Return of the Sword Emperor - Chapter 3

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 1 — Mibgeomdan (2)

The new recruits, escorted by Jong Gak and Beon Hu, arrived at Mibgeomdan and surveyed their surroundings with anxious expressions.
These were not mere novices intimidated by an unfamiliar place—they had endured years of training so brutal that merely thinking of it made them shudder.
Rather, what unsettled them was the scrutiny of five men and women who appraised them like merchandise, and the piercing gazes of countless others beyond them, each gaze carrying a different weight.
These seniors had all survived the same grueling training and were already proving themselves in live operations—their future colleagues. In that sense, the recruits’ wariness was entirely natural.

‘Nothing’s changed from before.’

Unlike his peers, who squirmed under the weight of these senior members’ scrutiny, Dokgo Jin—whom he had once believed he would never see again—kept an at ease, bright expression on his face.
After throwing himself from Hwan Yu Gok and suddenly awakening, Dokgo Jin had spent a long time in confusion before finally accepting the truth: he had undergone Regression to the past.
And he was grateful to heaven for this second life.
The countless failures, pain, and terrible deaths he had suffered before were events that had not yet come to pass—outcomes he could reshape with his own hands.

“Ah, a decent recruit after quite some time.”

Gok Sa Bong, the First Team Leader, chuckled as he reviewed the Evaluation Report that Beon Hu handed him. Were it not for the scars covering his face, he would appear soft enough to spend his days quietly pursuing scholarship in Shim San Yu Gok.
The evaluation report Beon Hu had prepared contained a condensed summary of the complex assessment that Jong Gak had passed on to Hyeok Ryeok Su.

“There are twelve of them total, so let’s have each team take two, and assign one extra recruit each to the Fourth and Fifth Teams.”

At the words of the Second Team Leader, Gwak Ryeong, who was reading the evaluation report over Gok Sa Bong’s shoulder, all the team leaders nodded in agreement.

“Then, as always, we’ll draw lots to determine the order of personnel allocation.”

Gok Sa Bong offered this suggestion while deliberately ignoring someone’s gaze, and both Gwak Ryeong and Beon Hu quickly signaled their assent.

“That sounds fine to me.”
“Yes, we should do as we always have.”

Just as Wi Dae Boong, the youngest Fifth Team Leader, was about to speak while gauging the room, Yu Seol Ran, the Fourth Team Leader, suddenly slammed her fist against the wall.
Bang!

“Are you out of your mind?”

Gok Sa Bong, startled by Yu Seol Ran’s sharp voice and blazing eyes, took a small step backward and asked cautiously.

“Why? What’s, what’s the prob—”
“You don’t know what the problem is?”

Yu Seol Ran, who had thrust her face close to Gok Sa Bong’s, suddenly whirled around to face Gwak Ryeong and Beon Hu.

“Don’t you two see the problem?”
“That is… well…”

Gwak Ryeong forced an awkward smile, visibly uncomfortable, but Beon Hu—who had already braced himself for resistance—raised his voice slightly.

“What now? What’s gotten under your skin this time?”
“You’re joking, right? The last operation—we went out even though it wasn’t our turn.”
“That was only because the Fourth Team had the most personnel at the time.”
“Two of us died in that operation, and three were crippled. Do you know how many people are left in my team?”
“That’s why we’re giving you three of the new recruits.”

Gwak Ryeong interjected gently.

“Just three? That’s not enough.”
“Not enough? What do you expect us to do about it? You’re not seriously asking for more, are you? We’re short-handed too.”

Beon Hu snapped irritably.

“We have the numbers. Give me priority. If you don’t like it…….”

Yu Seol Ran cut her words short and shot Beon Hu a piercing glare.
Beon Hu stared back at her with wide eyes for a long moment, then caught the glint of madness blazing in her pupils and finally looked away.
Once Beon Hu capitulated, the other team leaders averted their eyes and pretended to be absorbed in other matters.

“Well, well! She broke through.”
“I knew it would come to this.”
“Better to just give her what she wants, wouldn’t you say?”
“Right. Did you see the look in our team leader’s eyes lately? Just looking at her makes my skin crawl.”

