The Victory Feast and the Oath of Brothers
So what are you gonna do from now on, Kim Gong? I wanted a clean picture of lopping off his head and roaring triumphantly with it held high... but things didn't go exactly as planned. The neck didn't cut as neatly as I'd hoped. Part of it was that my blade had dulled from slicing through so many guys. No choice—I just grabbed the head dangling by its spine and bellowed at the top of my lungs.
"The enemy commander's head!!! I took it!!!"
I let out a world-shaking roar right after.
"Ooh, ooooh...!"
"Oooooh!!"
Our guys' cheers grew even thicker and more intense. Meanwhile, the Yellow Turban mob looked flustered, backing away hesitantly to put some distance between us. Their leader was dead, and the siege had racked up unexpectedly high casualties—they were thrown off.
"Now's the time!!! Slaughter these rotten bandits to the last man!!"
"Kill 'em!!!"
In that gap, Liu Bei whipped the militia into a frenzy and sent them charging at the Yellow Turbans all at once. No formations or ranks—just a wild dogfight rush, but with momentum on our side, the ferocity was something fierce.
Puuk!! Puk!!
"Gaaahhh!!"
"Aaaahhh!!"
The Yellow Turban soldiers got butchered en masse, writhing on the ground. Once the tide turns in a melee fight like this, it's nothing but a one-sided massacre from there.
About an hour of brutal slaughter later, the battle wrapped up. Takhyeon's 50 militiamen wiping out 300 Yellow Turbans? Solid merit, no question. There was that sweet high of a historic victory straight out of the annals... but thinking coldly, this was just another chaotic brawl in these turbulent times.
'300's a lot...'
Was my brain pickled from too many games? I'd always figured you needed tens of thousands of troops to feel secure, but seeing 300 in person hit with real pressure.
Level 3Status Window
After checking my boosted stats through the Status Window, I gazed out over the plains in front of Takhyeon. Mountains of corpses, seas of blood. The kind of sight I'd see plenty of in this world.
After that, Takhyeon's folks started stripping the Yellow Turban corpses. Peeling off clothes, scavenging weapons and anything that could fetch coin—the usual routine. These were the bastards who'd come to trash our village, right? Time to collect some payback.
I got into the farming grind too. Stripped a few outfits, pocketed valuables—decent haul for early game, considering they were bandits. Some hidden gold, silver, jewels from their pillaging stashes.
Finally, after a massive bury-the-bodies-far-away-and-cover-with-dirt operation, it finally sank in that everyone in Takhyeon was back to daily life.
"Uhahahaha!!! Drink!! Drink your fill!!"
"We protected our home with our own hands!"
"Aah!! Feels damn good!!"
That night was a feast. They slaughtered pigs that would've been looted anyway and threw a bash. Sitting around the bonfire together, reveling—it was a pretty sight. Yeah. Kinda romantic, in its way.
But... even in this moment, some inexplicable anxiety churned inside me.
'I can't melt into this vibe...!'
Chills ran down my spine at the thought. If I blended into Liu Bei's crew and joined as one of them, I'd be slaving away till I dropped dead.
'Wait... 50 guys crushing 300—that's some real power. If we rise up, we'd be gods of war, right?'
Everyone here was probably buzzing with that hope. But... no. Liu Bei's army was strong, sure. But they'd never fought from a position of advantage. It was always uphill battles, scraping by with desperate flailing, barely surviving—that was their fate.
And this was Liu Bei without Zhuge Liang's brains. Just a headbutting dinosaur ramming everywhere, tasting every bitter pill life had to offer.
'I absolutely cannot follow them.'
As a possessor with meta-knowledge, I knew joining Liu Bei meant the abyss. I'd make an excuse and bail after the feast.
That's when it happened.
"Kim Gong. I'm disappointed."
Guan Yu-noona suddenly addressed me.
"D-disappointed? About what?"
I forced an awkward smile as I said it.
Swoosh. Liu Bei-ajusshi with his kindly face and Zhang Fei both smiled warmly, blocking my escape.
"Y-you... We said we'd live and die together... but you ran off taking all the risk alone again."
Guan Yu puffed her cheeks cutely as she spoke.
"Ahh..."
She seemed miffed about that.
"Wasn't trying to break the promise. But... this felt like the highest-win-rate play."
I mumbled something like that with another awkward grin.
"And in the end, everyone survived, right?"
I wrapped it up with a smile. All happy-happy.
"Mm... Still, don't do it again from now on."
Maybe the booze? Guan Yu was acting oddly clingy. No. 'From now on'? Don't say that, noona. We're done here. Not even gonna piss in Liu Bei's direction.'
"Even so, since I'm your noona... rely on me more."
Guan Yu said it primly.
"Ah... Got it."
Her beauty was straight-up cheat code. I found myself scratching my cheek awkwardly, eyes tracing her features.
