[Hong Yeon-hwa: Lose]
vs
[Song Cheon-gi: Win]
The match ended in the blink of an eye, like roasting beans on a lightning bolt.
Hong Yeon-hwa trudged back to the stands.
“……”
“You did well.”
“Mmm…”
Even with words of comfort, she just sat there gloomily, staring at her knees.
She probably expected to lose, but not like this.That senior really holds a grudge.
He had paid her back with the exact same finishing move Song Cheon-hye had used.
Does that mean he cares that much about his little sister?
Though he claimed it was all for the honor of the Song family.
I was about to say something else to cheer her up, but then Hong Yeon-hwa suddenly perked up as if something had come to mind.
She pulled out a small envelope, about the size of her palm, and handed it over.
“This…”
“What is it?”
“I’m not really sure…? Some man gave it to me on the way here and told me to give it to Kim Ho…”
It already reeked of suspicion.
Still, there was no reason not to check it, so I opened the envelope.
Inside was a neatly folded talisman.
In the center was the character which meant “to transmit”.
A Transmission Talisman.
A consumable imbued with the martial arts skill Silent Whisper Transmission.
To put it simply, it was a one-time-use walkie-talkie.
This one seemed to only allow one-way reception.
When I placed my hand on the talisman and infused a bit of mana, a voice rang in my ear as if someone were speaking right beside me.
A man’s voice. Likely middle-aged or older.
Cold and dry, just like the kind of person he probably was.
– Quite the guts you have. Using the transmission talisman without a second thought.
If he wanted to, he could’ve tampered with the talisman easily.
It could explode when mana was injected, or be laced with soul magic like possession spells.
But nothing seemed off, and I was practically immune to mental interference anyway, so I used it without hesitation.
Apparently, to him, that came across as nerve or recklessness.
The man’s warning continued.
– Don’t try anything foolish. As you’ve likely already guessed, your every move is being watched.
Well, of course.
The fact that he spoke the moment I activated the talisman made that pretty obvious.
Which meant someone, somewhere in the arena, was keeping an eye on me.
He must have reached out only after making thorough preparations, so even if I told the Sword Queen now, capturing him wouldn’t be easy.
So I stayed quiet for a moment, and the man’s tone softened noticeably.
– A wise decision. Do you know who I am?
I gave a small nod.
He’s more likely to be from the Blood Cult than one of the Witches.
And within the Blood Cult, the group most specialized in intelligence work was the Shadow Legion.
Putting it all together, he was probably the Commander of the Shadow Legion.
He’d likely entered the Dungeon Island with the Illusion Demon and then gone off the radar.
– I like how quick you are. I’d like to have a brief conversation.
How many people would accept a sudden conversation request from a high-ranking Blood Cult officer?
Perhaps aware of how absurd it sounded, he added:
– I truly only wish to talk. If I meant you harm, I would have acted long ago. You know that, don’t you?
Not wrong.
If he really was the Shadow Lord, someone of that caliber could’ve launched a surprise attack anytime, anywhere.
Or he could’ve joined the fray during the clash with the Illusion Demon.
Even then, it probably would’ve just ended with a distortion wipe, but still.
– Just a few questions. I won’t lay a finger on you and will pay a fair price in return.
– But you must not tell anyone about this. I’m sure I don’t need to explain what will happen if you do.
The very act of sending the transmission talisman through Hong Yeon-hwa was already half a threat.
It meant he’d thoroughly investigated everyone around me and that he wouldn’t hesitate to target them if things went south.
Even if it weren’t a threat, I’d still have plenty of reasons to go.
In the first semester, the Blood Cult’s goal had been to destabilize Dragon Slayer Academy and eliminate the future heroes.
But their current objective seemed quite different.
If I could talk with the Shadow Lord, I might learn what kind of mission he and the Illusion Demon had been given.
And perhaps even get a glimpse of the Blood Cult’s broader strategic direction.
This kind of opportunity doesn’t come around often.
So far, the Shadow Lord had lived up to his fearsome reputation.
It had been days since the Illusion Demon’s rampage, and the academy still hadn’t found a single clue.
For someone like him to reveal his identity and make direct contact meant one thing.
Things weren’t going well on their end.
From my perspective, that made it the perfect time to take advantage.
– If you agree to talk, place your hand on your left shoulder.
When I followed the instruction, the Shadow Lord spoke the time and place for our meeting.
– One last warning: try anything foolish, and you’ll regret it. See you then.
The voice transmission ended, and the talisman returned to being a blank slip of paper.
The path was paved, and the streetlights were on, but students rarely came this way.
There was no reason to walk when a good shuttle bus was available.
That also meant security was lax. Making it a perfect spot for a discreet meeting.
I arrived at the designated location and stood idly for a while before a middle-aged man in dark red martial robes appeared.
