Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: It's Not Time to Charge In Yet (2)
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The self-proclaimed genius tactician, phoenix chick, military advisor, and evil spirit began cautiously closing the distance...
– ...These fools who can't even read the angle of life and death properly. What kind of genius tactician, phoenix chick, military advisor, and evil spirit are they? This is the funniest story I've heard since returning to the world.
'Tell me about it.'
They're not people those idiots should be casually naming. And now they're sticking themselves right in there. What a bunch of idiots.
Anyway, the group started closing in.
"Young Master Eon."
"Brother Eon."
Jeong-hyeon and Woo So-ryeong drew their swords with a shing and stared at me, as if awaiting orders.
But I just shook my head calmly and spoke.
"That's not all of them. Jeong-hyeon, spread out the map and take a look. What do those formations look like to you?"
"Hm. Ah!"
"I told you not to keep it to yourself—share with the others too."
"Yes. It looks exactly like the net formation surrounding us."
"Right. There are more of those guys out there."
And sure enough.
No sooner had I finished speaking than the forest to our left rustled,
and another group leaped out.
Jeong-hyeon quickly spoke up.
"I understand your point, Young Master Eon—that more of them might keep coming."
"Keep going."
"Yes. In that case, shouldn't we strike down the ones in front of us even faster? The art of war says to defeat them individually in such situations."
Well, Jeong-hyeon had a point.
It's common sense to strike when the enemy's numbers are small.
'In the original story, Jeong-hyeon actually pulled off that individual defeat in a similar spot.'
But our current group was different from the one Jeong-hyeon had assembled in the original.
'We don't have the Slow-Ass Beggar Cheon Jang-ho.'
The guy who would later become the world's greatest rascal had the makings of a great hero, but his current martial prowess couldn't compare to Cheon Jang-ho, described as one of the Beggar Clan's greatest geniuses in history.
Of course, it wasn't all disadvantages.
'Even flattering myself, I'm at a higher level than Yong-myeong right now.'
Unlike the original plot, I'd conserved far more internal energy in the fight against Old Three.
'But the way Jeong-hyeon broke through this part in the original was too brutal.'
It was so grueling that he scraped every last bit of his internal energy, even resorting to his core true energy, and the spirit pill he got for topping the exam went entirely toward recovering it.
Wait a second?
What if I guide things so Jeong-hyeon doesn't have to tap into his core true energy here?
'If I take first place, I can swallow up the share I was going to give him too, right?'
I'd already planned to break through this section differently from the original, and now I had one more reason to do it.
I curled my already smirking lips even higher and spoke.
"Normally, you'd defeat them individually before their numbers grow."
"So you're saying now's not the time?"
"Obviously. Jeong-hyeon, the guys from the west and the ones from the east—they're the same enemies from our perspective, but are they really the same enemies?"
"Ah! Aha!! There's only one five-point orb anyway. So those groups are enemies to each other too. And sure enough, when the new group showed up, the first one stopped advancing. As expected, you see right through the situation, Young Master Eon! Impressive!"
"Impressive!"
"Woo So-ryeong, you don't get it at all, do you? You're just saying impressive."
"......"
It was then.
Right in the middle of my conversation with Jeong-hyeon and So-ryeong.
This time, another group came charging down the mountain path ahead.
And they were familiar faces, at that.
"Well, well. Who do we have here? Isn't it Bo-jun and the kids? Dan-mok something-or-other and Ha-ga too? Hm, one face I don't know. Anyway, you came running up here, so it's not like you took a wrong turn. Looks like you're here to snatch our orb, right?"
"That's right. I saw a beggar thief like you had a decent score that day—how'd you snag a five-pointer? I let my guard down then. Today, I'll avenge that humiliation and take your five-point orb to finish this exam in the top ranks."
"...Bo-jun-ah. Pay back the money before worrying about humiliation. There's my old sentiment, and the yellow stuff you still owe me. Apologize for straying down the wrong path, and I'll forgive you today."
"...That damn Bo-jun! Bo-jun! My name's Jun! Hwang Bo is the clan! Everything about you rubs me wrong, but calling my name like that pisses me off the most! I'll bend you in half and avenge it! What are you waiting for?! Attack!"
Sigh.
That musclehead right down to his skull.
As if things wouldn't go south after—if he somehow took our orb after a thousand concessions, he hasn't thought about what comes next.
Or has he?
Planning to bulldoze the rest with his clan backing?
Whatever. Unlike the previous two groups, Hwang Bo-jun's crew charged straight in.
I quickly issued orders to Jeong-hyeon and Woo So-ryeong.
"Jeong-hyeon."
"Yes, Young Master Eon!"
"Handle the east like you did against the old beggar! I'll take the west!"
"Yes!"
"Woo So-ryeong!"
"Y-Yes?!"
"You roam freely between me and Jeong-hyeon and steal their orbs."
"Is that okay?"
"Of course it is. Our allies went through hell wresting orbs from the demons, but now their greed's blinded them into attacking fellow allies? They're pro-demon scum—like the fox-rat traitors of old!"
"...Yeah. You're right?!"
