Chapter 12 : First Mission

Chapter 12: First Mission (Part 3)

The giant monkey monster stood still, cautiously watching.

When Jang Woo-hyun approached, the monster slowly backed away.

Against other warriors, the Iron Armor Monkey had been the predator and hunter, but now the roles were reversed.

It seemed the monster could retreat no further and finally let out a roar, charging forward.

The massive fist filled with immense strength came crashing down, but Jang Woo-hyun easily dodged it again.

He seized the opportunity and closed the distance.

Aiming at the place where the monster’s heart would likely be, he held his breath and gathered all his strength as he thrust the spear forward.

Thud!

The impact sound was shorter than before.

This time, all his power was concentrated in one spot.

The spear seemed to be absorbed into the Iron Armor Monkey’s body, embedding itself into the monster’s chest as blood flowed down the shaft.

“Kaaaak!”

But the Iron Armor Monkey was still not dead.

Unlike humans, monsters had a different kind of vitality, and even with a spear lodged in its chest, it could still move.

Another strike should have been made, but it was Jang Woo-hyun’s inexperience that caused him to hesitate.

He tried to pull the spear out, but it was stuck deep.

The Iron Armor Monkey, with the spear still embedded in its chest, charged again.

Realizing it was too late to dodge, Jang Woo-hyun raised his arm to defend.

At that moment, an arrow suddenly flew and pierced the monster’s eye.

It was Ma Choong-won’s arrow.

The arrow embedded in its eye caused the monster to howl in pain once more, and the attack meant for Jang Woo-hyun missed.

With a window of opportunity, Jang Woo-hyun prepared to retreat, but he saw Hwang An from behind.

Hwang An swung his spear, striking the back of the Iron Armor Monkey’s knee.

Whack!

With the sound, the Iron Armor Monkey fell to its knees.

“Brother Jang! Crush its heart!”

His tone was different, revealing the urgency in his voice.

Jang Woo-hyun gripped the spear shaft again and was about to thrust, but stopped.

In that brief moment, he replayed Hwang An’s words in his mind.

He hadn’t said to stab the heart, but to crush it.

How could the heart be crushed?

And exactly where was the Iron Armor Monkey’s heart located?

Many thoughts flashed through his mind, and he reached one conclusion.

If he couldn’t find it, if he couldn’t stab it, then he would destroy everything.

Boom!*

Jang Woo-hyun pushed off with his foot, gathering strength.

Gripping the spear shaft tightly, he focused all his internal energy into the spear tip.

He exploded his Qi inside the embedded spear.

Boom!

With a sound like an explosion, the inside of the Iron Armor Monkey’s chest burst.

Blood poured from the monster’s chest, mouth, and nose.

It was a technique that used Qi to destroy the opponent’s insides.

It was an application of the Internal Cultivation Technique.

From this battle with the Iron Armor Monkey, Jang Woo-hyun had learned the power of stabbing and the use of the Internal Cultivation Technique.

Thud!

The Iron Armor Monkey’s massive body collapsed with a resounding crash, spilling blood.

“Uwoooooah!”

“Waaaaaah!”

The Martial Disciples who had survived shouted in unison.

Although Hwang An and Ma Choong-won had helped a little at the end, Jang Woo-hyun had overwhelmingly dominated the massive monster by himself, so it was only natural for everyone to be excited.

On top of that, they had survived, so their cheers were understandable.

The relief of being alive, the awe of witnessing such an overwhelming spectacle, and the thrill coursing through them grew louder as time passed.

Those who had been shouting rushed toward Jang Woo-hyun to say a few words.

“You were incredible!”

“You were truly amazing! To take down the Iron Armor Monkey by yourself!”

“Thank you! We survived thanks to you.”

Amid the atmosphere of awe and admiration, someone expressed their gratitude, and others followed suit.

If not for Jang Woo-hyun, all of them would have died here.

Only after some time did the uproar die down.

Ma Choong-won then instructed the Martial Disciples to start cleaning up the area.

Since Lee Cheol-jung had died, Ma Choong-won was now the leader of the group.

While Jang Woo-hyun’s skills were far superior, Ma Choong-won, who had more experience, took charge as Jang Woo-hyun was still considered a Silver Token warrior.

“Brother Jang! Are you insane? To fight such a monster one-on-one! I knew you were extraordinary when I saw you during the test, but I didn’t realize you were this strong. Thanks to you, this Hwang An has opened his eyes! Truly, truly amazing! Long live Brother Jang!”

