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Chapter 9
“Huff, huff. You want me to be the squad leader?”
“That’s right. Our Mupung Unit is organized into squads of four. It’s a bold move, but the conclusion was that the merit you’ve achieved is more than enough to make you the leader.”
Considering Cheon Mujin had been holed up for the past three months, it was an unbelievable decision. But his status—and the merit he had earned—had made the impossible possible.
Even though the news came out of nowhere in the middle of training, Cheon Mujin quickly accepted it.
“The vice-leader will be a senior chosen by me and the unit commander. As for the other two, you can choose them yourself.”
“Understood. In that case, I’ll take Baekwoo for one spot.”
“I thought you might. He’s in.”
Had Baekwoo heard this, he would’ve started foaming at the mouth. Unfortunately, he wasn’t present.
“For the other one…”
Who should it be?
After a moment of thought, Cheon Mujin smiled and named someone.
“Yoo Hyunhwa. I’d like to request her.”
“Yoo Hyunhwa?”
The Mupung Unit Commander frowned at the unfamiliar name, prompting Oh Jiyeon to speak.
“She’s one of the new recruits. She has about two years of experience as a patrol member at a small local branch, and she’s currently at the Second-Grade level.”
“So, nothing remarkable. How did she end up in our unit?”
“Her master sent her forcibly, saying she had talent but wasn’t putting in the effort.”
The Mupung Unit accepts anyone who meets minimum requirements—no interviews needed. There’s always a manpower shortage at the frontlines.
“Either the master really hated their disciple, or was hopelessly naïve.”
That’s why it’s rare for someone to be sent to the front against their will by someone who actually cares for them.
Selling someone off is one thing, but applying for military service on their behalf out of a personal relationship? Very rare.
“My father sent me here by force, too.”
“…Got it. I’ll include Yoo Hyunhwa in your squad.”
The Mupung Unit Commander casually ignored Cheon Mujin’s joke, which might one day backfire on him, and changed his expression.
As the mood grew slightly heavier, the commander pulled something out from his robes.
“Starting two days ago, magaksa creatures we’ve never seen before have started appearing. Do you know anything about this?”
—
—
“It’s our first proper meeting. I’m Cheon Mujin.”
“I-I’m Yoo Hyunhwa. It’s a p-pleasure to meet you!”
“Yes, I look forward to working with you.”
Three days after appointing Cheon Mujin as squad leader, the Mupung Unit Commander had assembled the squad. There had been some minor issues along the way, but they didn’t concern Mujin.
“We meet again.”
“…Goddamn it.”
Seeing Baekwoo’s bruised and battered face, Mujin let out a small chuckle.
“I don’t hate that tenacity.”
“Buzz off.”
“But people should also learn to be accepting. I’ll teach you that over time.”
After brushing past the bristling Baekwoo, Mujin turned to the final member and greeted him politely.
“This is my first time leading. Senior, I look forward to working with you. I’ll drop honorifics during missions for efficiency, but please understand it’s not out of disrespect.”
“N-No need! It’s fine! Just speak comfortably.”
The overly polite greeting caught Do Woojin off guard. He waved his hands nervously.
“Please, speak casually. It’s easier that way, even during training.”
“Then I’ll wait until our bond includes respect beyond words. That day, I’ll speak more comfortably.”
“…Gross.”
Baekwoo stuck out his tongue at Mujin’s gentle smile.
“Gross. That’s not a compliment. What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“I mean, mimicking those uptight scholars from the righteous sects is gross. I heard you used to hole up at home and just read books, but I didn’t expect this level of pretentiousness. You’re overdoing it.”
Meeting Baekwoo’s sharp glare, Mujin stared for a moment—then burst out laughing.
“Ha ha ha! Good, good! I like how direct you are. You should always express what you’re feeling. That’s the beginning of a healthy relationship.”
A completely unexpected response.
Baekwoo had been trying to pick a fight, but now he was the one frowning.
“But Baekwoo, did you know this?”
“Know what?”
“An adult should take responsibility for their words.”
“What the fu—”
Smack!
Before he could even finish the sentence, a sharp slap twisted Baekwoo’s body.
“Oh?”
A punch flying straight at him.
It was a preemptive counterattack, expecting to be hit.
For a swordsman like Baekwoo to give up the sword and throw a punch—that was impressive.
This kind of unpredictability is the first step to changing a situation.
However, his opponent was not easy.
Mujin’s combat instinct wasn’t sloppy enough to be hit by a wild punch.
By the time Baekwoo’s punch was thrown, Mujin was already twisting his upper body to dodge and slipped right into Baekwoo’s guard.
And then the beatdown began.
Before he could even scream properly, Baekwoo was being pounded.
Yoo Hyunhwa and Do Woojin quickly backed away in alarm.
“Insane.”
“I mean, isn’t it kind of impressive that he tried to pick a fight with a peak master?”
“I revise my earlier statement—he’s someone to avoid at all costs.”
As the two clicked their tongues, watching Baekwoo flailing in a futile attempt to defend himself—
“…Oh?”
“Huff, huff.”
Even after a prolonged beating, Baekwoo didn’t pass out. Mujin grinned.
“Seems like you figured something out while I was away? You were holding back earlier on purpose, weren’t you? Good mindset.”
“You… bas…”
As Baekwoo opened his mouth, barely able to force words out—
“Still sloppy. You’ll need to refine that.”
Whack!
Mujin’s fist smashed into Baekwoo’s cheek.
He flew back and finally passed out.
Turning toward the two tense squadmates, Mujin smiled gently.
“Now then, let me explain how our squad will operate.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Understood!”
The two stood at attention, tense and alert. Mujin smiled warmly.
