Episode 95

The issue of transferring Sun Woo-jin and Hae Cheong-yeon to different squads couldn’t be resolved immediately.

It was simply too sudden a matter, given the gravity of the situation.

Seol Poong explained that there would soon be a search for the squad leaders’ iron ears, and asked them to wait until that was over before making a final decision. With that, he gave the two some time and headed back to headquarters for the search.

After Seol Poong left, a heavy silence settled over the waiting room of the Thirteenth Squad.

No one wanted to see the two sent to other squads, but they also knew there was no solid reason to keep them together, so no one dared to speak up.

After a moment, Bi Sa-young broke the silence with a teasing tone.

“Tch, I told you, being too outstanding is a curse. If you stand out, you’re bound to get targeted. Who told you to be so exceptional, huh?”

Her words were playful but tinged with regret.

Slowly, faint smiles began to appear on the faces of the squad members.

Cheon Ju-eun, looking a bit disappointed, joined in with a soft smile.

“Yeah, why do both of them have to be so talented that they can’t even be together? It’s kind of sad.”

Sun Woo-jin chuckled quietly in response.

“That’s why I tried to keep my brilliance under wraps, but I guess I got caught. Hah, maybe that’s why the truly exceptional ones are doomed to be lonely.”

Bi Sa-young shot him a look of mock exasperation.

“Stop with the nonsense already.”

As the squad members laughed at their banter, Bae Jong-gwan, who had been deep in thought, spoke seriously to Cheon Ju-eun.

“Miss Cheon, I think I’ll cut back on my training from now on.”

Sun Woo-jin and Bi Sa-young immediately squeezed their eyes shut, realizing what he was implying: that to stay with Cheon Ju-eun longer, they shouldn’t become too outstanding.

Before the mood could turn awkward, Cheon Ju-eun smiled brightly and replied.

“Oh, I’m going to train even harder! Isn’t it amazing to be recognized for your skills and even be considered for squad leader? I hope you do the same, Mr. Bae.”

Bae Jong-gwan looked stunned, then fell into thought again.

As everyone gave Cheon Ju-eun a thumbs-up, Na Seo-yu asked with a hint of regret.

“So, Mr. Sun Woo, have you made up your mind?”

Sun Woo-jin met her gaze with a deep look before answering slowly.

“I’m not sure yet. Still, I think it would be better to stay within the Thirteenth Squad, even if it means moving to a different team, rather than being transferred to another unit. But I want to think it over a bit more.”

Everyone nodded silently at his words.

Only Hae Cheong-yeon remained quiet, watching Sun Woo-jin without a word.

After leaving the waiting room, Sun Woo-jin headed straight to the shared warehouse of the Seventh Squad.

His mind was tangled, but there was something he needed to do first.

Standing before the storage of elixirs, he rubbed his palms together and muttered.

“Well, the transfer is one thing, but now it’s finally time to raise my internal energy.”

Thanks to this deployment, Sun Woo-jin had broken through the seventy-year barrier of internal energy cultivation.

Only two or three months after reaching the pinnacle, he had advanced another level.

All thanks to Muk-rang’s teachings.

Such rapid progress was both surprising and meaningful to him.

In his past life, he had already reached the highest tier of mastery, standing on the brink of the ultimate peak.

So reaching the pinnacle in this life was something he had expected.

But breaking through the next barrier was a whole different matter.

This was purely an achievement of his current life.

Sun Woo-jin, who had grown at lightning speed thanks to memories from his past life, now saw that even without those memories, he could still develop quickly.

“If I can maintain this pace even somewhat…”

If that were possible, surpassing the ultra-peak within five years wouldn’t be out of reach.

The plan to launch an offensive against the Blood Sect was suddenly becoming realistic.

And he had Muk-rang by his side.

If only he could unlock the secret of the Muk-rang Sword.

Then, perhaps, like Ban Jung-yang—the current world’s greatest swordsman—he might inherit the legacy of the Sword God.

Hope seemed to shine brightly just ahead.

