The Martial Genius Who Remembers Everything Novel - Chapter 93

Chapter 93
## Chapter 93. Time for the Hunt (7)

“They have vanished.”

Jegal So-myeong knitted his brows together.

Once more.

Yet again, the Trial Tokens had dropped off the map.

The adjudicators overseeing the Murim Academy Exam tracked these Trial Tokens. By following their movements, the ultimate determination of who advanced or failed would be settled.

Naturally, keeping tabs on each of the four thousand Trial Tokens during the initial stage was an impossible feat.

Because of this, they mapped out the anticipated trajectories and passed along the coordinates of the Trial Tokens to the overseers stationed in the neighboring territories.

When questioned about the possibility of human error ruining the process, Jegal So-myeong shook his head with absolute conviction.

“We have multiple layers of fail-safes operational to ensure that does not occur.”

Furthermore, the intelligence delivered via the carrier pigeons was far too precise to be shrugged off as a mere blunder.

“Two hundred. And every single one belongs to the primary factions, no less.”

Two hundred Trial Tokens in total, combining the tallies from both the first and second stages.

Relative to the four thousand tokens distributed in the opening trial, it might appear to be a minor statistical anomaly, but analyzing the specific tokens and the identities of the missing candidates painted a completely different picture.

The Nine Sects and One Gang.

The Five Great Clans.

The One Hundred Eight Peaks.

The perpetrators were selectively picking off the very candidates most likely to secure admission into the Murim Academy—the individuals destined to serve as the future backbone of the Murim Alliance.

“Do you suspect this to be the handiwork of the Black Path?”

“…….”

Jegal So-myeong shifted his gaze to Maeng Ju-won, who had abruptly interjected.

Deep shadows had crept down the young man’s face, reaching his cheeks. Despite his exhausted appearance, the intensity in his eyes remained sharp and undiminished.

“What leads you to that conclusion?”

“The data points are far too deliberate to be brushed aside as an accident.”

“Elaborate on that.”

“The vast majority of those targeted in these large-scale eliminations represent the secondary tier of talent from the Nine Sects and One Gang alongside the One Hundred Eight Peaks. If you look at the total population, the loss seems trivial. However, if you view them as the core personnel meant to fortify the mid-tier ranks upon joining the Academy or executing duties for the Murim Alliance, it is the precise quantity required to dismantle the structural equilibrium.”

“Ha.”

Despite the gravity of the circumstances, Jegal So-myeong let out a faint chuckle.

He found himself thinking that if there were just one more capable individual like this around, he might actually be able to step down from his duties at Mantongbu down the road.

“Who do you believe is pulling the strings?”

“On the surface, the obvious culprit would be the Black Path.”

Jegal So-myeong’s expression darkened.

“However…… it does not bear the markings of the Black Path.”

His eyes snapped wide open once more at those words.

“Continue. Do not hesitate.”

“An open conflict with the Black Path would inevitably escalate into total warfare. The ultimate objective of the Black Path is to seize dominance over more than half of the Jianghu. Viewed through that lens, the Murim Regular Exam is a windfall for them; they can simply sit back and reap the rewards of our self-inflicted losses. There is absolutely no incentive for them to intervene directly.”

Jegal So-myeong gave a slow nod of agreement.

The assessment was entirely accurate.

With every iteration of the Murim Regular Exam, the streets of the Jianghu ran red with the blood of the Orthodox Path’s disciples.

While it forged a more lethal elite for the Murim Alliance, their collective numbers were significantly depleted in the process.

“Then whose work do you suppose this is?”

Maeng Ju-won paused, contemplating deeply for a brief moment before offering a slow shake of his head.

“I cannot pinpoint a specific entity.”

“…….”

“Yet their ultimate objective is glaringly obvious.”

“Which is?”

“The complete annihilation of the Murim Alliance.”

“Haa.”

A heavy breath escaped Jegal So-myeong’s lips. Maeng Ju-won had bluntly articulated the terrifying conclusion that had been bouncing around in his own mind—a thought he had been too apprehensive to follow to its logical end point. It was the kind of bold declaration only a young, passionate, and uncorrupted mind could voice so freely.

“Are you truly content to just sit on your hands, then?”

“……?”

Under no circumstances would the Murim Alliance ever halt the progress of the Murim Regular Exam.

Regardless of what catastrophes manifested, navigating through them was woven into the very fabric and heritage of the testing process.

“Is this danger not far too severe to simply ignore?”

“It merely presents itself as a severe threat. We have no definitive confirmation yet. Should the Alliance intervene prematurely, it will cast a shadow of doubt over the integrity of the entire examination.”

