Supreme Sword Art
I was still lost in thought about where and how I could obtain a supreme sword art when an urgent summons called Captain Seolpung away.
When he returned, he gathered all of us and spoke.
"This time, our unit has been selected for a deployment."
Deployment?
The sudden news left everyone wide-eyed.
"What?"
"Deployment, all of a sudden?"
"To where?"
Captain Seolpung's expression grew grim as he explained.
"Just a few days ago, there was an incident with the Twelfth Division. The Blood Cult devil known as Georyeokma Jeo Ungwon led his followers, annihilated two squads, and then crossed beyond the frontline. So Division Chief Man Jongim, the Great Hero 'Dread Evil Blade Guest,' requested reinforcements from the Eleventh and Thirteenth Divisions to pursue him."
At his words, my memory stirred.
Yes… this had happened in my previous life as well.
Georyeokma Jeo Ungwon, a Blood Cult devil with inner strength said to exceed ninety years, was a notorious master who had distinguished himself even in the Great Blood War. Around this time, he broke away from the Blood Demon and clashed with the Eleventh Division before crossing the frontlines to head north.
In truth, it wasn't uncommon for Blood Cult devils to rebel against the Blood Demon's suffocating control and leave Yunnan Province.
After all, these Blood Cult masters had always lived disregarding rules and reputation. To them, being bound to Yunnan by a non-aggression pact with the Murim Alliance was perhaps the true absurdity.
Of course, there were also those who interpreted this as one of the Blood Demon's stratagems—using the Murim Alliance's hands to cull those Blood Cultists who refused to submit to him.
And considering how, in my past life, the Blood Demon later expanded his forces outside Yunnan, that theory carried weight.
In any case, I remembered how the Alliance had recalled its dispatched forces before they achieved anything, sending them back empty-handed.
Back then, since it was Captain Han Gyoseong's First Unit that had been sent, I hadn't paid much attention. But this time, it was our unit being chosen.
Hmm. If that's the case…
I asked our captain, "Then it seems our unit has been recognized as the Thirteenth Division's strongest."
Seolpung grinned broadly.
"Well, of course. We're the only squad where every member has reached first-rate, and we have no less than four captain-level experts."
That was true.
Deployments were always assigned to the very elite of each division. For our Seventh Unit to be chosen over the First was proof that we were considered the finest of the Thirteenth Division.
My teammates erupted with bright faces and exclamations.
"Ooooh!"
"That's awesome!"
I, too, couldn't deny it felt good. Not just that I had been recognized, but that all of us had.
Even our captain's face glowed with pride.
He glanced at me and Lady Cheongyeon, then added with meaning,
"There was even talk of filling the vacant position of Fourth Unit Captain with someone from our squad. But in the end, the opinion prevailed that a Pinnacle master should hold that post."
Hearing that, he shot a quick, knowing glance at me and Lady Cheongyeon.
Well… that was close.
I silently thanked myself for concealing my breakthrough. The last thing I wanted was to be reassigned away from my comrades.
Bi Sa-yeong laughed with mischief.
"Imagine if Jin here had become the Fourth Unit Captain! Wouldn't that be hilarious? Ju Taegyeong ran away to the Fourth to get away from you, didn't he? But then, bam—he'd find you sitting there as his captain! Haha! Jin, how about it? Wanna take the post? I'd pay to see his face!"
Ugh. Meeting that guy again was not on my wishlist.
Still, the thought made me chuckle. If I did meet him again, the first thing I'd do would be to make him call me 'Big Brother.'
But that joke made me realize something.
I had been so focused on raising my teammates that I hadn't considered what might happen afterward—that as they grew stronger, they might be assigned as captains to other squads.
After all, wasn't it already strange that Seolpung, who could rival Captain Han Gyoseong of the First Unit, was leading a lower squad like ours?
And Lady Cheongyeon and I… either of us could easily be appointed captains of an upper squad already.
Even Lady Na and Bi Sa-yeong had enough ability to captain a lower squad.
A sudden thought struck me:
Perhaps our time together as one unit won't last much longer.
I glanced around at their faces. To me, they were no longer just comrades, but closer than family.
When the captain dismissed us to prepare for deployment, everyone began packing their belongings.
Only I slipped out, walking alone.
There were two matters I needed to resolve before we set out.
One was the problem of the Iron Ogre, who might appear while we were away.
The other… was the matter of a supreme sword art.
Last time I had gone to see Lady Tang, I hadn't been able to bring up Bone-Melting Powder at all.
After she'd cried her heart out and barely calmed down enough to thank me for coming, how could I tell her the real reason I was there was for a corrosive used on corpses?
But now, no matter how fragile she seemed, I had to ask.
