Chapter 231: Battlefront. (1)

Battlefront. (1)

Only withered, dead trees fill the rotten land.

The sky was clear, without a single cloud.

Along with the surrounding energy, that sky too actually felt nothing but dark.

‘…Damn it.’

Bi Yeonseom, the rumored leader and almost sole member of the Bi Mun, thought.

That he resented his own pathetic situation in this shitty circumstance.

-Krrrrrrng!

Sharp claws flew in with the beast’s roar.

Tududuk!

Seeing this, Bi Yeonseom raised his internal energy and quickly rolled on the ground.

His body rolled ungracefully on the ground, but

Thanks to that, he managed to avoid the monster’s attack.

Of course, that didn’t mean the danger was over, but.

‘…Goddamn it…!’

He had heard stories that the Frontline was dangerous since he was young, but

The reality was far more intense.

Not only green monsters, but blue monsters, rarely seen, were lined up, and

Monsters without intelligence were, for some reason, even traveling in packs.

-Kuaaang!

A blue-grade monster resembling a tiger roared.

Perhaps because of that, he could see other monsters swarming in from afar.

‘…What should I do?’

Grinding his teeth, Bi Yeonseom scanned his surroundings, but

It wasn’t easy to escape in such an open space.

How did it come to this?

‘Fuck….’

To save his crumbling sect.

It had already been half a year since he voluntarily joined the Alliance.

Even when he was assigned to the Frontline, considering he was of an age to be a late-blooming disciple,

Bi Yeonseom had thought it was relatively okay.

The Frontline was a place where members of prestigious families often came and went according to the Alliance’s orders,

And he thought he could build some connections there.

But.

The Frontline he actually arrived at was a far more absurd place than he had expected.

With monsters scattered around due to improper handling,

And only land ruined by the monsters’ ferocity guarding the Frontline.

‘If only I had known….’

Late regret washed over him.

If only he had known.

He would have just stayed holed up in his sect, training, regardless of the Martial Alliance or whatever.

Kuuung!

“Nnngh!”

Bi Yeonseom couldn’t properly block the monster’s attack and was pushed back.

If it had been one or two, he could have blocked it.

But the number of monsters swarming in was too overwhelming.

He rolled on the ground once more and hastily got up, but

-Krrrr…

The monster was already right in front of Bi Yeonseom.

It snorted heavily, saliva dripping from its mouth, eager to eat.

The gaze of a predator facing its prey was terrifyingly chilling.

“Oh, fuck…!”

At the moment death loomed so close,

Bi Yeonseom thought of the Martial Alliance colleagues who had abandoned him.

No, colleagues my ass.

They’re like trash…!

How could they do that under the name of a righteous sect?

‘It’s my fault for trusting such guys.’

If not that, at least I should have taken the initial warning to heart.

The words of the man who managed the warriors when he first came to the Frontline naturally came to mind.

-Don’t go too deep, just in case. It’s not our territory, and besides,

‘It’s a place managed by ‘them’.’

I should have taken those words more seriously.

All he could think now was that.

His sin for not following his grandfather’s words that the outside world was too dangerous to trust others easily.

Bi Yeonseom thought this as the monster gradually approached.

Just as the monster opened its mouth wide to swallow Bi Yeonseom’s head,

Bi Yeonseom squeezed his eyes shut at the repulsive stench and sharp fangs.

Chwak-!

A chilling sound was heard, and

Bi Yeonseom felt something was wrong.

Hududuk.

“Ptooey, ptooey!”

An unknown liquid rained down all over his face.

Bi Yeonseom coughed repeatedly, spitting it out, and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, barely opening them.

“…!”

At the sight that met his slowly opened eyes, Bi Yeonseom couldn’t help but gape.

All the monsters surrounding him lay on the ground, their necks severed,

And the monster that had tried to swallow him was also killed just like the others.

“W-what is this….”

As Bi Yeonseom, filled with bewilderment, tried to look around,

Woong-

A very faint sound brushed past Bi Yeonseom’s ears from behind.

It was a sound his grandfather, the sect leader, often made when Bi Yeonseom was at the sect.

Sword Resonance (劍鳴).

