Chapter 35 - My Sword Unit (3)

“It’s finally gotten quiet.”

After sending the group of thugs away, only Im Seong-jun and I remained here.

“Nothing to brag about. Even I can handle about seven thugs like that.”

Im Seong-jun pouted and glared at me.

“Name, Im Seong-jun. Age twenty, behavior of a complete troublemaker. Hasn’t passed the Hunter exam yet.”

“You know me?”

“Not well, but I’ve heard things.”

“You, don’t tell me you’re from the Haewon Sword Family?”

I nodded.

There was no reason to hide it.

“Shit. I was wondering who it was, but you’re just another one of my father’s lackeys from the Moonlight Unit!”

The Moonlight Unit Commander did send me, but he was wrong about the rest.

From the looks of it, this wasn't the first time the Moonlight Unit Commander had sent someone like this.

“Follow me. This conversation seems like it’ll be long.”

“Just piss off when I’m being nice, if you don’t want to get beaten.”

“If I say it like that, did you expect me to say, yes, I understand, and leave?”

“Then get beaten!”

Im Seong-jun’s palm flew towards my cheek.

Judging by the snap of his wrist as it bent, he had a lot of experience hitting people.

Jwaaaak!

But the sound of impact came from Im Seong-jun’s cheek.

A beating is the best medicine for someone with bad hand habits.

“You son of a bitch! Did you just hit me?”

Jwaaaak!

This time, a spark flew from the opposite side of his cheek.

“Yeah. I did hit you, and if you still don’t get it, go ahead and ask one more time.”

I gave him a sly smile.

“How dare you, you son of a bitch!”

“Dare? What, are you going to tattle to your daddy? I guess I didn't get permission from the Moonlight Unit Commander to hit you. Well, I can always get permission later.”

“You bastard, who are you!”

Jwaaaak!

I struck his cheek once more.

Jwaaaaak!

And to be fair, one more time on the other side.

His face was already swollen and puffy.

“Shit! Why did you hit me this time!”

“Because of that damn mouth of yours.”

“You crazy bastard!”

He launched another attack.

A mana-infused fist flew at me.

Rock for rock, so this time, I’ll use a fist as well.

Peoeok!

The guy, struck in the abdomen, let out a pained groan.

“Keck! Keck!”

“I wonder if you’ve now found the will to correct that mouth of yours.”

Peoeok!

Unsure, I hit him one more time.

Usually, the more you get hit, the more obedient you become.

“You son of a…”

He couldn't finish his sentence.

He wasn't an idiot, so he must have felt the difference in our strength by now.

“Who the hell are you!”

To his eyes, I probably didn't look like an ordinary lackey from the Moonlight Unit.

If I were one of Commander Im's subordinates, I wouldn't be so recklessly violent towards him.

“Seo Ji-han. Ever heard of me?”

His eyes darted around for a moment, then he opened his mouth with a puzzled expression.

“D-don’t tell me, the youngest son of the sword family?”

“That’s right. That ‘don’t tell me’.”

“Don’t bullshit me! From what I heard, the youngest son is….”

“The rumors are slow, aren't they? I’ve changed. I’m a completely different person from before.”

His pupils quaked.

“That can’t be. If you really are Seo Ji-han, why would you to me….”

He didn't seem to fully believe it, but his tone had become a little more polite.

Come to think of it, bloodline is a scary thing.

Making even a drunk troublemaker watch himself.

“I told you. I came because Commander Im sent me. He asked me to fix that head of yours.”

“So why would my father ask the youngest son to do that!”

“I think it’s a pretty ridiculous request myself. Why ask someone else to do what even a father can’t.”

I had heard a rough story about why Im Seong-jun had gone astray.

His family had been receiving a stipend as vassals of the Haewon Sword Family for three generations, but he didn't want that kind of life.

In truth, unless you were of the Seo bloodline, there were clear limits within the Haewon Sword Family.

No matter how good you were, you could never become the family head, nor could you be taught the Haewon Sword Style.

