The most entertaining spectacle in the world was watching other people fight.
It was only natural that onlookers would gather when a student from the Jeongmu Academy was set to fight with mercenaries.
“I heard that young master who was completely drunk is going to fight against three mercenaries?”
“So I heard.”
“Huh, wasn’t he groaning in a drunken stupor just a moment ago?”
“Exactly! And if he loses to the mercenaries, he’ll probably blame it on the alcohol.”
“Come on… he’s still a student from the Jeongmu Academy after all.”
As they debated, some even started placing small bets in secret.
Meanwhile, the actual fighters stood inside the makeshift arena created by the spectators and just stared at each other.
One of the mercenaries asked nervously,
“This is a formal battle. Don’t go back on your word later.”
His tone suggested he was already certain of victory, yet fearful of possible retaliation.
“Sure, sure. The odds of me losing are lower than getting struck by lightning on a clear day.”
That remark irritated the mercenaries.
The three men had faced life-and-death situations together numerous times and worked in perfect harmony.
Although they were still at the early stage of first-rank realm, their opponent’s level was also not beyond theirs. They believed that if they combined their efforts, they would have a good chance of winning.
“Uh, young hero. Are you really okay with this?”
The goat-like manager who had been appointed as the referee asked Baek Woo Jin with a worried tone.
When Baek Woo Jin was slightly annoyed and glared at him, the goat-like manager quickly waved his hands and shook his head in surprise.
“Oh, n-no, it’s not that I doubt your skills…!”
“Enough, just start.”
“U-Understood.”
The goat-like manager stood in the middle and announced the start of the duel.
The mercenaries drew their swords and stood in a triangular formation. They then gradually closed the distance between them and Baek Woo Jin.
…
“Chaah!”
The mercenary who was positioned at the front was the first to swing his sword.
As Baek Woo Jin dodged his attack, the second and third mercenaries swiftly moved into positions on either side of him.
This was the three-way sword formation. It was one of the most basic formations where the opponents aimed to attack from three directions with the leader in the front.
It sounded impressive, but it was just a collective beating where they attacked from three directions.
“Let’s go!”
Baek Woo Jin had all three of their sword paths in his sight.
With countless battles behind him, Baek Woo Jin could gauge the outcome the moment the fight began.
His previously still feet began to move.
He stepped back to avoid a sword aimed at his chest, tilted his head to dodge a punch, and simultaneously blocked a downward slash targeting his legs.
“……!”
The three mercenaries’ attacks were perfectly synchronized.
The leader saw the panic on the faces of the second and third and shouted.
“Don’t stop!”
“Ha, ha!”
“Hrrah!”
Their combined attack resumed.
Baek Woo Jin executed the Drunken Immortal Steps.
Having achieved another level of mastery from his duel with Gu Wang Soo, his movements had changed since then.
The steps that once looked merely drunken staggering now flowed more smoothly.
The clumsy dance of a drunkard who knew nothing of dancing had transformed into the dance of a drunkard who knew at least a little.
“Oh my!”
The onlookers couldn’t help but sigh continuously as they watched.
To their eyes, Baek Woo Jin seemed to be at a disadvantage and he was barely managing to dodge the attacks.
However, this was not the case for the guards or mercenaries who had learned martial arts.
“How is this possible…!”
“He’s dodging as if he can predict their attacks!”
“Indeed, the students of the Jeongmu Academy are different.”
Baek Woo Jin was narrowly evading all the attacks from the three mercenaries.
He wasn’t just desperately dodging; he was fully aware of each attack and evading them efficiently.
But executing this was a different story.
A narrow evasion meant that even the slightest misstep would cause him to be hit by a sword or a punch.
At that moment, Baek Woo Jin was like a dancer weaving through a blossoming flower of swords.
And the battle ended with Baek Woo Jin’s three movements.
First, he struck down on the third mercenary’s wrist with his sword, making him drop his blade.
Then, he forcefully parried the leader’s sword, causing him to lose his grip.
Finally, with a swift movement, he pointed his sword at the neck of the second mercenary who was charging at him.
All these actions flowed seamlessly into one another. He made it appear as though the three were struck at the same time.
And the onlookers were left speechless at the sudden end of the battle.
“I think I won.”
When Baek Woo Jin sheathed his sword and spoke, the bewildered goat-like manager finally regained his senses and shouted.
“The duel is over. Young hero Baek Woo Jin is the victor!”
“Waaaa!”
“Baek Woo Jin! Baek Woo Jin!”
Hearing the cheers for him, Baek Woo Jin approached the three dumbfounded mercenaries.
The mercenaries felt a wall.
Is this the power of a noble clan…?
Their swords honed in real battles were no match for him.
The difference between a meticulously trained warrior and a self-trained one was painfully clear.
However, before jealousy, there was acceptance.
