The morning at the Northwest Fortress was noisier than ever. Users were packing up tents, checking personnel, and some were already done with preparations, casually chatting and joking around. Every user I saw wore a bright expression, ready to set off. With the entire expedition gathered, the atmosphere felt unusually hectic today.
“Were we the very front line?”
It was decided that the Southern Expedition would take the lead for the next march. During the second area assault, we had been at the forefront, and now we were assigned the same position again. In other words, we had the important role of leading the entire expedition.
By now, all the clan members were probably gathered at the front. Knowing Jeong Ha-yeon’s personality—she can’t stand anyone dawdling—she’d have dragged everyone out to wait, even if she had to force them. (Honestly, imagining the composed Jeong Ha-yeon forcibly pulling someone along is hard. But several clan members, including Ahn Hyun, all say, “He’s a completely different person when you’re around,” so maybe it’s not so far-fetched.)
Anyway, eager to get going, I pushed through the crowd of users and started walking.
“Ugh, I don’t want to! Why do you keep trying to make me carry this load?”
Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out.
“What’s going on?”
I turned toward the sound and saw a group of users gathered in a circle near the fortress’s center.
“Gong Chan-ho, come on…”
“No! I said no! Why do you always make me do it?!”
Inside the circle, my brother and Gong Chan-ho were in the middle of a heated argument. I was a bit puzzled at first, but when I saw Gong Chan-ho pointing at Mjolnir and yelling at the top of his lungs, I got the gist. It seemed they’d asked him to carry it for this march (Mjolnir is almost as big as an adult man and quite heavy), but Gong Chan-ho was throwing a tantrum, refusing.
“I carried it last time, and the time before that! Now again? Seriously?”
“Turns out only melee users can wield it. And it’s not just you—we’re planning to give it to you, so you have to carry it.”
“Enough already. Just let Noeje carry it, okay? I don’t need this thing.”
“Come on, help us out. Look, everyone around here wants you to carry it.”
Gong Chan-ho glared fiercely and scanned the crowd. As everyone averted their eyes, his gaze suddenly landed on me. His expression shifted to one of delight, and he pointed at me, speaking loudly.
“Oh, perfect timing. Hey, Missionary Road…”
“No.”
But my brother cut him off quickly.
“What? What?”
“Suhyun can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because from now on, Suhyun won’t get a single drop of sweat on his hands.”
My brother puffed out his chest and said it with pride. Gong Chan-ho looked utterly dumbfounded, speechless, while muffled laughter rippled through the crowd. …It’s been a while since I felt this embarrassed.
After a moment, Gong Chan-ho shook his head, spun around, and snorted.
“Anyway, I have zero intention of carrying this heavy load…”
“I’m already carrying it, so don’t worry. I’ll just take it myself!”
Just as Gong Chan-ho said “zero intention…,” someone suddenly shouted in a voice identical to his. Gong Chan-ho froze, eyes wide, and quickly looked around.
“What…?”
“Don’t thank me too much! It’s only natural that someone strong like me carries it!”
“Wh-who is it? Who’s mocking me right now?!”
“It’s nothing! Ha ha ha!”
Wow, that was incredible. Not only was the voice exactly the same, but the timing was perfect.
Anyway, whoever it was, I decided to seize this opportunity. It was a good chance to help my brother out.
“Hmm, Gong Chan-ho, stepping up on your own… I’m impressed.”
Gong Chan-ho whipped his head around and glared at me.
“What nonsense are you talking about? That voice just now was—!”
“Come on, applause.”
I didn’t wait for him to finish and started clapping. The users looked confused at first, but soon caught on and joined in. Gong Chan-ho’s face flushed red and purple in an instant.
“Shut up! Where do you get off pulling this stunt now?!”
clap clap clap clap…
“Ugh!”
clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap…
As the applause continued, Gong Chan-ho held out for a while but finally gave in, cursing loudly as he grabbed Mjolnir. That’s the power of crowd psychology. Hmm.
“Excellent recovery, Clan Lord!”
Just then, a fresh voice echoed in my mind. I turned toward the source of the magic and saw Shin Jae-ryong wearing a wry smile, and behind him, peeking out, was Pyo Hye-mi… no, Je-gal Hae-sol’s face. I finally knew who had mimicked Gong Chan-ho’s voice earlier.
Je-gal Hae-sol looked at me calmly, as if silently asking how her impression was. I responded by subtly giving a thumbs-up with my left hand.
Only then did Je-gal Hae-sol break into a wide smile and return the gesture with a peace sign.
‘What a talented woman.’
As the sun fully rose, Han So-young, leading the third expedition, gave the signal to depart. This was effectively the last march through the Steel Mountain Range.
Over ten thousand users marched, filling the surroundings with the sound of footsteps…
“Damn it!”
…which would be normal, but reality was different.
“Damn!”
Around Gong Chan-ho, it was unusually quiet. Carrying Mjolnir on his back, he muttered curses under his breath, his face fierce and threatening—as if daring anyone to challenge him. Intimidated, the users around him kept their mouths shut and tried to muffle their footsteps.
I watched Gong Chan-ho quietly and then crept closer. Normally, once the march started, I should have gone to my assigned position, but after briefly getting Han So-young’s permission, I moved to the rear. I had something to check with Gong Chan-ho.
“Hey, Gong Chan-ho.”
“Huh? Who…? Kim Suhyun?”
He snapped at me immediately but then looked reluctant. That didn’t last long—his face twisted in anger as he spoke.
