Chapter 270: Chapter 270
A pavilion of the Martial Alliance.
“Are you telling me to take full charge of both special units?”
Vice Strategist Seol Geom found it hard to hide his surprise at the words of Military Strategist Zhuge Gong, who had visited unexpectedly without any notice.
It was because the content was quite surprising.
It was understandable, as the special units were created upon the direct proposal of the Military Strategist.
No matter how hastily formed the units were, they were scheduled to carry out missions at the very forefront of the Martial Alliance, and it was certain that their prestige would grow in the future.
Therefore, he thought that the Military Strategist would take charge of operating them himself, but he was handing them over to him?
If it were anyone else, they would have welcomed it with both hands raised, but Seol Geom suspected first rather than readily accepting the proposal.
The opponent was none other than the person competing for the top spot in the world when it came to brains.
There was no way he would just hand over his card.
‘What is he plotting?’
Seol Geom looked at Zhuge Gong in front of him.
Despite saying such unconventional words, his attitude was as indifferent as usual.
His eyes, his expression, even his atmosphere, everything.
It was a composure like a clear mirror and still water.
And that appearance was enough to further amplify Seol Geom’s suspicions.
“…Is there a reason?”
Seol Geom asked straightforwardly.
If he tried to probe ambiguously for no reason, only his true intentions would be read.
At that moment, the Military Strategist’s lips parted.
“What reason could there be.”
A dry voice flowed out.
“I do not have the time and it is too much for me to command all the forces of the Alliance alone, so I intend to borrow the Vice Strategist’s strength.”
Seol Geom narrowed his eyes.
It was somewhat understandable.
Was the number of personnel in the Alliance just one or two?
Of course, if it was the Military Strategist, he could command and handle all those personnel, but in a wartime situation where every moment was urgent, it would naturally be difficult.
Grasping the movements of the units, distributing personnel.
The actions and stratagems of the Four Black Alliances, etc.
The amount of information to handle all of that alone was too vast.
And in war, that was something exceedingly important.
Because delivering information and moving even a little bit faster was the way to increase the odds of winning in a war.
“If you dislike it, I will look for someone else.”
At the Military Strategist’s low words, Seol Geom, who had been lost in thought, snapped back to reality and spoke.
“I will take it.”
He still had suspicions, but he could not refuse.
It was that alluring of a proposal.
“That is good.”
As if he had already anticipated such an answer, the Military Strategist, who spoke calmly, stood up naturally.
“Are you leaving already?”
“Because I came for this conversation.”
“Don’t be like that, at least have a cup of tea…”
The Military Strategist, who stared at Seol Geom gently grabbing the teapot, turned his body just like that.
“Let’s do it next time.”
With those words, the Military Strategist opened the door without delay and slipped outside.
Step, step.
The sound of footsteps heard beyond the closed door gradually grew quieter, and soon disappeared.
“…Special units.”
Seol Geom muttered and reached out to pick up the documents on the table.
He had gained unexpected military power.
“First, I should take a detailed look.”
Muttering to himself, Seol Geom calmly began to read the documents in his hand.
Densely written letters.
A wave of information about the special units was overflowing in these thin documents.
The documents turned quickly.
Having read all the documents in such a short time, Seol Geom set the documents down and picked up his folding fan.
Tap, tap.
Seol Geom, who was lightly tapping his neck with the folding fan, moved his gaze to the two documents.
“Jade Qilin and Plum Blossom Divine Hero.”
His gaze was nailed to the personal information of the two people written at the very top of the two documents.
“It’s going to be quite tricky.”
Seol Geom tapped the table with his folding fan.
They were considerably troublesome existences.
Those two were people who were brilliantly spreading their fame in Jianghu right now.
On top of that, due to the nature of the special units, he couldn’t just recklessly give them orders either.
“Is it a double-edged sword?”
Seol Geom’s eyes narrowed.
They were difficult to handle, but if he could handle the two special units according to his will by that much, the situation would change a lot.
“But it is a truly fascinating thing.”
Seol Geom muttered while alternately looking at the two documents.
“How can they be so contrasting?”
The Jade Qilin was someone who had shown prominence since childhood and made his name widely known as one of the Three Great Up-and-Coming Stars of the World. On the other hand, the Plum Blossom Divine Hero was an unknown figure until now, and was a newly rising master who had suddenly emerged recently.
Not only that.
The Wudang Sect, the long-standing leader of the Nine Great Sects and One Gang, and the Mount Hua Sect, which had been steadily coveting that position.
As if it was a prank of fate, the two were exact opposites in everything.
