Chapter 9
To unfold the technique this swiftly and skillfully, one had to have completely understood and perfectly mastered the form.
Pyo Inhaeng grew increasingly displeased and thought he couldn’t possibly collapse so easily in front of his own subordinates.
So he launched several decisive strikes, but each time his retreat was blocked by Seo Mugyeom.
Now, both men swung their swords with no small amount of emotion.
Clang, chachang, chachachachachang―!
Pyo Inhaeng hadn’t expected Seo Mugyeom to be able to block his swift swordplay even when he used it seriously.
So when even the finishing move he launched to end the duel was blocked, he was dumbfounded.
Sparks flew from both their swords.
Seo Mugyeom felt as though his palm gripping the sword was about to tear apart from the pain.
At the same time, many thoughts flashed through his mind.
He wondered if he had ever devoted himself so fully and earnestly to anything in his life before and was overcome with regret.
He felt ashamed for having thought he lacked talent, had a weak constitution, and could go only so far without a miraculous encounter.
In the midst of pouring his all into the duel, Seo Mugyeom began to realize that he had never truly given everything he had.
The old him would have dropped his sword long before the pain reached his palm.
‘Never again. This opportunity wasn’t easily earned. I won’t let it slip away so meaninglessly again!’
Seo Mugyeom urged himself on.
Pyo Inhaeng also saw Seo Mugyeom’s gaze suddenly change.
Even though he wasn’t an easy opponent to begin with, once his eyes changed, everything became that much harder.
Suddenly, Pyo Inhaeng lowered his sword and turned away.
Doing so in the middle of a duel was hard to comprehend, and Seo Mugyeom almost stabbed him before hastily stopping himself.
“Division Leader.”
Wondering what was happening, he called out, and Pyo Inhaeng, as if nothing had happened, clasped his hands behind his back and spoke as he walked away.
“What are you doing not following? I’ve confirmed what I wanted to a certain extent, so come quickly.”
“Yes.”
Seo Mugyeom sheathed his sword and followed the Division Leader.
On the way to the office, Pyo Inhaeng didn’t hide his annoyance toward the warriors who greeted him.
He then walked quickly into the office, placed down his sword, sat in his chair, and motioned for Seo Mugyeom to sit as well.
Once Seo Mugyeom sat, Pyo Inhaeng stared at him and spoke.
“There are many things I need to confirm, but first, I need to ask this. Why did you go out with the Eighth Division?”
It was because that mission was dangerous.
He believed that if he went on that mission, he might get hurt to the point of nearly dying while carrying it out.
And if that happened, he might catch Gwei’s eye and be granted the great technique to become a Blood Demon.
But talking about that with Pyo Inhaeng was something he had given up on from the start.
How could he explain the Blood Demon?
And how could he even begin to say that Gwei was capable of such a technique?
Even Ho Jo-yeong, who was known to be kind, couldn’t understand him—there was no way the Division Leader would.
Seo Mugyeom hesitated, unable to answer right away, but Pyo Inhaeng had the attitude that he absolutely had to hear an answer.
“Don’t think about brushing it off. You’d better speak clearly, unless you want to spend all night here.”
“….”
“Seo Mugyeom.”
Seo Mugyeom hadn’t intended to be stubborn and refuse to speak.
He was just thinking about how to word things so they’d sound a bit more reasonable.
‘I’ll leave out the parts I absolutely can’t talk about. Whether it makes sense or not is up to the Division Leader. I’ll just say what I can.’
Even though his mind wasn’t fully made up, he couldn’t hold out under Pyo Inhaeng’s constant urging.
“I wanted to fight as if ready to die. I had heard stories about the Nine Dragon Gang before, so I thought this mission might give me that chance.”
At that, Pyo Inhaeng looked at Seo Mugyeom in surprise.
“So that’s it. You wanted to awaken your dormant inner strength. Clever thinking.”
“…Excuse me?”
That wasn’t his intention at all, but Pyo Inhaeng seemed to have misunderstood and firmly convinced himself otherwise.
And thinking everything lined up if that was the case, he nodded to himself as if it all made sense.
“You think quickly, have plenty of inner strength, can think through techniques on your own… Why would someone like that end up in the Tenth Division?”
Let’s be honest: Seo Mugyeom never wanted to be in the Tenth Division.
No one in the Divine Martial Sect wanted to be in the Tenth Division.
When it came to the Guardian Ten Division, even if they were offered the Division Leader’s position, most would reject the Tenth and strive to enter the First Division.
So, someone joining the Tenth meant they lacked talent.
Pyo Inhaeng seemed to realize that too and cleared his throat.
