Chapter 34
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Group Sparring Begins
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Gwang-il's inner resolve led straight to immediate action.
"What?!"
"N-No! What kind of absurd nonsense is that...?"
"Eldest Senior Brother! Even so, that's going too far...!"
The murmurs swelled.
From dawn until late morning, after the Blue Wave Mountain qualification race had wrapped up.
The third-generation disciples of the Point Cang Sword Sect had barely finished a simple lunch and gathered again when the Eldest Senior Brother's sudden bombshell declaration plunged them into yet another massive uproar.
"Dividing into factions among senior and junior brothers and starting fights?!"
"How could fellow sect members engage in such outrageous behavior?!"
Especially among them, a few straight-laced figures led by Gwang-jo erupted in fierce opposition, pouring out their objections without restraint.
"If the Sect Leader and the elders, once they emerge from seclusion, hear of this, how do you plan to face their wrath...!"
"Besides, the idea doesn't even hold water from the start. Even if the differences in our entry dates aren't that great, meaning our skill gaps aren't huge either..."
"Isn't it obvious that the junior brothers who entered later would be at a disadvantage?"
"We're already in an overly competitive system that's breeding extreme discord among senior and junior brothers!"
"If we proceed with Eldest Senior Brother's plan, we might all achieve remarkable growth in our martial prowess, but the deep-seated grudges and distrust between us will spiral out of control!"
The clamor exploded.
"......"
Did a pack of starved wolves look like this?
It was the perfect image of them latching onto every word and tearing into it relentlessly, as if they'd been waiting for the chance.
'Stubborn bastards.'
Human nature didn't change easily, it seemed.
'Even in my previous life, they nitpicked everything...'
And here they were, pulling the same crap in this life too.
All while oblivious to how perilously the Point Cang of today teetered on the brink of collapse.
'But I can't just suppress them by force.'
Above all, every word those young sticklers spouted was grounded in sound logic and common sense.
Quintessential arguments from an upright orthodox sect, unlike the self-serving drivel from bastards like Gwan-jong.
Based on his past life's experience, the stubborn bunch led by Gwang-jo never compromised in the face of what they saw as injustice.
'Beating them senseless wouldn't help either.'
They weren't the type to bend under coercive displays of power.
The Blue Wave Peak first-to-arrive race they were running now, or the subsequent real-combat drills that left blood vessels bursting.
They'd followed along obediently so far because they'd witnessed the results themselves and been convinced in their hearts.
But now, facing his decision to formally divide them into competing groups, their unyielding rebel spirits had finally surfaced.
'What a headache.'
Strictly speaking, what he was trying to do did cross a clear line.
'But at this point, there's no more efficient method...'
Excluding himself, out of the 199 junior brothers, only about thirty had broken through the first-rate barrier.
Even those facing the peak barrier were limited to Gwang-jo, Gwang-jung, and Gwang-seok right below him.
Expand the range generously, and it still topped out at Gwang-seok and Gwang-sik for now.
Compared to the average achievements and number of first-rate or higher among kids this age from the other Nine Great Sects or Eight Great Clans, they were clearly far behind.
That's why he'd had no choice but to grind them mercilessly with combat-like training.
His recent decision was just a slight(?) escalation of that existing policy.
"Even if we divide into fifty groups by dorm room as Eldest Senior Brother says and pit them against each other, how would that even be a competition?"
"Exactly! Just imagine the youngest kids' room facing off against Eldest Senior Brother's room!"
"H-Hiiik?!"
A booming shout from someone in the crowd drew a deathly wail from the already fidgety youngest junior brothers, who were on pins and needles.
They were already struggling through exhausting days that felt like death.
And if bad luck struck, pairing them against Eldest Senior Brother's room?
"W-We'd be dead meat...!"
The youngest junior brother's faint, thread-like mutter pierced clearly into everyone's ears.
The murmurs grew louder in response.
"Tch!"
But for Gwang-il, this was a line he couldn't yield.
He'd already seen it with his own eyes, after all.
'Gwang-sik's awakening came at least a year ahead of schedule.'
And the same went for Gwang-gyeon—no, Gwang-geon.
Considering their spots around fortieth among the third-generation disciples, this was remarkable progress.
It fueled his greed while solidifying his confidence in his training methods and regimen.
'I'd been drilling those two harder than the rest, drawing on my previous life's knowledge.'
And the harsher the grind, the greater the corresponding achievements and growth speed.
So he figured that drilling the others even harder would bring awakenings far sooner than expected.
"It seems Eldest Senior Brother has greatly misunderstood from watching those rotten kids' antics."
"It was that damn Gwang-sik who caused the problem!"
"If that bastard hadn't stabbed his senior brothers in the back...!"
Gwang-sik, who had gloriously made it into the first group in today's Blue Wave Peak race and stuffed himself full during lunch, had reverted to his usual quiet, timid self. He hunched over, at a loss, head bowed low.
With his belly full and sanity returned, the memory of his deeds must have darkened his world.
Gwang-jo glared at him murderously, then spat out a cold vow in a resolute tone.
