Grip!
Mo Ha-rang of the Ensnaring Flower Room's eyes trembled. The faint chains enveloping her body seemed like an illusion, but when she tried to move, they tightened and bound her even more. Just as she tried to draw up her internal energy, Mok Gyeong-un approached her and spoke.
“The price for seeing what you wanted will be quite steep. Are you sure you're okay with that?”
He had a smile on his face. But that smile was truly filled with malice. How could he smile like that without a trace of killing intent?
In that moment, she recalled a story she had heard long ago.
[Among thousands, tens of thousands, there is one born with a killing nature.]
[What is that?]
[It is a disposition that finds joy, pleasure, and a reason for being in death and annihilation.]
[... Isn't that dangerous?]
[It is. But if one can be properly tamed, they are the finest material for an assassin.]
[The finest?]
[Yes. One with a killing nature feels no hesitation in killing someone. Thus, they are not swayed by emotions.]
[So something like that can be a talent.]
That was back when the Ensnaring Flower Room was still called one of the four great assassin groups. She thought that perhaps Mok Gyeong-un was the one with the killing nature her father had spoken of back then. If that were the case, she might have touched something dangerous.
But that didn't matter. Mo Ha-rang looked straight into Mok Gyeong-un's eyes and said.
“I will pay any price.”
“Any price?”
“If it's about uncovering a secret, I'm prepared.”
“Prepared... but you only have one life. Can it truly be 'any price'?”
Mok Gyeong-un still wore a smiling face. But the words that came out were incomparably brutal. -Master. Give me this human's body.
The Green Spirit, Gyu So-ha, said with a greedy gaze. As if she could hear this voice, Mo Ha-rang flinched in surprise and stared at Gyu So-ha. At this, Gyu So-ha tilted her head and muttered. -Human.
You can hear my voice? -Oh? At those words, Blue Spirit also showed interest. It was understandable.
Although she had intentionally revealed her form, she hadn't made her voice audible. But the fact that she could hear it meant, -It seems your spiritual sight has opened.
“Spiritual sight?” -Yes.
It's not that you've awakened to the spirit eyes that see the inner essence like him, but it seems you've gained eyes that can see souls at the crossroads of life and death. Blue Spirit called it spiritual sight. Seemingly unable to hear Blue Spirit's voice, Mo Ha-rang did not take her eyes off Gyu So-ha.
Mo Ha-rang carefully parted her lips.
“Are you... really a ghost?” -Why?
Do I look like a mere human to you? Gyu So-ha's lips curled upwards. The fear of a living human was no different from nourishment for a vengeful spirit.
However, Mo Ha-rang showed an emotion different from fear.
“Ahhh.”
She seemed somehow excited. It was close to the feeling one gets when they find something they've been searching for. At this, Mok Gyeong-un said to her.
“You're showing an interesting reaction. Was seeing the dead a wish of yours?”
“No. No. It's not that.”
Mo Ha-rang's voice trembled. She turned her head to look at Mok Gyeong-un, then, like someone who had made a decision, she tensed her neck and spoke.
“I'll pay whatever price you want. Even if it's my life.”
“...”
At her words, the interest in Mok Gyeong-un's eyes faded. Having seen countless deaths, he could distinguish to some extent between those who were truly prepared for death and those who were not. She was closer to the former.
She was prepared to risk her life at any time if necessary. She continued speaking to Mok Gyeong-un.
“Help me instead.”
“... Hmm. You want help.”
Mok Gyeong-un muttered with an annoyed expression. Then, he brought his finger towards her throat and said.
“Why should I do that? It's just a bother.”
His finger pressed into her throat. At this, she spoke with an unwavering gaze.
“The body... that ghost of yours said she wanted a body. If you grant my request, I'll gladly give you this body.”
“It might spoil the mood, but even without doing that, I can take your body right now.”
At Mok Gyeong-un's words, Mo Ha-rang's gaze sharpened. In that moment, a sharp energy spread from her body.
Clang! Clang!
