Trait Hoarder-Chapter 212 The Darkness of the Eastern Army – Part 2

The Darkness of the Eastern Army – Part 2

The Legion Commander violently threw the stack of documents.

Normally, the papers should have scattered in disarray.

But this time was different.

They soared through the air in perfect formation, like paper soldiers marching in unison, before embedding themselves into the desk.

Right in front of the Division Commanders and staff officers seated in a neat row.

Especially in front of those who resembled the Legion Commander.

Papapapak!

The papers stabbed into the desk, standing upright like a perfectly arranged display.

Everyone seated went pale.

Gu Jungju, Gu Hyeongju—the two Division Commanders—were especially shaken.

The surprising one was Gu Jeongju, the Swordmaster I had fought before. Old Man Gu remained calm as still water.

With his personality, he should have been delighted to see his younger siblings in trouble.

Did he still hold onto the realization he gained after losing to me?

“Father—no, Legion Commander, this is…”

Second Division Commander Gu Jungju tried to say something.

But the Legion Commander’s glare cut her off.

“You have something to say?”

His voice was as cold and sharp as a blade.

A frigid wind, like a northern blizzard.

It meant he was moments away from exploding.

Just as the Second Division Commander struggled to find words, Third Division Commander Gu Hyeongju suddenly shot up from his seat.

Boom!

Then, he slammed his head onto the table.

The impact was loud enough to echo through the room.

But not strong enough to actually break the table.

Instead, he bent at a perfect 90-degree angle.

“I apologize, Legion Commander! I was foolish and caused you great distress!”

“Why did you do something so disgraceful?!”

“I am deeply sorry! I was blinded by my desire to grow stronger… My greed to reach Level 8 overtook me!”

“You idiot. Do you think black magic like this will make you a true Level 8? Have you already forgotten what that Eclipse School black magician did in Ulleungdo?”

“I was wrong! I will withdraw immediately, apologize to the victims, and provide compensation!”

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

The Eclipse School black magician in Ulleungdo?

So the Four Great Factions all knew about it.

Even though the Sun Mage Tower had tried to keep it secret.

The Legion Commander clicked his tongue.

The air, which had been as sharp as a sword, began to settle.

That was the right move.

If the Third Division Commander had tried to deny everything, the Legion Commander would have exploded on the spot.

And no one would have suffered more than the Second and Third Division Commanders.

“I apologize, Legion Commander. I will ensure this never happens again.”

The Second Division Commander also rose and bowed at a perfect 90 degrees.

Seeing his children do this, the Legion Commander’s rage seemed to subside.

The veins that had bulged on his temples and neck were receding.

But I couldn’t let this end here.

In a low voice, I spoke while looking at the Legion Commander.

“Legion Commander. As an outsider, I have no desire to interfere in the Eastern Army’s internal affairs. However, there is one thing that must be addressed.”

“Speak.”

“Do you truly believe this only happened at the Seongsu-dong Factory? I believe that incident was just the tip of the iceberg.”

“Hmm…”

The Legion Commander let out a low groan.

He closed his eyes briefly, then swept his gaze over the Second and Third Division Commanders, as well as the other generals and officers.

“Speak now, here and in front of everyone. If you do, I will consider leniency. Are the Sword Star’s suspicions correct?”

Silence.

The Legion Commander slammed his hand on the table.

“Why is no one answering?!”

Bang!

The table sank into the floor, maintaining its shape.

Still holding the papers in formation, like a battalion of paper soldiers.

The officers seated in front shrank back.

The Third Division Commander shouted in desperation.

“Absolutely not!”

“Not?”

“Yes! Though I made one mistake, I have never delved into dark magic beyond this incident! I would never dare to go against your strict orders, Legion Commander!”

“Is that so?”

The Legion Commander’s eyes were filled with doubt.

But the Third Division Commander met his gaze with an expression of genuine grievance.

The Second Division Commander quickly added,

“It’s true. We got tangled up in the factory incident, but it was only that once. We were just momentarily tempted by the idea that superhuman fusion could help us reach Level 8…”

“Fools! After all the warnings I gave you?!”

“I deeply regret it. But I swear, it was just this once. I would stake my late mother’s honor on it.”

“Can I trust you?”

“Of course.”

Tch. Look at this bastard.

Bringing up his mother?

It was a blatant lie, but the Legion Commander was half-convinced.

After all, his daughter was swearing on his deceased wife.

He had no idea what kind of disaster his children would unleash after he was gone.

“What about the rest of you? What have you done?”

The Legion Commander turned to his other children, sweeping his gaze over them.

One by one, they lowered their heads respectfully.

“I have done nothing.”

“I apologize… In fact, I have engaged in similar acts. I will correct my mistakes immediately.”

“I, too, will make amends.”

