Episode 1

Chapter 1:

The Trap

One of the Five Great Martial Sects, feared by even the mightiest warriors regardless of affiliation—Salmak!

Even organizations like Gaebang or Haomun, which handled all information in the martial world, could not discern the location of Salmak’s stronghold. In the Yin Blood Valley, the base of Salmak, an unprecedented event was about to shake the very core of the sect.

“Master, an urgent contract has arrived.”

Inside a gloomy room, two figures were present.

One sat in an elegant chair toward the back of the room, while the other knelt respectfully before him.

The hierarchy between them was unmistakable.

“An urgent contract…”

The middle-aged man called the “Master” spoke. On the surface, he seemed unremarkable, but in reality, he was Cheon Moon-deok (天文德), the Salmak Master, also known as the Killing King (殺王).

Cheon Moon-deok stared silently at Yeom Mun (閻文), his only disciple, who had brought the urgent contract, and at the pile of gold ingots behind him.

“Even for an urgent contract… five hundred gold ingots as advance payment?”

Even for Cheon Moon-deok, who had handled vast wealth as the Salmak Master, five hundred gold ingots was no small sum. And that was just the advance.

“Bring it here.”

“Yes, Master.”

Yeom Mun carefully approached and handed over a letter.

“A man in his sixties residing at Saysa Temple (死也寺) in Cheonghae Province. His name is Go Yeon (高演). Martial arts at the pinnacle level.”

The letter contained not only the target’s personal information but also a portrait.

Cheon Moon-deok smacked his lips, frowning.

“Judging by this letter alone, it doesn’t seem worth such a huge sum. Something feels off.”

“I thought the same, Master, so I investigated the client thoroughly. No unusual findings, however.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. The client is a prominent merchant in Ilmi-hyeon, Gansu Province, who recently offended a powerful martial artist, causing his business to collapse and even leading to his daughter’s death. It seems the assassination target is likely that martial artist.”

Cheon Moon-deok tapped the armrest of his chair with his fingers, appearing deep in thought.

By Yeom Mun’s account, this request was an exceptionally ordinary one. Most contracts that came to Salmak—six, even seven out of ten—were for personal grudges.

“You did confirm the investigation thoroughly, right?”

“Of course.”

“Good.”

―Flare!

With a resolute motion, Cheon Moon-deok conjured fire from his hand, burning the letter instantly.

This was Sammae True Fire (三昧眞火), a supreme technique requiring at least the ultra-pinnacle level to unleash.

True to his title, the power of the Killing King was beyond measure.

“Master, one important matter remains.”

“What is it?”

“This contract carries one condition: the Master must personally carry out the assassination.”

“Me, personally?”

Cheon Moon-deok raised an eyebrow in surprise. Though he had personally executed contracts in his youth, since attaining the title of Killing King and Master, he had rarely intervened directly.

Salmak had plenty of skilled assassins, and the Master’s role was not a position meant for physical labor.

“The client even said they wouldn’t proceed unless you personally handled it.”

“Haha… they just want a flawless kill, why do they insist it be me?”

“They want certainty. If the Killing King himself takes action, failure is impossible.”

“Even so, a pinnacle-level martial artist shouldn’t be too powerful… hah…”

Cheon Moon-deok stroked his beard, a faint smirk playing on his lips. It wasn’t that executing the contract personally was difficult—it was the question of whether he, the Master, truly needed to intervene.

Yet, seeing the gold ingots in front of him quickly settled his hesitation.

“Very well. This time, the Killing King himself shall intervene.”

“Since the Master will personally participate, I shall accompany you.”

“You, my disciple? That will do nicely.”

Yeom Mun, as Cheon Moon-deok’s only disciple, was the one person he trusted most in the world. His martial prowess and cold calculation were unmatched.

“The deadline is only fifteen days. Even at full speed, it takes at least ten days to reach Cheonghae Province. We must hurry.”

“Agreed. Let us depart immediately once prepared.”

“Yes, Master.”

Yeom Mun bowed, speaking in a low voice before disappearing into the darkness.

‘It’s been a long time since I’ve gone on an assassination.’

Even after thousands of missions, the thrill and heartbeat of an upcoming kill still stirred him.

Thus, Cheon Moon-deok, the Killing King, departed for Cheonghae Province with Yeom Mun and a small team of ten elite assassins to handle any aftermath.

