After Hwangbo Cheolwi brought back the unconscious people to the Hwangbo Clan's base, which was located a little further away from the Murim Alliance's territory, chaos ensued.

Slam!

Objects soared through the air, making loud noises.

The giant figure, who seemed to fill the entire tent despite its considerable size, continuously hurled objects with overwhelming anger coming out of his giant body.

“That bastard…!”

Crack!

The table crumbled to the floor, shattered by the giant's hand.

The man, Hwangbo Cheok, ground his teeth, reflecting on his encounter with that martial artist.

“True Dragon…!”

Upon regaining consciousness, he had learned about the man who had attacked him.

The True Dragon, Gu Yangcheon, had made a name for himself by sweeping the tournament of Dragons and Phoenixes. It was a name that had reached even Hwangbo Cheok's ears.

How could he not have heard it when it was the birth of a new Dragon?

He had become a hot topic in the Central Plains recently, with a future that appeared promising due to his exceptional talent.

However…

He's still just a young prodigy in the end.

He was nothing but a young prodigy. Or at least, that's what the True Dragon was in his eyes.

But that bastard… dares to mess with me?

Slam!

The entire tent shook as Hwangbo Cheok swung his fist.

The servants around him trembled in fear, but Hwangbo Cheok continued to scream without a care for their presence.

His infuriation stemmed not just from his loss.

I thought that there wouldn't be any more monsters after the one from Peng Clan.

Unconsciously, Hwangbo Cheok shuddered as he recalled the monster that resided in that clan.

A being that seemed to exist in an entirely different realm.

That predatory gaze looking down on everyone was something that Hwangbo Cheok couldn't tolerate, especially as the future Lord of the clan.

Which was all the more reason why one bastard like him was more than enough.

Crack.

Hwangbo Cheok clenched his fist as he thought about the young man's title.

This mighty Hwangbo Cheok…

Lost to a mere young prodigy.

Impossible.

Not only did he have actual experience in the Central Plains, but he also was proficient in using his Qi. There was no way a young prodigy could compare to him.

No, there shouldn't have been any way.

I am the one who will lead the great Hwangbo Clan one day.

Crack.

He was set to live a life of fame and glory while leading the clan, so he couldn't allow such a disgraceful incident to tarnish his reputation.

…What if I kill everyone who witnessed it?

Wouldn't no one know about this humiliating defeat if none of those untrustworthy witnesses were alive?

Hwangbo Cheok nodded.

He had made his decision.

Crack.

“Ughh…”

Suddenly pain shot through his arm.

It was the arm that the bastard twisted.

The arm that had been broken by the bastard hadn't left any permanent damage, and Hwangbo Cheok had been informed that his arm would return to normal after some rest.

He considered himself lucky, as it was rare to come out of such an encounter without any permanent injuries.

Initially, Hwangbo Cheok had suspected that the bastard had intentionally done this.

There is no way.

But only individuals with a history of killing others and knowledge of torture techniques would be capable of such an act.

Even if he was talented, this wasn't something that could be achieved with just talent. It must have just been a coincidence.

If it wasn't, there would be no other explanation for it.

Crack!

The last table in the tent shattered under Hwangbo Cheok's fury. He murmured to himself, consumed by anger.

“What should I do?”

Glancing behind him, he saw another figure with a similarly imposing physique.

“Brother.”

It was Hwangbo Cheolwi, his younger brother, the second son of the Hwangbo Clan.

“…Brother.”

“I'm asking you, what am I, Hwangbo Cheok, supposed to do after being humiliated like this?”

“…”

Hwangbo Cheolwi remained silent.

He only stared at Hwangbo Cheok with a strange expression on his face.

At such a reaction, Hwangbo Cheok chuckled.

Hwangbo Cheolwi felt frustrated, clearly seeing his brother's underlying emotions from his laughter.

“What am I supposed to do? Father would be so happy to hear about this.”

“But… brother, you were just ambushed…”

“Ambushed? Did it look like an ambush to you?”

“…”

“No, it was more like an assassination attempt. That would be a more fitting description.”

As much as he wanted to look down on him, Hwangbo Cheok knew that the young martial artist had overcome his wall.

How could he not know when he experienced it firsthand?

It wasn't some ambush.

The young man's very gaze was different, his body language was different, and the speed of their decision-making was also different.

He was simply outclassed.

“And that's exactly why I'm so angry.”

He couldn't bear the fact that he, a member of the mighty Hwangbo Clan, had been defeated by a smaller and younger martial artist through sheer strength.

