The Heavenly Demon Castle Anhui Branch was reduced to ashes, and the water bandits of the Eighteen Yangtze Waterway Strongholds were massacred. Though the Murim Alliance's advance was quite swift, since they dispatched forces after going through the Murim Grand Conference, the actual subjugation took place a full two weeks after the Namgung Family's calamity.
The subjugation process itself went extremely smoothly, but they couldn't execute all the villains. A large number of Demon Soldiers and water bandits went into hiding, evading the Murim Alliance's masters. Due to the nature of martial artists, once they removed their martial robes and hid among the common folk, it became extremely difficult to find them.
In the end, the Murim Alliance's subjugation ended as only half-complete.
In particular, they ultimately failed to catch Silver Naked Lecher Paga Blood, known as the Anhui Branch Head who led all these events, and Yangtze Dragon Hero Sa Sa-ho, the General Chief of the Yangtze Waterway Strongholds. According to information obtained during the subjugation, the two had disappeared immediately after the Namgung Family's blood calamity.
Where on earth had the two vanished to?
The Murim Alliance presumed they had fled along the Yangtze River to Sichuan and from there escaped to Heavenly Demon Castle. On the other hand, Heavenly Demon Castle claimed that the Murim Alliance had orchestrated all of this to attack Heavenly Demon Castle in the first place, propagating that those two were scapegoats of the conspiracy.
The Murim Alliance threatened Heavenly Demon Castle to hand them over, and Heavenly Demon Castle raged that the Orthodox Faction's trash were using schemes and vowed revenge. Regardless of what actually happened to Silver Naked Lecher and Yangtze Dragon Hero, their mysterious disappearance gave both sides justification to attack each other. The disappearance of the two itself became the pretext for war.
War clouds soon hung over the Martial World, and martial artists actually began gathering in succession to Sichuan, Gansu, and Qinghai. Now the situation had come to where war couldn't be stopped even if Silver Naked Lecher and Yangtze Dragon Hero appeared.
What indeed had happened to those two?
***
"So, you're saying the First Stratagem was completed without any problems?"
From behind a red curtain, a low, dry voice—difficult to discern whether male, female, old, or young—emerged and spread through the cave. It had an unpleasant texture, like a dead tree being scraped by wind.
This bizarre voice, the like of which couldn't be found again under Heaven.
The owner of the voice was Mubon.
And the place he was in, where his voice echoed, was the Secret Cave of Mubon.
There weren't even torches on the cave walls, but a faint red light seeping from somewhere dyed the entire space eerily. Before the curtained platform, two people in black clothes were prostrated, and their names were Paga Blood and Sa Sa-ho respectively—the very perpetrators who had turned the Martial World upside down.
Together with Transformed Shadow Do Heo-ok, they had exterminated the Namgung Family and immediately left Anhui Province. They had moved so quickly and swiftly that the dust of Anhui still clung to their robes. There was no reason whatsoever to remain there once the planned affair was concluded.
The Heavenly Demon Castle Anhui Branch and Eighteen Yangtze Waterway Strongholds, with their command structure collapsed, had trusted only Gray Shadow and Water Shadow and been stabbed in the back, inevitably falling into disarray under the Murim Alliance's attack.
As soon as the two arrived here, they reported the progress of the First Stratagem to Mubon and remained prostrated in that spot.
The words Mubon had just spoken were the first he'd uttered after quite some time had passed since receiving their report.
"Yes, Mubon."
Gray Shadow answered without delay.
Swoosh—
Along with an extremely low sound of cutting through air, Gray Shadow's right cheek was sliced lengthwise.
Gray Shadow saw nothing, felt nothing. However, he already knew who had done it. As far as he knew, there was only one person under Heaven who could freely manipulate energy force in this manner.
Drip drip drip.
Belatedly, blood flowed down his cheek. In fact, if he hadn't felt the pain, he wouldn't have known he was wounded until the blood came out. Mubon's attack was terrifyingly covert to that degree.
"Say it again."
Mubon's desolate voice flowed out from behind the curtain once more. Though extremely calm, none of those present received that voice plainly. The fact that Mubon's energy force had grazed their cheeks—that fact alone meant they were at fault.
Naturally, Gray Shadow couldn't give any answer.
Swoosh—
Drip.
The sound of cutting through air came again. This time it was his left cheek. Judging by the convulsion in his cheek, this one seemed to carry considerable force. Gray Shadow was in pain, but silently gritted his teeth and endured.
"It was completed without any problems, so why has Transformed Shadow become Namgung Hye? Was the original plan for Transformed Shadow to sneak into the Murim Alliance disguised as a woman?"
"..."
Gray Shadow and Water Shadow gave no answer, only bowing their heads further.
Then tremendous killing intent erupted from beyond the curtain. Overwhelmed by it, Gray Shadow and Water Shadow merely sweated and trembled. It wasn't fear or anything—their bodies, their instincts were simply reacting to the killing intent.
Not long after feeling the killing intent, red liquid began flowing from between Gray Shadow and Water Shadow's lips. Just receiving the killing intent with their bodies had caused internal injuries to two supreme masters.
Then at one moment.
"If such a thing happens once more, you will not die intact. Do you understand?"
Mubon's voice flowed out again and the killing intent lifted.
Gray Shadow and Water Shadow opened their mouths to answer, but.
"Ye... Mu...! Cough! bon..."
They vomited blood and fainted on the spot.
With that, Mubon's interrogation ended.
Mubon's voice echoed through the cave once more.
"Where did you say that fellow jumped down?"
Now there was no one properly standing in the cave, but from somewhere a heavy voice flowed out and answered Mubon's question.
"Seonjoong Mountain, Mubon."
The one who answered was Gwang-un, who had returned from Anhui Province earlier than Gray Shadow and Water Shadow. In fact, Mubon had already received a full progress report from him. And Gwang-un already knew who Mubon meant by 'that fellow.' Though he didn't know the exact identity.
"Seonjoong Mountain..."
Mubon's whisper-like low voice trembled finely and settled throughout the cave. By the time that trembling completely subsided and disappeared, his voice came out from behind the curtain once more.
"Flying Cloud."
No sooner had those words fallen than a black silhouette dropped from the ceiling to the ground. As soon as he descended to the floor, he pressed his forehead to the ground.
"You called, Mubon?"
"Can you descend below a very tall steep cliff?"
"Yes, Mubon."
What was this? To Mubon's nonsensical question, Flying Cloud gave a nonsensical answer. How on earth could a human made of flesh and blood safely descend below a very tall steep cliff?
However, Flying Cloud had answered immediately just moments ago without even a moment's hesitation. The Shadows and Clouds could tell no lies to Mubon. That meant what he said was true.
"Yes, that's right. If it's you, you'll be able to descend without any problems."
"..."
Flying Cloud waited for Mubon's next words without answering.
"The world is vast. The world excluding us is also vast. Isn't that so, Flying Cloud?"
"That is so, Mubon."
"Flying Cloud."
"Yes, Mubon. Please command me."
"Take those two and go to Seonjoong Mountain. Go and find that fellow. If he's dead, bring back at least his corpse. If by chance he's been shattered to pieces, collect even those bone fragments without leaving any behind."
"I obey."
After finishing his answer, Flying Cloud placed Water Shadow and Gray Shadow each on one shoulder and left the secret cave. The excellence of his Movement Technique was indescribable.
Once he disappeared, Mubon's voice echoed through the cave once more.
"Gwang-un."
"Yes, Mubon."
"Who do you think it is?"
Though there was no particular designation, Gwang-un well knew that the 'who' Mubon spoke of was 'that fellow.'
"I believe it's one of the Two Divinities, Three Eccentrics, Five Supremes, and Ten Greats."
"Too many. Narrow it down."
At Mubon's words, the secret cave fell into brief silence. However, it wasn't very long.
"I think it's one of the Three Eccentrics."
Gwang-un said.
"Why do you think that?"
Mubon asked again.
"The Two Divinities were at Tianshan and Mount Song respectively at that time. And the Ten Greats and Five Supremes don't have skills sufficient for that."
"Then are you saying the Three Eccentrics have the skills to do that?"
"I don't know if they can or cannot, but I think they might be able to."
"Hoho. 'Can' and 'might be able to.' Interesting."
"..."
"Gwang-un, your words have merit. Yes, we still haven't properly grasped only the Three Eccentrics. I also have no certainty about them, so you're right. Gwang-un."
Mubon laughed lowly with his bizarre voice and called Gwang-un.
"Yes, Mubon."
"You go immediately now, select ten from among the Outer Clouds, go to Anhui Province to recover the items, and after that track the whereabouts of the Three Eccentrics. The Second Stratagem is suspended until you find them."
"I obey."
Though an extremely important decision had been made in an instant, Gwang-un raised no objections. Mubon had spoken, and he had decided. That was the end of it.
After finishing his answer, Gwang-un left the secret cave.
Once he disappeared, the secret cave became a hollow cave again. Since Mubon was there as if present yet absent, it wasn't a complete hollow cave, but....
"Who are you? You?"
Mubon's voice, unclear who he was speaking to, once again traveled throughout every corner of the cave before disappearing.
You.
To one holding a blade in the darkness, the existence called 'you' is always frightening.
Though Mubon had told Gwang-un to pursue the Three Eccentrics, he thought 'that fellow' might not be one of the Three Eccentrics. As he himself had said earlier, the world was vast and wide. As vast as that width, there would be countless candidates for 'you' somewhere.
"Who are you? You...?"
