The Judge's Silence
Trial Tower 1st Floor Residential Zone - Chunja Halmae's House
Yeon Cheong dragged his exhausted body toward Chunja Halmae's house.
Normally, even when fatigue piled up, his eyes wouldn't grow heavy or his body chilled, but right now his condition was terrible.
He had pushed Yeongdeung far beyond its limits, pouring every ounce of focus into each strike, and now drowsiness crept over him.
His childhood body simply couldn't endure what his prime had once taken for granted.
This… needs to be accounted for.
Yeon Cheong walked slowly, turning the thought over in his mind.
His body wasn't what it used to be. And it still couldn't keep up with Yeongdeung.
The art let him sense presences from afar and erase his own when vision was limited, yet even when his mind ordered his limbs to move, the untrained flesh refused to obey.
At least he had gathered information in advance. He already knew where the next target was.
He would stop by the old woman's house, replenish his strength, and move again.
Later I'll have to spend time building stamina…
Finishing the thought, Yeon Cheong stopped.
He had reached Chunja Halmae's house.
He opened the door at once and spoke with a smile.
"I'm back."
"Good heavens, where on earth have you been wandering?"
He had said he was stepping out, yet here he was only hours later, looking like death warmed over. Dust clung to every inch of him, and dried blood crusted the layered shirts. Most telling were the bloodshot eyes and trembling hands.
"Cheong? Are you all right?"
"Does he look all right?"
"No. He looks like he's about to drop dead."
"You're right. I really am exhausted."
Yeon Cheong's consciousness flickered. His legs gave out and he collapsed onto the floor.
Jin Hong rushed to his side, voice trembling. "What happened? You're hurt—"
"I'm not hurt."
Chunja Halmae hurried away with her bent back and returned with a small water bottle, pressing it to his lips.
"Water I saved. Drink."
"I'm fine—"
"Drink when you're told, you stubborn brat! Just because your head's gotten bigger doesn't mean you can ignore me!"
The moment the water touched his tongue, his mind cleared. The cold rush drove away the fog and strength returned to his hands.
"Feeling better?"
"Yeah."
Yeongdeung placed a heavy mental burden on the user. Overuse could shut down normal brain function. With enough training it could be used constantly, but for Yeon Cheong right now it was too much.
He stood, set the bottle on the table, and bowed his head.
"Thank you."
"Thank me when you're alive. That's enough."
Chunja Halmae sighed in relief, then frowned at the bloodstains on his shirt.
"What happened?"
"This?"
Yeon Cheong tilted his head, studying the crimson fabric. He couldn't tell her he had cut the throats of the Red Guardians and their leader. Chunja Halmae treated him and Jin Hong like her own grandchildren; hearing about such danger would make her clutch her chest and collapse.
"Nothing important."
"I've never met anyone who said that and meant it."
She glared, searching his eyes. When he only offered a smooth smile, she exhaled.
"Always so glib."
Yeon Cheong scratched his head.
Jin Hong, sensing the heavy silence, raised her voice to lighten the mood.
"His clothes are filthy, Granny! Do you have any way to wash them here?"
"Do you know how much water laundry uses?"
Yeon Cheong and Chunja Halmae burst out laughing. Jin Hong's bright spirit never faded—that was her greatest strength. No matter how much her heart ached or how exhausted she felt, she kept smiling.
Because of that, Yeon Cheong sometimes wondered if he simply wanted to stay beside her. When they were together, it felt as though his own heart was being cleansed.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Someone pounded on the door.
Chunja Halmae frowned. "I wasn't expecting anyone today…"
"You don't think it's those Red Guardian bastards, do you?" Jin Hong asked.
"Guardians," Yeon Cheong corrected automatically.
He already knew who stood outside. Uncle Ben.
He opened the door. Ben stood there, panting.
"You're here?"
"Huff… huff… So you were here."
"What's wrong? Why are you out of breath?"
Ben pointed toward the alley. "The Red Guardians are looking for you. You should hide—"
The dust storm must have scattered everyone; Ben had been running all over the first floor searching for him.
"Is that so?"
"You don't know how dangerous they are? How can you stay so calm?"
Calm was easy. Yeon Cheong had already wiped them out. With their leader dead, the rest would scatter on their own.
"Come inside."
He glanced outside once, then shut the door behind Ben.
The house, suddenly crowded, fell quiet for a moment.
"What? Everyone's here."
