Approximately 32 years had passed since the Great War. Throughout those years, numerous monsters had appeared on earth. Yet, the number of appearances of SSS-rank monsters can be counted with two hands. Despite that, mankind remembers every single one of them. It was because, every time an SSS-rank monster appears, it only disappears after creating a new record in the history.
However, today was different. Even though an SSS-rank monster had appeared before mankind, there were two SSS-rank experts who stood proudly at the forefront. It was Seol Jungyeon, and Bang Ho-win.
But, unfortunately, Bang Ho-win didn’t have any intention to fight against the Bone Dragon.
There was no reason for Bang Ho-win to deal with the Skeleton Dragon.
-From now on, we will divide into two teams, binding team and tanking team. Superhumans capable of long-distance attack…
As the order from the command centre flowed out from the radio, Bang Ho-win started to conceal his energy as much as possible. He was sure that he could beat Seol Jungyeon as long as he could land one surprise hit on her.
‘Yes, let’s stand still…’
Bang Ho-win smiled as he slowly circulated his naegong.
However suddenly,
-Chijik! Emergency! Emergency! An expert of Murim suddenly attacking allies!
“….What?”
As Bang Ho-win turned his head in a hurry, he saw Seol Jungyeon staring straight at him. In this situation, he could no longer able to execute his surprise attack plan. He tried to calm his breath as he looked to the distance.
Smiling Shadow was randomly swinging his black ether blade towards American hunters and experts from New Murim League. However, his attack wasn’t dangerous at all. It was a blow that wouldn’t even hinder normal people.
In other words, he was deliberately causing conflict so that Murim Hohyanghoe would fight against both New Murim League and the hunters.
‘What’s wrong with that kid?!’
Bang Ho-win couldn’t understand why Smiling Shadow was suddenly acting like that. However, what he had to do doesn’t change in the slightest. It was to capture Seol Jungyeon.
Swooosh~!!
Suddenly, a lump of energy flew towards Bang Ho-win’s neck. Thanks to his instinct, Bang Ho-win was able to sense it and hurriedly raised his arms in order to block it.
“Keuk!”
However, because it was such a powerful blow, blood began to drip from his forearm.
“L…Lord of New Murim League has fought back against Murim Hohyanghoe!”
-China’s Murim Hohyanghoe has betrayed the expedition! All combatants are allowed to counterattack!
-You fucking terrorists! I knew it!
From the beginning, there were several criticisms against Murim Hohyanghoe’s participation in the expedition. It was mainly because their leader, Bang Ho-win, was someone who was responsible for the terror act four years ago.
However, because the United States was faced off against the notorious Great Rift, they need all the help they could possibly get. That was why they didn’t stop a powerful expert like Bang Ho-win from stepping on their soil.
The United States planned on detaining Bang Ho-win immediately after the Great Rift expedition was over.
There was no way Bang Ho-win wasn’t aware of the United States’ plan. He just didn’t care about it since he planned to go directly to Murim as soon as he absorbed Seol Jungyeon’s spirit.
However, because of the stunt that Smiling Shadow pulled, his plan has come to a naught.
‘Rotten kid!!!!’
Bang Ho-win’s strength hadn’t fully recovered just yet. That was why he tried to gain the upper hand through a surprise attack, but things went wrong.
-The New Murim League is an ally!
The tiny ball launched by the Smiling Shadow had become a huge avalanche. Bang Ho-win was being pushed back by Seol Jungyeon slowly and steadily.
‘Whatever! it’s all over once I defeat Seol Jungyeon!’
Yoo Seodam who was watching the fight between Seol Jungyeon and Bang Ho-win was greatly taken aback.
“Noonim, please step back!”
Yoo Seodam realized once again that not everything in the world would go according to his plan. He was expecting Bang Ho-win to launch some kind of surprise attack, but the timing of the attack he had in his mind was completely off.
‘The Bone Dragon is still flying… Damn it!’
Yoo Seodam’s ‘attack using other people’s power’ was quite famous. When he was still an F-rank hunter, there was an incident where he had manipulated an S-rank monster to kill a runaway hunter.
