Chapter 153

He was a man with skin so white it shone even in the dim workshop, and a face more beautiful than a woman’s.

The moment he saw his face, Baek Rok felt goosebumps rise all over his body.

‘The same kind as me.’

Baek Rok recognized at a glance that the man was of the same kind as himself. And he intuited that this man was the one orchestrating this entire situation.

‘So the information was true after all.’

Before entering Sichuan Province, he had obtained some unbelievable information.

The information was that a single assassin had forced the Qingcheng Sect and the Emei Sect to become closed-off, and had pacified the Sichuan Murim.

At first, he didn’t believe it.

The information was that unrealistic.

However, those who had sent him judged the information to be true and ordered Baek Rok to be especially careful.

Though half-doubting, Baek Rok accepted their advice and moved cautiously. That was why he had used the Black Tortoise Merchant Group as a disguise.

He had been so careful, yet in the end, his movements had been exposed to the unknown assassin.

Hanging upside down, Baek Rok opened his mouth.

“How did you find out my target was this person? I’m certain I left no clues. Did I perhaps drop some crumbs?”

“No!”

“Then how did you know I would attack this place?”

“Because it happened in my own backyard.”

With those words, Baek Rok understood the whole situation.

“Did you perhaps move the Hao Clan members as well?”

“That’s right!”

“You used the Hao Clan to distract me, and you must have detected suspicious movements with another intelligence organization.”

“That’s also right!”

“I underestimated you.”

Baek Rok was genuinely impressed.

He still didn’t know how Pyo Wol had detected his movements.

Pyo Wol had leaked the news of Do Ilchul’s death to the Hao Clan.

Upon learning of Do Ilchul’s death, the enraged Hao Clan members had sought to find the culprit.

Up to that point, Baek Rok had guessed as much.

He himself had been unnerved by the Hao Clan’s movements and had acted sooner than planned.

At the same time, Pyo Wol had mobilized Guian.

Guian had established an intelligence network separate from the Hao Clan.

Pyo Wol had ordered Guian to find a person who met the following conditions.

First, it was someone moving alone after the Hao Clan had started their search.

No matter how bold a person was, no one could remain calm when the entire Hao Clan was searching for them. So Pyo Wol was certain the assassin would make some kind of move.

Second, it was someone staying at an inn.

He judged that given the atmosphere in Chengdu, it would be difficult to secure a separate safe house. The situation in Chengdu was not so lenient that someone from outside Sichuan Province could secure a safe house without being noticed by anyone.

Third, it was someone wearing fancy clothes unsuited for an inn.

With the Hao Clan members’ eyes wide open searching for the murderer, he didn’t think the assassin would wear dark or shabby clothes that would arouse suspicion.

He thought that if it were him, he would wear fancy clothes to avoid their suspicion.

Clothes that were wide enough to easily hide a weapon and gave others the impression of wealth.

There were only a few who met all three conditions.

Among them, Pyo Wol focused on Baek Rok.

The moment he saw him from a distance, he knew.

That he was the same kind of person as himself.

The only surprising thing was that his assassination target was Tang Sochu.

Although Tang Sochu had recently started to make a name for himself, he had not yet done anything to earn a grudge from anyone. So, to find out the reason, he watched.

The moment Pyo Wol knew Baek Rok was targeting Tang Sochu, he had Soma issue a warning.

“Who coveted the Tang Clan’s Secret Transmission?”

“I don’t know either. Even if I did, do you think I’d tell you? I have my pride.”

Hanging upside down, Baek Rok chuckled.

His body swayed from side to side like a pendulum weight. Yet he still hadn’t lost his composure.

His gaze and attitude were not something a cornered person could display.

Baek Rok asked.

“Did you learn your Killing Method from the Bloody Shadows Guild?”

“You know a lot.”

“The Bloody Shadows Guild is quite something, but not great enough to produce someone like you. Well, there are always exceptions in the world. Those who shatter the existing mold and transcend their limits. It seems you are of that kind.”

Pyo Wol silently watched Baek Rok ramble on.

Baek Rok knew a lot about Pyo Wol.

Even if one knew Pyo Wol was a former assassin, not many knew he was from the Bloody Shadows Guild.

