The masked intruder couldn't hide his confusion.
Even those who had trained in internal energy usually fell into a deep sleep when exposed to sleep incense while defenseless.
Let alone someone who hadn't learned martial arts at all—just a whiff of this stuff would send an ordinary person into sudden slumber.
But something unexpected had happened.
Everyone else in the government prison had fallen asleep, yet this boy was wide awake.
"What is this kid…?"
Just to be sure, the intruder placed a hand on the boy's abdomen.
He sent a pulse of inner energy through him.
If the boy had even a trace of internal energy cultivation, it would cause a rebound effect.
But—
"There's no rebound."
The boy had absolutely no internal energy.
That confirmed it: just like the contact at the bureau had said, he was an ordinary civilian.
Then why didn't the sleep incense affect him?
"...This kid?"
Not only that—he wasn't afraid.
Enduring the sleep incense was one thing, but even after being paralyzed with pressure point techniques by a stranger who'd broken into a government prison, he was calmly staring back with unwavering eyes.
As if observing him.
"He's different."
They'd said he was a condemned criminal, but something about him was not like other boys his age.
There was something... off-putting about him.
The masked intruder hesitated for a moment.
"Maybe I should…"
Just then, a voice came from behind.
"Still haven't found him?"
Someone else was approaching from the back of the prison.
They were also masked, and though their frame wasn't large—slim and slightly short—it was clear this newcomer wasn't yet a full-grown adult.
The intruder lowered his voice respectfully.
"Young master. I asked you to keep watch outside…"
"Is that him?"
Before the intruder could finish, the masked boy pointed toward the prisoner and asked.
The disheveled boy, bound and paralyzed by pressure point strikes, was clearly the subject.
The intruder nodded.
"Yes, that's him."
"I can't see his face clearly. Cam Hu-i, lift his hair."
It seemed he wanted to confirm his identity.
The intruder hesitated for a moment, then lifted the prisoner boy's hair, revealing his face.
The masked boy gasped.
"Ha…"
He couldn't hide his shock.
The prisoner boy, now revealed, didn't understand what was going on. Why were they so stunned? Why had they paralyzed him?
Then, the masked boy removed his face covering.
'!?'
The prisoner boy's eyes widened in disbelief.
The face beneath the mask...
It was like looking into a mirror.
He looked exactly like the prisoner—so much so that anyone might believe they were twins.
Though there were subtle differences—tidy hair, slight variations in facial expression—it was hard to imagine even close acquaintances being able to tell them apart if the masked boy mimicked him well enough.
"Do we look alike?"
"…Nearly identical."
"Truly… astonishing."
"I was shocked too when I first saw him."
"Understandable."
What were the odds of a total stranger having such a similar face?
Virtually nonexistent.
And yet, the prisoner and the now-unmasked boy looked utterly the same.
After a moment of stunned silence, the unmasked boy stepped closer and spoke directly to the prisoner:
"You… you're a condemned criminal, right?"
"..."
The pressure point Ahyeol had been struck—there was no way he could answer.
The boy gave a subtle nod to the masked intruder.
In response, the intruder tapped the prisoner boy's chest in a rapid sequence.
—Tatatatatak!
As the paralysis was released, the boy with the commanding tone spoke.
"Now you should be able to answer. You're a condemned criminal, aren't you?"
The prisoner boy remained silent for a moment, then answered.
"...Yes."
The boy smirked at the respectful reply.
"You understand your situation well."
Even as a death row inmate, the prisoner was just a regular civilian. In front of a martial artist, he was no more than a kitten before a tiger. It would have been strange if he weren't being polite.
With arms crossed and arrogance in his voice, the boy continued,
"I hear the execution is scheduled for the day after tomorrow, isn't it?"
"Yes."
"And if you had the chance to live a little longer, what would you do?"
"...I want to live."
"Heh heh heh. Of course you do."
The boy couldn't hide his satisfaction.
How could a death row inmate resist when offered a chance at life—even if it meant grabbing at someone's pant leg?
With a mocking tone, the boy said,
"This kind of opportunity doesn't come often. You're a lucky one for a condemned man."
"...You're offering me a chance?"
"That's right. A big one."
"What is it?"
"For just five days, you'll get to live as Mok Kyung-un, the third young master of the prestigious Yeonmok Sword Manor. Someone like you will rarely see an opportunity like this."
