Chapter 115

〈Chapter 115〉 Part 1, Chapter 6 (21)

The Chinese hero Lin Lei received a secret order from Mo Taegyeong, the director of the Monster Management Bureau.

He was to assist and protect Unjang at all costs, ensuring his true identity would never be revealed. The driving force behind Lin Lei’s rise from a C-Rank Hero to an A-Rank one was Mo Taegyeong’s support, and Lin Lei was fiercely loyal to him.

The Boy’s Art.

The legacy left by Master Dae-gwi passed down to Mo Taegyeong had guided countless male heroes in their growth, including Lin Lei, who sacrificed “so much” for power.

Thus, Unjang became both a subject of envy and respect among the martial artists of the Martial Arts Academy. Despite seeming absurd, guarding and assisting such a figure was still a mission that had to be followed.

If he failed, he’d lose all the magic power gained through the Boy’s Art and regress back to his weaker past self.

So Lin Lei chased after Unjang with every ounce of effort, just in case anything happened.

“Ho ho ho! How laughable, you fools! To arrive so late is unacceptable!”

But something unexpected occurred. Lin Lei gritted his teeth and shouted furiously at the villains across the river.

“You dare to take hostages?! Can you even call yourselves heroes?!”

Near Dandong, some heroes and hunters were buried up to their necks near a blue tree, only their heads visible. Though initially fearing they might be dead, it turned out they were merely having their magic power drained.

♪♬. The nest was using these heroes as nutrients, siphoning off stolen magic power to spawn monsters. Among them were the Seoul-originating Hellhounds and phoenixes resembling eagles, all wreathed in blue flames.

And directly beneath the nest stood the masked woman, her nine gray tails flickering mockingly as she taunted the heroes.

“Ho ho ho! You foolish heroes! Do you think we’re here to help? This land belongs to us—it’s our territory, the domain of the Blue Wind Sect! You intruded without permission, and now you’ll pay the price!”

“Who owns this former North Korean land anyway?! The monsters of Pyongyang are already on high alert!”

“It’s ours, the Blue Wind Sect! Look!”

The woman raised her hand, pointing far south where a colossal dragon soared with mighty wings.

“Behold the might of the Black Flame Dragon, which has defeated S-Rank heroes!”

The Black Flame Dragon landed beside the nest. While its emission of azure flames was alarming, what truly shocked the heroes was seeing people disembarking from its back.

“You’re controlling a monster?!”

“Fools! Pyongyang is already under our control!”

“Keh, what nonsense!”

Lin Lei gripped his spear tightly, ready to leap over the river. However, another A-Rank hero nearby immediately stopped him.

“It’s impossible, General Sajae!”

“Let me go, Baek-yak! Even if I must perish, I must save them!”

Sshhh. Beside the woman, a monstrous figure extended his claws. Instantly, a thin cut appeared on the throat of the green-robed maiden cradled in his arms. Lin Lei clenched his teeth and screamed from the edge of the river.

“Stop this, you cowards!”

“Take one more step! If anyone crosses this river—”

The monstrous figure tightly grabbed the unconscious woman’s waist. Seeing this, the masked woman frowned momentarily but quickly regained her arrogant expression, waving one of her tails across the maiden’s neck.

“If you don’t want to see your S-Rank hero Unjang die, disperse immediately!”

No one could have foreseen this turn of events. The revelation that the mysterious Unjang was a young woman was shocking enough, but the fact that she was now held captive by bandits plunged the heroes into panic.

“Disband if you don’t wish to witness Unjang’s demise!”

What exactly had transpired? Let’s rewind twenty minutes.

—

Even though the plan to disrupt the Seoul recovery operation seemed like a retread, the fundamental problem remained unchanged: how to make the Chinese heroes retreat?

In Korea’s case, retiring Seok Harang and Lee Seung-hyeong from the battlefield sufficed, thanks to Sun Icheol’s desire to preserve strength and the exemplary execution of killing the Pine Unit.