“Stop it. You’re being too loud.”

“Too loud? I need to spread the word about how great you are. I was already impressed when you cut down the Onghwa, but to fight the Iron Armor Monkey like that? Long live Brother Jang! Oh, and did you know how to use a spear?”

Hwang An kept talking excitedly, and Jang Woo-hyun answered half-heartedly, dealing with him casually.

While the two were talking, Ma Choong-won approached after giving orders to the Martial Disciples.

“Warrior Jang, thank you. You saved us.”

Ma Choong-won bowed his head in sincere gratitude.

“It’s nothing. I just did what I was supposed to. The mission was to exterminate monsters, wasn’t it?”

“In simple terms, yes. But no one could have predicted that the Iron Armor Monkey would appear. Without you, most of us would have died.”

“That’s right. If it weren’t for Brother Jang, we’d all be dead. Brother Jang, no one would complain if you acted a bit proud after this.”

Ma Choong-won nodded in agreement with Hwang An and smiled.

“Hwang Warrior is right. You did an extraordinary thing. You could stand tall with pride, and no one would criticize you. Truly, thank you. You saved us.”

Feeling burdened by the continuous expressions of gratitude, Jang Woo-hyun gestured for them to stop.

Regardless, Ma Choong-won continued to express his thanks a few more times.

To change the topic, Jang Woo-hyun brought up a different subject.

“What about the people who died?”

“There aren’t many, so we’ll take their bodies back. Even though they were wandering warriors, it’s better for them to be buried near the Demon Extermination Sect, which is closest to their homeland.”

“Is there anything I can help with?”

“You and Hwang Warrior can search the area where the shamans were. I’ll take care of things here.”

“Yes, understood.”

Following Ma Choong-won’s orders, Hwang An and Jang Woo-hyun entered the nearly collapsed building from where the Iron Armor Monkey had appeared.

The inside was a mess.

A magical formation drawn on the floor, talismans scattered everywhere, and magical tools strewn around.

There were also pieces of what had once been a human, now torn apart beyond recognition.

“They summoned something too strong and got themselves killed.”

Hwang An commented as he searched the area.

“Are monsters summoned?”

“Yes, they’re beings called from another world. Some monsters originally live in our world, but the Thousand Demon Sect summons creatures from other realms.”

“Can the summoned creatures just roam freely in this world?”

“Hm? Brother Jang, do you know something about sorcery? Ha, is there anything you don’t know?”

“No, just a personal thought.”

“You’re really something. Anyway, you’re right. Normally, it’s difficult for summoned creatures to settle in this world. In fact, the bodies of the monsters outside should disappear after some time. It’s also possible to reverse summon them and send them back. However, the Thousand Demon Sect somehow manages to make these creatures fully manifest in our world. It’s supposed to be extremely difficult to anchor a summoned monster in this world, but they do it with ease. That’s why the Demon Extermination Sect was established—to hunt them down. Fortunately, they mostly summon lower-grade monsters. If they summoned a bunch of creatures like the Iron Armor Monkey, it wouldn’t just be the Demon Extermination Sect that had to respond, even the Nine Sects would struggle.”

As Hwang An spoke, Jang Woo-hyun continued to search through the building.

After searching for some time, they didn’t find anything particularly unusual.

In the end, they gathered a few fallen talismans and some magical tools before exiting the building.

Outside, there was still quite a bit of cleaning up to do, so they helped the others until late into the night.

Only after clearing the area did the group finally descend the mountain.

The next day, the group returned to the Demon Extermination Sect.

‘One sword, instant death, Monkey-Slaying Sword.’

These were the titles attached to Jang Woo-hyun, exaggerated by the Martial Disciples.

In truth, the title should have been ‘One Sword, Instant Kill,’ but for the uneducated wandering warriors, such details didn’t matter.

They just wanted to attach something grand-sounding.

Since nothing about the Cloud Sword Sect incident was revealed, this last mission was effectively Jang Woo-hyun’s first step into the martial world.

And upon taking his first step into the martial world, he gained these grandiose titles.

Furthermore, thanks to the Martial Disciples who had accompanied him on the mission, rumors about him spread like wildfire among the lower-ranking warriors.

A few had even started to follow him.

An unknown warrior who suddenly appeared and demonstrated divine-like abilities was enough to stir excitement.

Naturally, the higher-ups were in an uproar as well.

The Demon Extermination Sect was already lacking in masters, so when news came that a recent recruit had fought the Iron Armor Monkey one-on-one, it caused a stir.

