novelraw Chapter 57
Chapter 57
Chapter 57
The onlookers understood the Captain’s intent and surrounded him, swinging their swords. It wasn’t something Pyo Inhaeng had intended or expected. But it seemed amusing nonetheless.
Pyo Inhaeng leaped up and engaged all of them at once. As Seo Mugyeom watched with an entertained expression, Pyo Inhaeng called out to him.
“Seo Mugyeom! Are you just going to let me die?”
Then Ho Jo-yeong shouted again.
“Mugyeom, you're not going to kill us, right? Just stay right there. We might actually be able to defeat the Captain.”
Others chimed in at his words.
They hadn’t really thought they could defeat the Captain, but seeing how things were unfolding, it started to seem possible. Of course, that was only because Pyo Inhaeng was matching their speed and strength for fun. But they thought otherwise.
Seo Mugyeom watched the scene with a smile. If the Captain truly seemed to be struggling, he would step in—but for now, it was clear the Captain wasn’t going all out either.
So it seemed fine to just observe for now.
“Seo Mugyeom, are you really not going to help?”
The Captain shouted, but Seo Mugyeom only smiled in response.
“Seo Mugyeom! Are you mocking your Captain's words?”
“Mugyeom, help us out, won’t you? If you just help a little, we might be able to defeat the Captain.”
The Captain and Ho Jo-yeong shouted one after another. The others, seemingly convinced that Seo Mugyeom’s help would tip the scale, began calling to him loudly.
“Mugyeom, get over here! Attack from behind! Let’s actually defeat the Captain this time. We’ve never won even once, remember?”
Before they knew it, everyone seemed genuinely excited about the idea of defeating the Captain.
Seo Mugyeom, finding it amusing as well, slowly made his way toward them.
Pyo Inhaeng glared at Seo Mugyeom, as if dumbfounded. Then he chuckled to himself, wondering if these people seriously believed they could take him down.
“You’ve grown cocky, not realizing I’ve been going easy on you?”
The Captain barked, but Ho Jo-yeong laughed.
“That’s exactly why we have to strike while you're holding back. When else would we ever defeat you, Captain? This feels like our chance—we're going to win and brag to everyone.”
“Have you lost your minds? Don’t you realize if you go around claiming you defeated me, the already terrible reputation of the Tenth Division will completely collapse?”
The Captain now even resorted to that kind of logic.
“What does that matter? I actually hope people misunderstand the Tenth Division even more. Rather than attracting random riffraff, it’s better if the ones already here train and improve together, don’t you think?”
It was Ho Jo-yeong who began saying that. But the others nodded in agreement, saying it didn’t sound so bad.
Pyo Inhaeng shook his head, saying they were all turning into fools. Meanwhile, Seo Mugyeom had reached his side. Pyo Inhaeng thought Seo Mugyeom might actually attack and tried to tell him not to. But then, Seo Mugyeom suddenly turned and began attacking Ho Jo-yeong and the other Tenth Division martial artists.
“Argh! What are you doing, Mugyeom?!”
Ho Jo-yeong shouted, feeling wronged, and Seo Mugyeom laughed.
“Never let your guard down. I’m trying to teach you that you never know where a weapon might fly from. Isn’t this what self-sacrifice is about?”
At that, Pyo Inhaeng burst out laughing, clearly pleased.
“That’s more like it. You’re truly Seo Mugyeom. I believed in you, Seo Mugyeom!”
But Seo Mugyeom’s betrayal didn’t end there. He turned around once again and attacked the Captain. The Tenth Division martial artists erupted in cheers.
“You’re amazing, Seo Mugyeom!”
A full-blown riot broke out in the training ground.
Knowing what the Captain was trying to do, Seo Mugyeom again swung his sword toward the Tenth Division warriors.
In an instant, dozens of exchanges passed. Even while handling five or six opponents at once, Seo Mugyeom remained composed.
The Tenth Division martial artists were genuinely shocked, wondering when Seo Mugyeom had reached such a level.
At least those who had accompanied him on Ak Seol-ah’s escort mission had seen glimpses of his skill. But to those who hadn’t, the change in him was simply unbelievable.
At first, the atmosphere had been loud and jovial, full of laughter. But at some point, no one was laughing anymore. The attacks from Seo Mugyeom and the Captain had become too sharp to fend off with a smile.
That was what the Sect Leader and the First Division Leader saw upon arriving at the Tenth Division.
The Sect Leader’s attendants were with him.
Most people didn’t know the attendants’ skill levels. The Sect Leader kept them hidden, and they only revealed themselves if his safety was threatened.
Unless the Sect Leader was in danger, they wouldn’t show their strength, even if they themselves were at risk.