Im Seong-jun, dissatisfied with that, declared that he would cut ties with the Haewon Sword Family in his generation, which seemed to have caused a conflict with his father, Commander Im Moon-shik.

After that, he had been living a crooked life.

“Why don’t you stop acting like a troublemaker when it doesn't even suit you?”

“Screw you! What the hell do you know about me!”

“Seeing you today, I think I have a rough idea. You have a knack for worrying about useless things.”

“What’s that supposed to!”

“You, even if you train your ass off, you won’t even reach your father’s ankles. If you get lucky and are put in charge of a sword unit thanks to your father’s influence, you should be bowing down in gratitude. That’s your vessel, which is plain to see.”

As I relentlessly pushed him, he was so flustered that he couldn't speak.

“And if you leave the Haewon Sword Family, you think your life will change dramatically? You’ve only learned how to swing a sword, so you’ll probably end up in some third-rate guild, struggling to get by. You’ll lose everything you’ve enjoyed within the confines of the Haewon Sword Family. Have you ever thought of it that way?”

Eventually, he started trembling with his fists clenched.

“Shut up! In the Haewon Sword Family, even if I struggle, I’ll just live as someone’s shadow! The limits of bloodline can never be overcome!”

“This is truly unbelievable. Bloodline and all that aside, do you think you have the skill to rise to the highest position in the Haewon Sword Family?”

“Th-that depends on my effort….”

“You have to have tried your hardest to know your place. What would a guy who only makes excuses about bloodline without knowing his place know? Am I wrong?”

“You son of a…!”

Then, he saw my eyes and immediately swallowed his words.

He had instinctively sensed that he would get beaten again if he finished that sentence.

“Since it seems you’ll continue to be unaware of your place, I’ll make you a promise.”

“A promise? What kind of bullshit are you about to spout!”

“If you manage to reach a higher level than the direct bloodline of the family, I’ll let the Moonlight Unit or another sword unit become independent from the Haewon Sword Family.”

“What?”

“You can start a guild with that and play guild master. How about it, tempting, isn't it?”

I wasn't making an empty promise; I was truly willing to do it.

The problem was that there was no possibility of such a thing happening.

“But what authority do you have to say something like that?”

“I told you. I’m from the direct bloodline of the family. The person who will become the family head in the future.”

“D-don’t tell me, are you really Seo Ji-han?”

“Young Master!!”

At that moment, Choi Ho-joong approached with his characteristic fussing voice.

“I told you to wait.”

“I was just wondering where to escort you if your conversation was getting long!”

“It’s fine. The talk is over anyway. We’re going back to the family estate now. And you, Im Seong-jun.”

He had a dazed expression, then hurriedly answered.

“……Yes?”

“Starting tomorrow, Ho-joong will be looking after your swordsmanship, so come out to the 7th training ground early in the morning. Every day until you get your license.”

“What? I’m teaching Seong-jun?”

“Why are you so surprised? When I make my sword unit, you’ll be in charge of training the members anyway. So think of it as practice and get this guy into shape.”

Im Seong-jun’s opinion didn't matter.

Since I had decided to intervene, his troublemaking days were over.

***

The name of the sword unit I was to establish was decided as ‘Chamryongdan’.

As a bonus, I put the goal of this life I got to live a second time into the name of the sword unit.

But there was a guy who took issue with this.

“Young Master! No matter how I think about it, this name is not it. Chamryongdan, how childish!”

“Why is this childish? What’s wrong with Chamryongdan?”

“First of all, the sound of it isn't great. We might get teased and called Yongyongdan!”

“Aren’t you the one messing with me right now?”

“Of course not! I’m just purely for the sake of our sword unit….”

“Forget it. The name is already decided, so just post the recruitment notice.”

For now, I planned to recruit only about ten people.

There was no way high-quality applicants would flock to the first recruitment drive, so I planned to start with a small elite group, picking only the guys I liked.

“Should I also include the phrase ‘Not a family-like atmosphere’ in the notice?”

“Ho-joong, no matter how I think about it, it seems like you’re messing with me. Shouldn't we obviously write the opposite?”

