The One Hundredth Child
Dark underground. The Blood Religion's secret underground lab, reeking of blood.
"Ugh... ughhh..."
A metallic groan escaped from a fragile girl's lips. Her eyes had lost focus long ago, and her tiny body was covered in grotesque scars and festering wounds too horrible to look at.
But the old man standing before her couldn't care less about her suffering.
"Kkeul kkeul..."
He let out a greedy, snake-like laugh, as if pleased by her miserable state.
"Number one hundred. Please endure this one too. Kkeul kkeul!"
"Ugh... ugh... ughhh..."
"Yes, that's it. What a good child. Kkeul kkeul!"
The old man continued with a grotesque expression.
"It would be hard to find another child like you in all of Sichuan. Kkeul kkeul!"
A hundred. He had kidnapped children indiscriminately from across Sichuan, regardless of family or status, and used them as test subjects. And the sole survivor of that hellish nightmare was this one hundredth child before his eyes.
"If this succeeds, I'll be something in the main sect... Kkeul kkeul!"
Just as black desire rippled through the old man's eyes—
CRAAAAAASH—!
A thunderous explosion erupted, violent enough to shake even this deep underground laboratory.
"Ugh...?"
"Kkeul kkeul...?"
Naturally, everyone turned their eyes toward where the sound came from.
"Tch... I thought we hid this place properly."
The old man's brow furrowed. Where could they have gotten a lead? Impossible. Those incompetent Murim Alliance bastards could never have found this place.
So yes, it was only natural for him to be caught off guard by the sudden appearance of an unknown intruder.
"Well..."
The old man's expression relaxed. Because there was no need to be alarmed. He didn't know who the intruder was, but—
'They must be an incredibly stupid and foolish bastard.'
It was obvious. A loud, moronic bastard who loved showing off. Someone who shouted about righteousness and justice while secretly putting on a performance for others to see. A hypocrite who would chase after such shallow fame!
And anyway. Even if this facility had been discovered, he didn't feel the slightest regret. All that remained was the final step—administering the drug in his hand and watching to see if the child lived or died.
But he couldn't exactly leave a bug alive.
"...Kkeul kkeul. Go deal with them."
The old man gestured leisurely, giving the order.
"Yes, Elder."
The moment the command was given, the Hyeolyeongdae squad leader briefly performed a fist-and-palm salute and vanished like a ghost.
Seureureuk—
The murderous Hyeolyeongdae members followed, leaping into the darkness as one.
'I don't know who it is, but...'
Now that the Hyeolyeongdae had been dispatched, the bastard's head would roll in no time.
"Kkeul kkeul..."
The old man turned back to the girl bound in chains, smiling coldly.
"Don't hold out hope that someone came to save you."
"Ugh... ughhh..."
The girl let out a resigned, metallic sound. Hope? She had erased that sweet word from her mind long ago. The only salvation she wished for now was for her breath to finally cease in this pain.
"Kkeul kkeul... Come, let's listen together. To the screams of those intruders."
"Ugh... ughhh..."
"Kkeul kkeul...!"
As the old man said, it didn't take long.
"KYYYAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!"
A piercing death scream, so clear it tore at the eardrums, echoed through the underground.
"Kkeul kkeul...!"
The old man smiled contentedly.
"Ughhh..."
The girl squeezed her eyes shut.
But then—
CRAAAAAASH—!!!!!
Right after the scream, an explosive sound that hammered the eardrums rang out in succession.
"Kkeul kkeul...?"
The old man's facial muscles froze mid-laugh.
CRAAAAAASH—!!!!!
Another explosion, violently vibrating in succession!
CRAAAAAASH—!!!!! CRAAAAAASH—!!!!!
Explosion! Explosion!
"M, mercy... KYYYAAAHHH!!!"
A pitiful scream followed, transmitted perfectly. But that voice—it was far too familiar.
"......"
The old man's snake-like mouth hung wide open. The Hyeolyeongdae, specialists in assassination, had no reason to fight so noisily. And—
"AAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!!!"
As he'd just thought, those desperate screams were all from his own subordinates, whose voices he knew well!
And so—
Tuk.
The old man instinctively placed the medicine bottle he was holding onto the nearby table.
Then—
Seuk—
He drew a poison-coated dagger hidden in his bosom.
