Shadow Walkers.
A secret organization created by the Righteous Alliance, which could be called the backbone of the righteous path. Only a handful within the Righteous Alliance knew the exact time of its founding, and not many knew what exactly they did. Those who knew of the Shadow Walkers called them the shadows of the Righteous Alliance.
Because they undertook missions in the unseen darkness that must never come to light, they could never step into the sun. Even within these Shadow Walkers, there was a more special group. Beyond the regular groups—the Armor Division (Internal Audit), the Second Division (Espionage), and the Soldier Division (Assassination)—existed the Fourth Division.
[Monsters.]
Even among their fellow agents in the Shadow Walkers, that is what they were called. This was partly a measure of the Fourth Division agents' strength, but there was another reason as well. It was that they were different from ordinary humans.
Fourth Division, Thirteenth Group, Squad Leader, Ling Hwa-yang. She, too, was a member, one of the three Fourth Division agents dispatched for this mission.
[This is a request from the Second Division. Show them the skills of a Fourth Division agent.]
The Corpse Blood Valley was a mission the Second Division had failed multiple times. Thus, the Fourth Division dispatched agents to take this opportunity and build a record in espionage as well. Ling Hwa-yang wiggled a finger, beckoning to Mok Gyeong-un seductively.
"Let's talk with our bodies."
‘Mok Gyeong-un.’
They say seven of the dispatched agents lost their lives because of that man. Because of this, the order was given.
[Sever his tendons and destroy his dantian.]
It was not a very difficult task. The missions she had specialized in until now were assassinations of key figures. It was especially easy with men.
With just a little seduction, they would fall into her arms. She could enjoy herself for a bit, and then finish by taking their lives.
‘He's quite handsome.’
This was the first time she had seen him up close. But seeing his face, he was beyond good-looking; he was incredibly handsome. He was smiling, but there was a hint of decadent charm, a face women were bound to like in many ways.
‘What a shame.’
It seemed a waste to enjoy him once and then leave him a cripple. But for the mission, there was no other way. It wasn't just that agents had died because of him; he was the biggest obstacle to future missions. -Thump!
Just then, Mok Gyeong-un closed the slightly ajar door. Then he walked over slowly and spoke.
"What does it mean to talk with our bodies?"
"You know, so why ask?"
She spoke in a coquettish tone, sitting on the bed and crossing her legs slightly. At that, Mok Gyeong-un chuckled and approached, saying.
"I really don't know."
"Are you pretending to be an innocent? Or are you trying to tease me on purpose?"
"Who can say."
Mok Gyeong-un stood just two steps in front of her. The corners of Ling Hwa-yang's mouth lifted into a coy smile. What man could resist a naked woman with curves like these?
She thought he would be no exception. -Swish! Ling Hwa-yang naturally extended one of her legs toward Mok Gyeong-un. The tip of her foot was aimed at his groin.
It was to arouse him. Just then, Mok Gyeong-un caught the tip of her foot. Then he knelt and gently caressed his way up her ankle.
A peculiar light shone in Ling Hwa-yang's eyes.
‘So he's not an innocent, I see.’
No matter how handsome, he was still a boy not yet of age, so she thought he might be an inexperienced innocent. That would be no fun. When going to the trouble of using her body to eliminate or handle a target, shouldn't she have some fun?
It seemed she could cast aside that concern.
"Haa."
She intentionally let out a ragged breath. There was no way she could get excited just from him stroking her ankle, but this was how she stimulated a man, by making such sounds. -Swish! Mok Gyeong-un's hand traced up from her ankle, past her shin, her knee, and then to her thigh.
As his hand reached her thigh, her eyes grew sultry. It seemed she would be able to enjoy this properly.
‘It won't be so bad for you, either.’
Being able to hold a woman like this before becoming a cripple, perhaps that could be called a reward of sorts. Ling Hwa-yang said in a voice mixed with coquetry.
"You should undress, too."
At her words, Mok Gyeong-un gave a light smile. Then, instead of just stroking, he walked his index and middle fingers up her thigh in an alternating motion. At this, Ling Hwa-yang's face began to flush.
This man, though young, seemed to have some experience. Most men knew nothing of preliminaries; if a woman was naked, they would just charge right in. But from the looks of it, this one knew women.
Her senses were already dulled as it was; if he just shoved it in, the fun would have been lost. While she was thinking this, Mok Gyeong-un spoke.
"You look delicious."