He also employed the same tactic when he killed Supreme Dharma.
That’s why Bang Ho-win tried to attack Yoo Seodam before he could do anything because there’s no guarantee that Yoo Seodam wouldn’t use his signature move again.
Fortunately, Bang Ho-win’s surprise attack plan had failed. On top of it, the Bone Dragon was also paying attention to another place.
However, Yoo Seodam still couldn’t believe that Seol Jungyeon was the one who initiated the fight, not Bang Ho-win.
“Noonim! Step back now! I will fight him!”
Yoo Seodam wanted to fight against Bang Ho-win. Even though his plan went wrong, he believed that he would find another way somehow.
However, Seol Jungyeon shook his head.
She was aware just how hard Yoo Seodam had trained in the past six months. She could never forget his figure who shed tears and blood while sparring against her. However, in the end, he was only an S-rank, and after Seol Jungyeon saw Bang Ho-win today, she reached a conclusion.
‘Against that guy, Seodam can’t last long.’
Seol Jungyeon knew that Yoo Seodam wanted to fight against Bang Ho-win because he was worried about her safety. She felt good thinking about it.
However, Seol Jungyeon was aware of Yoo Seodam’s plans. That is why she knows just how reckless he is. He was planning to take that risk in order to keep her safe. So, naturally she couldn’t take a step back here and hide. It was for Yoo Seodam’s sake.
‘His Saekgong is definitely dangerous.’
Bang Ho-win’s Saekgong was a very unique mugong. It was a questionable technique that could not be called ‘mugong’ with certainty. In Murim, there are so many different types of ‘gong’, but techniques like Saekgong, which manipulates someone else’s mind, are unprecedented. It could easily shake the mind of an expert in the same realm.
Thinking about the nature of the Saekgong, Seol Jungyeon felt that it was natural for Yoo Seodam to be worried.
But, Seol Jungyeon was confident that everything was going to be okay.
“…..I know the activation method of Saekgong. So, don’t worry.”
When Seol Jungyeon spoke confidently, Yoo Seodam had no other choice but to accept it.
Amongst all kinds of women he had met while traveling through numerous worlds, Seol Jungyeon was greater and stronger than anyone else.
That said, Yoo Seodam had no intention of leaving her alone.
“I will help too.”
Yoo Seodam was still only an S-rank. He was nothing but a mosquito in front of a Hyunkyung Expert who had been fighting for a lifetime. Even so, he didn’t have any plans to back off even if Seol Jungyeon told him to.
He picked up the radio and talked to Celeste, who was waiting outside the Rift.
“The operation is going well. You don’t have to worry, you also don’t have to come inside.”
-……Okay.
Originally, Yoo Seodam didn’t want to bring anyone from Another League. However, Celeste insisted that she wanted to come, so in the end, he was forced to bring Celeste.
As she hadn’t taken an A-rank promotion test yet, she wasn’t allowed to enter the Great Rift. That was why she was patiently waiting outside. Yoo Seodam felt that that part was rather fortunate.
‘If she ran into a monster like that, Celeste could die in an instant.’
Meanwhile, when things turned out quite to his liking, the corner of Bang Ho-win’s mouth lifted up.
‘Stupid bitch.’
If Seol Jungyeon insisted on fighting together with Yoo Seodam, it was better for him.
Inside the complex mind of a human, there’s always a place for an emotion called ‘love’. It is a place that is originally empty but is gradually filled up by people they grew up with. It could be family, siblings, friends, or lastly, lovers, who occupy the greatest importance.
However, inside the mind of humans, there were numerous gaps that could be penetrated. The ‘Heart and Mind Dominating Technique’ used by Bang Ho-win penetrates into such gaps, and fills all the spaces with him, forcing his target to be completely obsessed with him.
It was truly a martial art worthy of being called an evil sorcery.
Actually, instead of ‘mugong’, it was more apt to call it ‘mind control’. However no one in Murim was aware of that fact.
