Chapter 198
After turning all the pirates who had fallen into the water into restless spirits, Sun Woo-jin and Seol Poong returned to the shore. What they saw there was a sight that stopped them in their tracks: the villagers were kneeling before them, their faces etched with desperation.
They knelt with such earnestness, as if their very lives depended on it.
But their actions weren’t expressions of gratitude.
An elderly man, who appeared to be the village chief, pleaded earnestly with Sun Woo-jin and his companions.
“Heroes! Please, protect us! Now that those scoundrels have been dealt with, the Haenam faction will soon come swarming back like wild dogs! If you leave us now, our village is finished!”
“Please, protect us!”
“Heroes, I beg you!”
Sun Woo-jin and his group found themselves in a difficult position.
They didn’t want to be tied down here, nor did they want to keep clashing with the Haenam faction.
But there was no other choice.
If they didn’t finish the job cleanly, the enemy would surely return. And if they simply left, the villagers would become targets of the Haenam faction’s wrath.
Sun Woo-jin sighed and spoke to the other two.
“We have no choice. When the next wave comes, we’ll have to take them all down, no matter what.”
So, they had no option but to stay temporarily in the small coastal village.
In the days that followed, the villagers began erasing the traces of the pirate raids, while the three of them finally took a moment to appreciate the peaceful seaside scenery.
Seol Poong gazed in awe at the crystal-clear, sky-blue sea.
“This color is truly magical. No jewel could match this shade. It’s even more beautiful than the sky itself.”
At that, Jung Chil, who had traveled far and wide in his youth, chuckled lightly.
“Heh heh heh! You know what’s even more fascinating? The sea changes color depending on the climate. In warm places, it’s this transparent pale blue, but in colder regions, it turns a deep navy.”
“Really? Is that true, Brother Jung?”
“Absolutely. If you ever go to Jiangsu Province, you’ll see that kind of sea. It’s just as stunning. If this sea looks like a lovely spring scene, then theirs is like a cool winter landscape.”
“A lovely spring scene and a cool winter landscape… That’s a beautiful way to put it, Brother.”
“Ha ha ha! I do have a poetic side, you know.”
But despite the breathtaking beauty of the sea—something he’d never seen in two lifetimes—Sun Woo-jin couldn’t focus.
Unlike Jung Chil and Seol Poong, who chatted comfortably, he had to prepare and plan for what lay ahead.
And the future didn’t feel promising.
Of course, he never imagined they’d be taken down by mere pirates.
But in the worst case, the Haenam faction might already know the village’s location.
Or they might keep missing the enemy ships lurking nearby, one by one.
Being at sea and having to protect a fixed village felt like an overwhelmingly disadvantageous position.
Just then, Muk Rang spoke up.
— That’s not all. Don’t lose sight of the villagers either.
Sun Woo-jin looked at him, puzzled.
‘The villagers?’
Muk Rang’s voice turned bitter.
— Yes. Do you know what the weak give up first to survive?
‘…I don’t.’
— Their conscience.
His words struck a deep chord.
Sun Woo-jin glanced back toward the village.
The villagers were tidying up and preparing food to serve them.
He suddenly said to his two brothers-in-arms.
“Brothers, I’m going to step out for a moment.”
“Hmm? Alright, go ahead.”
“Little brother, are you going to pee? Or… something bigger?”
Jung Chil’s teasing made Sun Woo-jin smile wryly.
“The latter. I’ll be back soon.”
With that, he used his stealth technique to slip into the shadows and head toward the village.
Behind him, Jung Chil’s voice rang out.
“Looks like the little brother’s embarrassed. Using stealth just to take a dump.”
Sun Woo-jin’s destination was the village chief’s place.
The chief was overseeing the preparation of the food they intended to serve.
But the voices he overheard there weighed heavily on his expression.
A village woman whispered in shock.
“Y-you want to put a sleeping drug in the food?!”
“Yes. They seem like experts, so we should put plenty in.”
“But what if they find out? What if they get angry and kill us…?”
The chief replied in a frustrated whisper.
“Don’t you get it yet? We’re already dead because of them! When the Haenam faction comes, we’ll all be wiped out! The only way to survive is to capture these heroes and hand them over to the Haenam faction! If the heroes catch on, what else can we do but beg? But since they act like righteous warriors, we have to believe they won’t kill us.”
It was a heavy truth to swallow.
The very people they had saved were planning to sacrifice them to the Haenam faction to save their own skins.
Sun Woo-jin’s mind flashed to the swordsman who once said that the results of chivalry aren’t always beautiful.
Muk Rang spoke again.
