Chapter 57
Geomyujin hadn’t started out working as Hong Clan’s bodyguard.
When he was younger, he had even worked as a wandering mercenary.
There was a surprisingly large demand for mercenaries, and the reason was none other than monsters, which appeared more often than people expected.
Most monsters gathered on the warfront, but even ordinary forests and mountains had their fair share.
Those that had adapted to the faint demonic energy outside the front were weaker and fewer in number compared to front-line monsters, so it was usually better to leave them to mercenaries rather than the army.
Because of his childhood experiences fighting monsters among mercenaries, Geomyujin knew full well how dangerous monsters could be.
That was why he never let his guard down when facing them.
He knew too well how reckless it was to underestimate them.
This was the same even during the ten days he had spent living in the snowy mountains of the northern front.
He had always fought monsters with all his strength, and the fierce battles confirmed that he wasn’t wrong.
But then—
“…What on earth is this?”
All that common sense suddenly collapsed.
Cheon Mujin’s movements were ordinary.
Fast, yes, but not so fast that they couldn’t be seen.
His attacks weren’t light, but they weren’t visibly devastating either.
If someone told Geomyujin to move like that, he felt he could copy it. There was no special trait in Cheon Mujin’s movements.
And yet…
“Ah, this is the first time you’ve seen him properly, right, unni?”
“Yes.”
“His way of fighting is always amazing.”
The results created from those ordinary movements were bizarre to the extreme.
Not once did he strike a monster more than three times.
Usually once, at most twice, and he moved on.
It looked reckless, like he would get caught from behind and injured badly at any moment.
But contrary to those worries, every monster Cheon Mujin passed collapsed and never rose again.
How could this make sense?
The results were so unrealistic that even Geomyujin’s sword slowed down, but nothing went wrong.
The three people who, along with her, kept monsters from approaching Cheon Mujin, dealt with them skillfully.
They moved in such perfect harmony—blocking attacks, preventing encirclement, and creating a clear path—that it was obvious they had worked together for quite some time.
Geomyujin mixed in with the three, slicing monsters amidst the chaos for what felt like a long time.
By the time her breath turned rough and she tasted iron in her mouth—
“Unni, it’s over.”
“…Huh?”
Pulling her dagger from a monster’s neck, Geomyujin looked up at Yoo Hyeonhwa’s words.
It felt like they had fought for about half an hour, and with more than seventy monsters, there was no way it could already be over…
“…It really is over.”
“When the Young Master takes the lead, it’s always like this.”
While the four of them had whittled down the horde, each taking their share, Cheon Mujin had pushed straight through and beheaded the leader.
Some monsters were left, but those had already scattered and fled. There was no need to chase them.
“Looks like I killed a little over sixty.”
“We only managed about twenty ourselves.”
That meant Cheon Mujin alone had slain nearly forty monsters and the leader on top of that.
Realizing she had chosen the right “nest” to attach herself to, Geomyujin wiped the blood from her dagger.
“Good work, everyone. None of you even got hurt this time, huh?”
“This much is nothing!”
“Right. You should be able to handle this kind of thing with ease.”
Smiling at Yoo Hyeonhwa’s reply, Cheon Mujin handed her the magic stone taken from the leader.
“Clean up the corpses. I’ll be gone for a bit. I don’t sense any danger nearby, but stay cautious.”
“Yes!”
“Perhaps you should at least take someone with you.”
As his guard, Geomyujin couldn’t let him go off alone, but Cheon Mujin shook his head.
“Bringing someone would only get in the way. I’ll be back.”
He waved casually and strolled off at a leisurely pace.
Watching him disappear, Geomyujin immediately lifted her dagger.
This was something she was better at than sword or spear fighters.
“I’ll handle the smaller corpses.”
“Thank you! Then I’ll leave it to you, unni.”
If she couldn’t follow him, then at least she could be useful in this way.
She opened the chests of smaller monsters to extract their magic stones and separated hides or bones from those with valuable remains.
She was absorbed in this side work when—
“W-what is this?”
Yoo Hyeonhwa, turning at the sudden arrival of panting soldiers, waved cheerfully.
“You followed us faster than I thought! The Young Master stepped away on another errand. He’ll be back soon!”
Her light, lively tone made Gochang, Commander Beom Gudoh’s deputy, swallow dryly.
Because aside from her bright smile, the scene around them was horrifying.
Blood and corpses stained the snow, melting it with their heat to reveal patches of earth beneath the mountain of snow.
But Gochang was a quick thinker.
The chilling sight and unbelievable reality made his spine crawl, but just standing there like an idiot would be the act of a fool.
“What are you doing! Hurry and assist them!”
The soldiers obeyed without complaint.
Of course, they understood the situation too.
As the soldiers rushed to take over the heavy work, Geomyujin swallowed her regret.
If she had known it would turn out like this, she should have followed Cheon Mujin no matter what.
Yip!
“Oh? You sense it already?”
Yip! Yip!
Recalling the map he had seen in Beom Gudoh’s office, Cheon Mujin, heading toward his destination, paused at Cheonghwa’s cry.
Indeed—
‘Silent.’
There was no noise at all.
