Special side story episode 1
Winter with blustery winds.
A young man wearing deep bamboo gloves climbed a mountain path covered with snow.
Although the floor was slippery, his steps were extremely stable.
“Whoa.”
The white breath dissolved into the air and disappeared.
How far did it travel like that?
Lee Chae looked young in the young man’s eyes.
Smoke rising from afar caught my eye.
It meant that there was a private house nearby.
‘You’ve come to the right place.’
It was as written in the information sheet.
I was worried because it was my first time dealing with Hao Mun directly.
Fortunately, things worked out smoothly.
Of course, finding it didn’t mean it was the end.
Rather, starting now was important.
Perfect! Perfect! Perfect!
Finally we reached our destination.
A noise that echoes at regular intervals.
The young man immediately realized that it was the sound of a cutting board being struck with a food knife.
“excuse me.”
As soon as the young man spoke out, silence fell over the area.
The paper door opened, and a woman in plain clothes appeared.
Her eyes as she looked at the young man were full of wariness.
Perhaps to prepare for an unexpected situation, he was tightly gripping his esophagus with his right hand.
“I didn’t come to cause any harm. “You don’t have to be so guarded.”
“Who are you?”
The young man raised both his hands to indicate that there was no hostility.
However, the woman only observed him with fierce eyes and rarely let down her guard.
Blade-like energy poured out and stabbed the young man’s entire body.
He stepped back, widening the distance between himself and the woman, and began to drool.
‘indeed.’
As befits a woman who was once nicknamed “Bong,” her spirit was unusual.
He was a talent worthy of being buried in the wilderness.
The standoff continued for some time.
The young man sighed and placed his hand on the bamboo ribs.
In order for the woman to agree to a conversation, it seemed like she would have to reveal her identity first.
“······!”
When the young man took off his bamboo robe, the woman’s face showed surprise.
It didn’t take long for surprise to turn to bewilderment and annoyance.
“My name is Dok Go-seong, and I am the commander of the Black Night Army under the direct control of the Murim League Military Department.”
“Why did you come to see me?”
“It’s to recruit Sozer.”
The woman’s eyes were distorted.
The young man smiled wryly at her expression, which clearly showed rejection.
“Would you like to at least listen to the story first?”
* * *
A woman and a young man sat across from each other at a small table.
The young man, Dok Go-seong, sipped tea and examined the woman’s complexion.
‘I didn’t expect to be received well, though.’
I had no idea that hostility would be expressed so blatantly.
In fact, from her point of view, the visit of a former member of the Cheonan Gambu would not be pleasant.
After many twists and turns, we succeeded in arranging a place for conversation, but that was all.
I couldn’t just kick it out, so I reluctantly let it into the house.
I didn’t think she would listen to what I had to say.
‘It’s called Geombong (劍鳳).’
Jong-ri So-yeon.
This person was once expected by those around him as a talented person who would lead the future of Jujakdae (朱雀隊).
A woman who was reduced to a criminal after it was revealed that she was in cahoots with the devil.
It is known that the crime was so serious that he was sentenced to death, but in reality, he survived because of the circumstances that the world did not know.
In return, he lost his status, identity, and even his beautiful face.
‘How can I lighten this mood?’
The organization that uncovered and punished her in the past was the Cheonan Inspector General.
This situation, being in the same room as herself, who was a member of Cheonan Gambu, must have felt extremely uncomfortable for her.
What passes through my mind is a conversation I had with Yeonsun in the past.
This was the opportunity and reason why Dokgoseong came here.
[If you want to win someone’s heart, first target the people around the target.]
[······?]
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[This is what the executioner once said.]
[execution? Isn’t your brother the only current successor to the Heavenly Thunder Gate?]
[There is such a thing.]
Let the time of silence pass.
Dokgo-seong, who had made up his mind, opened his mouth with difficulty.
“Sozer. “Could you please reconsider?”
“You probably know, right? “I can’t go back, and I shouldn’t try to go back.”
“My affiliation is the Black Field Unit directly under the Military Ministry.”
“Didn’t you already introduce yourself?”
“Name, status, and past history become meaningless once you become a member of the Dark Nights.”
“······.”
The woman, Zhongli Shaoyeon’s eyes narrowed.
Heukya University.
The horse was directly under the military department, but in fact, it was an organization that was like the hands and feet of the leader.
I remember hearing that during the final battle of the Great Demon War, the Great Lord of the Dark Nights was seriously injured, and that he resigned from his position and a large-scale reorganization took place.
‘I just thought you were making an outrageous offer.’
After listening to the explanation, I realized that it wasn’t an entirely unrealistic story.
He seemed to understand the reason why they wanted to recruit him.
In order to reinforce the exhausted power of the Dark Night Army.
The Cheonan Kambu was disbanded and the power structure of the Murim Alliance returned to the two-power system.
It’s like the old days when the ruling faction and the elder faction were at odds with each other.
‘It looks like the situation is quite bad. ‘It’s to the point where they extend their hands to criminals who have a history of conniving with the devil’s cult.’
Former Cheonan Inspector General and Geomje Yeonseon became an elder of the Maeng.
Naturally, the influence of the Senate grew, and the balance of power tilted.
In particular, Yeonsun did not actively do anything for the benefit of the elders or for his own glory.
However, he is the most influential person in Tanggeum Wulin.
Just because he belonged, people from all walks of life tried to line up in the Senate.
