Absolute Warrior V1C1: The Crimson Tiger
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TL: FoodieMonster007 If you see this, you are at the wrong site!
As he pushed open the half-collapsed temple door and stepped inside, I sensed his aura. His qi flowed easily and cheerfully, undulating like a river. He was clearly in a good mood.
At some point, I had begun to classify people by their auras. Some were sharp like a blade, some were solid like steel, some were fluid like water, some were fiery like flame… Every time I felt these sensations, I wondered if their true personalities matched what I perceived.
As he entered, he gave me a slight nod of acknowledgment, but stopped suddenly when he noticed that something was wrong. I had killed his contact on my way here and replaced him, but despite my efforts to hide my aura, he still managed to detect my killing intent.
"What are you…!" he began, but his voice trailed off as he finally realized that I wasn't the person he was supposed to meet here. "Are you an assassin?" he muttered.
I remained silent, and he soon concluded that I wasn't an assassin, because if I were, I wouldn't reveal myself like this.
"I see. You're a dog of the Association."
"Pfft!" I let out a soft chuckle. Did he know how pure and noble a dog's loyalty is? To compare fickle humans, who change their minds a dozen times a day, to dogs was an insult to dogs.
His aura instantly intensified, and a blade-like killing intent lashed out at me, prickling my skin.
"How dare a nobody like you laugh at me! Do you even know who I am…?"
SHING!
I drew my sword. I had no intention of listening to him. I had already received my orders, and he was my target. It wasn't up to me to decide whether I should kill him or not.
"Haap!"
With a short cry, I sprang forward and closed the distance in an instant, thrusting my sword at his heart.
Panicking, he quickly drew his dao and swung.
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CLANG!
Our blades collided, sending sparks flying everywhere.
His eyes widened. The pain from his fractured wrist had finally hit him.
SWISH!
My next sword slash narrowly grazed his shoulder.
Panting raggedly, he roared, "Who on earth are you?!"
What a joke. Just a few seconds ago, he had wanted to declare his own greatness, but now he was asking about me. The outcome of our battle was already a foregone conclusion.
I pressed the attack, and as he struggled to parry my relentless attacks, I could feel him gritting his teeth.
In combat, tension, especially in the shoulders, always creates an opening. Aiming for that opening, I thrust my sword.
SWISH!
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Desperately, he twisted his body and leapt into the air, unleashing enhanced qi with his Dao. Unfortunately, while enhanced qi is extremely dangerous in a confined space, if it misses, a huge opening would be created. Just like now.
SPLAT!
With a lightning-fast strike, I carved a deep slash across his thigh.
CRACK!
Before he had a chance to scream, I struck his wrist again, causing it to fracture more.
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He quickly switched his dao to his left hand, but if he couldn't defeat me with his right hand, his left hand wouldn't fare any better. While my swordsmanship was ruthless yet precise, his dao technique was unstable, filled with fear and hesitation.
SWOOSH! WHOOSH!
Once again, I slashed at his shoulder and side, forcing him to stumble back and collapse onto his butt.
I approached him slowly. Rushing in when the enemy is down was a mistake only amateurs made. The more experienced one is, the calmer they will be in such situations. Besides, not only is talking to soon-to-be-dead people a waste of my time, it also creates a risk for unexpected variables.
"I'll give you money. All my wealth. Even the secret manual I acquired this time…" he begged.
Without hesitation, I plunged my sword into his heart. Glaring at me with resentful eyes, he died instantly.
Flicking the blood from my blade, I glanced past the blood-soaked earth.
My gaze landed on a dusty buddha statue in the distance, only to find that it was staring at me with wordless pity.
Feeling uneasy, I turned away.
When I emerged from the abandoned temple, a slender, masked woman greeted me. She was my handler, my liaison to the Radiant Hall, and the one responsible for managing corpse disposal. Each of us Twelve Phantoms had someone like her.
Interestingly, her codename was Yeon, meaning Destiny. An inauspicious name for someone in our line of work, but she was a master of stealth and movement arts. She had deep, yet clear and mesmerizing eyes, though I had never seen her face hidden beneath the mask.
"Well done, Crimson Tiger. I'll take the item you were tasked with retrieving," she said, accepting the secret manual I had taken from that guy and placing a small yet weighty pouch into my hand.
