novelraw Chapter 28 : Chapter 28
Chapter 28 : Chapter 28
Chapter 28 - Anti-Demon Squad (3)
‘Is it four places?’
Jaun, having confirmed the actual attacks in an instant amidst the shadows of Baek-myo’s feet striking down with tremendous speed, quickly stabbed his sword upwards.
— Pa-pa-pa-bang
Jaun struck away all of Baek-myo’s pouring kicks.
Jaun’s scabbard shot toward Baek-myo, who was turning in mid-air and landing on the ground.
— Tu-uk
Baek-myo, pushing away Jaun’s scabbard shooting toward her solar plexus with her arm, spun her body greatly and launched a roundhouse kick at Jaun.
— Hu-ung
Baek-myo’s leg, flying at tremendous speed, narrowly grazed past Jaun’s forehead.
‘Ah, that was dangerous this time too.’
Jaun quickly retreated backward, his bangs fluttering.
Although she was still hiding most of her skills, Baek-myo’s speed was enough to surprise Jaun intermittently.
‘She’s definitely got speed down properly.’
Jaun grinned and raised his scabbard toward Baek-myo again.
Watching the sparring between Jaun and Baek-myo, who were repeatedly advancing and retreating, Hyeon-dam let out a hollow laugh.
“What kind of new recruit in the world follows the movements of Baek-myo using the Shadowless Kick?”
“……That’s what I want to ask.”
Yeon Seung-il, coming to his senses, bit his lips tightly.
‘He is definitely a Peak Master. Looking at his utilization of Qi and his perception range, he is absolutely not just First-Rate. But how can he reach the Peak Realm at that age?’
Yeon Seung-il’s mind became tangled in confusion.
‘Is he a joint successor of the Nine Great Sects and the One Beggar Clan? The Murim Alliance’s secret weapon to counter the Demonic Cult? In the first place, why is such a guy here now? No, even if I accept the Anti-Demon Squad part, why our squad and not the Combat Squad? Perhaps there was a hidden meaning in Divine Wind Sword asking me to look after him?’
No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t understand this situation.
Yeon Seung-il, who had been pondering for a long time, felt something and turned his head to the side. He saw a group of people approaching them from outside the training ground.
‘Tsk. Why now of all times.’
Yeon Seung-il, looking back at Jaun and Baek-myo with regretful eyes, smacked his lips.
“Stop! That’s enough.”
— Pa-ang!
Baek-myo, who kicked away Jaun’s scabbard refreshingly for the last time, wiped the sweat dripping down her face and shouted.
“This is totally awesome! Squad Leader, this kid just blocked all of my Shadowless Kicks!”
Yeon Seung-il, who silenced the excited Baek-myo by raising a finger to his lips, turned his body to one side.
Those wearing white robes who had been approaching from outside the training ground were already gathered in front of the group before they knew it.
***
“Has our White Cat been doing well?”
“I smell rotting plum blossoms from somewhere. We were just having fun, but someone can’t read the atmosphere. Tsk.”
Baek-myo, blocking her nose with one hand, grumbled with a nasal voice.
“……You still lack manners, I see.”
The young man, dusting off the robe with a plum blossom pattern embroidered on the chest with his hand, looked around.
“You work hard inhaling dust in the dirt field today as well.”
Yeon Seung-il bowed his head once with a sour expression.
“What wind blows the Vice Squad Leader all the way to the training ground?”
“If I am the Vice Squad Leader, shouldn’t I naturally inspect the squad members’ training?”
Hyeon-dam, looking at the young man standing with a smile, muttered quietly from the side.
“He got the position with the name of the Three Swords of Mount Hua despite lacking skills, yet he is so shameless…….”
“……You there, bald monk. What did you say just now?”
The young man wearing the robe with plum blossoms drawn on it looked at Hyeon-dam with a reddened face.
“If not, then whatever.”
Hyeon-dam kicked the ground and blurred his words.
“Then should our noble Sword Ghost of Hainan, who has reached the Peak Realm, have become the Vice Squad Leader? There must be a reason why he has no choice but to be a mere squad leader instead of a Vice Squad Leader despite being a Peak Master.”
Yeon Seung-il, looking at the Vice Squad Leader who was tilting his head slyly, sighed.
“Don’t pick a fight and just state your business. We are training.”
“So prickly.”
The young man, with a faint smile on his lips, clasped his hands behind his back and lifted his head.
“We have detected large-scale movements from the Demonic Cult. The region is Sichuan. As you know, the Emei Sect is not in a situation to move right now, so the Murim Alliance’s support is desperate. Therefore, the Reconnaissance Squad needs to go in first…… In times like these, the only place that comes to mind is Squad 30 where our Squad Leader Yeon Seung-il is.”
