Chapter 5
Chapter 5
It wasn’t that they wanted to retreat just because they were part of the Nine Dragon Gang.
But Seo Mugyeom looked like a yaksha, and the aura he emitted was so menacing that they instinctively stepped back.
‘This isn’t good, though?’
Seo Mugyeom ran forward with an anxious face and stood in front of the Nine Dragon Gang martial artist.
This time, he thought he’d wait until the man attacked him first.
With that mindset, he held his sword still, but the opponent also didn’t move and just stared at Seo Mugyeom.
The man’s face was pale as a sheet, and he was trembling all over.
Then, shockingly, he threw his saber to the ground.
Eventually, he even knelt down and begged with both hands.
Seo Mugyeom was dumbfounded and turned to face another opponent.
Perhaps thinking it was his chance, the man who had been kneeling picked up his saber and aimed at Seo Mugyeom’s back.
“Watch out, Seo Mugyeom!”
Seo Mugyeom had already sensed his movement.
He thought this might actually work out.
But then, why did a martial artist from the Eighth Division have to step in at that moment?
As the Eighth Division martial artist’s sword grazed the man’s neck, his head was nearly severed, hanging by a thread.
Seo Mugyeom was displeased, but he couldn’t ask why he intervened, so he just thanked him and moved on.
He felt that if he kept looking at the man who had saved him, he might get angry at him, and that would look strange.
While the Eighth Division martial artists ran rampant, Seo Mugyeom kept looking for opportunities.
The Nine Dragon Gang martial artists, thinking they had been bewitched, slowly regained their senses as they fought the Eighth Division.
It wasn’t them who were strange.
It was just that this young martial artist from the Divine Martial Sect was strange.
In a short span of time, Seo Mugyeom had taken down several opponents, while the Eighth Division hadn’t killed a single martial artist from the Nine Dragon Gang.
Seo Mugyeom still felt he had a chance and searched for another opponent.
This time, he found someone who might really be able to take his life.
Just then, Seo Mugyeom spotted someone.
That person also seemed to have been irritated by Seo Mugyeom all along and lunged at him.
He seemed to be a palm technique user and extended his hand to strike.
Seo Mugyeom thought it looked like thousands of hands pouring in on him without a gap.
Seeing that, he couldn’t help but smile with delight.
The opponent, seeing his reaction, hesitated, wondering if there was some hidden trap.
It was a powerful technique even he couldn’t easily use, and it required extreme control of internal energy.
But being distracted mid-technique led to an unexpected result.
The man’s qi and blood suddenly twisted, and he began spitting blood uncontrollably.
Seo Mugyeom felt an indescribable sense of betrayal.
He really thought it would work this time, but the man who had charged so fiercely tripped on his own foot and fell.
Seo Mugyeom stared into the sky in disbelief.
But the heavens must not have been indifferent, for someone else rushed at him with a sword.
This time, Seo Mugyeom really tried to offer up his neck.
But his body betrayed him.
Even though he had decided to stay still, his body refused to listen.
It was as if his body was moving on its own, regardless of his will.
The more he dodged, the more bewildered his opponent became.
Seo Mugyeom realized just how fast he really was.
Eventually, even he found it strange.
It wasn’t just speed that had changed.
It felt like a power he didn’t recognize was fiercely surging from within.
‘What is this?’
Seo Mugyeom stopped moving and fell deep into thought.
His internal energy could only be described as meager.
He had died with it, and since he’d returned to the past, he should have even less than before.
Yet, every time he attempted a technique, it felt like some unknown energy moved on its own.
‘What the hell? Where is this internal energy coming from?’
It was ridiculous.
That moment of distraction might have been an opportunity for the Nine Dragon Gang.
But they had already seen Seo Mugyeom kill someone with a trick.
Though it wasn’t a trick, they firmly believed it was.
“Everyone, attack that young bastard first! Kill him!”
One of the Nine Dragon Gang members shouted belatedly.
He finally realized that unless Seo Mugyeom was killed first, they had no chance of winning.
“Protect Seo Mugyeom!”
Just then, the Vice-Division Leader of the Eighth Division shouted.
“Protect Seo Mugyeom!”
The other Eighth Division martial artists echoed the cry and charged at the Nine Dragon Gang martial artists rushing toward Seo Mugyeom.
Seo Mugyeom thought this wouldn’t end easily.
At this rate, he’d have to wait for another chance.
But then, someone rushed in at terrifying speed and aimed for Seo Mugyeom’s neck.
This person had blended into the Nine Dragon Gang unnoticed until now, and his movement technique was far beyond that of an ordinary martial artist.
Seo Mugyeom wondered if this was a technique of body substitution.
