Midnight – Stronghold Interior, South Watchtower
Wind slithered through cracks in the wooden beams. A lantern flickered once—then extinguished.
Baek Sun-Ho moved without sound. Each step bled into the shadows like ink soaking paper. In his hand, a dagger—not his usual blade—narrow, curved, and muffled with cloth. Not meant for killing.
Meant for capturing.
The assassin hadn't struck yet. Which meant one of two things.
They were either gathering intel…
Or waiting for someone important to be alone.
Yeon's discovery had narrowed the entry point: the south watchtower. Hidden, lightly guarded, and frequently rotated.
A perfect hunting ground.
Sun-Ho stepped inside.
The space was empty—at first.
Then he felt it.
A break in the stillness. A displacement. The kind that didn't belong.
He feigned a misstep—let his boot scrape a loose plank.
Silence answered.
Then—
Ssshhkt—
A wire dart shot through the dark, aimed at his throat.
Sun-Ho twisted, caught the wire in two fingers, and flared a pulse of lightning through it.
A muffled grunt echoed from the rafters.
A figure dropped down—a blur in gray, face wrapped in silk, twin blades glowing faint blue.
"Expected more," the voice rasped. Female. Older. Measured.
"Then you haven't read the latest chapters," Sun-Ho said, flicking his concealed blade upward.
Clang—
Steel met steel. Sparks flared. His foot swept low, forcing the assassin back. But she recovered instantly, spinning into a low stance.
Her aura wasn't wild. It was focused. Compressed.
A hidden Grandmaster, just as Yeon had warned.
---
Outside – Hidden Observers
So-Ri jolted awake.
She didn't know why. But her chest felt tight. Wrong.
She grabbed her fan and rushed into the corridor.
At the same moment, Yeon appeared at the door, holding a scroll he'd just finished—filled with symbols predicting enemy movement patterns.
Her eyes scanned the writing.
"They're here already," she said.
He nodded once.
Then they both ran.
---
Back at the Watchtower
Sun-Ho leapt backward, planting a palm against the wall and flipping overhead. Lightning curled along his leg as he kicked downward.
The assassin caught the kick with a curved bracer—but her arm shuddered from the force.
"You're holding back," she hissed. "Why?"
"I want you talking."
"I want you dead."
She launched forward with terrifying precision. Twin blades blurred into crescents. But Sun-Ho shifted again—not dodging, but redirecting.
He caught one arm, slammed her against a beam, and locked her wrist with a flick of qi.
"I don't kill pawns," he said quietly.
She spat blood and hissed, "Then you're not ready for what comes."
"Try me."
He tightened the hold. She slumped.
But she smiled.
"Too late."
A rune activated beneath them—one he hadn't sensed. He shoved her aside and rolled just as the air exploded in a burst of smoke and qi disruption.
The tower groaned. Shouts echoed from outside.
"Assassination attempt!"
---
Minutes Later – Command Hall
The council chamber was already in chaos.
Jang Cheol-Oh stood beside Sun-Ho, expression unreadable. "You captured her?"
"She escaped with a fail-safe, but she's injured. Won't go far."
The other leaders shouted over one another—blaming factions, pointing fingers.
"This is a declaration of war!"
"An outsider attack? From whom?!"
"Sun-Ho, who sent her?"
He said nothing.
Because he wasn't sure… yet.
But in his chest, fire pulsed quietly.
He looked to So-Ri and Yeon. Both nodded—they had their own leads now.
Sun-Ho turned back to the room.
"I'll find her. I'll find the ones behind her. But mark my words—this balance you all pretend to maintain? It's already broken."
Silence fell.
Even the thunder outside waited.
---
Elsewhere – A Moving Cart, Far Beyond the Stronghold
The assassin, face now uncovered, winced as she leaned against the wall.
A shadowed figure sat across from her, veiled in deep crimson.
"Did you confirm it?" the figure asked.
She nodded.
"He's far beyond what they believe."
The figure smiled.
"Then the Sovereign must die before the others believe as well."
---
Bonus - Soup Diplomacy
Setting: Just outside the command hall – an hour after the assassination attempt.
Ji-Mun hovered near the cooking pots, stirring something that probably shouldn't be stirred. Ma-Rok stood beside him, arms crossed like a guard assigned to the world's most cursed cauldron.
Yul-Rin arrived mid-sigh. "Ji-Mun… what in the name of flaming spiritual platypus are you making?"
"Restorative soup," he said proudly. "For Sun-Ho. After nearly being assassinated, he deserves comfort."
Ma-Rok leaned over the pot, sniffed, and recoiled. "That smells like moss and regret."
Ji-Mun held up a finger. "Ah, but it contains mountain lotus root, bone broth from three different creatures I can't legally name, and a few drops of volcanic fire chili oil."
"That's not restorative," Yul-Rin said. "That's declaration-of-war cuisine."
Yeon wandered over, curious, then immediately backed away after one whiff. He scribbled a sign:
"This is poison."
Ji-Mun read it and grinned. "Ah, you recognize my culinary intent."
So-Ri appeared next, rubbing her temple. "You all do realize that an assassination attempt just happened?"
"Exactly," Ji-Mun said. "What better time to offer soup that might make him wish the assassin succeeded?"
Sun-Ho appeared at the edge of the group, brow arched. "What… is that smell?"
Ji-Mun turned with glowing pride. "Soup! For your health!"
There was a pause.
Sun-Ho looked at the pot, then at Ji-Mun. "...Is that thing moving?"
"No," Ji-Mun said. Then he hesitated. "Maybe."
Sun-Ho stared a moment longer.
Then smiled faintly.
"Save me a bowl," he said. "After I catch a traitor, I'll need something equally traumatic to bring me back to normal."
Ma-Rok groaned. "He's really going to eat it?"
Yul-Rin elbowed Ji-Mun. "If he survives this soup, he's ready to be Murim's next leader."
Ji-Mun bowed with mock elegance. "Soup diplomacy. You'll thank me later."
---
End of Chapter 101 – The Fang Beneath the Robe
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