Traveling from Yin Blood Valley, Salmak’s stronghold, to Cheonghae Province would take at least ten days on horseback, even at full speed.

Cheon Moon-deok’s group, sparing time for neither sleep nor meals, reached Cheonghae a day earlier than expected, on the ninth day.

Cheonghae itself was vast, and Saysa Temple, where the target resided, was still far away—deep in the mountains.

Even knowing its approximate location, finding the temple took time. Cheon Moon-deok spent three more days navigating, locating Saysa Temple twelve days after leaving Salmak.

“Even with extensive information from the client, it took considerable time to find this place.”

“The terrain is harsh, and the temple is deep in the mountains. We had no choice.”

“Indeed. For a contract worth a thousand gold ingots, some difficulty is to be expected.”

Cheon Moon-deok observed the secluded temple, radiating an inexplicable ominous aura, with detached eyes.

Once they infiltrated and eliminated the target, the contract would be complete.

“Master.”

“Hm?”

Yeom Mun’s low voice called him. They had once been Master and Senior Disciple, though Yeom Mun hadn’t addressed him as “Master” in this way for a long time, making the sudden shift feel odd.

“Have you not changed your mind?”

“Changed my mind about what?”

“About not targeting those unrelated to the martial world.”

“What nonsense is this?”

Cheon Moon-deok chuckled. Since he became Master, Salmak avoided taking contracts against ordinary civilians.

“You’ve given up so much since becoming Master. No non-martial targets, no low-tier martial artists. And you don’t even accept evil clients.”

“Are you insane?”

Yeom Mun’s rare outburst was unlike him, and Cheon Moon-deok squinted, glaring at him.

“Your stubborn principles have cost Salmak many opportunities.”

“We are not mindless killers. Even as Salmak, we must have principles.”

Cheon Moon-deok’s voice hardened.

“Yes, we could earn more money taking all contracts without principles. But would that be right?”

“….”

“We have survived through hardship to reach this point. Money is tempting, but we cannot accept any contract indiscriminately.”

“As expected of the Master,” Yeom Mun replied, with a teasing tone despite Cheon Moon-deok’s serious attempt to reason.

“Master, one more question.”

“What is it?”

“Who will be the next Master of Salmak?”

Cheon Moon-deok chuckled at Yeom Mun’s unexpected question.

“Next Master… naturally, my disciple Gi-heung (基興). He has the skill, the presence, and the leadership to lead many.”

“Hm…”

Yeom Mun nodded silently.

“I was curious, Master. Forgive my rudeness.”

Yeom Mun respectfully assumed the proper posture.

“Ridiculous… well, we’ll discuss that later.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Let’s go.”

Though Yeom Mun’s behavior was strange, Cheon Moon-deok let it slide. The target awaited.

Both disappeared silently like ghosts, using a stealth technique.

―Swoosh.

Go Yeon, the assassination target, was meditating before the main Buddha in the temple hall.

Cheon Moon-deok and Yeom Mun revealed themselves from a shadowed corner, where the light could not reach.

‘Swift and decisive.’

Killing a stranger—even after thousands of missions—was always uneasy. The least they could do was to end it painlessly.

Cheon Moon-deok, undetectable like air, drew his cherished Blood Shadow Sword (血影劍).

―Slash!

A clean cut of flesh and bone echoed in the silent hall. The Killing King’s strike was near perfection.

“Eh?”

Something was wrong.

Go Yeon’s body trembled violently and began swelling.

―Boom! Boom! Boom!

The explosion shook the ground, and the hall nearly flew apart. Go Yeon’s corpse had exploded.

“Cough… cough… what…”

Cheon Moon-deok quickly deployed defensive techniques and retreated using shadow steps. The explosion was massive and close. Though alive, he was tattered.

“Where’s Yeom Mun?”

Though behind him, Yeom Mun would not have been immune. Cheon Moon-deok scanned for him.

“Master, are you alright?”

“I wouldn’t say I’m alright. And you?”

“Yes.”

Fortunately, Yeom Mun was unharmed.

“Are you the Killing King?”

At that moment, a grotesque figure appeared before Cheon Moon-deok, wearing a red monstrous mask and red robes, voice eerie.

“Red mask… red robes… and that…”

Cheon Moon-deok’s eyes, barely open from pain, widened in shock.

The mask bore the small engraved character ‘血’ (Blood).

―Thrust!