At Mok Gyeong-un's words, she let out a moan and said.
"Haa... I look delicious? Then hurry up and devour me. You don't have to hold back."
Exciting, isn't it? Hearing such words would drive any man wild. As he continued to walk his two fingers up her leg, Mok Gyeong-un said.
"I must savor the taste slowly. Beautiful things are best when they are slowly brought to a boil."
"Haa... you... I like you."
"I feel the same. The thought of the screams that will come from your fully heated mouth is already sending a thrill through me."
At Mok Gyeong-un's words, Ling Hwa-yang became genuinely aroused. This man knew how to excite a woman. The way he moved his fingers, alternating them like that, while stimulating her imagination with his words, was making her feel good for the first time in a long while. -Swish!
Mok Gyeong-un's hand, which had been traveling up, moved to her smooth stomach. At this, Ling Hwa-yang licked her lips as if in disappointment. Is he trying to arouse me even more?
This man is an expert.
‘He's quite something.’
They called him a madman, so she was curious to see what he would do. But to think he was this delicate and knew how to treat a woman. Mok Gyeong-un's hand, which was gently stroking her abdomen, soon moved toward her ample breasts.
"Haa."
She let out a deep breath. To her, Mok Gyeong-un smiled and said.
"You're heating up nicely and softly. I wonder what expression you'll make when I peel the skin from your entire body."
"I'm already completely naked. Is there anything more to take off?" -Tug!
"There is this."
Mok Gyeong-un pulled at her flesh. At his words, Ling Hwa-yang frowned slightly for a moment. Things were going so well, what is this nonsense?
Does this bastard think these words can excite me? Ling Hwa-yang showed no sign of her thoughts and said.
"You're quite the joker. Hahaha."
"I'm not joking."
"... What?"
Ling Hwa-yang, momentarily dumbfounded, scowled. To her, Mok Gyeong-un raised the corners of his mouth almost to his ears and said.
"From the moment I first saw you, I wanted to peel off all your skin and see what was inside."
"... Are you saying that to get me excited?"
"Isn't it exciting?"
"Are you kidding me?"
"Once, I peeled all the skin off a man who kept his mouth shut, making him see his own insides. He screamed so much he nearly fainted. The sight of his tangled veins and muscle fibers was truly beautiful."
‘!?’
Ling Hwa-yang's expression hardened. At first, she thought he was just being a bit extreme with his words as a form of foreplay. But his smile, filled with malice, and the look in his eyes were completely genuine.
He truly wanted to peel off her skin. -Chill! For a moment, a chill ran down Ling Hwa-yang's spine. Until now, like a queen spider, she had killed those who burrowed into her embrace, and she had always enjoyed the process.
Killing the men held in her arms always excited her immensely. Seeing them in pain felt as if her own dulled senses were coming back to life.
‘This man... is he the same kind as me?’
She had thought, how mad could he really be? But experiencing it firsthand, she realized he was even crazier than she was. A beautiful woman is seducing him naked, and he wants to peel off her skin to see her suffer. -Shudder!
‘You mad bastard.’
Her own thoughts changed. She had intended to watch his happiness shatter while he was blissfully in her arms, but now, she wanted to see this madman beg for his life instead. Ling Hwa-yang smiled gently.
"I'll have to hear your screams, too." -Wham!
Having made her decision, she wrapped her legs around Mok Gyeong-un's arm like a snake. Then, she pressed down on Mok Gyeong-un's neck and back with her legs. If he moved wrongly, his elbow would snap in an instant, so he wouldn't be able to resist. -Squeeze!
"You'd better stay still. If you resist for no reason, your elbow bone might pop out..." -Creeaak!
‘Huh?’
What is this? Mok Gyeong-un stood up with her still clinging to him. She, a master at the Peak Realm, had used nearly six-star power in her grappling technique with her legs, and he was forcefully resisting it?
‘This bastard!’
She gathered even more internal power, trying to shatter Mok Gyeong-un's elbow. But Mok Gyeong-un's arm did not bend in the slightest. And then, -Crash!
Mok Gyeong-un slammed her, still attached to him, down onto the bed. The bed shattered, and her body was embedded in the wreckage. But she still clung to Mok Gyeong-un's arm like a parasite, not letting go.
Ling Hwa-yang gave a sardonic smile and said.
"It's useless. I don't really feel pain."
