The New Vice-Leader of the 3rd Squad of the Thirteen Flying Dragons – 2
The first one to draw his blade at me was, as expected, the very guy who had sneered at me from the start.
"I am Kang So-cheol of Guizhou's Black Tortoise Hall! Seonu Jin, I already know how you're treated in the Seonu Clan! Today I'll strip you bare for everyone to see! Draw your sword!"
"Hmph, Black Tortoise Hall, is it?"
Guizhou's Black Tortoise Hall was one of the Eight Powers of Guizhou.
They should've been a sect of killers, yet it seemed they'd oddly sent martial men to the frontlines.
I smirked and crooked my finger.
"Just come. If you see my sword, you'll die."
Enraged, the bastard charged straight at me.
"You bastard!"
Buaang!
He swung his saber diagonally with all his might.
Unfortunately for him, it was far too slow for me to bother taking the hit.
The moment I saw him swing, my fist shot out like a bolt of light, striking his face.
Bbaak!
"Keuhk!"
He tumbled back pathetically, not even finishing his swing.
"Ugh! You—!"
I hadn't hit hard enough to make him lose consciousness, so he staggered back up.
I approached with cold eyes and spoke.
"To swing a blade so wildly without knowing your opponent's skill… the fact that you're still alive is sheer luck."
Grinding his teeth, he charged again.
"Shut up!"
The result was no different.
Pbeok!
"Keuhhhk!"
Watching him roll on the ground again, I shook my head.
"Weak, and stupid on top of that. Did Black Tortoise Hall send you because they didn't care if you died?"
He lunged once more.
"You son of a bitch!"
Pbeok!
"Keuk!"
I hadn't hit particularly hard, but even after taking three direct hits, he still forced himself back up, teeth clenched.
I smirked.
"Well, at least you've got fighting spirit. The problem is, that's all you've got."
"Y-you…!"
This time I didn't wait. I struck him as he charged.
Pbeooook!
And finally, he collapsed flat on his back.
I'd hit harder this time; he wouldn't be getting up again.
Looking around, I saw the other squad members watching me with tense eyes, unlike before.
I fixed my gaze on the one who had echoed Kang So-cheol earlier.
"Next."
Grinding his teeth, he drew his sword.
"I am from Guangxi's Mok Family—!"
I cut him off, digging in my ear as though bored.
"Don't care. Just come already."
Provoked, he stabbed at me.
"You bastard!"
Shuak!
But then his eyes nearly popped out in shock.
I had caught his sword lightly with just my index finger.
His blade trembled violently in my grasp mid-air.
"Th-this is…."
The others gasped in horror.
"H-he caught a sword with his fingers?!"
"Impossible!"
I chuckled and released the sword.
"You're already dead. But I'll give you one more chance. This time, do it properly."
He swallowed hard, then cautiously studied me, looking for an opening.
But I wasn't even in a guard stance. What opening could there be?
After a moment's hesitation, he charged again.
"Haaaahp!"
This time he went for a feint.
A quick thrust, followed by two false strikes to confuse me, finishing with a killing slash at the neck—Continuous Linked Strike.
I smiled faintly.
"Better."
But the next instant, his blade was caught squarely in my palm.
Tak!
I stopped it barehanded, gripping it tight.
Not a drop of blood came from my hand. His voice trembled.
"H-how?!"
"I trained in External Arts. Surely you've heard of it?"
And then I kicked him away.
Pbeok!
"Kuhaagh!"
Now I swept my cold gaze across the rest of them.
"Weak, slow, and stupid. You bore me to the point of yawning. Is this the so-called standard of the 3rd Squad?"
At my overwhelming dominance, the squad members' fighting spirit had been fading. But at my words, their eyes flared up again.
"Don't insult us!"
I smirked.
"Insult? In what way? I've only spoken the truth. The real insult is to me, for having to come here to act as vice-leader to trash like you. And to Tang Yeo-eun, for being stuck managing people like you."
"What did you say?!"
"You bastard!"