When two Hyunkyung Experts finally clashed against each other, sparks scattered everywhere as the air around them trembled. With his fist raised, Bang Ho-win looked at the eyes of Seol Jungyeon. However, she didn’t make any eye contact with him. Instead, she was looking at the tip of his toes.
‘That’s right, didn’t you say that you know about me? But unfortunately, it’s useless.’
Bang Ho-win, who had achieved the state of Hyunkyung, could use a variety of methods to apply the ‘Heart and Mind Dominating Technique’ on the other person. The best thing to do was to make direct contact with the opponent’s skin and make eye contact. However, he could also utilize it with just a simple hand gesture or action, albeit only for a few moments.
Honestly, in terms of pure skills, Seol Jungyeon was leaps and bounds above Bang Ho-win. It was because sorcery was completely unsuitable with the state of Hyunkyung.
However, the current fight was more advantageous for Bang Ho-win because Seol Jungyeon had to pay attention to every minor hand movement made by Bang Ho-win while fighting a psychological warfare without even making eye contact with him.
“Heupp!!”
Bang Ho-win kicked the ground and approached Seol Jungyeon like a bullet that had been fired. He realized that Seol Jungyeon was unable to read his movements properly, so he tried to target her blind spot as much as possible.
He mainly aimed for her upper body such as her shoulders, eyes, and head and performed a simple ‘hand movement’ in accordance with the timing of his attack.
Flinch!
Seol Jungyeon, whose pupils became blank, momentarily returned to her original state in less than 0.1 seconds. But in the fight between experts, that brief gap was enormously large.
‘Now!’
Bang Ho-win reaches towards Seol Jungyeon’s head.
And in that moment,
Taang~~!!
A gunfire suddenly exploded and a bullet found its mark on Bang ho-win’s right arm.
“Keuk!”
The pain Bang Ho-win felt wasn’t that great, but something was strange. His skin that had been grazed by the bullet started to harden like a stone.
Even though his skin would return to normal as soon as he circulates naegong towards those parts, it was still very annoying.
‘Right… I think it was something called magic?’
Right after Bang Ho-win nullified Yoo Seodam’s magic, Seol Jungyeon swung her sword towards him. In front of the incoming attack, Bang Ho-win bent his knee to avoid it and counterattacked by sending an uppercut towards Seol Jungyeon’s upper body.
Seol Jungyeon was forced to face the upcoming attack. However, because she was wary of eye contact, she chose to take a step back instead of blocking it.
Bang Ho-win, who expected those moves, swiftly moved towards Yoo Seodam.
[The sixth sense skill has been activated!]
“······!!”
Yoo Seodam couldn’t see any sign or even a preparatory move from Bang Ho-win. When he came to his senses, Bang Ho-win was already stretching his hand towards him.
However, thanks to his fights against Seol Jungyeon for the last six months, it was possible for Yoo Seodam to avoid Bang Ho-win’s attack through ‘intuition’ alone.
Yoo Seodam rolled to the ground as he scattered grenades into the air. Even with grenades exploding around him, Bang Ho-win still swung his fists towards him.
However, when Seol Jungyeon approached him and aimed her sword towards his arm, Bang Ho-win swiftly pulled his fist away and retreated to the side.
‘Both of them are very annoying.’
Bang Ho-win intuitively realized that Seol Jungyeon and Yoo Seodam had never fought together. It was only a matter of course since there’s no way a Hyunkyung expert would fight side by side with someone who has barely become an expert. But, strangely, the two of them worked together really well. They knew each other’s weaknesses well and covered each other’s gaps.
But, the fight continued to be one-sided.
It was impossible for Seol Jungyeon to fight properly when she couldn’t even see Bang Ho-win’s movement properly. She had to pay close attention to even his simple ‘hand movements’.
In addition, Yoo Seodam had to give up any plan he had and run away as soon as he felt that Bang Ho-win would aim for him because if Bang Ho-win really put his mind into it, he could catch Yoo Seodam in less than ten seconds.
Kwaang…!!
“Ugh!”
