Sortie (3)
Once Yeom Hwa-sin was mentioned and it came out that their opponents were under Yeom Sa-won, Jeong-pung recoiled in shock.
"I had no idea."
"I figured as much."
"I..."
Baek So-cheon raised a hand to cut him off.
"Enough. No need for long talks in front of these guys. We'll hear your side later."
But Jeong-pung was already gripped by the names Yeom Hwa-sin and Yeom Sa-won. His voice trembled as he spoke.
"You shouldn't have come here. Now you're going to die because of me for nothing."
"Worried about me?"
"That bastard's a demon!"
No one knew how much that hairy brute had threatened and humiliated him. He'd had to hand over every last coin he'd saved his whole life.
And now their leader was the son of the Black Heaven Alliance Lord? Jeong-pung's vision went dark. Even if you fell to rock bottom, there was always a well waiting below.
Baek So-cheon, by contrast, was utterly relaxed.
"Forgot? All the demons from back then died by my hand."
"But... you've lost your inner power."
"I've got my men instead."
At that signal, fierce impact sounds erupted from the rear.
Thud!
The two men guarding the entrance flew through the air and tumbled across the floor.
Behind them emerged over twenty Hyun-cheon-dae warriors, all clad in their Hyun-cheon-dae uniforms. Only the characters for "Hyun-cheon" were embroidered on their chests—no other emblems. That made it all the more striking.
The hairy brute bellowed at his subordinates.
"High-level masters!"
His men were elite warriors too. No warning was needed; a glance at their eyes and auras told anyone they weren't ordinary.
Martial prowess leaned slightly toward Hyun-cheon-dae. Numbers favored the Black Heaven side.
Baek So-cheon saw it as the perfect setup for gaining real combat experience.
The hairy brute roared in a thunderous voice.
"Do you know who we are? The one leading us is the heir to the Black Heaven Alliance Lord!"
It was a ploy to strike first and cow them now that he'd gauged their skill. But the Hyun-cheon-dae warriors didn't flinch. He'd boasted for recognition, yet knew nothing about his foes.
If anything, he'd handed Baek So-cheon an opening.
Baek So-cheon turned to his Hyun-cheon-dae men and said,
"I've met that so-called heir. Total piece of trash. We'll take his head later."
"Yes, sir!"
The Hyun-cheon-dae warriors bellowed back in unison.
Among the loudest was Beon Saeng. His first real battle was against Black Heaven elites. Baek So-cheon had suggested holding his welcome party in the thick of combat.
Isn't this welcome a bit too intense?
But mingled with the thought was a thrilling tension. Just facing Black Heaven elites sent shivers down his spine.
The hairy brute unleashed his killing intent.
"You really want to die here?"
To Baek So-cheon, his skill was a notch above Wang-ho's.
"Wang-ho."
"Yes, Captain."
His first combat order as Hyun-cheon-dae captain came down.
"Don't leave a single one alive. Kill them all!"
With foes this strong, capture attempts would cost more on their side. Ordering total annihilation was the smart way to minimize losses.
"Kill!"
At Wang-ho's kill order, the Hyun-cheon-dae warriors leaped forward as one.
The enemy charged to meet them head-on.
Clang! Clang-clang-clang!
Battle erupted around them.
Baek So-cheon fixed his gaze on the hairy brute. The man drew his sword and advanced on Baek So-cheon.
"Can you handle the fallout?"
"No need to worry about that. You're dying soon anyway."
"You little shit!"
"Today's not my spotlight, so make it quick—understand?"
"What?"
He didn't grasp that today was about his subordinates.
The brute lunged with killing intent, and Baek So-cheon met him head-on.
Flash.
Slash!
The two crossed paths. The brute staggered past Baek So-cheon, went several more paces, then sprayed a fountain of blood from his neck as he spun and collapsed.
Everyone was locked in their own fights—no one saw it. Even if they had, Baek So-cheon's sword was too fast to discern the technique.
A master just one step above Wang-ho, whom Baek So-cheon had handled easily. Dying here wasn't that shocking.
"Gah!"
With his death in one exchange, Seok-gyeon's face drained of color.
Baek So-cheon flew at him with a kick to the face. The weakest of the enemies here, he crumpled unconscious from that single blow.
Baek So-cheon's eyes swept the room rapidly. Focusing his mind slowed the chaos around him. It was the effect of the Thousand-Handed Asura God Sword, pursuing ultimate speed.
Whoosh.
A dagger flew from Baek So-cheon's hand.
A foe about to strike a Hyun-cheon-dae warrior from behind twisted and fell.
No other dangers.
The training had paid off. Despite the enemies' superior numbers and skill, they couldn't handle Hyun-cheon-dae's grueling drills and Baek So-cheon's teachings.
Beon Saeng was holding his own too. He'd already cut down one and was battling a second. So immersed in the fight, he didn't even notice his own tension.
Jeong-pung fought hard as well, but age, rusty combat experience, and a cluttered mind kept him from finishing his opponent quickly.
Slash!
Baek So-cheon sliced through Jeong-pung's foe.
"Over here."
"Thanks."
Jeong-pung glanced around. Astonishingly, nearly all the enemies were down, and not a single Hyun-cheon-dae warrior had fallen.