Once again, Mubon unconsciously let slip the same words. And after a long while, he repeated those words again.
"Who are you? You?"
-x-X-x-
As the Murim Alliance and Heavenly Demon Castle clashed across various regions, a bloody storm swept through the Martial World.
The Black-White War.
People called the battle between Heavenly Demon Castle and the Murim Alliance that. No one knew who coined the name. Just like that, the martial world divided into two colors and waged war.
In the early stages of the war, victory belonged to Heavenly Demon Castle. Like the Anhui branch of Heavenly Demon Castle, branches in various regions had been operating in secret, so many of the Orthodox factions in each province had failed to identify the locations of Heavenly Demon Castle's strongholds.
As a result, attacks from the suddenly emerging branches of Heavenly Demon Castle caught them completely off guard. The prolonged period of peace had caused them to lower their guard against Demonic Path factions, which proved to be their downfall.
For the following month or so, the Murim Alliance's disadvantage continued. Judging by the initial situation alone, Heavenly Demon Castle's momentum was so fierce it seemed they might unify the entire Martial World at this rate.
However, even if it had become a paper tiger, the Murim Alliance was the collective force of the Orthodox martial world. It was by no means weak enough to easily yield to the Demonic Path.
Soon, the reorganized Murim Alliance entered defensive warfare with the Nine Sects and Four Great Families as strongholds. The advantage of the defending side in defensive warfare wasn't limited to nation versus nation conflicts. In fact, because various formations were installed in most large sects and families, defensive warfare in the martial world could be said to be even more advantageous compared to national warfare.
Although Heavenly Demon Castle was the largest single force in the martial world, it didn't have the capacity to handle the entire Central Plains. If they had military forces on a national scale, they could have employed a strategy of surrounding strongholds while devastating the remaining regions, but they simply didn't have abundant enough manpower for that. If Heavenly Demon Castle's main force surrounded and attacked one major sect, the Murim Alliance's rear guard units would inevitably emerge and strike Heavenly Demon Castle from behind.
Nevertheless, Heavenly Demon Castle leveraged its early advantage to occupy Kongtong Sect, Kunlun Sect, Mount Emei Sect, Qingcheng Sect, and the Tang Family. However, they had to shed much blood to do so.
Did that become the opening?
When Heavenly Demon Castle entered a breathing period, the opportunity for counterattack came to the Murim Alliance.
As four of the Nine Sects and One Society and two of the Five Great Families fell, factions across the Central Plains began to grow tense. Small and medium-sized sects that felt threatened joined the Murim Alliance one by one. Once that trend took hold, sects from across the nation flocked to Zhengzhou to join the Murim Alliance.
As a result, the Black-White War entered a new phase.
Heavenly Demon Castle, which had once advanced as far as Shaanxi at the heart of the Central Plains, was soon pushed back to Gansu, and the branches that had simultaneously risen in Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong, Henan, Hunan, and Jiangxi were all crushed. Riding the momentum, the Murim Alliance succeeded in reclaiming Kongtong Mountain and the Tang Family Manor.
It went without saying that both Heavenly Demon Castle and the Murim Alliance suffered tremendous casualties in the process. Thereafter, the war situation developed fiercely with back-and-forth struggles.
With Gansu and Sichuan as the boundary, both sides repeatedly advanced and retreated. Blood flowed to form rivers, torn flesh gathered to form hills, and corpses piled up like mountains.
The war grew increasingly fierce, but neither side could completely overwhelm the other. Eventually, the Black-White War showed signs of prolonging and entered a war of attrition. Though representatives from both sides hadn't met to discuss a ceasefire, the flames of war naturally subsided considerably.
On the surface, the victor of this sudden Black-White War was the Hall of Gathering Evil. Taking advantage of the fight between the Murim Alliance and Heavenly Demon Castle, they succeeded in dominating the underground economy across the Central Plains. Additionally, they accumulated vast wealth by selling weapons and supplies to both the black and white sides. They properly reaped the benefits while the martial world was in chaos.
Weapons were originally items controlled by the state and couldn't be sold freely, but martial world forces were different. The principle of non-interference between government and martial arts applied here as well.
From the perspective of the Imperial Court and officials, as long as the swords they used weren't pointed at them, they were willing to tolerate anything. Moreover, if they were waging a great war like now, what did weapon sales matter? Martial artists were thorns in their side anyway. If they couldn't control them, it was enough if they could reduce their power through neglect.
Eradicating them was impossible anyway.
The martial world had never disappeared since ancient times and had continued to exist while maintaining some connection with the government. Since officials and the Imperial Court also learned and practiced martial arts, it could perhaps be seen as a symbiotic relationship. There were definitely aspects where their existence increased national defense capabilities and war deterrence.
Nevertheless, the government always kept watch over the martial world. Especially at times like recently when barbarians invaded the borders, even more so. As chaotic as the martial world was, the current borders were equally chaotic.
War was being waged fiercely not only in the martial world but also in the northern regions of the Central Plains. And that place was truly where the phrase "mountains of corpses and seas of blood" fit. If ten people died per day in the martial world, hundreds, even sometimes thousands, died per day there.
As death became prevalent everywhere like this, windows of opportunity also opened.
Wanderers.
People who drifted through the world without fixed abode, making their living through swordsmanship and martial arts.
They were a peculiar breed of humans who had more work to do when the world became chaotic. The interesting fact was that demand for them existed on both the martial world and government sides.
When the martial world employed them, they became Wanderer warriors, and when the government bought them, they became mercenaries.
However,
Regardless of what name they were called by, there was one clear fact. No matter what words were used to package them, the truth was that they were ruthless human hunters. That one fact alone was an undeniable truth.
***
Datong, a city located in the northernmost part of Shanxi Province.
Today, too, a Wanderer Market was held here. Fierce-looking men carrying swords, sabers, axes, and such were sprawled out everywhere, their eyes gleaming. Some lay down to sleep, but most were waiting for sword brokers who would connect them with employers.
Sword brokers were those who connected Wanderers appropriate for the level of commission with employers and pocketed some profit. The sounds of haggling over prices here and there and disputes among sword brokers trying to bring in clients made the market buzz.
Also, throughout the Wanderer Market, tents—mobile dwellings of the northern barbarians—were set up, and inside them, harvested ears were being exchanged for silver coins or silver currency. The term "harvest" wasn't commonly used, but it was another word for hunting, and here it commonly referred to human hunting. There was no other special reason. It was simply called that because they went to war and harvested the ears of barbarians. And mercenaries made money by selling them to ear brokers at the tents. The ear brokers would put them in wrapping cloths and hand them over to military officials in exchange for silver coins.
Those who typically worked as mercenaries here were lower-class Wanderers. Those with reasonably useful skills could apply to the Murim Alliance's Wanderer Corps or Heavenly Demon Castle's Outer Demonic Being Squad. Wanderers selected after applying there would leave for Gansu. There, they would end up pointing their blade edges at each other. They were supposed to fight each other, yet they were recruited from the same place like this.
Ridiculously, neither the Murim Alliance nor Heavenly Demon Castle cared about this at all. To them, only the war of attrition itself had meaning. Since they couldn't stop the war anyway, they were trying to preserve their real strength in this manner.
Besides them, Wanderers with exceptionally outstanding skills mainly took on work guarding government officials or escorting transport goods for escort agencies. That side had better income and was safer. As such, it was work that greatly required skill.
Such Wanderer Markets could be easily found not only here in Datong but anywhere in the border regions. Especially in gloomy times like these, Wanderers became even more important. In periods when law and order were chaotic, those outside the system naturally became more meaningful.
Because of them, public safety in the nearby cities became a mess, but the Northern Expeditionary Force and garrison forces consistently turned a blind eye. Wanderers were a necessary evil anyway. These trash human scum were the same wherever they went. If that was the case, it was considered sufficient if they were used here to shed blood in place of others for money.
Whether the common people living in these frontier regions suffered difficulties or not was none of the concern of the local officials. If Wanderers were hunting dogs, weren't the people here the rabbits or bitches to appease their ferocity?
The most important task here in Datong was blocking and hunting the northern nomadic tribes. Wanderers were tools for that purpose. To properly appease hunting dogs, it was the hunter's virtue and correct attitude to occasionally throw them meat and, when they went into heat, throw them a bitch as well. If doing so prevented the hunting dogs from biting their master, the master was satisfied.
***
"We're departing for Guisui for a harvest. Those of you who are interested, don't hesitate and apply! Two silver coins per ear!"
The Wanderer Market suddenly grew quite bustling. It was because dozens of military officials had appeared. Their loud voices swept through every corner of the Wanderer Market, capturing the attention of the lower-class Wanderers. Two silver coins was quite a large sum, but considering it as saving a well-trained soldier, it was cheap. For that reason, the military hiring mercenaries was a very routine matter here.
However, the scale was exceptional. Though this was a Wanderer Market, it was rare to see dozens of military officials appearing at once to recruit mercenaries. The appearance of dozens of military officials meant they were recruiting mercenaries by the hundreds or even up to a thousand.
A large-scale expedition. It was the precursor to that. Of course, it was an excellent job opportunity for lower-class Wanderers. If they were lucky, they could easily harvest several ears. If they were even luckier, they might obtain children's ears or dead comrades' ears without lifting a finger.
"I'll go."
"Me too."
"Me as well."
Soon, Wanderers who had been sprawled sleeping here and there in the Wanderer Market got up and volunteered for the harvest.
"Name?"
"Ho Gu."
"Name?"
"Kang Paek."
