"Captain! Captain!"

"...?"

Chunil was the first to return.

"I found him."

No other words were needed.

Cheonyeong, who slowly stood up, asked.

"Where is he?"

"The Cheongseo gang, Baekgang is there. By the bonfire..."

He already knew about the Cheongseo gang.

Because they were nearby.

"Alright. You wait until the others come."

"Huh? You're not going together?"

"There, I've skinned it. Eat while you wait."

"Are you really going alone?"

"Yeah."

"There are ten of them!"

"It doesn't matter."

As Cheonyeong started to walk, Chunil grabbed his clothes and stopped him.

"Captain! Wait a minute, it's night."

"So what?"

"Fighting with another gang at night is against the rules."

"...Rules?"

"Brother Ucheol won't stand by if he finds out."

Cheonyeong gently patted the shoulder of the worried Chunil who was trying to stop him and removed the hand that was holding his clothes.

He didn't know such rules.

He didn't want to know either.

"Wait with the kids. I'll bring Baekgang back."

"Hey! Cheonyeong!"

Chunil even forgot to call him captain, but Cheonyeong didn't stop walking.

Soon, Cheonyeong's figure disappeared into the darkness.

"Ah, really... I'm going crazy!"

Chunil could only stomp his feet, unable to follow.

Cheonyeong was walking through the darkness with a steady pace, neither fast nor slow.

The bonfires of the vagrants lit outside the city walls grew distant and were increasingly stained by the darkness.

It was familiar.

Darkness was like the exclusive property of an assassin.

And it became cold.

The steps he took became lighter as they contained more anger, and his heart became calm.

Like when he was aiming for a target in the middle of the darkness.

The bonfire of the Cheongseo gang, which had been visible from a distance, was now getting closer.

Ten?

The number has no meaning.

Fifteen?

The age difference has no meaning either.

Cheonyeong was thirteen, but what lurked inside him was an assassin who had been through all sorts of hardships.

His training after realizing he had returned wasn't long, but.

It's enough.

Now, a few fifteen-year-old kids, no... even one or two adults belonging to a vagrant gang.

The brightly lit bonfire.

The Cheongseo gang was sitting around it, chatting.

And next to them, Baekgang was kneeling.

With his head bowed low.

He was covered in blood.

His face was swollen from how much he had been beaten, and his whole body was covered in dirt from how much he had rolled on the ground.

His blood began to circulate violently.

It flowed through his limbs and body like a raging torrent, matching his rapidly beating heart.

Nevertheless, Cheonyeong's expression became even calmer than before. His anger subsided coldly, and his eyes shone with a chilling light as if they contained cold air.

Cheonyeong's steps crossed the boundary between darkness and light.

Rustle.

A branch stepped on by his foot broke with a loud noise, and the Cheongseo gang turned their heads to look.

He did it on purpose.

To be seen...

"What? What's that?"

They wonder about his identity.

Since he had no intention of answering, Cheonyeong continued to walk.

He fully revealed himself in the light, and took one step after another lightly.

"That bastard?"

As if feeling something strange about his appearance, the Cheongseo gang stood up one by one and turned towards Cheonyeong.

"Ca...ptain?"

At the sound of Baekgang's mumble, who was kneeling with his head bowed low, Cheongseo, the leader of the gang, squinted one eye.

"Captain? Is that bastard the one called Cheonyeong? That idiot Makgae. He lost to a kid like that?"

"...Yeah."

At Cheongseo's question, Baekgang answered with a flustered expression.

Why is the captain here?

Could it be, he came to save me?

Alone?

Baekgang, who slowly examined Cheonyeong, opened his eyes wide.

What kind of absurd situation is this?

There are ten of them.

And they are fifteen-year-olds who are much bigger than them.

Even if they are the same age as Makgae, there is no one in the Cheongseo gang weaker than them.

Moreover, isn't Cheongseo a fighter rumored to be the most vicious among his peers?

It's impossible.

It was absolutely impossible.

He had already seen Cheonyeong's skills, but...

"Captain... no..."

It was a small voice.

It was as futile as a mumble in his mouth.

But as if Cheonyeong had heard that voice clearly, he met Baekgang's eyes and said.

