Nano Machine c 61 to 70

 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.