Chapter 1098: Scorched World.

After the Red Monster backlash incident.

It was a time when news hadn’t yet spread to the Central Plains.

Also, the monster itself had appeared in a region managed by the Murim Alliance.

Whether the Beggar’s Sect had intervened, information wasn’t flowing out of Hanam.

Solely within the Murim Alliance.

And even then, only a select few were aware of the situation.

“Don’t rest! Breathe properly!”

It was a time when training was in full swing within the Cheongryongdae.

Dozens of people.

This was a running drill composed solely of rookies, those with less than five years of service, not veteran Sword Unit members.

Since they were running without using any internal energy at all, it was a speed at which their breathing would naturally falter after some time.

They had been running at that speed for over an hour.

‘This is boring me to death.’

From my perspective, it wasn’t exactly great training.

My body wasn’t the type to get tired from just this.

And it wasn’t a body that could be trained further like this.

Even if I wasn’t using internal energy, my body was already saturated with it.

In this state, running for half a day or the entire day made no difference.

However.

“Hah… cough…”

“Huuuh…”

Unlike me, the others wore expressions as if they were about to collapse from exhaustion right then and there.

Then again.

‘At best, they’re first-rate.’

Seeing as they were, at most, around the peak level, running this much was quite an accomplishment for them.

As I watched them while jogging slowly.

‘Hmm.’

I turned my gaze towards the persistent stares I felt.

The stares were coming from my left, and one step behind me.

Wondering who it was, I realized it was Doyun.

The guy was looking at me, and our eyes met.

As our eyes met, Doyun widened his eyes and gave a slight smile.

“Ahaha…”

At his awkward chuckle, I turned my head back.

His eyes seemed to hold many unspoken words.

I didn’t pay it any mind.

‘If he wants to talk, he’ll come over on his own.’

I knew the reason, too.

The reason was…

‘It must be about yesterday.’

The Red Monster’s backlash.

The words I’d thrown at Doyun amidst that chaos must have been the issue.

Doyun was hiding his strength.

He acted so casually and talked so loosely that he seemed weak at first glance.

‘He’s strong.’

Doyun was quite strong.

To what extent?

“Hey you! Stop chatting!”

It was Sword Master Soi, glaring at us from up ahead.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he was stronger than her.

“Ah, yes! My apologies!”

Doyun quickly apologized.

“My apologies.”

I added a quiet word as well.

Right now, that woman… rather than being a Sword Master…

‘To me, she’s just the Sword Empress anyway.’

Since it felt like the Sword Empress was getting angry, my apology came out casually.

After speaking, I looked at Soi.

“…”

“…”

Our eyes met again this time.

I looked at her without much thought, but…

“Tsk…”

“…”

She seemed displeased about something.

She clicked her tongue and turned her head away.

‘What the?’

Why is she acting like that?

Soi’s reaction was utterly peculiar.

It was obvious she didn’t like me.

What did I do wrong?

‘Come to think of it.’

It’s been like this from the start.

Soi didn’t seem to like me much the moment she saw me.

‘Why?’

I don’t know the reason.

In my past life, we seemed to get along fine.

Strangely, the young Soi didn’t like me.

‘…It doesn’t really matter, though.’

I’m used to being disliked, so her reaction doesn’t bother me much, but…

The fact that there was no reason was slightly bothersome.

Of course.

‘I’m not going to ask about it, though.’

I had no intention of asking.

---

“Hah… Hah…”

“Gahhh…”

After the training ended.

Everyone seemed exhausted and slumped onto the ground.

All were drenched in sweat, gasping for breath.

Their throats must have been incredibly dry, as some were seen drinking water without pause.

Amidst them, only I was blankly staring at the sky.

Naturally, I wasn’t sweating.

I just sat down because everyone else was sitting, watching the sky.

‘…How long do I have to keep doing this?’

Just how long do I have to stay here?

Such a question crossed my mind.

How many days had passed?

By count, it hadn’t even been seven days and nights.

How much longer do I have to be here?

‘I need to go back.’

To Mange.

Or to the Central Plains where I originally belonged.

I have to return somehow.

This wasn’t the time to be hanging around here.

‘Sip.’

What should I do?

‘I need to resolve this as quickly as possible.’

What this world wants from me.

More precisely, something my mother intended to give me as an arrangement.

I need to obtain it quickly and get out.

‘Just being here is already overwhelming.’

Yesterday’s conversation with Paejon.

From that point on, the situation started feeling quite troublesome.

‘Who knew he’d mention regression.’

The words about returning after traveling back through time.

Paejon ultimately didn’t believe him upon hearing that.

I even spoke as he wished in the end.

But he didn’t believe that either.

‘Or maybe not?’

Rather than not believing me at all.

