Chapter 190
Chapter 190
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Translator: penny
Chapter Title: Altar of Flames (1)
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“Atchoo!”
Chu Un-hwi, who had been pressing forward, let out a sneeze.
“Who's cursing me...?”
“There are plenty of people here who'd curse you out.”
“Who could possibly curse a kind, handsome guy like me?”
Moyong Ju, his clothes soaked through like he'd fallen in water from sweating so much, let out a pitiful whine.
“Don't you ever get tired? Why are we moving again in the middle of the night?”
“Because it feels fishy.”
“And you're making us old folks work nonstop just for that?”
Baek Ri-seon-ho, following behind with a dazed expression, chimed in.
“We'll collapse from exhaustion before we even fight the enemy. Is there really something there?”
“It's like... I have a feeling there might be something.”
“This guy's insane.”
The group ground their teeth at the response.
At some point, they had veered off the road and were pushing through sparsely populated areas without rest.
The fact that they were trudging through waist-high grass and rugged mountains just for that vague reason was infuriating.
Is he trying to mess with us?
It was enough to make them think that.
Having run nonstop for two days without rest, even iron men would be collapsing.
Everyone except that monster over there.
In the end, Nangong Il-jun intervened, casting aside his pride.
“Are you sure the trail really leads all the way here?”
“I have a feeling it does.”
“Not even wild beasts would take a treacherous path like this, let alone people.”
He tried to grab onto any excuse to force a rest, but it wasn't easy.
“Oh? Looks like...”
The one guy who was still full of energy suddenly dashed off.
“W-Wait!”
“Does the temporary instructor never get tired?”
“Can't show weakness in front of a master.”
They dragged their heavy, waterlogged bodies to follow.
Before long, they spotted Chu Un-hwi kneeling on one knee ahead.
“There you are.”
Everyone was shocked by what he held up.
Pinched between his fingers was a torn scrap of cloth. The familiar color marked it as coming from a student's uniform.
My god.
But what astonished them more was his eyesight in spotting just that cloth scrap in this vast wilderness.
Does this guy have a dog's nose or what?
He's skilled in tracking, but finding such a tiny trace so casually should be impossible.
I can't fathom how he does it.
Amid their stunned gazes, Chu Un-hwi fiddled with the dirt and revealed an even grimmer fact.
“There aren't just one or two traces.”
At least twenty—no.
“At least thirty, I'd say.”
He pointed with his finger toward one direction and added,
“Once we cross that, we'll run into them soon.”
Looking at the sheer cliff of a stone mountain, the group's faces darkened with despair.
***
Having finally crested the stone mountain, the group discovered a small outpost cleverly hidden at the base of a deep cliff in the range.
There, they found the students they had been desperately searching for.
The problem was that the outpost held more than just the missing students.
In the end, they quickly descended the mountain and informed the senior instructors who had caught up.
“I can't fathom why they're holding the kids captive.”
“It's fortunate the students are unharmed, but the enemy's defenses are tight. Rescuing them won't be easy.”
It was no ordinary outpost, judging by the Heavenly Net Society's setup.
They had erected wooden palisades in a secluded spot and even built watchtowers.
At a glance, it resembled not a martial artist's camp, but a small fortress.
“They've stacked three altars, and atop the platform sits a golden statue modeled after the sun.”
“It looks like they're plotting something.”
What were they plotting?
The answer came from Wang U, who had been listening wearily from the side.
“Seems you've all forgotten. Remember where the Beggar Elder found the Blood Dew Stone.”
“You don't mean... human sacrifice?”
“Are you saying they're planning to offer the students as living sacrifices?”
Wang U nodded at Baek Ri-seon-ho's question.
“That's what I think.”
“...These fiends.”
No one present was ignorant of the Blood Dew Stone.
However, some of the high-level experts from the Administrative Division who had followed raised questions.
“Elder Wang. What is this Blood Dew Stone?”
“Ah, you wouldn't know.”
Wang U gave a brief explanation of the Blood Dew Stone to the old experts of the Administrative Division, led by So Yang-gun.
“Such a heinous act...”
Everyone was at a loss for words.
“The real problem starts now. Knowing their viciousness, we must punish them, but no clear plan comes to mind.”
At a glance, their numbers exceeded a hundred easily.
On this side, there were barely a dozen.
Excluding Nangong Il-jun, the two from the Thousand White Swords Division, Moyong Ju, and Baek Ri-seon-ho, they couldn't claim overwhelming superiority.
“The enemy uses a bizarre technique called Fierce Sun Finger Gong.”
“And they have the advantage in numbers and terrain.”
“A frontal clash has no chance of victory.”
“One hand can't fend off ten.”
Nangong Il-jun's heart ached as he listened. Knowing Nangong Yong-ho was inside, he couldn't just sit idle.
“How about sending word for reinforcements?”
“That's the only way. But...”
Even if they somehow mustered equal forces, the enemy held hostages.
In the worst case, if they used the students as shields, even bolstered forces could be manipulated.
No matter the scenario, it was like eggs striking a rock.
“It's hopeless...”
As everyone fretted,
“Let's think differently.”
Chu Un-hwi spoke up.
Moyong Ju swallowed his subtle anticipation and lit up his eyes.
