Chapter 83
‘...All of them are at least Marquis-level. But three of them? And not just one or two?’
Ampon tried to hide the flicker of panic in his eyes, but in that split second, the impossible scene left a tiny crack. The quick-witted Dongwang caught it instantly and curled his lip with a sly, contemptuous smile. He could laugh at Blanser’s overwhelming power against the boy, but the gap between Marquis and Count was something words couldn’t bridge. Count was the strongest in a single region; Marquis was national power. There weren’t enough Marches to fill a kingdom, yet somehow three new faces had appeared out of nowhere. Even after thinking it over, it still made no sense. ‘So it’s completely absurd.’
‘The sudden appearance of three new players is already impossible. The position of each Marquis affects the entire continent, and now they’re showing up like this.’
“Hey, you guys aren’t planning to….”
The three of them looked nothing like humans. Or rather, they looked like they shouldn’t exist at all.
“Heh, I never imagined I’d see the yokai I only read about in books with my own eyes. One of the four kingdoms that guard the continent—have they been colluding with the yokai all along? No, you mean they’ve been eaten alive?”
“Collude? You’d say ‘cooperate’ if you wanted to be polite. …Well, that’s not important. So what exactly are you planning to do now?”
The brief panic faded, and Ampon returned to his arrogant stance. “You’ve shown me your hand. So give me a clear answer.”
“I don’t like it, but I once belonged to the Seven Pillars that protect the continent. I can’t join hands with yokai.”
‘I’ll accept it anyway, so why are you being such a cunning bastard…’
Crack.
Dongwang secretly gritted his teeth while trying to read Ampon’s mood. “You sound like you’re refusing… Since you’ve seen this, we can’t just let it go.”
“Hey, can you handle that?”
Ampon, who usually acted so smooth and relaxed, took the words as a challenge and instantly hardened his expression. A deep, guttural sound rose from his chest. “Kooo…”
Dongwang felt his entire body crushed by an invisible pressure and let out a groan, but the three yokai behind him showed no reaction. “Hey, you crossed the line. I’m not your subordinate just because I’m a knight commander.”
“Enough.”
Just as Dongwang’s face paled, one of the mysterious yokai spoke in his place. “We know how strong you are. But if you turn all of us into enemies here, you won’t be safe either. It would be better to stop here.”
“Huh? So you three are going to take me down? You’d need to rush all the outsiders outside at once?”
“We’ll definitely die, but you won’t leave this place alive either.”
“That makes sense… Then let’s stop here.”
Ampon stepped back from the argument and withdrew the pressure. Dongwang felt the crushing weight vanish like a lie. “Huu…”
“No injuries? And from now on, keep your guard up.”
“…Understood.”
Dongwang let out a deep sigh and answered reluctantly. “So what exactly should I do? Our King-nim?”
“Would accepting my proposal be acceptable?”
“If you can get me what I want, I’ll cooperate first.”
Ampon crossed one leg over the other, lounged on the sofa, and grinned. “Those idiots are heading to the Danju Selection tomorrow. It’s held in the small city of Hwabaek, a little away from the capital… You can ambush them on the way back after the first test.”
As Dongwang finished, Ampon unfolded his legs and leaned forward. He spoke in a small voice so no one outside could hear. “Grabbing those brats and killing a few isn’t a big deal—one of you could handle it. But the real issue is the Seven Pillars. They look like real powers, but out of pity I’ll warn you.”
“…”
“The moment you ambush them tomorrow—before they even make a move—the Seven Pillars will feel the anomaly. While I deal with that clan, you’ll have to stall them.”
At the mention of the Seven Pillars, the three yokai’s shoulders twitched. Their pupils flickered like ripples on a still lake as they exchanged quick glances. “…Which of the Seven Pillars should we stop?”
One asked in a lowered voice. “Probably the Windslayer and the Frozen one?”
“Two Seven Pillars? You want us to die?”
“Three of us can match a Duke. It’s not about killing—just holding them for a moment. What’s the problem?”