Yeonmok Sword Manor?
He'd never heard of it before.
From the name, it sounded like a large estate or clan.
Although the boy didn't know it, Yeonmok Sword Manor was a venerable martial family located in the northern region of Anhui Province.
He had no way of knowing that—but there was one thing he could be certain of.
"You want me to act as your double?"
At that, Mok Kyung-un's lips curled into a smile.
"You're not stupid. That's right. Why else would I need a condemned criminal like you? What I need... is your face."
There was only one reason he'd sought out someone who looked just like him.
To act as his stand-in.
"...And all I have to do is be your double?"
"It's just five days. What were you expecting—some grand destiny? All you have to do is stay cooped up in the estate's villa and pretend to be the young master. That's it."
"I see."
"For five days, you'll enjoy the life of a noble son of a prestigious martial family. And in return, you get to keep your life. Isn't that a great deal?"
It made sense.
But the prisoner boy wasn't foolish.
Acting as someone's double—by nature—meant taking on their dangers in their place.
There was undoubtedly a hidden risk lurking beneath the surface.
"A stand-in…"
But it was a chance nonetheless.
He had been racking his brain trying to figure out how to escape the prison in the first place.
If he did nothing, he'd soon be subject to the gruesome execution of limb dismemberment.
There was no need to hesitate.
"Please give me the chance."
"Hmph."
Mok Kyung-un let out a short laugh and gestured with his hand.
The masked intruder pulled out a small pouch from his clothing.
The prisoner boy, curious, asked,
"What is that?"
"Eat it."
"...?"
Before he could fully process it, the intruder pulled a black pill from the pouch.
A foul odor drifted out—one that clearly had nothing to do with medicine.
The intruder brought the pill toward his mouth.
The prisoner boy looked at it and asked,
"...Is it poison?"
Mok Kyung-un scoffed.
"Did you really think I'd just trust a death row inmate like you?"
"..."
"If you complete the task safely, I'll give you the antidote. Heh heh heh."
In other words, from the very beginning, they intended to eliminate any chance of betrayal.
As the intruder brought the poison pill to his lips, he spoke coldly:
"Open your mouth."
There was no choice.
The boy looked at Mok Kyung-un, who was smirking with a twisted grin, and slowly opened his mouth, accepting the poison pill.
As the boy chewed it calmly, a flicker of surprise passed through the masked man's eyes.
Normally, anyone who realized they were ingesting poison would grimace and show signs of distress—but this boy was chewing and swallowing it without the slightest reaction.
He wasn't even swallowing it whole—he was chewing it deliberately.
'This kid really is different.'
Though he had the same face as the young master, he was a true savage.
That must be how he ended up a death row inmate—killing numerous people without ever learning martial arts.
'Good thing we prepared the poison pill ahead of time.'
Now that he had ingested it, if he wanted to live, he wouldn't dare try to escape or pull anything stupid.
The boy finished chewing, opened his mouth wide, and said,
"I've swallowed it, young master."
His mouth was completely empty.
The poison pill had been too large to pretend to swallow or hide in the mouth.
Once confirmed, Mok Kyung-un gave a command.
"Now release him."
"Understood."
The masked man retrieved a key from the bundle he carried and unlocked the wooden stocks binding the boy's hands and feet.
"Phew."
As the restraints were removed, the boy felt like he could breathe again.
Though called "wooden stocks," the insides were reinforced with metal that dug into his wrists and weighed him down heavily.
The masked man stepped toward the entrance of the holding cell and spoke in a low voice.
"I'll lead the way. You, follow right behind me. Young master, please follow behind him."
"Got it."
He had already taken the poison pill, so he couldn't run even if he tried—but this was just in case.
With the masked man in front and the young master watching from behind, there was no chance of escape.
After all, the condemned boy, without any martial training, was no match for trained fighters.
"Follow me."
Just as they opened the door of the holding cell to leave—
"You! Guhh—!"
—Crack! Thud!
A sudden sound behind them made the masked man whip his head around.
What he saw was beyond belief.
Mok Kyung-un lay on the ground, his neck twisted completely backward, his face frozen in a mask of horror.
'!!!'
It had happened so quickly, the masked man was momentarily speechless.
Then, the prisoner boy calmly said,
"Oh dear. Looks like the death row inmate meant to play the double... just died."