He found himself internalizing a sudden curiosity about why this youth, who clearly comprehended the rules, was pressing the issue so urgently.

“If things continue on this trajectory, a catastrophe of massive proportions is inevitable.”

“…….”

Had this young man managed to foresee a danger that even he had overlooked?

“Our So-un has advanced straight into the coordinates where those Trial Tokens vanished. We must extract him before he is overwhelmed by the threat.”

“…….”

He had never even laid eyes on the boy, yet he was already speaking of him with such familiar endearment.

“If things end here, I will never get the chance to wed, I will never father a brood of clever children, nor will I ever find a gentle wife…… Aaaagh!”

For a fool incapable of maintaining his focus, a sharp blow was always the most effective remedy.

The Judge’s Brush gripped in Jegal So-myeong’s fingers swept toward Maeng Ju-won, executing the fluid forms of the Red Leaf Flying Flower—a technique widely recognized as an Ultimate Art within the Jianghu.

“Perish!”

—

“We represent the Namgung Clan. State your identities!”

While the retainers of the Namgung Clan scrambled to assemble their casualties during that fleeting window, Namgung Seon-hwa barked a demand at the obscured, dark combatants. Her words were met with absolute silence.

“Assume defensive positions!”

CLANGCLANGCLANGCLANGCLANGCLANGCLANGCLANGCLANG!

In unison, the disciples of both the Namgung Clan and the Iron Sword Sect unsheathed their silver blades, rapidly locking into a defensive Sword Formation.

“Identify yourselves immediately, or we will initiate an assault!”

“…….”

The group of roughly twenty cloaked adversaries offered no reply. They made no visible movements to coordinate or communicate amongst themselves either.

They remained perfectly motionless, resembling the ancient boulders and timber of the landscape, an unnatural stillness that only heightened the creeping dread in the air.

Furthermore, for reasons he could not articulate, his chest felt as though it were constricting, his pulse racing out of control.

Cracking under the immense psychological weight, Cho Mu-bin finally bellowed the command.

“Charge!”

In that identical heartbeat, pale, gleaming steel slid out from beneath the dark fabric of their heavy cloaks, which had previously given them the appearance of obsidian stones.

The weapons possessed jagged, unrefined contours, lacking any semblance of traditional craftsmanship.

Horrifyingly, fresh crimson fluid was visibly trickling down the flat surfaces of the steel.

Just as the martial artists surged forward with renewed ferocity to mask their rising panic—

They ground to a sudden halt as a violent ripple resonated through the atmosphere.

It was the identical sensation experienced at Zhenjiang Port.

A suffocating gravity that seemed to violently vacuum the oxygen from the surrounding space.

Following that ominous trembling of the air……

The concussive force manifested with terrifying velocity.

BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM.

The devastating hand strike that had obliterated a multitude of vessels setting sail from Zhenjiang Port in a solitary strike was now unleashed directly toward the cloaked figures.

“Huff, huff…… We must retreat immediately!”

“What?”

The warriors found themselves utterly bewildered.

Witnessing Jin So-un—a man who had remained unfailingly collected through every previous crisis—display such urgency struck a chord of deep panic within them.

Kang Seo-pyo and Cho Mu-bin exchanged a rapid, knowing glance.

While they had aligned themselves to assist the group in navigating the trials, their paramount responsibility as protectors was the safety of Namgung Seon-hwa and Seong Mo-ran.

Ultimately, both Kang Seo-pyo and Cho Mu-bin resolved to place their absolute faith in the capabilities Jin So-un had displayed thus far.

“Fall back!”

“Retreat!”

Without hesitation, the retainers scooped up their wounded comrades and leapt backward into a dead sprint.

Jin So-un, conversely, lunged directly into the chaotic dust storm where the residual energy of the Radiant Heaven Divine Palm was still crackling, reappearing in the blink of an eye.

Griped firmly in his hands were one of those grotesque, jagged blades and a freshly severed limb.

“Young Master Jin…….”

“Explanations will have to wait…… Our singular priority right now is breaching the perimeter of Feng County, no matter the cost.”

Their original strategy dictated bypassing Feng County entirely to evade unwanted attention. However, observing the sheer gravity etched onto Jin So-un’s features, there was no room left to debate their route.

—

‘What business do those monsters have in this territory? And what exactly are they hunting?’

Jegal So-myeong possessed a mind of unparalleled brilliance.

That reality became undeniably clear to me as I committed the entire library of Mantongbu’s intelligence to memory.

It surpassed mere intellectual capacity.

He was a master architect of structural order.

Bereft of a solid operational framework, no organization could survive across generations.

