TZRMG 02

Chapter 2 …

Corpse Blood Valley

The nights in Sihyeolgok (Corpse Blood Valley) were always silent.

Because only after the screams had disappeared could anyone finally fall asleep.

Lights were forbidden.

Whenever a torch was lit, it meant someone had fallen.

And after the flames died out, only the thick stench of blood remained.

The children never cried.

If they cried, they disappeared.

And those who disappeared never returned.

“Where did the kid from yesterday go?”

“I don’t know. Don’t bother worrying about it.”

It was common for a face that had been beside you yesterday to vanish the next day.

Training was systematic.

Violence was impartial.

The only thing that mattered was whether you survived or not.

---

And I opened my eyes inside that child’s body.

It took several days before I understood what had happened.

In the end, I had no choice but to accept it.

Two years.

The youngest of the Jin Family, Jin Muyeon, had not survived beyond that point.

“Muyeon… I’ll live on for both of us.”

In the end, the youngest child of the Jin Family whom I had failed to protect must have been kidnapped that day by the monsters of Heukmyeong (黑明) who had attacked the clan.

That thought gnawed at my heart for a long time.

My confusion didn’t last long.

Without even having time to grieve, the merciless nights of Sihyeolgok continued.

---

Several months passed.

For the first time, every child in the valley was gathered together.

Inside the enormous chamber carved into the cave were roughly three hundred children.

All of them appeared to be around Muyeon’s age.

Every one of them had surely been kidnapped and dragged here.

Before long, ten men dressed in black robes stepped forward.

One of them moved to the front and spoke in a heavy, low voice.

“Since everyone is here, we’ll begin. I am the Valley Lord of Sihyeolgok, the one responsible for this place.”

The others were called instructors.

That alone told me enough.

Our real lives in this place were about to begin.

“From this day onward, you will become true martial artists under our hands.”

My eyebrows twitched.

‘Martial artists?’

From the atmosphere alone, it was obvious this place existed to raise assassins who lived in the shadows.

Soon, dozens of black-clad men rushed in carrying something.

Thud.

A rabbit was dropped in front of me.

Beside it lay a small dagger.

Elsewhere, squirrels, mice, and other creatures barely clinging to life were lined up before the children.

‘They’re practically dead already.’

After confirming that everything had been prepared, the Valley Lord shouted,

“Kill.”

Just one word.

But none of the children failed to understand its meaning.

Gripping their daggers, they glanced nervously at one another as suffocating silence filled the cavern.

One instructor suddenly grabbed the rabbit in his hand and split it cleanly in half.

Blood splattered everywhere.

“Ahhh!”

“I-Is it dead?”

The children’s screams echoed through the cave.

The instructor spoke again.

“I’ll say it once more.

Kill them.

Otherwise, you’ll end up just like that.”

The moment those cold words fell, every child fell silent.

Their instincts recognized before their minds did that this wasn’t a threat.

It was a promise.

The hands gripping the daggers tightened on their own.

‘Even if I stepped forward now, there’s nothing I could do.’

This was Muyeon’s body.

He hadn’t even begun learning martial arts.

There was nothing I could accomplish.

Then—

Slash!

The sound of flesh splitting echoed loudly.

Another slash followed immediately afterward.

Turning my head, I saw a child repeatedly stabbing a rabbit with his dagger.

Not the slightest hesitation.

Only killing intent filled his eyes.

The sight was horrifying.

‘Could he be… the Heavenly Killing Star?!’

Heavenly Killing Star

A person born carrying murderous fate itself.

One destined to bring death wherever they went.

Perhaps pleased by the sight, the Valley Lord and the instructors all turned their attention toward the child.

Slash.

Another cut rang out.

Soon, daggers began rising and falling all throughout the cave.

The chamber was instantly filled with the sounds of life being extinguished.

Blood pooled across the ground until it resembled mud.

Looking down at the children drenched in blood, I bit my lip hard.

That’s right.

This wasn’t training.

It was merely the beginning of raising murderers.

Around a month into that cruel fate—

The iron bars sealing my room finally opened.

“Number Two. Come out.”

Instead of names, we were called by numbers.

Sensing that something had changed, I swallowed hard.

Barefoot, my feet caked with blood and dirt, I followed him.

