Chapter 309 Reaper of the Drifting Moon novel

Manhwa- N/A

Translation-MTL

“Huah!”

Geom Yeong stretched and went outside.

The biggest benefit of being an innkeeper was being able to stay and have a meal at the inn.

Although it was a small room, it meant they had their own space to shelter from the rain and cold, and the food was relatively plentiful. Even if it was mostly leftovers from the guests.

That was one reason why Geom Yeong became an innkeeper.

Just the fact that he could sleep comfortably without starving satisfied Geom Yeong. However, he had not forgotten about his younger siblings who were still sleeping on the streets.

Geom Yeong had a bag in his arms.

It was a bag full of leftovers that guests had left behind. He had carefully collected them, mindful of the inn’s owner’s eyes, to feed his siblings.

“Hehe! They’ll love this.”

Geom Yeong smiled, imagining how much his siblings would enjoy the food.

Suddenly, someone popped out from the alley.

“Brother!”

Geom Yeong dropped the bag and ran towards him.

The person lying on the ground, covered in blood, was Taemu Sang.

“What happened? Brother!”

“We have to leave this place quickly.”

“What’s that sound?”

“He’s chasing us.”

“What?”

“He killed the kids. Among them, Cheong-yu, and Jin-ha….”

“What does that mean?”

Geom Yeong’s pupils shook.

All three children knew Geom Yeong.

They were mischievous troublemakers, but fundamentally good kids. And they were siblings who loved and followed Geom Yeong very much.

Taemu Sang grabbed Geom Yeong’s hand.

“No time to explain. He’s coming after us.”

He dragged Geom Yeong along as he fled.

Geom Yeong ran after him, still looking back.

At that moment, someone appeared from the alley where Taemu Sang had popped out.

He had a sword dripping with blood in his hand.

Even in the darkness, his cold gaze was clear.

His eyes were fixed on Taemu Sang and Geom Yeong.

“Looks like I have one more pawn.”

His voice was very hoarse. But strangely enough, it penetrated Geom Yeong’s ears very clearly.

He murmured intentionally with internal energy so Geom Yeong could hear.

“Kuk!”

Geom Yeong felt a chill run down his spine.

He ran with full force alongside Taemu Sang.

A man ran after them.

The man swung his sword wildly in the air, causing the blood on it to splatter.

It was a terrifying sight.

Geom Yeong didn’t have time to ask Taemu Sang what was going on.

They needed to escape now.

But instinctively, Geom Yeong realized that they could never escape like this.

The dead amongst, Cheong-yu, and Jin-ha were all once light and agile children. They were so fast that even Geom Yeong couldn’t catch up to them, like flying squirrels.

If those three kids could be killed, then even if he and Taemu Sang tried to escape, it would be impossible to escape the man’s pursuit.

“Brother!”

Geom Yeong called Taemu Sang.

Taemu Sang turned his head to look at Geom Yeong.

He was already out of breath from running away from the harbor, so he didn’t have time to answer.

He spoke briefly.

“Let’s go to the inn.”

It was a vague statement, but Taemu Sang understood what Geom Yeong meant.

Taemu Sang nodded his head and exerted his legs.

Tap, tap!

The sound of the man chasing them from behind grew louder and louder, meaning that he was getting closer.

Cold sweat dripped down their backs.

Their hearts pounded so hard it felt like they would burst out of their chests.

Shiak!

A harsh sound of a sword cutting through the air came from behind.

Almost instinctively, Geom Yeong and Taemu Sang twisted their bodies to dodge the man’s sword. But they couldn’t avoid it completely.

They both suffered long cuts on their backs. Luckily, the wounds were not too deep and they could keep moving, but the pain was excruciating and they almost stumbled and fell.

“Ouch!”

“Damn!”

Geom Yeong and Taemu Sang struggled to maintain their balance and continued to run.

The man’s voice was heard from behind.

“You persistent rat bastards.

His voice was full of irritation, which was understandable.

This night’s chase was not something they had planned for.

Their original plan was to sneak in quietly, accomplish their goal, and leave quietly.

They didn’t expect to be in a chase at night.

It was all because of Taemu Sang.

“Just because of one or two rat bastards, I have to suffer like this.”

The man’s eyes, staring at the backs of the two men, exuded a creepy energy.

He was determined to tear them apart if he could catch them.

Shiak!

His sword sliced through the darkness again.

This time, Geom Yeong and Taemu Sang narrowly avoided the sword once again.

“He has really good instincts.”

It was not just luck, but a movement that could not be explained simply by luck.

Sometimes there are children who have extremely developed senses like that.

If they had made a good connection with a famous martial arts school or were born in a martial arts family, they would have been praised as outstanding talents.

It was never easy to see two such children in the same goup.

“What a pity!”

If it had been a different situation, he would have definitely taken those children with him. Even if they didn’t want to, he would have kidnapped them and raised them as skilled martial artists.

He himself was also made through such a process.

“Let’s end this now.”

The man’s eyes became even more youthful.

They had reached the end of a long pursuit.

Tae Musang’s movements were noticeably slowing down, and even Geom Yeong’s movements were dulled from leading him in his escape.

