There were changes to the existing mission along with an update to their target.
The news all came in an instant. It was Ghost Incarnate, released by the Second Disciple who shouted out,
“Move quickly! Hurry!”
As soon as he got the information, he led his men and moved ahead.
Even if he had been not planning to, he was pushed into a position where he had to cover himself and move defensively. The sudden change in the mission felt rather nice to him.
“Make sure to look around first. You and you. The rest wait here.”
After a while, they arrived at the Dark Temple and gave orders to the other members. After a while, the members who were in charge of scouting looked at the area.
Shhh
When Ghost Incarnate asked, the response came,
“We checked the temple, and the treasure is proudly placed on the first floor. It doesn’t seem to be difficult to take it, the problem though is the…”
“Getting in?”
“Yes.”
He took a deep breath and then spoke,
“There are four instructors on the first floor. They were all on high alert and looked to be preparing for invasion. There are two instructors on the second floor. They are monitoring the surroundings. There doesn’t seem to be anyone on the third floor… I didn’t feel anyone. Or they must be stronger.”
“…”
“What do we do? There are overlapping places, I don’t think it will be easy to sneak past all of them and take the item on the first floor.”
“That, you don’t have to worry about it. Just do as you are told.”
Ghost Incarnate did not care and smiled. He planned to move alone right from the start.
“Hmm…”
Still, the guys did spend time together. If the instructors were being this cautious, then the plan should be thought over again.
Ghost Incarnate thought as he looked at the land around. The valley, the hills… After looking around for a long time, he came up with one method.
“You, you, and you two. Get out there and set fire to the place.”
He drew lines on the ground to help them with direction. He was aiming for the outside area close to them.
It was the last step in the plan, and the path seemed clear.
“No matter how many instructors there are, it will not be easy to look around because of the noise, and the mess a fire will create. I can enter through the opening created and escape.”
“Fire…”
“Are the instructors just going to come out for the sake of a fire? They are all skilled people.”
The members looked doubtful. The strategy made was not so bad, though.
Among the tactics of the Blood Strong Troops, if they are trying to assassinate the target, then they are skilled at that, and they are used to misdirection the attention of people by using such tricks.
But the instructors would also know of this strategy. They should be well prepared for that.
According to his own observations, the instructors inside were from the same unit. And they were the elite of the elite. No matter how much one broke through the fire, they could not…
“Right. That means the entire mountain will be burned down. Look at the land.”
Swhh.
Ghost Incarnate made rough lines on the land.
“Here is the slope and the valley is here… this time, the mountain and valley winds will be pretty strong. Once it catches flame, it will spread through the mountain.”
“…?’
“…!”
The members were shocked, and it was then that they figured out what the real purpose of the fire was.
“Forest fire…”
“Are you even sane!”
The danger of a forest fire was unknown for those who had not experienced it. There would be high temperatures and smoke. And the flames which would spread all around, even trying to face the flames would mean risking their lives.
“Why? It has to be at that level for the instructors to be drawn out. Isn’t it natural that one has to take the right actions to create an opening when there is none?”
“Hey, you… then you will die.”
According to Ghost Incarnate’s plan, if a large forest fire breaks out, even if the instructors withdrew, it would be difficult for the most skilled to handle it and claim the target.
In other words, in the purposefully caused flame, the life of this idiot would also be at risk.
“Kuak. Why do you care about me? You guys do what you are good at.”
But Ghost Incarnate laughed at their concerns and spoke with a sunken look.
“Look at each other. The guy who accidentally gets in contact with the instructor will be caught… and those who do that will get their necks snapped by me.”
“That… there might be another group trying to get us caught.”
“Right, staying still will make it difficult.”
“Phew…”
At the eyes of Ghost Incarnate which looked enraged, the members stepped back.
That guy is insane, really insane.
He was truly wild, and they did not even have the slightest desire to get bitten by this one. And he had problems himself until now, so he must have his own thoughts.
As much as he already showed his judgment which surpassed common sense, it felt like they could actually succeed.
Tatak
If he is careful, then everything would be fine.
While the members moved in position to start the fire, only one person came to the mind of Ghost Incarnate. It was the one who knocked him down once, the one who seemed insane.
He will definitely come to stop me.
And this was what made him excited. Actually, to him, the rules of this mission were not so important. He was one who needed power.
He wanted to feel strong by killing that one person with his own hands.
“I will kill you this time.”
After a long time, the members of his who had to moved out to start the fire vanished—
Tak
A fire broke out in the distance. It was the start of the plan.
“Phew….”
Gyo Jin-woon was leaning against the window while looking at the dense forest. He did not like this time’s training session at all.
Why? Well because he heard about 20 of the Blood Strong Troops’ men had been killed.
At first, it was just ten people or so, but at dawn, the count had increased further. There was also news that an elite warrior had also been taken down.
