Chapter 19

The air that day was different.

No one had given the children any hint of what was to come. Yet, they all instinctively knew that today was somehow different from other days.

Perhaps that was why the atmosphere had been restless since morning.

The children, who had been scattered, began to gather one by one in the center of the underground cavern since morning.

Among them was Pyo Wol.

Pyo Wol, too, had left Area One due to a strange premonition and came out to the center of the underground cavern.

“You must have felt it too.”

So Gyeoksan spoke to Pyo Wol.

Pyo Wol nodded silently and looked around.

The instructors had not yet shown themselves. But he could feel them moving about busily somewhere.

It was then.

Im Sayeol appeared with Gu Shin-haeng, Sang Il-shin, and others.

The children stopped what they were doing and stared at them in unison.

Their attire was different from usual.

They still wore masks over their faces, but they had changed into slightly cleaner clothes.

They were clothes they never wore when training the children.

As the three men approached, the children held their breath and watched.

Im Sayeol looked at the children for a moment before opening his mouth.

“Today, we are going outside.”

“……”

The children’s eyes widened.

They had anticipated it to some extent, but hearing it directly from Im Sayeol’s mouth, the shock felt different. However, not a single one of them opened their mouths or made a sound.

It was forbidden to speak without an instructor’s permission when everyone was gathered. But their wide eyes spoke of the emotions they were feeling at this moment.

‘Are we going outside?’

A myriad of emotions crossed Pyo Wol’s face as well.

Although Pyo Wol had adapted to this place better than anyone, it wasn’t that he didn’t miss the outside world.

He had been confined for so long that even his memories were faint, but he still wanted to feel the outside air.

Im Sayeol scanned the children’s faces and said,

“The instructors will go out first, and then it will be your turn. So Yeowol.”

“Yes!”

So Yeowol stepped forward and answered.

“You will take responsibility and lead the other children out.”

“I understand.”

It probably wasn’t just Pyo Wol who thought So Yeowol’s voice sounded particularly lively.

All the children had faces full of anticipation.

It was a point in time when nearly seven years had passed since they were trapped here.

Leaving this place meant that they would soon be deployed on a mission. There wasn’t a single child who didn’t know that fact. But still, it was good. The mere fact that they could escape this hellish place made them endlessly happy.

Soon, the instructors appeared.

The instructors, like Im Sayeol and the others, had also changed into clean clothes.

Although their faces were covered by masks, their eyes also held a sense of excitement.

No matter how much they were trained to hide their emotions, even they couldn’t help but be excited about going outside after a full seven years.

Among the instructors, only Im Sayeol remained unshaken, maintaining a cold gaze.

He looked at the children and thought.

‘How many of them will survive?’

The children were strong.

Although they hadn’t learned Martial Arts as outstanding as the Pinnacle Realm Experts of Jianghu, they were fundamentally strong as human beings.

It couldn’t be helped, as before they were taught Martial Arts, they were pushed into extreme situations and made to find their own way out. They were also driven into a state of extreme competition, where they couldn’t survive unless they killed their opponents.

These were the children who had made it through such a process.

Even without learning Martial Arts, they could be called strong enough as individuals. And these children, who had gone through such a fierce struggle for survival, had even learned advanced Killing Methods.

Each and every child was no different from a vicious beast. But no matter how advanced the Killing Methods they learned, they were no match for the top Experts of Jianghu.

Their Assassination target was not a top Expert of Jianghu, but someone with a high probability of becoming one in the future. He was a Martial Artist with that much potential.

Im Sayeol couldn’t dare to guess how many of the children would come out alive against him.

‘In any case, it’s none of my business.’

His mission was to raise the children to the targeted level. Anything beyond that was not his responsibility.

Now, he had fulfilled his duty, and all that was left was to enjoy his retirement in peace.

He was finally putting an end to his wretched life as an Assassin.

Grrrr!

A basket descended from the ceiling.

Led by Im Sayeol, some of the instructors climbed into the huge basket. Then, the basket rose back up to the ceiling.

It was a long time before the basket came down again.

The remaining instructors climbed into the basket and disappeared.

Now, only Pyo Wol and the children were left in the underground cavern.

So Yeowol approached Pyo Wol’s side.

“We’ll be deployed on a mission soon, right?”

“I suppose so. That’s why they raised us.”

“Do you know who the Assassination target is?”

“No!”

Pyo Wol shook his head.

He knew the name Woo Gun-sang, but he had no intention of telling So Yeowol or the other children. The fewer secrets one knew, the better.

Pyo Wol asked, as if he had just remembered.

“What about the Gu Poison?”

“A few have been detoxified.”

“Really?”

Pyo Wol wore a surprised expression.

He knew that detoxifying Gu Poison was by no means easy.

So Yeowol gave a slight smile.

“Min knows a lot about poisons.”

“Yi Min?”

So Yeowol nodded.

She didn’t say any more. Pyo Wol didn’t ask further either.

‘Yi Seol-min.’

That was Yi Min’s real name.

Like most of the children here, her past was also hidden behind a thorough iron curtain. Unless she spoke of it herself, there was no way to know what kind of past she had.

Even so, the fact that she had detoxified the Gu Poison in such a short time meant that her abilities were anything but ordinary.

Pyo Wol stared intently at So Yeowol’s profile.

So Yeowol was as beautiful as Yi Min. In particular, her snow-white skin, having not seen sunlight for seven years, was enough to steal the souls of men.

So Yeowol was well aware of her own beauty and knew how to use it as a weapon.

She had probably only told a few of the children who followed her how to detoxify the Gu Poison. The method of detoxifying the Gu Poison was also a great weapon for her.

Her talent for utilizing everything around her was truly innate.

It was then.

Grrrr!

With a heavy sound, the basket descended again.

