Chapter 12: Glimmer of Hope in the Darkness (1)
After So-mu became the group leader, the daily sword training they had practiced every dawn was no longer held. In its place, sparring sessions were introduced. No matter how exquisite one’s swordsmanship was, a lack of real combat experience on the battlefield would only lead to a short life.
At first, they sparred in pairs. However, since they were holding real swords, intense sparring inevitably led to injuries.
Then, at some point, about a hundred wooden long swords began appearing at the training grounds every morning. Everyone knew that Commander Wi Jin-cheol was secretly providing them. It was only natural that the commander would look favorably upon Group 16, who took the initiative to perform extra training without being ordered.
With the arrival of the training swords, Group 16’s special training became brutal. Every dawn, they split into two teams and engaged in chaotic, free-for-all dogfights that felt like real battles. Of course, the team So-mu belonged to always won.
Because the opposing team was always thrashed, everyone wanted to be on So-mu’s side. However, to maintain balance, Il-gwang and Cheong-hae were always forced to stand on the opposite side, much to their dismay.
“Huff! Huff!”
“Pheeeeew!”
Cheong-hae and Il-gwang panted heavily, standing back-to-back as they glared at their surroundings. About twenty recruits surrounded them.
Whenever the training reached this stage, So-mu would always step back and order the other recruits to finish the match. Today was no exception, as So-mu called out from behind the circle:
“What are you all doing? Let’s finish this quickly so we can rest.”
That was the signal.
With a roar, the twenty recruits rushed toward Cheong-hae and Il-gwang from all directions. There was no mercy in their wooden swords. After all, they had been the ones getting thrashed the day before.
The blunt wooden swords collided, producing a barrage of loud, heavy thuds.
Clang! Clang-clang!
Beset by dozens of swords raining down on them simultaneously, Il-gwang and Cheong-hae barely had time to breathe. They moved frantically, looking almost like shamans possessed by spirits.
Having barely managed to knock down two recruits, Il-gwang shouted behind him, “Don’t get separated!”
With only the two of them left, if their backs were exposed, it would be over.
The recruits rushing at Cheong-hae from the front fell one by one. He was managing to hold his ground well, but the real challenge began now.
A sharp sword suddenly slipped through the ranks of the recruits. The strike, aimed at Cheong-hae’s shoulder, came from an angle he couldn’t possibly evade. Cheong-hae didn’t even need to look to know who it was.
‘Not this time!’
Gritting his teeth, Cheong-hae twisted his body with all his might and swung his sword in a desperate bid to survive. He barely managed to parry So-mu’s strike.
Clang!
A look of pure joy flashed across Cheong-hae’s face. This was the first time he had successfully blocked So-mu’s attack. But his joy was short-lived. The moment Cheong-hae lost his balance, the other recruits swarmed him with an indiscriminate barrage of blows.
Thud! Whack! Thump!
“Argh! Stop!”
As Cheong-hae fell and rolled on the ground, Il-gwang was left alone with no hope of survival. It started with So-mu’s sword striking Il-gwang’s waist. Once Il-gwang staggered, the recruits unleashed a merciless torrent of strikes upon him.
Thud! Whack! Thump!
Crouching down and covering his body, Il-gwang screamed, “Aaargh! Stop it, you bastards!”
Only when the recruits stepped back did the exhausted Il-gwang and Cheong-hae collapse flat on the ground. Though their entire bodies throbbed with pain, satisfied smiles spread across their faces. Yesterday they had lost with twenty opponents remaining, but today only thirteen of the opposing side were left standing.
Their ultimate goal was to defeat So-mu. Yet, to this day, not a single person had managed to land a hit on him. The group members could only marvel at their leader, who seemed to become more of a monster with each passing day.
“Good job, everyone.”
A faint smile appeared on So-mu’s face. He felt proud of Cheong-hae for blocking his strike for the first time. Even if it was a fluke, blocking a blow from the Sword Saint was worthy of praise.
The hundred recruits either sat down or lay flat on their backs, gazing up at the night sky. Looking at the stars twinkling in the pre-dawn sky brought a sense of peace to their minds and bodies.
Amidst the quiet rest, Cheong-hae broke the silence.
“The night sky is exceptionally beautiful today.”
Lying beside him, Il-gwang waved a hand dismissively.
“In my experience, bad things always happen on days when the sky is this pretty.”
Perhaps his words carried a curse, for the moment Il-gwang finished speaking, a deep, resonant roar echoed from the distance.
Hoooonk—!
It was the sound of a horn. The sudden alarm startled the recruits, and tension instantly gripped the training ground.
“Is that… a horn?”
“What is that, so suddenly?”
“It’s still dawn. What’s going on?”
It was the hour when the entire camp should have been asleep. Before they could grasp what was happening, the horn wailed again.
Hoooonk—!
The blasts grew faster and louder. Something terrible had definitely happened.
So-mu set down his training sword and spoke in a low, calm voice.
“It seems the enemy has launched an attack. Everyone, pick up your steel swords.”
At the mention of an enemy invasion, the recruits panicked. The uncertainty of the situation combined with their complete lack of combat experience made their fear natural.
So-mu could hear the recruits’ heartbeats racing. They were terrified. Only one person remained calm. It was the battle-tested Il-gwang. He was the one who had beaten several Hui soldiers to death with his bare hands back in Baiyang County to make his escape.
Frowning deeply, Il-gwang barked at the recruits.
“Don’t just stand there trembling! Pick up your weapons, quickly!”
Snapped back to reality, the recruits threw away their wooden training swords and scrambled to find their steel blades. Once everyone was armed, So-mu led them forward, and they began to run.
