SYM 106

Eun-hyeon stared wide-eyed at the Pill held out in front of him.

A sweet yet refreshing scent wafted from the Pill. Anyone who didn’t know better would think it was a precious Elixir.

“What is this Pill? Why are you trying to make me take it?”

Eun-hyeon glared and raised his head.

The person in front of Eun-hyeon was dressed as a Eunuch who worked in the Imperial Palace, but his physique was so obese that he didn’t look human. He resembled a huge lump of fat or a small mountain.

Moreover, his face was painted so white that his original skin color was unrecognizable, and only his lips were a vivid, blood-red color, making him extremely grotesque. It felt like facing an Undead that moved like a person.

…Undead.

Thinking this far, Eun-hyeon was startled for a moment.

Perhaps he was just imagining absurd things because he was terrified. But after seeing that Eunuch, he couldn’t easily shake off the thought.

An Undead that spoke and moved like a living person.

It was logically impossible, but hadn’t he already faced something like that?

Namely, the body of the dead Seo Eun-hyeon.

He hadn’t talked to Seo Eun-hyeon that day or looked at him closely, but it was clear that Seo Eun-hyeon’s movements were natural, like a living person, not like an Undead.

So, wouldn’t an Undead Eunuch like that be possible?

“…Who the hell are you? Are you even alive?”

“Hoh?”

At Eun-hyeon’s words, the Eunuch tilted his head slightly and burst into laughter. It sounded like a woman laughing in a high-pitched voice, sending shivers down his spine.

“Ohoho, the young man’s wit is astonishing. How clever.”

The Eunuch laughed like someone who had heard an amusing story and waved his hand, but his fingernails were so long and sharp that they felt like well-honed weapons, making him feel eerie.

To look at him as if he were a commendable grandson after being asked if he was a living being. That man was definitely an Undead.

“You… are not alive.”

Eun-hyeon tried his best not to show any signs of agitation.

If that Eunuch was an Undead, then the person who sent him was a member of the Imperial Family, which was proof that the Imperial Family was definitely involved with the Hongbaek Sect.

Then, naturally, the Third Prince came to mind. Was this what the Third Prince’s warning in Seoan meant?

“Is this the work of the Hongbaek Sect? What on earth does the Hongbaek Sect want?”

What was the Hongbaek Sect’s intention in doing this? Were they trying to take revenge on the Central Plains for driving them out in the past?

“Hoh. I heard you were a young man with a weak heart who couldn’t even say a word properly, but you’re more resolute than I thought. I like it, I like it.”

The Eunuch tapped Eun-hyeon’s face with his sharp fingernails.

“If I had more time right now, I would have had fun playing with you, but it’s a shame. But if you wait a little longer, you’ll have plenty of time to play with me. Don’t worry.”

“What does that…”

Eun-hyeon’s face turned pale.

“You’re much better than your father or your brother. I like you. I’ll put a lot of effort into making you.”

“What are you talking about! Don’t tell me, you didn’t hurt my father and Eung-wang, did you?”

“Hoho, that’s not your concern. You should take your medicine first.”

“What are you trying to do…!”

Eun-hyeon couldn’t finish his sentence.

At the Eunuch’s gesture, the guards approached and grabbed Eun-hyeon’s arms and legs. He couldn’t move at all.

“Let me go right now!”

“Tsk, tsk, I’ll let you go as soon as you take this Pill, so don’t be so impatient. If you had taken it sooner, this wouldn’t have been necessary, would it?”

Eun-hyeon glared at the fragrant Elixir Pill.

That was definitely the medicine used by the Hongbaek Sect to create Undead.

The Demon Physician said that it was more like an anesthetic than a poison, and that he had already developed a tolerance. So maybe even if he took that medicine… it might be okay.

Eun-hyeon clenched his fists tightly, trying to think positively.

His neck was forcibly tilted back. Another person grabbed Eun-hyeon’s nose, preventing him from breathing.

Soon his mouth opened. Just as they were about to put the medicine in.

Shweeek.

Almost simultaneously with the sharp Sonic Boom, there was a dull thud.

When he came to his senses, he saw a Flying Dagger embedded in the head of the guard who had been holding his nose.

Then he heard the sound of something flying again, followed by a series of thuds.

Cheong-un!

As the people who were holding him fell, Eun-hyeon quickly took cover. He almost collapsed from relief.

