Flying Dragon Thirteenth Squad
"Follow me. This way is the barracks of the Seventh Squad."
We were being led by Captain Seolpung and Vice-Captain Na Seoyu toward the Seventh Squad's barracks.
During the squad assignment just a moment ago, after much trouble, Lady Cheongyeon, Lady Cheon Jueun, and I were all assigned to the Seventh Squad.
At worst, I had thought it would be enough if I didn't end up in Mayu Gyeom's Fourth Squad, but to have all of us placed into the Seventh? That was an unexpected and remarkable outcome.
Soon, we arrived at the Seventh Squad's barracks—and it was exactly as I remembered.
The place where I had lived for seven years in my past life, the place that had made me into a warrior, where I had gained and lost many friends.
A faint ache welled in my chest.
The long, rectangular barracks had a central common hall, with men's and women's quarters at opposite ends.
Vice-Captain Na Seoyu took Lady Cheongyeon and Lady Cheon Jueun toward the women's quarters. Then Captain Seolpung spoke to me.
"There will surely be those among the squad who try to throw their weight around. I only hope you won't take it too much to heart."
There was a trace of concern in his eyes.
Of course, I knew very well what he was worried about.
I had lived through it all too brutally in my past life.
The memory of stepping into this barracks for the first time came back vividly.
"What the hell? Puhahaha! Is that a pig or a man? Shouldn't we just throw him to the demons to eat? Don't tell me he's here to fight with us?"
"The third son of the Seonu clan? Ah, I remember now. The disgrace of the Seonu clan. But why would the captain bring such shame into our squad? Is he insane?"
"Get lost, you disgusting pig bastard! Just looking at your face is unlucky!"
I don't even know if that can be called hazing. Back then, in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by strangers, the sheer disgust and ostracism I received made me cry secretly into my pillow night after night.
It was so unbearable.
Of course, I eventually overcame all of it, and changed myself. But at least in those moments, it was true that I wanted to die.
And now, to be walking back into this place again… it was oddly moving.
When I opened the door with a pounding heart, they were right there before me.
"Oh, Captain! A new recruit?"
"Wahaha! Look at his build—he must eat as much as me! Nice to meet you!"
There were my old friends from my past life—Bisa Yeong and Bae Jonggwan—greeting me warmly in their own way.
And then:
"What's this? A pig walked in?"
"What did you expect? A proper recruit? With our captain? Kehkehkeh."
"That's true."
There they were too—the three idiots, Ha Mujin, Ji Manggeum, and Man Guin—snickering together exactly as I remembered.
Still, seeing that their reaction was much milder than in the past, I thought to myself that it was a damn good thing I had lost weight.
As I gazed at them with emotion, Captain Seolpung introduced me.
"Everyone, this is Lord Seonu Jin, the third son of the renowned Seonu clan of Guizhou. The battlefield must still be unfamiliar to him, so lend him your support."
"What? Seonu clan?"
At this, Ha Mujin, Ji Manggeum, and Man Guin's expressions shifted strangely.
They were from the Ha clan of Guizhou, the Mando Gate, and the Ji family estate respectively—so of course they knew about the Seonu clan.
Ha Mujin smirked and approached me.
"What's this? You're that disgrace of the Seonu clan? The one they called a pig, not a man?"
Ji Manggeum chimed in with a sly laugh.
"That's right, that's him. The third son of the Seonu clan. I remember now—beaten up by your younger brother, weren't you? But hey, you look thinner than before. Back then, I wondered if you could really call yourself a martial artist at all."
Ha Mujin tapped my chest with a mocking grin.
"Must've been hard dragging yourself here, huh? A pig that's lost weight? You'd better fatten up again quick. At least then you'd be good for attracting the demons' attention, eh? Kehkeh."
At their rudeness, the smile vanished from Captain Seolpung's face. Bisa Yeong and Bae Jonggwan also scowled and moved as if to step forward.
But I just kept smiling brightly.
For one, their insults were far tamer than what I remembered. And for me, these were all people who were already dead.
Some had died saving me, others had died running away to save themselves. But dead all the same.
And so, even their mockery now felt strangely welcome.
With a radiant smile, I clasped Ha Mujin's hand tightly.
"Good to see you, Ha Mujin."
He flinched, startled.
