Chapter 22

The smell of mold hit me the moment I stepped into the room. The place reminded me of an army barracks, and the members of the reconnaissance squad were waiting inside.

Ten people.

I activated Qi Sense and looked them over.

As my gaze passed from one unfamiliar face to the next, Level displays popped into view.

Level 14. Level 15. Level 14…

Most of them were around the same level. Then I reached the ninth man.

System

Lv. 22 Hyuk Mujin

The number jumped sharply. His face was familiar, too.

Hyuk Mujin?

It was the same Hyuk Mujin who had picked a fight with me when I first arrived at the Jin Family of Taiyuan a few days ago. When our eyes met, his lips curled into a smirk.

“What a pleasure to see you again, Third. Young. Master.”

I stared at his openly hostile smile.

“From now on, call me Squad Leader.”

“…As you wish.”

Ignoring Hyuk Mujin’s piercing stare, I turned to the tenth member of the reconnaissance squad. The young man who had been beaming ever since I arrived shot to his feet.

“Young Master—no, Squad Leader! I look forward to serving under you.”

System

Lv. 13 Han Yeop

It seemed the war had forced some people into new assignments. The White Tiger Hall clerk I’d met earlier had said the reconnaissance squads were made up of martial artists drawn from several different posts.

Hyuk Mujin originally belonged to the Gate Guard Pavilion, too.

Maybe that was why the atmosphere in the room felt so unsettled.

The squad members watched me with a mixture of awkwardness toward the strangers around them, anxiety about the war, and a hint of anticipation.

I spoke first.

“I’m Jin Taekyung, the newly appointed leader of this White Tiger Hall reconnaissance squad. I look forward to working with you.”

Clap, clap, clap.

Someone’s lonely applause died out within a few seconds, and Han Yeop lowered his hand with an embarrassed expression.

The atmosphere was even stiffer than I’d expected.

But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

We were at war. It was better for them to stay tense than to laugh and socialize like we were all here to make friends.

Of course, too much tension could become poisonous. Easing it at the right time was also part of my job as squad leader.

That much, I’m used to.

Newbie Hunters froze the moment they entered a Gate for the first time. Real combat was different from practice. Everything they had learned and trained for at the Hunter training center flew off into outer space, and they were overwhelmed by the primal scent of death.

That was why Guild veterans helped the rookies keep their heads together. I’d been one of those veterans.

Though I was assigned exclusively to F-ranks.

The power levels were similar, too. From what I’d seen, a second-rate martial artist in Murim fell somewhere between an E-rank and an F-rank Hunter.

In other words, I was now leading a ten-man F-rank party. I’d never actually been a party leader, but I’d watched other people do the job until I was sick of it.

“Anyone with combat experience, raise your hand.”

At the abrupt question, every member of the reconnaissance squad raised a hand. They all looked confused.

“Keep it raised if you’ve fought at least five times.”

Half the hands went down. Han Yeop’s was among them.

Five people with experience in at least five battles. That wasn’t bad. In fact, it was better than I’d expected.

But the most important question remained.

“Keep it raised if you’ve killed someone.”

Four hands dropped weakly. I looked at the only member of the reconnaissance squad who still had his hand raised.

System

Lv. 22 Hyuk Mujin

“How many?”

He snorted.

“Five. It was during last year’s bandit suppression campaign. One of them was a Deputy Stronghold Lord. He was a pretty strong bastard—”

I cut him off before he could continue.

“Good. You’re the deputy squad leader from now on.”

Hyuk Mujin’s mouth, which had been preparing to ramble on, snapped shut.

“Deputy squad leader?”

“Yeah. Speak up now if you don’t like it.”

In a group full of rookies, experience mattered more than anything.

Hyuk Mujin was the only one who could swing a weapon at the enemy without hesitation.

Black cat, white cat.

White cat, black cat, even an ill-mannered cat—it didn’t matter as long as it caught mice.

Hyuk Mujin considered it with a conflicted expression before answering.

“…Hmph. If it’s an order, I suppose I have no choice.”

He sure had a difficult way of saying he wanted to be deputy squad leader.

“Then Hyuk Mujin is the deputy squad leader. From now on, you’re Number One.”

“Number One? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It’s your designation. From now on, everyone in the reconnaissance squad goes by number instead of name. Hyuk Mujin is Number One. Next, you sitting over there. Yes, you. You’re Number Two.”

I went around the room, assigning everyone a number from One to Ten.

Hyuk Mujin frowned.

“Why are you doing this?”

“Because it’s convenient. We might end up fighting today. Do you want to spend the whole day memorizing names?”

“That’s—”

“Then do as you’re told. It’s an order.”

Hyuk Mujin glared at me, his expression rigid, but I didn’t look away.

Part of me even hoped he would act as insolent as he had the last time. We could end up in battle within a few days, and his current attitude would be a problem.

If he challenged me, I would have to show him the difference in our strength.

Clearly.

“…I’ll follow your orders.”

“What was that?”