Opening it, I found five gold ingots, each as big as a finger. It was the reward for my mission.
Sometimes I wondered if the organization I worked for could pay me differently. It didn't feel good to receive gold right after killing someone.
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Nevertheless, they always chose this method. Did they think that money was my strongest motivation to complete missions or something?
After I stuffed my money into my pocket, Yeon handed me a red envelope. "You've got an urgent mission."
I took out the mission instruction inside, read it, and gave it back to her. "A support request, huh?"
"Green Snake is thirty kilometers from here. You should hurry."
"Aww, I wanted to have a drink after this mission. Care to join me?"
"You want to go for a drink when an urgent order has been given? And together at that? If we're caught by the inspectors, our limbs will be severed and we'll be dragged off to prison. No matter how many times I hear it, your jokes are always so refreshing."
"I don't think we work for such an inflexible organization."
"Sorry, but I think they're just that inflexible. Why else would the saying 'the bitter taste of corporate oppression' exist?"
I chuckled. At first, Yeon and I had been awkward around each other, but now we could trade jokes like this.
It had been two years since I had started working with her. My first handler had died on a mission two years ago, and she was my second.
I tried not to get too attached to her. Her duties involved cleanup and acting as a communication link between me and the organization, but her main job was, after all, to keep an eye on me. Thus, if there ever came a time when I had to betray the organization, she would be the first person I eliminated.
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"I've prepared a fast horse down this road. Please depart first."
I turned around and started walking.
After watching me for a moment, Yeon suddenly added, "By the way, the man you just dealt with was someone who, blinded by greed for secret manuals, butchered the entire Lee Family. He was an old friend of the Lee Family patriarch, but he even raped and murdered a child who called him uncle."
Without turning back, I asked, "Why are you telling me this?"
"I just thought you might be curious."
"I'm not curious at all," I mumbled, speeding up.
When I disappeared from sight, Yeon smiled. "Liar."
I knew that in her eyes, I was a strong warrior. Incredibly strong. Still, she understood that I wasn't the kind of person who could kill strangers without batting an eyelid.
She slowly entered the deserted temple. With all the corpses strewn about, the place gave the impression that ghosts might appear at any moment.
Taking out two phials of liquids, she mixed them together to make a corpse-dissolving acid, the sprinkled it on the corpses.
SIZZLE!
Almost immediately, they began to dissolve, emitting smoke.
"Rot in hell. I hope you never reincarnate," she whispered, her gaze as cold as ice despite the gruesome sight.
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"Keuah!" a man screamed for the last time as a pale hand grazed the back of his neck and tore out his throat, spilling blood everywhere.
"Huff… huff…" Green Snake panted, covered in blood.
Around her lay the bodies of about fifty pursuers from the Evil Coalition. Only three foes remained.
Since escaping, she had killed ninety Evil Coalition martial artists. The remaining three wouldn't be a problem if they weren't the notorious Bloody Blade Trio.
The trio's grinning indifference as their subordinates died spoke volumes about their true nature. Ruthless and merciless.
At present, Green Snake was in dire straits. Even on a normal day, confronting the combined attack of those three would not be easy, but she had already used up too much stamina and inner qi to flee.
"Women who fight well really turn me on," Yang Chan purred, licking his lips and rubbing his groin suggestively. His eyes, which radiated evil energy, burned with lust.
Green Snake sneered and pointed her sword at him. "If I cut off the heads of the two next to you, would you still say that?"
"What? Hahaha!" Clutching his stomach, Yang Chan burst out laughing.
Green Snake nervously observed the other two. Yang Chan was the youngest of the Bloody Blade Trio and the most reckless. For a moment, she'd hope that all three of them would be blinded by lust, but unfortunately, the eldest brother and the second brother seemed calm.
This is bad. Damn it!
Her handler might be watching from somewhere, but handlers were absolutely forbidden from interfering with the Twelve Phantoms' missions, and even if they broke the rules to help, they specialized more in stealth and movement arts than combat.
In the end, the only thing she could rely on was the request for assistance. However, this place was the domain of the Evil Coalition. It was unrealistic to expect the Association to dispatch too many people as reinforcements.
