Swordless Demonic Path

Chapter 4 : Number Ninety-nine, Jin Sawoon (4)

In truth, this situation was very awkward for him, and receiving a nameplate with a name on it felt like wearing shoes that didn't fit.

Gwak Ho recalled Kang Yu and spoke.

"Our team leader, unlike other first-class ghosts, has a worldly feel to him."

Seo Woon-gang frowned.

"Worldly? What's that?"

"He just seems no different from ordinary people."

"I actually find that more frightening. Being ordinary is what we strive for. It sounds like he's the closest to it."

At Seo Woon-gang's words, Gwak Ho's expression hardened as if he had realized something.

"If you have a familiar face and aura that you've seen for a long time, even if it's the first time you've met, there's no one you can't kill. And that kind of person is the most dangerous."

Seo Woon-gang's low voice lingered in the room.

Gwak Ho, as if he had nothing more to say, stood up and went outside. After he left, Seo Woon-gang also rose from his seat.

He turned his gaze to Jin Sawoon, who was sitting indifferently.

"Number Ninety-nine, no, Jin Sawoon."

Seo Woon-gang's voice was heard, but Jin Sawoon remained motionless with his eyes closed. There was no reason to answer.

"I'll be back in a moment."

After Seo Woon-gang left, Jin Sawoon, now alone, opened his eyes with a blank expression.

'Who was I?'

Jin Sawoon briefly retraced his memories of how he had lived until now.

He didn't actually know what his name was.

His earliest memory was of living in the back room of a red brothel.

He didn't know who his mother or father was. He just lived there doing odd jobs.

He chopped firewood, ran errands, and ate his meals.

Then one day, he found himself in Ghost Spirit Valley. They said the red brothel had sold him, but he didn't know what that meant.

Life in Ghost Spirit Valley wasn't bad. He thought so.

They gave him food when it was time, taught him to read, and even taught him martial arts. There was nothing bad about it.

Of course, there were comrades who found life in Ghost Spirit Valley difficult.

A considerable number of comrades died, and he grew up watching them die.

There were also comrades he had killed with his own hands, but that was a choice for survival.

If he didn't kill, he would have to die.

"What are you thinking so hard about?"

Turning his head at the voice from his side, Jin Sawoon looked at Seo Woon-gang, who had come in and sat down at some point.

Seo Woon-gang seemed to be very curious about Jin Sawoon.

"I was taught that useless chatter is forbidden."

Meaning, you talk too much.

Seo Woon-gang replied with an indifferent expression.

"We're not training ghosts. The place that forbids chatter is the training hall, not here. You and I are sixth-class ghosts. It doesn't matter if we chat a little."

It meant that they were guaranteed a certain degree of freedom compared to when they lived as training ghosts. It meant that conversation was allowed.

"Come to think of it, I've never once shared a room with my team members."

At Jin Sawoon's reply, Seo Woon-gang crossed his arms and said.

"I'm acquainted with Number Fifty, no, Jang Muryong and Gwak Ho. I was with Jang Muryong in the first year and with Gwak Ho in the sixth year."

"I see."

Jin Sawoon replied in a low voice, as if he wasn't very interested. Seo Woon-gang asked.

"How was it?"

"We just got along well. Ordinarily. Number Ninety-nine, you may not know us well, but I've heard a lot about you, so I know you well."

"Me?"

"Because you were an outstanding one among us."

Although he heard Seo Woon-gang's words, Jin Sawoon's face remained indifferent. Jin Sawoon closed his eyes, and Seo Woon-gang didn't open his mouth again.

* * *

In a small, dark room, ten men in black stood in two rows of five.

Kang Yu stood at the very front of the left row, and facing him was a pale-faced man with long black hair hanging down.

The man, with an indifferent expression that made it impossible to guess his age, had sinister eyes and lips as red as blood.

"Has it been three years? Kang Yu."

"Already? Time flies. You look thinner than before, Ma Ryong."

Kang Yu said with a smile.

