Flying Dragon Thirteen Squad
It was the night of the new moon, with not even a sliver of light in the sky.
By chance, it was our squad's turn for night patrol.
Even for veterans who had spent years on the frontlines, night patrols were always nerve-wracking.
In the pitch-black darkness lurked fiendish demons like the Hyo-gwi, and sometimes Blood Cult magi, prowling to drain vital energy or indulge their lust. Even peak experts found them threatening.
But our squad was different.
Because we had Captain Seol Pung.
"Stand by."
The moment he murmured in a low voice at the head of the line, we all froze, scanning the surroundings.
"Hyo-gwi," he muttered.
Even before he finished speaking, a demon leapt silently out of the darkness.
Pak!
If we'd been caught unawares, it would have been a deadly ambush.
But the creature's head burst mid-air, like a melon.
Peoseok!
Captain Seol Pung had already surged forward, his retreating step smashing the fiend's skull like a watermelon.
In the blink of an eye, he killed the Hyo-gwi and returned, speaking calmly.
"Threat cleared. There are no more."
Reliable as always.
Even as a man, I couldn't help but admire him.
For Captain Seol Pung, who trained daily blindfolded, night patrol was no different from walking in daylight.
Lady Na Seo-yu and Lady Cheon Ju-eun smiled brightly.
"Thank you for your hard work, Captain."
"You're the best as always, Captain! So cool!"
He waved his hands frantically, clearly flustered.
"Ah, n-no. Cool? Not at all. Let's… let's move on quickly!"
He hurried to the front again like a man fleeing, making Na and Cheon giggle. Of course, all of us knew he really was fleeing.
The gallant image from a moment ago was utterly erased by his awkwardness.
If only he didn't have such a crippling fear of women, he'd be perfect.
Having grown up training in the mountains, Captain Seol Pung had never learned to deal with women. To say he found them "difficult" wasn't quite right—he feared them.
It left one torn: should we lament that flaw, or be relieved that he was at least human enough not to be flawless?
A memory surfaced.
In my past life, that fear only changed after someone had died.
I shook my head bitterly.
This time, I wouldn't let that happen.
To prevent it, I first needed to deal with the one responsible.
I glanced back at Ju Tae-gyeong, the Sword Devil of Jeomchang, and his lackeys trailing behind.
Ju Tae-gyeong refused to acknowledge Captain Seol Pung's leadership and always marched separately with his own followers.
If he were truly confident, he'd take the lead. Instead, he always lingered at the rear, like a snake waiting for its chance.
It wasn't without risk. Before Cheong-yeon and I joined, two men had died to a Ju-gwi attack precisely because of his antics.
As I watched, Bisa yeong spoke beside me.
"So, in two weeks it'll be your match against him. Feeling confident?"
"Well… how could I be? I'll just do my best."
"Hmph! What kind of answer is that? You'd better crush him to pulp. I'm counting on you."
From up ahead, Captain Seol Pung interjected.
"If your inner power were equal, Jin's skill would clearly surpass his. The issue is your cultivation. If only you'd reached half a Jiazi, you could wield sword-qi."
"Mm."
That was indeed the problem.
My current cultivation was between twenty and thirty years. The minimum to manifest sword-qi was half a Jiazi—thirty years. Two weeks was hardly enough to bridge that gap.
Lady Na Seo-yu spoke worriedly.
"And even if you surpass thirty years, not everyone can manifest sword-qi. You must first break through the wall of Sword Intent."
She was right.
The wall of first-rate experts was Sword Intent; the wall of peak experts, Qi Manifestation. Some said creating sword-qi was even harder than forming energy force.
But in my past life, I had already overcome that wall.
Lady Cheong-yeon spoke up.
"That won't be an issue. Young Lord Seonu has already surpassed the mental realm of a first-rate. It's only his inner power that hasn't caught up."
…Sharp as ever.
Bisa yeong pressed further.
"You seem to be hiding something. Why not just tell us? It's only us here."
Should I?
In two weeks, they'd know anyway. And everyone here could be trusted.
After a moment's thought, I nodded.
"Before I came here, my father gave me a pill. An elixir worth roughly ten years of inner power."
In truth, there were two. But I kept one secret.
Bisa yeong's face lit up.
"Perfect! Then why not take it now?"
Captain Seol Pung interjected.
"There must be an issue with impurity. Too much foreign energy?"
I answered bitterly.
"Yes, sir."
"How much?"
"If I consume it now, about fifty percent will be impure."
"Hmm."
He fell silent, frowning.
Lady Cheon Ju-eun tilted her head.
"What are you talking about? Am I the only one not following?"
Looking awkward, Captain Seol Pung hesitated, but Lady Cheong-yeon explained.
"If foreign energy exceeds half your cultivation, the risk of qi deviation rises. Young Lord Seonu means that if he takes it now, that's what will happen."
"Ahh, qi deviation."
Exactly.
That was why I delayed.
Thanks to the Hunwon Muguk-gong's superior refinement, my energy was steadily purifying. I wanted to wait until it was safer.
