Chapter 23

Taiyuan's Jin Sect.

The Sect a person knew by name, whose home base was in Taiyuan. However in reality it was like a conglomerate, and the Jin Sect wasn't just confined in Taiyuan.

200 years passed since the day of the Sect's founding. Many years have gone by since the Jin Sect established branches scattered around Shanxi.

[In five days, scout out Dingyang and return.]

The first mission the team received. When we received the order, the team showed two different reactions.

"It's nothing."

Like Hyuk Mujin, there were those who were disappointed and like Han Yeop, there were those who let out sighs of relief.

Of course, I wasn't satisfied with either reaction.

Hyuk Mujin's side was too caught up in their ambitions, while Han Yeop's side were too afraid to fight.

'Right, a safe mission is better.'

I couldn't imagine what would happen if these guys faced the enemy. Even just imagining it was horrible. Rather, facing the frontline with people I trusted could be more dangerous.

'Do I need to at least apply for a transfer.'

I sighed and raised my fist. It was one of my signals. The meaning was to stop.

The eleven horses that were moving at a good pace, stopped. Hyuk Mujin, who was on my right, spoke gruffly.

"Why are we stopping?"

"To rest."

"Again?"

"We've moved for one hour. After that, we're resting for 15 minutes. Didn't I already explain this?"

"We can keep going!"

"Then go alone."

I slightly moved my chin. The other team members were resting, while breathing roughly. In return of going at a fast pace, stamina was depleted faster.

Even though Hyuk Mujin, who was at a higher level, could keep up, the other members of the team couldn't.

"If I say to rest, rest. It's an order."

Hyuk Mujin, with a crumpled face, ignored me and looked towards the team members and spoke.

"Rest for fifteen minutes."

Fifteen minutes. Even though I gave them 15 minutes to rest, the team member faces weren't bright. It's because I pulled out a large backpack.

I thought of something as I put my hand into the backpack.

'Open Inventory.'

Along with the sounds of items clanging, three shields were summoned into the backpack. The iron-coated wooden shields that I grabbed before we left were light and firm.

"Seven. Eight. Nine."

The chosen team members grabbed the shields with expressions of death on their faces.

The three that I selected were the tankers.

"Seven dealers. Three tankers. And me."

If they went into a gate, they would probably be exterminated but it was good enough at this level.

"To your positions."

Next was formation.

"Basic formation."

The three raised their shields and stood at the very front, while number one Hyuk Mujin all the way to number six stood in a second row. Han Yeop stood at the rear.

It was a frontline guard formation.

"Spread out. Line up. Gather."

Even though their faces were full of resentment, they were now pretty efficient. If they were at this level, they would be better than F-rank hunters who had just graduated.

'NPCs are better then people.'

Maybe it was the difference between having the presence of Qi.

F-rank hunters couldn't use mana but in the Murim world, NPCs could utilize Qi.

The only difference was their levels were lower, and they didn't have any experience.

I started the final formation.

"Power retreat."

The team stopped.

"What?"

"What is a power retreat?"

"Exactly as I said. Use all of your strength to retreat."

"Then what position…?"

"At that point, your positions would be pointless. Just use all of your strength to fall back. Don't even turn back and just escape."

"Haha. Are you saying those are words right now?"

The person who was sneering at me, of course was Hyuk Mujin.

"I can't hold back anymore. Third Master, do you think war is playing house? If you're going to say nonsense, then you should have at least read military strategies."

"Military strategies?"

"Right. Military strategies! Retreating in an orderly manner is the basic of the basics, what kind of absurd words are you saying right now?"

Hyuk Mujin dropped all formalities1 and the other team members were muttering to one another.

"He's right."

"We're not even government-affiliated soldiers but we're practicing formations, and he's forcing us to hold shields…"

"Power retreat? I haven't even heard of anything like that."

Look, everyone is thinking the same thing I am. Hyuk Mujin looked at me with that kind of expression.

At that moment, Han Yeop spoke up with an uncertain voice.

"I—I don't think that way."

"What?"

"Third Master, no the Captain has thoughts so that is why… yes?"2

"Thoughts?"

Hyuk Mujin's eyes were wide open.

"Thoughts what thoughts! From when he was young, he skipped training, played around with woman and drank alcohol all day. All he did was create problems. It's not only that, this war was also caused…"

"You should stop now?"

Hyuk Mujin flinched. It looked like he knew he spoke too much.

But there was always someone like that. When they needed to step back, but instead they took a step forward.

"Isn't it the Third Master who is responsible for this war!"

Hyuk Mujin had too much pride in order to stop what he was saying.

In the end because of the words he spit out, the atmosphere became chilly.

Gulp. Someone swallowed loudly. Hyuk Mujin looked at the nine others and I.

"You—you have something to say?"

Something to say? Of course I did.

"15 more minutes of break."

At the same time I struck Hyuk Mujin with my hand.

Slap—!

"One."

Hyuk Mujin's jaw turned. It was a hit without any use of Qi. In that sudden situation, he turned blank and my hand went towards him for the second time.

"What—what is this!"

But he had a strong mind, and raised his arm and blocked me. But if there was something he overlooked, it would be the difference in strength.

Slap—!

"Two."

Hyuk Mujin who fell towards the ground, immediately stood back up again. Like a tattoo, the imprint of my hand could be seen on one side of his face.

