NOVEL NEXT Chapter 3: Martial Artist Lee Gwak (3)
Light Novel: Volume 1 Chapter 3
Manhwa: Chapters 1-3
Episode 1: Martial Artist Lee Gwak (3)
Squad 13 gathered in one place to perform their evening guard duty.
“Are you slowpokes not coming quickly?”
Oh Guhong, the leader of Squad 13, glared but not a single member of his group seemed frightened.
“Brother, if you’re done talking, let’s get moving.”
“Aren’t you tired of saying the same thing every day?”
Instead, the squad members teased Oh Guhong.
“Ah, you brats!”
Oh Guhong frowned, visibly displeased. But it didn’t take long for him to relax his stony expression and shake his head repeatedly.
There was no such thing as authority for a leader in Squad 13. They had been together for such a long time. And even though Oh Guhong was the leader, his martial arts weren’t particularly strong. He was only the leader because he had lasted the longest in Squad 13.
But, this wasn’t the case for all other squads in the Outer Hall. Other squads had strict hierarchies. Only Squad 13 was unusually free. Perhaps this was because the leader had been promoted naturally from within the squad, not from the outside.
Oh Guhong looked at the members one by one.
He had been together with them for a long time, some for as many as ten years while some for at least five.
He couldn’t help but feel affectionate toward them.
Oh Guhong’s gaze suddenly stopped at a young man. The man, who was checking his attire with a smile on his face, was none other than Lee Gwak.
“Oh, youngest!”
“Yes!”
“Did you go to the Grand Abyss Music Hall again? You’re grinning from ear to ear.”
“Is it that obvious?”
“Control your expression. There are a lot of lonely older brothers here.”
“Yes!”
Lee Gwak quickly replied.
Although he said so, the smile on his lips didn’t fade. That’s how comfortable and at ease he felt.
After more than five years of being together, they knew a lot about each other. When Lee Gwak first entered the Jade Heaven Alliance and was struggling to adjust, it was Squad 13 who took care of him.
“Hehe! Seems our leader is lonely. He’s scolding Gwak.”
“Yeah, well, he’s already in his mid-thirties. It’s understandable why he’s lonely.”
Not missing the chance, the other squad members playfully attacked Oh Guhong.
“Quiet! If you’re all ready, let’s depart for the main gate. If we’re even a little late, the leader of Squad 12 will throw a fit.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Let’s go!”
Squad 13 headed towards the main gate.
Although there were as many as twenty warriors walking, nobody on the street paid them any mind. It was a common sight in the Jade Heaven Alliance.
Upon arriving at the gate, Squad 12, who had been on daytime duty, greeted them.
“Oh, you’re here!”
“Was everything okay?”
“It was so quiet I thought I’d die of boredom.”
Cho Mu-tak, the leader of Squad 12, chatted freely with Oh Guhong. The two of them were quite close, so their conversation was relaxed.
“Well, then, we’re off. Good luck!”
Leading Squad 12, Cho Mu-tak entered the castle gate.
Just then, one member of Squad 12 approached Lee Gwak.
“Take care. I’m going in.”
It was Go Jeon-ok.
“You’ve worked hard. Go back and get a good night’s rest.”
“Yes!”
Go Jeon-ok passed by Lee Gwak with a smile.
As soon as Go Jeon-ok was out of sight, another member of Squad 13 walked up to Lee Gwak and whispered,
“That guy has been lurking around the Heavenly Intelligence Hall1 recently.”
“Heavenly Intelligence Hall?”
“Yes, he’s a very desperate man who wants to make it big. Be careful! You don’t want to get struck by lightning standing next to him.”2
The man who spoke with a stern expression was Gok Chae-bong.
“I know.”
“That’s good, then.”
Gok Chae-bong nodded with a relieved expression.
The Heavenly Intelligence Hall was a department that, along with the Outer Hall, formed the backbone of the Outer Court. If the Outer Hall was in charge of protecting the outer boundaries of the Jade Heaven Alliance, the Heavenly Intelligence Hall was responsible for collecting external information.
