Translator: Nox
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Mist and Steel
#1
The caravan entered a valley shrouded in mist.
A natural chokepoint.
Jin-hyeon scouted ahead, signaling the all-clear.
But Hyeon-do didn’t relax.
“Something’s wrong,” he said.
Yeong-yeong glanced around nervously.
“I feel it too.”
Suddenly—
Arrows flew.
Explosions burst from the ridge.
Ambush.
But not ordinary bandits.
They were organized.
Uniformed.
Disciplined.
Mo Seo-hwa’s voice rang out.
“Mercenaries! These aren’t regular thugs!”
Hyeon-do drew his saber.
[Thunder Fang – Twin Pulse!]
He split the nearest attacker in two.
Seok-hyeon barked orders.
Yi Baek moved to protect the wagons.
Chaos. Dust. Screams.
But Team 13 — Peng’s elite — held firm.
#2
Behind the ridge, a masked commander watched.
He wore no clan insignia.
Just black armor.
“Time to test the boy,” he muttered.
He raised a black flute to his lips.
A high-pitched tone pierced the air.
New figures emerged.
Silent. Fast.
Poison users.
Assassins.
Hyeon-do sensed the shift instantly.
“Seo-hwa! Mist!”
She nodded and unleashed a counteragent cloud.
Green vapor blanketed the field.
Visibility dropped.
But the Peng fighters adapted.
They’d trained in low-visibility formations.
Hyeon-do’s lightning flared, cutting through the mist.
[Heaven-Splitting Roar!]
The shockwave cleared a path.
He saw the commander.
Locked eyes.
Charged.
#3
Their blades met.
Steel on steel.
But the enemy was skilled.
He parried. Countered.
Moved like water.
Hyeon-do grinned.
Finally — a worthy fight.
But then—
The commander vanished mid-swing.
Flickered.
Disappeared.
“Phantom step?” Hyeon-do muttered.
Too late.
A blade scratched his ribs.
First blood.
He winced.
And smiled wider.
“So you’re good.”
The man didn’t reply.
Just leapt away — vanishing into the mist.
A retreat.
But not defeat.
#4
After the battle, the wagons were intact.
Minor injuries.
No losses.
But Hyeon-do stared at the spot where the masked man vanished.
A new threat had appeared.
One with real skill.
And worse—
He was just scouting.
【To be continued in Chapter 29】
