis strikes this land.
Only then do the dragons rise from their slumber to protect the land.
This was the role of the Jin-ryong family, the “Guardian Family” that protects the nation.
But… it seems her wild child thinks differently.
“Guardian family, right? What does that even mean?! Guardian… to protect. Protect! And what exactly are you protecting? Protect!!”
“Yu-ri, how many times should I tell you? We protect the nation during times of crisis…”
“Don’t bullsht me! If one of our clan members went missing, we’d interfere immediately, right? So why not now? Huh, not convincing enough?”
“G… That’s…”
Yoo Hae-ryun trails off.
Because what her daughter says is true.
“All we ever do is take care of our own. The outside world? ‘Catastrophe’, ‘great justice’, ‘balance’, blah blah – that’s why we’re ostracized!”
“Stop talking nonsense. Who said we’re ignored?”
“Everyone! All of them! They all dislike us!”
“…”
There might be some exaggeration in Jin Yu-ri’s words, but they’re not completely wrong.
It’s undeniable. Although the Jin-ryong family, alongside the Sword Masters, stands as one of the most renowned families in Korea, their excessive insularity has gradually diminished their influence.
There was a time when the Sword Masters were just as insular as the Jin-ryong, but then her smart friend had three thick-skinned kids that completely changed the Sword Masters.
d*mn woman. And she’s talented on top of that.
“So what should I do, Mom? What is it exactly that you want?”
“Find Spring.”
“…” “Does Ki-hyuk mean that much to you?”
“He does, so find Spring.”
“Phew, I see why they say raising daughters is a futile effort.”
Still…
‘She’s not wrong.’
Dragons should be spiritual. They mustn’t rashly stir.
And what has this rigid tradition turned the Jin-ryong into? Aren’t we gradually being forgotten?
If things go on like this, in ten years, twenty years, when this stubborn daughter of mine has kids, the name ‘Jin-ryong’ might be completely erased from people’s memories.
We can’t stay the same forever.
We must change.
“Alright, Mom will try her best. But in return…”
And this madcap must change too.
“…Don’t make scenes like this outside. Especially in front of Ki-hyuk.”
That evening, a group of people descended from the Jin-ryong Mountain.
The vanguard of the Dragon’s Fangs. The battle group known as the Dragon Tooth Warriors.
Advance.
At the same time, as the Dragon Tooth Warriors descended from the mountain.
Park Min-ji and the White Tiger Group were launching a surprise attack on one of the local branches of the Evolutionary Group in Gangwon-do.
Silver Fang struck the boss’s cheek who was sprawled on the floor.
Slap! Slap! Slap!
“Hmm~ he’s not waking up. Pour some water on him. And maybe freeze some ice.”
A splash of icy water was immediately conjured through magic and splashed onto the face.
Pshh.
“Phewk!!”
The boss awoke.
“What the… Where am I? Who are you guys? Is this a hidden camera show?”
Confused, the boss was flailing about.
Silver Fang, watching while smirking, slapped the boss again.
Slap!
And again.
Slap!!
And yet again.
Slap… Slap… Slap…!
She continued slapping until the boss pleaded for mercy.
“Please, have mercy!”
“Hmm~ Should I? Oh dear, look at the bl**d. Must’ve hurt a lot, didn’t it?”
Her tone was so sweet, anyone who didn’t know her would think she was just overly charming.
But everyone in the White Tiger Group knows this Silver Fang, the Deputy Leader, is an extremely cold and ruthless individual.
Especially when it comes to villains.
“Alright, now listen carefully. I’m going to ask questions, and all you have to do is answer. And hey, if you’re not comfortable with a young girl like me calling you ‘sister’, not to worry. Now, first question: Name.”
“Kim Cheol-soo.”
In an instant, Silver Fang’s hand flew.
Slap!!
“No… Wang Ho-jung!”
“Correct. Wang Ho-jung. Your hometown?”
“Kangwon… Yeonbyeon! Yeonbyeon! I’m Korean-Chinese.”
“Correct.”
This questioning continued. If anything, it wasn’t really an interrogation.
She asked. He answered. This was merely a method to confirm already gathered information.
The real thing was coming up next.
“When did you start being active as the ‘Evolutionary Group’?”
“Huh? What are you talking about? The Evolutionary Group? We’re a black society gang!”
“Don’t lie. Look at this. ‘Human body manipulation report’. We know all about how you capture humans for your experiments. So, why don’t you confess?”
“No… No!! It was just… curiosity before we sold vital organs! Besides, that report circulates everywhere. All villain organizations have it! Please believe me!!”
The boss spewed hurried answers, while also nervously cringing in case Silver Fang slapped him again. But instead of striking, Silver Fang turned to one of her comrades standing nearby.
“Heart rate, temperature, tension level… it seems like he’s telling the truth.”
“Hmm~ Another cuckoo operation, it seems…”
The Evolutionary Group was infamous for creating their local branches using an odd method.
Gradually infiltrating existing organizations, they eventually took them over completely, so that even in name they became branches of the Evolutionary Group.
This system was known as “cuckoo”.
“Still, you might know something. Yuno~ ‘Peel him.'”
Peeling.
In the specialized language of the White Tiger Group, this referred to an interrogation using “mental manipulation”.
It goes without saying that forcibly manipulating someone’s mind has consequences beyond imagination.
“Where do we peel him to?”
“Hmm…”
Silver Fang touched her chin, pretending to deeply think about it.