The Mibgeomdan members who had been watching the team leaders’ standoff with interest could only murmur their regrets as they saw their leaders give ground without mounting a proper defense to Yu Seol Ran’s demands.
Yet they harbored no real wounded pride or sense of injustice.
They understood the team leader’s circumstances better than anyone, and they had felt in their bones how terrifying Yu Seol Ran became when her eyes went wild.
More than that, not a single member of Mibgeomdan owed her nothing less than their lives, and the same held true for the team leaders as well.

‘She really is remarkable, isn’t she.’

Unlike the other members of his cohort who watched the team leaders’ verbal contest with bated breath, Dokgo Jin, who already knew the outcome, quietly shifted his position and edged closer to Namgoong Ho.

“What?”

Namgoong Ho opened his mouth toward Dokgo Jin, who had tapped his arm, but conscious of the eyes around them, his voice came out barely more than a whisper.
Dokgo Jin leaned in close.

“She’s going to pick you.”
“Come on! How would you even know that? Seriously, you’ll get us killed talking like this.”

Namgoong Ho answered with obvious displeasure, his lips moving earnestly even as nearly no sound escaped.

“Yeah.”
“Ugh, that’s the one I can’t stand.”

“If I say so, then I know. What matters is that you need to make sure she picks me.”
“Huh?”

It wasn’t that belonging to a different team posed any particular problem, but he had his reasons—their first meeting, and the debt of life he owed to Yu Seol Ran—so he wanted to be under her command if at all possible.

“What on earth are you talking about?”

Having been forced into the Training Facility at a young age as a sacrificial pawn of the Se Clan, Namgoong Ho had relied most heavily on Dokgo Jin for support and aid. Moreover, Dokgo Jin was the only one who knew his true nature—something the Evaluation Report would never reveal.

Yu Seol Ran quieted the Team Leaders’ protests with ease, snatched the Evaluation Report from Gok Sa Bong’s hands, and spun toward the recruits.

“Who’s Namgoong Ho?”

At Yu Seol Ran’s question, Namgoong Ho sprang to his feet.

“Present.”
“Come here.”
“Yes.”

The sight of Namgoong Ho scurrying over at Yu Seol Ran’s gesture like a puppy drew laughter from the assembled crowd.

“You’re certain about that Evaluation Report?” Gwak Ryeong asked quietly, turning to Beon Hu.

Gwak Ryeong posed the question in a low voice.

“Or are you worried I doctored it?” Beon Hu replied.
“It’s not that. It’s just the way you’re acting seems off.”

At Gwak Ryeong’s words, Gok Sa Bong cast a suspicious glance as well.

“I’m certain. The gold-ranked instructor at the Training Facility said the boy looks naive and acts foolishly, but beneath that appearance, his skill is exactly this good.” Beon Hu raised his thumb in demonstration, and the Team Leaders who’d missed out on such a catch clicked their tongues in regret.

The Team Leaders who’d missed out on such a catch clicked their tongues in regret.

“Next is……”

As Yu Seol Ran glanced at the Evaluation Report to announce the second recruit, Namgoong Ho—receiving a signal from Dokgo Jin—spoke in a voice that seemed to crawl out of the ground.

“T-Team Leader, Dokgo…Jin.”

Yu Seol Ran’s gaze, tinged with doubt, turned toward Namgoong Ho.

“What?”
“Dokgo…Jin. That older brother’s skill…is very good.”

Conscious of the Team Leaders’ eyes upon him, Namgoong Ho’s voice seemed to burrow into the ground, and Yu Seol Ran’s expression hardened.

“What kind of voice is that for a man? Stop buzzing like a mosquito and speak clearly.”

Her voice rang out sharp and clear.
Namgoong Ho clearly hadn’t expected Yu Seol Ran to react this way; bewilderment was written all over his face. But the die was already cast.

“I recommend Dokgo Jin.”

His voice remained lifeless, but the meaning was unmistakable.

“Dokgo…Jin?”

Yu Seol Ran’s eyes shifted to the Evaluation Report, searching for the name Dokgo Jin, and her expression turned glacial. The name Namgoong Ho had recommended was nowhere near the top—it was ranked dead last, in twelfth place!

“This bastard……”

Yu Seol Ran was about to flare with anger, convinced that Namgoong Ho had exploited their acquaintance to mock her, when—

“Hold on. That’s not it.”

Beon Hu, who had quietly marked Dokgo Jin for himself after observing how he’d been treated when he first regained consciousness, quickly intervened.

