Nano Machine c 31 to 70

 Chapter 31 Chapter 31: Secret books of the Academy library (3) ‘Nano, can you trace the sword marks through augmented reality in 3D mode?’ Chun Yeowun, who now had gotten used to Nano’s ability, ordered Nano with ease. [Activating.] White lines appeared in Yeowun’s vision and the augmented reality was shown. Nano’s voice soon followed. The augmented reality had created a detailed 3D image of the swords and they created each mark. ‘Oh.’ He didn’t realize it when he just glossed over it, but the marks had various depths and angles on the stone. Was this done on purpose to hide something else? ‘Maybe it erased someone’s realization of the truth?’ Yeowun felt a chill down his spine. If the person who left the poem in the stone was founding father Chun Ma, then it was easy to guess who left the original sword marks. And if those were left by Chun Ma also, it was likely that the sword marks represented the trace of Chun Ma’s founding of the truth. ‘Nano, can you figure out who left which trace? Can you track the trace that was left first and then erase the rest of it?’ [Understood.] Yeowun then saw countless sword marks being removed and was just left with a few sword marks. His eyes shook. It wasn’t due to Nano’s ability, but Yeowun’s surprise. ‘It- it’s a sword skill.’ Yeowun then realized it wasn’t just a regular trace. It was the trace of a sword skill created from various movements. There were certain patterns and movements to leaving the sword marks. ‘I can see that it is from a sword skill, but this is not enough.’ Yeowun didn’t have the experience to analyze it properly, but Yeowun had the Nano Machine, or the technology of the future. ‘Nano, can you retrace these marks and find out what moves the person made to create this?’ [Positive. However, I require the density of the blue pearl stone to accurately portray the degree of strength required to leave the marks.] ‘You don’t want me to destroy it, do you?’ Yeowun frowned. He couldn’t dare to damage the stone when even the strongest warrior couldn’t do it. Besides, the guard was still sitting in front of the stone. [I can analyze it if you place your palm on the surface.] Yeowun nodded and placed his hand on the stone. He then felt a tingling feeling going through his palm. [Completed. Since the density of diamond is 10, blue pearl stone has a density of 7.] It was astonishing that the stone had such density. ‘It’s that hard?’ Yeowun then thought the one who left the marks on this stone must have been really powerful. He then came to one thought. ‘Wait… who made the marks on top it then?’ Nano’s voice then resounded in his ears.. [Recreating movement that created the sword trace.] A vague human avatar materialized itself in front of Yeowun and began going through the motions. Many movements from the sword skill were unleashed instantaneously. It was extremely quick. Yeowun thought the marks had been left through many movements since there were so many marks, but it was only the result of one combination. ‘W…what?’ Yeowun was shocked. He had only learned the dagger skill and Butterfly Blade Dance, but he knew that the movement he witnessed just now was at an even higher level. ‘It’s impossible.’ Yeowun thought of countering it with the Butterfly Blade Dance, but he couldn’t find a way to counter it effectively. It was that powerful. ‘N…Nano. Is this from one formation?’ [It is analyzed to be all interconnected. In the standard of martial arts that Master knows of, yes.] Yeowun then felt his heart pounding and his legs shaking. The movement was perfect. He then swallowed his throat and asked, ‘Is there any other formation?’ [After careful analysis, it was found to be only one formation.] Yeowun asked this because his Butterfly Blade Dance was created with twenty-four basic movements. Three movements were connected to each other to create a single formation. The last formation of the skill was the ultimate formation that consisted of eight basic movements and even Submeng needed half a year to learn it. Yeowun was able to learn it easily with the help from Nano, but even he felt the muscle strain from the last formation. ‘Twenty-four movements in one formation… it is simply perfect. What if there is more than one?’ Even if it was perfect with just one, there was no way a sword skill would be comprised of one formation. Yeowun then thought there might be more than one of this stone. ‘Nano, save the sword move that I just saw.’ [Understood.] He wanted to learn the movements, but he didn’t have much time left. He didn’t expect much from the library, but this was an amazing find. ‘I almost missed the treasure because of the trace. Whoever it is, he did it intentionally. Well, it also only allowed me to get it, so maybe I should thank him.’ The sword skill would have been found if it wasn’t for the sword marks. Nano spoke to him. [After analyzing the sword mark left over the original, it was found to be created with forty-five basic sword movements.] ‘What?’ Yeowun almost gasped out loud in shock. He just thought it was left to hide the original mark, but it wasn’t. [And it was left over time.] ‘It wasn’t made all at once?’ It was created by one person, but was left over time. That confused Yeowun. ‘All this was from a sword skill? Then why…?’ Yeowun then issued another order to Nano. He now had forgotten about scanning books completely. ‘Nano. Simulate the forty-five sword skill movements.’ [Understood. Activating…] And just like before, a human-shaped figure appeared in front of him and quickly began going through the motions. ‘What?’ As the sword skill was unleashed one by one, Yeowun’s expression turned into that of shock. From the first to the tenth, to the twentieth, and to the thirtieth, Yeowun couldn’t hide his astonishment. ‘It can’t be… it’s getting closer to perfection!’ It was already astounding by the twentieth move, but by the time it passed the fortieth attack, it was close to perfect. At the last forty-fifth movement, Yeowun’s face was drenched with sweat. [Completed.] ‘Huh?’ Yeowun then came back to his senses. ‘Oh, I’m sweating.’ He wiped the sweat off of his face. It was so shocking that he was now so thirsty from it. He then ordered, ‘Nano, can you apply the two sword skills to the avatars and let them fight?’ [Activating battle mode.] Two avatars appeared in front of him. They looked at each other and they each began using their different sword skills. The battle instantly ended, and the outcome was beyond belief. Yeowun mumbled with disbelief, “It’s… countered…” The latter forty-fifth sword skill easily countered the former that Yeowun considered to be perfect and chopped the opponent avatar’s neck. Chapter 32 Chapter 32: Secret books of the Academy library (4) Chun Yeowun felt excited after discovering the sword skill behind the pearl stone. ‘To think no one had noticed this…’ It was fortunate that he had come across such a finding. Yeowun ordered, ‘Nano, memorize these forty-five skills.’ [Understood.] Yeowun couldn’t hide his smile. The middle-aged man then came over to him with a curious look. “Huh? Were you still here?” “Oh.. uh…” “Ah, so you were looking at the backside. It’s a mess, isn’t it?” The man smiled bitterly, “Isn’t it shame? It was rumored that the back of the stone held a secret to Father Chun Ma’s founding of the truth with the sword.” “Oh?” Yeowun looked at the man with an intrigued expression, but he shook his head as he felt the chaotic marks all over it. “Whoever did this did a terrible thing. Maybe he wanted to take all of the glory for himself.” Chun Yeowun was shocked. If this man had been guarding the stone for a long time, he should have had ample time to look at these marks, but he just thought that it was an act of destroying the former record. ‘Nobody has noticed it then.’ But there was one thing Yeowun did not know about here. In order to find what sword skill was used, the one observing it had to have much more knowledge in martial arts. However, two sword skills left on this stone were even beyond Right Guardian Submeng’s level. Yeowun then asked the man, “Are there more stones like this one in the library?” It was an important question. If the stone only had one formation originally, he thought it was possible that more stones would be left with other formations. The man replied, “I only stay on the first floor, but I heard these exist on every floor.” It was what Yeowun wanted to hear. He quietly nodded. ‘Oh… it’s almost over.’ Time was now running out, but he didn’t care. He had gotten something better than scanning through books. “Oh, are you almost done here?” “Yeah.” Yeowun smiled and the man pointed to a direction in the library. “Go check on the ‘Origins’ section. There aren’t that many martial arts books that are useful here, but those books might help you.” “Oh!” “It’s my apology for taking your time.” He then patted Yeowun’s shoulder and returned to his seat. Yeowun then bowed to the man and went to the shelves. “Oh…” The books here had the basics of all martial arts and the origins. What caught Yeowun’s eye was the book called ‘Origin of Internal Energy’. ‘Nano, scan the book.’ Yeowun then began skimming through the book and realized that the information it contained seemed useful. It was a book that explained the basis of internal energy that might help Nano analyze and help with the breathing skill. Yeowun then used all his remaining time to scan the books on the shelf. He didn’t realize it now, but this would later help him in creating his own martial arts. “Hmph. You are just in time.” The instructor at the entrance pursed his lips. Yeowun had barely made it out in time. “You can go now.” The instructor said he could leave, but Yeowun wasn’t finished yet. He wanted to go to the second floor to check on something right away. “I want to go to the second floor too.” “What?” The instructor became confused. Most of the students would be busy returning to their rooms so they could write down what they memorized, but Yeowun’s decision to go to the second floor didn’t make sense. However, the instructor just thought that maybe Yeowun didn’t consider the first-floor books to be that important. “…Write your name down.” “Yes, sir.” Yeowun was then allowed to enter. There was a staircase near the entrance right before the first floor. The guard standing at the stairway checked Yeowun’s candle and allowed him to go upstairs. The second floor was smaller than the first. Inside, a countless number of cadets were reading and memorizing the books. ‘Oh, they’re still here.’ Most of the cadets here had a bit of left time as they entered the floor around the same time as Yeowun. These books did not help much to those from powerful clans, but it was a great help for those from low-ranked clans and they were memorizing as fast as they could. ‘Oh.’ Yeowun then spotted an unexpected person. It was Chun Yuchan from the Blade Clan. Unlike the other candidates who underestimated the books on these floors, he was here looking through various blade books. ‘Maybe I should watch out for him.’ People who put in more effort into things that looked pointless were more dangerous to him. Yeowun then walked silently to the center of the floor. ‘There it is!’ There was the blue pearl stone standing proudly in the center. Unlike the guard on the first floor, the guard here was walking around the stone, checking to see if the students were copying the books here. Yeowun then walked to the back of the stone. ‘I knew it!’ He almost gasped in astonishment. The stone was covered in sword marks too. Yeowun called out to Nano again. ‘Nano, scan those marks and analyze it.’ [Understood.] Nano began to scan the traces. [Found marks left by same entities from the first floor. One entity left one formation created with twenty-four movements. Another entity left a total of fifty-six formations over time.] Nano was much quicker in scanning it since it had prior information. ‘It now has more formations here.’ It seems that the person who covered the original marks had gone on with further training. Yeowun wanted to see how the fifty-six formations were able to counter the original formations, but he could only do it later since there were too many people around. ‘Nano, scan and save the sword movements and formations.’ [Understood.] ‘I got four more formations then… heh heh.’ Yeowun then glanced over at the candle. It hadn’t even melted yet, so he skipped watching the simulations. ‘So, I still have an hour and a half left. I guess the books here are better than the ones on the first floor?’ Yeowun then began going through the books to scan them. ‘Nano, scan it.’ [Yes, Master.] Yeowun then began walking through the shelves. As Yeowun began scanning at a fast speed, the cadets were drawn to his actions. The continuous sound of Yeowun flipping the pages distracted from concentrating. They were already distracted by the guards walking around, but this was worse. ‘Ugh, what is he doing?!’ ‘Ughhhhh!’ It was especially irritating as Yeowun was just skimming through those books. However, he wasn’t interfering with their reading directly, so they couldn’t raise complaints either. ‘Ugh, I can’t let him distract me. Let’s focus!’ As Yeowun passed through, all the cadets screamed internally. Chapter 33 Chapter 33: Founding of truth from Father Chun Ma (1) As Chun Yeowun was scanning the books, there was one person who was looking at him closely. It was Chun Yuchan, the prince from the Blade Clan. He had been focusing on the blade-related books, but he couldn’t stand watching Yeowun who was just skimming through countless books. ‘Hmm…’ He didn’t look like any of the other princes. Soon, most of the cadets ran out time and left. More cadets who entered, but it was more empty than when it was filled with over 100 cadets. [Scan completed.] [Scan completed.] [Scan completed.] When Yeowun’s candle was almost at the line, Nano spoke to him. [156 books scanned.] While most cadets memorized one to two books, Yeowun was able to scan a hundred times that. ‘This should be enough.’ He had scanned too many books. Jegal Hyun, who was known for having the most knowledge in the Force of Justice would know less than Yeowun regarding low-ranking martial arts skills now. ‘Nano, analyze all the books I scanned today and save it in the program.’ [Yes, Master.] Yeowun scanned these books not to just learn them. It was because of Submeng’s advice regarding the experience. ‘From what I can see, my Butterfly Blade Dance is probably within the top ten in the cult, but don’t be too arrogant.’ ‘Yes, Teacher.’ ‘Even if you have the skill, you need to train hundreds and thousands of times.’ Training was the hardest parts of martial arts. Luckily, Chun Yeowun was able to skip the hart part with Nano’s help. ‘The second thing you need is experience. I have perfected my martial arts after countless battles where I risked my life. In that sense, the Demonic Academy is a good place to gain such experience.’ Those were his teacher’s words, but he didn’t have any chances to get that experience until now. Only the real fight he had experienced so far was between him and Chun Mukeum. That of course helped Yeowun with his simulation, but it was limited as Mukeum’s avatar only knew three formation. This was where his scanning came in to help. ‘Nano, can you create Guard Jang’s avatar also?’ [It is possible since his basic information has already been analyzed while scanning for the dagger skill.] ‘Oh!’ Yeowun was then able to fight Guard Jang. He was weaker then Chun Mukeum, but he was harder to deal with because unlike Mukeum who knew three formations, Guard Jang used all the formations of the dagger skill. ‘Wait.. then I can make him use more skills!’ That’s how Chun Yeowun came up with a new idea. However, there was one more thing he needed to do beforehand. He wanted to look more closely at those sword formations in the blue pearl stone and transfer them to himself. ‘Oh, I’m almost out of time.’ His candle was almost at the limit. Yeowun quickly returned and left the library. The instructor got the candle from him and circled Yeowun’s name in the booklet. “Hmph. You are free to go now.” “Thank you, sir.” And when he turned, the instructor mumbled, “Oh, and he wanted to know when you were coming out?” “Huh?” “Nevermind.” Yeowun felt curious about that, but turned back to return. ‘Did someone wait for me?’ He wanted to ask who, but it didn’t seem like the instructor would tell him anyway. Yeowun looked forward to returning to his private training room so he could transfer the sword skill. The sky was now quite dark. He had to return to his dorm before 10:30PM so he didn’t have much time. There was a wide building next to the main building that had 250 rooms for the cadets to practice alone. It was fully accessible after the second test. As Yeowun was going in, someone appeared and blocked him. “There you are, 7th cadet.” ‘Huh?’ Yeowun looked at the boy blocking him. It was Ha Ilming, the leader of the 6th group. “Why were you looking for me?” Ha Ilming answered with an annoyed voice, “What? You think I don’t know that you made half my group members become limp?” Thanks to Yeowun, Ha Ilming had to give up on every formation plan he had to achieve victory with his own strength. ‘Ugh… I’m busy, man.’ However, Yeowun was only focused on learning the sword skill. His thought that he had attracted an annoying enemy was correct. ‘He’s not weak though. Do I need to fight him?’ Yeowun then thought there was no other way around it and decided to taunt him so he that he would lose his calm. Yeowun smiled, “Oh, I didn’t tell you to leave the room that night though.” “OH! Of course! Thanks to you, isn’t that right?” Ha Ilming didn’t fall for his taunt. ‘He’s not like you know who.’ Not everyone fell to taunts like Chun Mukeum. Ha Ilming already saw Chun Yeowun using the blade skill and he also cracked his ribs, so he was very careful. ‘I have to be serious then.’ Yeowun turned serious and readied himself. Right when they were about to lunge toward each other, someone called them. But two boys did not look away as they were focusing on each other. “Hey!” And the man appeared in between them, blocking their sight. “Who are you!” Ha Ilming cried. When Yeowun saw the intruder’s face, he became wary. It was Chun Yuchan from the Blade clan. “Haha, you two sure were focused.” Chun Yuchan laughed and turned to Yeowun. It looked like he had been waiting for Yeowun. Yuchan then turned to Ilming. “I’m sorry, but I’ve been waiting for him for a while. Can I talk to him first? It won’t take long, please?” He then bowed. This was an act that was never before seen from any prince. Ha Ilming became dumbfounded. “I have been looking for him all day. Don’t give me that crap and get lost.” “Oh? But I can’t do that. Hmm…” Chun Yuchan kept on speaking with dumb look on his face and Ilming couldn’t hold back any longer. He jabbed his fingers forward like a sword to use his sword skill. He wielded strong internal energy with the attack. Yet, Chun Yuchan easily blocked the attack and his hand stopped right next to Ilming’s neck. If it was a real blade, it would have killed Ha Ilming. “Y-you…!” Ha Ilming was shocked. Yuchan smiled at him. “Will you give me some space now?” Chapter 34 Chapter 34: Founding of truth from Father Chun Ma (2) ‘A basic movement countering the formation?!’ Chun Yeowun was astonished by Chun Yuchan’s movement. Ha Ilming couldn’t believe he had been overpowered by someone who wasn’t even ready to fight. Chun Yuchan smiled, “When you took the step with your right, your right arm was a bit rigid and your fingers went off balance. Did you hurt your right rib?” Ha Ilming’s eye grew wider in shock. Yuchan knew about his injury just by observing a few movements. ‘This guy… he’s not like any of the other cadets!’ He then felt a huge difference in power between him and Yuchan. And unlike Ha Ilming who was serious, Chun Yuchan was still smiling. “So, what will it be?” “Ugh.” Ha Ilming frowned as he nodded. He couldn’t dare to go on. Yuchan then pulled his hand back from Ilming’s neck. “Wait there. It won’t take long.” “…Whatever. I’ll get going. You take your time or whatever.” Ha Ilming then left to return to the dorm. He didn’t feel like fighting Yeowun when his pride was hurt. “Oh, he’s quick to change his mind.” Chun Yuchan laughed and scratched his head as he walked toward Yeowun who became wary of the man. He was the second prince to approach him after Chun Mukeum. ‘Is he trying to put me down?’ He realized he didn’t have a chance if he tried to fight Chun Yuchan from what he just saw. Yeowun gave an order to Nano. ‘Nano, activate Augmented Reality. Activate battle tutorial with the setting of the Butterfly Blade Dance.’ Yeowun then saw lines in his line of sight, analyzing Chun Yuchan. And as he readied himself, Chun Yuchan raised both hands as if he was surrendering. “Whoa, what’s with all nervousness?” ‘Huh?’ It wasn’t hostile. Chun Yeowun became confused to hear such a friendly reaction from a member of the six clans. “Oh, well. I guess it is natural in your shoes.” Chun Yuchan nodded understandingly and Yeowun frowned. “What do you want?” “Uh, what should I say… I was just trying to say hi to a half-brother?” Chun Yuchan then smiled, showing his white teeth. Chun Yeowun was shocked. He had been bullied and talked down by all members of the six clans until now, and it was the first time he had heard the word ‘brother’ from one of them. ‘…Is he joking with me?’ Chun Yeowun was still unconvinced. Chun Yuchan then bowed to Yeowun. “It’s good to see you, brother.” At that expression, Chun Yeowun became angry. No matter how he put it, his tone didn’t make it sound like they were on good terms. “Hmm. I guess I’m still hated.” Yuchan then got back up. He knew what Yeowun had been through until now, so he understood. “Well, I guess I can’t expect friendliness from you.” “…And you wanted me to show you that?” “No, no. I just wanted to be on good terms with you. You see, I’ve come to like you.” “What?” Chun Yeowun frowned. It was irritating to hear that Yuchan now liked him. He smiled and continued, “We now walk the same path of the blade, you see?” “…And is that the reason why you like me?” “Of course! You know how shocking it was when I saw you cut the arms of that Lust Clan girl with your blade skill?” Yuchan began talking about what he saw and that he couldn’t forget the moment. When everyone else became wary of Chun Yeowun, it seemed like Yuchan thought otherwise. “I’m your number one fan now, brother.” “Stop jabbering brother nonsense and tell me your real reason for coming to me.” Yuchan then sighed at Yeowun’s continued suspicion and sighed, “Oh well… I guess it will take time for you to warm up. I’ll cut to the chase.” ‘He had a reason then.’ The six clans made him swear an oath to never learn any martial arts even after his mother was killed. There was nothing weird in hearing anything. “I’m being honest here. Join our Blade Clan.” Chun Yeowun’s jaw dropped. “Oh? You’re shocked? Well, I guess you are.” “Are you serious?” “Of course! I’ve been waiting for you to come out to ask this. Of course I’m not joking,” Yuchan replied. He was truly asking Yeowun to join the Blade Clan. “I don’t know about the others, but I don’t think you are my enemy. I want you to join the Blade clan and stay by my side.” ‘This guy…’ Chun Yeowun then realized what he was thinking. He was asking him to give up on the competition and become his subject. “You want me to drop out of the competition?” “Oh? Is that what you think of it? Haha.” Yuchan burst into laughter and he soon stopped to speak seriously. “You have no chance.” “…What do you mean?” “It’s exactly as I said. If you walk the path of the blade, you will have to go through me. But you don’t stand a chance. However, since I am now your number one fan, you will have no problem if you walk in the same direction with me! Isn’t that great?” Chun Yeowun then realized how this man saw him. He didn’t even consider Yeowun as his competition. This made Yeowun even more adamant. “I refuse.” “What?” Chun Yuchan stopped his act at the cold rejection. “You are not enough to take me in.” “Huh?” “Let me give you an offer instead.” “What?” Yuchan raised his eyebrow. “Don’t stand in my way and I will let you live.” At that moment, Chun Yuchan’s face scrunched up into terrible scowl. White lines began snaking around Yuchan’s right hand and arm, and numbers began to rise in Yeowun’s sight. [The enemy is focusing strong energy in his right arm. Take a half step to the left and activate the second formation of the Butterfly Blade Dance.] Chun Yuchan’s right arm moved slightly and Yeowun took a half step to the left. At that moment, Yuchan’s face returned and he began laughing again. “Hahahahahahaha!” [Enemy has ceased their attack. The energy focused in the right arm is decreasing rapidly.] Yuchan laughed for quite some time and answered expressionlessly, “It made me a little angry, but it was funny after I thought about it. Don’t stand in your way? That really sounded cool.” There was no friendliness in his eyes now. Yuchan then shook his head as he sighed, showing he had lost interest and turned away. He took a few steps forward and then stopped to speak. “If you walk the same way, we will soon cross paths. However, you are too far from talking about my life just yet.” [Enemy is focusing energy into his right hand. There is no intention to attack Master.] As Nano’s voice trailed off, Yuchan raised his right arm in the air and slashed it toward the ground. With the sound of a strike, a blue spark appeared, leaving a clear line on the ground. ‘Blade qi?’ It was blade qi, clearly in shape of a blade around Yuchan’s arm. Only top class warriors could shape qi into a certain form. ‘Are you showing off your level?’ This was to show the difference in power. “We’ll talk again.” Yuchan then left the scene. Chun Yeowun was left alone, clenching his fist. He thought he was now at a similar pace, but he still had a long ways to go. ‘Don’t think ahead… I need to rule over them, not just catch them.’ He then reformed his thoughts again. And as for Chun Yuchan, he wasn’t all that pleased. He replaced his anger with laughter, but it was for a certain reason. ‘…He read my attack first.’ He was going to cut Yeowun’s right arm. If he wasn’t going to join Yuchan, it was better to cut his arm off so he couldn’t use blades anymore, but Chun Yeowun had moved out of range before Yuchan could bring up the power to unleash the blade qi. ‘So he’s not just an ordinary fool.’ Chapter 35 Chapter 35: Founding of truth from Father Chun Ma (3) Chun Yeowun walked into the empty room with the panel that said ‘Vacant’. He flipped it around to ‘Occupied’ on his way in. The room was lit by the small candles on the wall. Overall, the room was too small to practice footstep formations. Chun Yeowun then rapped on the wall and realized that it was pretty thick. ‘It’s enough.’ This was enough space for Chun Yeowun. At least this would allow him to transfer the information without any disruption. ‘Nano, activate the Augmented Reality.’ [Activating Augmented Reality.] Nano’s voice rang inside his head and his eyes shook as lines appeared in his sight. ‘Nano, simulate the formation scanned on the second floor of the library in 3D.’ [I will activate it beginning from the very first mark.] A human figure appeared and began showing the sword movements that had been left on the stone. ‘It’s faster and more complicated!’ Yeowun thought of using his last Butterfly Blade Dance formation, but he couldn’t even defend against one of those movements. This second formation looked like it was much more powerful than the one on the first floor. ‘This… is terrifying. How many people out there can counter this?’ [Now activating the marks of the sword formation from a different entity.] Now, the human figure started emulating a different sword formation. It was awkward at first glance, but as it began to repeat itself, it also began to perfect itself. When it reached the last fifty-sixth formation, Chun Yeowun couldn’t help but shiver. ‘…This is crazy. This is mad!’ There was no way to complete such a sword formation unless one was mad about the sword. ‘Oh…!’ He then thought of an idea of having the two entities fight against each other but by using all fifty-six formations starting from the very first one each time. ‘Nano, use all formations in chronological order to do a simulation battle.’ Two human avatars appeared again and began fighting against each other. The first battle ended up with the second entity not even defending against the first movement of the original. As it progressed further and reached the thirty-sixth formation, it was now blocking a total of fifteen out of the twenty-four movements. ‘This is crazy.’ Chun Yeowun was beyond astonished. He focused on watching the formation countering the already-powerful sword formation that was left prior to it. And soon, it was the last formation. Many lines were drawn, and like before, just by the difference of one movement, the original sword formation was countered completely. ‘Oh-oh…’ [Simulation complete.] Yeowun couldn’t forget what he had seen. Nano said that the simulation was completed, but Yeowun couldn’t stop concentrating on the battle. In his head, the two warriors were still fighting against each other. In that imaginary space, Yeowun was now one with the second entity and he was using his Butterfly Blade Dance to fight the original sword formation. [User’s brain neurons have been activated. The energy within the blood points are replicating and circulating throughout the body.] However, Yeowun was too deep into his thoughts to notice. Nano then stopped alarming the master and began recording the change in the body as data since it knew that this change was not harmful toward the master. After a long while, Chun Yeowun woke up from his hundreds of fights against the perfect swordsman. His focus came back and he became confused. ‘W…what was this?’ He remembered seeing the simulation, but when he woke up, it felt like everything had been an illusion. ‘It feels weird… oh!’ Chun Yeowun then felt the difference in his body. He felt that his internal energy had increased. It wasn’t just a small amount either. It was hard to believe, but his internal energy had now increased to about forty years worth of energy. ‘Oh! I came to a realization then!’ What Chun Yeowun thought to be an illusion was the breakthrough of martial arts. And this didn’t only increase his internal energy. ‘Maybe I can do it!’ He got up and tried using the first formation of the Butterfly Blade Dance. The sound of his hand slashing through the air sounded different. His movement now left a faint trace wherever he moved his hand. “Wow!” Yeowun gasped. There was a faint silver glow on his right hand. ‘Am I… shaping qi?’ The feeling in his hand was the shaping of the qi. He wasn’t used to it yet so it couldn’t take the shape of a blade, but it definitely was qi. ‘It’s not perfect yet.’ Although it wasn’t perfect, when he achieved sixty years worth of internal energy, he would acquire blade qi like Yuchan. “Whoaaa!” Chun Yeowun shouted in joy. ‘If I absorb the next Black Dragon Ball, it will get me up to sixty years worth of energy!’ Chun Yeowun then asked, ‘Nano, how long have I been doing this?’ [You were in a trance for two hours, Master.] ‘Two hours? That long?’ He thought it was only for a brief moment, but it took him two hours. If that was the case, he had to return to the dorm. ‘I guess I have to do the rest tomorrow.’ He then thought to send sword formation into his brain for now. It didn’t seem like he’d have the time to transfer it into his body. ‘Nano, send all the formations into my brain.’ [Understood. Transferring.] Yeowun felt a sting in his head, but that was it. He focused to check and he saw the sword movements coming up naturally in his mind. ‘How long does it take to reshape my body to use these?’ [It will take about ten hours to complete the transfer.] ‘What?!’ That was too long. He knew this martial arts skill was beyond that of any other, but it required a lot more time. ‘I guess I will have to start early tomorrow then.’ At least it was fortunate that he had a break. Yeowun then happily returned to his dorm. When he returned, there were still a lot of cadets missing. ‘They are running late.’ There was still some time left, but most of the cadets returned much earlier. Chun Yeowun soon saw the reason why. Cadets who started returning had papers of the copied books that they wrote down after leaving the library. ‘Oh, so that’s why they weren’t here.’ It seemed that they had been training privately to study the books they copied. “Master, you’re here already.” Hu Bong bowed as he walked in later. He too had a book in his hand. “Did you get something good?” Yeowun asked. Hu Bong smiled, “No, it’s not much. My sword skill is too weak, so I copied a footstep skill to help.” Hu Bong’s clan used swords. Hu Bong thought using the only sword would not work as they progressed so he copied a book on something else to help him further. Yeowun nodded. ‘I guess everyone is going to get better now.’ This three-day vacation wasn’t just time to rest. It was time to help the cadets advance. Early the next morning, Chun Yeowun went to the private training room. ‘They are up fast.’ The dorm was open starting at 5:00 AM, but when Yeowun woke up, two cadets were already off their beds. When he got to the building, many cadets had already gathered there. ‘Only the ones who put in the effort will survive.’ Chun Yeowun then went up to the second floor and took his spot in the empty room. The room could only be locked from the inside, so Yeowun locked it and ordered Nano. ‘Nano, go through the body shaping with the sword formation. Oh, and don’t forget anesthesia.’ [Yes, Master. Proceeding with the anesthesia…] Soon, Yeowun was blacked out. After ten hours, Yeowun woke up after hearing Nano say that the procedure was complete. He panted roughly and vomited onto the floor. The long hours of body transformation made him sick. This was much worse than before. [Stabilizing adverse reaction to the transformation.] It was only after Nano worked on it that his pain stopped. ‘Ugh, I can’t get used to this.’ Yeowun then got up and clenched his fist. This was much more different than when he learned the Butterfly Blade Dance. He then took off his top. “Whoa.” It was astonishing. His upper torso was tightly packed with muscles that it looked like he had trained for years. ‘It’s not like my body.’ He felt like he could punch a hole through the sturdy wall. “Should I give it a try?” He didn’t think it would make a hole anyway and he wanted to try to see how strong he had gotten. He then took a deep breath and threw his fist at the floor. It exploded. “Argh!” Dust and rock particles exploded out and Yeowun heard screaming from below. “Uh…” Yeowun waved his hands to brush the dust away from his sight and he saw the hole in the floor. He then looked down below and saw a private training room below. There was rock debris and a cadet on the ground with blood seeping out from his head. “Ugh…” Chun Yeowun groaned. Chapter 36 Chapter 36: Founding of truth from Father Chun Ma (4) Ha Ilming. After becoming a powerful warrior at an early age, he thought that he could defeat any of the princes. And he did injure one: Chun Mukeum. However, since he was not even close to defeating Chun Yuchan, it made his pride crumble. ‘I was a fool.’ He realized he had to train more and forgot about all his anger toward Chun Yeowun. ‘I can’t waste time on such a fool.’ Ha Ilming then began training right away. Like the other cadets, he was going to spend all of his vacation in training. That’s why he was up early to train in the private training room. After training internal energy in the morning, and he then proceeded to practice formations in the afternoon. And then it happened. An explosion came from above and rocks showered down. Ha Ilming was struck with a large rock and passed out on the ground. As his consciousness faded, he saw Chun Yeowun’s pop up out of the hole. ‘T-that bastard… rrr. Guhh…’ It rekindled his anger. Soon, the instructor in charge of the private training rooms came running with the master key. He opened the room and took Ha Ilming to the medical room. And when he came back, he scolded Chun Yeowun harshly. “How can you think of creating a hole in the place when everyone is training?! What would you have done if he was meditating? You almost killed him!” If Ha Ilming was really meditating, it might have put him in serious danger. “Consider yourself lucky that he’s alive. Or else you could have been expelled. This will go into your evaluation.” “…I’m sorry, sir.” “And if you ever destroy the private training room again, you will never be allowed to use this place.” “Yes, sir.” Needless to say, he was already forbidden from using rooms on the first and second floors. He was only allowed to use the underground room that the students didn’t like to use, but Yeowun had no choice. As Yeowun walked down to the underground floor, the instructor watched him curiously ‘He made a hole in the stone floor created with extremely hard rock… did his internal energy exceed sixty years worth of energy?’ That was weird. Chun Yeowun also asked himself the same question. ‘How did I become so strong?’ Chun Yeowun also didn’t think that he would be able to make a hole in that floor. [Master’s muscle strength and fiber have been increased to the maximum.] ‘What?’ [Your body was altered to be able to physically leave marks on the blue pearl stone, thus increasing your muscle fitness to the maximum.] ‘Oh… that’s how..’ Nano didn’t analyze the data of sword skills this time. It had analyzed the mark left on the stone, so it based it off the fact that the sword made a mark on the stone, not considering the fact that it had been done through internal energy. ‘Wow.’ Chun Yeowun was dumbfounded. ‘So, is this the limit to how strong I can become?’ [It is set to not disturb with your normal growth.] ‘So, can you mark it stronger when I grow up?’ [Maximum potential limit of the muscle fiber increases with the growth of bones and muscles.] ‘Interesting.’ He had learned a lot about Nano’s usage, but it was always fascinating to know about these things. ‘I guess I will have to grow up then.’ Chun Yeowun then started to try testing his sword formation. His sword moved quickly, simulating the twenty-four sword movements, but his face didn’t express excitement when he finished the formation. ‘W…what?’ He seemed as if he had failed. He couldn’t accept it and tried doing it again. ‘No. This is not it.’ He had completed the same movements, but he wasn’t satisfied. It felt like he hadn’t completed it. He then used the formation left on the second floor. And this time, the more complicated and powerful movement came from his hand. When it was over, his expression turned even grimmer. “Why?!” It even made him angry. Chun Yeowun then tried doing the formation that countered the original. His movement quickly replicated the forty-fifth formation that he saw on the first floor of the library. His sword quickly moved through and his excitement spread across his face. ‘It worked. It’s perfect!’ Yeowun then moved onto the formation he found on the second floor. It was a success this time around too. He tried going back to the original formation, but after going through both formations, he felt lost. “Why is it not working?” His movement was different from what he saw from the simulation. ‘Nano, can you show me the movement I just did and compare it to the original movement from the library?’ [Activating Augmented Reality.] Nano then began showing the avatars of two human figures, one with a vague human figure and one that looked exactly like Chun Yeowun. Both began to move at the same time. As he looked closely, he was able to see the difference clearly. The human figure moved flawlessly, connecting each movement smoothly, but Yeowun’s movement was connected but was awkward. And he was a bit late on the movement too. ‘I couldn’t do it perfectly. Why?’ He couldn’t understand. He had gotten the information and the muscle fiber to replicate the movement but it still wasn’t perfect. Yeowun then sat down to ponder on the problem. He was soon full of sweat and was spending about an hour on thinking. ‘What is the problem? Even if I don’t have the energy flow, it won’t affect… huh?’ He then came up with an idea. ‘The energy flow.’ He finally reached a conclusion. Most formation movements required no use of internal energy to fully function, but this sword formation required internal energy to work correctly. ‘It’s the same as the last formation of the Butterfly Blade Dance.’ He then realized the last formation of blade skill also required the flow of energy within him. ‘Then I don’t have the core element of it.’ Yeowun had to settle on having the counterattack at least. It was fortunate that the counter formation required no use of special energy flow. But it didn’t make Yeowun feel any better. ‘Why did he skip how to use the energy flow when he left a formation?’ It even made him become angry at the Father Chun Ma who left it. He sat down with gloom for a while and thought of poems left on the front of each stone. ‘Maybe he hid something in that poem.’ It was nonsense to only leave sword formation. ‘Nano, can you replicate the front side of the stone on the first floor?’ [Searching through saved video data.] Nano usually saved what Yeowun heard and saw. Soon, Nano was able to find the front side of the stone. [Found the video in the data. Creating 3D image of the stone’s front side.] Yeowun then saw the stone appearing in front of his eyes. [Ah the mighty wind blows, scattering the flying clouds, After I unified the realm, I returned home. How can I assign my fierce warriors to guard the four corners of our nation?] Chun Yeowun frowned as he looked at the writing. ‘It just looks like a normal poem. Is there something hidden in it?’ [After checking through the internal data, this is the poetry wrote at the creation of Han dynasty.] ‘Huh?’ [It is poetry written by Liu Bang when he returned from his victory over Xiang Yu.] ‘…So, it wasn’t written by Father Chun Ma?’ [No, Master.] Chun Yeowun was able to see what the poetry was, but he had to find out the secret behind it. ‘Nano, is the poetry have any different writings or letters?’ [No, master.] Yeowun sighed. ‘Analyze it. See if you can find any slightest of clues in here.’ [Scanning the surface.] A line began to move horizontally from the top to bottom slowly. And when it was done, Nano’s voice spoke. [There is a small hole at every word of the poetry.] Nano then showed unexplained holes in the letter, and each letter had a different number of holes. ‘What does this mean?’ Yeowun began to think deeply into it. ‘Small hole.. a hole… is it the blood point?’ Yeowun’s heart began to pound. ‘Think.. think… four holes.. four blood points? No. What is it then? Hmm. Oh, let’s look up the book.’ Yeowun then remembered the blood point book that he scanned first and focused on the book, going back to the information. ‘Four holes… probably means the fourth blood point.’ The fourth blood point was shown in the book on its location. ‘This is weird. The basic flow of energy starts from another place… it would need seven holes then… OH!’ Chun Yeowun then finally realized the secret behind this. ‘The first word is comprised of three lines, if adding four into it, it will point at the seventh blood point!’ That was the secret behind it. Yeowun then began to calculate the letter and numbers to see the blood point of energy movement. And soon, he was able to complete the energy flow that moved through 23 points. “Hahahahaha! This is it! This is IT!!!” Chapter 37 Chapter 37: Collect eleven individuals (1) After acquiring the energy flow, Chun Yeowun was able to replicate the sword formation perfectly. He still felt like it was a bit lacking, and he knew that it came from his lack of experience. Yeowun then asked Nano to see if he had recorded the front side of the second floor stone, and luckily, Nano did have it. And Yeowun went through the same process. The second formation was also bit lacking but this was as far as he could go. ‘Let’s thank Father Chun Ma for his discovery.’ He then wondered about the rest of the sword formations probably left on other floors. ‘I guess I have no choice but to pass all the tests.’ Yeowun then came up with one more question. ‘Then why does the counter formation require no energy flow?’ He was not yet experienced enough to learn this. He thought he could take it slow since he still knew how to use the formation at least. Yeowun asked Nano, ‘What’s the time right now?’ [It’s about 6:00 PM, Master.] It was already dinner time. He had skipped lunch, so he was starving. Yeowun then left the room. The underground floor seemed empty. It was great that the group test was over. All cadets were required to eat together during the second stage, but they were now allowed to go during designated hours to eat meals whenever they wanted. ‘Wow.’ Chun Yeowun was excited to smell the food as he walked in. Unlike other times, today was a special food day. ‘It’s noodles!’ Yeowun got in line and received the noodles and meat broth. The cook that poured the broth spoke to Yeowun with a smile. “It’s a beef noodle soup. It’s uncommon in this region.” It was a noodle bowl created with meat broth which contained boiled with beef bones and meat. It was a common noodle bowl south of the Yellow River. The academy’s cafeteria had various cooks from each region, so it gave cadets the opportunity to try different foods from each region. Yeowun got to the table and began eating the noodles. He had never eaten noodles before, and it was soo good that he began chowing down. When he went for another bowl and came back, someone sat next to him. The table was open to all cadets so Yeowun did not care about who sat next to him and focused on eating, but the person started speaking to him. “You are the 7th cadet, the leader of the 8th group right?” “Huh?” His question could easily be answered just by looking at the tag, so that meant that he was talking to Yeowun on purpose. Yeowun looked up to the young man next to him. He was handsome but he had maybe one little flaw. ‘Where is his eye?’ His eye was very narrow and small. But it seemed to fit him very nicely too. “I’m lucky. I wanted to meet you.” He was polite but also suspicious. “If you are asking about me, shouldn’t you be introducing yourself first?” The young man then grinned. “Oh, mind my manners. I am the 200th cadet, Yumpa from the 19th group.” “Chun Yeowun.” Yeowun answered coldly and Yumpa asked, “I know this is a strange question, but can you duel me?” Yeowun frowned. He didn’t expect a request to duel while he was eating. “What do you mean?” “I’m asking you to duel me.” “…You have a problem with me?” He couldn’t think of anyone other than from members of the six clans having grudges against him. Yeowun wasn’t completely sure, but he did cause some nuisance at the 2nd floor of the library. “No-no. Nothing like that. It’s not that.” “Then why do you want a duel?” “Hmm… should I say, it’s too see if it’s worthy?” “Worthy?” Chun Yeowun was confused. He wasn’t sure if the worthiness was about the young man or about Yeowun. He then decided that there was no point in dueling him and shook his head. “I refuse.” “As expected… but too fast.” “Why did you ask if you expected it?” Yumpa didn’t seem to be let down. He then brought up an offer. “Then let me explain what I can give to you if you accept. If you win the duel, I will give you vital information about the third test, and a small gift.” He whispered when he said the third test. Yeowun became intrigued, but he didn’t show it. “How can a mere cadet like you have such important information?” “Well, I can’t spill everything when you won’t accept my duel request, but I guess I have to prove myself. My father once reached the fifth stage, so I know about everything up to the fourth test.” ‘Is he from a high-ranked clan?’ That was most likely if his father had passed the fourth test. Unlike Yeowun who entered the academy without any prior knowledge, most cadets from the high-ranked clans had heard about what to expect in the academy. But Yumpa’s offer had a flaw. “I heard the tests go through changes each time. Your father passing those tests means nothing.” “…That is true, but it still shares the same concept. It was as expected up until both tests so far.” Yumpa was certain. Yeowun then began to hesitate. ‘What does he want? Why does he want to duel me? Is he certain that he can defeat me?’ That was the weird part. However, there was no loss in dueling him and Yeowun didn’t think he would lose either. Yeowun decided to agree to the duel. “Good.” “You will not regret it.” Both of them then headed to the forest at the back of the dorm. When they got to the point where no one was around, Yumpa readied himself. He had seen Chun Yeowun using a powerful blade skill while dealing with Chun Wonryou already. However, he was also certain that he wouldn’t lose easily. ‘If what you showed during the test was your all, then it will be disappointing.’ He didn’t say this as it could be taunting him. Yumpa stood in the distance and bowed. “Yumpa of the Moon Energy Blade Clan.” Yeowun became intrigued. He didn’t think Yumpa was going to use a blade skill. He also bowed. “Chun Yeowun. Let’s start.” Yumpa then charged. His movement was a bit slower than Chun Mukeum’s, but it was still very fast and powerful. ‘He’s an experienced warrior.’ Yeowun was able to guess the opponent’s power easily. It seems like he had the power that most group leaders had and asked to duel. However, Chun Yeowun was very different now. He quickly took his steps and dodged the blade skill. ‘That is good, but this is not the end!’ Yumpa then spun, moving into his next formation, but Yeowun snatched his wrist quickly. ‘Huh?!’ Yumpa was shocked. He hadn’t unleashed the blade skill yet, but his wrist was wielding powerful energy within it. And Yeowun snatched it as if it was nothing. Before Yumpa could react, Yeowun threw him up and down on the ground like a sack. “Argh!” It was so powerful that the ground sunk behind him. Yumpa even forgot about his pain and became dumbfounded. The duel was over in just one move. ‘He-he’s not like how he was two days ago!’ Chapter 38 Chapter 38: Collect eleven individuals (2) Chun Yeowun looked down at Yumpa, the 200th cadet, and back to his hand. ‘…I should get used to it.’ Yeowun failed to control the power he now held. Yumpa crouched on the ground from the pain coming from his back. It wasn’t too bad, but it seemed like he had taken internal damage. ‘Ugh… was he hiding his power?’ He thought Yeowun was an experienced warrior and that he would be able to withstand at least tens of formations. However, he had to reevaluate his thoughts. “I… I lost.” He accepted his loss while crouching. And when the pain subsided, Yumpa got up. “I thought you were around the level of an experienced warrior, but you are more than that. You sure do inherit the blood from the sky.” Chun Yeowun did not respond to that. He didn’t appreciate his lineage that much. “Anyway, I will have to keep my promise then.” “I want to ask you something first.” “Yes?” “Why did you want to have a duel with me?” Yeowun still couldn’t find the reason why Yumpa wanted to duel, especially with the condition of sharing vital information. “Haha. You sure don’t trust people very easily.” ‘Hmm?’ “As I said in the cafeteria, it was to see the worthiness.” “Worthiness? Are you talking about me?” “Yes, and it also applies to me too. It is for the third test.” What did it have to do with the third test? Yumpa then began explaining the third test. “It is likely that the third test will be done with groups again.” “What? I heard that there will be no more group tests.” That’s what Lee Hameng himself had declared. Yumpa waved his hand. “It’s not like the second test.” “What difference is there?” “Because this one relies on one’s own strength.” “Huh?” “Third test is to sort out the high-ranked warriors. I’m sure you know how powerful our cult’s high-ranked warriors are.” Currently, the ones who were strong enough to be considered as strong as high-ranked warriors were only about 40 out of 207 cadets that were left. ‘If what he says is true, the next test will take a while.’ Most cadets only had ten to twenty years of internal energy, which was lacking to become a high-ranked warrior. “With the Black Dragon Ball, most cadets will achieve thirty years worth of energy.” That was possible since they would all be receiving the Black Dragon Ball soon. However, there was a catch. “Then they will be missing out on the martial arts.” “Yes. Their internal energy issue is solved, and they now need to be taught good martial arts.” That was necessary to be considered as a powerful warrior. Since the cadets were not allowed on the third floor of the library which had books on toplevel martial arts, most cadets were bound to fail. “If the test isn’t to have cadets to create a new martial art, then there is only one answer.” Yumpa smiled. “Yes. A top-grade martial art will be provided in this test.” “So, only the ones who acquire it can pass the test?” “Yes, but there’s another issue. That alone will make it too easy, and as you know, the test gets only harder once you move up.” Over 80% of students would pass if that was the only issue with the third test. “If what my father told me is right, the martial art form that’s provided is the Seven Demons Sword, which all of our high-ranked warriors know how to use.” It was the sword skill created by famous the swordsman named the Sword Demon within the Demonic Cult. It was created to fight against Sorim’s formation. The unique thing about it was that if there were more people, it had the ability to create a powerful formation attack. This allowed weaker warriors to fight against stronger warriors if they outnumbered them. “My father told me that twelve people had to group up to learn this.” “Twelve?” “Yes, it is the basic number to complete the skill. But learning the formation was harder than learning the sword skill itself.” Yeowun then realized why Yumpa had asked him to duel. It was to see how powerful Yeowun was. “…Was that the reason why you asked me to duel?” “Of course. I couldn’t decide just by looking at one formation. I needed to see your real skill to count on you.” “Huh?” Chun Yeowun frowned. “Oh! I forgot to tell you this. The new test will be done voluntarily. On everything.” “Huh? Voluntarily?” “You can choose your own groups. I heard that only the group leaders are chosen due to evaluations.” “Meaning, they will allow the leader to choose whoever they like?” “Yes, that is correct. But members can refuse also. I’m pretty sure this is a test for the princes of the six clans, rather than a test for regular cadets.” Yeowun then became excited. This meant that the test would directly be the competition to the throne itself. ‘It’s my chance to make allies.’ “But don’t the cadets need to side with the leaders to pass the test also?” Yumpa answered, “Yes, but they can’t just choose any leader, otherwise they will risk their success rate to the test itself. We might have to compete with other groups in some other way in the end.” ‘I see. He’s quite clever.’ It seemed that Yumpa was quick-thinking and quite knowledgeable. He had the potential to be a tactician and seemed to be very helpful. “So, was that why you said you will count on me?” “Yes. Remember I said that I would give you a small gift? The gift is me.” Yeowun frowned. He didn’t expect a great gift, but he didn’t like it that much either. “I might not become a leader.” “No, from what I can see, you will be a leader. And don’t you think it’s better you have someone like me, rather than some lacking cadets?” Yeowun was hesitant as there was still one more thing he couldn’t understand. “Why did you choose me? There are other princes or leaders who passed the second test.” This was his biggest question here. “…That is an excellent question.” “I need to trust you if I am to take you in.” Yumpa then scratched his head. “I’ll tell you the truth. No offense, but I actually offered the same thing to the princes of the Wise and Sword Clans.” He sighed as he said that, which meant that he had been turned down. “Were you refused?” “They were already full. They already have skilled warriors serving them. No spots left for me.” “What about the other four groups?” It was too quick to give up after meeting just two groups. Yumpa shook his head. “Yeah… but I thought all the princes from the six clans would be the same.” “So, I was the second choice?” Yumpa smiled, “Yeah. And we walk the same path of the blade, don’t we?” “…Oh?” Yeowun looked at him weirdly. Yumpa then smiled awkwardly as he continued, “I’m not just asking you to take me in. You can just consider it as using me until you pass the third test.” It was now up to Chun Yeowun. Yumpa even bowed politely. “Will you take me in, Prince?” Chun Yeowun smiled softly. Yumpa thought he had been accepted, so he went down on his knees to show his thanks. “Thank you for…” “I refuse.” “Huh?” Yeowun spoke to him again. “I said, I refuse.” Chapter 39 Chapter 39: Collect eleven individuals (3) “B-but why?!” “That’s for you to think about.” Chun Yeowun turned his back to him. His eyes were cold when he turned. ‘Nano, deactivate facial expression analysis.’ [Deactivating.] It was one of Nano’s abilities that allowed him to see if the person was lying or not. ‘…He’s suspicious.’ When he talked with Yumpa, he felt the shadow of Chun Yuchan from within and activated the skill. There was no change to the facial muscles while talking about the third test, but when he was asked why he didn’t go to the other princes, Nano found the change in expression. “They were already full. They already have skilled warriors serving them. No spots left for me.” [Sensing slight change in facial expression. Chance of the entity lying is at 45%.] “Yeah… but I thought all the princes from the six clans would be the same.” [Detected continuous muscle shift in facial expression. Chance of lying increased to 62%.] It was impossible for the Nano Machine to read human expressions entirely. If it was against a trained spy, it would not have been possible. As for Chun Yeowun who had his doubts, Yumpa gave him some evidence. “Yeah. We walk the same path of the blade, don’t we?” ‘We walk the same path of the blade.’ That was very similar to what Chun Yuchan had said before. Yeowun then was able to confirm the shadow of the Blade Clan inside Yumpa. ‘A crony…’ He then came to realize the various suspicious things that Yumpa had. He said he went to the Wise and Sword Clan and took out the Blade Clan when he was a blade skill user. Yeowun then went to the private training room for further training. As Yeowun went down to the forest, Yumpa also went down and met with someone in the alleyway between buildings. He was meeting with Chun Yuchan to give him the report. “He refused?” “Yes… Prince.” Chun Yuchan raised his eyebrow. “He just heard about the information of the third test and left. I didn’t say anything that might make him suspicious…” “Hahahahahaha!” Chun Yuchan burst into laughter. Yumpa wasn’t sure why he was laughing when Yumpa had failed his mission. “He really is interesting. He just ran off with the information then.” Yuchan waved his hand. He then stopped laughing and continued, “So, a petty scheme won’t work.” Yuchan didn’t seem to expect much from Yumpa anyway. “Wouldn’t this ruin the whole plan..” “It is ruined already. Then what? Are you going to beg him to take you in?” “No, of course not.” As Chun Yuchan said, Yeowun did not trust people easily. He had been suspicious of Yumpa from the beginning and it only became worse as time went by. “It would have been interesting if your plan worked… but he’s too valuable to fail the test for not having the amount of required team members. I would recruit him again if he wasn’t in the competition.” Yumpa’s plan was to join Yeowun’s team and leave his group on the day of the test so that he would fail the test without even taking it on. Yumpa then knelt down. “Prince, give me another chance. I have other plans ready.” “No, no. It’s alright.” He smiled and reassured Yumpa, but it made Yumpa even more scared. “B-but…” “You don’t need to do that anymore, so you should go look for a different group to sneak into. Who knows if you will become a leader also?” “Huh?” Yumpa was shocked. He had worked so hard to serve Chun Yuchan, but he was now banishing him. “T-then you won’t accept me as…” “Oh, I already have many fools who I have to kick out, you see.” “Prince! Please give me another chance!” Yumpa tried to grab Yuchan’s pants, but he quickly moved back and dodged it. He then became cold and said, “I don’t need a useless fool. Get lost.” Yumpa was abandoned just like that. As he walked back to the dorm while sobbing, Yuchan thought about the concerning part of the report. ‘He overpowered Yumpa in one attack…’ This was hard to understand from what he saw himself regarding Yeowun’s power two days ago. Chun Yeowun returned to his private training room in the underground area. ‘Eleven people… nothing’s for sure yet.’ He had gotten good information, but nothing was official yet. However, he thought he should be ready to recruit people. He already had few from the 8th group, but he still needed more. He also questioned if ones in the 8th group would follow him. ‘Let’s finish up the training and think about it after I get back.’ He then focused on the remaining training and ordered Nano. ‘Nano, did you finish analyzing all the books scanned from the first and second floor?’ [Yes, Master.] ‘Nano, can you create an avatar with a certain amount of power and movement embedded with those martial arts techniques that you scanned?’ [That is possible if you appoint a certain entity.] This was what Yeowun decided to do to move on with his training. ‘Set the avatar to be Chun Mukeum, and begin embedding each martial arts technique.’ [Yes, Master. Creating avatar for the simulation…] And soon, the augmented reality created Chun Mukeum in front of his eyes. [Peasant. Come and get it.] ‘You come.’ [Fool! Hiya!] The martial arts was low-ranked one from the first floor, but when Chun Mukeum, a proficient warrior, used it, the skill was still quite powerful. Yeowun dodged the skill and used his Butterfly Blade Dance to throw his hand at the avatar’s neck. ‘I got him!’ [Urgh!] It was the same way he did it in the forest, but the result was different. Mukeum’s avatar neck twisted weirdly as it was struck, and the avatar disappeared. [Chun Mukeum’s avatar died with a destroyed neck bone.] “What?” Yeowun was dumbfounded. Just three days ago, the avatar was only thrown to the side. Nano’s voice resounded in his head. [The avatar of Chun Mukeum cannot take the damage from Master.] ‘Oh…’ His physical strength was now at the limit, so a young warrior like Chun Mukeum had no way to fight back. ‘Hm… this won’t work.’ Yeowun then decided to change methods. ‘Let’s do this. Create five Chun Mukeum avatars, no actually, ten avatars with mid-ranked martial arts skills.’ [Understood.] He thought that would even out the odds. A total of ten avatars was created. The room was small, but the augmented reality didn’t care about the physical size of the room and created a virtual room for avatars to move further back. ‘Hm… was this too much?’ Chun Yeowun regretted it a bit but decided to go on with the training. All ten avatars attacked him at once. ‘I have to block them at once!’ There was a perfect formation for doing this. It was the second formation of the Butterfly Blade Dance. He quickly spun and swung the hand blade to counter the formation from four avatars. Two of them were struck in their blood points and that made them disappear. ‘Got the first. Next… Ugh!’ There was no time to waste. The other avatars quickly moved toward him and Yeowun jumped up to avoid being attacked. And at that moment- “UGH!” He bumped into the ceiling. Unlike the avatars, he was still in a small room. Chapter 40 Chapter 40: Collect eleven individuals (4) Chun Yeowun fell to the ground and he heard Nano’s voice inside his head. [Stopping Augmented Reality.] All avatars were put to a stop. “NO!” Chun Yeowun then looked up at the ceiling, concerned that he might have torn a hole through the ceiling again. Luckily, it was fine, but there was a large crack and a dent in the area where he had bumped his head. ‘…Should I not report it?’ If he reported this, he’d definitely be forbidden from using the private training room. However, he decided to tell the truth. ‘It will cause more problems if I don’t inform them.’ A cleaning crew would be coming in later in the night, and they would definitely notice the mess he had made. Yeowun then went to the first-floor office and reported it to the instructor. “What! You destroyed the room again?!” He shouted furiously and they went to the room together. After looking at the ceiling, he placed his hand over his forehead and spoke dumbfoundedly. “What in the world… oh, gosh.” The instructor then spoke coldly. “I warned you. You are now forbidden from using this private training room.” “I’m sorry.” He had nothing more to say and bowed. He then tried to go out and the instructor stopped him. “Hmph. Where do you think you’re going? Come with me.” “Yes, sir.” It seemed like there was additional punishment. As he followed the instructor, they went to the building right across the private training rooms. The building was about half the size of the training building, but it wasn’t yet open to cadets. It was dark and instructor lit up candles to walk in. There were many rooms just like the training building, but they were wider. The instructor then opened up one of the rooms and told Yeowun to go in. “Oh!” It was a training room, but it was much larger. The instructor said, “You will train here from now on.” “What?” “I can’t let you destroy the other rooms.” He smiled and Yeowun was grateful for being provided with another place to train. “And where is this?” “This is the training room open to those who pass the fourth test.” “Fourth?” “Yes. The fourth test requires you to be at the level of a master. Only those who become the Squad Leader are allowed in this room.” “But I didn’t pass the fourth test.” “No, of course not. I just opened it for you earlier.” The instructor had talked about this issue with Chief Lee Hameng already, and he asked him to open up the training room for the ones who were at the level of masters, reason being that they might destroy the training rooms like Yeowun did. Lee Hameng deemed it reasonable and approved it. “But how did you find out that I was at the master level?” Yeowun asked curiously and the instructor grinned. “You can’t even leave a dent in the wall in that private training room if you weren’t at such a level.” Yeowun nodded. “This place is more durable, so it won’t be destroyed. You can concentrate on your training.” “Thank you, sir!” But the instructor did not know that Yeowun’s physical strength was strong enough to even damage walls of this place since he was made to damage the blue pearl stone. ‘This size should be okay for me to use augmented reality. Nano, what’s the time?’ [A little after 7:00 PM, Master.] ‘I see.’ He still had a lot of time left before he had to return. He then tried to battle against the ten Chun Mukuem avatars again, but he came up with a different idea. ‘Nano, can you make Teacher Submeng be the avatar?’ [Yes, but it will be based off his movements that he showed in the medical room.] Yeowun smiled. ‘Teacher will be more helpful than Chun Mukeum.’ [Will you set the martial arts?] ‘Hm… let’s set it at the Butterfly Blade Dance for now.’ Chun Yeowun was curious as to how hard would it be to fight Submeng in his own martial arts skill. He was one of top ten warriors of the cult after all. [Activating…] And soon, Right Guardian Submeng appeared in front of Yeowun. [Heh, my apprentice. Let’s have a fight!] Yeowun then prepared himself and charged in. ‘I’ll attack first.’ He still had a long ways to go to fight Submeng, so he needed to take his chances. But it was thenSubmeng used basic movements from his skill to block Yeowun’s blade and kicked him. “Argh!” Yeowun flew back and Submeng unleashed his third formation. The seven movements quickly attacked Yeowun, cutting through him. He was then thrown on the ground with pain coming from all parts of his body. Nano, which made the cut on his body, quickly healed him back. “Ugh…” He was shocked. He knew he had no chance, but he didn’t think he’d be taken out after one formation. ‘I guess this was too much.’ [Will you change the martial arts of the avatar?] Yeowun frowned. He didn’t feel like doing it since it felt like he was losing. ‘No, let me test one more thing.’ [Understood. Proceeding with the battle.] The Avatar then began to move again. [What? You want more?] Yeowun then unleashed the original sword formation he learned from the blue pearl stone. Submeng’s avatar tried to fight back through his blade skill, but he couldn’t counter the sword skill and was struck in his blood points. [AAArgh!] Submeng’s avatar was thrown back. ‘I got him!’ Yeowun then followed up with the last movement, but Submeng’s avatar spun quickly and unleashed the second blade skill. Yeowun’s finger touched Submeng’s head, but he was thrown back from the blade spin. He thought he had lost even while using the sword skill and looked at Submeng’s avatar. “OH!” Yeowun had left some damage on Submeng’s avatar. He had overpowered the avatar through the formation, but he lacked the experience to deliver a critical blow. ‘So, I need other powers to win.’ Yeowun realized that he couldn’t just fight powerful warriors with the knowledge of sword formations. ‘Let’s not jump to conclusions.’ It only had been three weeks since he learned martial arts and he still had four years left within the academy. He then got a new goal. ‘Let’s beat Teacher in four years.’ He of course meant Submeng’s avatar, but if Yeowun achieved his goal, it would make him a powerful warrior in record time. Yeowun then returned to training against the ten Chun Mukeums. After using his entire day to train, he was now able to fight against the ten Chun Mukeums as an equal. And then three-day vacation was over. Early in the morning, all the cadets gathered at the training ground and Lee Hameng came up onto the stage. “Did you spend your vacation well?” “Mado!” The cadets roared and Hameng continued. “I will explain the next test and hand out the Black Dragon Balls.” As he spoke, instructors quickly brought up seventeen tables onto the stage, and each table had twelve books. “The third test is to make a sword formation with twelve-men groups.” People began to mumble and Yeowun, who knew about the test already, looked at Hameng eagerly. Chapter 41 Chapter 41: Defeat a instructor (1) Cadets from the high-ranked clans were smiling. They were certain that the third test would be held just like how their family members had told them. Left Guardian Lee Hameng kept on explaining. “For twelve to complete a sword formation, you must have top-class martial arts skill.” People were shocked and began talking amongst themselves even more. ‘Top-class?!’ ‘How many are they trying to drop?’ ‘Dammit!’ As the cadets began get noisy, Hameng shouted, “SILENCE!!” The training ground immediately became silent. Hameng frowned as he continued, “Do you see the books on the table?” “MADO!” “This is the Seven Demon Dragon book, one of the top-class martial arts that will be the foundation to the Sword Demon Formation of our cult.” The cadets then became excited immediately. This was a dream come true for the cadets from weaker clans. It wasn’t common for them to come across a chance to learn a top-class martial art. “If you absorb the Black Dragon Ball given out today and learn this Seven Demon Sword formation, you will be able to have a top-class martial arts skill in no time.” Chun Yeowun nodded. Even if the test was supposed to be harder, they weren’t going to make it way too hard. ‘That sounds easy until now…’ If what Yumpa said was right, then this was only a prerequisite. Lee Hameng grinned as he continued, “The third test will take place exactly four weeks from today.” The students then turned grim. That wasn’t too long. They needed to learn the Seven Demon Sword and group up with others to form a formation, and two weeks was too short for it. However, the real challenge had yet to come. “So, the twelve of you will form a sword formation and you have to defeat the instructor you see up on the stage. Isn’t it simple?” Hameng spoke casually as he pointed to the thirty-six instructors lined up on the stage. ‘S-simple?’ ‘What!’ All of those instructors were those at the level of Squad Leaders who were at least at the masters of martial arts. Some were even at the limit of the master level. This wasn’t an easy test. ‘Dammit!’ ‘I wondered why it was so easy!’ Many cadets turned pale. They weren’t sure if they can defeat such powerful instructors. ‘It is as Yumpa said. What’s left now is to choose the leader.’ As Yumpa had foretold, they were given a goal to overcome. It became harder since they weren’t fighting against each other, but it wasn’t all that impossible either. ‘Total of seven.’ That’s how many people Yeowun now needed. After passing the second test, Yeowun had seven people who were friendly toward him. So, he called them up with Hu Bong last night to share the information about the third test information and offered them to join his team. ‘I’m sorry, if it’s for the test, I won’t join.’ ‘I’m sorry, Prince.’ Yeowun had expected all of them to join him as he had shown strength and leadership in the second test, but four of them refused saying that they wanted to follow different leaders. ‘I still have four.’ It wasn’t too bad anyway. He had gotten four cadets on his team already. Yeowun was thankful for their decision. He knew he had a different start line from the other princes, and since these cadets agreed to follow him, it was proof that they truly trusted Yeowun. “This test is different from the second one. Everything is up to you, cadets. You gather your group members and learn the formation.” The cadets became confused. If the instructors weren’t going to teach them, it meant that the leader would have to play a vital role. “There is a total of 207 of you, so if you are divided into groups of 12, then there will be 17 groups.” ‘Huh?’ ‘What happens to the three leftovers?’ The cadets then realized that three people would be without a team. This meant that they needed to group up quickly or else they would not even be given a chance to take the test. ‘Most of the explanation is done now. Now the leaders…’ Cadets who knew most of the information now turned to their group leaders up in the frontline. From how things went on until now, it was likely that the current group leaders would be chosen to be leaders again. “So, let’s talk about how we will appoint a group leader and I will dismiss you all with the Black Dragon Ball and the book of the Seven Demon Sword.” ‘Huh?!’ Some of the cadets were shocked. What he just said was that the academy was not appointing leaders by themselves. “Do you see instructors with tags?” The cadets turned to the instructors to see their tags. They hadn’t noticed until now, but all of them had different colored tags. From a total of thirtysix cadets, many of them were yellow, and when counted, it came down to a total of seventeen yellow tags. “Whoever takes the yellow tag in one week will become a group leader.” ‘IMPOSSIBLE!’ The cadets grimaced. This was too hard of a challenge. The final test was to defeat the instructor, but needing to take the tag away from them was too much. ‘This means that if there aren’t that many who can take those tags, then we might not even have seventeen groups!’ This had increased the difficulty of the test. Cadets wanted to raise an objection but no one dared to do that. “Don’t think it’s too hard.” Lee Hameng spoke with a laugh. “Instructors with yellow tags will only fight you with the Seven Demon Sword, not their own specialized martial arts. If you can counter their Seven Demon Sword technique, you will get the tag.” Even then, it still wasn’t going to be easy. They were still up against experienced martial artists who had used those skills for a long time. However, there was a hidden factor here, and Chun Yeowun knew this. ‘If a cadet can learn the sword in that short amount of time, it means he or she has greater knowledge about the sword formation. This wasn’t just decided to make the test harder.’ As he thought, if the group leader knew how to counter the Seven Demon Sword technique used by the instructor, it meant that all the cadets would agree to follow the leader in learning the Seven Demon Sword. ‘A week…’ But the time was too short. “Hehehe…” Lee Hameng looked amusingly at the cadets and gave an unexpected offer. “You have a week left, but is there any cadet who wants to issue a challenge right now?” No one had read the book of the Seven Demon Sword right now, but asking if anyone was up for challenge was like asking if there was anyone who was confident enough with their own skills to counter it. The crowd turned silent. No one dared to raise their hands. Most of them were still mediocre, and even those who achieved the level of top-class couldn’t dare to do such a thing. “Hmph. So, no one is that brave? Okay. Then…” Lee Hameng seemed to be disappointed and tried to begin giving out the books and balls, but the crowd turned wild. “OH?!” Hameng was astonished. Three group leaders raised their hands. It was Chun Muyeon of the Wise Clan, Chun Yeowun, and the 18th cadet who defeated Chun Jongsum of the Poison clan to be the leader of his 12th group. ‘This… is interesting.’ Lee Hameng was deeply entertained. He thought Chun Muyeon and Chun Yuchan will volunteer, but his expectation was wrong. Chun Yuchan simply stood back, watching what was happening casually. It was likely that Chun Mukeum would have volunteered also if he wasn’t in the medical room. ‘Bakgi… and Chun Yeowun!’ These two were the cadets who had showed excellence beyond expectation. Lee Hameng brought them forward. “Three group leaders from the second test. Sure, you should have that much of courage in you as a leader. Come to the front of the stage.” The three leaders walked out. As they grouped up, Yeowun turned to Bakgi who walked up on his right. Chun Muyeon was famous, but he had only seen Bakgi guide his formation. He had a long scar on his right eye. “Hahaha! You look eager. So, who among you instructors will fight them?” Lee Hameng laughed as he asked and seven of yellow tagged instructors walked up. It wasn’t intended, but there were instructors from 1st, 8th and 12th group also. Chapter 42 Chapter 42: Defeat a instructor (2) Lee Hameng frowned. He had told the instructors not to be too attached to their cadets, but it seemed they had already done so within three weeks. ‘Whew…’ He couldn’t scold them in front of all the cadets, but there was also an unexpected person within the seven instructors. ‘Oh?’ The instructors who walked up were also surprised. Then three of them then stepped back, deciding to not volunteer anymore. This instructor in his late fifties with a black beard with white hairs hinted here and there was the oldest instructor here. ‘Instructor Hou.’ Hou Jinchang. He was the most experienced instructor at the early stage of the superior master level. He had been an instructor at the academy for a long time and he was also a war veteran. Lee Hameng also respected him accordingly. ‘Oh… if he’s up, then I won’t need to do this.’ Instructor Impeng then looked at him and stood back. He didn’t like Yeowun that much, but he was going to pay him back for helping out with the 8th group to pass the second test by challenging other challengers so that they couldn’t become group leaders. But if Hou Jinchang was here, then there was no need to help. ‘The rest is up to you now, 7th cadet. Whoever’s up here will not go easy on you.’ No one would challenge their own group’s cadet to easily let them become the group leader. They all had similar thoughts as Impeng. As numbers the numbers were matched, Hameng said, “Hmph, we have enough then. So, let’s start with the first cadet. Who will challenge him?” “I…” “I will do it, chief!” Hou Jinchang was trying to volunteer when the 12th group leader Yushun quickly raised his hand to intercept it. ‘He dares?!’ Hou Jinchang frowned. He was interested in Chun Muyeon, who was known to be the closest to being the next Lord. He wanted to check on Muyeon’s talent himself, but he was too slow. ‘I’m sorry, but you would have not gone easy on him.’ Yushun also thought Chun Muyeon was the right individual as the future Lord, and didn’t want him to be embarrassed here. Unlike his interest, Hou Jinchang was not someone who would go easy on them. Hou Jinchang then raised his hand and shouted at Lee Hameng, “Chief! Then I will handle the 18th cadet!” It almost made him laugh, but Hameng held back and agreed. “You do that.” Yushun frowned. He tried to help guide Chun Muyeon away from danger and got his own cadet, Bakgi, in trouble instead. It was the price he paid for angering Hou Jinchang. And as for Chun Yeowun, he was paired with Sang Munyo, the instructor of the first group. He was glad about the outcome since Sang Munyo wanted to fight Chun Yeowun from the beginning. “Two of you may begin first.” Chun Muyeon and Yushun looked at each other, bowed, and readied their stances. As they were preparing, Chun Yeowun’s eyes shook and white lights lingered in them. Chun Muyeon charged first. The Wise Clan specialized in two martial arts techniques: the Wise Demon Sword, and the Flowing Cloud Palm. “GOOD!” Yushun shouted. Even for the martial artists in the cult, it wasn’t common for them to fight against the members of the six clans. He wanted to fight with his own martial arts, but he had to use the Seven Demon Sword, which was a downside. Yushun used the defense formation, or the fifth sword, to defend. Chun Yeowun narrowed his eyes. ‘What?’ The movements were familiar, but he couldn’t counter the formation just once. Chun Muyeon then moved onto his next attack. Yushun was astonished by the level of power. It seemed like he would lose if he underestimated Muyeon. ‘Let’s not consider him as a cadet.’ Chun Muyeon was already at the level of a Squad Leader. Yushun unleashed his two swords and three sword skills at the palms that covered his sight. By attacking with the two sword skills, it defended against the shadowy palms coming in. ‘This is a top-class martial art?’ Chun Muyeon was shocked. He didn’t think his palm attack would be blocked like this. ‘This is…’ Chun Yeowun was able to confirm that even if the formation was different, the sword movement was exactly the same as what was left on the blue pearl stone. The difference was that there were twenty-four sword movements on the stone, but the movement from Seven Demon Sword had fewer moves. There were only about eight of them. And from what could be seen, it looked like the Seven Demon Sword had twelve sword movements in total. ‘If it’s the same movement as what was left on that stone… then.’ Was it the Sword Demon who left the trace? It hadn’t been proven yet, but that was very likely. As Chun Muyeon and Yushun fought for ten formations, Yushun had used all the seven sword formations and shown all of the sword movements. Yet, it was so flexible that Chun Muyeon’s eyes turned cold. They were at a similar level of martial arts, but Yushun had more experience and internal energy that allowed him to defend well. ‘So, he is an instructor after all.’ He couldn’t let it drag on, so Chun Muyeon prepared himself with a different stance. His right hand went back and he pushed his left palm forward. His palm attack then turned in the opposite away as he attacked. Yushun was shocked when he was attacked from another side. It was the same attack, but this time it came from the left hand, which made it hard for him to make the right adjustments. At that moment, Muyeon’s right hand suddenly appeared and struck Yushun’s shoulder. It was the sword qi, wielded by Muyeon’s right hand. “Whoaaaa!” Cadets shouted in astonishment. It was the first group leader who had defeated the instructor and he even showed the sword qi that one would be able to use when they became a master martial artist. ‘He doesn’t disappoint.’ Lee Hameng nodded above the stage. ‘He has learned the martial arts of the First Elder already. He is a genius.’ The First Elder Mu Jinwon of the Wise Clan was known for using his both hands, which placed him as the second most powerful martial artist in the cult. “Great,” Yushun said as he grabbed his right shoulder that was bleeding. “Thank you, sir.” Yushun had confirmed the future Lord’s power and was satisfied. He then gave the yellow tag to Chun Muyeon. “You are now a group leader for the third test.” Chun Muyeon bowed. Cadets shouted again. As they all were busy talking about Chun Muyeon’s power, Chun Yeowun was looking at the yellow tag. ‘Take that tag…’ It didn’t seem simple. ‘Is one person only allowed one tag?’ He was told that he could take the tag, but this seemed a bit weird. While Chun Yeowun was being curious, Lee Hameng got up and shouted, “Let’s move on to the next fight!” ‘Oh, it’s my turn.’ Chun Yeowun got up and stood across Sang Munyo. His question for the yellow tag was set aside. ‘What I do here will decide what will happen next.’ He had to prove himself in front of all the cadets. ‘Hmm?’ Sang Munyo thought it was in interesting to see Chun Yeowun who wasn’t tense at all. ‘I thought he wouldn’t even complete the first test.’ Chun Yeowun exceeded the expectation of every instructor in the academy. His growth shocked everyone. ‘But your journey ends here.’ Sang Munyo couldn’t accept Chun Yeowun as the candidate. The only ones he deemed worthy were Chun Muyeon and Chun Yuchan. ‘I will crush you, kid.’ Chapter 43 Chapter 43: Defeat a instructor (3) Unlike the first fight, the cadets weren’t as interested in the second fight since they all knew the difference of power between the two. ‘He’ll be lucky if he even lasts a few exchanges.’ ‘Just because he got better… I think he’s being too reckless.’ Cadets remembered Chun Yeowun’s power from the second test. He had shown top-quality martial arts and a fine blade skill, but that didn’t seem like it was enough to fight against the instructor. “You may begin!” Both of them bowed. Chun Yeowun then readied his Butterfly Blade Dance. ‘Butterfly Blade Dance,’ Sang Munyo thought. After the second test, Lee Hameng told every instructor that Right Guardian Submeng had taught Chun Yeowun his blade skill. They weren’t sure why Submeng had taught Chun Yeowun, but Submeng was known for being erratic so it didn’t matter. ‘You are lucky to have learned that skill, but that’s not enough.’ “Come. I will allow you to attack first.” Sang Munyo waved at Yeowun who then charged in. ‘He’s a master level warrior. Let’s do my best!’ Yeowun was at the beginning of the master level, but his internal power didn’t equal those experienced master level warriors. “Hah!” ‘Huh?’ Yeowun’s attack was unleashed more powerfully than what Sang Munyo expected. ‘It’s not like a few days ago!’ Munyo flinched and quickly brought his energy up to defend all the way to 70%, which was 20% up from his intended 50%. ‘This will do.’ And Yeowun’s hand struck against him and Munyo was startled. Unlike his guess for Yeowun to have thirty years worth of internal energy, the attack was too strong. Munyo was sent way back, stumbling five steps. He became embarrassed and blushed. ‘What an embarrassment!’ All the cadets were shocked too. They thought Yeowun would lose easily, but even the instructor who fought Muyeon wasn’t pushed back like that. ‘Ugh! Dammit!’ Sang Munyo then decided to do his best to overpower Yeowun with all he had. As Sang Munyo unleashed his all of internal energy, Chun Yeowun was thrown back. Yeowun then took steps back, knowing that his enemy had unleashed all his energy. “You think you can run?!” Sang Munyo then unleashed the fourth and sixth sword movements of the Seven Demon Sword. “Take this!” Cadets gasped in astonishment as they saw the powerful sword skill being unleashed. However, Yeowun wasn’t afraid. ‘I can see it!’ He didn’t have tutorial mode on, but he was able to see the weak point of the sword movement. ‘It’s not perfect yet.’ He had learned the original sword skill multiple times and the counter sword skill. ‘This is nothing compared to the counter sword skill I saw on the stone!’ He could have countered this attack easily if he had used the original sword skill and the counter skill from the stone, but it wasn’t time to show it here. ‘If I’m not wrong..’ Yeowun then charged against the instructor’s sword. Sang Munyo scoffed at the sight. “You are a fool. You cannot defend this with a mere attack.’ He thought he had won, but in the next moment, his eyes shook in shock. Chun Yeowun used his basic blade movement to counter every single sword attack. ‘W-what!’ Chun Yeowun still had taken a bit of internal damage as he lacked internal energy, but this was enough to make everyone, even the cadets, surprised. Even Chun Muyeon couldn’t counter the attack perfectly like this. “Ugh…!” Sang Munyo grimaced. He had now forgotten about the test. ‘Then I will defeat you with internal energy!’ Sang Munyo then attacked with the seventh sword, thinking this was the only way he could defeat Chun Yeowun. However, there was one thing he didn’t expect. It was Nano. [Healing the internal damage taken from the hostile energy damaging the body.] Chun Yeowun’s body was healed instantly moment he took damage. Blood dripped from his mouth, but he wasn’t falling down, which made Sang Munyo pale. ‘Why isn’t he falling?! Why?!’ He had been pushing against Yeowun with all of his power, but Yeowun stood still. This made Sang Munyo panic and that gave Yeowun a chance. Yeowun then unleashed his blade attack against Munyo’s right rib. ‘No! I have to defend this!’ Munyo quickly sent internal energy to make a barrier within himself, but when Chun Yeowun’s hand struck, his rib cage was destroyed and he screamed in pain. “AAAAAAAARGH!” He was able to defend against the internal energy, but he couldn’t do anything about the tremendous amount of physical strength. “Ugh..” He slumped down on the ground and looked below. He saw pieces of his rib bones poking out of his flesh and felt his sight fading away. “You… m-monster…” Sang Munyo gasped and passed out. The cadets shouted with excitement as no one expected Yeowun to win. ‘…So, Yumpa didn’t overestimate him. This is dangerous,’ Chun Yuchan thought as he looked at Yeowun. All of the other princes had the same thought. ‘He countered the sword skill?’ Lee Hameng, who was sitting down originally, was up on his feet as well. It was after he saw Yeowun counter the sword skill. The Seven Demon Sword was made by the legendary Sword Demon, which was hard to counter. ‘…I really should’ve have let that drunkard take him.’ This meant Yeowun was the genius of the century. Hameng became envious of Submeng who took him in as his apprentice. Then someone shouted at Hameng. “Chief! We have to move him to the medical room! His rib cage… its broken and three of his ribs are protruding out of his body!” “Get him to the medical room now.” As Lee Hameng looked at him, he remembered the report given by the instructor who was in charge of the private training room. ‘He destroyed the wall of the private training room. I think the 7th cadet is at the level of a master.’ ‘What?’ He had forgotten to tell this to the instructors who just got back from vacation. If Sang Munyo had heard of this, he would not have been injured that badly. ‘Oh well.’ “Here, I got his tag for you.” “Oh!” Impeng went up to Chun Yeowun who was panting and gave him the yellow tag. Yeowun bowed. “Thank you, sir.” “I didn’t have much expectations for you at first, but seeing you grow makes me have second thoughts. Good luck.” Impeng then returned and Yeowun smiled as he grabbed the yellow tag before returning to his 8th group. “Master! Congratulations!” “Congratulations, Leader!” As he returned, Hu Bong and the three cadets came to congratulate him. There were also the four cadets who rejected his offer that looked sad. ‘Dammit…’ But it was too late for regrets. Chapter 44 Chapter 44: I will ram it in until it works (1) The atmosphere on the training ground was now very different. Instructors were like the symbol of impossible for the cadets. However, they had just witnessed two cases where the impossible had turned possible. The instructors were also shocked. It might be better for the cadets to have hope than despair for the next test, but this was also very embarrassing. “Hmph.” Hou Jinchang shook his head. He didn’t care about embarrassment. Instructors had to be happy if their cadets were talented. ‘IF they have the skills, then they can be stronger than instructors.’ He first thought he wanted to try fighting Muyeon, but after seeing Yeowun, he also became disappointed that he couldn’t fight against him either. “Let’s see the last fight then!” Hou Jinchang and Bakgi got up to the front of the stage. All instructors were saying this with their eyes: ‘Please win!’ But they weren’t that worried either. Hou Jinchang was the best instructor there was. Bakgi gathered his hands politely and bowed, “I will look forward to being taught a lesson, Instructor.” “Let’s do our best.” Hou Jinchang smiled as he liked Bakgi’s politeness. As they readied themselves, Bakgi charged like lightning and threw a kick. ‘Kick skill?’ Yeowun became surprised. He thought Bakgi looked like a blade user, but he was using a kick skill. Yeowun watched the fight with Augmented Reality to analyze what he was seeing. ‘I have more avatars I can fight against now..’ All these fights were great material for Yeowun. Unlike Chun Mukeum, Chun Muyeon had shown all the formations of his palm skill, and they were all scanned. Yeowun was also intrigued by the fact that Muyeon used both hands with different formations. “Watch your leg.” Hou Jinchang warned and pressed on the blood point of the Bakgi’s leg. Bakgi then threw his waist to dodge and spun to kick Hou Jinchang. Jinchang then easily reached the bottom of the foot to press on the blood point. Bakgi gasped and was thrown back. “Ugh!” Bakgi frowned. His foot was turning red. The sharp energy that penetrated his foot was the sword qi. Use of such qi in that short moment meant that the enemy was beyond the level of a master. ‘…Is he at the superior master level?’ Bakgi was able to guess Hou Jinchang’s level as a warrior. He thought Jinchang would be at a similar level as the other instructors, but that wasn’t the case. ‘Do I give up?’ He had lost his leg, so he couldn’t use kick skill anymore. Hou Jinchang asked, “Your right leg is damaged. What will you do now?” It was as if he was asking what steps he would take to overcome the danger. Bakgi nodded and got up again. ‘My foot is injured… I will have to finish it with one formation.’ Bakgi then jumped and attacked Hou Jinchang. His kick came through, and Hou Jinchang tried to defend by using the fifth sword of the Seven Demon Sword technique. That’s when Bakgi’s body dropped below. Hou Jinchang’s sword swung in the air, and Bakgi slid to the bottom and threw himself up from the foot up to kick. Hou Jinchang then saw white light coming from Bakgi’s foot. ‘Qi?’ It was qi. Bakgi was also entering the level of a master warrior. Most cadets didn’t see the light but Chun Yeowun and the other cadets who were over the top-class level saw it. ‘Please!’ That’s when Hou Jinchang used his sword formation to form a durable defense. “That was close.” Hou Jinchang blocked Bakgi’s foot and pressed on the chest blood point. It didn’t have qi so it didn’t penetrate him, but it instead pinned Bakgi onto the ground. “UGH!” Bakgi coughed up blood as the internal energy struck him down. It was a complete loss. Yushun shook his head bitterly. ‘OH… he lost.’ ‘He couldn’t even stand a few formations!’ ‘So the instructors are powerful then.’ ‘The 1st and 7th cadets are monsters!’ “Ugh.. I- I lost.” Bakgi could barely stand up to speak. Hou Jinchang smiled. He had overpowered Bakgi, but he also thought Bakgi was a talented individual. “I will look forward to your growth.” “T-thank you, sir.” Bakgi bowed and returned to his group. He was pale from exhaustion and toward the back, Chun Jongsum smiling at his leader’s loss. Chun Yeowun looked at it weirdly. ‘…Nano, get the 18th cadet’s video ready so I can check on him later.’ [Yes, Master.] There was something that didn’t seem right. So, two group leaders had already been appointed. There was a total of fifteen spots left, but who would dare to take the tag from Hou Jinchang? “Good. We already have two leaders. So, if you don’t want to be left out, get ready!” “Mado!” The cadets shouted. “So, now we’ll bring out what you’ve been waiting for.” Hameng glanced at the instructors and they began bringing out big wooden boxes. ‘It’s the Black Dragon Balls.’ The cadets became excited. There were a lot of boxes coming in, meaning there was more than just the Black Dragon Balls. As instructors opened the boxes, there were smaller wooden boxes that held Black Dragon Balls and wooden swords. “We will supply wooden swords for the third test. There is only one per person, so don’t break it.” “Mado!” They all had to train on their own now, so they had to have a sword. As the students received their own wooden sword, Black Dragon Ball, and the book, the cadets returned to their spot to line up and Lee Hameng dismissed them. “I will see you during the third test. Dismissed!” Cadets then began scattering to go about on their way. Some went to the private training room to take the Black Dragon Ball, while some highranked clan members went to study the book first so they could aim to be a group leader. ‘Let’s take the ball first.’ Yeowun already had the tag, so he was seven days ahead. ‘And I need to check something too.’ He had to check on Bakgi’s video too. As he was walking toward the private training room, many cadets approached him. ‘Huh?’ Chapter 45 Chapter 45: I will ram it in until it works (2) Twenty students surrounded Chun Yeowun. However, they weren’t hostile. Four of them were Hu Bong and three cadets from the 8th group. Hu Bong realized why there were all here. It seemed that these cadets wanted to join as members of Yeowun’s group. Hu Bong glanced at the other three members, and they blocked the way to Chun Yeowun. ‘What?’ ‘He already has four?’ Some cadets looked disappointed. As expected, they were here to ask Yeowun to take them into his group. ‘It’s good that we decided!’ Hu Bong, Machil, Wungchun, Ho Daming were satisfied that they had made the right choice. They were from middle-ranked clans that didn’t have much power because they were not favored by the six clans. They had dreams, but they couldn’t do much since the six clans had cast them out, which led them to despair. After looking at Chun Yeowun’s quick rise to power, they thought they might have a chance at changing their fate. “What business do you have with my master?” Hu Bong asked the cadets. Chun Yeowun almost laughed. Hu Bong was doing a good job as a servant. “I want to talk to the 7th cadet himself, not you.” A big-bodied, muscular cadet spoke grumpily. Hu Bong shook his head and blocked him before he turned to Yeowun. “Master, what would you like to do?” “It’s okay. Let me talk to them.” “Yes, sir.” Hu Bong walked past and the well-built cadet came up to him. He bowed and complimented him, “I saw your valiant fight.” Chun Yeowun also bowed, “Thanks.” “I am the 857th cadet, Ko Wanghur.” “Chun Yeowun.” “Take me into your group.” “Hmm.” Yeowun’s group members became excited. It was better to find group members early so they could get ready for the test. Ko Wanghur then introduced himself further. “I am from the Demon Fist Clan, and I am at the top-class level. I will be a good member to you.” The other cadets surrounding them were surprised. ‘Oh… there goes a spot.’ If they were the leader, there was no way they would turn down Ko Wanghur. But if this was who they were competing with, their chances of getting accepted to group were becoming slim. The cadets then shouted their names and their clans. There were some from high-ranked clans like Ko Wanghur. Out of the sixteen of them, five were from high-ranked clans and eleven of them were from middle to low-ranked clans. As the people turned to Yeowun and waited for his answer, Yeowun calmly said, “I first want to thank you for wanting to be in my group.” Chun Yeowun bowed to them. All sixteen cadets then bowed back, astonished by his politeness and sincere movements. “I want to bring up something first.” They all focused as it seemed like Chun Yeowun was going to say something important. “I am not only looking for members who will complete the third test with me.” ‘Huh?’ What did he mean? Some figured out what Chun Yeowun meant and began to frown. “I am looking for allies who will walk alongside me on the perilous path within the cult.” ‘Wait… is he talking about the competition for the throne?’ They then realized what Chun Yeowun really was talking about. He was aiming to be the heir to the throne and was gathering allies. ‘Hmm.’ ‘What should I do?’ They only wanted to pass the third test, but this was an entirely different issue. If they joined Chun Yeowun for the competition, it also meant that they would be facing the six clans. ‘They are afraid.’ Chun Yeowun also realized this. He spoke to the cadets. “If you are with me, I don’t care where you are from. At the end of the path, the current clan rank or fame will not matter. I will change the basic foundation of our cult.” The cadets were shocked. This was like a declaration of war against the six clans. ‘Is he crazy?’ Chun Yeowun’s path required power, but also formidable forces. It was like a bad gamble to be with Yeowun. Most of them were now thinking of giving up. “Please be my ally and be the root of the new clans to the Demonic Cult. That is my condition.” Chun Yeowun’s voice indicated that he was speaking with sincerity and truthfully. The cadets then began to show their rejection. “I’m sorry, Prince. I just want to pass the third test.” “I’m out.” Most of the cadets then began declining the offer politely. Four of Yeowun’s members became shocked. ‘Oh, no…’ ‘He could’ve just taken them in and told them later…’ But they also understood the risk involved in this. “I’m sorry.” Most of them apologized as they left. Although most of the cadets had left, three were left behind. What was more surprising was that Ko Wanghur hadn’t left. Hu Bong was touched by the three cadets who stayed behind. Ko Wanghur from Demon Fist Clan, Ja Wumin from Golden Door Clan, and Ohjong of the Tiger Sword Clan. These cadets also thought of giving up on joining Yeowun, but they felt the power and charisma in Yeowun’s speech. “Pr…” “Pr…” “Oh, you first.” Both men spoke first, but Ja Wumin told Ko Wanghur to speak first. “Prince Chun. Your path might endanger all those who follow you. They might die as well.” The other two cadets next to Ko Wanghur also nodded. “Honestly, I thought about leaving too.” It was understandable. Ko Wanghur had the power to side with a more reliable candidate. “But as a warrior, I wish for a greater goal. After hearing your dream, I felt tempted to join your cause.” Ko Wanghur then knelt on his knee. “I have a long way to go, but I will never kneel to anyone besides you. Please use me as your first sword.” He shouted as he gathered both hands, “I pledge allegiance to Prince Chun Yeowun!” And here was the First Fist Ko Wanghur of the former Demon God, pledging allegiance to Chun Yeowon. ‘…I’m the first servant.’ All the cadets were astonished, but only Hu Bong was jealous. Chapter 46 Chapter 46: I will ram it in until it works (3) After joining Chun Yeowun’s team, three of them introduced themselves to Hu Bong, Machil, Wungchun, and Ho Daming. Hu Bong then spoke to Ko Wanghur. “I don’t care if you are Sword or Shield of the Master, but his first servant is me.” He wanted to make this clear. Puzzled, Ko Wanghur raised his eyebrow and Yeowun laughed. “Yeah, Hu Bong is my first servant.” “Haha! I see. I guess we have to make things clear!” Ko Wanghur laughed as he agreed and Hu Bong laughed in satisfaction. Yeowun now had seven members, but he still needed four more. ‘Let’s not hurry.’ However, he didn’t have to gather people too fast since Chun Yeowun wanted true allies. “Master, what should we do now?” Hu Bong asked. Their training now relied on the group leader’s instructions. Chun Yeowun ordered, “Everyone, absorb your Black Dragon Ball. We will need to do that first to learn the Seven Demon Sword.” “Yes, sir!” Other than Chun Yeowun and Ko Wanghur, the other five didn’t have topclass internal energy. They had to increase their energy up to thirty years worth so they could learn Seven Demon Sword, and train for the formation. Hu Bong asked, “Master… what should we do with the Seven Dragon Sword? We have never learned any top-class martial arts skills yet.” Ohjong, Machil, Wungchun, and Ho Daming nodded. Unlike Chun Yeowun, they didn’t have the chance to learn powerful martial arts. “They have a point. Learning a top-class martial art isn’t easy.” Ja Wumin also shared the same thought. He had learned the Golden Door Spear skill, which was a top-quality martial art, so he knew how hard it can be to learn it without a teacher. ‘Hmm, nothing is easy then.’ Yeowun had a solution this, however. If he used tutorial mode, he could scan the person’s movements to easily correct any problems or errors. ‘I will have to teach them myself.’ Yeowun smiled, “Then after you absorb your Black Dragon Ball, learn all the movements to the Seven Demon Sword first.” “Movement?” “Starting tomorrow, you will train with me in the morning. I will teach you the formation and the movements. If you can’t do it alone, come.” The cadets became excited. Meanwhile, Chun Yeowun was thinking of a very effective teaching strategy. ‘Well, I can just ram it into their head until it works.’ Yeowun decided to adopt Submeng’s education philosophy. After the plan was set, the cadets left to absorb their Black Dragon Balls. The only one left was Ko Wanghur who wanted to talk some more. “What is it?” “Master, I think it’ll be better for you to have someone with you when you move around.” “Why is that?” “I am concerned about the point where we were told to take the yellow tag from the instructor.” Yeowun became intrigued. He too was concerned about that. The Chief didn’t say that the tag was only limited to one person — the meaning behind the words suggested, ‘The one who has a yellow tag will become a leader.’ ‘Maybe the purpose for the yellow tag wasn’t to defeat the instructor, but to have the cadets fight against each other.’ And that was what Ko Wanghur was worried about. “You have fewer allies with you compared to the 1st cadet, so you have to be careful.” “Thank you for your advice.” “Of course, Master.” “Yeah, then let’s do something about this first.” Chun Yeowun then went to the instructors to ask about how the dorm rooms would be assigned. Fortunately, he was told that the group leaders could ask for a new room with his own members. Thus, Chun Yeowun immediately requested a room. When that was done, he went to the private room to absorb the Black Dragon Ball. Ko Wanghur, who wanted to use the room next to Yeowun, was astonished when he saw that Yeowun was allowed to use the wider room that was not open to the other cadets yet. “I will become more powerful and strive to be in the same building as you, Master!” His eagerness only grew. Yeowun came into the room and opened the wooden box. “Ugh.” A thick foul stench filled the room. Chun Yeowun picked up the ball with a scowl and put it into his mouth. He chewed it down carefully, enduring the bitterness. ‘Ugh… Nano, help me absorb this thing.’ [Yes, Master.] Yeowun then swallowed it and began using the Breathing of Thousand Martials skill. [Sensed substance that provides strong energy activation. Increasing bodily function to absorb the substance.] A while later, Chun Yeowun’s body began letting out steam. It was the phenomenon that happened when one obtained sixty years worth of internal energy. After a while, the steam stopped and Yeowun opened his eyes. “OH!” He was astonished to feel the heavy internal energy below his stomach. His internal energy was now above a little bit over the sixty years. ‘Now I really am at the master level.’ Yeowun thanked Nano. ‘Nano. it’s all thanks to you.’ [Yes, Master. It’s all on me.] ‘….Yeah.’ Nano was a machine, so it did not know to be humble. Yeowun got up awkwardly and began trying using his internal energy. On his hand, the clear shape of qi appeared on his palm. “I got it!” If he could give it will of the blade, then it would allow him to use blade qi like Chun Yuchan. ‘I should get used to using qi.’ Chun Yeowun tried to go into training when he suddenly remembered something. ‘Oh, right. Nano, can you show me the video about Bakgi?’ Yeowun asked. [Playing the video through Augmented Reality.] Chun Yeowun’s eyes moved rapidly began to watch the playback of Bakgi starting to fight against Hou Jinchang. ‘Nano, zoom in on Bakgi.’ [Zooming in.] Yeowun looked closely after Nano zoomed in. What he was looking at were Bakgi’s face and neck. And when Bakgi was thrown back and got up while coughing, Yeowun thought, ‘Nano, zoom in on his face and neck.’ [Zooming in.] As the screen zoomed in to the point where it began to show Bakgi’s skin pores, Yeowun ordered Nano to stop. ‘Stop.’ [Pausing video.] Bakgi’s face was pale and his eyes were red. What was more surprising was the fact that his neck was redder. With the zoomed image, one could see that there were small red dots all over. Yeowun mumbled in anger. “…Poison!” Chapter 47 Chapter 47: I will crush them all (1) The poison killed its target slowly without them knowing. The red dot was the symptom that showed when the person was poisoned. Chun Yeowun bit his lips. ‘Mother…’ His mother, Lady Hwa, was killed by the same poison and Yeowun couldn’t forget the fact. He had learned from the pain of having his loved one die. ‘How can he be poisoned?’ The symptom seemed to be severe. Lady Hwa had those dots a few months before she died, and Bakgi had the same dots. ‘That only appears after long exposure.’ It was weird for Bakgi to have been exposed to the poison for a long time. ‘Chun Jongsum!’ Yeowun then remembered Jongsum who was smiling at Bakgi. That was why Yeowun had to check Bakgi’s video in the first place. Bakgi was the only one who defeated the prince within the group. It was likely that Chun Jongsum was angry and embarrassed. However, as far as Yeowun knew, one needed to be exposed to the poison through years of dosage. ‘He was either poisoned before he entered the academy, or Chun Jongsum used a heavy dose.’ It was likely that the latter was what was happening. The former was also possible but Chun Yeowun leaned toward the latter. ‘Bastard…’ To Yeowun, poison was frowned upon since it killed his mother. He knew he didn’t have to do anything with the problem between Bakgi and Chun Jongsum, but seeing the same poison being used made him furious. ‘He will try to do the same against others with the poison. I can’t say he’s doing anything wrong in the Demonic Cult Academy, but I can’t let him do that.” Chun Yeowun then decided to destroy Chun Jongsum’s evil plans. At the training ground, a duel was going on. One person was a instructor and the other was 5th cadet Chun Yuchan. ‘He’s beyond the level of the other cadets too.’ Instructor Hong Duwi was astonished. The fight was a close match since both of them were at the level of master warriors. ‘I can’t defeat him with the Seven Demon Sword only.’ The Seven Demon Sword was being countered. It wasn’t a perfect counter like what Chun Yeowun did, but it was still being countered. ‘He’s also a genius like those two.’ They didn’t need to duel anymore. Chun Yuchan already had enough power and knowledge regarding the skill. Hong Duwi took a few steps back and raised his hand to stop. Chun Yuchan smiled back. “This is enough.” “Meaning?” “Here’s the tag.” Hong Duwi then took the tag and gave it to Chun Yuchan. “Haha! I’m a group leader now!” “Yes, congratulations. I wish you luck.” “Thank you, Instructor.” Chun Yuchan bowed. After he saw Hong Duwi return to the building, he grinned. “There’s one. Who should I go for next?” It was now close to dinner time. The cafeteria was crowded with cadets who were busy eating. They were all smiling as their internal energy had increased greatly from absorbing the Black Dragon Ball. But those cadets who had not achieved the thirty years worth of energy were gloomy, since having that much was the basic requirement to learn the Seven Demon Sword. That’s when everyone turned to the person walking in. It was the 18th cadet, Bakgi. He was alone, unlike the other group leader worthy cadets. He took a seat in an empty corner and began to eat. Someone then sat down in front of him. Bakgi did not look up. “Hey, 18th cadet.” Bakgi then raised his face. It was Chun Kungwun, the prince from the Sword Clan. “What is it?” “I watched your duel.” Bakgi placed his chopsticks on the bowl and glared at Chun Kungwun. ‘How dare he?’ Chun Kungwun did not like Bakgi’s attitude. Most cadets were always polite toward him since he was still a prince, but Bakgi wasn’t like that. “I am eating. What do you want?” Bakgi was curt. Chun Kungwun became angrier, but he kept his calm. “Hmph. I noticed you were at the master level.” Bakgi was appalled. It seemed like he had seen the qi too. This meant that Chun Kungwun was also a master. “I like your skill. I think you want to be a group leader, but don’t you want to go up higher?” “Ah…” Bakgi sighed as he realized Chun Kungwun’s intentions. He was offering him to join his group. Bakgi then began to eat. Chun Kungwun frowned, but he wasn’t the type to show his anger in front of everyone else. “Well, you think about it.” Chun Kungwun left and Bakgi focused on the food. This was the second time already. When he was on his way to the training room, Chun Yuchan had already come up to him, offering a spot in his group. Bakgi refused since he wasn’t interested in joining the princes’ groups. All he wanted was to become strong. He kept eating while he was irritated, until someone sat in front of him again. “I’m sorry, but can we talk?” ‘Ugh… again?’ Bakgi sighed. If he had known that this would happen, he would not have challenged instructor in front of everyone else. He spat at the cadet. “Not interested. Get lost.” “…Hm.” The cadet moaned. It was Chun Yeowun. Chapter 48 Chapter 48: I will crush them all (2) There were three ways to find other cadets in the academy. One was to hope to meet them by coincidence, but it became much harder after the private training rooms had been opened. The second was to go to their room, but it wasn’t a good way since many of the students would be asleep. The last way was to find them at the cafeteria. Chun Yeowun took the third way and found Bakgi eating alone. Before he got there, someone walked up to him first. ‘Chun Kungwun?’ It was Chun Kungwun, the Prince of the Sword Clan. ‘Nano, cut out all the noise except for the conversation between those two.’ [Yes, Master.] Chun Yeowun then heard Kungwun and Bakgi’s conversation. What was interesting was that Kungwun wanted to recruit Bakgi who was powerful enough to be a group leader. It wasn’t surprising that Kungwun would want a powerful warrior like Bakgi, but there was no way Bakgi would join a group when he himself could be a leader. Chun Yeowun then took a seat. It didn’t matter as he was here to let him know about the poison. Yeowun then looked at Bakgi’s neck. ‘His neck…?’ His neck had regained color and the red dots were gone. Bakgi answered, “Not interested. Get lost.” “…Hm.” Chun Yeowun then began thinking about how should he explain everything. He didn’t know what to tell Bakgi when the red dots were gone. However, he couldn’t let Bakgi die from the poison. “If we don’t talk now, you might die.” “What?” It wasn’t his intention, but Bakgi interpreted this as a threat. He glared at Yeowun. “You are more arrogant than the other princes. Do you think you can get group members like that?” “…You misunderstood.” “What? You just threatened me. I understood you perfectly fine.” Bakgi was almost trying to fight him. Yeowun shook his head. “I’m not saying that. Hear me out. You have been poisoned.” “Poison? What the hell do you mean?” Bakgi became dumbfounded. “I saw your fight and saw the red dots on your neck. Your face also became pale. You have been poisoned with a special kind of poison.” Bakgi frowned. There was no way he would not notice being poisoned when he was a master-level warrior. ‘Poison? That’s impossible.’ He had never found any type of poison while meditating. Ever since he was appointed to the group, he had been wary of Chun Jongsum. He even avoided coming into contact with the prince. ‘And why is he warning me of this?’ Bakgi then became curious about Chun Yeowun’s intentions. “…I’m sorry I misunderstood you, but there is no way that I would’ve missed detecting the poison.” Bakgi apologized for his mistake. It seemed like he was very truthful to his feelings. “What?” Chun Yeowun was also surprised. He and Lady Hwa had no internal energy, so he didn’t know that one could sense poison by meditating. ‘Meditating allows one to detect the poison? But… that symptom was surely because of the poison.’ If what Bakgi said was right, then he wasn’t poisoned. As Chun Yeowun thought, he saw someone entering the cafeteria. It was Baek Jongmeng, the doctor of the academy. ‘Doctor Baek!’ Chun Yeowun then decided to ask the doctor. “Then why don’t we check with the doctor? It’s better to be safe than sorry, right?” “…Yeah.” It was reasonable, but it felt like Yeowun was doing what he wanted. Bakgi returned his dishes and went to Baek Jongmeng along with Yeowun. “Dinner, dinner~” Baek Jongmeng was getting the food while whistling. “Doctor Baek.” “Huh?” Baek Jongmeng turned and saw Chun Yeowun. “Oh, long time no see! Uh, or is it? Anyway. Did you eat?” “No, sir.” “Then let’s eat. I don’t want to eat together though. I want to tell you something too later.” Baek Jongmeng wanted to thank Yeowun. After he left, he had gotten many patients. They weren’t all because of Yeowun, but Jongmeng loved being busy. Yeowun shook his head. “I’m sorry, but can you check up on him before that?” “Huh?” Jongmeng turned to Bakgi who was standing next to Yeowun. “18th cadet, Bakgi. Sir.” “Oh, yeah. Nice to meet you. I’m Baek Jongmeng. Did you get hurt?” Baek Jongmeng had never seen Bakgi. Although his foot was pierced by sword qi, he didn’t go see the doctor. “…I think he’s been poisoned.” “What? Poison?” Jongmeng’s expression turned serious. He didn’t think that he’d have a poisoned patient in the academy. ‘Oh… they are here I guess.’ He then realized that Chun Jongsum and the other members were from the Poison Clan. “I can’t do it here. Let’s go back to the medical room.” Jongmeng then returned the food he had gotten and went back to his medical room. When they reached the second floor, Chun Yeowun was confused by the number of guards. There weren’t that many before. ‘…All these guards were here and Teacher got past all of them?’ That didn’t seem likely. He then realized that none of the instructors including the Chief were curious about his Butterfly Blade Dance. ‘I see… so they must have known.’ Chun Yeowun then followed Jongmeng into the room. Jongmeng let Bakgi have a seat and began checking his various blood points. “Hm… this is strange.” “Is it dangerous?” Bakgi was concerned so he carefully asked his question. “No, your pulse is fine.” “Then am I okay?” Bakgi asked with relief but Jongmeng then said, “Did you try meditating?” “Yes, always. I didn’t sense any poison.” “Hm… I can’t find anything from just feeling the pulse and blood points.” Yeowun then interrupted, “His eyes turned red and his face became pale. His neck also had red dots.” “What?” Bakgi was shocked. ‘How did he see that?’ He was surprised that Yeowun had seen all those details at such a distance. “I think it’s the poison that kills the target slowly.” Yeowun offered his conjecture and Jongmeng exclaimed, “…Right! How did you know that?” Chun Yeowun was right about the poison’s symptoms. Yeowun answered, “…My mother was killed by that poison.” “Oh… I’m sorry.” Jongmeng bowed. He then remembered seeing his teacher taking the medicine to use it as an antidote for that poison a long time ago. ‘…So, that’s why.’ Bakgi also became apologetic. He was suspicious of Yeowun trying to help, but hearing this made him understand. “Well, you can’t find that poison through meditating or just checking the pulse.” “What?” “Hold on.” Jongmeng then went to his cabinet and brought something out. He then began mixing the medicines and fired it up. The smoke began to rise. “Breath with your mouth to take the smoke in.” “Mouth?” “Yeah, a big one.” “Okay.” Bakgi then took in the smoke and began coughing roughly. He began to turn pale and the red dots popped up around his neck. “Ugh!” He fell down on the ground and kept on coughing. Jongmeng put out the fire, and then Bakgi got up with a pale face. “It is the poison.” “W-what… but how..” He couldn’t understand how he had been poisoned. “But I was fine when I meditated and I didn’t make any contact! I always ate alone too!” This was why Bakgi ate alone. It was to defend himself from Chun Jongsum so he couldn’t do anything to him. “Well… this one is a bit different.” “What?” “This one shows the effect when it’s inside your lung or stomach.” “Lung?” “You can consume it through food, but you can also be poisoned by breathing it in while you sleep. And the poison is so little that you won’t notice it when you’re asleep. Do you share a room with someone who might be using the poison?” Bakgi then glared with reddened eyes and shuddered in anger. ‘Chun Jongsum, you bastard…!!!” Chapter 49 Chapter 49: I will crush them all (3) Bakgi was already at the level of a master when he entered the academy. He quickly overpowered Chun Jongsum who threatened the other group members on the first day of the academy. Chun Jongsum warned him when he lost. ‘You enjoy your victory now. The claw of the Poison Clan is like good wine. It gets deeper as time goes on.’ Therefore, Bakgi always watched out for any signs of a poison attack, but he still got poisoned in the end. “Hmph.” Baek Jongmeng brought out more medicine to take out the poison. Chun Yeowun then asked the doctor, “How bad is it for him?” Jongmeng smiled. “He’s okay. Luckily, we detected it early. He’ll heal after a week of antidotes.” “But isn’t it severe if he has the red dots?” He remembered Baek Jongwu’s explanation to him regarding the poison. He said that since the red dots covered her entire body, Lady Hwa had no way to survive. “Oh, that happened because I got it through his lungs.” “Lung?” “Yeah, it’s to check if he’s been poisoned. If he shows the signs of being poisoned without it, then it is too late.” Yeowun then remembered that Hou Jinchang pressed on Bakgi’s chest during the duel. ‘Oh, so that’s what triggered the symptom!’ “So do you need that smoke to check it?” “Not really. If your lungs get damaged, the poison might go into the wound and show the symptoms also.” “Oh… I see. So, that’s why.” Yeowun then realized why Bakgi showed the symptoms earlier. Jongmeng quickly boiled the medicine. Bakgi was still infuriated from the fact that he had been poisoned. “Here, drink up.” “…Thank you.” Bakgi drank the medicine and Jongmeng said, “You must be angry, but aren’t you still lucky?” “Yes?” “Thanks to the 7th cadet, it wasn’t too late. If it was, then you really would have died.” “Oh!” Bakgi realized he had not shown his gratitude to his lifesaver. Bakgi got up and bowed to Chun Yeowun. “I-I’m sorry. Thank you for saving my life. I really am thankful.” Chun Yeowun waved it off. “Don’t thank me too much. I don’t want to see anyone dying from that disgusting poison. And… I was looking for the culprit behind it.” Chun Yeowun’s last words showed that he was furious. It was deep hatred that came from his vengeance. Bakgi was at a loss for words. He had expected it, but Yeowun’s hatred was beyond his imagination. Jongmeng then opened the curtain of the bed and spoke to Bakgi. “How about you rest here in the medical room today?” “Huh?” “You will heal in seven days, but if you go back to your room, you will be targeted by the poison again.” Bakgi frowned. ‘He’ll poison me again?’ If it wasn’t for Baek Jongmeng, Bakgi was going to go to Chun Jongsum and unleash his vengeance. But there was a chance that Chun Jongsum would poison him again when he was asleep. “Dammit!” It was irritating. Chun Yeowun agreed, “Yeah, stay here like the doctor said. I know how you feel, but you must heal first.” “Ugh.” “Leave Chun Jongsum to me.” “What?” Bakgi became shocked. Baek Jongmeng hesitated as he asked Yeowun, “What are you trying to do?” “…I think I need a word with him.” ‘A word?’ However, seeing Yeowun’s eyes filled with hatred didn’t seem like he was just going to exchange some words with the prince. Jongmeng sighed. “I heard rumors that you’ve become strong, but can you handle ones that use poison?” Fighting against poison users wasn’t an easy thing, even for experienced martial artists. Even the leaders of the six clans said the Poison Clan was the hardest to deal with. “Thank you for your concern, but I’ll be okay.” Yeowun then began walking out and stopped. He then spoke to himself before going out. “…If that is true, then I will send him next to your bed.” “What?” It seemed like he was talking to someone. Jongmeng and Bakgi exchanged glances and then heard an irritated person speak up. “Hmph. That damn peasant.” It was Chun Mukeum who was also in the medical room. [Hey, peasant. The one you are looking for should be in the forest across the fifth building of the dorm.] Chun Mukeum sent a telepathic message to Chun Yeowun. It was information about Chun Jongsum’s whereabouts after dinner. He told him this, but it was not for Yeowun or Bakgi. “Heh.’ Chun Jongsum hated Chun Yeowun almost like Chun Mukeum himself. Chun Mukeum also hated the Poison Clan more than any of the other six clans. ‘You or that lunatic… I don’t care who dies.’ He told Yeowun the location, hoping it would kill either of the two, or both of them. The sky had turned dark and the only place that had mountains around it was near the dorms. The building of the fifth dorm was where instructors stayed, so the cadets did not go to the forest across it. However, there was one who went there often. It was Chun Jongsum. “Hehe…” He traveled to the mountain every night, collecting poisonous herbs. Poison of Destruction. To learn this poison attack, one needed to poison himself and heal up countless times. This would allow one become the Poisonous Human, thus yielding hundreds of poisons inside the body, poisons so powerful that one could even melt qi. ‘With the internal energy at the master level, I will be at the fifth level of the Poison of Destruction.’ The Poison of Destruction had a total of nine levels, and the power went up exponentially beginning at the fifth level. Chun Jongsum was embarrassed when he lost to Bakgi and poisoned him in anger. He poisoned him every day and he saw the poison working today. ‘It’s a bit fast, but who will notice it?’ He had given a higher dosage, so the symptoms appeared faster than expected. However, there was no one in the academy who might know about the poison other than him and the members of the Poison Clan. “Hehehe… Bakgi, I will kill you myself before you die to poison.” If he reached the fifth level, there was no need to wait for Bakgi to die to the poison. It made him excited. “What’s so exciting?” “What?” Chun Jongsum became surprised and got up. It was a dark night, so he couldn’t see the face. ‘W-what? That voice doesn’t sound like an instructors.’ Chun Jongsum then uncovered the candle that he had to hide in the darkness. “You…?” He saw the man’s face. It was Chun Yeowun who was glaring fiercely at him. ‘What? Why is he here now?’ Chun Jongsum was shocked. Yeowun spoke to him angrily. “Is it fun playing around with poison?” Chun Jongsum then realized Yeowun was talking about using the poison on Bakgi. However, he wasn’t sure if Yeowun was talking about his mother or Bakgi. But it didn’t matter as Yeowun was certain that he had noticed something. “Hmph. What about it?” “Red dots on Bakgi. Did you think I wouldn’t notice it?” “You? Oh… OHHHH!” Chun Jongsum then began cackling. “Kekekekek! I see! That’s how! Your dirty mother was…” Before he could finish, Yeowun charged in like lightning and crushed Jongsum’s face with his fist. “ARARRRRGH!” He was thrown to the back like a cannonball. It was so powerful that he slammed into a large tree, half destroying it. Chun Jongsum’s chin was turned weirdly to the left and all the teeth on his right side were either pulled or destroyed. “Urrrgh…” Chun Jongsum didn’t pass out from severe pain however and moaned. ‘What? What is going on?!’ He couldn’t understand what was happening. He only remembered being struck in the face. Chun Yeowun then came up with a demon-like face. “It’s only the start.” Chapter 50 Chapter 50: I will crush them all (4) Blood spilled out of Chun Jongsum’s mouth. His chin was twisted weirdly so he couldn’t close his mouth. And based on how Chun Yeowun was approaching him, it seemed like he was here to kill him, not caring about the rules of the academy. ‘He-he must be bluffing!’ Chun Jongsum was afraid, but he denied to accept what he saw. ‘Move! Move!’ He tried to pull himself up from the tree, but he couldn’t move. “You dare to talk about something you should not have. You know what it is?” Yeowun asked coldly while Chun Jongsum struggled to get out of the tree. ‘Please! Move!’ His heart was pounding as Yeowun got closer. He already knew that he couldn’t fight Yeowun with martial arts. And with forced effort, internal energy began to flow into him and his fingers began to move. Yeowun was already upon him. ‘He thinks I can’t move yet. I’ll surprise him.’ Chun Jongsum looked dumbfoundedly at Yeowun intentionally. Yeowun then spoke to Jongsum in front of him. “You made a mistake on talking about Mother with your dirty mouth.” Yeowun then tried to strike down on Jongsum’s head and Jongsum jumped up, throwing his fist at Yeowun’s chest. “Hheeekek! Shuerpriesssed?!” ‘Hehehe! Surprised?’ Chun Jongsum was excited, but he then became shocked. Yeowun had grabbed his wrist. ‘Dammit!’ Yeowun then grabbed the fist and shook his head. “Idiot. You should’ve just stayed down.” “AAAAAAARGH!” Yeowun crushed the fist in his hand, shattering the bones into pieces. Chun Jongsum then thought he couldn’t just stand there. ‘Dammit! I have to k-kill him!’ It felt like he was going to be killed if he didn’t kill him first. Chun Jongsum then moved the poison inside his body. The reason why he didn’t use poison on Bakgi was because it might kill the target, and he couldn’t kill anyone in the academy. The strongest poison he had was the sulfur. It was so strong that it melted the skin and bones. Even the leader of the Poison Clan told him to never use it against the same cultists. ‘I can’t just die!’ “DDIIIIIIIE!” Chun Jongsum then reached out at Yeowun’s face with his left hand. Yeowun then quickly took the proper steps to move back but Chun Jongsum closed in. Yellow smoke came up to his face and chest, burning his skin. “Arrgh!” ‘I got him!’ Chun Jongsum thought it was over. Since the poison was thrown at his face, it was certain that his face was going to melt and that he was going to die. However, something happened that shocked Chun Jongsum beyond reason. [Sensing poisonous substance entering through the face and chest. Activating emergency defense mode. Detoxicating the poison and healing the damaged skin tissue.] With Nano’s voice, Yeowun’s face began healing back. “W-whhat ish thish?!” Chun Jongsum was even terrified. Yeowun’s face that showed even the muscle below the skin was now healing up quickly like a monster. “Y-you a monsshter?!” He had never heard of or seen such regeneration from the poison effect. Chun Yeowun then walked up to him again. Chun Jongsum fell back. “Poison.. poison… damn poison! Yes, you are from the Poison Clan so you must want to use that. But you know what? I can’t let you poison bastards live on.” “Aaaargfhh!” Chun Jongsum began crawling on the ground, trying to run back. Chun Yeowun then ran up and kicked Chun Jongsum’s chin. It made his chin to return to the same place to close his mouth, but the lower part his face was twisted at a weird angle. “AAAARGH!” Chun Jongsum then spat his teeth out. Now, all his teeth were broken. Chun Jongsum sobbed as he looked at his broken teeth. He had never felt such pain and fear in his life. Chun Yeowun didn’t seem to care about rules, so there was only one thing left for Chun Jongsum to do. “P-pleashhh! Do-do-do donts kill meee!” Chun Jongsum banged his head on the floor. He didn’t have any pride. Banging on the ground ripped his forehead apart and blood began to spill out. Chun Yeowun then grabbed his chest and pulled the young man up. “Aaaah!” Chun Jongsum moaned. He hoped that maybe Chun Yeowun would let him live. Chun Yeowun then spoke to him with a dark voice. “…You didn’t let my mother live when she pleaded for her life.” Chun Jongsum then realized that it was a mistake to use the same poison that killed Lady Hwa. Yeowun would never forgive him. Chun Jongsum’s heart began to pound in fear. ‘N-no! I should at least yell!’ However, before Chun Jongsum could yell, Yeowun pressed on his blood point. Jongsum couldn’t even yell and he turned pale from the fear. ‘D-dammit!’ He loved the forest because people rarely came here, and now it was working against him. “Did you use this hand to use that poison?” Yeowun then stepped on Jongsum’s left hand and began crushing it. Jongsum’s left hand got smashed. “Nnnnghhghghghrrghh….!” The pain was beyond what he could bear. Chun Jongsum sobbed from the pain and Yeowun declared, “I won’t kill you today. I don’t want to get expelled for killing trash like you.” ‘Is he letting me live?!’ Chun Jongsum became hopeful, but that was false hope. “Instead, you will beg for me to kill you. Let’s start with the bones, shall we?” And that was the start of Chun Jongsum’s nightmare. Chapter 51 Chapter 51: I will crush them all (5) After quite some time, Chun Jongsum began to regret using the poison on Bakgi. ‘Damn that poison!’ Chun Jongsum had learned about the poison because of a certain visitor at his home when he was very young. A middle-aged woman who hid her face with a red veil contacted his mother, Lady Baek. Chun Jongsum overheard their conversation while he was studying herbs. ‘How long will it take to see the result?’ ‘Possibly a year.’ ‘Good. Is there any way for one to notice it if they don’t have internal energy?’ ‘There is no way. Someone with sixty years worth of internal energy can burn the poison from the body while meditating, but without it… there is no way.’ ‘Good. I will trust your words then.’ ‘So… where are you going to use the poison?’ ‘I don’t know. What do you think?’ And the woman left. A year later, news of the Lord’s 7th wife Lady Hwa’s passing spread across the entire Demonic Cult. At the time, Chun Jongsum’s mother, Lady Baek, was also glad about the news since she hated Lady Hwa too. But the excitement didn’t last long. After it became apparent that Lady Hwa’s death was due to the poisoning, the Poison Clan and Lady Baek became the number one suspect. If it wasn’t for Demon Doctor Baek Jongwu’s claim that the poison could be acquired even if it wasn’t for the Poison Clan, things would have gotten out of control. The Lord became furious and arrested every servant who served Lady Hwa, but after finding out that the cook that had killed herself, they couldn’t find the real culprit behind it all. They found out that the cook had met with some woman with a veil, but they couldn’t find out exactly who it was. After Lady Hwa’s death, the Lord cut ties with every wife from the six clans. And as for the Poison Clan, Leader of the House Baek Oh had to step down from his Eldership. Baek Oh knew that the Lord suspected his family, so he couldn’t even object and he too was suspicious that the culprit might be his own daughter. ‘No! It’s not me!’ Lady Baek wanted to tell the truth to the Lord. But if things got out that the source of the poison came from her, that was the same thing as saying that her family was behind Lady Hwa’s death anyway. So she couldn’t tell the truth. She deliberately sold the poison, not knowing who it would be used upon. ‘Jongsum, my child. You must keep this secret between you and me. Or else, even you will be hated by your father.’ Lady Baek told Chun Jongsum to not say a word about it and soon passed away while suffering from the stress. ‘Mother…’ Chun Jongsum became furious. The real culprit was hiding behind the six clans, and the fact that his mother died because of it only made him angrier. ‘No! It’s not my mother! It’s not!’ However, he had no way to find out who the red-veiled lady was. So, Chun Jongsum decided to become the future Lord and find who was behind the incident. He would then wipe out her entire family to avenge his mother. ‘If it wasn’t for that b*tch, my mother would still be alive!’ Chun Jongsum blamed all of this on Lady Hwa, and thought to kill Chun Yeowun, her son instead. “Nnnnnnghhhhhrgh!” However, he was the one who was on the verge of death. All the bones in his body had been destroyed and he couldn’t move. He despaired and was terrified of Chun Yeowun. No amount of martial art training would allow him to defeat this monster. “Your bones have all been crushed, so I should finish it then.” Chun Yeowun then began focusing energy in his hand, trying to finish it off by destroying the internal energy within Chun Jongsum. This was to ensure that Chun Jongsum would never try to hurt anyone without killing him. ‘W-wait! No!’ Chun Jongsum, who almost had given up, began twisting madly. “NNNNNRGH!” Having all his bones broken and taking internal damage were two different things. With the latter, there was no way one could be a warrior anymore throughout his entire life. “Stay still!” Chun Yeowun pressed on the blood points to make him stop moving. “NNNNNNGH!” ‘Hmm?’ Chun Jongsum kept on trying to say something, so Chun Yeowun allowed Jongsum to speak by pressing on the blood point again. “Argh… ahh….” Chun Jongsum panted for few seconds. “Yyouush…. Mosher… wash keeled… nooot… bye… ma… crrrran….” His teeth were all gone and his chin was distorted, so it was hard to understand what he was saying. ‘I don’t know what he’s saying. Nano, analyze it.’ [Yes, Master. Interpreting from the pronunciation and lip movements.] [Your mother was killed not by my clan.] Nano told him with the correct pronunciation. “Huh? What are you saying?” Chun Yeowun became shocked and Chun Jongsum sighed in relief. He was trying to tell the secret he had been keeping all along, trying to stop his internal energy from being destroyed. But there was another reason for this. Chun Jongsum thought that if this monster brought out the real culprit, then the monster would go after the culprit and kill her in the most painful way possible. [The real person who killed your mother is one of the ladies in the five clans other than mine.] “One of the ladies in the other five clans?” Chun Jongsum barely nodded. This was all he knew, but if Chun Yeowun yearned for vengeance, then he was going to find out no matter what. [So please… don’t destroy my internal energy at least.] Chun Yeowun asked Jongsum with a suspicious look, “So… how do you know this?” “Nnngh?” “How can I tell if you are telling the truth that the culprit is from one of the other clans?” It was hard to believe that the Poison Clan was innocent when his mother had died from the poison. Yeowun thought that the Poison Clan and Lady Baek were behind his mother’s death all along. Jongsum then couldn’t find the word to describes, but if he had to tell everything, then he had to say that his mother was the source of the poison. ‘Nano, analyze his facial expression.’ [Analyzing…] Chun Yeowun activated Nano’s ability to find out the truth. “Is it true that culprit is with the other five clans?” Chun Jongsum nodded. This was true, so there was no need to hesitate. [No change in muscle movement. Chance of lying: 5%.] This meant that Jongsum was telling the truth. The truth was shocking however, for Yeowun had long thought that it was Poison Clan who was behind his mother’s death. “Then… does the Poison Clan… Lady Baek has nothing to do with my mother’s death?” At that question, Jongsum’s eyes shook slightly. He didn’t need to tell the truth about this, so he nodded. Nano’s voice resounded in Yeowun’s ears. [Detected change in facial expression and eyes. Chance of lying: 75%.] This was much higher than when it was used on Yumpa. This meant that the Poison Clan did have a part in Lady Hwa’s death. Yeowun looked down at Jongsum coldly. “I knew I couldn’t trust your words.” “I-ish nott lyeeeeing…” “Shut up.” Chun Yeowun then struck his underbelly. Chun Jongsum almost screamed from the pain coming up from his stomach, but he was put under silence by Yeowun as he pressed on the blood point. Yeowun punched again with the energy, destroying Jongsum’s internal energy. All the energy within Jongsum’s body began to dissipate. It was gone. ‘My energy! No! NOOOOOO!’ At the medical room, Doctor Baek Jongmeng did not go home and waited. “Hmph… should I prepare an antidote?” He was worried that Yeowun went out full of anger. Even if he had gotten stronger, it could be dangerous if Chun Jongsum used his poisons. Yeowun was the first cadet that Jongmeng had become friends with, so he was worried that Yeowun might get hurt. That’s when he heard someone running up the stairs. Soon, he heard guards talking in alarmed voices to go ahead, and the door opened. “What?! You!” Jongmeng looked at Chun Yeowun bursting in. He had someone on his shoulder, who was hanging like a rag doll. “What’s going on!” “Do something about him first!” Chun Yeowun threw the man down on the bed. It was Chun Jongsum. “Nnnnrgh…!” He had bubbles coming up from his mouth, almost dying. His entire face turned purple as if he had been poisoned. “W-what have you done? What is going on?!” Jongmeng was baffled, but he quickly moved over to start checking on Jongsum. And the bed next to it was where Chun Mukeum laid. He was dumbfounded. ‘This bastard…’ He didn’t think Yeowun would really bring Jongsum next to his next bed, right on the verge of death. Chapter 52 Chapter 52: Cool heads but warm hearts (1) The Poison of Destruction art. When one reached the fourth level, it allowed them to store poison within the body and use it when needed. The internal energy helped control the poison that was within the body, but if the energy was shattered, the poison spread out uncontrolled. “Nnnrggghgh!” Chun Yeowun was shocked when Chun Jongsum’s face turned purple and his mouth was full of bubbles. He wasn’t going to kill him because of the academy rule, but it looked like Jongsum was dying. “God… his internal energy is gone,” Baek Jongmeng gasped. He realized why Jongsum had been poisoned. ‘I knew something was going to happen, but this…’ He didn’t think Yeowun would destroy Jongsum’s energy. He was not a martial artist, but he knew how important internal energy was for a martial artist. Looking at all those bones that had been destroyed, it made him frown. ‘You should’ve stopped after breaking his bones. Why did you go so far?’ Jongmeng had many questions he wanted to ask, but he had to treat his patients first. Jongmeng quickly placed needles over Jongsum’s blood points. He didn’t know what poison was in effect, so he had to get the poison out of the body first. The blood points began to spill black blood with the foul stench of poison coming from it. “Ugh!” It was a powerful poison that should have killed a normal person already. Fortunately, Jongsum was not dead yet. ‘Is he immune to poison?’ But even then, this level of poison was going to kill Chun Jongsum anyway. “Oh! I have that!” Jongmeng then quickly went through his desk drawers and found a red silk pouch that had small medicinal pills inside. ‘I’m so lucky that I have these.’ It was what his teacher Baek Jongwu told him to take. Jongmeng put on a glove so he would not come into contact with the poison and opened Jongsum’s mouth and place three pills inside. “You might feel like dying, but swallow it if you want to live. Go on!” Chun Jongsum was dying, but he barely swallowed it. As Jongmeng was doing his best to save Jongsum, Yeowun looked on with a serious expression. ‘I didn’t expect this.’ He didn’t know anything about poisons, so there was no way Yeowun would have known this. If Jongsum died, Yeowun was going to be expelled. ‘Dammit. I can’t let him die.’ He had gone too far, but there was nothing he could do now. ‘I have to let him live.’ The best way was to make Nano analyze the poison and detoxify it, but Nano said it was not possible to move into another person’s body. ‘Why can’t you?’ [It is against the system protocol. There is a lock on it that restricts you from doing it.] ‘Why is there a lock?’ [There is an embedded genetic code that protects the Nano Machine from being taken by other entities.] Yeowun didn’t know, but there were a lot of restrictions in the Nano Machine program. It was done to protect the current time frame from having highly advanced technology so that it wouldn’t be revealed to the public. ‘Then what should I do?’ “OH!” Chun Yeowun then found the blood that was on his clothes from carrying Jongsum. ‘Nano, can you just analyze the poison then?’ [Understood. Please place your hand over the substance.] Yeowun placed his finger over the poison as Nano instructed him to do. [Analyzing.] Chun Yeowun then walked over to the cabinet that held herbs while Nano was analyzing. Jongmeng was busy tending to Jongsum so he didn’t know what Yeowun was doing. [Analyzing complete. Total of seven poisons have been mixed, thus making a new poisonous effect.] ‘Analyze the way to the mix herbs I see right now to detoxify it. Hurry!’ [Understood.] Nano then began searching through the medicinal herbs that Yeowunw was looking at. Soon, Yeowun was what herbs he had to use and how much through Augmented Reality. Yeowun quickly grabbed what he needed and began creating medicine soup. As smoke began to rise up from the boiler, Jongmeng turned toward him. “What are you doing?” He was drenched in sweat, barely relieved. It seemed like Jongsum was barely controlling the poison with the medicine pills. “Uh… I’m just creating medicine soup.” Chun Yeowun hesitated for a second but he ended up telling the truth. Baek Jongmeng, who was having a hard time due to what Yeowun had done, got up and tried to scold him. “What are you talking about! How can you even try… huh?” He was shocked to see the medicine on the table. All of the herbs that Yeowun had taken out were those that were used to nullify poisons, and some required to be mixed with others. ‘What? He wouldn’t know this if he didn’t study medicinal herbs…’ Jongmeng then tasted the soup a little with his finger. Medicinal herb mixture could be toxic if done incorrectly, but this didn’t seem to have any problems. ‘He studied medicines!’ He didn’t. Yeowun was only following Nano’s instructions. However, Baek Jongmeng did not know this and was astonished. Even then, making a medicine soup without knowing what it was for was still dangerous. “It’s not bad, but we need to know what poison it is to…” “It’s Sulfuric Poison, so it includes poison fish, poisonous mushrooms, plague insects, blue oak, and red extracts.” “Oh…” Yeowun quickly listed off the poisons inside Jongsum and Jongmeng was shocked. It was unbelievable when Yeowun didn’t even extract the poison to study it. “Doctor Baek, can you trust me on this one?” Yeowun had no time to waste so he begged Jongmeng. The doctor then turned to Jongsum who was still purple and told him to wait. Jongmeng then gathered a small drop of blood from Jongsum and placed it into a small bowl. He then began checking to see if the blood really contained the seven poisons that Yeowun had spoken of. ‘…It really is!’ What Yeowun said was correct. Yeowun probably knew what he was doing with the medicine soup, so Jongmeng then decided to use the soup that Yeowun had created. He brought the soup over and had Jongsum take it spoon by spoon. All that was left to do now was to wait. “We’ve done everything we can now. I have to keep him on the needles so that the poison will not spread.” “I’m sorry, Doctor Baek.” Yeowun deeply regretted doing something out of control. Jongmeng shook his head. “But why did you have to destroy his internal energy? Even if the basics of the academy supports the survival of the fittest, this… this seems like too much. Can you take the backlash?” Jongmeng was really worried. Yeowun was still in the academy, but he would graduate in four years and after placing the candidate of the Poison Clan in such a state, it was likely that the Poison Clan would retaliate. Yeowun spoke with a bow. “…Thank you for your concern. I will take anything that comes to me for what I have done.” There was no going back even if he regretted it. And he had decided to fight six clans from the very beginning, so it didn’t matter anyway. ‘Ah… you are still young.’ Jongmeng then felt Chun Yeowun’s young recklessness and gave him some sincere advice. “I hope you think deeply about every instance from now on. From what I have learned in the cult, it is more common for smartest ones to survive, than the strongest one. Be flexible with your thinking.” Baek Jongmeng hoped that Yeowun would not be arrogant about his own power and become smart instead. Thinking that brute strength would topple everything in the cult was the wrong idea. Chun Yeowun thought deeply about the advice. ‘Maybe… I was too reckless this time.’ His fast growth in power made him arrogant. He couldn’t understand it now, but he did feel like he had done something wrong after hearing Jongmeng’s advice. “Well, it’s too late. You should go back now.” It was almost time for the dorms to close. Chun Yeowun bowed and tried to return when someone spoke up awkwardly. “Uh… what about me?” It was the 18th cadet, Bakgi. Chapter 53 Chapter 53: Cool heads but warm hearts (2) As they walked out, Bakgi watched Chun Yeowun silently. Yeowun didn’t say anything, and Bakgi felt apologetic for what had happened. ‘I got him into something that I should have dealt with by myself.’ Bakgi was shocked when Chun Jongsum came in almost dying due to the poison. He too knew that Chun Yeowun was going to use violence when dealing with Jongsum, but he didn’t expect Yeowun to destroy Jongsum’s internal energy either. He first wondered why Yeowun had gone so far as to destroy Jongsum’s internal energy. That meant that Chun Jongsum’s life as a warrior was over, and not to mention, all of his bones had been crushed. ‘Does he not think about the backlash? Or is he that vengeful against him?’ Bakgi then thought about what would he have done if he faced someone who might have killed his own parents. It was questionable to say the least. Bakgi then spoke to Yeowun. “7th cadet.” Yeowun stopped and looked back curiously. “Let me ask you something.” “Yeah.” “Why did you destroy his internal energy?” After going so far, Chun Yeowun now was going to get all the fury from the Poison Clan. Yeowun answered calmly. “…I was just let my anger out of control.” Yeowun continued, “I was afraid that if I let him be, he would use poison on the other cadets also.” That made Bakgi astonished. Yeowun was more worried about the other cadets being poisoned than him being blamed by the Poison Clan. ‘This guy…’ He wasn’t just a reckless fool. His decision-making wasn’t perfect, but he was still more of a leader than the other princes that Bakgi had met. ‘He’s different.’ Chun Yeowun wasn’t actually worried about other cadets. He just didn’t want to see the poison that killed his mother spreading across the academy. However, Bakgi had interpreted it as Yeowun’s noble sacrifice and began to think that Yeowun was fitting as a leader. “What if…” Bakgi then tried to say something to Yeowun when seven cadets came running for him. They were Yeowun’s team members. “Master! Where were you?” Hu Bong asked with sweat over his face. The seven cadets looked like they were really worried and sighed in relief. Ko Wanghur also spoke with relief. “We were worried that you got ambushed. I was waiting for you to come out of the private training ground.” “Oh.” Yeowun then remembered talking with Wanghur to go back to the dorm together after dinner time. But when Yeowun did not come out after an hour, Wanghur began searching the academy with the other members. Yeowun apologized to them. “I’m sorry.” “No, it is good that you are okay.” Bakgi then looked at them and smiled bitterly. ‘He already has his own people.’ Bakgi realized that he always distanced himself from the other cadets, so even when he was a leader for the 12th group, no one followed him. Yeowun then asked Bakgi, “What were you trying to say?” “No, it’s nothing.” Bakgi shook his head and returned to his room. When Yeowun’s team heard about what happened between him and Chun Jongsum, they became concerned. Ko Wanghur of the Demon Fist Clan was also worried about Yeowun destroying Jongsum’s internal energy. Wanghur then gave them a solution to deal with this. “We have to grow in power for now. They cannot do anything to us while we are still attending the academy, but we are against one of the six clans of the cult. We must focus on growing in power while we can.” Ko Wanghur was big and muscular, but he was also very intuitive and logical. Yeowun agreed with him. He had to be prepared for the Poison Clan to retaliate in any way. And unlike Wanghur, Hu Bong was worried about another issue. “Master. I’m more worried about how the Chief will handle this issue.” The rules of the academy didn’t state that one couldn’t destroy another’s internal power, but internal power was like a lifeline to a warrior, so they weren’t sure about what the academy would do about this issue. “Let’s hope nothing happens.” Hu Bong’s concern became a reality. Early in the morning the next day, three instructors came to Yeowun and his members in the forest nearby where they were going to train. One of those instructors was Impeng. “You’ve done a foolish thing.” “…I’m sorry.” “The Chief has ordered us to take you to his room.” ‘Oh no..’ The seven members all became worried. They just hoped that Yeowun would not get expelled. If that happened, then Yeowun would be targeted by the Poison Clan right away. When instructors brought Yeowun up to the office of the Chief, they let Yeowun go in alone. “Chief, the 7th cadet is here.” “Let him in.” When Yeowun walked in, Lee Hameng had tied his long red hair to the back and was working on a document. Yeowun then bowed politely. “7th cadet, reporting to the Chief of the Demonic Academy.” Lee Hameng did not respond and focused on his document. The air went cold as silence fell. Soon, Lee Hameng finished writing on the document and got up to stretch his muscles. “I had to write an incident report thanks to you, so don’t be angry about me not responding to your bow.” That was what Lee Hameng had been working on. He had to report Baek Jongmeng and the other instructors on what had happened. Hameng pointed at the chair near the meeting table and allowed Yeowun to have a seat. Lee Hameng sat across Yeowun and looked at him with his fingers crossed. It was hard to tell what he was thinking. After a long time, Hameng said, “You are still young.” “What?” “Let’s deal with the work first. Let me speak first as the Chief of the Academy.” ‘As the Chief?’ Yeowun became curious and Hameng continued, “You’ve done some serious damage by destroying another cadet’s internal energy.” The problem here was that. Fighting and dueling behind the scenes were unofficially recommended by the academy, so the actual fighting was not a problem. “You basically killed a martial artist.” It was likely that there was going to be punishment for this. Yeowun’s eyes shook. This meant that he might even get expelled. “Through our long history in the academy, you are the first to do such a foolish thing. If we let you walk freely after doing such a thing, there will be others who will replicate such a foolish act.” ‘No…’ Yeowun put his head down. Hameng concluded, “So, as the Chief of the Academy, I hereby order you to turn over your yellow tag and stay for five days in the prison cell.” Yeowun’s eyes widened with shock. “…Am I not getting expelled?” “Expel? What nonsense are you talking about? The only expulsion in the academy is from failing a test, or killing another cadet outside an official duel.” “Oh…” Yeowun then sighed in relief. At least the worst-case scenario did not happen. Hameng shook his head. “Hmph. It’s too early to feel relieved.” It was as Hameng said. If he had to return the yellow tag, it meant he would lose the right to become a leader. After five days in prison, it would give him only one day to get the tag back when he came out. But would there be any instructors left with a yellow tag on the last day? ‘…That’s a problem too.’ Lee Hameng had given such punishment to show all cadets what will happen when one went too far with violence. ‘I was going to make you stay for seven days, but that will give you no chance.’ This was a small gift from Lee Hameng. He couldn’t bear to lose talented individual like Chun Yeowun, although he was really disappointed over this issue. “Well, so with that done, let’s talk about your foolishness as a senior graduate of the academy.” Hameng then unleashed his powerful energy throughout the office. It was so terrifying that it even made Chun Yeowun flinch. The reason why Hameng covered his office was to mask the sound that could seep out of the office. “I am very disappointed with you.” Unlike how he was formally punishing Yeowun, he now seemed very angry. “I had big hopes for you, and you’ve done something only a thug would do,” Lee Hameng spat angrily. Yeowun then thought Hameng was disappointed in Yeowun for destroying the internal energy of a fellow cadet and apologized. “I’m sorry.” “Sorry for what? Can’t you do your work better? You have no head to take care of your shit?” “What?” “Did you bring him to the medical room after you destroyed his internal energy because you sympathized with him?” “That’s…” “Of course not. You were afraid you might get expelled. Then you should’ve not have done that from the beginning.” “But Chun Jongsum…” “He used the poison that killed your mother, so he deserves to be killed? Is that it?” Yeowun was confused and the words got stuck in his throat. Lee Hameng had found out every little detail of what had happened. Baek Jongmeng had spilled all the details about Chun Yeowun, in hopes of defending Yeowun’s position. Lee Hameng scoffed and spoke with a cold voice. “You bring him to the medical room when you think he’s the one behind your mother’s death? Because you were afraid that you might be expelled? What a fool! If you were going to do it, then you should’ve done it right.” ‘Wait- is he…?’ Lee Hameng wasn’t talking about destroying internal energy. He was implying that Chun Yeowun should’ve just killed Jongsum. “You shouldn’t have let an enemy live. That will only create more enemies.” Chapter 54 Chapter 54: Cool heads but warm hearts (3) Lee Hameng got the report of what happened the other night when he came to work early in the morning. He quickly came to understand that Chun Yeowun had lost his control over his rage, and thus he was unable to comprehend the problem at stake. ‘He must have been busy learning martial arts for two weeks…’ Hameng hated Right Guardian Submeng, but he too knew that there was no time for Submeng to teach Yeowun things other than martial arts. It seemed that Chun Yeowun was missing out on real-life lessons. ‘I can’t just let him rot with his talent.’ Chun Yeowun had high potential, given the right lessons and guidance. Lee Hameng valued his connection with the six clans, but he was also intrigued by Chun Yeowun. “Do you know what follows for the one who fails to clean up after his mess?” “…” “It is death. The ruckus you caused is exactly what you are bringing upon yourself.” Unlike Doctor Baek Jongmeng, Lee Hameng was a realist who usually criticized and judged on the actual problem. “You. Why did you enter the academy?” Lee Hameng asked. Yeowun bit on his lips and answered, “…It is to become stronger than anyone else.” “Than anyone else, you say?” Yeowun noticed the hint of anger in the voice after he said why he wanted to become strong. He wanted revenge. “Is anger what pulls you and make you stronger?” Everyone had a goal, and a goal was what made people work harder. All cadets in the academy had their own goals. “Anger can be your reason to live, but you are also a candidate to the throne.” Chun Yeowun shuddered. “As a possible future Lord, will you be satisfied after getting your revenge? Anger is only part of the path you take. It should stay as your motivation.” The Lord was the Demonic Cult itself. If Yeowun was just another cadet, the goal would not have been that bad, but he was also a candidate to the future Lord’s throne. “You have to look at the forest. Your anger burns the entire forest, not just the tree. And it will burn yourself with it in the end.” Lee Hameng was now advising Yeowun. “Do you know what I mean?” “…I think so, sir.” “If you unleash your anger like a thug, it will hurt the people around you, and it will hurt you too in the end.” Hameng spoke coldly. “7th cadet. No, Chun Yeowun. If you want to survive and become the future of the cult, you should have a cool head but a warm heart. Or else, you will die before you even avenge your mother.” ‘…Cool head, warm heart.’ Yeowun etched the advice deeply in his heart. He had never heard of any kind of advice in his fifteen years of life. All he thought about was revenge and to put an end to the six clans that killed his mother. But he had never thought about what would happen afterward. Those thoughts cooled Yeowun’s anger. ‘He is right.’ If he only focused on revenge, that was going to be it. If he wanted to achieve his revenge and survive, he needed to look higher and farther. He had to accept his mistakes and amend it. ‘Well, he doesn’t seem like entirely idiot at least.’ Lee Hameng smiled. He thought if Yeowun didn’t understand what he was saying, Hameng was going to forget about Yeowun. But if Yeowun understood and could fix his mistakes, it was likely that Yeowun would grow to become a real monster in the cult like no one else. ‘And I will be the trusted teacher who gave him a valuable lesson, if it comes to that. Heh.’ Lee Hameng then retrieved his energy, hinting that their conversation was over. Chun Yeowun got up and took the yellow tag to hand it over to Hameng. “Thank you for your advice, Chief. I really am thankful.” Yeowun bowed to Hameng who had given him a life lesson. Hameng was satisfied by that, but he didn’t show that he was. “Instructors, come in.” “Huh?” After Hameng gave the order, the instructors immediately walked into the office. “Take him to the prison cells.” “Yes, sir.” Chun Yeowun was shocked. He wanted to tell his teammates about what happened and was going to give them orders on what to do while he was gone, but he didn’t think he would get taken in right away. “Chief. Can you give me a little more time before going to the prison cell?” Lee Hameng shook his head and snapped coldly, “No.” “At least so I can talk to my teammates…” “Your imprisonment will be announced officially. And, it is your ‘former’ teammates. They are now just cadets.” “Ah…” Chun Yeowun then moaned. He then realized what Lee Hameng did to teach him. ‘…He wants me to know the consequences of my actions reaching other people.’ Chun Yeowun was able to feel it very truthfully. His imprisonment was announced after lunch time to every cadet. [The 7th cadet has destroyed the 4th cade’s internal energy, thus destroying the 4th cadet’s chances of being a warrior for life. As punishment, his right to become a team leader has been taken away and he will be imprisoned for five days. All cadets should learn from this and never attempt such foolish acts within the academy.] This shocked all cadets. Even when the aademy had a basic rule of the survival of the fittest, destroying one’s internal energy when they were all in the same cult was beyond reasonable. ‘Whoa. He’s terrible.’ ‘He’s just not strong then.’ ‘He’s mad.’ ‘4th cadet… Is it Chun Jongsum from the Poison Clan?’ ‘How he dare attack the Poison clan? He will be killed right after he leaves the academy!’ ‘Or he might get killed in the academy beforehand.’ ‘Yeah, but who knows? He might have someone on his back.’ ‘Yeah. No fool will dare to attack the Poison Clan without a way to protect himself.’ The cadets all had different thoughts about this issue. Despite all this, at least Chun Yeowun was no longer an unworthy son of the Lord who was going to die soon. Chapter 55 Chapter 55: Cool heads but warm hearts (4) “Hahahahaha! He really is crazy! How did he even think about destroying the internal energy?” Chun Yuchan burst into laughter as he read the announcement on the wall. Chun Yeowun’s action was unpredictable. It was amusing, but it didn’t feel like he had made the right choice. ‘I thought the competition was going to come from three sides, but that won’t be the case.’ He thought Yeowun would be dangerous after seeing him fight an instructor, but this made him feel relieved. This way, Yeowun would surely fail the third test without even being tested. Chun Yuchan touched his three yellow tags and smiled. ‘Well, well. Isn’t it a wonderful thing?’ Chun Kungwun of the Sword Clan also liked what he saw on the announcement. Chun Muyun of the Wise Clan, however, didn’t pay much attention. He just glanced at the announcement and walked away. However, there were those who were beyond shocked. It was Chun Yeowun’s team members. Luckily, Yeowun had not been expelled, but they were now teamless. ‘There will be one day left when the Master comes back. Will there be any yellow tags available until then?’ Ko Wanghur was worried. He believed Yeowun was strong, but at this rate, it was likely that Yeowun would need to steal a yellow tag from one of the other teams. ‘It won’t be easy.’ Someone soon came up to them. It was Bakgi, the leader of the 12th group from the second test. He spoke to Yeowun’s seven members, making them confused. During dinner time, the mansion located west of the Cult’s castle, the home to the Poison Clan was full of anger. Four hours ago, they had received a letter and someone was carried in. It was Chun Jongsum. All of his bones had been shattered and his internal energy had been completely destroyed, shocking all the Poison Clan members. After reading what had happened from the Chief’s letter, they became furious. Leaders of the Poison Clan gathered at House Leader Baek Oh’s office. It had been a long time since they all gathered like this ever since the day of Baek Oh’s resignation from being an elder. All of the leaders had been looking at Baek Oh silently for two hours already. Baek Oh had the letter in his hands with his eyes closed from fear and a certain hesitation. A middle-aged man interrupted the silence. “We must do something! Leader, we can’t just wait until he comes out of the academy!” With that as a signal, others began to shout also. “Let’s send assassins! If we hire an assassin from the Kill Clan, we can do it quietly.” “No, how about we just bribe one of those instructors to do the job?” “We can just use cooks or servants at the academy to poison him to death!” They all had different opinions but they had the same goal of killing Chun Yeowun. They didn’t care where Chun Yeowun was. They wanted to kill the person behind the near-death of their prince. Baek Oh, who had been listening quietly, then opened his eyes and spoke coldly. “And if he dies… who will be the most suspicious?” The leaders were then lost for words. They were blamed for Lady Hwa’s death a few years ago and they lost most of their power over the cult. If they were to cause more problems, that might even be their end. “But we can’t just let him walk away after almost killing our prince!” Baek Munwung, the second son of Baek Oh, shouted angrily. Chun Jongsum was his nephew. He was angry that his nephew had lost a chance to become a warrior, but he didn’t like being laughed at by the other clans because they couldn’t do anything. “Fool. If that was that important, the Lust Clan would have done something already.” Baek Oh was talking about Chun Wonryou who failed the second test. She didn’t have her internal energy destroyed, but she had lost her right arm. The Lust Clan was also furious after knowing that it was Chun Yeowun who did it. Yet, they were holding back from doing anything. “After what happened a few years back, the Lord is distancing himself from the six clans and is looking for every opportunity to take our powers away. We can’t act foolishly.” Doing something to a cadet of the academy was against the way of the Demonic Cult itself. If they were to kill Chun Yeowun, they were giving the Lord every reason to persecute them. “Then are you saying we have to wait until he comes out of the academy!?” Munwung shouted, biting on his lips. Baek Oh answered, “That is how it should be… but.” Baek Oh looked down at the letter. He then stared for a long time at the letter and grabbed his staff. “I will need to meet the Left Guardian myself.” Late at night a day later, there was a big mountain peak far from the academy’s library. There were many caves on the upper portion of the peak where the prison cells were located. The academy did not have its own prison since it was made to train people. But this prison cave had a way to block the entrance from outside. Inside the cave, there was only one small candle that brightened the area. Yeowun bit on the hard grain. ‘Ugh, this is terrible.’ Chun Yeowun was given five days worth of grains and was locked here to train alone. The entrance was sealed tight and the cave was dark and stuffy, which made it harder to train. Nonetheless, Chun Yeowun didn’t feel too bad while spending his time here as he was training with Augmented Reality. ‘It’s fortunate that the guards don’t watch what I’m doing.’ The guards stayed on the outside of the gate, so he didn’t worry about being noticed. Yeowun then concentrated on training late into the night and now he was eating his grain. “Huh?” Yeowun then heard the vibration of a rock being pushed away. There were still three days left for him to be freed, but the door was pushed open and fresh air swept in. ‘Hmph.’ Then, someone came in slowly wearing black attire. It was an old man with a weird-looking staff. “So, you are Chun Yeowun.” His voice had hatred in it. Yeowun then focused his internal energy and the old man reached toward him. Then, powerful energy stormed within the cave, throwing Yeowun up into the air. Chapter 56 Chapter 56: Blessing in a disguise (1) Chun Yeowun was shocked. He had never felt such powerful energy ever since he had learned martial arts. Telekinesis. It required a very high amount of internal energy and a lot of understanding of qi, but it allowed one to even lift a person up into the air. ‘He’s a powerful warrior.’ Yeowun had unleashed 100% of his energy, but even he couldn’t resist against the power. And the old man was very hostile; Yeowun could feel it on his skin. ‘I will get killed if I don’t do anything.’ Yeowun then tried all he could to regain control over his body. As his muscles became tense, the body began to move slowly. ‘This boy has a tremendous amount of physical power.’ The internal energy was only at about sixty years worth, but Yeowun’s muscle strength was like that of a monster. The old man had seen many warriors in his life, but he had never seen a man with this amount of muscle strength. It was due to the Nano Machine strengthening Chun Yeowun’s muscles so that he could physically damage the blue pearl stone. ‘He resists too much. Hmph.’ As Chun Yeowun kept on squirming, it sucked too much energy from the old man and he made a gesture to pull him in. Yeowun was then sucked toward the old man’s hand. “Argh!” The old man grabbed Yeowun’s neck. The energy was so powerful that even a slight twist was going to snap Yeowun’s neck. That’s when Yeowun heard Nano’s voice in his head. [Detected powerful hostile energy threatening the user. Activating Emergency Defense mode.] But Yeowun put a stop to it quickly. ‘No, Nano. Hold for a second.’ Nano’s defense mode was to send out electricity from the body, but Yeowun thought the enemy was too powerful for such an attack to work. If it failed, then it was only going to make the enemy even angrier. ‘If this old man wanted to kill me, he would have done so already.’ Yeowun’s guess was correct. The old man could have killed Yeowun the moment he barged in here. Although he was still wary of the old man, Yeowun stopped resisting the old man smiled. “I wanted to come see the one who made waste of my grandson. You seem to have grasped the situation quickly.” If Yeowun tried to resist in some way, he would have been attacked with the incoming energy, thus damaging his internal organs. ‘Grandson?’ Yeowun’s eyes shook. There was no way he couldn’t understand it. ‘The Poison Clan!’ This old man was the leader of the Poison clan, Baek Oh the Demonic Poison Hand. Chun Yeowun was shocked. He thought the Poison Clan would try to do something in retaliation for what had happened, but he didn’t think the leader himself would come for him. “Do you know why I came to see you myself?” “Argh… are you here to kill me?” The hostility proved it. There was no way the leader of the house would forgive Yeowun for destroying the prince’s internal energy and shattering all of his bones. ‘Think. Think about how to get out of this situation!’ Yeowun tried to keep calm to think about it, but there was no way. He was going to die the second Baek Oh twisted his hand. ‘Am I going to die here?’ And when he came to such a conclusion, what came to him was anger, not the fear of death. He was angry that he was going to die before getting his revenge. ‘His eyes…’ The fifteen-year-old boy was at the brink of death, but his eyes were now filled with anger and determination. Baek Oh was surprised. However, he couldn’t allow anyone to make such eyes toward one of the top ten leaders of the Demonic Cult. “Hmph. You need some punishment.” “ARGH!” Baek Oh put his energy into the staff and smacked Yeowun’s stomach. The energy was so powerful that it Yeowun felt the immediate pain and blood soared up through his throat. ‘Now, you won’t make such eyes… huh?’ Baek Oh was dumbfounded. He had expected Yeowun to be in pain, but his angry eyes still remained. Baek Oh didn’t know this, but Yeowun’s internal damage was healed instantly by the Nano Machine. It still gave him pain whenever he was hit, but the pain didn’t last for long as the damage was healed quickly. ‘So, you’re not like any other child.’ Baek Oh shook his head. He figured Yeowun would be very vengeful, thus destroying the internal energy, but Baek Oh didn’t think it would be this serious. ‘He will be problematic if I let him be.’ Baek Oh was going to decide what to do with Chun Yeowun after meeting him, and now he decided that he shouldn’t let Yeowun be. Baek Oh’s hostility began to strengthen, and Yeowun spoke to him. “Are you going to kill me?” “You know the answer to that yourself.” “You are going against the academy rules if you do.” “Don’t think such a petty rule will control me. I will kill you here and melt your body with my poison so no one will notice.” Baek Oh didn’t think about leaving any traces. Yeowun then became silent for a second and then said, “You can erase the trace, but if I disappear within the academy, the Poison Clan will be the main suspect for it anyway.” Baek Oh raised his eyebrow at such a sharp thought. A fifteen-year-old boy at the brink of death was not afraid. Instead, he was thinking everything through rather thoroughly. ‘He really is dangerous.’ Yeowun had powers beyond his anger, determination over fear, and decision-making skills for each situation. All of this showed how dangerous he would be to the Poison Clan if he grew up. ‘I would have killed him right now if it wasn’t for the academy.’ Baek Oh became frustrated. He didn’t think to kill him at first. As Yeowun said, if he killed Yeowun here, the Poison Clan was going to be seen as the suspect and the Lord would not look over this. His main reason for visiting him here today was to see Yeowun’s face and warn him. “You are clever. But you still have a lot more to go. Since you hurt my grandson, you have brought this upon yourself.” Chapter 57 Chapter 57: Blessing in a disguise (2) “…” Yeowun knew he had made a mistake about this one. His lack of experience and uncontrolled anger had made it come down to this. “As you said, even I can’t kill you while you are here, but…” Baek Oh’s hand quickly moved over Yeowun’s blood point, freezing him. Yeowun couldn’t speak anymore, and Baek Oh continued, “Let me promise you this. As soon as you leave the protection of the Demonic Academy, you will be given pain beyond imagination.” Baek Oh’s eyes were on fire from the anger from the pain that his grandson had gone through. “You have shattered my grandson’s bones, so I will shatter your bones and carve out your flesh to feed it to the animals. Then I will destroy your internal energy and keep you alive so you can beg to be killed.” Baek Oh’s warning was terrifying. When he was done, he took something out from his pocket. It was a small medicinal ball which was even smellier than the Black Dragon Ball. He then sent a telepathic message. [I can’t just leave you, so I will give you a small gift. Then we will be able to meet faster.] “Nnngh!” Baek Oh then opened Yeowun’s mouth forcefully. Yeowun tried to resist, but he couldn’t as the hand that grabbed his neck increased the energy. “Argh!” Baek Oh then threw the ball down into Yeowun’s throat. He tried hard to not swallow it, but as the grip on the neck strengthened, the ball went down his throat. [It is not a poison that will put your life in danger. But if you ever talk about the ball to anyone, I will not care about the rules of the academy and I will come to kill you myself.] He finished with the final warning. “Nnnngh!” “You have been warned. I look forward to our next meeting.” Baek Oh then tossed Yeowun back inside the cave and flew out. Yeowun was stuck next to the inner side of the wall. When Baek Oh came out, the giant stone that acted as the entrance rolled over to seal the cave again. Baek Oh spoke to someone waiting for him outside. “I am done.” “You promised me that you would not harm him.” It was Left Guardian Lee Hameng. Chun Yeowun was confused as to how Baek Oh had come to see him, but it was through Lee Hameng that Baek Oh was able to come here. Lee Hameng heard the giant cracking sound coming from within and he was asking about Baek Oh about that. “Would you stop yourself from smacking once or twice while standing in front of someone who hurt your family?” “…” “Haha, okay. I will apologize for that. But it is not that bad, so don’t worry. I didn’t damage him.” “…Okay.” Hameng acknowledged it suspiciously and Baek Oh bowed. “Thank you for listening to my request, even if it was against the rules.” “Please make sure no one else knows about this.” “Of course. I will bring this to my grave.” Normally, not even the leaders of the six clans were allowed into the Demonic Academy. Lee Hameng was worried about the Poison Clan retaliating against Chun Yeowun out of rage and that was why he sent the letter to request them to not attack Chun Yeowun, at least inside the academy. Baek Oh then promised that he would accept the request only if he was allowed to see Chun Yeowun himself. Lee Hameng valued his connections with the six clans, so he couldn’t refuse such a request. “I will return.” Baek Oh then covered his face with his clothes and used his stepping skills to run down the peak. After checking to make sure Baek Oh had left, Lee Hameng glanced at the cave and mumbled, “You have four years before your protection wears off. It is up to you to survive after that.” Meanwhile, Chun Yeowun was sitting down in meditation. His eyes were closed and his clothes were blackened while the foul stench filled the area. It was what happened after he was flung into the wall. Yeowun heard Nano’s voice coming to him. [Detected toxic substance coming into the user’s throat.] He wasn’t sure what Baek Oh had made him eat, but he was certain that it was bad so Yeowun quickly ordered Nano. ‘Take it out of my body, now!’ [Careful analysis of the substance shows that if some of the toxic components are removed, it will help the internal energy activation, similar to the substance: Black Dragon Ball.] ‘What?’ [Toxic components are what diminishes the energy.] What Baek Oh fed to him was a medicine ball that made the target lose its internal energy partially. It was so harmful that it created immunity inside the body after one dosage and it could not be used repeatedly. If the one eating was unlucky, it could possibly erase more than half of the internal energy. A powerful warrior with over ninety years worth of internal energy would have ways to extract these poisons when swallowed, but that was the only way to fight it. ‘So, he tried to weaken my internal energy!’ Baek Oh was going to make Yeowun lose his internal energy so that he would fail the third test. However, Baek Oh did not know about Nano. Nano quickly analyzed the substances and came to the conclusion that if only those poisons were removed, the other substances were actually helpful. ‘So, I just need to remove those poisons?’ [Yes, Master.] ‘Whew… good. Then do it.’ [Beginning to remove the toxic components from the substance.] And that’s what Nano was now doing. Soon, the black ooze began coming out from Yeowun’s upper torso. It wasn’t a lot since it was from a small medicine ball, but the smell was too awful. “Ugh!” Yeowun felt sick over the smell when Nano’s voice spread throughout his body. [Successfully removed toxic components. The substance now activates the internal energy flow within the body.] Yeowun then began using his Breathing of the Thousand Martials to meditate. Chapter 58 Chapter 58: Blessing in a disguise (3) Nano quickly helped the activation of the flow of energy within Yeowun’s body. After a long time, Yeowun opened his eyes. He then smelled the foul stench from the black ooze and took off the clothes that were drenched in the ooze. “Ugh… this is really disgusting.” He was able to forget about the smell while meditating, but he couldn’t bear it anymore when he was awake. He then felt the heat within the cave. It seemed like the energy activation within his body let out some heat, warming up the entire cave. Yeowun then felt heaviness under his stomach and felt the weight of his internal energy. “Whoa.” He gasped in astonishment. The whole incident was a blessing in disguise. The internal energy that was just over sixty years worth now had ninety years worth of energy. Baek Oh’s action had resulted in helping Yeowun instead of harming him. ‘…He really did give me a gift then.’ Baek Oh’s small gift had turned out to be a huge gift. Chun Yeowun’s internal energy was now within the top five out of all the cadets. ‘I would have died if it wasn’t for Nano.’ Nano had given unfortunate Chun Yeowun a climactic turn in his life. ‘I was really lucky this time. I never thought the Poison Clan would go so far.’ He then thought that it was good experience for learning how his wrong decision might come back to him. ‘It was an important lesson.’ He was lucky this time, but Yeowun decided to not make any foolish mistakes. ‘So, what is this?’ Yeowun then got up and walked to the inner part of the cave. It was too dark to see in the cave, but Yeowun had night vision from Nano. ‘Nano, night vision mode.’ Yeowun was then able to see the inside of the cave. A part of the inner wall was broken when he was thrown into it by Baek Oh. ‘Something felt weird.’ Yeowun felt like the inside of the wall was empty when his back hit the wall. He felt curious, but he had to focus on taking care of the poisonous medicine ball he ingested. “Oh?” Air was seeping out from the cracked part of the wall. It was proof that there was space on the opposite. Yeowun then became curious. ‘Let’s check on it.’ Yeowun began to tap the cracked side with his fist. The wall had too many cracks in it and the slight tapping made it fall apart, making a small hole that Yeowun could crawl into. ‘There we go.’ The hole let cold air come in from the opposite side, making the cave a bit cooler. Yeowun then crawled into the dark hole. He then frowned. ‘Huh?’ Unlike his expectations of seeing a bigger cave, it seemed like a tunnel-like cave that connected somewhere else. Yeowun then got up and looked back. The cave wall was shaped as if it was made artificially to block it. The opposite side looked natural so he didn’t realize it, but it was very apparent from this side. ‘Was it blocked off intentionally?’ It seemed like something was hidden inside. Yeowun then thought about going in when Nano’s voice called out to him. [Detected faint natural light coming from the tunnel.] Yeowun became curious. The only possible natural light source in such a cave could only be from a firefly. Yeowun then began to walk in. The cave was located on the peak of the mountain, but this tunnel seemed to lead him below. ‘It’s getting brighter…’ As Nano said, the green-colored light began to grow stronger. He now didn’t need night vision mode to see anymore. Yeowun then deactivated the night vision and walked in. Soon, he then reached the closed end. It shined very brightly with the light. Yeowun then took a step forward and almost fell. The ground in front had a huge hole. “What in the world…?” Yeowun looked down, but he couldn’t see anything. He then jumped down. It was a few meters deep, which was not safe for any normal human to jump down, but Yeowun was able to land easily with his walking skill. He then looked up to where he had come from. The entrance he went through looked more like an air vent from what he saw from below. The space he was in now was very wide. “Whoa.” Countless light-emitting stones were on top, brightening the entire place with the green light. It was so bright that it was hard to even look up at it. “To think such a place was hidden inside the prison cave.” It was amazing. He looked around and found a round stone pillar in the middle and nothing else. There was an exit at the southern side of the cave, and that was blocked by a stone from the outside. ‘It’s an unused place.’ It felt strange to not use such a nice place. “Huh?” Yeowun then looked down and found traces of something being dragged out. From the size of it, one could tell that it seemed like a large stone was pushed out from it. As he followed the trace, it led him to the center of the area. ‘There’s more than one.’ The trace was made by more than once. It seemed like something was placed in five directions around the pillar until it was dragged out. It must have been very heavy if it made such a deep trace. ‘It looks like there must have been some kind of giant stone… a pedestal…?’ Yeowun then thought of the blue pearl pedestal in the library. He then realized the library had five floors, which meant that the pedestal was also created through the five levels. ‘Nano, activate Augmented Reality and show me the blue pearl pedestal on the first floor in the library.’ [Activating.] Yeowun then was shown the actual size of the blue pearl stone. ‘Nano, do you see those traces on the ground? Can you see if this stone was placed in any of those spots?’ [Analyzing the traces on the floor.] Nano then began scanning the five spots and placed the same blue pearl stone over the five spots. And when they were all in place, Yeowun’s eye grew larger. ‘It has the same size.’ The size of the trace and the stone were the same. When the five stones were placed there, the one located on the south side shined in red. [This location seems to be where the blue pearl stone from the first floor was located at.] Yeowun then walked over to check it out himself. ‘Can you check the second floor one too?’ Nano then began scanning everything, and it seemed like the second stone was located on the southwest side. ‘Ah… so, this was the place.’ It seemed that all those stones were originally placed here. If all of them were still here, then it would have been much easier to learn about Father Chun’s original sword skill. ‘What is up with this pillar then?’ Yeowun was curious as to why all these stones were placed around it while facing the pillar. Yeowun walked over and looked around. On the north side of the pillar, there was a letter written in handwriting. [Sword Force of the Sky Demon] Yeowun felt his heart pounding. He then found a small dots that looked like those under the writing of the blue pearl stone which showed a drawing. Chapter 59 Chapter 59: Blessing in a disguise (4) A martial art that represented the Lord of the Demonic Cult was the Godly Force of the Sky Demon. Every cultist knew of the power beyond that martial art and it was also one of three Godly Forces of the Jianghu. But the word said Sword Force, not Godly Force. ‘Hmm… is it a sword skill?’ Chun Yeowun was confused. He had never heard of Sword Force. Was it a breathing skill or a sword art? He learned from Guard Jang that the Lord’s best martial art was the Sword Art of the Sky Demon. But what was this Sword Force? ‘Is it the name of the original sword skill in the blue pearl stone?’ That seemed to be the most likely case here. The bearded middle-aged man who Yeowun met on the first floor of the library said that the blue pearl stone held the truth from Father Chun. ‘He would leave a new name for it of course. I guess Father Chun is the one who wrote this here.’ It was natural for making up such a name for a powerful sword art like that, especially if it was made after the Sword Art of the Sky Demon. ‘Nano, can you check the writing on this pillar to see if it matches the writing on the blue pearl stone pedestal?’ A white line then scanned the writing on the pillar and Nano soon responded. [Analysis complete. It is from the same writer.] ‘That is the name then!’ Yeowun then learned the real name of the original sword skill he had learned. ‘What up with these holes then?’ Yeowun then looked down at the holes underneath the name. Holes under the poetry on the pedestals represented numbers, but these holes looked different. ‘It looks like a drawing.’ The holes formed the shape of a dragon. ‘Dargon?’ The animal in the myths symbolized unity and power. He would have not paid that much attention if he didn’t find out about the secret behind holes on the blue pearl stone pedestal. He was curious if this drawing had some secret behind it also. ‘What is it trying to say?’ Yeowun then sat down to give it some thought. He brought the pedestals to his left and right and began looking closely at the holes in the shape of a dragon. However, he couldn’t find identify any relationships between these holes. ‘Are the holes related to the numbers again?’ Yeowun then counted the number of holes. ‘…Twenty-four?’ There was a total of twenty-four holes. He wondered if the number twentyfour meant anything. After thinking for an hour, all he could think of was the sword movement comprised of the Sword Force of Sky Demon and its twenty-four movements. ‘What is it talking about?’ “Whew…” He sighed in frustration. He couldn’t find any answers. What did this soaring dragon mean? ‘It should mean something… why is there a drawing of a dragon going up… huh?’ Yeowun then looked up at the ceiling. “Ugh!” The light stones from above shined down on him, making him look down. It was too bright to look up directly. ‘It’s too bright.’ It was too painful to look directly at the stones. Yeowun looked up because the dragon was trying to go up into the ceiling, but he then thought that maybe the secret was on the ceiling. However, he couldn’t look directly at it to see what was going on up there. ‘Hm…’ Maybe the secret was hidden behind the light, not the darkness. Nothing left by Father Chun Ma was easy to get, but Yeowun had a way to look directly into the light. ‘Nano, can you control the light coming into my sight?’ [Adjusting light perception.] Yeowun’s eyes flickered and the cave turned dark. Yeowun then looked up again as he was ready. “This is amazing…” Yeowun was astonished. There were a number of shiny stones, but the ones around the giant center pillar showed hundreds of bright stones with writings. “This was it!” Yeowun smiled. He wasn’t sure what these hundreds of stones were talking about, but they surely held the secret related to the Sword Force of the Sky Demon. ‘Nano, can you scan those stones?’ [Yes, Master… scan completed.] ‘Project it on that large wall so I can see it more closely.’ Nano then recreated the writing on the ceiling over on the wall. Yeowun walked over and checked the writing. “…What?” Yet, the writings weren’t related to martial arts at all. It consisted of poetry and other things. ‘This… and this… and this… what is going on?’ All of them had no relations to martial arts. Yeowun frowned as he had expected a great finding. ‘Did I miss something?’ He thought that going through all of these writings would give him the answer to a great secret, but even if there was a secret hidden within the writings, it didn’t seem like it would be that hard to decipher it. ‘Maybe it’s hidden among all this.’ Yeowun figured there must be something that was related to martial arts. Finding it was the problem. Of course, he didn’t need to read all this writing by himself. ‘Nano, can you find anything among all this that might have a relationship to martial arts?’ [Scanning.] Nano proceeded with the scanning. This shortened the amount of time Yeowun needed if he were to look at every stone. Soon, Nano finished scanning and analyzing. [There is a total of twenty-four stones that contain writings and drawings that seems to teach the Breathing Skill.] ‘Breathing skill?’ Yeowun’s eyes grew larger. What kind of breathing skill would be divided up into twenty-four stones? Nano then highlighted the twenty-four stones in red. Yeowun’s eye grew larger as he looked at it. “This…!” Chapter 60 Chapter 60: Blessing in a disguise (5) It was astounding. Over hundreds of stones were placed around the pillar, and twenty-four of them had placed in the shape of a dragon soaring up into the sky. It was the same shape that was placed on the pedestal. “So, this was what that dragon meant! This was it!” Yeowun’s voice became excited from the finding. He then quickly wanted to look into what meaning it held. ‘Nano, get rid of the other stones and leave only those twenty-four stones.’ [Understood.] And Nano’s voice trailed off, the extra stones in the image began to disappear. Yeowun looked closely at the remaining stones. There were writings and teachings related to a breathing skill. However, it didn’t seem like any other breathing skill. ‘What is this?’ The writing required a certain movement and flow in the internal energy through certain blood points. And the movement of the skill was very familiar. Yeowun frowned as he knew these movements. ‘This is similar to the movement of the Sword Force of the Sky Demon.’ It was the exact same sword movement. Yeowun then walked over to other stones. After checking out every stone, his eyes shook in shock. “Oh my… these are all sword movements from the Sword Force.” All the movements recorded on the stones were equal to the twenty-four sword movements of the Sword Force of the Sky Demon. However, those were all paired with the related breathing skill, and that was connected from the head of the dragon to its tail. ‘This is strange… it’s really strange.’ This was strange if these things represented a breathing skill. A breathing skill usually required one to sit or lie down to take a comfortable position, but this was one with the sword movement to display a sword formation. ‘I should just give it a try.’ He had no way to find out unless he tried it out. ‘Nano, can you transfer these teachings and movements into me?’ [Understood. Transferring to the user’s brain…] Nano soon transferred all the information into Yeowun’s brain. When it was done, Yeowun used his finger to follow the first movement. ‘Take a deep breath and move into…’ The meditating also started. He had to connect all the movements together while in motion. Yeowun followed the twenty-four movements and sent his internal energy into the blood points as written in the breathing skill. As the energy stopped flowing through his body, the qi in the body began to tremble. Yeowun then repeated the twenty-four movements again without thinking, as if he had gone into a trance. The powerful energy flowed inside, and Nano began to analyze to store it as data. After some time had passed, Yeowun stopped. He didn’t even know how long he had been practicing this breathing skill. ‘Nano, how long have I been doing this?’ [It has been two hours.] ‘What? Two hours?’ It was shocking to hear that he had been moving through the movements for two hours straight. Yet, he didn’t feel exhausted or tired. It even felt like he was full of energy and the internal energy was flowing fluidly within him. ‘It felt like the energy flow became faster as I moved through.’ [Yes, that is true, Master.] Nano had recorded the quick energy flow within the body already. Yeowun then became curious about Nano’s conclusion and brought up his internal energy. “Huh?” The speed of the internal energy flow had gotten much faster. He focused slightly and the energy spread into his body very quickly. When Yeowun focused on his right hand, a clear light appeared to create a qi on his hand. ‘It’s much faster now!’ Yeowun was not used to shaping qi outside his body. But with the quickened energy flow, shaping qi was also much easier now. The breathing skill that was written on the stone was beyond the level of any breathing skill. ‘Ah… this should be the best breathing skill in the world!’ Chun Yeowun was astounded beyond belief. There was no telling as to how much he would grow if he trained with the breathing skill. Yeowun then walked over to the pillar at the center. [Sword Force of the Sky Demon] He now knew why this was written as Sword Force. This martial art was a sword formation and breathing skill combined into one. ‘So Father Chun really was a legendary man.’ No one else in the Wulin would even dare to combine a sword skill with a breathing skill. The Sword Force of the Sky Demon would allow one to train the sword skill while meditating with the breathing skill. ‘Father, please accept my bow.’ Yeowun then bowed twice to the pillar. It was to show his respect for receiving such a gift from the ancestor. Yeowun then got up. ‘This is fortunate that I came across this.’ Baek Oh’s action to put Yeowun into danger was truly a blessing in disguise. If Baek Oh found out about what followed after he left, he might collapse because of a stroke from the shock. ‘So, there’s only one thing left to do then.’ Yeowun then walked over to the pillar so he could erase the traces. He couldn’t do it near the blue pearl stone pedestal since there were guards, but no one was here. It would be hard to find out what Father Chun had left without Nano’s help, but he didn’t want to leave any hints for the others to find out about it. ‘I’ll just erase these holes.’ Yeowun then reached out to the holes while wielding internal energy in his hand. That’s when the pillar began to tremble while letting out steam. “W-what?!” Yeowun jumped back. Something came up from the pillar and soared up into the ceiling, striking the glowing stones. The ceiling shook and some of the stones dropped to the ground. Yeowun was shocked, but he quickly hopped to dodge the falling stones. It seemed like the shock wasn’t too bad, since only a few stones had dropped. “Huh?” Yeowun’s eye grew wide. The number of stones that dropped was the twenty-four. ‘No way..’ He then walked over and frowned. The stones were those with the movements and writings from the Sword Force of the Sky Demon. Chapter 61 Chapter 61: Blessing in a disguise (6) Yeowun had to rely on Nano’s skills to find out about the breathing skill, but the pillar was programmed to make it easy to find these stones as well. It was surprising. ‘…Well, I guess you would need such a thing to find out about it without Nano.’ What was funny was that no one had even tried it before. No one dared to do what Yeowun had done to the pillars until now. ‘Huh?’ Yeowun then noticed the place where he bowed at the front of the pillar sank in the middle and liquid seeped out from it. He tasted it with his finger and found out that it was oil. ‘Is it made for fire?’ The pillar had a mechanism to burn itself when its duty was complete. The oil was to be wet when it sent down those stones so that the internal energy would be able to light it on fire. ‘…Hmph. I got it anyway.’ He was lucky at least. Yeowun realized it was easy to get these stones too late, but could now destroy it. ‘Now it will be easy to erase those holes on the pillar.’ Yeowun then walked over and picked up one of the stones to destroy it. “Huh?” He then became confused. ‘What is this?’ There was something engraved on the other side of the stone. Yeowun looked down at it, and saw weird lines on it, unsure of what it meant. Those lines were hidden from sight. ‘This is strange…’ Yeowun then looked over at the other stones. “Huh? This one has it too.” The other stones also had weird lines etched onto them, but they all had different shapes from one another. ‘What is it? Why are there lines on the back of the stones?’ Yeowun then gathered every stone and gathered them in one place. He then turned them backward to show the strange lines. “Hm…” Yeowun moaned. He stared at it, hoping to find anything that might be hidden behind it, but the lines just looked like doodles. ‘What are these?’ It was really strange. But nothing left by Father Chun was there without reason, so there had to be a message. ‘It’s not made with a sword at least.’ The lines were too crooked to be made with a sword. Then what were these things trying to say? After looking at it for a long time, Yeowun narrowed his eyes. “Hmm?” Yeowun got up and looked down at it from the top. He then sat down and made the stones face each other. After putting them together, he got up and looked down again. “OH!” He then realized that the lines seemed to form some kind of map. The lines didn’t match up yet, but he was certain that it was a map. ‘I need to order it right.’ Yeowun then sat down and began matching the lines. After moving from stone to stone for over an hour, Yeowun finally completed it. ‘I did it!’ All the lines perfectly matched each other now. Yeowun got up and looked down again. ‘I knew it… it’s a map.’ It was a one giant map created with crooked lines. ‘This…?’ The map marked a certain place, and there was another line that gave directions on how to get there. ‘To think such a map was hidden here…’ What would be hidden at the place indicated on this map, other than the Sword Force of the Sky Demon? It had surely been left for the next generation. ‘And where is this?’ He knew it was a map, but it was hard to know the locations that this map represented. There were strange crooked lines that showed some kind of cave map. Yeowun only came to that conclusion after staring at it for a long time. ‘I can’t be sure of anything for now.’ What was certain was that this map was not for this prison cave. It was probably a place hidden somewhere else, but it was not possible to know for now. ‘Nano, scan this map and save it.’ [Understood, Master.] Yeowun then saw white lines moving down the map. Nano saved the map and Yeowun began to move to do what he intended to do the first time. Yeowun began destroying the stones one by one. After cracking the stones, he collected all the debris and stomped them to turn them into powder. He then scattered away the rock particles and sand. Now, all secrets and the map that was hidden inside this cave was only for Yeowun. Yeowun then got up to go back the vent and he returned to his small prison cave. And for the first time after he was locked up, he was able to get a good night’s sleep. Chapter 62 Chapter 62: Blessing in a disguise (7) Four days had now passed after Yeowun was locked up. There was only a day left for Yeowun to come out and there had been a lot of changes within the academy. When Yeowun was sent to the prison, the only ones who had yellow tags were Chun Muyeon of the Wise Clan and Chun Yuchan of the Blade Clan. However, four days were enough for talented cadets to learn about the Seven Demon Sword. Ko Wanghur’s concern became a reality. Chun Yeowun was still in prison, but all the other yellow tags were taken by powerful cadets. However, there were only eleven cadets that became leaders. There was a total of seventeen tags, so why were there only eleven group leaders? This was due to three particular leaders. There was no limit to how many tags one could take. Three people realized this and collected every tag they could get their hands on. Chun Muyeon had one tag. Chun Yuchan had four tags. Chun Kungwun had two tags. Sama Chak, the 700th cadet, had two tags. And seven other cadets had one tag each. So with Yucan, Kungwun, and Chak hoarding more than one tag, they had taken five more tags that could have been used to create more leaders. The only surprising thing was that Chun Muyeon didn’t go for other tags. Now, with sixteen tags in the cadets’ hands, the only tag left was the one that Hou Jinchang had. No one could take this tag from him as he was a grandmaster level warrior. “This is problematic.” Hu Bong shook his head. All cadets knew that the three leaders had more than one tag, but no one dared to raise complaints. “They are that much more powerful,” Ko Wanghur answered as he nodded. These three cadets were famous for their prowess. Rumor had it that their martial arts skills were at the level of exceeding masters. Moreover, they all had their armies of cadets behind them. “It could have been dangerous for us too.” Ja Wumin smiled bitterly as he spoke. The reason he said this was because Yeowun’s group had taken a steep drop after Yeowun was taken to the cave. They were no longer a group, but rather, regular cadets. “Maybe we’re lucky. We lost those who were going to lose anyway,” Ohjong said with an annoyed expression. The other cadets also became angry. A total of six cadets had gathered here. “We just have different paths.” Ko Wanghur shook his head. “I don’t think their way of doing things will make other groups welcome them.” Hu Bong mumbled in disappointment. On the day of Yeowun’s arrest, two of their team members left them. They were Wungchun and Ho Daming. They had been very anxious ever since they heard that Yeowun had destroyed Chun Jongsum’s internal energy. As soon as Yeowun’s punishment was decided, they left right away. ‘I’m sorry. I want to stay together, but I don’t see a future in this.’ Maybe this was the right tactic to safely pass the third test. But they didn’t only join Yeowun’s group for the test and the members became angry. Although two members had left, six cadets were still here. It was due to the 18th cadet, Bakgi. Hu Bong got up and said, “Oh well. Let’s not be too pessimistic. We lost two baddies, but we have Bakgi here with us. He’ll do quadruple the amount they ever could’ve done.” “Don’t flatter me too much.” Bakgi smiled. Ko Wanghur smiled also. “No, we would have been in grave danger if it wasn’t for you.” Ko Wanghur had a reason for this. It was because of the yellow tag that Bakgi had on his right chest. He had taken this tag three days ago by defeating an instructor. “Yeah. If it wasn’t for him, we would have all been scattered. We are really grateful.” Ohjong also nodded. If it wasn’t for Bakgi, Yeowun’s team members would have had to scatter and wait for Yeowun to come back. When the punishment was decided, Bakgi came over to them and offered to take the lead. ‘I owe a lot to the 7th cadet. I want to help him.’ Bakgi thought Yeowun had taken the punishment that should have been for him. If Yeowun did not tell him about the poison, he might have died. After thinking through the night, Bakgi made a serious decision. ‘I almost died. It will not be enough even if I pay it back for my entire life.’ Thus, Bakgi decided to follow Chun Yeowun. He wanted to tell Yeowun himself of his decision, but Yeowun was locked away. “I’m not sure if he’ll want me in his group.” “If Master didn’t like you, he would not have helped you.” “Maybe.” Ko Wanghur and the other cadets welcomed him after hearing what had happened. And with a powerful warrior like Bakgi joining them, they were going to become stronger. So Bakgi first took the yellow tag just in case. It was to prepare for Yeowun return who had to stay in prison for five days. Bakgi’s actions proved to be correct. “Well, we welcome you to our group anyway. Don’t worry.” “Yeah, we do!” “Master will welcome you too. I’m sure of it.” Bakgi smiled. And as the day came to an end, the five cadets who trained Seven Dragon Sword went to the cafeteria to eat dinner. “Are you skipping dinner?” “I only eat dinners usually, but I ate lunch with you guys today too.” Bakgi usually skipped lunch to train in the private training room. But after joining the team and training with them, his solo training time was reduced. “Hmm. Then I should skip dinner too.” “You?” Bakgi became confused at Ko Wanghur’s decision. Bakgi had spent a few days with them and Ko Wanghur ate a lot, which was fitting for his big body. It was shocking to hear Wanghur, who ate three times more than the other cadets, to decide to skip a meal. “Well, you are our temporary leader, so you need protection.” He didn’t want to miss a meal, but he also thought that he needed to protect Bakgi. There was no telling what might happen because of that yellow tag. Bakgi then shook his head. “I’m going straight to the private training room, so don’t worry. Besides, we’ll all be together when we leave the training room.” “Yes, but…” “It’s okay. You go ahead and eat dinner.” Bakgi assured Ko Wanghur and headed off to the private training room. Wanghur usually made rational choices, but his temptation for a meal was so strong that he couldn’t make up his mind. Ohjong shook his head. “Hmph. Hu Bong and I will follow him, so you go ahead and eat.” “Oh! Will you do that?” Wanghur brightened up instantly. “Yeah. As you said, he is our temporary leader.” “Thank you! Please look after Bakgi.” Ko Wanghur then gladly moved into the cafeteria. However, Hu Bong didn’t look so happy while following Ohjong. ‘…Do my thoughts not matter?’ Hu Bong wanted to eat too. Chapter 63 Chapter 63: This tag is yours (1) Ohjong and Hu Bong quickly caught up to Bakgi who was walking alone toward the private training room. Bakgi looked at them weirdly. “Didn’t you guys go to eat?” “Well, I can skip a meal. We are here because you are our leader. We can’t let you get beaten up, you see?” “…Well, if you are so concerned, then you won’t eat anything even if the 7th cadet returns,” Bakgi replied, and Ohjong laughed. Hu Bong frowned but followed wordlessly. It was his protest for not asking him if he wanted to eat. “Hmph!” Ohjong coughed and pretended as if he didn’t know. The three of them then walked toward the private training room. Bakgi had internal energy that was just a bit under the sixty-year mark, but his skills rivaled that of a masterlevel warrior. Therefore, he was allowed to use the wider room. “I use the other building, so you don’t need to follow me.” “Who knows?” Ohjong and Hu Bong followed him until they reached the entrance. Bakgi said this wasn’t necessary, but he was thankful for such action. This was very different when he was alone in the 12th group. The three of them walked up to the front entrance of the building. “We are here now, so you don’t… huh?” Bakgi frowned. It was due to the fact that he sensed people around them. “What’s going on?’ Ohjong then looked around. He recently had become a high level warrior, so he also felt the people approached from behind. Soon, people charged out from the back of the building. There were about twenty cadets. ‘Dammit…’ Ohjong and Hu Bong were shocked. It seemed that these cadets had been waiting for them since they all had wooden swords in their hands. Ohjong turned to Bakgi to signal for him to run away. ‘They’ve been waiting here. They must be ready.’ Bakgi also agreed and nodded. As they turned immediately to run away, another group of cadets ran up from behind, blocking their path. “What?!” Hu Bong was shocked to see a familiar face. There was a total of ten cadets behind them and in front of them, was the sharped-eyed cadet with slickback hair. It was the 108 cadet, Ha Ilming. ‘Ha Ilming?’ Most of the cadets remembered him because he passed the second test solely with his own power. He had to stay in the medical room because he got hurt by the rocks that fell on top of him from the ceiling in the training room, but it seemed like he had been discharged now. “You guys…” Bakgi looked at the cadets blocking the back. They were the cadets from the 12th group. Bakgi was confused. “Leader, you look good these days?” “How does it feel to betray your old group and group up with new friends?” Bakgi frowned at the sarcasm. He only sided with them since they were together solely for the second test, and most of them followed Chun Jongsum anyway, so Bakgi always kept his distance. “What’s up with this?” Ohjong shouted at cadets surrounding them. He had no way to run, so he decided to at least determine their motive. Of course, he knew what it was for. “Hah, you really don’t know?” Ha Ilming taunted as he walked up. He then pointed at the yellow tag that Bakgi had on his chest. “Give me that yellow tag.” That was the reason for the attack. For the past few days, members of the 12th group found out that Bakgi usually went out alone during dinner time when he went to the training room. That’s why they were here to attack. Twenty cadets at the front of the training room were from the 6th group, and the others blocking the way back were from the 12th group. “You think I will just hand it over to you?” Bakgi retorted as he readied himself. Ha Ilming grinned. “Well, this won’t end nicely if you don’t. Oh, but nevermind. It won’t end nicely even if you hand it over.” Ha Ilming gritted his teeth as he said. Why was he so angry? It was because of the incident a few days ago. Ha Ilming’s head was damaged because Chun Yeowun had destroyed the floor and he had to stay at the hospital. When he went to the hospital, he was dumbfounded. Starting from Chun Mukeum who was sent there by Ha Ilming himself, there was also Instructor Sang Munyo who had his ribcage broken and Chun Jongsum who had his internal energy damaged. They were all patients who were either brought in because of Ha Ilming himself, or Chun Yeowun. ‘…What is this bastard?’ He couldn’t understand what Chun Yeowun was doing, but he just had to keep quiet. He didn’t want to risk letting Chun Mukuem know that he was the one who ambushed him. ‘Dammit!’ After spending a few terrifying days in the medical room, he just got released yesterday morning and he saw all tags in the hands of other leaders. Ha Ilming, who now had internal energy at the cusp of becoming a master, went to challenge the only instructor who had a yellow tag. ‘Dammit!’ After beating up by Hou Jinchang, Ha Ilming had to rest for a full day. There was only one way left for him to get a yellow tag, and it was to take it from another group. ‘Which group should I go for?’ While he thought about it, the former 12th group cadets offered to work together with him to attack Bakgi. ‘That group has fewer members in it, so it’s easier to fight them.’ “Oh? That’s good.’ Most groups had already gathered most of their group members. The only group that was not fully yet was Bakgi’s group. ‘They are originally members of the 7th cadet party, so they are waiting for him to come out.’ ‘Good. Let’s do it.’ There was no need to think twice. He wanted to avenge Chun Yeowun for being interrupted twice so it was the perfect opportunity. “You all are cronies of that damn 7th cadet, aren’t you?” Ha Ilming growled. If these cadets were really related to Chun Yeowun, taking their yellow tag was the best vengeance Ha Ilming could think of. “What? Cronies?” Hu Bong’s eyebow went up. They were servants so that wasn’t wrong, but it didn’t feel good to hear it like that. “Today is your unlucky day.” Ha Ilming’s goal wasn’t just to take tags. He was going to break their arms or legs. Bakgi felt the hostility and began to think. ‘What should I do?’ Even if he was at the master level, the cadets surrounding them were also at a high level. And there was a total of thirty of them, so Bakgi’s team was hugely outnumbered. In addition, Ha Ilming didn’t seem like he was weak. ‘There is no way to move on if the others get hurt.’ He had to escape and make his way to the cafeteria, but Ohjong and Hu Bong would get hurt. Bakgi then sent Ohjong a telepathic message. [Ohjong, I’ll give you the yellow tag. You escape with Hu Bong.] [What? What about you?] [We can’t all run together. I’ll hold them down here.] [What?! We will stand together!] [Don’t be foolish. If we lose the yellow tag here, our group will be disbanded. If that happens, it will be too late even if the 7th cadet returns tomorrow.] There was one tag remaining, but everyone had given up on that already. Taking it from a grandmaster level warrior was just impossible. Ohjong then nodded bitterly and sent the same words to Hu Bong. ‘They must be thinking of a plan.’ Ha Ilming realized they were sending messages and waved for his group to attack. The cadets then charged. “Dammit!” Bakgi gritted his teeth and took the tag to give it to the person next to him. “Huh?” They had decided to give the tag to Ohjong, but it was passed over to Hu Bong. Bakgi then jumped to charge at Ha Ilming since this was the only way out of the situation. The 12th group cadets swung their wooden sword without hesitation. ‘I’m sorry if you didn’t like me as a leader but…’ There was no mercy for this trickery. Bakgi’s foot left a trace he kicked multiple times at the cadets. His movement was much more powerful than when he fought Hou Jinchang. The cadets each tried to defend, but the qi that Bakgi’s foot wielded destroyed their swords and kicked them backwards. “Ugh!” “M-my sword!” They were told to never break their swords and they were shocked when they saw it get destroyed. Ha Ilming glared as he saw Bakgi’s leg glowing. It seemed like that faint color verified the fact that Baki was equally matched with Ha Ilming. ‘Master level, huh?’ Bakgi quickly overpowered three cadets and charged at Ha Ilming. He then shouted through his telepathic message. [Run! Now!] Ohjong and Hubong then quickly charged forward. Bakgi’s path was the only path they could have taken to run. The two of them quickly moved through. Blue clothes dropped to the ground and two of them shot passed Bakgi and Ha Ilming to run, and the cadets shouted, “Get him! It’s him! That bald guy has the tag!” “What?! Who called me a bald guy!” Hu Bong shouted as he ran. He didn’t know, but the clothes that covered his bald head had been pulled off as he charged out. “Baldy! Stop!” “Dammit!” Hu Bong was slow with his running skill, so the cadets began to catch up to him. Ohjong then turned to get the tag from Hu Bong. “Grab it!” Hu Bong shouted as he threw the tag. “Hu Bong! Keep running!” “I know!” Hu Bong knew that he mustn’t get caught. He used all his internal energy to get to the cafeteria. After running away for a quite some time to get to the cafeteria, he realized that no one had chased him after he handed over the yellow tag. “….God dammit,” Hu Bong spat with an incredulous look. Chapter 64 Chapter 64: This tag is yours (2) Hu Bong quickly ran into the cafeteria. There was no time to waste when his friends were still in danger. Hu Bong then went to find Ko Wanghur and the other members. ‘There!’ He then found his team members eating on the right side of the cafeteria. Ko Wanghur, who was eating a huge meal, looked back at him weirdly. “Hu Bong, why are you drenched in sweat?” “We… we must go now… to the training room!” “What’s going on?” Ko Wanghur and the cadets immediately placed down their chopsticks and got up. “Am.. ambush… there’s been an ambush! Bakgi and Ohjong are fighting them!” “No!” Ko Wanghur quickly jumped out of his seat and ran out with the other cadets who followed him. Wanghur quickly used his lightness skills to shoot past the buildings to run forward. As he reached the front of the private training building, he saw Bakgi standing there, bleeding from his left thigh and the cadet who seemed to be Ohjong was on the ground, unconscious. There were twelve cadets in front of them, and one of them had his arms crossed. It was Chun Yuchan from the Blade Clan. ‘Is he the one who attacked?’ Ko Wanghur became shocked to see one of the most powerful cadets standing in front of them. But he couldn’t just leave his members behind. “What is the meaning of this!” Ko Wanghur shouted and jumped in between Bakgi and Chun Yuchan. Then Ja Wumin, Machil, and Hu Bong also came up to them. ‘Huh? 5th cadet?’ Hu Bong was shocked to see Chun Yuchan standing there with his fellow teammates. Chun Yuchan then smiled with his signature smile. “Oh, your friends are here.” “How dare you ambush us!” Ko Wanghur shouted with a reddened face and Yuchan raised his eyebrow. Bakgi then placed his hand on Wanghur’s shoulder and spoke to him. “It’s not him. He didn’t attack us.” “What?” Hu Bong also nodded. Perhaps they had the same goal if they were here standing with them. Besides, Chun Yuchan was already known for taking more yellow tags than needed. Yuchan then shook his head in response to the suspicious eyes. “Oh well, I guess our private talk is over. Anyway, you owe me for this Bakgi, so think about it. Besides, you don’t have your tag anymore.” Bakgi shook his head. “Thank you for your help, but my decision remains.” “Haha, well there’s more time, so think about it.” Chun Yuchan then smiled and returned to the dorm with his members. After he disappeared, Bakgi dropped down to the ground. Wanghur asked with a worried voice, “How bad is it?” Bakgi’s left thigh was bloody, but he waved his hand. “It’s alright. It’s not too deep. But we lost the yellow tag… I’m sorry.” Bakgi said as he hung his head down in despair. Hu Bong then went to Ohjong to see how he was doing. It seemed like he was severely beaten up and became unconscious. His clothes had many footprints and dust all over them. “Dammit!” Hu Buong then noticed Ohjong’s right hand and shouted with teary eyes. Ohjong’s right hand had all of his fingers snapped backward and his palm was bruised badly. It seemed he had held onto the yellow tag at all costs, even when his fingers were pulled backward. “I should’ve held it!” Ohjong’s decision to hold it was right, but seeing all the damage made Hu Bong feel he was responsible for it. Ja Wumin and Machil also shuddered in rage with angry expressions on their face. Ko Wanghur then carefully asked Bakgi, “What had happened?” “…Ha Ilming, former leader of the 6th group and the other cadets ambushed us.” Bakgi then explained what happened in detail. When Hu Bong gave the tag to Ohjong, all the cadets changed targets. Over twenty cadets ran after Ohjong and soon caught up to him. And the result was what they were seeing now. “I was fighting the 108th cadet.” Ha Ilming had consumed the Black Dragon Ball and had master-level internal energy. But with Bakgi at the mid-level of masters, he had the upper hand in power against Ha Ilming. However, that was only if he could fight him on one on one. “The others attacked me in turns,” Bakgi said disappointingly. It was for former 12th group cadets that attacked in the middle of everything, and that allowed Ha Ilming to launch an attack that cut his left thigh. With his leg cut down, Ha Ilming then tried to finish him off by throwing a decisive blow. “That’s when the 5th cadet appeared.” Chun Yuchan who was walking by with his members, found them and told Ha Ilming to hand Bakgi over. Yuchan had wanted Bakgi to be on his team for a long time. But of course, Ha Ilming refused. This time, he was determined to not be interfered like when Yuchan interfered him when he was trying to fight Chun Yeowun. ‘Mind your own business! Get lost!’ He was outnumbered and his internal energy increased, so he shouted at Chun Yuchan. However, Yuchan just scoffed and quickly overpowered the five cadets in just a few movements. ‘You want to continue?’ Ha Ilming then felt the difference in power and had to leave. Chun Yuchan didn’t pay attention to the yellow tag that Ha Ilming’s group had taken. His goal was only Bakgi. Chapter 65 Chapter 65: This tag is yours (3) Chun Yuchan then told Bakgi that getting more yellow tags was going to be impossible and offered him to join his team. Bakgi refused without thinking and that’s when Ko Wanghur arrived. “I didn’t know the 5th cadet wanted you. Is it because of the competition?” Bakgi was a talented individual even among all these cadets. Chun Yuchan wanted to become the heir to the throne, so he was bound to want more talented individuals. However, Ko Wanghur was surprised that Bakgi didn’t even consider one of most probable future leader’s offer. “…That doesn’t matter. What matters is that we don’t have a yellow tag and our hands are tied. Dammit!” Bakgi slammed the ground with his fist. As of now, there were only two ways to get their hands on a yellow tag. One was to defeat the instructor Hou Jinchang, and the other was to attack the other groups to steal theirs, but both of the remaining choices didn’t seem to be realistic. Who could possibly defeat the grandmaster level Hou Jinchang and take his tag? And the second option was impossible since they only had six members. Most of the groups moved in teams to protect their tags, meaning they would need at least an equal number of members to do it. Ja Wumin, who just shook away his anger, asked, “How about we gather the other cadets and do the same thing?” Ko Wanghur thought about it shook his head. “If we gather additional teammates, then we will have to accept members who only seek to take advantage of us, not the ones who will want to follow our master’s ways.” If they wanted help from other cadets, then they needed to give them something else instead. There were a lot of cadets who didn’t have teams yet, so recruiting them was easy, but that meant their team would be filled with members who weren’t ready to follow Chun Yeowun’s future path. “Hm…” The members all seemed to agree with Wanghur, but they all sighed in despair. As all of their faces became shadowed, Ko Wanghur shouted. “We cannot just give up!” Bakgi then looked up with eyes full of despair. “And do what?” “…There is still one way.” “If you are talking about the senior instructor’s tag, then I’m sure you know that it’s not possible.” Bakgi knew how powerful Hou Jinchang was since he had fought the man himself. He wasn’t someone a normal cadet would dare to defeat. Even those princes avoided fighting Hou Jinchang. “We have no choice but to trust our master.” “Master? The 7th cadet?” Ko Wanghur thought the only hope remained in Chun Yeowun. As the only cadet who had perfectly countered an instructor, he might be their only hope to defeat Hou Jinchang. Perhaps he would at least be able to take the tag. “And if he fails?” “Then my decision to follow him fails also,” Bakgi smiled bitterly. As Wanghur said, if Chun Yeowun did not show them a miracle, they were going to fail the third test automatically. Was waiting for Chun Yeowun the only answer they had? That’s when Hu Bong hoisted Ohjong up on his back. Everyone turned to Hu Bong. “I’ll bring Ohjong up to the medical room.” “I’ll help.” Ja Wumin stood up and went to Hu Bong, and Hu Bong spoke to Wanghur with a disappointed voice. “…I think I should say this. As you said, I trust the master more than anyone else. But I don’t think it is right to just wait for him to resolve our issue. If we are his servants, we must do something that only we can do. If we really don’t have a choice, then we should go recruit cadets who can join our group instead.” “?!” Hu Bong’s words shocked everyone, including Ko Wanghur. He was always rational and quick-thinking, but he almost put all the burden on his master, Chun Yeowun, without realizing it. Hu Bong was right. They should be ready with something at least. “Uh… did I go too far?” Hu Bong asked squeamishly. Ko Wanghur then burst into laughter. “Hahaha! You are right, Bong. We can’t just rely on our master. As his servants, we should do our best to work for him. Hu Bong, you definitely are his best servant.” Wanghur laughed. Bakgi, Ja Wumin, and Machil also nodded in agreement. It was as Hu Bong said. If they trusted their master, they should do their best to be ready for the next step. “We would have waited like sitting ducks if it wasn’t for you, Hu Bong.” “That’s right!” Hu Bong scratched his head while blushing. And with that, this event made the team even stronger. And the next day, Ko Wanghur, Bakgi, Hu Bong, Machil, and Ja Wumin scoured around the dorm and entire the academy, searching for the right cadets to recruit. They realized that recruiting more cadets was the best thing they could do at the moment. But it wasn’t easy. Chun Yeowun had proved that he was powerful by defeating an instructor, but he was now in prison. With the only tag remaining in the hands of Hou Jinchang, no one was willing to join Chun Yeowun’s group as it seemed like they had no chance. The five members did not give up and continued to search for cadets. Hu Bong also met with various cadets to try to persuade them, but it wasn’t easy. As Hu Bong walked around with heavy footsteps after being rejected multiple times, he heard noises coming from the crowd. ‘Huh? Did something happen?’ Hu Bong then walked to the area where people had gathered. It was at middle of the stage on the training ground, and the main building where the cadets were watching something. As Hu Bong got closer to see what was going on, his eye grew large with shock. “M-master!” There was Chun Yeowun, Hu Bong’s awaited master. However, Chun Yeowun was fighting against someone in the middle of the crowd. He was fighting Senior Instructor Hou Jinchang. Chapter 66 Chapter 66: This tag is yours (4) Early in the morning, on the mountain peak behind the Demonic Academy Library, the morning fog covered the lower part of the mountain. Three men were running up the mountain with their lightness skills. They were instructors of the academy. The one in front was the former 8th group instructor, Impeng. The reason why they were going up the mountain today was because today Yeowun’s imprisonment was scheduled to end. ‘I wonder if he endured it well.’ Even a more experienced adult would have a hard time being locked up in a dark place all alone. However, the person they locked up was a fifteen-yearold boy, which raised some concerns. They soon reached the front of the cave. “Sir!” Guards who stood near the entrance saluted the instructors. Impeng nodded. “Chun Yeowun’s imprisonment is over. Open the gate.” “Yes, sir.” Guards then moved the locking mechanism from the giant boulder that blocked the entrance and pushed it to the side. As it was pushed away, the cave opened up. With the lamp oil running out, the inside of the cave was pitch black. Spending five days in such a place would surely make someone mad. As they looked inside, a topless boy was sitting crosslegged with his eyes closed in meditation. “7th cadet, You are now being freed!” One of the instructors shouted and Chun Yeowun opened his eyes. It was finally the time he had been waiting for. He got up and frowned as the light was too bright in his eyes and walked out. ‘Huh? Look at his body!’ Chun Yeowun’s topless body showed all his tight muscles. It was hard to believe that they were the muscles of a not-fully grown boy. The instructors became astonished. But what really astounded Impeng were Chun Yeowun’s eyes. ‘Are these the eyes of a boy who was locked up in prison alone for five days?’ His eyes were deeper and more determined than when he was locked up. It was as if Yeowun had found the truth after some hard training. Impeng was astonished, but he didn’t show it and spoke to him. “Where are your top clothes?” “Uh, that’s…” Chun Yeowun then went back and took out his clothes. The stench made all the instructors frown in disgust. “Ugh!” “What did you do to your clothes!” Instructor Simong snatched the clothes and threw it far away. Impeng sighed and took off his outer robe and handed it over to Yeowun. “Oh… thank you, sir.” Yeowun then began putting on the clothes and Simong looked into the cave, checking to see if he had done anything inside. There was no trace of anything within. Simong nodded at the other two instructors and they began climbing down the mountain. But Simong had missed something there. He had not noticed the rocks that had been piled up to block the hole at the bottom, near the deep inner wall. The light didn’t reach that area, so Simong didn’t notice this. ‘Whew.’ Yeowun sighed in relief. He hoped Simong would not enter the cave to check inside, and luckily he didn’t. As they began to climb down, guards that stood in front sealed off the cave again and grinned at each other. “We’re done!” “Yay!” They shouted in joy. The special mission that was assigned to them to stand guard day and night was finally over. Instructors grinned at the sound of joy coming from the mountain top. “Can I ask something, sir?” Yeowun asked Impeng while going down. Impeng nodded. “How many yellow tags are left?” Impeng grinned. The boy was locked up alone for five days and his first question was about the number of available yellow tags. This meant that Yeowun hadn’t given up yet. “There’s one left.” “One?” Yeowun face darkened at the word. He figured there wouldn’t be that many tags left since there was only one day left to take the tags, but he didn’t think there would be only one. “Is the one held by him?” Impeng knew who Chun Yeowun was talking about. He was talking about Senior Instructor Hou Jinchang. Impeng nodded. ‘It’s as I thought.’ Getting the yellow tag from Hou Jinchang was impossible for anyone. Impeng spoke to Yeowun. “I’m sure you know that’s not the only tag you can get your hands on.” “…Yes.” He didn’t say it outright, but he was talking about the tags from the other leaders. It was what was recommended unofficially, but it wasn’t something that an instructor could say out loud. ‘Attacking other cadets…’ Chun Yeowun was deep in thought as he went down the mountain. When they got to the bottom of the mountain, instructors told Yeowun that he was free to do whatever he wanted now. Yeowun then followed instructors to the main building. When they got to the front of the main building, Impeng asked curiously, “Do you want to say something?” “I… I have a request to make.” “Request?” “Can you call the instructor who has the last yellow tag?” “What?” Impeng frowned at Yeowun’s sudden request. He didn’t think Yeowun was following them to attempt to take the yellow tag from the senior instructor. There was no time left for him, but he didn’t think Yeowun would try to fight Hou Jinchang right after he got out of the cave. Yet, the one who answered him wasn’t Impeng. “Are you crazy? Don’t be reckless and find something you can do instead.” It was Simong who answered. He didn’t care about Chun Yeowun, but even he could see that fighting Hou Jinchang was impossible. If Yeowun were to get hurt while trying to fight Hou Jinchang, that would mean the end of his test. Impeng also seemed to agree with this and nodded. “Don’t overdo it. I know you are running out of time, but you have to be careful.” Impeng thought Yeowun’s decision was coming from being in a hurry. He knew the situation, but he hoped Yeowun would not go overboard. However, Yeowun did not change his mind. Chapter 67 Chapter 67: This tag is yours (5) “Thank you for your advice. I will give up if I really think it is too much. I just hope that you will give me a chance.” ‘Ah…’ Impeng became frustrated by Yeowun’s polite request. He hoped Yeowun would choose his actions carefully after his punishment, but it didn’t seem like Yeowun had changed. Simong shook his head. “Give up during the fight? Hmph. I doubt that will be easy.” Hou Jinchang wasn’t the type to go easy after the duel started. Simong then walked in and Impeng said worriedly, “I guess you leave me with no choice. Try to protect yourself from any injuries at least. Or else you really will lose all your options.” “Yes, sir.” Hou Jinchang made all the cadets who challenged him to stay in the medical room or meditate for an entire day to recover. Soon, Hou Jinchang came out of the entrance. The appearance of the senior instructor who was at the top of the power rank in the academy made all the cadets stop in their tracks. ‘Wow. Someone’s challenging him!’ ‘Instructor Hou? What fool had decided to challenge him?’ ‘Wait… that’s 7th cadet.’ ‘Was he released today?’ ‘Wow, is this real? Is he really challenging Instructor Hou?’ Soon, over thirty cadets had gathered around them. It was natural for the cadets who wanted to see someone issue a challenge for the only remaining yellow tag, not to mention that it was a fight from the famous 7th cadet himself. ‘7th cadet!’ Hou Jinchang looked at Chun Yeowun with anticipation. After the duel six days ago, he had been wanting to fight Chun Yeowun ever since then, and now he was here. “7th cadet, Chun Yeowun, reporting.” “Long time no see. You’ve done great work enduring your prison time.” Yeowun bowed and Hou Jinchang responded. He heard from Simong that Yeowun wanted to challenge him. Chun Yeowun was the only cadet who had countered an instructor completely. Hou Jinchang looked at him with excitement. Yeowun stated, “I look forward to learning from this duel, sir.” All the cadets all gasped in astonishment. “Ohhh!” “It’s a challenge!” As many cadets gathered to look, Yeowun was satisfied for fulfilling his first plan. This was why he chose the front of the main building as the dueling location. His punishment had given many cadets a bad impression of him. He was also stripped of his leader status, which made it even worse. ‘I need to turn it upside down.’ As someone who was also in the competition to become the heir to the throne, he needed trust and support from as many cadets as possible. However, that was currently out of his control. He could have attacked other members, but that wasn’t going to win him any support from the other cadets. In the Demonic Cult, there was only one way to gain support. ‘Now, I have to prove my power.’ The stage was ready. It was morning, so cadets who were on their way to the training building were gathering up. Hou Jinchang asked, “Will you use the wooden sword? Or your bare hands?” “I will do it with bare handed.” It was the right choice. Using the wooden sword did not help the cadets. They would have a better chance at countering the swordless instructors using Seven Demon Sword without their swords as well. In the worst-case scenario, that would allow the cadets to fight with their fists. But of course, the instructors were better at fistfights. Hou Jinchang then readied himself while putting down a wide stomp. It was just a preparation stance, but the weight of the atmosphere changed. Even the cadets who were watching them became tense. ‘How can he defeat that monster?’ ‘No… even if it is 7th cadet, this won’t work.’ ‘Even the 5th cadet gave up!’ Cadets all saw Chun Yeowun defeat Instructor Sang Munyo. But even then they didn’t think Yeowun had a chance at defeating Hou Jinchang. He was just too strong. “Come. I will let you take the lead.” Hou Jinchang, who knew Yeowun had just entered the master level, allowed Yeowun to attack first. Yeowun had no reason to decline the offer. “Thank you, sir. Then…!” Yeowun flashed forward like a bolt of lightning, quickly getting into range. ‘He’s quick.’ Hou Jinchang was astonished by the faster speed than what he had expected. However, Hou Jinchang was an experienced warrior. He quickly pulled up a sword defense with his two fingers to unleash the defense formation of Seven Demon Sword, or the fifth sword. ‘So, what will it be? I know all of your blade skills.’ At that moment, Hou Jinchang’s eyes shook. He thought Yeowun was going to unleash his blade skill, but Yeowun instead used two of his fingers to counter the Seven Demon Sword with his movements. ‘Oh?’ Hou Jinchang had seen Yeowun counter Sang Munyo’s Seven Demon Sword already, so he had prepared the following movements to respond to Yeowun’s counterattack. However, he didn’t expect Yeowun to use a sword skill. This wasn’t just a quick change. ‘What is this sword movement?’ The sword movement’s level was too sophisticated. It seemed like he was going to be in danger too early if things progressed at this rate. ‘If you can use such sword skill… then you deserve a more powerful foe!’ The glare in Hou Jinchang’s eyes changed. The advantage of the Seven Demon Sword created by the Sword Demon was that an unlimited number of formations could be created by mixing all existing formations and movements. If all this was unleashed by grandmaster level warrior Hou Jinchang, it would become a powerful sword formation. Hou Jinchang changed the first sword formation and made various changes to it. All the cadets watching were astonished. They too had learned the sword skill, so they knew about the power of the Seven Demon Sword. But they were astonished to see the difference in levels, especially with the skills that Hou Jinchang was using. ‘No way. That’s impossible to defend against.’ Everyone thought the same thing, but something unexpected happened in the next moment. Yeowun’s body made a complicated change that left a trace while moving quickly, and his sword created twenty-our clear white lines at once, attacking Hou Jinchang. ‘W-what is this sword formation?!’ Hou Jinchang’s Seven Demon Sword was countered. Yeowun’s sword formation wasn’t something that one could defend against. White lines targeted the blood points from all sides, and Yeowun shot past him. And the powerful energy stored within the sword formation threw Hou Jinchang up into the sky. “Ugh!’ Hou Jinchang dropped and fell onto one knee. All the cadets couldn’t believe their eyes. The Sword Force of the Demon Sky which had been sleeping within the blue pearl pedestal for hundreds of years had finally been revealed by Chun Yeowun, the descendant of Founding Father Chun Ma. Chapter 68 Chapter 68: This tag is yours (6) Hou Jinchang tried to defend against the twenty-four swords at once, but he could only counter three of them. He then quickly wrapped himself up with defensive energy. Yeowun’s finger pressed his blood point, inflicting pain. If Yeowun had a sword in his hand, it would have killed Jinchang. And even with his bare hand, the powerful sword move was like a violent storm, making Jinchang spin. “Aaaargh!” Hou Jinchang quickly unleashed 100% of his internal energy to defend himself. At least the internal energy within the movements did not exceed his own. Hou Jinchang barely shook off the power and landed on the ground, but lost his balance and fell to his knees. All the cadets’ mouths were agape from the shock. It was amazing that Chun Yeowun had learned such a powerful sword skill, but what was more important was that he had made Hou Jinchang fall on his knees. ‘…It worked just like the simulation.’ Chun Yeowun himself was also thrilled to see that it had worked. Hou Jinchang’s sword movements with the Seven Demon Sword was very similar to the counter sword skill from the blue pearl stone pedestal. However, Hou Jinchang’s movements were only at the early stages of the counter sword skill and when the counter sword skill had twenty-four movements at its perfection, the Seven Demon Sword only had eight. Therefore, it wasn’t enough to defend against the Sword Force of the Demon Sky. ‘This movement…’ Hou Jinchang looked at Yeowun with trembling eyes. Yeowun still did not let down his guard and was ready for another round. ‘He’s still not done yet. The fight is not over.’ Yeowun had overwhelmed him in the movement, but he felt Hou Jinchang’s strong energy shooting out. Yeowun was almost at the brink of breaking through the master level, but he was still far from reaching the grandmaster level. ‘This is interesting, Yeowun.’ Hou Jinchang readied himself. He hadn’t used his own skills, but he didn’t go easy either. He then wanted to fight against Chun Yeowun with his best. “Hmph!” Hou Jinchang let out a breath and powerful energy began to seep out from his hand, cracking the stone floor. It was by pushing out Yeowun’s sword energy that had infiltrated his body. ‘He pushed out the energy?’ Yeowun’s eyes grew wider. Highly trained warriors had the free flow of energy within their bodies, so it was easy for them to push out the hostile energy. Hou Jinchang got up and Yeowun readied himself again. The fight was not over. That’s when the unexpected happened. Hou Jinchang, who seemed to want to fight back instantly, pulled back his energy. ‘Huh?’ Jinchang then smiled at Yeowun who was confused. “It is amazing. You really become different as the days go by.” ‘Maybe we have a monster beyond imagination born within our cult.’ Jinchang thought that, but he didn’t say it out loud. He then pulled out the tag from his chest. ‘Huh?’ ‘Really?’ The cadets were excited. “I accept my loss. You are worthy enough to be a group leader. This tag is yours.” At those words, the cadets began to shout in excitement. All their faces were red from the surge of excitement after seeing something that was impossible become a reality. ‘He really did it!’ ‘Is this even true?’ ‘He really is a monster!’ It wasn’t a complete victory, but Yeowun had made Hou Jinchang fall to his knees. There was no way for the cadets who were also cultists to not feel excited to see such strength. Yeowun then bowed to Hou Jinchang. “Thank you, Instructor.” “Don’t thank me. You acquired it with your own skill.” Jinchang smiled and placed the tag in Yeowun’s hand. So, after five days, Yeowun had returned to become a group leader. But the weight of the tag was very different with all the things that had happened up until now. ‘I will never forget this.’ Yeowun then heard someone shouting. “Master!” It was Hu Bong. He had not imagined Yeowun to appear in the middle of nowhere and suddenly acquire another yellow tag at once. All of this was just too exciting. “Hu Bong.” “Master! We’ve been waiting for your return!” But there was another man. Someone walked past all cadets and came up to Yeowun. ‘Bakgi?’ Yeowun did not know that Bakgi had joined his members while he was gone. Bakgi looked at Yeowun awkwardly and kneeled in front of him. All the cadets around them then turned to Bakgi. ‘Huh?’ ‘Why is Bakgi kneeling?’ ‘What is going on?’ Bakgi was another group leader level cadet, so it was confusing. The cadets didn’t know what happened yesterday, so they thought Bakgi was another group leader with a tag. “Bakgi. What are you doing?” Yeowun asked. Bakgi then shouted in a loud voice, “I will first thank you! I, the 18th cadet, Bakgi, survived from the Poison Clan’s poison attack due to Prince Chun Yeowun!” “Huh?” People began to mumble to themselves in shock. ‘What? The Poison Clan tried to kill the 18th cadet?’ ‘What’s going on?’ It was natural for the cadets to be shocked to hear this. All they knew up until now was that Yeowun had destroyed Chun Jongsum’s internal energy, which looked like a foolish act to provoke the Poison Clan. But if what Bakgi said was right, then Chun Yeowun was helping Bakgi. “I am deeply touched by your actions. You pushed yourself so far that you even got sent to prison.” ‘Hmm? What is up with him and this politeness?’ Yeowun frowned slightly since he knew how Bakgi usually talked. However, he realized what Bakgi was trying to do here, so he didn’t say anything. ‘What? So the 7th cadet did that to save the 18th cadet?’ ‘But what for?’ The cadets seemed to find this to be very shocking. Bakgi then bowed. “I, Bakgi, will serve Prince Chun with my life from now on!” ‘Ah.’ Yeowun was astonished. If Bakgi had planned this himself, this really was astounding. Bakgi, who was not part of Yeowuns’ group yet, had just announced to all the cadets that he would be joining Yeowun for his noble deed. Among the cadets, there was a muscular cadet who stood between them with a smile on his face. It was Ko Wanghur. He sent a telepathic message to Bakgi. [Good work. It was a bit awkward though.] […I will do what you want just this once.] [Hahaha. That will do.] What Bakgi did had been planned by Ko Wanghur. He had thought of this plan in a short time when all cadets were shouting with joy. Bakgi then had to act in front of all cadets for the sake of the plan. At the same time, there were two instructors walking up the stairs of the main building — Instructor Hou Jinchang and Impeng. “It’s noisy outside.” Impeng knew why of course. “Will it be okay, sir?” “Why wouldn’t it be? He is worthy of such recognition.” “Yes, sir.” Impeng had also watched the fight. He was worried at first but Yeowun surprised him yet again. “But I was really impressed. How did he learn such martial arts?” Impeng was experienced with the sword, but even he was shocked to see it. However, it was weird that he had never seen such sword art throughout all the time that he had been in the cult. “Do you think the Right Guardian taught him that skill too?” “I am not sure, but he definitely is an exceptional warrior, so I guess that might be the case.” “….Hmm.” Would a blade skill user teach his apprentice a sword skill? Impeng thought this was weird but that seemed to be the only logical reason. As they reached the third floor, Impeng turned to walk into instructors’ office but Hou Jinchang went up further. “Huh? Aren’t you coming to the office?” “You go ahead. I want to take a break.” “Yes, sir.” Hou Jinchang then walked up the stairs to the roof of the main building. At the fence on the roof, someone was there. He had long red hair that was fluttering in the breeze. “Chief.” “Come over.” Hameng did not look back. He was looking down at the crowd below. “I would not have held back if it wasn’t for your telepathic message.” “Anyone would do that if they were challenged with such a sword movement.” Hameng had watched the fight from the start and he had seen Yeowun’s powerful sword movements in detail. Hou Jinchang walked up to the Hameng and spoke with a quiet voice. “When I was young, I fought wars against the Forces of Evil and Justice countless times. And of course, there had been many instances where I fought in the war with our Lord.” “…” “I’m sure you, as a guardian, know about this better than me.” Lee Hameng narrowed his eyes. He knew what Jinchang was trying to say. Hou Jinchang mumbled to Hameng who was looking down silently. “That sword movement… if I’m not wrong, it was very close to the Lord’s Sword Art of the Sky Demon. No… it was similar, but something much more.” Chapter 69 Chapter 69: I will do the same to you (1) Sword Art of the Sky Demon. One of the best sword arts, and the best sword art within the Demonic Cult itself. It was created by Chun Ma, nicknamed the Sky Demon, who was known for his talent in martial arts. He had risen above everyone else at the time. As time passed by, many sword arts were created to counter the Sword Art of the Sky Demon, and soon the Demonic Sword of the Heavenly God was said to overpower it. Hou Jinchang’s eyes flickered as he spoke. Yeowun’s sword movement had left a striking impression that he could not forget. Even Lee Hameng was shocked to see such perfect sword movement. ‘It’s similar to the Sword Art of the Sky Demon, but it’s much more.’ Lee Hameng had seen the Lord use his Sword Art multiple times already, and thus he was able to conclude that Yeowun’s sword skill was better. Then how did Chun Yeowun learn such sword skills? There was only one possible way. ‘The pedestal!’ The pedestal in the library was known to hold secret regarding Father Chun Ma’s last finding of the truth. However, the back side of the pedestal had been destroyed, so it was left in secret. One of the former Lords thought the pedestal was useless, so he ordered it to place it in the library as a display. ‘But the backside is damaged…’ Lee Hameng had also looked at the back side of the pedestal multiple times, but he wasn’t sure what it meant due to the marks all over it. Hou Jinchang then asked carefully, “Chief. Do you think his sword skill is from the ped…” “Instructor Hou.” Lee Hameng cut him off. “Keep this as a secret between you and me for now.” “…So, you are thinking of the same thing. Yes, sir.” Lee Hameng nodded. That was the only possible way for Yeowun to have grasped the sword skill. After all, they had reached the same conclusion. It wasn’t certain as to why Lee Hameng wanted to keep this a secret, but maybe this would be better for Yeowun. Most of the cadets dispersed to go about with their training, but not all of them had left. Two cadets were left. One was a girl who had a round and cute face, but she was taller than most of the male cadets. If it wasn’t for Ko Wanghur, she would probably be the tallest amongst all cadets remaining in front of the building. ‘Oh! She is…!’ Ko Wanghur knew her very well. She was the 222th cadet, Hou Sangwha, known to be one of the top three ranks in power out of the female cadets. ‘…Why is he blushing?’ Bakgi was curious about Ko Wanghur’s expression. Hou Sangwha walked up to Yeowun and spoke politely. “You were great just now, Prince Chun. I didn’t think you would get Instructor Hou’s tag. Congratulations.” “I was lucky. Thank you.” Yeowun pretended to not notice, but he was able to guess why she had come up to him. “Let me be frank. I waited here because I want to join your team.” After she saw Yeowun fighting against Hou Jinchang, she thought Yeowun was a worthy leader. If she became his teammate, that would increase her chances of passing the third test. Yet Yeowun didn’t want a teammate just for the test. “I’m s…” Chun Yeowun tried to say this, but Sanghwa interrupted to speak first. “Hold on. I want to ask you something first. Will you bring in any individual, no matter their gender, if they are talented?” Hou Sangwha was serious. It seemed like she was mindful of the fact that she was a girl. Yeowun couldn’t just answer simply, but he already had the answer since a long time ago. “…If a talented individual wants to join me, then I have no reason not to accept. Gender or clan do not matter.” Chun Yeowun had been discriminated and bullied for not coming from the six clans. He wanted to overthrow such things from the start. “I see.” Hou Sangwha then took about ten steps back and swung her wooden sword with a sword movement. Chun Yeowun, Wanghur, Bakgi, and Hu Bong all became intrigued. She was using the Seven Demon Sword. ‘She has learned the Seven Demon Sword!’ Only a short amount of time had passed, but she was using the skill flawlessly. Her movements were top-class. After showing the first sword movement up to the fifth, she came up to Yeowun again and knelt down on one knee. “I was touched by your sacrifice that you made for your servant. You said you will accept any individual no matter their gender or clan. If you accept me, I will prove that I am worthy.” She spoke with confidence and strength. There was no reason to decline such an offer made from someone so confident and knew how to show their strength. “My path will be treacherous and we might shed blood. Can you take that burden on yourself?” “I wouldn’t say I wanted to join you if I wasn’t ready for that.” Chun Yeowun then smiled and bowed. “Thank you. Welcome to my team.” Hou Sangwha then bowed and shouted, “I, the 222nd cadet, Hou Sangwha, will pledge allegiance to Prince Chun for life.” So, Chun Yeowun had gained the first woman cadet on his team. And there was one who was overjoyed by this event. It was Ko Wanghur. He was so happy that he couldn’t hide his joy. “Ohh… this is awkward.” And there was one more cadet who left. He was scrawny and had crumpled hair, and he had been excited over Yeowun’s fight more than anyone else. “Do you have something to say?” Yeowun asked him. The cadet then became hesitant, and knelt down on both knees. “I… I want to be on your team, Prince.” “…And why did you hesitate?” The cadet then scratched his head and embarrassingly answered, “I have not learned the Seven Demon Sword yet… I wanted to… prove myself to you but I couldn’t find anything to show…” Chapter 70 Chapter 70: I will do the same to you (2) He put down his head in embarrassment because he didn’t have anything to show when Hou Sangwha had just showed off her power. ‘She proved herself in such a cool way… will Prince Chun accept someone like me?’ He wasn’t a cadet from a clan that specialized in martial arts. His father was a mid-ranked warrior, and his family’s martial arts was only at the second level, which was weaker than most families. However, seeing Yeowun’s fights had given him hope to become stronger. “Do you want to join me?” “I am weak, but if you accept me, I will serve you wholeheartedly. A-and I will do my best not to become a nuisance!” The cadet’s eyes were full of admiration, just like how Hu Bong looked at Chun Yeowun now. It almost made him laugh. “Are you weak?” Yeowun asked back and the cadet became uneasy, thinking that Yeowun would refuse. Yeowun then smiled and bowed. “You can always become strong. I am grateful that you want to join me nonetheless. Welcome.” It was possible to become stronger, but having loyalty was not something that could be easily achieved. “Ohh!” The cadet teared up because of the welcome. He then began pounding the ground with his forehead, bowing. “Jin Guuk, the eldest son of Jin family hereby pledges allegiance to the Prince! Thank you!” ‘Hmm…’ Ko Wanghur and Bakgi also saw Hu Bong’s shadow in Jin Guuk. However, Hu Bong himself thought that Jin Guuk was going overboard and shook his head. With that, Yeowun now had a total of eight members with him. It was a total of nine if Chun Yeowun was included, so he only needed three more cadets now. ‘Hmph. I wished there were more who might be interested.’ Ko Wanghur had expected more cadets to want to join their team. He had thought Yeowun’s reputation would go up by defeating Hou Jinchang and accepting Bakgi into the team, but Ko Wanghur didn’t know that it was too much for the cadets to trust fully Yeowun who had lost his leadership rights once. ‘At least Master has the yellow tag now. We can get more cadets soon.” There was a time limit in getting a yellow tag, but there was no time limit for getting teammates. Therefore, they didn’t need to hurry. Yeowun then looked around and asked Wanghur, “Where are the others?” He asked because he didn’t see Ohjong, Ja Wumin, Machil, Wungchun, and Ho Daming. Wanghur and Hu Bong frowned. Chun Yeowun did not know anything about what had happened while he was gone. He didn’t even know that Wungchun and Ho Daiming had left him. “Master, I think we should talk in private.” ‘Ah…’ Yeowun nodded as he realized something had happened while he was gone by the look on Wanghur’s face. This place had too much foot traffic from the cadets and instructors, so they decided to move. The team then moved to the mountain at the back of the dormitory building. Machil and Ja Wumin who were out to recruit cadets had joined them. They were happy to see Chun Yeowun, and they were surprised to hear that Yeowun had gotten a yellow tag right away. As they gathered at the mountain, Ko Wanghur first told Yeowun that Wungchun and Ho Daiming had left. As their names came up, most of the members responded in anger. “How dare they betray the master!” “It’s good that we don’t have them anymore!” “It’s right to not have them if they cannot overcome such hardship!” But Chun Yeowun did not get angry. He just calmly listened and nodded. He already had expected some leavers in his group since he was the one who brought this situation upon them. Fortunately, no one else left the team and they still acted together. “I thank all of you for staying with me to the end. I really appreciate it.” Yeowun got up and bowed to every member. Ko Wanghur and the others were touched by that action. ‘Master…!’ Ko Wanghur was able to confirm that his decision to stay with Yeowun was right. So, the first issue was taken care of, but the next one was bigger. “So, with that aside, where is Ohjong?” At Yeowun’s question, Hu Bong teared up. He still felt guilty for letting Ohjong get hurt. The other cadets all seemed to be angry just by thinking of it. “What had happened?” Chun Yeowun frowned, realizing there had been some serious problem by the looks of it. “That’s…” Bakgi, who had lost his yellow tag, tried to explain, but Ko Wanghur shook his head. He carefully explained how Bakgi joined them, and how Ha Ilming ambushed and was stopped by Chun Yuchan. Wanghur also told him how Ohjong’s fingers were snapped backward and he had bruises all over his body. Thus he had to be carried to the medical room, but Chun Yeowun’s eyes only turned sharp and cold. He didn’t seem to be furious. ‘…He’s different from before.’ Bakgi was surprised. If it was the same Yeowun from the medical room five days ago, he would have been angry after hearing this. But now he just focused on listening to what had happened with icy eyes. It was foolish to be concerned about the possibility that Yeowun might run after Ha Ilming for revenge. Yeowun was angry, but he kept a cool mindset. ‘He still hasn’t fixed his ways.’ Ha Ilming always played with trickery. His actions weren’t wrong as the academy itself supported the cadets fighting each other for the tags, but Ha Ilming didn’t come for it himself. He brought over thirty people to mob them and that was too much. “…So Master, what will you do? ” Ko Wanghur asked since it was up to Chun Yeowun now. They had gotten a yellow tag so they could just let it be, but they couldn’t just forgive Ha Ilming and others for what they did. They were curious as to what Chun Yeowun would decide to do. Yeowun then spoke to them. “We’ll pay them back with the same thing.