Master of Murim

Once the sun had risen, the guards opened the cages and began kicking the hostages.

"Wake up, you bastards!"

They beat anyone who didn't wake up and caused everyone to grunt in pain.

A guard kicked Liam in the face and yelled, "Wake the fuck up, you son of a bitch!"

Liam woke up in shock and pain and placed his hand on his face where it was aching. He was bleeding from the mouth.

The guard kicked Liam once again, and he fell to the ground.

"Why are you still here?! Get out of the cage!"

Liam carefully glanced at the face of the guard and muttered, "I will kill you soon," as he left the cage with the other hostages.

The guards were stationed at a specific distance to keep eyes on the hostages.

The hostages followed each other while keeping their distance. If the guards saw them talking to each other, they would whip them.

"Who gave you permission to open your mouth?!"

Liam scanned the area with his eyes, seemingly to find a way to escape, but he failed. They were in some kind of hidden valley, surrounded by towering cliffs and thick foliage. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting flickering shadows on the ground, as the air grew heavy with unease.

"Stop." Liam was suddenly stopped by a guard. The guard then kicked Liam, but he dodged by swifty moving to the side.

The guard who tried to kick Liam lost his balance and ended up bumping into the other guard.

"Wha are you doing?" he asked.

The guard was embarrassed and furious at Liam. He unsheathed his sword to attack Liam, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Liam hid himself in another line.

The guards were shouting commands, their voices sharp and authoritative, as they lined the captives into five distinct groups of 100—each group consisting of 60 children and 40 adults. The adults were attempting to maintain a calm facade, but their anxious glances betrayed their worry.

'I will kill you too!' Liam gritted his teeth in anger. 'One more added to the kill list.'

[Do you want me to note that down?] The system asked.

'Sure. I don't care.'

[Creating To Kill List.]

[List created.]

[Added the host of the restaurant and his men. Added two guards.]

'Is there any advantage to this? I hold my grudges well and I don't forget them.'

[Searching for suitable rewards.]

[Added 100XP for each kill in the To Kill List.]

[Changing the title of the list to Revenge List.]

'What will XP do?' Liam asked curiously. 'You are not a level up system, are you?'

[Yes, I am not a level up system, but I am assigned to help you grow strong. You haven't activated the XP system yet.]

'Tell me how to activate it.'

[Finish a quest.]

'Let me guess, there are no quests available, right?'

[No quests found.]

SIGH!

All the hostages were wondering why they had been kidnapped and gathered like that. They were praying for their lives, hoping to get out of there alive. Liam, however, was careless.

Suddenly, the valley fell into an uneasy silence as five shadows appeared atop a jagged cliff, outlined against the dimming sky. Every hostage below felt the weight of their presence before they even spoke—a tension thickening the air, pressing down on every breath.

At the center stood Wu Jinhai, the Iron Fang. His arms were crossed over his chest, his gaze was hard and unyielding as if it was carved from stone. He glanced over at the hostages and grinned.

Beside him loomed Bao Tianlong, the Stone Ox, a man whose frame looked as immovable as the rock he stood upon. 

To Wu Jinhai's right stood Jian Lei, the Thunder Palm. His stance was relaxed, yet his sharp gaze missed nothing, flickering like the first flash of lightning. 

To the far left, partly shrouded in shadow, stood Ren Shanying, the Crimson Shadow. His scarlet robe fluttered in the breeze, a silent threat as he surveyed the crowd with cold, detached eyes. He moved as if his body were part of the wind itself, his figure appearing and disappearing in the dim light, a shadow ghost haunting the edge of the cliff. Some of the children shivered at his sight.

'That guy looks scary. All of them are scary, but that guy is something else.'

To the right stood Lin Xueya, the Viper Fang. Her gaze was piercing, her features as beautiful as they were dangerous. With a single glance, she commanded attention, her eyes sweeping over the crowd like a blade across flesh.

'Okay, she looks hot.' 

Liam wasn't the only one who had that thought. All the children, including the adults, were awed by her beauty. 

The guards immediately knelt, their heads bowed in deep respect. The sound of armor clinking filled the air as they lowered themselves to the ground, recognizing the authority and strength of their leaders.

"We greet the commanders!" they all shouted in unison.

"On your knees! Show respect to the commanders!" one guard shouted, shoving a man down as he resisted.

The children huddled close together, exchanging frightened glances before sinking to their knees. The adults followed, some reluctantly, others grudgingly, but none daring to defy the order under the steely gaze of the commanders.

One hostage, a defiant young man, muttered under his breath, "Respect? For those monsters?"

No, that was not Liam. He was no fool, but blindly trusted what his instinct told him to do.

A nearby guard yanked him forward, forcing him to kneel with a brutal grip on his shoulder. "Silence! The Iron Fang hears everything. Do you think you're above the commanders?"

From the cliff above, Wu Jinhai, the Iron Fang, let out a low, rumbling laugh. "Seems we have a few with restless spirits," he said, his voice deep, filling the valley like a warning bell. "Perhaps they need a reminder of why they kneel."

Suddenly, a yellow lightning bolt struck the young man as he yelled in agony. The lightning enveloped his body and didn't fade away until the young man fell to the ground.

He was burned to the crisp.

Jian Lei, the Thunder Palm, stepped forward, his sharp gaze focused on the young man he had just killed. "If any of you doubt the strength of those who command you," he said in a voice as quiet as it was sharp, "we can make an example. Don't you value your life?"

The crowd shifted uneasily, heads bowing lower, some muttering hurried words of respect. 

'I don't like to live a life of sham. I don't respect them. Obviously, they are not gonna know who spoke and who didn't.'

Lin Xueya, the Viper Fang, let her gaze sweep over the bowed heads. Her smile was thin, as if she was almost pleased. "Good. Let today serve as a lesson. We do not tolerate insolence here," she said, her voice smooth but venomous, "and we do not repeat our demands."

Bao Tianlong, the Stone Ox, clapped his hand loudly, the echo reverberating in the valley filled with silence.

"Bring it here," he ordered.

"Make way!" 

The four guards approached the slab, carrying a large basket that swayed with every step. They set it down with a thud and pulled back the lid, revealing a mass of shadow worms, their slick bodies writhing and glistening in the fading light. The sight sent a chill through the hostages, who huddled together in fear.