It didn't take long for his fluster to turn into anger.

"This fucker!"

It looked like he was really angry this time. As he furiously ran towards me, I put my leg out and tripped him. And at the same time, I struck him with my left hand.

Slap.

"Three."

"Kuk."

The strength went out in his legs and he stood up, shaking. Since I hit him three times, it made sense he didn't have any strength.

"Did you want to leave your Qi and turn it into soup?"

My words had an effect. He had been shaking before but he put strength into his lower body and now he looked like he was overflowing with strength. He glared at me with poison dripping from his eyes.

"You'll regret it."

"I don't think so."

I grabbed his fist that flew towards my face. Speed, strength, timing.

I could see everything. Compared to Lee So Geun, he was far behind.

"Four."

Hyuk Mujin's face recoiled backwards. Like slow motion, the blood flew into the air. Loose pupils and his legs that lost strength.

But he still managed to stand back up.

"Five."

Slap—!

It was only until that point. Hyuk Mujin couldn't hold on any longer and looked confused instead. Hyuk Mujin who was lying on the floor in a weird way, while I felt something land on me from above.

"Snow?"

I lifted my head and looked at the sky.

"Break is over. Let's go."

I turned around and my team looked at my back and they let out the breaths they were holding.

—

The first thing Hyuk Mujin did when he woke up was rush towards me.

"This fuck—!"

Slap. Flop.

"Take care of him."

"Yes, yes!"

As I slapped him, he fainted again and the other members struck him in the corner of the hut.

'A shack. We have good luck.'

If we kept going, we could have reached Dingyang before the sun set.

But because snow started to suddenly fall, there was nothing we could do and we barely managed to find shelter.

Maybe it was a shelter that only hunters knew about?

'It's pretty small, but still I'm thankful for even this much.'

Even though we were probably going to be late, but rather than meeting our enemies exhausted, it was a hundred times better to stay here.

It was when I was thinking that.

"Cap—captain."

It was Han Yeop. He glanced at his team members and looked nervously at me.

"What should we do now?"

"Huh? We should go to sleep."

"That, I mean…"

Looking at him stall, I thought of something.

You, it can't be…

"You want to train?"

Nod nod. I looked at him fiercely nodding his head up and down, and his enthusiastic gaze.

'I can't believe it.'

Rather than repeating myself a hundred times, it was better to beat someone up once.

—

It was around noon. The sunlight flashed on the blade of the sword, and that was the only thing the warrior could see.

"Cough."

Flop. He kneeled and his face fell forward onto the frozen ground.

From his shoulders to his chest, blood flowed from his injuries. Injuries he wouldn't be able to recover from. The warrior could tell he was about to die.

"The others… please save them."

Their voice that was full of strength cut off. A middle-aged man clicked his tongue at the warrior.

"Aigoo, this foolish friend."

How could he just come at him like that. But the following words didn't reach the dead. The fifty men surrounding him laughed.

"Of all things you had to be caught by the eldest hyung, you really had dirty luck."

"Just like a politician until the end, making demands of us. What should we do, eldest hyung?"

They looked with greedy gazes towards the remaining survivors. There were six or seven women and children bundled up together.

"Leader. Please save the children."

'One Word One Kill' Cho Pil, the middle-aged man, spoke gently and smiled at the woman, who was the oldest of the group.

"I apologize. But I am not the one with the most power here."

"But you're a person. How can you kill children who haven't even had a chance to live yet?"

"Hah, you've got a lot of backbone. But wait, I heard the branch Head of Shuozhou was still alive. By any chance?"

"He was my husband."

"Ah, I knew it. To think such a man would have a wise wife like you."

Cho Pil smiled, and the woman's face stiffened.

"You have no thoughts to save them."

"Be calm. I don't make it a hobby to rape or murder (干殺)."

"The children…"

"This tough world. How can these young children survive without their mothers?"

"You're lower than a brute."

"Woman, listen well."

Those words were a signal.

Swords flashed and death spread out.

In moments, the ground was soaked in blood and the men tossed the bodies into the bushes.

"It looks like the mountain animals will eat well."

A man with tiny, narrow eyes muttered. He was Cho Pil's right-hand man, known as Heuk Sando 'Black Mountain Blade' (黑山刀).3

"We need to eat as well. If we finish this up well, will we earn at least a thousand gold?"

Cho Pil, in a good mood, smiled. Even though the mission they received was big, he was enjoying himself in the current situation.

"To think the day would come when we could hunt down the Jin Sect bastards. It's unimaginable."

He stepped on the fallen warrior's body.

The warrior was from one of the dozens of branches, the Shuozhou branch, belonging to the Jin Sect.

"Is that the last?"

"No. Eldest hyung."

"They escaped well like a rat. The head count?"

"Altogether three. One warrior, and two children. They passed through Dingyang a few hours ago, and are headed towards Hengshui."

"What a headache. It's probably going to take half a day."

"There is no need for you to get involved. I will go myself."

"Will you?"

Cho Pil smiled, pleased.

"Good, take half of the men with you. The time limit is about half a day, what do you think?"

His answer was already decided. Heuk Sando bowed deeply.

And like always, I try to edit it a little to make it more readable, so hopefully the chapter doesn't sound too awkward. Thanks!