Chapter 84: Mujin, Infiltrates

At the same time, Mujin appeared on the roof of a building with four of his subordinates. They included Yaso, who excelled in infiltration and dismantling mechanisms. They were all dressed in black martial attire and wore masks.

For this mission, they did not need numbers. Only a small, elite team that could work in perfect sync was necessary.

In the distance, they looked toward a building lit with dazzling lights.

The Central Plains Treasury of the Murim Alliance Branch.

The distance between the building they were on and the Treasury building was considerable. It was a gap no ordinary expert could cross.

Mujin had concluded that direct infiltration into the Treasury’s interior was impossible. He decided that they would enter through the roof, then break through the ceiling to get inside.

Of course, that path would be filled with countless mechanisms.

That was a problem for later. The real issue was getting onto that roof in the first place.

The entire roof was designed as a trap. The moment one set foot on any part of it, the alarm bells would ring.

At the center of the roof was a small building with a door leading down inside, and fixed atop it was a large iron sphere.

Mujin’s eyes sharpened as he looked at it. The success or failure of this mission depended entirely on that sphere.

“It’s time.”

Yaso began counting down.

“Ten, nine, eight… three, two, one.”

At that exact moment, in the second vault among the many vaults of the Central Plains Treasury’s treasury…

As Yaso counted “one,”

Chi-i-i-i-ik.

Smoke began rising from a deposit slip. It was the very same slip that the Divine Sword Regiment member had deposited earlier that day.

Mujin had coated the slip with a chemical that would produce smoke after a set period of time. The item Yaso had acquired was precisely this coating agent.

As smoke filled the space, the mechanisms designed to respond to fire or poison gas activated, and the alarm bells began to ring.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

Suddenly, the alarm rang out, and the waiting guards poured out.

“It’s an emergency! Emergency!”

The interior became chaotic.

At the same time, Mujin and the Divine Sword Regiment members watched the opposite building with tense expressions.

“Now’s the time.”

The iron sphere on the roof began to rotate. When an emergency occurred inside, the rooftop mechanism switched to wartime mode.

In wartime mode, stepping onto the roof would not only set off the alarm but also cause the sphere to fire deadly projectiles.

The time it took for this system to switch over was extremely short. As the sphere rotated, its color shifted to red, and when it became fully red, the transition would be complete.

Swaaaash.

At the very moment the sphere began to move, Mujin’s figure flew through the night sky. The distance was one no ordinary master could cross, but Mujin was no ordinary master.

He landed precariously on the roof, rolled across the surface, and used the momentum to hurl himself toward the sphere. During this moment of switching from defense to offense, the alarm did not sound.

This was the only weakness Mujin had found.

Clang.

Just as the rotating sphere turned fully red and locked into place, Mujin barely managed to land atop it.

“Phew.”

It was the only spot where one could stand without triggering the mechanism.

A rope was tied around Mujin’s waist, anchored securely to the building he had come from. It was as thin as a fishing line, invisible from below even as it stretched across the night sky.

Mujin gripped it tightly, and Yaso, followed by the other men, hurled themselves across. Unable to cross in one leap like Mujin, they stepped on the rope midway to propel themselves onto the building.

They all landed atop the sphere.

But they could not move from that spot. Anywhere else on the roof would trigger the trap. So they stood there quietly, waiting for the right moment.

* * *

Inside, the chaos settled down. The guards searched every corner but found nothing unusual.

“There is no sign of an intruder. We checked every vault and found no issues. It seems the mechanism simply malfunctioned briefly.”

The smoke from the slip left no trace after a certain period of time.

The vice branch leader sighed with relief at the report.

“Call the mechanism engineers at first light.”

“Understood.”

“Stand down from emergency status.”

“Got it!”

That was the moment Mujin had been waiting for.

Whirrrrr!

The rooftop sphere began rotating again. As soon as it moved, they leapt down.

Yaso and the men clung to the door and began dismantling the mechanism.

The round iron plate Yaso held was made of a highly magnetic metal. It was a special tool called a detection plate, used to locate mechanism points.

Woong! Woong! Woooong!

Yaso located the mechanism points with the plate, and the others attached palm-sized devices to them. These temporarily disabled the mechanisms.

The sphere was almost done rotating. The red section was nearly gone.

Mujin called in a low voice.

“Faster! Hurry!”

Sensing imminent failure, Mujin considered retreating. He would send the others back over the building first, then jump himself. They would have to flee without looking back.

Just then, Yaso disabled the last mechanism. At the same time, he shoved the door open. The lock shattered and the door swung wide.

“It’s open.”

All five men jumped inside one after another. Mujin was the last, and as his feet left the air…

Clang.

The sphere reverted to its original state, and the rooftop once again became impenetrable to any intruder.

“Phewww.”

Once inside, Mujin let out a sigh.

It was very close. Even though the door was broken, the alarm had not gone off. They had successfully dismantled the mechanism on the door.

Mujin looked at his men. Just by their eyes, they could understand one another’s thoughts. Loyal and dependable, they each gave a single nod.

Mujin closed the door they had come through. The dazzling night view beyond the roof vanished as it shut.

In its place stretched a dark corridor, signaling the true beginning of the mission.

“Let’s go.”

The five men vanished into the darkness.

* * *

The banquet continued late into the night.

Lee Jaseung met as many people as possible, making sure his presence at that time and place was known.