At that moment, another presence entered the warehouse, and Sun Woo-jin turned toward the door.

It was Hae Cheong-yeon.

“Miss Cheong-yeon?”

Sun Woo-jin greeted her warmly, and she, already knowing he was here, spoke naturally.

“Elixirs, huh? I had a feeling. So you’ve broken through the seventy-year barrier?”

Sun Woo-jin scratched his head sheepishly, unable to hide the fact that she had seen through him.

“Yes, I was going to surprise you during sparring, but I guess you already knew.”

Cheong-yeon simply nodded without much expression.

With her bangs now down, it was hard to read her face.

Sun Woo-jin felt a twinge of regret that he might never see that beautiful face again and asked,

“What brings you here?”

She answered just as casually.

“I broke through the barrier too.”

Sun Woo-jin couldn’t help but be stunned.

“…What?”

Blinking in disbelief, he asked again.

“I broke through the seventy-year barrier during this deployment as well. So I came to take some elixirs.”

“…”

Sun Woo-jin stared at her, his mind reeling.

As far as he knew, the time she had reached the pinnacle wasn’t much different from his own.

But she had already surpassed the next barrier?

He had Muk-rang’s fortune to thank for his breakthrough, but she did it without any such help?

Stammering in shock, he asked,

“Miss, did you happen to find some kind of fortune or opportunity?”

Cheong-yeon shook her head nonchalantly.

“No, I just kept training, and it happened.”

Just training, and she broke through the seventy-year barrier?

The awe he’d felt earlier suddenly faded.

He wondered if the seventy-year barrier was something anyone could easily overcome.

Had he been moved by something ordinary all this time?

But even a moment’s thought told him that couldn’t be true.

Most masters at the pinnacle get stuck at the early stage and never break through in their lifetime.

So what was it about her…?

He suddenly recalled how Sword Saint Hae Un-baek had once boasted like a doting father about Cheong-yeon.

Saying he’d never seen a girl as beautiful, wise, and talented as her.

At the time, he’d thought it was just a father’s excessive love, but maybe it was an objective truth.

Swallowing hard, Sun Woo-jin regained his composure and said,

“Congratulations, Miss. That’s incredibly fast progress.”

Cheong-yeon smiled faintly in reply.

“I thought so too, but seeing you, Mr. Sun, maybe it’s not always like that.”

They each gathered the elixirs they needed and stepped outside.

Then Cheong-yeon suddenly called out to Sun Woo-jin.

“Mr. Sun.”

“Yes?”

She looked at him quietly for a moment before finally speaking.

“Are you going to accept Miss Dang’s offer to become squad leader?”

Sun Woo-jin gave a bitter smile and shook his head.

“I’m not sure. I do think it’s a better choice than being transferred to another unit… but I’m still hesitant.”

Cheong-yeon asked again.

“Because of Sister Seo-yu?”

Hearing Na Seo-yu’s name from her lips, Sun Woo-jin was taken aback.

She even knew about that.

But then he understood.

Of course she would know—she seemed to read him like an open book.

He smiled sheepishly.

“Oh, you knew about that too? That’s a bit embarrassing. Yes, I don’t want to be separated from Squad Leader Seol Poong and the others, but that’s the biggest reason.”

Cheong-yeon gazed at him quietly, her expression innocent.

She was glad her bangs were down again—at least he couldn’t see the look in her eyes.

Her heart… it hurt so much.

Clutching her chest to hold back the sharp pain, she suddenly asked again.

“Why don’t you just confess?”

Startled, Sun Woo-jin stammered.

“W-what?! C-confess?!”

Confess?

In his two lifetimes, he’d never once been in a relationship with a woman.

The very idea was unimaginable.

Just hearing those words, imagining that moment, made his whole body stiffen.

It was even more terrifying than standing before So-myeon Ma-gun.

Watching his reaction, Cheong-yeon bit her lip.

Sun Woo-jin had always been wise and brave no matter what happened, but this innocent side of him made her heart ache even more.

So she spoke without thinking.

