Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Paeng Daesan, You're Chosen
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When I opened my eyes inside the carriage, faint dawn light seeping through the window cracks was pushing back the darkness.
"Haa..."
A deep breath escaped me, sending refreshing energy coursing through my entire body. My mental strength, which had plummeted to rock bottom from Bang Soso's soft embrace the night before, had fully recovered. My mind was sharper than ever, and my body felt as light as a feather. It was the best high I'd felt in ages.
Beside me, Soso was still sleeping soundly. Curled up and breathing evenly with soft snores, she looked just like a little animal.
It was about time to head out.
"Soso, time to wake up."
I gently shook her shoulder. She grumbled and wriggled about with a sleepy "Mm..."
"Ugh... Senior Brother... just a little longer..."
Mumbling in her half-asleep voice, she tried to drift off again, which made me chuckle. I softly patted her back and whispered in her ear.
"Time's up. Everyone's waiting."
I slid my hand down and gently grasped her perky breast. The soft, yielding sensation filled my palm.
"Hn!"
Soso's shoulder twitched. Ignoring it, I kneaded the round mound firmly to rouse her.
After a brief playful tussle, we finally straightened our clothes and stepped out of the carriage.
Cold dawn air rushed over us.
The righteous faction outpost was already bustling. People had gathered at the Secret Cave entrance, with Byeok Cheonwi, Paeng Daesan, and the Azure Dragon Squad members in their blue uniforms standing resolute at the center. Tension and grim determination etched their faces.
Per Byeok Cheonwi's decision, some Azure Dragon Squad physicians, those seconded from various sects, and a minimal escort force would remain at the outpost to support the rear.
But Soso and I were exceptions.
"Listen up, everyone!"
Byeok Cheonwi's booming voice cut through the noisy crowd. He began announcing the results of his all-night negotiations with the evil faction.
"The entry order has been set! The Azure Dragon Squad takes point as vanguard! The Righteous Alliance follows, then the Evil Alliance! Healer Immortal Sect physicians will position at the absolute rear!"
The moment he finished, fierce protests erupted from the evil faction ranks, just as expected.
"What?! Those bastards are Righteous faction too—why stick 'em at the back? What if they stab us in the back?!"
A rough-looking evil faction martial artist bellowed, and agreeing voices rose here and there. But Byeok Cheonwi didn't bat an eye.
"They're physicians! Meant for treating the wounded in emergencies, not swinging swords like warriors! Stow that worry!"
Even with his firm stance, the evil faction thugs kept their suspicious glares. At that moment, a man radiating sinister energy stepped slowly forward from their group. His gaunt build and sharp eyes evoked a venomous serpent.
He scanned Soso and me in turn before scoffing.
"Hmph... No inner energy flow at all. They really are ordinary folk without any martial arts. What threat could they pose from the rear?"
He seemed to hold considerable sway in the evil faction ranks—his words instantly silenced the rowdy bunch.
Seizing the moment, I approached Byeok Cheonwi and murmured quietly.
"Squad Leader, we need someone to guard the wounded. Please pull Paeng Daesan to the rear as well."
No sooner had I spoken than protests exploded from the evil faction again.
"What's the scheme now?! Why pull that madman from yesterday to the back?!"
But Byeok Cheonwi stepped in once more. He laughed heartily and addressed the evil faction thugs.
"You lot might stab us in the back too, no? Fair's fair—we need at least one guard warrior to protect these kids!"
The evil faction members, having witnessed Paeng Daesan's brutal spar yesterday, grumbled with distaste but hesitated to argue back forcefully. Right then, the serpent-like man spoke up again.
"Hmph, fine. Yesterday's bout was just luck. That greenhorn? I could take his head with a single technique if I felt like it. Guard whoever you want."
His arrogant declaration prompted the surrounding evil faction goons to fawn over him.
"As expected of Acupoint Fiend! A peak expert's discernment is on another level!"
"Right you are! If Acupoint Fiend steps in, that third-rate won't even leave bones behind!"
The man called Acupoint Fiend savored their flattery with a smug smile, as if it were his due.
And with that, the Secret Cave entry order was finalized.
Azure Dragon Squad at the vanguard, followed by the Righteous and Evil Alliances, with Paeng Daesan escorting Soso and me at the very rear.
With Byeok Cheonwi's resounding command, the long procession finally took its first step into the yawning maw of the vast, gloomy cavern.
