Flying Dragon Thirteenth Squad
"Uwaaah! It's over!"
I nearly collapsed out of the trees, dropping to the ground.
This damned one-hour sprint. Two whole months of it now, and I still hadn't grown used to it.
Granted, I had kept increasing the weight of the steel vest, which didn't help.
When I arrived at the clearing, the others were already meditating, regulating their breathing.
Aside from Captain Seolpung, who had pushed on ahead, and Bae Jonggwan, who would arrive later than me, I seemed to be the last to arrive.
"You're a little late today. You worked hard."
It was our vice-captain, Na Seoyu, greeting me with her characteristic bright smile just as she was about to start her meditation.
With her slightly drooping eyes and her ever-gentle expression, Na Seoyu was as kind and beautiful as ever.
Just the fact that I could see her again made me feel happy.
"Ah, yes. I increased the weight again, so my speed's still lacking. I suppose it means I need more training. Hahaha."
I answered with an awkward laugh, and she smiled sweetly, praising me again.
"Training is about becoming better than yesterday, isn't it? You're really amazing, Lord Seonu."
"N-no, not at all. Compared to the captain, it's nothing—barely a drop of blood compared to the sea. Hahaha!"
In my past life, when everyone else treated me like a pig and shunned me, she alone had embraced me kindly.
It was then that I had fallen in love with her.
Though I could never confess my feelings, nor prevent her death.
"Then rest a little before starting again. I'll begin my meditation."
"Ah, yes! Please go ahead!"
I sneaked one last glance at her face as she began meditating, then quickly turned my head so no one would notice, and sank into meditation myself.
It had been two months since coming to the frontline. A month ago, even the women—Lady Cheongyeon, Lady Na Seoyu, and Lady Cheon Jueun—had begun training as well.
Apparently, Lady Cheongyeon had wanted to join from the beginning, but the others had persuaded her to wait a little longer.
Back when we first arrived, she had asked me seriously:
"Don't you think there are too many masters here?"
"Pardon?"
"There are barely seventy people here, yet among them are five peak masters in their twenties. That ratio is far too high. Not even the Martial Alliance, which gathers only geniuses, is like this."
I had smiled and answered:
"Perhaps it's because the people here are more desperate than those of the Martial Alliance. If your skills fall behind here, you really die."
"Hmm."
After that, as if spurred on by rivalry, she had thrown herself into harsh training.
Even among the women, she was the only one to wear a steel vest and run the sprint training.
I had known she was curious by nature, but her competitiveness was no less fierce.
She even declared she wanted to join in external training, shocking us all.
The thought of striking a woman's bare skin with bamboo sticks was something even the perverse external-arts maniac Bae Jonggwan couldn't bring himself to do.
When she learned that she would have to strip to the waist and apply medicine to do the training, she reluctantly backed down—though even then, she had looked regretful.
That was Cheongyeon for you.
Aside from that, everything was going smoothly.
The Hundred Harmonies Supreme Art truly was the greatest cultivation method, and with the Seonu Thirteen Swords under my belt, my growth rate now far outstripped what it had been in my past life.
I was eagerly awaiting my duel with Joo Taegyeong, now only a month away.
And my dear friends, Bisa Yeong and Bae Jonggwan—the ones I had sworn to save—were also progressing well.
Bisa Yeong complained constantly, but his stubbornness kept him from quitting, and the newly learned Swift Will Manual was giving him wings.
Bae Jonggwan, unlike in my past life, wasn't focusing only on external training. He was devoting himself to lightness techniques and the new inner cultivation method as well.
His obsession with external training had been almost a matter of pride.
That he would gain recognition through what everyone else scorned.
Perhaps it had been his late father's dying wish, which had driven him to abandon all else in pursuit of external strength.
To him, I had said:
"There was once a sect called the Vajra Invincible Sect, who pursued the ideal of indestructible bodies. By chance, I have their cultivation method. Would you like to learn it?"
"…The Vajra Invincible Sect?"
The term "Vajra Indestructible" was like a dream for anyone who pursued external arts.
Of course he was interested.
"Yes. Their aim was to temper both inside and out, to achieve true indestructibility. I even have their medicinal formulas. If we merge them with yours, the effects could be even greater."
"Y-you would really give me something like that? You… you're truly…."
He had nearly wept. I grasped his hand firmly and told him:
"I'm not giving it to you—we'll learn it together. We'll become Vajra Indestructible together. What do you say?"
"Together… Vajra Indestructible…! Jin, thank you!"
He burst into tears, and I comforted him while silently apologizing.
Because in truth, no sect called the Vajra Invincible Sect existed.
Well—maybe it had, but not to my knowledge.
What I actually possessed was the Iron Arhat Manual, a Shaolin-derived method, along with certain medicinal formulas I'd read in my father's library.
Shaolin had always valued both external and internal training, so it suited him well. I'd simply dressed it up for motivation.
A small pang of conscience, but… as long as it inspired him and got results, wasn't that enough?
