Chapter 14 Flying Dragon Thirteenth Squad (4)

Chapter 14: Flying Dragon Thirteenth Squad (4)

No matter how good my memory was, I couldn’t recall the exact days the demon attacks occurred.

But I could pinpoint it.

It happened to the Sixth Squad, the squad immediately ahead of us. It occurred when we were scheduled for afternoon duty, meaning it happened while the Sixth Squad was out on their morning patrol.

Our afternoon patrols occurred every four days. So pinpointing the day it happened, roughly two months after I arrived, wasn’t difficult.

But knowing the day was one thing; preparing for it was another matter entirely.

I certainly didn’t have the skill to handle that many ghosts alone, and I wasn’t in a position to move people around as I pleased either.

So the only people I could choose were these.

People who might actually believe that nonsense about a sage appearing in a dream and revealing a message to stop the ghosts.

Bae Jong-gwan was charging in unarmed, bouncing the ghosts off like pebbles, bursting into maniacal laughter.

“Hahahahaha! They’re light! So damn light!”

He looked as joyful as if he’d achieved his dream.

Meanwhile, I, now thinner and lacking sufficient weight, and not yet trained in external martial arts like Bae Jong-gwan, had to wear a steel vest to increase my weight to repel the ghosts.

I didn’t want to resort to such a crude method if possible, but I had no choice since I had to push the ghosts back in front of the six squad members.

As the ghosts were swept away, creating a brief opening, I shouted toward the sixth squad members.

“What are you doing?! Retreat immediately!”

Then, Squad Leader Won Cheong-won, who had been staring blankly at us, snapped to attention and shouted.

“Retreat! Run for your lives!”

Then, he himself approached me and shouted.

“Seventh Squad?! You retreat too! That number is impossible!”

I knew that better than anyone.

Right now, we could sweep them aside by flanking them with the momentum from our long charge. But soon, if they concentrated their attack on Bae Jong-gwan, he’d be forced to stop in his tracks and get surrounded.

But I hadn’t come here relying solely on Bae Jong-gwan. I shouted loudly.

“Sa-young! It’s your turn!”

Then, Biseyoung, who had been waiting in the rear, cursed and charged forward.

“Damn it! Making me do this crazy shit!”

Bisaeng used his blinding speed to brush past the minions thrown off balance by Bae Jong-gwan.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

All while slapping the minions’ cheeks at breakneck speed.

Red liquid smeared across the faces of the demons Bi Sa-yeong had slapped and passed by.

It was Bisea-yeong’s blood.

Biseoyoung had struck the Gangewis, leaving wounds on his palms as he passed.

The defining trait of the less intelligent Gan-gwi was their relentless pursuit of a single target once locked on.

Even in the Biyongdae, they were trained to exploit this trait, using two-man teams to confuse and counter the goblins.

And they possessed another defining trait.

They were utterly obsessed with human blood and flesh.

They were creatures engineered to prioritize tearing humans apart above all else.

Biseoyoung had just given those creatures a taste of his own blood.

So they couldn’t take their eyes off him.

The Gangeui who had been slapped by Biseaeng, even covered in his blood, sprang to their feet and began chasing him with the fury of a pack of dogs.

This included the intermediate-level Gangeui I had emphasized must be lured away.

“Kyaaaaaaa!”

“Kyaaaaaaa!”

“Kwaaaaah!”

As over thirty ghosts swarmed after him, Bi Sa-yeong began fleeing while screaming.

“Aaaaaah! Seonwoo Ji-in! You son of a bitch!”

Ignoring his curses, he grinned.

Everything was going according to plan.

Biseoyoung might be a bit scary, but he was the grand disciple of the Biseong Sect. He had undergone such intense divine technique training all this time. How could he possibly be caught by mere ghosts?

Those bastards would never be able to capture Biseoyoung.

…Probably.

So now, while Biseoyoung drew their attention, we only had to deal with the remaining twenty or so Gan-gwis.

It wouldn’t be easy, but with Biseoyoung taking the intermediate-level Gan-gwis, it wasn’t impossible either.

I said to Chief Officer Won.

“Sergeant Yook, I think you should come with me into the fray and draw the remaining ones’ attention, don’t you?”

Won Cheong-won, who had been staring at me with surprise, nodded and bravely leaped into the midst of the goblins first.

His Yuan Gong Quan, the signature technique of the Qingcheng Sect, spun like a whirlwind, flinging the ghosts aside.