Adding insult to injury, the fact that others witnessed everything only intensified Hwangbo Cheok's anger.

“What do you think I should do, brother?”

“First, you should send a letter to the Gu… “

“Ha.”

Hwangbo Cheolwi burst out in mocking laughter upon hearing his brother's suggestion.

“Since when did my brother become so rational?”

“…Brother?”

“A letter, hmm… That's not a bad idea. It might actually prove more beneficial for us.”

Violence was being inflicted upon the collateral line within the Hwangbo Clan's territory, and as an outsider, the True Dragon had no right to interfere.

Furthermore, he not only attacked the martial artists of the clan but also their blood relatives. This would provide the Hwangbo Clan with greater justification, and they would receive a lot of compensation.

However.

“What about my pride?”

“That's…!”

Hearing Hwangbo Cheok's serious tone, Hwangbo Cheolwi couldn't dare to question the importance of the matter.

He understood that martial artists valued pride above all else, even if such pride held no actual value.

Seeing his brother's hesitation, Hwangbo Cheok smiled.

“Don't worry. There won't be any 'cleanup' as you're imagining it.”

Hwangbo Cheok chuckled, taking Hwangbo Cheolwi's silence as a sign of concern for his brother.

His laughter subsided as he thought about his next move.

That bastard seemed to have overcome his wall.

The defeat he suffered, coupled with the manner in which his escorts—who were well over Peak Realm—were easily thrashed, the True Dragon was a martial artist who had overcome his wall.

Sending his troops would thus be futile.

I don't think I could even kill him in the first place.

It would've been fine if he was from some obscure clan, but he, too, hailed from a well-known noble clan, though it's probably not as esteemed as the great Hwangbo Clan.

All in all, it meant that nothing good would come out from recklessly laying hands on a blood relative.

Which is what makes that bastard even weirder.

Even if it took him a bit to realize that Hwangbo Cheok was a blood relative of the Hwangbo Clan, even then, even if he had the power to do so, could he really afford to beat him up like that?

Unless he's truly a maniac…

Recalling the eyes he had seen earlier, a shiver ran down his spine.

He really did seem like a lunatic.

…The one good thing is that this is the frontlines.

It was a place teeming with Demons, where dangerous things happened every day. The fact that he was in such a place was the most important part.

No matter what happens…

It won't look strange.

While massaging his aching shoulders, Hwangbo Cheok called out to his brother.

“Brother.”

“…Yes, brother.”

“Do you know where the Sixth Elder is right now?”

Hearing his question, Hwangbo Cheolwi hid his shock. He had a feeling he knew what his brother was planning.

****************

Being on shift at the frontlines wasn't all that special.

It simply involved standing in areas where the Gate of Demons frequently formed, just in case something happened.

While it could be seen as a form of patrol, having done this both at noon and at night, doing it at night was far more dangerous and tiring.

“…That's why I told her I didn't want the night shift.”

I muttered in frustration, gazing up at the moon in the sky.

I didn't know about other clans, but in the Gu Clan, blood relatives weren't given much favor.

The only concession I got was being exempt from night watch. But if I wasn't going to perform that duty, I had to work just as hard in other ways.

In the end, it was essentially the same thing.

…It really is a shitty household.

Furthermore, the Captain, Gu Huibi was working even harder, on top of her training, so I couldn't really complain.

I would just have to do whatever she asked of me.

Letting out multiple sighs, I moved my body forward.

“Mmph…”

It seemed like I had moved a bit too much due to my emotions, as the lady sleeping beneath me stirred.

“Unngh…”

Is she just sleep-talking?

“…Mm… Mmph…?”

Startled by her breathing suddenly being blocked, the lady opened her eyes letting out some strange noises, and got up from my knees wearing a tired expression.

Watching her, I couldn't help but laugh wryly.

“How nice of you, seriously.”

Seemingly unbothered by her disheveled hair, she maintained her tired expression and slowly rested her head on my shoulders.

“Hey.”

“Yeeaah…”

“I told you not to come if you're going to act like this. What's the point of coming here if you're just going to sleep?”

Namgung Bi-ah dozed off without even pretending to listen to me.

It was already strange that she followed me all the way here, considering I had to stay up all night, especially after she went deep into the frontlines with Gu Huibi.

“Just go back and sleep if you're going to doze off here. Why make things harder for yourself?”

“…Unngh…”

“You're not even pretending to listen to me anymore.”

How absurd.

In the process, my eyes fell upon the accessory I had gifted her.

“You are still wearing this piece of crap, huh?”

It looks a bit worn out, should I buy her a new one?

