The Carrier Who Wields the Thunder Sword
A red Ferrari roared into the clearing with a thunderous boom, spinning once before screeching to a halt. All eyes from the gangsters turned to it.
Yoo Min-jeong stepped out of the sports car and spotted Choi Min-su, who was gasping for breath. Beyond him, on the screen, she saw Choi Muhyun struggling desperately to free himself from the chair.
The gangsters whistled lewdly.
Grasping the situation instantly, Yoo Min-jeong unfolded the telescoping baton she'd stashed in the Ferrari.
Three approaching thugs went down in a flash under blows from the baton, wiping the smirks off the rest of their faces.
Yeom Sang-taek stuck close behind Yoo Min-jeong, targeting the thugs who exposed openings and striking them down.
A Harley-Davidson then pulled up at the clearing's entrance.
The gangsters hesitated at the sight of Go Cheolmin, whose massive frame made even the Harley look like an ordinary bike.
That's when a flaming arrow streaked in, embedding itself deep into the motorcycle's engine.
Skyla and Go Cheolmin dodged just in time as the Harley exploded in a fireball, shattering into pieces.
"...My baby."
Seized by rage, Skyla let out a feral scream and charged at the gangsters.
An arrow targeted the berserk Skyla.
Go Cheolmin hurled the broken handlebar from the bike, deflecting it mid-flight.
"Why are you so late?"
Choi Min-su said upon seeing Go Cheolmin.
"Do you think you're in any position to complain without even inviting me, Sunbae?"
Go Cheolmin belatedly noticed Choi Min-su's condition.
He was bleeding heavily enough to need a hospital immediately. His clothes hung in tatters. Yet his eyes burned clear and sharp.
"Did Kim Jun contact you?"
"Did you meet him?"
"He said he was here to rescue Muhyun. That guy's got some guts."
It was praise.
"He's even gutsier than you think, Sunbae."
Go Cheolmin focused on blocking the powerful arrows whistling in from afar.
By channeling his Mukhon Gong internal energy outward, he sensed their positions and trajectories in advance, then swatted them away with his hands, feet... or whatever was at hand.
Choi Min-su straightened his back for the first time, scanning the darkness.
Not yet.
No soaring flames anywhere.
Kim Jun leaped onto the roof of a nearby warehouse. In one corner inside, three drums sat stacked.
He moved back to the warehouse holding Choi Muhyun and pulled out the pouch of fire bombs.
Kim Jun hurled one precisely at the drums. It stuck fast, and he flattened himself on the roof.
Boom!
The drums erupted in flames.
The blast ripped part of the warehouse roof away and crumbled a wall. People gathered around the bonfire, enjoying the action movie starring Choi Min-su and the Uramata guild members, jumped in shock and rushed toward the warehouse.
Choi Min-su heard the explosion and saw the flames shooting skyward in the distance.
Found it.
The gangsters paused their assault at the sound too. Seizing the moment, Choi Min-su abandoned his defensive stance and plunged into their midst. A mere graze from his glowing blue hands sent them screaming to the ground.
Myeongoksu!
Despite expending energy blocking attacks and bleeding from arrow wounds, Choi Min-su was still formidable. No—he seemed even stronger.
Choi Min-su glanced at Go Cheolmin.
"You handle things here. I'm going to rescue Muhyun."
"Understood."
Go Cheolmin knocked an incoming arrow down with a thrown stone. Their power was waning.
"I'll come with you."
Yoo Min-jeong stepped forward.
Recognizing the resolve in her voice, Choi Min-su grabbed her hand and unleashed Pacheonbo. Yoo Min-jeong felt her body lighten like a feather as they rocketed forward at impossible speed.
The overgrown grass parted to either side under the pressure of Pacheonbo.
Yeon Un-jae furrowed his brow.
How had Uramata's Go Cheolmin shown up here? Choi Min-su surely hadn't tipped him off.
A bigger problem loomed.
His Cheonri-an scanned the exploded warehouse in detail, but found no cause. It had to be deliberate arson. Otherwise, Choi Min-su wouldn't have charged straight that way, as if awaiting a signal.
This is serious.
His supposedly flawless plan was crumbling. The thugs in front of the warehouse couldn't stop Choi Min-su.
"Well now... Failed to kill the tiger and only wounded it—what a mess. Should I tear open the wound? No... losing the cub will make it hurt more. If he loses his mind for good, even better. He's bound to slip up anyway."
Yeon Un-jae pulled out his phone and sent a text.
From the warehouse roof, Kim Jun checked his phone and peered inside through a window.
Il-yeong, seeing the message, drew the dagger from his belt and advanced on Choi Muhyun.
Damn, too quick on the draw.
Time to cut off the tail. Any hesitation, and Muhyun dies.
Kim Jun immediately placed a fire bomb on the roof's edge and prepared to crash through the window.
Boom!
The fire bomb detonated, collapsing part of the roof into a hole.
Il-yeong looked up and moved toward the blast site.
At the same instant, Kim Jun shattered the window with his foot and dropped inside. Absorbing the impact with a roll, he rose and drew the dagger he'd taken from Yi-yeong. He sprinted to the warehouse center where Choi Muhyun was bound.
Il-yeong spun around, gripping his dagger, and closed in.
Kim Jun threw his last fire bomb.
It stuck to the floor.
Recognizing it, Il-yeong flung himself sideways.
Boom!
In that moment, Kim Jun began sawing at the ropes binding Choi Muhyun with his dagger.