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Even though the Twelve Phantoms were the elite of the elite, they were merely expendable goods in the vast fabric of the Association. Since the Association and the Coalition had maintained peace in recent years, they wouldn't send a large force and risk political repercussions just to rescue her.
Of course, based on past experience, there would be some assistance. However, two conditions had to be met. First, the support had to arrive in time. Second, someone capable of cleaning up the mess had to be sent.
The Evil Coalition martial artists were already swarming everywhere, and the opponents before her was the Bloody Blade Trio, who ranked among the top hundred masters of the Evil Coalition. If things went wrong, her helper might arrive only to die together with her.
Yang Chan turned to his brothers. "Sorry, I can't hold back any longer."
Then, without waiting for their answers, he charged forward.
CLANG!
Yang Chan attempted to strike at Green Snake's shoulder, but she parried his dao. Regardless, her qi was severely lacking. It was only a matter of time before she would be defeated.
In fact, the reason the big brother and the second brother of the trio allowed Yang Chan to charge in alone was because they realized that her qi was depleted.
"That idiot's junk will cause a big problem one day. How about we just cut it off while we're at it?" Yang Jin, the second brother, suggested.
Hearing that, Yang Chan shouted, "I'd rather you cut off my head!"
Yang Soh, the eldest brother, shook his head. "Crazy bastard!"
Despite their words, they both smirked. Sometimes, they felt ashamed of their youngest brother who could never resist women. However, by enduring the momentary shame, they gained something: the soft skin of beauties. The youngest was a scoundrel in every way, but he always put his brothers first.
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"By the way, I heard that she infiltrated for six months?" Yang Soh asked.
"Yes. As you can see, she's no ordinary spy."
"It seems that the Association is paying attention to training their younger generation these days."
In place of open conflict between the two factions, countless spies were sent on infiltration missions, and assassination attempts on key figures were endless.
"The Coalition seems to have an idea which organization they're from, but they've classified it as confidential."
"Hmph, those bastards always harp on about maintaining confidentiality. They'd probably even hide their own soiled underwear and claim it was confidential."
"Anyway, for some reason, she reminds me of that guy we lost two years ago. Don't you agree?"
Yang Soh shook his head grimly. "That guy was really… something."
An incident that happened two years ago had become a legend within the Evil Coalition, leaving a deep scar on their pride. Dozens of those involved lost their lives, while hundreds faced demotion or expulsion.
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CRACK!
"Hahaha! Hyungs, I'll unwrap her nicely for you guys to enjoy!" Yang Chan shouted triumphantly, having snapped Green Snake's sword in half.
Still, Green Snake didn't give up and continued resisting with her fists.
"This is annoying! Just seal her acupoints," Yang Jin complained.
Yang Chan pressed Green Snake's face against the ground. "No way! Have you guys forgotten about the fun of breaking a rebellious woman? Hahaha!"
"Crazy punk! You always go overboard," Yang Jin chuckled, when suddenly, Yang Soh narrowed his eyes and spun around.
Seeing the serious look on his brother's face, Yang Jin tensed and stretched his senses, but the forest behind him was as silent as the dead.
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"What's wrong?" he asked.
"It's nothing," Yang Soh replied. For a second, he thought he had felt a chill, but after carefully observing his surroundings, he found nothing.
RIIIP!
At the sound of Green Snake's clothes being torn, the two eagerly looked back at their brother, eager to enjoy a good view…
Sensing danger, Yang Soh immediately spun around and drew his dao, but he was too slow. Before he could defend himself, Crimson Tiger had lunged at him with blinding speed, leaping three meters in an instant, and plunged a sword into his chest.
"What the… Aaargh!" he screamed.
Seeing a sword protruding through his brother's back, Yang Jin quickly drew his blade and swung it at Crimson Tiger, bellowing, "You bastard!"
However, Crimson Tiger had already kicked Yang Soh's chest and launched himself into the air. As he flicked his blade to shake off the blood, he angled it so that the sunlight reflected directly into Yang Jin's eyes, blinding him momentarily.
Squinting his eyes, Yang Jin instinctively struck out with his dao, but his slash sliced through nothing but air.
Fuck! Why am I so unlucky?