As I reached out to examine it further,

Tap!

Namgung Bi-ah who I had assumed to be asleep, grabbed my hand.

“No, that's mine.”

“…Yes, I know. It is yours.”

“I'm not going to give it to you…”

“I won't take it, even if you want me to. Where would I even use something like this?”

Letting her do as she pleased, I turned my attention to another person, who was quietly gazing at the sky.

This bastard's also a pain in the neck.

“Why are you here?”

“Pardon…?”

The bastard, Bi Yeonsum, stammered, clearly taken aback by my question.

“I asked why you were here.”

“Oh, uh… The Vice Captain told me to come along with Brother Gu.”

My expression soured at the brat's response that sounded more like an excuse.

“That person always sends me someone new.”

The Vice Captain had a habit of assigning newcomers to me.

With Gu Jeolyub and Muyeon around, how come I was always the one having to deal with this kind of situation?

What was it that the Vice Captain had said again?

Something about enduring hardships better if one experienced it right from the start?

It kind of sounded like an insult to me…

“Sigh…”

I let out a frustrated sigh, causing Bi Yeonsum to hesitate a little before speaking up.

“Uh… Brother Gu.”

“What?”

“I'm really thankful for earlier.”

Hearing his words I looked towards Bi Yeonsum.

He himself probably knew how difficult his request was.

Because he was affiliated with the Murim Alliance, it wasn't as simple as him not wanting to return. They likely had their own reasons.

Though they might have already passed it off as a casualty, and might actually prefer us taking him in.

Of course, it would also harm them if they argued about this.

“…I joined the Murim Alliance because I thought they were the pinnacle of the Orthodox Sects… but they are—“

“No need to tell me your history, I'm not really curious.”

“Ah… understood.”

Whether it was his high hopes for the Murim Alliance, or them being different from his expectations, I wasn't really interested in hearing a story as common as that.

I wasn't one to pry into someone else's life story.

Meanwhile, Bi Yeonsum's gaze kept drifting towards Namgung Bi-ah, who had dozed off while leaning against my shoulders.

He tried not to stare, but his eyes seemed to move instinctively.

“…You might burn a hole through her face if you keep staring.”

“Ugfh… I'm sorry…”

“Look ahead.”

“Got it…!”

Even if Namgung Bi-ah had a face that was hard to resist, it didn't sit well with me when others ogled her.

I had taught Namgung Bi-ah how to hide her presence, and she usually did a good job of lowering her presence with Qi. But it seemed like she couldn't maintain it when she dozed off.

When I reprimanded Bi Yeonsum, he thankfully adjusted his posture and only looked forward.

Unlike Gu Jeolyub, he seemed to have been educated properly.

That idiot needed a good beating every now and then to keep him in line.

I guess he was a little better now?

Well, I wasn't really sure.

It was hard to say, considering I didn't really pay much attention to him.

“…Hmm.”

Pondering a bit, I pulled out a few letters from my pocket and opened them.

I had been expecting them, and sure enough, they had arrived.

I guess one could consider it fortunate.

Rustle—

I went through the letters carefully, one by one.

One of them was from Tang Soyeol, as I expected. It contained her usual questions about my well-being, things like whether I was eating properly, had I gotten fatter, and other minute things filled the letter.

Reading her letter stirred up some strange emotions within me, but it wasn't an unpleasant feeling.

“Hmm…?”

I read through the rest of her letter filled with stuff like how she should've been there, and repeated concerns asking if Namgung Bi-ah and especially Moyong Hi-ah did anything to me, but couldn't help but pause for an instant at the last line.

-But to think that soon enough I'll be able to go see the Young Master, it makes me so so happy!

-The Young Master is going there, right?

“Huh? What does she mean by that?”

I doubted she was referring to the Military Exhibition of the Tang Clan.

I racked my brain, trying to figure out if I was forgetting something important.

“…Ah?”

And then it hit me. I quickly went through the letters in my hand.

Among the letters from Tang Soyeol, the Hao Clan, and the Beggar's Sect, there was one letter far more important than those.

“Isn't it… too soon?”

A memory resurfaced after reading Tang Soyeol's letter.

I turned to the last letter, opening the letter with the word Gu written on it.

It was a letter that didn't have much written on it, but I couldn't help but be flabbergasted as I read the last line.

The simple handwriting definitely belonged to Father, and it contained only work-related information.

-The Eldest Son of the main clan will be returning from the frontlines. There will be no more extensions.

-And on his return, he will attend the Heavenly Dragon Academy.

“…Fuck.”

The time had come.

A time that I had been dreading.