***
“Kh-e-he-he-he-he! You wench! You’re mine!”
“Come here, you pretty thing!”
The six of the Seven Evil Brothers burst into mad laughter and ran toward Dang Yeo-eun.
Then, in an instant, something they didn't expect happened.
Dang Yeo-eun, who was running toward them, faltered and suddenly turned around to flee.
It was an unimaginable occurrence for her, who was famous even among Blood Cultists for her fighting spirit that never backed down despite being a woman.
“Wha-what?!”
“You wench, stop right there!”
The flustered Seven Evil Brothers hurriedly began to chase her. After fleeing for a moment, Dang Yeo-eun glanced back and smiled thinly.
It was an ominous smile, significant enough to make even the frantic Seven Evil Brothers feel something was wrong.
“Could it be?”
It was then.
Several martial artists sprang out from the dense trees.
Puh-wak!
They were all peak-level masters with brilliant Astral Qi (Gang-gi) covering their weapons.
“Ha-ap!”
Shwi-ik!
First, the sword of the man who shot out like an arrow at the fastest speed pierced the chest of the seventh brother, who was carrying the woman on his shoulder, in an instant.
Pu-uk!
It was the ultimate technique ‘One Arrow Piercing the Sun’ (Il-si-sa-il) of the Jeomchang Sect’s Shooting the Sun Sword Style—the same one Sunwoo Jin had used, but boasting a dazzling speed that was incomparable.
“Ke-heok!”
“Youngest!”
“Sa Gun-il, the Sword Dragon of Jeomchang?! It’s a trap!”
Then, Dang Yeo-eun, who had turned around and was thrusting her sword, shouted:
“Stupid demons! You only realize that now?!”
When her sword, coated in bright green Astral Qi, clashed with the second of the Seven Evil Brothers, the third brother—the remaining peak master—was facing a deep-blue saber-light (do-gang) one ‘jang’ long, which was on a different level from other peak masters.
Kwa-ang!
“K-ugh! P-Pung Yang?!”
The one who lunged at him was Pung Yang, the ‘Storm Saberist’ (Pok-pung-do-gaek) and Leader of the 13th Unit.
From the hands of the middle-aged saberist with a taciturn expression, saber strikes were howling like a storm.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!
“Kkia-a-a-a-ak!”
Waving his twin scythes to parry the saber strikes, he looked like a small boat about to be swept away and sunk by a storm.
Beside him, Sa Gun-il was rescuing the woman from the 4th Squad. The three younger brothers, who were at the highest level of the first-class realm, were met with sword strikes as light as a breeze.
A young man with a gentle face who looked slightly sleepy muttered as he passed by one of them lightly like the wind.
“I was having a good dream, but you woke me up.”
Pu-hwa-ak!
“Kkia-a-ak!”
After he passed, the fifth of the Seven Evil Brothers sprayed blood from his chest.
His chest had already been mangled like a spiderweb.
“Even Han Kyo-seong, the Blue Wind Sword Dragon!”
He was indeed Han Kyo-seong, the Leader of the 1st Squad of the 13th Unit, called a genius even among the many talents of the Cheongseong Sect.
“T-this can't be! Ua-a-a-ak!”
Finally, when the third brother could not endure and was slaughtered by Pung Yang’s saber, and the other brothers were dying helplessly at the hands of Sa Gun-il and Han Kyo-seong, the second brother, Gu Yo-jil, unleashed a fierce attack on Dang Yeo-eun and then turned around to flee.
“Brother! It’s a trap! Our brothers are...!”
Then, Ji-mak, the eldest, glanced at the situation, and his face instantly distorted.
To have all his brothers die in an instant—he felt like he was going mad with rage.
But he had no choice.
He had to run now.
“You bastards! Just you wait!”
“Where do you think you're going?!”
Ma Yu-gyeom, anticipating the enemy's escape, thrust his sword as if he had been waiting, but it only grazed the fellow's arm deeply.
Sha-a-ak!
“Kkia-ak! You son of a bitch!”
Screaming, Ji-mak, the eldest, moved away.
In the end, they slaughtered five of the seven, but the fight concluded with the eldest and the second—both peak masters—escaping.