Then, the chains made of Gyu So-ha's spiritual power were severed. Before he knew it, sharp daggers were in both of Mo Ha-rang's hands. The daggers held a shimmering, sharp energy, honed to a point far sharper than that of Yeom-ga of the Killing Curse Valley. -Step back.
Blue Spirit warned. At this, Mok Gyeong-un took about half a step back and slightly tilted his head to the side. In that instant, several trajectories drew lines before his eyes, narrowly grazing past Mok Gyeong-un.
If he had been even a little late, parts of his body, including his chin, would have been sliced off. No, he was slightly cut. A drop of blood trickled down from where the trajectory had passed.
‘Threads?’
They were much thinner than thread, but they were elastic. These thread-like things, tied to the hilts of the daggers embedded in the floor, surrounded the area, preventing movement. Mo Ha-rang said in a cold voice.
“Don't look down on me.”
Killing intent billowed from her voice. At this, Mok Gyeong-un's lips twitched as he spoke.
“So you had a hidden card up your sleeve.”
Just then, Blue Spirit's voice was heard. -I thought I'd seen this dagger art somewhere. So you've inherited the lineage of the King of Assassins.
“The lineage of the King of Assassins?”
As soon as Mok Gyeong-un's question ended, a strange light appeared in Mo Ha-rang's eyes. She spoke in a tone of disbelief.
“What are you?”
Mo Ha-rang was genuinely astonished. She had never expected to hear the words 'lineage of the King of Assassins' from Mok Gyeong-un's mouth. -It would be stranger not to think of the King of Assassins after seeing the Linked Kills and the Flashing Shadow Flying Dagger Art. Hearing Blue Spirit's words, Mok Gyeong-un repeated them exactly.
“It would be stranger not to think of the King of Assassins after seeing the Linked Kills and the Flashing Shadow Flying Dagger Art.”
‘!?’
At those words, Mo Ha-rang's eyes widened. Linked Kills was well-known to many, so few were ignorant of it. But the Flashing Shadow Flying Dagger Art was different.
It was a secret technique that only the master of the Ensnaring Flower Room could learn. It was literally a secret technique, and since it was never used unless facing an opponent who must be killed or was too difficult to handle, it was almost unknown. And, ‘The King of Assassins is the predecessor of our faction.
It's a story passed down only by word of mouth within our faction, known only to the master and their successors. How does this person know?’ It was in that moment of her confusion.
Mok Gyeong-un stomped hard on the floor. The wooden plank pressed downward, and the part where the daggers were embedded shot upward. Simultaneously, the thin threads that had been tautly surrounding the area went slack.
Fwoosh!
In that split second, Mok Gyeong-un threw himself at her and seized her by the neck. Of course, Mo Ha-rang did not stand idly by. The moment Mok Gyeong-un rushed in, she immediately came to her senses and, as she had practiced thousands, tens of thousands of times, stabbed her dagger toward Mok Gyeong-un's heart.
No, to be precise, only the tip of the dagger pierced slightly.
‘Fast.’
Grip!
If Mok Gyeong-un hadn't grabbed her wrist with his left hand, it would have dug in deeper. Her movements were just that swift, difficult to react to even after seeing them. Mo Ha-rang was clearly much stronger than Yeom-ga of the Killing Curse Valley.
Creeaak! Shudder!
As Mok Gyeong-un tightened his grip, she grimaced from the pain, feeling as if her wrist would break. Seeing her not even let out a groan amidst the pain, Mok Gyeong-un chuckled.
“You're strong. When did you tie this around my neck?”
Shhh!
A silver thread was now wrapped around Mok Gyeong-un's neck. The dagger that had shot up from the floor was now stuck in the ceiling, and if Mo Ha-rang simply pulled the thread, his neck would be strangled.
“Why aren't you pulling?”
“You... aren't... choking... my neck... either.”
Just as she said, Mok Gyeong-un was gripping Mo Ha-rang's neck with his right hand, but he wasn't applying any force. That was why she hadn't pulled the thread either. To be honest, she was also holding back because pulling it would sever Mok Gyeong-un's neck.
Anything further would truly be the realm of killing each other.
