The next day.
We gathered together with the Dang Clan Twin Heroes and the Hye-seong Group employees, all fully prepared.
Before setting out, we took some time to go over the operation.
“As I mentioned, our primary objective is to search for traces of the Blood Cult. What we do afterward will depend on the situation.”
What if we end up chasing a false lead and find nothing?
Then we can just treat it as a rare chance to get out and clear our heads.
What really matters is if we actually find traces of the Blood Cult or encounter them.
I raised one finger at a time.
“First, if their numbers are too small, we’ll refrain from stepping in directly and instead inform our allies before pulling back.”
For example, if it’s just a handful of minor Blood Cult fighters?
Other sects or guilds should be more than capable of handling them.
There’s no need for an A-rank group like us to waste time and energy.
“And there’s no benefit in making a scene.”
If the Blood Cult detects our movements, they’ll likely go into hiding again.
In the worst case, they might even set a trap for us.
It’s best to stay as quiet as possible.
I raised another finger.
“On the other hand, if their forces are too large, we’ll withdraw immediately and return. The same goes if any unexpected situation arises.”
“What exactly qualifies as ‘too large’?”
At Ahn Jeong-mi’s question, I answered right away.
“If our chances of winning are less than 100%, or if it looks like we’d take casualties even if we win, then we consider it ‘large’.”
“That’s a very cautious standard.”
“This operation is designed to secure gains, after all.”
If we were planning to risk our lives in an all-out fight, it would be better to wait for a full-scale war.
For Ahn Jeong-mi, keeping Seo Ye-in safe was the top priority, so she seemed to approve of my judgment.
Finally, I raised a third finger.
“If it falls somewhere in between, neither too small nor too large, then we engage.”
The Dang twins each added a comment in turn.
“If we can eliminate forces of that size, it will greatly help in the eventual full-scale war.”
“However, it’s questionable whether we’ll actually encounter a situation that fits those conditions.”
“What’s there to worry about? As long as we find them, it’s a gain either way.”
“…True enough. I’ll trust your judgment.”
“You seem to have a good eye for this.”
I smiled slightly.
“Thank you for the vote of confidence. Next, let’s go over the locations we’ll be checking.”
I took out a map, spread it open, and marked the most likely spots.
A product of the huge amount of data accumulated over hundreds of graduations.
Although the Blood Cult didn’t target Sichuan every time, whenever they did set foot here, they frequently occupied places like these.
The types of locations varied widely, ranging from restaurants to gyms, arcades, and theaters.
But among them, the most common were—
“Sects.”
For martial artists looking to hide and blend in, there’s no better place than one where other martial artists already live.
Especially smaller factions, which don’t have many members to begin with, and whose strongest fighters aren’t particularly powerful.
From the Blood Cult’s perspective, they’d be ideal prey.
Soon, a glint of interest appeared in the Dang twins’ eyes.
“Mukcheon Sect, Hoseon Sect… We’ve received reports that something seemed off.”
“I thought it was strange that the Jinmu Sect leader hadn’t been in contact lately. Something might have happened.”
“I believe the Palun Sect is still operating normally.”
“But you never really know what’s going on beneath the surface.”
I nodded in agreement.
“That’s exactly right. The most reliable way is to check in person.”
“Then where will we start?”
“I’m thinking of leaving the starting point to luck.”
Then I beckoned Seo Ye-in over.
“Lucky charm, come here for a moment.”
“I’m here.”
“Where do you think we should start?”
“……?”
Seo Ye-in tilted her head.
Well, it’s not easy to tell just by looking at a map.
As a last resort, I suggested a second-best option.
“Close your eyes and just point anywhere.”
“Okay.”
Seo Ye-in covered her eyes with one hand, then felt around the map with the other before pointing to a spot.
Next, I drew a line from the Jinmu Sect to the nearest location, then connected it to the next closest one, and so on.
“For now, we’ll move along this route. Any questions?”
“……”
“Doesn’t seem like it. Then let’s move out.”
***
After crossing the city for a while and heading toward the outskirts, a large manor suddenly came into view among the modern buildings.
Compared to the Dang Clan, it looked modest, but objectively speaking, it wasn’t small at all.
On the main gate hung a signboard with bold, imposing calligraphy.
<Jinmu Sect>
If everyone rushed in at once, even cultists who weren’t there would probably run away, so we decided to keep the visiting group to a minimum.
The Hye-seong Group employees took up positions in a nearby high spots, judging it would be better to provide support from a distance rather than go in together and engage in close combat.
At some point, Dang Gyu-young slipped into my shadow.
That left the Twin Heroes, me, and Seo Ye-in.
Four people was small enough to count as a minimal group.
Soon, Dang Il-bi stepped forward and approached the main gate, and the guard nearby narrowed his eyes.
“Dang Hero, what brings you here?”
“I was passing by and thought I’d stop in for a moment. It’s been quite a while since I last had a chat with your sect leader.”
At that, the guard’s face showed a mix of welcome and unease.
“I know you and our sect leader are on close terms, but now isn’t a good time.”
“……Has something happened?”
“It’s not something I’m allowed to speak of.”
A mere gatekeeper couldn’t go around saying, “This and that happened in our sect, and our leader ended up like this and that.”
