Chapter 4
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Gil Yeo-hong
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I headed toward the sparring platform set up in the center of the training hall.
The guy was standing in the middle, assuming a tiger-like stance.
Tiger Fist?
I lightly stepped through some footwork to loosen up as well.
"Hey, 108. If I win, stay the hell out of the training hall from now on."
"Fine. But if I win, you'll come here every day and train with me, got it?"
"You crazy bastard..."
"Deal!"
"I'll make that girly face of yours even prettier."
He extended his fingernails like tiger claws and slowly circled to the side.
I approached him leisurely, not even bothering to raise my guard.
"What? No starting stance? You giving up already?"
A starting stance was the posture you took before unleashing your martial arts.
But I didn't need any of that.
"Starting stance? Why would I need that?"
"Well, obviously..."
Before he could finish, I launched a Superman punch straight at him.
Crack!
"Pfft!"
Thud!
In the blink of an eye, 266 took my fist to the face, blood pouring from both nostrils as he crumpled to the ground.
A hush fell over the training hall.
The duel had ended in a single exchange right from the start.
Everyone watching was left speechless by how anticlimactically it concluded.
"Huh? From the way you were talking, I thought you'd put up more of a fight. This is kinda disappointing."
His cronies rushed to the unconscious 266's side to check on him. They glared at me with fury in their voices.
"You coward!"
"Coward? How am I a coward?"
"Even so, this is supposed to be a fair duel, and you ambush him out of nowhere! That's blatant cheating!"
"Are you nuts? I didn't hit him before it even started—what ambush? If you've got a problem, get up here yourself."
262 stripped off his shirt with a cocky grin and hopped onto the platform.
"You asked for it! Today’s your last—"
Bam!
"Gaaack!"
The moment he stepped up, my flying knee caught him flush. He flew back like he'd been hit by a truck, folding into a 'D' shape before slamming into the far wall of the training hall and sprawling out.
"Next!"
A stunned silence spread as two of the toughest guys in the Shadow Squad went down in one hit each.
"Next!!"
I glared at the remaining 268 and shouted, but he just rolled his eyes, showing no sign of climbing up.
"If you're not happy with the results, speak up anytime! I'll rematch whenever."
"......"
268 nodded reluctantly.
"Oh, and..."
The terrified 268 looked at me with fearful eyes.
"Dues are 10 wen a month."
"......"
After that, they treated me with extreme caution, behaving like lambs.
True to their word, they showed up at the training hall for weight training sessions diligently.
Of course, they paid their fees on time too.
No one dared pick a fight with me after that.
This incident made me truly grasp the inner workings of the Demonic Cult.
Demonic Cultists had a habit of submitting to the strong.
Everything felt smooth sailing now.
Except for the Squad Leader's gaze toward me, which was growing colder by the day.
Lately, with fewer missions taking us outside, I spent my days training mostly within the sub-branch.
For assassins, training meant exactly that: training to kill people.
And it was pretty interesting in its own way.
They'd occasionally invite veteran assassins to pass on their experiences to the juniors.
An assassin's lifespan was brutally short.
So those old-timers were true masters who'd made their mark in the field.
The veteran wrapped up his lengthy lecture around lunchtime, and everyone was stifling yawns from boredom.
Truth be told, everyone working here had survived hellish training regimens.
Advice from these retirees was stuff we'd already learned the hard way in the field.
But these mental tune-ups occasionally helped refocus wandering minds.
As usual, I was eating boiled chicken breast when the Squad Leader signaled me from afar to follow him.
Fuck. Even dogs don't bother you while you're eating...
I quietly set down my chopsticks and trailed after him.
Is this asshole seriously gonna ban me from weight training in the hall too?
Irritation bubbled up, but surprisingly, it wasn't the Squad Leader who wanted to see me.
He led me to the residence of the Luoyang Branch Secret Sub-branch's overall commander.
Why does the sub-branch leader want me?
"Go in."
"Just me?"
The Squad Leader nodded silently.
I slid open the door without hesitation and entered.
Inside, the sub-branch leader and a familiar face were waiting.
102?
"You're here, 108."
"Understood! Greetings, Sub-branch Leader."
"Good. Come sit."
I sat quietly beside 102.
I shot 102 a look asking what this was about.
He showed no expression, indicating he had no idea either.
"I called you two during training because I have an important task for you."