“We received a new squad member today. Are you telling us to take a new recruit and go out to the front lines?”
At Baek-myo’s shrill voice, the young man called Vice Squad Leader stared intently at Baek-myo.
“Whether you take him or not seems to be your concern.”
The young man, who let out a small sneer, continued speaking to Yeon Seung-il again.
“Currently, the one blocking the Demonic Cult is the Sichuan Tang Clan. You must know that the Tang Clan’s power has weakened significantly due to continuous battles with the Demonic Cult. Amidst this, I heard that Great Hero Tang Il-bi of the Tang Clan, upon learning of the Demonic Cult’s large-scale movements, is even breaking his closed-door cultivation to come out…….”
The young man, trailing off, glanced at Yeon Seung-il.
“Doesn’t our Squad Leader Yeon Seung-il have some friendship with Great Hero Tang Il-bi? I think you wouldn’t just ignore a friend’s difficulty.”
At the young man’s words, Yeon Seung-il furrowed his brow.
“Il-bi…….”
Yeon Seung-il, who frowned and was lost in thought for a moment, looked straight at the Vice Squad Leader.
“If Il-bi is breaking his closed-door cultivation to come out, it means the situation is quite serious.
If the situation is this urgent, shouldn’t the Support Squad and Combat Squad participate together, not just the Reconnaissance Squad?”
“You know well that the situation in the heart of the Central Plains is not easy. It is burdensome to move a large number of personnel. Once Squad 30 blocks the path for now, I will try to request support from the Strategist.”
Hyeon-dam, who was listening from the side, let out a laugh as if it were absurd and ground his teeth.
“Thirteen times. The number of times our squad has blocked the Demonic Cult without any support so far. Thanks to that, Squad 30, which used to be ten people, is now only three, no, only four left even including the new recruit. Has proper support ever come even once? It sounds like you’re telling only our squad to bleed this time too?”
The young man, turning back to Hyeon-dam, shook his head from side to side.
“If it’s burdensome, how about you stop there and return to Shaolin? Until when will you remain here shouting for revenge for your master? It seems Shaolin would be willing to accept you again if it’s you. Why are you rolling in this mud when you could take the easy path?”
Veins popped on Hyeon-dam’s forehead at the young man’s words.
However, Hyeon-dam, soon calming his temper and catching his breath, spat on the ground.
“Distinguish between what to say and what not to say, Vice Squad Leader. With proper support, we could sufficiently stop the Demonic Cult in Sichuan, so why are you neglecting Sichuan like this?”
“Hmph. Have you forgotten that the noble Sichuan Tang Clan said they could block the Demonic Cultists even without the Murim Alliance’s help?”
“…….”
“Now it seems the Tang Clan has lost quite a few teeth too. At this point, they should humble themselves and come in. Only then can the Alliance provide proper support.”
At the young man’s words embedded with thorns, Yeon Seung-il sighed.
“In the end, you want to drain the Tang Clan’s strength by borrowing the Demonic Cult’s hands? Until when will you deal with things so complacently, Vice Squad Leader. You must protect the Central Plains.”
The young man, scratching his head as if annoyed, turned his head toward Yeon Seung-il.
“If you have complaints, challenge for the Vice Squad Leader position. If you have no intention of doing so, accept the order without grumbling. How long must I keep tolerating this kind of insubordination?”
At the young man’s words, Yeon Seung-il looked up at the sky once as if frustrated.
Yeon Seung-il, who was biting his lips, lowered his gaze and looked at Jaun once.
Confirming Jaun looking back at him with a calm face, Yeon Seung-il turned his body toward the Vice Squad Leader.
“……Anti-Demon Squad, Squad 30. Total personnel four. We accept the Vice Squad Leader’s order and will go out to Sichuan for support.”
“You should have done so earlier.”
The young man, hearing the answer he wanted, clapped his hands once and looked around left and right.
The young man, looking at the squad members with a smile, turned his body back, and immediately, guards surrounded the young man.
“Suffer a bit. According to rumors, it seems the Demonic Cult side has moved properly too.”
The young man, flashing an inscrutable smile at Yeon Seung-il once again, moved his steps just like that.
“…….”
Jaun’s voice was heard in the ears of Yeon Seung-il, who was watching the retreating back of the Vice Squad Leader.
“Squad Leader. Shall we talk for a moment?”
Yeon Seung-il, turning his body at Jaun’s words, slowly nodded.
***
“What did you want that you came here?”
Yeon Seung-il, who followed Jaun into the dormitory, sat down on the floor with a thud and asked.
“The destruction of the Demonic Cult.”
Yeon Seung-il smirked at Jaun’s concise answer.
“That’s welcome news to hear. However, I absolutely cannot understand who you are and why you want the destruction of the Demonic Cult.”
“It’s a personal revenge. I have sins to ask of the Demonic Cult.”
