Reaper of the Drifting Moon - Chapter 15

Chaeeng!

Pyo-wol deflected the sword.

It was So Yeowol who attacked.

“Shit!”

So Yeowol put on a sad expression. She couldn’t hide her disappointment for a moment at the fact that her elaborate undercover attack had failed.

For this one sneak attack, she waited two days without moving. She waited for Pyo-wol to come.

It was such a difficult opportunity.

Pyo-wol was attacked thirteen times in one day alone.

He was struggling with his nerves all day so he consumed a lot of mental energy. His face was filled with a tired look.

It’s fortunate that he had mastered the sword technique written on the nameless booklet, otherwise he would have fallen under someone’s sword already. 

Even though important sentences were omitted, the sword attack boasted considerable power. The fact that Pyo-wol remained alive despite the thirteen secret attacks today was proof of ots strength. 

By mastering the unknown swordsmanship, he was able to unleash seventy-two sword strikes like a wave without stopping. However, important passages were missing and it was impossible to make great progress.

All that Pyo-wol learned over the last ten days was the unknown booklet’s swordsmanship. 

It was unreasonable to learn more with an incomplete martial arts technique. However, even at that level, there was no problem in practicing the form to some extent.

Pyo-wol resisted the children’s sneak attack with the swordsmanship of the booklet. Because that was what was instructed to them.

The children tenaciously observed Pyo-wol’s sword attack. That way, if they saw even a small loophole, they immediately counterattacked.

Pyo-wol tried to compensate for the loophole while defending, but the children would find another loophole and attack him. By relentlessly attacking and defending, Pyo-Wol and the children developed.

The most difficult person for Pyo-Wol was So Yeowol.

This is because she attacked in a way that he was not expecting at all. A little while ago, her skills were once tested on him. 

Suddenly, So Yeowol said,

“I think you’d better throw that sword away.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I don’t fear you with a sword for some reason, even if you’re blocking all my attacks. Rather, it feels even more difficult for me when you don’t have your sword.” 

“Do you think it makes sense for me to drop a weapon in front of an assassin?”

“That’s not for me to know. I’m just saying what I feel.

“……..”

Pyo-wol frowned without saying a word.

So Yeowol looked at Pyo-wol for a moment and then stepped back.

“You’d better be prepared next time.”

She disappeared into the dark.

Pyo-wol, who was left alone, sighed and looked at his hand.

In his hand was a cheap iron sword that had been provided in batches. It was a dagger that was only half the length of a normal sword. He didn’t really like this sword, so he didn’t use it. Well, this sword was still usable. 

“Am I trickier to deal when I do not have a sword as compared to wielding one?”

If his opponent felt that way, there must be a good reason. It could be that she was lying to weaken Pyo-Wol, but the So Yeowol he knew was not that cunning. So Yeowol was a woman whose distribution was so large that most men could not even reach her toes.

Pyo-wol thought while frowning. 

It takes a considerable amount of courage to throw away the sword he was already used to. If he threw away his sword, he had to deal with them using his bare hands.

No matter how strong Pyo-wol is, it takes great courage to stand up to opponents who has a weapon in their hand. 

“But now is the only time to throw away the sword. Once he further gets used to it, he won’t ever be able to throw it away even if he want to.”

Clang!

After pondering for a while, Pyo-wol threw down his sword.

For the past six years, he’s done things that others thought impossible.

He has perfectly adapted to the darkness, and has developed a strong resistance to poison. ‘

Thanks to learning the Thunder-Splitting Cultivation Technique, he has already reached the limit of human beings in terms of pure physical abilities. Compared to the children who had learned the Poisonous Dragon Heart Cultivation Technique and other methods, his physical abilities were in no way inferior.

Pyo-wol believed in his own ability.

As he has always done, he will do well this time.

Pyo-wol thought so and sank into the darkness.

* * *

“Kukhyuk! Heh heh!”

A sound as if the air was being sucked out of a leather bag, came out of a child’s mouth. A short sword was stuck in the child’s chest.

The child’s name is Yuk Pyeong.