"Anyone who disrupts a fair competition among senior and junior brothers with despicable tricks will be strictly punished by me later. So please, Eldest Senior Brother, don't misunderstand."
"Hmmm."
"Eldest Senior Brother, please...! You can't cross this line any further! We're an upright orthodox sect, aren't we?!"
"Mm."
Despite Gwang-jo's earnest plea, Gwang-il remained indifferently lost in his own thoughts.
'How do I cook these stick-in-the-mud bastards...?'
He had zero intention of backing off his own plan.
Thus, his mind was wholly consumed with how to dismantle these bamboo-straight juniors' logic and push his directive through.
"Eldest Senior Brother!"
"Eldest Senior Brother, please...!"
The ones vocally opposing grew frantic at his vague, noncommittal silence.
But even to their desperate calls, Gwang-il just pursed his lips this way and that, hunting for a convincing counterargument.
'Tch! Such a hassle. This orthodox sect shackle is truly...'
Having rarely faced such opposition or backlash during his Evil Path Alliance days, the annoyance hit him even harder.
If this were the unorthodox paths, logic be damned—fists would fly the moment someone talked back.
'...The unorthodox paths suit my constitution after all.'
As useless thoughts failed to arise and he endlessly longed for old times, Gwang-geon, who had been silently watching, suddenly chimed in.
"How about this?"
"?"
"Gwang-geon?"
"You little shit! What crazy nonsense are you spouting now...!"
Gwang-geon, now public enemy number one among the brothers due to his mad dog antics in past trainings, drew furious glares from Gwang-jo and his followers at his unexpected intervention.
They instinctively knew whatever he said wouldn't favor them.
But Gwang-geon wasn't one to shut up over such minor(?) pressure.
"Pair the fifty groups front-to-back into twenty-five pairs."
"Mm?"
"What the hell...!"
Ignoring the death glare from his far-senior Gwang-jo, he barreled on.
"The issue Second Senior Brother raises is that competing by dorm assignment based on entry order makes the skill gaps too obvious, right?"
"......That's true, but?"
"So pair front and back dorms. Like, Eldest Senior Brother's room with the youngest juniors', second room with forty-ninth, and so on."
"?!"
"Ho?"
A brilliant suggestion no one in the room had anticipated.
Not even Gwang-il, who had been listening without much expectation, nor Gwang-jo, who had been ready to refute anything—both were struck speechless.
"What's so hard about that? Solves Second Senior Brother's worries, doesn't it? From what I see, Eldest Senior Brother plans to do whatever he wants anyway."
"You bastard?! How dare you speak to Eldest Senior Brother like that...!"
"Kuhhuhuhu!"
"E-Eldest Senior Brother?"
As if there was no escape, Gwang-geon grumbled in resignation like a sigh.
In stark contrast to Gwang-jo's outburst, Gwang-il couldn't hold back his bursting laughter.
He found that rebel spirit refreshing—speaking his mind without a glance at anyone's mood.
And its early emergence proved Gwang-geon's growth was markedly faster than in his previous life.
"You've finally said something useful for once."
"......Haa! See? Eldest Senior Brother had no intention of changing his mind... "
Gwang-jo and the others fell silent like they'd swallowed honey, unable to continue as Gwang-geon's words left them without rebuttal.
That lack of counterargument was the biggest blow.
Gwang-il savored their defeated expressions briefly.
"We'll do as Gwang-geon suggests. But with me included, it throws off the balance, so our room will form a group of seven."
"Haa...!"
"S-Seven?"
"Tsk. Pairing with the youngest juniors, and still short on numbers... "
While Gwang-jo, Gwang-jung, and Gwang-seok grew gravely serious,
"Oh!"
"Senior Brother Gwang-sik?!"
"If he's teamed with that Gwang-geon bastard..."
Some brothers who quickly confirmed their pairs brightened up.
Thanks to teaming with standout performers from recent months' training.
Gwang-il snorted at their contrasting reactions.
Then, in a suddenly chill tone, he casually voiced the next phase they'd endured so far.
"We've wasted too much time, so we'll start group sparring immediately. For convenience, I'll call by the front room numbers, so keep that in mind... Rooms one and two, step forward."
"A-Ah...!"
"This suddenly?!"
The harsh trial hit without warning.
The unlucky first pair stepped out with deathly pallor, groaning.
But Gwang-il's next words, laced with amusement, instantly reversed their slumped morale...
"The side with the last one standing wins. And the victors get to skip tomorrow morning's Blue Wave Peak race for other training."
"...!"
"?!"
"While the losers tire themselves running all morning, the winners can hone their swords or devise strategies together."
"!!!"
"Anyone with a brain knows how huge that gap is. Closing it once it's open won't be easy."
By the time he finished with a cold smile,
the once-noisy surroundings had fallen deathly silent.
A subtle tension rippled between the two groups who had unwittingly stepped into the center of the training ground.
Gazing at the scene with delight, a declaration that would upend Point Cang's history slipped from Gwang-il's lips.
"Now, fight each other."