Even after the end of the Great Heavenly Blood War a hundred years ago, when the great powers clashed over the fate of the heavens, the threat did not disappear. That’s why the Jade Heaven Alliance created the Heavenly Intelligence Hall, a department dedicated to gathering information from the outside world.
But even if it was a department that belonged to the Outer Court, its importance could hardly be compared. Aside from a few people exposed to the outside world, most of the members’ identities were unknown.
The mere fact that Go Jeon-ok was in contact with such a department showed how reckless and ambitious he was.
Lee Gwak stood in front of the gate, thinking that he would have to advise Go Jeon-ok someday.
“Don’t get distracted, and keep your guard up. If the higher-ups catch you messing around, you’re going to get reprimanded.”
Oh Guhong again admonished his squad members, who didn’t seem to care. They didn’t pay much attention to his warning and take it seriously because it wasn’t something they were hearing for the first time, but they didn’t ignore them either.
They knew well that they could face severe repercussions if their negligence was exposed.
Day shifts might be boring, but night shifts were a different matter.
That’s because during the day, people who received permission would line up to enter the gates and time would pass relatively quickly with them having to screen and check those people.
Evening shifts, on the other hand, require endless vigilance. They would have to be constantly on the lookout if there were any suspicious people approaching the closed gates. It’s hard to see a single person all night. Naturally, the passage of time felt slower.
With large torches lit on both sides of the fortress gates, they focused on their guard duties. Lee Gwak also looked straight ahead, his mind fully alert.
Tonight, too, time passed tediously.
The moon was high in the sky, but not a single person approached the city gates. Maybe such a thing was to be expected.
The Jade Heaven Alliance was indisputably the greatest power in the world.
Although the Ten Supremes were said to be gaining momentum and influence in recent years, they would only be able to compete with the Jade Heaven Alliance only if several of them combined forces.
Naturally, no one dared to approach Jade Heaven Alliance with any impure intentions.
Lee Gwak stood in place, fidgeting with the shoddy sword attached to his waist. It was a cheap weapon he received when he was first assigned to Outer Hall Squad 13.
Though he’d taken care of it, its quality was so poor that its edge was already missing in several places.
‘I hope it holds up.’
If the sword accidentally breaks, he would have to buy a new one with his own money. Such a situation would ruin his plan to save money to buy a small house.
His mind was complicated.
Even more so these days.
Even if he somehow managed to save up, buy a house and live with Geum Yul-seon, there was still a problem. Living alone was a different matter altogether with living with another person. There would be so many more things to pay for, and he doubted whether an Outer Hall warrior like him would be able to handle and afford the increased expenses.
The more he thought about the future, the more his head hurt. Lee Gwak unknowingly furrowed his brows.
It was then.
“H-Hey, over there!”
One of the members standing guard with him pointed ahead and blurted out.
Lee Gwak and the rest of Squad 13 unconsciously tightened their grips on their swords as they stared forward.
“Why?”
“What’s going on?”
Lee Gwak channeled energy into his eyes, elevating his vision. Then, in the distance, he could see black figures in the darkness approaching the gates.
Oh Guhong unsheathed his sword and shouted,
“Who are you? Reveal your identity!”
There was an undeniable tension in his voice. He didn’t think they were enemies, but he couldn’t be sure.
At the moment when the tension of Squad 13 reached its peak, a voice came from the darkness,
“We are the Blue Dragon Squad.”4
“Blue Dragon Squad?”
At that moment, a group of martial artists wearing blue robes emerged from the darkness.
Oh Guhong looked at them with wide eyes. When he recognized their faces, a look of relief appeared on his face. Their faces were familiar.
“Captain Shim!”
“Ah, Captain Oh. So, it’s Squad 13’s turn for the watch today.”
“That’s right.”
Oh Guhong hastily replied.
The man he was talking to was Shim Woo-yeon, the leader of the Blue Dragon Squad.