Although the cave remained buried in darkness, every path now appeared as clear as daylight.

‘After living here this long… my eyes have finally adapted.’

Since awakening in Muyeon’s body, I hadn’t seen sunlight even once.

My vision had simply grown accustomed to darkness.

The perfect place to raise killers.

Iron-barred cells stretched endlessly along the passageway.

Inside each one, children silently watched me.

They were no different from wild beasts locked inside cages.

*’Their eyes have changed.

They’ve begun carrying killing intent.’*

Children who had learned how to take life before ever planting a tree.

Those eyes were only natural.

‘Heukmyeong… just who are these people to commit such atrocities?’

Enduring countless hostile stares, I eventually stopped before a small room at the end of the corridor.

Inside stood the man called the Valley Lord and another black-clad subordinate.

“Number Two has arrived.”

Hearing my number, the Valley Lord nodded lightly.

As though he already knew this body belonged to the Jin Family.

“Sit.”

“…”

Without a word, I sat in the chair before him.

A black-clad man approached and tightly bound both my arms to the armrests.

The Valley Lord nodded with satisfaction, apparently pleased by the killing intent in my gaze.

“That brat’s eyes… I like them.”

Behind the cloth covering his face, he was undoubtedly smiling.

Soon, he opened a nearby box.

Inside, something long, thin, and transparent writhed.

He picked one up.

Its appearance became unmistakably clear.

“It’s a Blood Gu (血蠱).

More specifically, one called Gihyeolsangchung (氣血相衝).”

“…!!”

A Blood Gu.

A parasitic Gu that invades the brain and forces its host into obedience by responding to commands.

Anyone who resists after implantation either becomes an idiot or loses their life.

Holding up the Blood Gu, the Valley Lord slowly spoke.

“You don’t seem surprised.

The other children all cried or trembled in fear.

Once this ritual is complete, you will become a true warrior of Heukmyeong.

Aren’t you happy?”

The words you insane bastard nearly escaped my throat, but I forced them back.

*’Not a warrior…

You’re turning us into slaves.’*

A life where one’s will would be controlled until death.

Apparently reading my thoughts from my expression, the Valley Lord tilted his head.

“At first you did nothing but cry.

I thought you’d end up discarded.

But you’ve grown quite well.”

“I have a question.”

It was the first time I had spoken.

Interest flickered in the Valley Lord’s eyes.

“What is it?”

“What does it mean… to become a warrior of Heukmyeong?”

“Hmm.”

After a brief pause, he answered,

“It is the honorable duty of standing at the forefront for the sake of the Greater Cause.”

The Greater Cause.

Honor.

What connection could either possibly have with the annihilation of the Jin Family or these children being raised into killers?

“What exactly is this Greater—”

“You’ll understand soon enough.

All you need to do is obey.

Bring it.”

As though he had no desire to continue the conversation, the Valley Lord gave his order.

The explanation ended.

His hand moved.

The frantically wriggling Blood Gu burrowed into my ear.

My eyes flew open at the horrifying sensation.

It crawled through my ear and headed for my brain, writhing as it burrowed through my skull.

“Ugh… Kgh…”

I struggled violently against the unbearable pain.

But my bound arms couldn’t move an inch.

Watching me grit my teeth and endure it, the Valley Lord said,

“Good.

Endure it.

It’s the only way you’ll survive.”

With those words—

Pain powerful enough to shatter consciousness engulfed me.

“AAAAAAAHHH!!”

My scream echoed throughout the entirety of Sihyeolgok.

---

After the Blood Gu had settled inside my head—

Physical training began.

Not assassin techniques.

Not profound martial arts.

Only the most basic movements.

As the years passed, the children grew rapidly.

The tiny hands of Jin Muyeon eventually became large enough to firmly grip a sword.

---

Three or four years later.

Looking over the children training with wooden swords, I realized their numbers had already been cut in half.

‘What exactly are they planning?’

It had already been well over three years since I awakened in Jin Muyeon’s body.

Yet I still couldn’t understand their intentions.

Then, for the first time, real swords were handed out.

The order remained exactly the same.

“Kill.”

Just as brief and merciless as the day we had slaughtered animals with daggers.

But this time, everything was different.

Having spent years surrounded by blood, the children attacked one another without the slightest hesitation.

“Hyaaah!”