"Just endure it for a little while."

He was smiling brightly.

So brightly.

Baekgang could only stare blankly, unable to say anything.

"Ha! This bastard, he's got guts. Kid, did you come alone?"

One of the Cheongseo gang members approached, put his hand on Cheonyeong's head, and said.

Cheonyeong wasn't short either, but the top of his head only reached the guy's shoulder.

"Move it."

"What?"

At Cheonyeong's words, the guy's face was full of sneer.

The warning was only once.

Calmly, and without any change in pitch.

Squeeze.

Cheonyeong, who grabbed his wrist, lightly pulled and pressed down.

Crack!

"Aaargh!"

A scream erupted with the sound of a bone breaking, and the tall guy knelt down.

The moment the guy's face came to his chest, Cheonyeong's foot shot up.

Craaack!

There was no scream.

The guy who was kicked in the jaw fell backward with only the whites of his eyes showing and couldn't get up.

"Chang!"

His name must be Chang.

But he was already unconscious, and Cheonyeong continued to walk towards the bonfire without stopping.

"This son of a bitch!"

The Cheongseo gang rushed at Cheonyeong.

Eight, excluding Cheongseo and the fallen guy.

Stupid things...

What changes if they attack in a group.

Srrk!

Cheonyeong bent his waist and swept the ground with his hand.

Jjareureuk!

Small stones were caught in his hand.

Whoosh!

With a scattering gesture, the stones caught at his fingertips pierced through the space and flew.

Thwack! Thwack thwack thwack!

"Kugh!"

"Gasp!"

The Cheongseo gang, who were suddenly hit by a shower of stones, flinched.

Thump!

The figure of Cheonyeong, who had stomped the ground hard, dug into the gap between the eight.

Crack!

It doesn't take much.

One move per person was enough.

It was the fists and feet he had trained by hitting a tree all this time. Also, since it contained a little bit of internal energy...

Craaack!

Crack!

Cheongseo couldn't hide his surprise.

He couldn't see what Cheonyeong, who was surrounded by his eight gang members, was doing.

"Ugh..."

One by one, they were being thrown out as if someone was grabbing and tearing them off.

Among the guys who were hit and fell, none of them got up again.

And when there was only one left, Cheongseo could see clearly.

The sight of Cheonyeong's knee slamming into the face of the guy whose head was held by both hands.

Is this... possible?

He heard he was thirteen.

Makgae?

He was a guy he could beat up anytime.

Anyone in the gang could do it.

Nevertheless, the reason he left him alone was because of Ucheol.

Because he said there was a reason...

A while ago, he was told that there was a guy who had defeated Makgae without permission, and he was told to go and break his arm, so he went.

When he got there, only a guy named Baekgang was there, so he couldn't come back empty-handed and brought him.

With only a little bit of force due to his resistance.

But, but what the hell is this guy?

He defeated eight, no, nine of them all by himself.

He couldn't even see properly what he did.

To break this guy's arm?

Me...?

"You, what, what are you?"

"..."

At the sight of Cheonyeong, who had defeated eight of his comrades in a few breaths, Cheongseo asked in surprise.

But Cheonyeong just walked without answering.

There was almost no sound of footsteps.

"You! What are you! You son of a bitch!"

Cheongseo, unable to bear the cold silence, screamed.

And at a distance of one zhang, Cheonyeong finally stopped walking.

"You're Cheongseo, right?"

"What?"

"What's the reason?"

"Th, the reason?"

"Baekgang had no strength to resist. He had diarrhea."

"What's that..."

"You wouldn't have had any problem bringing him even if you didn't beat him."

"..."

"Why did you beat him? Is it because of that vicious personality the kids talk about?"

It was eerie.

Every time Cheonyeong's voice entered his ears, Cheongseo felt a chill run down his spine.

He was not at a level he could deal with.

It was impossible for him to defeat the previous nine.

But he did it.

Maybe something even Ucheol couldn't do alone...

"I'm asking."

"Eek!"

As Cheonyeong's eyes turned fierce, Cheongseo, whose heart had shrunk, unknowingly grabbed Baekgang's hair.

