novelraw Chapter 46
Chapter 46
Chapter 46
While relentlessly alternating between attack and defense, Seo Mugyeom fully indulged in the sensation of real combat.
As time passed, a satisfied smile spread across Seo Mugyeom’s face. To others, that expression looked bizarre, and it filled them with fear. From that moment on, some even turned and fled.
At first, it was only a few, but eventually, many began scrambling to escape.
By that time, Seo Mugyeom had already picked up a blade once used by a dead bandit.
But for now, he still wanted to confirm more with the spear arts.
He chased the bandits, swinging his spear continuously as he charged outside, only to be confronted by those who had been waiting, unable to enter yet, now charging at him all at once.
Seo Mugyeom hadn’t expected there to be people waiting outside. It was because he hadn’t fully understood the meaning embedded in the bandits’ horn signal.
The one who blew the horn had received a telepathic message from the Boss, instructing only a few to enter while the rest waited outside. That was how the current situation had come to be.
If something like this had happened inside, Pyo Inhaeng might have been able to help. But here, he had to fight entirely alone.
He wanted to call the Division Leader, but he remembered the Division Leader fighting desperately against the Boss before he came out. Asking for help in such a moment could have placed even the Division Leader in danger.
‘I’ll try handling this alone for now. If it doesn’t work, then I’ll ask for help.’
With that thought, Seo Mugyeom took his stance.
Even at a glance, there were dozens waiting.
He knew Black Dragon Keep was the largest among the mountain keeps in the area, and he knew the bandits were skilled.
But now that he had come this far, he had to see it through to the end.
Before Seo Mugyeom could even finish his thoughts, several people moved in unison from their positions.
As rare and coordinated attacks came flying at him from all directions, Seo Mugyeom was overwhelmed.
When he blocked one attack, another inevitably landed. Such waves of attacks came from all directions simultaneously.
Seo Mugyeom used movement arts to dodge a few times, but even that soon became difficult. As the bandits closed in while swinging their blades, Seo Mugyeom was increasingly pushed back.
‘Maybe this time really is tough. Could I die here?’
Even while thinking that, Seo Mugyeom couldn't call for the Division Leader. There wasn’t even room for other thoughts. If he didn’t immediately block and deflect the blade aiming for his acupoint, he felt he would die right then and there.
With that thought, Seo Mugyeom swung his spear.
Even as they witnessed it, the bandits could hardly believe what was unfolding before their eyes. To them, Seo Mugyeom looked like a god of war on the battlefield. They had never seen someone wield a spear with such mastery. It wasn’t just fast—its destructive power was unreal.
The sound of air splitting exploded again and again. Then, the spear pierced through a man’s abdomen, his neck, and shot through his face.
It felt like he could’ve done this from the beginning. Why hadn’t he? That thought crossed even Seo Mugyeom’s mind.
In truth, Seo Mugyeom had felt a massive shift in a short time.
He endured, believing he might die here, desperately holding on with the resolve to take down at least one more enemy.
And in doing so, he suddenly felt his internal energy shift.
As he circulated it, an enormous torrent of qi surged along the path from his dantian. It was a foreign sensation he had never experienced before.
The qi moved so rapidly he feared it might rupture his acupoints.
That torrent slammed into his spear like a hammer. Then, a vivid blue aura shimmered along the shaft.
The bandits immediately sensed the shift in his energy.
There’s a saying—One Hundred Days Spear, One Thousand Days Blade, Ten Thousand Days Sword—implying that spear is the quickest to learn. However, its fatal flaw lies in the delay between attack and defense due to its length. Perhaps because of this, few spear-wielders ever earned renown as masters.
Yet this young warrior wielded his spear with such might that no one dared approach. The moment they stepped into his radius, they felt certain they would die. They didn’t want to enter his range, but they had no choice.
Like a bursting flood, Seo Mugyeom charged at them.
With each sweep of the spear unleashing a razor-sharp killing intent, several fell. It didn’t even look like the spear touched them, yet bodies split, holes opened, or skin was deeply torn.
Neither the cause nor shape of death made sense. It was simply a catastrophe.
Every time the spear sliced through the air, someone fell.
Eventually, the bandits completely lost their will to fight. They no longer believed they were facing someone like themselves but something entirely different. Consumed by terror, they became utterly powerless.