— Don’t be too disappointed. For them, this might be the natural choice.
‘A natural choice?’
— Didn’t I say earlier? The weak give up their conscience first to survive. If opposing the Haenam faction means certain annihilation, then choosing the path with a better chance of survival is only natural.
Giving up conscience.
Only then did Sun Woo-jin truly understand.
If you set aside the value of conscience, they were simply choosing the option that gave them a better chance to live.
And as they said, even if they found the sleeping drug, they wouldn’t slaughter the villagers.
But understanding it intellectually didn’t mean he could accept it emotionally.
Frustrated, Sun Woo-jin asked.
‘So, does that mean chivalry means nothing in the face of survival?’
Muk Rang answered with a knowing smile.
— You’re asking a question you already know the answer to. Didn’t you once tell the assassin girl that chivalry is ultimately a choice? When someone chooses survival, someone else chooses conscience. And deciding which deserves respect is your choice, isn’t it?
It was something Sun Woo-jin had said to Jeok Ha-yeon, the sister of Jeok Ma-hyeok, who had joined his ranks.
Muk Rang must have been watching Sun Woo-jin’s actions even then.
Sun Woo-jin felt both embarrassed and proud.
Embarrassed for discussing chivalry in front of a warrior considered the greatest of all time, yet proud to have earned his understanding.
He was right.
If their choice meant betraying kindness to survive, then he himself didn’t have to stay here just to protect them.
In the end, they had decided their own fate.
Muk Rang continued.
— I don’t think they’re inherently evil. Many weak people in harsh environments have made the same choice. The root cause is the cruel environment created by those ruthless Haenam faction bastards.
Sun Woo-jin agreed.
It wasn’t their fault—it was the Haenam faction’s doing that forced them into this.
Muk Rang went on.
— But as always, people have the chance to choose. Chivalry may sometimes mean choosing against survival, but that’s what makes it a noble value only humans can possess, not beasts. At least, that’s what I believe. Confucius’s ‘benevolence’ and Mozi’s ‘universal love’ shone brightest amid the chaos of war.
Sun Woo-jin pondered those words slowly, then stealthily returned to the other two.
He explained the situation.
Seol Poong simply nodded with a heavy expression.
“I see.”
Jung Chil let out a bitter laugh.
“Thanks for telling me, little brother. I almost had to see that again.”
Sun Woo-jin and Seol Poong looked at him, surprised by his uncharacteristically bitter tone.
“Have you been through this before?”
Jung Chil frowned, as if recalling a painful memory.
“When I first entered the martial world, I dreamed of being a chivalrous hero. I worked hard to help those in need. But those I saved stabbed me in the back—more than once. So I gave up. I told myself I couldn’t be a hero.”
But then, with a bitter smile, he added.
“Now… I understand. The weak give up their conscience first to survive. To think I had to hear that from the little brother at my age… what a wasted life.”
Sun Woo-jin and Seol Poong exchanged heavy glances as Jung Chil muttered to himself, as if enlightened.
Though he wasn’t good at reading people’s hearts, they guessed the betrayal by those he helped must have left a deep wound.
Just then, Jung Chil rubbed his stomach and said,
“But does that mean we can’t eat at all? I’m starving. Should I ask them to bring food without the drug?”
As Jung Chil returned to his usual self, Sun Woo-jin and Seol Poong chuckled.
From the village, a figure appeared, carrying a bundle and walking toward them.
Seol Poong muttered quietly.
“Who’s that child?”
“…A familiar face.”
It was the young girl—the eleven-year-old girl Sun Woo-jin had saved at the very beginning.
As the little girl struggled, carrying what was likely a bundle of food, the expressions of the group grew heavy once more.
They finally understood why the food had been entrusted to that child.
‘They probably thought that even if the drug inside the food was discovered, no one would take it out on a child. After all, as they said, we’re just so-called “heroes” pretending to be righteous.’
Even though they already knew, the sense of helplessness was unavoidable.
A moment later, the dark-skinned, pretty girl set down the bundle of food right in front of the three of them.
They all looked at her with heavy hearts.
But what happened next was something none of them had expected.
The girl glanced around furtively, then whispered urgently in a small voice.
“Heroes! You absolutely must not eat this!”
The three exchanged startled looks.
“What did you say?”
With a desperate expression, the girl repeated,
“There’s poison in the food! The village elders want to drug you and hand you over to the pirates! They think that’s the only way to survive!”
No one had anticipated this.
Even Mukrang seemed taken aback.
Sun Woo-jin suddenly asked the girl,
“If they have to sacrifice us to survive, then why are you telling us this?”
