Dispatch (1)
“You look like you’re in a good mood.”
Wang-ho, who had been waiting with the Hyun-cheon-dae warriors, said this to Baek So-cheon.
It was the third time he’d heard it today. Beon Saeng and Im Choong had said the same thing when he’d met them that morning.
As soon as he entered his office, he checked the copper mirror first. He wasn’t sure if he really looked cheerful, but one thing was certain—it had changed.
The weary man from before, who had stared blankly into it with lifeless eyes, was gone.
“Something good happened.”
The pleasant day he’d spent with her yesterday was carrying over into today.
“I’m going to ramp up your training intensity. Everyone feeling good about that?”
Sighs erupted here and there. But overall, their faces were bright. Over the past few months of grueling training, Hyun-cheon-dae had become more elite than any other unit in the Alliance.
And there were rewards for that harsh training—rewards more valuable than any in the murim.
Baek So-cheon would occasionally gather them and personally refine their martial arts.
He corrected the precise postures of their forms, fixed their flaws and bad habits, and gave tailored advice on how to train further, holding nothing back.
Through the last Great War between good and evil, Baek So-cheon had learned something from experience. When commanding from above, troops seemed like mere numbers, but before they were warriors, they were individuals—people with thoughts, personalities, and families.
The difference between recognizing and caring for that versus ignoring it was the gap between a good leader and the worst kind.
He hadn’t been a perfect leader in the last war. But this time, he intended to do things differently.
Going over their stances one by one was all part of that. True loyalty came from the heart, after all.
“Thank you!”
They were all warriors with skills at least on par with the Iron Sword Unit. They knew full well how invaluable—and how expertly delivered—Baek So-cheon’s teachings were.
And knowing he taught them out of genuine care won over not just those who’d respected him from the start, but even the ones sent here reluctantly. They all trusted and followed him now.
After reviewing the Hyun-cheon-dae warriors, Baek So-cheon went to find Beon Saeng.
Beon Saeng was training alone.
Repeating, repeating again—the forms Baek So-cheon had taught him, over and over.
After a long session, he noticed Baek So-cheon’s arrival.
“Hyung-nim!”
“Let’s see if you’ve been slacking off.”
“Yes!”
As Beon Saeng moved to demonstrate his forms as usual, Baek So-cheon stopped him.
“Hold on. Not the forms.”
“Huh?”
“How about a spar?”
Beon Saeng jumped at the word spar. He’d never had a proper one with Baek So-cheon before.
“Have I become useless now?”
“If you can’t show your full potential, I might come to that conclusion… You know spars don’t count as murder, even if someone dies, right?”
“Hanging around that scary little miss must’ve made even your jokes terrifying, hyung-nim.”
“Haha.”
Baek So-cheon drew his sword.
“Focus your mind. Let’s begin.”
“Yes.”
Beon Saeng drew his sword. He took a deep breath, steadying his heart.
Alright, just like I was taught!
Beon Saeng thrust his sword forward. At first, he held back, afraid of hurting Baek So-cheon, but Baek So-cheon barked at him.
“Pretend I’m a real enemy—come at me!”
“Yes!”
Beon Saeng unleashed every form he’d learned at full power.
Even without using inner power, Baek So-cheon effortlessly evaded. He dodged some strikes, parried others with his own sword. He demonstrated various ways to block diverse attacks, receiving them in kind.
Baek So-cheon counterattacked too. Sharp strikes made Beon Saeng’s heart sink as he barely defended.
Ugh! I’m dead!
He screamed internally countless times. But he didn’t die.
Thrust, block, dodge. Lost in the spar, Beon Saeng didn’t realize it—driving an opponent this hard without killing them was several times more difficult than simply evading.
The spar ended.
“Uwaaaah. It’s over.”
His legs gave out, and Beon Saeng collapsed in place. From his perspective, it had felt like real combat, with mental exhaustion to match.
Only then did he realize his earlier worry about hurting Baek So-cheon had been like a rabbit fretting over a tiger. If Baek So-cheon had used inner power, it would’ve been an ant worrying about a tiger.
Baek So-cheon said to him,
“That’s enough.”
“Huh? Enough for what?”
“Follow me.”
Without explanation, Baek So-cheon walked off, and Beon Saeng scrambled up to follow.
He led Beon Saeng to the Hyun-cheon-dae training grounds.
“Wang-ho!”
“Yes, Captain.”
“Test this guy’s skills.”
“A newbie trial?”
“Exactly.”
Beon Saeng’s heart pounded wildly. No one knew better than him what Hyun-cheon-dae was. An elite unit made of Iron Sword Unit warriors and even superior Bi-gak experts—the fulfillment of his lifelong dream.
He glanced at Baek So-cheon.
Is this okay? Isn’t it too soon?
But Baek So-cheon didn’t even look his way.
Wang-ho stepped forward and drew his sword.
“Come at me.”
“Yes.”
Beon Saeng stepped up in a daze and drew his sword.
No captain could just let anyone join. There had to be a baseline of skill. One mistake could endanger the whole unit.
Beon Saeng wanted to change his life more than anyone. This was his once-in-a-lifetime chance.
Stay calm, stay calm.
He couldn’t waste this opportunity on nerves.
Yeah, even if I don’t trust myself, I trust hyung-nim.
He believed Baek So-cheon’s words: That’s enough.
He brought me here because I can do this!
All he could rely on was the martial arts Baek So-cheon had taught him.
