Into the Hanchon Secret Cave
The atmosphere at the Bing Palace had been chaotic since morning.
Yeom Si-woo, who had been overseeing Woo-gang's training, was the first to sense it.
Something must have happened.
Feeling the unsettling air, Si-woo glanced at Woo-gang before stepping away.
Toward the main gate of the Bing Palace.
Not only the leaders of each unit but also countless Bing Palace warriors had gathered.
Normally, they would have stood in neat, orderly ranks, but not today.
They clustered together like spectators drawn to a spectacle, their confusion plainly evident.
Si-woo approached quietly.
His eyes flickered as he spotted them amid the throng of Bing Palace warriors.
Men with rugged, battered appearances.
Si-woo recognized them at once.
They were the Bing Palace warriors he had met at the border before arriving in the North Sea.
Their numbers have dwindled.
He could tell without counting—their ranks had thinned dramatically.
As an ominous premonition crossed his mind and he frowned, Han Si-rang appeared.
With a rigidly set expression, Han Si-rang stepped forward, and the returned warriors knelt in unison.
"We failed our mission. We accept any punishment."
Han Si-rang stared at them silently, not uttering a word.
"Tell me everything that happened. No lies, no embellishments."
A chill emanated from his tone.
That was Han Si-rang's nature—anger made him colder and more composed.
"We succeeded in tracking them, but we couldn't recover the item. And then we faced an unexpected ambush. More than half of us lost our lives. We're sorry."
Han Si-rang closed his eyes slowly at the trembling report.
Even his eyelids quivered as he composed himself.
"Hoo…"
He opened his eyes with a deep breath.
His expression had stabilized, the emotions now under control.
"The Bing Palace enters a state of emergency, effective immediately."
"Yes!"
"Each unit will gather intelligence from these men and devise plans for recovering the item."
"Yes!"
"Focus on identifying the enemy and prepare measures for retaliation."
"Understood!"
The assembled Bing Palace warriors responded with a thunderous roar.
Han Si-rang turned away without adding more.
Si-woo, who had watched it all, quietly followed behind him.
Entering his office, Han Si-rang slumped into his chair and let out a deep sigh.
The anguish he never showed his subordinates was fully revealed.
Si-woo, who followed him in, sat in a chair nearby and waited silently.
"It seems we can't proceed with the sparring match anymore."
"I understand."
Si-woo nodded readily.
"I'm sorry. Regardless of win or loss, you won't get to take the qualification test. That must disrupt your plans."
The mention of a "qualification test" slipped from Han Si-rang's lips.
It seemed Woo-gang's sparring match had another purpose hidden beneath.
"Just let Woo-gang into the Hanchon Secret Cave."
Han Si-rang frowned at Si-woo's words.
The Hanchon Secret Cave was a forbidden realm even within the Bing Palace, not open to just anyone.
He couldn't simply allow an outsider like Woo-gang inside.
"I'm sorry, but that's impossible. Granting your disciple a chance at the qualification test was already a considerable concession on our part. Sending him straight in? That's out of the question."
Han Si-rang rejected it outright.
But Si-woo didn't give up.
"Then what do you plan to do? As it stands, we'll just end up with losses on our side."
Han Si-rang had no ready answer to Si-woo's question.
Strictly speaking, the Bing Palace bore responsibility for the contract going awry due to their own failings.
"I'll find a suitable solution. But the Hanchon Secret Cave is off-limits."
"How about this, then?"
"What?"
"This trouble that's befallen the Bing Palace—I'll help with it. That's a big concession on my part, wouldn't you say?"
Han Si-rang's eyes wavered slightly at Si-woo's proposal.
Allowing an outsider into the Hanchon Secret Cave was no small matter.
It would provoke backlash from many, requiring a strong justification to persuade them.
And Si-woo had just offered that justification.
"Is that genuine?"
"Of course. You know I don't make empty promises."
Han Si-rang nodded at Si-woo's words, then fell into thought.
Si-woo waited quietly for his response.
He had anticipated this situation ever since hearing the details at the main gate.
In truth, the Bing Palace's problem had nothing to do with him.
It stemmed from their own lack of capability.
Yet Si-woo felt a twinge of responsibility.
Hadn't he let the thief who stole the Bing Palace's item escape in the desert?
Even if it was to protect Woo-gang, that failure was on him.
And he hadn't even reported it.
These factors intertwined to form his decision and offer.
"Very well. With your help, we can resolve this far more smoothly. You're better suited to move in the Central Plains than we are."
"Thank you."
"In exchange, give me time to convince the elders."
"Take as long as you need."
Han Si-rang's expression eased with relief at Si-woo's reply.
Si-woo felt a pang of guilt but steeled himself and asked quietly,
"What exactly was the stolen item?"
Han Si-rang hesitated briefly before slowly opening his mouth.
"Bing Jeong."
Si-woo's pupils trembled.
That night.
Si-woo lay awake until late.
Gazing at the sleeping Woo-gang beside him, his emotions seemed tangled.
What on earth do they plan to do with the Bing Jeong?
