The silky blue bedspread of Ma Gwang-iljo draped the room, the most extravagant and spacious chamber in the guesthouse annex.A painting of the Ten Symbols of Longevity—depicting the sun, mountains, cranes, and turtles—hung elegantly, exuding a refined and antique charm. It had been placed there by Baek Mi-ryeo and Hyeon Won-chang.


    They silently gazed at Jeong Yeon-shin, who lay sound asleep—a rare sight.


    His face was peaceful.


    His thick, neatly defined eyebrows were motionless. Unlike the graceful ridge of his nose, his lightly closed lips lacked color and were pale.


    The boy’s sleeping face was remarkably beautiful, though it betrayed no trace of the commanding presence of Ma Gwang-ikju.


    Only in unconsciousness did his youthful features align with his actual age. Such was the nature of a supreme martial artist.


    Baek Mi-ryeo, her eyes sharp as blades, broke the silence.


    “He overdid it.”


    “Agreed,” replied Cheongmyeong, his expression unreadable.


    Baek Mi-ryeo’s slender fingers swept back the hair behind her ear.


    “The level of Gui Baek-shin-geom was far too high. It was extraordinary that a newly appointed Black Rank was able to defeat an elder of the Blade Specters. That alone is an achievement worth boasting about.”


    “For a second mission as a Black Rank, it’s overkill. The rewards alone will be massive—assuming the news reaches the main base in Yangyang, of course. When it does, the entire fortress will be in uproar.”


    Listening to their conversation, Hyeon Won-chang, who had been stroking the mark of a hero on his forehead, chimed in.


    “He hasn’t even received the rewards from the last mission. I wonder what all this accumulated credit will amount to.”


    “Why are we talking about this now? The commander is down,” came an entirely different tone. Tae Yeom-ryong, standing off to the side with his arms crossed, spat the words bluntly. The shadow under his eyes was particularly dark.


    Ma Gwang-iljo didn’t respond. The troubling possibilities were weighing on their minds. Sёar?h the ηovelFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Their commander had once mentioned his lifespan. Could it have been miscalculated? It was a doubt they couldn’t help but harbor.


    Even for a high-level martial artist, the aftereffects of an intense battle were unpredictable.


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