The North Sea Martial Warrior - Chapter 05

========== 5. VIPER’S FANGS ==========

Puck!

A white hand slammed onto the desk.

The ebony wood cracked. The cold air of the secret chamber rippled.

“To think he was alive.”

Vice Palace Lord Mukara’s voice trembled.

Deep within the Ice Palace, a secret space not even on the maps.

She sat alone in the secret chamber, filled only with darkness, without a single glowing pearl.

‘He survived… for thirty years in the Extreme Yin Land?’

It was impossible. A place where even rocks freeze and burst—a human lasting thirty years there? Even with the special constitution of the Airak tribe, it’s a place where it’s hard to last a single day.

The end of the Northern Sea, a forbidden zone where life cannot exist.

Yet, he returned alive.

Without even aging. Exactly as he looked thirty years ago.

Her hand unconsciously wrapped around her throat. The gaze of Airak, who had brushed past her in front of the Ice Heart Hall earlier that day, came to mind.

Gray eyes.

There was nothing inside them. Only empty nihilism, and the blood-red murderous intent writhing at the bottom.

Fear, and a jealousy even greater than that, gnawed at her heart.

‘Even if I can’t take Airak, I can take this position.’

Mukara’s lips twisted.

‘The Ice Palace was originally mine. I’ve lent it out for thirty years, which is more than enough. It’s time to take it back.’

Airak.

He is the fiancé of the deceased Karani.

Thirty years ago, the two brightest man and woman in the Northern Sea.

A Martial Warrior of the Airak tribe and the greatest beauty of the Huku tribe. But fate was cruel. The previous Palace Lord designated Karani of the Huku tribe as the successor, and the Ice Palace’s rule, the ‘Vow of Chastity,’ tore the two apart.

She remembers that moment.

Karani cried. Holding Airak’s hand, she shed tears for the first time.

And Airak… turned away without a word. He disappeared into the snowfield, where there are those who have entered, but none who have come out alive.

A terrible, pure love.

But now, that man has returned. As soon as Karani died, as if he had been waiting.

‘What if he… finds out the truth?’

Memories from about forty days ago surfaced.

The night she met the man from the Central Plains in this secret chamber.

“Can you really do it?”

A tall man stood before her. Broad shoulders. An extraordinary aura flowed from the sword at his waist. He was clearly a top-tier expert even in the Central Plains martial arts world.

“According to this map, you can enter the Ice Palace Lord’s bedchamber. I’ve marked everything: guard rotation times, patrol routes, and the locations of traps.”

Mukara handed over the parchment.

“But there is a condition.”

“Speak.”

“Kill the Palace Lord.”

Silence flowed.

The man’s gaze sharpened.

“I thought I only needed to take the Snow Lotus Fruit.”

“The Snow Lotus Fruit is deep within the Palace Lord’s bedchamber. You’ll have to encounter her anyway.”

“So this was your goal from the beginning.”

“…….”

“What grudge do you have against the Palace Lord?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“Hmph! It’s none of my business. We absolutely need the Snow Lotus Fruit. Even if it means killing everyone in the Ice Palace, not just the Palace Lord, we will take the Snow Lotus Fruit. If you want the Palace Lord dead, just put the Palace Lord in front of us. Anyone… anyone who gets in our way, we kill.”

The man sneered.

“As I just said, to get the Snow Lotus Fruit, you have to pass through the Palace Lord’s bedchamber. You’ll have to encounter her.”

“Fine. I’ll kill the Palace Lord. I have to eliminate witnesses anyway.”

“However, dispose of the body so that the sword techniques cannot be identified. No traces must remain.”

“Don’t worry. I’m no rookie. But if this is a trick… my sword will be pointed at you.”

The man took the map.

The shadow disappeared from the secret chamber.

Present.

‘Before Airak leaves the Northern Sea… I have to take care of him.’

Mukara, waking from her reminiscence, clapped her hands.

Clap.

The wall of the secret chamber opened silently. A man who had been waiting like a shadow entered and knelt.

“Did you call for me?”

“Summon the Binghyeoldan.”

The man’s shoulders flinched.

“Did you say the Binghyeoldan?”

“Are you deaf!”

“Then… who is the target?”

“A Martial Warrior.”

“……!”

The man’s breath hitched.

“If you mean a Martial Warrior… are you talking about the one who broke into the Ice Heart Hall today?”

“Yes.”

“Was he really… a Martial Warrior?”

“Garkan proved it. The Blizzard Claw of the Northern Sea knelt and called him ‘Chief’.”

The man swallowed dryly.

“According to legend, I heard that Martial Warriors are nearly immortal. Even for the Binghyeoldan…”

“Immortal?”

Mukara scoffed.

“There is no such thing as an immortal in this world. He is human too. He eats, breathes, and sleeps.”

“But…….”

“No matter how strong a beast is, there is always a gap. There is no wolf that does not sleep.”

She stood up from her seat. The hem of her black robe swept the floor.

“The moment he lets his guard down, we just have to bite his throat.”

“…Understood. I will contact the Leader.”

“Bring him here yourself.”

“Yes?”

“Bring Han-a here yourself.”

A short while later.

The door to the secret chamber opened again.

A man entered.

He was short. He was the size of a child.

But the aura emanating from that small frame was not human.

His eyes flashed in the darkness.

Three eyes.

Two were human, and the third, carved into his forehead—was not a tattoo. A blood-red pupil wriggled through a slightly opened slit.