Even if they had exceptional senses and physical abilities, it was impossible for them to completely overpower a martial artist who had mastered martial arts.

In fact, simply by dragging out the time like this, they deserved to be praised.

Crack!

The man stomped on the ground.

It was a movement that couldn’t even be compared to what had been seen before.

Like a swallow flying on the surface of the water, he crouched low and swooped with terrifying speed.

“Dodge!”

Geom Yeong shouted loudly and pushed Taemu Sang to the left.

In exchange, Geom Yeong allowed the man’s sword to graze his waist.

With a gruesome slicing sound, Geom Yeong’s waist was split open.

“Ugh!”

Geom Yeong screamed in pain and writhed on the ground.

Blood was pouring out from his waist.

If time passed like this for a little longer, his life would be cut short.

“Is this…the end?” he thought.

Geom Yeong’s vision became blurry.

He had lost too much blood, and his focus was fading.

Even in that state, Geom Yeong searched for Taemu Sang.

Thanks to Geom Yeong, he had barely avoided getting injured, but Taemu Sang didn’t look too good either.

He had already been injured, and he had used up all his strength in the escape, leaving him exhausted.

He didn’t even have the strength to move a finger now.

“shit!”

Taemu Sang shouted in anger, possessed by the devil.

He felt guilty for not being able to protect the three children during the escape and for dragging Geom Yeong into this mess.

Geom Yeong felt the same.

He didn’t know who the man was, but the guilt of not being able to protect Taemu Sang from his hands was tormenting him.

Geom Yeong shouted with all his might.

“Who are you? Why are you doing this to us?”

“You son of a bitch! It’d be better to just kill you. If I survive, I’ll destroy all of you. I’ll find you all and kill you,” Taemu Sang said in a weak trembling voice from his collapsed lung.

It wasn’t just a matter of someone lashing out when cornered.

“If we let these kids live, it will be a big problem.”

He too had the intuition of a skilled warrior.

He could tell whether the boy’s resistance was just bravado or if they truly meant it.

The man, who had approached the boys, raised his sword high to make his intentions clear.

Most people would have averted their eyes at the sight of a man like him, but the boys’ reaction was different.

They stared at the man, their eyes wide open as if they were trying to memorize every feature of his face.

The man, impressed by their defiance, swung his sword down.

Kang!

“Thud!”

A loud crack followed, and the man let out a frustrated groan.

“What?

The man grabbed the hand holding the sword with his left hand.

The sword was vibrating fiercely.

To the man, it felt like the sword was screaming.

“Who are you?”

The man shouted, barely containing the vibration of his sword.

The sword didn’t vibrate on its own. It was because something had given it a strong impact.

Just before the man’s sword could reach the children, something flew and hit his sword. The object that hit his sword disappeared into the darkness in an instant, and he couldn’t even confirm what it was.

“It’s a private matter between these children and me. I don’t know who you are, but don’t meddle in other people’s affairs and leave.”

It was a polite threat.

He wanted to intimidate the other person with a threat because he thought he might lose.

The man gathered his energy and expanded his senses to the extreme. But he couldn’t sense anything.

“Where are you? Where are you?”

That’s when it happened.

“I’m afraid I can’t let you do that….”

Suddenly, a chilly voice came from right behind him.

It sent shivers down the man’s spine.

He felt the other person’s breath vividly behind him.

He was in a state where he had heightened all his senses to the extreme. His senses were so acute that he could detect the movement of ants passing by outside the tent. But still, he couldn’t sense the presence of his opponent.

“What?”

A cold sweat ran down his spine.

At that moment, the man made a decision.

Swish!

He spun his body like a top and swung his sword.

The sword cut through the darkness like a flash of lightning. But he felt no sensation of the sword connecting.

His opponent had evaded him.

It was the Snake Steps.

Then, a courteous voice came from behind him.

“You have a bad habit.”

“What?”

Slash!

In an instant, the hand that held the sword was severed.

“Argh!”

The man screamed in pain as he grabbed his severed wrist.

He turned around in pain, but there was no one in sight who could have cut his wrist.

It was as if he had been possessed by a ghost.

Suddenly his gaze fell on Geom Yeong and Taemu Sang.

The two were staring at him like fish floating on water, with only their mouths gaping. And inside their pupils, he could see his own reflection. And the image of another man standing behind him like a ghost.

“What?”

He felt chills running through his entire body.

No matter how fast someone was at internal energy or martial arts, they couldn’t move faster than someone turning around in place.

That was common sense. But the other person was moving at the same speed as he was turning around, completely ignoring this common sense.

No, considering the turning radius, it was clear that he was moving several times faster.

It was doubtful whether a human being could move like this. But he couldn’t think any further.

shit!

Something sharp passed through him, cutting his tendons and causing him to fall to his knees.

No matter how fast someone was at internal energy or martial arts, they couldn’t move faster than someone turning around in place.

That was common sense. But the other person was moving at the same speed as he was turning around, completely ignoring this common sense.

No, considering the turning radius, it was clear that he was moving several times faster.

It was doubtful whether a human being could move like this. But he couldn’t think any further.

shit!

Something sharp passed through him, cutting his tendons and causing him to fall to his knees.