“I shall obey.”
Yunseo cried out in a low voice and launched himself forward.
He plunged straight into the heart of the rebels’ encirclement, as if breaking through it head-on.
Wherever Yunseo’s blade passed, screams erupted only belatedly in its wake.
The rebels circling in from either side were cut down before they could even take a step.
Before even a few breaths had passed, only a handful of rebels remained standing inside the temple.
The rebel leader stared blankly at the scene before him.
His subordinates’ bodies scattered across the ground like severed blades of grass.
The boy they had mocked moments ago as barely holding on was now drenched head to toe in blood, swinging his blade like a demon that had walked out of hell.
“Impossible……!”
A scream burst from the leader’s mouth.
His greed for gold and rank shattered to pieces before terror.
He gritted his teeth, then was the first to turn his back. Abandoning his men, he fled madly out of the abandoned temple alone.
The leader’s flight trampled even the spirits of the remaining rebels.
Their will to fight collapsed in an instant, and screams burst out in place of killing intent. They threw down their weapons and scattered in every direction.
They wanted only one thing. To get as far away as possible from that incarnation of slaughter.
Yunseo did not pursue them. From the beginning, he had only one mission.
To protect the person behind him.
He turned and looked at Wolhwa, whom he had shielded throughout the battle.
Then, in a few strides, he approached her and grasped her cold wrist.
“Let’s go.”
There was no hesitation.
The two of them burst out of the temple, which trembled as if it might collapse at any moment, and threw themselves into the thick darkness of the night forest.
As soon as Yunseo judged the direction, he avoided the main road and plunged deep into the dense woods.
Even with another person in tow, his steps did not falter in the slightest.
The effect of his agility attribute was revealed in full at that moment.
Even the muddy ground and rocky mountain path felt like level earth.
But Wolhwa’s condition was different.
The poison had only subsided for a while; it had not disappeared completely.
Under the tension of the fierce battle and the sudden movement, the suppressed toxicity began to stir again.
Her breathing grew ragged, and her steps gradually faltered.
“Yuk Yunseo…… I, I……”
Her voice trembled.
Yunseo stopped at once.
When he turned back, her face was as pale as paper, and her lips had turned blue.
Even the hand gripping his arm was trembling faintly.
Yunseo clenched his teeth.
His hesitation did not last long.
After securing the sword at his waist, he lowered himself in front of her.
“Your Majesty. This is urgent. Please forgive my discourtesy. I will carry you. That will allow us to leave this place faster.”
For a moment, Wolhwa was at a loss for words. Her cheeks flushed in an instant.
The words of refusal she had meant to say never made it past her lips.
After hesitating briefly, she quietly entrusted herself to his hands.
Then, as if by instinct, she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face against his warm chest.
Yunseo carefully rose to his feet.
One hand supported her beneath the knees, and the other held her back firmly. Steady, without the slightest wobble.
Wolhwa unconsciously raised her head and looked at his face.
His firmly set jawline, the muscles standing out along the nape of his neck.
In just this one day, this young guardsman had become an entirely different being.
“Today…… thank you.”
She spoke quietly.
“If not for you, I would already have fallen into the rebels’ hands.”
At that moment—
A series of notifications rang in Yunseo’s mind.
[Ding!]
[Event Mission “Life-Risking Escort” complete!]
[UR-grade target — Gang Wolhwa has survived and escaped!]
[Gang Wolhwa forms a “Bond” with the host.]
[Current Bond Stage: Beginning (50 / 100)]
[UR Bond-linked Skill unlocked]
『Empress’s Blessing』
· All stats +10% when carrying out the Empress’s command
· Partial manifestation of the Heavenly Son’s Star
· Grants an effect that weakens enemy momentum and energy
[Rewards granted]
· Free stat points +20
[New Trait acquired]
『Asura Physique』
· Greatly increases physical durability
· Enhances recovery and strength
· Dulls pain during combat
· Temporarily breaks past limits in extreme situations
『Vajra Indestructible』
· Forms a Vajra protective barrier around the entire body when operating inner energy
· Resistance to evil energy, poison, and curses
· Greatly reduces damage from physical attacks
· When a protected target is present, the Vajra protective barrier can be expanded outward
『Steps of the Phoenix』
· An ultimate footwork modeled after the movements of an ancient phoenix
· Mobility at the level of short-distance spatial movement
· Maximizes evasion, speed, and afterimage effects
At the system voice that rang out one after another, Yunseo drew in a breath without realizing it.
“……Ha.”
His heart pounded. It was good. Too good.