"Huh? You know me?"
I nodded warmly.
"Of course. I know you well. But first—take a hit."
…
"Wahahaha! A real character! What a character we've got here!"
Bisa Yeong, who had always been at odds with Joo Taegyeong, was beside himself with joy.
I gave him a sly grin and spoke again.
"Besides, from what I see, there's no chance that Celestial Spear Snake Joo Taegyeong could ever catch up to the captain's martial skill. In contrast, someone like me and the young lord here… I think we could catch up soon enough. At most, a month or two?"
"…What did you say?"
Now trembling all over, Joo Taegyeong glared at me with eyes full of murderous intent.
"Can you take responsibility for those words?"
I grinned and shot back:
"And if I can, what will you do?"
His eyes overflowing with venom, Joo Taegyeong spat out:
"Three months. I'll give you three months. After that, you will fight me and prove it. The price will be your life. Since these are your own words, you won't have any regrets, will you?"
"Fine. But if I win, what will you do?"
Seeing my confident smile, he looked ready to explode as he shouted:
"Ha! Then I'll just have to die as well, won't I?!"
Though dramatic, I clicked my tongue and shook my head.
"Ah, but that won't do. How can we let a precious comrade die when we still have to fight the demons? Instead, how about this—if I win, from then on you call me your big brother. How's that? That will be enough for me."
He glared at me for a long moment as if he would kill me, then shouted toward Captain Seolpung.
"He brought this on himself! You won't stop this, will you?!"
Without waiting for an answer, he stormed out, slamming the door.
Bang!
The three stooges—Ha, Ji, and Man—who had been watching silently, quickly scurried after him.
"Taegyeong! Wait up!"
"Let's go together!"
"M-me too!"
Even after they left, Bisa Yeong couldn't stop laughing.
"Wahahahaha! Exhilarating! That was so damn exhilarating! Your name was Seonu Jin, right? Let's be good friends. I think I might end up admiring you! Hahahaha!"
Bisa Yeong was a disciple of the Bijong Sect, now almost completely annihilated.
And the reason for that destruction was the Bloody Tragedy of Muhwang Tomb, caused by the greed of the Celestial Spear Sect.
So, already disliking the Celestial Spear Sect, Bisa Yeong loathed Joo Taegyeong—arrogant and petty as he was—even more.
For him, this situation was sheer delight.
Then Bae Jonggwan, my old friend, also laughed heartily.
"Hahahaha! From the moment I saw you, I liked you! I had a feeling we'd get along well. Say, wouldn't you like to grow tougher than even the demons? If you train that solid body of yours, it could become an excellent suit of armor!"
The Seventh Squad's only external-style practitioner, the burly giant Bae Jonggwan, also seemed thrilled by what had just happened.
Hearing the warm welcome of those who had been my friends in my past life—and who had died saving me—my chest grew heavy with emotion.
Only Captain Seolpung looked worried as he asked:
"Are you sure about this? Though they call him Snake, Joo Taegyeong is no pushover. From what I see, you're at the tail end of second class, while he's mid first-class. Catching up in just three months seems honestly impossible."
I grinned and replied:
"Then you can train me, Captain. Push me to the edge, so long as I don't die. I'm already prepared. And please, speak casually with me. You're both my captain and older than me, after all."
At my forthright attitude, he gave a small laugh, then bellowed heartily:
"Very well, Seonu Jin. Since you've said as much, you'd better be ready. I'll grind you until you feel like dying!"
"Yes, sir! Thank you!"
At this, Bisa Yeong and Bae Jonggwan exchanged uneasy looks, and Bisa Yeong cut in with a grimace.
"Wait—you're going to join the captain's training? That's insane! Maybe you don't know yet, but that's something only peak-level masters can handle, my friend."
Sorry, but I'd already gone through it in my past life.
And this time, I didn't plan to do it alone.
Time to cast the bait.
I turned to the captain with a smile.
"Is it true, Captain? Only peak-level masters can do this training?"
"No. I've been doing it since I first began cultivating martial arts."
As soon as I heard his answer, I turned to Bisa Yeong with a face full of disappointment.
"You hear that? So it's not training only possible for peak masters—it's training that can make one a peak master. I thought you looked like a real man, but perhaps you're less confident than I thought?"