Each military official recorded the names of those who volunteered one by one in the recruitment register. The reason for writing this down was to keep track of at least the minimum personnel. Since Wanderers were very willful people, keeping track of their numbers and names at least made control easier.
Each military official recorded about a hundred names that way. Compared to the number of military officials, it meant they had actually recruited over a thousand mercenaries. It was an unprecedentedly large-scale mercenary hiring even for this place.
"Anyone else?"
The military official who appeared to be the highest-ranking among them shouted loudly. There seemed to be no more volunteers as no one came forward. The military official asked "Anyone else?" one more time before closing the register.
But.
That was when it happened. A man sauntered over to him, snatched away the brush, and opened the register.
The man's physique was very sturdy, and his height was average. His hair, grown long in the back, was very dirty, and his front hair hung loose, covering both eyes.
-x-X-x-
Despite having his brush suddenly snatched away, the military official didn't blame the man. It was because he knew who the man was. No, not just him—all the military officials who had come here knew the man.
As long as it wasn't mad, a hunting dog with good jaw strength was the best. Moreover, this one who covered his eyes with his bangs was outstanding even here. Over the past year, hundreds and thousands of Wanderers had died, but he had survived for just as long. Wanderers who volunteered as mercenaries were typically lower-class Wanderers, but despite his good skills, he continued to do mercenary work. For the military, he was the perfect hunting dog to use.
The military official chuckled as he looked at the register.
There, the three characters of the name the man had written with a single stroke were inscribed quite splendidly. He didn't know what the man used to do, but if he was such a master calligrapher, there must be some story behind it.
'But it's none of my business anyway.'
To a hunting dog's owner, only the dog's teeth mattered—whether the creature was purebred or not wasn't worth considering at all.
The man's name was.
Kang Dal-hui.
"So Ear Ghost is going too, I see."
Ear Ghost.
The other Wanderers around called him that.
It was a new nickname that Kang Dal-hui—no, Dong Bong-su—had acquired here.
While everyone else cut off ears to make money, it was a nickname given because Dong Bong-su cut off many ears as if there was meaning in the act of cutting ears itself.
"If Ear Ghost is going, the work will go a bit more smoothly."
"Right."
"Then let's join in too."
With Ear Ghost's participation in the harvest, dozens of other Wanderers who had been hesitating joined as additional mercenaries.
Watching them, the military official sneered inwardly.
'Idiots. Do you think Ear Ghost will fight for you? Or die for you?'
It was a fitting mockery. In reality, harvests that Ear Ghost participated in had low survival rates for mercenaries. Even though Ear Ghost survived, countless other mercenaries died. The military officials recording the volunteer register all knew this fact well. Only the mercenaries didn't know it.
The military officials silently recorded the names of the additional personnel. More mercenaries meant more hunting dogs to die in their place, didn't it? They had no reason whatsoever to tear off the dogs' name tags.
A moment later.
Ultimately, approximately fifteen hundred names were recorded in the volunteer register. Thanks to Ear Ghost, they were able to conscript far more mercenaries than expected. Satisfied, the military officials stopped recruiting mercenaries.
"In two days, we depart for Guisui at the Hour of the Dragon. Assemble in front of the Datong Military Command by then."
Though none of the Wanderers were listening to their voices anymore, the military officials finished their duties to the end.
"That is all."
Having finished their work, the military officials left the Wanderer Market one by one.
The Wanderers who had secured work also streamed out of the place in droves. Among them was Ear Ghost Dong Bong-su. While the Wanderers headed noisily toward Datong's taverns or blue houses and red houses, chattering away with acquaintances they'd happened to meet, he was alone. No one approached him, nor did anyone offer a greeting.
Respectful distance, or should it be called fearful distance?
Even battle demons like mercenaries had things they feared.
Death.
Like everyone else, dying was frightening. Though they killed others without mercy, they were terrified of their own deaths. Because of this, the madness of death and the fear of it naturally permeated their bodies. So they naturally gathered among themselves to vent such emotions.
However, some among the Wanderers were special. He wasn't sure if such a thing should be called special, but in any case, there were peculiar ones.
Those who enjoyed the act of killing itself, those who had professionally killed since birth as their trade, or those who had been martial world experts but had hidden here after being branded as criminals for a momentary mistake or learning Demonic Arts.
These were people who were very familiar and accustomed to the thing called death. Wanderers didn't associate closely with them, even if they were fellow Wanderers. They couldn't. Their skill levels were different from the start, so the work itself was different. Lower-class Wanderers had to take any work that came their way without being choosy, but those people were personally employed by the martial world or the government to do more 'high-class' work. If lower-class Wanderers received money per head or per ear, they received money per job, and the amount was also vastly different from that of ordinary Wanderers—like heaven and earth.
Naturally, even if lower-class Wanderers didn't deliberately avoid them, they would automatically grow distant.
But Ear Ghost was different. Despite already being classified as top-grade in this Wanderer Market, he still continued to do mercenary work and go out on harvests.
Next time, next time, yes, next time for sure I'll skip it, definitely...
But this time too, Ear Ghost participated in the harvest without fail.
Various rumors circulated, but no one knew anything accurate about him. Because no one here was close to him.
Dong Bong-su trudged along toward his wooden house in the Wanderer Village located in Datong's outskirts.
Until then, a rookie Wanderer who had been watching quietly muttered resentfully.
"Tch. That young bastard acts so high and mighty. Should I chase after him and slit his throat?"
Thwack.
A veteran Wanderer standing nearby who heard his muttering struck the rookie hard on the back of the head.
"This bastard's gone mad."
"You crazy bastard! Who the hell are you to hit me? Huh?"
The rookie who got hit on the head couldn't hold back and talked back. Then another veteran drew his sword and said.
"When a life senior gives you advice, you should listen well and take it to heart. But there's always a dickhead like this who has to get tangled up."
Thunk.
A cold blade was already touching below the rookie's neck. Only then did the rookie shut his mouth.
"Now, listen carefully to what I'm about to say. I don't want to taste the milky red broth that comes out of that filthy head of yours. Got it?"
"..."
"I said, got it, you tiny greenhorn?"
The rookie had no choice but to nod even though he knew it was scratching his neck. If he didn't, it felt like his throat would really be cut.
As a trickle of blood began to seep from the rookie's neck, the veteran opened his mouth and began to talk about Ear Ghost.
"It must have been about a year ago. When some scrawny, shabby beggar-looking guy appeared here..."
***
A boy. Perhaps a youth who had just reached his coming of age.
Though he was utterly wretched, the very existence of a boy was rare prey in Datong.
Though there were many courtesans in Datong, they were almost all retired courtesans. Old prostitutes whose bodies had deteriorated to the point they could no longer arouse men's lust or whose eyes had long lost their vitality. Wanderers reluctantly used them instead of their own hands to relieve their lust, but sometimes they were worse than their hands.
A young and fresh boy's buttocks had more value here than the sagging breasts of old courtesans. So it was an unwritten rule here to pounce like wolves when such young prey appeared.
On the first day Dong Bong-su appeared.
Five or six starving Wanderers dragged him into an alley. Beastly desire glinted in their eyes, and they grabbed the boy's arm with rough hands. And another dozen or so Wanderers drooled outside the alley, just waiting for their turn. Some were already fiddling with their waistbands, lost in lewd fantasies.
Hehehehe...
Deviant lewdness overflowed in the lower-class Wanderer Village located in one corner of Datong. Air mixed with the smell of rotten alcohol and sweat seethed like a filthy festival.
However,
That atmosphere was broken before even a quarter-hour had passed.
Step, step.
Light footsteps. They weren't those of burly Wanderers. Soon the owner of the footsteps revealed himself outside the alley.
It was Dong Bong-su.
"...!"
The Wanderers who had been straining their lower bodies were shocked. It wasn't simply because Dong Bong-su came out first.
Drip, drip, drip...
Blood was dripping steadily through Dong Bong-su's tightly clenched right hand. The blood pooled and fell to the dirty Wanderer Village floor, making sounds like falling rain.
The blood wasn't his. It belonged to the owners of the chunks of meat clutched in his hand. Perhaps because Dong Bong-su had gripped them too hard, the chunks of meat were clumped together and mercilessly crushed, but the Wanderers all recognized what the chunks of meat were.
Noses.
They were noses. Everyone could guess whose they were without having to ask.
Squelch.
Dong Bong-su spread his sticky hand once, mixed with snot and blood, then clenched it again. Red liquid splattered everywhere.
After that, Dong Bong-su calmly approached a Wanderer who had been waiting for his turn and said.
"I heard these are money here. Where should I go to exchange these for silver coins?"
His voice was low and calm. No, it seemed more accurate to say it was difficult to tell whether it was or wasn't.
The Wanderer, taken aback by Dong Bong-su's too-calm attitude, unconsciously raised the hand that had been holding his lower body and pointed toward the Wanderer Market where the ear brokers gathered. His lower body had already drooped down, living up to its name.
"Thanks."
Dong Bong-su offered a meaningless thanks and disappeared toward the Wanderer Market. There were dozens more Wanderers there, but no one said he had cut off the wrong thing.
Half an hour later.
Dong Bong-su returned to the Wanderer Village and, as if nothing had happened, went into the alley, cut off the ears of the noseless Wanderers, and went to the Wanderer Market again. Until then, no one had cut off the ears of the newly dead.
With the money he earned that day, Dong Bong-su bought an empty wooden house in that Wanderer Village. That was Dong Bong-su's first day in Datong, and the beginning of the nickname Ear Ghost.
-x-X-x-
Datong Military Command.