Otherwise, my comrades—or perhaps Lady Tang Yeoeun herself—could end up as sacrifices to the Iron Ogre.
Yet as I walked toward her, something felt odd.
No… not my steps. My heart feels strange.
Nervous, yet light-footed.
Without realizing, I swallowed hard.
Why was I like this?
By the time I reached the Third Unit's quarters, night had already fallen. But despite the late hour, all her unit members were still outside, training with fierce determination.
Whatever had motivated them, their fervor rivaled even ours.
And at the center of it all was Lady Tang, tirelessly instructing them.
I hesitated. I didn't want to interrupt.
But there was no time left.
"Lady Tang, may I borrow a moment of your time?!"
At my raised voice, her gaze shifted to me.
Cold and imperious as ever.
She approached and asked, "As you can see, we're training. Is it urgent?"
Her tone was frosty.
Oddly enough, I felt both relieved—seeing her back to her usual self—and a little disappointed.
I gave a wry smile. "Yes, it's urgent. Just for a moment."
"Then let's speak over there."
She led me aside, to a spot out of her disciples' sight.
And as soon as we were alone, her cold mask dropped. She looked at me with eyes full of apology.
"Sorry. I couldn't let my disciples see me greet you too warmly. Did I… hurt your feelings?"
Worried, uncertain, she glanced at me nervously.
She was—simply put—adorable.
I couldn't help but smile.
"No, not at all. In fact… you looked impressive."
"Oh… I see."
She ducked her head.
Even in the dim light, her face seemed faintly flushed.
As I hesitated on how to bring up Bone-Melting Powder, she spoke first.
"I heard… you're being deployed."
"Yes. That's right."
Still with her head lowered, she whispered,
"I wanted to tell you… to please be careful."
Even that, she couldn't say directly, instead phrasing it as something she wanted to say.
And in that moment, I realized how deeply we had all misunderstood her.
I smiled softly.
"Thank you. I'll come back safely."
After that… we stood there together in silence.
It was a strange feeling.
As if time would stretch on endlessly if I just stayed there.
A part of me wanted it to last longer, but I knew it was time to speak of the real matter at hand.
"Lady Tang, you may recall when Captain Seolpung and I entered the jungle not long ago. At that time, we met a man named Seok Gyeongdal…"
I decided to explain that my knowledge of the Iron Ogre had come from Elder Seok.
That Bone-Melting Powder could weaken the creature as well.
Her eyes widened as she listened closely to my words.
Then she told me that while she did not have much of the Bone-Melting Powder, she would divide what she had among the unit captains.
For something I had agonized over for so long, the solution had come so unexpectedly simple.
After exchanging careful farewells with her, I decided to deliver the warning myself to the other captains.
It seemed better to personally explain the Iron Ogre's danger.
From Division Chief Pung Yang, who was temporarily leading the Fourth Unit, to the others, most captains reacted with gratitude upon hearing me out.
Captain Dok Sugwang's attitude worries me a little, but there's nothing more I can do about that.
After speaking with five of the captains, only one remained.
I took a deep breath and gathered my thoughts.
For this last visit, I had another matter to address as well—my second problem.
The matter of a supreme sword art.
No matter how much I had thought it over, the issue of the sword arts could not be resolved with what I already knew.
I had memorized many styles, but none—not even close to the Sa-il Sword Art—surpassed the Seonu Thirteen Swords.
The conclusion was clear: I had to learn something new.
A sword art that surpassed, or at least rivaled, the ultimate techniques of the Nine Great Sects.
A bitter laugh escaped me.
Easier said than done. Where could I possibly find such a thing?
Or does it even exist? Must I go searching for some legendary inheritance of the Sword God?
But then I realized—while I might not know of any sword art that surpassed the Nine Great Sects, there were already three in my immediate reach that rivaled them.
First, the Cheongpung Sword Art practiced by Captain Han Gyoseong of the Cheongseong Sect.
Second, the Sacred Constellation Sword Art wielded by Sword Saint Hae Unbaek, which Lady Cheongyeon had inherited.
And third—the Sa-il Sword Art of the Jeomchang Sect.
Three top-tier sword arts, all within my circle.
And among them, the one I had the highest chance of learning was…
Without hesitation, I strode into a training ground and called the name of a man meditating there.
"Captain Sa Gunil."
He was none other than Sa Gunil, the Sword Dragon of Jeomchang and leader of the First Unit.
He slowly opened his eyes, looking at me with a faintly curious gaze.
"Seonu Jin. What brings you here?"
I had debated for a long time how to phrase my request.
But with this man, beating around the bush was meaningless.
So I spoke directly.
"I want to learn the Sa-il Sword Art."
