Chapter 6 – Companion: Don’t Call Me “Kid” (1)
Chunyo kicked off from the large warehouse, holding Baek Sang-ah in his arms.
Outside the warehouse, chaos reigned. It was all because of the mysterious female assassin. She was single-handedly sweeping away the warriors of the Murim Alliance who had come rushing in.
Although Chunyo had orchestrated this fight, his expression remained calm.
He had only exchanged a few strikes with her, but he had already gauged her skill to some degree. That was why he was confident she could hold off the forces outside while he rescued Baek Sang-ah.
And his prediction had been correct.
He had been able to rescue Baek Sang-ah without any interference.
Chunyo briefly watched the female assassin fighting the Murim Alliance warriors before turning away.
Even though she had accompanied them this far, there was no reason for him to save her. Moreover, if she wanted, she was perfectly capable of escaping on her own.
Chunyo’s goal was simple: rescue Baek Sang-ah and keep her safe. That was all.
Thus, he was ready to leave the female assassin behind without hesitation.
If not for the voice that reached him at that moment.
“Uh…?”
A quiet murmur came from Baek Sang-ah, nestled in his arms. Chunyo looked at her and asked,
“What’s the matter?”
“The lady in red over there… I think I know her.”
“……Really?”
It was hard to believe that the assassin had come to rescue Baek Sang-ah. But since Baek Sang-ah recognized her, leaving her behind suddenly felt awkward.
“I was going to leave her because she seemed suspicious… but now that curiosity is involved, I can’t help it.”
He had no reason to cooperate with a stranger, and leaving her behind had nothing to do with being unable to handle the Murim Alliance warriors.
Chunyo tightened his hold on Baek Sang-ah.
“Hold tight, kid.”
At his words, Baek Sang-ah wrapped both hands firmly around Chunyo’s neck.
A surge of energy began to whirl around the tip of Chunyo’s sword.
Ku ku ku ku!
From behind, the female assassin glanced back as a massive aura stirred. Their eyes met.
Chunyo muttered while thrusting his sword forward:
“Step aside.”
Though not loud, the warning struck the woman clearly.
The air around Chunyo seemed drawn toward his sword in an instant. Seeing this, the woman leapt aside.
At the same moment, Chunyo’s sword sliced through the air.
A surge of intense energy burst along the path of his blade.
Kwa kwa kwa kwang!
The Murim Alliance warriors charging forward were swept away by the torrent of Chunyo’s sword energy, flying off in all directions.
The shockwave was tremendous.
Kwa dduk dduk!
The ground cracked like a coiling dragon, and earth surged upward around the impact.
Chunyo sent about twenty warriors flying in all directions with a single strike.
Then, the sword in his hand screamed.
Jjeok jjeok, jjeo jeok.
Cracks spread through the sword, which shattered into pieces on the ground. The force had been far too great for a normal blade to handle.
As the woman narrowly dodged the attack and turned toward Chunyo, he casually tossed the broken sword aside.
Then he spoke shortly:
“Follow me.”
Chunyo began moving, activating his light-footed skill while holding Baek Sang-ah. As he swiftly soared into the air, the woman also rushed forward.
Pah!
They shot upward toward the high moon, running at incredible speed.
With the commotion, people would surely flock here. Their goal was to escape before that happened.
Thanks to the massive fire engulfing the Murim Alliance Shanxi branch, they had gained some time. But with such chaos, a reaction was inevitable.
Chunyo had already scouted a sparsely populated route, allowing them to exit the Murim Alliance branch quickly.
Even outside, Chunyo didn’t stop.
Though they had escaped easily, this was still the Murim Alliance, meaning a massive pursuit would soon form.
However, the level of that pursuit wouldn’t match the “heavenly net of spies.”
For one, the Shanxi branch lacked enough skilled warriors.
Moreover, the branch chief didn’t know Baek Sang-ah’s true identity.
If he knew she was the granddaughter of the Murim Alliance leader and the vessel sealing the Blood Demon, he would react as if the world were on fire. But he only knew to simply monitor her as an ordinary person.
While there would be some pursuit due to the chaos, it wouldn’t be enough to stop Chunyo.