The man with red lips frowned slightly. It seemed he didn't like Kang Yu's relaxed smile.

"I heard you have Number Ninety-nine in your team."

"Number Ninety-nine? Yes, I do. But why do you ask? Are you interested in my team member?"

"I am interested. That bastard killed Number Two."

At the mention of Number Two, Kang Yu's expression hardened.

It was a well-known fact that children who entered Ghost Spirit Valley were given numbers.

Among them, Numbers One through Nine were all children who had trained in martial arts from a young age.

They were completely different from the other children who had no parents or didn't even know who they were.

They were the children of those related by blood to the Na family, the masters of Ghost Spirit Valley and one of the Seven Great Families of the Heavenly Divine Cult.

They were specially managed children who all had to be made into the best Slaughter Ghosts and were not supposed to die. And yet, Number Two had been killed by Number Ninety-nine in a life-or-death duel.

As Kang Yu's expression changed, Ma Ryong showed a faint smile.

"My team members want to kill him."

"Team members?"

At the words 'team members', Kang Yu thought about what it meant and then nodded.

"So you're in charge of the deceased Number Two's friends?"

Number Two's friends were Numbers One through Nine. Ma Ryong was in charge of four of them.

"Yes, I'm in charge of them."

"Tell your team members. If they kill a comrade, it's immediate execution."

At Kang Yu's words, Ma Ryong shut his mouth.

As the air in the room grew heavy, a middle-aged man in black with a sturdy build opened the door and entered.

Behind the middle-aged man was an old man with white hair, who was the steward of Ghost Spirit Valley.

The middle-aged man stood at the head of the room, looked around at the ten first-class Slaughter Ghosts, and opened his mouth.

"It's been a long time since we've all gathered in one place. I didn't call you here to give you some old-fashioned talk about putting effort into nurturing the next generation. I'm here to talk about what we need to do from now on. First, it's the execution of traitors who have betrayed our Cult and the protection of important figures."

The middle-aged man's voice echoed in the room.

* * *

Ghost Spirit Valley.

People didn't know exactly where Ghost Spirit Valley was. Some said it was in Guizhou, and others said it was in Sichuan.

But martial artists gossiped that it was in Gansu, where the Demonic Cult was located. However, no one knew exactly where in Gansu Ghost Spirit Valley was.

Even within the Demonic Cult, only a very few knew, so it was a place hidden in the clouds.

Jin Sawoon, who was sitting in his room, opened his eyes as darkness fell.

Because he was more accustomed to the night than the day, he felt a hot energy circulating throughout his body.

The subsided vitality rose and he sat up. He heard footsteps approaching, but he didn't move.

Just from the footsteps, he could tell who the opponent was. It was Jang Muryong and Gwak Ho.

"For the past two years, half of our batch has died. The number of people who were promoted and selected like us is forty."

As Jang Muryong spoke, Seo Woon-gang, who was sitting quietly, showed interest. Gwak Ho spoke.

"The members of the main hall say that we will mainly be tasked with assassinating traitors who have betrayed the Cult."

"That sounds interesting."

At Seo Woon-gang's reply, Jang Muryong frowned.

"It's not interesting, it's dangerous. That's why they made teams like this."

At his words, everyone fell silent. It wasn't wrong.

If they betrayed the Cult, there must be a reason. The Martial Alliance would protect those who went to them, but there were also those who left the martial world altogether. But it was dangerous all the same.

Most of them were those who had abandoned the Demonic Cult because they were confident in their skills.

If not, they were either those who were not afraid of death, or foolish ones who believed they could escape the Cult's pursuit.

And all such people died.

"We haven't received any orders yet. So don't make rash judgments and stay quiet."

At Jin Sawoon's words, Jang Muryong's expression hardened. But he soon showed a cold smile.

"I thought you weren't talking because you were going to die soon, but your mouth is still alive."

Hearing Jang Muryong's words, Jin Sawoon turned his gaze and looked into his eyes. He could see killing intent in Jang Muryong's eyes.

Jin Sawoon asked.

