Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Fight Among Yourselves
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"Alright, now fight each other."
"......?"
"......!"
The words Hyeok Mulin tossed out split the applicants into two reactions.
Some wore bewildered expressions at the sudden command, while others grasped the implication and hardened their faces.
Amid these opposing responses, someone who hadn't understood cautiously tried to ask a question.
"Cult Leader, what do you..."
"Kuaaaak!"
But before he could finish, a scream laced with raw agony echoed from somewhere.
All eyes turned toward the source of the sound.
"What are you idiots standing around for? He said fight each other starting now!"
The Red Head Fist Demon bellowed at the people staring at him after he'd fiercely smashed his fist into a nearby applicant's jaw.
After that, he relentlessly attacked the surrounding applicants.
The sight made the crowd flinch.
Soon, shouts and the clashing of weapons began to rise here and there.
Before long, the training ground had devolved into a complete battlefield of chaos.
"It's started."
Hyeok Mulin and Ji Wolhon sat in the chairs prepared on the platform, watching the scene unfold.
"I figured it would begin with someone's preemptive strike eventually, but it kicked off faster than expected."
Ji Wolhon fixed a sharp gaze on the Red Head Fist Demon, who had ignited the fight.
Hyeok Mulin glanced at him with half-lidded eyes and spoke.
"He's got a thick killing intent. Probably more used to eliminating than protecting."
He had no hesitation in using his body.
Even as teeth flew, bones shattered, and eyeballs burst, he kept punching without pause, as if it were routine.
Watching that brutal fighting style, Hyeok Mulin said flatly,
"No need to shy away from him, though."
The guard unit would need to do more than just protect going forward.
So there was no reason to hold back simply because he was aggressively belligerent.
But,
"Thing is, that guy's not strong."
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The Red Head Fist Demon, locked in constant battle with nearby applicants, gradually slowed as time passed.
He'd picked fights indiscriminately, leaving him no moment to rest.
His stamina drained rapidly through the endless combats; sweat poured like rain, and he heaved ragged breaths.
"Huff! Huff! Huff!"
This indiscriminate, unending brawl was a first for him too.
So right after finishing his latest opponent, as he paused to catch his breath—
Whoosh!
A pack of applicants seized the opening, swarming like hyenas on fresh prey.
Seeing the horde charging at him, the Red Head Fist Demon muttered in a hollow voice.
"You damn mutts...!"
He couldn't even finish before a sword sliced through, and his body pitched forward.
"He seemed to have some fame with his nickname, but he dropped out quick."
"Guess mediocre skill doesn't cut it for survival."
"Wouldn't it be better to ban group attacks?"
"No. No need."
The Red Head Fist Demon's biggest mistake was overconfidence in his own power, burning it all early on.
Ganging up cowardly?
Not at all.
In the martial world, when facing multiple foes, group attacks were the most common occurrence.
Reasons aside, ganging up was skill in itself.
If you couldn't hold out, that was simply your level.
"No need to worry. Even if they gang up, the weak will fall anyway."
Ji Wolhon's concern made sense.
He probably didn't want to see weaklings scrape by on numbers alone.
But that wasn't an issue.
Fakes banding together in twos or threes would still get mowed down like weeds when they hit the real powerhouses.
"True enough."
Emboldened by defeating the Red Head Fist Demon, a group set their next target and charged together.
But their opponent was prepared; he calmly cut them down one by one, thinning their numbers.
Losing the will to fight, they scattered in all directions.
Reassured, Ji Wolhon scanned the entire training ground and said,
"You had it all planned, Cult Leader. They never imagined a test like this. Even I didn't see it coming."
"This test will serve as a filter."
The main goal wasn't just selecting the strong—though that was part of it.
Given the current situation facing Hyeok Mulin and the Divine Demon Blood Death Squad, plastering recruitment notices across the New Frontier meant enemy spies would infiltrate for sure.
That's why I turned the test into a free-for-all.
The Seven Great Demon Clans' spies didn't know each other.
Not knowing identities meant they'd inevitably clash among themselves.
So, using one to check another—they'd thin their own ranks.
And there are other benefits.
If a group sent multiple spies, they'd avoid fighting each other, playing it safe.
That's why Hyeok Mulin had instructed Jang Wi beforehand, before entering the training ground.