He couldn't believe the scene. He'd heard Baek So-cheon had gone to headquarters to lead a minor Hyun-cheon Pavilion unit. The Grand Strategist must've pulled strings to save face, he'd thought.
This is no ordinary unit!
Then his eyes fell on one corpse.
The demon-like hairy brute lay dead, neck severed.
"Gasp! When did you kill him?"
"Just now."
"How?"
"I was once the world's greatest. This much is easy even without inner power."
Soon the room was cleared.
Wang-ho approached with a report.
"All thirty-two enemies eliminated. Three of ours have minor injuries—no other casualties."
Baek So-cheon looked proudly at his men standing tall.
"Good work, everyone."
"Yes, sir!"
The Hyun-cheon-dae warriors now truly felt how much stronger they'd become.
Warriors, especially elites above Cheol-geom-dan level, lived for growth.
Their eyes conveyed gratitude to Baek So-cheon.
He nodded once in acknowledgment.
"Wake that one."
Wang-ho roused the unconscious Seok-gyeon.
Upon seeing the carnage, Seok-gyeon screamed.
"Aaaagh!"
Hyun-cheon-dae warriors encircled him, swords dripping blood.
Baek So-cheon asked Seok-gyeon,
"What are you? Not Black Heaven Alliance."
There were no traces of their signature techniques on him.
"Right. I'm from the righteous factions."
"Then why hang with Black Heaven?"
"I..."
Baek So-cheon told Wang-ho,
"He has nothing to say to us. Send him to join his departed comrades."
"Yes."
As Wang-ho swung his sword, Seok-gyeon flailed and cried out desperately.
"Spare me! I'm a broker!"
"Broker?"
"I arrange Murim Alliance warriors for the Black Heaven side."
In polite terms, yes—but really, he lured them into traps, blackmailed them into corners, and forced betrayals like with Jeong-pung. A new breed of scum in these war-torn times.
"How much do you get?"
"Depends on rank. Three thousand nyang for a unit leader."
"You demanded money earlier?"
"That's not for me."
Seok-gyeon glanced at the hairy brute's corpse, implying he'd taken it all.
"So you played lackey for a measly three thousand nyang?"
"..."
Baek So-cheon told Wang-ho,
"Find out who else he's targeted."
"Yes."
Wang-ho dragged him off.
Baek So-cheon approached Jeong-pung.
He stood dazed, watching it all.
He hadn't known Black Heaven was behind it.
"What happened?"
Jeong-pung sighed and explained.
"That Seok-gyeon came to pay respects. Said he was opening a new logging camp in Jeol-gang. We met once or twice after... then the third time, he brought a woman."
Baek So-cheon let out a light sigh. The classic trap—predictable, but devastatingly effective.
"I got drunk and... When I woke, she was dead on the bed, naked. No memory of it."
"That's when he showed up."
"Others saw too."
To create witnesses—Black Heaven men, not civilians.
"Wasn't your doing."
"I know."
Yet Jeong-pung's face was etched with despair.
"Why the long face?"
"Can't forgive myself."
"Don't blame yourself. They probably drugged the drinks to tempt you."
After a silence, Jeong-pung murmured,
"Wasn't the drugs."
"What do you mean?"
"Gave in to temptation drunk. She was so young and beautiful... couldn't hold back the impulse."
Now Baek So-cheon understood his deep despair, the endless sighs in his office.
It wasn't just the trap.
Up to bedding her, his own will had played a part. A man who'd lived faithfully, never straying, regretted it all the more.
"He was a pro at this. Probably picked a woman to your tastes."
Even the wary could fall to a determined setup.
His actions were wrong, no doubt. But Baek So-cheon felt no urge to condemn. He was suffering enough.
Women were the greatest peril for men—especially young beauties for the older ones, a fatal poison.
"We'll handle this off the books."
Jeong-pung's eyes questioned if that was okay.
"No secrets leaked, and it was your personal funds. Should be fine. Might get reprimanded for conduct... but I'll make it unofficial."
"...Thanks."
Soon Wang-ho returned with a list of other warriors Seok-gyeon had trapped, plus detailed confessions. Terrified, he'd spilled everything.
"Send the list straight to Am-yeong-gak."
"Yes, Captain. What about him?"
Baek So-cheon strode to Seok-gyeon.
"I've told you everything—please spare me!"
Baek So-cheon severed his head in one stroke. Worse than Black Heaven scum. No point wasting rice in a cell.
After cleaning up even the Black Heaven corpses, Baek So-cheon bid Jeong-pung farewell.
"See you next time."
"Thanks. I won't forget today."
"This worked out thanks to you too."
"How so?"
"Fate didn't call us—your attendant did."
"Kang Jung-myeong?"
"Yes."
"If you'd mistreated him, he wouldn't have called us, and this wouldn't have happened. You saved yourself."
Tears finally streamed from his eyes.
With such a good family and people around... falling to temptation stung deepest.
"I'll drop by for drinks next time. Don't skimp."
As Baek So-cheon turned to leave, Jeong-pung called after him.
"Next time, I'll buy properly."
No telling what shape he'd be in then. Ruined man or shattered home?
Baek So-cheon could only hope. That he'd see this as a harsh lesson from a smooth life, cherish what he had.
And that someday they'd share a drink, reminiscing about today.