“W-who is it? What kind of bastard is it!”

One of the soldiers, belatedly realizing the situation, shouted. But all that came back was a sharp Flying Dagger instead of an answer.

Eun-hyeon looked around, trying to find Cheong-un, but he couldn’t see him.

“Oh, my. We have an uninvited guest.”

The Eunuch’s tone was relaxed even as he looked at the fallen guards. It was as if he knew this would happen in advance.

“Who is the uninvited guest? I thought there was someone strangely interfering with our work.”

This time, a Flying Dagger aimed at the Eunuch flew in. The Eunuch caught the Flying Dagger with a swiftness that didn’t match his obese body.

Eun-hyeon looked at the Eunuch in surprise.

“Oh, my. To throw a knife instead of greeting me at our first meeting. What an impolite guest.”

The Eunuch smiled without any sign of surprise.

How could an Undead be so strong?

A chilling thought flashed through his mind.

At that moment, Cheong-un appeared from the darkness. Cheong-un still had the face of Eun-hyeon’s bodyguard, with a long scar on his face.

“Hmph, you’re the one who came into the city with Namgung Eun-hyeon. I heard you were a Second-rate Warrior, but you were hiding your skills after all!”

As a matter of course, the Eunuch seemed to have no idea that Cheong-un was the Demonic Sect Leader.

Cheong-un didn’t seem to want to argue with the Eunuch any longer and immediately drew his sword and charged.

Clang, clang clang.

The space here was narrow, making it the worst place for two people to clash.

Cheong-un moved with minimal movement. In particular, he carefully guided the shockwaves so that they wouldn’t reach Eun-hyeon’s side.

Thanks to this, Eun-hyeon was able to watch the two men’s battle without much difficulty.

Cheong-un…!

It seemed that Cheong-un had decided not to hide his skills anymore. Every time he swung his sword, it was filled with Inner energy, creating a heavy sound each time it collided.

Thud, thud.

The expression gradually disappeared from the Eunuch’s relaxed face. Cheong-un’s sword became faster and faster. He could barely hear the Sonic Boom and couldn’t see it well with his eyes.

The Eunuch, who had been defending frantically, couldn’t keep up with this speed, and he couldn’t block all of Cheong-un’s swords. Each time, Cheong-un’s sword made the huge Eunuch’s body a little more streamlined.

At some point, the Eunuch stepped back.

He seemed to be trying to escape after judging that he couldn’t win, but Cheong-un moved even faster than that.

Swoosh.

With a sharp sound cutting through the air, the Eunuch’s head fell to the floor.

“Hoo-ooh, amazing. Amazing skill. It’s my mistake that I didn’t recognize someone with this level of skill.”

The Eunuch’s head, which had fallen to the floor, wore a surprised expression. Eun-hyeon involuntarily stepped back at the grotesqueness.

“But if you’re relieved just because you cut off my head today, you’re going to have a big problem. Hehehe.”

The Eunuch’s head laughed like that for a while before closing its mouth.

“T-this…”

As Eun-hyeon staggered, Cheong-un approached and supported him.

“You’ve worked hard. Let’s get out of here for now.”

Cheong-un still maintained the face he had transformed into as a bodyguard, and his tone was not the same as usual.

Come to think of it, he hadn’t revealed his original Martial Arts even when confronting that grotesque Eunuch. It seemed that he was trying to hide his identity as much as possible here.

After grasping the situation, Eun-hyeon couldn’t open his mouth easily. He couldn’t gauge what he could say.

But he couldn’t help but say this much.

“W-wait a minute. What about my father and Eung-wang? And the Sect Leader too…”

Cheong-un shook his head.

“That’s impossible. They are all people who can take care of themselves, so let’s get out of here first.”

“…But.”

Eun-hyeon involuntarily hesitated and looked towards the side where the others had been taken. Perhaps they were also being forcibly fed the Hongbaek Sect’s poison.

But Cheong-un’s expression remained unchanged.

When Eun-hyeon reluctantly reached out to Cheong-un, Cheong-un picked Eun-hyeon up.

Cheong-un started running with Eun-hyeon in his arms.

“There, that way!”

The noisy voices of the soldiers could be heard behind Cheong-un as he ran.

Eun-hyeon hugged Cheong-un’s shoulders tightly.

He had no idea how things were going.