Chapter 240: Battlefront (10)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 240: Battlefront (10)
After Hwangbo Cheolwi brought the unconscious people back to the Hwangbo Clan’s base—positioned a safe distance from the Murim Alliance’s territory—chaos erupted.
Crash!
Objects flew through the air, shattering against the tent walls with explosive force.
The giant of a man, whose presence seemed to swallow the entire spacious tent, hurled things with a fury that radiated from his massive frame.
“That bastard…!”
Crack!
His fist came down, splintering the heavy table into splinters.
Hwangbo Cheok ground his teeth, the memory of his encounter with that martial artist burning in his mind.
“True Dragon…!”
When he’d come to, he’d learned the identity of the man who had attacked him.
Gu Yangcheon, the True Dragon—a title earned by dominating the Dragons and Phoenixes Tournament. Even Hwangbo Cheok had heard the name.
How could he not? The birth of a new Dragon was always news.
Lately, the Central Plains had been abuzz with talk of this exceptionally talented prodigy and his bright future.
However…
He’s still just a young prodigy, in the end.
That’s all the True Dragon was to him. A promising youth, nothing more.
But that bastard… he dared to make a fool of me?
Slam!
The entire tent shuddered as Hwangbo Cheok drove his fist into a support pillar.
The servants huddled in the corner flinched, trembling, but Hwangbo Cheok screamed on, oblivious to their terror.
His rage wasn’t solely born from defeat.
I thought there wouldn’t be another monster like the one from the Peng Clan.
An involuntary shudder ran through him as he recalled the true monster nurtured by that clan.
A being who seemed to operate on a completely different plane.
That predatory gaze, looking down on everyone as if they were insects—it was an attitude Hwangbo Cheok, as the future lord of his clan, could never tolerate.
Which was precisely why being humiliated by a lesser bastard like this was intolerable.
Crack.
Hwangbo Cheok’s fist clenched as he contemplated the young man’s title.
This mighty Hwangbo Cheok…
Beaten by a mere prodigy.
Impossible.
He had real combat experience in the Central Plains. His mastery over his qi was profound. A young prodigy shouldn’t have been able to touch him.
No, there was no way he should have lost.
I am the one who will lead the great Hwangbo Clan one day.
Crack.
He was destined for a life of fame and glory at the helm of his clan. He couldn’t allow this disgrace to stain his reputation.
…What if I just kill everyone who witnessed it?
If there were no witnesses left to talk, wouldn’t the humiliating defeat simply disappear?
Hwangbo Cheok gave a slow, deliberate nod.
His decision was made.
Crack.
“Ughh…”
A sharp, throbbing pain shot through his arm—the same arm that bastard had twisted.
The physicians said the break was clean; it would heal fully with rest, leaving no permanent damage. He was lucky, they said, to escape such a confrontation without lasting injury.
Initially, Hwangbo Cheok had wondered if the bastard had done it on purpose.
There is no way.
Only a seasoned killer, someone with intimate knowledge of torture, could inflict such precise, debilitating damage. Talent alone wasn’t enough. It had to have been a coincidence.
If it wasn’t… the alternative was unthinkable.
Crack!
The last intact piece of furniture in the tent—a sturdy chair—shattered under his fury. Consumed by his anger, he muttered to himself.
“What should I do?”
He glanced over his shoulder at the other large figure standing in silence.
“Brother.”
It was Hwangbo Cheolwi, his younger brother, the second son of the Hwangbo Clan.
“…Brother.”
“I’m asking you,” Hwangbo Cheok’s voice was low and dangerous. “What am I, Hwangbo Cheok, supposed to do after being humiliated like this?”
“…”
Hwangbo Cheolwi remained silent, his face etched with a strange, unreadable expression.
Hwangbo Cheok let out a short, bitter chuckle. He could see the mix of pity and frustration in his brother’s eyes.
“What am I supposed to do? Father would be overjoyed to hear about this, wouldn’t he?”
“But… brother, you were ambushed…”
“Ambushed?” Hwangbo Cheok’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “Did it look like an ambush to you?”
“…”
“No. It was more like an assassination attempt. That feels more accurate.”
As much as he wanted to dismiss the young martial artist, Hwangbo Cheok knew the truth. The kid had shattered his defenses.
He knew it because he had felt it.
It wasn’t an ambush.
The young man’s gaze, his posture, the speed of his reactions—they were all on another level.
He had been utterly outclassed.
“And that’s exactly why I’m so angry.”
He couldn’t stomach the reality: a scion of the mighty Hwangbo Clan, beaten in a contest of raw strength by someone younger and smaller. The fact that others had seen it all only poured salt on the wound.
