Thinning the Herd (1) Mok Yu-cheon stared blankly at the small, round copper token resting in his palm. It was the item Ma-sang had given him before fleeing. He hadn't been told what it was or what it meant.
Ma-sang had only left him with these words.
[You do it for me.]
It was a phrase heavy with meaning. A spy, once caught, would ultimately meet their death. That was likely why he had entrusted the future to him.
‘Why in the world me...’ ...did he make such a request?
Besides, if he had been in Ma-sang’s position, he would have been furious. Even if they were half-brothers, it was his brother’s betrayal that had led to this outcome. But Ma-sang did not resent him.
Of course, the situation had been urgent, so he might not have even had a moment for resentment.
“Hah.”
Mok Yu-cheon let out a long sigh. How had he ended up in such a predicament? He used to think that being looked down on as the son of a Courtesan was hell, but now he realized it was nothing.
The real hell was outside. -Crunch! He bit his fingernail. A childhood habit, one that surfaced when he was anxious, had returned.
He had thought his half-brother was the only one he could trust, but now he realized that wasn't true. The man was not the person he used to know. Whether he had hidden it or not, he was closer to a villain than someone from either the righteous path or the demonic sect.
He fit in perfectly in a wretched hellhole like this.
‘Son of a bitch. Fucking bastard.’ -Grip!
Mok Yu-cheon, who had been biting his nail, bit his finger instead.
It hurt.
This was real. The more he accepted reality, the more agonizing it became. But he couldn't give up just because it was painful.
Mok Gyeong-un's wickedness enraged him, but perhaps the man was just struggling to adapt and survive here in his own way. If anything, it might have been he who had grown complacent. He had believed that if he survived this, he would return home, that his old life would be waiting for him.
‘No...’
In the end, there was no such thing. -Squeeze!
Drip!
Blood trickled from his bitten finger, and droplets wet his tongue. As he tasted the warm blood, his chest grew cold. -Swoosh! Mok Yu-cheon swept his hair back and composed himself.
He would now cast aside the naive thought of simply surviving in a place like this. If evil was strong, he too had to become strong to overcome it.
‘It’s not just about surviving. I’ll shatter everything with my own hands.’
It was a truth he had also learned at the Lotuswood Sword Manor. After he reached the Peak Realm, the gazes of everyone at the Lotuswood Sword Manor had changed, and so had their treatment of him. That was the real truth.
Regardless of the righteous or demonic path, a martial artist had to be strong to survive and be respected. Strength was the law of the martial world.
‘... Mok Gyeong-un. The one who rises here won't be you. It will be me.’
Having firmly made up his mind, Mok Yu-cheon began to circulate his energy. He was using the Lotuswood Heart Transformation Technique. He had stopped using it because it seemed to have side effects, but in his current situation, it was the only profound heart technique that could make him stronger quickly. -Ssssss!
As Mok Yu-cheon practiced the heart technique, the skin on his face slowly began to take on a brownish hue.
“Hmm. We’re over the limit.”
Mok Gyeong-un said, looking at the eight boys standing before him. The Demonic Monk possessing Yeom-ga of the Killing Curse Valley had brought three, and Mo Ha-rang of the Ensnaring Flower Room had brought five. Mo Ha-rang looked at the ones she had brought with a troubled expression.
To save time, she had gathered members separately from the Demonic Monk who was possessing Yeom-ga.
[If he’s possessed by a ghost, he might have trouble gathering people.]
She felt she had to gather as many group members as possible. The number she gathered was five, the maximum possible. In fact, she had selected these five from ten who wanted to join her group.
Since she had handpicked them, she had promised to be responsible for their passage through this gate, but now she was in a very awkward position. Just then, Mok Gyeong-un spoke.
“I don’t need more than five. Would you mind leaving on your own?”
At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, the eight boys looked incredulous. It made sense; they had sought to join the group because they trusted the reputations of the Killing Curse Valley or the Ensnaring Flower Room, thinking one of them would be the group leader.
“Hmph.”
One of the boys sighed and walked straight out of the room. The boy had been in Mo Ha-rang’s group and had witnessed Mok Gyeong-un's true nature firsthand. That was why he left the group without any hesitation.
But as fate would have it, the remaining seven boys had seen nothing more than Mok Gyeong-un breaking another boy's neck during the first gate. Their reaction was rather harsh.
“Who the hell are you to tell us to leave? I decided to join this group because of Mo Ha-rang.”
“It’s the same for me. If anyone should leave, it’s you.”
“It seems we all think the same.”
They all showed hostility towards Mok Gyeong-un. Unlike during the first gate, their sealed Qi gates were now open, filling them with confidence. Mo Ha-rang spoke to them, looking troubled.
“... I’m sorry, but I’m not the group leader.”
“What?”
“What are you talking about?”