Right now, a report about Ear Ghost was being made here.
"Collected seventy-two ears in the Dongsheng expedition. Collected eighty-eight ears in Baotou. In Ejin..."
"Enough. Who said they wanted to hear all that one by one? Summarize your report."
Li Zi-song cut off his adjutant's words with irritation. He was already in a bad mood from being pushed out to this harsh frontier region as if being chased, and listening to the detailed history of some insignificant mercenary captain candidate one by one didn't improve his mood at all.
But he couldn't not listen either. If this Guisui expedition failed, there would be no next chance. Even if he wanted to fail more, he wouldn't be able to. A failure that resulted in beheading would be the last failure for anyone, as it always was.
These were mercenaries he had hired by emptying his entire private fortune to prevent that. He would formally put the mercenaries under one of his adjutants, but mercenaries were originally difficult to command. Therefore, he had to select a de facto leader from among the mercenaries. Li Zi-song had once led mercenaries on a southern expedition, so he knew the psychology of mercenaries to some extent. Of course, his circumstances then and now were vastly different.
"Yes. Understood!"
After answering vigorously, the adjutant began adding up the numbers written in the expedition register. But as military officials typically were, he too was hopeless at mathematics.
After waiting for quite a while, Li Zi-song finally couldn't stand it anymore and snatched the register from the adjutant's hands to examine Kang Dal-hui's records himself. As a former civil official, Li Zi-song understood the numbers in the register much more easily than the adjutant.
Shortly after examining the register, Li Zi-song found a passage that caught his eye.
"Thirty-one expeditions in one year? Is this real?"
At Li Zi-song's question, the adjutant hemmed and hawed, then suddenly spread his fingers and fumbled with them. He looked as clumsy as a small child counting counting stones using their fingers and toes.
"What are you doing right now? Didn't I ask if this is real?"
"S-sorry! I don't know for certain either!"
Li Zi-song was at a loss for words at the adjutant's too-booming answer. Well, how could this idiot who couldn't even add properly when a few numbers appeared in succession know without looking at it?
Li Zi-song clicked his tongue with disapproval.
Then the adjutant spoke up loudly again.
"I'm not sure if it's thirty-one times, but I know that Ear Ghost hasn't missed a single harvest in one year!"
Tsk tsk tsk. He should have just answered like that from the beginning.
In any case, he seems to be far more impressive than expected.
'This Kang Dal-hui fellow...'
Li Zi-song knew well how remarkable it was to not miss a single expedition for a year. It wasn't simply a matter of being skilled in martial arts to survive long on the battlefield.
Mercenaries always fought at the very front lines of battle. Among the barbarians, especially the northern barbarians, there were often masters. If they ran into such fellows, dozens of regular soldiers being cut down was nothing. It wasn't much different for mercenaries. If he'd fought continuously for a year without rest, he must have encountered several such individuals. Doesn't that mean he overcame all those dangers? On top of that, battlefields always harbored unpredictable dangers. It also meant he avoided all of those.
'Survived as a mercenary in the north for a year.'
Li Zi-song leaned back once, then raised his head and smacked his lips. It was a habit he had whenever something piqued his interest.
"The amount of ears collected is..."
"...I, I don't know!"
"Tsk tsk. I wasn't asking Adjutant Dang. I'm holding this, so how would you know?"
The adjutant tactlessly answered without discerning whether it was a question or not, but Li Zi-song only gave him a light rebuke. His eyes never left the register for a moment.
"Hmm. Excluding direct trades with ears, the total number of ears handed over to the ear brokers is two thousand eight hundred and sixteen. Impressive. Did you say this person is called Ear Ghost here?"
"Yes, General."
"Indeed, he's worthy of being called that. To have slain so many enemies in just one year."
Two thousand eight hundred sixteen. Among those must be included the ears of women, children, and elderly from occupied territories. Or, there might also be ears of other mercenaries who died in combat. But even so, the amount of ears Ear Ghost collected in one year was tremendous.
That also struck Li Zi-song as quite peculiar.
Two silver coins per ear. So that's one tael of silver for five ears. Two thousand eight hundred and sixteen ears would be five hundred and sixty-three taels and two silver coins with one coin left over.
This was a fortune of over twenty two kilograms of silver. With this amount, an ordinary commoner could live comfortably for several generations. But why was Kang Dal-hui, who had already built up a record worthy of being classified as top-grade?
'Why is he still doing mercenary work?'
'Was it for money?'
Since he cut off about a hundred ears each time he went out, the profit would be better than escort missions for decent high-class Wanderers. However, it didn't feel right to simply dismiss it as that.
Li Zi-song gently stroked his sword hilt with his hand, then soon stopped pondering.
"Bring him."
"Pardon?"
"Bring that fellow called Kang Dal-hui, Ear Ghost, before me. I need to see for myself whether he's worthy of being made mercenary captain or not."
Only then did the adjutant understand what he meant and answered while striking his left chest with his right fist. The thump! sound was quite loud—the adjutant looked loyal in proportion to his ignorance.
"Sir!"
The adjutant left the command office.
Left alone, Li Zi-song leaned back and continued smacking his lips, thinking about something.
***
At that moment, Dong Bong-su had left his wooden house and was walking through Datong's entertainment district.
"Come on, come play. The goods are fresh today."
"Young master with the covered eyes over there! Come play for a bit Just show me your eyes. I'll lick your eyeballs nice and pretty~"
"Ahaha!"
"Handsome fellow. Have a drink before you go. The finest liquor from Nanjing arrived today!"
Should it be said to truly live up to its reputation as a decadent city?
The afternoon in Datong's central district was distinctly different from that of other cities. From broad daylight, courtesans from red houses and blue houses were openly soliciting customers, and taverns were already full of Wanderers who were thoroughly drunk.
Courtesans and tavern touts competed to seduce Dong Bong-su. Perhaps because most of them were retired courtesans much older than him, Dong Bong-su showed no interest and simply passed by them, continuing forward.
He could hear them calling him a eunuch bastard and castrated servant from behind, but Dong Bong-su paid no attention and went his own way.
Past the taverns appeared a commercial district densely packed with fabric shops, weapon shops, and leather workshops. True to a city of Wanderers, most of the items handled were weapons or armor. Even the fabric shops were fabric shops in name only, as most of what they sold were auxiliary equipment not made of iron or leather, such as armor paper, cotton armor, and battle hats.
Dong Bong-su didn't glance at any other place and entered a weapon shop with an old signboard that read Eight Directions Armory.
The interior was as worn as the signboard, but the weapons displayed inside looked quite excellent, their blades sharply honed. On one wall hung weapons like swords and spears, while on the other side, armor such as iron and bronze mail were displayed on shelves. And opposite the entrance Dong Bong-su had just entered was another entrance that looked identical, from which the sound of hammering could be heard loudly—it must be the owner's workshop.
Clang! Clang!
The sound of striking metal was noisy.
Dong Bong-su entered the forge without much hesitation.
The blacksmith who appeared to be the owner didn't notice a customer had arrived and was still hammering away at metal. Dong Bong-su didn't disturb him and quietly went to stand behind the blacksmith.
Having hammered so diligently and for so long, the blacksmith's entire body was heated bright red and sweat poured down like rain.
His hair was so long and shaggy that one couldn't tell when he'd last cut it, and his beard had grown out messily as well. It wasn't just dirty—it was unkempt to the point of being unsightly. Moreover, though it didn't show well due to his bright red heated skin, his body was also blotchy as if he hadn't washed in a very long time. Naturally, the body odor emanating from him was at a serious level.
However, Dong Bong-su paid no attention and continued to quietly watch his hammering.
Clang! Clang!
What could he be making to be hammering so enthusiastically to this extent?
In fact, at a glance, it looked as if his work was already finished. In front of the blacksmith stood an iron statue almost as tall as Dong Bong-su—no, exactly the same height. It was so exquisitely crafted that if one encountered it on the street at night, anyone would think it was a person.
But why was the blacksmith continuing to bring down his hammer on the finished iron statue with a chisel?
Clang! Clang!
The hollow metallic ringing sound, as if the inside of the iron statue was empty, echoed incessantly throughout the workshop. Tendons bulged prominently on the blacksmith's red arms. That forceful hammer was transmitted through the chisel to the iron statue. But not a single scratch appeared on the iron statue.
One hour had passed since Dong Bong-su appeared here.
During that time, there had been thousands of hammer strikes, but the iron statue remained the same.
Two hours later.
During that time, two chisels had broken, but the iron statue was still unchanged.
Three hours had passed since Dong Bong-su arrived here.
The clang clang sound of the blacksmith's hammering was still rhythmic, but the iron statue maintained its afternoon appearance, and only the day had grown dark.
Dong Bong-su also remained unchanged from his appearance when he arrived here in the afternoon. Only his shadow had faded as the sun set.
"I'll come back next time."
When the moon gently rose and gradually expanded its domain, Dong Bong-su opened his lips for the first time since arriving here.
Clang! Clang!
The blacksmith's answer was still only the sound of hammering.
Dong Bong-su turned his body and left the Eight Directions Armory. The regular sound of his step-stepping footsteps mixed into the hammering sound that was as steady as his footsteps.
The blacksmith's hands still didn't stop.
Probably when he came next time, that beard and hair would be much longer and dirtier. Perhaps....
That iron statue's height might also be shorter....
Dong Bong-su slowly retraced his path. And only then did the warning sound from Spirit Eyes that had been making his head noisy cease. At that moment, the distance between him and the Eight Directions Armory was exactly 20 meters. No, more precisely, the distance between him and the blacksmith was exactly that much.