“Alright, I understand for now. So what will you do from here on? You need dangerous missions, right? Ones where your life is on the line. Is that correct?”
“Yes….”
He was spot on.
If Seo Mugyeom had to explain it himself, it would have been difficult, but the Division Leader happened to say it first.
He looked at him, wondering if things could really go this smoothly.
But no matter how he thought about it, it didn’t seem realistic.
The upper ranks of the Guardian Ten Division wouldn’t want to assign such dangerous missions to the Tenth Division if they could avoid it.
There were exceptions, of course.
If a mission required inevitable sacrifice, someone from the Guardian Ten Division would have to risk their life—then it would be assigned to the Tenth.
But such cases weren’t normal, and usually, the mission would go to a higher-combat unit to avoid casualties.
As Seo Mugyeom considered this, Pyo Inhaeng stood and walked to the window.
He looked outside, appearing lost in thought.
Seo Mugyeom, for his part, began to wonder who in the Tenth Division would be sent out if such a mission did arise.
They wouldn’t just send him alone, would they?
But no one came to mind.
No one in the Tenth Division was fit for such a task.
During the duel, he’d thought the Division Leader might be hiding his true skills, but it didn’t seem like something two people alone could manage.
“Then maybe it’s time to change things around.”
Pyo Inhaeng murmured, and Seo Mugyeom didn’t understand.
“Change what, sir?”
“The Tenth Division.”
“Change the Tenth Division?”
“Why can’t you understand? You need missions, right? Then there have to be people capable of carrying them out. The Tenth has people, but no competent ones. So what must we do? We make them capable. That’s what I mean by changing it.”
“….”
Seo Mugyeom didn’t understand why the Division Leader suddenly made up his mind like that.
Even if the Division Leader made up his mind, was it really something he could do?
His doubt must have shown clearly, as Pyo Inhaeng’s face twisted at once.
“Are you thinking, ‘What ability do I have to pull that off?’”
“How did….”
Seo Mugyeom almost blurted, “How did you know?” but caught himself.
He usually didn’t make such mistakes, but too many unexpected things had thrown him off guard.
“Seo Mugyeom, you must have grown bold. Not afraid of me anymore?”
“I am afraid. Very afraid.”
“Doesn’t matter. I didn’t know my subordinate had such outstanding potential. But better late than never—I’ll start giving you chances to blossom. As long as you’re in the Tenth, it won’t be easy to get opportunities. So I’ll train you with the First Division in mind. Then I’ll have to sigh as I watch your back. The Tenth Division has had no hope until now, but things will be different from here on.”
“…Why did you decide this, Division Leader?”
That was a genuine question.
If it was because he disliked how the Tenth was looked down on, he could’ve changed things long ago.
If it was because he lacked the ability, that’d be one thing—but that clearly wasn’t the case.
“Let’s just say you inspired me. You’ll probably become the strongest warrior in the Guardian Ten Division someday, and when that happens, I want your affiliation to be the Tenth. Do I need to say more?”
Though he asked, it didn’t seem like he’d tolerate further questions.
“No, sir….”
“Good. From now on, wake up an hour before breakfast and train in the practice yard.”
“Yes.”
It wasn’t a harmful command.
Someday, if Gwei bestowed upon him the great technique, his body would naturally become immune to blades and swords, and he would gain martial prowess—but the unexpected could always happen.
He might strive for the opportunity, only for someone else to catch Gwei’s eye first.
‘I don’t recall anyone like that, but you never know.’
There was a reason for such thoughts.
Originally, the Eighth Division had failed to eliminate the Nine Dragon Gang, suffering heavy casualties.
But this time, because he had gone with them, the outcome had changed.
Seo Mugyeom felt something strange and went to find Ho Jo-yeong before returning to his lodging.
It wasn’t hard to find him—perhaps Ho Jo-yeong had known Seo Mugyeom was looking for him, as he approached first.
“Mugyeom, what did the Division Leader say? Did you get scolded?”
“No, he didn’t… But I think the Tenth Division is going to change a lot.”
“What do you mean?”
“The Division Leader seemed really motivated.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Seo Mugyeom explained briefly, and Ho Jo-yeong’s expression grew serious.
“Senior, while he was talking, I got the feeling he was determined about something. Is there something I don’t know?”
Ho Jo-yeong nodded.
“You wouldn’t know. Our Division Leader wasn’t always so listless. A lot of people now don’t know much about him, but he used to be incredible. It was all before you joined, so I guess you had no idea.”
Ho Jo-yeong slowly nodded, as if realizing it only now.