“What do you want, you sneaky bastard!”
“Sneaky? That’s harsh.”
“If you came to tease me…!”
“No. I have a question.”
I cut him off quickly.
“…A question? For me?”
Surprised, Gong Chan-ho’s anger softened, and he made a strange face. Taking advantage of the moment, I nodded quickly and spoke quietly.
“Why did you refuse to carry Mjolnir earlier?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“I heard your brother wanted to give it to you, but you said no, right?”
“Yeah. So?”
Gong Chan-ho asked as if it was no big deal.
“Why did you refuse?”
“I’m a spearman. Mjolnir’s a hammer. And it’s not even better than Suramachang according to the stats.”
His answer was clear for Gong Chan-ho, but I still didn’t get it.
“But Mjolnir’s pretty useful, right? With your strength, handling it shouldn’t be a problem. And in some situations, it might be more effective.”
“…Ah, now I see what you’re getting at.”
Realizing the point of my question, Gong Chan-ho looked thoughtful for a moment. Then, smacking his lips, he pulled out Suramachang. The sleek black spear still radiated an ominous aura.
He spoke.
“I get what you mean, but I have no intention of using any weapon other than this spear.”
“Why?”
“Simple. You might think differently, but since I got this spear, I’ve almost considered it a lover. So I can’t just switch casually.”
“A lover? How can a weapon be a lover? Your lover is User Jeong Ha-yeon.”
I asked seriously. Since I see weapons as mere tools, I couldn’t understand Gong Chan-ho’s words.
“No, not like that! Think of it as a partner!”
But Gong Chan-ho looked frustrated, waving Suramachang around and spitting as he spoke.
“Put yourself in my shoes! I don’t know about your sword, but Suramachang has a strong will. It chose me to wield it. The whole ‘master’s oath’ thing isn’t just for show.”
Buzz~
Right then, while Gong Chan-ho was speaking, a faint hum came from his waist. The silent sword suddenly reacted. But Gong Chan-ho didn’t notice and kept talking.
“In other words, from the weapon’s perspective, it’s given its body and soul to its master. But if the master just abandons it for another weapon… how would you feel if you were the weapon?”
Buzz buzz~
“Of course, if it’s just any sword hanging in some random forge, it wouldn’t matter. But with a weapon like Sura, it’s different. You know it too—this isn’t an ordinary blade. Weapons like these usually have a will of their own, and with that comes a strong sense of pride. They truly believe they’re the perfect match for their master, unless there’s a really significant mismatch.”
Vrrrrrrr~
“So, in the end, what really matters is the bond—the connection. No matter the situation, a weapon remembers everything it experiences with its master from the moment they meet. As those moments pile up, the weapon starts to think for itself and even tries to change. For example, Sura knows about my bad habits—those little mistakes I make all the time. And during battle, when I slip up without realizing it, Sura judges the situation and moves on its own to land the right strike. There have even been times when it activated abilities I wasn’t aware of, saving my life in a crisis.”
Vrrrrrrrrr~
Chun Chan-ho’s explanation was unexpectedly long-winded, but it was packed with valuable insight. It felt like I was finally getting a little closer to the secret behind the silent sword I’d been puzzling over.
But there was one problem: the sword’s reaction.
“…Hey, do you hear that weird noise? Have you noticed it?”
Chan-ho’s eyes flickered with suspicion, finally catching on, but he didn’t dare say the truth. Every time he spoke, the sword’s humming seemed to chime in like, “Yeah, yeah, you’re right!” as if it was agreeing with him.
…Better to change the subject for now.
“Ah, it’s nothing. Anyway, thanks for answering.”
I shrugged casually, playing it cool.
“Tch. You ended up talking more than I expected.”
Chan-ho clicked his tongue and spun around, striding off with long steps.
Vrrr!
Suddenly, the sword let out a loud, sharp cry.
“Huh?”
This time, Chan-ho definitely heard it—he stopped dead in his tracks. He looked momentarily thrown off, but I moved quickly, pretending to walk ahead before slipping away from the group. I lifted the sword and stared at it intently.
The sword hummed again. Lately, it felt unusually rebellious—was I imagining it?
I spoke softly.
“Hey, what’s gotten into you all of a sudden? You’re acting up because you heard what he said?”
Vrrr?
“Alright, alright, I get it. I heard everything Chan-ho said, so quiet down, okay?”
Vrrr?
‘This guy…’
Is today the day it’s picking a fight?
It said it understood Chan-ho, but it never agreed to accept it.
I brought the sword close to my face, almost touching it, and whispered.
“One more time you act up on your own, and I swear I’ll shove you up Chan-ho’s ass. No joke.”
Vrrr…?!
The sword immediately fell silent.
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
Hello everyone.
I had a good rest yesterday. Maybe because I got plenty of sleep, the world looked beautiful when I woke up this morning—what a nice illusion! Haha. Thanks to that, I was able to post the midnight update today.
But didn’t I promise to upload an extra chapter today to make up for the one I missed yesterday?
Yes, I’m working hard on writing and polishing it right now~. It might be tough to post it immediately, but I’ll make sure to update by noon (12:00 PM) at the latest. Enjoy your lunch, take a little break, and drop by—you’ll be able to read the next chapter then. :)
Now, I’m off to write the rest! (If I seem a bit softer today, just blame it on the good sleep! Haha.)
Wishing all my readers a peaceful night.
P.S. I’ll reply to messages over the weekend!