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Seol Jungyeon was someone who rarely showed her emotions on her face. However, right now, her face was painted with guilt and her eyes were moist as she looked at me.

“I’m really sorry. I think I caused you a lot of trouble…”

Right now, my smartphone was ringing non-stop because of what had happened. The number of Seol Jungyeon’s fans who cursed me were already numerous, so when the lots of other people who were cursing me were added on top of that, this result was only natural. But I didn’t pay any attention to it since I don’t really care. I was more worried about Noonim.

“I don’t care about all that, but Noonim, are you okay?”

In fact, I know that the whole thing was executed by Shin Hye-ji. But on the other hand, Noonim didn’t stop her even though one word from her could stop Shin Hye-ji. In other words, Noonim gave Shin Hye-ji permission to tell the world their stance on the rumor, albeit implicitly.

“For men, a few scandals like this will be quickly forgotten, but for female celebrities… I think it will keep following them like shackles.”

“What does that mean?”

“Um… it would be hard if you wanted to meet another guy later-”

In the middle of my words, I had no choice but to shut my mouth. Because suddenly, Noonim’s face and the air around me became colder. The guilty expression she wore seconds ago was nowhere to be seen. It was replaced with a raging expression.

“That will never happen…”

“I don’t mean it like that, Noonim. I’m planning to enter the ‘Hell Gate’ in the future. There is no guarantee that I will survive there. You’ll never know when I will disappear or even die.”

Those words were the reason why I didn’t develop my relationship with Noonim or Taylor further. I know my current life wasn’t like my life in the past where I lived my life only living while looking forward to tomorrow and not the future. I had gained strength and found a way to be stronger. With the abilities I had right now, I was sure that I could uncover the secrets of Hell Gate.

“Do you really have to go there…?”

“Yes. A woman who was like my own mother to me is trapped there.”

She was someone who acted like a parent to me even though both of us were the same age. She was more  mature and reliable than anyone else I knew, and the only woman I could trust.

The reason I survived so long as a juvenile hunter, which had a mortality rate of close to 90%, was because of Reina. The major cause of death in juvenile hunters were suicide. They did it because they exhausted their mental power in fighting against monsters. However, Reina Ju supported me from beginning to the very end.

She was truly a unique woman.

Even at such a young age, she was wiser than anyone else. With her mystical eyes that looked like it was reading the whole world, Reina used to lead me and say

‘It’s okay. You’re still young. Just like today, you can live tomorrow as well.’

So I survived another day and then another day. I was thankful to be able to meet the next day.

I felt happy being alive.

So… when I lost her, I wanted to give up my life once for all.

Fortunately, Taylor gave me the reason to continue living. I still remember that moment clearly as if it had happened just yesterday. She slapped my cheek and burst into tears. She begged me to keep living in desperation as if it was her own life.

So, I couldn’t bring myself to die and follow Reina.

“And now, I have found a way to meet her. So I can’t give it up. This is my duty to Reina, who rescued my life from the depths of the abyss.”

“…..”

Noonim looked at me with a confused expression. Then she took a deep breath and said, “In case.. Just in case you really died.”

“…..”

“I may follow you too, just like how you follow her.”

“That’s-“

“That’s why-“

She stared at me with her slightly sunken pink eyes. They were so clear and vivid that even watching them burdens me.

“…Don’t say that you are going to die so easily. Because your life is no longer yours alone.”

Then she came over and hugged me.

So, I had no choice but to say,

“I promise.”

“Thank you.”

With a genuinely relieved voice, Noonim gripped my arm tightly. I couldn’t express my feelings to her.

But still, I was really prepared to die.

* * *

By the way, the reason I met Noonim today wasn’t because the New Murim League had confirmed the dating rumor between Noonim and me.

“You said you had something to give me?”

“Yes.”

Even after saying that, Noonim only looked at me quietly with a sullen expression on her face.

As she kept her silence, Shin Hye-ji, who stood next to her, trembled.

“Oh my God, please don’t say that you will give your whole life…”

“You stay quiet.”

“Okay…”

Noonim cut Shin Hye-ji’s words short. Then after a few more seconds passed, she finally opened her mouth.

“Do you remember our fights against Murim Hohyanghoe at the Great Rift the other day?”

“Yes, I remember.”