“On top of that, the way they handle the special units is also very different.”
It was right then, while he was lost in thought and whispering.
“Vice Strategist!”
An urgent voice was heard from outside.
Seol Geom, who furrowed his brows, gently tilted the documents in his hand and parted his lips.
“What is the matter?”
The answer to his sharp question immediately pierced through the door and knocked on his ears.
“The Plum Blossom Divine Hero and the special unit have completed their mission and will arrive at the Martial Alliance soon!”
* * *
It was a full three days later when the Extermination Unit arrived near the Martial Alliance.
Considering that it only took half a day to arrive at the Red Tiger Stronghold when they left for the mission, it was a truly late return.
But there was a valid reason.
Was it because it was their first real battle?
Although there were no fatal injuries, most of the Extermination Unit was in an injured state, so they could not use their footwork like they did when they departed.
‘On top of that, we had to hand over the Green Forest bandits to the government troops and bring the baggage.’
Cheon-hwi touched his side gently while recalling the aftermath they had to deal with before leaving the Red Tiger Stronghold.
He felt a blunt pouch.
In an instant, the corners of Cheon-hwi’s eyes curved.
Even if they were Green Forest, a considerable amount of treasure and money had been piled up in the Red Tiger Stronghold.
And Cheon-hwi took the Extermination Unit and quickly disposed of them.
The result of that was this pouch.
‘I disposed of it at a low price because there was no time, but this much is not too bad.’
Cheon-hwi smiled while recalling the banknotes inside the pouch, and gently looked behind him.
“Huff, huff.”
Pure white breaths spewed along with rough breathing sounds bloomed from all directions.
The Extermination Unit members were sweating from their entire bodies even in this cold weather.
“To think you are having such a hard time with just this.”
Cheon-hwi muttered while looking at them.
At that, a few Extermination Unit members glared up, but soon confirmed that the owner of the voice was Cheon-hwi and lowered their gazes.
It was a forced march that had continued for two days.
Walking, running, walking, running.
As long as no one collapsed from exhaustion, Cheon-hwi did not stop advancing.
It was arduous work.
But was it thanks to that?
The unit members had been mentally suffering from the shock of a real battle, but as their bodies continued to struggle, their heads were rather completely emptied.
And through the arduous forced march, they naturally took care of each other, and their relationships became tight-knit, allowing them to stabilize their minds.
The Extermination Unit, which had continued to advance in the midst of such difficulties, soon arrived at the city gate.
The gate guards were flustered by the grubby appearance of the Extermination Unit members, but when Cheon-hwi told them they had returned after completing a mission, they nodded their heads and opened the gate.
Rumble…
The heavy city gate opened.
And at that moment.
“Waaaaah!”
Cheers poured out from all directions.
‘Huh? What is this?’
Cheon-hwi narrowed his brow at the noisy welcome and stared at the gathered crowd.
Their numbers were innumerable.
Normally, there wouldn’t be this many people flocking just because a unit had carried out a mission, but the situation was special right now.
Because it was their first mission carried out since declaring war against the Four Black Alliances five days ago, everyone’s attention was focused on it.
On top of that, it was the activity of a newly established special unit, so how could eyes not be drawn to it.
The Plum Blossom Divine Hero they had only heard about through rumors.
And the special unit under his command.
With awe towards them, these many people had waited for them as they returned after completing their first mission since the war.
But right when Cheon-hwi, who had no way of knowing this, was staring at the gathered crowd in wonder.
“That person is the Plum Blossom Divine Hero!”
“Wow! It’s just like the rumors!”
The crowd, who made eye contact with Cheon-hwi, murmured and their eyes sparkled.
He looked just as the rumors said.
A handsome appearance and a sharp impression.
It was an arrogant expression unfitting for a Taoist, but that appearance was exceedingly attractive.
The women in particular were looking at Cheon-hwi with dreamy eyes, bringing their hands together.
And the moment they turned their eyes to the special unit members who had just entered following Cheon-hwi.
“…The special unit?”
The excited atmosphere sank coldly.
The appearance of those entering behind Cheon-hwi was incredibly grubby.
Their clothing was torn here and there, and the bandages wrapping their bodies could be seen through the gaps.
And every time they walked, a foul smell of golden spear medicine wafted in all directions.
When the crowd found it hard to hide their bewilderment at the appearance of such special unit members.
“Why are there so many people…”
“How is this…”
The special unit members also burst into bewilderment.
Then, feeling shame belatedly, their faces began to turn red.
