Boing! Boing Boing! Boing!
The squeaky hammer rang out at regular intervals.
Meanwhile, the sound of pots being used hadn’t been heard even once, because Ahn Jeong-mi was completely dominating the exchange.
It was the same now.
She darted between the slow sloth and chattering sloth, swinging the squeaky hammer like lightning.
Boing! Boing!
The two rubbed their foreheads and looked at each other.
“…Strategy meeting.”
– …This won’t work.
They were starting to realize it.
Charging in together without a plan wouldn’t work against someone as skilled as Ahn Jeong-mi.
“Divide roles.”
– One of us has to tie her down.
A classic setup: one takes on the tank role while the other delivers a decisive blow.
The problem was who would take on the dirty job.
There was no way to block or evade the squeaky hammer, so whoever did it would have to endure getting hit over and over.
The real sloth and the chattering sloth stared at each other again.
“The clone’s role.”
– Not necessarily.
“I’m the original.”
– All the more reason you should yield. You’re the one who gets the reward anyway.
That was a fair point.
Figures. When she’s less bothered, her brain works better too.
Seo Ye-in seemed unable to come up with a rebuttal, but she looked away stubbornly.
“…No.”
At that moment, Ahn Jeong-mi, who had been watching, stepped into the conversation.
“It seems you’re having trouble reaching a conclusion.”
“Frustrating……”
– So stubborn.
The two pointed fingers at each other.
Ahn Jeong-mi nodded as if she understood everything.
“In that case, helping you come to a swift decision is also part of a butler’s duty.”
Boing!
Gripping the squeaky hammer, she began to advance.
After all, if they kept getting hit, things would naturally sort themselves out.
***
While Seo Ye-in and her chattering self were being forcefully taught the spirit of cooperation,
An unexpected guest arrived at the Dang Clan.
Uncle Qyu, Dang Mun-hyung appeared at the training grounds with someone, and her face looked very familiar.
Sho-sho unni is here.
As soon as Dang Mun-hyung finished guiding them, he turned around.
“If I stay in a place like this, I’ll only make things uncomfortable. I’ll take my leave, so you two can talk.”
“Thank you again.”
Jegal So-so bowed with impeccable grace.
Dang Gyu-young watched the sight as if it were something mysterious.
Then, when their eyes met, she threw out a question.
“Why are you here?”
“I told you I was coming.”
“And you actually came?”
“Of course I did. When I say I’ll do something, I do it.”
The grace she had shown Uncle Qyu just moments ago was nowhere to be found, as she had fully switched back into her imposing Sho-sho mode.
Dang Gyu-young made a dumbfounded expression, then frowned as if she sensed something strange.
She looked around and peeked over Jegal So-so’s shoulder.
“…Sho-sho, did you come alone?”
“Mhmm. Why?”
“They let you come by yourself?”
Sichuan at present was clearly a conflict zone.
It was a place where the Dang Clan and its allied groups frequently clashed with the Blood Cult.
No matter how skilled a swordswoman she was, even as the former vice president of the swordsmanship club, wandering alone through a conflict zone like this was an extremely dangerous choice.
Considering she was a direct descendant of the Jegal family and held a position in the Murim Alliance, even more so.
Logically, she should have at least one or two guards with her, but seeing none, Dang Gyu-young couldn’t help but find it strange.
At this, Jegal So-so replied nonchalantly.
“Of course they didn’t let me.”
“Then how did you get here?”
“I snuck out.”
Dang Gyu-young blinked a few times.
Then, as if she were about to move behind Jegal So-so, she started pushing her from the back.
“Hey, go. Home, or the Murim Alliance, anywhere….just go, now.”
“Go where? I came all this way.”
“No, you’re supposed to learn good things from your friend and follow that. Why would you copy something like this?”
“Fine, I ran away from home following you! You runaway Qyu-Qyu!”
“I can’t tolerate such slander!”
The shadow club swung down, but Jegal So-so widened the distance with fluid movement.
After a brief round of Sho-Sho/Qyu-Qyu tag, Dang Gyu-young gave up and stopped in place.
“You’re unnecessarily fast.”
“Hehe, can’t catch me, right?”
“I’m being serious. This is actually dangerous. Go back for now, and come again once things settle down.”
“You think I came here without knowing that? I came ready to risk my life to lend a hand, and you keep trying to send me away.”
Jegal So-so answered with a serious expression.
Dang Gyu-young raised an eyebrow.
“…Are you really okay?”
“I said I’m fine. How many dungeons have we gone into together? Why act like this now?”
“I’m suddenly touched.”
The two smiled at each other.
As a warm mood settled in, Jegal So-so walked over to my side and placed a hand on my shoulder.
“Since I’m here, I’ll play with the young monarch too.”
“…I knew she’d be like this.”
Dang Gyu-young’s touching moment shattered instantly.
***
With Jegal So-so joining in, we trained together.
By evening, we returned to the annex.
Dang Gyu-young opened a room for her.
“You can use this one.”
“Nice and clean. Where’s your room?”
“Right next door.”
“I want to see.”
They’d probably look the same anyway, but Jegal So-so peeked inside out of idle curiosity.
Then she threw out another question.
“Where’s Kim Ho’s room?”
“Here.”
“And Seo Ye-in’s?”
“Here.”
“……”
Jegal So-so fell silent for a moment, then nodded to herself.
“…I’ll unpack here too.”
“Unpack in your own room!”
“From now on, this is my room! And that’s my bed!”
Guess best friends really do talk alike.
Dang Gyu-young let out an exasperated scoff.
“Seriously? Then you use this room. We’ll move instead.”
“Fine by me, but leave the young monarch behind.”