“What do you think I should do, brother?”
“First… you should send a formal letter of protest to the Gu Clan…”
“Ha.”
Hwangbo Cheok burst into mocking laughter.
“Since when did my brother become so… rational?”
“…Brother?”
“A letter, hmm…” Hwangbo Cheok’s laughter subsided, replaced by a calculating look. “That’s not a bad idea. It might actually prove more beneficial for us.”
An outsider, the so-called True Dragon, had violently interfered within the Hwangbo Clan’s territory. He had attacked their martial artists and their blood relatives. A formal complaint would give the clan solid justification to demand significant compensation.
However.
“What about my pride?” Hwangbo Cheok’s tone turned deadly serious.
“That’s…!”
Hwangbo Cheolwi faltered, understanding the weight of the question. For a martial artist, pride was everything, even if it was an intangible concept.
Seeing his brother’s hesitation, Hwangbo Cheok smiled coldly.
“Don’t worry. There won’t be any ‘cleanup’ as you’re imagining it.”
He misinterpreted Hwangbo Cheolwi’s silence as concern for his well-being.
His brief amusement faded as he plotted his next move.
That bastard has already broken through his wall.
The ease with which the True Dragon had defeated him—and the way he’d effortlessly disabled his escorts, who were all at the Peak Realm—confirmed it. The young man was a wall-breaker.
Sending ordinary troops after him would be pointless.
I doubt I could even kill him myself.
It would be one thing if he came from some no-name clan, but he was a scion of the Gu Clan—a reputable, if not top-tier, noble family. rashly moving against a fellow noble’s blood relative was a dangerous game.
Which is what makes that bastard even weirder.
Even if he realized Hwangbo Cheok was from the Hwangbo Clan, how could he dare to beat a noble heir so savagely?
Unless he’s a complete maniac…
A cold shiver traced Hwangbo Cheok’s spine as he remembered the chilling look in the young man’s eyes.
He truly had seemed like a lunatic.
…The one good thing is that this is the frontlines.
It was a lawless place, teeming with demons and death. Danger was a daily occurrence.
No matter what happens here…
No one would bat an eye.
Massaging his sore shoulder, Hwangbo Cheok called out to his brother again.
“Brother.”
“…Yes, brother.”
“Do you know where the Sixth Elder is right now?”
Hwangbo Cheolwi’s eyes widened slightly, a flicker of understanding—and dread—crossing his face. He had a terrible feeling he knew what his brother was planning.
* * *
Duty on the frontlines was nothing special.
It simply meant standing watch in areas where Gates of Demons were known to form, a constant patrol against the unknown.
While it was essentially guard duty, doing it under the noon sun and doing it under the cloak of night were two different experiences. The night shift was infinitely more dangerous and draining.
“…This is why I told her I didn’t want the night shift,” I muttered to myself, frustration evident in my voice as I stared up at the cold, bright moon.
I couldn’t speak for other clans, but in the Gu Clan, being a blood relative didn’t earn you many favors.
My only concession was an exemption from night watch. But if I refused that duty, I was expected to compensate with even harder work elsewhere.
In the end, it amounted to the same thing.
…What a shitty household.
Besides, Captain Gu Huibi was working herself to the bone, handling extra shifts on top of her relentless training. Compared to her, I had no right to complain.
I just had to grit my teeth and do what I was told.
Letting out a long sigh, I shifted my weight.
“Mmph…”
The movement jostled the lady sleeping with her head in my lap, and she stirred.
“Unngh…”
Is she sleep-talking?
“…Mm… Mmph…?”
Her breathing hitched, and she awoke with a soft, confused sound, blinking sleepily as she sat up from my knees. Her expression was bleary with exhaustion.
Seeing her like that, I couldn’t help but let out a wry chuckle.
“You’re something else, seriously.”
Seemingly oblivious to her dishevelled hair, she maintained that drowsy look and leaned her head heavily against my shoulder.
“Hey.”
“Yeeaah…” she mumbled, already half-gone.
“I told you not to come if you were just going to sleep. What’s the point of following me out here if you’re going to doze off?”
Namgung Bi-ah had drifted away again, not even pretending to listen.
It was strange enough that she’d insisted on accompanying me on an all-night watch, especially after she’d already ventured deep into the frontlines with Gu Huibi today.
“If you’re just going to sleep, you should have stayed back at camp. Why make things harder for yourself?”
“…Unngh…”
“And now you’re not even pretending to listen.”
How absurd.
My gaze drifted down and fell upon the accessory I had given her, still hanging around her neck.
“You’re still wearing this piece of junk, huh?”