21, 22, 23....
The distance between Dong Bong-su and the Eight Directions Armory grew farther, and just as Spirit Eyes had ceased, Dong Bong-su also disappeared from view at this distance.
-x-X-x-
Like any marketplace, this place saw its shops closing one by one as night fell.
Yet the lights of the Eight Directions Armory showed no sign of going out.
Was it because the surroundings had grown quiet and dark? The candlelight burning in the Eight Directions Armory seemed even brighter, and the sound of the hammer appeared much louder than before.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The blacksmith's hands continued to move vigorously. It seemed his arms would never stop unless his chisel or hammer broke, or the candle flame went out. Or perhaps only if he collapsed from complete exhaustion or his arms broke would he finally cease.
Some more time passed like this.
A gust of cold night wind seeped into the Eight Directions Armory, shaking the candlelight. The cold wind seemed lonely traveling alone, so it arrived together with a middle-aged guest with a cold impression.
"It's been a while, Elder."
The voice of the middle-aged man wrapped tightly in gray robes was as bleak as his face.
Clang! Clang!
Though the gray-robed middle-aged man's voice was low, it wasn't inaudible, yet the blacksmith's arms showed no sign of stopping as before.
"The Alliance Leader seeks you."
Though there was no response from the blacksmith, the gray-robed middle-aged man paid it no mind and stated his reason for appearing here. But the only response he could get from the blacksmith was still the noisy sound of hammering.
"The Alliance Leader seeks you, Elder."
Whether the blacksmith replied or not, the gray-robed middle-aged man spoke the same words again at the blacksmith's back.
Had he only now heard the middle-aged man's words? Or was he annoyed? Only then did the blacksmith stop his reddened arms. However, he still had his back turned to the gray-robed man.
"Ah, so what about it?"
The blacksmith's voice was as rough and grating to hear as his coarse skin, but judging by his complete lack of surprise, it was certain he had already known of the gray-robed middle-aged man's arrival.
"The Alliance Leader ordered me to escort you to Zhengzhou."
"Who says I'm going? If you've got eyes, take a look. I'm damn busy right now, you bastard."
At the blacksmith's rough retort, the gray-robed middle-aged man finally looked at the iron statue. A flash of interest sparked in his eyes. Even at a glance, the material of the iron statue was extraordinarily unusual.
"...Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron."
"Kekeke. Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron? You've been stuck in that stuffy place called the Alliance for so long that your eyes have rotted into dead fish eyes too, Breaking Heaven Hegemon Blade."
"..."
"Well, when even I don't know what this is, how could you be any different?"
The blacksmith had clearly called the gray-robed middle-aged man Breaking Heaven Hegemon Blade.
Breaking Heaven Hegemon Blade, Eulji-tae.
This was no light name. One of the Twenty Great Masters under Heaven, the right arm of the Murim Alliance Leader—who in the world could treat him carelessly?
Yet the blacksmith of the Eight Directions Armory was calling Eulji-tae "this bastard" and "that bastard" without any hesitation. And Eulji-tae, hearing such words, accepted them without concern while addressing the blacksmith as Elder...
The blacksmith's identity must surely be extraordinary.
"Elder, the Star of Heavenly Calamity has appeared."
The blacksmith's hand, which had been picking up the hammer again while ignoring the silent Eulji-tae, hesitated for a moment at the mention of the Star of Heavenly Calamity. However, that was only for an instant, and the blacksmith's work soon resumed.
"What's so special about the Star of Heavenly Calamity? When rare metal that a blacksmith might never see again in his lifetime is right here in my hands?"
Clang!
Just as the blacksmith's hammer was about to strike the chisel once more, Eulji-tae opened his mouth again.
"It's the Extreme Yin Star of Heavenly Calamity. And it's a complete Full Star at that."
Ting—
An unclear sound. The hammer had struck the chisel at an angle, producing this sound.
Missing the strike. For the blacksmith, this was something that might happen once every few years or even decades. It was proof of just how shocking Eulji-tae's words were.
He turned his body for the first time to face Eulji-tae directly.
Red, bloodshot eyes, yet flashing with a lightning-like brilliance. Lips clamped shut like ancient stone. Facial wrinkles cracked in lines like a dried rice field. All of this looked as stubborn as the years he had lived through.
"What did you just spout? What, Extreme Yin Star of Heavenly Calamity? And a Full Star? Are you spouting this with your right mind?"
If the blacksmith's voice earlier had been that of a rough marketplace corner blacksmith, now it was overlaid with a strange dignity.
Eulji-tae didn't avoid the blacksmith's eyes and spoke in a low but precise voice.
"Yes, Elder. It's all true. They say it was hidden by a New Star and could only be discovered now."
Was it from excitement? The blacksmith's red face grew even redder.
"Is it the Heavenly Demon Castle?"
"We're not sure yet."
"You must be crazy. The Extreme Yin Star of Heavenly Calamity has become a Full Star, and you're still not sure?"
"That's why the Alliance Leader is looking for you."
The blacksmith shook his head from side to side. Not meaning he wouldn't go, but that he absolutely had to go. He could no longer refuse Eulji-tae's words.
"What should I do with this..."
The blacksmith spoke lowly while gently caressing the now slightly scratched iron statue.
The smooth surface's texture traveled up his roughly cracked fingertips.
Divine Metal.
That's what the blacksmith had thought when he first saw it. He had lived as a blacksmith for decades, but he had never heard of or seen such metal. Moreover, what had been made from that metal was even more astonishing.
If this metal was divine iron, then what had been made from it was a demon's sword. He had considered himself the world's greatest master craftsman... but that thought shattered immediately after seeing it. A thrill that ran from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. The blacksmith had never felt such a sensation in his life.
A sword made with divine metal and demon-like skill.
The blacksmith's pride was shattered without mercy.
He had asked the one who brought it where it came from. Then that person had replied, asking if he could handle it...
...
.....
....
...
..
.
[Can you handle it?]
[...Crazy metal with crazy skill. Where did it come from?]
[Can you handle it?]
[Can I handle it? You don't mean melt this, do you? This!? This, you mean? Something this perfect?]
[Of course. If possible, please make this for me.]
[This!? Wasn't this you?]
[That's right. If this is completed... if you can complete it, cut it into pieces as drawn on the side.]
[You're insane. You want to melt this down and make nothing more than scraps of full-body armor?]
[Then I'll come back in a month.]
[Are you crazy? If you just hand something like this over to me and I run off with it, what will you do?']
[I'll find you.]
[Kekeke. You won't be able to. I don't know if you came here knowing about me, but if I decide to hide, no one in the world can find me.]
[I'll find you and...]
[Fine, say you can find me. Then what will you do?]
[I'll kill you.]
[...]
[And take it back.]
[Heu, heuhahahaha! You're truly an interesting fellow. Yes, yes. If by any chance I do such a thing, be sure to do just that. Hahaha!]
From that day, the blacksmith began melting that mysterious sword.
.
..
...
....
.....
...
"Heuhahahaha! Yes, that's right. I think that's how it was. Hahaha!"
Recalling that time, the blacksmith couldn't contain the laughter rising heartily. The laughter was so loud that the swords hanging on the armory's walls trembled slightly, and the small tools on the shelves rattled.
Eulji-tae stood quietly watching him. Eulji-tae had known the blacksmith for a very long time. Yet this was the first time seeing him laugh so loudly. No, he only learned now for the first time that the blacksmith could laugh at all. The usual blacksmith was a cold and taciturn person, like metal itself.
The blacksmith he knew was simply the world's greatest, no, the world's worst eccentric. And such a person was laughing so cheerfully? Though he was watching right in front of him, it was hard to believe.
'Who is it? Who on earth made that old monster laugh?'
Just as Eulji-tae was asking himself that question, the blacksmith stopped laughing. As the laughter disappeared, his face hardened again as usual, but his eyes still held an interesting light.
"Since that old geezer Alliance Leader is looking for me so desperately, I'll go for now, but in exchange, there's something you need to do for me instead."
"What would that be?"
Tang, tang!
At Eulji-tae's question, the blacksmith struck the iron statue with his hand instead of the hammer. Even though he struck with his bare hand, it made the sound of striking metal. It showed just how tremendous his external arts were.
"Bring this guy to the Alliance."
Eulji-tae immediately understood he meant to find and bring the owner of the iron statue, not the statue itself.
"...I understand."
"Hey you. Don't answer so half-heartedly like that. You absolutely must bring that guy. Otherwise, I'll die. If I die, it'll all be your responsibility."
"...I understand. So what is his name?"
At Eulji-tae's question, the blacksmith opened his mouth with an 'oops' expression.
"Ah! I didn't know that. Now that I think about it, I never asked that guy's name."
Eulji-tae wasn't offended by the blacksmith's joke-like words. The blacksmith was originally that kind of person. More than that, he was simply amazed that the blacksmith showed such interest in someone whose name he didn't even know.
"You don't need to go looking for him anyway. If you wait here, that guy will probably come back here about a month later."
"I understand, Elder."
"Well then, shall I slowly go meet that old geezer Alliance Leader now?"
Had he been waiting for Eulji-tae's answer? As soon as Eulji-tae finished speaking, the blacksmith picked up the iron statue and left the Eight Directions Armory just like that.
His steps were so fast he soon became a dot and disappeared.
Eulji-tae gazed for a long time at where the blacksmith had disappeared, then at some point casually dropped a remark.
"Just who is it...?"
