Episode 85: Encountering the Black Mist (1)
Light Novel: Volume 4 Chapter 4
Manhwa: Chapter 67
Chapter 4. Encountering the Black Mist (1)
The next day, the group left the camp just before dawn.
The Silver Sword Squad rode at the front, maintaining a tight watch.
Having lost a comrade in a surprise attack the previous night, their nerves were taut with tension.
A thick atmosphere of suspense lingered among them.
Worried that arrows might fly at any moment, their bloodshot eyes scanned their surroundings.
‘Just show yourselves again. I’ll tear you apart limb from limb.’
Naeng Ha-gyeom radiated killing intent as he stared ahead.
He hadn’t slept a wink since they lost the youngest, Jin So-myeong, to the surprise attack. That’s how bitter he felt.
It wasn’t just Naeng Ha-gyeom. All fourteen members of the Silver Sword Squad hadn’t slept. They knew they should have rested, but the tension and anger kept them awake.
Even though they had stayed up all night, the Silver Sword Squad felt no fatigue.
Martial artists of their caliber usually don’t feel tired from a single sleepless night.
Naeng Ha-gyeom sneaked a glance behind him.
He could see the figure of Lim Sobo riding her horse among Squad 13.
Although she was the one he and the Silver Sword Squad were tasked to protect, at this moment, he couldn’t look at her kindly.
“Tch.”
Naeng Ha-gyeom gritted his teeth and turned his eyes forward again.
His gaze burned with fury.
‘Come out already.’
Naeng Ha-gyeom prayed that the men who had attacked yesterday would show up quickly.
It was the same for the rest of the Silver Sword Squad members.
Lee Gwak, who had been watching them from behind, felt a strong sense of danger.
‘This is bad.’
The enemy had only fired a few arrows, yet the Silver Sword Squad had remained on edge the entire day. With their nerves like this, he doubted they could properly respond to a full-scale attack.
Lee Gwak looked behind him.
Squad 13 was tense as well, but having at least gotten some sleep, they were less exhausted.
Relieved by that, Lee Gwak continued forward.
Contrary to expectations, no attack came even as noon passed.
Fatigue slowly began to appear on the Silver Sword Squad’s tightly strung faces. But still, they did let their guard down.
And so, their fatigue only kept growing.
Eventually, Naeng Ha-gyeom had no choice but to call for rest.
He chose a spot beneath a massive boulder. The boulder was so large that it was bigger than a house. With the rock covering their rear, they only had to guard the front, making it a natural fortress.
“Stay alert even while you rest, everyone.”
Just as Naeng Ha-gyeom ordered the squad to remain vigilant until the end—
Fwiip!
A sharp sound split the air.
“Ambush!”
“Everyone take cover!”
Having already been ambushed once, the Silver Sword Squad reacted quickly. They either took cover behind obstacles or raised their weapons to guard the front.
Clang!
At that moment, an arrow flying from the front was deflected by a Silver Sword Squad member’s sword.
But it wasn’t over.
More arrows rained down in succession. However, the Silver Sword Squad martial artists did not panic. They struck the arrows down with their swords.
Shattered arrows littered the ground, but the Silver Sword Squad didn’t let down their guard. They glared in the direction the arrows had come from.
“Stop hiding and come out, you cowards!”
Naeng Ha-gyeom shouted, internal energy infused in his voice.
His shout caused the leaves in the area to scatter frantically, as if swept by a storm.
The Silver Sword Squad stared at the front with bated breath, but it was all in vain as no reaction came from their enemies.
“Damn it!”
Only then did the Silver Sword Squad realize the invisible enemy was thoroughly toying with them.
“We need to take down the archers first.”
Naeng Ha-gyeom’s eyes gleamed coldly.
He didn’t know how many assailants there were, but he didn’t think all of them could be skilled in archery.
Those who had mastered archery in Jianghu were extremely rare.
That was because the martial world tended to disdain long-range combat.
If anything, they preferred blades and if not those, then weapons like spears, axes, or staffs. Martial artists who attacked from afar using hidden weapons or bows weren’t held in high regard in Jianghu.