‘If I kill him, it's a violation of this gate's restriction.’
And there was still something she wanted from Mok Gyeong-un. That's why she couldn't kill him...
Flick!
Just then, Mok Gyeong-un released her neck and flicked a finger against her thread. In that instant, the taut thread immediately went limp.
‘!?’
Mo Ha-rang's eyes widened. She was clearly channeling true energy into the thread, but it no longer obeyed her, as if the energy had scattered.
‘What in the world?’
She couldn't understand what had happened. Just then, Mok Gyeong-un spoke.
“You seem quite useful.”
“What?”
“I was going to give you to So-ha as a body, but it seems it wouldn't be bad to just use you myself.”
“What are you talking about...”
“You said you'd pay any price for what you want, right?”
At Mok Gyeong-un's words, Mo Ha-rang hesitated for a moment. She had certainly agreed to it, but Mok Gyeong-un's sudden change in attitude made her falter. Just then, Mok Gyeong-un suddenly grabbed her by the collar and pulled.
“Ah!”
Creeeak!
Then, he forcibly moved the wrist that held the dagger, twisting it toward himself. She wanted to raise her internal power to block it, but the true energy she sent to her wrist kept scattering, leaving her powerless to do anything.
Creeeak!
Before she knew it, the dagger she was holding was pointing at her own face. Was he really trying to make her kill herself? Just then, something fell and wet her lips.
It was none other than a drop of blood.
Drip, drip!
The drop of Mok Gyeong-un's blood that had collected on the tip of the blade was about to fall into her mouth. As she tried to close her mouth, Mok Gyeong-un said.
“Open it.”
‘!?’
What was he saying? She couldn't understand why he was doing this. But, judging that he wasn't trying to kill her, she soon opened her mouth without raising any questions.
Then, the drop of blood on the dagger's tip fell into her mouth.
“Swallow.”
She did as she was told. The moment she swallowed the drop of blood that entered her mouth, “Hahk!” Her chest became incredibly hot.
A burning pain consumed her body, so agonizing that she forcibly shook off Mok Gyeong-un's grip and immediately tried to sit in a cross-legged position.
‘Poison... it's poison.’
A pain that felt like her five viscera and six bowels were being twisted. She was certain this was poison. As a descendant of the Ensnaring Flower Room, one of the four great assassins, she was well-versed in poisons and had even ingested some deadly toxins to build up a resistance.
But Mok Gyeong-un's blood was beyond comparison. 'How can blood contain such poison...' The poison was so potent, as if countless toxins had been condensed into it.
The term deadly poison was not enough to describe it. 'If I don't circulate my energy quickly...'
Thud!
Just as she was about to sit cross-legged, Mok Gyeong-un kicked her in the stomach.
“Keuk!”
Already suffering from the twisting pain in her organs, being kicked in the abdomen made her so miserable that she felt a surge of anger and wanted to kill Mok Gyeong-un.
“You!”
Stomp!
Just then, Mok Gyeong-un pressed his foot down on her shoulder, near her collarbone, and said.
“You said you'd pay any price. Then from this moment on, I'd like you to become a faithful dog.”
“You... you don't have to go this far...”
“Ah, no. That won't do. You see, I never trust people.”
Mo Ha-rang's eyes trembled. She felt like she had made a huge mistake. This man was more twisted than she had ever imagined.
He couldn't be defined by things like a killing nature; this was, in a word, evil itself.
The boys who had given up even energy circulation and rest to wander the rooms, gathering group members. They couldn't hide their surprise as they saw a group walking down the corridor.
'Huh?'
‘... Is this for real?’
‘What? No way.’
They doubted their own eyes. Flanking Mok Gyeong-un from behind were a man and a woman. They were the heirs of the Killing Curse Valley and the Ensnaring Flower Room, called the most promising prospects in this gate of the Corpse Blood Valley.
With the restrictions on internal energy lifted, everyone expected that each of them would naturally become a group leader and lead others. But what was this? Don't tell me those two, who are at the level of group leaders, have joined that guy's side?