Record anyone acting suspiciously: hesitating, exchanging odd glances, dodging fights.
A spy was only a spy while hidden.
Known spies could be turned to endless advantage.
"Hm?"
As Hyeok Mulin watched indifferently, his brow twitched slightly at one point.
A few stood out among the applicants, their appearance somewhat detached from the rest.
They look pretty old.
A handful of aged applicants, like the wrinkled elder who'd asked the question earlier, caught his eye.
And they shared a common trait.
Missing arms, severed ankles, blind—each had some physical disability.
......No way.
Hyeok Mulin's gaze shifted sideways.
There, he saw Ji Wolhon tracking them with emotion-filled eyes.
Ah, so that's it.
Figures.
Turning back forward, Hyeok Mulin slowly opened his mouth.
"Looks like you've spotted some familiar faces."
"Yes. Men I could entrust my life to."
His eyes, upon seeing former Divine Demon Blood Death Squad members, seemed lost in nostalgia.
Hyeok Mulin chuckled softly and nodded.
"If you say so, I can trust that much."
But trust and passing were different matters.
As the Heavenly Demon's personal guard, it wasn't enough on its own.
They needed the martial prowess to back it up.
And they had kept up steady training; their movements were as sharp as any active member's, proving their seasoned skill.
Watching them, Hyeok Mulin murmured low.
"Hope they make it through."
"Yes."
No special treatment even for ex-squad members.
Knowing that best, Ji Wolhon simply believed his old comrades would survive unscathed.
"By the way, do you know that one?"
Ji Wolhon's gaze followed Hyeok Mulin's pointing finger.
Studying the man's features closely, he shook his head.
"No. First time seeing him for me too."
"Hmm. Feels familiar somehow."
"I'll check."
Ji Wolhon called a subordinate and ordered him to fetch the 370th application.
Rubbing his chin in thought, something flashed through Hyeok Mulin's mind.
Ah! That's who it is!
The old face from his past life looked so different now that he hadn't recognized him at first.
This man was someone Hyeok Mulin had spotted late in life while recruiting for the cult.
He'd joined the Demon Army late, barely making deputy commander of a martial unit.
Back then, the Heavenly Demon's authority was at rock bottom, so most deputy commanders had ties to the Seven Great Demon Clans, showing dual loyalties.
But not him.
Straight-laced, he faithfully executed only the cult's orders from above, ignoring personal grudges or agendas—a true loyalist.
Too late to recruit back then.
Hyeok Mulin had tried pulling him to his side.
But with no backing and humble origins, he was soon demoted from deputy and shuffled to the frontiers, slipping away.
Uncannily dodges danger.
In this test, he minimized fights.
Slipping away subtly when battles loomed, hiding in cooled spots, fighting only when necessary.
It showed keen battle flow reading and sharp instincts.
Yet his skill never lagged.
When forced to clash, he dragged foes into his rhythm for easy wins.
That crisis sense would be perfect for the guard unit. His name was...
"Name's Han Baek, thirty-two years old."
Ji Wolhon read from the application.
"Worked ten years at the Nine Dragon Plum Sect, served as deputy commander in the vanguard until resigning last month. High mission completion rate, no casualties in any assignments—deep trust from his men."
"Jackpot."
Truly a diamond in the rough.
At the unexpected find, Hyeok Mulin's lips curved up.
Ssssh.
Time dragged on until the sand fully drained.
"That's tiiiime—!"
Ji Wolhon bellowed to signal the end.
Applicants halted one by one.
Thud.
Confirming the fights over, they collapsed limply to the ground.
Most were on the verge of exhaustion, pushed to their limits.
"Hah, hah, hah."
"It's... over."
"Thought I was done for..."
Gasping raggedly, they exhaled in relief that the test had ended.
"Carry all the casualties out!"
At Ji Wolhon's command, cultists entered and hauled out the incapacitated.
Once the training ground cleared somewhat, Hyeok Mulin slowly ascended the platform.
The remaining applicants' eyes turned to him.
Then they spotted the hourglass back in his hand.
"......No way?"
"You've gotta be kidding."
A ominous feeling gripped them; they gazed at Hyeok Mulin with pleading eyes.
But his face was merciless as he flipped the hourglass again.
"Alright, now fight each other again."