Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Azure Dragon Squad
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The Senior Physician swept his gaze over us with a stern expression. His eyes were sharp, and his entire being exuded the seasoned aura of a veteran healer.
"Your main job is treating the injuries of squad members training in the drill grounds. Most will be bruises or minor cuts, but during spars, you'll sometimes see broken bones or damaged meridians. Report any serious cases to me right away."
His explanation was short and to the point. He handed us a first-aid kit and some basic medical tools before leading us to a makeshift clinic set up at one edge of the drill grounds.
The moment we stepped into the drill grounds, Bang Soso and I swallowed hard at the overwhelming heat.
Whoaaa! Clang! Kang!
The thunderous cheers of hundreds of burly men shouting in unison. The sharp clash of wooden swords and real blades colliding. The air thick with dust, blood, and sweat. It all felt like a massive, living beast pulsing with life.
Azure Dragon Squad. The Murim Alliance's strongest fighting force.
We could feel with every fiber of our beings that their reputation was well-earned. They were in a league far beyond the bandits we'd encountered before. The killing intent and fighting spirit radiating from each member was the kind forged only on lifelong battlefields.
We silently watched their training. Some swung massive cleavers, others thrust spears, and more unleashed fists and kicks. Every motion was stripped of excess, designed solely for efficient killing.
"Urk!"
One of the sparring squad members took a hard wooden sword strike to the shoulder and tumbled away.
"Someone's hurt!"
Bang Soso and I rushed over immediately. His shoulder was already swelling purple. Fortunately, the bone seemed fine. Bang Soso smoothly applied a paste made from crushed herbs to the wound, while I kneaded his shoulder joint a few times to realign the displaced muscles. I didn't forget to layer on a light hypnotic suggestion to ease the pain.
"Thanks, Physician."
The squad member got up as if nothing had happened and rejoined the spar. This kind of treatment continued on repeat. Bang Soso tended to the injured with a beaming smile, while I quietly did my part.
As I reached for a medical tool, the back of my hand brushed against one of Bang Soso's massive breasts.
Zing.
A faint thrill ran through me, clearing my mind. I glanced at her sideways, but she smiled brightly, oblivious, as she wrapped a bandage around a squad member's wound.
Over on one side, Paeng Daesan was practicing the heavy saber style unique to his Paeng family. He swung his enormous wooden saber, drenched in sweat like it was wringing his neck. But compared to the other squad members, his movements felt somehow crude, brute-forced with raw power.
He's trying hard.
I could sense how badly he wanted to grow stronger. That desperation felt oddly familiar.
We spent quite a while observing the squad's training and tending to the injured like this.
"Hup! Hah!"
Paeng Daesan finished his session with a final, mighty overhead swing of his wooden saber. Soaked in sweat from head to toe, he panted heavily and looked around. When his eyes met mine, his face lit up.
He strode over to me with purpose. His massive frame blocked my view, casting a shadow. Several nearby squad members training turned their gazes toward us.
Paeng Daesan clasped his hands politely in front of me and bowed deeply.
"Brother! Would you please teach this little brother a move or two?!"
Paeng Daesan's booming voice swallowed every noise in the drill grounds. The fierce clashes of wooden swords, the ground-shaking shouts, even the ragged breaths—all fell silent as if by magic. Hundreds of eyes turned as one toward me. Their gazes mixed curiosity, doubt, and a hint of wariness.
What could a guy like me, who'd never learned any martial arts, possibly teach?
But strangely, I felt no urge to refuse. Being surrounded by the sweat and fighting spirit of these hot-blooded men made my own body itch for action. The sensation of being pushed to my limits in yesterday's bout with Squad Leader Byeok, combined with the mental energy I'd filled up through the night with Bang Soso, surged wildly through me.
I glanced toward the Senior Physician, seated at one edge of the drill grounds.
He raised one eyebrow as if the whole thing was absurd. He stared at me silently for a moment, then shook his head wearily, like it was a hassle.
"Treat any injuries yourself."