Although both were called captains, the Blue Dragon Squad was incomparably stronger than the Outer Hall, comprised only of formidable figures.
Unlike the Outer Hall, which belonged to the Outer Court, the Blue Dragon Squad was affiliated with the Main Court.
The military power of the Main Court, comprised of Two Corps, Three Battalions, and Four Squads, was so strong that it was counted among the strongest within the Jade Heaven Alliance.5,6,7 Naturally, even if both were called captains, there could be a great difference in their strength.
In particular, the leader of the Blue Dragon Squad, Shim Woo-yeon, was known as a peak swordsman. He could easily subdue or kill a martial artist of Oh Guhong’s caliber in a matter of tens of seconds. Naturally, Oh Guhong had no choice but to yield.
“Why is the Blue Dragon Squad here at this time?”
“We are on our way back after finishing a mission outside.”
“Ah!”
At Shim Woo-yeon’s terse reply, Oh Guhong exclaimed.
Unlike the Outer Hall, which is always on standby within the Jade Heaven Alliance, warriors belonging to the Main Court often had external missions. Among them, the squads of the Main Court were particularly busy with external tasks.
Oh Guhong took a closer look at the Blue Dragon Squad.
Their clothes were torn here and there, and they were bleeding from various wounds. It was clear they had been through perilous missions. Then, Oh Guhong caught sight of unfamiliar figures standing behind the Blue Dragon Squad.
Oh Guhong asked Shim Woo-yeon,
“Who are they?”
“They are the people involved in this mission.”
“Hmm!”
“We need to ask for permission from the higher-ups whether they can enter, so we would like the Outer Hall to take care of them in the meantime.”
“You mean now?”
“Yes!”
“Understood.”
Oh Guhong replied.
These were the words of the leader of the Blue Dragon Squad. He had no authority to refuse in the first place.
Oh Guhong looked at Lee Gwak and others.
“Lee Gwak, Seok Yi-cheon, take them to the White Sage Pavilion.”8
“Yes, captain!”
“Understood!”
Lee Gwak and Seok Yi-cheon responded without hesitation.
Though they were informal with each other, they clearly separated public and private matters.
The two went over to look closely at the people brought by the Blue Dragon Squad.
They ranged from children who looked to be only twelve years old to boys and girls who looked to be around seventeen or eighteen years old.
Their appearance also suggested that they had been through hardships. They looked at Lee Gwak and Seok Yi-cheon with eyes filled with fear.
Lee Gwak spoke to them,
“Everyone, follow us! As long as follow our directions, everything will be fine!”
Instead of responding, the children lowered their heads and followed Lee Gwak and others.
The White Sage Pavilion was a small building located on the outskirts of the Jade Heaven Alliance. It was separated from the outside by a high fence and was easy to monitor, so it was mainly used to detain and monitor suspicious individuals trying to enter the Jade Heaven Alliance.
After watching the children following Lee Gwak and Seok Yi-cheon for a moment, Shim Woo-yeon soon led the Blue Dragon Squad inside the gates.
“What’s going on?”
“It looks like they’ve been through quite an ordeal.”
As the remaining members of Squad 13 murmured, Oh Guhong frowned.
“Is this a one or two-day issue? Can’t you stand guard properly?”
The members of Squad 13 quickly returned to their posts.
Oh Guhong knew it was beneficial to ignore matters related to the Main Court. Although he was curious and had many questions of his own, he deliberately showed no interest and did not bother to ask.
‘Once they are at the White Sage Pavilion, the Main Court will handle the rest.’
Although Lee Gwak and Seok Yi-cheon would be somewhat tired from guarding the White Sage Pavilion, he couldn’t help them.
* * *
The White Sage Pavilion was not far from the main entrance.
“Rest here. There are four rooms, so the men can split these two on one side, and the women can use the two rooms on the opposite side.”
Lee Gwak assigned rooms to the children.
The children silently entered the rooms Lee Gwak had designated for them.
