Tales Of The Nine Dragons [EN]: Chapter 6

Meng Hu Sasahyeoljeondae

Nine Dragons Chronicle (6)

Meng Hu Sasahyeoljeondae

The army protecting the Central Plains primarily consists of land and sea forces strategically stationed in key areas.

The land forces, known as the Heungchin Orim Army and Yongchin Orim Army, feature distinct unit names for each military department. The maritime forces, called the Pallo Suro Army, comprise eight naval divisions responsible for defending the Central Plains’ seas.

Within the Heungchin Orim Army, specialized units undertake intelligence gathering, sabotage, and targeted assassinations of key figures. Various special forces also exist, specializing in unconventional warfare.

Among these special forces, one unit is exclusively dedicated to annihilation: the Meng Hu Sasahyeoljeondae, consisting of three hundred soldiers.

Due to the inherently perilous nature of their missions, the unit suffers constant casualties.

Typically, a hundred or even two hundred soldiers might perish during a deployment. As soldiers die, the ranks are replenished to maintain the unit’s strength at three hundred. Other military units refer to them as the Death Squad or Skull Squad, avoiding them due to the widespread belief that joining the Meng Hu Sasahyeoljeondae is a death sentence.

Despite the high mortality rate within the Meng Hu Sasahyeoljeondae, they have never failed a mission.

Perhaps this is why the Central Plains remain secure from threats originating from the frontier and beyond.

The Meng Hu Sasahyeoljeondae is organized into ten squads, each composed of thirty members. Hwa-rin belongs to the Gu Squad. He has been with the Meng Hu Sasahyeoljeondae for three years.

When he first joined, he was an innocent and naive young man, but the past three years have transformed him into a seasoned soldier hardened by countless hardships.

The Meng Hu Sasahyeoljeondae, as an independent special unit, is stationed in a trading city built within an oasis in the desert between Xinjiang and Gansu provinces.

They lack dedicated military bases and instead live among the civilian population of the trading city, deploying only when a mission is assigned.

Hwa-rin works as a server at the Jinsa Inn in this trading city. All employees of the Jinsa Inn are members of the Gu Squad of the Meng Hu Sasahyeoljeondae.

“New recruits are here.”

Upon hearing the announcement of the new recruits’ arrival early in the morning, the members of the Gu Squad eagerly gathered to greet them.

A total of six new recruits were assigned to the Gu Squad, all of them men.

They appeared determined, but their resolve remained to be tested.

In the past, many martial arts experts [Murim] who had fled the martial arts world [Murim] volunteered, and some were transferred here. However, due to the high death rate, the ranks are now filled with individuals possessing some martial arts skills.

“Where’s Hwa-rin?”

The Gu Squad leader searched for Hwa-rin, who was nowhere to be found.

“I don’t know. He’s probably still asleep.”

“Asleep? He’s slacking off. What time is it, and he’s still sleeping? Go…”

Just as he was about to order someone to wake him, a man stretched languidly on the second floor, leaning against the railing and looking down.

“They say you shouldn’t bother a dog when it’s sleeping.”

“Hey, that’s when it’s eating.”

The man stretching on the second floor was Hwa-rin.

The gentle demeanor he possessed when he left the Imperial Palace three years ago was completely gone.

However, his fair skin and handsome face remained unchanged. While living in the Imperial Palace, he appeared weak and sickly due to lack of sunlight, but now, with his tanned skin, he looked healthy and robust.

“Let’s rest comfortably while we can. We never know when we’ll have to go die again. And there’s still an hour before we have to start working.”

His personality had also undergone a significant transformation during his three years of military service.

“Aren’t you curious about the new recruits?”

“Not at all. If I get attached and something happens, only my feelings will get hurt.”

Hwa-rin slowly descended the stairs, glanced at the faces of the new recruits, and then headed out of the inn.

“Hey, where are you going?”

“To get breakfast. The deputy squad leader’s food is terrible.”

Hwa-rin’s behavior might seem unusual in a military organization, but his squad members appeared accustomed to it.

“When will that guy become a real person?”

“Squad leader, many people die here, but thanks to Hwa-rin, we die less often.”

Everyone nodded in agreement with the squad member’s statement.

“I thought he wouldn’t last a few months when I first saw him…”

Three years had passed since Hwa-rin joined the Meng Hu Sasahyeoljeondae, making him now a senior member of the unit.

The reason was simple: many of Hwa-rin’s seniors had perished during missions over the past three years.

“I shouldn’t be saying this in front of the new recruits. Don’t worry too much. We still come back alive from missions.”

“Bang-soo, explain the mission to these guys. We need to start preparing after breakfast soon. Hurry up.”

Meanwhile, Hwa-rin left the inn and walked to a dumpling shop a short distance away. This establishment specialized in dumplings and was known as a popular eatery in the city.

“Give me a pack of dumplings.”

Hwa-rin addressed the man who was just opening the shop.

“Hey, are you asking for dumplings so early in the morning?”

