The Plan
As soon as Kim Ilshin stepped into the waiting room, the exchange match began. The sparring took place in an arena where only academy officials were permitted in the stands; the general public was barred from watching the event directly. Kim Ilshin’s turn was scheduled for last. He watched the three preceding matches with a critical eye, quickly reaching his own assessment.
'Below expectations.'
The skills of those touted as the academy’s top students were uniformly disappointing. Putting aside their clumsy movements, some couldn't even grasp their own strengths and weaknesses. 'Well, they are only third-years.' The exchange match was a gathering of promising prospects still in their growth phase, not seasoned masters. He had expected their skills to be unrefined, but that didn't make the disappointment any less sharp. He had hoped that observing new types of talent might spark fresh inspiration.
'I had high hopes for the Sword Saint’s descendant, at least.'
He had expected something different from her, but there was nothing to be gained from her swordsmanship either. She was exceptionally strong compared to the others, but that was all. He couldn't find a single fragment of the Sword Saint—the man who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Baek Ho-san—in her technique. The chaotic flow of her blade suggested she didn't even understand the profound principles of the style she was using.
The Sword Saint’s blade was pure Fast Sword. He had honed that single, solitary strike to the absolute limit, a blow said to sever space itself. Yet, her sword couldn't even reach the level of Kim Ilshin’s own Fast Sword, let alone sever space.
'Disappointment is disappointment... let's just focus now.'
Kim Ilshin rose from his seat and headed out of the waiting room. It was his turn. Following him was his sparring partner, Oliver. Thud. Thud. Kim Ilshin knew Oliver was aiming for his life, but he walked without a hint of caution, acting as if he knew nothing. Since their goal was assassination, acting normally was the right move while they were still hiding their true colors.
"So that’s Kim Ilshin."
"Is that the student who was recognized by the Great Hero?"
"I’m looking forward to it. I hope it’s not just an empty reputation."
"I wonder how much he’s grown since then..."
As he stepped into the arena, he could feel the sharp gazes of the people in the stands. It wasn't wariness, but the cold eyes of analysts. Kim Ilshin ignored them and stood in the arena, reviewing his plan while looking at Oliver across the way.
'That guy’s core ability is a curse.'
Oliver intended to assassinate him using that curse. In their minds, it must have been the most covert and certain method. Oliver’s ability, Death Sentence, allowed him to leave a mark on a target and then bring about their death through a ritual. Once marked, if the ritual wasn't stopped, death was inevitable.
The way Oliver applied the mark was through physical contact. His palm had to be in contact with the target's body for at least three seconds. Furthermore, it was only possible when the opponent's mana was fully active, as the curse had to travel through the mana flow. Because of these conditions, it was difficult to mark someone outside of combat—but there was another problem.
'Powerful abilities always come with a price.'
For Oliver, that price was the shortening of his lifespan. Every time he activated his ability to leave a mark, his lifespan was reduced by ten years. It was a fatal risk, as his life was guaranteed to shorten regardless of whether the attempt was successful. If he wasn't careful, he could die of old age before even leaving a mark.
'I’ll let him leave the mark.'
That was the best way to limit their assassination attempt. To them, if they could just leave the mark, the assassination would be as good as successful. They would never dream that Kim Ilshin knew about Oliver’s ability. He had formulated his plan by synthesizing these factors: he would allow them to mark him to make them complacent, then wipe them all out at once. He already knew where they were headed after the exchange match ended.
Of course, he didn't intend to let them mark him easily. He planned to leave the guy incapacitated during this opportunity. 'Five times should be fine.' He finished his thoughts and stepped forward. He hadn't drawn Hyeonwol yet, nor had he deactivated his concealment. He wanted to deliver a definitive reversal.
"...Begin!"
The moment the referee finished speaking, Kim Ilshin’s suppressed energy exploded. The Heaven and Earth Circle Drawing Art spun to its peak. His heavy mana settled like a deep lake. The entire process took only a split second, and immediately after, Kim Ilshin’s form accelerated explosively.
"What the...!"
"Whoa..."
In that instant, everyone realized it. Kim Ilshin was already beyond the category of a student. None of the achievements attributed to him were lies.
Whoosh!
His sharply honed momentum aimed for his opponent's throat, and a flustered Oliver reflexively thrust out his right hand.