Certain frameworks were engineered to endure for a decade.

Others were designed to function for half a century.

And a select few were built to survive for a hundred years.

Jegal So-myeong had constructed a century-lasting framework within the Murim Alliance. That grand architecture was forged through his highly individualized methodology for processing secrets.

He structured Mantongbu and conceived Sim Hyeon-gak to evaluate the relative gravity and authenticity of gathered intelligence.

By maximizing the utility of the Heavenly Eye Pavilion alongside the sparse assets of the Murim Alliance, he successfully embedded informants across every corner of the Jianghu.

Subsequently, he systematically mapped out the acquired data along timelines, effectively reconstructing the historical blind spots that individual human reports failed to capture.

From his seat within Mantongbu, he observed the macrocosm of the world as if it were laid bare right before his eyes.

Yet, even with these redundant tiers of verification operational, instances still arose where critical gaps formed within the data stream.

He categorized these specific anomalies as “missing pieces.”

Even while relying on an information system he trusted implicitly, he harbored a permanent awareness that elements remained hidden from his sight.

He had explicitly documented the principle that to uncover these elusive missing pieces, one had to carefully analyze the surrounding elements.

‘The Missing Piece Theory.’

Currently, within the confines of my mind, that very methodology was taking shape; the disparate fragments of data were interlocking, steering me toward the hidden reality.

◎ The calculated strike against Murong Sang-won.

◎ The resurgence of the Demonic Cult aiming for future hegemony over the Jianghu.

◎ The mysterious disappearances of Hyeoncheong from the Wudang Sect and Yeon U-mun from the Mount Hua Sect.

◎ The distinctive skeletal trauma characteristic of the Fluid-Body Bone Sword discovered within the remains of both Hyeoncheong and Yeon U-mun.

◎ The sudden manifestation of the Dark Soul-Severing Unit, an entity that had no logical reason to operate in this sector.

When those surrounding fragments aligned perfectly—precisely as Jegal So-myeong predicted—the hidden truth emerged.

–The systematic liquidation of pivotal assets within the Murim Alliance to lay the groundwork for the impending Great Righteous-Demonic War.

“Confound it.”

The terrifying reality was that this hidden truth would seek to exterminate us completely to eliminate any witnesses and safeguard their grand strategy.

The Dark Soul-Severing Unit.

An elite covert operational force structured strictly into a detachment of a mere twenty combatants.

They were engineered abominations born of the Demonic Cult, created by forcing peak-tier combatants to master the Dark Demon Sword—an unnatural style blending complete visual concealment with lethal blade work—before forcing them through the agonizing anatomical re-engineering known as the Fluid-Body Bone Sword.

A single fireteam comprised only four individuals, yet given the proper tactical setting, that lone quad could decisively overwhelm ten members of the illustrious Hundred Greatest Masters under Heaven.

And those exact monstrosities were currently tracking our footsteps.

“Illumination…… We desperately require illumination.”

The absolute bottleneck when engaging such adversaries was the physical environment.

An absolute night, devoid of light, served as their ideal theater of operations.

Having just unleashed the full fury of the Radiant Heaven Divine Palm, my internal reservoirs of energy were practically depleted. I had rationed my reserves as conservatively as possible, but the technique was so demanding that I was currently forcing the absolute dregs of my energy center just to sustain the Unrivaled under Heaven Movement Art.

Even so, the gamble had paid off to some degree.

A operative belonging to the Dark Soul-Severing Unit had sustained a direct impact from my unannounced Radiant Heaven Divine Palm, instantly reducing him to a wandering spirit and leaving nothing behind but a detached arm.

It was an extraordinary achievement—one that would have prompted the members of my former life’s Sojeong Squad to pool their monthly earnings just to treat me to a celebratory feast.

“What in heaven’s name are we dealing with…….”

“Do not dare to decrease your pace!”

Whether a viable counterstrategy existed was a question for another hour. If we attempted a prolonged engagement at this moment, the survival of the Namgung Clan, the Iron Sword Sect, and the trio of Gold, Silver, and Bronze brothers would be forfeit.

“Guh!”

Despite my command, the echo of a sharp cry from the rear caused Namgung Seon-hwa and Seong Mo-ran to reflexively look back.

A retainer had collapsed heavily onto the earth, desperately extending a hand toward safety.

As Kang Seo-pyo signaled another swordsman with a sharp nod, that fighter assumed his position to guide Namgung Seon-hwa forward, allowing Kang Seo-pyo to pivot and sprint back toward the danger.

An obscured assailant was already descending, intending to drive a pale blade directly through the fallen warrior.

