A few days passed.

Contrary to what Seo Woojin and Woon Seorin had expected, they went by quietly, without incident.

Just as Namgung Jun had promised, the Azure Dragon Corps did nothing but limber up quietly in a corner.

The limits on the Seven Families' training ground eased off on their own, too.

Resentment had nearly built up, just as Seo Woojin had feared, but the limits were lifted at just the right moment, and it died down.

The Blood Fist Dan Clan's armed unit for outside operations:

the Mountain-Crushing Unit. Its Vice Captain, Na Jin, was able to come out to the training ground for the first time in ages.

Na Jin looked around.

The first thing that struck him was the sheer space.

And it wasn't just big. Built for the Seven Families, it had nothing wasted in it.

Every kind of weapon stood neatly racked along one side, and the floor was kept spotless.

Maybe because it was barely dawn, the place was nearly empty.

Except for the Azure Dragon Corps warriors limbering up in a corner.

Na Jin gave them one glance and looked away.

No need to bother with them.

"Vice Captain, you're out early."

The two men he usually trained with showed up a little behind him.

"So Dal. Ma Cheol. You're late."

So Dal looked to be in his early thirties. He had an easygoing face, and his grin made his good nature plain.

"Hehe, I didn't sleep great last night. Still, I'm not that late!"

Beside him, Ma Cheol, who looked to be in his twenties, scratched his head.

"Sorry. I meant to get up early, but..."

Na Jin gave a short laugh and shook his head.

"Relax. I was just saying hello. Why so jumpy?"

"Ah."

Ma Cheol made a small sound and looked at So Dal.

Only when he saw So Dal's impish grin did he realize he'd been had.

"Brother!"

"Pfft, hehe. Isn't our youngest adorable? What are we going to do with this innocent kid? So innocent, I wonder if he'll even survive the rough life on the…