Flying Dragon Thirteen Squad
No matter how good my memory was, I couldn't remember the exact date the ghoul horde's attack happened.
But I could narrow it down.
It had happened to the Sixth Squad, the ones right before us, when we were about to take over the afternoon shift—that is, when they had gone out on their morning patrol.
Since our squad went on afternoon patrol once every four days, all I had to do was calculate back to when I'd been here for about two months. It wasn't too hard to pin down the day.
But knowing the day and being prepared for it were two different matters.
There was no way I had the strength to face that many ghouls alone, nor did I have the authority to move people as I wished.
So the only ones I could count on were them—
The only people who might actually believe me if I said I had a dream where an immortal appeared and ordered me to stop the ghoul horde.
Bae Jong-gwan was charging barehanded into the ghouls, bouncing them away like pebbles, laughing maniacally.
"Wahahahaha! Light! They're too light!"
He looked as if he'd found his dream come true.
On the other hand, I wasn't as trained in external martial arts as Bae Jong-gwan, and I'd also lost weight. To make up for it, I had to wear a steel vest to increase my mass as I slammed the ghouls aside.
I didn't want to use such a brute-force method, but we had no choice—we had to push the ghouls back in front of the Sixth Squad.
As the ghouls scattered for a moment, I shouted toward the Sixth Squad members:
"What are you doing?! Retreat, now!"
Captain Won Cheong-won of the Sixth Squad, who had been staring at us in a daze, quickly came to his senses and yelled:
"Retreat! Run at full speed!"
Then, instead of running himself, he ran up beside me and shouted:
"Seventh Squad, is it?! You need to fall back too! That number's impossible!"
Of course, I knew that better than anyone.
The only reason we'd been able to cut through them was because of the momentum of our charge from the side. But soon, the horde would concentrate on Bae Jong-gwan, and when that happened, he would be forced to stop and inevitably be surrounded.
But I hadn't come here relying only on him. I shouted loudly:
"Sah-young! Your turn!"
From the rear, Bisa yeong cursed as he dashed forward.
"Damn it! You crazy bastard, making me do this!"
Using his blinding speed, Bisa yeong zipped past the ghouls that had lost balance thanks to Bae Jong-gwan—
Splat-splat-splat-splat-splat!
—slapping their faces at super speed as he passed.
When he was gone, the ghouls he'd struck had red liquid smeared on their faces.
It was Bisa yeong's blood.
He had cut his palm and slapped them with it.
The ghouls' stupidity was their weakness: once they locked onto a target, they would pursue it to the end.
Even in the Flying Dragon Unit, we were trained to use that trait, with two-person teams confusing ghouls by drawing their attention.
But there was another trait:
They went insane for human flesh and blood.
They prioritized feeding on humans above all else.
Bisa yeong had marked them with the scent of his blood—making it impossible for them to look away.
The ghouls he'd slapped, their faces now stained with blood, immediately sprang up and chased him like rabid dogs.
Even the mid-level ghouls I had specifically told him to lure away.
"Kyaaaaaaah!"
"Kiiiaaaaah!"
"Graaaaaah!"
Over thirty ghouls rushed after him, and Bisa yeong screamed as he ran for his life.
"Uaaaaaagh! Seonu jin! You bastard!"
Ignoring his curses, I just smirked.
Everything was going according to plan.
Sure, Bisa yeong must have been terrified—but he was the great disciple of Bi Jong-mun, and he'd been training so hard in body techniques. There was no way he'd actually get caught by mere ghouls.
They would never be able to catch him.
…Probably.
Now, while Bisa yeong drew their eyes, we only had to deal with the remaining twenty or so.
Not easy, but with the mid-levels lured away, not impossible either.
I called to Won Cheong-won:
"Captain, you and I need to draw their attention from inside the swarm!"
Surprised, he stared at me, then nodded and bravely leapt into the pack first.
His sect's ultimate fist art, Won Gong Fist, spun like a vortex, hurling ghouls away.
Bam-bam-bam-bam!
A sight befitting the second great pugilist of the Thirteenth Squad, after Captain Seol-pung.
But neither of us knew how long we could hold out in there.
All we could do was hope that Lady Cheong-yeon would cut down their numbers quickly.
"Kiaaaaaah!"
I grabbed one ghoul with Geum Na-su and tossed it lightly behind me before diving in as well.
The Gale Eighteen Strikes I'd practiced endlessly with Captain Seol-pung during sparring—this was finally its time to shine.
"Hyaaaaaah!"
Bababababam!
I swung my arms and legs, smashing the charging ghouls like waves.
When I couldn't block, I took them head-on with my steel vest; when my hands were full, I rammed them with my body.
Unlike Seol-pung, I couldn't shatter them with qi—this was all I had.
As I battered and flung ghouls aside, I caught sight of my comrades.
Bae Jong-gwan had caught the arms of a ghoul I'd tossed him, seizing it mid-air.
"Lady Cheong-yeon! Got one!"
"Understood."