Kang Seo-pyo unleashed the full majesty of the Boundless Firmament Sword Art, his steel shimmering with condensed Sword Qi.

SHRASHRASHRASHRA.

The velocity of Kang Seo-pyo’s strike successfully cleaved the obscured adversary into three distinct sections.

Yet, despite the precision of his execution, his expression filled with absolute horror.

SQUELCH.

Despite sustaining injuries that should have been fatal, the dark figure merely dissolved momentarily like a wisp of vapor before instantly materializing to drive its blade through the fallen retainer’s throat.

“How is this possible……”

Having confirmed the swift termination of the retainer’s life, the dark figure re-oriented, slicing its pale weapon toward Kang Seo-pyo once more.

SWISH.

An execution faster and more flawless than anything Kang Seo-pyo could muster whistled through the air, designed to sever his frame into four pieces.

Forcing the absolute limits of the Unrivaled under Heaven Movement Art, I closed the distance to Kang Seo-pyo in a flash, seizing him firmly by the collar of his uniform before dragging him back into full flight.

SLASH, SLASH.

While he narrowly escaped being quartered, a heavy spray of crimson erupted violently from a deep laceration across Kang Seo-pyo’s torso.

“Khuh.”

In that identical moment, I discharged every remaining emergency flare I had been issued.

Of the four signaling devices that rocketed skyward, three were intercepted mid-flight by projectiles launched from the shadows, tumbling back to earth while producing nothing but white mist. However, a solitary flare managed to detonate successfully overhead, momentarily casting a stark light that illuminated the shifting forms of the Dark Soul-Severing Unit.

“Hiiik!”

Despite being hauled backward across the dirt, Kang Seo-pyo completely forgot the agony of his laceration, letting out a terrified shriek as if staring directly at an unholy abomination.

“There is the settlement!”

Breaking through the suffocating perimeter of shadow, the glowing boundary of Feng County materialized ahead, shimmering like a dense cluster of fireflies in the dark.

—

“Do you perhaps require the company of courtesans?”

“…… shreds.”

The proprietor of the entertainment establishment scanned the expressions of our bedraggled group, his voice trailing off into silence the moment his eyes registered the striking countenances of Seong Mo-ran and Namgung Seon-hwa.

“Ahem…… perhaps it would be more suitable to summon performance artists instead?”

“Simply provide sustenance.”

Cho Mu-bin tossed a coin purse into the man’s hands. The proprietor grumbled beneath his breath, seemingly dissatisfied with the arrangement, before turning on his heel to depart.

His reaction was entirely warranted, given that our party had commandeered the most prominent seating arrangement situated on the ground level of the establishment.

In an environment where nothing but translucent silk drapes partitioned the various tables, one merely had to glance aside to witness patrons entwined in intimate embraces, the echoes of their debauchery slicing through the thick, frozen quiet of our own gathering.

“…… shreds.”

“…… shreds.”

I was the individual who had deliberately selected this pleasure den over the local outpost of the Azure Sky Merchant Guild within Feng County.

Despite the sheer absurdity of the destination, not a soul among the group offered a word of protest during our transit.

No one possessed the emotional fortitude to break the silence.

At this current juncture, we lacked even the luxury of time to grieve for our fallen companions.

The individuals remaining in this room could easily join those casualties before the night concluded.

Reflecting on that reality, I felt a twisted sense of gratitude that my experiences with the Sojeong Squad had somewhat calloused my spirit against such horrors.

Existing in a world where mortality was a constant shadow, we had learned to adapt to the emotional atmosphere of the present moment.

“What manner of entities were those?”

Kang Seo-pyo now bore a massive compression dressing wrapped securely across his torso.

By some stroke of fortune, the laceration had missed his vital organs, but its sheer width meant that bright crimson fluid was continuously bleeding through the layers of linen binding him.

“I—I can state with absolute certainty that I have never encountered…… something so profoundly unnatural in all my days.”

Hearing the testimony of Kang Seo-pyo, who held the senior rank and greatest breadth of experience among the Namgung Clan retainers, the remaining fighters found themselves completely paralyzed by terror.

“……Is this location secure?”

Namgung Seon-hwa pressed for answers, her gaze wide with profound anxiety.

Because disclosing the absolute depth of my future knowledge was out of the question, I constructed an alternative narrative. I felt no moral dilemma; this fabrication was likely our singular instrument for survival.

“During the period following my departure from the Taeul Sect, when I traveled the roads of the Jianghu independently, I chanced upon those identical figures ambushing a commercial transport caravan.”

I excavated the details of a defunct commercial caravan from the recesses of my memory to paint the picture.

