Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: The Top Spot from the Eon Family Has Emerged (1)
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Even as he entered the supervisor's barracks feeling like he was plunging into an ice bath, Eun Ha-seong emerged having received something akin to extravagant praise from Je-gal Min.
"As expected of my big bro! Damn, I knew it!!"
In truth, Je-gal Min's praise came with the caveat of having secured the bead.
But that didn't matter.
The Eon Yong-un that Eun Ha-seong knew was a man who got things done when he set his mind to it.
'Big Bro Yong-un could even twist King Yeomra's neck and snatch the bead right out of his hands.'
On his way back, he had even seen fireworks shooting into the sky.
Judging by the position, it was clearly a signal that someone had acquired the five-point bead, and Eun Ha-seong had no doubt that the one who pulled it off was Eon Yong-un.
So, as long as there were no procedural issues, it was all good—and that had just been confirmed.
With that, Eun Ha-seong's icy mood fully shifted to a hot bath.
'Bro Yong-un has racked up fourteen points so far. Adding these new five makes... a whopping nineteen?!'
Top rank.
This was top-rank territory.
Jeong Hyeon also had nineteen, but in case of a tie, the one who had served as squad leader ranked higher.
Anyway.
Whatever.
How much time had passed as Eun Ha-seong lounged in his hot-bath bliss, lost in such thoughts?
"The verification slip from the medic checks out. So the bead you got from the key point is worth three points?"
"Yes. That's right!"
"Both are indeed the ones prepared by the gatekeepers for this cohort's exam. Squad thirty. Passed."
"Th-thank you!"
Starting with squads that snagged low-point beads from relatively low-altitude spots, those who completed their tasks began trickling back to the main base, where the finish line was marked.
"No need to thank me. You've just cleared this gate—it doesn't mean you've passed overall. Don't celebrate too soon. Here's your exam slip with the verification stamp. Take it to the teaching assistant managing the blackboard on the central platform over there, and they'll record your ranking. Only if your name doesn't get pushed off that stone slab will you truly be a passer."
"Yes, sir!"
Staring at the large blackboard on the platform in the academy square, they each muttered something.
"Ha. We somehow made it through this hellish gate, but now I'm worried about pass or fail. Exactly ten points... damn, wonder if this scrapes by."
"Don't worry too much. Who could've known this cohort's exam would be this brutal?! This is historic-level surprise difficulty. Keep the faith."
"By the way, what were those fireworks?"
"No fireworks anywhere else, right? Gotta be the signal that someone nabbed the five-pointer. The position matches where the five-point bead was on the map, and there's only one of those, so it lines up."
"Makes sense. But who got it...?"
"Je-gal Seol-ji, no doubt? I snuck a peek at her squad members: Cheon Jang-ho, the most promising young beggar from the Beggar Clan; Tang Ok-gi from the Sichuan Tang Family; and Eon Yong-myeong from the Pearl Eon Family. That lineup could definitely snag a five-pointer. What do you think?"
"That tracks. But the examinee stirring up the most buzz this cohort has to be Eon Yong-un, right?"
"True, but he couldn't have pulled it off this time. A guy kicked out of his own family beating Je-gal House's golden child? Nah. And his squadmates are on a whole other level. It's a team task, strictly speaking. We tried it ourselves—no way one hotshot carries the team."
Eun Ha-seong smirked as he overheard them.
'Our squad was the only one that split up to hit the medic—that's what made it possible. What nonsense.'
Bro Yong-un and Instructor Jeong Hyeon had said splitting up was the only way to reach the five-pointer in time.
'Oh yeah, that guy's here too. Four points would tie him with Bro Yong-un at nineteen.'
That was why Professor Je-gal Min had mentioned some top-rank showdown.
'Hmph. Bro Yong-un could take on Je-gal Seol-ji's grandpa if he showed up?!'
Je-gal Seol-ji's grandfather was the former Grand Marshal of the Martial Alliance, now a murim elder advising various organizations—a true titan of the white path.
It was borderline blasphemous, but Eun Ha-seong didn't care enough about that to hold back his thoughts.
Right then.
"Th-there's Je-gal Seol-ji."
"Dude, too loud! Someone with no ties to Je-gal House!"
Whether they were gentlemen or not, Je-gal Seol-ji's squad arrived at the main base.
And one of the members spotted Eun Ha-seong and waved.
"Eun, young hero?!"
"Oh! Bro Yong-myeong?!"
Thus, the two Eon brothers met.
Both had questions for each other, but Eon Yong-myeong spoke first.
"Ah, these are my squadmates. Squad leader Je-gal Seol-ji here, Tang Ok-gi over there, and this is my buddy Cheon Jang-ho."
The old Eun Ha-seong would've made Eon Yong-myeong introduce him too, but thanks to Eon Yong-un drilling manners into him?
His hands automatically formed a fist salute.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm..."
But before Eun Ha-seong could finish, a woman who seemed more arrogant than aloof cut in.
"I know. You're Ha-seong, right? The second son of the Silver Radiance Merchant Group?"
"...Yeah. You know me?"
"A little. Seeing you alone, looks like you split your squad? Then the ones who challenged the five-pointer must've been Lord Yong-un's team?"
Thanks to Je-gal Seol-ji's words, Eun Ha-seong confirmed without asking Eon Yong-myeong directly that this squad had gone for a lower-point bead.
But he didn't sigh in relief.
No, he swallowed dryly, wondering how to respond to her question.