“This training session seems to be pretty intense. There are people sent by the disciples of the Heavenly Demon and many died during the training, perhaps because of their nature.”
An instructor came over and talked to him.
“The ones who die are weak. Are there any dead among the Blood Killing Troops?”
“None.”
“Right. No matter how low one is. They are on a different level.”
The difference between Blood Strong Troops and Blood Killing Troops was great.
The people who were put in as spies to check on the condition of the training were the lowest of their troops.
Among them, there was one who was in the top 20.
And to such a person, things were not going right. That was why he was annoyed.
“It isn’t going to be any normal attack.”
Gyo Jin-woon, tired, looked at what was happening.
The disciples’ subordinates were going to act as variables, but even so they cannot jump in using that as an excuse.
Unless one was a skilled warrior, who was confident they could block anything as they were told to do whatever they could at all costs.
“How do you think they will approach this?”
When the instructor asked, he snorted.
“They will try to look over any means and methods. They might also use poison. Or even use a sword in the dark time of the forest. But if it was me, I would use flame.”
Think of the situation from another person’s point of view, surprise and ambush were what the Blood Strong troops excelled at. Therefore, they definitely would be able to defend against that.
“There is a limit to using flame. There is enough water and sand to stop it. Even if this place burns, leaving with the sword later would be impossible.”
He turned his head and looked at the sword.
When a plan changed just slightly, loopholes were bound to be exposed. So, in order to weed out the unexpected opponent, there should be an unexpected bait.
To place such a precious thing here… I don’t like it…
As a result, they put the Small Flame Sword, a sword which should be able to negate cold energy techniques and extreme Blood Palm Martial Arts without losing much. The fact that this was being used for a training session did not feel so great. That was because of the importance of this sword.
Tatatak. Tak!
They suddenly felt a presence, and then an instructor came running.
“F-fire! They set the mountain on fire.”
“As we thought.”
One of the instructors smiled. It was a way to draw their attention.
“Intended one.”
Gyo Jin-woon laughed. That much, he thought about how to react with their motive.
“Everyone! You need to escape! The flames are moving this way!’
“Ha. What are you making such a fuss for? The fire can be taken down with water and sand…”
“It isn’t at that level! Just come and see!”
“…?”
Only then did the instructors all stand up and look to where the person was pointing at with a pale face.
Wheik
“This…”
“Fuck!”
They groaned lowly, seeing the fire devour everything.
Tatatal!
Wooong!
The wind blew in. Due to the season, the wind around this place would rise. The wind now was only making the flame burn things more.
Wheeik! Wheeeik!
“Those insane bastards…”
He thought they would use flames, but never imagined that it would be this large. He did not know which insane bastard did this, but it looks like he planned to cover the entire mountain in flames, including himself.
“Everyone leave! Push the flame for now! No… cut down the trees around and knock them all down to a far place! Hurry!”
Crack!
If it was difficult to take down the target, then erase its presence by completely destroying it. The strategy was not so bad. But… does that not mean no one could stop this?
A forest fire of this level could reach their pavilion!
Tatak!
Swish!
Before they knew it, the members of Blood Killing Troops were jumping out and throwing their sword energy at the trees.
“Jerks! After training I will kill all of them!”
It was really horrible to know that they could not help but suffer now.
A distance from there—
Kwaaang! Wheik!
The flames were getting stronger. No matter how hard they tried, they were already covered in flames.
“Will we continue to watch?”
An instructor came up and asked.
“What if we wait to see? But no way is there?”
Wheik!
There was fire and smoke everywhere. Despite trying their best, the safety of the instructors seemed tough.
Gyo Jin-woon coughed at the flame and smoke.
“If there is a person who can go into the flame there, then sure. I will praise them. But what good will that do when the person will die?”
“…Well.”
The instructor nodded.
No one thought about entering the flame even once. Forget the heat, now the smoke was also covering the place.
“If one can survive in there, that alone deserves praise.”
Wheeeik!
The wind in the mountains did not stop. It continued to fan the flames.
Step
And in that place full of fire, a single human form moved.
It was, of course, Ghost Incarnate.
Even though the fire had spread everywhere and his vision was blocked, he was cautiously moving in.
The Great Law of Heaven and Land—
It was a breathing technique of stepping into a higher form of such techniques, where the breathing is fully halted.
Wheikk! Tik!
Even the flame’s sparks bounced off his body. The burn marks of the flames could be seen on his clothes. And unlike the others, his skin was burned in places.
This was because he had endured this flame and heat for a very long time.
“Huh.”
He lowered himself and crawled through the flames. Then, he looked at the sword on the podium.
“What is this now?”
“…?”
But he doubted his eyes.
Because there was someone wearing a mask and holding a sword.
“I will take this first.”
“…!”
That voice—
It was the voice of Seol-Hwi, the man who had rendered him useless in the past.
