By Zephyria 
“By the way, have you practiced any fist techniques? You don’t seem to be carrying a weapon.”
Nod, nod.
……Shake, nod.
Seong Mu-yeon nodded, then paused to think before shaking his head horizontally. It was an expression meaning, ‘I have learned fist techniques, but I can also handle weaponry.’
However, seeing Gang Woong’s expression shift subtly, it seemed he hadn’t understood.
“……Then, I will leave the rear to you.”
Gang Woong waited a moment to allow Seong Mu-yeon to prepare, then gripped a pillar, shifted his center of gravity, and leaned his body downward.
Most of the enemies were gathered where Baek Ryeo-il and Peng Do-hwan were, but many enemies were still stationed near the underground passage.
Gang Woong narrowed his eyes, seemingly calculating the enemies’ positions and numbers to derive an approach path. Then, he launched himself with an explosive leap.
“Gah!”
Using the speed of his descent, he took out three members of the Black Shadow Unit at once, then began carving a path by dodging and countering the attacks of the enemies rushing toward him.
“Enemies over here too—”
One member of the Black Shadow Unit opened his mouth to call his comrades loudly, but the shout didn’t last. This was because Seong Mu-yeon, who had jumped down immediately after, crushed him flat.
“You bastard!”
Witnessing his comrade being flattened, another member of the Black Shadow Unit lunged forward with glinting eyes. However, another member nearby reached out to stop him.
“Wait! That man is Yak Seon’s servant! There is nothing to gain from touching him.”
‘Huh?’
At that shout, the members of the Black Shadow Unit who were about to rush Seong Mu-yeon hesitated and backed away.
“Yak Seon is a man who has transcended the secular world, so as long as we don’t intentionally provoke him, he won’t attack first. The same goes for his servants.”
“I see.”
He had come down fully prepared for a fight, yet the enemies would not touch him. They whispered among themselves and instead hovered at a distance, watching him intently like a fragile porcelain bowl that would shatter if touched.
Even when they dragged away their comrade who had been knocked unconscious by Seong Mu-yeon, their attitude was extremely cautious.
They’re acting this rationally?
Seong Mu-yeon was dumbfounded.
Surprisingly, it seemed the Demonic Cult also didn’t want to incur Yak Seon’s wrath. Even without this, Yak Seon’s long-standing hatred for the Demonic Cult was so famous that everyone in the Central Plains knew about it. The targets of that hatred were playing it safe, fearing what kind of retaliation might return if they poked a hornet’s nest for no reason.
‘Is that how it is?’
The corners of Seong Mu-yeon’s lips curled up slightly.
“Hieek!”
When he suddenly darted toward them with a playful “Boo!”, the Black Shadow Unit recoiled in horror and scrambled away.
Did they think that if he touched them even slightly, he would clutch the back of his neck and collapse like a professional scammer, then run straight to Yak Seon to tattle?
If it weren’t for the current situation, Seong Mu-yeon would have burst into laughter, clutching his stomach and shedding tears. Instead, he had to tremble as he suppressed it.
Thanks to this, Seong Mu-yeon was able to completely block the Black Shadow Unit from approaching Gang Woong’s back. Whenever they tried to get close, he could drive them away simply by sliding his body between them.
After a while, Gang Woong, having completely cleared the area near the underground passage, slipped inside. Seong Mu-yeon stood with his back to the entrance, guarding the passage.
‘Just try coming closer. I’ll throw myself on the ground.’
When he glared at the Black Shadow Unit with such eyes, they couldn’t easily approach and merely hesitated, reading his mood.
Meanwhile, the sounds of violent clashing metal and shouting continued to echo from the opposite side.
Seong Mu-yeon worried that someone might actually die at this rate. If that happened, the one to lose their life would most likely be Il-gwang. Despite the numerical disadvantage, it was the Black Shadow Unit who were falling, and the momentum of Baek Ryeo-il and Peng Do-hwan showed no signs of waning. By now, he should have fled, but Il-gwang fought to the end.
Il-gwang was always like that.
He never bowed his head, even in unfavorable situations. He was a man of strong pride who would rather break than bend.
Still, wasn’t this practically a suicide mission? Since Seong Mu-yeon couldn’t reveal his identity, he wasn’t in a position to stop or mediate for Il-gwang as he had before.
While he was fretting, unable to do anything, the Black Shadow Unit realized his attention had wavered and attempted to approach the passage, seizing the opening.
Coming to his senses, Seong Mu-yeon blocked them with his whole body, but since there were many enemies and only one of him, he couldn’t stop them all.
‘This bastard dares?’
Seong Mu-yeon was no longer the helpless patient whose inner force circulation was completely blocked and who couldn’t even handle a mere member of the Black Shadow Unit.
Seong Mu-yeon deployed a mysterious stepping technique and approached the man’s flank in an instant. Then, he extended a finger. It wasn’t a fist, just a single finger.