"...Yeah."
"Hmm. Even if the net seemed looser than a standard Heaven's Snare, those blinded by greed cross the line with no regard for consequences. So they really went for it."
But it didn't seem like she was actually asking.
Gulp.
Eun Ha-seong swallowed again.
He sometimes felt a massive wall when facing Eon Yong-un, and this woman gave off a similar vibe.
The difference? Eon Yong-un's was a wall of fire.
"This just got interesting."
Hers was ice.
Maybe that's why.
Eun Ha-seong's hot-bath mood, sustained since leaving Je-gal Min's barracks, plunged back into the ice bath.
The examinees gunning for the five-point bead we snagged weren't pushovers by any means.
Clang!!
For starters.
Making it to the final gate already marked them as having some real skill.
Having secured their own beads, they were fishing for easy gains with sharp coordinated strikes.
Ching!!
Clang clang!!
An average guy would've brushed off the fireworks as random, but they pieced it together from the flare and the map's key points—brains to deduce a squad had claimed the five-pointer.
But they overlooked the crucial bits.
First: I'm not that generous.
'Called 'em Huwon-pae, Hoseo-pae, whatever. Can't go killing during the entrance exam.'
Twist the sword to strike with the flat, not the edge.
'Opening!'
So, the question.
Where does a flat-of-the-blade strike hit hardest?!
Whoooosh!!
Correct.
The crown of the head.
Thwack!!!
"Guh?!"
"H-Hwangbo bro?!?"
"Whew. You seriously worried about Bo-joon right now?! Tan-mok... wait, what's your name again?"
"It's Tan-mok Won, sir."
"Right, Won. You worried about Bo-joon right now?"
"N-no, sir."
"Thought so?"
"...Yes. Um. Could you maybe send us back now? If the great hero—no, young hero Eon shows just one more bit of mercy..."
"Nah. No take-backs. Not swapping. No way you're going anywhere."
"......"
"So keep your head still!!!"
Thwack!
"I! Hey?! Gave you two chances already!!!!"
Thwack!!
"Wait, no! I even said I'd let the last wrong turn slide?! That's three?! Damn, one more—no, six more! Head! Shoulder! Knee! Foot! Knee! Fooooot!!!"
Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!
Thwack! Crack!!!
Second: Jeong Hyeon's skill.
Ching!
Clang!
Clang clang clang!!
"Wh-what swordsmanship has zero openings?! Squad leader! I can't handle this alone!"
"You think I'm having fun?! Hwangbo Joon and Tan-mok Won just got turned into dough over here! Deal with your side! Quit yapping and focus!"
And finally, the true value of Woo So-reung, whom they most underestimated.
"Hwangbo Joon's squad—their bead was with Ha Yu-kyeong carrying the patient. Here you go, bro Eon."
Ching! Clang clang clang!!!
"Mm. Busy, huh?! I'll tuck it in that pouch on your belt?"
"...Can you even do that?"
"Slipping it in unnoticed is tricky, but no need here—just dodge bro's feet and it's easy. I watched you make that Shadow Phantom Heaven Step thing up close."
Clang clang clang!!
"Anyway, stashing this and grabbing more?"
"Yeah! Do it! Die—no, can't kill! Hold back!"
Thwack!!
Master was even impressed by Woo So-reung's display.
-That's theft elevated to an art form.
Anyway.
While Jeong Hyeon and I held the flanks, how long had it been since Woo So-reung, like a mother bird fetching food, stuffed bead after bead into my belt pouch?
Clink-
The pouch was so full that beads clinked with every step, my waist growing heavy.
But two minor issues cropped up.
-You've barely taken steps toward base, yet their numbers keep growing.
One: The blockers were multiplying.
"Hey, ponytail!"
"What, baldy?!"
"Team up! That scoundrel's thief stole our squad's original bead! Yours too, right?"
"Damn straight! When?!"
"Snag that pouch on the bastard's belt and we pick ours! We came for the five-pointer but can't even break even now—priority is reclaiming ours. Team up!"
"Logical. Just this once!"
"Temporary alliance!"
Two: Unlike the initial standoffs among the Demonic Faction groups, with beads piling up on our side, they were starting to link up.
-They're even banding together? Disciple. This okay?
'Fine. I expected it.'
-You foresaw this?
'More like I intended it.'
But it was worth it.
-Intended, not just foresaw?
'Why do you think they started linking up, Master?'
-Dunno? Realized the power gap deep down?
'Spot on. Plus, their insurance—their fallback beads got swiped.'
-And?
'So if I toss a few beads into their midst, you think they'll charge us, knowing the gap? Or fight each other?'
-Two tigers fighting over food! No, multi-tiger brawl in this case! Pitting many tigers against prey!
Thought process complete.
I curled my lip, pulled three beads from my pouch, flashed them at the Demonic Faction rabble, and spoke.
"Hey, you third-world rejects!"
"Third-world? What's that?!"
"What they call losers like you who butt in line. Anyway, not important—see these beads?!"
"!"
"?!"
"Jackpot. One squad's too heartless, two looks stingy—saving exactly three squads. But anyone charging from now on? I'll turn 'em to mincemeat for real. Wanna test this infamous Hebei scoundrel's temper? Step right up."
With that, I hurled the beads vigorously in three directions.
Then gripped Regret tighter and issued new orders to Jeong Hyeon and Woo So-reung.
"Jeong Hyeon! So-reung! Stick behind me! Heading to base!"