“Number One. I said I’m Number One.”

His voice trembled as he answered. He was more perceptive than I’d expected. Maybe it had something to do with the rumors about the Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi.

What mattered was that Hyuk Mujin had fallen in line.

Keeping my expression neutral, I continued.

“What I’m about to say may sound strange and unfamiliar. But bear with it. It’s better than getting stabbed to death, isn’t it? Don’t you agree?”

The other squad members weren’t as open about their displeasure as Hyuk Mujin, but they still watched me anxiously.

All except one.

“I’ll do whatever the Squad Leader says!”

Han Yeop shouted like a fangirl. The only difference was that he had a spear in his hand instead of an idol light stick.

Oh, right.

I grinned at the squad.

“Now, anyone who uses a sword, raise your hand.”

The core of party hunting was assigning positions.

Raid tactics in the real world had been standardized into manuals long ago.

Three tanks. Four damage dealers. Two mages and one healer. For a ten-person party, that was the ideal combination.

Obviously, there aren’t any mages or healers here.

I had to balance the party as well as I could using only tanks and damage dealers, but—

“…You’re telling me no one knows how to use a shield?”

My voice trembled at the horrifying discovery.

Good lord. I had ten damage dealers. Nine used swords, and Han Yeop was the only one with a spear.

What kind of horrifying monoculture is this?

A mixed breed would be better. At least that would have a little of everything.

Hyuk Mujin looked as if he couldn’t understand what the problem was.

“A man ought to wield a sword.”

The sight of everyone else nodding along left me speechless.

You’re too well-fed. Way too well-fed.

Try slamming your head into a pool of blood and see if you still talk like that.

Sword? Spear? There was no such distinction. You bashed people with whatever rock you happened to grab, threw dirt, climbed on top of them, and bit them with your teeth.

When your life was on the line, anything within reach became both a weapon and a lifeline.

These people, who had only ever fought bandits at best, still didn’t understand that.

Do I need to start training them tomorrow?

Not for their sake. For my own survival.

Even teaching them a few tricks would make a real difference in a melee.

I worked like a dog for seven years. I’m not dying because of a bunch of rookies.

That was when it happened.

Ding. Ding. Ding.

A large bell tolled three times.

Since individuals here had no way to tell the exact time, bells rang at set hours. The three tolls marked Mi-si, roughly one to three in the afternoon.

And—

“Get ready. This is our first deployment.”

They also signaled the reconnaissance squad’s first mission.

“He should be doing fine.”

Jin Wikyung looked up at Wipeng’s abrupt comment. Until that moment, he had been staring blankly at a cooling cup of tea.

“What are you talking about?”

“The Third Young Master.”

A full day had passed since the reconnaissance squad led by Jin Taekyung departed from the Jin Family of Taiyuan. Their mission was to scout the nearby county towns.

“They left around noon yesterday, so they should arrive within two days.”

“Ah. Taekyung.”

Jin Wikyung gave a weary chuckle.

“I wondered what you meant. Never mind.”

“Never mind?”

“How long are you going to treat him like a child? He’s a grown man now. I’m sure he’ll manage on his own.”

“…I’m beginning to doubt my ears.”

“I did coddle him quite a bit. He was much younger back then.”

“I agree, to some extent. He’s changed considerably in the past few days.”

“Heroes grow by overcoming adversity.”

“…”

“Anyway, I can stop worrying about the youngest now. I’ll be able to focus more on the main family.”

“You should rest for a while. You look exhausted.”

“Wipeng. Members of our family have died.”

Sorrow and resolve weighed on his voice. Wipeng fell silent, and Jin Wikyung returned to his work.

But the silence lasted only two hours.

“What is that…?”

A black speck in the sky drew closer. Spreading its enormous wings, a messenger eagle landed on the office windowsill.

It belonged to the Lower District Sect.

Jin Wikyung sprang to his feet and opened the tube fastened to the eagle’s leg. When he unfolded the letter, he found a message written in tiny characters.

Jopil, One Question, One Kill, has appeared in Jeongyang with a special detachment of twenty men.

“Jeongyang…!”

Beyond Jeongyang lay Honju. Beyond Honju lay Taiyuan. Special detachment or not, he hadn’t expected them to cover hundreds of li¹ in only a few days.

And that wasn’t all.

There were still family members from the branches who had not returned to the main family. What if the enemy was tracking them?

Every moment counts.

It didn’t take Jin Wikyung long to decide.

“Select fifty martial artists immediately and send them to Jeongyang. One Question, One Kill Jopil is a brutal Peak master. Bring our family members—”

The children came to mind.

Their small limbs. Their faces twisted in pain. Their vacant eyes.

Jin Wikyung clenched his teeth.

“Bring our family members home safely.”

“My lord.”

Wipeng’s expression had hardened. Jin Wikyung stared blankly at him, as though a thought had seized him, before speaking.

“Taekyung. Where did you say Taekyung went?”

His voice came out strained.

“…Jeongyang.”