The First Division Leader was curious about their strength but had no way of knowing. That meant they were either beneath him—or so skilled that comparison was impossible.
However, being somewhat confident in his own strength, it was hard to imagine that they were vastly superior.
But as the chaos in the Tenth Division unfolded, a glint appeared in the attendants’ eyes.
They had been thoroughly trained to never reveal personal emotions. Yet now, they couldn’t hide their surprise.
All of their gazes followed Seo Mugyeom alone.
They were aware that Pyo Inhaeng, as Captain of the Tenth Division, was often poorly regarded among the Guardian Ten Division. Even so, his performance now was impressive enough to shock them.
Their surprise at Pyo Inhaeng was from seeing how much he had improved. In contrast, the shock they felt seeing Seo Mugyeom was disbelief—how could someone with that level of skill exist within the Guardian Ten Division?
It wasn’t just that he was excellent for his age. Youth no longer seemed like a limitation for Seo Mugyeom.
Even the Sect Leader stood silently for a while, speechless, watching him.
Just as the First Division Leader was about to call the Tenth Division Captain, the Sect Leader raised a hand to stop him.
Only then did the First Division Leader realize what kind of attention Seo Mugyeom was receiving from the Sect Leader and his attendants.
From that moment on, he simply watched the Tenth Division’s chaos unfold.
As time passed, Seo Mugyeom became increasingly fired up with a sense of duty. He realized that if he just shed a bit more sweat and effort, he could help everyone here break through their limits. And so, he couldn’t stop.
The others were conflicted. They understood why Seo Mugyeom was doing this, and they knew enduring it would help—but it hurt. It hurt so much, they worried their bones might break.
“Mugyeom, could you go just a little easier on us?”
“Senior, this level of stimulus is necessary. Please endure it.”
And with that, he swung his sword without mercy. Upon closer inspection, it was the scabbard he was swinging.
The Sect Leader found it strange and looked at his attendants.
They all nodded.
They had suspected Seo Mugyeom was striking people’s acupoints with the scabbard to unblock their qi flow—and the attendants confirmed that guess.
Everyone wore expressions of disbelief. How could Seo Mugyeom possibly identify blocked qi points and relieve them with such precision?
In any other situation, Seo Mugyeom would have noticed the Sect Leader’s arrival. But as the Sect Leader had realized, Seo Mugyeom was extremely focused. The Tenth Division martial artists being struck also gradually began to understand the meaning behind Seo Mugyeom’s movements.
As a result, more and more of them began to gather around him.
Pyo Inhaeng noticed this too. It could have been a blow to his pride, but he decided to stop competing with Seo Mugyeom altogether.
Ultimately, Pyo Inhaeng was the first to notice the Sect Leader’s arrival.
“Sect Leader, you’re here.”
At his words, everyone else stopped and turned to face the Sect Leader.
The Sect Leader wore a smile of wonder.
“What’s going on here? I came because I heard the Tenth Division Captain challenged the Eighth Division Captain to a duel, but is this what the Tenth Division is always like?”
At the Sect Leader’s words, the other martial artists were speechless and looked to the Captain.
It was rare for any other Division Leader to visit. Let alone the First Division Leader. And now the Sect Leader too? It was hard to believe.
Many among them had longed to showcase their skills in front of the Sect Leader. That wasn’t unique to the Tenth Division; it was true of all the Guardian Ten Division martial artists.
“We returned from our mission not long ago and were granted time for independent training. So I was helping the Tenth Division martial artists with their training during that time.”
“I see. It seems quite lively. Looks like I interrupted something.”
“Not at all. Your timing was perfect. Any longer, and I might’ve accidentally killed a few of them.”
Though Pyo Inhaeng was joking, a few Tenth Division martial artists nodded as if that really could’ve happened.
“I can believe that.”
The Sect Leader replied, then turned to Seo Mugyeom.
“Who is he?”
He had met Seo Mugyeom before and had even assessed his internal energy. But now he asked again, as if he had completely forgotten about him.
When asked, Seo Mugyeom gave a polite bow.
“I am Seo Mugyeom of the Tenth Division.”
“I see. What was it you were just doing?”
Seo Mugyeom didn’t answer right away. He recalled the Captain’s advice: Trust no one but yourself. Bowing politely, he responded.
“I was dueling under the Captain’s orders.”
“I’m not asking because I didn’t know it was a duel. That wasn’t an ordinary duel, was it? If it was, why didn’t you draw your sword and instead swung with the scabbard?”
“It just turned out that way.”
The other Tenth Division martial artists heard what Seo Mugyeom said. And they realized he wasn’t being fully honest.
Ho Jo-yeong also looked at Seo Mugyeom in puzzlement. It wasn’t anything particularly sensitive, so why wasn’t he just saying it?