“At that time, there was a person who betrayed Murim Hohyanghoe and helped us.”

“…Is that so?”

Come to think of it, when Murim Hohyanghoe caused that incident, the rest of the expedition members immediately fought back. At that time, I thought that they simply couldn’t stand their quick temper and started fighting….but, when I thought that it was someone’s ploy, it was really possible.

“He’s a man called ‘Smiling Shadow’. He is the leader of ‘Shadow Group’ that leads five subordinates. He is a transcendental expert and an expert in Shadow Technique.”

“Uh, Okay. But why are you talking about that all of a sudden?”

“What I want to give to you is that ‘Shadow Group’.”

“Pardon?”

“I watched them closely while you were away. They are capable of penetrating into the dark and will be your eyes and ears, and you can command them to escort whoever you want. However….” She frowned. “I can’t trust them.”

It was understandable, If I hadn’t deceived Murim Hohyanghoe by saying, ‘I’ll send you back to your hometown’, New Murim League would have suffered a great blow, and maybe Noonim would also have suffered as well.

I couldn’t easily trust the people who belonged to Murim Hohyanghoe.

However…..

“Let me meet them before deciding.”

* * *

I followed Noonim and ran through the Goblin’s House.

It was still decorated with pink petals and an orange sky just like before. There was no sun illuminating this world except for the sunset that was there at the end of time. But the good news was that as life began to spin, there were dark clouds and rain in this place, unlike the Floating Garden. The change of seasons was also a factor that made this place much more lively.

Even after arriving at the rugged and deep mountain, I still had to run for another three hours before arriving at ‘Hell’, the place that confined Murim criminals and restricted their Naegong.

The state-of-the-art security in this place provides 24-hour monitoring, and if someone tried to escape from this place by using a special ‘Jinbeop’, they would be trapped and locked in an eternal maze.

The Murim people also took turns watching this place, and even if they successfully escaped, it was impossible for them to get out into Earth in the first place.

Upon reaching the 20th floor of the basement, Murim people who belonged to the Murim Hohyanghoe rushed towards their cell door as soon as they saw me.

“Yoo Seodam!”

“Yoo seodam is finally here!”

“Get us out!”

“As you promised, send us back to Murim!”

Hands were reaching towards me from all sides. The Warden cut off their arms with a cold expression, but even as they bled, they still continued shouting about returning to Murim to me.

Do they really want to go back to Murim? I couldn’t understand them. But I didn’t get angry or even respond to their pleas.

Because I deceived them.

Just like how I killed protagonists regardless whether they were villains or good men for my own gain, I used their hope of returning to Murim for my own gain. Although Murim Hohyanghoe was evil from my point of view, it does not change the fact that in the end I took advantage of their hope.

That’s why I didn’t answer them.

“I have been waiting in this prison for three months already!”

“Fulfill your promise!”

“Promise!”

“Yoo Seodam!”

It was a prison full of crazy people. If I stayed in a place like this, I really felt like I was going to get a mental illness. And at the very end of a prison full of crazy people, they were waiting for me. Shadow Group, a very small, ultra-elite organization with a total of six members.

They kept their heads on the ground and didn’t move.

I stood in front of their prison, looked at them silently, and opened my mouth.

“Lift your head.”

The Shadow Group followed my words without saying a word and raised their head to meet my eyes. I don’t have the ability to judge people just by looking at them. But maybe Noonim saw something. But I refrained myself from asking since it’s not right to rely on another person while judging and choosing those who could potentially become one of my people.

“I heard you guys want to serve under me.”

“Yes, Military Advisor Yoo Seodam. If possible, I would like to dedicate these useless hearts to you.”

The group was made up of all men. They shared the same black hair and black eyes, but they were all of different races. Two of African descent, one presumably European and three Asian men. Smiling Shadow was a white, western male.

“Why should I believe you and accept you?”

“I had heard that you have a special ability that could force others to do your biddings or die.”

Then they looked at Shin Hye-ji. Seol Jungyeon looked uncomfortable and glanced at Shin Hye-ji. But the person herself didn’t seem to really care about it.

In Shin Hye-ji’s case, she told me that she wanted me to put a ban on her to take her life in case she went berserk just like her stepfather. And I told her that I had put a ban on her.

