The Masked Intruder's Gambit
Yeon Cheong adjusted the position of his mask and steadied his vision.
The mask had its drawbacks. While covering the entire face was a major advantage, it tended to slip and loosen if it didn't fit perfectly.
Frontal confrontation is impossible right now.
As always, his current physical condition made direct engagement far too risky. Taking even a single blow head-on would send him flying and shatter his stance.
“What the hell are you doing, you bastard?”
The small boy wearing the pitch-black mask—its contours only visible upon close inspection—looked like nothing more than a common thief to Cheol-woo. Whether the figure was a boy or a girl hardly mattered.
“A thief from the Baekho-pa? Those honorless bastards.”
Cheol-woo pulled the massive pipe from his back. One solid hit would mean instant death. Yeon Cheong paused to weigh his options.
What can I do right now…?
Thanks to the Concentration Talisman, his thoughts moved faster than usual. Multiple possibilities flashed through his mind: dodging the pipe and slashing the throat head-on, slipping sideways to escape with Yeongdeung, or extinguishing the only light in the room.
Dodging and striking directly would require physical ability he simply didn't possess. Even if he managed it, Cheol-woo wouldn't go down easily. Escaping sideways carried the same risk—the Black Wolf Group members had already formed a tight encirclement. One wrong move and he'd be cut down.
That left the candle burning on the table—the only source of light left in the building.
That's the target.
The distance to the table was roughly five meters. Charging straight for it was impossible. Cheol-woo was already spinning the pipe and closing in, while the surrounding Black Wolf members drew their weapons and tightened the net.
With no way to reach the table behind Cheol-woo, Yeon Cheong had only one option.
Whoosh!
He hurled his final knife. Cheol-woo frowned, dodged it, and laughed.
“Hah! Too bad!”
His laughter died instantly. The knife hadn't been aimed at him at all—it flew straight into the candle on the table.
Thud!
The blade struck the wick perfectly and snuffed out the flame. Cheol-woo blinked in shock as the room plunged into darkness. His eyes needed time to adjust.
Yeongdeung.
Yeon Cheong closed his eyes and activated the skill. The startled movements of Cheol-woo and the Black Wolf members became clear to his senses. Erasing his own presence, he retrieved the knife and dashed forward in a single fluid motion.
Thud!
“Kuh!”
Cheol-woo reacted on instinct, blocking the strike with his hand. Yeon Cheong clicked his tongue inwardly.
My Yeongdeung is still too crude.
When someone intends to kill, killing intent leaks out. True mastery of Yeongdeung meant suppressing even that. Yeon Cheong hadn't reached that level yet.
Cheol-woo spun around, blocked the attack, and swung the pipe wildly as he advanced. Yeon Cheong twisted his body just enough to evade and yanked the knife free from Cheol-woo's hand.
The edge is probably ruined now.
Still, the situation had turned in his favor. Yeon Cheong could see them clearly, while they had no idea where he was.
I'll borrow this for a moment.
He slipped behind one of the nearby members and drove the dulled knife into the man's throat. Warm blood splattered across the back of his hand. Yeon Cheong snatched the weapon from the dying man's grip.
Not my usual blade, but it'll do.
The new sword felt unfamiliar in his hand—a crude, roughly sixty-centimeter double-edged weapon. A cold sensation confirmed it was double-edged.
“What are you idiots doing?! Light a lantern or something!”
“W-we can't see anything!”
Even after their eyes should have adjusted, the building remained pitch black. Silhouettes were barely visible.
“Hurry…! Something's—”
One member collapsed mid-sentence. The wet sound of flesh being carved echoed as something rolled to Cheol-woo's feet.
“Shit.”
Cheol-woo felt the round object beneath his boot and cursed. It was unmistakably a subordinate's head. Fury boiled over.
“You cowardly bastard! Show yourself!”
At his desperate shout, the remaining members frantically searched their bodies for anything that could produce light. One by one, they were cut down in the darkness.
One. Two. Three.
Yeon Cheong counted silently as he felled them. Cheol-woo, finally adjusting to the dark, swung his pipe toward a visible outline.
Thwack!
“How's that?!”
Yeon Cheong calmly stepped behind him and spoke in a low voice.
“That's your own subordinate.”
“What?”
The sickening crunch had been real, yet the sharp voice came from right in front of him. Cheol-woo stared in horror at the corpse at his feet. He had struck his own man.