The Secret Cave interior was damp and stifling. Water seeping from rock fissures created a sticky floor, while the foul stench of blood and unidentified demonic energy assaulted the lungs with every breath, churning the gut.
"Graaarrgh!"
"Kill them! Slaughter them all!"
From the darkness ahead, grotesque screams echoed endlessly as fiends surged forward like waves. They were average third-rate martial artists at best, but fully possessed by demonic energy, they rampaged with second-rate power. Their red eyes burned with nothing but murderous intent—no reason left. Ignoring wounds that tore their own bodies, they charged solely to extinguish life before them.
Worse, deep scratches from their nails or bites risked demonic energy infection through the wounds. They were tricky opponents in every way.
"Hold formation! Left flank! Push them back with spears!"
But the vanguard led by Byeok Cheonwi and the Azure Dragon Squad held steady. Centered on Byeok Cheonwi swinging his massive greatsword like a mountain range, shield bearers formed a solid wall, thrusting long spears and swords through the gaps to systematically carve up the frenzied fiends.
Kaboom!
Every sweeping arc of Byeok Cheonwi's greatsword shredded two or three fiends like paper, clearing the path, while the others seamlessly filled the gaps to maintain the line. Their movements flowed organically, like a single colossal beast.
The righteous experts supporting from behind were no slouches either. First- and second-rate masters renowned in their sects, alongside young scions from prestigious clans raised on elixirs like water. Whenever their flashy, powerful martial arts erupted, fiends scattered like autumn leaves.
Yet subtle hesitation shadowed their faces.
The last time they'd entered alone, they'd struggled against these very fiends. The evil faction's interference was a factor, but the root cause ran deeper. For those with much to lose, fiends that charged heedless of their own lives were the worst matchup. The fear of mere contact tainting them with demonic energy dulled their sword tips.
Without the Azure Dragon Squad holding the front like an unbreakable dike, the righteous line might have crumbled already.
The few fiends surviving the Azure Dragon Squad and righteous pincer flowed back to the evil faction rabble.
And in that instant, the battlefield flipped entirely.
"Grahk!"
"You maniacs! Stay back!"
Save for a handful of powerhouses, the evil faction's martial artists were mostly a motley crew of second-rates at best—usually third-rate or worse ronin. Even against the scraps left after the vanguard and righteous cleared most, they were helpless.
Slash!
Acupoint Fiend's twin swords sliced through the air like lightning, severing a fiend's neck. He glided efficiently through their midst, snuffing lives one by one, but it wasn't enough to turn the tide. A few other peak experts struggled valiantly, but the rest of the ronin screamed and scrambled just to dodge. Their formation teetered on collapse.
At the rearmost, safely distanced and observing it all, I nodded toward the front at Paeng Daesan beside me.
'Go.'
Paeng Daesan instantly grasped my intent and clenched his fist tight. Burning battle lust flared in his eyes.
The intense suggestion I'd implanted during yesterday's spar had forged an invisible bond between us. Now, I could implant suggestions remotely, without physical contact.
'Grow strong. Like a massive boulder piercing the waves and rising defiant.'
I focused my mind on Paeng Daesan. The unseen power of suggestion flowed into him.
"Grrgh..."
A low groan escaped Paeng Daesan's lips. His muscles writhed and swelled across his body, hot steam billowing from his ragged breaths. A furnace-like boil surged through his blood, dominating his senses.
"I'll be off, brother!"
Unable to hold back any longer, he roared and kicked off the ground, launching forward.
His massive frame shot like a cannonball, plunging straight into the chaotic evil faction ranks.
Just then, two fiends that had breached the evil faction's defense line screamed and charged at Paeng Daesan.
"Graaah!"
But Paeng Daesan didn't evade. Instead, he accelerated straight at them, slamming his shoulder into a head-on collision.
Krunch!
A gruesome sound of shattering bone and rending flesh rang out as the fiends' upper bodies exploded. Undeterred, he barreled onward, his heavy saber cleaving through obstructing fiends like weeds.
In the hellscape of spraying blood and flying flesh, Paeng Daesan crushed and swept everything aside—like a house-sized boulder triggering an avalanche down the mountainside.
"Th-that guy!"
"Yesterday's madman...!"
The fleeing evil ronin gaped in horror at the sight.
Even Acupoint Fiend, mid-fray, sensed the ominous aura at his back and glanced over.
What entered his eyes was a colossal man, like an unstoppable mountain, butchering fiends with overwhelming force and charging straight toward them.