Before long, he let out a small sigh and turned around.
“I’ll send word inside for now.”
“Much appreciated.”
With Dang Han-bi’s thanks behind him, he went inside.
While we waited, I leaned over and whispered to Seo Ye-in.
“Now that you’ve seen it in person, what do you think?”
“Suspicious, suspicious.”
“Do you feel any kind of sinister blood energy?”
“……I think so.”
“Will it be clearer once we go inside?”
“……Probably?”
Whether they’d actually let us in was another matter.
If the place had really been taken over by the Blood Cult, there was a good chance they’d just tell us to leave.
Of course, that would only make things more suspicious, and we’d confirm it by other means if we had to.
Fortunately, the guard returned with a positive answer.
“He says he’ll offer you a cup of tea. This way, please.”
Soon, we crossed the main gate and stepped into the manor.
As I followed the gatekeeper, I glanced around here and there.
Something definitely happened here.
For a manor of its size, there were very few people coming and going, and their expressions were oddly stiff.
There were also cracks along the walls, along with scattered debris and sword marks. These were signs of damage that hadn’t yet been fully cleaned up.
The Dang twins seemed to notice the same things and exchanged glances, though they pretended nothing was wrong on the surface.
Before long, we arrived at the reception hall.
Not long after we sat down to wait, a middle-aged man appeared.
His pale complexion only reinforced our suspicions.
As our eyes met, the Dang Clan’s Twin Heroes greeted him first.
“Thank you for making time for us, Sect Leader.”
“Haha, how could I simply send you away when the esteemed heroes of the Dang Clan have come all this way?”
“I can’t help but wonder if we’ve imposed on you at an inconvenient time.”
At that, the Jinmu Sect Leader smiled calmly.
“There’s no need to worry. I merely overexerted myself during training. I’ll recover soon enough.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
The atmosphere grew more friendly, but it seemed everyone, not just me, had noticed.
A lie.
It also felt like we were being watched from somewhere.
They were probably keeping an eye on whether the sect leader might say something he shouldn’t or whether we had come to dig into something.
“…….”
Seo Ye-in’s gaze drifted toward a few spots, but she soon pretended to stare off absentmindedly.
The conversation with the Jinmu Sect Leader was brief.
As mentioned before, he had truly only spared enough time for a single cup of tea.
We simply introduced Seo Ye-in and me, exchanged a few pleasantries, and that was it.
Before long, he gave a wry smile and signaled for us to leave.
“It was a short meeting, but a pleasant one. I hope you’ll understand that I’m not in the best condition.”
“Of course. We wish you a speedy recovery.”
The Dang Clan’s Twin Heroes maintained polite expressions and manners to the very end.
Then, the moment we stepped out of the manor, they spoke in turn.
“Looks like we found something right from the start.”
“The sect leader’s internal injuries seem quite severe.”
“He claims he overdid it, but…”
“He’s no amateur. It doesn’t add up for him to end up in that state.”
“Most likely, he sustained those injuries while facing an enemy.”
Nine times out of ten, it was against an elite force of the Blood Cult.
Then they looked at me and asked,
“What do you plan to do? If it were up to me, I’d storm in right away.”
“It would be best to hold back this time.”
I shook my head as I answered, then asked Seo Ye-in to confirm.
“There weren’t any, right? Experts.”
“There weren’t.”
It was clear the Blood Cult had taken control of the Jinmu Sect, but the only ones visible right now were a few people keeping watch.
Even if we charged in now, we wouldn’t gain much.
I continued,
“As I mentioned before we set out, we’ll just pass it along and move on.”
The Dang twins hardened their expressions and glanced back at the manor but reluctantly nodded.
“I am worried about the sect leader, but…”
“We must know how to weigh priorities.”
“We can’t afford to jeopardize an operation that’s only just begun.”
There were still many places left to check, and causing a disturbance this early would likely alert the Blood Cult.
If they went to ground, the search would become more difficult, and the more bases we missed, the greater the damage our side would suffer later.
For now, the best course was to endure and move on.
Even so, traces of unease lingered on the twins’ faces.
I spoke to them,
“Thank you for understanding. We’ll move out right away.”
***
We continued along the planned route, checking the suspected Blood Cult bases.
Like with the Jinmu Sect, we visited various sects, as well as gyms, theaters, and taverns.
Unlike my big data, there were quite a few places where we couldn’t find even a trace of the Blood Cult, but in many others, signs of them remained.
For the Dang twins, the sheer number seemed far beyond what they had expected.
Letting out sighs, they spoke in turn.
“Have their reach really extended this far already?”
“To think we were completely unaware of it until now. We might as well have been blind.”
“It’s already this bad. If we had left it any longer…”
Then they turned to me and offered a formal gesture of respect.
“Even reclaiming the places we’ve confirmed today will be no small gain. As members of the Dang Clan, we express our gratitude.”
“I’ll accept your thanks once everything is over.”
“……That’s fair. Let’s be on our way.”
The Twin Heroes also added that after driving out the Blood Cult, we should hold a banquet or something.
The next place we arrived at felt strangely familiar.
It must have been because it looked similar to the one in the dungeon island’s downtown area.
Seo Ye-in’s gray eyes sparkled.
“Arcade.”
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