Would this strategy work against China too? We discussed it with the officers.

The answer was no. While Sun Icheol might employ tactical retreats, Mo Taegyeong was relentless—even if his legs were severed, he’d still advance on his ankles.

There was precedent in the original story. As officers defected to Korea, an anxious Mo Taegyeong sent four S-Rank heroes led by Unjang to provoke war in Korea. Our group unexpectedly found themselves in a national conflict, turning the tide by intercepting Xiao Lin advancing via land.

The defeated warrior submitted gracefully and joined the protagonist, who cleverly manipulated Mo Taegyeong’s impatience, buying time for the Round Table’s intervention.

With this in mind, planning this operation wasn’t overly difficult.

Though we weren’t dealing with a hero organization but rather a nefarious group, if the Round Table became aware of the dangers posed by the Pyongyang monster, it could curb China’s ambitions.

First condition: subdue Unjang. How do we defeat an S-Rank hero like Unjang?

The officers brainstormed endlessly, discussing strategies right up until the flight to Pyongyang. Finally, I briefly explained the method to them.

“With the current state, it’s possible to defeat her in one strike.”

They didn’t believe me, so I demonstrated.

Not too much, not too little—just one blow. That single exchange between the monster and Unjang, involving punches and crescent blades, was all it took.

“One strike. That’s all it takes to fell Unjang, and then use her as a hostage to pressure Mo Taegyeong, bringing the Round Table into play and pressuring China.”

In the process, the full might of the Blue Wind Sect would be revealed, but there was no longer any reason to hide. With Korea’s internal issues resolved quicker than expected, the foundation for the Blue Wind Sect to flourish was set.

So we decided to make a grand debut.

By defeating and capturing Unjang.

—

One blow.

Just one exchange. That was all it took between the monster’s punch and Unjang’s crescent blade.

“I can win.”

Unjang, also known as Xiao Lin, glimpsed victory during that exchange. Though the opponent was a master of manipulating blue flames, in a duel of martial arts, she held the upper hand. The monster charged forward recklessly.

“I can win!”

Xiao Lin predicted victory. Despite the ferocious punches, her unity with her steed Red Earth gave her an advantage. After exchanging about three hundred blows, Xiao Lin foresaw her ultimate technique piercing the opponent’s helmet.

“The next attack will be—”

As she retrieved her crescent blade to create distance, the monster’s body erupted in blue flames.

“Vision interference?”

The intense heat, reaching even beneath her mask, momentarily stunned Xiao Lin. Even Red Earth seemed spooked by the memory of that day and reared in the air.

That brief hesitation proved fatal. Although Xiao Lin’s horizontal slash managed to sever the monster’s neck, it felt like cutting through nothing.

Then she saw it—a small-framed girl emerging from the dissipated blue flames.

“So, you really are vulnerable underneath, aren’t you?”

The girl, Phoenix transformed into human form, kicked Red Earth’s head while roughly grabbing Xiao Lin’s mask. Instinctively, Xiao Lin tried to swing her crescent blade but Phoenix’s attack was faster.

“Guh?!”

Phoenix’s punch struck Xiao Lin’s stomach. Her protective aura trembled under the impact, and the shockwave reverberated throughout her body.

This was the infamous “Fa Jing,” or explosive force in martial arts. Xiao Lin couldn’t believe she’d fallen to just one strike.

A surge of blue flames obscured her vision, and her mask vanished. The scorching heat seared her skin as Phoenix crouched atop Red Earth’s back, locking eyes with Xiao Lin.

“Miss Xiao Lin.”

“Wha—?!”

How did she know my name? Before Xiao Lin could ponder further—

“This makes it 792 battles, 791 losses.”

Thud!

The punch lodged in her stomach suddenly vibrated violently. The shock blocked her magic power flow, causing her vision to blur.

“1 victory. My win.”

Just before collapsing forward, Xiao Lin distinctly felt her opponent attempting to embrace her—an illusion, surely.