Even surrounded, I grinned.
No matter how it struggled, once in Bae Jong-gwan's grip, even a mid-level ghoul couldn't escape. We'd tested this countless times.
And even if it kicked at him, it was useless. Without claws or fangs, nothing could pierce his hardened body.
All it could do was scream with its mouth wide open.
"Kiaaaaah!"
And then Lady Cheong-yeon calmly thrust her sword-qi into its gaping maw, through the palate, straight into the brain.
It only took about three breaths to dispatch one.
We had become like master craftsmen at this, after countless repetitions on patrol.
We even sometimes left one alive on purpose, using it for practice or experiments.
—Well, more like Lady Cheong-yeon did.
She loved experimenting on ghouls—testing how effective Bae Jong-gwan's external arts were, or how tough my or Bisa yeong's skin had become.
All possible only because ghouls were the weakest demons.
Aside from their tough skin, they were just wild beasts driven by instinct.
But once this incident passed, stronger demons would appear—and then things wouldn't be so easy.
Still, at this moment, I could say with confidence:
No one in the Thirteenth Squad handled ghouls better than us.
"Hyaaaaah!"
I flung ghouls away, tossing one at a time toward Bae Jong-gwan, driving myself harder.
From here on, it was an endurance match.
***
When Thirteenth Squad Commander Pung Yang and six other supreme masters arrived at full speed, the sight that greeted them was surreal.
"Uaaaaaagh! I can't! I can't run anymore!"
Bisa yeong screaming as he circled the forest with thirty ghouls at his heels.
Won Cheong-won and Seonu jin struggling desperately within the swarm.
Bae Jong-gwan and Cheong-yeon calmly working together, methodically taking ghouls down like artisans at their craft.
The supreme masters froze for a moment, stunned—then quickly leapt into battle.
With their sword-qi and blade-qi, even mid-level ghouls were no more than savage beasts.
Watching them slice ghouls apart, Seonu jin finally exhaled in relief.
What no one else knew was that in his previous life, every member of the Sixth Squad except Captain Won Cheong-won had been slaughtered by this very horde.
But this time, the ghoul horde attack was ending with minimal casualties.
***
Several days later, during afternoon training—
"Ugh, the smell."
Bisa yeong grumbled as he rubbed external martial arts training ointment on himself.
"It's black and sticky, reeks horribly—no wonder people don't want to learn this. Ugh."
He complained, but still applied it thoroughly.
Watching him, Bae Jong-gwan and I exchanged sly smiles.
The truth was, since the ghoul incident, Bisa yeong had thrown himself into training with surprising enthusiasm.
He could feel his own growth, and now that he was being acknowledged by others too, he seemed more excited than ever.
But that grumbling mouth of his never stayed shut.
"Look at that. If it weren't for this disgusting liquid, all those people over there watching would have already rushed in, begging to train with us."
To that, I replied:
"Not really. From what I saw, they only started thinking differently after what happened later."
Just as he said, a number of other squad members were watching us from a distance.
It wasn't just today—these past few days, more and more people had been stopping to watch our external martial arts training.
All of this was the ripple effect of the ghoul horde attack.
When word spread that Won Cheong-won and I had survived in the midst of twenty ghouls using only fists and body techniques, the members of the unit began seriously considering learning fist arts.
Of course, the best path would be to reach the peak realm quickly and manifest qi force—but that was about as realistic as trying to get rich overnight just to eat a fancy dinner.
Even if fist arts couldn't defeat ghouls outright, if they helped improve survivability, there was no reason to refuse learning them.
Apparently, this issue had even been discussed seriously in the officers' meetings.
Interest in external martial arts came from the same reason.
When testimonies spread that Bae Jong-gwan and I had sent ghouls flying with body tackles, people began reconsidering what they had dismissed as nothing more than a street performer's trick.
Of course, they'd recoil after seeing us smear ourselves with suspicious ointments, and when Bae Jong-gwan smiled innocently like a lunatic while smacking himself with bamboo, they'd quickly turn away….
Still, there were always a few who sincerely wanted to learn.
"Hey there, friends! Training hard again today, I see!"
With a cheerful laugh and a wave, the one approaching was none other than the long-armed Captain of the Sixth Squad, Won Cheong-won.
"So, you put that stuff on every day? If I put it on, would I be able to use that Diamond Body thing too? Let me try—!"
As a pugilist by origin, and having fought alongside us, he genuinely wanted to learn external martial arts.
It was just that the people around him didn't.
His vice-captain, Gong Jong-hwa, immediately grabbed his ear from behind and began dragging him away.
She smiled politely at us as she passed.
"Hohoho! My apologies!"
"Aaagh! Vice-captain, what are you doing?! I really want to try it!"
Soon, other members of the Sixth Squad appeared, grabbing Won Cheong-won's arms and legs to haul him away, calling out to us as they went.
"Keep it up!"
"You look great covered in mud!"
It was so very like the Sixth Squad—united, cheerful, and full of life.
