Absolute Regression

Chapter 688: Losing One’s Wits Upon Entering This Room

“Father, did you call for me?”

An Hu-pyeong stepped into the Grand Hall where the Divine Transformation Gang Leader handled affairs.

The Divine Transformation Gang Leader, An Cheong-gwang.

He was truly a legendary figure, the man who raised the Divine Transformation Gang from a mere, ordinary local faction into a great sect known by everyone in the Unorthodox Alliance.

His martial arts were formidable, and his temperament was anything but ordinary. If anyone caused him harm, he always repaid it in kind, and even with a blade at his throat, he did not so much as blink. Added to that was a desire for success fiercer than anyone else’s.

Two guests were present in the Grand Hall, and when An Hu-pyeong confirmed who they were, he flinched in surprise.

There were two masters whose names were always mentioned whenever his father’s legend was told. The two key figures who had helped his father bring the Divine Transformation Gang to where it stood today.

The Serpent Sword and the Iron Cold Blade.

Had they not helped his father as if it were their own business, the Divine Transformation Gang could never have grown like this. Because of that, his father valued them more dearly than family.

And as long as his father’s ambitions were still in motion, there would never be any case of using them and then casting them aside.

These were men rarely seen, yet now both were in the same place.

“I pay my respects to the Elders.”

An Hu-pyeong bowed respectfully to them.

The two masters gave only a single nod before acknowledging him with their eyes. Naturally, An Hu-pyeong felt dissatisfaction at such an attitude.

‘Even if I am young, I still bear the title of Deputy Gang Leader.’

Could they not at least ask how he had been, after not seeing him for so long?

It wasn’t that he resented them—he resented his father. Those two masters were, by nature, ruthless and wicked men.

But if his father truly cared for and trusted him, then for his father’s sake they would not have treated him with such indifference.

Just how much must his father disapprove of him for those two to dismiss him so?

An Cheong-gwang suddenly asked,

“You met the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress?”

“Yes, I met her on my way here.”

“Why did you meet the one summoned as a judge?”

“The Pavilion Mistress of the Sky Flower Pavilion is the master of the most famous courtesan house in the Central Plains, is she not? She must be an extraordinary person, so I thought I could learn something from her and sought her out.”

An Hu-pyeong hid his true intentions completely.

Truthfully, he had wanted to ask directly:

Have you fallen for that woman? Is that why you summoned a mere courtesan-house mistress to act as a judge?

But if he had said such a thing, knowing his father’s temper, he would have been met with thunderous wrath. And with the Serpent Sword and Iron Cold Blade present, he might very well have been beaten to death on the spot.

“I heard that you changed the judge to the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress at the last moment.”

It would have been nice if his father had explained the reason for the change.

“This is not something for you to involve yourself in.”

And so, how could he not be suspicious and worried?

‘Not something for me to involve myself in? This concerns the wealth of our gang. How is that merely yours, Father?’

At that moment, a subordinate entered and reported.

“There is word that among the participants of this tournament, one is from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.”

An Cheong-gwang’s expression hardened at once. The Serpent Sword and the Iron Cold Blade, who were with him, also exchanged glances.

“Are you certain?”

“We are currently confirming it through the Unorthodox Alliance.”

“Report back the moment you confirm.”

“Yes.”

The subordinate hurriedly ran outside.

Turning toward the Serpent Sword and the Iron Cold Blade, An Cheong-gwang also issued a dismissal order to his son.

“You may leave now.”

An Hu-pyeong offered a polite bow and stepped out, but at the doorway, he turned to look back at his father. His father was conversing with the two masters, wearing grave expressions.

‘What could be so serious?’

It was not a martial arts competition but a beauty selection tournament.

What did it matter if the participant came from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult or was the daughter of an orthodox hero? It was simply a festival for all of the martial world to enjoy.

When the tournament had first been decided, his father had said this:

—With this tournament, there will be no one in the Central Plains who does not know the name of our gang.

Would it not serve that purpose even better if even the demonic cult participated?

And yet, the atmosphere unfolding was far from that of a mere festival.

‘Clearly something is happening that I don’t know about.’

When he stepped out of the Grand Hall, Sa Chu, who had been waiting, brought him news.

“Master Yong has arrived and has gone to the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress.”

At this unexpected news, An Hu-pyeong was startled.

“Already? How?”

“The Gang Leader summoned Master Yong to the main compound.”

Normally, Master Yong was outside. But his father had summoned even Master Yong into the compound? That only made him more curious about what was going on.

“And he went without even meeting me first?”

“You know what Master Yong is like.”

Of course, he knew well. The man was impatient and willful to the extreme, utterly uncontrollable. But at least in skill, he was acknowledged by all.