Ben dropped into a chair, legs giving out the instant the tension left him.
"Busy day, Uncle?"
"Don't even ask."
Ben shook his head. He explained that he had met Go Jun-tae, the Red Guardians' leader, and that they were hunting a boy who looked like Yeon Cheong.
Jin Hong's gaze sharpened at the blood on Yeon Cheong's shirt.
"Did you mess with them? They're not coming for revenge, are they?"
"Not exactly wrong. And it's Guardians, remember?"
Yeon Cheong shrugged. Ben's expression hardened.
"What have you been doing?"
"It's already handled. You don't need to worry."
Ben stared, stunned.
Jin Hong cracked the door open and peered through the gap at the bustling street.
"Something's happening. People are running everywhere."
Ben stood, confused—he had left the area quiet only moments ago. Even Chunja Halmae approached the door with the remaining water.
Outside, a murmuring crowd watched as something was carried away on stretchers.
"Those boys…"
Chunja Halmae paled at the sight of the corpses. The cleanly slit throats of the Red Guardians were being taken toward the tower entrance. Nearby deliverymen chatted among themselves.
"Who do you think did it?"
"Who knows? Those guys made plenty of enemies."
Ben hurried over. "They're dead?"
"Oh, it's Ben."
The deliveryman relaxed and smiled. Ben had always been good to everyone, but that wasn't the point right now.
Someone had wiped out that brutal gang in one stroke.
"Yeah. Seven members plus leader Go Jun-tae—eight bodies total, all in the artisan's alley."
"I was just there a little while ago…"
"Really? Then can you tell us what you saw?"
Ben nodded and gestured for Yeon Cheong to go back inside.
Uncle Ben's quick on the uptake.
Yeon Cheong closed the door. The gesture meant Ben wouldn't mention him. It was better not to get tangled in first-floor crime scenes, and Ben was covering for him.
Even so, the voices outside carried clearly.
Jin Hong tried to open the door again, but Chunja Halmae stopped her. Yeon Cheong leaned against the wall and listened.
"No witnesses—the dust storm wiped everything out. From the traces, it looks like one person wiped them all out."
"Wiped them out? That's possible?"
"Plenty of skilled people live in the Tower. Must've been one of them."
The two deliverymen shrugged.
Yeon Cheong relaxed. He had already sensed no witnesses through Yeongdeung, but the skill was still weak and the information unreliable. Hearing the deliverymen confirm it eased his mind.
Time to move.
His strength was restored and the scene was clean. He prepared to hunt the next target.
Trial Tower 1st Floor - Central Stairs Leading to the 2nd Floor
Judge Gu Jeong-gi sighed, leg bouncing impatiently. He had expected the Red Guardians to report immediately, yet none had shown their faces.
"Hey, guard."
He barked at the nearby guard, who hurried over.
"Yes, Judge?"
"Go check on them. They're taking too long."
The guard looked troubled. His duty was to protect the judge; personal errands were forbidden.
"That's impossible. If I leave my post—"
"Who the hell would touch me? I'm Gu Jeong-gi! Judge of the Tower of Trials!"
The guard flinched and bowed his head, then sprinted away.
"If you see any Red Guardians, bring them here at once!"
The guard ran as if whipped.
Gu Jeong-gi muttered with satisfaction, "Trash on the first floor only understands shouting."
A familiar voice spoke from behind him.
"The guard wasn't wrong, though."
Yeon Cheong had approached silently while the judge sat on the stairs.
"You little—"
Before Gu Jeong-gi could finish, a knife pressed against his throat. Cold steel touched his carotid artery and he fell silent.
"Scream and I'll cut your throat. Want to try?"
"…"
"I came to ask you something."
Yeon Cheong adjusted the blade and moved behind the judge, forcing him upright like a shield.
"Do you only know the Red Guardians? Are there any other organizations on the first floor?"
"No… Just put the knife down—"
"I'm not finished."
Yeon Cheong pressed harder. The blade sank in; pain flared.
"Just in case. I like certainty."
Gu Jeong-gi shook his head frantically.
"I don't know anyone else! Only the Red Guardians. I have no other connections!"
"Then."
Yeon Cheong twisted the knife and slit the judge's throat. He clamped a hand over the man's mouth, muffling every sound.
"Mmph!"
Blood soaked the floor, yet no one came to help. The guard he had sent away could not protect him now.
Gu Jeong-gi had signed his own death warrant.