Yang Jin never considered the possibility that his opponent had deliberately angled the sword to blind him. In that fleeting moment, precisely reflecting the sunlight to blind him was incredibly difficult. Adding the act of flicking blood from the blade in the same motion? That had to be an unfortunate coincidence.
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And so, the last thing he heard was his youngest brother Yang Chan's panicked voice.
"Hyung-nim…!"
Yang Chan tried to swing his dao to save Yang Jin, but Green Snake, who was pinned underneath him, grabbed his arm tightly. Although her shirt was torn, exposing her chest, she did not let her modesty get in the way of her survival instinct.
"Hey, you forgot something," she hissed.
Yang Chan looked at Green Snake in disbelief. "What?"
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"You forgot to seal my acupoints, moron."
Grinning, Green Snake mercilessly headbutted Yang Chan's face.
"Argh! You bitch!" Yang Chan shrieked, clutching his bloodied face. Using the last of his strength, he brough his blade down on Green Snake's head.
SPLORT! CLATTER!
A sword pierced through Yang Chan's neck, stopping just an inch away from Green Snake's face and splattering blood all over her. With a gurgling sound, Yang Chan slowly collapsed, his blade slipping from his grasp and clattering to the ground.
Crimson Tiger, who had stabbed Yang Chan from behind, flicked the blood from his sword and sheathed it.
Green Snake looked around. Next to the corpse of Yang Soh, who had died with his heart pierced, lay the decapitated head of Yang Jin. Topless, she stared at the sky for a moment, then stared at Crimson Tiger.
"Since I'm already undressed, how about we have some fun?" she suggested nonchalantly, smiling, but her eyes were filled with shame and indignation.
Crimson Tiger shook his head and extended his hand to her. "I'll pass. I already have someone I love with all my heart."
"Really?" Raising an eyebrow, Green Snake took his hand and stood up.
Crimson Tiger shrugged off his coat and handed it to her, revealing arms marked with countless scars.
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Green Snake accepted the coat and put it on. "By the way, who are you? Flying Dragon? Crimson Tiger? Iron Bull?"
"Crimson Tiger."
"Ah! I've heard a lot about you. I'm glad you made it here in time. Thank you."
"Don't mention it."
"Care for a drink? If you're busy, we can do it next time."
Crimson Tiger also felt like having a drink. Although Green Snake spoke cheerfully, he knew that deep down, she must be feeling terrible.
He casually kicked one of the trio's blades lying on the ground.
THUD!
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The dao skimmed past Green Snake's ear, embedding itself in the chest of an Evil Coalition martial artist lurking in the forest behind her.
Behind the fallen man, about a dozen Evil Coalition martial artists appeared.
Crimson Tiger drew his sword and walked toward them. "Let's get out of here first."
That afternoon, Crimson Tiger and Green Snake sat across from each other in an inn. Luckily, they were able to escape before the Evil Coalition's Seven Ghost Corps could complete their encirclement.
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Looking at the man across from her, Green Snake felt that even if they were surrounded, they could still escape. After all, Crimson Tiger had cut down twenty-three enemies on the way here without getting a scratch.
Well, his swordsmanship didn't seem to be that special, but somehow she had faith in him. Whether they were facing two hundred or two thousand enemies, she felt that if it was him, he could easily slay them all.
"It's an honor," she said.
"What is?"
"To meet you, the most successful among the twelve of us."
Crimson Tiger laughed. He wasn't interested in my colleagues' affairs, so it had been a long time since he had met a fellow member of the Twelve Phantoms.
Let me think… when was the last time I met a colleague? Ah, I think it was Rabbit two years ago.
Green Snake continued, "You're quite famous. I hear you're the most trusted in the organization. Next is Flying Dragon."
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Crimson Tiger recalled the rumors he had heard about Flying Dragon. They were often compared to each other, and even though he was reluctant to get to know the other members of the Phantoms, he still wanted to meet Flying Dragon at least once.
As for why he didn't want to get close to them? It was because whenever one of his colleagues died, they would be replaced. For example, he couldn't be sure if the Green Snake he met in the future would be the same person as the one in front of him right now.
Just then, the long-awaited drinks and side dishes arrived, and Crimson Tiger filled both of their wine cups.