"Hehe. Good boy. Good."
Suddenly she treated me like a little brother, petting my head. Was I drunk on liquor or her looks? Then Liu Bei's words snapped me sober.
"Speaking of... what're your plans going forward, Kim Gong? Settle down in Takhyeon?"
I saw Liu Bei's subtle smile.
"Ahh... that."
I cleared my throat awkwardly when Zhang Fei jumped in.
"Hey! Kim! Don't be like that!!"
Zhang Fei shoved a cup my way, eyes gleaming with drunken fervor.
Shit. Don't look at me like that, dude!! I'm getting attached!
"You felt it today, right!!! This era needs a new order!!"
Zhang Fei declared flatly.
"No Han Dynasty or whatever's gonna protect us—nothing!!"
He slammed the table, yelling. No way I could call out smacking the table that hard at a feast... his fist was too damn big. So I stayed quiet.
"Yideok. That's too much. Talk like that insults the imperial house."
Liu Bei coughed and said it.
Yeah. Even if the country's a mess, badmouthing it outright spells trouble.
"Insult my ass—what insult? That's for monks to chant. You happy with this shitshow world, bro?"
Zhang Fei grumbled.
"...Mm. True. To end this chaos, someone has to step up."
Liu Bei said it like he'd been waiting.
"Right?! See?! Bro!!!"
Zhang Fei's eyes lit up.
"Even a commoner bears responsibility in these times. That applies to a lowly mat-seller like me too. No more turning a blind eye to the world!! Here and now, I, Liu Xuande, raise a righteous army!!!"
Liu Bei roared boldly. Anyone might chalk it up to the booze... but I read the ambition in his eyes. Unlike his gentle face, flames like wildfires churned there. He'd deny it, but Liu Bei saw this as his big break.
"Oooooh!!!"
"We can do it!!!"
Riding the high of 50 beating 300 bandits, the villagers erupted in cheers.
"Truth is... my mentor, Inspector Lu Zhi, is holding back the Yellow Turbans right now. Let's go aid my master."
Liu Bei casually dropped his connections.
'Scary guy...!'
Even if you drunkenly call for militia, sobriety brings regrets. To keep long-term followers, you need to offer something solid. Liu Bei dangled his network.
Lu Zhi—the colonel reinstated for the Yellow Turban suppression after getting booted from office.
'And not bragging too hard—that's impressive...!'
Liu Bei spoke with genuine worry for his teacher. Bragging connections directly looks desperate. He knew and played it subtle. Plus, Lu Zhi was famous among the common folk. Folks knew him alongside Heubongseung, Zhu Jun, Lu Zhi, and Grand General He Jin holding the line. Subtracting the politics-averse ones like Heubongseung and Zhu Jun, Lu Zhi's clout was overwhelming—as a Qingliu elder in the court's new faction.
"Such a famous figure is Lord Xuande's mentor...!"
"Of course!! Let's head there!!"
The underlings' reactions were fired up, naturally.
"Mm. Knowing righteousness but not acting is unrighteous. I, Guan Yunchang, will follow Lord Xuande. A world of benevolence and righteousness where all under heaven live in peace—that is our goal, is it not?"
Guan Yu brushed back her hair with a smile.
"Heh. Indeed. A world of benevolence and righteousness! Fine ring to it!"
Liu Bei picked it up.
'Yeah... go for it.'
I watched from a bit away, feeling a pang of pity. And for good reason... Lu Zhi was a rotten lifeline. The Ten Attendants would target Qingliu first, getting him sacked. His replacement? Dong Zhuo. Liu Bei's crew would get left hanging.
"Ow!! We ain't pigs scarfing and swilling like this!!! Brothers!! Let's swear brotherhood!!!"
Zhang Fei suddenly declared it, eyeing everyone.
"Mm!!! Great!! Finding kindred spirits in this chaos ain't common! We've crossed death's door together—thicker than blood siblings!!"
Liu Bei welcomed it warmly.
"Heh."
Guan Yu smiled heroically.
Yeah... Peach Garden Oath or whatever, go ahead.
'Still... that high hits different.'
In a way, it was Three Kingdoms' iconic scene. You forget battles and events with age, but the intro Peach Garden Oath? Stuck forever. Even if not long acquainted, confirming grand ambitions and swearing brotherhood... still stirs the blood. That's why it pops up in every game.
"Mm! Then I, Liu Xuande, along with Lord Yunchang, Yideok... and Kim here—four of us shall swear brotherhood!!"
Liu Bei dropped a bombshell that startled me.
No. Fuck. Why me?
"Perfect!!"
Guan Yu finally grinned wide, slyly taking my hand.
Ah... pretty face. Before her looks ensnared me, I snapped to.
'Gotta refuse this shit hard.'
My brain spun wildly, churning out excuses.