Maintaining a tight formation, Group 16 headed toward the sword infantry barracks, where the commotion was loudest.
As they drew closer, the recruits could hear the clashing of metal and the terrified screams echoing through the camp, making their hearts pound. The moment they rounded the corner of the first barracks, the battlefield came into view.
It was a total disaster.
The invading enemies numbered fewer than two hundred. Yet, thousands of recruits had already abandoned any will to fight, fleeing in panic in all directions. So-mu could only let out a dry, dumbfounded chuckle.
‘They have some martial training, but they’re nothing special. How easy did they think this camp was to attack with such a small force? If our troops had reacted calmly, they could have repelled them instantly…’
It appeared a Hui general, eager to claim military merit, had led a small strike force to launch a night raid.
The fact that they dared to scale the walls at night to infiltrate the barracks showed how little they respected the Song army. It was truly absurd.
In the middle of the chaos, Commander Wi Jin-cheol was running around, shouting at the top of his lungs.
“Pick up your weapons! Fight back like you were trained to do!”
However, Wi Jin-cheol’s orders fell on deaf ears. Everywhere, recruits were being run down and hacked to pieces by the Hui soldiers as they fled. Fear had completely overridden their reason.
A few regular soldiers tried to stand their ground, but it was futile. Most of them were support staff who handled chores and training preparations. Commander Baek Mu-ryeon of the vanguard had joined the fray, but he was currently locked in a fierce struggle against the enemy general leading the raid. Wi Jin-cheol was left to run back and forth, cutting down enemies one by one.
At this rate, the camp would fall. A deep sense of despair washed over Wi Jin-cheol.
It was then.
Wi Jin-cheol’s despairing eyes suddenly lit up with hope. He saw a group of about a hundred recruits rushing into the melee. It was the sword infantry’s Group 16, the squad he favored the most.
Running at the head of the group, So-mu’s sword flashed in a clean, diagonal arc. The Hui soldier blocking his path was sliced clean in two, armor and all, before he could even raise his weapon.
Slash!
It was a flawless, decisive strike. Inspired by his display, the recruits of Group 16 gripped their swords with renewed strength.
“You are all strong enough! Believe in your training!” So-mu called out.
Though their fear hadn’t completely vanished, the recruits of Group 16 mustered their courage, dispersing to engage the Hui strike force.
“Let’s do this, you bastards!”
“Charge!”
So-mu quietly stepped back, observing his group members. This was a perfect opportunity for them to gain real battle experience; there was no need for him to sweep the field himself.
Charging at the very front, Il-gwang fought like a madman. Despite his massive size, he moved with the agility of a pouncing tiger. No enemy could withstand more than three exchanges against his brutal strikes.
Another figure caught So-mu’s eye. Cheong-hae was moving gracefully, his exquisite swordsmanship taking down Hui soldiers one after another.
However, Cheong-hae’s blade lacked killing intent. The soldiers he struck were neither killed nor mortally wounded, and some were already trying to stand back up. He had never hurt or killed a living person before.
Suddenly, So-mu’s figure blurred like lightning, appearing behind Cheong-hae in the blink of an eye. His superhuman movement was too fast for anyone to perceive.
“How do you expect to become a Great General if you can’t even kill an ant? You’d be better suited as a simple gatekeeper.”
So-mu’s mocking voice stung Cheong-hae’s pride. Instantly, Cheong-hae’s sword began to radiate a cold, lethal energy. Satisfied with the change in Cheong-hae’s aura, So-mu turned to look for his next target.
About thirty yards away, a group member named Cheoldu was facing an enemy. However, he was merely waving his sword to threaten the soldier, completely frozen by nerves and forgetting to execute any of his forms.
“Come on, you bastard! Come at me!”
The Hui soldier looked bewildered but was actively searching for an opening. At this rate, Cheoldu would be killed without even putting up a fight. Observing this, So-mu slipped into a high-speed footwork technique, his body stretching like a phantom as he instantly appeared behind Cheoldu.
So-mu’s calm voice whispered in Cheoldu’s ear.
“Heavenly Martial Sword Technique, First Form: Advancing Blossom Wild Strikes.”
In that instant, Cheoldu’s sword reacted reflexively. Raising his blade to shoulder height, he spun it in a full circle. Startled by the sudden execution of the technique, the Hui soldier hurriedly raised his weapon to block.
Clang!
As the soldier parried the blow and stumbled back in surprise, So-mu’s voice whispered in Cheoldu’s ear once more.
“Second Form: A Flash Without a Trace.”
It was a motion Cheoldu had practiced countless times during training. The moment he heard the form’s name, his body reacted automatically. Pulling his sword back over his shoulder, the tip of Cheoldu’s blade shot forward like lightning. The off-balance soldier had no way to defend himself.
Thwack!
Cheoldu’s sword pierced the soldier’s throat cleanly. As joy began to flood Cheoldu’s face, So-mu’s gaze had already shifted elsewhere.
He spotted a group member named Songhwa. Songhwa was the same age as Cheong-hae, polite, and exceptionally loyal to So-mu. At that moment, a Hui soldier was stealthily creeping up behind Songhwa, who was completely focused on the enemy in front of him.
So-mu opened his palm, and a small pebble on the ground flew into his hand. Flicking his wrist, he shot the pebble forward. Enveloped in a faint blue glow of sword qi, the pebble struck the ambushing soldier squarely in the head.
Thwack!
His skull pierced, the soldier collapsed to the ground without ever knowing what hit him. Before the body even touched the dirt, So-mu had already vanished to another part of the battlefield.