There were changes to the existing mission along with an update to their target.
The news all came in an instant. It was Ghost Incarnate, released by the Second Disciple who shouted out,
“Move quickly! Hurry!”
As soon as he got the information, he led his men and moved ahead.
Even if he had been not planning to, he was pushed into a position where he had to cover himself and move defensively. The sudden change in the mission felt rather nice to him.
“Make sure to look around first. You and you. The rest wait here.”
After a while, they arrived at the Dark Temple and gave orders to the other members. After a while, the members who were in charge of scouting looked at the area.
Shhh
When Ghost Incarnate asked, the response came,
“We checked the temple, and the treasure is proudly placed on the first floor. It doesn’t seem to be difficult to take it, the problem though is the…”
“Getting in?”
“Yes.”
He took a deep breath and then spoke,
“There are four instructors on the first floor. They were all on high alert and looked to be preparing for invasion. There are two instructors on the second floor. They are monitoring the surroundings. There doesn’t seem to be anyone on the third floor… I didn’t feel anyone. Or they must be stronger.”
“…”
“What do we do? There are overlapping places, I don’t think it will be easy to sneak past all of them and take the item on the first floor.”
“That, you don’t have to worry about it. Just do as you are told.”
Ghost Incarnate did not care and smiled. He planned to move alone right from the start.
“Hmm…”
Still, the guys did spend time together. If the instructors were being this cautious, then the plan should be thought over again.
Ghost Incarnate thought as he looked at the land around. The valley, the hills… After looking around for a long time, he came up with one method.
“You, you, and you two. Get out there and set fire to the place.”
He drew lines on the ground to help them with direction. He was aiming for the outside area close to them.
It was the last step in the plan, and the path seemed clear.
“No matter how many instructors there are, it will not be easy to look around because of the noise, and the mess a fire will create. I can enter through the opening created and escape.”
“Fire…”
“Are the instructors just going to come out for the sake of a fire? They are all skilled people.”
The members looked doubtful. The strategy made was not so bad, though.
Among the tactics of the Blood Strong Troops, if they are trying to assassinate the target, then they are skilled at that, and they are used to misdirection the attention of people by using such tricks.
But the instructors would also know of this strategy. They should be well prepared for that.
According to his own observations, the instructors inside were from the same unit. And they were the elite of the elite. No matter how much one broke through the fire, they could not…
“Right. That means the entire mountain will be burned down. Look at the land.”
Swhh.
Ghost Incarnate made rough lines on the land.
“Here is the slope and the valley is here… this time, the mountain and valley winds will be pretty strong. Once it catches flame, it will spread through the mountain.”
“…?’
“…!”
The members were shocked, and it was then that they figured out what the real purpose of the fire was.
“Forest fire…”
“Are you even sane!”
The danger of a forest fire was unknown for those who had not experienced it. There would be high temperatures and smoke. And the flames which would spread all around, even trying to face the flames would mean risking their lives.
“Why? It has to be at that level for the instructors to be drawn out. Isn’t it natural that one has to take the right actions to create an opening when there is none?”
“Hey, you… then you will die.”
According to Ghost Incarnate’s plan, if a large forest fire breaks out, even if the instructors withdrew, it would be difficult for the most skilled to handle it and claim the target.
In other words, in the purposefully caused flame, the life of this idiot would also be at risk.
“Kuak. Why do you care about me? You guys do what you are good at.”
But Ghost Incarnate laughed at their concerns and spoke with a sunken look.
“Look at each other. The guy who accidentally gets in contact with the instructor will be caught… and those who do that will get their necks snapped by me.”
“That… there might be another group trying to get us caught.”
“Right, staying still will make it difficult.”
“Phew…”
At the eyes of Ghost Incarnate which looked enraged, the members stepped back.
That guy is insane, really insane.
He was truly wild, and they did not even have the slightest desire to get bitten by this one. And he had problems himself until now, so he must have his own thoughts.
As much as he already showed his judgment which surpassed common sense, it felt like they could actually succeed.
Tatak
If he is careful, then everything would be fine.
While the members moved in position to start the fire, only one person came to the mind of Ghost Incarnate. It was the one who knocked him down once, the one who seemed insane.
He will definitely come to stop me.
And this was what made him excited. Actually, to him, the rules of this mission were not so important. He was one who needed power.
He wanted to feel strong by killing that one person with his own hands.
“I will kill you this time.”
After a long time, the members of his who had to moved out to start the fire vanished—
Tak
A fire broke out in the distance. It was the start of the plan.
“Phew….”
Gyo Jin-woon was leaning against the window while looking at the dense forest. He did not like this time’s training session at all.
Why? Well because he heard about 20 of the Blood Strong Troops’ men had been killed.
At first, it was just ten people or so, but at dawn, the count had increased further. There was also news that an elite warrior had also been taken down.
