Not Yet, Little Ones
"Everyone, pick a key box and take your positions! From now on, I'll be in command!"
Bukjin, who had been standing on the mast, gazing into the distance, called out. He showed no intention of coming down. Bukjin believed that being as far away from the sea as possible was the best option. Soon, the Gold-grade battleship, the Ryuchae Jewel Merchant Ship, was already fifty li away from land, and the port was no longer visible. The other battleships around them had also entered their designated routes, following their pre-assigned paths.
Now, all that lay before them was the vast, boundless sea on all four sides. The blue, high sky met the ocean at the distant horizon. All the students had to do now was wait. No one knew which team they would encounter first.
Time slowly ticked by. Still, no sign of an opponent appeared on the sea.
"Waiting like this is getting boring. Shall we play a game of chess? I taught you last time, didn't I?"
Bukjin, the team leader, couldn't stand the boredom and spoke up.
"Yes! Yes!" Baek Geum-un exclaimed, jumping up from her seat as if restless. The white bird she had captured from the sea yesterday sat on her shoulder, already well-trained and obedient. Mi Yeo-yeon watched the two of them, speechless.
'What kind of time is this to be saying such things...?'
A short while later, after only about an hour, Mi Yeo-yeon was completely engrossed in the game of chess Bukjin had taught her, enjoying it immensely. Those watching from the spectator stands were all speechless.
'Have they realized they have no chance and given up on the fight?'
Another hour passed.
"Squawk!"
Baek Geum-un's white bird, perched high on the mast, spread its wings and cried out a warning.
"Our opponents are here."
Han Bul-bu stood up and looked at the Gold-grade battleship approaching from the distance, kicking up spray.
"Prepare for battle," Ak Hong-hyang said loudly.
"W-wait! I'm just one move away from winning..." Mi Yeo-yeon said regretfully.
Bukjin, sensing defeat in his chess game with Mi Yeo-yeon, seized the opportunity and overturned the board.
"Let's capture their flag first, then we can play again. We still have plenty of time..."
"..."
"It's the Cloud Ascent! It's Joo Ga-a's team!" Han Bul-bu exclaimed, his eyesight enhanced, as he clearly saw the opponent's mast from about two hundred jang away.
"Joo Ga-a's skill isn't weak. We absolutely cannot let our guard down," Mi Yeo-yeon said.
"Her skill is stronger than mine. Her teammates, Im Ron, Mok Shin-mu, Joo Chang, and Jang Yeong, all participated in the last Academic & Martial Arts Competition and are strong students."
Mi Yeo-yeon quickly provided information about Joo Ga-a's teammates. Ak Hong-hyang, standing nearby, also explained the characteristics of the opponents she had researched.
"Wow, you two are amazing! You truly are the brains of our team," Bukjin said with admiration. In terms of gathering information and understanding opponents, Mi Yeo-yeon and Ak Hong-hyang shared similar tendencies. Both of them meticulously noted even the most detailed and subtle aspects, having recorded everything from the opponents' skill levels and frequently used martial arts to their strengths and weaknesses.
"You should be grateful to have two beauties like Senior Sister Ak and Sister Yeo-yeon on your team. Aren't you ashamed to just sit there and benefit from your teammates?" Baek Geum-un scoffed at Bukjin.
Hearing her words, Bukjin burst out laughing. "Haha! If that's the case, you've been the most useless so far! I look forward to you proving yourself in the future!"
While the students were talking, the opponent's battleship had already closed within ten jang. Han Bul-bu shouted loudly.
"When the battle starts, who defends the ship and who goes on the attack?"
Bukjin answered without the slightest hesitation.
"It's simple. I'll guard the house, and you all go steal the flag."
On the deck of the Cloud Ascent, Joo Ga-a looked at the Ryuchae Jewel Merchant Ship in the distance, her face filled with excitement.
"To think our first opponent would be Im Bukjin. Haha! What an unexpected stroke of luck." She licked her lips.
Bukjin's skill was certainly strong. However, his teammates, in the eyes of others, were utterly pathetic. Mi Yeo-yeon alone couldn't handle other powerful teams. Therefore, Joo Ga-a was confident that this battle would undoubtedly be their victory.
"Senior Sister Joo, what strategy should we use in this battle?" Mok Shin-mu, standing beside Joo Ga-a, asked with a smile.
"The All-Out Attack, All-Out Defense strategy," Joo Ga-a replied without a moment's hesitation, stating the tactic she had devised.
"In this battle, every single one of us will go on the offensive. We'll overwhelm all five opponents at once and seize victory. Shin-mu, you handle Mi Yeo-yeon. And Jang Yeong will take care of the other three. The remaining three of us will surround and attack Im Bukjin. Let's completely smash their battleship. They won't even have a chance to board our ship."
"Hahaha! Excellent!"
"We'll be able to show the power of our Cloud Ascent from the very first battle."