“Who says we’re leaving him behind?”
While Sho-sho and Qyu-Qyu locked eyes in a silent standoff, Seo Ye-in unexpectedly joined the conversation.
She tugged at my arm as she spoke.
“No.”
Dang Gyu-young hesitated for a moment, then added,
“Did you hear that? According to the Sloth-Qyu agreement, Kim Ho can only be used by the two of us.”
“I never agreed to that.”
“Why would your agreement matter? Just get out.”
“No thanks. I’m sleeping here too.”
“Are you seriously going to be this childish?”
This time, I stepped in.
“Then how about I move to the next room, and the three of you use this one?”
Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to sleep alone for once instead of being a pillow.
But as if that was out of the question, three hands grabbed onto me at once.
“You can’t go…”
“Where do you think you’re going, young monarch!”
“Stay right here, young monarch!”
Held captive by Sloth-Qyu-Sho, I kept talking.
“Then at least let’s have a constructive discussion.”
“Fine. I was about to ask anyway. What exactly has been going on?”
Since she had just arrived, it seemed she hadn’t fully grasped everything that had happened so far.
So I started summarizing the events.
Beginning with how Dang Gyu-young hadn’t been welcomed in the Dang Clan, and how there had been several clashes instigated by the Council of Elders.
At that, a friend is a friend. She got angry as if it were her own problem.
“No, they could’ve just left things alone….did they really have to challenge her to duels? Dang Jun-yeop, Dang Hee-yeon? Where are they now?”
“They’re lying down.”
Dang Gyu-young replied with a click of her tongue.
Not long ago, during the Blood Cult’s large-scale offensive, the Dang siblings had been caught up in it as well.
Fortunately, they weren’t killed, but they would need a long period to recover.
Jegal So-so looked like she wanted to ask more about the “large-scale offensive” but it seemed easier to understand if I explained things in chronological order, so I moved on for now.
With help from the Twin Heroes and employees from the Hye-seong Group, we set out to find the hidden Blood Cult, uncovering multiple temporary bases and even taking down the Shura Blood Sword Unit.
Along the way, I also had a heated showdown with the Blood Sword Commander.
At that, a question mark practically appeared above Jegal So-so’s head.
“So that thing you showed earlier, the Qyu Sword Commander…that’s it?”
“Yeah. Since you brought it up, take another look.”
Dang Gyu-young puffed up with pride as she summoned the Qyu Sword Commander again, showing how its arms had increased to six.
Thud!
Jegal So-so observed it with interest.
“…Now that I look at it again, it actually seems pretty strong?”
“It really is. I should’ve gotten it before graduating.”
Dang Gyu-young sounded regretful, as if thinking she could’ve easily beaten Song Cheon-gi and Oh Se-hoon if she’d had it back then.
Jegal So-so nodded in agreement, then looked back at me.
“Anyway, what happened next?”
“There was something the Blood Cult left behind.”
The “large-scale offensive” mentioned earlier had been carried out to seize those items.
By this point, a serious expression appeared on Jegal So-so’s face.
“…When was that?”
“A few days ago.”
“Then something’s bound to go down soon, isn’t it?”
“Most likely.”
By now, the Blood Cult would have had more than enough time to regroup.
It wouldn’t be strange if an all-out war broke out as soon as tonight.
Jegal So-so turned to look at Dang Gyu-young.
“…Hey, did I just catch the last train here?”
“Yeah, you idiot So-so! It’s not too late….just go home now.”
“Like I would.”
Jegal So-so snorted.
Then she added, with a subtle expression,
“But I am a little uneasy. I should stay close.”
“The room next door is close enough.”
“No, I’m saying let’s just share.”
“Why do you keep insisting on that? Get out!”
The two of them quickly fell back into bickering again.
***
Late at night.
The streets felt unusually dark.
Martial artists patrolling near the Dang Clan looked up at the sky, only to find the faint crescent moon obscured by heavy clouds.
Feeling a slight chill, they turned their attention to the streetlights placed here and there.
“At least we’ve got those.”
“Agreed.”
As if the lights had heard them, they crackled and flickered a few times before going out completely.
It didn’t take long for the entire street to be swallowed in total darkness.
“….…!”
“….…!”
Recognizing it as an unnatural phenomenon, the martial artists immediately tried to report it.
But in the next moment, what they saw were black silhouettes rushing toward them.
One by one, the patrolling martial artists were dragged into the darkness.
After a brief moment, the clouds parted, and the crescent moon cast its light over the area.
What had seemed like black silhouettes were, in fact, dressed in dark crimson, the color of blood.
Jingle…
From somewhere, an eerie bell rang.
At some point, an old man in blood-colored robes was standing there.
He silently watched as the blood-robed figures surrounded the estate, then muttered to himself,
“There were some setbacks, but in the end, things have gone as intended.”
“……”
“We were prepared for defeat and death. For the great cause of our cult, what is there to fear?”
If there had been no need for secrecy, every blood-robed figure present would have shouted,
– Blood Demon’s descent! A world bathed in blood!
They were nothing more than pieces on the board.
Pieces meant to bring about chaos and fulfill the cult leader’s ambitions.
Soon, the blood-robed figures took their positions and began to unfold a massive formation.
What they normally used to conceal outposts and safe houses was now being used to cover the Dang Clan itself, ensuring that no one would know what was happening inside.
Next, rolled parchments appeared from their robes. They were magic scrolls.
They had prepared them as catalysts to make the process faster and easier.
Before long, the old man spoke in a low voice,
“Begin.”
At once, the sound of parchment tearing echoed from all around, and a pitch-black energy spilled out, engulfing the Dang Clan.
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