Si-woo knew who had stolen the Bing Jeong.
Yet it made no sense—their natures were polar opposites.
The Bing Jeong was the essence of ice itself.
To the Bing Palace, which pursued the pinnacle of cold, it was a divine treasure and spirit medicine.
He couldn't fathom why they, who didn't seek extreme yin energy, would take it.
What are they scheming…
Though he couldn't guess its purpose, Si-woo foresaw dire consequences.
The beginning alone was ominous.
Nothing was certain yet, but if they misused the Bing Jeong, it could pose a tremendous threat to the world.
Si-woo looked at the sleeping Woo-gang again.
Once training at the Bing Palace ended, they would return to the Central Plains.
The martial world was already perilous enough for Woo-gang; Si-woo didn't want to leave an even greater threat behind.
If they've harbored ill intentions, I'll stop them with my own hands. For this child's sake, if nothing else.
Reaffirming his resolve, Si-woo finally lay down to sleep.
Several days passed.
Even after hearing the sparring match was canceled, Woo-gang trained without change.
Si-woo sparred directly with him using spears, guiding more intently than before.
But now with greater seriousness and stricter instruction.
"That much power won't do! Condense it further, then explode it outward—that's how you unleash true might."
"You're distracted elsewhere, and your stance is slipping! If the basics crumble, you can do nothing!"
Woo-gang couldn't guess why Si-woo had changed.
He simply chalked it up to the canceled match.
In fact, he welcomed Si-woo's more active guidance.
It let him sense and comprehend far more than solitary practice.
Then one day.
As morning training neared its end.
"Let's end here for today."
Si-woo wrapped up a bit earlier than usual.
As Woo-gang wondered, Si-woo turned his head.
There stood Han Si-rang with a few Bing Palace warriors in tow.
An inexplicable tension hung in the air.
Then Woo-gang noticed the bundles in their hands.
So that's it…
He murmured inwardly.
Si-woo's recent intensity, the odd atmosphere now, and those packages.
As if piecing it together, Woo-gang let out a small sigh.
"Today?"
"Yes. Today."
Si-woo nodded at Han Si-rang's words, then looked at Woo-gang.
"Let's go for now. I'll explain in detail on the way."
"Yes."
Woo-gang shouldered his spear and followed Si-woo.
Whooooosh!
A ferocious wind howled.
Woo-gang brushed back his wind-tossed hair and surveyed the surroundings.
A barren expanse, nothing but snow.
In the endless snowy plain stood a single prominent feature.
Something too strange to call a mountain.
It was mountain-sized, yet bore no trees or grass.
Of course not—it was entirely made of ice.
A colossal ice mountain loomed before Woo-gang, evoking the image of a peak sculpted from frozen water.
At the juncture of ice mountain and snowfield yawned a massive entrance.
Several times larger than the Bing Palace's main gate, it spewed relentless gales.
The wind was so fierce and frigid that even Woo-gang, who hadn't felt cold since arriving in the North Sea, shivered.
Han Si-rang glanced at Si-woo, nodded, and stepped away to give them space.
"This is the Hanchon Secret Cave. Even Bing Palace members can't enter lightly."
"I see."
"Only those who prove their worth may enter."
"The sparring match was the gateway to this place."
Woo-gang spoke as if he had figured it all out.
"Exactly. The match was merely a test of qualification."
But it had been halted.
Woo-gang surmised some deal had been struck between Si-woo and Han Si-rang.
"You must enter alone. The training here will be more grueling than anything you've endured. Overcome it all, and you'll gain what you seek."
Woo-gang silently gazed at the cave entrance at Si-woo's words.
A void of pitch blackness.
Even knowing he had to step in alone, with no idea how long it would take, he remained calm.
Si-woo glanced at him.
Asking if he was ready would be pointless.
Woo-gang had already accepted it all.
"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you sooner."
"No. You've explained everything thoroughly."
Woo-gang meant it.
Si-woo's dedicated efforts over the past days proved it.
He looked at Si-woo and offered a genuine smile, as if to say he was truly fine.
To see that smile again, I can't afford to die.
Si-woo thought upon seeing it.
He had resolved to thwart their schemes, even at the cost of his life.
But in that moment, he yearned to see Woo-gang emerge triumphant and smile at him once more.
"When you finish your training and come out, I'll be standing right here that day too."
"Yes."
Woo-gang nodded, took a deep breath, and replied.
"Everything you need is in here."
Han Si-rang, who had approached, handed Woo-gang the bundle.
Taking it, Woo-gang looked at him and asked,
"Palace Lord, does our promise still hold?"
Han Si-rang met his bold question steadily before nodding.
"Of course. If you return alive from in there, it's yours without question."
Si-woo turned his gaze back to the cave at Han Si-rang's words.
The fear seemed to have vanished.
Woo-gang had lived a life where death felt preferable.
Those words held no threat for him.
With resolute steps, Woo-gang advanced toward the Hanchon Secret Cave.
Si-woo and Han Si-rang stood there, seeing him off until the cave's darkness swallowed him whole.