Taking a sip, Green Snake immediately looked much better. "Can I ask you about something?" she said.
"What is it?"
"Can you tell me about that mission from two years ago?"
Instead of answering, Crimson Tiger emptied his cup and refilled it.
Green Snake sighed, then grinned coquettishly. "As expected, you won't tell me. There are many rumors, so I was curious. They say you received a huge reward, which made me wonder what kind of mission it was."
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Even though she tried to act cute, which, by the way, didn't suit her at all, Crimson Tiger had no intention of telling her anything.
Although strict confidentiality was maintained regarding missions, they actually heard more rumors than expected. Sometimes they heard directly through opportunities like now, but most of the time, they heard them through their handlers. The Phantoms might seem like heartless murderers, but at the end of the day, this hellhole was still a place where people lived.
Not wanting to talk about himself, he dodged the question, asking, "How are your injuries?"
"I'm fine. It's not the first time I've gotten hurt."
Crimson Tiger frowned. He could sense the deep fatigue in Green Snake, and it was clear that it was not just from today's events. Understanding only too well where that exhaustion came from, he felt a faint sense of camaraderie.
Despite Green Snake's firm words and sharp actions, seeing her like this made her seem surprisingly endearing. For a moment, he wondered how old she was, but he didn't ask. They were nothing more than colleagues brought together by work, and getting closer served no purpose.
Suddenly, Green Snake remarked, "During training, the instructor talked a lot about you."
"Which instructor? Instructor Hwang?"
"He was a pain during your time too, right? I must have thought about killing him a thousand times."
Crimson Tiger chuckled. Instructor Hwang was notoriously harsh. Still, it was because of that inhuman training that they were still alive.
Green Snake quoted, "Humans may betray you…"
"…but training never does," Crimson Tiger completed her line.
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They both chuckled. This was Instructor Hwang's favorite phrase.
After reminiscing for a moment, Green Snake said, "By the way, I heard that Rooster died recently. Do you know anything about that?"
Crimson Tiger shook his head. Lately, he had been deliberately avoiding news of his colleagues' deaths. Even Yeon seemed to have noticed this and had held back on sharing such information with him lately.
The two fell silent for a while. Hearing about a colleague's death was never easy.
"We'll die someday too, won't we?" Green Snake whispered.
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Crimson Tiger said nothing. He had no intention of answering such an obvious question. He had things to do before he died, and he couldn't die until he finished them.
"Anyway, what do you really look like? I'm curious," Green Snake asked, changing the subject again. As was the norm on missions, both of them wore intricate human skin masks that hid their identities.
"I'm ugly," Crimson Tiger replied.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"People who say that usually turn out to be handsome."
"Damn it, how did you figure me out so quickly?"
"Hahaha!"
Just then, a voice came from the ceiling. "Crimson Tiger, you have been ordered to return."
It was Yeon, but unlike her usual self, her voice was businesslike and cold.
Green Snake blinked in surprise. "Your handler is a woman?"
"You must leave immediately," Yeon insisted.
Green Snake narrowed her eyes and glared at the ceiling. "You're an unfriendly one, aren't you?"
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Crimson Tiger stood up. "See you again."
"Thanks for today. Next time, drinks are on me."
"Yeah, so stay alive."
Crimson Tiger strode out of the inn.
A moment after the door closed, Green Snake suddenly shouted, "Hey, do you really have a girlfriend?"
No answer came. She didn't know whether he hadn't heard or just didn't want to answer.
Like a mirage, a masked man appeared before her. He had one eye and a deep scar over the other.
It was Paa, her handler.
"We need to go too," Paa said.
"Yeah, let's go," Green Snake replied, but contrary to her words, she refilled her empty cup. "After I finish this."
For a while, she stared blankly at her cup. Paa didn't nag at her and stood there in silence.
"…Hey, how many Green Snakes were there before me?"
Paa's eyes wavered momentarily, but he didn't answer.
Green Snake smiled bitterly. As expected, he won't tell me.
Downing her wine, she stood up. "Alright, let's go. What's the next mission?"
Translator's Note: The "organization" Crimson Tiger refers to is the Radiant Hall, not the entire Association.
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