As when he had arrived, the cold wind blew into the Eight Directions Armory again and carried Eulji-tae's voice to every corner of Datong.
-x-X-x-
"Ear Ghost?"
The voice of an uninvited guest.
Dong Bong-su, who had returned to his wooden house from the Eight Directions Armory, stopped in his tracks at the sound of someone's voice flowing from his home. Considering that no one here would carelessly enter his wooden house, the identity of the uninvited guest was likely not a Wanderer.
As Dong Bong-su thought, those who had invaded his wooden house without permission and were waiting for him were military officers and soldiers belonging to the Datong Military Command who had come to fetch Dong Bong-su on Li Zi-song's orders.
"You need to come with us to the Military Command. Ear Ghost."
Though they had occupied someone else's home without permission and then burst out to speak to the homeowner, it was extremely rude, but Dong Bong-su didn't particularly care. In Datong, military officers and other officials were employers, and Wanderers like himself were insignificant employees. Of course, that was only when they weren't swinging swords at Dong Bong-su. Since it wasn't a matter directly connected to his life anyway, he had no intention of making an issue of their small rudeness.
Dong Bong-su followed behind the military officer toward the Datong Military Command without saying much.
A short while later.
Dong Bong-su arrived at the Datong Military Command.
After a brief body search, he was able to enter the Military Command. Though he had been on Harvest dozens of times, this was the first time entering inside the Military Command.
The interior of the Military Command was as grand as its tall walls. After passing through the gate reaching over 10 meters, there lay a long path with square stone slabs that seemed carved from rock pressed tightly together. On both sides of that path, large halls were lined up in a row, and at the end stood a single three-story palace in ancient Chinese style.
The military officer led Dong Bong-su to that three-story palace.
Arriving at the palace entrance, there was a large plaque hanging from the beam.
'Bukdong Hall. Is this the building where the commander's office is located?'
As Dong Bong-su thought, Bukdong Hall was the core building of the Datong Military Command. The Northern Great Commander resided here and oversaw all affairs of the northern border.
Soon all the soldiers withdrew and only Li Zi-song's adjutant remained to lead Dong Bong-su inside Bukdong Hall.
'Why does the commander want to see me?'
It was obvious who had summoned him. The problem was the reason. Several things came to mind at once, but it was difficult to definitively determine which one. For now, it seemed he would have to meet the commander to find out.
Passing through the entrance and following the long corridor, stairs appeared at the end. Dong Bong-su followed the adjutant up to the third floor. Then a single large room appeared. In fact, rather than a room, the entire third floor was one commander's office.
In the middle of the office was a large, angular table about 15 meters long and 5 meters wide, probably for meetings.
Right in front of the stairs stood two lightly armored military officers who appeared to be the commander's guard warriors, wearing swords.
And along the left wall from the stairs, various weapons such as swords, spears, and halberds were hung at regular intervals, and on the opposite wall, helmets and armor were arranged in pairs.
At the end facing the stairs was a luxurious tiger-skin bed with silk curtains, and on the wall beside it hung a map large enough to cover all the remaining space.
The last thing that caught Dong Bong-su's eye was a handsome middle-aged man standing in front of the map. He was looking this way while smacking his lips as if out of habit.
Dong Bong-su could tell without difficulty that he was the commander.
'A new commander has arrived.'
It was a face he had never seen before. Dong Bong-su had seen the previous commander several times from afar during Harvest. He hadn't been that young, nor had he liked Dong Bong-su. So he had never assigned him bothersome tasks. Thanks to that, it had actually been comfortable...
The moment Dong Bong-su realized the commander was a new person, he thought he knew why he had been summoned.
He followed the adjutant and approached the new commander.
The two guard warriors who had been guarding the stairs followed closely behind Dong Bong-su, perhaps preparing for any contingency. They would probably draw their swords immediately if they saw any sign that Dong Bong-su was trying something suspicious.
But the contingency they were worried about would not occur. If Dong Bong-su had such intentions, everyone here would have already become sacrificial lambs of that contingency.
"Are you the Ear Ghost Kang Dal-hui?"
When Dong Bong-su came to stand at the end of the table positioned in the center, the newly arrived commander, Li Zi-song, spoke.
"That's right."
Dong Bong-su answered briefly. Too brief even for a brief answer. At this, the adjutant who had brought him frowned but did not step forward. Because Li Zi-song had raised his hand to stop him.
"Quite a stiff fellow."
"..."
Li Zi-song became even more interested when Dong Bong-su unexpectedly appeared young and ordinary.
He rose from his seat, crossed the table, and approached right in front of Dong Bong-su. Since their heights were similar, their eye levels were almost exactly the same.
However, Li Zi-song could not see Dong Bong-su's eyes. They were hidden by the hair hanging long below his forehead.
Li Zi-song raised his hand and brushed aside the bangs covering Dong Bong-su's forehead and eyes.
Then Dong Bong-su's emotionless eyes were revealed. Depending on how one looked, they could seem extremely languid, and depending on how else one looked, they could feel profoundly deep and empty. But that was purely a matter of interpretation; more precisely... they were just ordinary, nothing special, just those kinds of eyes.
Li Zi-song quietly examined Dong Bong-su's eyes for as long as one watch period. Even so, he could read nothing from them.
'What is this? Does such a person exist?'
Suddenly a chill came over his body. There was no reason for it. Just suddenly a thrill wrapped around his entire body.
Li Zi-song slowly lowered his hand and avoided Dong Bong-su's eyes.
Then he turned and went to sit in the chair at the end of the table.
He took one deep breath and spoke. Originally he had many things he wanted to ask, but now there was no need to ask any more.
"I'll speak directly. If I give you fifteen hundred soldiers, can you command them well?"
Dong Bong-su did not answer immediately but quietly looked at Li Zi-song.
A thrill flowed through Li Zi-song's body again. Clearly Dong Bong-su's eyes hidden by his hair were not even visible, yet his body was reacting.
Dong Bong-su stared at Li Zi-song's eyes for a moment before opening his mouth.
"I understand."
Yes or no. One of those two should have been the answer. "I understand" was an answer that could only be given when there was a decision to be commanded.
"I haven't told you yet what I'm commanding you to do. So why do you give such an answer?"
"I merely gave the answer you wanted."
At Dong Bong-su's answer, Li Zi-song leaned his waist back and opened his mouth once before closing it.
Then after a moment he opened it again.
"...A frightening fellow."
Li Zi-song's evaluation of Dong Bong-su had changed in a short time from a stiff person to a frightening fellow. However, his words were too quiet for anyone to hear.
Of course, Dong Bong-su could not hear his words either. But he knew what had been said. Because he could read lips even without hearing.
"..."
Dong Bong-su and Li Zi-song's eyes met again across the empty space. But Dong Bong-su's eyes were hidden by the hair that had fallen back down. This time too, the one who looked away first was Li Zi-song.
"You are the mercenary captain of this Harvest. Then let's meet the day after tomorrow. You may go."
As Li Zi-song's words fell, Dong Bong-su left Bukdong Hall immediately without a single word.
"He truly is an insolent fellow. I wonder if it's alright to make such a person the mercenary captain."
The adjutant spoke.
Then Li Zi-song returned his leaned-back waist to its original position and said.
"Is that all Adjutant Dang felt?"
"Pardon? What do you mean by that...?"
"Never mind. Then leave now."
"Yes, then. If you need me, please call me again anytime. Attention!"
The adjutant saluted and immediately went down the stairs.
After the adjutant left, Li Zi-song leaned his waist back again, raised his head, and repeatedly opened and closed his mouth with a smacking sound.
"Even though I just saw him... I can't remember..."
Li Zi-song muttered incomprehensible words and sat like that for quite a while.
***
Creeak.
Despite the quite late hour, the sound of the wooden house's old door welcomed Dong Bong-su's return home as always.
He lightly set up a table as usual and ate a late dinner.
Eating.
Eating rice.
Humans eat rice.
Humans must eat rice to live. For Dong Bong-su, the act of eating was the only thing that made him aware he was still human.
Dong Bong-su began organizing the day as he ate.
—Participate in new Harvest as mercenary captain
—Eight Directions Armory blacksmith finally succeeded in making the iron statue
Dong Bong-su treated all these matters as a kind of quest and drew them in his mind.
First, the rewards obtainable from participating in Harvest were experience points and proficiency. Whether mercenary captain or just mercenary didn't matter.
Click—
He opened his Status Window. The achievements of the past year were fully reflected in the changes to his stats.
The yellow gauge bars indicating basic abilities like Strength, Agility, Intelligence, and the dependent abilities that changed accordingly like Health, Accuracy, Evasion, Attack Power, Defense Power, Martial Arts Attack Power, Martial Arts Defense Power, Elemental Defense, and True Energy had dramatically lengthened.
His level had reached 29.
Whether there was a max level or not, and if so what it was, Dong Bong-su could not know, but he had become incomparably stronger than when he first came to this world—when he was level 1. His status was also that of a free Wanderer, much better than a servant.
His appearance had also changed drastically. When he first went on Harvest and leveled up, he had thought he might return to his original thin body...
That wasn't the case.
Leveling up only cured wounds and other status ailments, leaving the body that had changed through exercise, nutritional intake, and natural growth as it was.
A fairly tall height. Shaggy hair covering his eyes. A body with appropriate weight gain and full of lean muscles. And smooth skin with the various scars and marks that Sosam had possessed now gone.
No one would think that he, now a young man, was the Sosam who had been a groom before.