Son Ha-rang, the member of the 4th Squad who was released from them, was wailing in front of her dead lover's corpse.
“Jeong-rang! Jeong-rang!”
The others stood around her, watching her with heavy expressions.
Suddenly, a figure flew down like a meteor from the dense thicket.
It was a young warrior with a masculine build.
“I’m late! What's the situation?! Was it those Seven Evil bastards again?!”
Then, Ma Yu-gyeom, the 4th Squad Leader, grabbed him by the collar without preamble and asked:
“Seol Poong, you rascal! Why are you only coming now?! Did you forget that all peak masters were supposed to gather when they saw the red signal?!”
Seol Poong, while being held by the collar, looked for a moment at Son Ha-rang, who was sitting and crying next to the corpse, and answered:
“I’m sorry. We were also ambushed on our side.”
But at that answer, Ma Yu-gyeom only vented his rage.
“Are you trying to say you couldn't come because you were dealing with mere Wild Dog Ghosts?! If you had been here, we could have caught at least one more of the seven! No, if we were lucky, we could have caught them all!”
“...I’m sorry.”
“Is ‘I’m sorry’ everything?! You irresponsible bastard! This is why I said a low-born dreg like you shouldn't be made a squad leader!”
When the other squad leaders frowned slightly at his verbal abuse, a woman who flew down behind Seol Poong shouted urgently:
“Stop it, 4th Squad Leader!”
“Hmph! Is that Na Seo-yu? What, are you going to take the side of this damn low-born dreg just because he's your squad leader?!”
Then, with a hardened expression, she replied:
“I will not tolerate any further insults to our squad leader! While our 7th Squad was dealing with five Wild Dog Ghosts, we were ambushed by a hidden Ju-gwi (Spider Ghost)! Two people died because of it! Squad Leader Seol Poong slaughtered the Spider Ghost and two Wild Dog Ghosts in a situation where half the squad might have died, and then rushed all the way here!”
At those words, Ma Yu-gyeom flinched and asked back:
“A Spider Ghost?”
A Spider Ghost was a dangerous demon that moved as stealthily as an Owl Ghost.
However, unlike the Owl Ghost, it moved by seeing objects with its eyes, and unlike other demons, it was treated as the most dangerous monster because it absorbed human essence to gradually increase its internal energy.
It was a strict rule to slaughter a Spider Ghost as soon as it was discovered, as it grew stronger over time. In such a situation, it was only natural that he couldn't rush over immediately.
Ma Yu-gyeom then snorted and turned away.
“Hmph! Was that so?”
Then, Na Seo-yu, the Deputy Leader of the 7th Squad, shouted in an enraged voice:
“Is that all?! Apologize to Squad Leader Seol Poong right now!”
But Ma Yu-gyeom continued walking without looking back, and Seol Poong restrained Na Seo-yu as she was about to shout again.
“Stop, Deputy Leader. He just lost a squad member.”
“But we did, too!”
“I’m fine. So you can stop.”
Seeing Seol Poong smiling awkwardly as he said that, Na Seo-yu let out a sigh and shook her head.
“Honestly, Unit Leader. Why do you become so foolishly kind as soon as a fight is over?”
Then, Dang Yeo-eun, the beautiful ‘Sword Phoenix of the Tang Family’ (Dangga Geombong) with a cold impression, added her words:
“Yes, I agree. Because you act so soft, Seol Poong, that man Ma Yu-gyeom continues to treat you poorly. If you act like a fool like that, only your squad members will have a hard time.”
“Haha, i-is that so?”
At Seol Poong’s frozen expression when Dang Yeo-eun spoke to him, she shook her head as if it were absurd and turned away.
Han Kyo-seong, the 1st Squad Leader, said while yawning:
“Ah-hem, anyway, let’s head back. I was just sleepy earlier, but now I’m hungry, too. Ah, by the way, did the Unit Leader say the new recruits were coming today?”
At his question, Pung Yang, the Leader of the Biryong 13th Unit, nodded silently. As taciturn as his appearance suggested, he hadn't said a single word since earlier.