“Ah, you know how bad our deputy squad leader’s cooking is, right? So give me a pack of dumplings.”

“The money?”

Hwa-rin licked his finger and gestured in the air.

“Hey, without money…”

“Let’s not be so stingy with each other. How many times have I saved Third Squad Leader’s life? Just consider it a life debt and give me a pack of dumplings.”

The man made a face as if he didn’t like it, but he chuckled and said to Hwa-rin.

“Wait. It’ll take at least half an hour for the dumplings to be ready.”

“Thank you, Third Squad Leader.”

“You should know that you’re not supposed to call me that when we’re living here, right?”

“There’s no one here, is there? There’s not even a rat around, so I’m just calling you comfortably.”

“If you couldn’t talk, I wouldn’t hate you.”

Hwa-rin smiled brightly.

“Don’t smile. I’ll get attached.”

Hwa-rin wholeheartedly agreed with Third Squad Leader’s words. He had learned a crucial lesson while surviving in the Meng Hu Sasahyeoljeondae for three years.

Attachment is a truly terrifying emotion. It’s natural for people to share feelings, but in the Meng Hu Sasahyeoljeondae, that attachment is like poison.

He had learned through numerous missions that emotional vulnerability could be fatal.

That’s why he reacted indifferently to the new recruits who had just arrived.

“By the way, the new recruits came, but didn’t they go to the Third Squad? Didn’t nine people die in the last mission?”

“They probably did. I just came out because I thought I’d get tired if I met them and shared stories, and felt pity for them.”

Third Squad Leader felt the same way as Hwa-rin.

“Why are they targeting the Central Plains when there’s nothing to eat? There are many other lands.”

“That’s what I’m saying. How many came to you?”

“Six. They all seem smart, but I don’t know how it will turn out. Our unit is different from others, so there are many dangerous things.”

Third Squad Leader nodded.

“That’s right. I thought you wouldn’t last long when I first saw you.”

Hwa-rin nodded at his words.

“I never thought I would live this long either. I feel like storming into the military and turning everything upside down, but I only have one life, so I can’t do anything about it.”

“Yes, you’re right. We’re enduring like this because we only have one damn life. Wait a moment.”
Hwa-rin sat at a table outside the dumpling shop, resting his chin on one hand and observing the people passing by.

“If I had known that the Meng Hu Sasahyeolcheon [typo in original text, likely intended to be Sasahyeoljeondae] was like this, I wouldn’t have come even if it was Abamama’s [father/Emperor] will. Abamama still thinks of me as a disgrace and probably sent me here to die.”

The Emperor didn’t intend it that way, but from Hwa-rin’s perspective, he couldn’t help but feel that way.

“I’m living and enduring here for five years because I’m dirty and petty.”

Although it was dangerous to receive missions and go on operations, Hwa-rin was able to gain a lot here.

The world learned from books was just a small fantasy, and he learned that reality was more ruthless than that, and that there was a gap between knowing something in his head and expressing it with his body.

During the three years he lived here, he learned a lot about the world, and his martial arts also improved rapidly.

Through the union of martial arts and sorcery, he was able to complete a different kind of martial arts from the existing ones.

He gained enlightenment through actual combat and achieved the unification of the upper, middle, and lower Dantian [energy centers in the body], and now he had reached a high level where he could use his entire body as a Dantian, and as a result, his energy continued to gush out like an inexhaustible spring.

For the past three years, he had been walking a tightrope between life and death, and he had become so strong that no one could ignore him, but the missions given to the Meng Hu Sasahyeoljeondae were still full of dangerous things that demanded death.

The more that happened, the more Hwa-rin became attached to life.

After waiting for a while, the Third Squad Leader steamed the dumplings and brought a pack containing ten dumplings.

“Let’s eat together. I can’t eat all ten by myself. Let’s eat and work.”

Third Squad Leader sat across from Hwa-rin at his words.

“If a mission comes down this time, is it the turn of the even-numbered squads to go?”

“That’s probably right. The odd-numbered squads went last time. But who knows? Maybe the entire unit will move.”

Usually, the odd and even numbers took turns going on missions, but a few months ago, when they went to destroy the Dark Magic Tower, which had been wielding great power in Heilongjiang Province, the entire Meng Hu Sasahyeoljeondae unit moved.

“It would be nice to rest to train the new recruits this time.”

Hwa-rin nodded, taking a bite of a dumpling. Training wasn’t really anything special. The advice was all about things like, ‘Don’t overestimate yourself,’ ‘Die alone,’ ‘Never hold onto your comrades,’ and so on.

Of course, they also taught them how to check their location and direction on a map, and gave them strong mental training to return to the unit if they were alive, but most of them taught them to ‘just die alone.’

“That’s what I’m saying. It would be nice if they could learn something before going out on a mission rather than just being stupid.”

“By the way, the new recruits who came this time seem to know some martial arts. I hope they’re not guys who caused trouble in the Murim world.”

Occasionally, there were those who caused trouble in the Murim world and fled to the military, and these were divided into two categories.

