The southern scenery came into view at a glance.
But a great river, spreading so wide that its end could not be seen, brought the three of them to a halt.
The ferry landing was crowded with people, yet not a single ferryboat that could cross the river was in sight.
Instead, in the middle of the river, a colossal ship the size of a three-story building lay at anchor. Gorgeous ornaments and banners fluttered in the wind, and on the center of the hull, a single massive character carved into it overwhelmed the eye.
Shen.
The moment they saw that character, the air around them changed.
“Everyone, listen!”
A middle-aged man dressed like an official raised his voice at the ferry landing.
“All ferryboats today have been chartered in full by the Jiangnan Shen family. We are transporting urgent cargo, so those wishing to cross the river should return tomorrow!”
At once, complaints erupted among the people.
“The Shen family again? How many days has it been now…?”
“Ha… what can we do? They’re the richest family in Jinling. They say there isn’t anywhere their hand doesn’t reach.”
“They say the river’s been strange lately. Ships moored at night have been sinking one by one.”
“Some say the river is swarming with ghosts, others say the water goblin that had gone quiet has appeared again… all sorts of rumors are going around.”
“A ship that big would be safer, I suppose….”
Murmurs spread quietly.
As Wolhwa listened to all of it in silence, a cold glint passed through her eyes.
“The Jiangnan Shen family….”
Her low murmur already held political calculation.
“The wealthiest house in Jinling. At the same time, one of the heads of the prestigious families of Jiangnan.”
Even now, on her way to Jinling, her mind was working in complex layers.
The situation before her eyes could not be dismissed as mere coincidence. It was closer to a testing ground where the weight of power could be measured.
Wolhwa soon turned her head and looked at Yunseol.
“General So.”
Her tone was the same commanding one as always.
“Go to that official, reveal your status, and tell him to provide us with a boat.”
After pausing briefly, she added,
“See that the dignity of the court is not diminished.”
At those words, Yunseol’s gaze cooled subtly.
As someone from the military, she loathed above all else those who used power as backing to trample the people.
After a moment of silence, she opened her mouth. Her voice was calm, but firm.
“Your Majesty. That order is unjust.”
Wolhwa’s eyebrow moved ever so slightly.
Yunseol did not avert her eyes.
“The army always places the people first. For the three of us, a single small ferry would be enough to cross. Why would you compete with the common people for profit and invite needless criticism?”
The air chilled in an instant.
Along with it, Wolhwa’s face hardened coldly.
The fact that a subject had openly defied her was a problem, but that it had happened in front of Yunseo scratched more deeply at her pride.
“General So.”
Her voice gradually lowered.
“I am teaching you how to conduct yourself. In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures are only natural. My journey is tied to the affairs of the world. How could it be the same as the private circumstances of commoners?”
Her eyes sank coldly.
“Do not forget your station.”
At those words, Yunseol lifted her head.
“My station….”
As she repeated the words briefly, her eyes remained unwaveringly straight.
“I was taught, as a commander, to protect the nation and its people. I was not taught to believe in strength and trample the weak.”
After taking a brief breath, she spoke the decisive words.
“Your Majesty’s current actions… how are they any different from Prince Jeongan?”
At that moment.
Wolhwa’s complexion changed visibly.
Emotions tangled with rage and shame surged up as if exploding, and in the aftermath, the Fire-Heart Poison within her body stirred faintly.
Her face turned even paler in an instant.
Watching the scene from beside them, Yunseo could clearly feel the difference between the two women.
Gang Wolhwa was a ruler who calculated everything for the sake of efficiency and power.
So Yunseol, on the other hand, was a soldier who placed discipline and loyalty first.
A clash between the two was inevitable.
It was then.
Kwaaaaaang—!!
An explosion burst from the middle of the river.
The Shen family’s enormous ship suddenly shook violently. As if something huge had rammed into the bottom of the vessel, shards of wood flew in every direction.
“A monster!”
“It really appeared!”
“Run—!!”
In an instant, the ferry landing descended into chaos.
From within the muddy current, a gigantic black shadow revealed itself.
A colossal beast on the verge of transforming into a dragon.
Pitch-black scales, a body of monstrous strength, coiled around the ship and tightened. The hull twisted as if screaming. Capsizing was only a matter of time.
Wails erupted from aboard the ship.
Wolhwa’s face grew even paler as she watched the sight.
She had a constitution extremely weak against water.
Moreover, with the Fire-Heart Poison now writhing because of her emotional agitation, an intense sense of helplessness washed over her before that bizarre giant creature.
Her gaze unconsciously turned to the side.
Toward the one existence that felt safe.
Yunseol, meanwhile, had already gripped the hilt of her sword. Her eyes changed in an instant into those of a commander on the battlefield.
However, on her shoulder remained an old wound that had not yet healed.
That beast was an existence far beyond the realm that human martial force could contend with.
Her will remained, but her body would not follow.
Yunseol’s gaze, too, naturally turned toward one person.
The only man who could create a miracle.
“…Yuk Yunseo.”
Two women whose status, innate personalities, and temperaments were entirely different.
Yet in the same moment, while harboring different emotions, they called the same name.
This was precisely the scene Yuk Yunseo had wanted.
The most desperate moment.
