Chapter 44 : Thousand-Seen Instructor (1)

Chapter 44: Thousand-Seen Instructor (1)

At Sewoon’s blunt words, not only the Dark Flower Unit warriors but even Tang Bi showed clear signs of embarrassment.

But it was undeniable that they had shown disgraceful behavior before their young master, so Tang Bi himself bowed his head.

“……I apologize for showing you such an unseemly sight.”

“It’s fine. I never had high expectations in the first place.”

Even though Tang Bi had stepped back and apologized, Sewoon’s response remained the same.

The Dark Flower Unit warriors could not hide their expressions.

The atmosphere shifted in an instant, becoming so heated it could be felt in the air.

If it weren’t for their earlier misconduct, and if it weren’t Tang Bi himself, they would have risked disrespect to offer counsel.

Yet Sewoon, ignoring the rebellious gazes directed at him, simply proceeded with the true purpose of his visit.

“Well, let’s start with introductions.”

Sewoon spoke vaguely and then turned his head toward the side.

Next to the entrance of the training hall.

“M-May I come out?”

Yeo Seon timidly peeked his head out, visibly frightened by the tense atmosphere.

Who is that?

Everyone was taken aback.

“Then, who do you think I’ll introduce?”

“Th-That’s true…”

At Sewoon’s words, Yeo Seon shuffled forward, hesitant.

He looked like a duckling waddling clumsily.

‘Young Lord, just what are you…’

Suppressing a sigh with sheer willpower, Tang Bi whispered quietly to his men.

“……From today, this is Yeo Seon, who will serve as Young Lord Sewoon’s personal bodyguard.”

……Him?

The Dark Flower Unit warriors all conveyed the same thought with their eyes.

Under their sharp gazes, Yeo Seon swallowed dryly before finally speaking heavily.

“Ah, greetings. I am Yeo Seon, and I will be serving as the Young Lord’s bodyguard.”

Clap, clap.

Scattered applause echoed in the training hall.

Only Daewoong and a few new recruits responded.

With the cold reception, Yeo Seon grew more nervous and continued.

“……Ahem. Just like Dian Wei, who stood by Emperor Wei! Ah! But Dian Wei died while guarding him… N-Not Dian Wei, then. Yes, like Tiger Marquis Xu Chu! I will protect the Young Lord as bravely as Xu Chu did-!”

Su-mi-da, su-mi-da—

Yeo Seon’s words echoed across the training hall.

A suffocating silence followed.

Sensing the mood, Yeo Seon hurriedly hid behind Sewoon.

……And this guy is supposed to be his bodyguard?

The warriors were so dumbfounded by his pitiful appearance that they almost laughed.

“Well, that’s enough for introducing our new family member.”

Sshhh!

Sewoon extended one hand.

Heavenly Net’s threads shot forward, wrapping around a massive sack, and with a pull, he dragged it before everyone.

“……Young Lord, what is that?”

Just as Tang Bi asked—

Thud, thud.

Sewoon overturned the sack, and its contents spilled out.

Black stones tumbled out in piles, quickly covering the training ground.

‘……Stones?’

‘Ore, maybe?’

No one could guess their meaning, so they only blinked in silence.

“These are Black Waste Stones, within which lies Mineral Poison, rivaling the Eight Extreme Poisons.”

“E-Eight Extreme Poisons?”

“Gasp!”

There was no time to even ask what Mineral Poison was.

At the mere mention of the Eight Extreme Poisons, most of the Dark Flower Unit staggered back in fright.

Only Daewoong and a handful of warriors remained steadfast in their spots.

Sewoon’s eyes flickered briefly with interest at their composure.

“Do not worry. My elder sister and I have already suppressed all the poison within.”

Reassured by Sewoon’s words, the warriors finally let out the breaths they had been holding.

At that moment, Tang Bi cautiously asked.

“But Young Lord, what do you intend to use this Mineral Poison for?”

Their eyes met midair.

Tang Bi’s gaze already carried a sharp light, as if he had guessed something.