The girl flinched at the question, then bowed her head deeply and said,
“The village elders… they say it’s fine as long as they survive, even if others die. When my mother was taken, they said the same thing and were glad she survived. But that’s wrong, isn’t it? If you heroes survive, you’ll help others. But if the elders survive, they’ll just hand more people over to the pirates. That’s so wrong.”
Her pure, unwavering words made the three of them sigh.
Sun Woo-jin looked at her with deep eyes and asked again,
“What about you? If we leave after hearing this, you might be killed by the pirates too. Aren’t you afraid?”
Tears welled up instantly in the girl’s eyes.
As they streamed down her cheeks, she said,
“I’m scared. Very scared. But… it’s wrong. We can’t live like that.”
For a moment, the three felt their hearts tighten.
Seol Poong smiled warmly, clearly impressed, while Jeung Chil was quietly sniffling.
Sun Woo-jin gently stroked the girl’s head and said,
“You’re a true hero yourself.”
The girl blinked in surprise.
“Me? A hero?”
Sun Woo-jin suddenly asked,
“If we said we wanted to take only you and leave this place, would you come with us?”
Her expression shifted rapidly—surprise, joy, hesitation, resignation. Even without her answer, they could guess what she was thinking.
After a moment, she finally looked down and asked quietly,
“You mean you’d save only me, not the others?”
Sun Woo-jin nodded.
“Yes. They’ve lost the right to be protected.”
The girl lowered her gaze and replied,
“If I don’t follow you, I’ll probably die. And I really don’t want to die… But my father is here, even if he drinks and hits me all the time. I have two younger siblings I have to take care of. So I don’t think it’s right to leave just to save myself.”
She bowed her head deeply.
“But thank you, heroes. For asking.”
Sun Woo-jin smiled softly.
So this child, despite having family in the village who could all be killed if things went wrong, chose to reveal the truth simply because it was the right thing to do.
The more he heard, the more he admired her.
Moved, Jeung Chil’s eyes reddened as he asked Sun Woo-jin,
“What are you going to do, youngest?”
He seemed worried Sun Woo-jin might just say to leave.
Sun Woo-jin smiled reassuringly.
“The villagers will have to pay the price, but we can’t let this brave hero and her family get hurt. I’ll think of a better plan.”
Jeung Chil sighed in relief.
“Phew, I knew you’d say that.”
At that moment, Seol Poong looked toward the sea and said,
“If we can’t come up with a plan soon, our next move is already decided.”
Sun Woo-jin and Jeung Chil followed his gaze.
On the distant horizon, tiny dots appeared—ships.
Jeung Chil scoffed.
“Hmph! They’re already here. What can a few of them do? Just one ship… wait, two? Three? Four? Five? What’s with the numbers?”
The ships kept multiplying even as he spoke.
Finally, Seol Poong said gravely,
“There are eleven ships in total.”
Indeed.
Eleven ships were approaching.
All were warships of the Haenam faction.
It didn’t take long for the ships to reach the shore.
Ten of the eleven ships stopped about ten jang from the coast, lined up side by side in a single row facing the shore.
Their movements were smooth and practiced.
Even Sun Woo-jin, unfamiliar with ships, could tell they were expertly handled.
Seol Poong muttered,
“Each ship has five cannons aimed this way. That’s fifty cannons in total.”
Sun Woo-jin added,
“And unlike before, the crew seem well-trained elite soldiers. About thirty archers per ship have their arrows nocked and ready. That’s roughly three hundred archers.”
Jeung Chil snorted.
“Hmph! Pirates or not, you handled them last time. This time, I’ll show them what I’m made of. They won’t be safe just because they’re hiding on ships.”
His reckless confidence was back again.
Sun Woo-jin wanted to warn him that acting rashly at sea could be dangerous.
But before he could, a powerful voice boomed from one of the ships, carrying a strong internal energy.
“I am Oh Ik-deok of the Haenam faction! Did you dare to sink one of our ships?”
Oh Ik-deok.
The name was familiar.
If this was the same Oh Ik-deok of the One-Kill Sword Technique, he was the top master of the Haenam Five, and one of the few supreme experts in the entire Haenam faction.
Sun Woo-jin amplified his senses with the Moonlight Phantom Sword Dance and observed him.
A towering giant with a large frame, a long beard like Guan Yu from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and a greatsword strapped to his back.
It was clear he was indeed the legendary Oh Ik-deok.
Eleven ships led by a supreme master, fifty cannons, and three hundred archers.
Sun Woo-jin’s mind was spinning.