The Legend of Red Cloud - Chapter 8

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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 8. The Search for Sajagwan
Dong Pil, who had taken the lead along the mountain path, grumbled as they climbed.
“Damn it, I don’t like this mountain. Not from the start. What kind of name is Sajagwan anyway?”
Jwa Ryang offered a sharp rebuke to Dong Pil, who was needlessly complaining about the mountain’s name.
“If you’re a scout and you’re going to chatter like that, you might as well send word to the enemy that we’re here.”
“I wish we’d at least see some enemies. It’s been more than a day since we started combing this place, and I haven’t spotted a single ant.”
“It’s only been a day.”
Yi Song, whose calm voice matched his composed expression, interjected into the conversation between the two men.
Dong Pil turned to look at him with continued grumbling.
“How can you say that while looking at all this?”
Yi Song let out a soft chuckle at Dong Pil, who was pointing to the six large bags piled high on his back.
“That’s what you get for suggesting rock-paper-scissors in the first place.”
“How was I supposed to know it would turn out like this!”
“That’s why the world is fair. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve carried bags for you. So many I can’t even remember anymore. So shut your mouth and lead the way.”
Despite Yi Song’s rebuke, Dong Pil’s grumbling continued unabated.
Behind them came the new recruits, moving with unburdened bodies. Though Gwak Ki Ryang was not among them, as he was carrying Yoon’s bags.
In contrast, Hwangbo Jang Sung, Paeng Gyeong, and Cheol Ja Ryong, who had packed nothing but some Emergency Medicine, climbed the mountain with light steps and mocked their senior colleagues ahead.
It wasn’t simply that they refused to carry heavy loads.
Their climbing movements made it clear they were fully using their physical strength.
Climbing such treacherous terrain using only raw physical strength without Internal Power would be inefficient.
The three merely mocked them, but Yoon seemed genuinely curious.
He asked Gwak Ki Ryang, who had been walking quietly beside him.
“From their heavy movements, it looks like they’re not using Internal Power. Why would that be?”
“I’m not sure. That’s a mystery to me as well. They’re clearly Internal Power Masters, yet I can’t fathom the reason.”
“If you don’t know, Gwak, it’s even harder for me to understand.”
Gwak Ki Ryang’s expression turned apologetic at Yoon’s words.
“I’m sorry I can’t give you an answer.”
“Never mind. Let’s just keep climbing.”
As Yoon’s words fell, Gwak Ki Ryang’s gaze followed the ones ahead, and his expression too was filled with curiosity.
Even garrison soldiers who had trained in Internal Power didn’t carry this much equipment.
And military commanders with Internal Power made it standard practice to rely on it during travel.
But here, in the Martial World where genuine Internal Power Masters gathered… there was no way to know.
Yet it was difficult to ask the reason, as the atmosphere didn’t suggest they would explain it carefully.
It seemed certain he would only receive criticism for asking.
Making a bad impression on one’s seniors before even finding one’s footing was never wise in any group.
Especially in the Martial World, where strength was the measure of order.
So for now, he kept his mouth shut and did as instructed.
Of course, that didn’t mean he intended to rely solely on physical strength when he had perfectly good Internal Power available.
No one had told him to do that.
So Gwak Ki Ryang used his Internal Power to follow his seniors up the mountain while organizing his thoughts.
The search for the Red Snake Squad continued without significant results until the sun that had risen through the darkness began to set again, hanging over Mountain Peak and casting a crimson glow.
“I think we should camp here for the night.”
The gaze of everyone—including Yi Song, who had spoken those words, and the rest of the veteran squad members—fell not on Jang Min Su, their squad leader, but on a man named Ryu.
It was visible that Ryu’s head gave a slight nod in response to the five new recruits’ curious gazes.
Then the veteran Red Snake Squad members dispersed and began settling into positions.
Seeing the situation unfold, Yi Song approached the new recruits, who were standing uncertainly about how to proceed.
“Why are you standing around like that? Find a comfortable spot and settle in.”
“That is… where should we settle, exactly?”
It wasn’t that they couldn’t find a place to rest.
Generally, group movements like this followed certain rules and patterns.
This held true not just during travel, but during rest as well.
So they needed to confirm what formation and position to settle into.
Yi Song, watching Gwak Ki Ryang ask this with a faint gleam in his eye, smiled slightly.
“Asking for positional information… so you’re not completely green when it comes to group operations. Not bad at all.”
Gwak Ki Ryang felt some relief at the other man’s favorable assessment, and Yi Song’s voice continued.
“When resting, unless there’s a specific order, you can settle wherever you like. But stay within ten paces of where Ryu settles, at minimum.”
A man named Ryu was visible, having already set up his single-person Tent and now intently gazing at something he’d drawn from his pocket.
A spark of curiosity lit the eyes of the new recruits who watched him.
No matter how they looked at it, the Red Snake Squad’s affairs seemed to revolve around that man Ryu, not around their squad leader.
Yi Song, aware of what the new recruits were thinking, offered no further explanation.
He’d reasoned that once she joined the Red Snake Squad, she’d learn the truth soon enough anyway.
Yi Song hurried along the newcomers, who were watching Ryu with such peculiar expressions.
“Once the sun fully sets, there’ll be all sorts of preparations that become difficult. Best we make haste.”