"Your orders, sir."
The sub-branch leader handed us an envelope.
"May I open it?"
"Go ahead."
I opened the envelope and checked the contents.
Inside were two documents.
One was a personal profile.
The other was a description of appearance.
It resembled orders from headquarters, but it was different.
For starters, the profile was of someone with no ties to our Demonic Cult.
And the target wasn't in Luoyang.
It was Namyang.
Namyang had its own secret sub-branch.
There was no reason for us to take an assassination mission from another region.
This was clearly a private contract killing.
"Just to confirm, is this mission officially approved by headquarters?"
"If it was, you wouldn't be meeting me here."
"Then what is this?"
"Truth be told, it's personal."
Personal...
Rumors had been floating that the newly appointed sub-branch leader was using his men to make side money on the sly.
Of course, headquarters finding out would be disastrous.
But since the rumors had reached even my ears and he was still in position, he must have powerful backing at headquarters.
I examined the profile closely and passed it to 102 before asking the sub-branch leader.
"Understood. When do we depart?"
"Quick on the uptake, aren't you? I like that. Handle it within a week. And if you succeed, there'll be a nice reward for you both—so keep your mouths shut."
"We'll remember."
"Dismissed."
"Understood!"
102 and I grabbed our gear wordlessly and set off for Namyang.
Once we were a good distance from Luoyang, 102 spoke first.
"Fucking scum."
"What can we do? We're the ones in the weak position."
"Sigh~ I can still smell their rotten stink."
"Sending us out so openly for personal business means the sub-branch leader isn't acting alone."
"Wonder who his backer is."
"No idea."
"We're the ones risking our necks, but the big shots pocket the cash."
"What choice do we have? We're powerless."
"What if we'd refused?"
"No need to say it—we'd be the ones hurting."
Silence fell for a moment.
As we walked on quietly, 102 muttered lowly.
"You've noticed the Squad Leader's been looking at you funny lately, right?"
"How could I not? I'm not an idiot."
"Heh... Haha! Hahahahaha!"
102 suddenly burst out laughing, and I couldn't help but chuckle too.
"What the hell's so funny all of a sudden?"
"Before you arrived, I heard from the sub-branch leader—it was the Squad Leader who recommended us."
"That son of a bitch."
"He was probably praying we'd turn it down. That way he could ship us off somewhere."
"Maybe make us vanish without a trace."
"Yeah."
We trash-talked the safety-first Squad Leader and the greed incarnate sub-branch leader all the way to Namyang.
Once there, we headed straight for the target.
Our mark was Gil Yeo-hong, a woman running a brothel called Crimson Moon Tower in Namyang.
It was so famous that finding it was a breeze.
And the owner of this Crimson Moon Tower was one hell of a wicked bitch.
She'd built her fortune by forcing women sold into debt into prostitution.
With that money, she established Namyang's top brothel, Crimson Moon Tower.
But this pinnacle of glamour was built on the blood and tears of countless women.
Many courtesans in the pleasure district belonged to the Whispering Shadow Sect.
True to its name, the Whispering Shadow Sect was a faction formed by society's dregs.
I figured they were behind this commission.
Digging a bit deeper, I learned Gil Yeo-hong had made a killing by luring beautiful women into debt traps with promissory notes, then dragging them to her brothels.
In short, a total villainess.
"She's gotta have a ton of grudges against her."
"Yeah, deserves to die."
"Let's get this over with and go home."
"Right."
But after scouting her place, I realized this mission was far from easy.
The villainess's residence was fortified to the teeth.
She'd probably faced multiple assassination attempts before.
Failures had only tightened security, until it landed in our laps.
"Feels like cleaning up someone else's shit."
"Like poking a pissed-off wasp nest. Whew~ The defenses are no joke. That's why they sent us both."
"Hiring a super first-rate expert plus ten first-rate warriors just to guard one trash bitch."
"Even one first-rate costs a fortune, and she's got over ten. Must have one massive ego."
"People who treat others' lives like dirt always cherish their own. Selfish pricks."
In the future, they'd call that sociopath? Or psychopath—here, it's killer star.
We spent two days observing, but no openings.
The problem was the super first-rate.
He even slept with her, leaving no gaps.
No matter how elite we Shadow Squad assassins were, fooling a super first-rate's senses wasn't simple.
I made up my mind.
"We'll go with a diversion."