However, Han Kyo-seong said while nodding as if he was used to it:
“It’ll take a long time to make them worth their salt, but still, it’s a relief.”
With those words, he vaulted away, and the others followed suit and began to return.
But just as Seol Poong, the 7th Squad Leader, was about to vault away, Sa Gun-il, the 2nd Squad Leader, stopped him by grabbing his shoulder.
“Huh?”
When he turned around with a puzzled face, the cold-faced Sa Gun-il whispered a single sentence:
“I apologize on his behalf. I’m sorry, Seol Poong.”
Then, he vaulted away first and disappeared.
At the apology from his fellow Jeomchang disciple, Seol Poong gave a short laugh and followed him.
This was a typical day for the Biryong 13th Unit.
After stopping by the 2nd Headquarters of the Great Blood Demon Cult Front to register our personal details and volunteering for the 13th Unit, we were soon guided to the 13th Unit by a guide.
There were about twenty new recruits gathered at the 2nd Headquarters, but only Cheong-yeon, a cute-looking girl named Cheon Ju-eun, and I volunteered for the 13th Unit.
As for me, I had volunteered for the 13th Unit without a second thought after recalling the Thirteen Swords of Sunwoo from my previous life, but for most people, the 13th Unit was not very popular.
This was all due to the excessively young age group of the 13th Unit.
While waiting for the Deputy Leader in the waiting room, Cheong-yeon suddenly asked me:
“Could the reason the 13th Unit has the youngest age group be because all the experienced warriors died?”
I gave a bittersweet smile at her question.
It was a very accurate analysis.
“It seems so, but in fact, it’s not just the 13th Unit; the trend is that the age of the entire Biryong Unit is decreasing, so there won't be that big of a difference.”
That was a lie.
Although the age of the entire Biryong Unit was decreasing, the 13th Unit was a place where the age group was overwhelmingly lower than the others.
From what I saw in my previous life, there were only two warriors of middle-age or older in the 13th Unit: the Unit Leader and the Deputy Leader.
Cheong-yeon shook her head and said:
“That is a serious matter. It means there are no experienced warriors volunteering, only young martial artists filled by each clan through mandatory conscription because they had no choice, right?”
Again, I realized she was a remarkable young lady.
To deduce that much from just a few facts.
I nodded in admiration.
“That is correct.”
Then, Young Lady Cheon Ju-eun, who had been listening to our conversation with wide eyes, asked:
“Why don't the experienced warriors volunteer?”
Cheon Ju-eun, who had been in a different squad from me in my previous life and had died before we had much interaction, did not seem to be a disciple who was forcibly drafted by her clan, judging by her current question.
Because if she had been pushed by her clan, there was no way she wouldn't know.
“Because they can obtain neither profit nor fame.”
“Profit and fame?”
“Everything that happens at the front is not leaked to the outside. Therefore, no matter how many achievements you make here, or how miserably you die, it is not known to the outside at all. No matter how much heroes might not care about profit, everyone is reluctant because it’s full of danger without any reputation or honor.”
“Ahhh.”
Just as she nodded as if she understood, the door of the waiting room opened and a middle-aged man with a goatee entered.
It was Heon Yeong-bo, the ‘Jade Bird Swordsman’ (Bi-jo-geom-gaek) and Deputy Leader of the 13th Unit.
A hollow laugh escaped me upon seeing his face.
To think a day would come when I felt glad to see him—a chatterbox, a coward, and even authoritative.
He spoke in a very arrogant voice.
“Welcome. I am Heon Yeong-bo, the Jade Bird Swordsman and Deputy Leader of the 13th Unit. You must have heard my name before, right?”
The way he said ‘Deputy’ softly and ‘Leader’ loudly was exactly like my memory.
I was about to humor him appropriately with a smirk, but Cheong-yeon, who was beside me, asked back nonchalantly first:
“No, I haven't heard of it. Were you a famous person?”
Then, Heon Yeong-bo, whose expression crumpled, managed to control his face and answered:
“Ahem, there are many masters at the front who are forgotten because of the oath of secrecy. It seems you lack a bit of worldly knowledge, Young Lady.”