He was about to leave after assigning rooms to the young girls when,
“Excuse me?”
Suddenly, one of the children cautiously grabbed Lee Gwak’s sleeve.
It was a girl who had been bowing her head down until now.
Seeing Lee Gwak’s puzzled expression, the girl cautiously spoke.
“Are you perhaps Brother Gwak?”
“Do you know me?”
“You’re really… brother Gwak! Huhuh!”
At Lee Gwak’s response, the girl covered her mouth with one hand and sobbed. Lee Gwak then wore a bewildered expression.
“Who are you and how do you know me?”
“I’m Socheon.”
“Socheon? You can’t mean Han Socheon from Snow Valley Village?”9
“That’s right!”
The girl pushed back her disheveled hair, revealing her hidden features.
She was a beautiful girl with dark eyebrows. Her eyes were as deep as her dark eyebrows, her nose was sharp, and her small lips, reminiscent of a plum blossom, were extremely red.
“How did you end up here?”
“Brother Gwak. Heuk Heuk!”
“Calm down and tell me what happened. How did you get here?”
“They’re all dead!”
“What do you mean?”
“Everyone in the village is dead! My dad, mom…”
Suddenly, Han Socheon buried her face in Lee Gwak’s chest and sobbed uncontrollably. Her crying became a fuse.
“Huhu!”
“Huhueong!”
The girls who were in the room all burst into tears at the same time. The room was filled with the sound of the girls crying in no time. However, their cries no longer reached Lee Gwak’s ears.
Even though he had left a long time ago, the Snow Valley Village was his hometown.
Upon hearing the tragedy that befell his hometown through Han Socheon’s words, Lee Gwak’s legs wavered.
SoundlessWind21’s Notes:
There is no set schedule yet on the chapter releases. Anyway, thank you for reading!
- Heavenly Intelligence Hall. Raws: 천이당(天耳黨).
- 天 tiān – day / sky / heaven
- 耳 ěr – ear / handle (archaeology) / and that is all (Classical Chinese)
- 黨 dǎng – party / association / club / society
- You don’t want to get struck by lightning standing next to him. Raws: 저런 놈 옆에 있다가 괜히 같이 날벼락 맞으니까.
- Korean Proverb. This means that even innocent people can be punished or falsely accused if they stay with someone who has done something bad.
- Great Heavenly Blood War. Raws: 혈천대전(血天大戦).
- 血 xuè – blood
- 天 tiān – sky, heaven, god, celestial
- 大 dà, dài, tài – big, great, vast, large, high
- 戦 zhàn – war, fighting, battle
- Blue Dragon Squad. Raws: 청룡조(靑龍組).
- 靑 qīng – blue
- 龍 lóng – dragon
- 組 zǔ – to form / to organize / group / team / classifier for sets, series, groups of people, batteries
- Two Corps. Raws: 이단(二團).
- 二 èr – two / 2
- 團 tuán – round / lump / ball / to roll into a ball / to gather / regiment / group / society / classifier for a lump or a soft mass: wad (of paper), ball (of wool), cloud (of smoke)
- Three Battalions. Raws: 삼대(三隊).
- 三 sān – three / 3
- 隊 duì – squadron / team / group
- Four Squads. Raws: 사조(四組).
- 四 sì – four / 4
- 組 zǔ – to form / to organize / group / team / classifier for sets, series, groups of people, batteries
- White Sage Pavilion. Raws: 백현각(白賢閣).
- 白 bái – white / snowy / pure / bright / empty / blank / plain
- 賢 xián – worthy or virtuous person / honorific used for a person of the same or a younger generation
- 閣 gé – pavilion
- Snow Valley Village. Raws: 설곡리(雪谷里). This is translated as Snow Canyon in the manhwa.
- 雪 xuě – snow / CL: 場｜场 / (literary) to wipe away (a humiliation etc)
- 谷 gǔ – valley
- 里 lǐ – lining / interior / inside
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