Chapter 117: Cyber Joseon Part 5

Tangsu instinctively swung his sword, defending against the incoming blades.

‘Interesting.’

There were techniques for throwing daggers.

But Tangsu never considered them swordsmanship.

That was the art of throwing—never the art of wielding a sword.

And yet, for some reason, he wanted to acknowledge Amon’s technique as swordsmanship.

Tangsu desperately sought the reason why.

It wasn’t until Amon threw his sword once more that he finally understood.

‘Each sword carries an intent.’

Amon wasn’t simply hurling swords with brute force.

Knees, head, shoulders—

He targeted them all simultaneously, making it difficult to defend with conventional Eastern sword techniques.

In other words, each thrown sword was as deadly as a thrust.

It felt as if six assassins were attacking at once.

‘He’s throwing with complete intention.’

Moreover, the shape of the swords was peculiar.

The crossguard functioned like fletching on an arrow, and the balance seemed designed specifically for throwing.

This wasn’t just improvisation—this was a distinct form of swordsmanship.

And when Amon used the blind spots created by his thrown swords to close in, Tangsu had no choice but to acknowledge it.

‘This is an entirely new form of swordsmanship.’

It wasn’t just about extending the reach of his attacks.

Throwing a sword in front and closing in from behind, flanking from both sides, attacking from above—it was a meticulously crafted strategy that manipulated both vision and psychology.

It felt like a sword technique, yet it was unpredictable in its fluidity.

Tangsu couldn’t help but admire Amon’s swordsmanship.

At the same time, he had to acknowledge something else.

‘He has inherited Butangsu’s will.’

Amon had indeed carried on the will of his master.

Of course, Butangsu had never thrown swords.

But the way Amon analyzed his opponent, exploited vision and psychology, and refused to be confined by rigid forms…

‘So that man found his successor after all.’

Tangsu recalled the face of his old comrade and smiled in satisfaction.

Now that Amon had proven himself, Tangsu prepared to end the duel.

‘The heavy stone quietly holds the rain.’

Summoning his intent, Tangsu raised his sword from his waist and struck upward.

Chaeeng!

A crisp, resonant ring echoed as Amon’s sword clashed against his.

Amon, mid-charge, lost his footing.

In contrast, Tangsu remained perfectly steady, gripping his sword firmly with both hands—immovable, like a rock.

And just as a rock holds the rain, he brought his sword down with crushing force.

The blade cut through the air without a sound.

At that moment, Tangsu was certain of his victory.

Until Amon suddenly closed the distance.

Instead of recovering his stance, Amon chose to charge forward.

He rammed his shoulder into Tangsu, breaking his posture in return.

Tangsu felt Amon’s arm entangle his own and let out a small, incredulous laugh.

‘Unbelievable.’

When most people lose their stance, they instinctively try to minimize the damage—
stepping back, sacrificing an arm, or making other choices dictated by their own philosophy.

But Amon ignored self-preservation entirely.

It was as if he didn’t care whether he was cut or not.

A decision fit for a berserker of legend.

Yet, in this moment, it was the perfect choice.

Amon’s arm, wrapped around Tangsu’s, pulled him forward.

Using his shoulder as leverage, Amon flipped Tangsu clean over.

“Guh-hak!”

Tangsu was thrown to the ground, the air forced from his lungs.

As his sword spun through the air, Amon snatched it mid-flight and aimed it at Tangsu’s throat.

Then, he spoke.

“Will you acknowledge my roots now?”

Tangsu looked at his own sword, halted just before his throat, and gave a small nod.

“You have won. I will take the boy back.”

Amon nodded as well, lowering the sword.

And so, the duel ended with Amon’s victory.

Tangsu took Amon’s hand and stood up, retrieving his sword before speaking again.

“The matter of the boy’s sister and the cursed sword will remain undisclosed.”

Turning away from Amon, he looked at Seonu.

“From this moment, I recognize your return to the sword guild.”

At Tangsu’s declaration, Seonu flinched slightly.

His face remained emotionless, but the faint curve of his lips betrayed his feelings.

However, Tangsu’s next words were entirely unexpected.

“But I cannot accept your sister.”

“Why? You said you would keep the matter about the Yodo a secret…!”

“I only said I would keep it secret. Accepting your sister is a different matter.”

“That can’t be…”

“Do you really not understand?”

At the leader’s sharp tone, Sunwoo let out a sigh as if he had realized something.

In the end, only Sunwoo returned to the Sword Guild.

The leader lost interest in Sunwoo and turned to Amon with a warning.

