Merit Package, Purge Included
The wind howled across the barren plains dozens of li from the Great Wall.
Beyond the crude wooden palisade of the Outpost's Fourth Sector, the biting gale carved into the slave soldiers' flesh, proving just how merciless the northern winter could be.
Yet the air hanging over the training ground was not chilled by the weather alone.
The standoff that had begun inside the inner fortress offices had now transformed into a frigid killing intent threatening to engulf the entire base.
One hour earlier, inside the inner fortress offices.
"Is this the Empire's forward outpost, or some nameless ruin on the frontier? The stench rising from this dust pit is seeping into my silk robes. This is why border bumpkins have no breeding."
Crash!
Inspector So Jinpyeong stopped mid-stride down the corridor and viciously kicked a dust-caked wooden pillar.
Wood splinters flew in every direction beneath his ornate leather boots.
Behind him stood the inspection team in Yan Empire Left Great Wall Army uniforms, radiating a bleak aura.
Originally, only a small inspection team led by a low-ranking officer was scheduled to arrive. The sudden appearance of an inspector of So Jinpyeong's rank was an unforeseen calamity for every faction in the outpost.
Wiji Gang, leader of the Iron Blood Unit waiting near the head seat, quickly rose from his chair and offered a formal military salute.
He had once been the head of the Wiji family, a candidate for Grand General, and a renowned commander who had led tens of thousands of troops. Even now, as a collared slave soldier, his posture remained ramrod straight.
"Wiji Gang, leader of the slave soldiers in the Fourth Sector of the northern Great Wall outpost, greets the Inspector. We received word that a small inspection team would arrive, so we were unprepared to receive such a distinguished member of the So family. Please be understanding."
Wiji Gang's voice was calm, his etiquette flawless.
He subtly maintained the precise military salute unique to the imperial army, hinting at his origins.
But to So Jinpyeong—who had been demoted to the north after losing a factional struggle in the central military command—Wiji Gang's display of past authority and family pride, despite being a criminal, was an affront.
"How dare a convict utter my family's name? Do you still think you're a Grand General? That insolent tongue of yours is ruining my mood. Did you think I wouldn't hear the rumors that you've been skimming supplies for yourself?"
So Jinpyeong's eyes flashed with vicious light.
Just as Wiji Gang opened his mouth to protest, the sound of cart wheels and a smooth voice interrupted from outside.
Rattle, rattle—
"My apologies, my lords! This old soldier was delayed while organizing some valuable goods. What is this grim atmosphere? There's no need for a distinguished inspector like yourself to waste words on such a stiff-necked fellow in this dusty office."
It was Han Noya.
Drawing on the veteran soldier's authority that even officers dared not challenge, he positioned himself before So Jinpyeong.
He had instantly recognized that Wiji Gang's rigid response was provoking the inspector and moved to disrupt the situation.
"My lord, you should visit the training ground. The men of the Heavenly Wolf Unit have piled up blue wolf and white wolf pelts—rare even for regular imperial troops—to present to you. That is where the true value of your journey north lies. Solid military merit matters far more than the nonsense of a convict."
'Blue wolf and white wolf pelts?'
Greed flickered in So Jinpyeong's eyes.
Securing tangible achievements was far more urgent than staring at Wiji Gang's stubborn face.
So Jinpyeong swept his gaze over Wiji Gang as though regarding an insect, then turned sharply on his heel.
Jinhyuk swallowed the bitterness in his mouth as he listened to the heavy breathing of the black warhorse So Jinpyeong had ridden in on.
Even the horse's stature was impressive.
The inspector's downward gaze carried the arrogance of a high-level player looking at a newbie.
'Wow, that horse looks expensive. One good ride on that and I'd be set for life.'
Jinhyuk thought idly as he pulled a wooden tablet from his robe.
The characters he had been forced to memorize during his history studies clawed their way out from the back of his mind.
[Alert: Iron]
[Protect: Heaven]
'Cut the Iron Blood Unit. Shield our people.'
Beom Dal silently nodded after confirming the prearranged code system.
With the instincts honed through years as a mercenary, he immediately assessed who now held the knife in this situation—and who the Heavenly Wolf Unit needed to side with to survive.
Beom Dal stepped before So Jinpyeong's horse, straightened his back, and prepared to deliver a formal salute.
Jinhyuk seized the moment and swept the cover off the cart loaded with pelts.
