Episode 20: Now That's a True Transformation!
Committing a kill and then robbing the victim was an act that lowered oneself to the level of a thief, but Won Seung didn't care much.
Even though he was well-versed in the teachings of sages, the concept of good and evil was blurry for Won Seung, who had only received rough training in the mountains. Fortunately, the teachings from his mother, Lady Lee, from his childhood remained, allowing him to understand human decency.
'I should kill him quickly.'
Lower-level targets were a nuisance while alive, so he could kill them without any guilt.
The next day.
After investigating the magistrate while wandering around the county, Won Seung was frustrated. The information from the main sect was different from the reality for his first mission.
The magistrate wasn't the epitome of a clean and honest official, but he wasn't a corrupt one either. Most of the county's people trusted and followed him.
'They've set a trap in the easiest mission.'
They baited the children with a lower-level target that seemed easy to kill. Some might fall for the temptation of an easy kill.
However, Won Seung had decided to do the opposite of whatever the Red Blood Mountain intended, so he couldn't kill the magistrate.
Won Seung erased the lower-level mission from his memory and recalled the intermediate mission. According to the Red Blood Mountain's information, Lee Eon-Pae was the only son of a local tyrant, a fitting description for a despicable person.
'I hope that guy is truly a bad one.'
The next day, Won Seung left for Jungyang County, the location of his second mission. It wasn't far, but he spent a silver tael eating and sleeping along the way, leaving only a few coins.
It was truly a poor assassin's journey.
A few days later.
Upon arriving in Jungyang County, Won Seung first investigated Lee Eon-Pae's reputation. He didn't need to wander much. From the first person he met, it was clear that people cursed Lee Eon-Pae yet feared him. After confirming with a few more people, he made up his mind.
'Good. This guy definitely deserves to die.'
Won Seung headed to Lee Eon-Pae's residence, the Lee family estate. Located on the outskirts of Jungyang County, the estate was enormous. It seemed even larger than the Won family estate where he grew up.
The perimeter wall alone seemed to stretch for ten li. Beyond the high walls, the roofs of large buildings were visible.
Along the walls, guards patrolled frequently, and four gatekeepers stood at the large gate resembling a fortress.
There was no need to confirm how many guards were inside the estate.
Won Seung was overwhelmed.
'This is more fortified than a royal palace. And they call this just having many guards? Even if a horde of bandits attacked, they wouldn't get past the threshold.'
That night, Won Seung entered an inn, had an early dinner, and went to sleep. Then, at dawn, he went near the Lee family estate and shot a crossbow bolt at the tallest building.
Whoosh—!
Thud!
The bolt, tightly tied with a letter, pierced through a window.
"Who dares?!"
The sudden arrow caused chaos in the Lee family estate. It was because of the note tied to the arrow.
- Lee Eon-Pae. The heavens are furious at your evil deeds. I will come to take your life on the next new moon.
Seeing the note brought by the guard, Lee Eon-Pae frowned and asked.
"What is this?"
At the end of the short letter, there was a drawing of a turtle.
"It looks like a turtle."
"This bastard!"
Lee Eon-Pae received such threats once or twice a year. He was more upset about being called a turtle bastard than having his life threatened.
"Catch this guy alive! I'll skin him myself."
While Lee Eon-Pae was fuming, Won Seung walked away from Jungyang County under the cover of night.
*
The assassin training center, of course, had spies on all the children.
The spy following Won Seung was curious.
'Skipping the lower and intermediate missions and going straight to the advanced one? Is he really a Ten Kill Assassin candidate?'
Elder Bi had specifically instructed to watch carefully, as Won Seung was a potential Ten Kill Assassin. When the spy learned of Won Seung's assassination targets, he was shocked.
He, too, was a graduate of the third assassin training center and had completed practical missions. By his standards, Won Seung's mission was absurdly difficult.
Normally, Won Seung's lower-level mission should have been considered advanced.
Practical missions are just that—practical. The main purpose is to let the children taste blood. Therefore, the assassination targets are usually small-time thugs or unscrupulous merchants from the back alleys.
However, Won Seung's targets were individuals that even seasoned assassins would be tense about. Especially Hwa Cheon-gang, the second owner and top master of the Clear Water Sect, was someone even the spy, a current assassin, wouldn't dare target.
This mission was a death sentence.
'This is strange. They say he's a Ten Kill Assassin candidate... yet they're trying to kill him.'
The spy had every reason to be suspicious. The children's value increased with each passing year. They were survivors of the harsh assassin training process.
Children approaching their tenth year of training were valuable assets, ready to be deployed into real missions after one or two apprenticeships.
The spy couldn't understand Elder Bi's intention of sending a Ten Kill Assassin candidate to his death.
'Isn't he afraid?'
Won Seung was also an incomprehensible guy.
Even when he skipped the magistrate and went after Lee Eon-Pae, it seemed understandable, but he even bypassed that and headed straight for the Clear Water Sect.
'Perhaps he's scouting the targets and prioritizing them.'
The practical period is half a year. It's not a short time to scout the targets and make decisions.
However, Won Seung's actions were suspicious. After arriving in Sangyang, where the Clear Water Sect was located, Won Seung went to a herbal shop and bought a bundle of herbs. Then, he holed up in a shabby inn on the outskirts and didn't come out.
The spy wondered if Won Seung had noticed his tail and shaken him off, so he disguised himself as a guest and checked a couple of times, but it was certain he was staying in the room.