"Kkeul kkeul... Looks like we've got some unusual guests co—"
Before the old man could finish his solemn declaration, his eyes flashing—
CRAAAAAAAASH—!!!!!
"What the hell...?!"
The massive iron door blocking the secret lab entrance shattered and flew through the air like paper!
Then—
Through the billowing dust clouds, a man walked in with steady footsteps.
"Ah, fuck."
The man—Do Gwang—cursed crudely without preamble. And he had every reason to. The sight of the laboratory before his eyes was genuinely nauseating, a truly disgusting and wretched spectacle.
Do Gwang was fucking pissed.
Yeah, he was really in a fucking awful mood. He hadn't expected the girl to be perfectly unharmed in the first place.
How can the Blood Religion bastards be this cruel...
Look at the traces. They've been doing this mad shit for a long time.
He already knew clearly from the game that this insane butchery had been going on for a long time.
'...Still.'
Yeah, still.
'I was hoping it'd be a bit better...'
That the child would be in a slightly better state.
'I was hoping there'd be other living children...'
That there would be fewer victims.
He'd harbored those hopes. But from the tutorial period onward, many children had already died, and the girl was already completely shattered.
Meanwhile—
"Y, you! Who the hell are you!?"
The old man was desperately curious about who this Do Gwang was, who had appeared before him. His clothes were tattered beyond recognition, soaked through with someone's fresh blood. And above all, in his hands—
"Y... you madman...!"
The curse slipped out on its own, because of what he was holding!
It was the Hyeolyeongdae member he'd sent out earlier! And he wasn't just holding it. He was gripping the corpse by the leg like a baseball bat, casually resting it on his shoulder.
"What, madman?"
Do Gwang's brow furrowed. Were these Blood Religion bastards collectively insane?
"You're the real madman here."
Who was calling who a madman, exactly?
"Huh? No Okpyeon, you crazy old bastard."
"!!!"
The old man—No Okpyeon's eyes bulged as if they would pop out.
"Y, you...!?"
"Oh, was I wrong? You're Dang Taehyung, the fourth elder of the Sichuan Tang family. But isn't that a fake identity and name?"
"!!!!!"
No Okpyeon's heart plummeted to the ground. No information network—not the Beggar Sect, not the Lower Five Sects—could possibly know his true identity. Because he had infiltrated the Tang family as a mere infant and lived quietly as a spy for half a century!
"H, how do you know my real name...! Were you sent by those Tang bastards!? No, that can't be... there's no way I was exposed...!"
Before No Okpyeon could finish trembling like an aspen leaf—
"Mouth."
Do Gwang said coldly.
"M... mouth...?"
"Yeah, shut your mouth."
Do Gwang had no intention of conversing with No Okpyeon at all. His only thought was to finish him quickly.
'This bastard is seriously dangerous!'
Shasak—!
Sensing Do Gwang's thick killing intent, No Okpyeon hurriedly leaped backward to create distance.
"Oh..."
Do Gwang was slightly impressed. For an elder-level bastard, he was quicker on the uptake and sharper than the Hyeolyeongdae idiots he'd turned into rib cuts outside.
"You madman! Don't you dare lump me with those idiots outside!"
"Why do you keep calling someone else a madman?"
"Shut up! What else would I call you if not a madman?!"
Madman. No Okpyeon himself naturally admitted he fell into that category. As a Blood Religion cultist, it was practically a compliment.
But right now, when No Okpyeon called Do Gwang a madman, it was pure shock born from genuine terror. What else would you call someone soaked in blood, carrying a corpse like a club, with lips twisted into a cold smile?
Meanwhile—
"Ugh..."
The girl bound in chains behind them. She too was drinking in Do Gwang's overwhelming and alien appearance with both eyes.
Someone else's bloodstains caked all over his body. A man standing with the limbs of the hunter who had thrown her into this hell dangling from his shoulder like a toy. Killing intent shining even in the darkness, and an arrogant smile that seemed to mock everything in the world.
Her impression of this truly grotesque, demonic figure was—
That impression was—
'So cool...!'
For the first time in her life, a brilliant light entered the girl's dull, dark eyes.
"Haah..."
A deep sigh escaped Do Gwang's lips. These crazy bastards kept calling him crazy?
"...Whatever."
