Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: The One Who Returned Alive
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“Want a bigger glass?”
“Is there a bigger one?”
“Nope.”
“Then...”
“The old man can just make one.”
“Fine! Just give it here.”
Ak Muyoo poured liquor into Ageukta’s glass. Ageukta downed it in one gulp.
“That face of yours... poison, right?”
Ak Muyoo changed the subject.
It felt odd to ask a man who’d lost his face if he planned to take back what was stolen from him.
“How’d you know it was poison?”
“Like this.”
Ak Muyoo rolled up his right sleeve. A scar similar to the one on Ageukta’s face appeared on the inside of his elbow.
“You’ve been through it too, huh.”
“Yeah.”
“How’d a guy with no internal energy survive?”
What he’d been hit with was a lizard poison called the Death Lizard. An ordinary person dies within a gak if bitten by one. That’s why it’s also called the Gak Lizard. It’s the strongest poison in the desert.
“I’d stuffed myself full of blood gall before getting bit by the Death Lizard.”
“Using poison to dispel poison?”
Using poison to dispel poison meant neutralizing one toxin with another. It was a last resort when no other antidote existed. Success saved your life; failure melted you into sludge.
“No other choice.”
“Lucky bastard.”
“I’m pretty tough.”
“What’s your name?”
“Black Wind.”
“So you were the Wind Platoon Chief.”
“You know me?”
“Very well.”
“Not in a good way, I bet.”
“The head of the organization that threw me into the pit? How could I?”
“The old man’s downfall was because of the Wind Platoon?”
“You saying it wasn’t?”
“Even after all that, you still haven’t wised up?”
“You little shit!”
Ageukta glared at Ak Muyoo.
“I told you to speak straight, even if your mouth’s twisted. In a position like yours, rivals are always waiting for an opening. You shouldn’t have shown any weakness. Blaming us won’t fix shit.”
“Ugh!”
Ageukta grimaced.
Ak Muyoo was right. He’d given Adalta the chance, not the Wind Platoon. He’d known Adalta was waiting for a shot at rebellion but got careless anyway.
“Still, we’re not entirely blameless... Nothing else to give, so eat up.”
He picked up a rib, sliced off the meat cleanly, cut it into bite-sized pieces, and set it before Ageukta.
“Heh!”
Ageukta chuckled.
“So the old man’s one of those Desert Ten Heroes or whatever?”
“Those guys?”
“We call that bastard Ju Jangcheol one now too.”
“I’m number six.”
“Only sixth?”
“...”
Ageukta stared at Ak Muyoo in disbelief.
“I heard Jeok Yeom-cheon was number four. That right?”
“So you’re saying since I caught Jeok Yeom-cheon, I should be equal?”
“When you were sixth, you had both arms, right?”
“I’m about to get seriously pissed off here.”
“Who?”
“...What?”
“Who did that to your arms?”
“My brother Adalta.”
“Your own brother did this?”
“In tribes, royal families, or imperial houses, the leader’s siblings are the most dangerous.”
“Why?”
“No one knows from childhood who’ll succeed—not even the chief’s sons or princes. Factions form around favorites, and those factions do everything to put their guy on the throne. Even if he doesn’t make it, they wait. Then they strike when the chance comes.”
“So the old man’s saying a chief’s or emperor’s brothers are always primed for rebellion? High chance of success too.”
“That’s right.”
“If you go back... you’ll kill him?”
“Who, my brother?”
“Yeah.”
“To become Great Desert Wolf Heaven’s lord again, I have to kill him. And even after, to stay lord. Not just him—all the chiefs who sided with him.”
“Gorgan too?”
“How do you know Gorgan?”
“I cut off his left arm.”
“You even beat Gorgan?”
“He said the War Wolf Tribe always fought at the vanguard. The strongest War Wolves died, their arts were lost, and they became the weakest tribe. True?”
“True. Originally, the War Wolf and White Wolf Tribes were the strongest in Great Desert Wolf Heaven.”
“If you go back, leave the War Wolf Tribe alone.”
“Didn’t you fight them?”
“We ended up on good terms somehow. In a year, they’ll be the strongest tribe in Great Desert Wolf Heaven.”
“In a year?”
“I gave them a martial arts manual.”
“...”
Ageukta stared at Ak Muyoo in disbelief again.
“Gorgan knelt to me after getting it.”
“For real?”
Ageukta’s face shifted from disbelief to shock. The War Wolf Tribe never knelt—not even to Great Desert Wolf Heaven’s lord. Only one reason they’d kneel: acknowledging someone as their master.
“He even said he’d come to the Central Plains later.”
“What kind of art...”
“I can’t cultivate it myself, but I know a lot. Be nice to me, old man, and I might give you something good.”
“You think I need martial arts?”
“You lost to your brother. Says it all.”
“You’ve got a knack for getting under people’s skin.”
“It’s the twist.”