After running for a long while and creating a significant distance from the Murim Alliance, the woman finally spoke.
“I think this should be far enough.”
Chunyo stopped, slowly putting Baek Sang-ah down, and replied:
“Agreed.”
As she approached, Baek Sang-ah quickly hid behind Chunyo, clutching his waist, avoiding the woman.
The woman hesitated, her outstretched hands cutting through the air.
Softening her expression, she spoke:
“Sang-ah, don’t be scared. I…”
“I know who you are.”
“You know me?”
Baek Sang-ah nodded, still hiding behind Chunyo.
“I’ll protect you from now on. Leave it to me…”
“No. I want to stay with Mister.”
Shaking her head firmly, Baek Sang-ah held onto Chunyo’s waist.
The woman, confused, asked:
“You know him?”
“No. I met him for the first time today.”
“But you know me? And yet you choose him?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I… don’t like you.”
Startled by the word, the woman dropped her arms.
She struggled to speak after a moment of silence:
“…Why?”
“Because of you, my mom died. She spent her whole life waiting, looking at your painting. She believed you would come to save her, that only you could cure her illness. But you didn’t. Not until the day she died.”
“….”
“Why didn’t you come? You promised to save her.”
“…That’s…”
The woman hesitated, ultimately lowering her head. Chunyo looked at Baek Sang-ah hiding behind him and said:
“Seems like the kid doesn’t want to talk to you anymore. Shall I have a word with you instead?”
The woman glanced at Chunyo.
“How did you know the kid was here? I’ve always wondered that.”
“I don’t really need an answer.”
“Actually, I have a guess. Just want to confirm. The old Murim Alliance chief sent you, right?”
Startled, the woman twitched.
“How did you…”
“Because I’m the same. The old man asked me too, to protect his granddaughter. He really thought ahead, didn’t he? Asking two people at once.”
The now-deceased Murim Alliance chief Baek Bul-in had prepared a contingency plan, entrusting both Chunyo and the woman with Baek Sang-ah’s safety.
Chunyo muttered:
“Interesting. He asked two completely opposite people to protect the same child.”
The shield that protects everything, Chunyo.
The assassin who kills everything, the woman.
Two entirely different people entrusted with the same responsibility.
“Curiosity satisfied. Time to go our separate ways. Let’s move, kid.”
As Chunyo began to leave with Baek Sang-ah, the woman suddenly stopped him.
“Stop.”
Swiftly, she placed a dagger against Chunyo’s neck.
Despite the danger, Chunyo chuckled lightly.
“Put the blade away. Or soon, your wrist will break.”
“I have no intention to kill. I’m only taking the kid,” the woman replied calmly.
“Trying force, huh?”
“No. I want to do this peacefully, if possible.”
“Peace while holding a dagger to my neck? Not exactly peaceful.”
“You saw what happened with the Murim Alliance warriors just now. Who knows if it’ll be the same again?”
“Fine. Then let’s resolve it peacefully, as you say.”
“How?”
“There’s only one good way—ask the kid herself.”
Chunyo looked at Baek Sang-ah:
“Kid, do you want to follow me, or her?”
Feeling both gazes, Baek Sang-ah answered immediately:
“Mister.”
Chunyo shrugged:
“You heard her, right?”
He casually shifted and used two fingers to push the dagger at his neck aside.
The woman remained silent.
Clearly shocked again by Baek Sang-ah’s choice, Chunyo warned:
“Better not try to stop me again. I let it slide once, but I won’t twice.”
With that, Chunyo moved off, holding Baek Sang-ah.
The only one left at the scene was the female assassin. She stared at her hand for a moment, then in the direction they had gone.
Clenching her fist, she immediately started following them.
Since Chunyo wasn’t using light-footed skills, she quickly caught up.
Unconcealed, her approach was noticed by Baek Sang-ah.
At a distance of about ten meters, the assassin silently followed the two.
“Sir, behind us…”
“Leave her. She’ll drop back when she tires,” Chunyo replied.
All Chunyo needed to do was keep Baek Sang-ah safe. As long as he followed the plan, nothing more was required.
So the two moved forward, followed silently by the woman.
A peculiar trio began their journey together.