"Don't come!"

He aimed a hand knife made from a sharpened piece of metal at Baekgang's neck.

"You..."

"Don't come! You son of a bitch! I can really kill him!"

Cheongseo put strength in his hand, and the metal piece dug into Baekgang's neck.

A red drop of blood flowed down in a thin line from the pierced skin.

"Haa... you, you won't do."

"I said don't come!"

The moment Cheongseo screamed in desperation, Cheonyeong's fingers bent and shot out as if they were flicked.

Whoosh! Thwack!

"Kugh!"

A small stone that hit Cheongseo's Hegu point.

It was one of the stones Cheonyeong had grabbed when he swept the ground earlier, and had left after shooting.

Cheongseo, whose hand had gone limp, screamed and dropped the metal piece.

"I'll show you... what being truly vicious is."

And Cheonyeong's voice was heard from very close.

...Behind?

When?

At the same time as goosebumps rose all over his body, Cheongseo felt his hair being grabbed and pulled.

"Aaargh..."

He couldn't scream.

Because Cheonyeong's fist hit his mouth as if to block it.

"Ugh..."

His broken front teeth fell out with a clatter.

Craaaaaack!

His breath was knocked out of him by a fist that dug into his side, and his body folded in half.

"Gasp!"

Crack!

Cheonyeong's raised foot stomped on the bent Cheongseo's head and slammed it into the ground.

Thump!

Cheongseo's body, which had been slammed as if thrown hard, bounced up whole.

Squeeze!

Cheonyeong clasped his hands with Cheongseo's. And smiled brightly.

"This is what being vicious is. Casually, like a child tearing the wings off a dragonfly for fun."

Not a single bit of killing intent was felt, but in Cheongseo's eyes, it looked as if the god of death was playing with his life.

He couldn't resist.

Cheongseo was no different from a small dragonfly, and Cheonyeong was like a mischievous child several times bigger than him.

Craaack!

"Aaaaaaaargh!"

At the force that broke it as it was, Cheongseo's scream echoed sharply.

"My hand! My haaaand!"

Cheongseo grabbed his hand and rolled on the ground like crazy.

"You're being noisy."

Cheonyeong, who approached the rolling Cheongseo, stomped on both of Cheongseo's legs.

Crack! Crack!

"Aaaaaaaargh!"

With the sound of bones breaking, Cheongseo's scream grew even louder.

Was it because his voice was loud?

The sound of the vagrants who were far away waking up and murmuring could be heard.

Good.

They should all hear it.

They should all know.

What kind of retaliation they will receive if they touch the kids in my fence.

Thump, thump.

As Cheonyeong's footsteps approached, Cheongseo screamed as if he had forgotten the pain.

"Save me, I was wrong! I was wrong! Please..."

"Hmm, you don't seem as vicious as the rumors say. With just this?"

A smile was constantly on Cheonyeong's face.

But that appearance was even more frightening to Cheongseo.

"I'm just saying this in case, but it doesn't matter if you faint. I can just wake you up."

"Please..."

"If you think it's better to die because it's too painful, don't bite your tongue. That won't kill you right away. Unless you die slowly from excessive bleeding."

"Please stop. Please..."

Cheongseo began to beg, even shedding tears.

He was only fifteen. He was still just a teenage boy.

No matter how vicious he was, it was just a word that worked among his peers.

On the other hand, Cheonyeong... was an assassin.

He knew dozens, hundreds of ways to kill or torture people.

"It's not over yet. If you put a scratch on an innocent kid's body, you should have been prepared to have your limbs torn off."

Cheonyeong, who had come closer, smiled and grabbed Cheongseo's arm.

He was going to break it in the opposite direction.

If a guy like you becomes an adult, you'll just be a parasite on society.

A punk who only acts tough to weak kids.

Crack.

As the bone became taut as if it would break in Cheonyeong's hand, Cheongseo screamed in desperation.

"Ucheol! Brother Ucheol ordered it! It's true!"

"..."

At those words, Cheonyeong's hand stopped.

Ucheol?

That guy who is the leader of the Dongmun gang?

Hmm, that's a little interesting.

(End of Chapter)