Chapter 121
Chapter 121
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 121
Chapter Title: Desperate Survival
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"Those cadets who win in their sparring matches with opponents, make sure to keep the handkerchiefs safe. If I take your handkerchief, the test ends for you right there. And if one full hour passes without you getting caught, the test will also end. At that point, the number of handkerchiefs each cadet has will be their achievement score. The one who ends up with the most handkerchiefs will immediately be granted the position of Azure Dragon among the Little Five Dragons."
So, the one who collects the most handkerchiefs gets the highest score.
And if they take first place, they'll leap straight to Little Five Dragons status, right after the Golden Dragon.
Han Ibi could see the young men's eyes darting around busily here and there.
Heo Son-dam spoke up.
"Those who lose their handkerchiefs or get injured should return here to the pine grove and rest."
At that moment, Mo Yong-cheon of the Mo Yong Clan asked,
"What if a loser refuses to accept defeat?"
Heo Son-dam replied,
"There will be watchful eyes monitoring from hidden spots. Even if you evade them, if any such attempt is discovered, the Demonic Cult will disqualify not only the offender but their entire sect. Of course, that sect's leader wouldn't be too pleased."
The young men exchanged glances and murmured among themselves. Just then, Joo Geum-ryeong of the Mount Hua Sect raised his hand.
"But how will we know when the test has begun?"
At that instant, a resounding ppoooong echoed out.
The cadets jumped in surprise and turned around.
One of the staff members was blowing into a massive horn.
Heo Son-dam said,
"We'll signal with this horn. Once you hear it, you're free to move. As I said before, what you do after that is entirely up to you. Good luck to you all."
Han Ibi scanned his surroundings as he hurried along.
They had set off in groups of five or six, but one by one they had scattered, leaving him alone at last.
His destination was a low hill within Demon Slaughter Island.
In this place, it could almost pass for high ground.
His intention was simple.
To first get a sense of the island's overall terrain.
Whether to conserve energy or not, no other cadets were approaching the hilltop except for him.
Once he reached the summit, Han Ibi caught his breath and looked down below.
'Design Analysis activated.'
He opened the Machine Gun Compendium's 'Design Analysis' function.
And through it, he began examining the island's rough topography.
The east side was the sandy beach where he had just started from.
The west was the hilly terrain where he now stood.
From the south up to the central upper area lay dense forest, while the northern fringes formed marshlands.
Han Ibi thought to himself,
'Good. Now I get the lay of the land. Hmm. If I were the Demonic Cult Leader... or rather, if I were Heo Son-dam, where would be the most rational hiding spot? Finding that hideout must be part of the test too... But for now, initial survival comes first. At the start, there'll definitely be cadets clashing with each other. That's why they made the handkerchief rule.'
Han Ibi chuckled to himself and thought some more.
'These devious bastards... probably laughing inside about how fun this is.'
That was when it happened.
Ppoooong!
The grand horn blast echoed across the island.
The test had finally begun.
Han Ibi couldn't help but tense up.
He decided for now not to move recklessly and to observe the situation.
But already, from afar, the clash of weapons rang out.
Han Ibi muttered,
"Already started, huh. Kids these days act faster than they think."
Ignoring the noise, Han Ibi sketched out a rough plan.
'So, to snag the Little Five Dragons position in one go from here, there are two main paths. First, find Heo Son-dam playing the cult leader and take his handkerchief. Second, hunt down the cadets and steal as many of theirs as possible.'
Han Ibi pondered briefly, then thought again.
'The two approaches differ greatly in execution. Which is better...'
To complete the system mission, he'd need to pick one and commit to it.
Han Ibi thought further,
'Hunting cadets might be easier than finding Heo Son-dam. But dealing with them one by one... and if I run into a voluntary alliance, that'll be a real hassle. Hmm... tough call.'
A groan escaped his lips unwittingly: "Nngh."
After racking his brains for a bit, Han Ibi said,
"Screw it. What's the point of overthinking? If I run into anyone, I'll just smash 'em. For now, let's hunt for the cult leader."
Of course, he'd have to do it as stealthily as possible.
Han Ibi looked down at the base of the hill once more, committing the island's terrain to memory, then started descending.
His steps were exceedingly cautious.
He couldn't rule out the possibility of cadets lying in ambush.
For now, he headed toward the deep thickets in the island's center.
Places good for hiding seemed safer.
About fifteen minutes passed.
Suddenly, a voice came from ahead.
"Amitabha. Please forgive me, benefactor."
Han Ibi focused his vision and saw, to his surprise, Hye-jeong of Shaolin Temple—the monk who lived such an upright life he could rival Jong Ri-hyeok.
He recognized the opponent's face too.
It was Guk In-rang of the Jeomchang Sect.
From the looks of it, Guk In-rang had ambushed Shaolin's Hye-jeong.
And Hye-jeong had just counterattacked.
Spotting Han Ibi who had appeared out of nowhere, Guk In-rang said,
"Hey, Jong young hero. Let's team up."