It was even more difficult for someone from outside Sichuan Province to know. Yet Baek Rok was casually mentioning the Bloody Shadows Guild.

There were not many organizations with such information-gathering capabilities.

Especially among assassin groups.

“Are you from the Hundred Wraith Union?””

“Ho! To deduce that much. You’re truly no ordinary man.”

Baek Rok’s eyes widened.

This time, he looked genuinely surprised.

He had never once given any information that could lead to guessing his identity. Yet Pyo Wol had instantly identified him as a member of the Hundred Wraith Union.

‘His mind is truly not ordinary.’

After organizing his thoughts for a moment, Baek Rok opened his mouth.

“I’ll make you an offer.”

“If it’s the nonsense about joining the Hundred Wraith Union, I’ll decline in advance.”

“It’s not even worth reconsidering?”

“Just tell me who ordered Sochu’s death.”

“That’s something I can’t know. I’m just carrying out a mission that came through the Hundred Wraith Union.”

“So you’re a puppet?”

“If I were one of the Ten Blood Assassins, who are in the top ten of the hierarchy, I might know the client, but unfortunately, I’m not at that level. I can’t know the client’s identity, nor am I interested.”

“Then there’s no reason to keep you alive.”

“Are you confident? If you kill me, you’ll become a target of the Hundred Wraith Union. You should know too. How tiring life becomes when you’re the target of assassins like yourself. There are a hundred people with skills like yours. Even if you eliminate me, there are still ninety-nine left.”

At Baek Rok’s threat, Pyo Wol smirked.

His snow-white teeth were slightly revealed between his unusually red lips.

In that instant, Baek Rok felt a chilling sensation.

It was as if a sharp needle had pierced through his chest and poked his heart.

Aside from the Ten Blood Assassins of the Hundred Wraith Union, Pyo Wol was the first to make Baek Rok feel this way.

Pyo Wol said.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s ninety-nine or nine hundred and ninety-nine. If I hunt them down and kill them one by one, it will end someday.”

“Tsk! How foolish. Such bravado against the Hundred Wraith Union. I see now you’re not a cool-headed assassin, but a fool full of arrogance.”

Baek Rok sneered at Pyo Wol.

An assassin must be more cool-headed than anyone.

They must grasp the critical moment of a fight in an instant and be able to cut the opponent’s breath with a single strike.

That is why they require a judgment and reason colder than ice.

The moment an assassin overestimates their own abilities, everything goes wrong. An assassin must always see themselves dispassionately, and if anything, underestimate their abilities.

Only then can they increase their chances of success, even by a little.

No matter how strong Pyo Wol was, he could not face all one hundred assassins of the Hundred Wraith Union. The assassins belonging to the Hundred Wraith Union were all masters of assassination, and especially the top ten, the Ten Blood Assassins, were worthy of being considered the strongest in Jianghu based on their martial prowess alone.

For Pyo Wol to confront them alone was like trying to break a rock with an egg.

“Drunk on the small fame you gained within Sichuan Province, you’re dreaming a futile dream. A frog in a well, ignorant of the vastness of the world, spouting nonsense.”

“Sichuan Province is not a well. And I am not a frog.”

“Hmph! It seems you’ve oiled your tongue. Seeing how you speak so smoothly.”

“The one who oiled his tongue is you. Since you’re talking so much to buy time.”

“How?”

For a moment, Baek Rok’s pupils wavered.

“Because there’s only one reason an assassin talks a lot. And that look in your eyes is not that of someone who has failed an assassination.”

“And you still watched?”

“I wanted to know. What hidden card an assassin from the Hundred Wraith Union has up his sleeve.”

“Hah! You intend to gauge the entire Hundred Wraith Union through me? Your arrogance pierces the heavens.”

A thick killing intent rose in Baek Rok’s eyes.

Fwoosh!

At that moment, the sound of something exploding came from the workshop, and soon, thick smoke billowed into the small room.

It was the Fire Soul Poison, which caused instant death upon inhalation.

The moment Baek Rok infiltrated the workshop, he had placed the sealed Fire Soul Poison in the brazier. He had set it up so that the poison smoke would be released when the seal melted from the brazier’s heat.

The Fire Soul Poison was particularly resistant to heat. When it touched fire, it didn’t get destroyed; rather, it had the characteristic of spreading on the heat.