But the truth is, I couldn’t use such a great technique or magic. At that time, I was only a beginner magician who could barely make even a single bowl of water without the help of the flower pot, and I didn’t even study magic in depth.

However, Shin Hye-ji believed that her life would be forfeited any time at my command. Seol Jungyeon also believed in that fact. And now, this group called ‘Shadow Group’ also…believed that.

“Please use it on us too. I promise to be loyal to you for the rest of my life.”

“…..”

I don’t know why they suddenly want to come under me. So, I couldn’t just believe in a false technique that didn’t even exist.

So I decided to use a slightly different method.

“Hye-Ji. Open the door.”

“Okay.”

When Shin Hye-ji opened the prison door, I went inside without hesitation. They couldn’t harm me anyway. Then, I pulled <The Lost Morning Star> from the inventory and pointed it at them and said.

“From now on, I will use my magic.”

They all nodded.

“Stretch out your arm.”

As all the members of the Shadow Smile extended their arms, I stabbed the backs of their hands with my sword to not damage the nerves and prevent excessive blood loss.

Then, I move my naegong from my body to their body. This was a skill I learned from Araceli. If I, who draws a mysterious sword from the thin air and uses a technique from another world called magic, do this, they would believe that what I did was real.

After stabbing the backs of the hands of all six members of the Shadow Group, I took out six daggers from the inventory and threw it at them.

“I put a bomb on your body. In the next three minutes, It will make your heart explode. Ah, also you can’t use your Naegong”

“…..!”

“Wait, Seodam…!”

Even Noonim called me with a bewildered voice, but Shin Hye-ji stopped her.

“But there’s another way to survive. Kill each other. The three people who survive, I will take your act of killing your own friend as a sign of loyalty.”

“What!!!!”

“Nonsense….”

“It can’t be, it can’t be! How could I kill my comrades!”

“I’d rather let my heart explode!”

I ignored their protest and walked out of the prison, then I closed the door.

“Forced loyalty is not true loyalty!”

“We cannot betray each other.”

“Why? You have done it once, so why can’t you do it twice?”

”!!!!”

As soon as my words registered to them, they probably realized. The fact that I had no intention of trusting them.

In the first place, I came here with those thoughts in my mind.

I saw Smiling Shadow looking at me with eyes that resembled obsidian. The sound of teeth grinding against each other could be heard. He clearly struggled to keep his anger in check.

“…I can’t.”

“Why?”

“I would rather die like this. Even if I betrayed Bang Ho-Win, I cannot betray my comrades.”

At his words, I smiled silently as I looked past Smiling Shadow. Smiling Shadow also looked back, and he gritted his teeth even more.

The five men of the Shadow Group who believed in him and followed him already had the dagger in their hand and were aiming at each other.

“I can’t die like this, Lord!”

“Damn it. Why does it have to be like this!”

“Even if he put a ban on our naegong, I thought that if I followed Yoo Seodam, I could live comfortably…”

As all of the members took their stance with the dagger in their hands, Smiling Shadow hurriedly jumped between them.

“Stop, stop! Didn’t we decide to be together until the day we die? We don’t have to fight each other!”

“We don’t have to fight? Are you really saying that?!?! Did you really think I was loyal to someone like you? Yes, thank you for picking me up from being swallowed on the street and raising me. But those who live must live! If you don’t move away, I’ll stab you!”

“A strong Lord? When you can’t even use your naegong, what makes you different from us then?”

“I’d rather you die first!”

When being pitched against extreme situations, humans are bound to change dramatically. That was the true nature of humanity.

As a 17 years old veteran hunter, I had seen such human nature countless times. Of course, there are some exceptions to these rules.

Such as those who bravely accept death, those who were willing to sacrifice themselves for their comrades, and those who wanted to kill everyone present in order to monopolize the achievements.

Members of Shadow Group were closer to the latter.

“Die!!!”

Whooshh!!

The dagger, which was wielded by an Asian man, was lodged in Smiling Shadow’s right forearm.

Slash!!! Slash!!

Although he was stabbed in the thigh, back, and shoulder, Smiling Shadow did not strike back. No, he didn’t even pick up the dagger in the first place.

He wore a wounded expression. However, it was not because he felt the pain of being stabbed by a dagger. Far from it, it was pain from betrayal.

“You guys, then normally…”

“Yeah, you bastard! Even when I stay quiet! I didn’t like the fact that I was going to assassinate Saekma by crawling under him!”