“…Hah. You are all rotten. Completely, utterly rotten! Hahaha! I had no idea my own foundation was decaying like this!”

The Legion Commander let out a bitter, hollow laugh.

But for me, there was nothing amusing about this situation.

It was painfully obvious what they were doing.

Even the ones admitting guilt were only confessing to minor offenses.

All the officers here were his blood relatives.

Born of the Gu Clan.

At most, they’d be scolded or put under house arrest.

But none of them would confess to crimes severe enough to warrant dismissal or criminal charges.

Only one remained.

Old Man Gu.

The Legion Commander turned his gaze to the deeply wrinkled face of his eldest son—who looked twice as old as he actually was.

“Jeongju, what about you?”

“I was the worst of them all.”

“The worst?”

“Yes.”

Old Man Gu waved his hand dismissively.

The stack of documents embedded in the table suddenly shot into the air and landed in Old Man Gu’s hands.

Flipping through the pages one by one, he spoke.

“Illegal extraction of criminals, unauthorized transport, human experimentation, murder, torture… Oh, would you look at that? It wasn’t just criminals. You even used a few ordinary superhumans? Only those with no family ties or factional backing, huh? You two really went all out.”

“Ugh.”

“Hmph.”

Was it because they were rivals?

Second Division Commander and Third Division Commander turned their heads away.

Something was boiling beneath their expressions.

Their faces practically screamed: And what about you?

Because they knew exactly what kind of things Old Man Gu had done in the past.

Thud!

Old Man Gu set the documents down.

Then, with an unnervingly clear and composed expression, he met the Legion Commander’s gaze.

“I was far worse than this.”

“Worse? You call this ‘just’ worse?”

“Yes.”

He nodded firmly.

“I captured the innocent and tortured them, observing the fluctuations in mana waves that occurred during the process. I studied the distortions in blood vessels and nervous systems when forcibly engraving Black Tiger Invincible Sword Art into people. I had subjects fight to the death after inscribing Great Tiger Sword Technique, Tiger King Sword Technique, and Black Tiger Invincible Sword Art onto them, all to map out the path of the sword. Additionally, I used mages to research the optimal physical transformation method to create bodies most suited for Black Tiger Invincible Sword Art. Through these methods, I killed hundreds.”

“…Ha. Hahaha.”

The Legion Commander let out a laugh.

A laugh filled with murderous intent.

The air, which had momentarily calmed, became razor-sharp once more.

The pressure was so intense that my magic tracksuit was slashed at the surface, threads scattering in the air.

“How ridiculous. Are you saying you’re proud of this?”

“No.”

Old Man Gu glanced at me once.

His already composed face became even calmer.

Like a gently flowing river.

Or like the crystal-clear waters of a Siberian lake.

“I now understand that it was all futile and meaningless. Though I was once blinded by delusion and folly, I have since washed my hands of it all. I have even begun making amends—apologizing and compensating those who suffered because of me. For the living, I provide treatment, reparations, and prosthetics. For the deceased, I compensate and apologize to their families.”

“…Hmm. Yes, I have heard about that. I thought you had gone mad, but it seems your encounter with Sword Star did you some good.”

“Yes. It was only after losing to him that I finally opened my eyes.”

Old Man Gu took his eyes off me.

He slowly scanned the room, looking at each of his siblings seated around him.

Then, stopping at Second Division Commander and Third Division Commander, he chuckled.

“Jungju, Jungju. Did you just swear on our deceased mother?”

“…Why does that matter?”

“I had no intention of stirring up trouble, but that, at least, must be addressed. Legion Commander. No, Father. What these two—and our entire army—have done goes far beyond what’s written here.”

He tossed the documents.

The pages spun elegantly through the air before stabbing into the table.

Landing in the exact same spot where the Legion Commander had thrown them earlier.

A feat of precision that the old Gu Jeongju wouldn’t have been capable of.

After shedding his delusions, he had grown—even at his age.

He may not have reached Level 8, but…

“Legion Commander. It is shameful to say, but our army is infested with illegal practices and dark arts. If we let this continue, the Eastern Army will cease to be the cradle and sanctuary of warriors within ten years. Instead, it will devolve into nothing more than a mercenary force of Reinforced soldiers. Ultimately, like the corporations and their power-hungry executives, our people will abandon their oaths for the sake of money and power. We will no longer be the shield of our nation and people. We will no longer be protectors of the innocent. We will become nothing more than a gang of aristocratic thugs.”

“…Ha. I never expected to hear such words from you.”

The Third Division Commander sneered.

But Old Man Gu remained firm, still looking directly at the Legion Commander.

“Legion Commander. As the First Division Commander, I formally propose this: We must act before it is too late. We must conduct a full-scale investigation of our army and eradicate every trace of corruption and dark arts.”

