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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: The Real Murderer! (4)
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The Life-Death Trial on the fourth floor ended in the blink of an eye.
It didn't even take the time to burn a single stick of incense for all ten participants to die.
From the first death right up to the tenth, they came one after another in a relentless chain.
"You bastard! Kill me! Come on, kill me!"
Of course, he died.
"Ah! No wonder I had such a restless night last night."
He died too.
Sayeongsa was a true killing demon. He murdered without a shred of hesitation.
Thunder Prison fell silent.
No one could bring themselves to speak.
The prisoners not taking part in the Life-Death Trial were protected behind sturdy iron doors. But even they kept their mouths shut. It felt like Sayeongsa would smash through the doors and come for them at the slightest sound.
Silence.
A deathly hush settled over Thunder Prison.
After bandaging his wounds, the warden—who had been quietly listening to the fight—muttered to himself.
"That bastard... ain't human."
The warden shuddered violently.
Seizing on his words, the Fox of Bireung Mountain immediately asked,
"Could it be... someone... someone undid their martial arts seal?"
The fourth-floor fight had started the moment they'd been waiting for. So they had heard it all clearly: the sounds of bones snapping without a single scream, the prisoners' desperate thrashing.
What happened on the fourth floor wasn't a fight. It was a one-sided slaughter.
'No ordinary person could pull that off.'
The Fox of Bireung Mountain was certain of it. The situation defied explanation otherwise.
"That's ridiculous!"
"You saying they undid his martial arts seal?"
"Heh heh! Ridiculous, right? That's what I thought too, but that bastard... he never had his martial arts sealed in the first place."
"Who the hell is this Sayeongsa guy..."
Swoosh!
Just as the Fox of Bireung Mountain was about to ask more, something suddenly approached him.
"Gasp!"
The Fox of Bireung Mountain jolted in shock, letting out a sharp intake of breath.
This was the time to stay quiet, stay calm, stay cool-headed...
"O-over there, m-me, I-I'm... I'm the Fox of Bireung Mountain..."
He'd barely gotten a few words out, but his lips were already parched like a field in the height of a summer drought.
"W-we're f-fellow initiates from the Life-Death Trial... s-so I'm a target too. W-we're on the same side..."
A few more words, and his mouth loosened up; they started flowing smoothly.
Swoosh!
He turned away.
The Fox of Bireung Mountain didn't even see him turn. He just instinctively sensed something moving, passing right by him toward the front.
'Phew! I survived!'
He nearly let out a huge sigh of relief.
That's when he spoke.
"How well do you know me?"
He wasn't asking the Fox of Bireung Mountain. It was directed at Fatty the prison guard.
"The guy who killed 298 people. No, make that 308 now, after offing ten more here."
'M-my God!'
The Fox of Bireung Mountain nearly stopped breathing at the guard's words.
308 people? If Sayeongsa had killed that many, he was undeniably the king of Thunder Prison.
"And?"
"He should never be allowed out into the world."
"Is that because he killed so many? Or some personal grudge?"
"What?"
"Your tone and behavior reek of hostility, so I asked. One thing to keep in mind... never show hostility once you're out there. I don't let anyone who pisses me off live."
"Wh-what the hell!"
The warden suddenly yelped in surprise.
Crack!
"Urk!"
The sound of bone breaking rang out, followed by the warden's deep groan.
"Some people don't listen to words alone. You seem like one of them, so consider that a warning. Never show hostility in my presence—unless you want to fight."
"Ngh!"
The warden let out a faint groan.
It was the kind of groan from excruciating pain, barely held back.
"Only six of you left. Finish it quick and come out. I won't wait."
Thud. Thud.
He walked away.
"Wh-what happened? What did you do?"
The Fox of Bireung Mountain asked immediately.
"That bastard... snapped my leg bone."
The warden said with effort.
The warden couldn't move!
Well, he could move a little, but with a shattered leg bone, he might as well be flat on his back.
The Fox of Bireung Mountain? No concern there.
What worried the survivors was Sayeongsa. He was a fourth-volume initiate, the Fox a first-volume one. The warden was a sixth-volume initiate. All first-timers, all Life-Death Trial veterans.
If Sayeongsa got involved in the first-floor Life-Death Trial, no one could stop him.
Hadn't they just watched the Murder Group prisoners get decimated? What chance did the Deception or Strength Group have?
Even the brute Strength Group prisoners were wary of the Murder Group.
The Strength Group might be tops in raw power, but the Murder Group played dirty as hell.
Murder Group prisoners killed without mercy or method, hardened killers without a scrap of honor or righteousness.
And those guys had been wiped out in seconds.
In a sealed jar like this, who could stand against a monster like Sayeongsa?
But Sayeongsa offered no help—and he'd even broken the warden's leg.
The fight was over!
"We rush him all at once before he stands!"
"All pile on together... since we don't know, you two grab Fatty's legs, and you take him out in the meantime. Me and this guy'll grab the Fox of Bireung Mountain, so you finish him."
