TEDNCGUH 06

Chapter : 06

“Whoa!”

As the strain of keeping balance on the tilting ship eased, everyone’s movements became noticeably lighter.

Now, all that remained was to deal with the enemies approaching from the right—those who, having been cut off from the main front by falling fire arrows, were attempting to board the ship directly for hand-to-hand combat.

Having held their ground for some time, the Death God Squad had grown somewhat accustomed to naval combat. With the two most threatening factors eliminated, the squad moved with confidence and ferocity.

“Let’s defeat the attackers!”

Brandishing their swords with bravado, they sought out the enemy forces.

The enemy boats approaching from the right, sensing the worsening situation, gradually slowed and tried to escape, turning their bows to flee.

A shadow suddenly leapt onto the right railing and then plunged straight into the river.

Even Yeonhwa, rarely surprised, widened her eyes to see the tall, slender figure of a woman with her hair tied in a single ponytail swaying like a horse’s tail.

‘The Guardian Commander!’

Just before hitting the water, she tossed a string of coins from her arms, letting them float before flicking them toward the enemy boats with her feet.

Ka-BANG! Ka-BANG!

The staff in Gu Heeryang’s hands smashed indiscriminately into both objects and people.

The boats and supplies shattered; the enemies sank into the river, never to resurface.

Gu Heeryang moved from one boat to another, swinging the staff, and even with only fragments of wood or debris, walking across the river as if it were solid land—it was nothing short of miraculous.

Having destroyed all the boats on the right and left no chance of escape, Gu Heeryang rested the staff across his shoulder, turned back, and met the eyes of the squad watching from their ship.

Specifically, he locked eyes with one woman.

“How’s that? Guardian Commander, I’m pretty good too, right?”

Grinning and showing his teeth, Gu Heeryang returned to the ship.

By then, the battle at the bow had quieted down. When Gu Heeryang climbed aboard, Deputy Commander Gwakso was dragging the hair of the enemy leader, Wang Cheogi, across the deck.

“How can you just go and take off like that?”

“Why not? You’re doing great. Isn’t it heavy? Why drag the whole body along? What are you going to do with it?”

Gu Heeryang tilted his head, then turned his attention to Yeonhwa.

He had witnessed her cut through the mast and sail, smashing the railing with hooks embedded in it.

It was exhilarating, and her martial skill exceeded all expectations.

“So she’s not just an ordinary fighter.”

Gwakso touched his forehead and added an explanation.

“Even so, our Commander praised the Guardian Commander.”

Instead of responding, Yeonhwa asked a question.

“Was there no backup team waiting at the rear?”

“Backup team during a live exercise? That would be like bringing someone just to clean up afterward. How could that be considered real combat?”

Gu Heeryang’s eyes held nothing but sincerity, as if it were obvious.

“And what if someone had died?”

“Those who are going to die at this level would have died anywhere. Still, at least you took out half the attackers with your own strength before stepping in properly.”

“……”

“What’s with that expression! You think a war against the Dark Cultists is easy? Besides, this isn’t just training—it’s an operation. As a late-stage member of the Martial Alliance, you must be prepared for any sacrifice.”

It wasn’t excessive or unreasonable—so Yeonhwa found it hard to argue.

Seeing her remain silent, Gu Heeryang shrugged.

“In any case, today’s greatest achievement belongs to the Guardian Commander. You get to choose the next training location. What do you say? Mountains first or the river again?”

“Does it make a difference?”

“There’s a difference: whether to hit the mountains first then the river, or the river first then the mountains.”

“…Then first, we need to repair the ship. There’s no mast left, everything is broken or burned—there’s not a single part in proper condition.”

For now, both mountains and river seemed impossible.

They still had to deal with the surviving enemies and those struggling or already dead in the river.

“Right, that’s true.”

Gu Heeryang nodded and asked Gwakso,

“If there’s no mast, are there oars? If we have the long oar, we can at least paddle to move.”

“I’ll look for them.”

Gwakso went below to the hold where the crew would be gathered.

Gu Heeryang, having many tasks himself, gave Yeonhwa’s shoulder a friendly tap before moving on.

Now, all attention fell on Yeonhwa, alone among the men.

“Didn’t they say that the young lady they cherish so much wouldn’t have been harshly trained in martial arts by Master Mu?”

“How can someone be like that? Strong! Very, very strong! Truly formidable.”

The sounds of the naval squad reached her.

Overwhelmed by an indescribable mix of attention, Ji-won rushed over to make sure she wasn’t left alone.

Yeonhwa quietly sheathed her sword and moved to a corner.

The Guardian members surrounded her like a wall, as usual, but their energy and demeanor were not as before.

Yeonhwa didn’t look at them.

Closing her eyes, the vivid emotions of the battle replayed in her mind.

Swinging her sword with full force to kill and save lives alike.

This was no accident caused by her—it was an event she had created herself!

The pulse of being alive surged through her entire body.

Standing next to her, Ji-won was dazzled.

From the Guardian Master, she radiated complete vitality.

Yes, just like that one day she had seen long ago.

The sword was her dream!

Even after the first Seoreung River battle, the cooperation between the Guardian Squad and the Death God Squad continued.

They moved through Mu-hyeop, cleared another riverside area, then crossed the river and set off toward Hyungmun Mountain.

Near Hyungmun Mountain, there were no notorious mountain lairs, but a few wandering bandit groups remained, so the party split into three to eliminate them.

And two weeks later:

“Everyone was supposed to gather at Uido-hyeon after collecting information, so why are we the only ones here? Are the others turtles?”

“……”

No one responded to Namgung Hyechan’s complaint.

“Humph! Hmph!”

He tried to cover his embarrassment with a cough, but it didn’t work.

Since arguing with Namgung Yeonhwa on the boat, he felt nothing went right.

He wished there had been at least a few allies; here, most were Baekho and Guardian squad members, leaving him nowhere to turn for help.

“No matter that Master Gu is in charge, picking people arbitrarily and leaving the rest behind—this isn’t right.”

He kicked up dust from the ground with his foot in frustration.

Those seated nearby distanced themselves further, ignoring him.

Naturally, the atmosphere grew even more desolate.

“Why did you make me play nurse?”

Yeongcheol of the Guardian Squad clicked his tongue and stepped forward to manage the situation.

“Everyone, move. We’ll meet at the largest inn in Uido-hyeon. Whoever goes there will meet the others.”

He gestured toward the lone pavilion in the village.

Under his urging, the party entered the three-story Yeongrae Inn and took seats.

A polite servant came by shortly after taking orders, bringing tea and food.

Compared to the quiet Death God Squad, the Guardian members were lively.

“I don’t mind Master Gu being late. Finally, we can rest properly.”

“Right. It’s been chaotic, especially that first battle on the river—ugh.”

“Honestly, the aftermath was worse than the battle itself.”

Dead enemies floated in the river, injured on both sides were overflowing, the mast was destroyed, and no passing ship was in sight.

If Deputy Commander Gwakso hadn’t directed the crew to row and the Master hadn’t used internal energy to propel the boat across the water…

They would have had to swim to get help.

Recalling that, a cold sweat ran down their spine.

“Do you think our Master is causing trouble even now?”

Otherwise, why would only Guardian Commander Namgung Yeonhwa and Deputy Commander Ji-won have been taken out of the squad?

“It’s… it’s fine. The Deputy Commander is with them. It’ll work out somehow.”

Both speaker and listener swallowed dryly, wearing anxious expressions, but when the food arrived:

“Whoa!”

“Meat for rice! Meat for side dishes! Meat in soup! Meat, meat, meat!”

They forgot everything else, focusing entirely on filling their stomachs.