Feeling he was close to what he sought, Cheon Mujin slowly stirred his demonic energy.
He had gathered plenty earlier while fighting the monster horde.
Yip!
Alongside Cheonghwa’s wary bark, he felt an alien aura in his breath.
The moment his body began to feel heavy, his demonic energy swallowed it whole.
Should he stop breathing?
After a moment’s thought, he judged it unnecessary.
He advanced calmly, breathing steadily.
Each breath carried that strange aura, but his prepared energy dispersed it with ease.
Whine!
As he gathered the expelled aura at his fingertips, Cheonghwa buried its head into his chest.
Was it afraid?
Amused by the honest reaction, Cheon Mujin quickened his pace.
After some time—
“…Magnificent.”
A clearing formed by twisted trees.
The trees blocked even the snowfall, leaving the mossy ground beneath clear. And on it bloomed a single flower.
A green stem, five petals.
Blue petals patterned as if dusted with white snow—this was no ordinary flower.
“Cheonbinghwa. So it really exists.”
“Yip?”
“It’s a treasure. Almost as valuable as what your mother left behind.”
Scratching Cheonghwa’s chin, Cheon Mujin suddenly staggered.
Purr…
Cheonghwa instantly fell asleep in his arms, its snoring making him chuckle bitterly as he moved his energy.
Perhaps in response, the flower released an even stronger aura, but he forced his way through it.
The moment he grasped the stem, an intense cold surged through him.
At the same time—
“Hm?”
Sensing murderous intent, Cheon Mujin turned his head.
On the opposite side from where he had entered, someone was sitting collapsed on the ground.
Intrigued, his eyes narrowed.
Snow covered the figure so thickly that only part of the face was visible. They must have been there for a long while.
He had sensed no presence upon entering.
That meant two possibilities: either the person was a powerhouse beyond his perception, or they had mastered a special technique to conceal their energy completely.
But if they were that strong, they wouldn’t be lying there glassy-eyed, overwhelmed by the aura.
‘Doesn’t seem like that either…’
It was strange.
Watching for a while, Cheon Mujin finally laughed lightly.
“Lucky fellow.”
No wonder he hadn’t sensed them.
Half-dead, buried in snow like a corpse—of course even he would overlook them.
Techniques like Extreme Breath Suppression existed precisely to trick opponents this way.
And now, stirred by his aura, the figure’s inner energy had instinctively moved, reviving their breath.
Though it wouldn’t last long.
“…Vicious.”
Looking at the flower in his hand, Cheon Mujin shook his head.
This was an extraordinary spiritual herb, almost a spirit creature.
It didn’t emit poison.
On the contrary, it released an aura that relaxed stiffened bodies and softened sharpened minds.
Why call it vicious then?
Because of its environment.
It only grew in lethal cold.
Anyone lulled into sleep by its aura here would simply freeze to death—human, monster, or beast.
Finally wrenching the flower free, Cheon Mujin almost tossed it into his mouth but paused.
“Tsk. Can’t just eat in front of a corpse.”
He approached the figure, brushed snow from their face, and pried their lips open.
Plucking a petal, he crushed it lightly between his fingers and slipped it into their mouth.
Slurp!
“You brat!”
The mouth instinctively sucked his fingers, making him push the head back with his forearm, laughing bitterly.
At least their survival instinct was strong.
He had done first aid. By the time he absorbed the herb, the figure would probably regain consciousness.
Putting some distance between them, Cheon Mujin also gave a petal to sleeping Cheonghwa. Once it woke and stood guard, he consumed the rest—stem, roots, and all.
The cold surged up from his stomach, making him smile.
Yes.
This was it.
The aura, cold yet refreshing, he seized and circulated through his body.
It wasn’t demonic energy, so he couldn’t control it perfectly, but it was manageable.
He had no intention of turning it into inner energy anyway.
Just like the elixir Cheonghwa’s mother had left behind, what Cheon Mujin needed was bodily enhancement.
The Cheonbinghwa’s aura seeped into muscles and bones, softening them.
Elasticity and flexibility—both crucial weapons in their own right.
Lacking natural talent in that area, this was exactly the elixir he needed.
He had planned to come north regularly to search for it, but finding it on his first visit was sheer fortune.
The sooner one obtained such an elixir, the better.
Of course, he wasn’t greedy.
His body wasn’t yet a vessel capable of absorbing all of it at once.
Binding as much aura as he could into his muscles and joints, he finally opened his eyes once the energy stabilized.
And—
“…Hm?”
Snow had fallen in the meantime, piling on the shoulders of the kneeling figure before him.
Different from before, they must have moved.
“If you’ve survived, you should live earnestly. What are you doing down there?”
At his words, a cracked voice answered.
“I wish to repay the grace of saving my life, benefactor.”
“Oh? You were conscious?”
“Yes. I awoke when you shared the herb with me.”
Looking at the bowed figure, Cheon Mujin smirked.
“Well then, if you insist on repaying me, I’ve no reason to refuse. Three years. Work under me for three years, and I’ll consider the debt repaid.”
A peak-level master offering himself up—of course Cheon Mujin could only be grateful.
