Nano Machine c 111 to 120

 Chapter 111 Chapter 111: Master is back (2) After the second year, most of the cadets had now had taken the fourth test. Among the 120 cadets that passed the third test, only 71 cadets passed the fourth test and the others were expelled after failing the test. A total of 19 members from Yeowun’s crew were expelled. They were sad that they couldn’t follow Master’s orders and promised to grow in power for the future. But it was still a great feat that 34 members of the crew had become masters. The one who had grown the most was Hu Bong. In two years, he was now an established master-level warrior. ‘Master is still not satisfied with his progress yet?’ ‘I hope he comes out soon.’ Yeowun still hadn’t come out yet, as well as all the others who had entered the closed room, but it seemed like it was longer since Yeowun had entered earlier than any other cadet. And with 80% of the cadets all entering the closed room, the academy was now very quiet. Therefore, the Six Sword duel for the second year was skipped since most of the members were missing. And on the third day, it was back to fall. There had been a lot of incidents during the third year. All cadets who entered the closed room had gotten out of it, but among the 70 cadets who had gone through closed room training, only 40% of them entered the grandmaster level. In the second and fourth month, Chun Muyeon left the closed room and passed the fifth test on the same day. This showed that he was an established grandmaster level warrior. And during the second and sixth month, Chun Kungwun, Sama Chak, Guk Shin, Mun Ku, Ko Wanghur, and Bakgi all passed the fifth test. Seven more cadets also tried, but failed. What was surprising was that Chun Mukeum was one of those who failed the test. Among those failed cadets, three of them were killed in the process. Therefore, the other cadets were hesitant on challenging the test. During the third year, the duel for the Six Swords was held again. Unlike before, the cadets had become much stronger for the challenge. First Sword. Ko Wanghur. Second Sword. Mun Ku. Third Sword. Bakgi. Fourth Sword. Hou Sangwha. Fifth Sword. Wu Sojung. Sixth Sword. Ja Wumin. As shown in the results, Ko Wanghur had become really powerful after the closed room training. His fist skill increased his physical strength as he trained, so he had gotten so powerful that no one could damage his body. Wu Sojung tried hard to defeat at least Hou Sanghwa, but she had grown much larger and she threw Wu Sojung of with one swing of her axe. And then two more months passed. It was now the harsh, cold winter. Snow fell on a weekly basis and on the mountain at the back of the dormitory, thirteen cadets had gathered together. They were all Yeowun’s members. Three years were enough for these young teenage cadets to have matured. They always gathered here to train together. Ko Wanghur had grown a long beard, and that made him look much older than his peers. “Huh? Aren’t we all here yet?” Ko Wanghur became confused as he couldn’t find everyone. Ja Wumin answered him. “I think they went there again.” “Oh.” Bakgi sighed at Ja Wumin’s words and shook his head. The two cadets who weren’t here were Mun Ku and Hu Bong. After three years passed, the two of them often visited the closed room building, hoping their master would come out soon. “At least they aren’t alone,” Hou Sangwha commented. But Ko Wanghur shook his head. “Two is not enough.” “Mun Ku isn’t someone we shouldn’t be worried about,” Bakgi answered and the other cadets nodded. Mun Ku, who had passed the fifth test, was now within the top 100 warriors out of the entire Demonic Cult. There was no need to worry about such an experienced warrior. “…Yes, but the competition to the throne is much more fierce. Didn’t Chun Kungwun make an offer to you at the cafeteria the other day, Bakgi?” This was what Ko Wanghur was worried about. With the academy entering the fourth year, the candidates were now pushing to increase their influence and power. Chun Muyeon, who didn’t do much until he had passed the fifth test, was now aggressively recruiting cadets. And the problem was that they were also approaching Yeowun’s crew. “Do you think I will go to the other princes?” “No, I’m just worried because we don’t know what they might try to do.” Chun Yeowun had been missing for three years, so it was natural for the others to take advantage. After all, they were warriors without a master. Ja Wumin also agreed. “Ko Wanghur is right. Chun Kungwun is no different than Chun Yuchan. We have to be careful.” “…That’s why we stick together like this.” This was why they always stayed together unless they trained at the private training rooms, but it was becoming more serious. Ko Wanghur then became worried and said, “We should go get them.” They then moved out to go pick the two of them up. At the northwestern corner, in front of the closed training room, over twenty cadets had circled around two cadets threateningly. The two cadets were Mun Ku and Hu Bong. Ko Wanghur’s worry had come true. It was Chun Kungwun who had brought these twenty cadets. Mun Ku glanced around at the cadets with their weapons. They were ready. “I will say this for the last time. I am not here to hurt you, so why don’t you consider my offer very carefully? Mun Ku?” Kungwun asked. Hu Bong shouted back, “You bring weapons and circle around us. Then you say you are not here to hurt us?!” “I’m not talking to you. Shut up.” Chun Kungwun was not interested in Hu Bong. He wanted Mun Ku who was a member from the Black Dragon Clan, which was as large and almost as powerful as the six clans. Kungwun had approached Mun Ku multiple times already. “Didn’t I refuse many times already?” Mun Ku refused again. Kungwun already knew that Mun Ku, as always, would refuse this time around too. “Then there is no other way. I will do it my way.” “…What are you talking about?” “I just think it’s necessary to educate my future pawn.” Chun Kungwun did not hesitate to use force. After all, they were in the Demonic Cult where power trumped everything. Kungwun pulled out his sword. “Let’s do this. You duel me, and if you lose, you become my servant.” “This is outrageous.” “If you win, I will let you go.” Chun Kungwun was already ready to strike. Mun Ku narrowed her eyes. There were too many experienced warriors surrounding them, giving her no choice to run away. She also took steps to ready herself. “This is going too far, even for a prince!” Hu Bong shouted and raised his sword. He couldn’t take this rude approach. “I warned you not to interfere.” Kungwun then signaled his men, and three cadets attacked Hu Bong. ‘Dammit!’ Hu Bong bit his lips and tried to fight back with the Sword of Illusion. It was then, when the three cadets stopped in place. They were stuck as if the time around them had stopped. “UGH!” “W-what is this?!” “I can’t move!!” They couldn’t move, even when they brought up their energy. A tremendous invisible force was pushing them down. “What is going on?!” Chun Kungwun shouted in anger. Before the three cadets could speak, they were thrown into the air toward the back. “Ugh!” “Argh!” The three of them rolled on the ground as they were thrown away like trash. And these cadets felt the giant power from behind them. That’s when Hu Bong and Mun Ku shouted in unison at the man in the back. “Master!” “Prince Chun!” Chapter 112 Chapter 112: Master is back (3) It was Chun Yeowun. He had long hair that reached down to his waist, and his face had turned to that of a man with strong facial features. His face was pale as he had been locked up in the closed room, but it matched his cold glare. “Master!!” Hu Bong became teary at meeting his master after three years. ‘You are late, Prince Chun.’ Mun Ku’s face also brightened up. But Chun Kungwun, the Prince of the Sword Clan, was shocked. ‘This can’t be…’ The invisible force that threw those three cadets was the Control of Force Energy that only superior level warriors like Lee Hameng or Submeng could use. If the power was so strong that it restricted established masterlevel warriors from moving, it meant that the internal energy behind it was tremendous. ‘It’s impossible. Did he really become superior level warrior?!’ He couldn’t believe it. He had spent two years to understand the ways of becoming grandmaster, but reaching the superior level was an entirely different thing. Kungwun shook his head. ‘No, this can’t be. He must have done some tricks. And even if it is true, I can’t let him walk away from that and bring shame to my honor!’ With the situation taking a drastic turn, it was now an heirship competition. He couldn’t just back away and accept that he was weaker than Yeowun. Kungwun shouted, “What are you waiting for?! Attack him!” “Y-yes!” Kungwun’s members then took out their weapons and charged. “You can’t do that!” “How can you attack one person with a group!” Mun Ku and Hu Bong tried to block the attackers, but Kungwun didn’t let them. “You aren’t going anywhere!” Kungwun charged at Mun Ku who then began to fight against Chun Kungwun. The fight between two grandmasters looked equal, but Mun Ku had to focus all her concentration. “Fool! A weaker clan member like you should never cross lines with us!” Kungwun’s right-hand man, Sim Jingu, charged toward Hu Bong. It seemed like he was an established master-level warrior. ‘I should at least take him on, so that Master can fight the rest with ease!’ Hu Bong fought back against Sim Jingu. Seeing the use of master-level sword art, or the Sword of Illusion, Sim Jingu was surprised. However, even without the two of them, the other fifteen cadets charged against Yeowun. “Let go of our members!” Yeowun was still pushing down the three cadets with his powers. Even when he was attacked by over ten cadets, he didn’t even seem to be scared. ‘Why is he so calm?’ Another one of Kungwun’s members, Kingpo, became concerned and he soon realized why. As Yeowun raised his hand, three cadets were raised up into the air. “Uuuuugh!” Yeowun threw the three of them in front of him like a shield, and the cadets quickly retrieved their swords to stop themselves from attacking their own people. “How dare you!” “Coward!” They thought Yeowun was using them as a shield, but they weren’t a shield at all. “If you want them, then take them back.” “What?!” As Yeowun gestured to push those three cadets, they were thrown at the other cadets like a cannonball. “Ugh!” “T-take them!” They tried to take three of them, but they wielded powerful energy that all of them were thrown back instead. “Ugh!!” “Argh!” And those who were thrown spat blood and couldn’t move from the internal energy. Six out of the eighteen were out from the battle at once. “Is… is he really a superior warrior?’ Everyone here realized that Yeowun’s power was tremendous. Even by just standing, they felt the difference in power. Yeowun took a step and everyone flinched. They were all fear stricken. ‘This is impossible. We will not defeat him, even with the help of our prince.’ Kingpo was certain that no one here could defeat Chun Yeowun. He was also a grandmaster level warrior, but he couldn’t find any weaknesses. ‘We must retreat.’ He thought he shouldn’t continue further and shouted, “P-prince! We lost! We will fall back!” “You all started it first, so you can’t end it whenever you want to,” Yeowun seethed. He had no intention of letting them go for attacking his members. “If you give us no choice, then we will… UGH!” Yeowun reached Kingpo before he can finish talking. Nobody could even track his movements. Kingpo tried to swing his sword, but it was too late. “You talk too much.” “Aaaargh!” Yeowun’s fist struck his chest, and Kingpo was thrown way back with the sound of his chest crushing. Kingpo focused his energy to defend, but it was no use. “Ug…agnn…ngh…” Bloody bubbles foamed in Kingpo’s mouth and he passed out. Since Kingpo, a grandmaster level warrior was overpowered by just one punch, the other cadets were so shocked that they couldn’t even move. “It’s your turn now.” Chun Kungwun frowned. They fought with over twenty formations, but he couldn’t overpower Mun Ku yet. ‘How can he use such powerful martial arts with such a weak-looking body!’ Mun Ku was shorter and smaller than most men, but she was powerful with her clan’s martial art: Fist of the Black Dragon. ‘Should I use the force qi?’ He needed more powerful attack methods, but using the force qi would require him to finish it within three formations, or else it will deplete his internal energy and he would lose. However, he also had to deal with Chun Yeowun after that. ‘Don’t blame me. This is what you wanted by not coming to me!’ Kungwun then brought up his all of his energy, and his sword shined blue. “Force qi?!” Mun Ku saw the blue light and took some steps back. She could fight barehanded against sword qi, but force qi was different. She was established grandmaster level, but couldn’t maintain force qi over one formation due to lack of internal energy. ‘I have to get away.’ ‘You can’t get away!’ Kungwun charged forward to close in on Mun Ku. With the sword movement and force qi unleashed upon her, she had no other way than to bring up her own force qi over her hands. When the two powerful formations clashed, it created cracks on the ground between them. It was so powerful that it cracked the stone ground. And after the first formation, Kungwun moved onto the next formation. Mun Ku became pale. After using all her energy, her force qi lost its light. Kungwun shouted, “I will take your arm!” Kungwun’s sword struck down on her right arm. But then… “W-what?!” Kungwun frowned. Chun Yeowun, who suddenly appeared between them, had grabbed Kungwun’s sword with his bare hand. “P-prince!” Mun Ku shouted in joy as she saw Yeowun’s back. Yeowun’s hand was covered in blue force qi. “How did you…!” Kungwun tried to pull back his sword, but the sword did not even budge. ‘What’s with this strength!’ And even without the power, Yeowun’s physical strength was like a monster. “How? Are you asking about those pieces of trash?” Yeowun pointed to the back. Kungwun then saw nineteen of his cadets all passed out on the ground, with their limbs snapped weirdly. “Hehe.” Hu Bong was piling them up like a heap of garbage in one place. ‘…He defeated all of them after such a short moment?’ Kungwun was lost for words. His guess was correct in the end. “Y…you reached the superior level? UGH!” That’s when Kungwun’s sword that held force qi began to crack and shattered. Yeowun glared at him. ‘I-I have to run!’ Kungwun became terrified at such a tremendous amount of power and tried to run. “Aaaaaaaargh!” Before he could run, he felt a searing pain in his right hand and screamed as he rolled on the ground. He didn’t realize it at first, but his right arm was missing. “M-my arm! My arm!! Aaaaaaaargh!” Yeowun then stomped on Kungwun who was rolling on the ground and pinned him down. “You will pay for wanting something that doesn’t belong to you.” Kungwun became pale. “P-Please!” He begged in fear, but Yeowun smashed his face mercilessly. A few minutes later, at the second-floor medical room of the main building, the room that was quiet for the past three years and two months was suddenly busy with over twenty patients with serious injuries. Doctor Baek Jongmeng was smiling as he mumbled. “You’re finally out.” Chapter 113 Chapter 113: Master is back (4) “By the gods…” “What am I looking at right now?” Ko Wanghur and the crew were lost for words as to what they were seeing. There were nineteen injured cadets in pile, with their limbs snapped. And there was a young man with blue bandana over his head, piling them up in one place. “Hu Bong.” “What is going on here?” Ja Wumin also became confused. All of them ran since it didn’t feel good, but this was not something they expected. “Oh! Mun Ku!” “Who? Who is that?!” They saw Mun Ku excitedly talking to a long-haired, pale young man. Below them was a man with his right arm cut off and a crushed face that they couldn’t figure out who it was. “W-wait. Maybe…” “OHHHH!” They only saw the long-haired man. It had been three years and two months, but there was no way they would not recognize their master. “Master!” Ko Wanghur quickly ran up to him and knelt down on one knee. All other members followed Ko Wanghur and kneeled also. Wanghur bowed and shouted, “First Sword Wanghur at your service!!” Mun Ku then knelt down quickly and shouted, “Second Sword Mun Ku at your service!” Third was Bakgi, but he didn’t kneel. ‘How can he be so different in just three years?’ Bakgi had grown powerful that he felt even the instructors of academy were weak. But when he saw Chun Yeowun, it was hard for him to breathe at the difference in power. It was as if he was facing the Chief of the Academy, Lee Hameng. ‘Yeowun… you are…’ Bakgi then felt that Yeowun was at the superior level. He had agreed on joining Yeowun, but he never accepted Yeowun as his superior. But with such power, there was no choice but to accept it. Bakgi then fell down on one knee and shouted, “Third Sword Bakgi at your service!!” This was the first time Bakgi showed such a reaction. Every cadet became surprised as they didn’t expect Bakgi to ever act like this. Hou Sangwha smiled too. “Fourth Sword Hou Sangwha at your service!” All the other cadets bowed to Yeowun in turn. Their shaking eyes and tears were enough to show their excitement in seeing Yeowun after a long time. Yeowun bowed at them and answered, “Thank you all for waiting.” At that, his crew shouted in joy. “Whoaaaaaa!!! Master is back!!” Yeowun smiled. Ko Wanghur then asked, “Master, who is he?” He couldn’t recognize the man slumped down on the ground. Mun Ku replied, “It’s Chun Kungwun from the Sword Clan.” “Chun Kungwun??” Ko Wanghur and the other cadets were shocked to hear this. Chun Kungwun was one of the top three individuals within the academy in terms of strength, even when considering all the instructors. “D-did you do that?” “Oh, this fool was Chun Kungwun?” So, he had made a grand return. This would surely throw Kungwun out of the competition for the heirship. ‘Hah! That’s what you deserve!’ Most of the cadets who were annoyed at Kungwun who had been forcing them to join him became excited. “Hehe. He was no match against our master.” Hu Bong spoke with a grin. Like Bakgi, established grandmaster Ko Wanghur, also knew about it, but he didn’t speak of it first because he was just too glad to see the master again. “Master! …D-did you reach the superior level?” Every cadet turned to Yeowun in silence. Yeowun then looked back at them and smiled with a nod. His crew then shouted louder than ever. “Whoaaaaaaa!” “M-master is now a superior warrior?!” “I can’t believe it!” They were worried about Yeowun’s prolonged closed room training period. If Yeowun stayed longer due to not having understanding, then it meant he was being left behind on the competition. But the result of the prolonged stay led him to reach the superior level, so that was surely worth it. The only superior warriors within the cult were the three guardians and twelve elders. ‘He will truly change our cult!’ ‘Our choice wasn’t wrong!’ In the Demonic Cult, power was the best way to prove oneself. With Yeowun becoming a superior level warrior, his members now trusted him more than ever. After Yeowun and his crew moved Chun Kungwun and his crew to medical room, they talked about what had happened outside. Yeowun’s return had caused a shock within the academy. ‘Maybe he really will become the next Lord!’ ‘But we have Chun Muyeon too.’ ‘What did he do? Nothing!’ ‘It’s crazy! We might have a Lord coming from a non-six clan for the first time!’ Chun Yeowun had defeated five out of the six princes by himself already. He had proved everything. And with this, it became a concern to Chun Muyeon’s group. The biggest obstacle they had for Muyeon to become the heir was now Chun Yeowun. But Chun Muyeon himself was uninterested and only focused on increasing his power. At the Chief’s office in the main building, Lee Hameng also heard of Yeowun’s return. He also heard that Yeowun defeated Chun Kungwun and his crew and had cut his arms. He had heard the report of the patients in the medical room already. He also heard one piece of news that was almost unbelievable. “Estimated to be at the superior level?” The middle-aged man reporting to him was an instructor who was in charge of the closed rooms. The closed room building entrance doors could only be opened from the outside, so the instructor was there to open the door for last trainee. This allowed him to watch Yeowun fight. The instructor was certain of Yeowun’s power. “In my honest opinion, I am certain. I saw him use the Force of Energy with my own two eyes,” the instructor firmly said. Lee Hameng was shocked. He didn’t expect to hear such news, since all he expected was to see Yeowun at end stage of the grandmaster level. ‘Superior level…?’ In all the history of the Demonic Academy, no one ever entered the superior level. This was not just something that was possible from being talented. ‘Maybe a storm is coming to our cult…’ He had high hopes for Yeowun’s tremendous growth rate, but it felt like he was going to bring such change about. Yeowun’s power was now something that the six clans could always deal with if they wanted. Lee Hameng’s eyes grew large and the instructor asked, “Chief, are there any problems, sir?” “So… it was real.” “Huh?” Lee Hameng, a supreme level warrior, had a sense of energy that expanded over entire building. And one with such power had just entered the building. If he didn’t hear the report just now, he would have thought one of elders had came for him. And the one with such power now stood in front of his door. “Chief, Squad Leader Chun Yeowun is requesting to meet you.” “Oh!!” The instructor who reported was surprised. This meant that the person he was reporting was now here. “Let him in.” “Yes, sir.” The door opened and Chun Yeowun with long black hair and pale face came in. He had tied his long hair up so it will not fall below his neck. He had hid his qi, that weaker ones cannot sense but Lee Hameng was able to sense it clearly. ‘It is true that he had entered supreme level.’ Lee Hameng got up and walked up to him with intrigued look. “Leader Chun. This is unbelievable.” “Long time no see, sir.” Yeowun was no more a mere kid. And Yeowun, who was looking at Lee Hameng was thinking of something different. ‘I didn’t know back then, but he’s really powerful.’ Looking at Lee Hameng, it now showed clear difference in power. If his guess was right, Lee Hameng was established supreme level, stronger than Yeowun. “So, why are you here?” Yeowun then bowed at Lee Hameng and spoke. “I want to take the fifth test.” Chapter 114 Chapter 114: Secret of Demon Seal Cave (1) As instructors led the way to the north corner of the academy, Senior Instructor Hou Jinchang glanced back at Chun Yeowun who was following them. ‘This is really amazing.’ Hou Jingchang was astounded. In these three years, he also trained hard and achieved the end stage of being a grandmaster level warrior. As an instructor, he did not want to feel ashamed against these fast-growing cadets. However, Yeowun had grown much stronger than him now. ‘Is it the blood?’ The Chun family ruled the cult for hundreds of years. Hou Jinchang became curious as to what kind of change Chun Yeowun would bring to the cult. Soon, they reached the ragged building. Demon Seal Cave. The building looked like it was going to crumble down at any moment. ‘You will pass the fifth test easily at your level, Master.’ Ko Wanghur, who had passed the fifth test, advised him as such. They said that the cave had many traps and tricks that required a high sense of energy to pass. This was why it required one to be at the established grandmaster level. ‘The cave is a bit scary inside.’ Mun Ku said there were no light sources after entering. It was required to pass through the cave by only relying on the sense of energy. ”But I heard a weird crying sound inside.” “Huh? Mun Ku, you heard it too?” “…I heard it too.” Bakgi also exclaimed, “What?!” ‘Was it not my imagination?!’ Ko Wanghur and Mun Ku also flinched in shock. Three of them claimed that they heard a mysterious cry the entire time they took the test. It gave them chills, but they couldn’t feel anything as they passed through the cave, so they thought the sound was their imagination. “This is the entrance.” Hou Jinchang opened the ragged door. Cold air began to blow from inside, proving that the cave was larger than expected. When Yeowun walked in, there was a staircase that led into the basement. It was very dark further in. One of the instructors then pushed the wooden pillar next to the stairs, and the sound of something moving was heard from below. Yeowun heard that there was machinery installed below already, so he just nodded. Hou Jinchang explained, “The fifth test only requires you to pass through it. You have to pass through various traps just by relying on your senses. There is an exit on the east end. We will wait for two hours there.” “So, there is a time limit to this?” “It will only take maybe an hour to two hours. But if you can’t come out within the timeframe, we will stop the machines and enter to see if you got into an accident.” The accidents killed three cadets already. These traps were very dangerous. Instructors then checked Yeowun’s body to see if he had any tools to start a fire. “Are you bringing that blade inside?” “Yes, sir.” No light sources were allowed, but weapons were okay since they were needed to defend against machinated traps. “Let’s check it.” Yeowun handed the blade over. It was the blade created by Ou Sunong. Hou Jinchang took up the blade. The blade had writing engraved that said ‘Butterfly Dance’ as it was requested by Yeowun. “Good blade.” It wasn’t created with cold steel, but it was quite sharp. It was very close to Submeng’s Crazy Blade. Hou Jinchang handed it back to Yeowun and pointed at the staircase. “Then you should start.” “Yes, sir.” “I wish you luck.” Hou Jinchang wished him luck, but he wasn’t worried. The traps were meant for grandmaster level warriors, so it was a piece of cake for a superior warrior like Chun Yeowun. Yeowun then walked down the staircase. As the instructors walked out and closed the door, everything turned pitch dark. He was supposed to use his senses to check where it was open and where it was closed, but he didn’t need to rely on that. ‘Nano, activate night vision mode.’ [Activating night vision mode.] With Nano’s voice, Yeowun’s eyes adapted to the darkness, and he could clearly see the staircase. It was a very old stone staircase that was severely worn out. ‘It’s pretty far down.’ Yeowun kept on walking down. As he walked down, the air grew more chilly. After he walked down the height of a four-story building, there was an end. He saw the entrance to the cave. ‘What is this smell?’ Yeowun caught the disgusting smell at the entrance. It smelled like oil and blood, but a lot of other things were mixed in that and it was hard to recognize what smell it was. ‘Let’s go in.’ As he walked into the corridor, he felt a slight breeze. It seemed like this way led to the exit. If one used their senses, the wind guided the way to the exit. And when he went in, the wall of the cave was smooth, indicating that it was created artificially. ‘Well, they even installed traps here.’ Yeowun did not need to waste time. He saw exit clearly in his eyes, so he just needed to go there. Yeowun then used a running skill to run through. “Huh?” But when he took his step off from the ground, the wall trembled and sharp spears were thrown at Yeowun. He swung his hand, and all the spears broke down before they reached him. ‘So, this was how.’ A wrong step and one could trigger a trap. Yeowun then sighed and changed his plan to walk slowly out. And after a few steps, another trap was triggered again. The stone that he stepped on was pushed down and the entire ceiling from about ten steps in all directions dropped down on him. “Oh!” Yeowun then quickly ran through to get away. He would have been squashed by the ceiling if he had been late. With such a trap in such darkness, it was easy to see why even grandmaster level warriors were killed by these. It was still dangerous even when Yeowun could clearly everything. Yeowun then walked carefully. After looking, he was able to identify the trap triggers. Most of them were made to trigger when taking the wrong steps. ‘I just need to be careful of those.’ As Yeowun had help from the night vision, he was able to avoid stepping on those triggers. And after moving through a bit, Yeowun realized something was off. He wasn’t worried about getting lost since he was moving toward the breeze, but there were more directions in this cave. There were other open areas that were connected to others. Without the breeze, one could get lost by going the other way. ‘It feels like I’ve seen this place somewhere…’ It was his first time here, but he felt like he’d seen this somewhere. After thinking about the reason while he moved, he then finally came to a conclusion. “Wait. Nano, do you remember the map you saved from collecting those shiny stones in the prison cave?” [Yes, Master. It is saved in the data.] ‘Show me.’ [Yes, Master.] With Nano’s voice, Yeowun saw the augmented reality drawing the map that was saved. It was the map that was at the back of those shiny stones that had breathing skills written on the front. “It was here!” Yeowun was astonished. The map was the map of this Demon Seal Cave. It matched exactly with the route he took to walk down here. ‘Nano, what do you think?’ [The shape of the current cave matches that of the map. We are currently located at this point on the map.] The map then showed a red dot, indicating the location of Yeowun’s current position. “Oh. That’s cool.” From looking at the map, it seemed like it was easy to move to the location where the map was pointing to. He was in the middle of the fifth test, but he was curious. It was the map that was written at the back of the shiny stones left by Father Chun Ma. It was likely that something was hidden there. ‘I have enough time.’ Only a few minutes had passed. Yeowun decided to check the map. ‘I have to go back.’ The location was the far right tunnel at the first location. But with a map, it was easy to move through complicated tunnel easily. And it was after a while he walked through the cave. “Huh?” He heard the faint sound of an animal growling from somewhere. It was too clear to think of it as his imagination. It seemed like it was the sound that Mun Ku and Ko Wanghur had heard. ‘I don’t feel anything though.’ He couldn’t feel any movement. Yeowun then focused back on the map and moved. ‘So many traps even when it’s not a way out.’ He kept on moving through, and there were now more traps installed on the way than on the way to the exit. After walking past the traps carefully, Yeowun was finally at the location indicated on the map. “This…” The place was blocked off by a large blue wall. And there was giant writing on it that covered the entire blue stone wall. “Seal?” Chapter 115 Chapter 115: Secret of Demon Seal Cave (2) The writing was so large that it was hard to recognize what it said from close up. And the writing was written with a sword. ‘This writing…’ It was the same writing style that was written on blue pearl stone pedestal. Surely this was written by Father Chun Ma. ‘Does this mean something is sealed behind it?’ Yeowun then realized the name of this cave was Demon Seal Cave, meaning it sealed a demon. He just thought it was a generic name, but he came to the realization that there was something more to it. ‘Then is there something sealed behind this giant wall?’ It seemed like the secret was beyond this wall. And it was then. ‘It’s that sound again!’ He heard the growling sound of an animal again, but it was much clearer than before. The sound came from beyond the wall. Yeowun looked down at his arms that had goosebumps. He had become very rational after entering the superior level, but this cry gave him the feeling of a demonic presence. ‘Should I not touch it?’ He became hesitant as he might unleash something that he could not control with his curiosity. But he also thought of this. ‘…But why would he leave the location of a place on a treasure map?’ The map was drawn as if there was something really important hidden at the location. Yeowun didn’t have much time to hesitate as he was in the middle of the test. “Hmph.” Yeowun took a deep breath. ‘If it is left by Father Chun Ma, it can never be too bad.’ Yeowun then got up to the wall and took out his blade. As he concentrated on the blade, the force qi was wielded on his blade. “Hah!” Yeowun’s blade then struck the wall multiple times. Debris and dust kicked up, hiding the sight, but Yeowun kept on going for a while and took a few steps back afterward. ‘Did it work?’ Yeowun swung his arm, and the energy created a storm to wash away the specks of dust. Yeowun’s eyes widened. “Huh?” The stone wall stood still. There were blade marks, but they still stood strong. “Uh…” He then saw that the depth of the marking was shallower than that of the writing left by Father Chun Ma. “This wall…” Yeowun was dumbfounded and Nano spoke to him. [The durability of the wall is equal to the blue pearl stone.] “What?” He then realized the stone was faintly blue. He walked closer, and the fresh blade marks were much clearer in blue. ‘It’s not equal in durabililty. This IS blue pearl stone.’ It was covered with other stone, but inside was blue pearl stone. “Hmm…” Yeowun then took a deep breath. ‘Then that’s the only way.’ He had to unleash a sword formation powerful enough to destroy the blue pearl stone. He didn’t think the first target to use ‘that’ formation he learned only recently was a blue pearl stone wall. Yeowun then changed his grip on the blade and changed it to that of a sword. ‘Fourth formation of the Sword Force of the Sky Demon.’ He was barely able to use the fourth formation after entering the superior level. It was so powerful that he thought he would never have the chance to use against most people, but this was the only way to destroy this wall at once. Yeowun readied and the air began to churn as if it would explode. Yeowun then charged forward, sending twenty-four sword movements as one, striking the wall like a lightning thrown from a thunder god. With a large explosion, the cave shook. The entire cave was covered in dust immediately. Yeowun was already seven steps back from the wall. The debris and dust kicked up were so much that he had to run back immediately after he destroyed it. That’s when the entire blade he held cracked and turned into dust. The blade couldn’t withstand the power used through the formation. ‘I need a sword that can withstand the Sword Force of the Sky Demon.’ Yeowun shook his head. As he waved his hand from top to bottom, the dust was pushed down. Yeowun saw a giant hole on the blue pearl stone wall. ‘I did it!’ He then tried to walk in but stopped at chilling evil energy seeping out from it. He had not felt such demonic energy at once that even Yeowun at the superior level was terrified. “Ugh!” He also smelled a foul stench. It was the smell that he caught at the entrance to the cave. He then hesitated a bit and walked closer to the hole. That’s when Nano’s voice rang quickly. [Warning! Warning! Detecting rise of plasma energy level within range! Atmospheric sprite incoming.] “What?’ It was then, Yeowun heard the growling of the animal right in front of him. The light flashed and something threw Yeowun to the back. “Ugh!” Yeowun was thrown far back into the wall. He looked back dumbfoundedly. Something had attacked him, and he couldn’t even react to it. This was not something that a normal human could do. ‘What is it? I couldn’t even block it.’ He then heard the sound of an animal again. Yeowun then quickly jumped up and dodged it. The wall where Yeowun was at was struck by something and dust kicked up. He would have struck if he didn’t run in time. He then saw the long and giant shadow of the animal. ‘What is this…?’ Yeowun was shocked to see if this was real. It had dark and glistening scales, with the smell of rotting blood. The head that was growing was as big as a human’s body, and it looked like a snake. But there were hundreds of black spikes above its head. As Yeowun looked at the long body that ran from the inside of the wall to another side, he mumbled, “Dragon serpent…” It was the dragon serpent that Yeowun saw in old fairytales. The dragon serpent was a snake in the myth that had acquired power but could not become a dragon. The book had described the dragon serpent as a holy beast with white or blue scales that lived in the lake, but this black dragon serpent was more like a terrifying monster. ‘Is this real?’ The black dragon serpent charged at Yeowun with its large mouth. ‘It’s fast!’ It was giant, but the speed was too fast. Yeowun quickly used his running skills to run across the cave wall, avoiding the dragon serpent’s poisonous fangs. The fangs struck the cave floor, destroying it. The snake then turned and glared at Yeowun with glowing red eyes. “Dammit!” Yeowun spat. He destroyed the wall in hopes of finding treasure left by Father Chun Ma, but in fact, he had awakened the demon sealed in the Demon Seal Cave. Chapter 116 Chapter 116: Secret of Demon Seal Cave (3) The black dragon serpent charged at Yeowun. He quickly took steps to avoid being attacked, but the dragon serpent quickly followed Yeowun. Each time its fang struck the wall, the wall crumbled down. Yeowun had to be on the move entire time to not get struck by the dragon serpent’s powerful attack. ‘The cave might fall down.’ It was weird that the cave was still holding up. It wasn’t sure how such a large dragon serpent was locked up here, but it looked like it was possible for the dragon serpent to just make a hole through the cave to escape. ‘Maybe the entire place beyond that wall is made out of blue pearl stone?’ If it was, then there was no way for dragon serpent to escape from it. If this went on, the cave was going to collapse. And if it did, then Yeowun was going to do die. ‘I have no choice. Let’s lure it into the stone room.’ Yeowun then ran through the cave wall with his running skill, circling around and the snake moved his body to catch up to Yeowun. ‘It’s following!’ When snake also turned to follow Yeowun, its large body came out of the hole and filled the entire cavern as if it was nesting in it. And when the entrance was open again, Yeowun kicked off and charged into the room. The inside of it was very humid, different from ice-cold cave outside. “Water?” There was water about knee height below. But it had the smell of a foul stench that made him even get a headache. If he didn’t have night vision mode on, he just would have considered it water. As he held up his leg, he felt the ooze sticking upon him. The liquid was black in color, but it was hard to recognize what it was. But before he can think about what this liquid was, the dragon serpent’s head charged in through the hole. “Dammit!” Yeowun jumped up. But with the sticky ooze pulling him, his running skill couldn’t speed him up as it would normally do. “NO!” There was no way the dragon serpent will miss the chance of its prey hanging in the air. Yeowun then changed his way. If he had no way to run, then he had to fight it. Yeowun gathered force qi on his hand and unleashed the third formation of Sword Force of the Sky Demon at the dragon serpent. This was the only formation he could use when he was not standing on the ground. Twenty-four movements were unleashed, causing storm as it struck the dragon serpent. ‘Huh?’ Yeowun was shocked. When his force qi struck the monster, the sound of metal clashing rang out in the room. The dragon serpent then roared and churned in rage. It was so powerful that Yeowun was thrown back before he could finish the entire formation. “Ugh!” He was struck at the other end of the wall and fell to the sticky water. The wall, however, was unscratched, unlike the wall outside, proving it was created from blue pearl stone. The harsh stone inflicted pain on his back. “Ugh…” If his body wasn’t strengthened while learning the fourth formation of the Sword Force of the Sky Demon, he would have broken bones or muscles. ‘I can’t damage it even with the Sword Force.’ The dragon serpent seemed it had taken no damage. Yeowun looked at the snake coming to him. ‘What should I do?’ If the Sword Force did not work, then it meant the snake had a stronger density in its body. He had never thought about fighting a monster in myth. It was despair. ‘Huh?’ That’s when he found something strange. As the dragon serpent came at him with moving his large body, the water below him did not move. ‘Wait a minute…’ The water was still up to Yeowun’s knee. If that large monster came charging in, then it should have raised the water level, but it was the same. Yeowun ordered Nano. ‘Nano, activate augmented reality.’ [Yes, Master.] With Nano’s voice, Yeowun saw white lights describing things he was seeing. Yeowun narrowed his eyes There was nothing showing next to the giant dragon serpent. There was only a number that showed the flow of energy and a drawing that looked like a wave. ‘Nano, what is this wave sign?’ [It is a graph that shows dark plasma energy within this entire room.] ‘Plasma energy?’ [The energy within the room fused through abnormal rate of growth, creating an unexplained phenomenon. It is what many deem as – spiritual encounter.] ‘This is a spiritual encounter?’ [Warning! Atmospheric sprite phenomenon is approaching!] “Dammit!’ Dragon serpent then charged at Yeowun again and Yeowun kicked up twice as hard, to free himself from the sticky ooze. As Yeowun dodged the attack of dragon serpent, Yeowun was able to see that the dragon serpent did not have a material body. Yeowun asked Nano, ‘Nano, do you know what this thing I am looking at?’ [Twenty-four metal pieces are hovering over with strong plasma energy radiating out from them.] ‘What?’ Yeowun was shocked. He was looking at the dragon serpent, but Nano was seeing at something entirely different. Yeowun’s guess was right. ‘Metal pieces? So, it’s not a dragon serpent then?’ [No, Master.] Yeowun then became hesitant. He could only see a terrifying dragon serpent. ‘So, if I get rid of those metal pieces, will that illusion go away?’ Yeowun couldn’t run away from it forever. He had to fight against it even if that was the answer. Yeowun then ordered Nano. ‘Nano, show me the location of those metal pieces you speak of.’ [Yes, Master.] Yeowun then saw two fangs, two eyes, and spikes over the dragon serpent’s head shining with the red dots. ‘Huh?’ He then realized the location of these red dots were weird. If he were to use twenty-four sword movements of the Sword Art of the Sky Demon, it was exactly the point where these red dots were located at, as if that was its intention. ‘Wait… this is what the Father Chun Ma prepared then?’ He wasn’t sure why these metal pieces were located there, but if one knew the sword movements of the Sword Force of the Sky Demon, it was possible to strike the exact spots. Yeowun glared at red dots. Dragon serpent charged at him terrifyingly. Yeowun had trained in the basic movements of the Sword Force for three entire years. With him at the superior level, it was possible to unleash all twenty-four movements almost at once. “Hah!” Yeowun’s body left a trace as it divided into twenty-four traces of Yeowun moving through to strike all the red dots. Sounds of metal clashes rang through the room. As his word struck through the red dot, the dragon serpent shot through Yeowun. He had to be inside the dragon serpent, but he couldn’t see anything when he dropped down. ‘I did it!’ Yeowun then turned. “So… this was it!” In the air, he saw the twenty-four black metal pieces hovering there, moving slightly. “What is this anyway?” As Yeowun got up to see it, something weird happened. The twenty-four pieces immediately began to gather up and combined themselves into one. Its shape mirrored that of a sword. “Sword?” It was a dark sword that glowed while still hovering in the air. Yeowun was speechless at such a mysterious scene and carefully walked to the sword. He then saw the engraving on the blade. [Sky Demon Sword] “Sky Demon Sword?” That was the name of the sword. But the Sky Demon Sword was a famous sword that symbolized the Lord of the Demonic Cult, and that was held by the Lord himself. Then what was this sword? Yeowun then reached out and grabbed the sword. And soon as he grabbed on it, mysterious dark energy ran through him. “W-what is this?!” Yeowun was shocked and tried to let go, but the energy had consumed him already. “Uuuuughhhh!” A strange sensation grasped him and his face turned black, and Yeowun had fallen to the ground on his knees in pain. Soon, Yeowun’s world turned entirely dark. It was like the depth itself. Chapter 117 Chapter 117: Secret of Demon Seal Cave (4) Yeowun couldn’t feel anything within the darkness. He wanted to speak, but his voice didn’t come out and he couldn’t hear any sound. Such darkness usually gave fear to people, but this darkness was really comfortable for Yeowun as if he was a baby in a womb. When Yeowun was almost seeping into such comfortable darkness, he snapped out and came back to his senses. ‘No! I can’t let this darkness consume me.’ Yeowun then called to Nano. ‘Nano! Nano!’ But Nano did not answer. If he was going to be caught up in this darkness, then there was a chance that he might fail the fifth test. ‘What should I do?’ Unlike Yeowun’s uneasiness, the darkness was very calm and quiet. Yeowun then focused on trying to find his senses back. ‘If I can think, my body still remains intact. Let’s focus.’ This was easy. He couldn’t feel anything, so it was like finding needle in a haystack to find his senses. After a while, Yeowun who as focusing on finding his senses, now changed to going through the breathing method of Sky Force of the Sky Demon. This happened when he had his hand on the black sword, so this was his last resort. In the timeless darkness, there came a change. The darkness began to twist and stormed into one point where it was sucking everything in. ‘Is it coming into me?’ Yeowun was able to feel it clearly. The vast darkness that tried to consume him was now being sucked in. It was so fast that it was as if the darkness was all but imagination. And when the darkness was sucked in entirely, the entire place turned into a white area. The area trembled, and the surface below turned into a water srfuace and something shot up from behind. It had beautiful, pearl white scales that had a shape of a white dragon. But it was too small to be a dragon and it had small horns. ‘Dragon serpent?’ It was similar to the black dragon serpent he saw earlier, except it had white scales and horns. The white dragon serpent then looked up and roared. It was roar that had enough holy energy to shake the entire space. As its body moved, the scales squirmed and Yeowun saw it growing in size. ‘Is it growing?’ The horn also began to grow longer, looking like if it was going to turn into a true dragon. But when the dragon moved, the area around it thundered and trembled. The surface also shook like a sea under a huge storm. It was then — with the sound of something being cut down, the white dragon serpent screamed in agony. ‘Ah!’ The reason was at the horn. Someone had cut down the dragon serpent’s horn. The white dragon serpent screamed and twisted its large body and the white scales soon turned black. Its yellow eyes turned red and the man who had a black robe walked up to him with a satisfied look. ‘That’s…!’ The man had a black sword in his hand, and it was certain that it was the sword that said it was the Sky Demon Sword that Yeowun grabbed before being locked up in the darkness. The dragon serpent became infuriated and charged at the man. That’s when the man ‘s black sword unleashed dark force qi. ‘That’s a force qi?’ He had never seen such dark force qi. The man charged at the dragon serpent, unleashed a powerful sword formation, and stormed him. When the man dashed past the dragon serpent, its head had turned into many pieces. ‘Sword Force of the Sky Demon!’ Yeowun was able to recognize what this sword force was. It was the third formation of the Sword Force of the Sky Demon. But it was much more powerful than when he used it himself. Black blood soared up from the place where its head was cut off, covering the surface in black. The man then struck his black sword down on the dragon serpent. And when he did, something black shot up from it and was sucked into the sword. The man looked down at the sword and spoke. “This will take a long time. Then it is not for me.” And at that moment, the man turned to the direction where Yeowun was at. ‘Huh?’ As he met the black eyes of the man, Yeowun’s sight quickly spun and distorted. “Ugh!” And Yeowun quickly got up with the foul stench coming through his mouth and nose. It wasn’t sure when, but he had dropped into the black ooze. “Ugh! Uuuuugh!” He even swallowed a few sips, but it was so disgusting. If it was poisonous, Nano would have extracted it out, but it seemed like it was okay. However, it was still hard to get used to the stench. [Are you okay, Master?] ‘Nano?’ Yeowun then looked around. There was black liquid, and the wall was faint blue in color. “I-I’m back…” He didn’t know what just happened. It was too clear to be considered an illusion as he clearly remembered staying for a long time in the darkness while watching black-robed man killing the dragon serpent. “No!” When he realized he was back, he thought of what was most important. He had spent a long time in the darkness that maybe he had passed the time limit again. Yeowun asked Nano, ‘Nano, how long was I out?’ [You did not passed out, Master. You fell down when you held the sword.] Chapter 118 Chapter 118: Secret of Demon Seal Cave (5) ‘What?’ Yeowun was dumbfounded when he heard it. He had stayed in such a state for such a long time, but it was actually an instant. He still had the night vision mode on his sight, that proved it wasn’t for too long. ‘How long have I been inside in this cave then?’ [Little less than an hour, Master.] ‘Wheeeeew.’ Yeowun then sighed in relief. He was worried if he failed by not keeping within the time limit, but that wasn’t the case. ‘So, it wasn’t as long then. What happened to me anyway?’ He couldn’t understanwhat he experienced. Yeowun then asked Nano again, ‘Did I just fall down? And that’s it?’ [No, Master. When you grabbed the sword, dark plasma energy came in through the body. It kicked up the usage of master’s neuron cells to 100% instantly.] Human brains were activated by the individual depending on what the human was doing. There was no way the brain would be activated at 100% at any time. Nano wasn’t finished there. [The dark plasma energy was absorbed into the body, mixed with the internal energy, and became one.] ‘What? It became one with my internal energy?’ Yeowun then checked the flow of his internal energy. He felt a different type of energy within his body. It had the terrifying darkness that he felt when he fought against the dragon serpent. ‘How did it become corrupt like this?’ It was hard to understand, but it was certain that it was because of him holding onto that black sword. “Huh?” Yeowun then realized he couldn’t find the black sword. He thought he had dropped it to the ground, so he used his foot to search through the water, but it was empty below. [Please check your wrist.] ‘Huh?’ Yeowun then raised his both arms up and checked. “W-what is this?!” Both his wrists were covered by black metal pieces that were shaped like armguards. Certainly they were the metal pieces that formed the black sword. ‘Why are these on my arm?’ Yeowun tried to unequip them, but they were stuck on his wrist so hard that they wouldn’t come off. Yeowun had powerful strength, but even he couldn’t get it off. ‘Is it reacting to my energy then?’ Yeowun sent the energy to it, but it didn’t even budge. Then what was it going to move at? ‘Or maybe…’ Yeowun then changed direction. He focused to flow the energy through breathing skill of the Sword Force, and the dark energy stored within also came up with it. Yeowun’s entire body began to shine in dark energy, showing a terrifying demonic presence. It was as if the black dragon serpent was here. At that moment, the black metal pieces scattered and gathered together to form the shape of the sword. The black sword then fell into Yeowun’s right hand. “Ohhh….!” Yeowun was astonished. He was able to see that the black sword, shining in its deep black blade, was a powerful sword. He was then able to confirm that this ‘Sky Demon Sword’ was the real treasure left by Father Chun Ma. ‘Let’s give it a try.’ Yeowun then walked to the wall of the blue stone. If this sword was gift from the Father Chun Ma, then it would surely hold up against the power of Sword Force of the Sky Demon. Yeowun then readied to unleash his power and sent the energy into the sword to create force qi. “This…?!” Yeowun’s eyes grew large. His force qi was not blue anymore. Just like the man in his illusion, his force qi was dark. And the force qi unleashed ominous aura from it. Yeowun then swung the black sword-wielding dark force qi at the wall. The wall was cut down as if it was like a paper. It was amazing. “How is this even possible…? Just the force qi is…” Yeowun was shocked by his own energy that was so powerful beyond his imagination. ‘If then!’ Yeowun then used the first formation of the Sword Force of the Sky Demon. His black sword unleasehd the twenty-four sword movements, slicing through the blue pearl stone. As the stone pieces crumbled down, the black sword shined in its perfect state. At the entrance of the Demon Seal Cave, a ragged building covered up the underground staircase just like the entrance. Three instructors who were waiting at the exit were curious. If Yeowun was at the superior level, it should have taken him less than an hour to come out from this exit, but they didn’t see any signs of Yeowun coming out even after two hours. “I hope nothing happened in there.” Instructor Yun Jawun spoke and Hou Jinchang narrowed his eyes. The traps within the cave were dangerous enough for grandmaster level warriors, but it was nothing too dangerous for superior level warriors as one could just defend oneself with an energy shield. ‘Is he…?’ Hou Jinchang then turned to the pedestal with the name on it. The cave was known to contain a sealed demon. It turned into a place of the fifth test now, but a long time ago, this place was a place only those who had the ‘rights’ could enter. ‘I heard the rule changed after the Sword Demon created the Demonic Academy here.’ Most instructors did not know who created the academy. And it was then when two-hour time limit was almost up. “OH?!” They didn’t feel anything, but the ragged door to the building opened and someone showed up. It was Chun Yeowun. “Ugh!” Instructors immediately pinched their nose at the foul smell coming from within. Yeowun’s body and clothes which were wet with dark and sticky liquid let out the foul stench. Even Hou Jinchang, who rarely showed emotion, made it seem like it was too much to bear, and hid his nose under his arm. “…C-congrulations, Master Chun Yeowun, on passing the fifth test.” “Thank you.” He barely passed the test. He almost went over the time limit, but no instructors here were worried that Yeowun would not pass anyway. ‘Huh?’ Hou Jinchang’s eyes turned to something that Yeowun was holding onto. ‘What is that?’ Yeowun’s hand had a white club-like thing that was as big as human arm. It looked like the horn of a young deer. Chapter 119 Chapter 119: Completing the Sword Force of the Sky Demon (1) Originally, cadets who passed the fifth test were required to report to the Chief right away, but Yeowun was soaked in such a foul stench that he was sent to the dorm to clean up first. When he got to the dorm, Yeowun took a shower. It took him an hour of washing to remove the stench. He then twisted the clothes to extract all the black liquid and collected it all into a bowl. This wasn’t the end. He also had to collect the black liquid collected in the leather blade scabbard he had that had lost its blade after his Butterfly Dance blade had shattered. ‘This should be enough.’ He collected this liquid because of what happened inside the cave. After Yeowun was satisfied with his increased power, he tried to continue on. However, his body was heating up inexplicably so he had to sit down and meditate. After ten minutes, the toxic elements within his body were pushed out. And when it did, his internal energy began to flow much better. ‘How did this…’ [The ooze consumed into the body flowed through the blood points and pushed the remaining small amount of toxic elements out of the body.] After reaching the superior level, Yeowun’s blood points were fully opened and all toxic elements were pushed out. But as a human, it was natural to stack these toxic elements while living a normal life. If what Nano said was true, this liquid had tremendous power of pushing out even the slightest toxic element from the body. ‘So, this liquid is not just any liquid then!’ Yeowun then realized this liquid was blood from the dragon serpent. It gave little effect to him, but if it was consumed by his members, it was going to allow them to push out any toxic elements and help them use energy more freely. ‘I should get these back.’ But all he had to carry the liquid was the scabbard. After filling up the scabbard with the liquid, Yeowun looked at the room filled with black liquid and thought to come back for more. ‘This amount will allow our entire cult to become stronger.’ But that plan failed right after. On the way out, Yeowun tripped on something on the ground under the liquid. ‘What is this?’ It felt strange that something was stuck on the bottom of the floor, so Yeowun pulled it up without hesitation. At that instance, the area around it collapsed. Yeowun quickly jumped up and got out of the stone room. If he was late, he might have dropped to the ground. ‘…Oh man.’ The collapse had sucked in all of the black liquid. He thought the ground was also created with blue pearl stone, but it wasn’t. At least he had a little to give to his members. ‘But to think this remained there too.’ Yeowun then looked at the white club. He wasn’t sure what it was at first, but he soon realized it was the cut horn of the white dragon serpent he saw in the illusion. ‘Where should I use that?’ He brought it because he realized it was the horn of the dragon serpent, but he wasn’t sure what he should do with it. ‘Nano, can you analyze the horn?’ [Yes, Master.] Yeowun then placed his hand on the horn and Nano began to analyze it. [There is no substance recorded that explains this object.] ‘Huh?’ It was obvious, even in the far future where technology was advanced, there was no way for information about mythical creatures to be available. With it being unknown in Nano’s database, it wasn’t possible to know what it could do, but there was one thing that was certain. [The density of the horn is slightly less than that of a high-density diamond.] ‘D-diamond?!’ If that was true, then this was very durable, much more durable than the blue pearl stone. Yeowun then brought up blue force qi over his finger. If they didn’t pull the demonic energy, it was possible to use the blue force qi. He then struck the horn down with it. There was no damage on the horn. There was even some kind of deflection that pushed the force qi back. “Wow.” Yeowun then came up with an idea. He had found the black sword, but he didn’t like the name engraved on it. ‘I should make a sword or a blade with this!’ If this bone was that durable, then a sword or blade created from it would surely withstand the power of the Sword Force of Sky Demon or the Butterfly Blade Dance skill. ‘I should visit Blacksmith Ou tomorrow.’ It wasn’t sure if such a durable piece can be created into a sword, but he decided to meet the blacksmith tomorrow. And when that was finished, Yeowun went straight to the main building of the academy. At the front of the building, among three instructors who were together with him on the fifth test, the youngest instructor called Ma Yun was waiting. “You took your time, Leader Chun.” “I’m sorry. The smell wouldn’t come off.” “Right.” Ma Yun nodded understandingly as he too had never smelled such an awful smell in his entire life. He then became curious if the cave had such a trap. Only Hou Jinchang was the instructor who had first-hand experience, so there was no way to know. “Let’s go in.” Ma Yun walked in and both of them walked into the Chief’s office on the first floor. Hou Jinchang was talking with Lee Hameng. Lee Hameng looked surprised when Yeowun walked in. ‘Huh?’ He had met Yeowun about three hours ago, but after the fifth test, there was a faint hint of demonic presence coming out from Yeowun now. ‘…So, what Instructor Hou said was true.’ He couldn’t believe it. He too had gone into Demon Seal Cave in the past, but he couldn’t find anything other than traps. He too knew about the rumor. [Only the one who has the ‘right’ will be given a chance to face the demon hidden in the cave.] It was an old myth and nobody really took it seriously as no one faced the said ‘demon’ in hundreds of years. But beginning with the sword skill that Yeowun had learned, the demonic presence coming from Yeowun confirmed it. ‘Maybe we have the true…’ “Hmph, Chief.” Hou Jinchang coughed and Lee Hameng snapped out of his thoughts. “Oh, isn’t it Leader Chun. Or, shall I say, Master Chun?” Lee Hameng took out the golden medal from his desk and gave it to Yeowun. The medal had the letter M engraved into it. Yeowun was now promoted onto the next rank, reaching the master rank within the cult. Yeowun bowed. “Thank you.” “Congratulations on passing the fifth test. You are now officially a top warrior of the cult.” Lee Hameng seemed to be glad to see that Yeowun had grown so powerful. He was a mere kid who could be expelled at any given moment, but he was now powerful enough for even the elders to be wary of him. ‘…I shouldn’t have let that drunkard take him.’ If Yeowun really won the competition and became the heir, then Right Guardian Submeng would be given the honor of being the first to have an apprentice who had become a Lord. It was too late to take Yeowun in as an apprentice anymore, so it was too late. “Congratulations, Master Chun.” Ma Yun bowed to Yeowun. Yeowun was now a higher rank than the instructors. The only one who was higher ranked than him was Lee Hameng, and Hou Jinchang was now at the same rank. “Here you go.” Hou Jinchang gave a small wooden box that contained the black dragon ball, and something else. “This…?” “It’s a dagger given to every master rank warriors within the cult.” The dagger was lavishly decorated with leather scabbard also created with fine craftmanship. When he opened the box, it revealed a short but sharp blade. “It’s made with cold steel.” There was a small etching that said ‘Demonic Cult’ on the blade, with a hint of sword qi from the etch. It seemed like it was etched by a warrior. “That etching is left by the Lord himself. It is a gift given directly from the Lord, only given to masters.” Hou Jinchang spoke proudly, but Yeowun became cold. It was maybe an honor to ordinary cadets or cultists, but it wasn’t for him. Yeowun placed the dagger on his belt. He had the urge to throw it away right now, but he couldn’t do it in front of Lee Hameng the Left Guardian, or the other instructors. He then changed the subject to hide his feelings. “So, can I be informed of the sixth test?” Lee Hameng grinned. Maybe the sixth test was the best one that Yeowun might have been waiting for. The sixth test that was issued less than ten times in the entire history of the academy was only given when the cadet was at the level of superior warrior. This was why most cadets weren’t even given the chance before graduating from the academy. And this was why Lee Hameng also skipped mentioning this test on the first day of the academy. After 70 years, there was finally one worthy enough to take the test. “Master Chun. You have the right to take the test.” ‘Finally…! The sixth test!’ ‘I didn’t think I would see it in my days!’ Instructors were excited. Even Hou Jinchang, who had worked for the longest time within the academy, never saw any cadets who earned the right to take the sixth test. “The sixth is to challenge our finest warriors, or our elders. You must challenge one of them.” Yeowun’s eyes began to shake. Chapter 120 Chapter 120: Completing the Sword Force of the Sky Demon (2) Lee Hameng stayed behind while everyone left his office. He grabbed the silver medal that Chun Yeowun had returned and thought. ‘He’s grown much.’ Yeowun was completely different from three years ago. He was no longer a boy who was eager to avenge his mother. He knew he could challenge one of the twelve elders, but he held back his emotions. This looked just like the cold-hearted Lord who was a father to the boy. [Is there any specific elder you wish to challenge?] [Is it okay if I think about it for a while?] Yeowun had grown very thoughtful and did not act on impulse. Hameng thought that Yeowun would choose to fight Baek Oh, the leader of the Poison Clan for Yeowun’s hatred toward poison. ‘He is too dangerous to just challenge for revenge.’ Baek Oh, the Monster Poison. Without considering the level of martial arts, he was the most dangerous man within the six clan elders for his ability to kill. He was reinstated as an elder after being released from his prison sentence for two years. With the Poison Clan having much of their power decreased, and Baek Oh having accepted his consequences, he had been decreased of his rank to 12th elder. ‘And the Lord wants to keep him close.’ With the incident that happened three years ago, the Sword Clan paid its price and the entire six clans had to lay low for three years. But even if they were weakened, they still consisted of 30% of the cult’s power and there was no way these old and powerful clans could stay quiet forever. It was only a little more time for the academy to soon close, so it was about time they show their claws. ‘If the time comes, the cult will be in a bloodshed.’ There wasn’t much time for Chun Yeowun to be ready for the upcoming strife. Chun Yeowun went straight to the library. He was in deep thought ever since he left the Chief’s office. He had not expected that the sixth test was to challenge one of the 12 elders. A warrior at the superior level was one of the top-ranking warriors within the cult, so they were given the right to challenge the elders to replace them. If the challenger defeated an elder, then the challenger was appointed as a new elder. And this wasn’t only it. With the passing of the fifth test, Yeowun was told that there were hidden underground floors of the library that he can enter if he passes the sixth test. But Yeowun was too busy to think about getting the chance to fight elders in a public duel. ‘I can go after the elders from the six clans.’ He was to start a war against the six clans right after his academy, but this was a chance for him to defeat one of the elders ahead of that war. He had someone in mind already, but he needed to be careful. Yeowun wasn’t afraid of him, but needed to make preparations considering what he would gain and lose. Yeowun got to the library while thinking. He saw the instructor taking care of entries sitting down on the desk in front of the library. He had a thick fur coat over him, but it still seemed very cold as his nose was very red. “Ohh!” The instructor got up instantly as he saw Yeowun after a long time. The job had been very boring now as only a few cadets now visited the library after the third test. It seemed like he was happy to see an old face. “Leader Chun! Long time no see.” “Long time no see, Instructor.” “Oh, wait. I guess I shouldn’t call you Leader anymore.” The instructor knew why Yeowun had come. He remembered that Yeowun came last time when he passed the fourth test, so if he came now, then it meant that Yeowun had passed the fifth test. The instructor got up and bowed politely. “Greetings, Master Chun.” The cult only valued power and rank. It didn’t matter how long the person had been in such rank. Yeowun saw no complaints on the instructor’s face at having to bow to him. “Will you be going up to the fifth floor?” “Yes.” “Then you can write your name down here.” On the list, there were names who had visited the fifth floor in order. Chun Muyun, Chun Kungwun, Sama Chak, Ko Wanghur, Mun Ku, Guk Shin, and Bakgi — a total of seven cadets had become established grandmaster level warriors. And it was great that three of these cadets were under Yeowun. ‘Sama Chak?’ The name surprised Yeowun. Sama Chak was the fastest cadet aside from princes to pass the fifth test. Yeowun then remembered him having two yellow tags before. ‘Is he from a high-ranking clan?’ The name became familiar now. Yeowun wrote his name under Bakgi’s name and the instructor handed him two candles. Unlike the expectation that he was going to be given more time, the time didn’t seem different from when he went to the fourth floor. “The time allowed is six hours.” The time limit was still the same from the fourth floor. “Understood.” Yeowun answered and the instructor smiled. “Wish you luck, Master Chun.” “Thank you.” Yeowun then placed one candle on the cabinet and got the wooden box to put the candle in and walked up to the fifth floor. As he walked up, there was a small room. The floors got smaller and smaller as he went up, but the fifth floor was really small and had no bookshelves at all. ‘Twenty?’ There were only about twenty books. And among them was one Yeowun was very well aware of. [Butterfly Dance Blade] As the Right Guardian Submeng claimed proudly, his book was on the fifth floor, meaning it had great depth and power within it. But it just meant Yeowun could skip one book. And it was now the time he had waited for so long. ‘Last formation of the Sword Force of the Sky Demon