"Diversion?"
"East strikes west, maybe?"
"East strikes west? You don't mean..."
"Yeah. You approach the target first, get spotted, and lead them on a chase. I'll take her out."
"Fuck? You want me to die? I'll kill the bitch—you lure them."
"Your lightness skill is the best in the Shadow Squad, isn't it?"
"......Fine. I'll do it."
That night.
We infiltrated Gil Yeo-hong's mansion under cover of darkness.
I sent a telepathic message to 102 for good luck.
-Don't get cocky. Run till your soles sweat.
-Damn! Falling for cheap flattery like that!
-Shut up and let's go.
-You bastard.
102 completely erased his presence and used his Silver Sleep Technique to sneak toward her bedroom.
But as expected.
"Assassin! An intruder's inside!"
"Shit! Damn it!"
The super first-rate's senses were sharper than anticipated.
If we'd both gone for her at once, we'd have failed.
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!
Darts and hidden weapons rained toward 102.
"Fuck!"
102 dodged left and right, fleeing at full speed out of the mansion.
"Mistress! Don't leave our side."
The two first-rates stayed to guard the terrified Gil Yeo-hong instead of joining the chase.
Hanging from a ceiling beam, hidden, I pulled a blowpipe from my bosom and blew a dart at one of them.
Pfft!
"Urk! Poison... poison needle?"
"There's another rat!"
As the poisoned warrior panicked, the other lunged at me with a strike.
"Die!"
It was a sharp sword thrust, but I wasn't about to go down to that.
I dodged the blade and dropped to the floor.
The instant I landed, I closed in tight.
He tried swinging his longsword desperately, but I denied him the space.
To push me away, he unleashed a palm strike with one hand.
I deflected it with my forearm like brushing it aside, then swung a spinning elbow at his jaw.
Whish! Crack! Crunch-crunch!
His teeth shattered from my elbow.
I immediately drove my knee into his gut.
Thud!
The knee hit his solar plexus dead-on, bowing his body like a shrimp.
The shock made him drop his sword, which clattered to the floor.
I delivered the finishing blow.
Nothing personal—it's just the job. Don't hate me.
I grabbed his head and twisted.
Snap!
Thud!
With the charging warrior down, I turned to see the poisoned one foaming at the mouth, dying.
And the main target, Gil Yeo-hong, was fleeing into the distance.
"Help! Someone, anyone!"
Wasting energy for nothing.
I closed the gap in a flash with my movement technique.
I seized her by the hair.
"Eeeek!"
I drew my dagger and slashed her pale neck without hesitation.
Slice...
"Gack! Ack!"
Blood gushed out in spurts.
No time to confirm her death, I stabbed a few vital points.
Stab! Stab! Stab!
Even Hua Tuo himself couldn't save her now.
I left her and pursued 102.
Catching up, I found him locked in a desperate fight with pursuers.
His clothes were soaked red in places.
My vision blurred with rage.
I activated the Reverse Blood Great Law's latent power burst, exploding my internal energy in an instant.
I knew the severe backlash afterward.
But I'd sent 102 into this trap.
And he was my closest friend, like family.
No time to worry about myself.
"Grrrrr!"
My muscles and meridians twisted in agony.
Veins bulged like serpents.
A massive surge of energy erupted.
I unleashed my movement technique at full power, charging the pursuers.
Crack! Snap! Crunch!
"Gurk!"
"Urk!"
No fancy strikes—just grabbed and twisted necks and joints.
Blood excites people, but broken joints kill the will to fight.
Experience from grappling on the ground.
"Wh-what? Aaaagh!"
Snap! Crack!
"Aaaagh!"
I wrenched every joint I could grab.
In my wake: necks twisted backward, arms snapped, legs bent wrong—grotesque corpses.
"Wh-what the hell? That guy's a... monster?"
The first-rates crippled by my hands left the super first-rate terrified.
But Reverse Blood Great Law only lasted about 15 minutes.
Half that remained.
Any longer, and I'd be crippled or dead.
Time to finish.
I clamped the last first-rate's neck under my arm and twisted.
Snap!
He slumped.
I tossed the corpse aside like trash and fixed on the remaining super first-rate.
Tension in his eyes, he asked cautiously.
"Who are you?"
I glanced at bloodied, heaving 102, then back at him.
"What else? The guy who's gonna kill you."