The most fitting pinnacle sword art for me was, without doubt, the Sa-il Sword Art.
Though I lacked the mental method and operational details, I already knew the forms themselves—memorized from my previous life.
If I could only learn it properly, I could internalize it faster than anything else.
Besides, compared to the Cheongseong Sect's flourishing arts or the Sword Saint's still-glorious style, the Jeomchang Sect's fallen sword art was far more likely to be shared.
Captain Sa Gunil looked at me with a dumbfounded expression.
"You want to learn the Sa-il Sword Art? You?"
"Yes."
My straightforwardness left him briefly speechless before he asked,
"Do you know what Ju Taegyeong has been saying to me lately?"
"Hm? Ju Taegyeong?" The sudden mention of that man caught me off guard.
"He claims that you dragged the honor of Jeomchang through the mud."
I almost laughed.
So that was it.
He wanted to twist the truth—that exposing Ma yugyeom's crimes as a Jeomchang disciple was somehow an insult to the sect.
It was exactly the kind of crooked thinking I expected from Ju Taegyeong—shifting blame to the one who revealed the crime instead of the one who committed it.
"I trust you don't agree with such nonsense."
Sa Gunil gave a small laugh.
"Of course not. In fact, I'm grateful. Without you, I shudder to think how many more atrocities Ma yugyeom might have committed in Jeomchang's name. Still… there are people who do think that way. And so, regardless of the reasons, wouldn't it look… odd… for you, of all people, to learn Jeomchang's Sa-il Sword Art?"
It was a refusal, albeit a gentle one.
But I found myself satisfied nonetheless.
At least he hadn't said, 'Why would I ever teach you?' with anger.
Shaking my head, I answered,
"That's precisely why I must learn the Sa-il Sword Art."
His brow furrowed.
"…What do you mean?"
"If I were an outsider with no ties to Jeomchang, then yes—it would look like exposing their shame. But if I stand as one connected to Jeomchang, then it becomes Jeomchang itself punishing its traitor. And furthermore…"
His frown remained. My reasoning hadn't convinced him yet.
But what I truly wanted to say came next.
Looking him straight in the eye, I declared,
"I will raise the honor of Jeomchang through the Sa-il Sword Art."
That made him startle for the first time.
"…What did you just say?"
"I believe we must invade the Blood Cult within the next five years. After that, there will be no chance."
In five years, the true Blood Demon scions would emerge.
Pinnacle masters with demonic bodies resilient even against sword-qi.
When that time came, we would struggle to hold the front—let alone survive.
So we had to strike first.
Hearing this, Sa Gunil's eyes shook violently.
It was only natural. For a disciple of Jeomchang, striking down the Blood Cult was a lifelong wish.
I pressed on, voice brimming with conviction.
"When that time comes, I will wield the Sa-il Sword Art to cut down the Blood Cult devils. I will ensure the Sa-il Sword Art is remembered not as the legacy of a traitor, but as the sword art that shattered the Blood Cult."
This was the truth I had come to speak.
And I spoke it without a trace of falsehood.
Sa Gunil no longer frowned.
Instead, his eyes blazed, wild and fierce in a way I had never seen before.
"…How arrogant. And yet, now I understand why Yu-gyeom liked you, when he was still sane. You mean to invade the Blood Cult, do you?"
His gaze radiated a primal ferocity, unlike anything he had shown before.
He asked again,
"One more thing. Why are you so fixated on the Sa-il Sword Art? The Seonu Thirteen Swords I saw last time seemed more than adequate."
I shook my head.
"I thought so too. But after fighting Ma yugyeom, I realized otherwise. The Seonu Thirteen Swords cannot compare to the Sa-il Sword Art."
At that, his eyes flashed.
"You fought Ma yugyeom? That wasn't in your report."
Of course. In my report to the Division Chief and other captains, I had said only that I escaped using footwork until Lady Tang awoke and defeated him.
Had I admitted to fighting him directly, I would have had to reveal my breakthrough to the Pinnacle.
"I didn't want to disclose it."
But from his expression, I knew he had already guessed what I meant.
"Does Seolpung know?"
"Yes. But I asked him to keep it secret. I'm not ready to leave the Seventh Unit."
Sa Gunil gave a dry laugh.
"Seolpung is blessed indeed. From second-rate to Pinnacle in mere months?"
Then his gaze burned into me.
"Very well. I'll believe in you. That you can raise the name of Jeomchang high. But on one condition—when the time comes to strike the Blood Cult, you must not leave me behind."
I grinned.
"I won't disappoint you."
And so, on that day, I finally completed the Sa-il Sword Art of Jeomchang—a sword art whose forms I had memorized since my past life.