Why bother having a long conversation with a madman? He, a modern man of intellect and culture, would just have to endure it.
Having decided that, Do Gwang—
Huuk—!
He hoisted the club resting on his shoulder—no, the blood-caked Hyeolyeongdae member—high into the air.
Then—
Paaat—!
He coated it with a blue energy so bright it stung the eyes.
"M... madman...!"
Again, the word 'madman' burst from No Okpyeon's lips. A madman swinging a human corpse like a club. A madman covering that corpse with sword energy—no, blade energy. And on top of that, a madman whose energy was the pure, clear energy of the Taoist path!
'...Ah, this old man is really...'
That madman, madman, fucking madman! The irritation finally boiled over for Do Gwang. He was about to turn that old bastard into shredded meat with his human bat, just like the Hyeolyeongdae members.
But then—
Twinkle twinkle—
He felt an oddly sticky and intense gaze from somewhere.
"Ugh... ah..."
At the end of Do Gwang's line of sight, the girl bound in chains was visible.
"Ah..."
For a moment, Do Gwang froze mid-step, club in hand. Crushing No Okpyeon would be very easy. He had already fully mastered using this body, layered with all kinds of bullshit traits. Even if the bastard was elder-level, he was nothing more than a water balloon that would pop when swung.
But—
'I shouldn't be the one to pulverize that old bastard.'
Yes. How terribly and desperately must she have suffered, to look at him with such burning eyes? Twinkle twinkle! That sparkling gaze must be the desperate desire to take bloody revenge with her own hands!
But contrary to Do Gwang's thoughts—
'So cool...'
The girl's mind had long since erased any resentment toward old bastards like No Okpyeon. It was filled only with Do Gwang's mad, blood-soaked figure standing tall!
Anyway.
In that moment when the two were deeply misunderstanding each other in completely opposite directions, No Okpyeon—a wily old fox who had worn out his elder position in the Blood Religion and his spy cover in the Tang family—couldn't possibly miss that opening.
"You insolent bastard! How dare you let your eyes wander!"
Hwik—!
The blue-tipped dagger in his hand shot toward Do Gwang's forehead! A speed so silent and destructive it seemed to swallow even sound itself!
But—
Seuk—
Do Gwang dodged the dagger as easily as if swatting a fly, merely tilting his head.
"W, what!?"
No Okpyeon's eyes bulged in shock.
But—
"Kkeul kkeul..."
No Okpyeon smiled coldly.
"Stupid bastard. I admit you're as impressive a martial artist as you are insane. But you're far too arrogant! Kkeul kkeul!"
True, he'd intended to plant the dagger in his skull. But a true master always sets up a follow-up move in case the first strike misses!
p>
No Okpyeon's real scheme, honed by mastering both the Blood Religion and the Tang family arts, was—
'You're already poisoned!'
That dagger was coated in Pogong Danhondok—the Space-Shattering Soul-Severing Poison! One of the formless poisons that contaminates the surrounding air just by passing through it, let alone by the sound of it cleaving the atmosphere!
'Using this on a brat like you is a waste, but circumstances are circumstances. Just die already, you madman!'
Seeing No Okpyeon's confident, leisurely smirk—
Pishik.
"What the fuck are you on about, retard?"
Do Gwang snorted derisively as if it were utterly laughable.
"Y, you bastard!?"
No Okpyeon's eyebrow twitched. But he forced the corners of his mouth back up, wearing the victor's smile.
"Kkeul kkeul..."
After all, the bastard would soon be vomiting blood and bursting his seven orifices.
But—
"Retard."
Do Gwang spat the curse again, perfectly crisp.
"You're acting cocky because of the Pogong Danhondok, right?"
At that unexpected question—
"!!!!"
No Okpyeon's heart seemed to stop.
"H, how do you know abou—!"
Before the obvious line could finish—
PUHWOOSH—!!!
A tearing explosion burst out!
CRRAAACK—!!!
Followed immediately by the sound of bones shattering into pieces.
"KYAAAAAHHH!!!!"
A scream like a pig being slaughtered burst from No Okpyeon's lips. How did the bastard know about the Pogong Danhondok? No, before that, when did my leg get crushed?
He wasn't even given the time to form these confused questions.
CRAAASH—!CRRAAACK—!CRAAASH—!CRRAAACK—!
