Episode 6: The Legend of the Ten Perfections
Poison Master held poison classes once every three days.
When not teaching the children, he was constantly researching something. It was clear he was developing new poisons.
Even after finishing his training and returning, Won Seung couldn’t rest. He sorted various poisonous herbs and brewed foul-smelling concoctions as instructed by Poison Master. Originally, he would practice Clear Mind Art after dinner and sleep at the hour of the pig, but after running errands for Poison Master, it was already past that time.
He had no choice but to practice Clear Mind Art and only fall asleep after the hour of the rat. Clear Mind Art calmed the anger in Won Seung’s heart, so he couldn’t skip his training.
Poison Master wasn’t as difficult a person as he seemed. He was quiet and occasionally looked at him with strange eyes, but mostly seemed to live in his own thoughts.
Poison Master’s quarters were much warmer and cozier than the children’s dormitory, so Won Seung was satisfied. He just had to be careful of the poisons.
Won Seung used the corner room in Mokok. On the first day he moved his belongings, he drew four lines at the head of his bed, and now winter had come again. As he carved another line on the bed, Won Seung thought.
“Five years have passed already. I’m eleven now.”
Then he worried about what would happen if his family in Hwangdo forgot about him.
They say even rivers and mountains change in ten years; will they recognize me?
The next morning.
While Poison Master was out for a walk, Won Seung went to his bedroom and stood in front of the mirror. The reflection showed a boy whose childishness had faded. Even Won Seung could barely recognize his own face.
‘That’s it!’
Won Seung turned around, pulled down his pants, and showed his buttocks in the mirror. A red birthmark on his right buttock was shaped like a map. Since it had been there since birth, his mother would surely recognize it.
“What kind of bizarre act is this?”
Startled, he pulled up his pants and turned around to see Poison Master standing at the door with an incredulous expression.
“I thought I had a boil because my butt hurt.”
“Filthy brat.”
Poison Master frowned but didn’t scold him harshly.
“More importantly, Master, you don’t look well. Shouldn’t you rest?”
Poison Master’s complexion looked particularly dark today. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
“Stop talking nonsense and fetch me some water.”
When Won Seung brought the water, Poison Master took out a pill and swallowed it. Won Seung thought Poison Master must have a chronic illness.
‘Well, being that overweight, it’s no surprise he’s sick.’
Poison Master was displeased with the way Won Seung was looking at him intently.
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
“I think it might be good for you to lose some weight.”
“What?”
“You look nice and benevolent with some weight, but it must be uncomfortable to move around.”
When Won Seung suddenly expressed concern for him, Poison Master chuckled, perhaps finding it amusing. Here was someone worrying about others without knowing what life lay ahead for him.
“Stop saying useless things and go train.”
Won Seung exclaimed, “Ah!” and hurriedly ran out. Being late for training would lead to trouble.
Poison Master sat by the window in Mokok, watching Won Seung leave, and muttered to himself.
“Lose weight? What a cheeky brat…”
In truth, his health was in a dire state.
He had been poisoned in a deadly duel with an old rival. He didn’t know how many years he had left to live.
Based on his reputation and skills, Poison Master wasn’t someone who should be working as an instructor at an assassin training center.
He came here hoping to find a successor while taking care of his health.
But upon arriving, he realized his thinking was wrong. The children, selected for their physical attributes, couldn’t keep up with his studies.
Poison is intricate and complex, requiring a highly intelligent mind. Moreover, to inherit the lifelong study of a poison master, one must possess a genius-level intellect.
Poison Master lived with pride in having reached the pinnacle of poison mastery. He couldn’t tolerate someone with half-baked knowledge pretending to be his disciple. He thought it better to take all his knowledge to the grave.
Just as he was half-giving up, Won Seung appeared. Poison Master was observing him. Won Seung seemed intelligent and talented. However, he needed to assess whether he would betray him in the future.
Over the past few months, Won Seung had sincerely assisted him and even shown concern for his health, slightly swaying his heart.
‘He’s not entirely incorrigible.’
Having experienced all sorts of dark schemes in the martial world, Poison Master couldn’t draw conclusions from a few visible traits. But he had to make a decision soon.
He didn’t have much time left.
*
In the spring when Won Seung turned eleven.
Instructor Jang gathered the children and gave a speech from the podium.
“The training so far was just the basics. From now on, you’ll be divided into groups for training. Your accommodations will also be reassigned by group. And from now on, the girls will have separate accommodations.”
Until now, they had lived together without distinction, but as the children grew, they were separated.
Instructor Jang called out the children’s numbers and assigned them to groups.
Won Seung observed the groups and realized something. The children were grouped according to their strengths.
There were groups for agile children, strong children, intelligent children, and those skilled in poetry, calligraphy, painting, and music. The girls were also classified by the same traits, but only three girls were in the group of strong children.