“…Lin?!”

Was it Red Earth, the opponent, or perhaps her distant father waiting for news of victory? Regardless, Xiao Lin found the voice calling her name embarrassingly familiar as she lost consciousness.

—

Bang!

“Heeeyyaaaah?!”

Red Earth screamed. My kick slipped through the armor, causing it to buck wildly before plunging into the river.

“Tch.”

I caught Xiao Lin and leaped off Red Earth. The cumbersome green robe was bothersome, but her unconsciousness made it easier to lift her off the saddle.

“Put her down here.”

Phantom pointed to the ground flattened earlier. Carefully, I laid Xiao Lin down so as not to wake her.

“Why did you fight so cautiously when you could’ve defeated her so easily?”

“That’s different. She’s special.”

“…’Special’?”

Phantom narrowed his eyes. I cleared my throat nervously while smoothing Xiao Lin’s hair. Why did her gaze feel sharper than her blade?

“People have ‘weak points,’ you know. Besides elemental affinities, each ability user has vulnerabilities. Unjang staying mounted on Red Earth presents a unique strategy.”

I gestured toward my legs. Suddenly, water surged from the river, forming a red whirlwind heading straight toward us.

Heeeeeeeyyyaaaah!

“Damn!”

Phantom reacted with surprise as his tentacles shot up. I released a trickle of suppressed magic power, focusing on the charging Red Earth.

Thud. Red Earth halted abruptly in front of me, rigid like frozen ice, yet his pupils quivered like an earthquake.

“Hmph.”

No matter how awakened a beast may be, capable of quasi-human thought, its essence remains that of a core-centered monster. It’s natural for mid-tier beasts to fear spirits at the top of the food chain.

Hiiinggg, Heeeyyyy.

“I know you can talk.”

“…Please spare my life.”

Phantom gasped.

“A, a monster talking?!”

“It’s because it’s an awakened monster. Phantom, bind its legs with your tentacles.”

“W, what?!”

Though startled, Red Earth was ensnared faster by Phantom’s tentacles. With all four legs bound, Red Earth thrashed and snorted angrily.

“A, even if you try to kill me, you won’t touch my body….”

Red Earth calmed down almost instantly. Gaeul tilted her head curiously, but I didn’t explain why Red Earth relaxed. I merely reminded myself that it was originally a unicorn-type monster.

“What? Why is it calming down suddenly?”

“Probably scared. Right?”

Red Earth nodded hastily. Unicorns instinctively gauge opponents’ ages and remain silent thereafter.

Gaeul, age 28 this year. Much to say, but I’ll stop here. Never imagined this; it wasn’t in the original story.

“Anyway, let’s destroy this first.”

I placed my hand on Red Earth’s magical armor. My magic power enveloped it entirely, overloading the internal mechanisms and causing malfunctions. Red Earth gawked in astonishment.

“How…? The shackles even the Round Table couldn’t break…?”

“This level of restraint is child’s play.”

Snap. I flicked my finger, igniting flames across Red Earth’s body. Though slightly painful, the flames caused him to close his eyes tightly, but soon the armor melted away, pooling onto the ground.

“Ah, it’s hot.”

“…Can you release me now?”

While apologetic, describing the tentacle scorched by high-temperature molten metal as merely “hot” baffled me. Once Hikari joins, I’d love to study tentacle samples.

Swish. Freed from the tentacles, Red Earth shook off the melted armor. Still wary, he prepared to retaliate if his owner acted rashly.

[Director. We’re nearing the nest.]

“Ah, good timing. …Actually, wait there for a moment?”

Upon my signal, the Black Flame Dragon slowed down. If the heroes chasing Unjang are those same fools, they should arrive soon.

“Phantom, let’s put on a show.”

“If I mess up the script, am I dead?”

“…I can’t guarantee it.”

Thus began the hostage drama to deceive China, the Round Table, and the entire world.