Yeon Seung-il, who stared piercingly into Jaun’s eyes for a long time, sighed.
“Revenge. In the end, our squad has gathered only people dreaming of revenge. Right, if not for such a reason, there would be no reason to step into this mud.”
Yeon Seung-il, rising from his seat with a bitter expression, slowly approached Jaun and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Even so, I haven’t heard of a rising star possessing martial prowess like yours. What on earth is your identity? And what is the reason for hiding your martial arts while saying you wish for the Demonic Cult’s destruction?”
At Yeon Seung-il’s question, Jaun looked down at his hands once.
“I will definitely tell you when the time comes. As of now…… it seems difficult to tell you everything. But please believe me. I have no other intentions.”
Yeon Seung-il, who looked down calmly at Jaun’s figure, slowly raised his body.
“Everyone has at least one thing they want to hide. Where would there be a person without a single secret? But you have crossed the line. Possessing that level of skill at that age clearly means you had someone’s help.”
Yeon Seung-il, who paced around the room with his hands behind his back, sighed and turned his head toward Jaun.
“Indeed. In a situation where even fingernail-sized support is desperate, I’m not in a position to be picky.”
Yeon Seung-il, cracking his neck, looked at Jaun.
“I have many things I want to ask, but for now, I will put them down. However, there is one answer I must hear. Whoever is behind you, however you obtained that power…… Squad 30 of the Anti-Demon Squad. Can you promise that there will be no harm to my squad members who are no different from family to me?”
Jaun, looking at Yeon Seung-il’s hardened expression, nodded.
“Of course. I really have no other intentions. I have business to take revenge on the Demonic Cult, but there are just some things difficult to reveal in that process.”
“……I will trust you for now. But keep this in mind. You must absolutely not think of the mission lightly. Revenge? It is certainly a big motivation, but there aren’t as many people as you think who are willing to offer even their own lives for that goal.”
Yeon Seung-il, who approached right in front of Jaun, raised his eyes straight.
“So if your thoughts change or you want to back out of the mission, tell me immediately at any time. Only then can I make the correct judgment too.”
At Yeon Seung-il’s words, Jaun nodded slowly.
“Then get ready. We plan to move to Sichuan tomorrow. Considering the skills you possess, you won’t be easily defeated, but the Demonic Energy used by Demonic Cultists contains something different from ordinary energy.”
Yeon Seung-il stared intently at Jaun.
“Absolutely do not let your guard down, and while you belong here, follow my instructions well. I will ensure you don’t die a dog’s death.”
Having finished speaking, Yeon Seung-il rose and walked out of the dormitory, and Jaun quietly watched Yeon Seung-il walking out.
***
“Tomorrow? To Sichuan?”
Eun-wol, who was listening to Jaun, opened her eyes wide.
“Yeah. They say the reconnaissance mission starts right away tomorrow.”
“No, not even half a day has passed since you were assigned, what on earth does this mean!”
Gwang-gae rose abruptly from his seat, his face flushing red.
“I knew it would be like this. Everything the Murim Alliance does is like this. Are they saying they’ll use everyone as consumables unless they are from the Nine Great Sects or the Five Great Families?”
At Ice Rakshasa’s words, Gwang-gae turned his flushed face away sharply. Ice Rakshasa, who snorted at Gwang-gae, continued speaking.
“No, isn’t it true? Does this make sense logically? I heard some talk at the Sado Alliance too, but they say among the Demonic Cult personnel moving to Sichuan this time, there are over two Combat Squads alone. Yet they send only four people? And including a new recruit? This is just telling you to go and die.”
“……There must be some confusion. This can’t be. I will go into the Murim Alliance tomorrow and investigate properly.”
Jaun calmed the agitated people around him.
“I am fine. Facing the Demonic Cult was what I wanted anyway. For now, I’ll try clashing with them, and if I feel it’s really not working, I have the ability to take care of myself and escape, so don’t worry too much.”
“Un-a, this isn’t something to think so lightly about! What is happening in Sichuan right now isn’t a simple conflict, it’s a war.”
At Eun-wol’s earnest voice, Ice Rakshasa added her words.
“That’s right. Young Hero Jaun. The Demonic Cult’s movements, which had only been probing until now, have completely changed. Even if it’s called a reconnaissance mission, this task is too dangerous.”
Looking back at the two people worrying about him, Jaun smiled.
“I appreciate you worrying about me, but deciding to participate in this reconnaissance mission is my choice. I will return safely, so don’t worry too much.”
At Jaun’s eyes where determination was felt, the group couldn’t continue speaking any further and fell into their own thoughts.
Eventually, dinner ended in a somewhat awkward atmosphere, and when Jaun went up to his accommodation, the remaining group also finished their farewells and quickly dispersed.