His words were permission laced with warning—an unspoken promise not to care if we got hurt.
I shrugged lightly and stood up.
"Senior Brother! You've got this!"
Bang Soso cheered with a clenched fist and her usual innocent grin. Her pure encouragement drew a chuckle from me. I gave her head a quick pat and strode toward the center of the drill grounds.
The stares stabbing from all sides were prickly. Everyone held their breath at the unprecedented sight of a physician teaching a squad member martial arts.
Paeng Daesan waited with flushed cheeks, eager. Having clashed with him once before, I had a rough gauge of his skill. Third-rate. Exactly that level.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Body Reinforcement Full physical enhancement. Senses heightened. All capabilities amplified.
The command echoed in my mind. In that instant, the abundant mental energy inside me slithered out, spreading through every muscle and nerve. Each cell activated, muscle fibers hardening like steel. The world slowed, my senses sharpening to the extreme.
I took no special stance. I just stood bare-handed, relaxed, facing Paeng Daesan.
"Come at me. I'll yield the first move."
My words lit a fire in Paeng Daesan's eyes. He looked genuinely moved, then without hesitation, cupped his fists in formal salute.
"Please go easy on me, Brother!"
No sooner had he spoken than Paeng Daesan kicked off the ground and charged. The pressure from his huge frame was impressive. His wooden saber whistled through the air toward my head.
But with my enhanced dynamic vision, his movements were... painfully slow.
The saber's arc, his shoulder twitch, the shift in his center of gravity. It all stood out in crystal clarity, like a paused frame.
I tilted my head slightly aside to dodge. The saber grazed my cheek with a whoosh of empty air. Paeng Daesan's eyes widened in shock.
In that split second, the punch Squad Leader Byeok had thrown at me yesterday flashed in my mind. The feel of condensing all his power into one point and exploding it outward.
Like this, right?
I slipped into Paeng Daesan's guard, twisting my waist. Then I drove my fist—loaded with my full body weight and reinforced strength—straight into the center of his gut.
Thud—!
A dull, ripe-watermelon-bursting sound echoed across the drill grounds. His clothes tore around the impact point, and his massive body crumpled like paper.
"Guh... ack...!"
A strangled gasp escaped Paeng Daesan before he rocketed backward like a cannonball. His hefty frame flew over a dozen paces through the air, rolled several times across the ground, and finally crashed to a stop with a boom. His eyes rolled back white—he was out cold.
"......"
A suffocating silence blanketed the drill grounds for a moment.
Tch.
I clicked my tongue inwardly. I'd imagined him smashing refreshingly into the far wall like I had yesterday, but he'd fallen a bit short. My power control was still clumsy. Disappointing.
Then—
"Woooah...!"
Starting with one person's gasp of awe, waves of shocked murmurs spread like ripples from every corner of the drill grounds. They alternated stares between the knocked-out Paeng Daesan and me, standing unscathed with bare fists, faces full of disbelief.
I ignored their gazes and walked over to the sprawled Paeng Daesan. Hoisting his body—at least 200 catties—over my shoulder like a sack of rice, I headed back to the physicians' makeshift clinic.
"Alright, let's patch him up."
I dumped Paeng Daesan roughly onto the treatment table. Placing a hand on his forehead, I whispered softly.
🧠 RECOVERY ACTIVATED 🧠 Recovery Reinforcement Enhanced natural healing. Pain suppression. Rapid tissue repair initiated.
I layered on a light hypnotic suggestion, then grabbed a few random herbs from the nearby basket, mashed them crudely, and slathered the mess over his abdomen. It was more prank than proper treatment.
"Ph... Physician! What was that just now...!"
"Fist arts...? From which sect...!"
The young physicians around us bombarded me with excited questions.
"Dunno. Just a punch."
I brushed it off casually, dusting my hands. No matter how I thought about it, that fist strike left me unsatisfied. Crude compared to Squad Leader Byeok's. Power transfer, balance shift, explosive force—everything lacked polish.
I mulled over the heavy impact lingering in my knuckles.
Maybe try again tomorrow.