Hey! Anna! Torres turned to Anna as he watched Marco run toward them.

Do you know him?

Hes the leader of the family I was part of. Anna stared at the ground, her voice devoid of life.

Tsk, its an important day. He looked around, and they slipped into an alley.

Anna! Anna! Marco smiled brightly as he approached them. Torres blinked.

Who are you and why are you bothering our Anna?

H-hello! Im Marco. Im Annas older brother

Ah, so youre Marco? Ive heard a lot about you. Isnt that right, Anna?

Anna didnt look up from the ground.

She seems a little strange. Is she sick? Marco asked, worried. Torres patted Annas shoulder.

Of course not. Annas just tired because she just woke up. Isnt that right?

Yes.

Haha. Anna, its been a while since youve seen your family, so you should greet him with a smile.

A smile Her empty eyes suddenly filled with life. She grabbed Marcos hands and jumped up and down as if nothing had happened. Kyaa! Marco-oppa! How long has it been? Two months?

Yeah, howve you been? Marco smiled as he saw the Anna that he knew return.

Yup! Paradise is great. The teachers are really nice and the food is really yummy! Look at my clothes!

I have eyes, you know! It looks really new. Im glad youre doing well. His doubt started to fade away.

Are Max and the others doing okay? Does Pierre still cry a lot?

Its the same as always. Pierre cries a lot because he misses you.

Geez, that crybaby If only I could come out more often, I could see them.

Marco shook his head. No. Were happy as long as youre happy. Ill tell the kids that youre doing well.

Yes, please.

Torres cut off their conversation. Marco, did you tell your siblings that youre coming here?

Huh? No. Theyre still sleeping.

Really? Torress lip curled upward. He held out his hand to Marco. Then

Oh, you were here!

Torres quickly pulled his hand away. He wrinkled his nose as he saw the man.

Sunglasses with a mask and cap? The strange man walked over to them, holding an umbrella.

At least tell me where youre going. Whyd you run off alone?

Oh sorry. I was just excited to see Anna.

Torres cut in, And you are?

Oh, Im a tourist. My names Sonny. I hired this guy to be my local guide.

Sonny I see. My name is Torres.

Seo Jun-ho blinked. He has guts. Hes telling me his real name. That probably meant that he was confident he wouldnt get caught.

Seo Jun-ho held out his hand. Nice to meet you, Torres.

Yes, its nice to meet you, Mr. Sonny. As Torres shook his hand, he looked down and back up at Seo Jun-ho. Are you a player? Youve got quite a grip.

Wow, how did you know? Thats right. Im actually level 27. Seo Jun-ho puffed out his chest as if he were boasting.

I see. You must be an excellent player.

Yeah, people call me a genius all the time I probably am.

Ah I see. Torres smiled, but he was snorting on the inside. Hed already made his evaluation.

So hes level 27 I can tell. He could kill him with one finger.

Oh, Marco. Is this the person from Paradise? Seo Jun-ho asked, baiting his attention.

Yeah. Annas doing really well there. Its a great place.

Wait, didnt you say youre a tourist? How do you know about Paradise? Torres was smiling, but there was suspicion in his eyes.

I heard from this guy. Its a long story, is that alright?

Please, go ahead.

Seo Jun-ho grinned. Was it fifteen years ago? My one and only little brother Oh, hes two years younger than me, but he was a little taller. I was stronger, though, so I would always win when we wrestled

Excuse me, can you summarize it? Torres was getting annoyed at his rambling.

Tsk. I was just getting to the good part Anyways, I believe that my brother is at Paradise.

He shouldnt be. We dont have any adult men at the moment.

Probably, but he wouldve been there in the past. You have records, right? I want to take a look.

They didnt. All the children that went to the orphanage either died or became fiends. Torres did the calculations in his head.

This isnt good. If he sent the man back like this, Paradises existence might be revealed to the world. People wouldnt believe orphaned pickpockets, but they might listen to a player.

Alright. Lets go to Paradise together. But may I ask you something first?

What is it?

You havent told anyone else about Paradise, have you?

Of course not. No one even knows Im in Rome. Seo Jun-ho said what Torres wanted to hear, and he relaxed.

Good. I will take you there.

Goodness, werent you going somewhere?

I can cancel my appointment. He looked at Marco. You should come as well.

Huh? I have to feed the kids, though.

Dont you want to see your other little siblings? It will only take about two hours.

Oh, if its only two hours Marco nodded slowly. He wanted to see their faces. Ill go. Its raining, so theyll just sleep anyway.

Let us be on our way. Torres started to lead them away, and the Frost Queen clicked her tongue.

Contractor, what is your plan? I believe that man wishes to kill both you and the child. Just as she said, Torress intentions were obvious. He was planning to bring them to Paradise and get rid of them there; it was the simplest solution.

Seo Jun-ho waited for Torres to go ahead. Anyone would do that, he whispered.

That is, until they were hit first.

* * *

Wow. Marco marveled at the estate beyond the gate. Is that Paradise?

Haha, yes. Isnt it quite big?

The playground was full of all sorts of equipment; slides, seesaws, swings, a soccer field, a basketball court.

When its not raining, its full of kids.

They must love it here.

But of course. This is Paradise, after all. Torres smiled and opened the gate. They passed by the playground and approached a large building.

Wow. Is this where they live?

Living quarters, classrooms, the cafeteria, and even the baths are here.

Where are my other siblings?

They are in the lecture hall. He turned to Seo Jun-ho. I will show you the records after I show him around.

Sure.

Right this way. Torres escorted them down the hall as he explained Paradises history. This year is the 20th anniversary of Paradises founding.

It must have a deep history.