It was proof that a swordsman had become one with their sword,

And proof they had become a swordsman of exceptional skill.

Bi Yeonseom urgently turned his head in the direction of the sound,

And saw an unknown young man holding his sword down, looking at Bi Yeonseom.

His expression was scrunched up as if displeased.

---

Amidst the corpses of monsters mangled everywhere,

And the blood flowing from them soaking the ground,

The young man tidied up the situation, leaving Bi Yeonseom sitting there blankly.

Bi Yeonseom wondered how he was dealing with the monsters, but

He merely roughly extracted the profitable fangs, claws, and eyeballs, piling them in a corner.

If left like that, the Martial Alliance members would likely show up to clean it up,

Or other monsters would eat them.

After the situation was roughly sorted,

The young man started walking somewhere.

Bi Yeonseom followed the young man with a limping gait.

The young man hadn’t told him to follow, but

Bi Yeonseom had no choice.

He couldn’t endure this disgusting land with his half-broken body.

The problem was.

“Y-Young Hero…! Just a moment!”

Even though Bi Yeonseom called out desperately, the young man’s steps didn’t stop.

“Young Hero! Please! Just wait a moment!”

He kept calling until his throat felt raw,

Finally, the young man stopped and turned his head towards Bi Yeonseom.

“…!”

Only then could Bi Yeonseom properly see the young man’s face, and he gasped.

‘…He’s handsome.’

He hadn’t seen him properly in his haste earlier, but

The young man’s appearance was quite outstanding.

And yet.

‘His face looks familiar…?’

His face felt somehow familiar.

The young man, Mi Gongja, asked Bi Yeonseom with a deeply furrowed brow.

“Why are you following me?”

“Well… staying there would just be a dog’s death….”

At the pathetic tone of his words, the young man’s brow furrowed deeply.

“Aren’t you one of the Alliance’s people?”

“…I am.”

The clothes Bi Yeonseom wore were clearly the martial attire provided by the Alliance,

And the sword at his waist was the same.

Meaning his appearance was unmistakable.

“Then you should go that way. Why are you following me?”

“…”

Bi Yeonseom couldn’t bring himself to speak.

That his Alliance colleagues had abandoned him.

Or that it happened because he foolishly didn’t pay attention to his superior’s words.

Bi Yeonseom couldn’t utter a word due to his minuscule pride.

Perhaps sensing something from Bi Yeonseom’s reaction,

The young man sighed deeply and started walking again.

However, there was a slight difference.

Unlike before, his pace had slowed somewhat.

As if telling Bi Yeonseom to follow.

Meanwhile, the young man quietly muttered,

“Why is it that whenever I go on patrol, things like this keep getting tangled up?”

“…Yes?”

“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it. Ah, they’ll probably scold me again when I get back.”

Tsk…

As if something was wrong, the young man rubbed his forehead.

“Um… Young Hero.”

“Why are you calling me?”

“Aren’t you part of the Alliance?”

“Can’t you tell? I’m not.”

“Then perhaps, are you at least from a righteous sect….”

“If you keep asking annoying questions, I’ll leave you behind.”

Bi Yeonseom shut his mouth tightly when the young man said this firmly.

Meanwhile, his mind raced.

‘Where does he belong…?’

His affiliation seemed rather ambiguous.

The Frontline was a place where various forces rotated through,

And currently, the Hwangbo Family had dispatched people to the Frontline.

However, it was difficult to see the young man as a warrior from the Hwangbo Family.

Judging by the lack of the Hwangbo Family’s characteristic robust energy, the young man was certainly not from the Hwangbo Family.

Moreover, unlike the Hwangbo Family, which focused on martial arts, the young man was a swordsman.

‘And one who could achieve Sword Resonance.’

That made it even more puzzling.

If one could achieve Sword Resonance at that age,

They should surely be making a name for themselves as an outstanding late-blooming disciple.

At least, among those he knew, there was no one like him.

‘…I’ve definitely seen those martial clothes somewhere before.’

The martial clothes with a deep red hue were something Bi Yeonseom distinctly remembered seeing somewhere.

When could it have been?

