Episode 188 Forward (2)
“It’s you…”
Baek Yeon-hwi repeated Baek Woo-jin’s words with a face that did not show the slightest emotion.
“I guess it doesn’t matter.”
“…Why is my brother here?”
Baek Woo-jin opened his mouth more cautiously. Baek Yeon-hwi, the eldest older brother, is a person with whom he had almost no contact either in his past life or in his current life.
Since he was always on the front line, I had little idea of what he was thinking or his personality.
“Father said to take you to the front lines.”
“Then the guide your father called….”
“Yes. grow.”
Baek Yeon-hwi nodded as if it was no big deal. It was an expression that felt nothing, like looking at wood or stone.
-Why did your father call that guy?
‘I do not know either.’
Baek Woo-jin frowned as he approached Baek Yeon-hwi.
I couldn’t figure out what my father’s intention was, why he called Baek Yeon-hwi to lead the way.
“hmm…?”
Baek Yeon-hwi raised her eyes when she saw Baek Woo-jin approaching her. There was surprise in the eyes that did not change even when my youngest brother called me “you.”
‘Is that Woojin?’
The youngest, whom I had not seen in a long time, was perfectly maintaining his momentum. I felt a powerful energy deep within my dantian.
“What are you doing? “Let’s go in.”
Baek Woo-jin passed in front of Baek Yeon-hwi and opened the door to Gajujeon first.
“Was it true that you defeated Hon Yuan?”
Even on the front line, which had little interest in external news, recent events were known.
Just because Baek Woo-jin beat Hon-won didn’t mean I thought it was luck or some kind of story. The youngest brother had the strength to stand up to Honwon.
“Is it a new hope or…”
Baek Yeon-hwi muttered as she looked at the door of Gajujeon where Baek Woo-jin entered.
* * *
“See you, matriarch.”
Baek Yeon-hwi and Baek Woo-jin simultaneously knelt down and bowed their heads.
“Hmm…”
Baek Cheon-hwa looked down at Baek Yeon-hwi and curled her lips like a crescent moon.
‘Is it blocked by a wall?’
Baek Yeon-hwi’s strength did not change at all from what I saw before. It was blocked by a huge wall and its growth had stopped.
‘Compared to that…’
Baek Cheon-hwa turned his gaze to Baek Woo-jin. The youngest child grew up again during this short period of time. The phrase “one faith, one god, one god” seemed to exist for this guy.
“Raise your head.”
Baek Woo-jin and Baek Yeon-hwi raised their heads at the same time.
“There hasn’t been any change at all.”
“….”
“Are you planning on coming back?”
“doesn’t exist. And I understand that the reason you called me today was not for such a story.”
Baek Yeon-hwi made eye contact with Baek Cheon-hwa and did not show the slightest wavering.
-Why does your father say things like that instead of forcing you?
‘Something must have happened that I don’t know about. You won a bet or something. There are conditions.’
When my father speaks like that, it means that something happened with my eldest brother. If it wasn’t for that, I would have given the order to come back.
“okay. “That’s right.”
Baek Cheon-hwa laughed and turned his head to Baek Woo-jin.
“Baek Woo-jin.”
“yes.”
“I will ask you the last question. “Do you have any intention of retracting your decision to go to the front lines?”
Baek Woo-jin is now at his peak. He is young, popular, prestigious, and above all, strong. It was such a waste that the best blade that could be used anywhere was stuck in a gutter like the front.
“doesn’t exist.”
“Right.”
Baek Woo-jin shook his head resolutely, and Baek Cheon-hwa turned his head to Baek Yeon-hwi again.
“Like I said, Woojin said he wanted to go to the front lines. “He is your younger brother, so make sure you take good care of him.”
“All right.”
Baek Yeon-hwi glanced at Baek Woo-jin and nodded. Unlike before, his face did not show the slightest agitation.
“Your brother spent a long 10 years there, so he will be of help in many ways. “Make sure you follow along.”
Baek Cheon-hwa especially emphasized the 10-year period and the need to follow along closely.