One blue wolf pelt glowing with a faint azure light, three dazzling white wolf pelts, and a hundred snow wolf pelts were revealed, stirring the training ground.
Jinhyuk flipped the tablet to display the pre-written quantities.
[Offer: Blue 1, White 3, Snow 100]
So Jinpyeong's breathing grew ragged as he verified the neatly written numbers.
Jinhyuk stared expressionlessly at the inspector before murmuring quietly.
"Hey. I'm giving you all of this. You handle the cleanup. No complaining later, got it? Nod if you understand."
It was a bizarre yet sharp barbarian tongue that not a single Central Plains native could comprehend.
Beom Dal chewed on Jinhyuk's words for a moment, then addressed Inspector So Jinpyeong in a deep, resonant voice.
"My lord, our commander says these precious pelts were prepared solely for your military achievements. However, some 'rats' are plotting to steal your credit. You must personally restore discipline. How can thieves who would steal the Empire's merits be allowed to occupy the offices?"
Beom Dal's translation was weighty and direct.
It was not flattery, but a mercenary's negotiation of terms.
To So Jinpyeong, the words only reinforced that the man named Jinhyuk was someone who understood how to secure real benefits—someone reliable.
"Wiji Gang! Drag him and all his officers out!"
At So Jinpyeong's command, the inspection team stormed the offices.
Moments later, Wiji Gang and the core officers of the Iron Blood Unit were dragged into the training ground, surrounded by dozens of inspectors.
Wiji Gang's face was twisted with humiliation, while the eyes of the officers following him burned with cold killing intent.
Among them, Jo Pil—the Iron Blood Unit's strategist and Wiji Gang's right hand—watched the situation with icy calm.
Jo Pil had once risen alongside Wiji Gang to the rank of inspector, commanding thousands in the regular imperial army. After Wiji Gang's fall, he had voluntarily followed him to the Great Wall as a loyal retainer.
He discreetly tugged at the sleeves of the other officers trembling with rage.
The moment anyone reached for a weapon, the entire Iron Blood Unit—over a thousand men—would be branded as traitors and annihilated.
That was the worst outcome Jo Pil feared most.
"Inspector, there must be a misunderstanding. We have managed the Empire's supplies without a single error..."
Crack!
Before Wiji Gang could finish, So Jinpyeong's ornate leather whip lashed across his shoulder.
A sickening tearing sound rang out as fabric split and blood sprayed.
Wiji Gang swallowed a scream and collapsed to the ground.
"Ugh...!"
One officer, unable to restrain himself, clenched his fists and stepped forward—only for Jo Pil to immediately block him and drop to his knees.
Jo Pil forced his boiling rage down and pressed his forehead to the ground before So Jinpyeong.
"Inspector, please show mercy! If Wiji Sima's management was lacking, it was because we officers failed to support him properly. Please set aside your anger and grant us your benevolence!"
Jo Pil's voice was low and desperate.
It was not an abandonment of pride.
It was a desperate surrender to save Wiji Gang and the brothers-in-arms who were like family.
"Mercy? There is no mercy for the likes of you. Wiji Gang, hand over the keys to the supply depot immediately. Otherwise, I will cut your men's throats one by one right here."
So Jinpyeong stomped on Wiji Gang's back, savoring Jo Pil's humiliation.
Jinhyuk watched the scene with an expressionless face before turning his gaze to So Sam.
The unit's dedicated artist, So Sam, carefully held a worn brush that Han Noya had procured at great cost.
In this outpost, a brush was more than a luxury—it was a strategic asset.
So Sam used it to capture the expressions of the key figures in this incident and the condition of the pelts in his sketchbook.
To Jinhyuk, this was not mere record-keeping. It was "evidence screenshots" to be used later when backstabbing So Jinpyeong or pressuring the Iron Blood Unit.
Jinhyuk approached So Jinpyeong and continued the conversation via the wooden tablet.
Recalling complex characters still felt like his head was about to explode, but this paperwork was essential to establish official authority.
[Gratitude] [Actual: Supplies / Authority: Depot]
'Thank you, you sucker. But don't just talk—hand over the supplies and the depot keys. Jo Pil's eyes are looking dangerous. Let's wrap this up quick.'
Beom Dal drove the point home once more, meeting So Jinpyeong's eyes directly.
"My lord, entrusting the depot to such worthless men only breeds endless complaints. Grant the Heavenly Wolf Unit management of the depot. We will personally guarantee the tribute delivered to your residence. This is a fair transaction, is it not?"