“Priority just needs to be one, doesn’t it? If we brought the best of them, isn’t that enough? Are we supposed to take only the dregs?”

At Beon Hu’s crude response, Yu Seol Ran’s eyes gleamed.

‘Hah! Look at that. Why is this greedy senior suddenly so worked up?’

She sensed there was something more to it.

“That’s strange. Why make such a fuss?”

Beon Hu caught the glint in Yu Seol Ran’s eyes and felt his stomach drop.

“I, what am I?”
“Think about it. From your perspective, that Dokgo Jin would count among the dregs, wouldn’t he?”

Yu Seol Ran waved the Evaluation Report in her hand and continued.

“According to the Evaluation Report you brought, he’s dead last. It’s obvious you recommended him because of personal ties. Senior, surely you didn’t manipulate the results?”
“What nonsense is that?”
“If not? Your raised voice over someone ranked lowest is awfully suspicious, don’t you think?”
“That’s true. Is that Evaluation Report even legitimate?”
“That Namgoong Ho from before was the same, but you don’t think the fourth Team Leader actually falsified the report, do you?”

At Gok Sa Bong and Gwak Ryeong’s suspicions, Beon Hu erupted.

“What manipulation! If you don’t believe me, you can confirm it with the Master later. The original report was presented to the Master, so you can check with him!”

At Beon Hu’s reaction, Gok Sa Bong and Gwak Ryeong immediately backed off.

“Well, even if our third Team Leader has a foul temperament, he’s not stupid enough to tell an obvious lie.”
“But why are you so flustered? If the fourth Team Leader picks someone ranked last, isn’t that actually good for us?”

Watching Gok Sa Bong and Gwak Ryeong prattle on, oblivious to his inner thoughts, Beon Hu let out a sigh deep enough to shake the ground.

“I don’t care. Pick whoever you want.”

As Beon Hu withdrew with an irritated expression, Yu Seol Ran chose Dokgo Jin without hesitation. While Namgoong Ho’s recommendation—being evaluated as possessing overwhelming skill among the newcomers—was noteworthy, it was Beon Hu’s demeanor, who had personally escorted the newcomers, that made her instinctively sense something not reflected in the Evaluation Report.

“You’re Dokgo Jin, right?”

Yu Seol Ran gestured toward Dokgo Jin.

“Come here.”
“Yes!”

Dokgo Jin, answering energetically, moved quickly forward.
Feeling Dokgo Jin approach from the side, Yu Seol Ran turned her head.

“Since I picked the one ranked last, I’ll select one more from the decent ones.”

As if she hadn’t even been waiting for the Team Leaders’ input, Yu Seol Ran called out rapidly.

“Who is Ha Jo Gyeong?”

At Yu Seol Ran’s call, a young man of small stature, huddled in one corner, timidly lifted his head.

“Is, is it me?”
“It’s you—come on, get over here quickly!”

At Yu Seol Ran’s cry, Ha Jo Gyeong lurched to his feet, startled, and rushed over.

‘Heon Won Gwang? No—Ha Jo Gyeong?’

Dokgo Jin’s expression flickered with surprise at Yu Seol Ran’s choice, and he glanced at Heon Won Gwang.
A fellow trainee with exceptional martial skill and sharp tracking ability, Heon Won Gwang had earned a place on the Evaluation Report just below Namgoong Ho, Deung Ryong, and Poong Ak.

‘She picked Heon Won Gwang before. But this change… it has to be because of me.’

Dokgo Jin concluded that his presence as an unpredictable variable had altered Yu Seol Ran’s selection.

“He’s in the middle, so no complaints, yes? Now it’s your turn.”
“Yes.”

As Yu Seol Ran handed over the paper, Wi Dae Boong compared the trainees he’d been observing with the Evaluation Report and immediately selected three names.
His choice to pick only trainees ranked relatively high drew jibes from the seniors, but since he’d avoided touching Poong Ak and Deung Ryong—positioned just below Namgoong Ho—the grumbling dissipated quickly.

“Well, now it’s our turn…”
“Let’s draw lots like we discussed earlier.”
“Since it’s come to this anyway, how about we go in reverse order?”

After Yu Seol Ran and Wi Dae Boong finished their selections, the real battle of wits began among the six team leaders over the remaining trainees.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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