Thus, I continued external training alongside him.
For now, all I could do was grow stronger myself and help my comrades do the same.
Two months in, I knew from memory that a great calamity would soon strike. One far beyond my duel with Joo Taegyeong.
And my memory rarely failed me.
In my past life, one day, more than fifty corpse demons had suddenly surged upon us like a tidal wave.
We had never before faced more than six at a time. That unprecedented disaster had annihilated nearly an entire squad.
And worse still, though I never learned the exact cause, from that day on life at the front line grew drastically harsher—like climbing a staircase that suddenly rose to a much higher step.
The frustrating part was that with my current standing and martial ability in the Thirteenth Squad, I couldn't speak of it to anyone, nor could I prepare directly.
It was like seeing a fist coming straight for you, knowing you couldn't dodge.
All I could do was wait, frustrated.
Meanwhile, the Sixth Squad, led by Captain Won Cheongwon, was patrolling deep within the jungle.
Patrols were done four times a day—morning, afternoon, evening, and night—rotated among the seven squads, so each squad went out roughly once every two days.
At the front, hacking away vines with his sword to clear the path, Won Cheongwon waved his free hand to swat away the endless mosquitoes.
The tropical Yunnan jungles swarmed with them, but for some reason, he seemed to be bitten more than anyone else.
Perhaps his blood was especially tasty, or maybe he was just handsome to mosquitoes.
"If only I were popular with women instead of mosquitoes," he muttered irritably.
Then, suddenly fed up, he unleashed his sword technique.
"Eiih!"
Shuuaah!
In an instant, his surroundings filled with piercing sword shadows like a hedgehog's spines.
It was the Sword Rain Dense as Mist, a defensive move from the Qingsheng Sect's secret art, the Seventy-Two Style Wave Sword.
All the mosquitoes around him were slaughtered, and he smiled in satisfaction.
More would come soon, of course, but even a short reprieve from the incessant buzzing was bliss.
Behind him, his squad members exclaimed in admiration.
"Wow! As expected of Captain!"
"That was the Sword Rain Dense as Mist, wasn't it?!"
Won Cheongwon puffed up with pride, lifting his chin.
"Hah, that? For a disciple of the Qingsheng Sect, this much is nothing."
But his men weren't about to let him boast too much.
"If our captain's this good, imagine how great the First Squad Captain must be!"
"Right, Captain Han Gyoseong's Azure Wind Swordplay is on another level. He's called the Azure Wind Dragon! Our captain's nickname is Happy Monkey… Dragons and monkeys don't compare, do they?"
"Ghhk!"
Won Cheongwon's face twisted in annoyance as he barked:
"Silence, you brats! That fellow reaching the peak in his twenties is what's abnormal! No human warmth in that one!"
"Oh, that reminds me, Captain! I heard the Seventh Squad's Captain Seolpung runs with his eyes closed while swatting mosquitoes, never getting bitten once. His senses are so sharp, they say he doesn't get a single bite even while sprinting."
"Ghhk! If he were as popular with mosquitoes as I am, he'd get bitten too!"
Unlike a typical Qingsheng Sect disciple, Won Cheongwon was cheerful and approachable, always joking with his men.
Because of that, the Sixth Squad's cohesion was stronger than any other.
His vice-captain, Gong Jonghwa, spoke up to the others:
"Enough teasing. Where else would you find a captain as good-natured as ours? Long arms, too."
"True, true. The vice-captain knows what's what."
Won Cheongwon nodded smugly at this, only for his men to jeer.
"Ehh, if you like him that much, why don't you date him, Vice-captain?"
"Yeah, don't leave him lonely, go save him!"
"Uhm, that's a bit much. Your arms are too long—it's intimidating."
"Huh? Pfft! Just a moment ago you said long arms were an advantage!"
"Wahaha! Captain, you got rejected again!"
"Silence, you brats! I'm not interested in the vice-captain anyway!"
They were in the latter half of their patrol, the tension easing, laughter filling the air—when Won Cheongwon's ears suddenly caught something.
As a top first-class expert, his hearing was keen.
"Everyone quiet!"
The moment he spoke sharply, the Sixth Squad instantly dropped their chatter, crouching low with tense eyes.
Rustle, rustle, rustle!
With the ambient noise gone, he could clearly hear it now—something pushing through the undergrowth, approaching.
"Something's coming. A lot of them. Defensive formation!"
At his command, the squad formed up, Won Cheongwon at the tip of the wedge.
It was a formation that placed the heaviest burden on him, the strongest among them.
The rustling grew closer and closer.
Won Cheongwon swallowed hard.
"This… this sounds like far too many."
The next instant, they burst out of the brush.
"Kyyaaaaaaaah!"
"Kiiiyaaaaah!"
Corpse demons.
More than ten of them charging at once.
Won Cheongwon immediately realized something was wrong.
Until now, the most they'd ever faced at once was six at most—but even the ten before them weren't the end of it.
More and more corpse demons were pouring out behind them.