"Who's going to kill me?"

"The children of the Na family are after you. It's a fact that everyone knows, but it seems you were the only one who didn't."

"I don't need to know."

Contrary to his expectations, Jin Sawoon closed his eyes again with a disappointed face.

"Are you scared?"

As Jang Muryong asked, at that moment, black smoke faintly appeared to his left.

"Me?"

In that instant, Jang Muryong's eyes widened.

In his eyes, he could still see Jin Sawoon sitting in the chair. But what he heard in his ear was Jin Sawoon's voice.

It was the pinnacle of the Ink Shadow Heart Art and the Ghostly God Steps.

Jang Muryong himself had not yet reached this level.

Swish!

The black smoke wrapped around Jang Muryong's shoulder. The feeling was so cold that Jang Muryong's shoulder trembled slightly.

Rustle!

The smoke disappeared, and the eyes of Jin Sawoon, who was sitting in the chair, turned towards Jang Muryong.

"Use your tactic of provoking the opponent and inducing mistakes on the enemy."

At Jin Sawoon's words, Jang Muryong shut his mouth and sat down in his chair.

Gwak Ho, who was sitting next to him, still had his eyes wide open, and Seo Woon-gang also had a very surprised face.

They hadn't thought that Number Ninety-nine, Jin Sawoon's skills would be this outstanding.

When they first entered Ghost Spirit Valley, they were all the same children.

The beginning was the same for everyone. But as they grew, differences began to emerge little by little.

At first, small differences brought about their own changes as time passed, as they grew taller and gained weight.

Of course, there were also children who started with special privileges from the beginning. And such privileges existed in any organization and were not something to be jealous of.

Kang Yu entered the room.

He looked at the four people sitting in the heavy atmosphere and spoke.

"Did you fight? Why is the atmosphere like this? No, we're used to this kind of atmosphere, aren't we?"

Kang Yu smiled and then spoke again.

"We will be moving together as one team from now on. My role is to help you become fifth-class Slaughter Ghosts. I am also a person who can abandon you at any time. If necessary, I can even kill you. Of course, that shouldn't happen, right?"

At Kang Yu's words, everyone nodded with indifferent expressions.

"From tomorrow, we will be guarding the Cult Leader's granddaughter, Dokgo Hye. It's our first mission. We will depart at the hour of the rabbit tomorrow. Any questions?"

"What team are we?"

When Seo Woon-gang asked, Kang Yu smiled.

"I didn't say. We're Team Three. Teams One and Two were taken by guys you know well. Any other questions?"

"None."

As Seo Woon-gang answered, Kang Yu raised his hand.

"Then, see you tomorrow."

As everyone stood up, Kang Yu spoke again.

"Number Ninety-nine, stay behind."

"Yes."

After everyone had left and he confirmed that all presence had disappeared, Kang Yu opened his mouth.

"The Number Two you killed is the son of Soo Seon-wi, a friend of the Na Family Head and the steward. He's the third son, not the eldest."

Jin Sawoon's expression didn't change much.

His face was full of indifference. It was as if he had no feelings about killing him.

"The higher-ups will be watching with interest. I'm telling you that."

"Are you telling me to be careful?"

"Careful? Hahahaha!"

Kang Yu laughed out loud as if Jin Sawoon's question was amusing.

"What I want to say is not to be careful, but that you need to know who the opponent you killed is."

"Understood."

"Being careful is not enough. He's a persistent fellow. So think of him as an enemy who can stab you in the neck at any time."

"Yes."

A smile appeared on the corner of Jin Sawoon's eyes and then quickly disappeared. Seeing that, Kang Yu felt a chill run down his spine.

'What a strange fellow.'

He had seen many Slaughter Ghosts until now, but he had never seen one with the same coldness as Jin Sawoon.

It wasn't the coldness that Slaughter Ghosts possessed, but a deeper chill.

"You may go."

"Then."

As Jin Sawoon stood up and went outside, Kang Yu soon followed and headed to his own room.

(End of Chapter)