Ah, yes. Paradise has produced many outstanding individuals.

Really? Who?

Torres paused, and the Frost Queen cackled.

He looks like a deer caught in the headlights. Of course he cannot tell you. They are all evil fiends.

Torres laughed awkwardly and continued. Well, most of them dont like others to know that they are orphans. I dont have their permission.

No need to tell me, then.

Thank you for understanding. Torres bowed to him. As he took the lead again, he looked disgusted. Dammit, I cant believe I had to bow to this insect.

But his humiliation wouldnt last for long. Hed already ordered his subordinates to check that no one was tailing him. If the two werent being followed, he would kill them immediately.

How many children are here?

217.

You remember the exact number?

They are all like my own children.

I see. Thats bullshit, Seo Jun-ho thought. He stopped and looked into the window of the lecture hall. What are they doing?

The children stood in two lines, facing each other with sharp weapons. They emanated a strong sense of bloodlust.

Haha, theyre training hard to become players.

Director! A teacher came running toward them and whispered something into Torress ear.

Its all clear. We even searched the rooftops, but hes alone.

Is that so? Torres smiled like hed remembered something funny and opened the door to the hall. Wont you impart some of your wisdom on the children as a sunbae?

Me? I dont know

Im sure it will help them a lot.

Well, if you say so Seo Jun-ho scratched his head and nodded. Torres led him inside and clapped his hands.

Attention, everyone! Please welcome What was your name?

Sonny.

Please welcome Mr. Sonny. He is an active player, and hes come to teach you some things as a sunbae. He gave a look to the teacher, who quickly escorted the children to the benches. Dozens of men and women started to approach them, carrying sharp weapons.

Hey, doesnt something seem weird? Marco asked from behind him, gulping. Seo Jun-ho glanced back at him.

As I thought, youre quick. Youd make a good player, he muttered.

What?

One of the teachers slowly walked up to Seo Jun-ho. His eyes were red, seeming like they would start dripping blood at any second.

F-fuck! H-his eyes are red?! Marco cursed, quickly looking around. The two hundred children and thirty teachers all had red eyes. I-if their eyes are red

It means theyre fiends.

Torres smiled from his seat in the audience. Youre unlucky. This wouldnt have happened if you hadnt mentioned Paradise in front of me.

Did you feed the children the blood of the demon clan?

Torres shrugged, spreading his arms. What do you think? How else would they become fiends?

Seo Jun-ho let out a shaky breath. All these young children were fiends, and none of them had become one willingly.

They didnt want to become fiends.

Of course not. But they were practically begging for it when some of them were killed as examples. His shoulders shook as he cackled. Oh, you shouldve been there. It was hilarious! They were licking the blood off the ground Hahahaha! They were so desperate to live.

What? Marco pushed aside Seo Jun-ho, his face unreadable. He looked toward the benches, looking for familiar faces.

Anna, Finn, Leo, Shu

No no This cant be Their faces were lifeless, eyes burning red like the others. Marco fell to his knees, crying. I-I sent them off I pushed them forward with my own hands

Anna, who had cried because she didnt want to leave her sisters and brothers.

Finn, who had complained that Max would become the vice-leader if he left.

Leo and Shu, who had been the youngest ones.

He had sent them off with his own hands. Marco had simply wanted them to be happy.

But how? How had they become fiends? Why were they staring at him with those red eyes?

Urp Bleeeghh! He felt sick. He saw stars.

Finally, Marco slowly picked himself up.

You bastard! He ran toward Torres, but his body lifted into the air. One of the teachers took the chance to punch him in the stomach, and he bent over, vomiting again.

Hahaha! Look at him squirming like an insect! Torres gestured toward Anna. Thats your brother. What do you think?

She stared down at Marco, who was groaning in pain. I do not think anything.

Torres laughed until he cried.

Marco hit the ground with his fists. His skin was starting to peel and bleed, but he did not stop. He felt pathetic; he couldnt even get revenge for his siblings. Hed forced them to come to such a place, despite promising that he would take care of his family.

You He glared up at Torres, eyes full of venom. Specter-nim will kill you all.

Specter? Thats a name I havent heard in a while.

Once upon a time, Torres had looked up to Specter. He shone like a star, and normal players like Torres could never even hope to reach him.

But its been too long.

25 years had passed. That was more than enough time for his shine to fade.

Even if Specter came back, there is no fiend that is afraid of him. It was true. Not even Torres himself was scared. He was level 75 and had gotten stronger as a fiend. He was confident that he could defeat Specter.

You Once Specter-nim comes for you Rather than fear, Marco trembled in frustration.

Seo Jun-ho approached him. It hurts a lot, doesnt it?

Nows not the time

Once you become a player, youll experience things even more painful than this. Seo Jun-ho took off his coat and placed it on top of Marco. If you want to become a player, you have to keep fighting. Even if your loved ones die right before your eyes.

? Marco wiped away his tears with his sleeve. But once he started, the tears wouldnt stop.

If you really want to become a player, you must be able to raise your sword before an enemy you cannot defeat.

Marco looked at him like he was speaking nonsense. Even without the children, the fiends numbered over thirty. Trying to fight them would be suicide.

Youre telling me to fight right now?

Only if youre a player. But you havent quite become one yet Seo Jun-ho took off his sunglasses, mask and his cap. Ill help you out this time.

There was a simple black mask in his hand. There were no symbols or words written on it. But the simple mask was the most famous mask in the world.

Cut off the heads of all the fiends, Seo Jun-ho whispered as he fastened his mask. The darkness around him started to undulate. He looked up at the fiends in a final warning. That way, their corpses will remain.

Specters voice rang in the lecture hall.