"Vice-captain! Send the signal!"
He roared, slashing his sword in a desperate flurry.
Shuuuaaah!
The Sword Rain Dense as Mist spread again, but unlike before, this time his sword-qi burst forth in a hazy storm, his full strength unleashed.
It wasn't enough.
Clang! Thunk-thunk-thunk! Clang!
The three leading corpse demons deflected his sword-qi with their hardened bodies.
Intermediate-class corpse demons.
"Three intermediates at least! Retreat! Everyone, run!"
Fwooom!
At his cry, Vice-captain Gong Jonghwa fired a red flare into the sky.
An emergency signal.
Ding-ding-ding-ding!
The alarm bell tolled through the Thirteenth Squad's camp.
For the first time in a long while, the order for immediate mobilization rang out, and all members assembled at the parade ground.
There stood the Thirteenth Squad's leader, the Storm Saber Rogue Pungyang, already armored for battle. His usually taciturn demeanor was offset by Vice-leader Heon Yeongbo, who quickly relayed the situation:
"One red flare, followed by two more together—three in total. The squad leader and captains will move first with the commander. Squad members will follow under vice-captain leadership!"
A single red flare meant an enemy beyond manageable strength. A second flare was only to be fired if things reached absolute crisis.
Three flares—one, then two together—was unprecedented.
"Move out!"
Pungyang leapt forward with a single word, and the captains of peak rank followed in an instant.
Han Gyoseong, the Azure Wind Dragon of the First Squad.
Sa Gunil, the Celestial Dragon of the Second Squad.
Tang Yeo-eun, the Tang Sword Phoenix of the Third Squad.
Ma Yugyeom, the Celestial Sword Hawk of the Fourth Squad.
And Seolpung, the Gale Dragon of the Seventh Squad.
The peak masters vanished from sight in a heartbeat, and the vice-captains quickly began leading their squads forward.
Na Seoyu, vice-captain of the Seventh Squad, hesitated only a moment before speaking.
"We should go as well. We can't wait for the stragglers."
And so, every member stationed at headquarters mobilized.
It was the first time since the Twin Mantis Massacre.
Captain Won Cheongwon of the Sixth Squad dropped his sword as the three intermediate corpse demons shrugged off his sword-qi and pressed forward.
Normally, that would mean death for a swordsman.
But Won Cheongwon wasn't a swordsman.
"Huuaaaah!"
With a battle cry, he spun his body, swinging his long arms like whips and smashing into the surrounding corpse demons.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
The demons went flying under his mighty blows.
He couldn't pierce or crush their hides, but he could knock them back and scatter them.
For Won Cheongwon's true identity was not a swordsman at all, but a fist-fighter—direct heir to the Primal Ape Fist of the Qingsheng Sect.
Only, lacking the cultivation to manifest fist-qi yet, he had carried a sword to make use of sword-qi instead.
Still, even as he repelled them, his face tightened as he looked back.
He could push the demons away. But his squad—specialists in weapons—could not.
He turned just in time to see his men being overwhelmed.
"No!"
The fundamental tactic against corpse demons was two-man teams: one to distract, one to strike.
The monsters could focus only on one thing at a time—exploiting that was the only way.
But this time, for the first time, they were outnumbered. Each man was forced to face two or more demons alone.
One demon bit down on a squad member's blade, locking it in place.
The man's face drained of color as more corpse demons lunged at him from both sides.
"Ah—no! Aaaagh!"
His arm was torn, his throat ripped out, in an instant.
Three demons descended upon him, tearing him apart alive.
Vice-captain Gong Jonghwa was also in dire straits.
She had slashed an inferior corpse demon across the chest with sword-qi, but it kept coming, chest split wide open.
Startled, she drove her sword through its heart.
Thunk!
But that was a mistake.
With her sword stuck in its body, two more corpse demons lunged at her.
"Kyyaaaah!"
"Kiiiyaaaah!"
Realizing she could neither block nor evade, Gong Jonghwa shut her eyes and screamed.
"Kyyaaaa!"
But her time had not yet come.
Booom!
At that moment, Won Cheongwon's long arms lashed out, sweeping the two corpse demons aside.
"Vice-captain! Run!"
Even as he saved her, another squad member screamed as he was dragged down.
"Help me! Aaaaagh!"
Won Cheongwon's anguished gaze flickered toward him, but the intermediate demons he had knocked back came at him again.
There was no end in sight.
Just as he reached out once more in desperation—
Something massive came crashing in from the side.
"Hyaaap! Iron Meteor!"
"Uwoooah! Vajra Starfall!"
Booom-boom-boom-boom!
Two men crashed into the fray, bodies like battering rams.
Their war cries were ridiculous, but their impact was devastating—charging like wild boars, smashing through corpse demons with headlong tackles.
They were none other than the Seventh Squad's Bae Jonggwan and Seonu Jin.
The dramatic entrance of the two men everyone in the Thirteenth Squad had always mocked as "quack external-art freaks."