The only reason he was called Master was because he insisted on being addressed that way.

His father had always thought that man would one day cause serious trouble and never valued him highly. Thanks to that, An Hu-pyeong had been able to work with him.

“You knew full well that Master Yong is not someone easy to control, did you not?”

That was why Sa Chu had once said he should not be summoned.

He scowled and glared at Sa Chu.

“If you had only done your job properly, there would have been no need to call for him.”

Sa Chu did not make excuses and simply bowed his head. He knew very well what kind of man An Hu-pyeong was. He was the type who took excuses as challenges. At times like this, keeping silent was the best course.

An Hu-pyeong moved his steps quickly. This was not the time to scold Sa Chu.

‘I must see that hateful brat get crushed with my own eyes.’

Especially that annoyingly handsome one who looked like some courtesan’s pet! That one was today’s target.

With long, purposeful strides, An Hu-pyeong headed toward the guest quarters where the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress was staying.

*         *         *

The words Master Yong had heard the most were these.

Even for the Unorthodox, isn’t this too much?

That phrase held the story of his life.

He had committed deeds so outrageous that even the most wicked villains of the Unorthodox world shook their heads in disbelief.

And yet, today, Master Yong was angry.

Summoned by the Gang Leader, he had rushed to the Divine Transformation Gang as though flying. He had come filled with anticipation, wondering what great matter he had been called for. But two days had passed since his arrival, and he had yet to see the Gang Leader’s face even once.

Then news reached him that today, the Serpent Sword and the Iron Cold Blade had been received before him. That made his fury explode.

“Parasites living off old fame!”

Once An Hu-pyeong took the position of Gang Leader, the first to be dealt with would be those two. To do that, however, he would have to perform the tasks entrusted to him by the future Gang Leader.

Master Yong arrived at the guest quarters where the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress was staying.

Sa Chu had told him to rough up the best-looking of the escorts.

‘Know that today is your unlucky day.’

And today, his standard of what counted as rough was going to be a bit extreme.

Master Yong slowly pushed open the door of the guest quarters.

What greeted him inside was this sight.

The Evil Smiling Demon sat side by side with the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress, drinking tea, while the Faceless Swordsmen lounged throughout the room.

The gazes of all inside turned toward Master Yong at once.

Why was it? Why truly was it?

Srrrk, tak.

Master Yong closed the door again. Quietly, as though he had mistaken the room.

Standing before the door, he asked himself,

‘Why did I just close it?’

No one had drawn a weapon. No one had even released killing intent. They had only looked at him in a peaceful atmosphere.

And yet, unable to endure those gazes, his hand had closed the door on its own.

‘Could it be that I got scared? Impossible!’

It was the first time he had ever experienced such a thing, and he was bewildered.

Just then—

Pwak!

A dagger burst through the door.

It stopped right before his left eye. Had it pierced through just a fraction more, it would have stabbed his eyeball.

Even as he stared at the blade that had emerged before his eye, Master Yong did not step back. He instinctively knew this was not a killing strike.

Pwak!

Another dagger pierced out from the side. This one halted precisely before his other eye.

Still, Master Yong did not retreat.

Pwak!

Another dagger stabbed through and stopped before his throat, but Master Yong still did not move back.

Pwak!

Again, a dagger jutted out, stopping right in front of his heart.

All four daggers were aimed directly at his vital points.

It was never meant to kill him in the first place. It was a demonstration, showing him precisely how accurately his vital points could be targeted.

One might think piercing through a door with daggers was nothing special, but the technique just displayed was no ordinary skill.

The blades had pierced without even a hair’s tilt, and what was more, they had struck the exact positions of his eyes and throat even though he stood outside the door. And most astounding of all was the precision in distance control—close enough to graze, yet stopping just short.

But the real problem was this: it had not been one person driving in multiple daggers.

The daggers were all different.

No one carried so many different blades at once, which meant several people had each taken turns executing a strike.

Could that be?

That it looked as though one person had driven them all meant that their skill was so exceptional and uniform that it was indistinguishable.

Sssk.

The daggers that had jutted out slid back inside all at once.

The slowly vanishing blades seemed to say one thing:

If you want to live, leave.

Normally, he would have smashed the door down and stormed inside on the spot.

Daring to pull this kind of stunt against him? He would have twisted the wrists of the dagger-wielders until they snapped. Though the order had been to rough someone up lightly, he would have crushed them all instead.

That was the kind of man he was.

But his body would not move. His will faltered. And yet, he could not simply turn and leave either.

Enduring such humiliation and letting it pass? In his life, that had never once happened.

If he just walked away, what excuse could he give the Deputy Gang Leader? If rumors spread within the gang that he had turned back out of fear?

He should have obeyed his instincts and left when they told him to.