Seo Mugyeom ignored their terrified faces and screams as he leapt into the air, cleaving through people with his spear.
“P-please spare me! Please, just let me live!”
Some screamed and begged for mercy, but Seo Mugyeom showed not a hint of sympathy.
He had heard enough of what went on between the Boss and his executive leadership to know how vile these people were.
Just then, a scream came from inside.
It was Ho Jo-yeong’s voice.
Seo Mugyeom snapped to attention, picked up a sword from a fallen man, and lunged forward.
He thought it better now to use a weapon he was more familiar with, given Ho Jo-yeong might be in danger.
‘Will this sword be able to withstand my internal energy?’
He was worried, but even if the sword broke, there were plenty of replacements.
So many had died wielding blades and swords—he could simply use one of theirs.
The few bandits who narrowly escaped death saw Seo Mugyeom disappearing. Though they had survived, it didn’t feel fortunate. They realized their deaths had only been slightly delayed. Staying here much longer would likely mean the end for them.
One or two glanced at each other, then silently turned away. If anyone tried to stop them, they were ready to cut them down to escape. But hardly anyone stood in their way—almost everyone fled with the same urgency.
As Seo Mugyeom rushed inside, he wildly swung his spear at those trying to stop him. At first, using a spear had felt awkward, but now it felt natural—almost preferable. After wielding it for some time and cutting people down, it felt like it had become an extension of him.
Whenever Seo Mugyeom’s spear stirred the air, the bandits panicked.
Even just the tip flying toward them felt like Death itself descending. From that point on, his attacks were unstoppable. Spear tips severed arms, pierced bodies, sliced flesh, and sent heads rolling amidst screams and blood.
Leaving fallen enemies behind, Seo Mugyeom had already surged far ahead.
Each time he leapt off the ground and landed, those nearby exploded into fountains of blood and met death.
The shockwave from his spear’s qi left people utterly defenseless.
Seo Mugyeom felt his internal energy swirling unimaginably fast. To others, he might’ve looked like a man possessed by death, but to him, this rampage had another meaning.
If he stopped now, he felt everything would be decided right at that point. So he pushed himself further, hoping to expand his potential to the fullest.
When he leapt high into the air, everyone’s eyes turned toward him. Seeing the energy wrapped around the spear tip, they felt overwhelming fear.
Even Pyo Inhaeng and his group, who had come with him, were no exception. Pyo Inhaeng realized that Seo Mugyeom had changed since arriving.
He vaguely sensed that Seo Mugyeom’s internal energy had reawakened, but it was still just a guess.
When Seo Mugyeom, descending from the air, swept his spear toward the Boss and his men, a storm of qi surged forth.
All Pyo Inhaeng and his group could do was avoid being caught in it.
With a deafening roar, everything around them collapsed, and the ground sank in.
Seo Mugyeom leapt away just before the ground gave out.
The bandits caught in the blast were left unable to flee.
Those who died instantly were the lucky ones.
Looking around, Seo Mugyeom realized there was no longer any need for him to act.
Ho Jo-yeong, staring blankly at Seo Mugyeom, suddenly snapped to and stepped forward. It seemed he was jolted into realizing he had to do something too.
The remaining bandits were barely clinging to life, unable to move. So in that sense, Ho Jo-yeong's actions were arguably excessive. But everyone knew well that these pitiful figures didn’t deserve mercy.
Ju Jirang couldn’t hide her astonishment—was Seo Mugyeom really that strong? She thought about helping Ho Jo-yeong, but it seemed she didn’t need to step in.
Pyo Inhaeng was even more shocked. Perhaps more than anyone else. The more he knew Seo Mugyeom, the greater his astonishment.
“Seo Mugyeom, are you alright?”
The torrent of energy from Seo Mugyeom’s spear had exceeded Pyo Inhaeng’s imagination. He thought that perhaps only the First Division Leader of the Guardian Ten Division could pull off something like that.
He also wondered if Seo Mugyeom had pushed himself too hard alone. It seemed Seo Mugyeom believed he had to handle everything here by himself. That only made Pyo Inhaeng more curious.
Was it because Seo Mugyeom didn’t trust him enough? That thought led to guilt and a pang of regret.
Pyo Inhaeng wasn’t normally someone who thought that way, but seeing someone as young as Seo Mugyeom risk everything alone made those feelings arise.