-What? Why are you so kind?
‘There must be a reason, but I don’t know why.’
They said they would not listen and would go to the front lines, but I couldn’t understand why they were so kind. However, it was clear that my father had some intention.
“If you’re having a hard time, you can always come back.”
“That won’t happen.”
“I hope so.”
Baek Cheon-hwa sank back deeply into the chair and smiled inexplicably.
“You remember the bet, right?”
“of course.”
“good night. “I’ve said what I wanted to say, so let’s both go.”
“then.”
Baek Yeon-hwi calmly got up and went out the door, and Baek Woo-jin bowed his head and left the family home.
“You are different from Yeonhwi.”
Baek Cheon-hwa looked at the closing door and smiled bitterly. It was a relaxed, yet cool laugh like the north wind.
“You will eventually come back here.”
* * *
“How many people are going?”
As soon as Baek Yeon-hwi came out of Gajujeon, she turned around and made eye contact with Baek Woo-jin.
“21 people including me.”
“Does this include your sword belt and bodyguard?”
“okay.”
-huh? Why 21 people? There are 20 people including you.
‘There is a guest without a spirit.’
-100 million? Take that troublemaker away?
‘Because help is certain.’
-Well, that’s true, but…
Muyeonggaek is an uncontrollable thieving fool, but he is helpful in many ways. Whether it’s information or theft, there will definitely be something needed there.
“There are more than I thought.”
“Is there any problem?”
“It’s no big deal.”
Baek Yeon-hwi shook his head and continued.
“Departure is early morning next Monday. “Don’t be late.”
Baek Woo-jin nodded. There were 5 days left until next Monday, so there was enough time to prepare.
“I have to tell the kids the date, so I’ll go first.”
Baek Woo-jin had to inform the prosecutors of the departure schedule, so he headed straight to the inspection office.
“Now I understand.”
Baek Yeon-hwi saw Baek Woo-jin’s strength and personality and was able to understand why her father had called her.
“It hasn’t changed one bit.”
There was bitterness in Baek Yeon-hwi’s eyes as she looked up at Gajujeon.
* * *
“Hmm….”
Kim Jang-hoon looked back and forth at the Amingeom and narrowed the corners of his eyes. The bridge of his nose was wrinkled as if he didn’t like it.
“The blade is damaged.”
“sorry.”
Baek Woo-jin bowed his head. There was no problem until he suppressed Honwon, but while blocking Daeyeonmunju’s attack, there was a slight problem with the blade of the Amingeom.
“How dare you treat the sword made by Kim Jang-hoon like this! “I want to say that, but I can’t say anything because the other person is the other person.”
Kim Jang-hoon slammed the table and shouted, then laughed empty-handed.
“No need to worry. “Because this can be fixed without difficulty.”
“Thank you every time.”
“What is gratitude? But you’re going to the front lines?”
“yes.”
Baek Woo-jin nodded. I stopped by Kim Jang-hoon because I wanted to work on the Amingeom before going to the front lines.
“You’re going to the front line?”
Seo In-ah, who had been sitting next to Kim Jang-hoon and glancing at Baek Woo-jin, suddenly stood up.
“why?”
“I’m trying to improve the skills I lack.”
“There are a lot of strong monsters and talented people here too, right?”
“I heard that there are a lot of accidents on the front line these days, so I want to help out.”
“I see…”
Seo In-ah lowered her head with a gloomy expression. I was proud of Baek Woo-jin’s performance wearing the black uniform, as if it were his own performance, but I was very disappointed to hear that I would not be able to see him for a while.
Of course, my biggest regret was not being able to see Baek Woo-jin.
“Um…”
“Arthur.”
While Seo In-ah was thinking deeply while touching her hair, Kim Jang-hoon blew honey balm on her forehead.
“evil! “Why are you hitting me?”
“It’s not a place for ordinary people like you and me to go. “Don’t even think about following along.”
“Oh no!”
Seo In-ah lowered her head with her cheeks dyed red, as if her true feelings were discovered. Baek Woo-jin smiled lightly at the sight of the two.