“This training session seems to be pretty intense. There are people sent by the disciples of the Heavenly Demon and many died during the training, perhaps because of their nature.”
An instructor came over and talked to him.
“The ones who die are weak. Are there any dead among the Blood Killing Troops?”
“None.”
“Right. No matter how low one is. They are on a different level.”
The difference between Blood Strong Troops and Blood Killing Troops was great.
The people who were put in as spies to check on the condition of the training were the lowest of their troops.
Among them, there was one who was in the top 20.
And to such a person, things were not going right. That was why he was annoyed.
“It isn’t going to be any normal attack.”
Gyo Jin-woon, tired, looked at what was happening.
The disciples’ subordinates were going to act as variables, but even so they cannot jump in using that as an excuse.
Unless one was a skilled warrior, who was confident they could block anything as they were told to do whatever they could at all costs.
“How do you think they will approach this?”
When the instructor asked, he snorted.
“They will try to look over any means and methods. They might also use poison. Or even use a sword in the dark time of the forest. But if it was me, I would use flame.”
Think of the situation from another person’s point of view, surprise and ambush were what the Blood Strong troops excelled at. Therefore, they definitely would be able to defend against that.
“There is a limit to using flame. There is enough water and sand to stop it. Even if this place burns, leaving with the sword later would be impossible.”
He turned his head and looked at the sword.
When a plan changed just slightly, loopholes were bound to be exposed. So, in order to weed out the unexpected opponent, there should be an unexpected bait.
To place such a precious thing here… I don’t like it…
As a result, they put the Small Flame Sword, a sword which should be able to negate cold energy techniques and extreme Blood Palm Martial Arts without losing much. The fact that this was being used for a training session did not feel so great. That was because of the importance of this sword.
Tatatak. Tak!
They suddenly felt a presence, and then an instructor came running.
“F-fire! They set the mountain on fire.”
“As we thought.”
One of the instructors smiled. It was a way to draw their attention.
“Intended one.”
Gyo Jin-woon laughed. That much, he thought about how to react with their motive.
“Everyone! You need to escape! The flames are moving this way!’
“Ha. What are you making such a fuss for? The fire can be taken down with water and sand…”
“It isn’t at that level! Just come and see!”
“…?”
Only then did the instructors all stand up and look to where the person was pointing at with a pale face.
Wheik
“This…”
“Fuck!”
They groaned lowly, seeing the fire devour everything.
Tatatal!
Wooong!
The wind blew in. Due to the season, the wind around this place would rise. The wind now was only making the flame burn things more.
Wheeik! Wheeeik!
“Those insane bastards…”
He thought they would use flames, but never imagined that it would be this large. He did not know which insane bastard did this, but it looks like he planned to cover the entire mountain in flames, including himself.
“Everyone leave! Push the flame for now! No… cut down the trees around and knock them all down to a far place! Hurry!”
Crack!
If it was difficult to take down the target, then erase its presence by completely destroying it. The strategy was not so bad. But… does that not mean no one could stop this?
A forest fire of this level could reach their pavilion!
Tatak!
Swish!
Before they knew it, the members of Blood Killing Troops were jumping out and throwing their sword energy at the trees.
“Jerks! After training I will kill all of them!”
It was really horrible to know that they could not help but suffer now.
A distance from there—
Kwaaang! Wheik!
The flames were getting stronger. No matter how hard they tried, they were already covered in flames.
“Will we continue to watch?”
An instructor came up and asked.
“What if we wait to see? But no way is there?”
Wheik!
There was fire and smoke everywhere. Despite trying their best, the safety of the instructors seemed tough.
Gyo Jin-woon coughed at the flame and smoke.
“If there is a person who can go into the flame there, then sure. I will praise them. But what good will that do when the person will die?”
“…Well.”
The instructor nodded.
No one thought about entering the flame even once. Forget the heat, now the smoke was also covering the place.
“If one can survive in there, that alone deserves praise.”
Wheeeik!
The wind in the mountains did not stop. It continued to fan the flames.
Step
And in that place full of fire, a single human form moved.
It was, of course, Ghost Incarnate.
Even though the fire had spread everywhere and his vision was blocked, he was cautiously moving in.
The Great Law of Heaven and Land—
It was a breathing technique of stepping into a higher form of such techniques, where the breathing is fully halted.
Wheikk! Tik!
Even the flame’s sparks bounced off his body. The burn marks of the flames could be seen on his clothes. And unlike the others, his skin was burned in places.
This was because he had endured this flame and heat for a very long time.
“Huh.”
He lowered himself and crawled through the flames. Then, he looked at the sword on the podium.
“What is this now?”
“…?”
But he doubted his eyes.
Because there was someone wearing a mask and holding a sword.
“I will take this first.”
“…!”
That voice—
It was the voice of Seol-Hwi, the man who had rendered him useless in the past.
