On the day the countless children captured by the Jingagu had died during the grueling training, leaving only twelve survivors, the Lord of Assassins, Jin Gumyeong, had given them the name Twelve Divine Generals.

Starting with Hyeseo, the wise rat, then Daewu, the great ox, and Sukho, the swift tiger… they were all rather ridiculous names.

Thinking back, Jin Gumyeong’s naming sense was truly deplorable.

They say a name holds one's destiny, so it should be given with good intentions.

And the name Cheonyeong received back then was Sagyo, the cunning snake.

In what way?

The character for ‘cunning’ was attached because he had always hidden his true self.

He had the ability, but he only ever showed just enough.

He deliberately avoided standing out and never showed off.

Thus, even the Lord of Assassins, Jin Gumyeong, did not know the true extent of his skills.

That was why he was given that name.

Because he was an entity that could not be grasped, the boy became a Special Grade, even while his qualities were constantly doubted.

And then, he, who was like a variable, finally caused trouble.

He broke free from the organization's brainwashing and dreamed of a future, eventually learning the Samyang Divine Art he held in his hands and walking the path of betrayal.

Cunning and wisdom.

The distinction someone had made had divided the children, and in the end, it led them to seek each other's lives.

The fugitive and the pursuer.

The Special Grade Gwangryong had chosen Jongma, Yongcheon, who was the closest to Sagyo among the twelve children who had trained and survived together, as bait.

And Jongma died.

After realizing too late that it was a trap, while trying to protect Sagyo.

* * *

Rustle.

Gwangryong, hidden in the darkness created by the trees, calmly surveyed his surroundings.

Under the orders of the High Heavenly Ghost, Jin Samhyeon, he was pursuing two individuals.

Tang Cheonyeong and Byeon Giltae.

But before his eyes was only Byeon Giltae.

"Lord! Lord! Hah, where did you suddenly go?"

Seeing him constantly looking around, it seemed he too was searching for the abruptly vanished Tang Cheonyeong.

Where could he have gone?

Just a moment ago, he was clearly over there, rustling through the bushes as if searching for medicinal herbs…

Tense, Gwangryong swallowed hard.

Knowing that only he could hear it, he suppressed his sounds as much as possible and carefully scanned the area.

He was searching for any trace of the disappeared Tang Cheonyeong.

He even silenced his breathing through the Haesik technique and focused his mind, fully opening his senses.

He could clearly hear the rustle of grass in the wind and the chirping of nearby insects, but there was no sign of Tang Cheonyeong.

Did their paths split?

Gwangryong looked at the lone Byeon Giltae, a myriad of thoughts crossing his mind.

Judging by his actions, it was clear he didn't know he was being followed.

What should he do?

Tang Cheonyeong was someone who cared deeply for his family members.

What if he captured Byeon Giltae as a hostage?

By using him, couldn't he restrict Tang Cheonyeong's movements and make it easier to catch the man?

Since the High Heavenly Ghost had not yet arrived, he was, in principle, absolutely not supposed to make a move, but he couldn't deny that this was a golden opportunity.

If things went as planned?

He would undoubtedly achieve great merit.

Wasn't the Jingagu a group that had forbidden all external activities, solely obsessed with the secret manual called Samyang?

Yes, let's capture Byeon Giltae first.

And then, be recognized for my merit and advance to a higher position.

As Gwangryong solidified his resolve, Byeon Giltae's figure became clearly imprinted in his eyes.

Stopping his Haesik, he took a step to approach.

But he couldn't complete the step and froze.

“……”

A sharp presence pricked the nape of his neck.

Killing intent?

Since when?

Gwangryong tried to bring his hand to his waist. To throw a hidden weapon towards the source of the killing intent and escape.

But he couldn't move.

A sharp sensation was followed by his body stiffening completely.

"Paralyzing… blood point…"

He couldn't even finish the words.

In that instant, even his mute point had been sealed.

And before his wide-open eyes, something that seemed to have dropped out of thin air took shape.

Tang Cheonyeong?

He was smiling wickedly.

"I knew it would be you."

"…?"

What did he mean?

Knew it would be you?

"You crazy earthworm bastard, Gwangryong. No, should I call you Seo Jacheong?"

"…!"

Gwangryong's eyes filled with shock.

He knew not only his assassin name but also his real name?

How could Tang Cheonyeong possibly know that?

"The pursuer seemed to be you, so I tried using the same trick."

…The same trick?

"Don't you get it? That thing you're so good at. Selling out your comrades, using them as bait. You've always just focused on killing the target, pushing them into a deathtrap, not caring if they lived or died."

Gwangryong's eyes trembled minutely.

How? 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

But a look was all he could manage.

He couldn't speak.

"It's nice to see the guy who always rampaged like a madman being so docile."

The smile on Cheonyeong's lips turned grim.

And that grimness felt like that of blood, sending shivers down Gwangryong's spine.

It was a smile that brought death to mind.

"Well, yeah… is much conversation necessary? After all, you and I both have over a hundred reasons to die. We've survived this long by taking the lives of others."

"…"

"And I remember. That time you used Jongma as bait to lure me out."

Jongma?

Was he talking about the Jongma he knew?

But used as bait?

What on earth did that mean?

He couldn't understand.

"Don't try to understand. You can't understand it with that head of yours anyway. These are things that were changed because of me in the first place, so they are events you never experienced, things that never happened."

"…"

"And from now on, I'm going to try doing what you do."

…What does that mean?

Stab!

Before his question could be answered, Cheonyeong, with a calm gaze, plunged a flying needle into Gwangryong's shoulder acupoint.

Grrrk!