“It reminds me of the front.”
“yes?”
“There’s a good guy there too, so if there’s a problem with the cancer examination, I’ll leave it to you.”
“yes? “Is there a craftsman there who can handle the sword?”
“A craftsman and a talented person. “Because he enjoys fighting as much as making swords.”
“Are you by any chance a student or a friend?”
“No, I just taught him a little when he was young.”
Kim Jang-hoon’s eyes sparkled transparently as if recalling old memories.
“Oh, by the way, she said there was a hazing ceremony on the front lines.”
“Hazing style?”
“okay.”
Kim Jang-hoon stroked his beard and nodded.
“I said it was a form of hazing that no one could avoid.”
* * *
Baek Woo-jin and the medical examiner’s team crossed three gates and arrived at the entrance block, the first gateway ahead.
Originally, I would have had to go through many cumbersome procedures, but thanks to Baek Yeon-hwi, I was able to pass it without difficulty.
“I feel like the more I pass the gate, the more stuffy I feel inside. “My body also becomes heavy.”
“you also? Hey, me too.”
Hye-ri Park looked at the gate she had just exited and sighed, and Woo-hyuk Kim nodded with a crumpled face as if he agreed.
“The air has become heavy.”
Hong Nam-gi bit his lip. It’s not just a feeling. It was difficult to breathe.
“Are you okay?”
“yes. “It’s bearable.”
Hong Ara smiled brightly and nodded. It seemed like he was trying to hold back, but Baek Woo-jin didn’t say anything.
“When you’re ready, come outside.”
Baek Yeon-hwi checked the condition of the medical sword belt and then went out of the gate facility.
“That place. “That is where you will have to fight from now on.”
Baek Yeon-hwi raised his finger and pointed to a place covered in gray fog. A huge space that could not be seen at a glance even from a distance was wrapped in gray like a dirty carpet.
-There was a place like that….
‘It doesn’t seem real.’
The gray fog-covered space was where the past and present of the forest and the city center were connected.
A cement building towered between huge trees like baobab trees, and strange, nameless plants were growing next to it.
I could see the faint form of an old castle, a steeple, and even the silhouette of an unknown building.
Ugh!
The gray fog was throbbing endlessly like the heart of a living creature.
“The gray zone begins with that fog. “You’ve probably heard of it too, right?”
Baek Woo-jin concentrated on the gray fog and nodded silently.
“From now on, you will have to live there and fight there. “You won’t be able to see clear skies for a while, so take a close look now.”
“You need a clear sky to see it.”
Baek Woo-jin looked up at the dark sky that looked like it was going to rain and laughed.
“Leader!”
“Captain!”
Five talented people waiting in front of the gray zone ran towards Baek Yeon-hwi.
-These guys are pretty cool.
‘okay. ‘I trained properly.’
Baek Woo-jin and Darkness’ eyes lit up when they saw the talented people running towards them. Their bodies and auras were polished like well-forged blades.
“Are they new from the Baek family? Oh, this one looks incredibly handsome. One time with my sister… Wow!”
A woman in her 30s, whose eyes were shining as she looked at Baek Woo-jin, swallowed dry saliva and took a step back.
“Bae Baek Woo-jin? “It’s Master Baek Woo-jin!”
Jin Hye-ri, a prosecutor at the Prosecutor’s Office under Baek Yeon-hwi, was surprised when she saw Baek Woo-jin and took a step back.
I never imagined that the person enjoying the highest stock price outside would come to the front.
“How…”
I was wondering if Baek Yeon-Hwi would bring a good junior, but he brought an unexpected big man.
“Let’s talk later.”
“Ah yes!”
Baek Yeon-hwi walked towards the gray zone without hesitation. Jin Hye-ri and the prosecutors from the prosecutors’ office followed suit with familiar steps.
“atmosphere.”
Baek Woo-jin did not chase Baek Yeon-hwi, but turned around and saw the medical sword stand.
Everyone’s expressions were tense, perhaps because of the scale of the gray zone and the gloom that spread like the air.
