Chapter 163
Chapter 163
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 163
Chapter Title: The First Entry Test
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Just a few hours earlier.
Before Bae Hye-in made her "voluntary" choice, she had met the man who revealed himself as Unhwi's subordinate.
"There is a way for you to help this Tang young lady and the rest of the Tang Assassination Squad. It's not difficult, but it does require courage. Do you think you can do it?"
If someone had bluntly asked her that out of the blue, she would have felt repulsed at first, but Bae Hye-in immediately nodded without hesitation.
'I have to do anything I can to help. That's the only way I can repay the young lady's grace...!'
Bae Hye-in believed that the current conflict between the Anti-Villain Alliance and the motley crew was all her fault.
If she hadn't made that mistake with Gong Son-beom back then, the Tang Assassination Squad wouldn't have had to confront him, and Unhwi wouldn't have had to endure house arrest.
Tang Gyujin had told her that Gong Son-beom had deliberately led her into that mistake, so she didn't need to feel guilty, but Bae Hye-in herself couldn't possibly accept that.
And now, there was a way to help the Tang Assassination Squad.
Of course, she had no choice but to go along with it.
"Then, when this great hero arrives leading his people soon, respond like this—"
The man, Ilno, left Bae Hye-in with some precautions and advice before departing.
From that moment on, Bae Hye-in began secretly meeting her friends.
They were all people who had been contemplating quitting the test and going home amid the intensifying harassment from the motley crew lately.
They eagerly agreed to Bae Hye-in's request to "help from the sidelines so everyone can join this great hero's righteous cause."
In truth, Bae Hye-in and her friends had been so moved by the cause that they resolved to help—not for any other reason.
Absolutely not because they wanted to screw over the motley crew and feel good about it.
Absolutely not!
* * *
Gong Son-beom let out a hollow laugh.
"What did you say?"
"Right now, outside the lodging, the Anti-Villain Alliance and their group—"
The warrior couldn't continue, hanging his head low. His face was drenched in cold sweat.
Gong Son-beom clicked his tongue lightly.
Pathetic weakling.
Shaking like this just because they saw a larger crowd—what good were they?
He had some decent martial prowess and had been favored by the motley crew, but it seemed he wouldn't pass the entry test. Even if he did, he'd probably die in action soon enough.
From what he had gathered so far, the Stormwind Corps was no pushover.
'No. Actually, maybe it's just this guy?'
The fear had spread to everyone around him as well.
"L-Leader, is it okay to just leave it like this?"
"Shouldn't we come up with some countermeasures?"
"They call it an apology, but this is outright intimidation! We need to disperse the crowd first—"
A sigh escaped him.
'Riffraff everywhere.'
It was a side effect of rapidly expanding their faction's power to counter the Anti-Villain Alliance.
Of course, not everyone was an idiot like that.
Some knew to keep a clear head in times like these, while others argued for boldly facing them down to seize the initiative.
But those voices were quickly drowned out by the louder riffraff and the atmosphere of fear.
'Was it my mistake to pursue a righteous cause with trash like this?'
Irritation surged.
'In the end, I got complacent and ate a solid hit from them. It couldn't have come from the Qingcheng Sword Saint or the Thousand Leaves Immortal's heads, so it must be the work of that reborn villain...'
When he had first clashed palms with Unhwi, Gong Son-beom had instinctively realized it.
Ah, this guy's cut from the same cloth as me.
Not that he was a spy like himself.
It meant he knew how to use his brains, unlike what you'd expect from an orthodox faction member.
He had seen through Gong Son-beom's schemes in an instant.
Ruining his prized golden robe, trying to humiliate the Tang Assassination Squad in front of everyone, tarnishing his reputation—all of it.
To infer the full picture from mere fragments required no small insight.
And grasping the intentions underlying that picture demanded even sharper judgment.
Unhwi possessed eyes equipped with both that insight and judgment.
That was why Gong Son-beom had been wary of Unhwi from the start.
In the orthodox faction world filled with brainless fools, he had finally met someone who made him tense.
'No. Not the first. There's the Tang clan head.'
For that reason, Gong Son-beom knew that Unhwi was behind this board that had him pinned down without room to maneuver.
If only he'd realized a bit sooner, he could have prepared a counterattack.
The fact that they hadn't given him that time meant they understood the art of blitzkrieg as well.
Gong Son-beom decided he first needed to deal with this damn atmosphere.
Meeting Unhwi's group in this state would only show them an unsightly sight.
Gong Son-beom stomped his foot lightly.
Boom!
With the ground strike, his aura crashed down over everyone's heads.
"Quiet."
The agitation ceased.
All eyes turned to Gong Son-beom.
A flicker of hope passed through their eyes.
The Gong Son-beom they knew always came up with ingenious plans that left them in awe.
The leader will protect us this time too—
"Hand over your unit badges. All of them."
But his words snapped them back to reality.
"L-Leader, what do you mean—"
"If we lose our badges, we'll all be eliminated from the test."
"I don't see what this incident has to do with the badges."
Gong Son-beom was exasperated by these idiots who needed everything spelled out from one to ten.
If he had just one person like Yi Cheolsan or Unhwi by his side, this mess wouldn't have happened.
"You all seem to have a misunderstanding. Losing your badge doesn't mean you're immediately eliminated from the test. You get eliminated only if you 'lose' it."
"?
"?
"!"
Four out of five still looked confused, while one showed a glimmer of understanding.
Gong Son-beom made a mental note of the latter. They could be useful allies going forward.
"Entrusting your badge means entrusting your life. It's a symbol of trust and commitment. Conversely, if you entrust it to someone who won't let it be lost, you won't be eliminated."
"!!"