One category was vicious guys who had caused such a big accident in the Murim world that they fled to the military, and the other category was direct descendants of prestigious Murim families who had caused minor accidents and were temporarily avoiding criticism by using the military as a refuge.

The first type of people were quite skilled in martial arts, and they often tried to dominate the unit they belonged to even after coming to the military, but not many of them succeeded.

The military may seem insignificant to them, but the military is basically a place that teaches the art of killing people.

Individual martial power may be weaker than that of Murim people, but the power of the group cannot be defeated by Murim people. That’s why Murim people try to avoid being at odds with the military as much as possible.

In addition, the generals of the military also inherited and learned family martial arts, so even if they were masters who had made a name for themselves in the Murim world, they could not guarantee victory if they fought against the generals of the military.

“There will be. Would our unit be filled if there weren’t such guys? There were guys who caused a fuss before and were thrown into operations with their arms and legs broken and died, right?”

Third Squad Leader chuckled at Hwa-rin’s words. The person who broke those arms and legs was Hwa-rin.

“How nice would it be if we could just receive normal people and take on normal missions? Don’t you think so?”

“That’s what I’m saying. What’s wrong with just living a military life like other units? It’s clear that the country is doomed because they’re creating a unit like this and grinding the lives of valuable young people into it.”

As Hwa-rin chimed in, Third Squad Leader began to slander the Grand Generals, who could be said to be the powerhouses of the military, starting with the generals below them, the military leaders, the thousand-man commanders, and the hundred-man commanders, and Hwa-rin also joined in slandering them and sympathized.

“Hahaha, that’s right. When I get discharged, I’m going to tell those guys to take off their ranks and fight me once. So I’m going to knock out all their teeth and get discharged.”

Third Squad Leader was laughing, imagining pleasant things, when a squad member rushed over.

“Squad Leader, Squad Leader!”

From the sound of the urgent call, it seemed that the new recruit who came today had caused a real accident.

“I’m not deaf. What’s wrong so early in the morning?”

“It’s about the new recruit.”

“Who did he beat up?”

“Yes?”

“Are you saying the new recruit stabbed someone?”

“Ah, that’s not it, the new recruit…”

“What? Speak properly!”

As Third Squad Leader shouted, the squad member hurriedly replied.

“One of the new recruits who came this time is said to be the daughter of the Namgung family, one of the Ten Great Murim Families.”

“The daughter of the Namgung family?”

Third Squad Leader thought for a moment and recalled the pretty-looking man who had come as a new recruit.

“Are you saying that pretty-looking man was a woman, not a man?”

“That’s right. But that new recruit suddenly stabbed another new recruit who came with her, and the deputy squad leader stepped in to stop her and was stabbed and seriously injured.”

“What? Samsik was stabbed and collapsed?”

“That’s right.”

At those words, Third Squad Leader sighed.

“I’m speechless. But why did the daughter of the Namgung family stab another new recruit?”

“He seems to be a warrior of the Demonic Sect and is quite famous in the Murim world as a womanizer.”

“Really?”

“His martial arts are quite strong, so it doesn’t seem like their fight will end easily.”

“So you came to me to stop their fight?”

“Rather than that, I rushed over because it seemed like the deputy squad leader would die if he wasn’t treated quickly.”

“Hahaha!”

Hwa-rin, who was listening, suddenly burst out laughing.

“Go and tell Samsiki. Tell him to clean up and come to the store with the kids soon because we have to start working.”

“Yes? Right now, the deputy squad leader…”

“Go and tell him that. Then Samsiki will take care of it.”

The squad member tilted his head and went back.

“It’s amazing. The daughter of the Namgung family has come to the Meng Hu Sasahyeoljeondae.”

“There are cases like that sometimes. Most of them are victims of conspiracies, but I’ve heard that some of them survive and return… but I’ve never seen it with my own eyes.”

Hwa-rin nodded.

The term of service for the Meng Hu Sasahyeoljeondae is five years. It was a place full of questionable and dangerous missions, so much so that it was questionable how many people would actually survive and be discharged during this period.

‘Now, there are only two years left.’

Tales Of The Nine Dragons [EN]

Tales Of The Nine Dragons [EN]

구룡전기
Status: Completed Author: Native Language: Korean
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[English Translation] In a tempestuous night, amidst the clash of steel and the roar of thunder, a palace estate becomes a battleground. Blood spills as palace guards relentlessly hunt intruders, their mission shrouded in deadly secrecy. A desperate cry pierces the storm—a palace maid's plea for her son, Zhu Hualin, the emperor's hidden ninth child. Born under a veil of scandal, Hualin's very existence is a threat, marked for elimination by the ruthless Empress. Witness a mother's ultimate sacrifice as she ignites a saga of intrigue, resilience, and concealed destinies. Plunge into this captivating prologue, where mercy is a dangerous currency, and the fate of a secret prince hangs precariously in the balance. Years drift by, and the question looms: will Zhu Hualin rise as a tyrannical force, or will he embrace wisdom and justice to become a true ruler?

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