By Zephyria 
Peng Do-hwan seemed to be trying his best to endure, but since his precarious state of mind was visible beyond his stiffened face, Seong Mu-yeon dared neither to agree nor disagree. However, Peng Do-hwan spoke with a self-deprecating tone, as if he hadn’t asked the question expecting an answer.
“It is not some grand secret. Everyone in the Central Plains will know by tomorrow, so I shall tell you specifically. It was not a message sent by my father. It was the elders of the Peng Clan. They say my father… was attacked by an assailant, suffered severe injuries, and is now hovering between life and death.”
…So that was the news Gyo Hong had brought.
“They told me his condition is grave and that I should return immediately. In other words, to be by my father’s side for his final moments. The elders seemed to want to inform me, his son, first before the rumors spread. I can tell by how they mobilized the Beggar Clan and the Haoh Gate while gagging everyone to ensure the news didn’t leak.”
A few days ago, in the early dawn, a servant suddenly discovered the Family Head of the Peng Clan collapsed in the courtyard with severe injuries. It seemed he had gone out alone during the night without telling anyone where he was headed and met with disaster.
Had it not been for the servant who woke up diligently to sweep the mountain gate, the Family Head would have been found as a cold corpse.
However, by the time he was discovered, it was already too late to do much. His condition was so critical that they had to be satisfied with simply keeping him breathing until his son, who was away, could return.
“…….”
Seong Mu-yeon was lost for words.
Having already lost his mother at a young age, if the Family Head followed his older brother in passing, Peng Do-hwan would have no family left. He would be completely alone under the heavens.
Peng Do-hwan looked back at Seong Mu-yeon’s stunned face.
“You probably want to ask why I don’t return to the Peng Clan immediately to witness my father’s passing. No, that is not the case.”
A deep anger clouded Peng Do-hwan’s face as he answered his own question. He clenched his bandaged hand so tightly that a cracking sound echoed.
“That is precisely why I cannot return empty-handed. Even if I cannot get to Seong Mu-yeon yet, I must avenge my father by killing his subordinates with my own hands before I can proudly go see him.”
For a moment, he glared into the void as if an enemy were there, revealing a surging, long-held hatred. Yet, when he looked back at Seong Mu-yeon, his face was incredibly soft.
“Three years ago, when I left the Peng Clan, I swore upon myself that I would never return until I had avenged my brother.”
“…….”
“If I die without seeing my father, then that must be my fate. I have no intention of living a dishonorable life without settling my debts of gratitude and revenge. If you are a martial artist, you will understand what I mean.”
With a determined aura, Peng Do-hwan left Seong Mu-yeon behind and walked out of the cave, scanning the quiet forest for a moment as if searching for something. Taking a deep breath, he swung his Greatsword left and right as if checking his body, then took a horse-riding stance. It was the first form, the foundation of the Honwon Thunderbolt Sword Art, a secret technique passed down through the Habeok Peng Clan.
However, before he could even finish the form, Peng Do-hwan let out a groan and clutched his injured shoulder.
“Ugh…”
Seong Mu-yeon hurriedly supported him. As intense pain surged, Peng Do-hwan broke into a cold sweat and gasped for air.
Seong Mu-yeon bit his lip in frustration.
You’ll understand because I’m a martial artist too?
No, he could not understand.
To Seong Mu-yeon, his own well-being was the most important thing.
It wasn’t that he had always thought this way. When he was in the midst of learning the sword, he too had held similar beliefs.
The sword was himself, and it was his honor. The sword was the only tool through which he could manifest his will.
But as time passed and he experienced various events, his thoughts gradually changed.
Seong Mu-yeon came to realize the reality that no matter how hard he tried or struggled, he was ultimately just a human with limits. And the Martial world—especially the Demonic Cult—was too fierce a place for a weak child to survive.
Unless one was born with dazzling talent like Baek Ryeo-il, being merely “reasonably excellent” meant you had to push your comrades into the jaws of death just to keep your own place.
Because he was weak, he had to lose his family, and because of that, he had to live a life burning with a desire for revenge.
And every time he finally killed an enemy and tried to take a step forward, the traces of his past deeds held him back. At some point, the ground turned into a swamp, sinking deeper with every step.
Only two choices awaited: to die of exhaustion and drown in the mire, or to barely crawl out of the swamp only to die at the hands of the enemy he would face.
That was the path of manifesting one’s will through the sword, and it was the path Peng Do-hwan was currently taking. As long as one held a sword, it was a cycle that had to be repeated until death.
