Shadow Unit
The pale crescent moon cast deep shadows across the jungle night.
Sak Muhun, commander of the Shadow Unit's Fourth Squad and said to be the most outstanding warrior among all past Shadow Unit members, waited in the dense jungle for his target to appear.
The target was a woman named Cheong Yeon, a member of the Thirteenth Division of the Flying Dragon Corps.
Tonight was the night she was to die.
Of course, he had no idea what crime she had committed to deserve death. Truthfully, he didn't want to know.
If she was a woman currently serving on the frontlines, then the odds were high that her death would be an unjust one.
But the order had been given—there was no choice.
They had no right to refuse.
[If you disobey an order, you will not resent being killed.]
That was the oath they had all signed before entering the Shadow Unit.
Once you stepped into this place, survival depended on obedience.
The only comfort for Sak Muhun was that this life would end in just one more year.
After ten full years of service, he could finally step into the light.
As always before a mission, Sak Muhun steeled his resolve.
"I will endure one more year and stand proudly before him."
With a warrior's ritual resolve, he focused back on the mission.
This one had some complications.
If she had already retired, he could've simply learned her discharge date and struck when she left camp alone. But since she was still active duty, things were trickier.
Not harder—just more troublesome.
A week ago, they had already visited the Thirteenth Division disguised as Alliance inspectors, gathering detailed information about each member and their patrol schedules.
When shown the inspector's seal, Division Leader Heon Yeongbo had cooperated fully and handed over everything.
Using that intelligence, Sak Muhun decided to strike during the Seventh Squad's night patrol—tonight.
Gathering his men, he ordered quietly:
"Numbers Five, Six, and Seven—you'll herd the ghouls over. Think you can handle it?"
Those not yet called by name but only by number nodded firmly.
They were veterans of the frontlines themselves; there would be no issue.
"Numbers One and Two—you'll hold off their squad leader, Seol Pung. From what's known, he's a peak expert, not at the entry level but already in the mature realm. He may even match—or surpass—me."
At that, Number Two, one of the three peak experts in the squad, protested:
"That's impossible. How could someone barely in his twenties be comparable to the commander once hailed as the greatest among the Shadow Unit?"
Indeed, at just under forty, Sak Muhun was considered the Shadow Unit's finest. If he survived the final year, he was expected to become a formal Division Leader in the main military forces.
But Sak Muhun shook his head coldly.
"Better to overestimate and prepare than underestimate and grow careless. I don't think you'll lose, but never let down your guard."
"Yes, Commander!"
"Understood!"
The plan was simple: lure ghouls into the Seventh Squad's patrol, create chaos, then snatch Cheong Yeon.
Seol Pung, the dangerous one, would be stalled by Numbers One and Two. The rest would hold off the others. Sak Muhun himself would move swiftly, seize the woman, and withdraw.
All others, though not peak experts, were still top-class warriors—more than enough.
And if it looked like demonic cultists had kidnapped her, all blame would naturally fall on the cult.
All that remained was to wait.
Half an hour later, faint rustling and hushed voices drifted through the jungle. The prey had arrived.
"Coo-woo! Coo-woo! Coo-woo!"
Sak Muhun mimicked the cry of a mountain bird.
It was indistinguishable from the real thing, but his comrades would catch the subtle emphasis.
Quietly, they began withdrawing into position.
When Numbers Five, Six, and Seven brought the ghouls, the strike would begin.
Meanwhile…
"There are ambushers ahead. They're retreating with our pace—they must have a chosen site for the attack."
That was Squad Leader Seol Pung's voice, transmitted through inner energy.
We glanced at Lady Cheong Yeon's face with pity.
Though she kept a calm expression, everyone knew she must be the one who felt the heaviest dread.
She had already guessed this might happen.
If there were to be an ambush, tonight was the most likely.
She had discovered that so-called Alliance inspectors had questioned Heon Yeongbo and extracted the Thirteenth Division's information.
If they were the attackers, then it would most likely be a night strike. Which meant tonight.
Still, she had murmured with a dark face:
"Of course… I hope it's just needless worry."
But if her prediction was correct, it meant the Martial Alliance truly had been murdering frontline veterans. And personally, it meant that Heavenly Thunder Zegal Jigang, whom she had trusted as an uncle since childhood, had chosen her death.
What could be worse than realizing someone you trusted with your life now sought it?
I understood her despair all too well. That sickening loneliness—as if the world had abandoned you.