In fact, I planned to run our sword unit like a family.

I would even teach the advanced swordsmanship of the Kalia Continent to those who showed promise.

“Ah, seriously. You don’t know the recent trends, young master. I’ll take care of this. That way, the application rate will be higher.”

The culture of Earth was still difficult.

“By the way, how’s that guy Im Seong-jun these days? Is he training well every morning?”

“That’s what’s so strange. His face looks like he’s eaten shit, but he doesn't miss his training time either. What on earth did you say to him to make him come to his senses?”

“I didn’t say much.”

I didn't threaten him, nor did I offer a grand reward.

In fact, I had thought about scaring him a little with some appropriate violence, but before that, I could see his eyes waver.

Sometimes, a person’s heart is moved at an unintended point. That day was such a case.

“Anyway, you have a strange ability, young master. I know the Moonlight Unit Commander was quite troubled because of that guy.”

“In any case, it’s a relief that he’s come to his senses. How are his skills? Is he any good?”

“He’ll be more than capable of getting a Hunter License. Since his background is what it is, his fundamentals were well-established since he was young.”

He did seem that way.

His movements when he attacked me weren't bad, and his mana capacity was quite decent for a rookie.

“Keep a close eye on him, and if he seems useful, try putting him in the Chamryongdan.”

“Seong-jun?”

“Yeah. It wouldn't look good to place him directly under his father right away.”

“I understand! But are you really going to confirm the name as Chamryongdan?”

“Stop talking nonsense and put up the recruitment notice.”

This punk, honestly. What was so wrong with Chamryongdan?

***

Ten days had passed since the recruitment notice was posted, and today was the member selection day.

Perhaps because of the Haewon Sword Family's reputation, quite a few people visited our family estate.

“Young Master! This is a total hit, isn’t it? I think almost a hundred people have gathered.”

“Is this number considered a hit?”

“Of course. With over a hundred applicants for a ten-person recruitment, the competition rate is 10 to 1. This is more than enough to be a hit.”

“So what? Most of them are just riffraff.”

Scanning them with my Mana's Eye, some of them were laughable.

Maybe because it was a new sword unit, my Chamryongdan seemed easy to them.

“Riffraff? Young Master, can you perhaps read faces too?”

“Yeah. Something like that.”

“No way!”

“Just start the test right away. It’ll take a long time to check a hundred people.”

The testing method was simple.

Choi Ho-joong and Shin Ah-yeon would have 1-on-1 matches with the applicants, and I would immediately decide whether they passed or failed by watching them.

I had instructed the two of them to go easy, but the difference in level with the applicants was inevitable.

Of course, I was watching with a hawk's eye, taking all that into account.

“Fail!”

“Fail!”

“Fail!”

As soon as the test began, a parade of failures followed.

At this rate, I wouldn't even be able to pick the planned ten members.

Just as my Mana's Eye had scanned, there were too many riffraff.

“Fail!”

A sigh escaped me naturally.

To think there were so many incompetent guys.

What was even more absurd was that there was a guy who complained about my judgment.

“Wow! Shit! We didn't even fight for a few seconds and it's an immediate fail?”

I nodded.

His ability to operate mana was just too pathetic.

“At least let me know the reason. I’m sure it’s a ridiculous reason anyway.”

Ridiculous, my foot.

To be this confident with such skills was a talent in itself.

“Lack of aptitude.”

It was a simple and clear reason.

Though he couldn't accept it right away.

“Lack of aptitude, that’s completely absurd! What about you, the Chamryongdan leader? From the rumors I hear, you’re nothing but a sickly weakling!”

“Were such rumors about me still going around?”

“To be frank, I don’t think there’s anyone among the applicants here weaker than the Chamryongdan leader. Am I wrong?”

Perhaps this was the reason why so many riffraff had gathered.

When my thoughts reached that point, another hollow laugh escaped me.

This wouldn't do.

“Alright. Then I’ll give you a special test. Ho-joong, you step out for a moment.”

With the situation being like this, it seemed I had no choice but to establish my authority as the unit commander myself.