Puff-puff-puff-puff-puff!

Following Captain Seolpung, it was a splendid display worthy of the second-ranked master of the Thirteen Generations.

But neither he nor I knew how long we could hold out in that chaos.

All they could do was hope Miss Qingyan would quickly reduce their numbers.

“Kyaaaaaaa!”

I caught one of the charging ghosts with my golden net, tossed it lightly backward, and then leaped into the fray myself.

The time had finally come for the Whirlwind Eighteen Strikes, practiced through sparring with Captain Seolpung, to reveal its true worth.

“Uhaaaaaaah!”

Pabababababak!

I swung my limbs wildly, lashing out and pushing back the waves of goblins charging like a tidal surge.

If I couldn’t block them, I absorbed the blows with my steel vest; if my hands weren’t enough, I bounced them off with body slams.

After all, unlike Captain Snowstorm who could crush them with raw power, this was all I could do.

Slashing at the goblins charging from all sides, grabbing and swinging them, I glanced at my comrades.

Then, I saw Bae Jong-gwan snatch the arms of the demon he had initially thrown in mid-air.

“Lady Cheongyeon! Got it!”

“Got it.”

Even as I was surrounded by goblins in the midst of the chaos, I couldn’t help but grin.

Once caught like that, no matter how much the spirit beast struggled, it couldn’t escape Bae Jong-gwan’s massive, muscular arms. Even if it was an intermediate spirit beast.

This was the conclusion I’d reached after countless experiments whenever I encountered goblins during patrols.

Moreover, even if the creature kicked Bae Jong-gwan with its free leg, it would be useless. Nothing but claws or teeth could pierce Bae Jong-gwan’s external martial arts defense.

So all the creature could do in that state was open its mouth wide and let out a bloodcurdling scream.

“Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

Then, the waiting Miss Qingyan would simply thrust her sword energy into that opening.

A skilled strike that pierced through the roof of its mouth straight to the brain.

It took only about three breaths to dispose of one. Our patrol team members, who had always handled the ghosts this way during each patrol, were now approaching the skill of seasoned craftsmen.

We even deliberately left one demon alive during attacks to use it for practice or various experiments.

‘Though to be precise, it wasn’t us, but Young Lady Cheongyeon…’

She wanted to conduct various experiments on the ghosts.

Experiments like how effective Bae Jong-gwan’s external martial arts were against them, or how well-tempered Nana and Bi Sa-yeong’s skin had become.

All this was possible, of course, because the Gan-gwi were the lowest-grade demons.

Apart from their tough skin, they were creatures that moved purely on instinct, like wild beasts.

Once this incident was over, new demons would soon appear, and then it wouldn’t be so easy to deal with them.

But for now, he could say with confidence:

No one from the Thirteenth Division could handle the Gan-gui better than our squad members.

“Ugh!”

He swung his body to fling the Gan-gwi away, occasionally tossing one toward Bae Jong-gwan to draw out more strength.

From now on, it was a battle of endurance.

***

The sight that greeted the Thirteen Masters, including Pungyang, and the six peak masters as they raced at full speed was quite peculiar.

“Aaaaaargh! I’m exhausted! I’m exhausted!”

The sight of Bi Sa-yeong screaming while being chased by over thirty ghosts, circling the forest, the sight of Won Cheong-won and Seon Woo-jin struggling fiercely amidst the horde of ghosts,

and the sight of Bae Jong-gwan and Cheong Yeon dispatching the ghosts one by one with the precision of artisans working in division of labor—all were utterly bewildering.

The peak masters, who had watched these scenes in a daze for a moment, immediately snapped to attention and charged toward the ghosts.

For those wielding powerful energy like sword energy or palm energy, even mid-level ghosts were merely ferocious beasts.

Seon Woo-jin watched them tear apart a demon with sword energy and shatter its head with fist energy, finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

Unbeknownst to the people, this was the same type of demonic beast attack that had claimed the lives of all members of the Sixth Division in Seonwoo Jin’s past life, save for the division leader, Won Cheongwon. Yet now, it was concluding with the minimum possible sacrifice.

***

Afternoon training, several days after the demonic beast attack.

“Ugh, the smell.”

As he applied the external energy training solution, Bi Sa-yeong grumbled again today.

“It’s black as pitch, sticky, and reeks to high heaven—no wonder people don’t want to learn it. Ugh, seriously.”