He was sure he had seen them…

“Let me tell you beforehand.”

“Yes?”

“If you’re going to follow, it’s best not to do anything unnecessary.”

“…What do you mean?”

Is this a threat?

He glanced at the young man’s face, wondering if it was a threat for a moment, but

It didn’t seem like that.

‘Is the place we’re going… very dangerous?’

He felt very uneasy, heading somewhere without knowing the destination.

Perhaps seeing Bi Yeonseom’s anxiety, the young man added,

“This isn’t advice for you, it’s for me, so please be careful.”

“Huh? For your sake?”

“…I can foresee them beating me to death again for bringing some weirdo.”

“…Huh?”

Beating… Who would beat whom?

“Damn it… If I knew this would happen, I shouldn’t have let you follow.”

“Y-Young Hero?”

“I wish you’d just go die somewhere already.”

Bi Yeonseom felt a strange fear towards the young man spouting such chilling words, but

Bi Yeonseom had no way to handle it.

Trembling in such a bizarre situation, he walked along following the young man.

Passing through the withered land, a forest soon came into view.

‘That place….’

Bi Yeonseom knew that place too.

The most dangerous place on the Frontline

Was not the plain where Bi Yeonseom almost died, but that forest.

Furthermore, the reason his superior had told him not to go deep

Was also that forest.

“Hey, Young Hero….”

“What is it?”

“Is that where you are staying?”

“Yes.”

He answered dismissively, as if wondering why such a question was asked,

And the young man quickened his pace slightly.

Perhaps due to what happened earlier, Bi Yeonseom’s legs were stiff, making it slightly difficult to keep up.

‘…That place….’

Hearing that it was managed by ‘them’,

Bi Yeonseom couldn’t ask his superior who ‘they’ were.

He didn’t have the time or opportunity.

“Y-Young Hero.”

“…Sigh.”

Perhaps tired of the repeated calls, the young man’s sigh was filled with irritation.

Bi Yeonseom flinched, sensing this, but

He had no choice. He had to ask.

“…It’s nothing else. I am Bi Yeonseom of the Bi Mun sect. If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask for the Young Hero’s name…!”

“Ah.”

He hadn’t even mentioned his name.

The young man nodded with that expression.

“Gujeolyeop.”

It was a brief introduction.

However, perhaps feeling something was lacking, he added more.

“…Gujeolyeop of the Gu family.”

He seemed hesitant to add the preceding part.

As Gujeolyeop turned his head with a wry expression,

Bi Yeonseom had to hide his surprise inwardly.

‘…The Fiery Hero Sword (熱俠劍)?’

Surprisingly, Gujeolyeop was someone Bi Yeonseom knew.

---

Gujeolyeop, the Fiery Hero Sword.

His name wasn’t widely known in the Central Plains, but

At least around the Frontline and its vicinity, his name was gradually spreading.

He was a figure gradually making a name for himself with his handsome appearance and skilled swordsmanship.

The name Fiery Hero Sword started to be heard about half a year ago.

Around the time Bi Yeonseom joined the Alliance contingent on the Frontline.

‘A young chivalrous hero who looks after lone warriors stranded on the Frontline.’

That’s roughly how he was called.

It was common for warriors to lose their lives on the Frontline, but

Over the past half-year, the frequency had relatively decreased.

Jokingly, people even said that if you were lucky, the Fiery Hero Sword might appear and save your life.

‘He’s much younger than I thought.’

So he hadn’t even considered the possibility. He hadn’t realized the Fiery Hero Sword was his peer.

Bi Yeonseom thought this as he looked at Gujeolyeop.

‘And yet….’

The Sword Resonance he heard earlier, though the sound was faint and the vibration shallow,

Was incredibly clear to the body.

He, on the other hand, still struggled to even produce proper sword energy, let alone Sword Resonance.

‘…A year has passed since then.’

Last year, when he attended the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering with his grandfather’s help.

The moment Bi Yeonseom, consumed by arrogance and conceit, plummeted to rock bottom.

Bi Yeonseom recalled last year’s martial arts tournament.

At the moment he resolved to definitely win the championship.

He remembered the face of the boy he met at the tournament.