"!!"
"!!"
"Now do you get it? I'm asking you to entrust your lives to this Gong Son-beom. Just in case. And to show them unequivocally that we stand united."
The warriors began exchanging glances.
A profound silence, hard to put into words, flowed through the room.
"Gathering the badges into one also means a unit has been born. Just as various winds gathered to form the Stormwind Corps, we too can become a new Stormwind Corps. And perhaps... that might be what the Tang clan head intended with this lodging assignment—or so this Gong Son-beom surmises."
"!"
"!"
"!"
The hidden intent behind the lodging assignment was revealed in that moment.
"In this political situation of checks and rivalries, forming a unit where we can entrust our backs to each other voluntarily. That must be the content of this first entry test."
......
......
......
"That's right. The entry test has already begun. Didn't the overseer say the first test would start imperceptibly? But we only thought ahead, not before. Yet the test started when we entered the lodgings. When the overseer distributed the badges."
......
......
......
"Let's turn our alliance—what others call the motley crew—into a proper unit. Right here, right now."
Gong Son-beom finished speaking and scanned the room.
They looked half-dazed.
The test had already started. And it was about forming a unit. Some swallowed dryly.
But no one rashly pulled out their badge.
If a badge broke, elimination was automatic.
They recoiled at the thought of exposing their weakness so readily.
Among those gathered here were people with grudges against each other.
They followed Gong Son-beom only because he seemed capable of standing against even prestigious sect disciples; there was no real sense of belonging or solidarity between them.
In fact, once the motley crew became the mainstream of the new Stormwind Corps, they were already pondering how to sideline their rivals.
And now they had to pull out their badges here?
What if the other side launched a sudden raid and broke them?
Even entrusting them to Gong Son-beom was problematic.
What if he slipped up during the conflict?
Or if an enemy framed him for corruption and got their badge broken? Then what?
No matter how good Gong Son-beom was, he was still an outsider. Not even from the same sect—just a wandering warrior.
Entrusting one's life to an outsider was no easy matter.
......
......
......
In the end, no one handed their badge to Gong Son-beom.
A motley crowd.
With crows thinking different thoughts gathered in droves, no proper organization could function.
Gong Son-beom sighed lightly, as if he had expected this.
"...I regarded you all as brothers, but you didn't see me as one. I'd lend money if needed, give advice on martial arts without holding back... yet you all start calculating the moment I make a proposal. You must've seen me as a sucker."
The warriors cried out in panic.
"N-No, Leader, that's not it!"
"You're right! And even without handing over the badges, we can still show our resolve to them, can't we? So—"
"Enough. If you won't give them, I'll take them myself."
"!?"
Whoosh!
Gong Son-beom became the wind.
The warriors flinched and stumbled back in alarm.
But before they could, the badges at their waists had vanished without a trace.
The more skilled ones tried to resist with force, but in return came a barrage of ultra-fast wall punches.
Boom! Crash! Boom!
The resisters spat blood and slammed into the walls one by one. The terrified ones hurriedly dropped their badges to the floor.
The wind swept through the room.
At its end, Gong Son-beom stood holding dozens of badges in his hand.
"From now on, we share one life. Obey my commands to the letter."
Flames blazed in Gong Son-beom's eyes.
No one dared say no.
In the end, the injured were moved aside, and the relatively unscathed warriors were thickly arrayed along the walls on both sides.
If battle broke out, it was a formation to surround Unhwi's group in an instant.
Gong Son-beom sat alone at the innermost center.
"Let the guests in. But only the five from the Anti-Villain Alliance. If they insist on all coming together, just send them away."
Soon, the five entered.
With polite attitudes and postures.
Yet the power in their steps was so majestic that their presence alone overwhelmed the momentum of the dozens in the motley crew.
Gong Son-beom clicked his tongue as he received them.
That was exactly the problem.
What the motley crew lacked.
Confidence.
They had an unwavering belief in themselves, one that no storm could bend.
Probably because they had deep, solid roots. That was what allowed such dignified bearing.
You couldn't find that demeanor among mid-to-small sect disciples or wanderers.
Gong Son-beom hated that fact.
That was why he had tried to seize the Stormwind Corps with his own power, but it seemed using the motley crew wouldn't be easy.
Still, he didn't think he had failed yet.
Even if it slipped through his fingers like sand, he had a firm belief that he would ultimately grasp the world.
"I heard you have words for us regarding the previous dispute."
Gong Son-beom stared straight at the five, especially focusing on Yi Cheolsan and Unhwi.
If they were trying to sway public opinion and win the people's hearts, he planned to boldly accept the "apology" and imprint on everyone that he held the upper hand.
Once the superior-inferior relationship was etched in, it wasn't easily forgotten from people's minds.
'You pierced my facade brilliantly, but I'll turn your scheme against you.'
Gong Son-beom awaited Yi Cheolsan and Unhwi's apology.
But suddenly, Unhwi smirked and spouted something bizarre.
"Lowly motley scum, do you know what this means?"
"?
"That you're fucked now."
???
What the hell is he talking about?
Gong Son-beom furrowed his brow.
At that moment, Unhwi's face suddenly turned pale blue, he vomited blood, and was flung backward as if struck hard by something.
Boom!
With the wall and window shattering, Unhwi tumbled across the floor in front of everyone.
"...Why... are you... attacking... on your own...! Cough!"
He spewed out a full mouthful of blood.
At the same time, Yi Cheolsan let out a deep sigh while reaching for his sword, and Yu Sumin was grinning slyly.
Tang Gyujin and Sama Seon-ui were calmly drawing their swords.
In that instant, alarm bells rang in Gong Son-beom's head.
'Damn it! I've been had!!'