“Finally!”

“We can get out.”

The children were excited.

It was now their turn to leave.

Seeing sunlight for the first time in seven years, even those with hearts like blocks of ice couldn’t help but be excited.

So Yeowol stepped forward and said,

“The basket isn’t big enough for everyone to ride, so first, only half of you get on, and the other half wait until the basket comes down again.”

“Who goes up first?”

“Cheol-pyeong, Jin-sam, In-mok…”

As if she had been waiting, So Yeowol called out the children’s names.

The faces of the called children lit up with joy. The children who were not called didn’t show any particular dissatisfaction.

This was because So Yeowol and her closest aides were staying until the end.

The called children hurriedly climbed into the basket.

“We’ll go up first and wait.”

“We’re going first.”

The basket carrying the children went up again.

Pyo Wol crossed his arms and looked around.

The torches were now almost extinguished, and most of the structures were submerged in darkness, but Pyo Wol’s eyes could see them clearly.

It was a place where he had spent a full seven years.

There were no good memories, but it was also true that he felt a certain sadness at the thought of leaving.

Pyo Wol suddenly wore a look of disbelief.

‘What kind of affection did I develop for a place like this…’

This place was hell.

Here, he became a demon.

He learned how to kill people, and he did it.

His hands were stained with the blood of children, and the smell of blood had not yet faded.

To live, he had to kill others and thoroughly hide his own emotions and inner thoughts.

Thus, his emotions were worn away, and only a monster who had learned the Killing Method remained.

The human Pyo Wol died in this place. Only Pyo Wol, reborn as a monster, remained.

Perhaps this place was the most fitting for Pyo Wol.

If the basket hadn’t come down again at that moment, Pyo Wol’s thoughts might have continued endlessly.

Grrrr!

With a heavy sound, the basket descended.

The faces of the children who had remained until the end lit up with joy.

No matter how much they tried to act nonchalant, the fact that they could soon go outside excited them.

Thud!

Finally, the basket touched the floor.

The children lined up and climbed into the basket.

When finally, not a single one was left, So Yeowol pulled the rope tied to the basket. Then, the basket slowly began to rise toward the ceiling.

The basket went up endlessly.

It continued to rise even after passing what they had thought was the ceiling. It felt like they were ascending at least several hundred Zhang vertically.

“You mean we were this deep underground?”

“Crazy…”

Only then did the children, realizing the true nature of the place they had been confined in, shudder.

It wasn’t just a hellish place; it was literally hell.

If someone from above hadn’t sent down the basket, they would have starved to death.

In the distance, a white sphere of light was visible.

Pyo Wol, realizing it was the light from outside, tore his sleeve and made a long strip of cloth.

His clothes, already frayed and torn like a rag, became even more of a mess, but Pyo Wol didn’t care.

He hastily covered his eyes with the cloth and tied it tightly.

So Yeowol and Yi Min, who had been watching him with puzzled expressions, realized something and quickly followed suit.

“Why?”

“What are you doing…”

The children asked with puzzled faces.

So Yeowol, tying the cloth tightly, said,

“If you don’t want to go blind, you’d better cover your eyes too.”

“Ah!”

“Damn it!”

Only then did the children realize why Pyo Wol, So Yeowol, and the others had acted that way.

Their eyes, having not seen sunlight for a full seven years, had become as weak to light as they could be. It was obvious what would happen if they saw sunlight directly without an adjustment period.

They would go blind or suffer severe damage to their eyeballs.

They had to take measures before that.

The children hurriedly tore cloth and covered their eyes. Still, as they got closer to the surface, the light felt stronger.

The intense light penetrating the cloth seemed to pierce even their eyelids. Even with their eyes closed, tears streamed down in pain.

It was the same for Pyo Wol.

In fact, the pain he felt was greater than that of the other children. His eyes, having perfectly adapted to the darkness, reacted more sensitively.

The pouring light was now no different from a deadly weapon threatening his life. His snow-white skin, which hadn’t seen sunlight for a long time, was already turning red and blotchy.

Just by being exposed to normal sunlight, he had suffered minor burns. It was the same for the other children.

“Ugh!”

“Ah, it hurts!”

The children let out groans without realizing it.

They had developed a Poison Resistance to almost all kinds of pain, but they truly never imagined they would feel pain because of the sunlight they had so longed for.

Thud!

Finally, the basket carrying them came completely outside. Waiting for them was a group of Martial Artists dressed in black.

The Martial Artists, all with eyes full of Killing intent, were the Assassins of the Bloody Shadows Guild.

In their midst was a particularly gaunt middle-aged man.

His glass-like eyes, devoid of any human emotion, and his expressionless face made even the onlookers feel unpleasant.

At his waist hung a new-moon-shaped blade.

The name of the blade, as red as if it were caked in blood, was the Blood Moon Blade. It was the man’s beloved weapon.

There was no telling how many people had died by the misshapen Blood Moon Blade until now.

The owner of the Blood Moon Blade signified the Unit Leader of the Bloody Shadows Guild.

The man’s name was Gu Ju-yang.

He was the owner of the bizarre Blood Moon Blade and the man who reigned at the pinnacle of the Bloody Shadows Guild’s Assassins.

It had been a long time since he had shown himself in broad daylight.

It was the day the results of a project, into which a full seven years of time and enormous funds had been invested, were coming into the world.

Naturally, he had to check the results with his own two eyes.

A smile touched the corners of his mouth.

“Some useful ones have been made. They should be able to satisfy the client.”

He had been consistently receiving reports on the children’s achievements through letters. But it was not the same as seeing them with his own eyes.

Although they were in pain from the sunlight, a chilling Qi naturally flowed from the children’s entire bodies.

At this level, it seemed they would be more than useful for the upcoming hunt.