Normally, it would have been a matter to rejoice at such a welcome and puff out their chests, but to do so, their appearance was currently a complete mess.
Right then, when the atmosphere became awkward.
“It has been a while. Young Hero.”
A low voice was heard.
Seol Geom, who broke through the crowd, stood in front of Cheon-hwi and smiled with his eyes.
“This time, I have come to take full charge of the Young Hero’s special unit.”
“Full charge…?”
“That is correct.”
Seol Geom smiled with his eyes and continued speaking.
“Even so, it is just exchanging mission reports.”
At Seol Geom’s words, Cheon-hwi temporarily narrowed his brow, then immediately turned his head.
“Let’s go to the pavilion first.”
At those words, the Extermination Unit members smiled awkwardly and quickly moved as they answered.
“Understood.”
“We will see you later.”
After that, the unit members immediately ran away like an arrow.
Taking a rest after a long time was one thing, but it was also to avoid the many gazes that continued to focus on them.
Seol Geom gently looked at the retreating Extermination Unit, then parted his lips while looking at the crowd.
“Now, let’s go.”
Cheon-hwi walked following behind him.
People’s gazes poured over them.
Seeing the meeting between Seol Geom and Cheon-hwi, they swelled with anticipation and whispered to each other.
The Vice Strategist and the Special Unit Leader.
It must certainly be no ordinary matter.
A short while later, the two, who broke through the crowd and practically ran, arrived at the pavilion.
‘It’s been a while.’
While Cheon-hwi was reminiscing about the time he came previously to seize the Mount Hua Sect’s pavilion.
“I will greet you again.”
Seol Geom spoke politely.
“I am Seol Geom, who has taken charge of Young Hero Cheon-hwi’s special unit from now on.”
Cheon-hwi nodded his head.
“Well, I know that. But before that, let me just ask one thing.”
“What is…”
“That thing from earlier, you did it, right?”
“What do you mean…”
Cheon-hwi glanced at the side profile of Seol Geom feigning ignorance, and narrowed his eyes.
Seol Geom flinched at that gaze.
The glint that surfaced in his eyes was colder than the currently freezing weather.
“…That is correct.”
Eventually submitting to that gaze, Seol Geom explained the situation.
“But it was all for the sake of the Young Hero and the special unit. You carried out the first mission of the war with the Four Black Alliances this time, so wouldn’t it be a bit much to just pass over it?”
“Is that all?”
“…”
“It seems like there’s another intention.”
“Oh my. I cannot deceive the Young Hero.”
Seol Geom smiled and shook his head.
“Since I was going to do it, I wanted to focus attention and imprint the appearance of the Young Hero and the special unit onto other people.”
This was what Seol Geom aimed for.
The special unit was a newly established force.
Therefore, there was a need to make them known quickly.
Who Cheon-hwi was.
Who belonged to the special unit.
“But I truly did not know you would return in such a state.”
Recalling the Extermination Unit members running away a little while ago, Seol Geom scratched his cheek with his folding fan.
What he expected was the glorious return of Cheon-hwi and the special unit.
But the situation did not flow so smoothly.
‘I thought they would return without any danger as long as this person was there…’
Seol Geom, who thought inwardly, opened his mouth again.
“Seeing the special unit members hurt like that, it seems the Red Tiger Stronghold was quite strong.”
Seol Geom whispered quietly.
He was cautious because if he made a mistake, it would be a remark that scratched the pride of a martial artist.
However, Cheon-hwi spoke nonchalantly as if he was unbothered by such words.
“They lacked experience.”
With just a single phrase, Seol Geom immediately understood how the situation went.
“Did you intentionally not step forward?”
“They need to build experience in real battle.”
Seol Geom’s eyes shone.
‘Is he saying he will build their skills through real battle rather than training?’
It was a method with no way back.
But it was also the most efficient.
‘…He has a strong heart. If even one person had died, they would have held him responsible.’
Right when Seol Geom clicked his tongue inwardly.
“Oh right, and it’s not a special unit, it’s the Extermination Unit.”
Cheon-hwi grinned and spoke.
“It was awkward to keep calling it a special unit, so I decided on a separate name this time. The authority is with me anyway, so it’s fine to name it however I want, right?”
At those words, Seol Geom chuckled.
“It does not matter. But it is quite a radical name. Extermination…”
The word extermination was a word usually used by the Unorthodox Faction rather than the Orthodox Faction.
But for some reason, he felt that it suited them.
After a short while, Seol Geom took out a piece of paper from his chest and spat out a low voice.
“Then now, let us share a conversation regarding this mission.”