As the fingertip lightly tapped the Black Shadow Unit member’s chin, the man twisted his body as if hit by a powerful punch, rolled his eyes back, and collapsed.
Seong Mu-yeon didn’t forget the kindness of giving the unconscious comrade a light kick to push him toward the other members, so the startled Black Shadow Unit could recover him.
“Young Hero……”
Before he knew it, Gang Woong was peeking his head out from the underground passage. Having successfully completed the mission, five terrified thugs poked their heads out behind him in a line.
However, Gang Woong’s eyes were shaking as he looked at Seong Mu-yeon. He seemed quite surprised by the martial prowess he had just witnessed.
He hadn’t expected Yak Seon to allow his servant to possess martial arts skills beyond basic self-defense techniques.
Seong Mu-yeon ignored his suspicion and gestured for them to come out. At that, the five thugs climbed up to the surface.
“W-what is this……”
The Black Shadow Unit, with their menacing appearance in black clothes, surrounded the entrance, and in the distance, a violent battle scene with spraying blood unfolded. Their faces turned pale as they witnessed the raw reality of the Martial world. Regardless of their character, they were unlucky souls who had accidentally been swept into a fight of the Martial world, enduring hardships that ordinary civilians would never have to experience in a lifetime.
Gang Woong, who came up last, did his remaining duty like a diligent disciple.
“I will open a path for you, so run away. And do not act rashly again, and never enter places you do not know. Do you understand?”
“T-thank you……”
“How can we ever repay this kindness……”
The thugs nodded desperately, their faces looking as if they were about to burst into tears. Seong Mu-yeon and Gang Woong sighed simultaneously at their polite attitude, which was completely different from when they first met.
However, the Black Shadow Unit, who had only watched from a distance when Seong Mu-yeon was alone, suddenly turned sharp and aggressive as if ready to attack the moment Gang Woong and the thugs appeared.
“Now I must think of how to break through them and get you all out safely.”
“Please, please save us.”
“Sob, I’ll never do anything bad again.”
Regardless of whether the thugs were shedding tears, Gang Woong glared at the enemies and readjusted his grip on his sword. He seemed to be pondering a way to penetrate through them.
Now was the time for Seong Mu-yeon to step in. Seong Mu-yeon spread his arms wide and lunged straight toward the Black Shadow Unit.
“Hieek!”
At that, the men recoiled in horror and scrambled back as if they had encountered a plague pathogen.
Gang Woong and the thugs were momentarily stunned, witnessing the miracle of the enemies parting to both sides wherever he went.
“Run!”
The first person to snap out of it was Gang Woong. At his urging, the thugs made a break for it, and Gang Woong followed, escorting them.
‘Boo!’
“D-don’t come close!”
While they made their safe exit, Seong Mu-yeon herded the Black Shadow Unit like sheep. Even then, he didn’t forget to glance back to ensure Gang Woong was escaping safely.
Gang Woong kept looking back, worried about him standing alone in the middle of the enemies, before finally leaving the pavilion with the thugs. He intended to protect them until they were outside the influence of the Demonic Cult.
Seong Mu-yeon had to hold the Black Shadow Unit in place until they were completely safe.
“D-don’t push!”
The will of the Black Shadow Unit not to touch Yak Seon’s servant was so strong that, in their effort to avoid Seong Mu-yeon, they ended up invading the space of their comrades who were engaged in a fierce battle.
The Black Shadow Unit members in combat were pushed by the shoulders of their surging comrades, and due to this unexpected interference from their own allies, other demonic cultists were pushed back helplessly. Soon, the small miracle caused by Seong Mu-yeon resulted in the collapse of the Black Shadow Unit’s formation.
Baek Ryeo-il quickly noticed the anomaly. Realizing that the Black Shadow Unit sweeping toward him like a wave wasn’t throwing themselves at him to attack, he leaped high before being swept away by the human tide. He stepped on the window frame and grabbed the ledge, hanging onto the wall.
“What is this!”
Peng Do-hwan, who had been focusing solely on Il-gwang, noticed the situation late. At first, thinking the Black Shadow Unit had shifted their offensive, he swung his sword and cut them down, but soon, what came from the mouths of the Black Shadow Unit was not a rage-filled battle cry, but something closer to a scream of bewilderment.
“Don’t push!”
“Agh!”
“You crazy bastards!”
Peng Do-hwan also cursed and leaped back. It was the right judgment. Otherwise, he would have been crushed under dozens of collapsing Black Shadow Unit members.
Thump—!
Eventually, the Black Shadow Unit collapsed in a heap on the floor, and dust that had accumulated for years flew into the air from where they had stood.
“…….”
Silence fell. People looked around to see who had done this, only to find Seong Mu-yeon standing there with his arms spread wide. Even Owl, who had been hiding on the main beam, poked his head out and looked at him in disbelief.
Receiving dozens of pairs of rage-filled glares, Seong Mu-yeon awkwardly lowered his arms.
‘Anyway…… Master Gang got out safely.’
He had achieved his intended goal.