However, his effort to package himself was ruthlessly crushed by Cheong-yeon’s counter-question as she tilted her head:
“Is that so? I thought I remembered most masters at the peak realm or above; are you perhaps at the peak realm?”
Then, his face could no longer endure and completely crumpled.
The fact that there were peak-level masters even among the young squad leaders, yet he had failed to reach the peak realm despite being the Deputy Leader, was his long-standing inferiority complex.
I thought I should restrain Cheong-yeon, but I couldn't bring myself to do it because I was busy holding back my laughter.
This blunt and unique young lady certainly had a remarkable side.
“Ugh, now! We don't have time, so let's go quickly to assign you to your squads! The squad leaders should be gathered as well.”
Then, snatching the letter I held out, he read it and said:
“Third son of the Sunwoo Clan, Sunwoo Jin. Oh? The Sunwoo Clan?”
As he said that, his gaze as he looked at me again became much softer than before.
Then he read again.
“Cheon Ju-eun, daughter of Cheon Ka-sang, the eldest of the Four Archers of Guizhou? If it’s the Four Archers of Guizhou... they’re an unorthodox (unorthodox/Sapa) family, aren't they?”
As he frowned and looked at Cheon Ju-eun, she looked away with a slightly dejected expression.
I was just as surprised.
To think the daughter of an unorthodox martial artist would volunteer for the front managed by the Murim Alliance—it was quite a curious thing.
However, Heon Yeong-bo, who simply continued reading the letter, soon frowned deeply and raised his voice.
“What is this? Name: Cheong-yeon. Sect and parents: Cannot be disclosed?”
These were Cheong-yeon’s personal details.
She had introduced herself to me simply as Cheong-yeon as well.
Saying her surname was ‘Cheong’ and her name was ‘Yeon.’
Even though that couldn't possibly be true, considering Jegal Seo-yul had called her ‘Cheong-yeon-ah.’
There was likely some reason why she couldn't reveal her identity.
“Yes, I am Cheong-yeon.”
When she answered with a nonchalant expression, Heon Yeong-bo asked with a fierce expression as if she had fallen into his trap:
“It seems you don't know that a person with an uncertain identity cannot volunteer for the front?!”
I looked at him with an absurd gaze.
What a blatant lie.
When he didn't even know the identity of Seol Poong, the 7th Squad Leader.
Cheong-yeon tilted her head and asked:
“They didn't say any such thing at the Headquarters.”
Then Heon Yeong-bo shouted triumphantly:
“It is absolutely not allowed in our 13th Unit! Either reveal your sect and parents right now, or volunteer for a different Biryong unit!”
Cheong-yeon’s face stiffened slightly.
It seemed she hadn't anticipated this situation.
I, who had been watching from the side, let out a sigh.
It seemed the gladness of seeing that petty man only lasted until we actually spoke to each other.
I threw in a word from the side.
“Young Lady Cheong-yeon is a person who visited our Sunwoo Clan as a friend of Young Lady Jegal.”
Then he snorted and replied:
“Young Lady Jegal? Who is that? And what does that have to do with anything?”
However, I could tell well from his expression that his eyes, which had asked that question, had belatedly recalled something.
“Yes, you are correct; it is the ‘Heaven-Blessed Sword Phoenix’ Jegal Seo-yul whom you just recalled. This Young Lady Cheong-yeon is her friend.”
Then his pupils dilated significantly.
“The... the Heaven-Blessed Sword Phoenix...?”
“As you well know, she is the precious daughter of the Jegal Clan. She is also the daughter of the Great Elder Jegal Ji-gang, the strategist of the Murim Alliance.”
His mouth fell wide open in shock.
“L-l-l-lie! Why would such a young lady come to the front?!”
I was also a bit curious about the reason, but I just gave a meaningful smirk and answered:
“I don't know the exact reason either, but there must be some reason, right? Perhaps it’s something that might be related to the high-ranking officials of the Alliance.”
“T-t-t-that!”
With that, the situation was over.
Heon Yeong-bo now kept his mouth shut and guided us with an extremely polite attitude.
And when I entered the small meeting room following his guidance, I ended up letting out a sigh.
Everyone I could never forget was gathered there.