“Huh?”
“Ummm…”
“That’s…”
The reaction of Seol-Hwi’s subordinates was somewhat strange.
Why? Is it fear of what happened before?
“Captain, I’ll try to say this carefully, but…”
When Jeok Song approached him first to talk to him, Seol-Hwi realized what he thought previously was wrong.
“With the martial arts Captain gave us, all of us have drastically improved. Even Yorim, who usually focuses on tracking, was able to pierce a wall, twice. As for me, I’m able to freely use the heat in my body. Yong Jin and Seo Ryeong have changed too. And that’s also the case for Imugi, who’s always lacking in one way or another.”
“Who did you say is lacking?!”
Imugi screamed with rage, but Jeok Song didn’t listen to him.
“Unlike before, all five of us have changed. Not just that, everyone’s found weapons that match their fighting styles perfectly. I know that the Captain’s skills are good, but…”
“So you aren’t saying you’re scared. Why talk so much then?”
“…?”
“Come to think of it, this is like the time when I first met you all. You guys acted tough, but didn’t even manage to take me down. You have no shame.”
“Captain, how can you say…”
When Yong Jin intervened, Seol-Hwi looked at him.
“Do you know why that masked man asked you all what you can do at your level? Because he knew that you guys were weaker than him.”
At those words, his subordinates’ eyes hardened.
They knew that Seol-Hwi was deliberately provoking them, but they were still angry.
“Well, are you confident? ’Cause I am.”
“Me too.”
“Hmm.”
Yong Jin and Yorim agreed, and Jeok Song nodded.
“Do we have to…”
“Are you planning on being like this all your life?”
Imugi, who was speaking vaguely, heard Yong Jin’s words and stopped.
“Okay.” Finally, Seo Ryeong agreed too. “But Captain, what are you planning?”
Unlike the others, she was thinking logically. She was curious to know why Seol-Hwi was going this far.
“Seo Ryeong, I don’t think you can ask me that. Aren’t you the weakest of them all?”
“What?!”
Her eyes turned cold in an instant.
Seol-Hwi passed her, and went to the fire. The flames were quickly extinguished by Seol-Hwi’s kick.
“I’ll try to say this carefully as well…”
A cool breeze crept around them, then gathered at Seol-Hwi’s feet, before turning to ice.
Seol-Hwi was using the White Light Palm Demonic Martial Arts.
“If you think you’re fighting the me from the past, you’ll get hurt.”
The members surrounded Seol-Hwi. Unlike a while back, their sincere will to fight was evident.
“Come! And don’t get stepped on by me.”1
Seol-Hwi gently gestured towards them.
The reason Seol-Hwi provoked his subordinates wasn’t just to increase his combat power.
In fact, they can’t even threaten his life with their current skills.
Seol-Hwi wanted to adapt to his new combat method, “Free”, but he also wanted to try out a special technique.
Since this was a new fighting style, he wanted to properly test it out this once.
Dagger, spear, sword, blade, and fist.
Seol-Hwi lowered his body and remembered his subordinates’ past movements.
The purpose of each weapon was clear.
If you specialized in the sword, you can stab, and also perform powerful movements by rotating your blade.
On the other hand, the spear isn’t a melee weapon, so it has a wider attack range, but it still manages to have a very strong effect on the opponent.
Furthermore, one can easily defend during close combat by using the spear to push their enemy away.
And the utility of daggers is obvious. They’re fatal if you lose sight of them for even a moment.
Seol-Hwi’s subordinates had weapons optimal for both long and short distance combat.
Who will make the first move?
Seol-Hwi’s eyes looked at each of them. Suddenly, he heard someone call out.
“Captain, can you do this?”
Imugi turned his baby hand back to normal size, and smiled.
It’s a distraction!
At that moment, Seol-Hwi’s eyes widened.
Swish!
The first attack was a dagger thrown by Seo Ryeong - a throw which snatches your life away. It headed towards Seol-Hwi faster than the wind.
He dodged, and the dagger just barely passed by Seol-Hwi’s face.
Papapak!
After that came Yorim. Not giving Seol-Hwi time to adjust, Yorim closed in and moved his spear several times in quick succession to attack Seol-Hwi.
Swush! Swush!
A powerful stab, and then a swing aimed at Seol-Hwi.
Using the distance to his favor, Seol-Hwi stepped back and tried to seize the opportunity for a counterattack.
But that’s what led to a bigger crisis.
Because Yong Jin and Jeok Song were ready for him.
Swish!
A series of stabs and slashes from both sides.
“You’re both so slow.”
Seol-Hwi spoke briefly, and then moved.
Kang!
Seol-Hwi raised his sword to block Jeok Song’s incoming stab. Then, he ducked to avoid the swing of Yong Jin’s blade.
