ML Chapter 23

The Jin family of Taiyuan.

As the name suggests, their base is in Taiyuan. But like modern corporations in reality, their influence wasn’t limited to Taiyuan alone.

Two hundred years since the family’s founding. They’d long since expanded their sphere of influence by establishing branches throughout Shanxi Province’s counties.

[Scout the Dingxiang area and return within five days.]

This was the scout unit’s first mission. The members’ initial reactions split two ways.

“That’s it?”

While some were disappointed like Hyeok Mujin, others like Han Yeop let out sighs of relief.

Neither reaction pleased me.

Hyeok Mujin’s side was consumed by pointless glory-seeking, while Han Yeop’s side feared combat.

Well, better a safe mission.

Imagine facing enemies with these guys. The thought alone is terrifying.

Fighting on the front lines with reliable people would be less dangerous.

Should I request a transfer?

Internally sighing, I raised my fist—one of the signals I’d taught them earlier. It meant stop.

Whhinny.

Eleven horses that had been moving at a steady pace came to a halt with protesting sounds. Hyeok Mujin, riding on my right, spoke curtly.

“Why are we stopping?”

“Rest.”

“Again?”

“One hour of travel, fifteen minutes of rest. Didn’t I say this before?”

“We can keep going!”

“Then go on by yourself.”

I gestured behind us. The other members were breathing heavily. While horseback travel is fast, it consumes considerable stamina.

Hyeok Mujin, with his far superior level, could manage fine, but fatigue was building in the others.

“When I say rest, you rest. That’s an order.”

Ignoring Hyeok Mujin’s sour face, I addressed the unit.

“Fifteen minutes of rest.”

Fifteen minutes of rest was given, but the scouts’ expressions weren’t exactly bright. That’s because I immediately pulled out a large leather backpack.

Reaching into the pack, I thought:

Open inventory.

With a clinking sound, three shields materialized inside the backpack.

The wooden shields plated with iron, acquired from the armory before leaving the Jin mansion, were lightweight yet sturdy.

“Numbers Seven, Eight, Nine.”

The three designated scouts accepted the shields with dead expressions.

These three were my forcibly selected tanks.

Seven DPS, three tanks, and me.

A composition that would get wiped in a Gate, but we’ll have to make do for now.

“To your positions.”

Next came formation training.

“Basic formation.”

The three with shields took the front, Numbers One through Six (including Hyeok Mujin) formed the second line, and Han Yeop and I took the rear.

Front-focused defense.

“Spread out. Break and reform. Disperse.”

Despite their disgruntled faces, they executed the moves quite smoothly now. Better than fresh F-rank hunters straight out of training academy.

These NPCs are better than real people.

Must be the difference in internal energy.

Unlike F-rank hunters who can’t handle mana at all, these martial world NPCs can use internal energy, even if minimally.

They’re just low-level and inexperienced.

I moved to the final formation stage.

“Full retreat.”

The scouts froze.

“What?”

“What’s ‘full retreat’?”

“Exactly what it sounds like. Retreat with everything you’ve got.”

“Then what formation should we—”

“Formation’s meaningless by then. Just run like hell. Don’t look back, scatter as much as possible.”

“Kuk kuk. You call that instruction?”

The sneering voice belonged to, naturally, Hyeok Mujin.

“I can’t take this anymore. Third Young Master, is war a child’s game to you? If you’re going to spout nonsense, at least read one military treatise first.”

“Military treatise?”

“Yes, military treatise! Orderly retreat is the most basic of basics in military tactics—what nonsense are you spouting?”

When Hyeok Mujin openly rebelled, hesitant voices emerged from the other scouts.

“He has a point.”

“We’re not government troops, yet he makes us practice formations, forces us to use shields…”

“Full retreat? Never heard of such a thing.”

See? Everyone agrees with me.

Hyeok Mujin’s smug face seemed to say.

That’s when Han Yeop cut in with a stammering voice.

“I-I don’t think so…”

“What?”

“The Third Young Master—I mean, Captain must have his reasons…right?”

“Reasons?”

Hyeok Mujin glared.

“What reasons! Since childhood, he’s neglected training to drink and chase women. He’s caused nothing but trouble. And not just that—he’s the one who caused this war—”

“That’s enough.”

Hyeok Mujin flinched when I cut him off. He seemed to realize his slip.

But there are always people like this.

People who, when they should back down, push forward instead.

“You’re the one who caused this war!”

Hyeok Mujin’s pride was too strong to stop himself.

A cold silence descended after those words finally spilled out.

Gulp. Someone’s throat bobbed heavily. Nine pairs of eyes darted between me and Hyeok Mujin.

“G-got anything to say?”

Got anything to say? Of course I do.

“Everyone gets thirty more minutes of rest.”

Simultaneously, I slapped Hyeok Mujin’s cheek with a straight palm.

SMACK!

“One.”

Hyeok Mujin’s jaw turned. A simple slap without any internal energy.

While he was still dazed by the sudden situation, I swung my second palm.

“W-what is this!”

At least he wasn’t completely useless—he tried to block with his arm. What he overlooked was our power difference.

SMACK!

“Two.”