“Brother!”

“Eldest Brother!”

“Big Brother!”

“Commander!”

A bombshell statement.

The officers in the room immediately cried out in shock, calling out his name in protest.

Especially Second Division Commander and Third Division Commander, whose eyes burned with fury.

But their shouting soon met with an eerie silence.

“Enough.”

Because the Legion Commander, who had been listening in silence, raised his right hand.

“You want a full-scale investigation?”

“Yes. Sword Star is right. The Seongsu-dong Factory is only the tip of the iceberg. I guarantee you, this is not even one percent of the illegal and vile acts committed by our army.”

“…One percent? Are you certain?”

“Yes. I swear it upon my sword and my honor.”

“Hah… Hahahaha… Hahahahaha!”

The Legion Commander burst into laughter.

At first, it was quiet.

Gradually, it grew louder.

Until it roared through the room, shaking the very air with an eerie, resonating force.

“Urgh…!”

“L-Legion Commander…!”

“Sir, please calm yourself!”

The sheer force of his laughter was enough to shake even the Level 7 Division Commanders and officers, making them writhe in pain.

Those at Level 6 were nearly passing out.

Only Old Man Gu and I remained unaffected.

Did the Legion Commander intentionally exclude us from the pressure?

No.

I endured it thanks to my traits, while Old Man Gu withstood it by entering Sword and Spirit as One while seated.

‘He really has gotten stronger.’

“Very well.”

The Legion Commander stopped laughing, his expression turning solemn.

“I will order the most thorough and rigorous investigation in the history of our army. And that investigation will be led by…”

The Legion Commander stared at Old Man Gu.

It seemed he intended to put him in charge, given how much he had changed.

But unexpectedly, Old Man Gu shook his head.

“I recommend Sword Star.”

“…Sword Star?”

“Yes, Legion Commander. A situation like this should not be investigated by an insider. It would be far more effective to entrust it to an outsider. Sword Star was the one who uncovered the factory incident in the first place. It would be best to have him handle this thoroughly and tie up all loose ends.”

“An external investigation…”

“Brother, are you planning to drag our army’s honor through the mud?”

“The ones who tarnished our army’s honor are you, me, and Jungju—not Sword Star. An external investigation? Pretending nothing happened and sweeping it under the rug—that would be true disgrace. Making an effort to cleanse ourselves is not dishonorable. If we don’t take this opportunity to clean house completely, we’ll have nothing left to pass down to the next generation.”

“Well, aren’t you a saint? Since when did you start living so honorably?”

The Second Division Commander snapped with a sour expression.

So they wanted to put me in charge of the investigation…

If this became an official request, I had no reason to refuse.

In fact, I welcomed it with open arms.

Like I kept saying—the Eastern Army needed to be reborn if they were to fulfill their role in the war against the Old Father’s Cult.

“Very well.”

After some deliberation, the Legion Commander made his decision.

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“I hereby appoint Sword Star as an Honorary Inspector General and grant him the rank of Honorary Major General. This title and rank will be valid only for the duration of the investigation. During this period, he will have the authority to investigate any member of the Eastern Army, including myself, with no exceptions.”

“Legion Commander!”

“An external investigator? This is too much!”

“Silence!”

The Legion Commander stomped his foot.

Boom!

Mana surged through the ground like a shockwave.

It was almost as if he had weaponized a shield-based trait into an impact stomp.

I could feel my body momentarily stiffen from the force and couldn’t help but be impressed.

“If you had done your jobs properly, none of this would have happened! What?! Human experimentation? Superhuman fusion?! Do you think you’re some damned black magicians?! That’s why you’ve never reached Level 8! A warrior’s strength comes from training, and there are no shortcuts in training!”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Legion Commander, unable to contain his fury, stomped the ground repeatedly.

Each time, the shockwaves crashed into the officers like whips.

Many of them collapsed, unable to endure it any longer.

Some even coughed up blood.

The Second and Third Division Commanders paled and bowed deeply.

“W-We’re sorry…”

“We were wrong…”

“If you knew it was wrong, you shouldn’t have done it in the first place!”

The Legion Commander rose from his seat.

Then, he patted my shoulder.

“I’m counting on you, Sword Star. I have many children, but the only one I can trust with this is you.”

“I will do my best.”

“Don’t let anyone off easy. If anyone dares to spew nonsense, tell me. No—just beat the crap out of them. These damn frogs in a well won’t listen unless they’re beaten into submission.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Good, good.”

The Legion Commander glared at the officers once more before leaving the room.

Only then did the air lighten slightly.

The officers slowly struggled to their feet.

Among them, the Second and Third Division Commanders approached me.

“Sword Star. Let’s talk for a moment.”

Their expressions were calm, as if nothing had happened.

But deep within their eyes—murderous intent flickered.