‘It seems Uncle has more or less figured out my intent.’

Indeed, his experience in the murim could not be ignored.

Thinking this, Sewoon turned to face the Dark Flower Unit.

Naturally, all eyes fixed on him.

Then Sewoon finally spoke.

“From today, the Tang Clan’s main martial arts will once again be restored to Poison Arts.”

“And the Dark Flower Unit will be the first to undergo retraining.”

The warriors of the Dark Flower Unit were utterly stunned.

They were so shocked they couldn’t even whisper among themselves.

That was how outrageous Sewoon’s words were.

Currently, the Tang Clan’s Poison Arts had severely declined.

Even Tang Serin, a direct descendant, had been stuck at a bottleneck for years due to the lack of proper advanced Poison Arts.

And now, for ordinary warriors without even that support, to suddenly abandon their hidden weapon techniques and begin anew with Poison Arts?

It was tantamount to crippling the clan’s strongest fighting force with their own hands.

As expected, a storm of protest soon erupted.

“Y-Young Lord! This choice does not suit the clan’s current circumstances!”

“That’s right! And now you tell us to abandon all our training in hidden weapons?”

“Indeed, obtaining such a great poisonous material is worthy of praise, but it is not nearly enough to throw away all that we’ve built up.”

The warriors grew louder and louder in their complaints.

But Sewoon paid them no heed.

He merely clicked his tongue, looking at them with contempt.

"Tsk, don’t worry. I already anticipated that you’d be too afraid to even try without proof, so I went ahead and invited a Martial Master."

The moment the word Martial Master came out of Sewoon’s mouth, the noise died away as if it had been a lie.

If a proper martial instructor had been invited, the situation would be entirely different.

Even renowned Great Sects sometimes paid enormous sums to exceptional martial groups or martial officers to receive the necessary teachings.

If Sewoon had secured a Martial Master with a reputable name, then his earlier plan suddenly gained credibility.

In that case…

"Young Lord, may we know who this Martial Master is?"

Tang Bi voiced the question that everyone was desperate to ask.

At that instant, all eyes turned toward Sewoon.

Tok.

"……Eh?"

Sewoon pushed Yeo Seon forward.

Suddenly, everyone’s gaze shifted to him.

Then Sewoon spoke the most unexpected words.

"From this moment on, Yeo Seon is both my personal guard and the Chief Instructor in charge of training all combat units of the Sichuan Tang Clan."

"M-me?"

Even Yeo Seon himself, hearing this for the first time, was dumbfounded.

At that moment, the fury the Dark Flower Unit had been suppressing finally erupted.

"Young Lord! We understand that you’re disappointed in us, but isn’t this far too much?"

"To disregard those of us who are prepared to give our lives for Lord Sewoon so harshly—!"

"We have lived solely for the Clan our entire lives. At the very least, please don’t insult us."

Their resentment poured forth endlessly, like crashing waves.

But Sewoon stood there, listening in silence, without the slightest flicker of movement or emotion.

Since Sewoon offered no response, their outcry gradually subsided.

When the silence returned—

"Have you finished?"

Sewoon’s gaze turned cold, like the frozen snow of the North Sea.

At that sight, his subordinates felt their hearts chill.

It was the first time they had ever seen this side of Sewoon.

Their Young Lord had struck down Lee Hoseong.

He had slain the Leader of the Rear Dragon Guard of the Murim Alliance.

He had fought a life-and-death battle against the Poison Demon.

And yet—

They had never once witnessed Sewoon fight with their own eyes, and so, compared to outsiders of the jianghu, they felt his martial prowess less vividly.

In their eyes, he was still the frail, sickly young man tormented by the pain of Heavenly Punishment.

"Then let’s do this."

At last, Sewoon spoke again.

"Those who will follow my command, stand at my side. Those who will not, step to the other side."

"Do not worry. Standing on the other side will bring no disadvantages to you."

Even with Sewoon’s bold declaration, his subordinates hesitated to move.