Watching him grumble while slathering it on his body, Bae Jong-gwan and I couldn’t help but smile.

Truthfully, he had been training quite diligently since the incident with the gang of thieves.

He seemed even more fired up now that he felt he’d grown and was finally getting recognition from others.

But that grumbling mouth of his never shut up.

“Look at that. If it weren’t for this liquid, everyone watching over there would have rushed over to train with us right now, wouldn’t they?”

I replied to his words.

“Well, from what I saw, it seemed like they actually started moving after seeing what happened next?”

As he said, several members from other groups were watching us from afar.

It wasn’t just today; over the past few days, quite a few people had been gathering to watch our external cultivation training.

All of this was the aftermath of the ghostly swarm attack.

News had spread that Yuan Qingyuan and I had survived amidst a swarm of over twenty Gan Gu using the Kwon Gak technique. Now, the members were seriously considering learning the Kwon Gak themselves.

Reaching the pinnacle of mastery to manifest martial energy would be ideal, but that was as distant a prospect as becoming rich overnight to enjoy a delicious dinner tonight.

Even if they couldn’t immediately deal with the Gan-gwi, if learning the Kwon-gak helped increase their survivability, there was no reason to refuse it.

Indeed, it seemed this issue would be seriously addressed at the cadre meeting.

His interest in external martial arts stemmed from the same reason.

When testimonies spread that Bae Jong-gwan and I had sent the ghosts flying with body slams, people began to reconsider external martial arts, which had previously been dismissed as mere quackery.

Of course, seeing them apply that suspicious-looking training solution made everyone flinch at first. But then, watching Bae Jong-gwan slap them with bamboo sticks, grinning like a pervert, made everyone turn and walk away…

Still, there were those who actively wanted to learn.

“Hey! Friends! Hard at work again today!”

Waving cheerfully as he approached, he was Won Cheong-won, the squad leader of the sixth squad, whose long arms were particularly impressive.

“Do you apply that every day? Does applying it let you use that Vajra Rain technique? I want to try it too…!”

Originally a warrior and having fought alongside us, he seemed genuinely eager to learn external martial arts.

It’s just that the people around him don’t want him to.

Gong Jong-hwa, the Sixth Division Deputy Chief, immediately followed behind, grabbed his ear, and began dragging him away again.

He left us with a polite smile and a farewell.

“Hahaha! My apologies!”

“Aaah! Deputy Chief, why?! I really want to try that out!”

Then, members of the Sixth Bureau appeared from somewhere, each grabbing one of Won Cheong-won’s limbs and carrying him away while greeting us.

“Good work!”

“You look great covered in mud!”

It was indeed the Six Team, the most united and cheerful team in the Thirteenth Division.

Though that unity was mainly because they were successfully restraining their own team leader’s actions.

After the Sixth Squad swept past like a storm, a moment later, the Third Squad members passed by our side.

Even from a distance, you could tell they were Team Three.

Their leader was none other than Dang Yeo-eun of the Dang Family Sword Peak.

Her cold, intelligent beauty seemed to radiate light all by itself amidst the crowd.

The squad members and followers trailing behind her seemed like mere shadows.

“It’s Lady Dang.”

“Lady Dang.”

“Wow, as expected.”

We, who were in the midst of external cultivation, found our gaze drawn to her without even realizing it.

It was almost instinctive.

Though we saw her face once a day, her beauty was such that admiration couldn’t help but escape us every time.

I, for one, would argue with all my heart that our deputy leader, Lady Na Se-yu, is the most beautiful. Yet, as long as I have eyes, I had to admit defeat.

If we were to compare appearances objectively, perhaps the only one who could rival her was Miss Cheonhye Geombong, Miss Cheonhye Geombong, whom we had seen at the Seonwoo Seoga?

Just then, a well-built man walking right behind Dang Ye-eun suddenly smiled at us, approached, and spoke.

“Nice to meet you! I’ve seen you passing by often, but this is the first time we’ve actually exchanged greetings!”

He was Myeong Sahyeon, the deputy squad leader of the Third Squad. He was such a straightforward man that he openly declared to everyone he was her deputy squad leader because he was smitten with Dang Yeo-eun.

Moreover, due to his immense popularity, he effectively served as the third squad’s de facto leader, handling the interpersonal relationships that Tang Ye-eun, who found such interactions somewhat uncomfortable, struggled with.