Of course, their unity was being used to restrain their own captain, but still.
After that whirlwind passed, not long after, the Third Squad came by.
You could tell it was them from a distance.
Leading them was none other than Tang Yeo-eun, the Tang Family's Sword Phoenix.
Her cold, intelligent beauty stood out like a beacon among people, making everyone around her look like mere shadows.
"It's Lady Tang."
"Lady Tang's here."
"Wow… as expected."
Even in the middle of our training, we couldn't help but glance at her.
It was almost instinct.
We saw her face once a day, but each time it was impossible not to admire her.
Of course, I wanted to insist that our own vice-captain, Lady Na Seo-yu, was the most beautiful of all—but with eyes in my head, I had to admit defeat.
The only one comparable in cold beauty would be Lady Jegal Seo-yul of the Seonu clan, the Sword Prodigy.
At that moment, a large, broad-shouldered man walking behind Tang Yeo-eun suddenly broke away, smiling warmly as he approached us.
"Nice to meet you! I've seen you many times while passing by, but this is the first time we've spoken!"
He was Myung Sa-hyeon, the vice-captain of the Third Squad. It was well known he openly admitted to serving as her vice-captain because he'd fallen for Tang Yeo-eun.
With his popularity and charisma, he often acted as the true leader of the Third Squad, since Tang Yeo-eun herself tended to avoid close interaction with others.
With a friendly grin, he spoke to us:
"To be honest, I used to think you were wasting your time with all this."
I could understand that.
In my past life, even my friend had thought the same.
"But you've proven me wrong. You showed that this training is truly worthwhile."
With that, he gave us a polite fist salute.
"So I must apologize. Even if it was only in my heart, I belittled you."
He was indeed as openhearted a man as they said.
We returned the salute, telling him it was fine.
Then he leaned closer, lowering his voice playfully:
"And here's a secret… if I ever get the chance, I'd like to learn external martial arts from you too. But I hesitate—my goddess probably wouldn't approve."
At that moment, Tang Yeo-eun, who had walked a short distance ahead, turned back and called to him.
"Vice-captain! Aren't you coming?!"
Startled, he laughed, whispering to us:
"You see? Behind that icy look, our goddess is quite possessive. Well, I must be going. Until next time."
He turned to leave, but before I realized it, I called out hastily:
"Vice-captain Myung!"
"Yes?"
"Ah, it's nothing… just—please stay safe. I hope we can train together someday."
"Hmm? Hahaha! Thank you! I hope so too!"
Laughing heartily, he ran after Tang Yeo-eun, who stood waiting with a face full of weary exasperation.
I watched him with heavy eyes.
A sigh slipped out before I could stop it.
In my past life, he had died.
And it was at Tang Yeo-eun's own blade.
Possessed by the Blood Cult, turned into a puppet, Myung Sa-hyeon had to be slain by her hand.
She hadn't recovered from it. Soon after, for reasons I never fully understood, she became the woman of Fourth Squad Captain Ma Yu-gyeom—
Not cherished, but treated like little more than a plaything.
Her final image was burned into my memory: weeping in despair, betrayed as Ma Yu-gyeom defected to the Blood Cult, collapsing with her heart broken.
She was not the flawless ice goddess everyone thought she was.
As I stared at them, unable to look away, Bisa yeong grinned and teased me.
"What's this? Jin, do you have feelings for Lady Tang too? That won't do. Give it up. Hopeless love will only poison your heart."
I chuckled, shaking my head.
"What nonsense. Me, fall for Lady Tang? I have no wish to be stabbed to death by all her admirers. I just… thought about talking to her."
Not that I had no interest.
The ghoul horde incident was over, and soon the Iron Ghouls would appear.
Unbreakable by sword-qi or fist-qi, those creatures would require Lady Tang's help.
But since I had no connection with her, I was still wondering how to start a conversation.
Bisa yeong misunderstood completely, his face growing serious.
"Hm? Wait—so it's true? Your feelings run so deep that even a single word with her would make you happy? You've been holding back for the sake of the others?"
His outrageous leap of logic left me genuinely flustered.
Mouth hanging open, I tried to deny it.
"N-no, that's not what—"
"What? Really? Jin, are you saying you're in love with Lady Tang?!"
When Bae Jong-gwan butted in with his booming voice, I should have realized.
Words without wings still fly a thousand miles.
And misunderstandings must be crushed before they spread.
But too late—
Lady Cheon Ju-eun of our squad had approached from behind just in time to overhear, and now she cried out in shock:
"What?! Did you hear that?! Young Lord Seonu is in love with Lady Tang?!"
And the ones she blurted this to were none other than Lady Na Seo-yu and Lady Cheong-yeon.
My vision went white.
"No, wait! Lady Cheon, Lady Na! That's not what I meant—!"
But all I saw was Lady Na Seo-yu's sorrowful eyes, filled with pity as she looked at me.
"Ugh…!"
Unable to speak the truth, I could only stare helplessly up at the sky.