Chapter 7: 7

Mak No-sam was a boy who survived the last section and joined the group led by So Yeowol.

Although he has the smallest build among So Yeowol’s group, he had pulled his weight through sheer tenacity. 

And that small man was lying on the floor dead. His appearance was truly miserable, as he had been brutally beaten up to the point of death. His face was mutilated to the point of being unrecognizable, and his body was full of black bruises.

The appearance of the Mak No-sam was enough to bring out the anger of So Yeo-wol and the crowd

“Who the hell did this?!”

“I won’t let this go! You bastards!”

The children burst out in anger.

It was difficult to believe in their eyes.

There was only one reason for the death of Mak No-sam. He was the weakest link of So Yeowol’s group. And it is said that he has a habit of sparingly eating his rationed food. 

There were traces of food on his hands. It meant they were attacked before eating.

Song Cheonwoo frowned and asked the children.

“Did anyone see who did this?”

Everyone shook their heads.

“Damn! We need to know who did this to get revenge.”

Song Cheonwoo burst out in anger.

Even though he wanted to take revenge, he couldn’t do it because he didn’t know the culprit which made him even more furious. 

So Yeowol opened her mouth.

“It doesn’t matter who.”

“What are you talking about?”

“It doesn’t matter who made Mak No-sam this way. The important thing is that someone who followed us died.”

“That’s…”

“Even though Mak No-sam is dead, if we decide to stay still, everyone will start to look down on us.”

“Yeah but to get revenge, we need to know our opponent–”

“But it will be too late. It will take at least a day or two to find the person who killed Mak No-sam, and if we fail to find the culprit, we’ll just be wasting our time and that will certainly make the other groups look down on us.” 

“You…”

“We must take revenge now in the same manner…”

So Yeowol did not say who the subject of their revenge will be. But Song Cheonwoo already has an idea who she’s talking about. 

A weak and powerless child like the youngest among the other groups.

They were So Yeowol’s targets.

That night, the group led by So Yeowol moved secretly. And the weakest child in the group led by Go Youngsan died.

It was the beginning of the war.

* * *

Pyo-wol scratched the wall with his fingernail.

It’s been a while since he had scraped his hands against the wall recently. Pyo-wol brushed a considerable amount of moss that he had gathered into his mouth at once.

It still tasted disgusting, but it was still better than starving.

The children’s war also affected Pyo-wol. The war was so brutal that it was hard to believe that it was conducted by children in their early to mid-teens.

It was difficult at first, but once they saw others’ blood spilled, the children stopped being hesitant. 

If they don’t find the courage to kill someone then they will be the ones who would die.

Food was scarce, and it was impossible for everyone to share equally. In such a situation, the children chose to reduce the mouths to feed one by one.

From the beginning, harmony and coexistence among them was impossible.

Every time a night passed, someone was always found dead.

One night, it would be one of So Yeo-wol’s group that had died, and on another day, the child would be from Yeom Iljung’s group. 

When the situation came to this, distrust flared up.

The children who belonged to some groups began to leave one after the other. Since the leader decided that he could not completely protect them, he decided to survive on his own.

So the four large groups were divided into eight smaller groups.

The children did not trust each other. The food became less and less day by day, and the children’s fighting grew fiercer.

The already hellish underground cave literally became hell in itself.

No one could be relieved, and no one can guarantee one’s own survival.

Hunger-stricken children have become as ferocious as beasts (織鬼). 

Fortunately, the children have yet to reach the point of entering the space where Pyo-wol is staying. Children instinctively still felt fear towards the space they were initially confined in.

In particular, the deep darkness which hinders them from seeing anything ahead, greatly stimulated their fear. Even if they were holding a torch or light, they would still hesitate in coming into such darkness. 

Thanks to this, Pyo-wol has been able to live more comfortably than the other children. He can eat moss peacefully. 

But that peace seemed to have ended today.

Thrack!