This was not a simple reward. It was a perfect set prepared for his current situation and the path ahead.
For offense, the Asura Physique.
For defense, Vajra Indestructible.
For mobility, Steps of the Phoenix.
His weaknesses had vanished, and his strengths had been maximized.
Yunseo ran, cutting through the night forest.
Feeling the faint warmth conveyed from behind him, he silently clenched his teeth and vowed that he would survive this chaotic world no matter what.
Now she was not merely someone he had to protect. Nor was she a burdensome responsibility he had been forced to shoulder.
To him, she was an opportunity to survive this age of chaos, and a tremendous stroke of fortune that would endlessly draw out his strength.
The road ahead was still brutal. There were many enemies, and the world was collapsing.
But at that moment, only four words filled his heart.
No big deal.
Just then, the system voice rang once more in Yunseo’s mind.
[Ding!]
[The “Hwasim Poison” within UR-grade target Gang Wolhwa’s body has not been completely removed.]
[A secondary yin-yang harmonization treatment is required.]
[Upon completion of the treatment, the toxins will be fully suppressed and the Bond Stage will increase.]
…A secondary treatment?
Yunseo’s steps lagged by half a beat for an instant.
His earlobes flushed hot for no reason.
The scene that had unfolded inside the abandoned temple suddenly rose in his mind.
Entangled breaths, the warmth of skin touching skin, those dense moments when they had held each other to suppress the poison. Even her reddened eyes and trembling breaths.
Gulp—
Yunseo’s Adam’s apple bobbed noticeably before he could stop it.
…No, now wasn’t the time to think about that.
First, they had to reach someplace safe.
Just then, Wolhwa stirred faintly behind him. She struggled to raise a hand and pointed in one direction within the forest.
“To the north… about three li from here, there is a hunter’s cabin. Long ago, while avoiding pursuit… I hid there for a while. If we go there… we should be safe for the time being.”
Yunseo immediately nodded.
“Understood.”
With her secured firmly on his back again, he threw himself deeper into the mountain forest.
He had not yet fully mastered 『Steps of the Phoenix』.
But even with only a sense of that footwork, Yunseo’s movements had changed noticeably.
His steps were light, the slopes felt gentler, and even the uneven mountain path passed beneath him as if flowing away. It was as though the forest did not reject him.
The hunter’s cabin was tidier than expected. For a place that had been empty for a long time, the interior was clean.
Yunseo carefully laid Wolhwa down on the bed. Only after checking the door and windows one by one did he let out a breath.
“For now… this place seems safe.”
Just as he was about to turn away—Wolhwa was quietly looking at him.
Her gaze held wariness, suspicion, and an indescribable, subtle wavering.
Yunseo pointlessly avoided her eyes.
His ears grew hot again.
“Your Majesty, I will light a fire first. If your body grows cold, the poison may sink deeper. I also need to boil water—”
“Yuk Yunseo.”
Her voice stopped him.
“Is your body… truly all right? It was surely you who was struck by the Bingsim Poison.”
Yunseo chose his words for a moment before opening his mouth.
“It is thanks to Your Majesty’s treatment. Because of that method, the flow of poison seemed to collide through yin and yang, and most of it dispersed. As my inner energy settled, I also feel as though my body has been tempered another step.”
Half was truth.
Half was concealment.
He could not speak of the system.
Wolhwa’s brows narrowed faintly.
“That is not a poison… that can be resolved so easily.”
The yin-yang harmonization method in the imperial secret scripture was merely a means to prolong life.
There was no record of a miraculous cure, nor of growth in martial arts.
Just as she was about to speak again—
“Ugh…!”
A sudden heat ran rampant within her body. The Hwasim Poison stirred once more.
At the pain that felt as though her organs were burning, Wolhwa’s face turned deathly white in an instant.
“Your Majesty!”
Yunseo hurriedly approached and reached out.
However—
Smack!
She strained to knock his hand away.
“…I am fine. It is only… only for a moment.”
But contrary to her words, her breathing was growing more and more ragged.
Yunseo knew. This was not a simple aftereffect. The system’s warning remained clear in his mind.
—Secondary yin-yang harmonization treatment required.
He clenched his fist beside the bed. His earlobes grew hot again.
Truly—
Was there no other way?
Yunseo looked out the window at the dark forest, then slowly turned his head to look at her again.
The Empress lay upon the bed, suppressing her pain as she struggled to breathe.
And in his mind echoed the system’s cold, merciless message.
[If treatment is not performed, probability of toxin re-spreading: High]
Yunseo quietly swallowed his breath.
…The choice had already been made.