Chapter 188
Chapter 188
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 188
Chapter Title: Treasure Sword and朴刀
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“!!”
“!!”
“!!”
The moment Banakbeol appeared, a profound silence descended upon the grand training ground.
It wasn’t an awkward silence.
It was a silence forged from shock and astonishment.
Most of the candidates from the other groups were dressed neatly and properly.
Since it was evaluation day and their first meeting with all the instructors, they wanted to leave a good impression.
But not Banakbeol.
Had they just come from intense training? Without regard for gender, they were all covered in dust.
Their hair was matted as if they hadn’t washed it in days, and their eyes were sunken like skulls. Their clothes were torn in places, little more than rags.
Yet no one could mock their appearance.
Between the tatters of their ripped clothing were countless wounds, large and small. Some had fresh scabs, while others still oozed blood.
Above all, the murderous intent and hostility emanating from them sent chills down the spines of all who beheld them.
Many from Heavenly Sword Grove, with their keen senses, unconsciously reached for the swords at their waists.
Even the arrogant Phoenix Hall averted their gazes upon meeting Banakbeol’s fierce stares.
Prestige Contenders fell entirely silent.
“We apologize for being late. We finished the final training right up to the end.”
But among them, the one with the most wounds was Unhwi.
His upper body, half-exposed, was covered in scars and injuries.
Yet the solidly packed muscles that covered them all seemed to proclaim how much grueling effort he had endured to reach this level, shaming all the other candidates.
It wasn’t just Yi Cheolsan who had achieved a new milestone.
Unhwi was the same.
* * *
Ugh, I really thought I was going to die from exhaustion.
What the hell are these guys on behind my back? How did they all turn into nothing but venom and madness?
「Their eyes were so ferocious, it was like looking at the demons of Villain Valley!」
「It wasn’t the Stormwind Corps at all—it was like a pack of wild beasts, drenched in killing intent, desperately trying to tear into the Young Church Lord. It was hard to tell if they were human or animal.」
Right before assembly, I had conducted the final training with Banakbeol.
I needed to check their ultimate level, and they needed to fulfill their lingering wish at last.
‘Just one hit! One hiiiit!’
‘Just stick out your mouth! We’ll take care of slicing it off!’
Their eyes rolled back as they rampaged like mad.
If I had said no there, Banakbeol would have mutinied as one, tied me up, and slapped my mouth silly.
Why are they all so obsessed with my mouth?
Well, my lips do look plump and tempting like peaches, don’t they?
「It’s less envy and more pure murderous desire to slice it off… Ack!」
Thanks to that, we ended up like this.
If the beggars from the Beggars’ Sect saw us, they might bow down and call us brothers.
We trained right up to the wire, so there was no time to wash or change. We had to sprint here with sweat blisters on our feet.
「Their obsession with the Young Church Lord’s lips, right up to the very last second—it was truly impressive.」
「With that level of fixation and madness, no matter what mission lies ahead, they’ll carry it out perfectly.」
「To have met such talents is also the Young Church Lord’s great fortune!!」
「Congratulations!」
「Congratulations!!」
If the Punishers heard the spirits’ words, they’d flip out. In the end, they couldn’t even graze my collar, let alone my lips. Heh heh heh.
There’s an old saying: A disciple stays seven feet from the master and never treads on his shadow.
What does that mean?
No matter how hard the Punishers try, they can’t even step on the shadow of their master-like figure—me.
That’s how amazing this master is, so give up and crawl around on your own.
When I told them exactly that right before heading to the grand training ground, they went even crazier with joy. Even on missions, they’re plotting to target my mouth?
『Watch your sleep! Watch your sleep, Punisher Lord!!』
『If someone cuts off your yap while you’re in the outhouse, remember the Ha Hu main gate are the culprits!』
Look at them now. Eyes dripping with killing intent, glaring at me like veteran warriors psyching themselves up for battle.
I love it. Before every fight from now on, I’ll rile them up like this a few more times.
「If you do that, they might all get so furious they fall ill—」
「As the saying goes, pent-up rage is the root of all diseases.」
「But come to think of it, since they’re righteous faction folk, it might actually be good for us…?」
「Huh? Is that so?」
「Hey now! What nonsense is that? These are the elites who will stand at the forefront when the Young Church Lord restores the Mythic Clan and sets the Divine Church aright!! We can’t have them getting hurt!」
Amid the spirits’ back-and-forth bickering, one whispered softly in my ear.
「Still, their skills have manifested at a level far beyond what they desired, so aren’t you satisfied?」
I nodded in agreement.
They hadn’t yet received the Paired Triad Return to Origin Art promised to passers. They were still candidates.
Even so, they had reached this height—what would happen once they became official Stormwind Corps members?
And further, if I gradually shared the Divine Church’s ultimate arts once they truly pledged loyalty to me—what transformations might occur?
Just imagining it left me thrilled beyond measure.
My satisfaction with them far exceeded my initial expectations.
『Ease up on the death glares, all of you. Your eyeballs might pop out.』
After a month of shared hardship (?), I was now speaking casually to them.