As a result, there weren’t many in Jianghu who practiced archery. And even fewer possessed the kind of refined skill that could hit a desired target from such a distance without revealing a single trace of their presence.
Naeng Ha-gyeom gestured to his second-in-command, Oh Jung-ui, who nodded in understanding.
Oh Jung-ui stealthily led his subordinates back to the direction the arrow had come from. While Naeng Ha-gyeom and the others drew the enemy’s attention, they would deal with the unknown archers.
Watching the scene, Lee Gwak silently shook his head.
‘It’s no use.’
He couldn’t sense the enemy’s presence at all. They had only fired a few arrows and slipped away.
It was clear their intention was to exhaust them slowly, to drain them dry.
The Silver Sword Squad understood that as well, but the problem was that they couldn’t not respond.
It was essentially a checkmate situation.
It would be no easy task for the Silver Sword Squad to get through this situation with its own strength. However, the Silver Sword Squad Leader Naeng Ha-gyeom didn’t want to accept help from Lim Sobo or Squad 13.
He still believed that the Silver Sword Squad’s strength alone would be enough to get them through the crisis.
“Big brother.”
Lim Sobo called out to Lee Gwak with a wave of her hand.
Lee Gwak quietly walked over to her side.
Lim Sobo didn’t look frightened at all. On the contrary, she was calmer than ever, maintaining sharp rationality.
“How does brother see the situation?”
“What do you mean?”
“The Silver Sword Squad. Do you think they can endure this pressure?”
“Hard to say.”
“They’ll never be able to withstand it.”
Lim Sobo was firm.
Though she was young, she had followed Yeo Jung-wol through countless situations, so she was more than capable of cold, rational judgment.
“We don’t know who the enemy is, but they won’t show themselves easily.”
“That’s right.”
“They’re cunning. By instilling fear, they’ve robbed us of any chance to rest. And at this rate, we’ll collapse from the inside, one misstep at a time.”
Lee Gwak nodded as he looked at Lim Sobo.
Lee Gwak had always thought of her as just a young girl. Though he knew in his head how brilliant she was, when he looked at her, he didn’t feel that way, perhaps because Lim Sobo was usually gentle and warm.
But now, faced with a crisis, her true nature emerged and Lee Gwak realized how mistaken he had been.
“The nearest branch of the Jade Heaven Alliance is more than three hundred li from here and there are no other nearby sects we can count on. Moving according to the enemy’s plan under these conditions would be foolish. We have to draw them into our rhythm instead.”
“How do we do that?”
“If we travel about a hundred li north of here, there’s a place called Iron Coffin Gorge. The area is shaped like a bottle gourd with sheer cliffs on either side of the gorge, and the only way in is through the entrance. We’ll set up a fortress there.”
“Fortress?”
“With the advantage of terrain, your expertise in traps, my own formation techniques, and the Silver Sword Squad’s martial power, it should be enough.”
At her confident statement, Lee Gwak asked,
“What if we get isolated? If the enemy blocks the entrance and holds their ground, we’ll starve to death.”
“If I fail to contact the Jade Heaven Alliance branch within two days, they’re required to dispatch an investigative team.”
“Hmm!”
“Two days for them to notice something’s wrong, and another day for the investigation team to arrive, so we only have to hold out for three days in all.”
“Three days…”
Lee Gwak’s eyes sank deep in thought.
If things went the way Lim Sobo said, there was a real chance of success. The issue was convincing Naeng Ha-gyeom, the leader of the Silver Sword Squad.
Lee Gwak and Lim Sobo relayed their conversation to Naeng Ha-gyeom, who still hadn’t relaxed.
Naeng Ha-gyeom’s already cold expression became even more glacial.
“So you’re saying we should cowardly flee and hole up for a siege?”
“It’s a strategic retreat, nothing cowardly about it.”
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that, Lady Lim.”
“Squad Leader Naeng!”