There was no scream.

Blood vessels just popped in the eyes of the mute point-sealed Gwangryong from the pain.

"You know what this is, right? You've done it a lot too."

"…"

"It's the method you used during the final test, when we were made to aim for each other's lives."

Stab!

Crouching down, Cheonyeong leisurely plunged another flying needle into his ankle.

The feeling of it piercing through bone was vivid, and the blood vessels that had risen in Gwangryong's eyes burst one by one.

"You always liked this kind of thing. Disabling the limbs. As if you were torturing an insect."

Stab! Stab!

Cheonyeong plunged a flying needle into each of Gwangryong's arms and legs, blocking his blood vessels and severing his tendons.

Unable to circulate his energy, Gwangryong's body collapsed limply.

A despairing gaze turned towards Cheonyeong.

"If you see your comrades, struggle hard and beg them to save you. I'm very curious to see if they'll try to save you."

After disabling Gwangryong's limbs, Cheonyeong grabbed him by the scruff of his neck.

And as he leisurely emerged from the darkness, Byeon Giltae looked over, startled.

"Lord…?"

Seeing him suddenly appear, dragging a man, Byeon Giltae couldn't hide his surprise.

"Who is he?"

"An assassin."

"Pardon?"

"He's been following us since we left the Namgung Clan."

"Is, is that so?"

"He was probably after you, Senior Brother."

"Then is he the one who's after the Samyang secret manual?"

"Yes."

Byeon Giltae looked back and forth between Cheonyeong and Gwangryong.

"But it's not over yet."

"…?"

"There's a group that came with him."

"A group?"

"Yes, and I'm about to meet them now."

"What on earth does that mean?"

"We'll be greeting them soon, in a deathtrap. We also need to buy time to set up an encirclement to capture them all."

Cheonyeong grinned, but Byeon Giltae was just bewildered.

A deathtrap?

And what was this about an encirclement?

He couldn't properly understand a single thing.

He wished he would at least explain.

* * *

"High Heavenly Ghost! That, that's…?"

"Hmm…"

The assassins who had been secretly tailing Gwangryong's tracks flinched at the scene unfolding before them.

It was Gwangryong.

He was sprawled out in a wide, sunlit clearing.

With flying needles stuck in his hands and feet.

Next to the squirming Gwangryong, Tang Cheonyeong and Byeon Giltae were sitting on a low rock as if it were a chair, watching over him.

What on earth was this situation?

"Tsk, what a pathetic fool. A Special Grade getting caught because his pursuit was detected."

"…"

At Jin Obyeong's taunt, Jin Samhyeon's brow furrowed.

That damn bastard…

"So, what will you do now? Judging by the looks of it, he seems to have noticed we were tailing him. It looks like he's waiting for us to approach."

As he said, it was clearly a lure.

He looked defenseless, but they couldn't rashly approach when nothing had been figured out yet.

Above all, didn't the man's face look far too relaxed?

He had to confirm.

Whether it was a formation or a trap.

After a moment of thought, Jin Samhyeon secretly gestured, calling an assassin to his side.

"Mangyang, confirm."

"Yes!"

Mangyang, having received the order, secretly approached from the side of the clearing.

And with a smirk, Cheonyeong waved his hand.

Ping!

"A hidden weapon?!"

The moment Jin Samhyeon's eyes widened, Mangyang collapsed to the ground like a sparrow hit by a stone.

Instant death.

Blood flowed from his pierced brow.

"They say the Tang Clan uses hidden weapons. His skill is quite something."

Jin Samhyeon didn't reply to Jin Obyeong's words and sent the assassins to approach one by one.

Ping!

Each time, a hidden weapon flew, and an assassin lost their life.

Eight in total.

Though they must have seen their comrades die, the assassins followed the orders without the slightest hesitation.

Eight had lost their lives in vain, but they were nothing more than consumables anyway.

Thus, the check from all eight directions was complete.

There was no formation.

Nor was there any sign of someone hiding nearby.

"Hey!"

At that moment, Cheonyeong shouted towards those hiding their presence.

It was a voice shouted without a specific target.

"Isn't that enough confirmation? As you can see, there's nothing here. No formation, no hidden warriors. So let's stop this pointless war of attrition and come on out, shall we?"

At that relaxed voice, Jin Samhyeon clenched his jaw so hard the muscles around it stood out.

It sounded like a mockery.

"Heh heh, an interesting fellow. As expected of the one who killed Iseon and Ilhak, he's got guts. Samhyeon, what will you do? An ambush seems difficult. And don't we have to keep Byeon Giltae alive?"

At Jin Obyeong's words, Jin Samhyeon, gritting his teeth, issued an order to the assassins.

"Deploy the Fine Net. The target is Tang Cheonyeong. Capture Byeon Giltae."

There was no reply.

As soon as the words were out, the assassins scattered in all directions, making the sound of rustling through the bushes.

At that sound, Cheonyeong let out a dry laugh.

He knew just by the sound.

It was the Fine Net.

A formation that corners the opponent by placing assassins in a circle around the target.

Escaping the Fine Net was quite difficult.

The assassins, spread out like a dense net, would be ready to fire hidden weapons from all directions.

The target for assassination would probably be himself, and they would try to capture Byeon Giltae alive.

Because they were after the Samyang Divine Art.

To escape the Fine Net, one just had to flee before the formation was fully in place.

But Cheonyeong waited.

This time, the goal was not to annihilate the assassins, but to capture them alive and prepare for the next step.

And was fleeing really the only way to break the Fine Net?

I'll shatter it for you, starting now.

Everything you believed to be perfect.

(End of Chapter)