Most members of the Fourth Division, the fourth organization of the Shadow Walkers, were either volunteers or orphans who had been modified through numerous grand arts or experiments. The survival rate of those experiments was merely one percent. Those who overcame not a ten percent chance, but a one percent chance, possessed bodies completely different from ordinary people.
She, for one, possessed a body that felt no pain.
‘And.’ -Screech!-Shink!
Shink! Shink!
As she clung to him, her fingernails grew longer and dug into Mok Gyeong-un's wrist. It was called the Sharp Bone Claw, an ability to hide and extend sharp fingernails, mutated by a special solution, like a beast.
"This is?"
"Did you think I had nothing just because I was naked?"
"An interesting physique you have."
"Interesting? Yes, find it very interesting."
‘Because soon, you won't be able to move.’
The mutated components of the Sharp Bone Claw. It was a paralysis powder. The target stabbed by the fingernails would become paralyzed, their senses numbing from the point of contact, rendering them immobile.
By the time one consciously tried to expel it with true energy, it would already be too late. -Squeeze! She channeled even more internal power into her thighs. But then, "This scent... it's quite familiar."
"What?"
"Clove... Sandalwood... Costus Root... Pinellia Tuber, Licorice, Agarwood... Raw Aconite Root... is this paralysis powder?"
‘!?’
What?
What did this bastard just say? He identified the components of her mutated fingernails by scent alone? Ling Hwa-yang was momentarily speechless.
Most would either cause a fuss asking what she had done after they were paralyzed, or panic and ask if she had used paralysis powder. But what in the world was this man? Was it possible to identify the components just by smelling the faint scent?
And, 'Why isn't his strength fading?' It was strange. Because of the paralysis powder, his arm should be gradually going numb and losing strength.
But his strength was still the same.
Why?
As she wondered, -Squeeze! Mok Gyeong-un, while holding her up, suddenly did something unexpected. -Crunch!
‘!!!!!!!!’
For a moment, she couldn't believe her eyes. Mok Gyeong-un twisted his neck with great effort and bit into the muscle on the opposite side of her constricting knee, the back of her knee. Even though she felt no pain, she could tell that teeth were sinking into her.
And the spot he had bitten was dangerous. If it was damaged, she might not be able to walk. -Wham! Ling Hwa-yang released the strength in her legs and kicked Mok Gyeong-un in the head.
Mok Gyeong-un's body was pushed back. Having fallen to the floor, she let out a harsh gasp and looked at the back of her knee. A piece of it had been torn off. -Stagger!
Seeing that her left knee couldn't straighten properly, it seemed the muscle had been torn away.
"You son of a..." -Chew, chew!
For a moment, she was at a loss for words. She could see Mok Gyeong-un chewing the piece of muscle he had torn from the back of her knee. Mok Gyeong-un, chewing with blood around his mouth, soon swallowed it down his throat. -Gulp!
With that, Mok Gyeong-un licked the blood from his lips and spoke. -Lick!
"Hmm. The blood tastes fine, but the meat is a bit tough."
‘This... this mad...’
Ling Hwa-yang was momentarily speechless. She was called one of the craziest women in the Fourth Division, and she herself had acknowledged it because of the wicked tastes born from her inability to feel pain. But this went beyond that.
This wasn't a matter of being crazy; wasn't this an evil demon or the very nature of killing itself? Feeling a moment of extreme terror, she involuntarily took a step back. Then, "Ah, ah, ah.
No you don't. Bind." As soon as the words were spoken. -Zhiiiing! Something wrapped around her entire body, restraining her so she could not move.
"Wha- what is this..."
Flustered, she tried to gather her internal power to break free. But then Mok Gyeong-un went "Shhh" and made a gesture of zipping his lips with his hand. And then, "Mmph, mmph!"
She could not open her mouth. Unable to scream or do anything, her face turned deathly pale. Mok Gyeong-un approached her and said.
"You said you don't feel pain? That's perfect. I have a bronze mirror here, too. I was just wondering what kind of reaction you'd show watching your own skin being peeled off, piece by piece."
With that, the corners of Mok Gyeong-un's mouth stretched to his ears. He looked ecstatic. 'This man... he's serious... he's really serious.' -Thump!
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Thump!
Her heart pounded violently, refusing to listen to her.
"Hahh, hahh, hahh, hahh..."
Letting out ragged breaths, she soon began to foam at the mouth, and her eyes rolled back in her head.
"Oh?"
At this, Mok Gyeong-un made a disappointed expression.