“You son of a bitch!”
His vision was clearing. Yeon Cheong moved quickly. Any delay and the darkness would no longer hide him.
Wait…
He frowned and retreated. The timing couldn't have been worse. Thanks to the talisman buying him time to think, he avoided walking straight into the pipe and being sent back to the afterlife.
Moonlight finally pierced the dust cloud, illuminating the building. Cheol-woo's blood-soaked figure became visible.
“Where are you?! Where?!”
The surviving members also scanned the shadows with burning eyes. The moonlight only lit a small section near the windows. Anyone hiding in the deeper shadows remained invisible.
...
Yeon Cheong held his breath and waited for another opening. Running now would only create greater danger later. Even with the mask, the remnants of the Black Wolf Group would hunt him if they realized a child had done this. He had to eliminate every witness.
“Search every shadow! He attacked us in the dark, so he's probably hiding in it again!”
Cheol-woo shouted, showing surprising composure. Yeon Cheong acknowledged it inwardly.
He's got a decent head on his shoulders.
Despite the pain and blood loss, Cheol-woo remained calm enough to organize a search. That wasn't something an ordinary person could manage.
“Come out! If you do, I'll let you live! The boss might even take a liking to you!”
The members combed through the shadows while offering empty promises. Yeon Cheong almost laughed at the absurdity.
As if they'd spare me.
He had already slaughtered more than five of their men. These were the same petty thugs who had lynched a Deliveryman over a higher price. Mercy was never on the table.
“Kid, just hand over the talisman.”
Cheol-woo approached, pipe swinging. Yeon Cheong settled into a stance and prepared to strike.
Whoosh! Thud!
Yeon Cheong swung and felt the blade bite into flesh—yet Cheol-woo still stood. Yeon Cheong scowled.
“Blocked again.”
“Is ambushing all you can do, you rat?! Get ready to die.”
Cheol-woo had predicted the trajectory and raised his forearm, sacrificing the limb to catch a glimpse of his attacker.
“Die!”
He swung the pipe with his remaining arm. The blow carried terrifying force, aimed straight for Yeon Cheong's crown.
Think.
He had enough time. Dodge and counter, or retreat into the shadows? The choice was his.
In that split second, a single line of text flashed before his eyes.
Arti...fact?
Crash!
The pipe slammed into the floor, kicking up dust. Cheol-woo frowned at the strange feedback and roared.
“What… what the hell?!”
Yeon Cheong now stood in front of the table, the Concentration Talisman clutched in his hand and fastened around his wrist. He remained frozen in that exact pose.
“...”
The activated artifact hovered before him. The Black Wolf members stared in stunned silence.
“What just happened? Teleportation? Some weird movement technique?”
While they gaped, Cheol-woo grimaced at the blood pouring from his severed arm.
“Idiots… now's not the time to be shocked…”
Snapping out of it, the members charged with weapons raised. The encirclement was perfect—no escape route remained.
“Die!”
Thud!
Another cloud of dust rose. They had swung with full force, yet felt nothing. Yeon Cheong had vanished again.
“It's over.”
He reappeared exactly where Cheol-woo's pipe had struck moments earlier, snatched a fallen sword from the floor, and spoke calmly to the bleeding man.
“You damn bastard… carrying something that valuable…”
Yeon Cheong didn't wait for him to finish. One clean stroke severed Cheol-woo's head. It hit the ground with a dull thud.
The remaining Black Wolf members trembled violently.
“W-wait! We're just ordinary residents! We were only—”
Yeon Cheong had no interest in listening to the pleas of the defeated. Moonlight faded once more, plunging the building back into darkness.
“Shit! Please, spare me!”
Their screams were cut short as his blade swept through, ending every life in the room.
No witnesses left.
The expected outcome of Plan B. Blood soaked the floor. Yeon Cheong lowered his sword and caught his breath.
“In my prime, this would have been nothing.”
He allowed himself a brief moment of nostalgia, then stood. The objective was complete. Now he only needed to escape the black market.
Beep!
A whistle sounded. The first-floor guards had arrived, torches blazing as they searched the area.
They got here fast.
Yeon Cheong sighed and lightly scaled the building to the rooftop. He took out the artifact and muttered to himself.
“I used it… but I still don't know the exact activation conditions.”
The activation hadn't been intentional. It felt as though something had intervened—almost as if the god of time itself had protected him.