At Mo Ha-rang's words, those who had considered her the leader couldn't hide their bewilderment. When Mo Ha-rang was gathering members, she had only said she was looking for people to form a group with, never mentioning that the actual leader was someone else. From their perspective, they had been deceived.
“Mo Ha-rang, is that true?”
“We thought you were the group leader.”
“I’m sorry. The group leader is this person here.”
‘This person?’
At her words, the boys frowned. If their ears hadn't deceived them, Mo Ha-rang had used the term "this person" as if Mok Gyeong-un were her superior. And yet, a group leader was just a leader for this one gate.
Just then, Mok Gyeong-un spoke.
“It seems most of you joined without knowing I was the group leader. If you’re not happy, you’re free to leave.”
At this, one of the boys snorted.
“Ha! I can’t accept that. Mo Ha-rang, you be the leader instead. I’ll follow you without question.”
At the boy’s words, the others chimed in.
“That’s a good idea. Me too.”
“I agree.”
“If Mo Ha-rang is the leader, I’ll gladly follow.”
Faced with the boys' unanimous plea for her to be the leader, Mo Ha-rang cast a troubled glance at Mok Gyeong-un. Mok Gyeong-un was still smiling. That very sight made her even more nervous.
She had experienced the sheer malice hidden behind that smile. Deciding it was best to be clear to avoid any trouble, she said, “I’m sorry, but I’ve decided to follow this person.”
‘!?’
As Mo Ha-rang drew a clear line, the boys' expressions changed. One commonality was their confusion as to why she would acknowledge a guy like Mok Gyeong-un as their leader. Just then, one of the three boys who had come with the Demonic Monk possessing Yeom-ga asked, “Don’t tell me you’ve also acknowledged that guy as the leader?”
“Yes.”
“What?”
At the short affirmation, the three of them also looked troubled. They too had volunteered to be group members, knowing the reputation of the Killing Curse Valley. But now, the person they intended to serve as leader was serving another as leader, and they didn't know what to do.
Mok Gyeong-un spoke to them.
“You’re choosing a group leader to pass this gate anyway, yet you seem to be worrying a lot. Doesn’t the fact that these two have joined under me give you an answer?”
“.........”
At his words, the boys looked back and forth between Mo Ha-rang, Yeom-ga, and Mok Gyeong-un. Although they didn't like this guy, there had to be a reason why these two, who were perfectly fit to be leaders themselves, were following Mok Gyeong-un.
‘He has a point.’
‘Someone from the Killing Curse Valley or the Ensnaring Flower Room would have their pride.’
‘The fact that they’d follow that guy must mean...’
One by one, their minds began to sway. But not everyone was convinced. One boy stepped forward and addressed Mok Gyeong-un.
“What makes you think I should follow you? I just don’t get it.”
“If you don’t trust me as a leader, then you can quietly leave this room.”
At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, the boy’s face contorted menacingly. Drawing up the energy from his dantian, the boy said, “Who gave you the right to tell me to come and go as you please? What a funny guy.
I, for one, don’t acknowledge you.”
“And what will you do if you don’t acknowledge me?”
Mok Gyeong-un said with a smile. The boy then took a ready stance for his fist arts.
“If you’re so great, let’s have a match.”
At the boy's suddenly aggressive attitude, everyone looked at each other, gauging the situation. There was one thing they all had been wondering about. As they recovered their internal energy, they could roughly gauge an opponent’s martial prowess with their spiritual sense.
But no matter how they looked at him, Mok Gyeong-un felt like he was barely at the first-rate realm. On the other hand, Yeom-ga of the Killing Curse Valley and Mo Ha-rang of the Ensnaring Flower Room were different.
The energy revealed by their spiritual sense was incomparably sharp, and they were judged to be opponents they couldn't defeat even if they attacked with all their might. Because of this, they too wanted to see for themselves rather than intervene. They wanted to know just what level Mok Gyeong-un was at.
It was at that moment.
“How dare you be so insolent as to ask for a match with this person?”
Suddenly, Yeom-ga of the Killing Curse Valley scowled at the boy in the ready stance, showing his displeasure. At this sight, the boys couldn’t hide their bewilderment. Not just Mo Ha-rang, but even Yeom-ga was acting as if he had sworn an oath of loyalty to Mok Gyeong-un.
They couldn't understand what was going on. As this was happening, Mok Gyeong-un held out his hand to stop him.
“Ah, don’t be like that. It’s natural for him to have his doubts.”
“But Mast... no, my lord. This arrogant human...” -Swoosh!
Mok Gyeong-un gave a light glance to the Demonic Monk possessing Yeom-ga. The Demonic Monk stopped speaking and stepped back.
‘What? Did he just say my lord?’
‘Why is Yeom-ga of the Killing Curse Valley calling that guy 'my lord' and acting so subservient?’
