Chapter 18: 18

Although he became the public enemy, he did not care.

This is because he was already treated this way even before Sang Ilshin’s remarks. He already got used to being hated. He didn’t care because nothing would change even if I was hated more than this.

‘It was also the cursed poison.’

Gu Shinhaeng definitely mentioned cursed poison. 

As Pyo-wol had guessed, he was using cursed poison to impose a restriction on children.

There was no way to get out of their grasps not unless they got rid of the insects or the cursed poison in their body.

Fortunately, their hell call did not work for Pyo-wol.

‘I have overcome the cursed poison thanks to the snake venom.’

Pyo-wol thought he was lucky.

He was not bitten by a snake in anticipation of this particular moment, but as a result, this was his way out of their restriction. 

This gave him one more weapon to escape from them.

Lim Sayeol said that he would give the children time to rest until they were put into the mission. Although the children couldn’t catch Pyo-wol, who had learned the unknown swordsmanship, it was decided that training beyond this would not have much effect.

The children breathed a sigh of relief when they said that they could rest with peace of mind.

They haven’t slept comfortably for a single day in the past six years.

Their hatred towards Pyo-wol remained the same, but for now, they wanted to rest without worrying about anything.

As Lim Sayeol said, the children were given a sweet rest.

The children stopped all of their training sessions and enjoyed the time given to them.

Pyo-wol also enjoyed a break in his residence, the first sector. However, his rest was different from that of other children. 

Pyo-wol checked everything he had learned. 

The Thunder-Splitting method, unknown swordsmanship, and the other countless killing methods fluttered in his head.

The skills seemed so different from one another that they could never become one, but he felt like they could be united if done well.

Pyo-wol did not know how great the work he was trying to do. Perhaps if another warrior had known his true intentions, he would have wrapped up the rice balls and dried them (아마 다른 무인이 그의 속내를 알았다면 주먹밥을 싸 들고 다니며 말렸을 것이다). 

It was such a risky endeavor.

It was not even possible to try unless the person’s martial arts reached the peak and has an accurate grasp of themselves.

In such a dangerous attempt, Pyo-wol tried to trust only his senses. This was nothing new to Pyo-wol.

So far he has always been relying on himself. 

There was no one here to teach him proper martial arts.

Those who could only teach the art of killing, the instructors, did not give them in-depth prowess or martial arts. 

What they wanted was a murderer who can only obey their orders. An assassin.

Therefore, they only taught them how to live at the necessary level, and they couldn’t expect anything more than that.

If they want to achieve a higher level of growth, they have to achieve it through their own efforts. And Pyo-wol had a stronger desire for strength than anyone else, and was accustomed to working hard.

Concentration that others would have admired if they had seen him was a daily routine for him.

Pyo-wol used the unknown swordsmanship and killing methods, while unleashing the Thunder-Splitting Method. 

Shish!

A sharp cracking sound echoed in the darkness.

The faster Pyo-wol moved, the sharper the sound became. His movements were already far beyond the level of children.

Heart rate (心速).

Now he was able to volley an accident enough to split a thunderbolt. (이제 그는 내리치는 벼락을 쪼갤 수 있을 정도로 사고를 발리할 수있었다.)

It is a matter of instantaneous judgment and decision making. The acceleration of his thoughts (加速) had a great impact on his physical abilities.

Although the herbivore was crude, the speed was absurdly applied. (비록초식은투박하지만, 빠르기가 비상식적으로 발라진 것이다.)

All of these were the effects of the Thunder-Splitting method.

Pyo-wol delved into the Thunder-Splitting method to the point of obsession. His method of cultivation was developing more bizarrely than the direction the man who had created it had intended.

If Pyo-wol had a proper teacher, he would have already been severely scolded and made to learn a safe foundation. However, if he had done so, Pyo-wol’s Thunder-Splitting Cultivation Technique would never have developed the method beyond the creator. 

Rather, it was a paradoxical situation in which he had a achieved greater growth without a teacher.