“Hmm.”

He sniffed.

“Smell of blood. Blood that hasn’t dried yet. Did someone cry in the Ice Heart Hall?”

Mukara’s spine turned cold.

Binghyeoldan Leader, Han-a.

The most cruel assassin in the Northern Sea. It was no rumor that those who died by his hands numbered over a hundred.

“Long time no see, client.”

Han-a grinned. His teeth were sharp. Like the fangs of a beast.

“What do you want me to kill this time?”

“A Martial Warrior.”

The laughter stopped.

Han-a’s three eyes stared at Mukara simultaneously.

“…What?”

“Airak. Have you heard that name?”

Silence.

Han-a slowly licked his lips with his tongue.

“Northern Sea Ice Essence Divine Art. Thirty years in the Extreme Yin Land. A monster with a frozen heart.”

“You knew.”

“How could I not? Any assassin in the Northern Sea would know.”

Han-a stepped forward.

“But why do you want to kill him? Did that monster touch you?”

“My circumstances are none of your business.”

“Tsk tsk. So cold.”

Han-a cackled.

“Fine. I’m not interested in the reason anyway.”

His eyes shone strangely. The third eye on his forehead wriggled as if it were opening slightly.

“But there’s one thing I need to confirm.”

“What is it?”

“The Martial Warrior’s heart. Is it really frozen?”

Mukara’s eyebrows twitched.

“…What?”

“It’s a heart that beat for thirty years in extreme cold. Will it be hard like ice, or surprisingly hot?”

Han-a opened and closed his palm.

“I feel like it would crunch when chewed. My mouth waters just imagining it.”

Mukara’s face turned pale.

“…You chew on hearts?”

“Strong guys’ hearts are delicious.”

Han-a bared his fangs.

“I’ve killed over a hundred people, and the stronger they are, the tougher their hearts are. I can chew them for a long time. The taste is rich, too.”

This guy is not just a simple assassin. He is a monster who enjoys murder itself.

“What’s the reward?”

Mukara cleared her voice.

“Your share is 1,000 nyang.”

“1,000 nyang.”

Han-a tilted his head. An ambiguous reaction, neither a refusal nor an acceptance.

1,000 nyang is a lot of money. Enough to live off of for a lifetime. But the opponent is a Martial Warrior.

“It’s cheap for the price of a life.”

“There is an addition.”

Mukara opened a drawer. A black seal was revealed.

“I’m placing a bounty. Throughout the Northern Sea. 10,000 nyang for Airak’s head.”

Han-a’s mouth dropped open.

“…10,000 nyang?”

“Yes.”

“10,000 gold nyang?”

“I will make every blade in the Northern Sea point at him.”

Han-a whistled low.

“You’re crazy. That money is enough to buy a castle and still have some left over. Are you planning to bankrupt the Ice Palace’s finances?”

“I don’t care if it goes bankrupt.”

Mukara stood up from her seat.

“If he doesn’t die, I can’t sleep soundly. Because he’s the guy who will bite my throat someday.”

Han-a’s gaze sharpened.

“Do you really have to become the Ice Palace Lord?”

“I’ve waited thirty years.”

Mukara muttered low.

“I’ve lived as the second-in-command for thirty years. Bowing my head, supporting from behind, following like a shadow. No one knows the weight of those years.”

“…….”

“The position is finally empty. But that monster appeared.”

Mukara’s fingernails dug into her palms.

Han-a stared at Mukara for a long time.

Her face hidden in the darkness. But the obsession emanating from behind it was clear.

Thirty years.

A woman who has endured those years.

“Kehehe….”

Han-a laughed low.

“I like it.”

“Are you going to cooperate?”

“Of course.”

Han-a walked toward the door. Just before grabbing the doorknob, he looked back.

“But let me ask you one thing.”

“What is it?”

“The real reason you want to kill that monster.”

Mukara did not answer.

Han-a laughed, baring his fangs.

“You’re the one who killed Karani, right?”

Mukara’s breath stopped.

“…What?”

“The smell of blood doesn’t lie. The smell of blood I caught in the Ice Heart Hall. And the smell coming from your hands right now.”

Han-a sniffed.

“They aren’t the same. But they are connected. You were involved in that death.”

Silence filled the secret chamber.

Mukara’s face hardened in the darkness.

“…So?”

“What?”

“What are you going to do if you know?”

Mukara laughed coldly.

“Are you going to report me? To the Ice Palace? Without evidence?”

“No.”

Han-a shrugged.

“I was just curious. How vicious of a bitch you are.”

“…….”

“I like it. Truly.”

Han-a opened the door.

“The venom of someone who has endured thirty years. That much is enough for me to trust you.”

“…….”

“I will eat the Martial Warrior’s heart. Just promise me that.”

“Do as you please.”

Han-a disappeared.

The door closed.

Left alone in the secret chamber again.

Mukara stood in the darkness.

Her hands were trembling slightly.

‘He figured it out.’

But she wasn’t afraid.

Han-a won’t report her. Because that monster has no such thing as morals.

It was actually better. Accomplices who know each other’s weaknesses. The chance of betrayal decreases.

“…He must be killed.”

A low monologue seeped into the darkness.

“Before Airak finds out the truth.”

Mukara laughed in the darkness.

A cold, sharp laugh.

‘I have endured thirty years. I have lived as the second-in-command for thirty years. No one knows the weight of those years.’

Her fingernails dug into her palms.