Unexpectedly, Won Seung was placed in the group of strong children.
‘Why am I in the group of strong children? Shouldn’t I be in a group with smart or agile kids?’
Suddenly, he remembered what Poison Master had said.
Instructor Jang planned to give him special training to become a Ten Perfections.
‘They’re trying to fill in my weaknesses.’
This meant he would undergo extremely rigorous training.
He immediately felt gloomy. He didn’t want to become a Ten Perfections or even a regular assassin. Although he was notorious among the maids for his mischievous pranks when he was young, he had never thought about killing anyone.
But he couldn’t object. They might just crack his skull open and kill him.
Or maybe not?
If they planned to make him a Ten Perfections, they might not kill him so easily. Thinking that gave him courage.
He raised his hand cautiously.
“What is it?”
Instructor Jang asked with a cold gaze.
“I like poetry, calligraphy, painting, and music.”
“So?”
“I’d like to study those more.”
Instructor Jang stared at Won Seung for a moment before speaking.
“Come see me after we’re done.”
Won Seung immediately regretted it.
‘I shouldn’t have done that.’
As the children followed their respective instructors, Won Seung followed Instructor Jang.
Instructor Jang’s office was, of course, in the upper house. Children weren’t even allowed in the upper house, so Won Seung was probably the first to enter the instructor’s office.
Once inside, Instructor Jang sat heavily in his chair, pulled out Won Seung’s evaluation report, tossed it on the table, and spoke.
“Are you getting bold because you’re serving Poison Master? How dare you raise objections?”
“No, sir. I was just asking if I could pursue what I want to do. Wouldn’t it be better to develop my strengths?”
Won Seung replied politely.
Instructor Jang scolded him with a stern look.
“Do you even know where you are? This isn’t a place where you can do what you want.”
Won Seung hesitated before answering.
“I don’t know for sure, but isn’t this a place to train assassins?”
Instructor Jang frowned.
“Looks like Poison Master has been talking nonsense. Yes, this is a place to train assassins. It’s not a place where you can do what you want.”
As Won Seung expected, Instructor Jang didn’t resort to violence.
Instead, he spoke as if giving advice.
“Have you heard of the Ten Perfections?”
“No.”
Won Seung feigned ignorance, even though he had heard from Poison Master.
“The Ten Perfections are legendary in the assassin world. If they set their mind to it, they could even kill the emperor.”
Won Seung’s mouth dropped open in feigned surprise. Inside, he felt a chill. He could already imagine a scenario where he, as a Ten Perfections, was ordered to kill the emperor.
‘Killing the emperor? That’s like carrying firewood into a burning pit.’
His legs trembled. The legendary assassin Jing Ke went to kill the first emperor of Qin and ended up dead himself. An emperor is that difficult to kill.
Unaware of Won Seung’s inner turmoil, Instructor Jang continued.
“Even first-rate assassins are rare, and there are only a few top-tier assassins in any given era. And a Ten Perfections has yet to appear.”
“What makes a Ten Perfections so rare?”
Won Seung asked incredulously. A Ten Perfections is still an assassin. What’s so special about them?
Instructor Jang was serious.
“A Ten Perfections is someone proficient in ten fields and whose assassination strategies reach the heavens.”
“Ten fields? Is that important?”
“Of course, it’s important.”
Instructor Jang spoke in a tone that suggested he was imparting wisdom.
“Being proficient in ten fields means they can adapt to any situation.”
Won Seung didn’t understand. How does having skills in ten fields relate to being an assassin?
“If you’re proficient in ten fields, you can disguise yourself in any identity. What’s the most important thing in assassination? It’s how you approach the target. If you can get close without arousing suspicion, you’re halfway to success.”
Won Seung nodded. That’s why Jing Ke brought the head of the client when he went to see the first emperor of Qin.
“More importantly, being knowledgeable in ten fields means you’re intelligent. It means you have the ability to devise sophisticated assassination strategies.”
“Sophisticated assassination strategies?”
Aren’t assassinations just about stabbing with a knife or poisoning someone?
“That’s what amateurs do. Even first-rate assassins have a certain elegance in their work.”
The more Won Seung listened, the more absurd it seemed. Talking about elegance in killing people?
Instructor Jang’s face showed a proud expression.
“In my prime… I was considered first-rate.”
Ah, so you were an assassin too. That’s why you killed that child so easily. You’ll die by my hand.
While cursing him inwardly, Won Seung outwardly showed an expression of admiration.
“A first-rate assassin is someone whose target only realizes they’ve been attacked just before they die.”
“Then, a top-tier assassin must be even more skilled.”
“Of course. A top-tier assassin is someone whose target doesn’t even know how they died. Leaving no trace after killing someone is incredibly difficult.”
“Then what level is a Ten Perfections?”
“A Ten Perfections is someone whose target dies, and no one even suspects it was murder! It’s a level where death is accepted as natural.”