Sagui Uprising #2: Personal Growth and Faction Expansion

While I was diligently stacking the bricks of life through self-improvement and business expansion, sweating with a real sense of accomplishment, ominous rumors suddenly started circulating. They were the kind of apocalyptic bullshit that made you think the end times were here. I sent out my informants to gather intel, and here's the gist of what they brought back.

All the folks in the neighboring village got wiped out. Or rather, they'd all turned into sagui and were shambling around. Or some unimaginable legion of golgak-gwi had appeared. And if that wasn't enough, there were whispers of the Horse Demon King crushing General Sang U-chun and marching into the Central Plains—or even the Heavenly Demon Koke Temur resurrected as a golgak-gwi at the head of the Great Yuan Empire's million-strong army, sweeping through the land.

"What the hell are these rumors? Serin. Hayeong. Any idea why this crap's spreading all of a sudden?"

"No clue, but it sounds like something big's gone down."

"Yeah, figured as much."

"Indeed. If I were back at the main family, we'd have solid intel by now... but since I'm not, I can't say for sure. Best to stay cautious, in any case."

I had that chat with Serin. It worried me a bit, but I didn't think it'd blow up into anything serious.

But the very next day, an official proclamation came straight from the magistrate's office.

It was a bombshell announcement. Digging deeper, it turned out a sudden undead legion—sagui—had popped up out of nowhere and totally fucked everything. A nearby county got hit with some weird plague and pestilence. The victims turned into sagui overnight, bit everyone around them, and the infection exploded. Before the officials or Murim could react, the whole county was lost, and the swarms of sagui spread everywhere.

"What, like zombies?"

Sagui are a category of yokai—skeleton ghosts like golgak-gwi and such. Regular zombies aren't much different and fall under the same umbrella. Anyway, with a massive outbreak causing total chaos, the imperial ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠army and Murim mobilized in tandem.

"Geun-hyeop, this is no joke."

Serin reported back after gathering intel.

"The sagui plague hit out of the blue, and a whole county fell in the blink of an eye. This isn't natural."

"Uh... Serin, I'm not super clued in, but are sagui common?"

"They pop up now and then."

Surprisingly, zombies show up in Murim every so often.

"But the government and Murim keep a tight watch on sagui outbreaks. A county turning into a sagui nest in days? Impossible."

"For real?"

"And get this—golgak-gwi legions have been sighted too."

"Golgak-gwi? You mean...?"

"Yes. Word from the Murim Alliance is they're pinning it on Saseon-nyeo."

"No way...!"

Saseon-nyeo! I never thought I'd hear that cursed name again!

"So that witch schemed some plague to turn a county into a zombie pit?"

"Exactly."

"How the hell?!"

I'd only heard she was evil before, but now I got it for real. Turning a county of tens of thousands into a zombie den? Straight-up insane...!

It was so horrifying I could barely breathe. As I shivered like a leaf, Serin stroked my back and said,

"Not for nothing is she called a scourge of the Central Plains. Expect the Jinyiwei and Dongchang warriors to head this way to deal with it."

"What?!"

Jinyiwei and Dongchang? Wasn't the scale getting way too big?!

"And that's not all. The Murim Alliance will dispatch combat units galore."

"No shit?!"

"Even imperial troops beyond the local garrisons—not to mention ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Ming army proper. And that's not the end. I wouldn't be surprised if generals fighting the Horse Demon King's forces up north come down to reinforce."

Serin's words were on such a massive scale, they barely sank in. I racked my brain to grasp the situation.

"So, long story short..."

That's when Hayeong piped up from the bed, sucking on a tanghulu with her head propped on her hand.

"Every major power's gonna swarm this area, right? All the heavy hitters. Jinyiwei, Dongchang, Ming army, northern forces, Murim Alliance combat squads. That's a crowd."

Speechless. For a guy like Kim Geun-hyeop, barely scraping first-rate, this was way too huge. Could I even survive whales like these crashing the party?

"Guys, what do I do in a mess like this?"

"Play it safe, for starters? We're a righteous faction now, so better than black path scum, but watch your step anyway. Who knows what'll spark."

Scary as hell.

"Geun-hyeop, have Nachal Bang focus on management over expansion."

"Yeah, good call."

"But don't sweat it too much. Who am I? Namgung Serin of the Jade Flower Sword. Flower of the righteous Murim. I'll have your back no matter what, so relax."

Serin slapped her chest with a super confident look!

"Serin...! That's too touching!"

Kraaaak!

"Alright!"

No need to cower just 'cause some big shit hit the fan!

"Times like this, you gotta keep your head on straight! That's what makes a true hero!"

I'm not alone anymore. Can't have the family head shaking. From now on, I'll stay sharp and handle this crisis.

Lots of factions converging means accidents are inevitable. Gotta judge smart to avoid getting swept up.

"Hehe, nice. Geun-hyeop, I love that about you."

"Gonna set an example as patriarch."

"Mmm, reliable as ever. Yeah, it's big trouble, but panicking won't help. I think this could actually make us stronger."

"Kya! That's my Hayeong!"

Perfect mindset!

"Great ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠attitude! Alright, team! This crisis is tragic, sure, but no reason to halt our growth! Let's navigate it wisely and level up our realms!"

"Yes!"

"Hell yeah!"

Me, Serin, Hayeong—we're all martial artists hungry for progress. We'll shore each other up and grow unbreakable.

After a thorough meeting, we set Nachal Bang's stance: halt expansion, focus on management. No meddling in external beefs, keep business protection discreet. Meaning, if there's someone to smack, drag 'em somewhere quiet and pound away.

Plus, with conscription talk from the officials, as a righteous faction, I figured we'd get roped into some role.

"Tons of commoners are losing property and labor to levies. Heard mid-tier righteous sects are coughing up combat units too. Nachal Bang won't dodge it either."

Every member stared at me tensely.

"So we'll form units."

Three units. I'm the boss, so I pass—me, Serin, and Hayeong move as a rep trio. The rest split naturally: Jae Mi-son's squad and Galbi Jong's.

That's how we organized. As a newbie small faction, they won't scrape us bare. Send one unit, have the others back it up while minding the shops.

"Grr... Sagui stirring shit. Major crisis. My take? Gotta ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠be Saseon-nyeo's doing."

"Oh, meant to mention—Murim Alliance thinks the same."

"No way!"

Galbi Jong jumped at the name. Wait, wasn't this psycho fanboy of vicious black path heroes? Why so spooked?

"Galbi Jong, don't you dig evil types?"

"Nah, not that evil! Even mass-murdering demonic overlords look like friendly neighborhood doofuses next to Saseon-nyeo!"

"What kinda crazy analogy is that?!"

Totally unhinged!

"Kuk kuk, bullshit harvest is bountiful. Anyway... Sagui horde hits, fights are coming. Better drill for it."

"Jae Mi-son, sharp as ever."

"And deserters'll bolt from the gang. Nab 'em, make examples."

"Spot on! Gotta enforce discipline now!"

Kya! Love having smart guys—planning's a breeze!

And just like that, conscription kicked off. Guess they were serious about clashing with the sagui horde.