Among them was Elder Yeo Beom, who had once entertained him.

“Hahaha, this Expert Seop is truly a brilliant man. There is nothing he does not know.”

Yeo Beom kept praising him, and Lee Jaseung, skilled at handling people without being prickly, earned much goodwill.

“I have a question. May I ask?”

The clear voice belonged to Hwa Su.

“Go ahead.”

“What made you decide to enter the martial arts tournament?”

All eyes turned to Lee Jaseung. It was a question everyone had wondered about.

A short distance away, Baek Seolyoung also looked at him. She had once asked him the same thing by the lakeside.

Back then, he had said that wanting to win had nothing to do with her, an answer that had made her furious.

Did he still think that way?

In truth, the one most curious about his answer now was Baek Seolyoung herself.

When Lee Jaseung did not answer, Hwa Su pressed again.

“Perhaps you have some grand ambition?”

Her words implied suspicion that he might have intended to use Baek Seolyoung and the Northern Sky Clan. Everyone understood the undertone and waited with interest.

Lee Jaseung turned his head to look at Baek Seolyoung.

Their gazes met in the air.

After looking at her for a moment, he spoke loudly and confidently for all to hear.

“Because she is beautiful. With such a beautiful woman, what other reason could there be?”

Gasps arose around them. Some laughed, others looked on with jealousy.

Hwa Su was among those who laughed.

“Lord Baek, you are fortunate.”

Baek Seolyoung, her face slightly flushed, only smiled.

Just then, a Murim Alliance guard hurried over to whisper something to the Alliance Leader.

The leader’s face hardened, and he quickly followed the man out.

Soon after, another man entered and whispered to Yeo Beom, whose face also grew grim as he left.

One after another, people came in to relay news. Everyone here tonight was a prominent figure with their own sources of information.

Then someone’s voice was heard.

“There are rumors the Central Plains Treasury has been robbed.”

The words spread a stir through the room. Several people rushed out. Most of those present did business with the Central Plains Treasury.

A satisfied smile formed on Lee Jaseung’s lips. Mujin had accomplished the impossible.

Baek Seolyoung, in shock, spoke.

“The Central Plains Treasury was robbed? Is that even possible?”

Lee Jaseung replied casually,

“It’s probably a mistake.”

At that moment, Hwa Su approached them.

“You two don’t seem very surprised.”

Lee Jaseung answered first.

“Those without money can rest easy at times like this.”

Hwa Su then looked at Baek Seolyoung.

She shrugged and replied.  

“It’s not my primary trading house.”

Hwa Su gave a small laugh, though she felt oddly displeased. At the start of the evening, she had been excited, confident she could humble Baek Seolyoung, famed for her beauty.

She had done it before with others, making them feel inferior no matter their looks. Any man, no matter how devoted to a beautiful woman, fell into her sway when she decided to tempt him. Though she never actually pursued a relationship, it was a form of sport for her.

But these two were different from anyone she had faced before. Baek Seolyoung was even more beautiful than her reputation suggested, without vanity or conceit.

And Lee Jaseung. The uniqueness he exuded was indescribable. After a flurry of mixed feelings, she settled on one emotion.

‘…How annoying.’

* * *

Only a single safe deposit box had been taken.

For the Central Plains Treasury, it was as if they had lost everything.

Standing dazed before the open vault was The Bear Tyrant.

He had rushed there early in the morning after an urgent summon, and the sight of the empty vault made his heart feel as if it would leap from his chest.

The contents were something that must never be lost.

Beside him, the branch leader of the Murim Alliance kept his head bowed, repeating his apologies.

“I am truly sorry.”

No excuse could suffice.

The Bear Tyrant said nothing. Fearing he might lose control and cause an incident, the branch leader had stationed the Treasury’s top experts at his side.

“Whatever was stolen, I swear on the name of this Treasury to recover it. If we cannot, we will fully compensate you.”

The Bear Tyrant’s eyes twitched. The guards by the branch leader tensed. But instead of attacking, The Bear Tyrant spoke in a low voice.

“Do you think this can be settled with money?”

The branch leader bowed deeper, and the Bear Tyrant sighed.

He could not understand. If the thieves could break into this private vault, they could have taken anything in the Treasury, yet they had touched nothing else. Not even a single coin, besides the contents of this one vault.

The Bear Tyrant realized there was no reason to remain here.

He strode out, and the branch leader called after him from afar.

“We are conducting a detailed investigation into how they infiltrated. I will personally ensure the stolen item is recovered.”

The Bear Tyrant gave no reply and walked out. These were people who had breached the Treasury’s secret vault. To think they could capture such individuals on their own? Absurd.

This was not something that could be resolved with money.

The stolen item was a single book. It contained records of Murim Alliance personnel he had recruited over the years, with detailed notes on when and how they had leaked secrets, spanning more than a decade.

Dozens of Alliance members had their names in it. If this list became public, the uproar would be immense.

When Yang Jeong had escaped earlier, The Bear Tyrant had felt a strange unease. Now it had exploded into a catastrophe beyond his ability to contain.

His pace quickened.

It had been a long time since he had to see this person.

On a distant rooftop, Lee Jaseung stood with his arms crossed, watching a lizard’s tail wriggle toward its body. A faint smile formed on his lips.

Everything was proceeding according to plan.

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