Chapter 818: PAID

Thud.

The torn flesh mask dropped to the floor.

I glanced at it briefly before turning my eyes to the man standing in front of me.

The alluring woman from just moments ago had vanished, replaced by a strikingly handsome man.

His silver hair, faintly glowing under the light, gave him an almost otherworldly presence.

I couldn’t help but marvel at the transformation.

‘No matter how many times I see it, it’s still incredible.’

How was something like this even possible?

Everything had changed in an instant.

Disguises were supposed to be superficial, limited to layering materials over the body.

There were always telltale signs—a misalignment here, an unnatural curve there.

Especially when a man disguised himself as a woman.

Physical differences often made it impossible to pull off convincingly, at least not without glaring flaws.

‘But this… this is flawless.’

The Shadow King had bypassed every limitation.

Slender limbs, softened curves, and even a full chest—all so natural that no one would have questioned it.

How?

‘At first, I thought he was using some kind of Qi transformation technique.’

But that didn’t seem to be the case.

If I had to guess—

‘It’s the black outfit.’

The tight-fitting martial attire clung to his body, accentuating and reshaping his form.

It felt almost like the clothes themselves had forced his body to adapt.

‘But wouldn’t that restrict movement?’

If the suit exerted enough pressure to alter the body’s shape, it should have hindered flexibility.

Yet, the Shadow King moved as freely as ever.

Not only that—he moved with feminine grace.

It was no wonder no one had suspected a thing.

‘That stiff bastard actually went this far.’

I still remembered my shock the first time I saw him act like a woman.

This was the Shadow King—a man so emotionless he seemed almost mechanical.

And yet, he had been prancing around, batting his eyelashes and giggling like a courtesan.

‘He even changed his voice.’

I didn’t know how he had done it, but the delicate, lilting tone he’d used as Yeon Hong had been flawless.

He hadn’t just disguised himself—he’d become her.