“Amon, let me give you some advice—don’t get too close to those siblings.”

“Why?”

“Because depending on the situation, you may have to kill them.”

It was a cold attitude, unfitting for someone who had just finished a satisfying sparring session.

Leaving behind those ominous words, the leader departed.

Amon and his companions remained alone in the training hall.

Amon tried to comfort the disheartened Sunwoo.

“Don’t give up just yet. I’ll find a way—”

But Sunwoo cut him off.

“No. This is enough.”

“Sunwoo?”

“I thought about what the leader said, and I think this is enough. Thank you, Amon.”

“But it’s not over yet—”

“Let’s end it here. I was being short-sighted. Forget about my sister.”

With a firm stance, Sunwoo rejected Amon’s goodwill.

It was clearly strange, but his unwavering determination left Amon with no choice but to give up.

“Sigh… This doesn’t sit right with me.”

And so, the matter of Sunwoo and his sister was left unresolved.

***

The day after the sparring session, Amon headed to the airport early in the morning.

He was there to meet Cassie, who was returning after finishing her overdue work in America.

A few hours later, the plane arrived, and Amon spotted his lover.

“Cassie… Huh?”

Then, he noticed the people standing beside her and let out a dumbfounded sound.

It was no wonder—standing next to her were people he had never expected to see.

The cookie man, Mage.

Mage’s original self, George.

And their younger sister, Levi.

The three of them had arrived in Joseon with Cassie.

While Amon stood there, stunned by the completely unexpected lineup, Cassie hugged him and explained.

“I figured they’d all be useful, so I brought them along.”

***

“Precognition?”

“You know I don’t rely on that anymore.”

“Then is it for analysis?”

“Hmm… It’s not something to discuss here. I’ll explain at the lodge.”

Cassie seemed to have something important to say.

Amon’s mind became tangled with thoughts, but he decided to trust that she had it all figured out.

Later, Cassie explained why she had brought the three siblings.

“It’s because of hacking.”

“Hacking?”

“Remember last time, with Ergos?”

“Agares.”

“Whatever. When we fought that old man, I realized something—our team is way too vulnerable to hacking.”

Until now, their weakness in that area hadn’t been a major issue because their main goal was simply survival.

Amon and Sonia hadn’t undergone any procedures, and Cassie had only received genetic and magical engravings, making them relatively safe from hacking.

But after fighting to protect the Vatican, she realized they had been naive.

“Even if we’re fine, the people around us aren’t.”

That’s why she had brought the three siblings.

“I found out recently that Levi here has a talent for hacking.”

Since she had spent most of her time bedridden, no one had realized it before.

But it turned out that Levi had a natural aptitude for networking.

Maybe, after being in a coma for so long, her brain had rewired itself to specialize in that field.

So Mage, a former head of security and now the director of external intelligence, had taught her hacking skills.

Before long, she had become a full-fledged hacker.

“Now, Mage will handle our hacking defense, Levi will take care of offensive hacking, and George will handle general programming.”

As Cassie introduced them, the three siblings gave a small nod.

“It’s been a while, Amon.”

“It has.”

“Strange man…”

Each of them—George, Mage, and Levi—greeted him.

While Amon exchanged pleasantries with the three, Cassie leaned against his shoulder.

“Whether it’s hacking or precognition, just let me know if you need anything.”

Since they still had time before the Hunter Legion event, Amon decided to resolve one of his lingering concerns right away.

“Then can you look into the people I mentioned?”

Cassie readily agreed.

The results came in just a day later.

“Those people you mentioned, Ji Sunwoo and Ji Sunhwa.”

“Yeah?”

“Their names are fake.”

“I already confirmed that at the hospital.”

He had known their names were fake from the start.

But what Cassie revealed next went far beyond his expectations.

“Then you wouldn’t have known this—they’re using fake names, but their real names aren’t different. Only their surname is.”

“What’s their real surname?”

“Ji.”

“Ji?”

“Yeah. The surname of a traitorous family from Joseon.”

“…Wow.”

“Yeah. Wow.”

Of the two siblings, the girl was a direct descendant.

Amon clapped his hands in admiration, but Cassie gave him a tired look.

“How do you always manage to attract people like this?”

“That’s how I ended up meeting you too.”

“…Tch. That’s not fair.”

Blushing slightly, Cassie leaned into Amon’s embrace.

As he felt her warmth against his chest, Amon fell into thought.

‘What should I do about them?’

Meanwhile, the priest who had been silently listening from the back chuckled bitterly.

“Haha… I guess nothing in this world comes for free.”