As soon as we faced each other, he abruptly pulled something from his coat and showed it to me.
“Do you recognize this?”
It looked like a walkie-talkie, with a small green light glowing on it.
“A lie detector, isn’t it?”
“That’s right.”
If either of us told a lie, the green light would switch to red.
So this was how he intended to verify the truth of our conversation. He’d come prepared with a device like that.
Not that it works on me, though.
Lie detectors fall under the “mental interference” category, like magnifying glasses.
And a Monarch’s mental barrier can’t be breached.
Of course, there was no need to let that show.
The Shadow Lord pointed the lie detector at me and asked,
“Have you told anyone about this?”
“No.”
“Is anyone accompanying you or offering support?”
“No one. I came alone.”
The light remained green.
The Shadow Lord kept a blank expression, but thanks to my training with the human sloth, I’d become an expert at reading faces.
I could tell he was secretly relieved.
Soon, he pulled out a small bundle from his coat and tossed it to me.
“Take it. Your payment.”
A quick peek inside revealed an elixir.
And a high-grade one at that.
I carefully stored the bundle and asked,
“Is it okay to give this to me in advance?”
“It doesn’t matter. You said you didn’t tell anyone or ask for help, didn’t you?”
In other words, if I turned out uncooperative or the information I provided was useless, he could always kill me and take it back.
I replied in a casual tone,
“Then go ahead and ask. What would you like to know?”
“…I’ll give you this. You’ve got guts.”
The Shadow Lord’s eyes narrowed slightly.
It made sense. Remaining calm in the face of potential death was no small feat.
“Fine. Have you learned any martial arts?”
“A little.”
“Tell me exactly what you’ve learned.”
“That feels like you’re asking for too much.”
To be honest, if he offered one or two more elixirs, I wouldn’t have much reason not to talk, but any true martial artist would refuse even with a blade at their throat, so I answered the same way.
The Shadow Lord seemed to be thinking along similar lines, as he subtly rephrased the question.
“Then perhaps you can answer this. Does the martial art you’ve learned mainly use wind?”
“It doesn’t.”
My magic might fall under the wind element, but my martial arts like the Frozen Spirit Shot and the Mysterious Yin Jade Demon Finger belonged to the ice category.
Even though the lie detector didn’t work on me, I answered this part truthfully. There was no real loss in doing so.
Sprinkling in some truth here and there would make the rest of my story sound more convincing.
“As I thought.”
The Shadow Lord looked disappointed by my answer.
After a moment of thought, he turned back to me and spoke again.
“I’d like to hear about your friend. Go Hyeon-woo, was it?”
“Go ahead.”
“Is it true that he uses wind-type martial arts?”
If he’d infiltrated the arena, he’d likely seen the match between Go Hyun-woo and Jo Byeok.
This was just a confirmation.
So I nodded without hesitation.
“That’s how it seemed to me.”
….“…!”
A sharp gleam flickered in the Shadow Lord’s eyes for a moment.
Then, in a noticeably lower voice, he asked,
“Does he possess any kind of special item?”
“That’s a bit vague. Could you be more specific?”
“Something long and thin. Like a sword, for instance.”
He does have something like that.
That sacred relic of his sect. The one he always carried around.
Though, last I saw, it was still wrapped tightly in chains because he wasn’t deemed worthy of using it yet.
Before answering, I decided to probe a bit more.
“He’s got more than a couple of swords. Some of them he’s pretty attached to.”
“You’d be able to tell the difference just by looking.”
“May I ask what kind of sword you’re referring to?”
“You don’t need to know. Just understand that it’s something the cult considers extremely important.”
Well, that would explain why they sent two elders.
I paused for a moment, pretending to recall something.
“Ah… could it be that one? There is one thing, actually.”
“If you help me, I’ll compensate you….more than what you just received.”
He was starting to bite the bait, but I decided to play hard to get.
I asked back with a slightly displeased expression.
“Are you telling me to sell out my friend?”
“Haven’t you already done enough of that? But it’s fine if you refuse. I’ll just find out myself.”
“Alright, alright. But I want payment upfront.”
“You’re a greedy one, aren’t you?”
“I won’t deny it.”
The Shadow Lord handed over two more bundles like before, along with a couple of rolled-up parchments.
As I carefully stored them in my inventory, he spoke in a commanding tone.
“You can either bring him here yourself or arrange a meeting. Just make sure you do your best.”
“Oh, by the way. This payment…”
I hardened my expression and continued.
“…seems way too short, don’t you think?”
“Are you trying to change the deal now?”
“I’m not changing anything. It’s always been expensive.”
“How much more are you asking for?”
I smiled brightly and replied.
“Let’s trade it for the Cult Leader’s head.”
“….…!”