Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: The Southern Barbarian War (2)
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Heeeigh!
The neighing of horses pulling the carts echoed as the warriors of the Outer Hall moved about busily.
“Lift the other side! Not there, you idiot!”
“Hey, hey! That’s a mud pit! Are you trying to get us killed?!”
“It’s heavy, but just bear with it a little longer! We’re almost there.”
Sharp cries, unbefitting the usual cheerful, “We Are the World” atmosphere of the Outer Hall, could be heard.
The reason was simple.
In war, a single small mistake could decide the fate of countless lives.
Was it thanks to that sustained tension?
We were able to advance more smoothly than expected, and before we knew it, we had arrived at a point roughly halfway between Yunnan Province and the Nine Dragons Fortress.
It was the very next day that some twenty corpses appeared before us.
“The work of the Black Mountain Tigers.”
“…How gruesome.”
The bodies were mangled beyond recognition.
Not only were their entrails spilling out and littering the area, but severed heads rolled around like soccer balls.
Even for me, who had been reincarnated in the martial world for twenty years, the sight was enough to make me want to vomit.
I looked down at the bodies with Bukgung Baek and shared my thoughts.
“…Thanks to them clearing the way, things should be a bit easier for us.”
“It would be best not to think of it that way.”
“…?”
“No matter how skilled the Black Mountain Tigers are, there are only thirty of them. They can’t possibly cover all of this vast territory.”
“Hmm…”
“It would be wise for us to start preparing.”
With those words, Bukgung Baek spurred his horse and rode ahead.
As if to say he would block whatever came their way.
And his prediction was not wrong.
Just as we were about to reach our first destination, we encountered a detachment from the Southern Heaven Palace.
*Swoosh!*
A sound I'd heard before.
It was undoubtedly the iron arrow of the Hundred-Pace Killers, whom I had fought alongside the Silver Dragon Hall.
“Arrows!”
As I shouted, the Outer Hall warriors hastily drew their weapons.
To deflect the incoming arrows.
“Don’t block them, dodge!”
These were arrows that could pierce even the sturdy ironwood shields of the Silver Dragon Hall.
There was no way they could be deflected with martial arts barely at the second-rate level.
I instinctively rushed forward and stomped the ground.
*Boom.*
The force exploding from beneath my feet kicked up a thick cloud of dust as a loud bang erupted.
And the resulting rebound propelled my body into the sky.
“Hup!”
Once I set my target, the War King energy rampaging inside my body naturally gathered in my hand.
And then.
*Crack. Thud.*
A simple punch thrown into the air.
However, the War King energy imbued that simple punch with the power of Explosive Death Force.
The widely spread force knocked the iron arrows to the ground.
“Whoa…”
The members of the Outer Hall stared at me, their jaws agape.
“What are you doing, you bastards! Get down!”
I had no choice but to shout again.
Because another volley of iron arrows was flying toward us.
A situation where, if left alone, dozens of casualties would be inevitable.
“Shit!”
Just as I cursed and was about to stomp again.
*Vwooom.*
A great resonating sound was heard, and at the same time, Bukgung Baek's figure was seen leaping into the air.
*Crack.*
As his hand tore through the air, his energy surged like a wave, ripping the sky apart.
“Huh…!”
Seeing such a phenomenon for the first time in my life, my eyes widened in shock.
‘Is that even human?’
Before I even had time to be amazed, enemies armed with weapons emerged.
Just as I was about to rush forward to stop them, Bukgung Baek blocked their path.
At the same time, a telepathic message came through.
[I'll handle this side. You go catch the ones who shot the arrows.]
[Yes.]
As he said, I ran in the direction where the Hundred-Pace Killers were likely to be, and soon heard shouts and the clash of weapons.
*Fw-fw-fw-fwoosh.*
A speed one and a half times faster than before.
The surrounding scenery blurred past in an instant.
*Swoosh.*
Iron arrows flew intensively toward me.
However, they couldn't harm me at all.
Because I had the A-rank rare item, the Dragon Scale Armor, and the C-rank item, the White Dragon Robe.
Thanks to them, I was able to move even faster.
In less than an instant, I broke through a distance of nearly a hundred paces.
“Kill him!”
I was able to reach the place where the Hundred-Pace Killers were gathered.
The bastards counterattacked with iron arrows, curved swords, and daggers, but I ignored them all and threw myself forward.
This time, it wasn't because I trusted the Dragon Scale Armor and the robe.
*Crash, boom.*
It was a choice made because, no matter what attack they launched, the force of the War King energy could destroy the enemy first.
“Kuaaack!”
“Guk.”
The fist and foot techniques of the Dragon-Slaying Thirteen Strikes, imbued with the force of the War King energy, exploded.
A straight punch pierced through an enemy's torso.
A swift kick broke an enemy's waist.
And a powerful punch unleashed the force of Explosive Death Force, crushing multiple enemies.
And then.
*Splaaat!*
As the now faster and stronger Ultimate Death Force erupted, there were no enemies left standing.
*Plop, plop.*
The forest was filled with the stench of blood from the pieces of flesh scattered in all directions.
A scene created by my own hands.
A sigh escaped my lips unconsciously.
“Hoo.”
This is truly a goddamn war.
***
Once the situation was resolved, Bukgung Baek summoned the squad leaders.
As the sixteen squad leaders stood before him, he looked at me with a calm gaze and spoke.
“What are you doing?”
“…Yes?”
“Shouldn't you be telling them what to do from now on?”
“Me?”
“…Yes.”
This was the so-called weight of leadership.
‘He could just do it himself…’
But I had to do it.
Because a single word from me now could save someone's life.
“The performance of each squad during today's ambush was greatly disappointing.”
“Mmm…”
The squad leaders lowered their heads as if in agreement.