He also learned the unknown swordsmanship like a Pyo-wol. That’s why he’s been plagued with assassination attempts from the other children over the past few months.

Yuk Pyeong did not want to learn the unknown swordsmanship. He just unfortunately won the random draw lots.

This was the price.

The sword stuck in his chest belonged to Song Cheonwoo.

Song Cheonwoo and the other 26 children have been targeting the children like Yuk Pyeong who have been persistently learning the unknown swordsmanship over the past few months.

The 27 children who sneak attacks and the other 3 children who learned the unknown swordsmanship.

The fight they fought was really fierce. 

At first, they felt pity for each other’s circumstances, but in the duration of the training, they were soon wounded and their hatred for each other deepened.

Lim Sayeol and the instructors achieved what they wanted.

Time passed faster in the dark.

The children became more clever and cruel.

They learned how to accurately detect the target’s breathing, even in the dark.

In particular, they became stronger as they faced the children who had mastered the unknown swordsmanship. They attacked the children who had mastered the unknown swordsmanship by any means possible.

The result was a sword stuck in the chest of the Yuk Pyeong.

Yuk Pyeong has grown stronger, but the children have completely mastered how to deal with him. 

To be precise, they had figured out a way to destroy the unknown swordsman that Yuk Pyeong had learned.

Song Cheonwoo looked at Yuk Pyeong, who was dying with a complicated expression.

Even though his human emotions have dried up, he was still not comfortable with killing his fellow colleague. 

But he had no other option.

If they fail to kill Yuk Pyeong again, the instructors would have pushed him and the other children to the limit.

Song Cheonwoo opened his mouth, thinking that there was nothing he could do.

“I’m sorry…”

Yuk Pyeong was not able to hear his apology.

Because his breath stopped. 

Song Cheonwoo clenched his teeth.

‘One more.’

A child named Go Shin-ho died before Yuk Pyeong. He was also a child who had learned the unknown swordsmanship.

The rest of the children had to hunt them so that they could rest comfortably.

Song Cheonwoo nodded to So Yeowol, who was far away. Then So Yeowol beckoned to the other children.

The children were scattered everywhere.

Trying to find the remaining child who had mastered the unknown swordsmanship.

Only Song Cheonwoo, So Yeowol, and Lee Min and So Gyeoksan remained.

“Kiki! This is really amazing. Hikhikhik!”

So Gyeoksan kept laughing. The children knew all too well that he was not laughing because he was happy.

So Gyeoksan just always smiled darkly.

Whether he’s happy or sad.

The problem is that there are only a few times when he actually feels happy on the inside.

So Gyeoksan’s laughter was annoying, but Song Cheonwoo didn’t say anything. It is because his feeling of having stopped Yuk Pyeong’s breath has already fallen to the floor.

Lee Min opened his mouth.

“The only person left is Pyo-Wol, right?”

No one answered.

Everyone’s expression darkened.

It’s because they know that the combination of Yuk Pyeong and Go Shin would not even amount to one Pyo-wol.

After So Yeowol’s secret attack, Pyo-wol disappeared.

He was in an underground room closed on all sides.

There was nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. Still, Pyo-wol was not found anywhere.

As if he just disappeared.

Lee Min opened her mouth carefully.

“Maybe he went outside?”

“No, he’s definitely still inside. We just haven’t found him.”

So Yeowol shook her head.

At her assertion, Lee Min’s eyes fluttered slightly. Then her explosive beauty flowed out.

One of the children who made the most dramatic change was Lee Min. In the dark she became whiter and more prudent.

Her beauty, which coexists with ignorance and glamor, was enough to take away the soul of the beholder. Because of that, many of the surviving children were captivated by her beauty to the point of offering supplies.

However, Lee Min was not well aware of her changes.

She always worked with So Yeowol.

If it was So Yeowol’s command, she was loyal enough to the point of pretending to die.

Song Cheonwoo said in a cold voice.

“He’s a human too. As long as he’s a human, he can’t get out of our hands.”

“But it’s Pyo-Wol.” 

Lee Min murmured like a child. But everyone in this room knew what Lee Min was trying to say. Pyo-wol was an incomprehensible person in many ways. They were locked up here together for six years, but no one knew the potential of Pyo-wol.