He approached us with a friendly smile and spoke.

“I’ll say it now, but I’ve thought all this time you were wasting your time on pointless things.”

Hmm, I could understand that completely.

After all, in my past life, even I, his friend, had thought the same.

“But you’ve proven otherwise—that your training holds real value.”

Having said that, he bowed respectfully to us and apologized.

“So I wanted to apologize. For having looked down on you, even if only in my heart.”

He was indeed the straightforward man we’d heard about.

We bowed back and told him it was fine.

Then, with a playful look on his face, he whispered as if speaking into our ears.

“And this is a secret, but if I ever get the chance, I’d like to learn some external martial arts from you guys. It’s just… my goddess probably wouldn’t like it, so I’m hesitating.”

Just then, Dang Yeo-eun, who had been walking some distance away, called out to him.

“Deputy Leader! Aren’t you coming?!”

He pretended to startle, then smiled and whispered to us.

“See that? Our goddess is quite possessive, contrary to appearances. Well, I must be off now. Until next time.”

Before he could turn away, I grabbed him urgently, without even realizing it.

“Deputy Chief Myeong!”

“Hmm?”

“Ah, well… No. Take care of yourself. I’ll pray we can train together next time.”

“Huh? Hahaha! Thanks! I’ll hope for that too!”

I watched him run toward Dang Ye-eun with a cheerful laugh and her waiting expression of exasperation with a heavy gaze.

A sigh escaped me without my knowing it.

In his past life, he had died.

By the sword of Dang Yeo-eun, the woman he loved.

Dang Yeo-eun had no choice but to kill him, for he had been possessed by the Blood Cult and turned into a puppet.

Though my heart ached to warn her, I too didn’t know exactly when or how it had happened.

I only knew that Dang Yeo-eun had personally killed him after he was possessed by the Blood Cult, and that she had collapsed afterward.

Now, everyone in the Thirteenth Generation believed that Myeong Sahyeon alone had been pursuing Dang Yeo-eun, but apparently, that wasn’t the case.

After being forced to kill him with her own hands, Dang Yeo-eun never recovered her sanity. For some reason, one day she became the woman of Ma Yu-gyeom, the fourth squad leader.

And she was treated almost like a plaything…

Her final image, collapsing in despair and sobbing over Ma Yugyeom’s betrayal as he switched allegiance to the Blood Sect in the last moment, remained vividly etched in my memory.

She was not the flawless ice goddess we saw on the surface.

As I couldn’t tear my eyes away from them, Bi Sa-yeong smiled and teased me.

“What’s this? Jin, do you have feelings for Lady Dang too? This won’t do. Give it up. Unrequited love only sickens the heart.”

I chuckled and shook my head.

“What nonsense. As if I could harbor feelings for Lady Tang? I have no desire to die by the swords of those countless comrades either. I just wanted to strike up a conversation…”

Truthfully, he wasn’t entirely indifferent to her.

The Iron Fiends would appear soon after the Iron Fiend swarm attack had passed.

To deal with the Iron Demons, impervious to sword energy and unbreakable by fist energy, he needed Lady Tang’s help.

But the truth was, I had no connection to her whatsoever, and I was agonizing over how to even start a conversation.

Then, Biseyoung, misunderstanding my words, said with a serious expression.

“Huh? What? Was it real? Were your feelings so deep that you’d be happy just to talk to her? You had feelings, but held back because of your comrades?”

That huge leap in logic genuinely flustered me this time.

My mouth fell open as I tried to retort.

“Ah, no. What are you…?”

“What? Seriously? Jin, you’ve been harboring feelings for Lady Tang?”

When Bae Jong-gwan chimed in with his booming voice, I should have realized.

That rumors travel faster than the wind.

And that any room for misunderstanding should have been eliminated early on.

Before I knew it, Miss Cheon Ju-eun from our group, who had been approaching from behind to greet us, was shouting in shock.

“What?! Did you just hear that?! They say Seonwoo Gongja has feelings for Lady Tang?!”

The ones she was addressing were none other than Lady Na Se-yu and Lady Cheong-yeon.

My vision went white.

“Ah, no! Miss Cheon, Miss Na! That, that’s not it!”

But as I tried to explain, all I could see was Lady Na’s face, filled with a pitiful gaze fixed on me.

“Ugh!”

Unable to speak my true feelings, I could only stare up at the sky in frustration.