Unless Ju Tae-gyeong reached high first-rate soon, I could handle him as he was now.
Lady Cheon Ju-eun pouted, nibbling her finger.
"I thought taking an elixir was always good. I didn't know there were drawbacks."
Being small and baby-faced, the gesture made her look unbearably cute.
Everyone smiled—until Bae Jong-gwan, who loved cute things, blurted out:
"I-I've never taken one either, Lady Cheon."
She giggled and replied,
"Oh, really? Then we're the same, Young Lord Bae."
"Guhh!"
Clutching his chest, he staggered dramatically while the rest of us shook our heads.
Lady Na Seo-yu quickly changed the subject.
"Anyway, we'll be busy. First Young Lord Seonu's match, then the Alliance Leader's meeting with the Blood Demon. It feels strange. I've fought plenty on the front, but never attended such an event."
True.
A month after my duel with Ju Tae-gyeong, the Wulin Alliance and Blood Cult would hold a summit—right here in the Thirteenth Squad.
Alliance Leader Moryong Geom, the Swordsage King, and Blood Cult Leader Sa Hyehyeolma Jeon Mugwang would meet. Many feared it would spark another Great Blood War.
But in my past life, they had spoken peacefully and left without incident.
Bisa yeong grumbled.
"Tch. Just thinking of Vice-captain Heon Yeong-bo scrambling to impress them makes me sick. Why here, of all places?"
Everyone nodded.
Heon Yeong-bo was already barking orders to clean, polish, and prepare everything in hopes of promotion.
Then Lady Cheong-yeon suddenly asked, heedless of the topic shift as always:
"Isn't it strange? If even fifty percent impurity risks qi deviation, how do the Blood Cult magi survive? Most of their cultivation comes from draining others."
"Eh?"
"True…"
Usually her questions killed the mood, but this time, she hit the mark.
Even I found myself wondering.
Right. They all built their power by draining others. So how did they survive intact?
We all thought hard. But none of us knew the answer.
The next day, while the rest of the Seventh Squad trained, Ju Tae-gyeong too was immersed in practice.
"Haaaaap!"
Shuaaaak!
A pale streak of sword-qi thrust out like a spear, piercing the air.
As expected of a disciple of Jeomchang Sect.
Watching him, Fourth Squad Captain Ma Yu-gyeom nodded.
"Indeed. Having a goal quickens progress. You've improved. Now you can proudly call yourself a high first-rate warrior."
Ju Tae-gyeong bowed deeply.
"Thank you, Senior Brother. It's all thanks to your guidance."
The Jeomchang Sect no longer had an official sect master. But to Ju Tae-gyeong, calling Ma Yu-gyeom 'Senior Sect Brother' felt perfectly natural. And Ma Yu-gyeom accepted it without hesitation.
That was because Ma Yu-gyeom was not only the third strongest of the countless Jeomchang disciples fighting on the frontlines to avenge their sect, but also the son of Ma Won-ung, the Jeomchang Sect Master slain by the Blood Cult.
Had the Jeomchang Sect still stood intact, he would naturally have been the next sect master.
With such a background, his own formidable skill, and features as handsome as carved jade, Ma Yu-gyeom's influence was immense.
Not only within the Thirteenth Squad, but even across other squads, he was said to command numerous followers.
Ma Yu-gyeom spoke again.
"These days, the soldiers gossip, calling him Diamond Body or Iron Meteor. But I don't believe you could lose to someone still only at the second-rate level. Still, do not be content merely with victory. Show an overwhelming dominance worthy of a disciple of Jeomchang. Understood?"
"Yes, Senior Sect Brother!"
At that moment, Ma Yu-gyeom recalled his first meeting with that infuriating Seonu Jin.
When Seonu Jin, Cheong-yeon, and Cheon Ju-eun first arrived in the Thirteenth Squad, all the captains had gathered to assign them to squads.
Back then, Ma Yu-gyeom had tried to bring Seonu Jin into his own.
Though his first impression—bloated with fat—had been distasteful, upon hearing that Seonu Jin and Cheong-yeon had slain a Hyo-gwi just the day before, Ma Yu-gyeom's interest was piqued.
"Rookies, and they killed a Hyo-gwi?! Is that true?!"
But Seonu Jin had smiled awkwardly, humbling himself.
"It wasn't me, it was Lady Cheong-yeon beside me. I, being only second-rate, was useless."
In truth, he wished to avoid Ma Yu-gyeom's attention. But to Ma Yu-gyeom, his humility looked admirable.
It was hard not to find it likable.
At that moment, Lady Cheong-yeon had added:
"My martial skill may be higher, but it was Young Lord Seonu who saved my life—he struck the fiend with a chair and pried open its eyelids, forcing it to open its mouth. All I did was thrust sword-qi into the mouth he held open."
Hearing this, Ma Yu-gyeom had been impressed.
A man who had never faced a demon, and was only second-rate, had risked his life to approach one and pry its eyes open?
And when asked how he'd known Hyo-gwi were weak to light, he answered that he had gathered information in advance, anticipating being sent to the front.