Hyeok Mujin, face-planted with his upper body, jumped up. One cheek bore my handprint like a tattoo.

It didn’t take long for his shock to turn to rage.

“You son of a bitch!”

Properly pissed off now. As he charged with eyes rolled back, I tripped him and simultaneously struck with my left hand.

SMACK.

“Three.”

“Kuhek.”

He staggered as strength left his legs. Taking three consecutive hits of this magnitude would scramble anyone’s brain.

“Saving your internal energy to make soup?”

That got through to him. Strength returned to his wobbling legs as energy surged through his body. Eyes leaking killing intent glared at me.

“You’ll regret this.”

“Doubt it.”

I caught the fist flying at my face. Speed, power, timing.

All visible. Nothing compared to Lee Sogun.

“Four.”

Hyeok Mujin’s head snapped back.

Sticky blood sprayed through the air in slow motion. Pupils dilated, legs gone slack.

Yet somehow he didn’t fall.

That’s because I was still holding his fist.

“Five.”

SMACK!

That was his limit. Hyeok Mujin couldn’t take anymore and passed out.

Something dripped onto his awkwardly sprawled body.

Snow?

I looked up at the sky. The winter heavens were dumping tiny white trash.

“Break’s over. Move out.”

As I turned after tossing those words, the scouts behind me let out their held breaths.

The first thing Hyeok Mujin did upon waking two hours later was charge at me.

“You fucking—!”

SMACK. Thud.

“Get rid of it.”

“Y-yes sir!”

With another crisp slap, he passed out again and was dragged to a corner of the cabin by the other scouts.

A cabin, huh. Lucky.

According to a scout familiar with the local geography, we should have reached Dingxiang before sunset today.

But there was nothing we could do about the sudden heavy snow, and this cabin was all we could find.

Some hunter’s rest stop that only locals knew about?

Tiny as hell, but thank fuck for that.

The mission might be delayed, but it’s a hundred times better than facing enemies exhausted after walking through snow all night.

As I was thinking this.

“Um, Captain.”

It was Han Yeop. Behind him, the other members were glancing at me nervously.

“What do we do now?”

“Hm? Sleep.”

“No, that’s not…” Looking at the fidgeting scouts, something occurred to me.

Don’t tell me…

“Want to train?”

Nod nod. Look at those heads bobbing up and down furiously, those eyes full of enthusiasm.

Actions speak louder than words, they say.

One beating is worth a hundred lectures, huh.

It was around noon. The sword blade flashed in the sunlight—the last thing the warrior would ever see.

“Kuhek.”

Thud. His knees buckled and his face hit the frozen ground.

Blood poured from the gash splitting his shoulder to chest. A fatal wound. The warrior sensed his death.

“The others… please spare them.”

His voice, spent of all strength, cut off.

Looking at the warrior’s bulging eyes, a middle-aged man clicked his tongue.

“My, my, you foolish fellow.”

What did you expect, charging in like that? The following words never reached the dead man. The fifty-some wandering warriors surrounding them snickered.

“Getting Chief Jo of all people—talk about shit luck.”

“Like a true righteous sect dog, playing hero till the end. What should we do, Chief?”

Gleaming eyes turned to the remaining survivors. A group of about seven women and children.

“Great Hero, please spare the children.”

At the words of the woman who appeared to be the eldest, the middle-aged man—Jo Pil, One Question One Kill^[1]—smiled gently.

“I’m sorry, but I’m no hero.”

“But you’re human. How can you kill children who can’t even tell right from wrong?”

“Heh, quite the spirit for a woman. Wait, they said the Shuozhou Branch Master’s family survived. Perhaps…”

“He was my husband.”

“Ah, indeed. Who’d have thought such a worthless man had such a virtuous wife.”

Jo Pil smiled brightly, and the woman’s face hardened.

“You won’t spare us.”

“Rest assured. I have no taste for rape.”

“The children…”

“In this harsh world, how could little ones survive without their mother?”

“You’re worse than a beast.”

“Well-spoken last words.”

That was the signal.

Sword light flashed and screams rang out.

Soon after, warriors drenched in blood threw the corpses into the mountain undergrowth.

“The wild beasts will feast well.”

Muttered Sparrow Eyes. He was Jo Pil’s right-hand man, a first-rate wandering warrior known by the title Black Mountain Blade^[2].

“We’ll feast too. What’s a thousand gold when we finish this job?”

Jo Pil laughed pleasantly. Not only was the reward for this job massive, but he was enjoying the situation itself.

“Never imagined the day would come to hunt Jin family dogs. Never dreamed of it.”

His bloodied leather shoes stepped on the fallen warrior’s corpse.

The warrior belonged to the Shuozhou Branch, one of over ten Jin family branches.

“Was that the last of them?”

“No, Chief.”

“Slippery rats. How many?”

“Three total. One warrior and two children. They passed through Dingxiang just hours ago, heading for Hunzhou.”

“Troublesome. It’ll take half a day at least.”

“No need for you to go, Chief. I’ll handle it.”

“Would you?”

A satisfied smile spread across Jo Pil’s face.

“Good. Take half our men. You have half a day—how’s that?”

The answer was predetermined. Black Mountain Blade bowed deeply.