Only then did the newcomers scatter in search of places to rest, naturally dividing into two groups.
Yun and Gwak Ki Ryang formed one cluster, while Hwangbo Jang Sung, Cheol Ja Ryong, and Paeng Gyeong made up the other.
Seeing that those with prior acquaintance were clustering together, Yi Song returned to his own place without comment.
He understood that forcing friendships when tensions ran this high would serve no purpose.
As each person rested, the sun vanished completely and thick darkness settled over the encampment.
The Red Snake Squad’s encampment held not even a single campfire.
During operations—especially in dangerous territory where enemies might emerge at any moment—they couldn’t risk a fire that would expose their position.
Because of this, they had to satisfy their hunger with Military Rations carried in their bags.
Those who’d eaten it before knew: Military Rations were hardly pleasant fare.
They consisted mostly of steamed grain pounded into nuggets the size of two finger joints and dried, or meat and fish stripped of moisture under the sun—hard as stone.
Even a piece or two would ache the teeth, and the jaw would feel ready to dislocate from the effort.
And the taste—why was there so little of it…….
This was because Military Rations prioritized long-term storage over flavor or ease of consumption.
Not that anyone was ignorant of this, but it didn’t change the fact that eating them was always an ordeal.
For this reason, some prepared dried fruit as rations instead, though aside from the high cost, they spoiled faster than other rations and were insufficient for truly quieting hunger—so they were rarely used.
Well, whether this or that, if you had it you ate it; but among the three newcomers, Hwangbo Jang Sung and the others had packed nothing but a handful of Emergency Medicine when preparing, so they had nothing to eat.
At first, they’d thought they could go a few days without food without much trouble, but watching others eat—even if it was meager fare—made hunger nearly unbearable.
So when Cheol Ja Ryong rose, determined to catch at least a rabbit or pheasant, Jwa Ryang’s voice pulled him back.
“Within the encampment, you may do as you wish. But don’t stray beyond it.”
Since no fence had been raised, the encampment was likely a circle of about thirty paces centered on the man called Ryu.
By that measure, the place where Cheol Ja Ryong and the others had been resting fell at the eastern edge of the encampment.
In any case, that was one thing—but hunger was hunger…….
“I’ll just hunt briefly and return.”
“You think those who left the encampment and never came back are few? And what of the safety of those who have to search for them? Stop talking nonsense and stay put.”
“Then what are we supposed to eat?”
“Weren’t you the ones who didn’t pack food because you weren’t planning to eat?”
“Well, that’s…….”
“And if you do catch something? You’ll just tear into it raw?”
“In this situation, you understand we can’t light a fire. That’s exactly why there are methods to roast meat without the light escaping. You must know that much, so don’t worry.”
“Is that why we’re grinding through Military Rations instead? When you cook or boil something, it produces scent. In mountains, forests, and open fields, such scents spread far more easily. Didn’t you know that?”
“That is…….”
Cheol Ja Ryong, too flustered to continue, received a cold nail driven home by Jwa Ryang.
“Unless the situation qualifies as enemy attack, you do not leave the encampment under any circumstances. This is a Military Order. You understand that disobeying it brings execution. So stay quiet and settled.”
Cheol Ja Ryong, his spirit stung by the harshness of the words, was about to push back when Paeng Gyeong held him fast.
He’d recognized that a man like Jwa Ryang would make an example of whoever resisted, truly and bloodily, in a situation like this.
With Paeng Gyeong’s restraint, Cheol Ja Ryong sat back down, and Gwak Ki Ryang approached him.
“If this would be acceptable, please share it with us.”
Along with those words, he offered his bag of Military Rations.
Cheol Ja Ryong, recognizing it, asked.
“If you give us this, what will you eat?”
“We have one more, so we’ll divide that among ourselves.”
When Cheol Ja Ryong looked back at Hwangbo Jang Sung and Paeng Gyeong, both had reluctant expressions.
After all, how long ago had they mocked those who packed so carefully?
Besides, Cheol Ja Ryong himself felt his pride sting at it, so he shook his head.
“I appreciate the thought, but we’re fine.”
“But…….”
“I said we’re fine. Don’t trouble yourself.”
Still smarting from what had just happened, irritation filled Cheol Ja Ryong’s voice as the words tumbled out.
Gwak Ki Ryang had come in good faith and been rebuffed, so his mood couldn’t have been pleasant; yet he withdrew without protest.
He’d learned from considerable experience that conflict here would only deepen the wound between them.
Paeng Gyeong, watching Gwak Ki Ryang retreat so gracefully, turned his gaze past Cheol Ja Ryong—bristling with frustration beyond his control—to Hwangbo Jang Sung, who leaned against a wooden pillar with eyes closed.
‘Come to think of it, these are all people cut from the same cloth.’
In truth, they were all people who received disfavor in their own families or sects—people with rough edges, so to speak.
Rejects, in a word.
With that thought, Paeng Gyeong let out a quiet laugh, and his gaze shifted to Yun, who was now watching Cheol Ja Ryong with displeasure, and to Gwak Ki Ryang, who was trying to soothe him.
Gwak Ki Ryang’s manner remained that of someone serving a superior. And this youth called Yun…….
‘Who are you, really?’
Along with that question, his father came to mind—the man who had pressed the Portrait Tablet into his hands a fortnight ago.

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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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