"Took you long enough."
"Yeah, I'm here now."
He'd cut halfway through when killing intent prickled from behind.
Turning, Kim Jun saw Il-yeong covered in dust.
"Not bad. Good try. Almost had me. Is Yi-yeong dead?"
Kim Jun said nothing.
Then Il-yeong lunged at blinding speed.
Kim Jun waited, prepared, and dodged the flung dagger at the last second. It spun back viciously toward his thigh.
He barely parried, but the force tore the dagger from his grip, slicing his palm as it flew into the wall. Blood dripped.
"You don't even know dagger release techniques. But... I've seen you somewhere."
Il-yeong tilted his head.
"...Water bottle."
"Ah, that carrier?"
Licking the dagger's blade, Il-yeong approached.
"Yi-yeong, that moron. Taken down by some carrier no-name."
Seeing the enemy's dagger, Kim Jun suddenly recalled the feel of the Thunder Brain Sword in his hand.
If the Thunder Brain Sword can find me, maybe I can call it too?
He imagined and summoned it more fiercely than ever.
But his hand remained empty.
Il-yeong grinned and threw the dagger.
Straight for his chest.
Kim Jun couldn't block or dodge. He just reflexively raised his hand.
As the dagger neared his heart, a blinding flash filled the warehouse.
Clang!
The dagger ricocheted away.
The light faded.
Kim Jun saw the Thunder Brain Sword in his grasp. A thrilling surge spread from the blade through his body, washing away all fatigue.
He stood.
Stunned by the flash, Il-yeong gaped at the Thunder Brain Sword. Regaining his wits, he charged with savage fury.
In that instant, a thin line appeared before Kim Jun's eyes.
It traced perfectly between the Thunder Brain Sword, Kim Jun, and Il-yeong. Kim Jun swung lightly along the line.
Lightning erupted from the sword, blasting Il-yeong away in one strike.
Kaboom!
He slammed into the warehouse wall and crumpled, chest torn to shreds.
"Hah... hah... You bastard."
Kim Jun approached Choi Muhyun with the Thunder Brain Sword and sliced the ropes. Just one swing, and he felt drained. Better than last time, though.
Then—a thud from behind.
Il-yeong, dagger in hand and blood trickling from his mouth, slowly collapsed.
Behind him stood Choi Muhyun, clutching a half-broken chair.
"Your finishing blows suck. I'd be dead without me."
"You okay?"
"Of course. I could take you on right now."
Choi Muhyun thumped his chest.
"What?"
Kim Jun burst out laughing at the absurd words and gorilla-like gesture.
"Once we're out safe, let's have a real go."
Choi Muhyun said emphatically.
Frowning, Kim Jun moved beside him, parting his hair to check his scalp. No gashes or serious injuries.
"Hey! I'm serious. Ever since I saw you beat Do Jin-yong in the dungeon, I've wanted a real fight with you."
Only then did Kim Jun grasp his sincerity.
"If we get out safe, sure."
"Promise?"
"Yeah, promise. Let's go."
Exiting the warehouse with Choi Muhyun, Kim Jun felt a chill run down his spine.
In that moment, a thin thread-like line appeared behind him.
Kim Jun moved the Thunder Brain Sword along it. Or rather—did his hand move the sword, or the sword move his hand? He couldn't tell.
Just then!
Clang!
The Thunder Brain Sword deflected an arrow piercing the darkness.
The impact hurled Kim Jun back into the warehouse wall.
"Kim Jun!"
Choi Muhyun rushed over.
Two more arrows followed.
Kim Jun realized what the two lines behind meant. The Thunder Brain Sword was showing him paths to defend. He traced them smoothly in a curve.
The arrows, about to strike Choi Muhyun's head, veered off course.
They embedded in the wall.
Two more lines appeared. As he swung to follow, they multiplied to four. Kim Jun swung the Thunder Brain Sword along all four with all he had.
All four arrows scattered.
Panting, Kim Jun glared into the darkness. He couldn't predict where the next would come from.
Choi Muhyun stood frozen behind him, mouth agape.
The retainers had left to wrap things up.
Alone on the cliff, Yeon Un-jae used Cheonri-an to clearly see the face of the one gripping the Thunder Brain Sword.
"No. That's impossible. It can't be—no, it mustn't be!"
He'd unleashed every archery skill to kill him, yet the exhausted boy wielded the Thunder Brain Sword with exquisite precision, blocking them all. More astonishing, his casual thrusts and swings embodied profound principles of the Thunder Brain Sword Technique.
It was like watching Yeon Chung-jae.
"He's a carrier! A carrier wielding the Thunder Brain Sword! A carrier as its master!"
Yeon Un-jae, who always smiled leisurely while dragging foes to hell, shed his mask and bellowed in rage.
He'd never imagined it.
Not Choi Muhyun, but some nameless carrier as the Thunder Brain Sword's master. Now he understood why Choi Muhyun had been known as its owner.
Carriers can't own items. The tanker held it for him.
He sighed deeply.
He'd overlooked the crucial intel. That's why the plan unraveled. Dismissing Kim Jun as worthless trash—that was the fatal error.
No shadows assigned to him either.
He'd neglected the one who mattered most.
"Must kill him. Before it's too late!"
If word spread that a carrier wielded the Thunder Brain Sword, Yeon Ga's prestige would plummet. People would think anyone could claim mastery.
After agonizing, Yeon Un-jae pulled out his phone again.