Episode 91
Gujing, Yunnan Province.

Heuksayeongchang, the fifth squad leader of the Flying Dragon Thirteen, was out on his afternoon patrol with his squad members.

Leading the group at the front, he suddenly caught faint whispers from the members trailing behind him.

“Feels like the patrol time’s passing way too fast, even though only one squad is missing. I’m starting to feel worn out.”

“Yeah. The seventh squad should be back soon. I hope nothing’s happened to them.”

“Come on, what could possibly be wrong? Even though Seolpung is the seventh squad leader, he’s just as capable as Han Gyoseong, the first squad leader. The members are all top-tier talents—Naseoyu, Cheongyeon, Seon Woojin, even Bisayeong—they could all be squad leaders.”

“True. I heard Han Gyoseong himself admitted Seolpung was better than him. Seon Woojin was even considered for the vacant fourth squad leader position. That’s why the seventh squad was sent out this time, right?”

“Wow, really?”

Heuksayeongchang’s expression darkened as the whispers continued. Finally, he snapped in a low voice.

“Quiet! Are you out of your minds?! Who said you could be chatting during patrol?!”

Startled, the squad members immediately fell silent under his sharp glare.

Though chatting during patrol was common—even Heuksayeongchang himself sometimes indulged—it was well known that his mood dictated his standards. So today, something about their conversation must have rubbed him the wrong way.

The fifth squad members guessed it was the talk about Seolpung, the seventh squad leader. Heuksayeongchang had never liked Seolpung.

But what truly annoyed Heuksayeongchang wasn’t Seolpung—it was the mention of Seon Woojin.

“That arrogant brat? A squad leader-level talent? Fourth squad leader? Hah! What a joke.”

Heuksayeongchang knew better than anyone that Seon Woojin had been considered for the fourth squad leader position—and he had been the fiercest opponent of that idea.

He remembered when Seon Woojin first joined the Flying Dragon unit, looking like a pig. Now, that handsome-faced guy had gone to Seolpung’s seventh squad and kept rising without a hitch. Heuksayeongchang hated it.

What stung most was the reason Seon Woojin was considered for the position: because he had overwhelmingly defeated Heuksayeongchang in a duel.

Heuksayeongchang had been on the losing end the entire time and had even forced the match to stop. Just thinking about that humiliating face filled him with rage.

Grinding his teeth, he vowed, “Just wait until he comes back. This time, I’ll crush him for sure.”

For the past month, Heuksayeongchang had been training relentlessly, dreaming of revenge, eagerly awaiting Seon Woojin’s return.

Then, from deep within the jungle, a beast-like howl pierced the air.

“Kyaaaak!”

“Battle demons!” Heuksayeongchang shouted immediately.

“Form defensive formation, everyone!”

The fifth squad members swiftly arranged themselves around Heuksayeongchang in a tight defensive circle.

Their movements were flawless, honed by countless battles.

Soon, the sound of something crashing through the forest grew louder.

Rustle, rustle!

There were quite a few of them.

Heuksayeongchang whispered sharply, “There’s a lot—at least twenty! Vice leader, signal with fireworks!”

At his command, Vice Leader Jang Yeo-yeo sent up a flare.

Bang!

Red flames and smoke shot into the sky, and from the jungle burst a pack of battle demons.

“Kyaaaaaa!”

“Raaaar!”

“Keieeeek!”

About thirty battle demons charged forward—too many for the fifth squad to handle alone.

But Heuksayeongchang remained calm.

“Form groups of three!”

In an instant, the squad members paired off in trios, ready to face the onslaught.

Heuksayeongchang met the first wave head-on.

A battle demon howled like a wild beast and lunged at him.

“Hah!”

With a sharp thrust, his spear, glowing with a faint mist, pierced the demon’s open maw like a ray of light.

Spinning his body, he struck the demon’s jaw, sending it flying, and his spear swept through the surrounding demons like a storm.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

His spear danced around him like a living serpent, knocking back the demons.

Occasionally, the spear’s misty blade severed a demon’s head.

His skill had clearly improved since before.

Having broken the momentum of the demon pack at the front, Heuksayeongchang glanced at his squad members and smiled faintly.

After Seon Woojin, Bisayeong, and Bae Jong-gwan saved the sixth squad from a demon pack, the Flying Dragon leaders had decided to focus training on the “push-and-strike” technique.

They realized that when swarmed by demons, survival was more important than killing immediately—knocking them away was the priority.

That was why the fifth squad formed groups of three.

With one member using sword energy to kill a demon, the other two on either side would strike or throw back the rest, maintaining a stable defense.