It was a picture that could not help but sigh as a member of the Maengju faction.
‘by the way.’
A question suddenly occurred to me.
How did the young man in front of me come into conflict with Geomje?
Wasn’t it a relationship that couldn’t be broken until it was broken?
‘What has happened since I left Meng?’
Defeating Dragon, Dokgo-seong.
He is the blood relative of Dok Go Woo-jin, the Emperor of Thunder, an absolute master who holds the throne of the Second Emperor.
A new divinity who has joined the ranks of the Dragonfeng.
He was the person who was evaluated as having the best qualities among the later indexes, excluding Geomje.
There were no rumors, so I had no way of knowing where he was and what he was doing, but I never even thought that he was the leader of the Black Night Army.
“Can I ask why?”
“yes?”
“Why me?”
Dokgo-seong’s hand holding the teacup gained strength.
Finally, the other person agreed to the conversation.
‘It may be a question I asked without much thought.’
There didn’t seem to be any change of heart yet.
However, that was probably a good thing.
What mattered was that she had some interest in him.
“Sojeo was once the leader of an unofficial unit under the Cheonan Inspectorate. “I thought that Sojeo’s experience and ability would be useful in the Dark Nights.”
“You know that’s not the answer I want to hear, right?”
What Zhongli Shaoyeon wanted to say was simple.
If you just need outstanding talent, aren’t there plenty of substitutes?
Why would there be any reason to hire a traitor who was in cahoots with the Demonic Cult?
‘If, as expected, all they do is not ask about the past of the target of recruitment in order to quickly reinforce their strength.’
This story ended here.
He would never go back to the Murim Alliance.
Dok-go-seong sighed as he looked at Jong-ri So-yeon, who seemed to be urging him to answer.
He put the teacup down on the table, took a deep breath, and then spoke.
“I’m telling you because I think you may misunderstand, but the reason I want to recruit Soje is not because I received orders from my superiors.”
“······?”
“I came here of my own volition.”
“What does that mean?”
“I mean it literally. “I am now recommending Sojeo to rejoin the military, not because I have received a mission, but entirely based on my own judgment.”
A look of confusion appeared on Zhongli Shaoyeon’s face.
I never thought I would get this kind of answer.
I couldn’t quite figure out what kind of reaction I should give.
“Didn’t you say he was the leader of the Dark Nights?”
“That’s right.”
“Not even the owner, but a single leader has personnel authority?”
“I am in a quite unique position within the military department.”
It was not that difficult to understand the meaning behind Dok Go-seong’s words.
The treatment they receive and the authority they have greatly exceed their official status.
In other words, the reason why Commander-in-Chief Zhuge Huan assigned Dok Go-seong to the Black Night Army was not to use him as an ordinary soldier.
“Surely Sozer has committed a great sin. But paradoxically, that’s why it can be trusted. I am confident that Sozer will not repeat the same mistake.”
“You believe me? “What do you know about me?”
“My brother, or rather Senior Yeon-yoon, who is an elder of the Meng, did not place any particular restrictions on So-je. And yet, Sojeo is hiding in a deserted mountain like this. “I was worried that my presence might be a threat to my benefactor.”
As if she had hit the nail on the head, Zhongli Shaoyeon kept her mouth shut.
Dok Go-seong’s voice gained strength.
“If it’s just someone who is excellent at martial arts or has outstanding abilities, you can easily be introduced to them.”
“······.”
“But I don’t just want to recruit talent. “The goal is to create like-minded colleagues.”
“colleague?”
“I thought a lot about it. “How can I move the heart of Sojeo, who lost his sense of publicness and desire for success a long time ago?”
Dokgo-seong stopped speaking and cleared his throat once.
Suddenly, such a thought crossed my mind.
‘What would your older brother say at a time like this?’
It was a meaningless assumption.
Brother, I don’t have the brilliant speech skills that Yeonsun has.
He smiled bitterly and made direct eye contact with Zhongli Shaoyeon.
I remember hearing something like that once.
[A speech technique that lifts and lowers the other person’s heart? It’s a great ability, but you don’t need it.]
[Everyone puts on a mask of pretense and stands in front of others, but you win the other person’s heart just by confronting them honestly.]
[That is a clear strength. I could never do something like you.]
‘Just as my older brother has his own way, I also have my own way.’
When I finally came to a conclusion, I felt like an idiot for having thought about it until just before.
The tension disappeared like melting snow and disappeared.
From the beginning, what had to be said was decided.
“I will become a leader.”
“······!”
“I will become the Murim lord and change the tribe from its foundations.”
A serious tone and look in his eyes that could not possibly be considered a joke or a boast.
Zhongli Shaoyeon held her breath without realizing it.
“Please help me, Soger.”
“Why to someone like me…”
“I will not make a promise that I cannot keep, that I will make Sojeo’s past a thing of the past and restore his honor. “I guess that’s not what Sojeo wanted in the first place.”
“······.”
“Instead, I will promise you this much. From now on, all achievements made by Sojeo as a member of the Dark Nights will become the achievements of the Suzakudae.”
Jong-ri So-yeon’s eyes are shaking violently as if hit by a typhoon.
The emotional agitation that he could not hide was clearly visible on his face.
Dokgo-seong continued talking as if driving a wedge.
“Master Suzaku, don’t you want to repay the kindness you owed to your fire sword senior?”
martial arts,