It felt more natural, and issuing orders was simpler.
The Punishers glared at me with clear displeasure, but given the occasion, they quickly reined in their killing intent.
Still, they couldn’t hide their transformed auras—their presence alone filled the grand training ground to the brim.
Dang Gon, inwardly pleased with me and Banakbeol, let his lip twitch briefly but nodded without showing it.
“Banakbeol, take your empty spots.”
I moved to the empty seats at the back with the Punishers. Behind Heavenly Sword Grove.
『You still look great as ever—good to see you’ve been well.』
Yi Cheolsan’s transmission came flying right away.
I smiled faintly and mouthed a reply.
This guy’s internal energy in the transmission was no joke. He’d made progress in the meantime.
Just one step shy of Unbound Realm.
Even with an enlightened core, he’s a monster through and through, huh?
『What hardship would I have had? It was the Punishers who suffered.』
『Looking at your martial sisters and senior sisters, it seems that way. Haha. A bit of suffering in your twenties is good for you.』
Yi Cheolsan chuckled lightly as he said something very Grove-like.
『How about a spar later?』
『Sounds good. Or a mock battle?』
『You trying to crush our Grove’s morale in advance?』
『No way. If anything, we’re the ones in danger. Wouldn’t it be good stimulation for each other?』
I meant every word.
I knew the moment we entered the grand training ground.
Heavenly Sword Grove was Banakbeol’s greatest counter.
They were too refined. Like treasure swords crafted with utmost care by master smiths.
The influence of experts like Yi Cheolsan and Hyeon Ijin.
In contrast, Banakbeol could be called朴刀.
Cheap blades easily bought for pennies in back alleys.
But precisely because of that, they were even more practical in real combat.
Because I had molded them, because that was the essence of the demonic path.
Treasure sword and朴刀. With such contrasting traits, wouldn’t they provide fresh stimulation to each other?
That must be why the Dark Lord tried to keep me and Yi Cheolsan apart. Our pursuits differed, so our results diverged sharply.
『Huhu! If the chance arises. As long as we don’t hurt each other, we can test superiority anytime.』
『Good. It’s a promise.』
My conversation with Yi Cheolsan ended there.
Just then, with the ranks sorted, Dang Gon spoke up.
For a brief moment, my eyes met Dang Ye-won’s, but we exchanged a light nod in greeting.
Come to think of it, I was a bit surprised to hear that Dang Ye-won had split from her close allies, the Shadow Execution Trio, without a word and formed Phoenix Hall separately.
Did something happen?
“A short time—wondering if you could really train properly in it. Seems I didn’t need to worry. You’ve all worked hard.”
Dang Gon swept his gaze over us with hands clasped behind his back, then twisted one corner of his mouth.
It looked like a sneer, but it wasn’t. It was praise.
The candidates secretly clenched their fists.
That single bit of praise washed away all their past hardships like water.
“But as you all know, real training starts now. Training without real combat is just training in the end. Skill gaps arise from how much you’ve experienced life-and-death battlefields. That’s why Stormwind was always invincible and undefeated.”
Invincible and undefeated.
Could any words make a martial artist’s heart race more?
“I will now assign missions. Group leaders, step forward.”
I, Yi Cheolsan, Dang Ye-won, and Dragon Sword Nation strode out confidently.
The remaining five group leaders, lacking our presence, followed behind.
“Instructors, assign missions by group.”
The instructors stood before their respective group leaders and presented scrolls.
But it wasn’t just one scroll per group. There were three.
Neatly folded on the outside were labels: Lower, Middle, Upper.
Dang Gon said,
“As you see, each group has three missions assigned. They’re graded by difficulty. Choose the level you want and carry it out. But once you pick one, the other two cannot be viewed.”
“!”
“!”
“!”
The group leaders, pondering the scrolls, snapped their heads up.
Dang Gon curled one lip corner.
“What we evaluate here is two things. One: the training level of the group members. Two: the discernment of the group leader.”
“…….”
“…….”
“…….”
“The leader is the head. The head represents the organization. In battle, one small judgment can save lives or send them to death. We will assess if the leader can coldly evaluate their group’s level.”
“…….”
“…….”
“…….”
“If the leader gets greedy and picks a difficulty beyond the group’s level? I guarantee annihilation. And we won’t help. If you die on the battlefield, we’ll let you.”
“!!”
“!!”
“!!”
Some leaders’ pupils shook. The fear of possible death during the real test rattled them.
The problem was that this was the Dang Clan.
Those words were likely no bluff.
“Conversely, the leader might abandon greed, pick an easy one for success. But the evaluation will be the lowest score. Automatic failure, of course.”
“…….”
“…….”
“…….”
“Choose a mission matching your level and skill. Lead it to success. Yield the maximum result. That’s all we’re testing.”
Dang Gon eyed the tight-lipped leaders, coldly twisting his lip as he continued.
“I recommend careful deliberation. You may discuss with your group members.”
A chill wind blew across the grand training ground.