Everyone lingered in uncertainty, stealing glances at one another.

Rustle.

Surprisingly, it was Tang Bi, Captain of the Dark Flower Unit, who stepped to Sewoon’s opposite side first.

That was the signal.

Rustle! Rustle, rustle!

The Dark Flower Unit warriors moved in perfect unison.

And before long—

Only three remained at Sewoon’s side, Daewoong among them.

Twenty-one stood against three.

Though the numbers were overwhelmingly lopsided, Sewoon was unfazed.

"Good. For the next ten days, both sides will train separately. On the following day, we will hold a friendly spar between the two groups."

"……Young Lord?"

"If you win, Yeo Seon will be sent back to the Alliance, and I myself will enter self-reflection in seclusion."

Everyone was struck speechless by the shocking proposal.

"Now then, will you all follow me?"

Only Sewoon remained resolute.

Shortly after that.

At the private martial training ground prepared in front of Sewoon’s quarters.

"Is everyone here?"

"Yes!"

"Hmm, having few people makes it easier to keep track. That much is good."

"……Y-yes!"

There stood Sewoon, Yeo Seon, and the three Dark Flower Unit warriors who had chosen Sewoon’s side.

After the friendly spar had been decided, Sewoon had arranged a separate training space for his group to prevent any unnecessary quarrels with the others.

"Hmm, I don’t recall seeing you three before. Are you all new recruits?"

"Yes! I am Daewoong—!"

"I am Jang Il!"

"I am Jang Yi!"

Even when he searched his memories from before his regression, Sewoon did not recognize their faces.

It seemed they had joined the Clan only recently, drawn by his rising reputation.

"So, you two are brothers."

"Exactly right!"

"Exactly right, sir!"

"Well, let’s save the details for after we’ve won the spar."

"……Yes!"

Their reply was a beat too slow.

"You all seem distracted by doubts."

"That is……."

"Go on, it’s fine to speak."

After exchanging nervous glances, Daewoong straightened his back and spoke in his disciplined manner.

"No matter the command, this subordinate is ready to obey! But with only ten days, we worry whether we can defeat seniors who have vastly more battle experience!"

"Hmm."

It seemed the other two felt the same.

But despite the uneasy attitudes of the warriors, Sewoon only shrugged his shoulders in response.

Abruptly, Sewoon turned his gaze toward Yeo Seon.

"They seem to be holding onto such worries."

"Yes?"

"Show them."

"……Pardon?"

Show them what?

What could a strategist from the Strategy Division possibly demonstrate?

Yeo Seon blinked, puzzled, and asked again.

"You know what you’re good at. Show them that."

Sewoon pointed at his own eyes with his index finger as he spoke.

For some reason, Yeo Seon’s pupils trembled violently, as though an earthquake had struck.

‘……How could he possibly know?’

The moment his eyes met Sewoon’s, Yeo Seon realized it.

The other party already knew about the ‘secret’ he had been hiding so carefully.

But the panic lasted only a moment before Yeo Seon calmed himself.

If his identity was already exposed, then—

Well, since the opportunity had come, he might as well put on a proper display and raise his own value.

At that moment, Yeo Seon stepped forward.

"……Warrior Daewoong. Would you step forward, please."

"Yes!"

Swoosh—

Then Yeo Seon lifted the cloth draped across his forehead.

As his hidden eyes were revealed—

Daewoong and the others all showed astonishment on their faces.

……What sort of gaze was this?

If Daewoong’s eyes resembled those of a tiger—

Then Yeo Seon’s eyes were like those of a raging lion.

The gaze of the king of beasts, fixed upon its prey.

‘Kugh!’

He was merely being observed.

Daewoong desperately endured it before his master, but—

The chilling sensation, as though his body was being dissected piece by piece, forced a groan out of him.

After what felt like an eternity—

"Warrior Daewoong."

"……Yes?"

At last, having finished his assessment, Yeo Seon spoke.

"Why are you hiding another martial art within your body?"

Daewoong’s eyes widened in shock, as though they might burst.