Given how tightly such knowledge was controlled, Ma Yu-gyeom could only imagine how much effort he had put into it.
There was no longer any hesitation.
He was still second-rate, but worth cultivating.
With a satisfied expression, Ma Yu-gyeom had said:
"Knowing that Hyo-gwi are weak to light is one thing. Actually prying their eyes open is another. Your preparation is impressive, but your courage more so. I like it. Division Captain, assign him to my Fourth Squad. We have an empty slot—it will suffice, yes?"
Just as Division Captain Pung Yang nodded, the boy suddenly shouted:
"No!"
Ma Yu-gyeom's face darkened.
"What? No?"
His mood soured instantly.
How dare this child—when Ma Yu-gyeom, son of the fallen Jeomchang Sect Master and future sect leader, made the request? How dare he refuse?
Snarling, he asked,
"Are you saying you refuse to join my squad?"
Even Seonu Jin himself had been flustered.
He disliked Ma Yu-gyeom, but to antagonize him—who held so many followers—was burdensome.
Yet after a moment's hesitation, he suddenly turned his head and shouted toward Captain Seol Pung, lounging calmly at the side.
"Captain Seol Pung! From the moment I learned of the frontlines, I wished only to join your squad! Please accept me!"
Even Seol Pung had been taken aback, wide-eyed, pointing to himself.
"M-me?"
Seonu Jin nodded fervently, shouting with passion.
"Yes! To think of smashing monsters impervious to sword-qi with fists! The instant I heard that, I resolved to join your squad and learn the fist arts!"
Of course, it was a lie.
In his past life, even when Seol Pung offered to teach him, Seonu Jin had refused, thinking fighting demons barehanded was brutish and terrifying.
But Ma Yu-gyeom, ignorant of this, was infuriated.
"How dare you refuse me—the son of the Jeomchang Sect Master—for the pitiful Seventh Squad? The third son of the noble Seonu Clan, joining a rabble of street beggars and peddlers learning crude external arts?"
The Seventh Squad, newly formed, was indeed considered the lowest of the low—both in martial standing and social rank.
Ma Yu-gyeom thought pointing that out would change Seonu Jin's mind.
But instead, it stung him deeply.
For those were insults against the Seventh Squad—his squad in his past life.
Seonu Jin burst out, words spilling in anger.
"External martial arts? Yes! I'll learn them gladly! I'll pit my body against demons and see whose skin is tougher!"
Another blatant lie.
In his past life, he had considered Bae Jong-gwan—who trained only in external arts—pathetic.
But his reckless gamble worked.
Ma Yu-gyeom's face twisted in shock, while Seol Pung's eyes shone, and he leapt to his feet.
"Excellent spirit! To slay demons with fists! Good, Young Lord Seonu! Join me! I shall forge your body stronger than any demon's!"
And Seonu Jin roared back as if on cue:
"Yes, Captain Seol Pung!"
Their ridiculous harmony left Ma Yu-gyeom no choice but to give up.
To pursue further would wound his pride.
But his pride was wounded anyway.
For he was rejected not only by Seonu Jin, but also by Lady Cheong-yeon and Lady Cheon Ju-eun, whom he tried to take in next.
It was infuriating to recall.
And now, that very boy, who had barely just arrived at the front, was already showing remarkable achievements.
Not alone, but by elevating the strength of those same "rabble"—like Bisa yeong and Bae Jong-gwan of the Seventh Squad.
Yes. He should have taken him by force back then.
Clenching his teeth at the memory, Ma Yu-gyeom shouted to Ju Tae-gyeong:
"You must crush him utterly! Burn into his bones what Jeomchang truly is!"
"Yes! Leave it to me, Senior Sect Brother!"
But in truth, Ju Tae-gyeong thought the warning pointless. He had no intention of letting Seonu Jin live.
How dare a mere second-rate wretch insult a disciple of the noble Jeomchang Sect?
Only his life could pay for it.
Dangerous light flickered in his eyes.
As Ma Yu-gyeom turned to leave, he suddenly stopped and added:
"Still, do not kill him. Nor maim him too badly."
Startled, Ju Tae-gyeong stammered,
"Wh-what?!"
Ma Yu-gyeom's gaze turned icy.
"Why so surprised? You weren't actually thinking of killing a comrade who fights alongside us against the Blood Cult, were you?"
"N-no, of course not! I only thought… to teach him a proper lesson—"
A surge of killing aura erupted from Ma Yu-gyeom.
Hwaaaak!
He glared coldly at Ju Tae-gyeong.
"Ju Tae-gyeong. Our ultimate task is to defeat the Blood Cult and reclaim our sect. Do not forget it."
"Yes! Of course, Senior Sect Brother!"
"For that goal, we must cooperate even with those from lesser sects. How much more so with comrades standing beside us against the Blood Cult? However snake-like you may be, I trust you will not commit such madness. Understood?!"
"Y-yes! Of course, Senior Brother!"
Cold sweat ran down Ju Tae-gyeong's back.
The difference between the man destined to be sect master, Ma Yu-gyeom, and the snake-like Ju Tae-gyeong was clear as day.