But now was not the time for comfort.
We could not let her die.
The ambushers didn't yet realize they had already made two grave mistakes:
First, boldly posing as Alliance inspectors to collect information. Second, failing to grasp the range of Seol Pung's perception.
They would soon learn: their "secret" ambush had failed from the start.
And the hunters were not them.
We continued on, feigning ignorance.
Seol Pung judged it best to play along until their true intent was clear.
After some minutes of marching—
"Ghouls! Sa-yeong! Three directions!" Seol Pung barked.
At once, Bi Sa-yeong shot forward like lightning, shouting furiously:
"Damn it! This trick again!"
On the ambushers' side…
"Ghouls! Sa-yeong! Three directions!"
Hearing Seol Pung's voice, Sak Muhun froze.
How had they noticed already? The distance was far too great!
And then their reaction shocked him even more.
One man surged forward with incredible speed, flinging something toward the charging ghouls.
"Take this!"
Shhhhhh!
Suddenly, the ghouls went berserk, ignoring everything but chasing him.
"Grrrrrr!"
"Graaaah!"
He lured every last ghoul away in moments, vanishing from sight.
The Shadow Unit, who had secretly been herding them, were left dumbstruck.
Cheong Yeon had already predicted the ambushers might use ghouls. That's why Bi Sa-yeong had prepared—using his own blood to bait them.
But Sak Muhun and his men didn't know that. Their plan unraveled instantly.
Sak Muhun hesitated.
Without the chaos of ghouls, pressing the attack now could cause casualties beyond the target. Should they withdraw and wait for another chance?
But just then—
"Aaaargh!"
A scream snapped him back.
Seol Pung had struck.
Drawing the Tiger-Claw Blades, he pounced, skewering a hidden Shadow Unit warrior.
By the time Sak Muhun grasped the situation, a second was already impaled.
Thunk!
"Ughhh!"
Cold realization washed over him.
They knew about the ambush?! They knew we'd attack?! How?!
Panicked, Sak Muhun roared:
"Number One! Number Two! Hold him!"
Then he too leapt forward like lightning.
Pa-bak!
The target was the veiled woman trailing at the rear—Cheong Yeon.
Numbers One and Two unleashed their blades, bursting with lethal energy, clashing with Seol Pung.
"Haaah!"
"Take this!"
"Hmph!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
But the peak master showed no strain, fending off both at once.
This wouldn't be easy.
Sak Muhun had to end it quickly.
He soared over the melee, streaking toward the woman.
Just then, Seol Pung shouted:
"Number Three!"
Number Three?
Even as he lunged at his target, Sak Muhun frowned.
But he soon understood.
At Seol Pung's signal, Cheong Yeon spun around and bolted.
"!"
"Number Three" was the prearranged signal—if the enemy's might was overwhelming, Cheong Yeon would flee to buy time.
"I won't let you escape!"
Grinding his teeth, Sak Muhun gave chase.
Perhaps they'd thought cleverly—but this might actually make things easier.
If she separated from her comrades, it could be cleaner to deal with her alone.
Of course, this confidence came from the fact that he, with over seventy years of cultivated inner power, could not possibly fail to overtake a woman who was merely a top-class first-rate martial artist.
But then, one of Ha Cheongyeon's comrades—a handsome young man—suddenly shouted:
"Lady Na! The enemy is chasing you! Be careful!"
Lady Na?
At those words, Sak Muhun faltered.
Could it be that the veiled woman with bangs covering her face was not actually the target?
But as he glanced back toward the other women, he caught sight of one standing beside the young man, staring at him with a stricken expression.
The young man's sharp gaze was locked onto him as well.
I've been tricked!
The realization struck instantly.
When he turned back, the supposed target was already far ahead.
"Damn it!"
Grinding his teeth, he launched forward again—only to hear a voice ring out from behind.
"Jin! After her! At least seventy years of inner power!"
But even before the squad leader's order, I had already hurled myself forward. The speed of the enemy pursuing Lady Cheongyeon was no joke.
We had laid traps ahead, but at this rate she would be caught before reaching them.
A peak master with more than seventy years of inner cultivation… If I face him head-on, I'll be cut to pieces in an instant.
I chose my response without hesitation and put it into action.
"Haaap!"
Shhhht!
I flung hidden weapons toward his back.
He glanced behind, pushed off a tree, and shifted just enough to slip outside their range.
Tap!
As expected.