The acceleration of thinking brought the expansion of the imagination.

One of the most important things in martial arts was imagination.

Even if everyone else said no, those who realized one by one based on their extraordinary imagination were bound to achieve outstanding growth. Of course, the reality was that only a few people have tried it because of the immense risk.

There is already a proven safe path, so there is no need to walk the unknown path full of risks.

Most of the prestigious sects were like that.

They have established themselves over the years, so a stable growth is guaranteed. That is why most people want to become students of prestigious sects. 

Pyo-wol didn’t know that.

He didn’t have the usual common sense that people of Jianghu have so he didn’t know people usually choose to learn stable cultivation methods. So he was able to push through with the risky thing he’s about to do without hesitation. 

To others, his location was a dark, dark space, but this place was like a painting for Pyo-Wol. Here, he continuously imagines and turns the picture in his head into reality.

Pyo-wol imagined a connection between the Thunder-Splitting method, the unknown sword-fighting method, and the killing method.

It wasn’t easy at first.

No matter how imaginative he was, it was possible to create something out of nothing. Pyo-wol didn’t have that much capability. Instead, he had a sense of wonder. 

The fine sense he had honed in the dark instinctively showed him the right path.

Pyo-wol thoroughly trusted his senses.

Because of that, he was able to survive until now.

Cissit!

Every time the surface moved, the air trembled terribly.

‘No, not like this. I have to move more stealthily.’

It was good to move quickly, but he could not dream of approaching the enemy secretly because the sound was so sharp.

It had to be quick and stealthy.

Pyo-wol recalled a ghost. He practiced how to move around like a ghost and tried to become like it. 

Sweat flowed non-stop from his body but it did not interfere with his movements. Except when sleeping and resting, Pyo-wol devoted all of his time to training himself. 

He didn’t even come to the underground communal hall. 

Because of that, he couldn’t even see the other children’s faces. Even though he didn’t get along with them and was separated from them, he didn’t feel particularly lonely. 

But it was not the same case for the other children. 

While he was training, he felt a presence moving from this area to the work area.

Pyo-wol stopped moving and listened quietly.

“You’re here right?”

“It’s awful. To be alone in a place like this.”

“He’s a really unique person. Rejecting the company of others and choosing to live in such a dreary place.”

Through the darkness, the voices of children were heard.

Ordinary people would hear it as just a faint murmur, but Pyo-wol’s senses have already gone beyond human limits, so he could accurately distinguish the owner of those voices.

‘So Yeowol, Lee Min, So Gyeoksan.’

The three children cautiously entered the area.

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They held torches in their hands.

So Gyeoksan murmured, illuminating all directions with a torch.

“Where the hell is this kid hiding?”

“Why are you looking for me?”

Pyo-wol’s voice came from right behind So Gyeoksan. 

So Gyeoksan looked back in surprise. Behind him stood Pyo-wol like a ghost.

“Uh, since when were you there?”

Cold sweat ran down the back of So Gyeoksan. He thought that if Pyo-wol had attempted a sneak attack, he would have died without being able to resist.

“What’s going on?”

“We wanted to talk.”

Instead of So Gyeoksan, who was surprised and unable to say anything, So Yeowol opened her mouth.

Pyo-wol’s gaze turned to her.

“About what?”

“The restriction.”

“The restriction imposed on all of us. Do you know what kind of restriction it is?”

So Yeowol approached Pyo-wol. Pyo-wol looked at her without a word.

“Everyone felt pain and fell down at the same time.”

“I collapsed too.”

“That’s the problem.”

“Problem?”

“We couldn’t find you until the end, so I’m sure you weren’t there before we collapsed but when we woke up, you’re lying beside us. So it’s clear that you approached us after the restriction was activated. Hence, you were either unaffected by the restriction or it has little effect on you.” 

Surely So Yeowol was smart. The other children were not smart enough to put together what happened previously. Perhaps it was her idea to come here.