One child charged toward me.

Instinctively, I raised my sword and drove the blade into his shoulder.

Even then, he refused to stop.

Gripping the blade with his other hand, he thrust toward my heart.

“…I’m sorry.”

Knocking his sword aside, I slashed cleanly across his upper body.

Slash!

Only then did he collapse.

He never stood up again.

As the child gasped through his final breaths, the number Fifty-Two (五十二) was carved into his chest.

“I’ll remember you.”

With those words, I ended his suffering.

The slaughter continued.

I kept fighting simply to survive.

Then—

“Enough.”

The Valley Lord’s voice rang out.

As though reacting to a command, every sword froze in place.

Looking around, corpses were piled across the ground like mountains.

Only five people remained standing.

Satisfaction filled the Valley Lord’s voice.

“From this day onward, you are true members of Heukmyeong.”

That day—

For the first time since arriving at Sihyeolgok—

We were given names.

Raised Assassin, Number Two—Jin Muyeon.

---

* * *

Several days later—

The five survivors, myself included, left Sihyeolgok and were each sent to different destinations.

It had been exactly five years since little Muyeon—

and I—

had entered that hell.

Since I didn’t even know where Sihyeolgok was located, we simply walked through forest paths for days on end.

‘Judging by the direction of the moon, we’re heading south…’

“Where are we going?”

“Questions are not permitted.”

The answer never changed.

Not long afterward, we arrived.

A small house stood deep within a secluded forest.

Once inside, the instructor picked up one of the many books stacked high in the room and tossed it toward me.

“From now on, memorize every one of these.”

“What are they?”

Curiously, I picked up the book.

Inside wasn’t what I had expected.

Instead, it contained an enormous amount of information.

The current state of the Murim.

Important figures of the Murim Alliance.

And—

“…The Zhuge Family…”

Who the family head was.

The organization of their military forces.

Even the amount of wealth stored inside their treasury.

One face suddenly came to mind.

Zhuge Sang, Chief Strategist of the Murim Alliance.

‘The man who turned a blind eye to the destruction of the Jin Family.’

That day, the Murim Alliance already knew the Jin Family was under attack.

Even I, who had been outside the Alliance, heard the news later and rushed to the clan.

There was no way they hadn’t known.

Yet they never came.

As I swallowed my anger, several book titles caught my eye.

“Socheonseong Sword Art… This is… Cheongi Mirebo…”

The secret martial manuals of the Zhuge Family.

Judging from the fresh scent of ink, they had clearly been copied only recently.

“Memorize these as well.

They’ll be useful someday.”

He wasn’t telling me to practice the martial arts.

He meant for me to engrave them into my memory.

During this process, I came to realize several truths.

Heukmyeong (黑明) was far more than a simple assassin organization.

And I also learned where their true objective lay.

“Am I… being sent to the Zhuge Family?”

“You’re quick to understand.

That’s right.

You’ll infiltrate that place and eliminate Zhuge Sang.”

At that instant, the burning halls engulfed in flames came back to me.

So did the dying face of Family Head Jin Cheongun, the man who had taken me in.

Just then, the instructor pulled out a secret letter and handed it to me.

“The one who drove your family to its death…

was none other than the head of the Zhuge Family.”

Written on the secret document was the Murim Alliance’s encrypted code, along with a short order.

Absolutely no intervention.

Order of Zhuge Sang, Chief Strategist of the Murim Alliance.

That day…

Neither the Murim Alliance nor the righteous sects made a move.

The destruction of the Jin Family had never been an accident.

‘So this is why they kidnapped Jin Muyeon.’

They intended to use the lone survivor of the exterminated clan…

to assassinate the man who had destroyed that very clan.

It was a scheme beyond mere manipulation.

It was utterly vicious.

Even so—

My decision wasn’t difficult.

Doubt had become certainty.

My mind was already consumed by rage.

“I’ll do it.”

From that day onward—

I cut back even on sleep, devouring every secret manual of the Zhuge Family.

I read them over and over until, if someone placed a sword in my hand, I could execute every technique immediately.

Of course, Heukmyeong never let its guard down.

They constantly inspected my body.

Accumulating true qi was the one thing they absolutely forbade.

Seven years after being kidnapped by Heukmyeong—

 

I departed for the Zhuge Family.