He seemed to have some level of belief, but…

‘Still, the outcome was the same – he didn’t believe me.’

In the end, he didn’t believe.

What did he say again?

‘He said he’d think about it a little, I think.’

‘I’ll think about the situation a bit.’

That’s what he seemed to say.

‘Hmm.’

Then again.

If it were me, I wouldn’t have believed it either.

Even if one practiced martial arts and the situation seemed right.

It’s not something one can easily believe.

‘The important thing is… what happens now?’

Sword Master’s suspicion.

Along with that, Paejon offered to vouch for my identity, but…

‘Depending on how Paejon acts from here…’

If things go wrong, the Murim Alliance.

Even the place where Sword Master is the Alliance Leader could become a battlefield.

‘…So, before that happens.’

I need to handle things as quickly as possible and leave.

Thinking so, I shifted my gaze.

My gaze landed on one of the numerous quarters within the Cheongryongdae, a place that seemed rather large.

It was called the Deputy Commander’s quarters.

‘…’

The place where Father would be.

Looking at that place, I couldn’t help but sigh.

“Hooo…”

Surely, the reason I ended up here must be connected to Father.

The fact that I came at this specific time, and no matter how I look at the situation, it seems I need to obtain something from Father.

‘What do I need to do?’

What should I gain through Father?

I didn’t know yet, but I was certain that was the case.

Because there was nothing else besides this.

As I was looking at the quarters, filled with questions.

“What are you looking at?”

A voice was heard.

It was Soi.

“Yes?”

“Where are you looking so intently?”

“It’s nothing much. I was just looking at what I could see.”

“…”

“…Did you need something?”

The fact that she came over specifically to talk to me meant…

She had some business.

Soi just glared at me.

She didn’t say anything else.

Why is she acting like this?

“Hey.”

Just as I was about to ask for the reason.

“About yesterday.”

“Yes?”

“Why didn’t you do it properly?”

“…What?”

Yesterday?

It was a sudden question.

If it’s about yesterday…

‘Must be during the monster attack.’

When facing the Red Monster.

It seemed she was talking about that time.

“What is it that I didn’t do properly?”

As I asked, unable to comprehend, Soi frowned and said.

“You have the strength to do much better. Why did you just stand by and watch?”

“…”

Hearing her words, my eyes narrowed this time.

Well, well?

‘She knew?’

That I hadn’t gone all out against the monster.

It seemed Soi had noticed.

How did she notice?

‘Is her intuition better than I expected?’

That’s possible.

The woman before me was destined to become the pinnacle of heroines and ascend to the position of Sword Empress.

‘Hmm.’

How should I explain this?

No wonder.

‘She seemed even fiercer than usual today.’

I wondered why she disliked me, and it seems this was the reason.

“It’s not that I didn’t do it properly.”

I did try to help in my own way.

I just didn’t intervene directly.

“No, you didn’t do it properly.”

“…Why do you think so?”

“You’re strong. Much stronger than that.”

“…Not really.”

“Are you going to say you’re weak after turning the Sword Dragon into that state?”

“…”

Ah, right.

The Sword Dragon.

I had forgotten about Namgung Jin.

I had beaten that guy up.

“Ahem… Well, wasn’t that person weaker than his epithet suggested?”

“The Murim Alliance doesn’t give the Dragon epithet to weak individuals.”

Soi said, her expression serious.

Hearing that, I nodded.

‘What’s this now?’

That’s a strange thing to say.

A firm belief regarding the Murim Alliance.

I could feel it.

‘Indeed.’

She really is different.

The Sword Empress I knew, aside from being a righteous figure of the orthodox sects, didn’t seem to possess such faith in the Murim Alliance.

“You clearly possess outstanding strength. Why didn’t you step forward?”

By this point, I had half-given up.

“It was resolved well enough without me intervening. What’s the problem?”

The outcome was good, so what’s the issue?

I asked, unable to understand.

“People could have died because of that.”

Someone could have died because I didn’t intervene?

Hearing that, I chuckled.

“That would be the monster’s fault, not mine.”

“You…”

“Furthermore, I have no intention of being blamed for something that didn’t happen.”

I knew the Red Monster’s backlash was partly my fault, so I felt a bit wary, but…

‘This makes me angry too.’

It felt like an unnecessary quarrel.

Holding back a sigh, I looked at Soi.

I could feel a faint hostility in her beautiful eyes.

As I saw that, just as I was about to add a word…

“Soi. Baek Sinip.”

At the intervening voice, Soi immediately paid respects.

“Yes, Seonbaenim.”

He seemed to be a warrior from the Cheongryongdae.

The person who suddenly appeared looked at us and said.

“An assignment has come down. Prepare yourselves.”

“What…?”

“Huh?”

At the abrupt words, Soi and I scrunched up our faces.

An assignment…?