This time, he really thought he could die.
The sword was already before his eyes—dodging was impossible.
But who could’ve imagined that at that moment, he would unleash a nearly supernatural iron-body technique?
As he bent backward and stared up at the high sky, Seo Mugyeom was stunned.
He straightened his body with momentum and swung his sword.
Seo Mugyeom realized it was a technique that had come to him during training in the martial arena.
He began to focus on the techniques he was using.
And in doing so, he failed to notice the incoming sword.
This could have been the moment he wished for—but a sword deflected the attack.
“Get a grip and fall back, Seo Mugyeom!”
The voice rang out, clear and sharp—it was Yoon Seok.
Seo Mugyeom thought he and this man were truly incompatible and stepped back.
In the meantime, the tide of battle had turned, and many from the Nine Dragon Gang had fallen while the Eighth Division gained the upper hand.
The Eighth Division’s morale was soaring, and they were performing far beyond expectations.
They now seemed to believe they could win this battle, and that belief was solidifying.
Yoon Seok, who had shouted at Seo Mugyeom, also succeeded in cutting down his opponent.
In the end, not a single member of the Nine Dragon Gang survived.
‘….’
Seo Mugyeom couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret.
But no one could understand that feeling.
“If their corpses are discovered, it’ll be troublesome. Load them on the horses and bury them at a suitable place on the way.”
“Yes, Vice-Division Leader!”
The Eighth Division martial artists’ voices were filled with pride and excitement.
When Seo Mugyeom tried to help, Yoon Seok stopped him.
“You can rest. Your previous injuries haven’t healed yet. From now on, take special care of your body.”
“Yes, Vice-Division Leader. Thank you.”
Other Eighth Division martial artists also looked at Seo Mugyeom with kind expressions.
“I think we’ve judged the Tenth Division too harshly until now. I’m truly surprised, Seo Mugyeom. But you mustn’t act so recklessly again. I heard about what happened to you, and I know it must have affected you. But don’t let today repeat itself. Holding onto guilt over dead comrades for too long isn’t good.”
“Yes…”
Seo Mugyeom understood what Yoon Seok had misunderstood.
For now, it seemed best to just say he understood.
“But earlier…”
Yoon Seok looked at Seo Mugyeom like he wanted to say something.
“Yes?”
“Never mind.”
Yoon Seok didn’t continue and went to the others.
Seo Mugyeom later realized that Yoon Seok had wanted to ask about his sword technique.
And if Yoon Seok asked again later, he wondered what he should say then.
‘What is this? Was I actually a martial arts genius all along? Is that how I came up with these techniques?’
It was hard even for him to believe, but there was no other explanation.
He hadn’t read any martial arts manuals or learned from anyone, yet these techniques had suddenly come to him.
At first, when they appeared in his mind, he hadn’t thought they would be so powerful in real combat.
But once he tried them in battle—they were incredible.
“Let’s go, Seo Mugyeom.”
While he was lost in thought, Yoon Seok mounted his horse and spoke, and Seo Mugyeom quickly followed.
Things hadn’t gone as planned, but it was still too early to give up.
This was only the first attempt.
‘Let’s think positively.
Normally, many martial artists of the Divine Martial Sect would’ve died here today, but they didn’t.
That alone is a relief.’
Unaware of Seo Mugyeom’s thoughts, Yoon Seok glanced at him.
He hadn’t known there was such a low-ranking martial artist in the Tenth Division.
He couldn’t understand why someone like Seo Mugyeom had been assigned there.
He was young, yes, but with this level of talent, he should have been placed in the First Division.
Seo Mugyeom seemed constantly distracted by other thoughts, and that gave Yoon Seok more time to observe him closely.
What caught his attention was Seo Mugyeom’s physique.
At first, he had no expectations, so he hadn’t paid attention.
But now that he focused, Seo Mugyeom had a body well-suited for martial arts.
‘Strangely, though, his muscles aren’t developed…’
To perform like Seo Mugyeom, he must have undergone grueling training.
That should’ve resulted in fine muscle definition, yet—even though it was covered by clothes—Seo Mugyeom’s body didn’t look that way.
“How does the Tenth Division train? Do they get a lot of personal training time?”
Yoon Seok asked, but Seo Mugyeom was so lost in thought that he didn’t hear.
“Seo Mugyeom.”
“…”
“Seo Mugyeom!”
Only after being called several more times did Seo Mugyeom finally hear him.
“Yes, Vice-Division Leader? You called me?”
“Yes, I called you several times. What were you thinking about so deeply?”
“Ah… I’m sorry. What did you want to ask…?”
Yoon Seok asked again, and Seo Mugyeom gave an ordinary answer.