Chapter 24

Book I Chapter 24

…

The festival was amazing and Hyuna thoroughly enjoyed it. As a young girl, she acted the part that thoroughly baffled the rest of her seniors.

If they did not know that their companion is a guy, they would surely think so otherwise.

As the night became deeper, the festivity is already coming to its conclusion.

"Senior… most of the junior female disciples has already left… I think it's time that we should too." A disciple informed the group while his eyes are glued to the beautiful figure walking with the group.

But before Gong Heok could say anything, they suddenly heard a loud noise.

Ka-Boom!!!

The sound of a loud explosion could be heard from afar which startled everyone on the streets.

"What… What is happening?"

"Is the town being attacked by bandits?"

"We have to go home now… This is becoming dangerous."

The people began to panic in the streets and most are already running toward their homes. A few guards could be seen running in the direction of the explosion.

"I can smell trouble…" Han Joonha said while showing a slight smirk on his face.

"You say it like it was a good thing…" Hyuna scolded the guy.

"Hey, since we are already here, why don't investigate…" Han Joonho suggested with a big grin on his face.

Gong Heok did not say anything and just nodded his head.

"Wu Jin… you should return to our rendezvous area and wait there. This will not take long." Ji Eun who is silent on the side suddenly suggested.

The rest nodded their heads as they knew that Hyuna is only a mortal and might be hurt if he joined the group to investigate the explosion.

Hyuna did not want to go with the group, so she nodded her head and quickly walked towards the exit of the town.

As she left, the rest heaved a sigh of relief and quickly ran toward the direction of the explosion.

Hyuna found a shop and did not hesitate to enter it before they could close down.

She quickly changes her clothes and walked out.

She is now wearing a black robe and has tied her long hair in a bun.

After walking out of that shop, she saw a stall with short swords in it. She did not hesitate to buy a single short sword and a knife.

Hyuna went to a corner and began carving a few runes on the blade in secret.

After that, she walked out and then jumps to the roof after covering her face with a veil.

She even deactivated her gender transformation as the male gender transformation would interfere with other runes that she would be using.

As she runs through the roof, she suddenly saw a few shadows below her so she stopped.

She watches in the shadow as two people sneakily enter a window of a building.

"Hmm… Suspicious…" she muttered as she quickly jumps down on the ground.

She takes out a small stone from her side pouch and puts it near her eyes.

Using the rune on the stone, amplified her natural ability and she was able to see the auras inside the building.

"Hmm… There are around ten people inside and one of them is actually in the body refinement stage…" she muttered while feeling a bit excited.

This would be the first time that she would put what she has learned these past weeks into action.

Ever since she killed that wolf in that forest, she has that feeling of dread and is not resigned to such a weak and pathetic state where she was hurt that badly and even fainted.

She did not want to experience such a thing ever again.

From that time forth, she has promised herself to be strong.

And now, this will be her chance to prove herself that she is strong.

As she sneaks into that dark corner observing the people inside the building, she could already feel her heart beating loudly.

She is afraid, nervous, and anxious. Every word that describes fear is what she is currently feeling.

She suddenly froze as she a thought enters her mind.

"Am I willing to take a life?" she asked herself.

When she was young, she had seen the gruesome fate of her village and her mother. So, her heart is somewhat already prepared to see such a thing.

In that village, she saw a truly gruesome scene that could make even an adult have nightmares for days on end.

That is why she is trying to assess if she could stomach herself taking the life of someone.

When she killed that wolf, she also felt that reluctant feeling of taking one's life. That is why she had that complex feeling in her heart.

But after assessing her emotion, she could tell that she is somewhat ready.

"Focus… I have to focus…" she muttered as she slowly sneaked inside the building.

As soon as she got inside, she noticed the darkness and then the place reeking of the scent of blood.

She carefully followed the scent and opened the room on the side.

What she saw inside made her almost throw up.

Several corpses are inside which seem to have suddenly deterred her determination.

But then her attention suddenly turned to the side as she heard some noise.

"Someone is coming…" she muttered as her body quickly moved and climbed the wall like a spider.

Then her figure was hidden in the darkness of the ceiling.

As that figure walked up, she could already see that it is a guy wearing a hooded robe.

"Who the heck opened this…" the man muttered as he walked to the opened room.

But then he stopped as he was about to close the door.

Hyuna could tell that the man suddenly became vigilant of his surroundings.

From where she is, she carefully unsheathes her sword with one hand holding its hilt. Then her hand moved until the tip of the blade is now positioned directly at the top of the man's head.

Without hesitation, Hyuna lets go of her grip.

Swick!!! Puchi!!!

Like a knife puncturing a watermelon, the blade easily inserted into the man's skull causing him to fall to the ground with a thud.

Without hesitation, she quickly jumps down from the ceiling and drags the corpse inside the room.

Hyuna could not help but breathes heavily as she catches her breath. Right now, she is really nervous and anxious that she wanted to throw up.

But for some reason, something is pushing her to be alert as her senses are sharpened by the situation she is in.

Without hesitation, she quickly took off the cloak from that guy and put it on her.

She then walked out and walked towards the stairs.

Her heart is still beating as if it is about to leap from her chest.

She did not know where she is getting this kind of energy from her body, but she is somewhat getting drunk from it.

As another shadow appears on the stairs, she halted her steps for a bit but then continues walking following the steps down.

"Hey… What is happening? What was that sound?" the man asked.

But what greeted that man when Hyuna passed by his side is the tip of a short sword easily penetrating his neck.

The man did not have time to react and could only grab his throat as he slumps on the side of the stairs.

Then Hyuna walked down and then arrives at the basement where there are three more men.

From what she could tell, the rest of the men have already entered the door just ahead of her.

"Hey, what is happening up there?" asked the man while trying to look inside her hooded robe.

Her hand moved and her sword flew out like an arrow piercing that guy into the wall.

The two reacted and quickly draws their weapons.

"Enemy! What the heck?! How could you get in here?!" shouted one of them as he readied to fight.

The other one did not say anything and just lunges at Hyuna's figure.

Suddenly, something came to her mind.

She had been trying to memorize the movements and techniques from those manuals she had copied in the library.

But no matter how hard she tries, she could not fathom what they mean.

It is said that there is a profound meaning in those movements. But she could not understand the so-called profoundness in them.

All she could see are martial arts movements that look like exercises to strengthen one's body and nothing more.

"Are the instructions wrong? Are the movements erroneous? Why is it that not many cultivators would practice some of those techniques?

As these questions baffled her, she soon gave up and decided to take a breather.

She did not want to become crazy in trying to determine those movements and their execution.

So she just kept them at the back of her head and moves on and copied more books.

However, right at this moment, upon seeing that strike from a hooded man who is lunging at her at a fast speed, her mind was suddenly in overdrive.

She seems to have recalled something and everything around her became slow.

Her mind seemed to have suddenly calculated everything she is seeing… the angle of the weapon, the speed, and the strength being exerted.

Everything is being analyzed by her subconscious mind, and right now, the different style of fighting she had seen in the library was suddenly displayed right before her eyes.

She could tell how some of the best techniques on how to disarm the man regardless of the strength and ferocity he is showing.

Everything is now bare to see right before her sparkling eyes.

"Fascinating…" she just muttered.