Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Tenth Squad
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"This is the place."
The Murim Alliance martial artist who had been guiding them left Se Yeong and Paeng Se Gi in front of a rundown building.
The front yard of the dilapidated structure was quite spacious, and in the center burned a bonfire that pierced the darkness.
Se Yeong glanced around the old hall before turning his gaze to a massive platycladus tree standing in the distance.
In the shade of the platycladus tree sat three people: a young man, a young woman, and a middle-aged man.
They noticed Se Yeong and Paeng Se Gi as well and rose to their feet.
The young man was fairly tall and handsome, but his eyes were razor-sharp.
The young woman was petite with a pretty face, yet her aura felt dark and ominous.
The middle-aged man was short but hefted a spear far larger than himself.
The sharp-eyed young man approached with a smirk.
"Well, well, who do we have here? No way... it couldn't be Mountain Beast Blade Paeng Se Gi, could it?"
The moment his sneering voice rang out, Paeng Se Gi's formerly gentle face twisted into a savage scowl.
"You bastard..."
He reached for the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it in an instant.
"Calm down."
Se Yeong raised a hand to stop him, and Paeng Se Gi's face crumpled like he was about to burst into tears.
"Brother!"
"Use your fists. No internal energy."
His expression brightened in a flash.
"Understood, Brother."
Paeng Se Gi set aside the iron club in his hand and the sword at his waist.
Crack... crack...!
He cracked the knuckles of both hands and strode toward the trio.
"You lot owe your lives to Brother. Come on, you bastards."
But the sharp-eyed man just sneered back at Paeng Se Gi.
"The rumors were true—you're just a wild mountain brute. Barking big just 'cause you're built like one'll get you wrecked."
Provoked, Paeng Se Gi led with a punch.
Whoosh...
His massive fist, matching his burly frame, slammed toward the man's face like a bolt of lightning.
But the man was no pushover.
He jerked his head back to evade, his body lifting lightly into the air.
In the same motion, his foot arced through the air and smashed into Paeng Se Gi's face.
A swift, flawless whirlwind kick without a hint of waste.
Thud!
Paeng Se Gi threw up an arm to block the kick, then bull-rushed forward with another punch.
Thud!
The man blocked with his own arm, though his face twisted slightly in pain.
"All of you, come at me!"
The words had barely left Paeng Se Gi's mouth when the gloomy young woman launched herself forward.
"Don't regret it, you bastard!"
Her body spun like a whirlwind, her legs whipping repeatedly at Paeng Se Gi's face.
Thud thud thud!
Paeng Se Gi raised his arms to fend off the barrage of kicks aimed at his head.
But in that moment, the middle-aged man's fist plunged into his gut.
Thud...!
Ugh...!
Paeng Se Gi staggered back a step, shaking his head side to side as he raised his fists.
"You're all dead!"
Thud! Thud thud...!
Se Yeong stood behind them, watching the brawl unfold.
'They're no slouches.'
Once the middle-aged man joined in, Paeng Se Gi started taking a beating.
Se Yeong hadn't stepped in because he figured it was a rite of passage they had to get through once.
With Paeng Se Gi's explosive temper, better to let it blow early.
Thud!
A fist crashed into his face, sending Paeng Se Gi tumbling across the ground.
Rawr...!
But he sprang right back up and charged the three again.
Thud thud...!
He blocked the flurry of punches and kicks in a frenzy, but still managed to land a counter.
Thud!
The handsome man's head snapped to the side from the hit.
Gah!
Paeng Se Gi ignored a kick slamming into his ribs and tackled the handsome man, wrapping him up.
Their bodies tangled and rolled across the dirt.
The instant they hit the ground, Paeng Se Gi locked his arms around the man from behind, choking him with a forearm.
Gurk...! Gah...!
As the sharp-eyed man writhed in agony, the woman and middle-aged man stomped wildly on Paeng Se Gi.
"Let go...!"
"Release him, you bastard!"
But even as they pummeled his face and body, Paeng Se Gi held fast.
'What a mess.'
Se Yeong, who'd been watching with interest, approached Paeng Se Gi, who was still choking the man.
"Enough."
At Se Yeong's word, Paeng Se Gi released his grip and flopped flat on the ground.
Huff... huff...
Rough breaths heaved from his sprawled form.
Once Paeng Se Gi let go, the woman and middle-aged man backed off.
Huff... huff...
The handsome man sat up, gasping raggedly.
"Ah... tough bastard."
He glanced down at the collapsed Paeng Se Gi and clicked his tongue.
Had to respect the grit—taking that beating without letting go.
"And who the hell are you?"
The sharp-eyed man, sitting on the ground, looked up at Se Yeong with a challenge.
'This one's a hothead on par with Se Gi.'
Se Yeong could tell the man was just as quick-tempered as Paeng Se Gi.
The second he started mouthing off, Paeng Se Gi dragged himself up from the dirt.
"You bastard—how dare you talk to Brother like that? Wanna die?"
The man flinched at Paeng Se Gi's twisted glare.
"What? He's your... brother?"
"Damn right, asshole. Brother's a top-tier master, so show some respect."
The man didn't buy it.
If a young guy that skilled existed, word would've spread across the martial world by now.
Besides, he already had his own young master he acknowledged.
"Let's spar later."
"No, you...!"
Enraged, Paeng Se Gi lunged at him.
"Later."
But at Se Yeong's word, he dropped his arm midway through the choke attempt.
"Fine. Better you get killed fair and square. Just die already."