“I think you know what kind of restriction it is. Am I wrong?”

“I know. I know exactly what kind of restriction they put on us.”

“Tell us, too!”

“Why should I?”

“What?”

“Why do I have to tell you guys about the restriction? How does that benefit me?

So Yeowol was at a loss for words, so she closed her lips.

Instead, it was So Gyeoksan who shouted.

“You bastard, is that what you’re going to say to your colleagues?”

“You guys may be friends with each other, but not me. If you thought we were colleagues, you wouldn’t have pursued me so tenaciously. Don’t you think so?”

“Hngh!”

So Gyeoksan wrinkled his face. They couldn’t say anything back. In fact, they never even thought of Pyo-wol as a colleague.

Pyo-wol was a foreign entity to them.

Everyone was reluctant to be with him. 

Only two girls, So Yeowol and Lee Min, would talk to Pyo-wol, while the rest of the children just looked at him like cows and chickens. However, when he used the word colleague, even So Gyeoksan was embarrassed. But So Gyeoksan was no ordinary person.

“Alright! Then we can become friends from now on! I swear it! No matter what happens, I will never abandon you, and I will always consider you as a friend!”

“And you want me to trust you with just that? You sure do have a thick face.”

“Kikik! You have to have a thick face to learn the face mask arts. There aren’t any cons for you to have someone as capable as me as your friend. If we ever manage to regain our freedom, come visit the Republic Arts Troupe (公花技塾團). Since we’ve been through hell together, I’ll help you at least a little.” 

“That won’t happen.”

Pyo-wol laughed bitterly.

With his slightly relaxed appearance, So Yeowol and Lee Min didn’t miss the opportunity.

“I’ll also consider you a friend from now on, too. At least the kids who follow me won’t be hostile to you.”

“I…I will consider you as special. I will never betray you.”

Lee Min lowered his eyes slightly and made a shy expression. It looked even more enchanting under the light of the torch.

Pyo-wol looked at the three for a moment, then opened his mouth.

“Okay. I’ll tell you.”

“Really?”

So Yeowol was delighted with the unexpected words.

Pyo-wol nodded and said.

“It’s cursed poison.”

“Cursed poison?”

“We were all poisoned by cursed poison. It’s a type of poisonous organism. It is normally dormant in our body, but it emits poison in response to the sound waves of the flute they blow. The poison swirls through our blood vessels and attacks our internal organs.”

“Then how did you endure the poison of cursed poison for so long?”

“I’m strong against poison from the beginning. So I was able to move even after you lost your mind.”

“Then…”

“Now that I’ve told you everything, you guys have to figure out on your own how to get rid of the cursed poison.”

Pyo-wol told them the truth. Not because of the children’s suggestions, but because he decided that it was in his favor. 

The more variables there are, the better. Even if only one or two of the children get out of the cursed poison, a lot of variables will be created.

Even if that was  not enough, Pyo-wol was satisfied.

So Yeowol looked at Pyo-wol for a moment without saying a word.

The more she looked, the more interesting he was. He was clearly of the same age as them, but the way he thinks and does is beyond their imagination.

‘Where the hell did something like him come from?’

So Yeowol shook her head slightly.

This is because the human being called Pyo-wol itself was difficult to understand.

In any group, there is bound to be a person who refuses to be ordinary, but Pyo-wol’s case was severe. So it makes sense why the other children were more reluctant in dealing with Pyo-Wol.

Now that they have achieved their goal, it’s time for them to go back.

“Thank you! I will definitely make sure to return the favor. If you need anything later, come to me. I will do my best to help.”

“I will.”

“We’ll get going then”

So Yeowol turned and headed outside. Sogyeoksan also waved her hand and followed her.

Lee Min, who remained until the end, suddenly opened her mouth.

“Lee Seol-min.”

“What?”

“That’s my real name. I want you to remember it.”

Lee Min smiled when lightly blushing. 

Under the light, her lips glowed exceptionally red.

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