By Zephyria 
“Seong Mu-yeon, that son of a bitch, I wouldn’t feel satisfied even if I tore him to pieces!”
Suddenly, Peng Do-hwan burst out in anger.
Startled by the sudden mention of his name, Seong Mu-yeon trembled violently, nearly jumping out of his seat.
“Ah, my. I seem to have startled you. I didn’t mean to, my apologies. It just slipped out…”
Peng Do-hwan wore an apologetic expression.
“I am currently searching for the enemy who killed my brother. You must have heard of the Demonic Cult’s Seven Sons, Seong Mu-yeon.”
How could he not? He was that Seven Sons Seong Mu-yeon.
Fearing he might arouse Peng Do-hwan’s suspicion, Seong Mu-yeon nodded slightly. Gang Woong and Owl turned to look at them, hearing the shout.
“I don’t know where that bastard is hiding, but if I catch him, I will drag him to my brother’s grave and show my brother his slow death, experiencing the greatest pain one can suffer in this land.”
“……”
“So he can feel pain even greater than the pain felt by those left behind, very slowly…”
As if imagining the scene, a cruel and dangerous pleasure flickered across Peng Do-hwan’s face. But soon, he hid his cruel expression and returned to his usual cheerful demeanor.
“Anyway, I’ve missed him every time for the past few years, but I have a strange feeling that I can catch him this time. It feels like I can reach out and touch him…”
Peng Do-hwan reached out and pretended to grab the air. Then, noticing Seong Mu-yeon sitting across from him, trembling, he tilted his head.
“Are you alright? You’re trembling.”
How could he not be trembling!
Seong Mu-yeon shook his head as if nothing was wrong. Peng Do-hwan smiled bitterly, taking it to mean something else.
“I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have said that in front of someone who isn’t a martial artist. My brother always scolded me for being insensitive…”
Peng Do-hwan’s emotions swung wildly between extremes. Once again lost in wistful longing, he chuckled to himself.
“What’s wrong…?”
Owl approached Peng Do-hwan warily, like an overprotective guardian.
“It’s nothing. It’s just… strangely, even though I met this Young master today for the first time, the words just flow out, as if we’ve known each other for a long time. It feels more comfortable because he just listens without saying a word.”
Ah… please don’t smile like that…
Peng Do-hwan smiled brightly, completely unaware of who he was talking to. Owl looked at the two of them alternately, as if at a loss for words.
Just then, Baek Ryeo-il returned from his scouting mission. He scanned the three people huddled together with cold eyes, then strode over to Gang Woong.
Baek Ryeo-il seemed to be giving Gang Woong instructions, but his voice was inaudible.
“…Be careful of that man.”
Peng Do-hwan, whose face had hardened, glared at Baek Ryeo-il and whispered lowly.
“There’s no denying that Heartless Sword is a great Swordsmen, but he has a major flaw: he can’t be controlled. He’s like an untamed beast. In the end, he will harm himself and endanger those around him.”
“……”
Seong Mu-yeon was speechless at Peng Do-hwan’s scathing assessment.
Baek Ryeo-il, having finished talking to Gang Woong, glanced over at them, as if sensing they were talking about him, and strode over.
“I found their camp. It’s about an hour away from here. I couldn’t get close because of the risk of being discovered, but I confirmed that they are Demonic Cult bastards. We’ll raid them as soon as the sun sets.”
“Sure, why not.”
Peng Do-hwan shrugged as if he had no objections. Even after quickly reaching a conclusion, Baek Ryeo-il stood there, staring silently at the two masked men. His gaze held an indescribable emotion, but it was clear that it was not a good one.
As Owl subtly shielded Seong Mu-yeon, Baek Ryeo-il twisted his face and left.
* * *
As darkness fell, they erased all traces of their stay and melted into the darkness.
It was a choice made to avoid being detected by the enemy, but there was a big problem. The four martial artist climbed the mountain path effortlessly with only the faint moonlight, but the other two could not.
Thud. Hearing the sound, they turned to see Owl lying on his back, staring at the sky.
“……”
This was the third time.
Even he, who was lacking in stamina, was helpless in the pitch-black darkness.
Seong Mu-yeon’s situation was not much different. He had already rolled on the ground several times, covered in dirt and leaves, and was almost out of breath.
‘They said it would only take an hour!’
It had already been well over an hour since they started climbing the mountain. Baek Ryeo-il’s sense of time was geared towards martial artist. Seong Mu-yeon wanted to lie down next to Owl, but he felt that once he sat down, he would never be able to get up again, so he hugged a nearby tree trunk and just sobbed.