Seol Jungyeon suffered a heavy blow to her abdomen as she barely blocked Bang Ho-win fist with the tip of her sword.
Cough!! Cough!!
Seol Jungyeon coughed a mouthful of blood as she tried to block another attack from Bang Ho-win. However, she couldn’t do it. The attack landed on her shoulder. And then, a wave of naegong dug into her body and twisted her naegong and blood.
Seol Jungyeon’s right hand trembled. For her, who mainly wielded the sword with her right hand, the blow on her right arm was affecting her quite a lot. But she couldn’t let the sword go, she hurriedly wielded it with her left hand.
‘I can still do it.’
Wounds keep piling on Seol Jungyeon’s body. She reassured herself that she could definitely hold on. Because she knew, if she kept enduring like this, a chance would surely come.
She was very well aware that Yoo Seodam was unable to land a good hit at Bang Ho-win. It means that the only person who could hurt him was her.
To some extent, she knew the plan that Yoo Seodam had created. However, since the battle took place before they could defeat the Bone Dragon, it seems unlikely for him to execute that plan. If that’s the case, Seol Jungyeon had to personally find a way…
‘Just a little bit more…’
But deep down, Seol Jungyeon was still searching for the way to beat Bang Ho-win.
Just by hearing his light finger flick, her body stops moving. If she makes eye contact with him, perhaps all of her heart would be taken away by him.
In Murim, there’s no record of a naegong that could stand up against Bang Ho-win’s Saekgong that digs into the ‘depths of mind’. Because techniques like Saekgong had rarely appeared throughout history.
And then suddenly, an idea popped out in her mind. It was such a ridiculous and absurd idea. But somehow, Seol Jungyeon felt that it would be possible.
It was an intuition of Hyunkyung exp- no. It was a woman’s intuition.
“…..”
After taking a deep breath, Seol Jungyeon raised her sword with her left hand and pointed it towards Bang Ho-win. Even after several rounds of battle, Bang Ho-win still looked fine as ever.
Seol Jungyeon slowly closed her eyes. The moment Bang Ho-win wriggled his eyebrows, Seol Jungyeon opened her eyes again.
Then she made eye contact with Bang Ho-win.
“Noooooooo!!”
Yoo Seodam’s voice could be heard from a distance, but it was already late.
Seol Jungyeon’s pupils were already losing its focus and she had also completely stopped moving. The situation itself was unbelievable, but in the end, Bang Ho-win was filled with joy, and burst into laughter.
“Kuhahahahahahaha-!!”
The loud laughter that was comparable to a lion’s roar echoed throughout the Giant Rift.
Everyone had no choice but to stop fighting. Their gaze naturally turned toward Bang Ho-win and Seol Jungyeon.
They could see Seol Jungyeon was looking at the air vacantly with her hand still gripping her sword.
Everyone could see the meaning behind Bang Ho-win laughter.
Bang Ho-win had succeeded in applying ‘Heart and Mind Dominating Technique’ on Seol Jungyeon.
“Ha…. In the end, after struggling so much, she still became like this.”
He glanced towards Yoo Seodam who was stunned stiff before shouting towards the American Hunters, New Murim League, and the Murim Hohyanghoe, who had lost their fighting spirit.
“Comrades! It’s our victory! It’s time to return to our homeland!”
Murim people who wanted to return to their hometown cheered. Then, louder than before, Bang Ho-win shouted once again.
“Hear me oh People of Murim who surrendered to modern society! In the end, it was impossible for your lord to resist after making eye contact with me! Now do you know who is right?”
Murim was the world of the weak and strong. Naturally, the strongest, who is the victor, is always right. That was the law of Murim.
Bang Ho-win slowly walked towards the wounded Seol Jungyeon. Every single movement of him was captured by the camera.
“Right, modern civilization is really comfortable…. I could show what your Lord which you deeply believe would become.”
The moment Bang Ho-win reached out towards Seol Jungyeon to complete the ‘Heart and Mind Dominating Technique’,
Swoooosh~~~!!!
Seol Jungyeon’s sword slashed at Bang Ho-win’s body.