The Retired Legend and the Prodigy
Code Name: Null
The youngest official killer in the history of Obelisk.
A killer who reached S-class at the record-breaking age of fifteen, with a total of 472 missions under their belt.
A 100% mission success rate.
They were known in the underworld as the perfect weapon, a person without a single flaw.
"That... that’s you?"
Garam’s voice trembled, unlike before. Her eyes were a swirling mix of disbelief and shock.
"That’s right. You would’ve known if you’d seen the photos hanging inside Obelisk headquarters."
"After Null retired two years ago, all data regarding Null was sealed away as top-secret security documents by Obelisk."
"For someone who says that, your eyes seem to know me quite well."
"I memorized your entire track record before I even got here."
Garam took a deep breath and continued.
"Operation 'Black Banquet'. Null killed 53 employees of the world’s most famous security firm in exactly 17 minutes and assassinated the target. 11 of them didn't even manage to draw their weapons before you killed them."
Sion remained still, as if confirming the statement.
Garam didn't stop; she pressed on.
"Operation 'Red Code 9'. Null killed nine high-ranking killers who turned their backs on Obelisk within 48 hours. I know there were two other S-class killers among them."
"Correct."
"Operation 'Zero Protocol', 'The Scene', 'Pendulum'... there are so many other missions you’ve handled."
Sion nodded.
"You have a good memory. Since everything you’ve said is true."
"Then why aren't you killing me? Why are you asking me to live with you? Do you have a thing for young girls, old man?"
"Don't be ridiculous."
Sion chuckled at Garam, who was still wary of the man who had already spared her life once.
He picked up a dagger from the training ground and spoke.
"You aren't involved in the mission, and more than anything, you’re too young to die. And it seems like you want to live a little longer, too."
It was an undeniable fact.
Garam still wanted to live.
Even if she had to die eventually, she wanted it to be as far in the future as possible.
Even though she was a killer, to a fourteen-year-old girl, death itself was a terrifying thing.
"...So, you're saying you'll raise me?"
"Yes. At least until you're capable of operating on your own. If you walk out of here now, you’ll be erased from this world by the killers Obelisk sends after you for failing your mission."
Garam fell into deep thought at Sion’s words.
If she left now, she would surely die for failing her mission. But to complete the mission, she would have to kill a legendary assassin.
If she tried, she would die with 100% certainty, unable to land a single decent attack, just like before.
'To survive, this is essentially an offer I can't refuse...'
Still, one thing was fortunate: the conditions posed no harm to her.
Having finished her internal debate, Garam decided to live with Sion.
"...I'll live with you."
"A wise choice."
Sion smiled, reached out, and shook Garam’s hand.
"I’ll make sure you’re fed, at the very least."
"You'll have to give me plenty of food, then."
"That’s fine. I have enough money to keep you full for the rest of your life."
Certainly.
Garam thought that a killer of legendary status must have made an astronomical amount of money.
Of course, she was still young and had never been deployed on an official mission, so she couldn't quite gauge the exact amount.
"So, are you planning to train me, too?"
"If you don't want to, I won't. I could give you a new identity and let you study like a normal student. The choice is yours, either way."
Garam narrowed her eyes at the unexpected option.
"...Normally, like a student?"
"Yes. Either path is possible for me."
Garam looked at him with a strange expression.
"A normal life..."
The life Garam knew was worlds apart from the students who studied normally.
The harsh, cruel training to kill designated targets.
The nights spent in the terror of knowing she would be killed if she failed.
The knife she never let go of, even for a moment, to avoid being killed by fellow trainees.
The time spent training at Obelisk had been so grueling that Garam had always wondered how wonderful it would be to escape such a life.
However...
"You know better than anyone, old man. People like us... we can't live that kind of life."
Even at her young age, Garam knew.
Once you've killed someone, living a normal life is impossible.
You have to live the rest of your life with the scent of blood clinging to you.
"And if I'm going to live under you, I'd rather be trained."
There was a calm resignation in her voice.
Sion let out a bitter laugh and pressed a button.
"So, you've chosen training."
"Yes. It’s necessary if I want to survive."
"Fine. If you change your mind later, let me know."
Drones emerged throughout the wide space. Sion tossed a small, full-body bulletproof vest to Garam.