Han Ibi scratched his chin and replied,
"Why should I?"
Guk In-rang looked a bit flustered.
"Why? What do you mean why..."
"You two keep going. I'll just watch. I won't interfere."
With that, he plopped down on the ground.
Seeing this, Hye-jeong tapped his staff on the ground and said,
"Amitabha. A wise choice. There's no reason for us to harm each other from the start."
Guk In-rang nodded in agreement, lowering his blade and slowly approaching.
But!
Suddenly, Guk In-rang twisted his body, spun at the waist, and thrust out his fingers sharply.
He was aiming for another ambush to snatch Hye-jeong's handkerchief.
Hye-jeong seemed completely at ease now, having let his guard down.
Han Ibi clicked his tongue.
Did nice guys really finish last?
That was when it happened.
Just as Guk In-rang's hand was about to rip away Hye-jeong's handkerchief.
Hye-jeong muttered as if chanting a sutra and shifted one step to the left.
Guk In-rang's hand grasped at empty air.
Hye-jeong subtly readjusted his footing.
He spun gracefully, closing into Guk In-rang's range.
His movements were soft, yet they crashed like raging waves.
Guk In-rang's face twisted in panic.
But Hye-jeong was already extending swift, gentle hands.
The target: the handkerchief around Guk In-rang's neck.
A flawless maneuver.
Guk In-rang's eyes bulged in shock as he tried to retreat...
But Hye-jeong glided after him like a ghost.
Han Ibi's eyes widened.
Yes.
In no time, Hye-jeong held Guk In-rang's torn handkerchief.
The lack of injury suggested it was made of very soft material, designed not to harm when yanked from the neck.
Guk In-rang's face flushed red as he huffed in anger.
"Amitabha. Benefactor, please be magnanimous."
'Not bad! As expected of Shaolin.'
Han Ibi was impressed.
Hye-jeong looked like a frail young monk on the surface...
But the skill hidden beneath proved why he had been summoned by the Martial Alliance.
Then Han Ibi said to Guk In-rang,
"Whoa, what a shame. It was over in a split second."
He stretched out his fingers, pointing somewhere.
Guk In-rang, still fuming, looked at Han Ibi quizzically.
"What?"
Han Ibi smiled faintly and said,
"Just in case you didn't know—the pine grove to the east is that way."
Guk In-rang's face turned beet red in bewilderment.
"What did you say, you punk?!"
Han Ibi backed away, waving his hands.
"Whoa, I was just trying to help a fellow Sichuan native. If I've offended you, I apologize."
Yes.
The Jeomchang Sect, which had usurped the Qingcheng Sect's status in the martial world, had always been a bit arrogant.
These guys needed to learn some manners.
Guk In-rang bellowed and raised his sword high.
Han Ibi said,
"Heh heh. Careful, or you'll get disqualified. Even if you've lost, you should watch yourself."
Guk In-rang snapped to his senses, thumped his chest a few times, then trudged off in the direction Han Ibi had pointed.
"You punk. I'll remember this. We'll meet again in Sichuan."
Han Ibi clasped his hands in a fist salute.
"Thank you. Guk young hero. See you then."
No one who says "let's meet later" isn't scary.
Guk In-rang calmed his boiling rage and headed down the mountain.
Now only Han Ibi and Hye-jeong remained.
An awkward silence fell.
Hye-jeong spoke first.
"Benefactor."
Han Ibi shook his head.
"Can you drop the 'benefactor' bit? We're not that far apart in age."
"Shaolin etiquette is famously strict."
"Cut that out. I share a room with Monk Hye-on. He's light-years from proper etiquette."
Hye-jeong scratched his bald head, at a loss for words.
"Jong young hero..."
He had switched from "benefactor" to "young hero."
"...what will you do now?"
Han Ibi said,
"Do about what?"
"Shall we have a go, Jong young hero?"
"Here?"
"Yes."
"Are you crazy? It's early in the test. Fighting now just helps others. We might clash someday, but until then, better to team up."
"I agree."
"Let's focus on finding the Demonic Cult Leader first."
"I'll go with you, young hero."
"So we're in a temporary alliance? Right?"
"Well... yes."
"Good. Let's move."
The two proceeded slowly, staying vigilant.
For the time being, nothing happened.
Only the chirping of mountain birds filled the air idly.
Han Ibi muttered,
"It's too quiet. Feels off."
That was when it happened.
A rustling erupted from the bushes ahead.
Someone... someone was rushing toward them.
Hye-jeong kept his guard up, raising his staff to chest level.
Han Ibi spotted the figure and grimaced.
"Monk, let's head somewhere else. Quick."
The rapidly approaching person saw Han Ibi and shouted loudly,
"Jong young hero! Jong young hero!"
Yes.
It was none other than Wang Cheong-rin of the Emei Sect.
Han Ibi glanced at the sky and muttered,
"Damn it. What kind of bad karma is this? Why her again..."
Hye-jeong eyed him curiously.
Han Ibi sighed deeply.
"Trouble's coming for sure."
(To be continued in the next installment)