The three men bowed their heads and clasped their hands in respect.
“We admit our defeat.”
“We have learned a valuable lesson.”
“We apologize…”
Baek Woo Jin looked at them and smiled brightly.
“A warrior always learns from defeat. You must have learned something from this duel as well.”
Huh?
When Baek Woo Jin urged them for an answer, the leader of the trio reluctantly nodded his head and replied.
“Y-yes. It was very helpful.”
Hearing the desired response, the smile on Baek Woo Jin’s lips deepened.
“Then you guys need to pay the price.”
“Huh …?”
Leaving the three bewildered men behind, Baek Woo Jin headed towards the group of mercenaries.
“As I heard, mercenaries are one, right?”
The mercenaries began to stir.
“Who said that?”
“What nonsense is that?”
“Never heard of it.”
Baek Woo Jin drew his sword again.
“If not, I guess I will have to take down all those who were giving me hostile looks earlier.”
The mercenaries immediately shouted.
“We are one!”
“Of course, no one is more united than us!”
“Hehe, right?”
With a sly expression on his face, he stepped back and led the three men in a row.
“These three said they gained enlightenment through their duel with me. Everyone, applause!”
“Waaaaa….”
There was a brief burst of applause along with lifeless cheering.
“Now you must pay me.”
Since you all said you were one, you must all pay together.
“…”
Everyone fell silent as if their tongues were tied.
Seok Dae who had been watching everything stepped forward again.
“What do you mean by ‘pay’…”
The most important thing for mercenaries was money. That was the reason they continued to wander this rough world without leaving it.
Just when everyone was anxious, wondering if they would have to hand over all the money they earned through their escort work, Baek Woo Jin spoke again.
“I don’t need money.”
A sigh of relief escaped from among the mercenaries.
“All of you!”
Baek Woo Jin shouted before he pointed at the vast forest.
“Bring me twenty roots of medicinal herbs each!”
“Huh?”
“Any kind of medicinal herb is fine, but damaged or broken roots are not allowed.”
“Young hero, what do you mean by this…”
When Seok Dae tried to protest, Baek Woo Jin swung his sword as if he wouldn’t listen.
“Do it!”
“W-We will do it!”
An unexpected craze for gathering medicinal herbs arose.
Baek Woo Jin smiled brightly as he watched the herbs pile up in his sack one by one.
“With this, I won’t have to worry about liquor for a while.”
His chilling laughter made An Se Ha lower his head.
It had been over four days since the caravan journey had started.
The tension between the guards and the mercenaries guarding the caravan was reaching its peak.
Taepyeong Mountain.
The name came from a time long ago when a minister of the royal court looked down at the chaotic world from the top of this place and cried out for peace.
The caravan had entered an area where the presence of demons was expected. This elevated the escort mission to an intermediate-level threat.
“Demons…”
Demons.
They were humans corrupted by demonic energy.
Located at the edge of the distant Xinjiang region was the Ten Thousand Great Mountains.
There, the members of the Demonic Cult wielded demonic energy.
Demonic energy corrupted all living things.
Animals engulfed by demonic energy became grotesque monsters, and humans turned into demons that craved blood until their death.
The area around Xinjiang was engulfed by demonic energy and became a land of death where no one could live.
It was the work of the Demonic Cult.
Even just breathing on this land would allow demonic energy to seep into the body. To cross it and subdue the Demonic Cult, thousands or tens of thousands of martial artists would perish.
It was intended to prevent both the orthodox and the unorthodox factions from even dreaming of subduing the Demonic Cult.
The followers of the Demonic Cult used this demonic energy to spread chaos throughout the world.
They disguise themselves as ordinary people and martial artists wandering the central plains, find people suitable to receive demon energy, forcibly inject them with demon energy, and turn them into demons.
“How scary.”
He recalled the information about demons that lingered in his mind and shivered.
“Do you think… demons really exist…?”
Jegal Yeon Ji asked him with a nervous tone.
“Well, who knows.”
Demons naturally craved blood.
If they couldn’t find humans, they would seek the blood of animals so it wasn’t impossible for demons to be here.
“S-Stop!”
At that moment, the caravan led by the guards came to a halt.
Baek Woo Jin didn’t hesitate at this point either. He went straight out of the carriage and headed to the front of the caravan.
“What’s going on?”
One of the guards pointed ahead and replied,
“It’s an, an animal carcass.”
If it were just an ordinary animal carcass, there would be no reason for them to be so startled and stop the caravan.
Baek Woo Jin’s gaze naturally followed in that direction.
There lay a heap of dead animals.
Their blood seemed to have been drained and they looked like dried up like mummies.
A sharp scent of blood reached Baek Woo Jin’s sensitive nose.
He urgently shouted,
“Everyone, prepare for battle!”
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