“If it’s a feeling you’re not going to keep to yourself, you have to confess, right? If you’re going to be transferred to another squad, wouldn’t it be better to know Sister Seo-yu’s feelings before that?”

Sun Woo-jin was stunned into silence by her words.

Without a word, Cheong-yeon turned and hurried away.

She felt utterly cowardly.

Knowing full well that Na Seo-yu wouldn’t accept his confession, she was the one trying to end Sun Woo-jin’s feelings once and for all.

‘This is the worst.’

I couldn’t believe how repulsive I had become.

I always thought I’d never end up like this.

Since I was young, I’d been drawn to things different from everyone else, and I’d always been better than most. Over time, I convinced myself of one thing:

I’m not like other people.

So I wouldn’t live like them.

I would never let my emotions override my reason.

But I was wrong.

After walking for a long while until Sun Woo-jin was out of sight, I finally collapsed onto the ground.

My whole body felt utterly drained.

Clutching my aching chest, I muttered to myself.

“Pathetic. You’re so pathetic, Hae Cheong-yeon.”

How did it come to this?

When did it happen…?

Suddenly, I remembered the first time I felt drawn to Sun Woo-jin.

At first, I told myself it was just a strong curiosity.

Like always, a fleeting interest that would soon fade.

Even as I watched him grow closer from the sidelines, I convinced myself it was just an illusion—an effect of admiring him, nothing more.

A shallow feeling I could erase whenever I wanted.

But when I thought he might have died during that mission, I had no choice but to admit the truth.

Just imagining him dead made it hard to breathe—that’s how deep my feelings had become.

Feelings so uncontrollable that I found myself doing the very things I’d always despised.

It was… utterly pathetic.

---

“Huuuu.”

I slowly opened my half-closed eyes and sat up.

A vitality I’d never felt before surged through my entire body.

It was the power of eighty years of internal energy.

Only about seven months ago, I’d entered the front lines with a second-rate skill level and a pig-like physique. But now, I’d reached a point where I could rival Han Gyo-seong, the prodigy and squad leader of the Cheongseong faction.

That meant I was the strongest among the Biryeong Thirteen, second only to Squad Leader Seolpung.

It was an encouraging thought.

Cracking my neck, I stepped into the center of the training ground.

“Alright, let’s see what eighty years of internal energy feels like.”

Drawing my sword, I began to perform the Seonwoo Thirteen Sword Dance and the Four Arts Sword Technique, testing my condition.

My body moved fiercely yet fluidly, feeling utterly free.

A broad smile spread across my face as I savored the sharp, heightened senses.

But just as I was basking in satisfaction, a deep sigh escaped me.

I suddenly remembered what Sojeo Cheong-yeon had said.

“If it’s not a feeling you’re going to keep to yourself, you have to confess, right? And if you’re going to transfer to another squad, wouldn’t it be better to know Seo-yu’s feelings before that happens?”

“Hmm.”

The words made sense.

If I wasn’t going to keep this to myself forever, I’d have to confess eventually.

And if I moved to another squad, I wouldn’t see her as often—this might be my last chance.

So confessing now seemed like the right thing to do.

The problem was, I had zero confidence.

I was so anxious, so scared.

Swallowing hard, I thought,

“Do I even look like a good match for Sojeo right now?”

I took a cold, hard look at myself.

Surprisingly, I wasn’t doing so badly.

I’d lost weight, and lately, people had been telling me I looked handsome.

Several Sojeos had confessed their feelings to me before.

And when it came to martial arts, I’d become a formidable master.

I’d earned the nickname “Bitcheon Black Wolf,” and even other squads wanted to recruit me as vice-leader or leader.

Thinking all that through, a surge of confidence welled up inside me.

The eighty years of internal energy in my dantian felt like pure confidence.

Clenching my fist, I muttered,

“Yes, I can do this. I’m finally a man who can proudly confess to Sojeo!”

Then I turned my gaze toward the dormitory where Sojeo was staying.

Today, filled with eighty years of internal energy—

Today was the day fate had chosen for me to confess to her.