"Exactly. Steal away to your heart's content. Hell, while you're at it, yank their pants down too. Make 'em too ashamed to show their faces. Who do they think they are! Anyway, So-ryeong-ah, this big bro hereby permits you to be a righteous thief once more."
Their long hair was already tied up high anyway.
Swing those magic swords and gather the red-orange-yellow-green-blue-indigo-violet orbs.
Come to me.
In the Righteous Martial Academy entrance exam's group task checkpoint, the key points marked on the map were:
The main base set up in the student plaza.
The patient site at the foot of Wudang Mountain.
The vital points scattered across Wudang's peaks and mid-slopes,
And the infirmary at the Je-gal family estate.
A total of four.
Eon Yong-un's group had left the main base last, so they arrived at the patient site latest.
But as the only group to split up, Eun Ha-seong reached the Je-gal family—where the infirmary flag flew—first.
"Y-You already brought a patient?"
"Yes, Assistant Professor. I'm examinee number eighty, Eun Ha-seong. Group number ninety-two."
"Let me see... You brought the patient role-player properly, your badge is eighty, now who's in group ninety-two?"
"Yes. The other two members' aliases and names are Jeong-hyeon and Woo So-ryeong. Group leader is Eon Yong-un."
"Eun Ha-seong, Jeong-hyeon, Woo So-ryeong... Hm? Eon Yong-un?! You're in that hot-topic elite warrior Eon Yong-un's group?!"
"Yes. That's right!"
"Matches the group task roster perfectly. Confirmed."
"Thank you!"
But during the process of verifying her examinee status and handing over the patient for the confirmation slip,
the assistant professor tossed a question at Eun Ha-seong.
"But why'd you come alone? Where are the others?"
"Ah, our group decided to split up for the task. I'll get the confirmation, and the rest secure the orbs."
"...Oho? That's a fresh idea. It definitely saves time. Back in my day, the group task was similar—why didn't I think of that? Did Eon Yong-un come up with it?"
"Yes. That's right."
"I thought he was just topical for acing the elite warrior exam, but he's got real insight."
"...Heh. My big bro has his moments."
"...? Why are you so proud?"
"Because he's my big bro. Don't professors feel proud when a sibling gains fame together or pioneers scholarship?"
"Sure, but you're Eun clan, and your leader's Eon clan?"
"Come on. Did Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei leave their mark because of the same surname?"
"...Can't argue with that. Personally, it's innovative, but is solving the task like that allowed?"
But the casual question shifted to whether breaking the task this way was permissible.
Eun Ha-seong's mouth opened in a fluster.
"It's... not allowed?"
"No, I'm not high-ranked enough to decide. I just hand out confirmations when examinees bring patients. Just curious. Anyway, here's your slip. The professors at main base will tell you if this works."
She couldn't get an immediate answer.
'Big Bro Yong-un. Our plan's fine, right?'
With a twinge of anxiety, Eun Ha-seong headed to the main base.
"Hoo? An examinee's already arrived?"
"Yes, Professor. This one's it. Greet the professor."
She entered Je-gal Min's tent, who oversaw the main base.
"Hello! Examinee number eighty, Eun Ha-seong!"
"Aigoo, my ears. I'm not deaf. We greeted earlier at the iron drum too, didn't we?"
"...S-Sorry."
"Enough apologies. Hand over the confirmation from the infirmary. Assistant teacher, you brought the roster on the way?"
"H-Here it is."
"Yes, Professor. Here's the confirmation roster for participating groups."
"The infirmary slip checks out. Thanks. Assistant teacher, back to your duties."
"Yes, Professor."
Left alone with Je-gal Min in the tent, Eun Ha-seong had to calm her heart, as if plunged into ice water.
"Why so nervous?"
"It's nothing."
She had no choice.
If Je-gal Min said, 'That's cheating. Can't accept it,' days of effort could go to waste.
'Damn. If he says no, what then? Game over? Run up the mountain to tell them? I'm fine, but big bro...'
As all sorts of thoughts raced through her mind,
Je-gal Min scanned the roster and spoke.
"Eun Ha-seong was around line ninety, I think... Here, ninety-two's nearby. Hoo. Eon Yong-un's group? You coming alone for the slip means you split up, and splitting means the others went for the five-pointer, right?"
"...H-How'd you know?"
"Obvious at a glance. Anyone with a head on their shoulders can infer that much."
At that moment,
Eun Ha-seong inexplicably pictured the grad student assistants under Professor Je-gal Min.
Meanwhile, Je-gal Min spoke again.
"Old Three senior, then Eon Yong-un, Jeong-hyeon. Woo So-ryeong's potential is unclear, but the picture's forming... Hm. Might be the first group since the academy's founding to properly solve the group task."
"...S-So this way works?"
"It does. Not just barely—you nailed the intent. Rescue, aid, cooperation. Forms change yearly, but the spirit's the same, and no one's unpacked it like this."
"!"
"Assuming you bring the five-pointer here... Hm. You'd tie with Seol-ji then. Might even trigger a top-rank showdown for the first time in ages. That Seol-ji kid's gotten too arrogant from her clan. She's met her match this time."