CFZ

The Star Dragon Unit was recruiting members.
This news came shortly after the announcement that the Star King had become one of the Martial Alliance’s captains.

The unit, to be led by the Star King, was specifically formed to deal with human combat rather than monsters.
Unlike the other sword units, which had been established primarily to counter monsters, this unit focused on interpersonal combat.
The Martial Alliance’s declaration to create this specialized unit, led by the Star King, was a clear sign—they were preparing for war against the unorthodox sects.

The age of peace had already shattered after the emergence of Crimson-Rank monsters.
Though the alliance had done its best to maintain appearances, the recent events made that impossible.
With the appearance of a White-Rank monster and the rise of a new group calling itself the Demonic Cult, public anxiety had reached its peak.

Forming a unit specifically to counter the unorthodox sects wasn’t received poorly.
In fact, it was surprisingly well-received.
Ah, though…

‘That’s mostly because of me.’
After running around and cleaning up messes, my reputation had skyrocketed.
Thanks to that, anything the Star King announced was met with positivity.

Some even called me the hope of this era.
Just hearing it made me feel burdened.
On top of that, my face had become so recognizable that walking around Hanam in my normal appearance was nearly impossible.

I could’ve solved that easily by wearing a veil or using a transformation technique, but—
‘I’m not going that far.’
Since I wasn’t fond of going out in the first place, I figured it’d be easier to just stay in.

At any rate, my position had grown significantly.
To exaggerate a little, people would probably cheer even if I just took a dump.
Whatever I did, they believed there was some great meaning behind it, and just passing by made their eyes light up.
‘…Was this what it was like for the Divine Sword in my past life?’

Probably not to that extent, but it felt similar.
In my past life, I was treated as a walking disaster—something to be feared.
In this life, I was treated as a hero.

Even as I felt the difference—
‘…Tch.’
I didn’t enjoy it.

This wasn’t something I did for fun.
I’d built this situation intentionally, and I wasn’t interested in basking in admiration.
All I felt was discomfort.

Anyway.
The Star Dragon Unit, a special team formed by the Star King.
With its creation announced, the Martial Alliance made a shocking follow-up declaration yesterday.

They would be recruiting members not only from within the alliance but also from outside.
Normally, sword units in the alliance consisted exclusively of internal martial artists.
Yet the Star Dragon Unit boldly declared it would recruit external members.

Of course, it wouldn’t be entirely made up of outsiders—some members would still come from within the alliance.
‘Still, recruiting outsiders is unprecedented.’
For the Martial Alliance, this was a radical move.

The alliance prided itself on tradition, considering itself the heart of the orthodox sects.
To preserve that image, it followed strict rules.
One such rule was that any new group had to be formed exclusively with internal members.

This wasn’t just the Martial Alliance—most organizations operated the same way.
So, for the alliance to break its own rules and recruit externally was a huge deal.
Coupled with the symbolic meaning behind the unit, far more people had gathered than I expected.

Rustle—
I flipped through the documents listing the applicants.
The papers contained basic information about the candidates.

A total of 103 people had shown up.
Considering this was just one day’s worth of recruitment, it was an impressive number.
‘I heard most of the prominent families and sects already left Hanam.’

The noble families and renowned sects that came for the martial tournament.
After the mourning ceremony, most of them had returned home.
Only a handful remained in Hanam.

‘Six families and five sects.’
Despite so many having left, this many people still gathered.
Did they really see that much value in the Star Dragon Unit?

If so, I couldn’t understand their reasoning.
Then—
“As I mentioned earlier, we’ll be selecting a total of ten members.”

The alliance member in charge of the event began explaining.
I leaned my chin on my hand and listened.
Ten members from outside the alliance.

Another ten from within.
The Star Dragon Unit would have 25 members in total.
Why 25 when only 20 were announced?

Because I had privately arranged five additional members with Muk Yeon.
Altogether, 25.
It might seem like a lot, but compared to the other sword units, it was a small, elite force.

The Information Unit, Azure Dragon, had over 80 members.
Even the Red Dragon Unit, considered small, had more than 40.
But 25? That was tiny.

Tap.
Tap-tap.
I drummed my fingers on the table, drawing a glance from the Twin Crescent Swords.
‘Hmm.’

I kept my eyes on the papers.
The numbers didn’t matter.
The fewer, the better.

That part was fine—expected, even.
But.
‘…What is this?’

There was a slight problem.
‘Why are these people here?’
Several familiar names appeared in the documents.

Names that shouldn’t have been there.
Names I went out of my way to keep out.
‘This isn’t good.’

After all the trouble I went through to prevent this, how did they end up here?
‘Ha.’
Just what was going on?

As suspicion swirled—
“…Sir?”
‘How did they even find out—’

“Sir Star King—!”
“…!”
A loud voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

It was the alliance member speaking earlier.
“Apologies. You didn’t seem to be paying attention… Are you alright?”
“Ah, yes. I just got distracted for a moment. What is it?”

“I was reporting that the explanations are finished.”
I turned and noticed the participants were all looking at me.
“I heard you personally prepared this test.”

