The rain was torrential, washing away the blood as fast as it spilled.
Iron-Fist Han was a tank of a man. His martial art, the Steel Tortoise Style, made his skin as hard as cured leather and his fists heavy as sledgehammers. In a fair fight, Baek Jin-Woo—even with his upgraded stats—would be crushed in seconds.
But this was not a fair fight.
"DIE!" Han roared, lunging forward with a punch that aimed to turn Jin-Woo's head into a pulp.
Jin-Woo didn't block. He couldn't. His body was still frail, despite the +5 Strength. Instead, he let his knees buckle, dropping low into the mud.
Swoosh.
Han's fist passed inches above Jin-Woo's head, the wind pressure ruffling his wet hair.
[Skill Activated: Anatomy of the Killer]
Time seemed to slow down. A web of red lines appeared over Han's massive body. The System was analyzing the target.
'Iron Shirt technique hardens the chest, back, and forearms,' Jin-Woo analyzed in a split second. 'But to maintain that hardness, Qi must flow constantly. The joints... are vulnerable.'
As Han overextended, Jin-Woo didn't retreat. He stepped in.
Using Cheon Sa-Rang's sword, Jin-Woo didn't slash at Han's chest. He thrust the tip of the blade upward, directly into Han's armpit—the gap in his defense where the arm connected to the shoulder.
SQUELCH.
The blade sank in three inches before hitting bone.
"ARGH!" Han bellowed, not in anger, but in shock. He swung his arm back, ripping the sword out of Jin-Woo's grip. The force sent Jin-Woo skidding backward through the mud.
Jin-Woo coughed violently, clutching his chest. The impact of the mud had rattled his weak ribs. But he was smiling.
Han stumbled back, clutching his armpit. Blood spurted between his fingers. "You... you little rat! My arm!"
"You're bleeding, Brother Han," Jin-Woo said softly, standing up slowly. He was unarmed now. "Your Iron Skin can't stop the blood from leaving your body."
Han looked at the sword lying in the mud between them. He looked at Jin-Woo. Then, fear took over. The "cripple" wasn't acting like a victim. He was acting like a predator playing with food.
"Cho! Kill him! Attack him while he's unarmed!" Han screamed at the junior disciple.
But Disciple Cho was gone.
The terrified junior had taken advantage of the distraction to run. He was sprinting toward the forest, abandoning Han.
"Coward!" Han screamed.
Jin-Woo tilted his head. "It seems it's just us, Han."
Han grit his teeth. "I can still crush you with one hand!" He charged again, slower this time, favoring his bleeding side.
Jin-Woo waited. He didn't need a sword.
As Han threw a desperate, clumsy left hook, Jin-Woo used his Agility (7.2). He sidestepped smoothly, like a ghost drifting in the wind.
He moved behind Han.
Han tried to turn, but the blood loss was making him dizzy.
Jin-Woo jumped. He wrapped his legs around Han's thick waist and locked his arms around Han's neck. It was a sleeper hold, but Jin-Woo didn't intend to put him to sleep.
He pulled the silver hairpin he had used earlier from his sleeve.
"The neck," Jin-Woo whispered into Han's ear. "Is it made of iron too?"
STAB. STAB. STAB.
He drove the hairpin into the side of Han's neck repeatedly, aiming for the carotid artery.
Han thrashed. He slammed his back against a wooden pillar, crushing Jin-Woo between him and the wood.
CRACK.
Jin-Woo felt a rib fracture. The pain was blinding. He coughed blood onto Han's ear. But he didn't let go. He kept stabbing.
Finally, Han's knees gave out. The giant fell face-first into the mud, with Jin-Woo still clinging to his back. Han twitched once, twice... and then stopped moving.
[Target: Iron-Fist Han (5th Stage Muscle Refining) - ELIMINATED]
[Method: Bleeding / Brute Force]
[Reward: +3 Constitution, +2 Strength]
The warmth of the reward flooded Jin-Woo's body immediately. The fractured rib didn't heal, but the pain dulled as his Constitution increased. His skin felt tougher. His breathing became slightly easier.