A small rustle came to Pyo-wol’s ears. It was the sound of footsteps rubbing against the floor. The sound was so subtle that it would never be detectable by someone unless they have sensitive hearing like Pyo-wol.

‘They’re here.’

In the dark, Pyo-wol’s eyes shone sharply.

It wasn’t just one or two.

At least four people were moving together.

Pyo-wol’s residence was in the deepest area, so it was not a place where one could accidentally get lost. It was a place that could never be reached unless someone visits intentionally. So, the people who appeared here must have come to Pyo-wol for a certain purpose.

A bad one at that. 

“Are you sure this is the right place?”

“Y-Yeah, I’m certain”

“Why is it so dark? I can’t even see anything in front of me.”

The voices of the visitors echoed in the darkness.

They tried to whisper, but given that there was no furniture or objects in the room that could absorb the sound, their voices still resonated quite loudly.

Then one of the children set fire to the torch he was holding in his hand. He wanted to move as secretly as possible, but when his vision was limited due to the darkness, he had no choice but to light a torch.

When the torches were lit, their faces were revealed.

They were Yeom Il-jung and the three more children who followed him.

After losing one eye to Pyo-wol, Yeom Iljung was waiting for a chance to get his revenge. However, the memory of the day he lost his eyes to Pyo-wol was so strong that he couldn’t help but hesitate. 

Even though he was the leader of a group, he was only in his early and mid-teens. It’s never easy to shake off the fear once imprinted in one’s head.

If not for the lack of food, the children would be in a peaceful situation. This would consequently cause Yeom Iljung’s revenge to be delayed. 

However, the sudden decrease in food led to a fight among children. As the death-and-death situation took place every day, his fear of Pyo-wol faded away.

Yeom Iljung himself killed as many as two children. He became a beast that has tasted the blood of others. He thought that now was the moment to overcome his fear by killing Pyo-wol.

After killing Pyo-wol, he will fight So Yeowol and Kang Il and become the sole leader of the underground community.

That was the end goal of Yeom Iljung. 

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Yeom Il-jung held a torch and lit every corner of the room. But Pyo-wol remained nowhere to be seen.

“Why… Is he not here?!”

“N-No… I’m certain he went here.”

“Damn it! Where is he?!”

A bewildered expression appeared on the children’s faces.

That was then.

“AHGH!”

Suddenly, a child shrieked.  Yeom Iljung snapped his head towards the child in surprise.

“What’s wrong?”

“S… Something bit my foot..”.

Thud!

The screaming child did not speak and stepped back. When the torch illuminated the child’s face, his face had turned black and foam started to form in his mouth.

“Huh?”

Thump!

Then they heard something creeping into the darkness.

Yeom Iljung held the torch towards the area the sound was heard, but there was nothing there. 

“Ugh!”

Then another child screamed.

When Yeom Iljung turned his head quickly, he saw his henchman already lying on the floor. And then came the sight of a black object moving rapidly.

The black shadow moved in an instant and moved behind the last boy’s back.

“You bastard!” 

The boy who was the target of the black shadow swung his fist. Like the other children, it was a fist covered in someone else’s blood. While he’s not as remarkable at anything else, he was confident enough to make a fist.

His fists were sharp and elaborately aimed at the black shadow’s head.

But at that moment, the black shadow’s head flickered like a candle in the wind and disappeared from view.

“K-Kughkek!”

Then the boy suddenly found himself unable to breathe. The black shadow quickly appeared behind him and stuck to his back like a cicada.

The black shadow was Pyo-wol. 

Pyo-wol’s strong arms were wrapped around the boy’s neck like a snake. The boy’s face turned white in an instant. The blood vessels in the neck are blocked and the blood supply to the brain is cut off.

“You bastard! Let Jongha go!”

Yeom Il-jung pointed a torch at the Pyo-wol and yelled. 