After scanning through various stats, Dong Bong-su finally checked the level gauge bar. The part that needed to be filled until the next level up was so small it was barely distinguishable to the naked eye. However, this was almost no different from when he had checked before leaving on the last Harvest. In other words, the experience points obtainable from Harvest had now reached their limit.
'Is it time to leave?'
That's what Dong Bong-su thought.
Having grown stronger, he goes to find stronger beasts.
Unable to grow any stronger here, he departs to hunt more powerful predators.
To him, it was a natural proposition and a natural instinct.
Perhaps he could level up with this Harvest.
He couldn't be certain, but in any case, this would be his last Harvest.
Beep. Click-
He closed the Status Window and this time opened the Skill Window.
As expected, the results showing just how fierce Dong Bong-su's past year had been, floating up in the air as holograms in a row.
First, the levels of the Active Skills he had before his class change had risen significantly.
[Lightness Arts Lv.8, Three Talents Sword Technique 1st Form Sweeping Away a Thousand Soldiers Lv.9, 2nd Form Direct Strike at the Yellow Dragon Lv.9, 3rd Form Mount Tai Pressing Down Lv.7, Circulating Energy Lv.3]
However, the changes to the Passive Skills were even more astonishing.
[Slash Lv.Max, Thrust Lv.Max, Throw Lv.Max, Block Lv.Max]
The proficiency levels of all the Passive Skills had reached maximum (Max). He had become strong enough to easily dispatch most enemies with just basic movements alone.
But for Dong Bong-su, this was nothing new anymore, and naturally there was no need to look further.
He picked up a handful of rice with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth while examining the changes to the new skills that had appeared after his class change.
There were two new Active Skills and four Passive Skills.
The two Active Skills were.
[Sword Energy Lv.3 Proficiency: 1.68%]
A technique that overlays energy onto the sword to increase destructive power. It dramatically increases attack power, but maintaining Sword Energy requires significant internal power.
The emission effect of Sword Energy slightly increases range.
Attack Power Bonus: 150%
Range Bonus: 3%
Energy Consumption per Second: 50 JP
[Footwork Lv.4 Proficiency: 15.77%]
A mysterious gait devised to efficiently evade enemy attacks.
Upon activation, instantly teleports once in one of four directions: forward, backward, left, or right.
Cooldown: 5 minutes
Currently Applied Level: Lv.4 (Player can adjust the level of this skill.)
Movement Distance: 4m
Energy Consumption per Use: 1000 JP
These were the two, and the Passive Skills were.
[Consecutive Slash (Conditional Passive) Lv.2 Proficiency: 60.05%]
Humans have a tendency to become more frenzied the more blood they see. Especially Wanderers, with their strong desire for survival, this tendency is more pronounced.
Duration: 5 minutes
· Upon achieving 5 consecutive slashes, all abilities increase by 5%. (Lv.1 activated)
· Upon achieving 10 consecutive slashes, all abilities increase by 10%. (Lv.2 activated)
※The kill count is only maintained if you slash the next enemy before the effect of Consecutive Slash ends.
[Consecutive Strike (Passive) Lv.1 Proficiency: 17.74%]
A Wanderer's sword strikes, learned only through real combat without formal techniques, are crude but frightening because they're unpredictable. Above all, even if the enemy is not struck by their sword, a Wanderer never gives up and persistently clings on. If they cannot slash in one strike, then twice, three times, even over a hundred times they will swing to surely kill the enemy.
Causes special status ailments to enemies who receive the player's attacks consecutively.
· Upon 2 consecutive strikes, causes 'Bleeding' to the enemy. Upon failing 2 consecutive strikes, pushes the enemy back. (Lv.1 activated)
※For consecutive attacks to be recognized as consecutive strikes, the attack and next attack must occur within 1 second. The effects of status ailments that occur differ according to level.
[Iron Cloth Shirt (Passive) Lv.1 Proficiency: 91.45%]
External energy art that makes the skin of the body extremely hard.
Permanently increases health and defense power.
Health / Defense Power Bonus: 5%
[Survival Instinct (Passive) Lv.2 Proficiency: 0.00%]
To survive in the ruthless Martial World, the more difficulty a Wanderer faces, the more fiercely they grit their teeth and fight desperately.
When health drops below a certain level, all abilities except health increase due to a strong desire for survival.
Current Health: 100 / 100 (%)
· When health drops below 50%, all abilities increase by 5%. (Lv.1 activated)
· When health drops below 20%, all abilities increase by 10%. (Lv.2 activated)
※Even if health drops and then recovers to exceed a certain level, the effect of Survival Instinct persists for 1 minute.
These were the four.
Needless to say, Dong Bong-su had become tremendously stronger with the addition of these skills.
In the case of Sword Energy, it was an On/Off type Active Skill like Lightness Arts, but the difference was that he couldn't adjust the level's height and the energy consumption was tremendous. With the addition of Sword Energy, for the first time situations arose where JP was insufficient.
Until then, even if he used skills freely, JP had been more than enough. However, the effect of Sword Energy was as excellent as its considerable JP consumption. Because it stacked with Circulating Energy, if he overlaid Sword Energy while using Circulating Energy, the attack power increase was enormous. If the stacking of other passives and other Active Skills was added here, the increase was so tremendous that even Dong Bong-su himself couldn't easily gauge how much power it had.
The Footwork skill was a completely different concept from the general footwork spoken of here. As the description 'teleport once' indicated, it was a type of evasion skill that could instantly dodge enemy attacks at very dangerous moments. Similar to the magic called Blink that commonly appears in fantasy novels? With a 5-minute cooldown, once every 5 minutes he could overcome desperate crises with this. However, as this was also a class change skill, the JP consumption was tremendous.
Skills like the Passive Skills Consecutive Slash and Consecutive Strike were techniques much more Wanderer-like than Sword Energy or Footwork. They were types of combo skills that could be effective the more enemies one hunted or the more one attacked. Though their abilities might seem like nothing much at first glance, if these were activated while other skills like Sword Energy were applied, the increase was definitely not negligible.
Iron Cloth Shirt was similar to that in general martial arts novels, a survival skill that increased health and defense power.
On the other hand, Survival Instinct was a survival skill similar to Iron Cloth Shirt, but unlike the defensive Iron Cloth Shirt, it was an offensive survival skill. When health dropped below a certain level, all abilities except health increased. Perhaps it could be said to be the skill that suited Dong Bong-su best among the class change skills.
Since the point at which he obtained the class change skills and the methods of raising proficiency were each different, the distribution of their levels from 1 to 4 was also varied.
Dong Bong-su chewed his rice while examining how much the class change skills had grown. But he could easily tell that recently they had barely changed at all.
'I'm leaving.'
Like with level, when considered from the proficiency aspect as well, this place had clearly lost its appeal as a hunting ground. Especially, the proficiency of Consecutive Slash and Consecutive Strike hadn't risen at all. This had already been foreseen. Because Consecutive Slash and Consecutive Strike hadn't activated even once during the last Harvest. Clearly, if there was a certain level difference or more between the player and NPCs, they wouldn't activate.
Treading water.
Like the stagnation of leveling up, the fact that skill growth had slowed was decisive.
Beep—
Dong Bong-su closed the Skill Window and finished his meal. After briefly cleaning up, he went out for a midnight walk as always. Perhaps this might be his last walk here, but until it became the last, it was one of the things he had to do.
***
On the outskirts of Datong was this place's only famous attraction, the Ink Bamboo Forest. Because the sound of bamboo leaves rubbing against each other in the night wind resembled ghostly wailing, it was also called Ghost Wailing Forest.
After Dong Bong-su learned about the Ink Bamboo Forest, on days when there was no Harvest, he went out here for a nighttime outing every day.
When deep night came, carnivorous wild animals frequently appeared, and due to the sound of bamboo leaves sweeping, human presence was sparse. That people didn't often pass through was consistent with saying it had the best conditions for training.
Even as Dong Bong-su headed to his own training ground located deep within Ghost Wailing Forest, his thoughts didn't stop. Though the wind brushing his face from the much faster Lightness Arts was quite sharp, it was insufficient to interfere with his brain's rotation.
Right now he was thinking about the iron statue the Eight Directions Armory blacksmith had made.
'Soldier Eccentric finally succeeded in melting the Novice's Sword to make the iron statue.'
Soldier Eccentric. Dong Bong-su clearly called the blacksmith Soldier Eccentric.
Soldier Eccentric was one of the Three Eccentrics, and his precise epithet was Eight Skills Soldier Madman. It was said that no one knew his name, and that he had mastered eight types of skills. Especially in making weapons, he was said to have reached a divine realm and was thus called that.
As befitting someone followed by the titles Eccentric or Madman, he was a person said to be bizarre, but being one of the Three Eccentrics in name, he was an eccentric master with martial arts at a level where he could roam the world like his own front yard. As such, he was elusive so no one could easily meet him, and little was known about him.
But how did Dong Bong-su recognize such a person and call him Soldier Eccentric?
The reason was only one.
Strength.
The Eight Directions Armory blacksmith was a master strong enough to be caught by Spirit Eyes. The reason Dong Bong-su was so certain had no other reason and needed none.
As would be the case anywhere in this barbaric era, those who make weapons are weaker than those who use weapons. Also, those who wear weapons at their waist and only move their mouths are usually stronger than those who directly make weapons.
Therefore, blacksmiths who make weapons inevitably tend to be the weak. Because it would be difficult for them to learn martial arts, and they wouldn't be in a position to learn writing and command those who learned martial arts, so they would be making weapons.
But there were exceptional existences everywhere. And typically, exceptions are much stronger than the normal.