Jin-Woo rolled off the corpse, lying in the rain for a moment, staring at the dark sky.
"Nine down," he murmured. "One to go."
He sat up and looked at the dark forest where Disciple Cho had fled.
[Quest Update: 9/10 Witnesses Eliminated]
[Target: Disciple Cho]
[Time Limit: 15 Minutes]
[Warning: If Target escapes, the Sect will be alerted of your betrayal.]
Jin-Woo picked up the sword from the mud. He wiped the blade on Han's clothes.
"Run, little rabbit," Jin-Woo whispered, his eyes glowing with a faint blue light. "Running only makes the blood pump faster."
The forest was pitch black. Thorns tore at Disciple Cho's robes as he ran blindly. He was crying, snot and tears mixing with the rain.
"Monsters... they're all monsters..." Cho sobbed. He had seen the way Jin-Woo looked. That wasn't a human. That was a demon wearing human skin.
He had to reach the main road. If he reached the road, he might find a patrol.
Snap.
A twig snapped behind him.
Cho froze. He spun around, holding his sword with trembling hands. "Who's there?! Stay back!"
Nothing but rain and swaying trees.
"I... I'm a disciple of the White Lotus Sect!" Cho yelled into the darkness, his voice cracking. "If you kill me, the Elders will hunt you down!"
"The Elders," a voice echoed from the left.
Cho swung his sword to the left. Nothing.
"They will find bodies," the voice came from the right.
Cho spun to the right. "Show yourself!"
"But who will they blame?" the voice came from directly above.
Cho looked up.
Perched on a thick branch, silhouetted against a flash of lightning, sat Baek Jin-Woo. He looked relaxed, swinging his legs.
"You..." Cho backed away, tripping over a root. He fell onto his back, crawling backward in the mud. "Please! I won't tell anyone! I swear! I'll say it was bandits! I'll say it was the Demonic Cult!"
Jin-Woo hopped down. He landed silently, despite the mud. He walked toward Cho, dragging the sword behind him.
"You will say it was the Demonic Cult?" Jin-Woo asked, tilting his head.
"Yes! Yes! I swear!" Cho pleaded, pressing his hands together.
"That is actually a very good idea," Jin-Woo said thoughtfully. He stopped right in front of Cho. "But dead men tell better lies."
Cho screamed and tried to scramble up, but Jin-Woo swung the sword.
It wasn't a fancy technique. It was a brutal, horizontal chop.
The scream was cut short.
[Quest Completed: Massacre at the Tea House]
[Objective: Eliminate all witnesses (10/10)]
[Evaluation: S-Rank (Perfect Annihilation)]
[Rewards Calculated...]
Jin-Woo stood in the rain, surrounded by the silence of the dead. The adrenaline faded, and the cold returned. He coughed, spitting a glob of blood onto Cho's body.
"System," Jin-Woo said hoarsely. "Give me my prize."
[Reward Granted:]
1. Level Up (Base Stats Increased)
2. Item: Key of the Blood Demon (Fragment 1/4)
3. Skill: Blood Manipulation (Basic)
[Blood Manipulation (Basic): Allows the user to control fresh blood within a 1-meter radius. Can be used to form small weapons or conceal wounds.]
Jin-Woo looked at the blood on his sword. With a thought, the liquid red substance moved. It wiggled like a worm, then detached from the steel, floating in the air for a second before dropping into the mud.
"Useful," Jin-Woo smirked.
Now came the hard part. He had to set the stage. He had to turn this slaughter into a tragedy, and himself into the sole, grieving survivor.
He raised the sword and looked at his own left arm.
"To fool the world," he muttered, gritting his teeth.
He slashed his own arm, opening a deep, jagged wound. He suppressed a scream of pain.
Then, he turned and began the long walk back to the burning pavilion. The curtain was rising on the next act.