A cautious one.
He could have blocked them easily, but instead he chose to evade.
A fine instinct—but convenient for me.
I hurled more weapons.
Shhhht!
Again, he twisted away, glaring at me with feral eyes, clearly irritated.
I had deliberately cast them toward Lady Cheongyeon's side, forcing him to slow his pursuit.
Annoying, isn't it?
Then here's another!
I kept throwing, again and again, to harass and stall him.
It was the classic "mosquito tactic"—buzzing around to irritate and distract.
At last, he seemed to decide he had to deal with me first.
He suddenly veered, rushing straight at me.
His sword blazed with a fierce blue aura.
The killing intent of a peak master with seventy years of power—it was terrifying.
But it didn't matter.
I had already prepared to run.
"Haaap!"
Pa-bak!
With a shout, I launched myself at full speed.
In our squad's ranking of lightfoot techniques, only Captain Seol Pung and Bi Sa-yeong matched me—after them, I was next.
No matter how strong, even a peak master couldn't catch me if I fled at full force.
After all, my nickname was the Black Wolf of Flying Heaven.
He shot me a look of disbelief as I vanished like lightning, then turned as if to abandon the chase.
He, too, hadn't intended to fight me seriously—only to scare me off.
But too bad.
I had no intention of letting him go.
So I stopped mid-flight and uttered the one word that would bind him.
"Martial Alliance."
At once, he stiffened, his eyes snapping toward me.
He tried to act calm, but the moment he paused, his denial failed.
I gave a crooked grin and added:
"Quite the stomach you have. An Alliance warrior doing filthy work like this."
His eyes twisted, and murderous aura began to radiate from him.
His intent was obvious.
I had discovered the secret—so he had to kill me to silence it.
He would wonder how much I knew, and who else did.
Pa-bak!
As he pounced like a leopard, I sprang away, already prepared.
The chase resumed.
Shhhht!
Now it was his turn to fling hidden weapons at me.
The roles had reversed.
And once they had, I understood his earlier frustration.
Dodging hidden weapons while fleeing was no easy task.
Swish! Swish!
I barely avoided them.
The sensation of steel grazing my clothes was chilling.
And it was only the beginning.
Though my movement technique was slightly superior, the sheer power of a peak master's hidden weapons made up for it, threatening enough to erase that advantage.
Swish! Swish!
"Ugh!"
Too many times, I felt them brush past my sleeves.
The only reason none had struck flesh yet was sheer luck and instinct.
Any moment, one might pierce me through.
My spine was ice-cold.
Had it not been for the sensory training I'd undergone with our captain, I would never have lasted this long.
Though not as sharp as Seol Pung's, my senses rivaled those of wild beasts.
Even so, every instant now was a razor's edge between life and death.
Shhhht!
"Khugh!"
Dodging his weapons narrowed the distance between us further.
And the closer he came, the more accurate his throws became.
It was a vicious cycle.
"Damn it!"
The thought flashed—maybe better to stop and fight than die with my back turned.
But I grit my teeth and kept running.
Just a little more. Just a little more. Almost there!
At last, I reached the spot I wanted.
The place where we'd laid our trap.
Got it!
Cheering inwardly, I slashed through the cord hidden behind a tree as I leapt past.
Snap!
The taut line broke—releasing dozens of arrows that had been held in place.
Fwoooosh!
"Hmm?!"
Caught off guard, he let out a startled cry as the rain of arrows descended.
But that was all.
Despite the intricate mechanism I'd set up, a peak master with seventy years of power was no easy prey.
He swung his blade, sweeping every arrow from the air.
Shhhhaaak!
Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
For an instant, his sword seemed to create a blue wall in the air.
A sword-screen, the kind I'd only ever heard of.
Truly, a formidable master.
But that's fine! I never expected more anyway!
I hadn't hoped the trap would kill him.
All I wanted was to divert his focus for a moment.
And it worked.
Startled, he scanned the area—only to realize he'd lost sight of me.
Hidden in the tree shadows, I had cloaked myself with the stealth arts I'd honed against demonic beasts on the frontlines, relying not on sight but on other senses to track him.
Then I opened the mouths of the sacks I'd prepared on either side. Dozens of snakes slithered free.
The reptiles recoiled at the scent clinging to me, hastening away.
The secret incense pouch I'd obtained from Dakham was working perfectly.
Now then, round two begins.
This second round would be one of stealth.
A true assassin's battle.