Unless one had taken an antidote beforehand, inhaling even a single breath would cause one’s internal organs to melt, resulting in instant death.

The moment the Fire Soul Poison filled the small room, Baek Rok swung his thin sword at the silver thread binding his legs.

The silver thread was incredibly strong, but it was cut as effortlessly as a silk thread by the blade of the thin sword infused with internal energy.

Tuduk!

Baek Rok quickly landed and looked for Tang Sochu.

Tang Sochu was nowhere to be seen, having seemingly escaped while he was talking to Pyo Wol.

“Even so, you’re just a rat trapped in a well.”

He paid no mind to Pyo Wol.

As an assassin, Pyo Wol’s abilities were certainly formidable.

His ability to identify and find him in an instant was nothing short of miraculous. It made him think that if there were someone like this in the Hundred Wraith Union, carrying out assassinations would become much easier.

But that was it.

The Fire Soul Poison he had personally concocted was not something a mere human could withstand.

It was extremely difficult to make, so he only had a small amount, but it was a lethal poison that guaranteed results when used.

At the very least, there had never been a time when he used the Fire Soul Poison and failed to achieve his goal.

Baek Rok saw Pyo Wol being instantly engulfed by the Fire Soul Poison. He must have been off guard and surely inhaled it.

If so, the situation was over.

There was nothing more to worry about.

He had talked quite arrogantly, but in the end, he was nothing more than a frog in a well.

Baek Rok raised his Qi Sense to find Tang Sochu.

Although his identity had been revealed because of Pyo Wol, all would be settled if he just killed his target, Tang Sochu.

Suddenly, a small entrance on the floor of the small room caught Baek Rok’s eye. It was an emergency passage made for just in case.

‘You rat-like bastard! You escaped through there.’

Without hesitation, Baek Rok threw himself toward the emergency passage.

Puk!

At that moment, Baek Rok felt a tearing pain in his ankle.

Something had pierced his ankle.

Kwadang!

Baek Rok tumbled to the floor.

“What is it?”

Baek Rok hurriedly got up and looked at his ankle. Then, through the thick poison smoke, he saw a faintly glowing thread piercing his ankle.

Without time to identify what the thread was, Baek Rok swung his thin sword. He intended to free himself first.

Teong!

But his sword was deflected by the thread.

“What?”

Baek Rok was horrified.

In his common sense, it was an impossible event.

“Keuk!”

He struggled, trying once again to cut the thread that had pierced his ankle. But this time too, his thin sword was futilely deflected.

Only then did Baek Rok realize that the faintly glowing thread was not a physical object like the silver thread, but a condensation of Qi.

Formless Qi, as if it were a thread, had a tangible form and was directly exerting force.

Even at that moment, Baek Rok’s body was being dragged. Toward the place where the Fire Soul Poison was still raging.

Despite having taken the antidote, his eyes stung and his throat felt clogged. If he wasted any more time, he couldn’t guarantee his own survival.

Tears streamed down, blurring his vision.

Through his teary eyes, he saw someone’s figure.

He stood unwavering in the sea of Fire Soul Poison.

It was Pyo Wol.

“How?”

Baek Rok’s mind went blank.

The fact that the Fire Soul Poison had no effect on him shattered his pride to its core.

In Pyo Wol, who was holding the Soul Restraining Thread, not a single trace of poisoning could be found.

Nor was he holding his breath.

He was breathing as he normally would.

“D-Don’t tell me, Myriad poison immunity? There’s no way such a thing exists…”

Baek Rok denied his own assumption.

The state of Myriad poison immunity was a realm mentioned only in legends. If the state of Myriad poison immunity truly existed, there would be no place for poison users like him to stand.

‘I must kill him.’

Baek Rok thrust both his palms toward Pyo Wol. Then, the poisons hidden in his sleeves were all released at once.

Pususu!

A new cloud of poison smoke engulfed Pyo Wol.

Seodung!

At that moment, Baek Rok’s ankle flew off. The Soul Restraining Thread had severed it.

“Kuaaack!”

Baek Rok screamed and fled on one leg.

He hopped away without looking back, escaping the workshop.

Jeobeok!

Behind him, the sound of soft footsteps followed.