“This won’t do. We’ll have to carry one of you each.”
Gang Woong sighed and helped Owl up.
“I’ll take this one. Would one of you take Badger?”
As Gang Woong pointed to Seong Mu-yeon, Baek Ryeo-il and Peng Do-hwan’s eyes naturally met, as they had to decide who would take him.
“I’ll do it.”
Peng Do-hwan quickly volunteered. At that, Baek Ryeo-il’s thick eyebrows twitched violently.
“You should conserve your energy to wield that heavy Greatsword. I’ll do it.”
Peng Do-hwan snorted loudly at Baek Ryeo-il’s dissuasion.
“I’d rather trust a cat with a fish shop! How do I know you won’t pretend not to know him and dump him somewhere along the way? I can’t trust you with him!”
“Why do you think I would do that? Give him to me!”
“Don’t pretend you didn’t try to kill him once already! Hey, where do you think you’re going!”
“Are you going to move or not?”
Watching them start to bicker, Seong Mu-yeon thought.
‘I don’t want either of them.’
Baek Ryeo-il would try to take off his mask at any opportunity, and he didn’t want to be indebted to Peng Do-hwan out of guilt. The fact that it was difficult to determine who would be more dangerous to him if his identity was revealed also played a part.
Seong Mu-yeon looked at Owl imploringly for help.
“I would be grateful if Young master Owl could take Badger.”
Just before the two men’s argument turned into a violent altercation, the situation was neatly resolved when Owl was carried on Baek Ryeo-il’s back.
“Excuse me.”
Gang Woong lightly lifted Seong Mu-yeon onto his back. His solid body supported Seong Mu-yeon stably. His great strength was already evident, but it became even clearer when he experienced it firsthand.
Once they had a means of transportation, their speed increased dramatically. Bumps and tree roots were no problem at all for the martial artist running with light body skill. As if all the hardship had been for nothing, they were able to reach their destination in the blink of an eye.
Being carried on Gang Woong’s back was an excellent choice. He moved carefully, considerate of the person on his back, and even when he put him down, it was as gentle as a feather landing.
As Seong Mu-yeon bowed his head in gratitude, Gang Woong responded with a smile.
Looking to the side, he saw Baek Ryeo-il shuddering as he dropped Owl off as if he was trying to shake him off.
“Ugh!”
Peng Do-hwan, who arrived next, threw the Demonic human he had carried on his shoulder to the ground.
Not far away, the lights illuminating the Demonic Cult’s camp could be seen.
“Is this guy worth using as a hostage?”
Peng Do-hwan tapped the groaning Demonic human with his toe. It was as if he was tapping a watermelon to see if it was tasty.
“It’s a hassle, so let’s just kill him here.”
Baek Ryeo-il drew his sword without the slightest hesitation. They seemed to think of Demonic human as something insignificant, somewhere below humans.
“T, there’s a route where we can approach secretly! I’ll guide you there, so please spare my life…”
“Hmm.”
Peng Do-hwan gauged whether his words were true, then grabbed him by the collar and roughly pulled him up.
“Alright. I’ll trust you for once.”
Since the enemy had a hostage, it would be much safer to have one on their side as well.
“Really?”
Baek Ryeo-il clicked his tongue as if disappointed, but he didn’t actively object. Instead, he glanced at Gang Woong.
“I will wait here with these two.”
Gang Woong answered promptly, as if he had been instructed in advance.
“Then let’s go.”
Peng Do-hwan led the Demonic human towards the lights of the camp, followed by Baek Ryeo-il.
“…Wouldn’t it be better for Young master to follow them? You don’t have to protect us… We’ll take care of ourselves.”
Owl said. It seemed he was uncomfortable with him staying behind to guard them. Gang Woong was a significant asset to anyone, and he judged that losing even one person from the already small elite group would be a great loss.
“No. If you happen to rescue any villagers and they are injured, I will need your help. The two of them are enough over there.”
As if his words were sincere, Gang Woong showed no sign of worrying about the two who had left for the enemy camp. Instead, he found a flat rock, stretched out his legs comfortably, settled down, and began to take out snacks from his pouch.
How much time had passed since the three disappeared into the darkness?
“Enemy! An enemy attack! Help!”
Suddenly, a faint shout cut through the still night air and echoed across the ridge. Soon, a loud drumbeat and the screams of several people began to be heard from the camp.
“It seems that person betrayed us…”
Owl muttered.