I really am a trash.

Even though I didn’t have to do it, I did it nevertheless.

Perhaps, even without the friction that unfolded before me, they could have been close for keeping up pretenses, while deceiving each other in the back throughout their lives.

But that’s not enough. I couldn’t easily trust the people who had already betrayed someone once, even more so if they belonged to Murim Hohyanghoe, which put Noonim in danger.

I really wanted someone who would be loyal to me.

“Stop….”

Under the soft dim lighting, the daggers flashed. Drops of blood splattered. It was the blood of only one person. Smiling Shadow. He was taking all the daggers with his bare body.

“Stop it…”

With his teeth clenched, Smiling Shadow, who avoided being stabbed in the vital point, grabbed the collar of the Shadow Group’s African member with his left hand.

Then, it happened in an instant.

Boom!!

The huge body of the African man flew away and collided with the white man, both of them crashed into the wall.

It was an unbelievable show of strength even when he couldn’t use his naegong. Smiling Shadow didn’t stop there. He swung his fist towards the other members.

Due to his lack of skill, he fainted with a single punch from Smiling Shadow. In my eyes, even if I didn’t restrict their use of naegong, the group of five wouldn’t be able to defeat Smiling Shadow.

Smashing every single one of them to the wall over and over again, Shadow Smile knocked down the entire group.

But still.

No one died.

“15 seconds left.”

“!!!!!”

When I said that, the entire group cussed at each other and ran towards each other. They realized that they could no longer aim for the Smiling Shadow, so they wanted to kill other members.

“I, I have to live…!”

The head of the men who tried to stab the dagger at the other turned painfully. Then, the wrist of another man, who was swinging a dagger at his comrades broke, another one had his ankle bone broken, and fell from a blow to his thigh.

In the end, the Smiling Shadow was the only one who was still standing.

They realize they don’t have any more time. So, even in the state of being knocked down on the floor, the members of Shadow Group looked at the Smiling Shadow with resentful eyes.

“Smiling Shadow, you bastard!”

“If you’re going to die, die alone!”

“Don’t those who live have to live?”

Then, Smiling Shadow shook his head.

“No. Because we have decided not to betray our colleagues.”

Then he looked at the members who lay on the floor, not a single one of them died, and then he said,

“And, look. we didn’t die. In the end, no one betrayed anyone.”

After saying that, he laughed. His body trembled as he laughed. To his members it looked like a lunatic’s smile, but, to me, it just looked like the smile of a person who kept his faith intact.

“Three minutes is over.”

As soon as I notified them, all of them closed their eyes tightly as if they braced themselves for their death.

I had no choice but to say the obvious words commonly used in movies and novels.

“The bomb was actually a lie.”

“!!!!”

When their eyes turned to me, I looked at the Smiling Shadow and said,

“You passed the test. So, what’s your choice? Will you swear allegiance to me, or will you remain with your comrades who have betrayed you? If you choose to come under me, you can bring any number of your comrades. You can choose whoever you want. No matter what choice you make, it will not harm you.”

As soon as those words were finished, all the members of the group knelt in front of Smiling Shadow.

“Wait. Lord, All that was, was…”

“We, too, want to leave this place and live…!”

“Please… Lord take us too. Please.”

No one wants to rot in this jail. And, for Murim people who know my reputation, they know that working under me is an honorable and happy job.

I quietly reached out and healed the Smiling Shadow with [Divine Conversion]. From the beginning, I had prepared the divine power so that no one would die, but no one except me was aware of the fact.

As he received my divine power, he had a terrible expression on his face.

“We, the Shadow Group, once swore allegiance to the Lord of Murim.”

As the young smile began to speak, all Shadow Group member’s bit their own lips.

“Then, I said. Even if someone puts a knife to your neck, you must never betray the one you serve.”

So far, the Shadow Group had been following the rule very well. It wasn’t because of their loyalty but because they had never had a knife stuck in their throat before, though.

And today, Smiling Shadow realized the fact that he cannot trust his comrades in extreme conditions.

“As of today, the Shadow Group is disbanded.”

Then, Smiling Shadow walked towards me alone before kneeling before me,

“I swear allegiance to you.”

Today, he had lost everything. But in exchange, he gained my trust.