That was why Seong Mu-yeon gave up on fighting. He decided to protect a value more important than honor.
He decided not to waste the remaining life—however much was permitted to him—on an endless, fierce struggle.
Of course, even that was not easy. In the end, he reached a state where he could not even reveal his face, merely surviving day by day, hiding himself and holding his breath as if he were dead.
Because he had once held the same beliefs, he could understand Peng Do-hwan’s obsession intellectually. But because of that, his chest felt even more stifled. Right now, Peng Do-hwan was simply throwing his life away, captivated by the illusion of protecting conviction and honor.
“…My brother always used to say something.”
Peng Do-hwan muttered, looking down at the ground with his waist bent.
“‘Your problem is that you get too excited. Cool your head down. When blood only rushes to your head, you charge in without thinking. One day, that’s going to lead to a disaster’…”
“…….”
“Do you know how I answered whenever he said that? I’d say, ‘Why worry when you’ll always be by my side to hold me back?’ Haha.”
Despite the pain, Peng Do-hwan let out a low laugh. He wasn’t laughing because he was happy. The sound continued for a while before gradually fading and stopping abruptly.
“If my brother had been here when I was running wild like earlier, I wouldn’t have been beaten this badly. No matter how recklessly I acted, my brother would have watched my back…”
A brief silence followed. Soon, Peng Do-hwan straightened his back with vigor, his face having returned to a clean expression.
He glanced at Seong Mu-yeon and smiled, his eyes crinkling.
“My brother isn’t here, but now you are watching my back.”
Since their reunion, Peng Do-hwan had shown a smiling face often, but this time was different. It wasn’t a frivolous act to hide his inner thoughts, but a warm smile emanating from sincerity.
“For some reason, I feel like I can trust you.”
At those words, Seong Mu-yeon felt a shock as if he had been struck in the head.
While he stood frozen in shock, Peng Do-hwan gave a light nod of greeting and vanished into the forest with a leap of light body skill. Seong Mu-yeon stared blankly in the direction Peng Do-hwan had gone.
The shock slowly transformed into an uncomfortable emotion that tightened around his chest.
‘No. This isn’t right.’
If Peng Do-hwan knew the identity of the person hidden beneath the mask, those were words he would never say, and that look of sincere trust was one he would never show.
Peng Do-hwan’s life was truly as tragic as his own. After wandering for three years thinking only of revenge, he finally met someone he could trust, only for that person to be the very target of his revenge.
Thud.
Suddenly, Seong Mu-yeon threw himself in the direction Peng Do-hwan had headed.
‘He can’t die like this.’
Seong Mu-yeon’s jaw tightened.
Peng Do-hwan must not die while under this delusion.
Of course, it was Peng Do-hwan who had unilaterally decided to accompany him and unilaterally judged him to be a trustworthy person, without Seong Mu-yeon even intending it.
However, since the entire situation arose because he had hidden his identity, Seong Mu-yeon felt a sense of responsibility.
This went beyond mere bystanderism; it was deception.
Jin-gi, flowing from deep within the dantian in response to his will, traveled through the acupoints and circulated through his body, and Seong Mu-yeon’s mysterious footwork gained speed, skimming the ground as if flying.
Following the faint sounds of battle not far away, he found Peng Do-hwan engaged in a fierce fight with the Black Shadow Unit and the subordinates of Heukmajo, who had caught up.
Having suffered significant injuries, Peng Do-hwan was indeed struggling even against mere subordinates.
“Kgh!”
Peng Do-hwan blocked the claws of a fiercely attacking subordinate with the edge of his blade, but his posture faltered the moment he stepped. With almost no part of him unscathed, he left an opening due to an unexpected surge of pain.
Heukmajo’s subordinates did not miss the gap and lunged in. The moment the claw energy, wrapped in a black demon, surged toward his heart, a foot suddenly flew out and kicked the attacker, sending them flying in a straight line to crash into a tree trunk.
“…Young Hero?”
Gasping for air, Peng Do-hwan looked up at the person who had saved him.
A man wearing a dark badger mask stood beside him.
Seong Mu-yeon stared silently at Peng Do-hwan, whose eyes were shaking in surprise, and then gripped his shoulder firmly.
It was a sign that he would fight alongside him.
He had no intention of doing something as stupid as revealing his identity now. However, he could not let Peng Do-hwan die while trusting his enemy in total ignorance.
At least, not today.