Indeed, if Bukgung Baek and I hadn't been there, they would have been annihilated.
“Therefore, I will give you a few instructions.”
After that, there wasn't much else.
Things like operating scouting parties at different times to quickly detect enemy ambushes.
And urging them to move immediately upon receiving orders from me or Bukgung Baek.
However, the effect was better than I expected.
The squad leaders and the Outer Hall warriors took my words as gospel and began to move with sharp efficiency.
It was a result brought about by my position and martial skill.
After that, the attacks targeting our supplies continued.
However, there were no more attacks using the Hundred-Pace Killers like the first one.
It seemed that as the main force of the Nine Dragons Fortress advanced, it became more of a burden to dispatch elite troops.
Thanks to that, we were able to adequately fend off the enemy attacks, and after twenty days, we arrived at our final destination, Zhaofeng County.
“Waaah!”
The members of the Outer Hall raised their hands and cheered.
It was a roar that seemed to say they had survived.
And frankly, they had every reason to.
The journey had been so perilous that twenty of them had died.
‘These guys.’
Well, at least the rest of them made it in one piece.
If they died in a place like this, they wouldn't even get workers' compensation, just a pittance thrown at them as 'condolence money'.
If this were the modern era, the Lord and the other executives of the Nine Dragons Fortress would probably be arrested under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act.
“Ugh, I'm dead.”
Having not slept properly for nearly a week, I felt like I could collapse at any moment.
We had just arrived and hadn't set up barracks yet, so I was looking around for a place to rest when…
“Huh?”
I saw a familiar face passing by in the distance.
“Brother Wi Ji!”
It was Wi Ji-pung of the Black Dragon Hall.
“It's you, Mujeon.”
I placed a hand on his shoulder, happy to see him, and asked at the same time.
“We can catch up later. For now, let's get some sleep.”
***
When I woke up after sleeping for a long while, the sun was already setting.
I turned my head and saw Wi Ji-pung sitting cross-legged, meditating.
After a moment of silence, Wi Ji-pung opened his eyes and asked.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Thanks to you, I'm alive. I haven't slept for seven days and nights, running nonstop.”
“You've worked hard.”
“You're the one who's really suffering, Brother, clashing swords with those Southern Heaven Palace bastards on the front lines.”
At my pleasantry, Wi Ji-pung gave a weak smile.
I had a rough idea why.
His personality, more suited to that of a Taoist adept than anyone else, was likely ill-suited for killing.
Sure enough, after a few more words, he sighed and confessed his troubles.
“The teachings of my grandmaster, who said the Way is found within the sword, feel so distant now.”
“…I see.”
Normally, I would have just let it be, but perhaps because we were on a battlefield, or because my old man appeared in a dream recently, I felt concerned.
“Um… Brother Wi Ji.”
“Yes.”
“Evil men are meant to be cut down, aren't they?”
“If killing one can save ten, then yes, they must be cut down.”
“What if those Southern Heaven Palace bastards are such evil men?”
“There is nothing more foolish than judging others based on mere rumors.”
“I recently met a kid from the southern lands and heard it firsthand. These guys are truly terrible.”
“…”
Wi Ji-pung looked at me as if I were spouting nonsense, but I did my best to ignore it and continued.
“So, these Southern Heaven Palace guys. Not only do they suck the very lifeblood from the common people, but they also force them onto the battlefield, don't they? You saw it recently at Mount Diancang, right? How they mercilessly slaughtered anyone who didn't obey them.”
“I-Is that so?”
So far, the story was roughly based on facts.
“And what's more. They don't just capture women for their amusement and do wicked things to them, but get this—they supposedly eat the raw livers of children to train their martial arts. There are even rumors of some who eat human flesh. Aren't they truly monsters who deserve the wrath of heaven and man?”
This part was a complete lie.
No matter how bloodthirsty and tearless the Southern Heaven Palace might be as an unorthodox faction, they weren't a cult of psychopaths. They wouldn't go that far.
Nevertheless, the reason I was spouting such lies was to lighten the burden on Wi Ji-pung's heart, even if just a little…
“Such demonic bastards exist! I will lead my disciples and slaughter every last one of them right now!”
Perhaps I had overdone it. Wi Ji-pung grabbed his sword and started shouting at the top of his lungs, ready to charge out at any moment.
“N-No, now's not the time. When the battle starts later…”
“Do not stop me! Today, I will kill them all and send them to the Scorching Hell!”
‘Wait, isn't the Scorching Hell from Buddhist cosmology, not Taoist?’
Thanks to that, I broke out in a cold sweat trying to stop him.
‘I guess I can't just lie recklessly.’
It seems 'Soul-Infused Bullshitting' has become one of my passive skills.
Still, a few words were enough to boost Wi Ji-pung's morale, so wasn't that a good thing?
Really.
***
As soon as the sun rose, I gathered the Outer Hall warriors. It was time to return.
“Count off!”
“One, two, three… Eighteen, count complete!”
Let's see…
“Hey, who's missing from that spot!”
“Jin Seung-il of the Sixteenth Squad is not present.”
“Find him immediately!”
“Yes, sir!”
Despite the scolding, the warriors' faces were bright.
Because the Outer Hall's mission in this war was finally over.
If the war dragged on, another supply run would be necessary, but that was unlikely.
‘The Lord went all-in, so it's highly likely to be a short, decisive battle.’
The only question was how many would die; the outcome of the war was already decided.
As soon as the numbers were confirmed, I went to Bukgung Baek.
“Is it time?”
“Hehe, yes, sir. It's time for you to head back.”
“You look happy.”
“Not at all, sir! With our Fortress family fighting for their lives, how could I be happy? That's utterly preposterous, sir.”
“Good, then.”
“…?”
“We are not going back.”
“What?”
All of a sudden?