‘Is he really hiding his true skill?’
The boys were only left with more questions. Similarly, the boy who had boldly challenged Mok Gyeong-un also started to have second thoughts at Yeom-ga's attitude. Was my spiritual sense wrong? he wondered. -Swoosh!
Mok Gyeong-un, who had been sitting on the edge of the bed, extended his hand. In that very instant, -Grab!
“Huh?”
The body of the boy in the ready stance was pulled forward, his head and upper body tilting. The boy’s eyes widened at the powerful suction. But his surprise was fleeting.
To stop himself from falling forward, the boy spread his right leg and stomped down hard. -Thud!
“Heup!”
As soon as he did, -Thwack!
“Guk!”
Mok Gyeong-un leaped from the bed, grabbed the back of the boy's head with both hands, and drove his knee into his face. The boy's body staggered back from the impact. Mok Gyeong-un grabbed him by the hair. -Grip!
“Aah. You can’t fall over from just this.”
Then, he slammed the head of the boy, whose nose was now bleeding, straight into the floor. -Crash! The wooden floorboard shattered, and the boy's face was embedded in the floor. The force was so strong that the boy's body twitched a few times before he seemed to lose consciousness, his movements ceasing.
“Oh dear. Has he fainted already?”
Mok Gyeong-un muttered, sounding somewhat disappointed.
‘!!!!!!’
At this sight, the boys were so stunned they couldn't speak. The boy who had just fought Mok Gyeong-un was at the edge of the first-rate realm, a level of prowess where he could reach the Peak Realm with just a bit of enlightenment. And yet, ‘...
He was no match at all.’
‘What was that just now?’
Moreover, what was that thing Mok Gyeong-un had just shown? When he opened his hand, the fainted boy’s body had been pulled forward, about to fall.
‘Could it be... telekinetic grasp?’
Telekinetic grasp.
A skill that allowed one to move objects with profound true energy. Was such a thing possible for someone who looked to be no older than seventeen?
'Impossible.'
'That can't be right.' It was utterly unbelievable. Mok Gyeong-un spoke to the astonished boys.
“Does anyone else want to confirm?”
“.........”
No one answered his question. Having seen it with their own eyes, who would dare to object now? Mok Gyeong-un spoke to them.
“Then, no one has any complaints. Good. Now that we're down one, we just need one more person to leave.”
“.........”
At his words, everyone looked at each other. It wasn't just Mok Gyeong-un's strength; Yeom-ga and Mo Ha-rang were also masters of the Peak Realm. Being in this group was a guaranteed pass, so who would willingly give that up?
“The atmosphere has improved. It's nice to see such motivation.”
With those words, Mok Gyeong-un scanned the boys and stroked his chin as if in thought.
“Since this is a group gate, I can't just have you fight each other...”
'Ha!'
At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, Mo Ha-rang scoffed inwardly. This guy was truly filled with malice. Just then, Mok Gyeong-un stared intently at one of the boys.
Was he going to tell him to leave? The startled boy said, “I, I will do my best to follow you as the group leader...” Before he could finish his words, Mok Gyeong-un approached and stood right in front of him.
Then, with a bright smile, he said, “You’re the weakest. I’m sorry, but if you would please leave.”
“..........”
At Mok Gyeong-un's words, the boy trembled but said nothing. He had to admit that he was relatively weaker than the other boys. He wordlessly turned to leave, but then, “Ah, just a moment.”
‘Could it be?’
Did he change his mind? With a glimmer of hope, the boy turned his head. -Crack!
Snap!
In that instant, his body lurched sideways and began to spin. Then, he fell, his head hitting the floor. -Thud!
“Kuaaack!”
The fallen boy clutched his leg and cried out in pain. Just now, Mok Gyeong-un had kicked his ankle with such force that his body had spun like a windmill, and the bone had snapped.
“What are you doing? He was giving up and leaving...”
A boy, shocked by this, shouted at Mok Gyeong-un. Mok Gyeong-un tilted his head.
“Is there a problem?”
“No. You told him to leave, and he was leaving on his own, so why did you do this to his leg...”
He couldn't bring himself to ask if he had broken it. Mok Gyeong-un said, “The rule was not to kill. Was there a rule against breaking a bone somewhere?”
“..........”
At that, the boy became a mute who had eaten honey. To break the leg of someone who was no longer in the group, ensuring their elimination. This guy was really...
He was at a loss for words, but Mok Gyeong-un stretched his body as if warming up and said, “It’s not like it’s going to end with just this one friend, so why make such a fuss?”
“What are you talking about now?”
“We’re going to be quite busy from now on. Before the gate starts, we have to break the legs of all the other group members except for our own.”
‘!?’
At Mok Gyeong-un's words, the boys' expressions hardened all at once.