Thanks to this, none of the squad members looked in danger.

Heuksayeongchang relaxed slightly.

No mid-level demons here—this should be handled without casualties.

“Maybe I didn’t need to call for backup after all.”

Just then, Vice Leader Jang Yeo-yeo shouted.

“Leader! Something’s off! The demons are ignoring us and running past!”

“Hm?”

Heuksayeongchang frowned.

That made no sense.

Demons never ignored their target once they locked on.

Their defining trait was obsession with their prey.

But when he looked back, he had to admit she was right.

The demons the squad had pushed away weren’t attacking again—they were fleeing straight toward the rear.

Heuksayeongchang frowned deeply, muttering, “What the hell is going on?”

Jang Yeo-yeo scowled.

“Feels like they’re running from something.”

“That’s impossible! Demons have no feelings except hunger for humans!”

Suddenly—

Bang!

The head of the demon at the very back exploded like a watermelon.

“What?!”

All eyes turned to the source, and just ahead, another demon’s head burst the same way.

Crack!

The reason was clear.

Someone was rushing in from behind, using lightness skill and striking down demons one by one.

Jang Yeo-yeo gasped.

“Who is that?!”

No one could answer.

They had never seen this warrior before.

He wore a worn blue uniform, his hair wild and unkempt, and his large frame was imposing.

Judging by his ability to burst demon heads with a single strike, he was at least a first-class upper-level warrior.

His movements were fast and fierce, like a wild beast—on par with a supreme master.

“First-class? Supreme?”

Since he wasn’t using any energy, probably not supreme, but his demon-slaying was exhilaratingly brutal.

The fifth squad members all stared in awe.

“Who on earth is he?”

While Heuksayeongchang glared at the newcomer, the man finished off the demons Heuksayeongchang had knocked back and reached their position.

Vice Leader Jang Yeo-yeo stepped forward, bowing respectfully.

“Greetings, senior! We are warriors of the Flying Dragon Thirteen!”

The man’s eyes shifted to her.

Heuksayeongchang, watching closely, noticed a red glow emanating from between the wild strands of hair covering the man’s face.

Eyes glowing blood-red—like a demon’s.

“!”

Startled, Heuksayeongchang lunged toward Jang Yeo-yeo.

“Get down!”

But at the same moment, the stranger suddenly leapt forward, striking Jang Yeo-yeo with a powerful blow.

Bang!

The strike whistled past her head, sending her hair flying.

Heuksayeongchang pushed her out of the way just in time.

As Jang Yeo-yeo scrambled back, Heuksayeongchang spun in midair, his spear coiling like a living snake, striking the man.

Whoooosh!

Thwack!

The man, caught off guard by the spear, was sent flying backward.

Heuksayeongchang sprang off the ground, ready to launch a flurry of attacks.

He didn’t know who this was, but he was clearly an enemy.

“What are you—ugh?!”

He was shocked to see the man recover instantly, springing back up to attack.

“What?!”

The man charged, fists flying with the force to shatter stone.

“Yah!”

Heuksayeongchang spun again, preparing to counter.

Then, the black serpent spear, coiling fiercely around his body like a snake, struck the man’s temple from the side, successfully deflecting the tension.

Clang!

And immediately, an attack followed.

The black serpent spear of Doksugwang became a sharp line, piercing straight into the man’s exposed chest.

The spearhead’s energy shimmered vividly, like a blade of steel.

“Hah!”

Shing!

“Ugh?!”

But in the next moment, Doksugwang had to muster all his strength just to hold onto the wildly vibrating spear shaft.

His hand felt numb, as if sensation had been drained.

“Th-this can’t be…”

He couldn’t believe it.

His full-power thrust—executed by a top-tier martial artist—had not only failed to pierce the man’s chest but hadn’t even left a scratch. It was as if he had stabbed into solid iron.

“Ugh!”

Struggling to keep hold of the relentlessly shaking spear, Doksugwang’s eyes caught a sudden flash of crimson radiance from the man’s chest.

And then came a beast-like growl.

“Grrrrr…”

Doksugwang muttered, almost groaning.

“A ‘Mine’…?”

---

“No wonder my chest feels tight.”

“Yeah. It’s like I’ve been away for a whole year and just came back.”

We finally returned and saw the Biryong Thirteenth Division headquarters just as it had always been, and a strange wave of emotion washed over us.

The sight of the thirteen buildings nestled deep in the jungle felt achingly like coming home.

Bisa-yeong murmured with a wistful expression.

“Coming back to this hellish front line and yet feeling like I’m home… I don’t know whether I should be happy or resentful.”