"Put it on."
"...Why the bulletproof vest?"
"We're starting training. It hurts a lot if those hit you."
Sion pointed to the drones hovering in the basement.
As the sound of guns being loaded clicked through the air, Garam swallowed hard, looking slightly flustered.
"Those drones, are they really shooting real bullets...?"
"They’re designed for training, so they aren't lethal rounds. But they hurt like hell. If you train while taking a few hits, you’ll develop real-world instincts for dodging attacks."
"Then I'll do it without wearing this."
Hearing they weren't lethal, Garam took off the vest she had just put on. But Sion grabbed her and forced it back on.
"Don't regret it after you get hit. Just put it on. Even trained adult killers find it painful."
"You're not wearing one, are you?"
"That's true, but put it on for now. You can try without it once you're used to it."
Sion led the disgruntled Garam into the maze-like training area. He set the intensity as he let her inside.
"Let's start simple. Try to last ten minutes. If you can't take it, just tell me to stop."
"Alright, alright. These non-lethal rounds... I'll dodge them all."
"Sure. We'll start at Level 1, medium speed. Three drones. Try to dodge them well."
Garam stood in position, acting as if it were nothing. Her eyes slowly shifted, taking on the aura of a killer.
"Starting now."
Seeing she was ready, Sion pressed the button to begin the training.
The muzzles of the drones aimed precisely at her.
As shots rang out, Garam reacted quickly, ducking to avoid them.
Perhaps because she was young, she moved with flexibility and agility.
Most people doing this kind of training for the first time would flinch at the sound of gunfire, close their eyes, and end up getting hit. But Garam opened her eyes wider, reading the trajectory and dodging the incoming rounds.
'Talent is indeed talent.'
He had felt it when he first saw her, but Garam possessed the perfect aptitude to be a killer.
The eyes that tracked an opponent's attack.
The posture that minimized movement to evade.
And above all, the sense that overcame fear.
"...This is nothing."
He thought that if she just kept growing like this, she would surely become the killer to succeed him.
However...
"Don't let your guard down. Those drones have AI installed, so they're reading your movements in real-time."
"Still, I can dodge them enough..."
She was still just a child.
Her lack of experience was painfully obvious.
"AAAAAAH!"
A bullet fired from an unpredictable angle struck Garam’s thigh, and a painful scream echoed through the room.
"I told you. Don't let your guard down."
"You said these were for training...!!"
"I also told you. I said it hurts a lot if you get hit."
Garam clutched her thigh and collapsed to the floor, overwhelmed by pain greater than she had expected.
Sion judged that she couldn't continue training right now. He stopped the drones and walked into the training area.
"Old man, are you crazy...?! My leg, I think my leg is broken...!!"
Garam shed tears as she took off the bulletproof vest and checked her leg where the bullet had hit. It hadn't pierced the skin, but a deep blue bruise had formed.
That was the level of impact, even with the vest on.
"Luckily, it's not broken. It just hit the muscle pretty hard. You might have trouble walking for a day or so."
"Is that supposed to be comforting...?!"
Garam glared at Sion with a look of resentment.
How on earth did he do this training without wearing a bulletproof vest?
Seeing Garam continuously rubbing her leg because it hurt so much, Sion chuckled.
"It's a comfort of sorts. When I was young, we didn't have things like this."
"Then how did you train?"
"With real bullets, obviously. That's why only a tiny fraction survived. Those who couldn't endure it died."
"Hah, hearing that, I guess it is a comfort."
Garam gritted her teeth and stood up.
"It'll be hard to stand. Sit for a bit longer."
"No. Unlike you, I have many opportunities... I have to work harder."
A child who, despite crying and being annoyed, refused to give up and stood back up with grit.
Seeing the look in Garam’s eyes, Sion felt a single certainty.
The certainty that this child would absolutely become a monster when she grew up.
"Fine. I'll lower the intensity, so keep practicing."
"Are you going somewhere, old man?"
"Yes. I have something to take care of."
Sion stepped out of the training area, set the speed of the drones to the slowest setting, and turned around.
It had been about six hours since Garam arrived here.
It was about time for the cleaners from Obelisk to arrive.
"Since I decided to take you in, I have to take full responsibility."