Of course, I'd said that on purpose. Bringing up Tang Yeo-eun—whom they idolized—was effective.
Now radiating killing intent, they glared at me. I curled my finger and grinned viciously.
"Come at me all at once, garbage."
And so, the front of the 3rd Squad's quarters rang with the sounds of strikes and screams.
Bbeok! Bbak! Puk! Pook! Bbagak!
"Keuhhhk!"
"Ugh!"
"Graaahk!"
"Aaaargh!"
***
Aftermath
Before long, every male member of the 3rd Squad lay groaning on the ground.
I had beaten them until all their venom was gone, leaving them limp.
Looking to the side, I saw Lady Song Yeong-yeong and another woman watching me, shaken.
Especially the one beside Lady Song—fear glimmered in her eyes.
I almost felt like a villain. But it wasn't a bad feeling.
Seems I've set the mood well enough.
If I only beat them senseless, I might feel satisfied for a moment, but I'd never fulfill my role as vice-leader.
So from the start, I'd intended to rough them up, then attempt to connect with them.
The carrot is always sweeter after the stick, after all.
Glancing around at them, I slowly spoke.
"I respected Myung Sa-hyeon, the former vice-leader of the 3rd Squad. Regardless of martial ability, I admired him as a man. He was cheerful yet sincere, bold yet meticulous. Above all, to resist the Blood Sect's Soul-Capturing Art without breaking his will… I'd never heard of such resolve before. That's why I had expectations. For the 3rd Squad he led, and for the comrades who fought alongside him. But…"
I trailed off and swept my eyes across them.
They couldn't lift their heads, staring only at the ground.
I couldn't see their faces directly, but I could tell—they were twisted with longing and shame at the mention of Myung Sa-hyeon.
Everyone in the Thirteen knew he had been special to them.
That was likely why they'd shown hostility to me—not only because of Tang Yeo-eun, but because someone other than Myung Sa-hyeon had taken his place.
That was exactly why I brought him up.
I wanted to tell them that I respected and missed him too, and that I was no different from them.
And it wasn't a complete lie.
Because I truly did respect him.
I continued.
"You should have blamed yourselves before blaming me, an outsider brought in as your vice-leader. It was your incompetence—your inability to become vice-leader yourselves—that forced the need to bring in someone like me! And before raging at the insult I gave you, you should have raged at yourselves—at your own weakness, that you don't even have the strength to repay the insult!"
At the scolding I delivered with just the right amount of force, they could not offer a single rebuttal.
And that was only natural.
For they were martial men as well.
Twisted hearts may have led them to pick a fight with me, but they weren't villains.
Finally, I enunciated each word slowly and clearly.
"Before you rage—strive. At the very least, if you truly are martial men."
Then I noticed the squad members lying on the ground one by one clenching their teeth.
The fire of fighting spirit was returning to their eyes.
And this was not a fighting spirit directed at me, but a desire to grow stronger.
I had succeeded in turning their hostility, through the story of Myung Sa-hyeon, into aspiration.
A faint laugh escaped me.
As I had felt in my past life, back when I was head of the Seonu Clan, I seemed to have a knack for leadership.
Now it felt like the time to wrap things up.
And perhaps pour a little oil on the fire, too.
Lowering my aura, I spoke to them in a steady, serious voice.
"Let me make one promise here. If one among you gains enough strength to truly fulfill the role of vice-leader, I will return to the 7th Squad without hesitation. But until that day, I am your vice-leader. Never forget this again."
They gave no answer, but I could feel their acceptance.
I barked crisply:
"3rd Squad, assemble!"
The squad members, who had been sprawled on the ground, now sprang up and lined themselves in formation.
Though some winced from the pain of their beatings, none of them moved sluggishly.
I was very satisfied.
As I looked at them neatly assembled before me, I spoke.
"My name is Seonu Jin. Yet I still haven't heard your names."
Immediately, the one standing on the far left shouted vigorously:
"I am Kang So-cheol of Guizhou's Black Tortoise Hall!"