He adapted perfectly, as if he was born here.

None of the children had shown the ability that is on par with Pyo-Wol. Even for those with outstanding abilities like So Yeowol and Song Cheonwoo.

‘Did I give him needless advice?’

So Yeowol thought that it might be because of what she said that Pyo-wol hasn’t appeared for this long. 

She didn’t know how much she regretted it after she told him how she felt because of a momentary impulse. It was because she remembered too late that the advice she gave might inadvertently make Pyo-wol even stronger.

Pyo-wol has always been like that.

He would take the small part that could be overlooked as a cornerstone of development by persistently biting and sagging. When the other children took one step, he seemed to take two or three more steps.

Although he thoroughly hid his achievements from the instructors, So Yeowol and the children knew he was hiding his own power.

His strength can only be felt by those who have faced him in person.

However, So Yeowol couldn’t easily guess what exactly his level was.

So Gyeoksan said it as a joke.

“Why don’t we just kill the instructors? It’s probably easier than killing Pyo-wol.”

“Agree.”

Song Cheonwoo nodded.

But they knew.

The fact that some kind of restriction was imposed on them.

The instructors and three swords they knew were never the ones who would leave it like this without any preparation and countermeasures. 

The question was what was the restriction that was imposed on them.

“We can decide on how to release their restrictions on us later, but now is the time to focus on finding Pyo-wol. If we leave him like this, he will become even stronger.”

“Okay!”

Everyone nodded at So Yeowol’s words.

They left in search of Pyo-wol. In the place where the children left, only Yuk Pyeong’s body was lying alone.

That was then.

Suddenly, Yuk Pyeong’s body began to move.

As if he was breathing, Yuk Pyeong’s chest heaved, and he rolled over to one side. And something suddenly appeared from the place where Yuk Pyeong’s body was.

It was Pyo-wol who was covered in dirt with all eyes, noses, and mouths.

He had been hiding in the ground under the body of Yuk Pyeong by spreading the Turtle Breathing Technique. 

The children could not even imagine that Pyo-wol was hiding right beneath them.

“Huu…” 

Pyo-wol sighed and looked at the bodies of the Yuk Pyeong.  He was the one who learned the unknown swordsmanship of his own will, but Yuk Pyeong was chosen by many to be targeted. 

Maybe even during his last moments, he thought it was unfair.

Pyo-wol reached out and closed Yuk Pyeong’s eyes.

This will not relieve the injustice, but he hoped that he would not suffer the pain of keeping his eyes open until he died.

Pyo-wol looked in the direction the children disappeared for a moment.

Even at this moment, children will be constantly looking for him. The custodians will also be keeping a keen eye on the children’s behavior.

In other words, all attention was focused on the pursuit of Pyo-wol. 

It was the moment Pyo-wol wanted.

Pyo-wol moved as far as possible while hiding his presence. No matter how talented a human being, he could not completely hide the sound of his footsteps. But Pyo-wol was different.

As he moved, not a single sound came out.

Just like a cat or a leopard, the soles of the feet absorb sound perfectly.

This was not taught by anyone. It was a skill he had learned on his own.

The place he headed for was the residence of Lim Sayeol and the others.

The children did not know their real names. They were only known as the First sword, Second swords, and Third swords.

Their martial skills were far superior to those of the instructors making them the object of fear to children. Even the children who looked down on the instructors could not hide their tension when standing in front of the three swords.

After spending six years together, they became psychologically dependent.

No matter how large and ferocious an animal may be, it is the same principle as if it were raised from a young age, it would not be able to harm its owner.

Pyo-wol called it a psychological taboo.

The biggest ban imposed on children was psychological subordination. So they don’t dare consider disobeying them.

There was a little bit of tension on Pyo-wol’s face for a moment.

Although he thought and moved independently, he was also psychologically subordinated to some extent after living in the same space for six years.

But he couldn’t stay like this forever.

Pyo-wol shook his head slightly to shake off his anxious mind, and then moved on.

His goal was to be the residence of one sword, Lim Sayeol.