Even when Dong Bong-su first came to Datong, there had been several people more than 10 levels higher than him. But within a year, whether they died or left, or if not that, as Dong Bong-su became stronger, such people decreased. Finally, now there was only one master strong enough for Spirit Eyes' warning sound to send him a warning to avoid them.
That was precisely the Eight Directions Armory blacksmith.
As a blacksmith with that level of strength, there would be almost none in the world.
Perhaps only one. Dong Bong-su assumed so.
Assuming that, the Eight Directions Armory blacksmith could only be Soldier Eccentric, one of the Two Divinities, Three Eccentrics, Five Supremes, and Ten Greats. There was plenty of possibility he wasn't, but Dong Bong-su guessed so. And in any case, it didn't matter much even if he wasn't.
Anyway, Dong Bong-su had already used him to solve two of the questions about New Murim Online's system, and would soon receive one useful item as well.
Were items the system gifted him, like the Novice's Sword, truly unbreakable and unmeltable?
This question was solved when Soldier Eccentric melted the Novice's Sword. And in that process, one other supplementary question was also solved.
Before entrusting the Novice's Sword to Soldier Eccentric, Dong Bong-su had let several people try holding the Novice's Sword. Since the Novice's Sword had various stat-increasing options attached to it, if those were also applied to NPCs who were people of this place, he couldn't carelessly let it circulate. Though the increase from the Novice's Sword wasn't significant, even that much would be enough to be called a divine sword or demonic object if taken out to the Martial World. Having others try holding the Novice's Sword was a type of experiment to prevent such a situation from happening in advance.
The experiment's result was 'no.' For NPCs who weren't players, items were useless. To NPCs, items were just ordinary objects that were a bit harder or more durable. Perhaps it was because they didn't have an equipment window, Dong Bong-su estimated.
So the people used in the experiment luckily survived. None of them noticed at all how remarkable the Novice's Sword was. If they had noticed, they would all have been dead on the spot.
After the experiment, Dong Bong-su could safely entrust the Novice's Sword to Soldier Eccentric. Though he had no confidence he could beat Soldier Eccentric, he was at least confident he wouldn't die, and above all, he had faith that Soldier Eccentric wouldn't attack him because of the Novice's Sword.
Soldier Eccentric was a madman. A man mad for weapons.
Dong Bong-su had seen pure madness in Soldier Eccentric's eyes. Simply the desire to melt the Novice's Sword and create something even better. Nothing gave safer trust than that.
In any case, through his chance meeting with Soldier Eccentric, Dong Bong-su had solved two questions and would soon be able to obtain an item he had needed for a while. Though it wasn't completed yet, judging by the speed at which Soldier Eccentric was working, he would be able to receive the finished product when he returned from this Harvest.
When Dong Bong-su had thought this far, a large clearing appeared before him. He had arrived at his training ground. It was a circular track-shaped vacant lot with a diameter reaching as much as 50 meters.
As soon as Dong Bong-su arrived there, he drew his sword. It was a sword that had turned jet black with blood caked all over it.
[Wanderer's Sword]
A longsword that has swept through countless battles together with the Wanderer. Like a Wanderer who grows stronger the more steeped in blood, this longsword also grew by feeding on blood.
Attribute: None
Required Class: Wanderer series
Required Level: 10
Minimum Attack Power: 25
Maximum Attack Power: 66
Critical Hit Increase Effect: ?
Minimum Martial Arts Attack Power: 41
Maximum Martial Arts Attack Power: 97
Martial Arts Critical Hit Increase Effect: ?
Additional Ability: Upon successful attack, absorbs 1% of damage dealt as player's health.
This sword was one of the items the system had gifted Dong Bong-su when he changed class to Wanderer. If he hadn't had this to begin with, Dong Bong-su wouldn't have used the Novice's Sword so easily for experiments.
Not only the [Wanderer's Sword], but there wasn't a single piece of the Novice set remaining in his equipment window. The Wanderer set—[Wanderer's Heavy Armor], [Wanderer's Leather Shoes], [Wanderer's Bamboo Hat]—had each replaced the positions that the Novice set—[Novice's Clothes], [Novice's Shoes], [Novice's Hood]—had occupied a year ago.
The Wanderer set not only had far superior ability increases compared to the Novice set, but all had special additional options. Moreover, since he already knew that stacking equipment had no effect, Dong Bong-su no longer needed the Novice set.
[Wanderer's Sword]
Additional Ability: Upon successful attack, absorbs 1% of damage dealt as player's health.
[Wanderer's Heavy Armor]
Additional Ability: Returns 1% of damage received from an enemy back to that same enemy.
[Wanderer's Leather Shoes]
Additional Ability: Movement power increases by 1% when worn.
[Wanderer's Bamboo Hat]
Additional Ability: Converts 1% of damage received from an enemy to JP.
Lifesteal, retaliation, movement speed increase, energy drain.
Though the effects of these additional options were minimal, the difference between having them and not having them was like heaven and earth. These were exceptional abilities that didn't exist in this Martial World.
Dong Bong-su, who could use those abilities completely, was naturally an exceptional and special existence.
Skills, items and their attached additional supernatural abilities, plus the martial arts he was learning. Dong Bong-su—he had already become strong enough to overcome a level difference of 10 or more.
'Was it called an overpowered character?'
He seemed to have heard such terminology somewhere when he was in that world. Yes, where could there be a more fitting expression than that?
Dong Bong-su—he was already an overpowered character and a cheating human in this New Murim Online.
However,
It still wasn't enough.
Dong Bong-su was still hungrier.
Swish, swish.
The Wanderer's Sword began to move.
If not for the low friction sound that occurred as the wind and sword brushed past each other, probably no sound would have been made at all—his sword was that static. Yet it was fast. That it was fast yet made no sound was in itself a tremendous advantage. In the eerie silence of Ghost Wailing Forest, the sword moved like a shadow and when necessary, whether wind or tree or ant, it cut through everything according to Dong Bong-su's will.
Dong Bong-su's Windless Sword Technique had clearly developed greatly over the year.
Right now his sword was moving following the sword paths not only of Three Talents Sword Technique and Heavenly Wind Sword Technique, but various other sword techniques. These were all movements that Dong Bong-su had refined in his own way from the sword techniques and blade techniques he had obtained at Seonjoong Mountain. All those movements naturally melted into Windless Sword Technique and silently cut through the empty air between Ghost Wailing Forest.
Now it seemed his sword could no longer be called a technique. It was free yet stealthy, and also systematic with discipline. Like flowing water it was natural, yet like lightning it was sharp and precise. At a glance it was an incomprehensible combination, but clearly Dong Bong-su's movements, and his body movements, were exactly that.
He had surpassed technique to create his own method. That's how it could only be seen. Not just in stats and skills, but Dong Bong-su's sword had also tremendously advanced compared to a year ago.
From Windless Sword Technique to Windless Sword Method.
Swish, swish, swish swish...
Dong Bong-su was growing stronger today as well. He had grown stronger without rest for the past year, and was evolving at this very moment.
Tomorrow would be a bit more complete than today.
Swish, swish, swish swish...
***
New Murim Online 9th Law: Items gifted by the system are not indestructible. They melt, break, or wear down.
—Addition 1: No one besides Dong Bong-su, who is a player, can feel the effects of items or receive their benefits.
—Addition 2: Items cannot be worn in duplicate.
ex) Even if wearing Wanderer's Leather Shoes over Novice's Shoes, only Novice's Shoes will be displayed as equipped in the equipment window.
※Still, all these laws may not be established or certain.
***
Guisui.
A naturally blessed fortress and the breathing hole of the grasslands. To the north, the Yinshan Mountain Range and Daqing Mountain stretched three thousand meters east to west, and to the west the Great Gobi Desert blocked the way.
This city-market was situated in a narrow gorge created by Daqing Mountain and the Yinshan Mountain Range, and going through that gorge could save thousands of meters compared to bypassing the desert or mountain range to reach the great plains to the north. Therefore, if one occupied only this place, the northern nomads could very easily possess the fertile Hetao Plain to the south.
Conversely, if a Central Plains dynasty occupied this place, they could not only grasp the lifeline of the northern barbarians in one hand, but also gain the Hetao Plain as a bonus.
In short, occupying Guisui meant being able to establish the foundation to become the hegemon of the north. Because of this, since time immemorial, the northern nomads and Central Plains dynasties had continuously fought to occupy this Guisui region.
When Central Plains dynasties occupied Guisui, great peace came to the Central Plains, and when the northern nomads occupied Guisui, they used Guisui as a base to command all the north, and sometimes the entire world.
The beginning of the Byeongin Incident, that humiliating event that occurred just forty-some years ago, also started with the fall of Guisui. Northern nomads who came down through the Yinshan Mountain Range gorge in the dead of winter occupied Guisui through a surprise attack, pacified the surrounding grassland areas, then passed Datong to besiege Beiping where the imperial palace was located.
After that, they indiscriminately plundered outside the outer walls. After several months, the northern nomads eventually withdrew, but the material and psychological damage the Central Plains suffered at that time was beyond words.
Eventually, the emperor who set out for revenge recaptured Guisui after four expeditions, but when he died, the northern nomads invaded again and Guisui once more became the barbarians' den.
Ten years after that.
The city-markets near the Great Wall became very impoverished, the population sharply decreased, and public sentiment became turbulent. If Guisui wasn't recaptured soon, there was no law saying something like the Byeongin Incident wouldn't happen again.
Thus, another war was imminent in this place.