He had been the first to mock me, and the first to be struck down.
But now, neither his expression nor his tone carried even a trace of that former arrogance.
"I am Mok Gyeong-jin of Guangxi's Mok Family!"
"I am from Sichuan's Jin Sword Sect…!"
After receiving each of their introductions, I gave a simple greeting and dismissed them.
Then I returned to the quarters, dropped my belongings roughly, and stepped back out.
For I intended to meet the person who had been watching from the woods since earlier.
Slipping quietly into the thicket, I startled her.
"Y-young master Seonu?"
"Everything's over now. Why are you still hiding?"
It was none other than Lady Tang Yeo-eun.
She had returned earlier, while I was thrashing the squad, and had been watching from the forest.
I had already sensed her presence then, but pretended not to. When she still hadn't emerged even after everything was over, I came to check.
She smiled faintly and shook her head.
"Just… lost in thought."
Her expression, the one she only showed when we were alone, was so very endearing.
The icy beauty look suited her well, but personally, I liked this one far more.
"What were you thinking about?"
She gave a somewhat bitter smile.
"Mm, how Young master Seonu, even as a newcomer, performs the role of leader so well… while I still struggle with it. Things like that."
I chuckled and shook my head at her self-deprecating tone.
"That's not true. When I saw you shouting earlier, I was shocked. I thought, 'As expected of a squad leader. Lady Tang is doing splendidly.'"
Her face flushed faintly red.
I knew well enough that encouragement—telling her she was already doing well—brought her great comfort.
We had gone through such moments before.
So I tried to say such things consciously.
Even so, her face did not brighten fully today.
Something felt off, so I asked:
"How was the letter from Tang Clan? Did it say anything important?"
Her expression darkened further as she shook her head.
"The letter itself had no details. Only… that I must return to the main house as soon as possible."
"The main house? To Sichuan's Tang Clan?"
"Yes. This hasn't happened once in the past four years…."
I thought I understood a little why her face had darkened.
She feared the very situation of having to return to the Tang Clan.
I didn't know the details, but it likely had something to do with her mother—the one she had once unconsciously spoken about.
Back when she had been under Ma Yu-gyeom's hypnotic technique, she had cried, repeating apologies over and over….
I looked at her dark expression for a moment before asking again.
"Can't you simply not go? It's not as though frontline personnel can just leave whenever they want."
But she shook her head.
"They said I can switch leave with the 5th Squad. The 5th can't take leave right now anyway, since they're full of new recruits. And… as members of Sichuan's Tang Clan, we cannot disobey the clan head's orders."
"Hmmm."
So the 5th Squad under Dok Su-gwang would once again be unable to take leave.
Considering the heavy casualties they had suffered during the Iron Ghost incident, and how their empty spots were filled with fresh recruits, it wasn't surprising.
Still, for it to continue like this….
Suddenly, a thought struck me.
Huh? Then does that mean I'll be going on leave again too?
It seemed so, now that I was assigned to the 3rd Squad.
What is this? Lately it feels like I spend more time outside on leave than actually serving on the frontlines. So what should I even do this time?
As I pondered, I glanced at Lady Tang, lost in her own troubled thoughts.
Seeing her struggle with matters of her clan, I suddenly thought she resembled Lady Na from not long ago.
Someone I had wanted to help with all my strength, but couldn't—and now must never again.
Perhaps that was why, impulsively, I asked her:
"Shall I go with you?"
Startled, she asked back in disbelief:
"What?! Where… to?"
I gave her a playful smile.
"To your clan's main house, the Sichuan Tang Clan. Wouldn't I be of some help if I went with you? Ah, of course, if it would trouble you—"
I was about to say I wouldn't go if it caused her trouble, but already her wide eyes brimmed with tears.
Wiping away the drops streaming down her cheeks, she whispered to me:
"Thank you. Truly… thank you, Young master Seonu."
"A-ah, it's nothing."
It seemed this time, my leave really would take me to Sichuan Tang Clan.
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