Kakang!
Next, Seol-Hwi intercepted Yorim’s spear. And at the same time, he moved to the side to stop the flow of Yong Jin’s attacks.
“I can see it all.”
Seo Ryeong, who suddenly jumped in the air, flung three daggers towards Seol-Hwi.
He already figured she would do this. Seol-Hwi easily avoided them and stepped back.
“Haaa!”
Jeok Song ran forward swiftly to attack Seol-Hwi, and Seol-Hwi evaded him.
Crash!
Jeok Song fell to the ground.
Seol-Hwi looked down at the man on the floor.
“You’re too impatient.”
It was then, while Seol-Hwi was talking to Jeok Song, Yorim decided to attack again with his spear. The energy around his spear turned into flames, which lashed out at Seol-Hwi.
Weik-!
Seol-Hwi avoided the attack with a single stroke.
This puts my mind at ease, Seol-Hwi thought, as he unfolded his fighting style.
Turn-based, AI, and Simulation were always used in urgent and dangerous times.
But now, his mind was at peace.
Seol-Hwi wondered if it was because he had been fighting with his life on the line for way too long.
“Haaa!”
“Haaah!”
The thought didn’t last long, as Yong Jin and Seo Ryeong attacked from the left and from the right.
“Wouldn’t close combat be more difficult?”
Seol-Hwi leisurely blocked Yong Jin, and then struck back at Seo Ryeong.
That was when the two retreated, and then Yorim came in for another attack.
“…Huh? What?!”
Seol-Hwi doubted his eyes.
Seo Ryeong, who he thought was injured, was fine.
To be precise, she was ready with a dagger.
“Kuak!”
Seol-Hwi hurriedly turned to avoid it. This time, if he made a mistake, he would die.
“Imugi!”
“I’m sorry!”
The face of the Seo Ryeong who was injured by Seol-Hwi’s sword, slowly turned back to Imugi’s.
He had used this strategy to confuse Seol-Hwi.
…
The members calmed down for a moment. The atmosphere had changed.
Seol-Hwi’s words, which wounded their pride, were still on their minds, so they weren’t going to back off.
“Is it still difficult to land a blow on me?”
Seol-Hwi stimulated them more.
To enable them to reach their full potential, this method was the best.
“I have to forget that you’re the Captain for a moment.”
“I think of him as the head of another unit.”
Ching!
Wheik!
Swish!
One by one, each of them began to infuse their internal energy into their weapons.
Since most of them had a similar internal energy level, it was truly terrifying. This time, it was really their intention to kill Seol-Hwi.
“Right. This is what I wanted.”
Seol-Hwi welcomed this.
For his subordinates to fight with all their might.
That way, he could use all their abilities and his own.
…
Jeok Song and Yorim were using the Flame Aggregating Demonic Martial Arts.
…
Seo Ryeong and Yong Jin were using the White Light Body Demonic martial arts.
Only Imugi was visible, with his green internal energy covering his sword.
“Come at me!”
Seol-Hwi gave the signal.
“…!”
“…!”
Seol-Hwi leapt into the air, and for the members, this was the worst decision he could make. They were not going to be merciful.
Papapapt!
The five of them jumped up into the air as well.
They put their most powerful internal energy into their weapons - green demonic energy, flames, and ice - and attacked Seol-Hwi all at once.
They were coming in from every direction.
An attack to make sure Seol-Hwi got hit from at least one.
Anyone could see that Seol-Hwi couldn’t dodge this.
More… more…
Seol-Hwi waited and held the sword with both his hands.
And when the attacks came from all directions, he unleashed the fruits of his labor.
“Thrift Wind Sword!”
As soon as the sword was lowered, everything stopped.
No, to be more precise, the passage of time felt by Seol-Hwi was different from his subordinates.
Everything shook. The ground shuddered, and there was a sound like a roar.
The flames from his subordinates’ attacks disappeared, and, unable to withstand the wind, the members were pushed back.
Only the last roars of the dying storms remained.
“Haaa.”
And Seol-Hwi who was standing with a smile.
“…What happened?”
The members had regained consciousness one by one.
Among them, Jeok Song questioned Seol-Hwi.
“It was my technique. Of course, I didn’t expect this result.”
“…Huh?”
“I’m glad you all weren’t fatally injured.”
Thrift Wind Sword.
Seol-Hwi realized that it doesn’t just negate the attacks of his opponent, but it would also cause them to lose consciousness for a time.
He also learned that it wasn’t fatal enough to cause injuries.
“We will camp here another day as planned. Everyone, prepare well.”
Seol-Hwi had a good experience with this.
Another technique which will help him in decisive moments.
Now he knows for sure what it’s used for.