The strong light created dark shadows on Pyo-wol’s face. The dark shade made the Pyo-wol’s impression more intense.

There was a glimmer of fear in the eyes of Yeom Iljung, who was looking at Pyo-wol. The fear that he had struggled to suppress was instantly revived when he saw Pyo-wol. This kind of fear is like mold, and no matter how much you scrub and wipe it, it will grow and pollute your mind.

There was a mixture of embarrassment, confusion and fear in his remaining eye.

It was because in an instant, all the children who came with him were mercilessly attacked by Pyo-Wol. The fact that he did not even see how Pyo-wol used to suppress the children further amplified his fear.

“K-Kuhgh! Kuugh!”

The boy, who had been suppressed by Pyo-wol, was running out of breath. If time continues to pass on, the boy will surely die. Both Pyo-wol and Yeom Iljung knew that fact.

Pyo-wol knew he was at a crossroads. If he kills the boy here, Pyo-Wol would become a murderer. He will become exactly what the creators of this place want him to be.

He thought that a moment like this would come one day, but that moment came faster than he expected.

Pyo-wol could decide to not be a murderer and not have blood on his hands.

It all depended on his choice. 

The red tint in Pyo-wol’s eyes which was only reflected by a torch if it’s nearby was visible. Seeing Pyo-wol’s eyes, Yeom Il-jung had an ominous feeling and shouted, 

“N-NO!”

However, Pyo-wol did not care and gave more strength to his arm. He could feel the struggle of the boy as he was strangled by his throat. But after a moment, the boy had his tongue stuck out as he dropped to the ground. 

He has no vital signs.

His breathing stopped, and his body temperature gradually cooled.

That was the boy’s end.

Pyo-wol did not delay his decision in becoming a murderer.

The creators of this place forced the children to make decisions, and those who did not reach their desired standards would be cut off. 

It was natural selection. 

Throng!

The boy’s body collapsed as Pyo-wol relaxed his arms.

“Y-You–”

Yeom Iljung took a step back. The momentum he had when he decided to come here had long since disappeared.

“Hey, you devil-like bastard! To kill Jongha…”

 He himself also killed several people, yet Yeom Iljung still cursed at Pyo-wol for killing the boy.

Pyo-wol doesn’t have an excuse. He still considered himself weak. 

But actually, he was not weak. Adapting to the darkness, he was more poisonous and stronger than Yeom Iljung. 

Even Yeom Il-jung instinctively recognized that fact.

The fear that Pyo-wol had planted on him was like a fungus that continues to firmly stick in his mind.  Even if he lets him live here, Yeom Iljung will never be able to stand up to Pyo-wol again. 

The fear that Pyo-wol had planted in Yeom Iljung’s heart was terrifying to that extent. Yeom Iljung who had his two legs trembling and his face with sweat droplets flowing incessantly had proved that. 

Pyo-wol approached him.

“Sa, save me! If you spare me, I will become your subordinate. You– you will need a subordinate like me.”

“I’m sure you’ll be obedient at the beginning. But as time goes on, your fear of me might lessen, and you will do the same thing again.”

“N-No! You’re wrong! Never–”

Yeom Il-jung, who was shaking his head quickly, opened his eyes wide. It was because the figure of Pyo-wol in front of him suddenly disappeared.

“Hu–?”

Before he can even find Pyo-wol, 

Bam!

Suddenly, a shattering pain overtook him. Pyo-wol’s fist exactly hit the tip of his chin. His brain shook, blurring his vision. Pyo-wol put his arm around his neck, not missing that moment.

With his right arm, he pulled Yeom Iljung’s neck, and with his left arm, he pushed his head forward.

Yeom Il-jung struggled with the suffocating pain.

“GAHG! S-Save m…”

Yeom Il-jung begged, but Pyo-wol did not release the arm wrapped around his neck. 

Pyo-wol murmured with strength in his arms.

“The reason I’m killing you is because I’m still weak.”

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