Fwip!
The palm containing Death Sentence sliced through the air.
'That’s one.'
Ten years of his lifespan vanished in an instant. Gritting his teeth, Oliver formed jagged bone fragments in the air. The spinning shards rained down at irregular intervals.
Tap.
Kim Ilshin lowered his stance as if to touch the ground and utilized Snow Trace Steps. His blurred form pierced through the bone shards like flowing water, and his silent footsteps took him behind Oliver. It was the perfect opportunity, but he intentionally hesitated. He gave up his leg to the restraints bursting from the ground and pulled the power from his sword.
Clang!
Hyeonwol slammed into the defensive barrier that had been erected in the meantime. Kim Ilshin feigned panic and swung his arm, and the guy, sensing an opening, reached out through the barrier. Crack. Kim Ilshin tore through the restraints with sheer force and stepped back. Hyeonwol hadn't been stuck in the first place.
'Two.'
It had gone smoothly so far, but he would need to weave in more sophisticated traps from here on out. Oliver, who had pointlessly thrown away 20 years of his life, wore a savage expression. A venomous glint filled the eyes of the man who was grinding his teeth. It seemed he wouldn't fall for any more simple traps.
'There’s plenty of time.'
However, the initiative of this sparring match had tilted endlessly toward Kim Ilshin; the guy’s end was already decided.
'...Did he use up 50 years? In this short time?'
It was so absurd that he almost let out a hollow laugh. He had never dreamed he would throw away more than half of his life in a place like this. 'This... snake-like bastard...'
Oliver gritted his teeth, staring at Kim Ilshin with eyes full of malice. No sound came from the teeth he had been grinding for a long time. From the start of the match until now, Kim Ilshin had toyed with him using dizzying movements.
'He couldn't possibly... know about my ability.'
It wasn't that the thought hadn't crossed his mind. But the only people who knew of Death Sentence were Oliver himself and his master, Benjamin. Even the higher-ups of the Red Heaven Cult didn't know, so there was absolutely no way Kim Ilshin could know. Information leaking was impossible from the start.
In the end, Oliver concluded that Kim Ilshin was simply toying with him. Kim Ilshin’s unexpected skill and his foul nature—those two elements had brought the situation to this point.
'Still, I succeeded.'
There was a harvest. On his fifth and final attempt, Oliver succeeded in leaving a mark on Kim Ilshin’s body.
'May the gods bless me.'
As long as he could succeed in the Cult Leader’s command, his lifespan was not a waste. Offering his life for the return of the gods was an honor beyond compare. Oliver firmly believed that all this sacrifice would one day return as a divine blessing.
'Now, only the ritual remains.'
Having achieved his goal, the result of the sparring match didn't matter. Oliver created a gap in the defensive barrier surrounding them. He planned to surrender immediately after allowing an attack. He wanted to finish the exchange match as quickly as possible and kill Kim Ilshin through the curse ritual.
Rumble!
Kim Ilshin’s fist surged in with a rough momentum. Oliver braced his abdomen and thought, 'This is the last one, so enjoy it while you can.'
The fist he allowed to land struck Oliver’s abdomen, and an unexpected phenomenon occurred.
"...Ugh! Ack!"
The shockwave surging from within rattled Oliver’s internal organs. A pain he had never experienced in his life spread like a slow wave.
"Uh, ugh...!"
The worst of it was his Dantian. The mana inside the Dantian, struck by the impact, boiled and rampaged like crazy. The mana, now out of control, began to carve away at Oliver’s body from the inside.
"Ghh... Aaaaaaagh!"
As he collapsed and rolled on the floor, healers rushed to his side. They suppressed his convulsing body and poured healing magic into him. But even they would find it difficult to normalize the disrupted flow of mana. The guy had already suffered irreparable damage to his Dantian.
Of course, Kim Ilshin wouldn't be held responsible. It was a sparring match, and it wasn't uncommon for mana flows to get tangled during combat.
Click.
Kim Ilshin sheathed Hyeonwol and looked down at Oliver, who was being treated. Since his Dantian was ruined by the Moon's Wailing Scripture, combat would be difficult for the time being. The curse ritual would still be possible, though.
'Success up to this point.'
Now, all that remained was to wipe them all out.