“Oh, right.”
I cleared my throat a few times.
As he said, I was the one in charge of the test.

I’d told Muk Yeon ahead of time that I’d handle it myself.
In other words—
I’d declared that I’d choose members however I saw fit.

‘Sigh….’
This situation was a bit annoying, but I had to move forward.
Narrowing my eyes, I looked at the gathered candidates and spoke.

“Thanks for coming. Let’s skip introductions and get started.”
The crowd murmured.
They hadn’t expected me to skip introductions entirely.

I could sense their tension rising.
They were probably expecting duels or tests of strength.
‘Not even close.’

Judging by the arena setup, everyone thought this would involve combat trials.
It was a reasonable assumption—tests like these usually involved sparring.
But too bad for them—I had no intention of doing things by the book.

Rustle.
I flipped through a few more sheets of the scroll before pausing.
‘This one’s good.’

I’d found someone fitting.
“You there.”
I pointed at someone immediately.

The man I singled out looked around nervously before pointing to himself.
“…M-Me?”
“Yes, you. Please step up onto the dueling platform.”

“...”
It was an abrupt request, but the man didn’t hesitate.
He stepped forward without a word.

He wasn’t particularly tall, and his lean frame showed wiry muscles.
From his build, it was clear he was a swordsman.
“It’s been a while. How’s your body holding up?”

He was someone I knew.
The moment I acknowledged him, his eyes widened.
“You… remember me?”

“It wasn’t exactly a short encounter. Of course, I remember. How are you?”
“I’m perfectly fine, no issues at all.”
“Good to hear.”

The man gave a small nod, his expression calm.
I couldn’t quite recall his name, but his nickname was—
‘Was it something like the Tenacity Blade?’

He wasn’t particularly famous.
I just remembered he had fought in the battle against the White-Rank monster.
So there he was—the Tenacity Blade—standing awkwardly as if unsure what to do.

I gave him a slight smile.
“Sorry for calling you out like this. I just have a quick favor to ask.”
“N-No, it’s fine. A favor? What kind…?”

“Just stand there until we’re finished.”
“…What?”
“I needed a clear benchmark, and you seemed perfect for it.”

A benchmark.
A vague term, which only deepened the confusion on his face.
He still looked completely lost, so I added,

“Oh, by the way—you’re already accepted.”
“Wait… Huh? What do you mean I’m accepted…?”
“The test is starting. The first row, left side—step up one by one.”

Leaving the Tenacity Blade still dumbfounded, I began calling people up.
And after that—
“Rejected. Rejected. Rejected. Hmm… Accepted. Oh, the three of you in the back—don’t bother coming up. You’re rejected.”

I judged them at ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) lightning speed, dismissing or approving candidates within seconds.
The participants’ expressions ranged from disbelief to outrage.
Of course, it didn’t make sense—I knew that too.

But I didn’t care.
I had already discussed this with Muk Yeon beforehand.
After eliminating about ten more people—

“Yes, you’re out. Next—”
I paused as the next candidate stepped onto the platform.
‘Damn it.’

It was one of the problems I’d noticed earlier.
Click.
Her footsteps were light.

And with them, the murmurs around us faded into silence.
A woman stepped onto the platform.
And the silence she brought was suffocating.

Her clothes swayed with each step, and she brushed back her hair as the wind lifted it.
Her blue eyes glimmered.
“…Wow….”

“…Ah….”
Soft gasps broke the silence.
That was the only response.

Ten steps.
It took her no more than ten steps to reach the platform, but time felt slower.
There was nothing special about her movements—

And yet every damn person in the crowd was staring.
I had to furrow my brows.
‘For god’s sake, I told you to wear a veil if you’re going to walk around.’

I already felt a headache coming on.
I had no idea why she kept getting prettier.
The woman, now standing on the platform, made even the Tenacity Blade beside her sweat nervously.

I scratched the back of my neck and stared at the white-haired woman.
Namgung Bi-ah.
“...”

“...”
Our eyes met.
Namgung Bi-ah’s clear blue eyes fixed on me without wavering.

I took in the reactions around her.
The ones who had been rejected and were grinding their teeth.
The ones who were still tense about the upcoming tests.

Every single one of them was staring at Namgung Bi-ah.
And it pissed me off.
“Haa.”

I couldn’t just gouge out their eyes.
I wanted to, but I had to hold back—and that pissed me off even more.
‘Tch.’

Clicking my tongue, I looked at Namgung Bi-ah again.
Her eyes were beautiful but disturbingly indifferent.
At first glance, she seemed completely emotionless.

But after being around her long enough, I could tell—
Those were the eyes of someone expecting something.
She was looking at me, expecting something.

And I knew exactly what she wanted.
It was obvious the moment she showed up without even telling me in advance.
But—

‘No.’
I wasn’t about to give in.
No way in hell.

I was about to reject her outright when—
“…Reject—”
Bang—!!

A sudden crash interrupted me.
It came from the table being slammed.
I turned to see the Twin Crescent Swords, his face red with anger.

“This is—!”
He was grinding his teeth, practically foaming at the mouth.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

He roared, shaking with fury.
What the hell was his problem now?