'What on earth is he doing?'
After about fifteen days, Won Seung left the inn and went to a blacksmith. Naturally, the spy followed.
Won Seung handed over the sword he was carrying, and after the owner inspected it, they seemed to haggle over something. Eventually, the owner handed over two silver taels and some coins. He had sold his long sword for money.
The spy was dumbfounded.
Selling a weapon.
'Hmm. Is his main weapon not a long sword? If that's the case...'
It's possible.
After leaving the blacksmith, Won Seung went to a money exchange. It wasn't time to collect money yet, was it? The spy was puzzled as Won Seung came out of the exchange.
Won Seung's next destination was a clothing store.
"What! Such clothes?"
Won Seung wore clothes so expensive that the spy watching was shocked. He even bought a new bundle to carry over his shoulder, woven from silk.
With the money he spent, Won Seung looked like a young master from a wealthy family.
'Spending a month's allowance all at once—is he out of his mind? No, it seems to be more than two silver taels.'
Won Seung didn't stop there and went to a jewelry store to buy an expensive-looking hairpin and tucked it into his waistband.
'Now that's a true transformation.'
The spy was genuinely surprised. Changing his clothes made him look like a different person. Only then did he realize that Won Seung's face, which had been dark until a few days ago, had turned white.
Won Seung wandered around Sangyang, exploring its famous spots like a scholar seeing the world for the first time. The spy followed him all day.
As the sun set, Won Seung entered a large inn called Yunhwa Ban.
A moment later, Won Seung sat on the second-floor balcony overlooking the street. Fragrant wine and dishes were placed before him.
'That place must cost at least a silver tael per meal. Where did he get the money?'
The spy couldn't understand. The money Won Seung spent far exceeded the two silver taels of monthly allowance. Even if he sold his sword to get silver, his spending was incomprehensible.
*
Gazing at the street, Won Seung took a sip of the wine and frowned.
'Ugh. Why do people pay for this stuff?'
It was a silver tael's worth of wine. Having never tasted alcohol due to his training in the mountains, he couldn't tell if it was good or not.
'Still, I need to learn how to drink.'
Traveling from Choyang County to Jungyang County and finally to Sangyang, Won Seung realized something.
The world he knew was only up until he was six years old. Even then, he lived as a young master of the Won family, so he didn't know the life of ordinary people. Then he spent ten years in the mountains.
Although he had absorbed all sorts of information and knowledge about the world during his assassin training, it couldn't compare to actual experience. He was truly a stranger thrown into an unfamiliar world. And he realized this when he was treated poorly by a waiter at a shabby inn.
He became aware of his dark face and shabby attire.
'To be treated properly, I need a good status.'
From the emperor at the top to beggars in the gutter, there are countless statuses. Status is determined at birth, but as a newly emerged assassin, Won Seung's status wasn't fixed yet. He had to choose one of the many statuses and blend into the world.
Naturally, Won Seung intended to live as a young master of the Won family.
That's why, upon arriving in Sangyang, he bought herbs and soaked in the decoction for several hours a day. As a result, he achieved a fair and glossy complexion like that of a young master from a wealthy family. And to act the part, he needed money.
Won Seung sold his sword and exchanged five promissory notes at once. Although a small fee was deducted for exchanging them earlier than scheduled, he didn't mind. Then he explored every corner of Sangyang to familiarize himself with the geography before heading to the most expensive inn, Yunhwa Ban.
His reason for entering Yunhwa Ban was similar. He had been staying in shabby inns, where most of what he heard were the laments of those who had failed in life.
'Since I've come to an expensive place, I should be able to hear valuable information.'
Won Seung put down his wine glass and took a bite of the dish. The stir-fried pork and vegetables melted in his mouth.
In his pocket... he still had three silver taels left. Of course, it was far from enough to stay at Yunhwa Ban. He would have to leave tomorrow, but that was a worry for tomorrow.
He intended to enjoy the moment, savoring the delicious food and wine without any thoughts.
But... he immediately frowned.
A group of scholars noisily made their way up to the second floor.
"Hahaha. Let's drink to our hearts' content today!"
"Don't worry about the tab today. I'll cover it all."
The scholars seemed very excited, as if something had happened. Their attire and demeanor suggested they were from noble families.
'For scholars, they sure have loose tongues.'
The expensive jade pendants hanging from their waists caught his eye. Comparing them to his situation made him even more displeased.
Then, he made eye contact with a woman who was coming up with the men. Her prominent forehead made her look intelligent, and she was quite pretty.
The woman was puzzled when she noticed Won Seung glaring disapprovingly at her group. In Sangyang, no one dared to pick a fight with this group.
Most were children of influential families, and among them was someone renowned not just in Sangyang but throughout the world.
When Won Seung made eye contact with the woman, he gave her a look as if to say, "What are you looking at?" and turned his head.
'Who is he?'
She wasn't the most beautiful woman, but she was among the top five in Sangyang. There were those who looked at her with adoration, but no one had ever looked at her like that.
"Sister, what are you doing? Let's go."
The woman, feeling a bit flustered, followed her group. The scholars had apparently made a reservation, as the staff led them to their seats without asking. Their spot was a spacious terrace overlooking the garden.
The partition between the scholars' seating and the balcony where Won Seung sat was open at the top, so if they raised their voices, everything they said could be heard.
Soon, the chatter of the scholars reached his ears.