“The security detail possessed formidable martial prowess, and the Escort Agency handling the transport enjoyed an illustrious reputation, leading me to assume the hidden attackers would be soundly defeated.”

“……Yet that was not the outcome.”

I carefully woven factual characteristics into the fabrication.

“The defensive blades of the guards passed clean through them without making contact. They appeared to employ an exceptionally bizarre internal technique. Even when direct strikes landed, it yielded no results, as if their physical forms were composed entirely of fluid.”

The physical structures of those who mastered the Dark Demon Sword and survived the anatomical alterations of the Fluid-Body Bone Sword shifted to mirror the properties of wind and water.

Within the cover of night, pinpointing their physical coordinates was impossible, allowing them to teleport seamlessly between pockets of shadow.

They effectively transformed into phantoms that could not be harmed by conventional weaponry, regardless of the attacker’s skill.

“Then the underlying purpose behind that massive hand strike you deployed was……”

“They were adversaries I had only ever engaged within the theater of my mind. I harbored no certainty that the strike would prove effective.”

I produced the severed limb of the Dark Soul-Severing Unit operative.

“I retrieved this intentionally. To dissect the precise biology of what we are up against.”

The moment I stripped away the concealing fabric, charcoal-colored flesh was exposed to the light.

“Th—This is……”

A pale, crudely formed skeletal spike extended directly out from the center of the palm.

“Is that an anatomical bone?”

The razor-sharp perimeter of the skeletal blade emerging directly through the skin of the hand was a sickening sight.

Namgung Seon-hwa, Seong Mo-ran, and the surrounding retainers all wore looks of sheer horror and disbelief.

“We are obligated to demand an immediate termination of the examination.”

The logical conclusion dictated this course of action.

The Dark Soul-Severing Unit—or more accurately, the Demonic Cult—intended to weaponize the chaos of the testing process to systematically harvest the rising prodigies who would otherwise form the pillars of the Murim Alliance.

“You comprehend that such a course is impossible.”

Throughout the history of the Regular Exam, the process had never been halted for any crisis.

The casualties claimed by the Dark Soul-Severing Unit would be logged as standard exam fatalities, ensuring no formal inquiry would ever be launched.

Conclusively, even if we abandoned the trials at this very moment, every trace of the Dark Soul-Severing Unit would vanish into thin air.

“Th—Then……”

They possessed the ability to completely neutralize their own signature while inflicting catastrophic losses on their enemies. It was an exceptionally brilliant piece of asymmetric warfare.

Given that they had executed such flawless operational parameters, it was no longer a mystery how the Murim Alliance had collapsed with such terrifying speed in my past life.

“For the immediate present, our paramount task is delivering confirmation of their identity to the leadership of the Murim Alliance.”

“That is logical.”

“Assuming we manage to survive the night.”

“What? What are you implying by that…… We have already breached the safety of the town……”

“Those monsters will not simply abandon their quarry.”

The outcome they dreaded above all else was a single shred of their operational footprint becoming known to the wider Jianghu.

Should that occur, the Murim Alliance would immediately fortify their defenses against the Demonic Cult’s eventual grand offensive.

“…….”

“They are operatives who have conducted their entire campaign from the dark while maintaining absolute anonymity. The sole reason we avoided an ambush prior to tonight was likely because their elements were occupied neutralizing alternative examinees.”

Gulp.

If they chose to launch an all-out assault on this establishment right now, they possessed the lethality to wipe us out entirely.

“They will never allow us to walk away.”

However, executing an open massacre inside a town square would guarantee eyewitnesses.

If they were spotted openly, it would immediately expose their hand to the world. That was the specific scenario they sought to avoid at all costs.

“Then…… the strategic rationale behind seeking refuge in a Pleasure House was……”

“Because an entertainment pavilion is the solitary venue where illumination is maintained from dusk until dawn, and where a dense population remains concentrated.”

I was fully aware that the exotic incense permeating the establishment was designed to induce relaxation, yet neither the battle-hardened warriors nor the noble young ladies could find a shred of comfort.

Furthermore, we currently held physical possession of a piece of their operative’s anatomy.

While I could not predict their immediate tactical adjustments, separate from all their other strategic goals, they now possessed a mandatory reason to hunt us down to the last man.

“What is our next move? Should we dispatch an emergency courier to the primary clan estate?”

“Doing so would automatically disqualify you from the evaluation, would it not?”

Namgung Seon-hwa stared at me with an expression that seemed to question what manner of human being I truly was.

“We shall proceed with the examination as intended.”

And I fully designed to slip clean out of their net using the exact strategy they least anticipated.