"Why do we have to grab Fatty's legs? You take Fatty."
"Fatty's legs are smashed. He's a tiger without teeth."
"That's why you two grab him. We'll take the Fox. Problem solved, right? What's the issue?"
"Damn, you talk too much. Fine, we'll grab Fatty. Anyway, we swarm him in a flash and take him down. Let's end this quick and get some fresh air."
They finished their preparations.
'They're coming all at once.'
Sayeongsa had left behind a vicious ploy before departing.
If he was gonna leave, why smash the leg? Right in the middle of the fight.
Without the warden mobile, it was game over.
'Outnumbered and outgunned, cornered position. Power... damn! Got to be something going for us.'
Win or lose, the fight was coming. Find a way fast, or they'd be done for.
'If only the Murder Group ghosts could help... darkness! Have to use the darkness!'
The Fox of Bireung Mountain quickly pressed a finger to the warden's lips to signal silence, then tugged his arm.
They moved to the opposite side of the corridor.
They'd pick their attack spots and swarm, pinning and shredding him.
"Take out the Strength Group first."
He whispered into the warden's ear.
'Shattered leg bone? Heh.'
The warden let out a bitter chuckle.
Four Thousand Four had left him a perfect hint before leaving.
Shattering the leg bone was the hint. Not to remember his words—no, it was practically spelling out how to beat them.
Yes. This place was pitch-black darkness.
You couldn't see yourself or the enemy. They were mistaking sounds and experience for sight.
This method worked wonders in practice.
With the Fox of Bireung Mountain's help, he'd smashed the Strength Group prisoners easily. It felt like he was seeing and moving with his own eyes, it was that precise.
But it wasn't sight. Not at all.
Don't make a sound, and they'd never detect you. Mobile or not, it didn't matter.
Shattered leg? Can't move? No problem. Movement had nothing to do with fighting here.
That was Four Thousand Four's hint.
Afraid he'd cling to mobility with intact legs, or miss the hint entirely? So he smashed them. If you couldn't spot the hint, you couldn't win anyway.
Swoosh!
He didn't move where the Fox indicated. The Fox wanted the opposite corridor, but he crawled toward the enemy.
Immobile meant silent.
No sound, and they'd think he wasn't moving. But he was.
This was how Four Thousand Four fought.
Shh! Shh!
He flattened himself on the corridor floor, inching along. Legs and arms pressed tight to the ground, minimizing noise.
'Heh.'
He caught a weird stench.
An odd smell—like animal musk, body odor, sweat, piss... but soon he realized it was just human scent.
Someone right in front of him!
Swoosh!
He rose silently. Then, like a wrestler, he lunged and seized the head.
"Wha—wh-what... aaagh!"
Crack! Crunch-crack!
The opponent barely got a word out.
Bones snapped amid a wretched scream, and he went limp.
He immediately pulled away from the corpse and flattened on the floor again.
He'd never killed like this before. Clumsy. Grabbing the head awkwardly, twisting to snap the neck vertebrae a struggle. But a few more tries, and he'd have it down pat. Confidence welled up.
"Sayeongsa! This is a Deception-Strength fight. Four Thousand Four can't intervene!"
Someone snapped irritably.
The killing style mimicked the Murder Group's Life-Death Trial, so they thought Sayeongsa had jumped in. Then,
Bang-bang! Bang!
Far away... way at the iron door, banging echoed. Four Thousand Four's voice followed.
"Don't frame me. I'm right here."
Crack! Gahk!
Bone-crunching and screams rang out together.
Not as smooth as Four Thousand Four's killing art, but similar enough.
'Ha.'
The Fox of Bireung Mountain smirked faintly.
The fight was done. Somehow, bear-like Warden had turned full Sayeongsa, rampaging.
The others never even charged.
If the warden had been a split-second slower, they'd have swarmed first... but they wasted time waiting for Sayeongsa to fully withdraw.
In that time, the warden moved.
No wonder it took so long for him to come from the side.
The warden moved like a martial artist, nimble. Without knowing the leg was broken, you'd swear he'd regained his arts—or was someone else entirely.
Dead silence all around, no signs of life.
They quiet to hide, warden quiet hunting attackers.
Crunch! Guh-huh!
Another sent to the afterlife.
The sixth and last of the remaining six met his end.
Before ten breaths after the fifth, the sixth dropped.
Incredibly fast.
Impossible kill speed without footwork techniques.
How was the warden, with a broken leg, moving like this?
The Fox of Bireung Mountain nodded.
Yes. Thunder Prison wasn't that big. And the battlefield was limited to the corridor and open cells.
Crawling silently was enough. No need to rush. It wasn't about moving fast—it was about finding enemies fast. Once found, killing was easy.
The warden started using this killing art after meeting Sayeongsa.
Some exchange between Sayeongsa and the warden. In that sharp exchange, leg freshly snapped.
The Fox of Bireung Mountain grinned.
'These guys... interesting.'