The most helpless moment.
The moment when he would become the only lifeline, the single ray of light that split despair.
He laughed loudly.
“General So, protect Her Majesty!”
His hearty laughter rang along the riverside.
He took one step forward.
Kwaang—
The ground beneath his feet split apart as if bursting. Using that recoil as a stepping stone, he kicked off into the air and leapt across the river, spanning dozens of meters.
A black shadow cutting through the storm.
And a water dragon shaking the river.
“You vile creature… how dare you try to harm people!”
With a thunderous roar, his long blade cut through the air.
This strike was not a simple sword technique.
It was the ultimate art, concentrating all the enlightenment of the Yuk family’s secret techniques.
Internal energy left the tip of his blade and took shape as golden sword qi spanning dozens of meters.
Flash—
Golden light poured down like lightning.
And then—
It cleaved straight through the vital point near the water dragon’s neck.
Kwaaaaaaaa—!!
Blood vessels burst.
From between the black scales, red blood erupted like a waterfall, raining down over the river.
The water dragon let out a desperate roar. Its twisted, massive body thrashed and tore away from the enormous ship that had been on the verge of breaking apart.
But it was not over.
Its huge, bony tail raised the muddy current like a mountain and smashed down toward Yunseo.
The people on the riverbank screamed.
Wolhwa instinctively covered her mouth.
But there was no fear in Yunseo’s eyes. Rather, his fighting spirit burned even brighter.
He did not dodge. Internal energy surged through his entire body as if exploding.
“Protective Gangqi!”
Flash—
A golden curtain covered his whole body.
Kwaang!!!!!!!!!
The water dragon’s enormous tail struck the diamond-like curtain head-on.
A shockwave exploded in all directions.
A wave powerful enough to hollow out the river.
Yet the golden curtain only rippled violently.
Yunseo did not budge an inch.
From the riverbank came the sound of everyone inhaling sharply at once.
A miraculous sight.
That alone was enough to overwhelm them all.
Wolhwa’s gaze was fixed on the middle of the river as well.
A body that did not collapse even amid the storm. A figure that had taken the water dragon’s strike head-on and yet remained without a single wound.
Only then did the anxiety pressing down on her chest crumble away.
The dignity of an emperor.
The great cause of the world.
In that moment, all of it grew distant.
In her eyes, only one man remained—the man who had held up the heavens for her sake.
Yunseol also swallowed her breath. Her heart pounded wildly. That was the very power she had admired all her life. Martial strength that existed to protect what was precious.
In the middle of the river, Yunseo and the water dragon collided.
As the trajectory of the blade and the form of the beast tangled together, enormous waves surged up and thunderous roars burst forth.
Several fierce exchanges followed.
Then the water dragon writhed in pain and revealed a momentary opening.
At that instant—
Yunseo’s body and blade became completely one.
He brushed past the side of its gaping maw and drove the tip of his blade precisely into the deep socket where its eye was lodged.
Kwaaaaaaaaa—!!!!
The water dragon’s final scream shook the river.
Its enormous body convulsed as if in a seizure, then lost its strength.
Soon, it slowly sank beneath the bloodstained river.
All that remained was a vast whirlpool.
Yunseo lightly landed back on the riverbank. His breathing was slightly rough, but if anything, it added a wild charm to him after the fierce battle.
His gaze swept over the crowd, then finally stopped on the two women.
At that moment.
The ferry landing erupted.
“An immortal—!!”
“A hero descended from the heavens!”
“He saved the lives of the Shen family!!”
Cheers and bows followed one after another.
The Shen family official came running over, almost crawling.
His face was covered in tears.
“Hero…! You have saved the lives of everyone in our Shen family…!”
Yunseo nodded calmly and lifted his gaze. His eyes rested gently on Wolhwa and Yunseol.
Wolhwa could no longer maintain the dignity of an emperor. She rushed straight over and grabbed his arm tightly.
“You… are you hurt anywhere…? Just now… just now… I…”
Her words trailed off.
That was how greatly she had been shaken.
Yunseol, on the other hand, remained standing in place. The look in her eyes as she gazed at him trembled with complicated emotions.
Awe.
Shock.
And—
A newly blossoming feeling.
“Master Yuk’s martial arts… there is no one in the world who can compare…”
At that moment.
The system window rang.
[Ding!]
[You have slain the water dragon blocking the river and successfully crossed!]
[Ideological conflict between UR · SSR targets completely resolved]
[Ascended as an object of absolute reliance — Bond greatly increased]
[UR Card — Gang Wolhwa, Empress of Peerless Beauty]
[Bond greatly increased]
[Directly witnessed overwhelming martial force and responsibility]
[Dependence · affection emotions have reached their peak]
Current Bond: Intimacy (80 / 100)
Reward: Free Ability Points +30
[SSR Card — So Yunseol, Isolated Fierce Tiger of the North]
[Bond greatly increased]
[Admiration for the strong · trust sharply increased]
[Protector perception formed]
Current Bond: Trust (30 / 100)
Reward: Free Ability Points +20
As Yunseo checked the system rewards, he felt a thrill deep in his chest.
‘Excellent.’
A chaotic age.
An era when heroes shone the brightest.
And—
This stage had been thoroughly prepared for him.