“I, Naeng Mo, have never turned my back to an enemy, and I have no intention of doing it now, especially against enemies as cowardly as those who sneak around with ambushes. We will meet the crisis head on, as we always have.”
Naeng Ha-gyeom was firm.
He seemed especially offended to be having this conversation in front of Lee Gwak.
After briefly glaring at Lee Gwak, he returned to his position.
“Hoo…”
Lim Sobo sighed deeply.
She knew he had a strong ego, but she hadn’t realized he was this stubborn.
Lim Sobo looked at Lee Gwak. She was silently asking for his opinion.
“For now, we have no choice but to follow them.”
“Brother?”
“But we should also be prepared to rush to the Iron Coffin Gorge at any moment. So steel yourself as well.”
“Understood.”
Lim Sobo nodded resolutely. A look of determination appeared on her face.
Lee Gwak looked at her briefly, then turned to look at Naeng Ha-gyeom and the Silver Sword Squad.
In the meantime, Oh Jung-ui’s party, who had departed stealthily, returned. As expected, they had found nothing and returned empty-handed.
Naeng Ha-gyeom’s face contorted miserably as he greeted them.
In the end, they had no choice but to set out again without having properly rested. And the enemy’s ambushes continued.
Thanks to their thorough vigilance, there were no further casualties but the Silver Sword Squad’s nerves grew sharper and more frayed by the minute.
They were like a volcano on the verge of eruption. Even the slightest provocation could trigger an explosion, so Squad 13 exercised extra caution.
Lee Gwak didn’t know exactly when it started, but at some point, he began to feel someone’s gaze.
In response to that subtle yet chilling stare, his sixth serpent awakened as if it were sending a warning to Lee Gwak.
Sssss!
It was as if he could hear a snake flicking its tongue inside his head.
Lee Gwak did not take the serpent’s warning lightly.
“Everyone, be on guard.”
He gave a warning to the members of Squad 13. They took his words seriously and became even more vigilant, watching all directions.
It was then.
Shwee-aeek!
With a sharp sound ripping through the air, another arrow came flying.
“Again?”
Naeng Ha-gyeom, looking fed up, swung his sword once more. Just like before, he intended to knock the arrow out of the air.
It was the same with the rest of the Silver Sword Squad members. The enemies had only thrown arrows at him many times before, but they had never shown themselves, so they assumed it would be the same this time.
But it wasn’t. Suddenly, from both sides of the road, black shadows leapt out—
It was the Black Deathly Ghost Mist Squad.
Swish!
They had ambushed the Silver Sword Squad.
Focused entirely on the incoming arrow, the Silver Sword Squad realized the ambush too late.
“Damn it!”
“Bastards— keugh!”
Screams erupted from all sides.
In the lightning-fast ambush, several warriors were killed before they could even react.
“You bastards!”
Blinded by the deaths of his subordinates, Naeng Ha-gyeom spurred his horse and leapt into the air.
The sword in his hand unleashed a wave of sword energy.
Riding that momentum, he rushed to cut down the attacker before him but he never got the chance.
Thwack!
“Geuk!”
An arrow, flying silently, pierced through his left shoulder.
“Squad Leader!”
Vice Squad Leader Oh Jung-ui moved to save him, but before he could even take a single step, two members of the Black Deathly Ghost Mist Squad blocked his path.
“Get out of the way!”
Oh Jung-ui roared and swung his sword.
Clang!
Sparks burst and vanished from the clash of blades. It was a fierce, violent collision.
While Oh Jung-ui was stalled by the enemy, Naeng Ha-gyeom lost his life.
An arrow from nowhere had lodged in his head, and a deep gash in his abdomen had caused his entrails to spill out.
Even the Great Heavenly Immortal couldn’t have saved him.
Just before his breath was cut off, his gaze met Lim Sobo’s in midair.
“You damn… it’s because of… you…”
He glared at her with eyes full of resentment before despair consumed him. It was a truly futile death.
As Lim Sobo bit down hard on her lip, Lee Gwak stepped in front of her and shouted,
“Retreat to the Iron Coffin Gorge!”
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