A boy who looked fierce and ill-tempered, appearing much younger than himself.

Bi Yeonseom felt apologetic seeing the boy.

Because he had to crush such a boy to rise.

But.

‘I was completely unaware of my place.’

The match began, and

Just one move.

The match was decided in just one brief move.

The single move exchanged with the boy was beyond Bi Yeonseom’s comprehension,

And after that one move, he lost consciousness and ended up rolling on the tournament floor.

Recalling that moment, Bi Yeonseom muttered the boy’s nickname.

‘True Dragon (眞龍).’

Gu Yangcheon, the True Dragon.

He is a warrior whose lack of notable activity over the past year has made many wonder what he’s been up to.

Considering the overwhelming capability and talent he displayed at the martial arts tournament,

Many are convinced he will surely grow into an incredible master in the future.

‘There are just too many geniuses in the world.’

Bi Yeonseom used to think he was in the same league as them, but

After meeting Gu Yangcheon then, he had to change his mind.

It would be more accurate to say he realized his place.

‘…Now that I think about it, that Young Hero’s surname…’

Gu.

It was a familiar ring.

The Fiery Hero Sword himself claimed to be from the Gu family, so could they be from the same clan?

…Could they be brothers? But they don’t look alike at all.

‘Their eyes are a bit similar, though….’

It felt too unfair for the True Dragon to resemble the Fiery Hero Sword that much if he were his younger brother.

If the younger brother looks like that, could the older brother look like this?

“…Did you say Young Hero Bi?”

Suddenly asked by Gujeolyeop, Bi Yeonseom flinched.

“Ah, yes. I am Bi Yeonseom.”

“I see. We’re almost there.”

At Gujeolyeop’s words, Bi Yeonseom glanced ahead.

He could only see trees and rocks.

The forest seemed safer than expected.

Unlike the warnings that it was quite dangerous, teeming with monsters and covered in miasma,

The forest looked safer to Bi Yeonseom than the plains.

However, Bi Yeonseom wouldn’t know.

That Gujeolyeop was channeling his internal energy to the extreme, guiding them only through safe paths.

Glancing back at the following Bi Yeonseom, Gujeolyeop continued,

“First, we’ll go to a safe place, and then I’ll send word to the Alliance separately.”

“Oh my, going to such trouble because of me…. Thank you so much….”

“…Yes, you really should be grateful.”

“Huh?”

“Because thanks to you, I suspect I’ll be rolling on the ground for a long time.”

Grrrk.

The sound of grinding teeth came from ahead.

It certainly sounded like the Fiery Hero Sword was grinding his teeth, but

He must have misheard?

“Now, I will tell you the precautions.”

“Precautions…. You mean?”

“Yes, you must absolutely follow them.”

This is nerve-wracking.

Could it be about the monsters’ characteristics, or how dangerous the forest is?

He had heard so much about the forest that he swallowed nervously.

Soon after, Gujeolyeop began speaking to Bi Yeonseom with a serious expression.

“…Even if what I say sounds like crap, don’t act rashly.”

Huh?

“Excuse me? Young Hero, what did you just….”

“Keep your mouth shut when I’m eating. Especially if I seem to be eating dumplings, don’t bother me.”

“I’m sorry, but right now…. what are you talking about?”

“These are words that will become your blood and flesh, so listen carefully without interrupting. This is really important.”

“…Ah, yes.”

“You already look ill-tempered normally, but when you look particularly foul, don’t even go near me. If you catch my eye, consider yourself dead and give up.”

“…”

“And lastly, though it’s unlikely, if you have questions, you must ask when I’m with a woman. If possible, go when I’m with a woman who has blue eyes or silvery-white hair.”

“…What? A woman?”

“Because then, I seem to try and hold back a little. This is the most useful piece of information.”

What is this?

He wondered what kind of joke this was, but

Bi Yeonseom dared not argue with Gujeolyeop’s words.

Because Gujeolyeop’s expression while speaking to Bi Yeonseom seemed far too sincere for it to be a joke.

He thought, ‘What kind of bizarre words are these?’, but

It didn’t take long to realize

How important these words truly were.