"Senior Sister Joo! We feel so secure with you!"
Im Ron, Jang Yeong, Mok Shin-mu, and Joo Chang were all brimming with confidence. They even felt a touch of pity for Bukjin. In their eyes, while the rogue Bukjin possessed formidable individual skill, he had a problem with his head and was a quirky idiot with foolish tendencies. From Joo Ga-a's teammates' perspective, taking on four people who were worse than trash as teammates was utterly pathetic.
The sea breeze blew, and the waves began to churn. An atmosphere of impending battle intensified. The two battleships rapidly drew closer. Finally, only five jang separated them.
At that moment, the speed of both battleships slowly decreased.
"Now!" Joo Ga-a exclaimed, drawing her long sword with a triumphant expression.
"Charge!"
She forcefully threw the rope in her left hand. A steel hook was attached to the end of the rope. The rope flew through the air and hooked onto the deck railing of Bukjin's Ryuchae Jewel Merchant Ship. The next moment, Joo Ga-a leaped into the air, using the rope as a bridge to rush towards Bukjin's ship. Her four remaining teammates also activated their movement techniques and followed behind Joo Ga-a. Their movements were incredibly agile and precise.
"Hahahaha! Everyone, get back!"
A loud, exaggerated laugh carried on the wind from somewhere. Bukjin, standing on the mast and looking into the distance, pulled out his Iron Wall Bow and fired two arrows in quick succession. Before the sound of the bowstring being released could even be heard, two massive Dragon-Slaying Arrows were already upon Jang Yeong and Mok Shin-mu. The two had no time to block the arrows and were struck, screaming and spitting blood as if hit by a giant siege crossbow, falling from the ropes and plunging into the sea.
"No way!"
At that moment, Joo Ga-a, who had just successfully landed on the deck of the Ryuchae Jewel Merchant Ship, turned her head and watched her two teammates fall into the sea, her eyes wide with disbelief.
'Since when did Im Bukjin practice archery? And such powerful arrows!'
"Senior Sister Joo, what do we do?" Im Ron's tense voice came from behind her.
Joo Ga-a quickly made a decision and began to rush towards Bukjin, cutting through the wind as she shot towards his location.
"Follow me! Take out Im Bukjin first!" Joo Ga-a shouted loudly.
'To clear out the enemy, you must first capture the leader!' Joo Ga-a judged that defeating Bukjin in a short amount of time was the only way. Since Bukjin's remaining teammates were all weak, she believed that if they dealt with Bukjin, the ultimate victory would still be theirs.
Im Ron and Joo Chang activated their movement techniques and followed behind Joo Ga-a, attacking Bukjin. Bukjin merely stood in place, bursting into loud laughter. He put away his Iron Wall Bow and drew his Virtue Sword, gripping it in his hand. Facing three opponents alone, Bukjin showed no concern, leaping down and shouting loudly.
"Rule people with virtue!"
A momentum as vast as a mountain erupted from Bukjin's entire body.
Clang!
Two swords collided. Joo Ga-a, who had confidently attacked Bukjin, felt an unimaginably immense pressure completely crush her strength and push through her sword. At the same time, her confidence was utterly shattered.
"Gah!"
Blood spurted from Joo Ga-a's mouth. Completely overwhelmed by Bukjin's momentum, Joo Ga-a plummeted downwards like a falling meteor. Bukjin used the recoil from the collision with Joo Ga-a's sword to halt his body in mid-air, then activated his movement technique to swiftly approach Im Ron, who had been following behind Joo Ga-a. He then powerfully swung his sword.
"Aargh!"
A scream burst from Im Ron's mouth. The sword in her hand shattered completely, and she, like Joo Ga-a, fell forcefully. All of this happened in an instant. The citizens watching the battle through the crystal screen still couldn't quite grasp what had happened. They had only heard three impact sounds, and Joo Ga-a, Im Ron, and Joo Chang, three genius students, were lying on the deck in less than a breath's time. All three were spitting blood and unable to get up from where they had fallen. Meanwhile, Bukjin had already soared back into the air and stood atop the mast.
Bukjin lightly swung the Virtue Sword in his hand.
"Little ones, you're not there yet."
It was a scathing remark. Joo Ga-a struggled to prop herself up with her sword, raised her head, and looked at Bukjin. The front of her clothes was stained with blood, and there was blood on her face. An indescribably immense shock welled up in her heart. She had been defeated in a single strike. She had witnessed Bukjin's divine power in the previous trials, yet she still harbored a certain degree of confidence in her heart. She had thought that even if she couldn't match Bukjin in a true, unrestricted battlefield outside the trial grounds, she could at least put some pressure on him. But after truly exchanging blows with Bukjin, Joo Ga-a realized that her assumptions were completely wrong. Joo Ga-a, a renowned genius girl in Unmong City, now personally understood why Dongbang Jeon and Mi Yeo-yeon had felt such despair in front of Bukjin in their individual matches.