Paeng Se Gi found the man's bravado laughable.
Right now, he felt like he could take on the Evil Poison Five Swords solo.
But he couldn't wipe them out in a blink like Brother.
It'd be a deadlock bloodbath, and without luck, he might even lose.
"Sword okay?"
The sharp-eyed man tapped his sword hilt and faced off.
"Do what you want."
Se Yeong picked up the iron club from the ground.
Paeng Se Gi, the pretty but gloomy woman, and the middle-aged man stood aside, watching.
"Here I come."
Shing...
The man's form blurred forward the instant he drew his sword.
His blade sliced diagonally through space, then abruptly changed trajectory to pierce Se Yeong's shoulder.
The sword's path was so fluid it resembled a heavily inked brush dancing across ink-wash painting.
As the tip neared his shoulder, Se Yeong's body slipped past him.
Thud...!
The club's end speared the man's gut before whipping back to crack his spine.
Guhk...!
A choked groan burst from the man's lips.
Thump...
Ughhh...
He dropped to his knees, turning his head with a groan.
His eyes brimmed with shock.
"Who the hell... are you?"
Thud!
Se Yeong slammed the iron club into the ground as he answered.
"Han Se Yeong."
"Yi Cheon Yeong of Mount Hua Sect. I lead Tenth Squad."
The sharp-eyed young man bowed first.
"I'm Dang Ok Yi of the Tang Family."
The pretty-faced but intensely gloomy young woman followed suit.
The short, wiry older man bowed last.
"Hahu Yeon of the Hahu Family."
Once the squad members finished introducing themselves, Se Yeong asked,
"Is that everyone in the squad?"
Paeng Se Gi jumped forward at the question.
"Brother, drop the formal speech. Makes me uncomfortable if you don't."
Instead of replying, Se Yeong eyed Hahu Yeon.
How could he go casual with a middle-aged squad member?
Meeting his gaze, Hahu Yeon flushed and bowed his head deeply.
Haha...
"He's a year younger than me, Brother. Ate the wrong elixir as a kid—aged his face weird."
"Hey! Mountain Beast Blade...!"
Hahu Yeon bristled, taking it as mockery.
"What? Did I lie?"
"You bastard... rematch!"
"What? You bastard? Face like an old man's, flapping that loose lip."
Paeng Se Gi and Hahu Yeon simultaneously raised their greatsword and spear, squaring off.
"Fight later. Later. Too beat today."
Yi Cheon Yeong wedged between them, and they grudgingly lowered their weapons.
Paeng Se Gi glanced down at his chest after sheathing his blade.
The stitched wound had burst open from the exertion, blood seeping out.
But he paid it no mind.
Tsk...
"Brother and I haven't eaten dinner. I can starve, but not him. Hand over some food."
At his brazen demand, Yi Cheon Yeong and Hahu Yeon turned to Dang Ok Yi.
She was apparently the best cook among them.
Dang Ok Yi slipped into a small building attached to the barracks and emerged with a hunk of reddish meat.
She skewered it over the bonfire and sprinkled it haphazardly with salt and spices.
Se Yeong was dumbfounded watching her grab meat from inside like that, but Paeng Se Gi looked outright flustered.
"Why're you pulling meat from there? You run an inn or something?"
Yi Cheon Yeong gave a wry smile and explained.
"Every time we go to the mess hall, we pick fights with other squads. So we handle meals here ourselves."
"Who brings the rice and meat?"
"Hahu Yeon steals it from the supply depot."
Heh heh heh...
"Got more guts than he looks. Stealing from the Murim Alliance."
Paeng Se Gi chuckled merrily at Yi Cheon Yeong's tale.
Sizzle...
As the meat cooked, a savory aroma wafted through the air.
Dang Ok Yi flipped the roasting meat and spoke up.
"So, what family's Young Master Han from?"
Before Se Yeong could reply, Paeng Se Gi cut in.
"Brother ain't some young master—he's a grand hero. Won't know the family anyway, so quit asking."
Se Yeong waited for him to finish, then asked Dang Ok Yi,
"How'd you end up in Tenth Squad?"
"Squadmates said I was bad luck just being around. So I poisoned their food. They shat for days and kicked me out. Hahu Yeon couldn't fit in 'cause of his face, and Cheon Yeong got iced out for being Mount Hua."
She spilled not just her own dirt but Hahu Yeon and Yi Cheon Yeong's too.
But Se Yeong didn't get Yi Cheon Yeong's story.
"Mount Hua? Why?"
Yi Cheon Yeong spilled the details like it was someone else's problem.
"Mount Hua took the worst hit in the Demonic Cult war. The Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families recovered everywhere else, but we lost almost all our masters and our manuals burned. Can't reclaim our old glory yet. The world lumps Nine Great Sects together, but we're treated worse than mid-tier clans."
"Your sword was pretty sharp, though."
"That's my limit. We have a few manuals left, but no one to teach 'em right. No progress."
Se Yeong had heard Mount Hua had fallen on hard times.
But not this bad.
'Pity, but no need for me to get involved.'
By their speech and manners, they weren't petty or vicious.
Most disciples from famous sects and clans were arrogant, but these three showed none of that.
"All done."
Dang Ok Yi sliced the cooked meat and handed pieces to Se Yeong and Paeng Se Gi.
Crunch...
Se Yeong took a bite and grimaced instantly.
'This is supposed to be cooking?'
The roasted pork reeked so gamey it turned his stomach.