Ampon dismissed it casually, but the yokai seethed. “Stopping two Seven Pillars with our current strength is impossible.”
Another yokai continued. “The fact that the Seven Pillars aren’t ordinary humans is drilled into us.”
“Hah, ordinary humans? You yokai would do?”
Ampon sneered and narrowed his eyes. “The Seven Pillars… Each of them is a monster wearing a human mask. Embarrassing, but true. We can’t handle them.”
“Fine. Just catch one and let me handle the rest. I’ll deal with the others myself.”
Ampon waved his hand dismissively. “Details can wait until tomorrow.”
He left first, mouth open in a lazy yawn. “Such arrogant bastards…”
Dongwang’s forehead veins bulged as he glared at Ampon’s retreating back. * * *
“Ugh. I ate too much yesterday and still feel bloated. Don’t you?”
Teraden swept his chest and belched repeatedly, then turned to look at the others. “Bloating…? Um, what?”
“…Never mind. Let’s skip it.”
Blanser looked confused, and Teraden turned away. After three days of rest, we arrived at Hwabaek in the best condition for the Danju Selection. The city wasn’t far from the capital, but it had far fewer people than expected. Only a few oddly shaped buildings stood alone, while most residents had been mobilized for the selection. They volunteered as guides and led us to the first gate building with the directional signs. “Present your name and identification. You’ll each receive a number. Outsiders are not allowed inside.”
At the entrance, a guide handed out mysterious number slips. The holders followed the direction into the large building with the pointed roof. “I’ll wait here until the test ends.”
“Thank you for accompanying us, Jubern-nim.” After the short greeting, I received my slip and entered the open door. The atmosphere was completely different. The space itself seemed heavier because of the intense auras of the participants. Only silence lingered. Qualification for the Danju Selection came from enrollment at a recognized academy like the National Academy, recommendation from a famous person, or comparable achievements. Especially the sharp gazes from the surroundings made my skin tingle and my breath catch. Our identities were already attracting attention. “You’re here too. With your skills, you’d easily pass the document screening.”
Hyeondo, the top-ranked in our class, and the second-ranked Bigbang stepped forward. It had been a long time since we met after submitting the selection forms last time. “Huh? Where’s the third one? You always showed up in threes.”
“Ah, you mean Lakrang. Unfortunately, she failed the document screening. Among the hundreds who applied from the National Academy, only a little over ten passed this time.”
“Ten? Adding everyone here makes seven, so who are the other two?”
“I know two, but I don’t know the other two either. They started, so we’ll talk later.”
Hyeondo gestured to the seven people on the platform that looked like Jubern’s peers. Their auras were extraordinary—definitely the Six Danjus who would examine us at the first gate. “Heh, it’s finally starting. I almost gave up waiting.”
One Danju stretched and chuckled as he scanned the applicants below. “Calm down a bit… Six Danju Paygal. This isn’t the time. And take your hands out of your pockets. You look arrogant…”
“No! Arrogant? That’s too harsh. Six Danju Cheongseol.”
A small-statured woman next to him tried to stop him. “Six Danju Man-gô. Just follow orders… You’re not listening again?”
“Ugh, I know, so stop nagging… Ah, don’t steal my food.”
Unlike the others, two large men started a petty quarrel over food they’d brought. “Uwaaa…”
Cling clang! Cling clang!
In one corner, a Danju in flowing robes twirled in place, shaking a beaded staff wildly. “Wow, he’s handsome.”
The final Danju, a woman floating in mid-air, approached closely and stared straight into my face. The seven Danjus on the platform exuded confidence and had unique, eccentric personalities. “Everyone quiet.”
“……”
The group’s chatter grew loud, but one Danju who had never spoken before circled them and silenced the others with a calm presence. He stepped forward calmly. “Hello. Before we begin, I would like to thank all those who applied for the Danju Selection. I am Six Danju Ren Eper, in charge of the first gate examination.”
One of the Seven Pillars—Ren Lan’s younger brother. Ren Eper scanned the crowd with sharp eyes.