It was looking a bit worn. Maybe I should get her a new one?
As I reached out to take a closer look,
Tap!
Namgung Bi-ah, who I’d thought was asleep, suddenly grabbed my wrist.
“No. It’s mine.”
“…Yes, I know. It’s yours.”
“I’m not giving it back…”
“I wouldn’t take it even if you offered. What would I do with something like that?”
I let her have her way and turned my attention to the other person present, who was quietly staring up at the night sky.
This guy is also a pain in my neck.
“Why are you here?”
“Pardon…?” The bastard, Bi Yeonsum, stammered, caught off guard.
“I asked why you’re here.”
“Oh, uh… The Vice Captain ordered me to accompany you, Brother Gu.”
My expression soured. His reply sounded more like a weak excuse.
“That person always dumps the new recruits on me.”
The Vice Captain had a habit of assigning newcomers to my watch. With Gu Jeolyub and Muyeon around, why was I always the one stuck babysitting?
What was it the Vice Captain had said again? Something about how experiencing hardship early on makes you tougher?
It sounded an awful lot like an insult to me…
“Sigh…” I let out another weary sigh.
Bi Yeonsum hesitated before speaking again. “Uh… Brother Gu.”
“What?”
“I… I’m truly grateful for what you did earlier.”
I looked at him properly then. He knew better than anyone how difficult his request had been.
Since he was originally affiliated with the Murim Alliance, it wasn’t as simple as him just not wanting to go back. They must have had their own reasons for letting him go.
Though they’ve probably already written him off as a casualty. They might even prefer if we took him in.
Of course, it wouldn’t look good for them if they made a fuss about it now.
“…I joined the Murim Alliance because I believed they represented the pinnacle of the Orthodox Sects… but they are—“
“No need to tell me your life story,” I cut him off. “I’m not particularly interested.”
“Ah… understood.”
Whether it was a tale of disillusionment or betrayal, I didn’t care to hear it. Such stories were a dime a dozen.
I wasn’t the type to pry into someone else’s past.
Meanwhile, Bi Yeonsum’s gaze kept flickering towards Namgung Bi-ah, who was asleep on my shoulder. He tried to be subtle, but his eyes were drawn to her against his will.
“…If you keep staring like that, you might burn a hole through her face.”
“Ugfh… I’m sorry…”
“Look ahead.”
“Yes, sir!”
Even if Namgung Bi-ah had a face that was hard to ignore, it irritated me when people stared. I’d taught her how to suppress her presence with her qi, and she was usually very good at making herself inconspicuous. But it seemed she couldn’t maintain it while asleep.
After my reprimand, Bi Yeonsum straightened up and dutifully kept his eyes forward. Unlike Gu Jeolyub, he at least seemed to have some basic discipline. That idiot needed a regular beating just to stay in line. Though, to be fair, he had improved a little lately.
Had he? I wasn’t really sure. I didn’t pay enough attention to him to notice.
“…Hmm.”
Lost in thought, I pulled a small bundle of letters from my pocket and began to open them. I’d been expecting them, and sure enough, they’d arrived. I supposed I should count that as a small blessing.
Rustle—
I went through them one by one with care.
One was from Tang Soyeol, as expected. It was filled with her usual concerns—was I eating well, had I gained any weight, and other minutiae.
Reading her words stirred a complicated warmth in my chest. It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling.
“Hmm…?”
I read on through her letter, which was also filled with lamentations about how she should be here with me, repeated questions about whether Namgung Bi-ah—and especially Moyong Hi-ah—had tried anything, but I paused abruptly at the final line.
-But to think that soon enough I’ll be able to go see the Young Master, it makes me so so happy!
-The Young Master is going there, right?
“Huh? What does she mean by that?”
I doubted she was referring to the Tang Clan’s upcoming Military Exhibition.
I wracked my brain, trying to recall if I’d forgotten something important.
“…Ah?”
Then it hit me. I quickly sifted through the other letters in my hand. Among the ones from Tang Soyeol, the Hao Clan, and the Beggar’s Sect, there was one far more significant than the rest.
“Isn’t it… too soon?”
A specific memory surfaced as I reread Tang Soyeol’s words. I turned to the last letter, the one marked with the character for ‘Gu’.
I broke the seal and unfolded it. The contents were brief, but the final line made my blood run cold.
The handwriting was simple, unmistakably my father’s. The message was strictly business.
-The Eldest Son of the main clan will be returning from the frontlines. There will be no more extensions.
-And on his return, he will attend the Heavenly Dragon Academy.
“…Fuck.”
The time had come.
The moment I had been dreading had finally arrived.