Beom Dal's words were bold.
It was not begging—it was a proposal for mutual benefit.
So Jinpyeong's lips twisted into a smile.
Tribute that arrived every time he came to inspect.
It was an irresistible offer for a man exiled to the north after losing the central military's factional wars.
"Very well. Inspection officers, seize the depot keys from Wiji Gang. From now on, all official supply rights and inner fortress depot management authority in this outpost shall be executed with the Heavenly Wolf Unit's commander present. Wiji Gang and Jo Pil—you two will immediately move to the most dangerous sector and stand watch! If I see you again, there will be no military law or anything else."
So Jinpyeong's declaration was absolute.
The inspection officers leveled weapons and drew bowstrings, pressuring the Iron Blood Unit.
Wiji Gang rose unsteadily with Jo Pil's support.
Jo Pil shot Jinhyuk a glare that looked ready to pierce his heart, but Wiji Gang quietly grasped his arm to stop him.
He had sensed that now was the time to retreat.
Jinhyuk glanced at Han Noya.
Han Noya, standing among the three hundred laborers, winked with satisfaction.
By establishing an "official transaction line" with So Jinpyeong, Jinhyuk had also given Han Noya justification to conduct larger, safer backroom deals in the future.
The reactions of the Survival Ghosts watching from the corner of the training ground were varied.
To men like Cheong-un, Do-gwi, and Dok-an—who had survived over a decade in the Great Wall's hell—So Jinpyeong's killing intent and Wiji Gang's downfall were everyday sights.
The only thing that interested them was the movements of the "barbarian" they had subtly aided in the hunting grounds.
"Hmph. Typical of someone from the military command—obsessed with rigid etiquette, and look where it got him. That Wiji Gang really had no flexibility. He still doesn't realize that attitude looks like arrogance to officers like the inspector."
Cheong-un, of the orthodox faction, clicked his tongue.
Do-gwi, of the unorthodox faction, simply sat on the ground and cackled.
"I like that barbarian kid. Even if what comes out of his mouth sounds like nonsense, he knows how to set up the board. Simple sword-swinging rookies die fast, but clever ones like him live long. Helping him at the outpost entrance was worth it."
Dok-an, of the demonic cult, also exhaled roughly and nodded.
"Now I understand why Hwang-yeonggam took an interest in him. For someone who's only been here a short while, he's got a pretty dark belly. You need that kind of venom to shake things up this much among us Survival Ghosts."
So Jinpyeong mounted his black warhorse once more and looked down at Jinhyuk.
"Barbarian. Tomorrow morning, bring the complete depot inventory to my office. If even one item is missing, I will personally skin your head."
Jinhyuk did not bow.
He simply met So Jinpyeong's eyes in silence.
Internally, he was sneering, 'Yes, yes, of course, you sucker.' But So Jinpyeong interpreted the boldness as the temperament of a "well-trained hunting dog" and laughed heartily before turning his horse's reins.
Thud, thud, thud—
Once the inspection team withdrew to the offices, only a cold tension remained in the training ground.
Baek Un-hak, Sama Woong, and the other slave soldiers' gazes now turned toward Jinhyuk, who had seized real power in the outpost.
Jinhyuk fiddled with the dagger tucked in his robe and thought.
'Okay, survival rights secured for now. We've stockpiled plenty of supplies. Time to figure out how to use these assets to grab this hellhole by the throat.'
Gold and jewels meant nothing to slave soldiers.
Meat and alcohol to fill their stomachs, and monopolizing information others lacked—that was the only way to survive this hardcore survival game.
Ash-gray snowflakes continued to fall from the sky.
The longest day on the Great Wall was ending, with the outpost's order completely overturned.
Jinhyuk looked at the hoofprints left by So Jinpyeong's black warhorse and sensed an even larger update approaching.
Jinhyuk spread his palm toward the Heavenly Wolf Unit members and pointed toward the depot.
"To the depot. I'm buying today. Meat party!"
Beom Dal translated Jinhyuk's curt order in his rough mercenary's voice.
"The supply depot is open! From today, the depot belongs to the Heavenly Wolf Unit! Drag out all the meat and alcohol the Iron Blood Unit hid!"
The Heavenly Wolf Unit members let out a unified roar and charged toward the depot.
A new predator had begun to reign over the Great Wall.