And this led to the current situation.

“Come in.”

A deep voice answered as Jang Woo-hyun knocked on the door.

Upon entering, he saw a man sitting at a round table, smiling.

An elderly man with a square jaw and a solid, muscular physique.

If not for the wrinkles on his face and white hair, he could be mistaken for a young man.

It felt as though the old man’s face had been placed on a young man’s body.

The elderly man stood up and extended his hand for a handshake.

There was only one reason he would approach for a handshake.

He wanted to gauge Jang Woo-hyun’s strength by grasping his hand.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Bang Jong-oh.”

“Jang Woo-hyun.”

The callused, firm hand conveyed Bang Jong-oh’s age and strength.

Bang Jong-oh, known as ‘Piercing Heaven Spear,’ also held the title of the Demon Extermination Sect’s Vice-Sect Leader.

He was practically the one leading the sect since the Sect Leader was almost always absent.

‘Strong.’

Until today, the strongest person Jang Woo-hyun had met was either Jin Ha-un of the Blue Star Sect or Elder Seo Gyu-sang.

But now, that had changed.

Bang Jong-oh was on a level above both of them.

He stood at the peak of the master level, and perhaps even on the verge of entering the transcendent level.

“Haha, meeting in person, I see you are truly remarkable.”

Just as Jang Woo-hyun was examining Bang Jong-oh, the elder was also sizing up Jang Woo-hyun.

Jang Woo-hyun had already reached the peak of the first-rate martial artist realm and was approaching its peak.

Having trained for fifteen years, it was likely that he would reach the master level within a few years.

That would place him in his early thirties or mid-thirties—a remarkably fast growth rate.

‘No, that’s not right.’

For a wandering warrior without a proper sect, it was an extraordinarily rapid rate of progress.

Bang Jong-oh didn’t want to miss out on the talent standing before him.

Jang Woo-hyun wasn’t just at the level of a sect leader, but within a few years, he had the potential to become an elder of the Demon Extermination Sect.

“Let’s sit and talk for a bit.”

The two sat down, and an attendant came to serve tea.

Jang Woo-hyun, who knew nothing about tea, could tell from the fragrance alone that this was high-quality tea.

“You probably don’t want to waste much time chatting with an old man like me, so let’s get straight to the point. Are you familiar with the Demon Extermination Sect’s merit point system?”

“Yes, I’m aware of it.”

“Good, that’ll make things faster.”

The Demon Extermination Sect was different from typical sects.

The people affiliated with the sect took on missions for money or to obtain martial arts manuals and elixirs.

As such, the sect had implemented a merit point system, where members could earn points from missions and exchange them for manuals, elixirs, or money.

“You deserve a reward as well. First, take this.”

Bang Jong-oh handed over a token, just like the one Seo Gyu-sang had given before.

On the front of the Iron Token was the same word, “Extermination,” and on the back was the word “Gold.”

But there was something unusual about this one.

Normally, the word “Gold” would be in gold lettering, but on this token, it was silver, and the background was white.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a Platinum Token.”

“Platinum Token?”

Jang Woo-hyun asked, having never heard of it before.

“It’s something we occasionally give to disciples from the Nine Sects who come here for training. You’ll receive the same benefits as a sect leader. However, you won’t bear the responsibilities of a sect leader, and your authority will be slightly less. I heard you’ll be traveling around the martial world soon, so I thought this would suit you better than taking on the position of sect leader.”

A Platinum Token from the Demon Extermination Sect.

Being on the same level as a sect leader meant that Jang Woo-hyun’s rank had risen by two levels.

Moreover, it was clear that the sect was trying to accommodate him as much as possible.

“Thank you.”

“It’s not over yet.”

Bang Jong-oh continued with more rewards.

“I heard your sword broke during the battle. If you go to the armory and mention your name, they’ll give you a new one. It’s a high-quality standard-issue sword, better than the one you were using. And finally…”

Bang Jong-oh paused briefly, piquing Jang Woo-hyun’s curiosity.

The best reward usually came last.

“You’ll be allowed to enter the martial arts repository and take two manuals.”

Internally, Jang Woo-hyun cheered.

This was far more exciting than the Platinum Token or the sword.

Jang Woo-hyun had a deep desire to see and learn many martial arts techniques.

To him, being able to enter the martial arts repository and take out manuals was a greater reward than anything else.

Up until now, the only techniques he had learned were the imperfect sword and footwork styles of the White Tiger Martial Hall.

But now, he would finally gain access to proper martial arts techniques.