But his survival instinct could not overcome the habits ingrained from his life.

He pushed the door open again and strode inside, shouting with bravado,

“Why are men hiding behind veils like women?”

But the sight within made Master Yong flinch, his eyes widening.

What?

The people inside were not wearing veils. Instead of veils, they wore stark white masks.

Creeeeak.

Behind him, a white mask closed the door, grinning.

*         *         *

When An Hu-pyeong arrived at the guest quarters, he had expected to hear cries of pain, but instead found it strangely quiet.

“Surely… he didn’t kill him, did he?”

At his worry, Sa Chu replied,

“I told him they were the Gang Leader’s guests, just in case.”

At those words, An Hu-pyeong felt relieved. Master Yong might be reckless, but he feared his father.

An Hu-pyeong’s anticipation grew.

He imagined the escort’s face swollen and bruised, front teeth shattered, sprawled on the floor.

‘You dared to smirk at me? Let’s see if you’re still smiling today.’

And he fully intended to rip off that bastard’s veil himself and tear it apart—unless Master Yong had already done so.

With that thought, An Hu-pyeong pushed open the door to the guest quarters and entered.

“Since you’re here, shouldn’t you face me fir—”

At that moment, An Hu-pyeong stopped mid-sentence. The one he had naturally expected to see, Master Yong, was not in the room.

The Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress was calmly drinking tea, while the Evil Smiling Demon, who had been looking out the window, turned his gaze toward him. The Faceless Swordsmen were scattered about the quarters: some were tending to their weapons, some sitting in chairs at rest, others folding clothes.

Seeing them pass the time in utter peace, An Hu-pyeong turned to Sa Chu, questioning him with his eyes.

‘What is this? Didn’t you say Master Yong came here first?’

Sa Chu returned a look that said he had no idea either.

An Hu-pyeong turned his head back and asked the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress,

“Did anyone happen to come by here?”

The Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress shook her head.

“No, no one has come.”

Of course. If he had, there was no way these people would be sitting here perfectly fine like this.

An Hu-pyeong’s gaze shifted to the Evil Smiling Demon.

He had been by the window, yet now he stood behind the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress, staring straight at him.

The other Faceless Swordsmen were staring at him too. Not a single one of them was smiling.

‘Just a bunch of escorts, and yet!’

For them to stare so brazenly at him, the Deputy Gang Leader of the Divine Transformation Gang—it made his blood boil.

And worse, in their eyes was not respect nor fear. The gazes carried something far more unsettling, as though they were looking at an animal trapped in a cage.

‘Where the hell did he go without smashing these bastards to pieces?’

Meanwhile, Sa Chu was inspecting the door.

When they had entered, he had noticed scratches on it. Looking inside now, he saw the same marks at the same height.

‘Traces of blades piercing through!’

Realizing those marks had not been there when they first came, the hairs on his arms stood on end.

‘No way… he was here?’

He looked around the room. Not a single piece of furniture was broken. If there had been a fight, how could the place be so intact?

And the decisive part—none of the people in the room bore so much as a scratch. Not even a graze.

But Master Yong was a formidable master.

And that was precisely why he felt even more uneasy.

That ill-tempered, hot-blooded man would never have left without making a scene.

‘If, by some chance, these people killed Master Yong… then where is the body?’

This was the Divine Transformation Gang’s compound. It was hard enough to believe they could kill him without a single injury among them—but then, what had they done with the corpse?

At that moment, Sa Chu looked toward one of the Faceless Swordsmen standing close to him.

The Faceless Swordsman was staring fixedly at him. Behind him, another Faceless Swordsman was looking at him with the same gaze.

The moment he met those strange, indescribable eyes, a chill ran down his spine, and instinct told him.

‘These mad bastards killed Master Yong!’

Just then, An Hu-pyeong walked over to him and said,

“What are you doing? You lose your wits every time you come into this room.”

An Hu-pyeong left the room without so much as greeting the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress, and as Sa Chu was about to follow after him—!

The Evil Smiling Demon slowly raised a hand and made a gesture for silence.

At that sight, Sa Chu’s heart dropped.

‘He knows that I’ve realized it.’

The next instant, the rest of the Faceless Swordsmen all raised their fingers in perfect unison.

Shhh!

Every single one of them, staring at him, gesturing for silence. It was the first time in his life he had ever seen something so terrifying and grotesque.

Then, from behind, An Hu-pyeong suddenly shouted angrily,

“What are you standing there staring at when you can’t even beat them?!”

Startled, Sa Chu reflexively turned toward An Hu-pyeong, then looked back into the guest quarters.

And just like that—as if nothing had ever happened—the scene inside was one of people sipping tea, folding clothes, yawning, and quietly going about their business.