“Are you scared?”
“Oh no!”
“Think about the training you’ve done with me so far. Then you will be able to endure whatever is in there.”
Baek Woo-jin gave a trusting smile and headed toward the gray zone first.
“Ugh!”
“Master’s training….”
“There are few things more difficult than that.”
Baek Woo-jin trained right up to his death. The training continued to the point where cursing always came out of my mouth. Thinking about that time, I suddenly felt a surge of courage.
“I won’t be able to use it.”
Baek Yeon-hwi nodded when he saw the medical team’s momentum change and entered the gray zone. As he entered, the gray fog billowed like waves.
“Even if you call me a master, you’d better be careful. “Be prepared.”
Jin Hye-ri smiled brightly and went inside.
“Get ready…”
Baek Woo-jin smiled and stepped into the gray fog without the slightest movement.
* * *
“Will the juniors be able to withstand hazing?”
Jin Hye-ri’s eyes lit up with anticipation when she saw the entrance to the gray zone.
‘I’m excited to see how long it lasts.’
Those with abilities who step into the gray zone for the first time experience strange phenomena such as shortness of breath, whole body convulsions, and Auror seizures.
Convulsions and seizures occur in proportion to the strength of the person with the ability, so even the strongest person cannot help but be embarrassed.
‘Because there are 21 people. I think it would hold up well if three people were standing there.’
I was curious about how many of the 21 prosecutors would be able to withstand Gray Zone’s hazing, and especially whether Baek Woo-jin would be able to overcome it.
“What do you think of the captain?”
“….”
“Eh, it’s not fun.”
Baek Yeon-hwi didn’t say anything, but looked at the entrance with deep interest.
Ugh.
Smoke billowed at the entrance, and Baek Woo-jin and the medical examiner came inside. As expected, the confident faces of the prosecutors began to change.
“Ugh….”
“Huh!”
“What the hell!”
The medical examiner knelt down in a cold sweat. They were unable to come to their senses due to tight breathing and uncontrollable convulsive seizures of aura.
“Hmm…. Oh!”
Jin Hye-ri looked at the medical examiner’s table to help prosecutors who were in serious condition and exclaimed admiration when she saw Baek Woo-jin.
‘As expected, it’s from the Baek family, so it’s holding up better than I thought. ‘That’s okay.’
Hazing has nothing to do with strength. Baek Woo-jin seemed to be enduring it with pride, but it wouldn’t last long. It was obvious that after a little longer, I would stumble and break out in a cold sweat.
However, Jin Hye-ri’s expectations were completely shattered.
“her!”
Even though the entire medical examiner’s team knelt, Baek Woo-jin remained standing.
It wasn’t that he was adapting or enduring it, but the gray zone fog didn’t seem to have any effect on him. Rather, it seemed like they were avoiding it out of fear.
“How could this happen…”
Gray zone hazing is a phenomenon that comes from the body and mana, so it doesn’t matter whether the strong or the weak. I’ve seen a lot of people, but this was the first time I’ve seen someone who didn’t report anything at all.
Ugh.
Black energy spread out from Baek Woo-jin’s whole body. That energy swallowed up the fog in the gray zone and opened the medical sword belt’s breathing passages.
As Baek Woo-jin muttered something, the entire medical team stood up unsteadily. They began to lash out as if the fog was their enemy.
“hmm?”
Baek Yeon-hwi’s mouth, which had been tightly closed, opened.
The momentum of not only Baek Woo-jin but also the entire medical school was growing much bigger than he had realized.
At that moment, Baek Woo-jin released his auror that was protecting the medical sword belt.
Jin Hye-ri and the prosecutors thought that the medical examiner’s office would fall again. But even though they were breathing heavily, they did not collapse.
I began to breathe slowly, calm down the rampaging aurors, and adapt to the gray zone.
“Big boss!What are they?”
Jin Hye-ri looked at Baek Yeon-hwi as if seeking an answer, but there was a surprise in his eyes that made it impossible to understand the situation.