Every time Do Gwang's meat club flashed through the air, No Okpyeon's arms were crushed in turn.
"KYAAAAAAHHHH!!!!"
Just three swings. In that instant, all four limbs were completely obliterated!
A brutal and cruel sight, hard to watch with open eyes!
But the girl bound in chains watched it all without blinking, her eyes wide open.
And—
'So cool...'
She was genuinely ecstatic! Thump thump! Her broken heart began to beat again.
At that moment—
Do Gwang spun around. And met the bound girl's eyes.
"...Hmm."
Do Gwang scratched his head. It dawned on him belatedly that he'd shown the child something ugly. But the milk was already spilled.
'...Well, can't be helped.'
Do Gwang decided to just roll with it coolly. He easily tore off her chains, then crouched down and opened his mouth.
"What's your name? I'm Do Gwang."
An awkward self-introduction. Internally, he was somewhat expectant. He would finally learn the real name of this pitiful girl—a name he'd never heard in the game tutorial.
But—
"...?"
The girl tilted her head.
"Hmm..."
She frowned for a moment, trying to recall something, then spoke brightly.
"I don't remember!"
Do Gwang's brow furrowed slightly.
'...Shit.'
She was truly a pitiful child. Whether because she'd been trapped here too long or due to side effects from the Blood Religion bastards' vicious experiments. he couldn't be sure of the exact cause, but forgetting even her own name...
But... 'Hmm...?' Do Gwang felt a strange sense of dissonance.
Twinkle twinkle!
The child before him was gazing up at him with such bright, innocent eyes.
Do Gwang smiled slightly.
'...Good.'
It was a bit unexpected, but this was a hundred times better than her trembling in fear.
"Do you want to, too?"
Do Gwang jerked his chin toward what was behind him. No Okpyeon, whose limbs were already shattered by the ruined club—no, the Hyeolyeongdae member—writhing on the floor.
"Th... that's enough... keoheok!"
Puok—!
A blue blade sank into No Okpyeon's thigh.
Puok—!
"KYAAAH!!"
Puuuuuk—!!!
"KYYYAAAAHHHH!!!"
The dagger clutched tightly in the girl's hands mercilessly tore into flesh.
Puok—!
"STOOOP! KYYYAAAHHH!!!"
She was ruthlessly hacking away at No Okpyeon, who lay sprawled on the floor like a bug.
Meanwhile, Do Gwang watched the scene of slaughter from a step behind.
'Hmm... Too bad.'
Do Gwang looked down at the club lying on the floor—the Hyeolyeongdae member's corpse, now completely shapeless and shredded.
'The impact would've felt better with that, much more satisfying...'
But the bones were already all crushed and torn, no longer usable as a weapon. A real shame—a durability limit.
'Well... it would've been too heavy for her anyway.'
Too heavy and large for the frail, skinny girl to lift. But fortunately, the dagger that had been in the Hyeolyeongdae member's bosom—the one he'd used as a club—was still intact.
So Do Gwang had given it to the girl.
And now the girl was—
Puok—!Puuuuk—!!!
"AAAAAAHHHH!!!"
—expertly filleting No Okpyeon.
'Hmm... Talented, after all.'
Do Gwang nodded with satisfaction. Despite holding a dagger for the first time, the girl never once stabbed at a sure-kill point like the throat or heart. She was only stabbing into areas like the thighs, calves, shoulders, and forearms.
The reason was obvious.
Puuuuk—!!!
"AAAAAAHHHH!!!!"
To make revenge more painful. And to fully enjoy this desperate sensation of slaughter.
The clear proof—
"Heheheh~~!"
A crystal-clear, bright laugh burst from the girl's lips.
In the game, that emotionless girl who hadn't uttered a single word except for a bloody, unfinished dying declaration. The empty girl whom no one could ever imagine producing such a cheerful laugh.
"Heheheh~~!"
Puok—! Puok—!
"AHH! Stop! I was wrong! Please, just kill me!! AHHH!!"
A hellscape of blood spraying everywhere.
"No!"
Puuuuuk—!!!
"KYYYAAAAHHHH!!!"
"Heheheh~~!"
The old man's desperate screams pounding at the eardrums, mixed with the child's mad, cheerful laughter.
Do Gwang's honest impression of this surreal, grotesque atrocity was—
'...So cute.'
Just three words.