And—
‘You son of a b*tch… You said you’d go easy…’
With that final curse, Baekwoo lost consciousness.
—
—
“Our Squad 13 won’t be immediately assigned any difficult missions. That should be obvious.”
There are various reasons to divide military units into squads—one of which is for efficient assignment of tasks.
Even in the army, there are separate units for scouting.
Patrolling may be the basic duty at the frontlines, but it’s not the only one. Anything not handled during patrols has to be resolved separately.
There are also cases of enemy infiltration.
“This was officially approved. For about a month, our squad is to focus entirely on coordination training. Of course, we’ll still handle patrol duty.”
Skipping patrols wasn’t an option.
In fact, light real-world experience like that was useful for training.
“Then, let’s begin—ah.”
He hadn’t intended to let the first day slip by.
Just as Mujin was about to start the training, he noticed Baekwoo still unconscious. He lightly flicked his forehead.
Whack!
“AAAAAAAGH!”
“Oh, good reaction.”
“You…!”
Baekwoo jumped up with a howl, glaring murderously at Mujin. But Mujin simply patted him on the shoulder.
‘Good job.’
‘Goddamn you, you better keep your word.’
‘Of course.’
Of course he would.
“Training starts now. Go stand over there.”
“Tch.”
Baekwoo clicked his tongue but obediently moved to where Mujin pointed.
Once everyone was in position, Mujin approached Do Woojin.
“Senior, I apologize. I need to take care of a quick matter before training begins.”
“Go ahead, by all means.”
“Then, please bear with me if it’s uncomfortable.”
Mujin’s fingers moved sharply.
In an instant, he sealed several pressure points on Do Woojin. The older man’s eyes widened.
As Woojin began checking what had changed in his body, Mujin quickly repeated the process on Yoo Hyunhwa and Baekwoo.
“All right. How is everyone?”
“My internal energy won’t circulate.”
“Same here.”
“Me too.”
“Good. That’s just what I wanted.”
Confirming that everyone’s internal energy had been sealed, Mujin drew a line on the ground.
It didn’t take long to mark out a moderate-sized square.
“We’ll begin with light sparring to check your abilities. This will also form the basis of our future training.”
Physical training wasn’t necessary—they had that covered with the unit commander.
And for anyone who didn’t have Mujin’s recovery ability, excessive training could backfire.
“Sparring, huh? Then I’ll go first.”
“Bold.”
Baekwoo stepped forward the moment he heard the word “sparring.”
Call him a maniac or someone with strong grit—either way, it was something.
Mujin chuckled, but shook his head.
“The sparring will be 1 versus 3, not 1 on 1. That’s why I sealed your energy.”
“…What?”
“You might get hurt if you accidentally use your internal power.”
“…Huh?”
Annoyance crept into Baekwoo’s voice.
Behind him, both Hyunhwa and Woojin’s eyes changed.
Annoyance, anger, irritation, unease.
That statement had crushed the pride of martial artists, and both of them had reacted.
‘Good.’
It would’ve been disappointing if they hadn’t.
Satisfied by their reactions, Mujin said no more.
He simply raised a hand—beckoning them to come.
At that, Baekwoo slammed a foot down and charged.
Mujin lightly twisted his upper body to dodge the punch—and countered with a rising knee that Baekwoo blocked with his arm.
“You can use your weapons. That includes you two as well.”
“Grrr!”
Creating distance, Baekwoo drew his sword and charged again without hesitation.
A sharp slash through the air.
As if he already knew the trajectory, Mujin dodged and closed in. His fingers tapped Baekwoo’s arm.
Twitch!
A sudden jolt of pain.
Baekwoo’s expression twisted, even though he could usually laugh off this level of pain.
Crack!
“Oh.”
Mujin genuinely admired Baekwoo’s response as he forced strength back into his grip.
It was like striking a meridian point—painful and debilitating—but Baekwoo pushed through with sheer willpower.
Exceptional.
But—
“You can’t do it alone.”
That was the limit.
The others hadn’t joined in, so there was no way Baekwoo could last.
The one-sided beatdown resumed.
Even with a sword, he couldn’t stand up to Mujin’s focused assault.
As Baekwoo quickly fell behind, Yoo Hyunhwa finally stepped in.
“L-Lord Cheon—no, Squad Leader, you said it was 1 versus 3, so I—I’ll jump in now!”
Her voice trembled as she aimed for Mujin’s side.
“Dammit!”
Did Baekwoo want to stop her? Maybe. But he couldn’t say it.
Hyunhwa’s spear closed in from the side, but Mujin dodged it with a simple twist.
A clean strike.
But too straightforward. Easy to dodge.
And—
“Gurk?!”
Her eyes widened as Mujin’s fist grazed her chin.
Was it the pain?
No—below that narrowly-avoided punch, a kick smashed into her solar plexus.
Her breath caught painfully as the next attack came.
“GAAAAH!”
With a shout, Baekwoo rejoined the fight, and chaos erupted.
Mujin hounded Hyunhwa relentlessly as she struggled to regain her breath. Baekwoo’s sword sliced through empty air, trying to open a gap for her.
Here and there, his own screams rang out from Mujin’s fists.
Overwhelming.
‘…He’s a real monster.’
Even without internal energy, both Baekwoo and Hyunhwa had survived over a month on the front lines. They weren’t weak—they were second-grade martial artists, probably in the upper tier.
And yet—
‘He’s toying with them.’
Even though Mujin was moving slower than them, they couldn’t land a single hit.
Whether it made sense or not was irrelevant. The fact remained.
“Hoo… Guess I’ll have to jump in.”
He couldn’t just watch his squadmates get beat up.
As the senior in the squad, he had a duty to protect them.
Even if it meant protecting them from another squadmate.