Though only second-rate in skill, Bisa Yeong's pride was sky-high. He hated pity and condescension more than death itself.
And I already knew exactly how to provoke him.
Sure enough, he flared up at once.
"Nonsense! There's nothing in this world I lack confidence in!"
I gave him a half-hearted nod, pretending not to believe him.
"Ah, is that so? Hm."
Like a fish leaping onto the hook, he roared:
"Fine! I'll show you myself! I'll join that training with you, anytime!"
Exactly as planned. Bisa Yeong was easy to reel in.
Now the only problem was the muscular giant beside him—Bae Jonggwan.
Unlike others, he always followed his own creed, walking his own path without swaying. With him, I'd need a more roundabout approach.
He laughed heartily.
"Hahaha! I'd like to join too, but I have a greater dream. To crush demons with external martial arts honed to the extreme! I don't have time for other training."
I cut in, eyes shining with admiration.
"Ohh! That's incredible! Crushing demons with ultimate external martial arts? I'd love to learn that too! Big brother, could you teach me some of your external skills?"
"Huh? R-really? Are you serious?"
Often mocked for practicing an art said to be fit only for charlatans, Bae Jonggwan was stunned by my request. He seized my hand in excitement.
Captain Seolpung then added with a smile:
"Come to think of it, this fellow said something similar earlier. That he wanted to test whether his skin was tougher than a demon's?"
"What?! Is that true?!"
Well, I had said that.
It had been a lie, of course—just an excuse during squad assignments to avoid being placed with Mayu Gyeom.
But Bae Jonggwan didn't know that. And now he looked ready to kiss me in gratitude.
I quickly slipped my hand free and replied:
"Of course. But my goal is to soar like a flying tiger with this solid body—and smash into demons with body slams. Wouldn't it be amazing to shatter them to pieces like a cannonball?"
"Fly like a cannonball… smashing demons to pieces?"
He repeated my words, his eyes going dazed.
Almost there. Time for the final hook.
"And then, wouldn't the martial world call you by names like Iron Meteor, or Vajra Star?"
"Iron Meteor… Vajra Star?"
Now his eyes were blazing. I didn't need to explain further.
In my past life, I had dismissed his external training as silly, never even considering learning it.
But I'd learned too late.
There comes a time when all weapons break, and you must keep fighting with your body alone.
Bae Jonggwan's external arts had been just that. Mocked as nonsense, he had later proven their worth by holding off ten Ghoul Demons alone.
Though he had never returned.
This time, I intended to master everything.
And I would never let my friends die wretchedly again.
"To never again lose those I cherish."
That was my ultimate goal in this second life.
Becoming stronger, fighting the Blood Sect—it was all just a means to that end.
Of course, I was still weak, and my options few. For now, I had to throw myself wholly into training.
I recalled my past life.
The front collapsed in the seventh year—but it had already begun to crumble in the fifth, when the Blood Demons first appeared.
So before that, I must regain my former strength as quickly as possible—and even step into the peak realm I had never reached.
Only in that realm could I stand without fear before demons like the Howling Ghosts or Cursed Ghosts.
If I could just reach it this time…
Clenching my teeth, I burned with resolve.
This life would not end like the last.
I swore it once more.
The very next day, the captain's training began.
The dawn training was to leap across the treetops of a dense forest like flying squirrels.
"Let's go!"
The captain nimbly sprang up, darting across the branches like a cat.
And he did it wearing an iron vest weighing over thirty gwan (about 90kg), blindfolded with cloth.
Bisa Yeong, pale-faced, grit his teeth and leapt after him.
"Hmph! As a disciple of the Bijong Sect, this is nothing!"
He carried an iron weight of about ten gwan (30kg).
Meanwhile, still heavyset me and the burly giant Bae Jonggwan went without weights. But even so, Bae Jonggwan stood frozen, too intimidated to begin.
So, recalling this training from my past life, I boldly laughed and jumped first.
"This is nothing! I'll go ahead!"
I sprang up into the trees, ready to soar gracefully—
Crack!
The branch under me snapped instantly.
Crash!
"Gaaagh!"
"Jin! Are you all right?!"
Lying flat like a squashed frog, I suddenly remembered.
Ah. I'd done this training only after I lost more weight, hadn't I?