“How so?”
“Suppose there's an instructor whose performance review is hanging by a thread.”
“...I know your reviews are always dismal, but do you have to bring it up now?”
Chu Un-hwi chuckled playfully at Jang Cheol-sim's rebuke.
“It's just an example to make it easy to understand. An example.”
Waving it off shamelessly, Chu Un-hwi wrote “Worst Performance Review” on the dirt ground.
“He wants a promotion, but his review is a mess.”
“You?”
“Example, example.”
He then wrote “Bonus Points in Spades” on the ground and continued.
“On his way home feeling down, he stops to buy snacks for a pretty lady, only to realize he has no money.”
“Not your story. You have no money and no ladies.”
“The key part is those ‘bonus points in spades.’”
Undeterred by the jabs, Chu Un-hwi counter-questioned.
“That's exactly their situation.”
Moyong Ju thumped his chest at the tantalizingly elusive idea.
“This old man's about to keel over. Spit it out already.”
“What they want is sacrifices. Enough to raid the Nangong Family and students—a reckless gamble.”
“True. It was pretty dangerous thanks to that.”
“But they failed, didn't they?”
Huh?
Everyone exchanged glances, murmuring as realization dawned.
“Indeed. Most students managed to escape.”
“We warned the other instructors and avoided combat as much as possible.”
“Right. If they wanted a large-scale sacrifice, this must be a painful setback for them.”
In a stunning reversal, the instructors had massacred the enemy fiends, remained unscathed, and continued flawless rescues.
It was certain their plans hadn't gone as intended.
“But isn't that just speculation?”
“If preparations were perfect, they could've stirred up a bloodbath anytime. Hiding here wasting time means something went wrong.”
“That makes sense.”
Snap.
Chu Un-hwi broke a twig and asked back.
“Doesn't matter if not. The point is how they react to bonus points.”
Bonus points...?
Murmurs leaked from the Administrative Division experts.
Using the half-broken twig, Chu Un-hwi wrote “Students = Bonus Points” on the ground.
“Are you sane? Use the students as bait?”
“Not bait—tools.”
“Isn't that the same thing!”
“No, it's different.”
Bait just gets eaten and that's it.
“But a tool, used right, becomes a sharp blade.”
“Ah!”
People finally exclaimed in understanding.
“...True. We only thought of rescuing the captured students, not fighting alongside them.”
“We saw them as just kids.”
“If it goes to plan, they'll be a huge help.”
The mood was shifting toward agreement.
Recognition flickered in their gazes.
He's got a knack for strategy too?
Who'd believe this guy's from a rural sect?
The Lucky Supreme Sword isn't just some joke.
In the end, with everyone impressed, the decision came quickly.
“Very well. We'll follow your lead.”
“It's risky, but done right, we can minimize casualties.”
“Haven't had a nail-biter like this in ages...”
As consensus formed, Wang U promptly shared good news.
“Heh, luck is on our side.”
He had stepped away briefly and returned holding a messenger pigeon.
“My disciple is coming here with Squad Leader Ma Gil-sang.”
“The Flame Light Blade Demon!”
“With the One-Eyed Divine Sword, it's a sure win.”
The news sealed the decision, and Jang Cheol-sim quickly followed up.
“I'll contact nearby instructors and students for swift reinforcements.”
Now was the time for vengeance.
***
The operation began at dawn the next day.
As everyone prepared for battle, Wang U moved first.
“I'll get ready ahead.”
“We'll hold the line together.”
As Wang U and the Thousand White Swords Division moved out,
“...Fighting while babysitting kids will be tough. Doesn't the Nangong Family have some secret weapon?”
“...How did you know?”
“Found some interesting traces by a White Swords member's corpse yesterday.”
“...Can't win against you.”
Nangong Il-jun raised both hands in surrender.
“You're right. In the worst case, we have a way to annihilate the enemy.”
He hesitated briefly, then pulled a black cylinder from his bosom.
“It's called the Storm Rain Flower Needles, made by the Sichuan Tang Clan. Pull the string, and it explodes, firing a hundred feathered needles to slaughter foes.”
“You managed to get your hands on this.”
“For a Nangong Family elder, it's difficult but not impossible.”
Chu Un-hwi's gaze turned to the other two.
In the end, Moyong Ju and Baek Ri-seon-ho also revealed their hidden items.
“Ugh. You're stripping us down to our underwear.”
“If you weren't an instructor, you'd be a notorious con artist.”
Even they had to produce their secret explosives and hidden weapons.
“Quit whining. I'll bring out my secret weapon too.”
Chu Un-hwi, deftly organizing the situation, pulled out a small vial.
“What's this?”
“A drug that causes just enough abdominal pain to knock you out.”
“Poison? Where'd you get this?”
“Unlike some, I'm on a tight budget.”
Made it casually on the way.
“You made it en route?”
“Even rural sect guys are useful, huh?”
Gathering toxic herbs and brewing poison while barely keeping up on the run.
His foresight for the future was impressive, but the ingenuity of his backup plan was beyond mortal.
“Before they ignite their flames, they'll have to put out the fire in their asses first.”
Nangong Il-jun thought as he watched the grinning face.
I must never make an enemy of this guy.