If she felt that way, then after spending over ten years here in my past life, my own feelings were beyond words.

I smiled faintly and whispered to myself.

“I’m grateful. To have a place to come back to.”

This was a sanctuary that had given me rest across two lifetimes.

It was only natural that just looking at it made my chest tighten.

But not all the squad members were lost in sentiment like we were.

“I was only out for thirty-four days. I just want to get back, report in, and get some rest,” said Cheong-yeon Sojeo in a flat tone as she walked ahead.

“Ch-Cheong-yeon.”

“Let’s go together, unnie.”

Behind her, Na Sojeo and Cheon Sojeo quickly followed, glancing at us nervously.

Cheong-yeon Sojeo, usually even-tempered, had looked unusually sour throughout the journey back.

It was the first time since she joined the Biryong unit that she seemed so out of sorts.

So Na Sojeo and Cheon Sojeo were paying close attention to her.

According to other squad members, she hadn’t seemed like this before we returned, but after we came back, her mood shifted.

It was a strange and unsettling change.

“What on earth is going on?”

I, who had known her the longest, was the most bewildered. She was never like this.

I tried to recall if I had missed something, some incident I hadn’t noticed.

Then Bisa-yeong quietly asked.

“I’ve been thinking… did you do something wrong to Hae Sojeo?”

Her sudden question startled me.

“Me? What could I have done wrong?”

“No, I’m just saying, since we came back, Hae Sojeo’s mood suddenly turned sour. Surely she’s not upset because of me, right?”

Was that so?

Had I done something to upset her?

I quickly scanned my memories with my sharp recall.

But nothing came to mind.

We hadn’t even spent much time together lately, so it was unlikely.

“Ah, no way. She’s probably just tired.”

Then—

Boom!

Suddenly, a loud explosion echoed from the far side of the jungle.

Startled, we all turned toward the sound and saw faint red smoke rising above the distant trees.

“A support request?”

“An emergency?”

Squad leader Seol-pung’s face stiffened as he said,

“There’s only one flare so far. Support will be dispatched immediately. But just in case, we should return quickly.”

We hurried back to headquarters and reported to Pungyang, the Thirteenth Division Commander.

Pungyang listened silently for a long moment, then spoke briefly.

“So that’s what happened. I’ll discuss it with Elder Geomseong. Good work, everyone. Go get some rest.”

It seemed Elder Geomseong had taken near-complete control of the front line while we were away.

Seol-pung asked again.

“I saw the emergency signal earlier.”

But Pungyang shook his head as if it was nothing serious.

“Han Gyoseong’s squad left immediately. If there’s a problem, we’ll get another signal. For now, rest up.”

We all nodded.

If Han Gyoseong’s squad leader, who was said to be on par with Seol-pung, was handling it, it should be fine.

Though, that was only true until this deployment.

As Seol-pung greeted the commander and we prepared to leave, I cautiously asked,

“Has anything like this happened often while we were gone?”

Pungyang shook his head.

“No, not once. This is the first since you left.”

The first…

So the Cheolgwi hadn’t appeared yet.

Then, a sudden uneasy thought struck me.

“Do you know which squad is on duty this time?”

“…Squad Five.”

Squad Five—Doksugwang’s squad.

The one that had reacted most negatively when I warned about the Cheolgwi.

The same squad that was wiped out by the Cheolgwi in my past life.

And on the very day we returned, an emergency signal came from that squad…

It was too coincidental.

The ominous feeling grew heavier.

I imagined the worst.

What if this really was the Cheolgwi’s arrival?

But if even Han Gyoseong’s squad leader, who went out for support, didn’t take the Hwagal Mountain talisman…

Could it really be that coincidental?

But accidents usually happen when such things pile up.

Stepping outside the command room, I hurriedly said to Seol-pung,

“Squad leader, I have a bad feeling about this. Could you come with me?”

Seol-pung, momentarily puzzled, quickly hardened his expression and nodded.

“Understood. Jin, your instincts can’t be ignored.”

Bisa-yeong asked seriously,

“Should we come too?”

“No. If my hunch is right, this will need a user of the Gang-gi. For now, just the squad leader and…”

I glanced at Cheong-yeon Sojeo, who nodded readily.

“Let’s go quickly. Are we heading straight to support Squad Five?”

As expected of Cheong-yeon Sojeo.

I’d worried because she seemed off, but it was a false alarm.

I smiled and replied,

“No. First, let’s go to Dang Yeo-eun Sojeo.”

She blinked in surprise at my answer and asked,

“Dang Sojeo?”

“Yes. We’ll need the Hwagal Mountain talisman.”

And with that, I dashed off.