“The twist?”
“Look at my body, old man—you’ll see I’m a total freak. Smart too; read a book once, remember it all. Martial arts? No need to explain twice. But I lack the most important thing. Ara said it: tall, handsome, great personality, rich stud.”
“You really a eunuch?”
“God, that brain of yours... Don’t ever go looking for Great Desert Wolf Heaven, got it?”
“I know, you punk. Just a joke.”
“If you’re joking, smile. Why joke with a straight face?”
“I was smiling.”
“...Even with the scars, you gotta smile with the other half, right?”
“Then I’ll smile bigger, punk.”
“Fair enough. No more lame jokes from now on.”
“Anyway, the war’s long over—why’re you still wandering the desert?”
Ageukta changed the subject.
“That bastard Ju Jangcheol fed us to the Blood Wolves.”
“Abandoned you?”
“Looks like.”
“With another war possible, seems too easy to ditch.”
“Overconfidence, probably.”
“What kind?”
“Confidence they can rebuild a Wind Platoon anytime. Keeps the Desert side from getting bold too quick. Plus the embezzlement.”
“Embezzlement?”
“Nine out of ten in our Wind Platoon never got a single coin in pay.”
“Why not?”
“Supposed to get it after the war.”
“Idiots?”
Seo Haran said, emerging from the ger.
She held a washbasin in her hands.
“They say survivors get the dead’s shares too. To maximize payout, you gotta kill the living ones too. No reason to turn down Ju Jangcheol’s offer.”
“That’s how it was?”
“If everyone dies but me, it’s at least three million nyang.”
“You think they’ll pay you without killing the sole survivor?”
“Huh?”
Ak Muyoo looked at Seo Haran in surprise.
“Why?”
“Just surprised a beauty like you saw through something so profound.”
“Sounds like a compliment, but why do I feel shitty?”
“You’re too simple.”
“This jerk wants to die...”
Seo Haran shot Ak Muyoo a glare.
“You don’t even know what happened to your platoon mates.”
Ageukta asked.
“Most are probably dead.”
“You survived somehow.”
“Tough guys who curse a lot live long.”
“Heading back to the Central Plains?”
“Sounds like you’re warning me not to. Right?”
“Ju Jangcheol’s a real snake. Bet he’s branded you all as rebels.”
“Gotta go back anyway.”
“Some compelling reason?”
“My camel’s got relics from Iron Blood General Gun Cheokjeon, Plain Iron General So Daehwa, Grand Harmony General Ak Gun-eok, and Full Flower General Choyu.”
“They...”
“Lost to Ju Jangcheol in the power struggle.”
“They’ll report your four as killed fighting our Wind Platoon’s rebellion.”
“Probably.”
“And you’re still going?”
“Where else?”
“...True.”
Ageukta nodded.
The Border Wastelands were vast but sparsely populated. Anyone entering stood out fast.
Plus, Ak Muyoo wasn’t some grunt—he was Wind Platoon Leader. Hiding anywhere wouldn’t last; he’d be found quick. Central Plains seemed safer.
“Once back, lay low and stay quiet.”
“Planning to.”
“Platoon Chief!”
Seo Haran called then.
“Yeah?”
“Keep watch.”
“Watch?”
“The lake water’s nice, right?”
“No one around—why bother?”
“Might be rats.”
“Why me?”
“You’re both guys. And you promised earlier.”
“That was just polite talk. Can’t ask the guys we came with?”
“Too awkward.”
“I’m not awkward?”
“Nope.”
“You see me as some mangy mutt?”
Ak Muyoo pointed at the dog.
Grrr!
“Not a mangt mutt, punk.”
“Then what is it if not?”
“Looks tough, but it’s got pedigree.”
“What pedigree?”
“It’s a Shigol dog of the Zabujong breed.”
Crunch!
Bones cracking sounded then.
Ak Muyoo looked down. Zabujong was gnawing a rib bone.
“Whoa!”
Ak Muyoo’s eyes widened.
Pig ribs were thick and tough. Yet the dog was chomping through bone.
“This mutt...”
Grrrr!
Zabujong glared at Ak Muyoo.
“No way... you taught it martial arts?”
“Teeth are pretty strong, huh?”
“That’s strong? It’s a monster.”
Woof!
“Platoon Chief, you coming or not?”
“Ten Thousand Commander, my ass.”
Ak Muyoo grumbled as he stood.
“Don’t drink it all.”
He said heading to the lake.
“Got it, punk.”
Ageukta chuckled.
Zabujong, watching Ak Muyoo head lakeside, grabbed the bone and trotted after, tail wagging.
“You think that guy’s better than me too, huh.”
Ageukta muttered low, eyeing Zabujong squat beside Ak Muyoo.
“I, Ageukta, have returned to life, Adalta! Your biggest mistake was not cutting off my head.”
Ageukta ground out the words.