“Please go easy on me.”
Beon Saeng was tense. The spar with Baek So-cheon had been different; this was his first with live blades.
“Come on.”
Beon Saeng attacked first, thrusting his sword.
Shiiik.
A fast, precise strike.
Clang.
Wang-ho parried with his sword and shouted,
“Good!”
The admiration slipped out naturally.
Beon Saeng attacked again, sticking to the forms without tricks.
“Good!” came from Wang-ho’s mouth repeatedly.
Wang-ho only defended. Beon Saeng’s strikes were so sharp he nearly countered instinctively before the spar ended.
Wang-ho could tell the opponent hadn’t meant risky attacks. It was inexperience with the forms—he couldn’t control them yet.
“Thank you for holding back.”
Beon Saeng bowed. Relieved the spar was over safely, his heart raced harder than before it started.
I did it. I pulled it off without a mistake!
Wang-ho’s evaluation was even higher.
“Simple and honest attacks, but truly threatening. In real combat, they’d be devastating.”
His assessment was spot-on, and the onlookers agreed. The brilliance of the swordsmanship Baek So-cheon had taught on the spot shone through in this live test.
Applause erupted—a welcome to Hyun-cheon-dae.
Beon Saeng’s face flushed as he bowed deeply to everyone.
“Thank you, truly thank you.”
Baek So-cheon approached and said,
“From today, you’re Hyun-cheon-dae.”
“Yes! Captain! Thank you. I’ll do my best!”
Beon Saeng was over the moon. If they’d been alone, he’d have hugged Baek So-cheon and spun him around.
“Hyung-nim!”
He ran and hugged Im Choong instead.
“I got in! I’m in!”
Unable to hug Baek So-cheon, he spun Im Choong around.
“You idiot, I’m dizzy. What’s going on?”
Setting Im Choong down, Beon Saeng said,
“I joined Hyun-cheon-dae.”
“Really? You did?”
“Yes. I just passed the trial!”
“Congratulations!”
Im Choong pulled him into a bear hug. He knew how hard Beon Saeng had worked, even skimping on sleep.
“It’s all thanks to big hyung-nim.”
“Right.”
A voice from behind.
“Then you’re buying drinks.”
Baek So-cheon was walking over.
“I am, I will! I’ll treat everyone big tonight!”
To the ecstatic Beon Saeng, Baek So-cheon had words that needed saying now.
“Beon Saeng-ah.”
“Yes, hyung-nim.”
“Joining the Alliance’s strike force also means you could die tomorrow without it being strange. No regrets?”
Beon Saeng’s face turned serious.
“Meeting you changed my life. I’ll say it clearly: even if I die tomorrow, no regrets.”
At twenty-six, young Beon Saeng’s sincerity.
Baek So-cheon placed a hand on his shoulder and patted twice.
“Let’s go. Drinks are on me today.”
While his subordinates prepared to deploy, Baek So-cheon met Je-gal Hyeon to hear about the mission.
“A request for help came from the Jeol-gang Branch.”
“Jeol-gang Branch?”
Jeol-gang was where Baek So-cheon had been demoted to. The place where he’d resolved the Shin-hwa-bang incident with branch leader Jeong-pung’s aid.
“What happened?”
“Seems like something did.”
“They didn’t specify?”
“It wasn’t from the branch leader himself.”
“Then who?”
“One of his attendant warriors contacted us secretly. Sounds like the branch leader’s in trouble. We considered Am-yeong-gak or Iron Sword Unit, but since you have ties to him, Hyun-cheon-dae seemed best.”
“Good call.”
If something had happened to Jeong-pung, this was a chance to repay the favor.
Beyond that, it was perfect for testing Hyun-cheon-dae in real combat. Syncing in the field was crucial for a strike force.
Avoiding danger didn’t guarantee long life. Even the best evasion failed against unforeseen variables—you’d be wiped out. The way to survive long in the murim was building the power to overcome dangers.
“I’ll report back once we assess the situation.”
“Good luck.”
Je-gal Hyeon smiled warmly.
It had been ages since issuing an order brought such calm assurance it’d be handled well.
With the dispatch order given, Hyun-cheon-dae warriors bustled into preparation.
Beon Saeng, still dazed, joined them. Im Choong came to check on him, inspecting the combat satchel issued to Beon Saeng.
“Hidden weapons?”
“Got ’em.”
“Golden sore salve and internal injury pills?”
“Those too. Don’t worry, hyung-nim.”
The Hyun-cheon-dae warriors paid no mind to Im Choong’s fussing. No one joked about him babying like a kid.
That was the strength of an elite unit. Mockery and bullying thrived only in sloppy ones.
They understood Im Choong’s feelings—and envied him such a comrade.
Im Choong gripped Beon Saeng’s hand tightly.
“Keep your head clear and stay focused! Obey the captain’s orders without question.”
Usually, Beon Saeng overlooked Im Choong’s care. But in this tense moment, he felt how deeply it ran.
“Yes. Don’t worry, hyung-nim.”
Outside, Baek So-cheon waited.
He looked over them. To those trustworthy eyes forged in harsh training, he said firmly,
“No one trained harder than you. So fear no one!”
“Yes!”
A thunderous reply.
Baek So-cheon mounted, and they followed suit.
“Let’s go!”
Over twenty riders charged out of the Murim Alliance.
Hyun-cheon-dae’s first dispatch.