“Just keep him breathing. We’ll pass him on to the police, so let him just utter his name himself.”
“Understood.”
As the boss was dragged away, Silver Fang and the White Tiger Group approached the warehouse.
“How long has our Leader been inside?”
“About ten minutes.”
“Hmm~ Let’s wait 5 minutes before we go in.”
By then, he should’ve calmed down a bit.
Silver Fang shrugged and barred the entrance.
Meanwhile, inside the room, a white blade qi was whirling around.
“Get away!”
“Save me… Gahh-.”
“Hyun-woo!! This monster woman–!”
Someone struggling. Someone showing grotesque camaraderie. And amidst all that, someone trying to survive by abandoning their comrades.
Chaos.
Min-ji, frowning, scattered more blade qi. The Evolutionary Group members resisted, or should we say, flailed.
But it made no difference.
The disparity in strength was too vast.
On our side is the White Tiger, who’s considered the top candidate as the next Guardian, and whose individual combat power rivals even the Mountain Lord.
The puny local branch of the Evolutionary Group cannot stand against it.
In the dark warehouse, wherever the white blade qi illuminated, there was a severance.
Cutting, slicing… Min-ji exterminated the Evolutionary Group members like pests.
Now, fewer than five people stood.
That’s when the blade qi was blocked for the first time.
“I’ll k*ll someone. If not you, then at least you.”
It was a female member. She who had just now shown grotesque camaraderie. Perhaps it was “love”.
The girl, bleeding tears of bl**d.
For revenge, she hurled herself in.
Summoning Black Magic
Cerberus
Grrr! Hoooowl-!
Through her body as a sacrifice, Cerberus emerged.
And the first thing it did when it appeared?
It ate nearby people. Dead or alive, it didn’t care.
“Well now…”
“d*mn! Our side… No, this shouldn’t happen!”
Each of the three heads happily tore apart humans, leaving not a single bone behind.
Staring blankly at this scene, Min-ji observed.
“Disgusting.”
They all cried, stabbed, ate, struggled… it was chaos like never before.
Still, the job needs to be done. The Cerberus right in front of her is dangerous.
The moment of using a sacrifice is when it’s strongest.
Evidence of that is how her white blade qi, which could slice through anything till now, couldn’t even cut through Cerberus’ skin.
“There’s no other choice.”
Min-ji closed her eyes and regulated her breath.
While Jin-ryong inherited “traits” like the “Dragon Eyes”, those who inherited the Sword Masters’ bl**d are all possessors of “instincts”.
These instincts are not simply being good at swords.
It is the deeply ingrained ‘spiritual instinct’ within themselves.
Her silver-white hair stood on end. Fangs grew longer.
And her tiger-like eyes shone.
Min-ji’s instinct, ‘Agility’, awakened.
Geomho-ryu Agility
Break the Full Moon
A unique sword, obtainable only by a Sword Master who has awakened her instincts.
Face an overwhelming speed where everything else becomes meaningless. Agility’s sword was dismantling Cerberus into pieces.
Bit by bit.
Leaving no trace.
The White Tiger Group and the Dragon Tooth Warriors have joined!
This unbelievable news made everyone tremble.
What is the White Tiger Group? The representative paramilitary force of Optimum. And what about Dragon Tooth Warriors? They are the search troops of the Jin-ryong family.
And just like proving these rumors, the two groups cleared out villains with unbelievable speed.
Notably, the Dragon Tooth Warriors.
The White Tigers were already known for their stories, but the Dragon Tooth Warriors had remained a complete mystery.
“An issue of honor for the Jin-ryong family. Retrieve the target as quickly as possible.”
“No mercy. Eliminate all who obstruct.”
The Dragon Tooth Warriors swept away the villain organizations like they were unstoppable.
There’s no asking, no questioning.
The instant someone is classified as a villain or an enemy, a large-scale magic bombardment is delivered, and they disappear from the world.
While villains were ruling the back alleys, one side had the White Tiger Group causing havoc, and the other had the Dragon Tooth Warriors making trouble. How could they stop them?
Inadvertently, a full-scale war against crimes was launched.
No, this was more like cleaning than war.
How venomous these two groups were became evident when villain organizations started confessing that they had no involvement in this incident, out of fear of being captured.
Meanwhile, while ordinary people praised these two groups’ actions, there were others who grew uncomfortable.
They were the investigative authorities and the police.
“We are the police! This achievement belongs to us. Why are they taking all the credit?”
“Find them immediately! Arrest them all!”
After all, the police were already struggling with the “redundancy of public power”.
With Agents growing in power and recruiting strong superhumans, the necessity of police was being questioned, and falling behind in achievements would only intensify this frustration.
Thus, inadvertently, a competitive scene of combating the Evolutionary Group emerged.
With this amount of people and this scale of forces mobilizing at once, even though it was a network of local branches, it was dangerous.
If their tails were cut off before they knew it, their main body would inevitably be exposed.
Finally, the Evolutionary Group, which had been hiding in the shadows up to now, made a decision.
“Erase all traces. Delete all data and information, and escape.”
A single message.
It was secretly transmitted via magical signal, and in reality, apart from the Evolutionary Group, no one else knew about this communication.
Except for one person…
“I’ve found them.”
“I’ve found them.”
At a certain location in Daegu, in front of what seems to be an abandoned university building.
Three days and a half, 81 hours. Finally arrived here.
This is the main base of the Evolutionary Group.
“Wait a bit longer.”
My uncle will go there.
I, concealed myself in the darkness.
