Chapter 48
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Even Fools Triple Up (2)
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The actual journey followed almost exactly the same route as during midterms.
With no axe murderer physically chasing them from behind, the three young men's steps were somewhat leisurely.
But leisurely didn't necessarily mean slow.
"Huff, huff, huuuff."
"Ha, haha, Yongtaek, your, training, is lacking."
"Seems, like it, huff, hahaha."
Inside the academy, the three men had maintained a dignified air, conscious of any women's gazes.
But this was an official road with no one around to watch.
Men have a tendency to act childish when no women are present, when it's just among themselves.
So today's competition.
Ranking by lightness skill.
Geum Sihyeon, who had realized the need for lightness techniques and begged Seo Dohee to teach him a new movement art suited for long distances, leisurely took the lead.
Unhak followed behind using the Beggars' Sect's Whirlwind Body Technique, which he couldn't fully utilize due to his low realm.
Unfortunately, due to the Moyong Family's geographical traits, they preferred riding horses over running outright, so Moyong Taek's breathing grew rougher as the distance increased.
Thus.
"Come on, call me Brother Un."
"Kuh... Damn it..."
Unhak, who had been merely third in rank, shot straight up to second place.
The martial world was such a ruthless, strength-supreme society without mercy or tears.
The road from the roadside plains to Wuchangwon was crossed by the Wei River.
There had originally been a crude pontoon bridge, which they had crossed last time, but for some reason, it had collapsed.
Local residents were crossing via ferries, so if they just asked, they could probably hitch a ride even if shared.
"Hmm... This distance should be enough to cross with Lotus Leaf Walking on Water, right?"
Moyong Taek, who had been grinding his teeth for a while, threw out the idea.
The river before them spanned about 100 zhang plus a bit more.
In modern terms, around 300 meters.
It was a bit far to leap across in one go.
"That's a great idea. Let's do it right now."
To the three idiots high on Peak Realm euphoria, it was plenty to ignite their competitive spirits.
And so.
In preparation for any mishaps, they tossed their bundles to the opposite bank and silently extended fists.
The method to decide order: insect lots.
Primitive rock-paper-scissors, one could say. Extend with index finger slightly bent for snake, raise thumb for frog, lift only pinky for slug.
Snake eats frog, frog eats slug, slug repels snake.
A cycle of predation.
"Ready!"
"Rock!"
"Rock!"
The moment the shout burst out, they focused their inner power, staring intently at each other's arms and fists.
As Moyong Taek's thumb twitched, Unhak's index finger began to slowly extend.
Sensing it instinctively, Geum Sihyeon tensed his pinky, but Unhak quickly relaxed his index and shifted power to his thumb instead.
In the final moment.
"Damn it."
"Heh, you losers."
In the very last instant.
Geum Sihyeon's pinky hovered on the verge of extending, drawing eyes, as he raised his index finger.
Two snakes devoured two frogs.
In the end, the slightly more cunning Moyong Taek toyed with Unhak, finalizing the order: Unhak, Moyong Taek, then Geum Sihyeon.
Along with that, Unhak was demoted back to third for having the weakest inner power.
"Hoo, time to show the true power of a Peak Realm Beggars' Sect successor. Watch closely."
Unhak unwrapped his beggar sack, reeking of foot odor, causing Geum Sihyeon and Moyong Taek to plug their noses and step back.
A crane then elegantly spread its wings toward the river.
One step.
Two steps.
Three steps.
Like water striders skimming, with loud splashes: plop, plop, plop.
"Ooh!"
"Go a bit farther and leap across!"
The two men left on the bank clapped, cheering their friend's ascent.
Unhak, caught up in the moment, had crossed nearly half the river when...
Splash!
"Guh, glub, guuuuh──"
Unhak, whose realm was still too low to defy nature's laws, inevitably floundered in the water.
Laughter roared at his pathetic sight for a moment.
"Unhak suits being the maknae after all. I'll show you how it's done."
Moyong Taek followed, executing his own version of lotus leaf walking as he charged into the river.
Strictly speaking, Moyong Taek's steps were a bit off from true lotus leaf walking.
Just before his foot lightly touched the water.
Cold qi surged from his Yongquan acupoint, slightly freezing the river's surface.
Not quite on his sister Moyong Seol's level.
But he could wield the ice arts passed down from his mother to some degree, making it viable.
Unhak ground his teeth watching Moyong Taek advance calmly, as if walking on land, etching ice with each step.
But.
"Hehey. That's cheating."
The embodiment of fairness, eldest brother Geum Sihyeon, swung his sword, sending a fiery bird slicing along the water's surface.
"No, ack, hoooot, you crazy bastard──!"
The ice supporting Moyong Taek's toes melted away.
Splash!
Geum Sihyeon smirked contentedly at Moyong Taek floundering, then finally charged toward the river himself.
With two failures already.
No need to repeat their path.
Instead of stepping on the water, Geum Sihyeon gathered all his power for a massive leap.
"Heh heh."
"He'll make the grandest splash."
Even as they swam gasping toward the bank, Unhak and Moyong Taek grinned smugly.
No way that leap height and speed would reach the opposite shore.
They chuckled gleefully, planning to mock Geum Sihyeon's flashy plunge.
Whoosh!
As momentum faded mid-fall, Geum Sihyeon reshaped his bow-sword, still gripped in hand, into arrow form.
"No, no, hey, hey, hey!"
"That madman's!"
Unhak forgot even "Brother Geum" in his shock.
But Geum Sihyeon ignored him, firing the fully charged inner force arrow back toward his starting point.
Baaang──!
With a massive sonic boom, the recoil propelled Geum Sihyeon's form to the bank, where he dramatically tumbled several rolls.
It looked pathetic at first glance.
Unfortunately, the two spectators meant to applaud were swept by the waves he created, gleefully enjoying a hearty splash-fest.
A moment later.
Two drowned rats.
One mud-caked stray dog.
They say fools enjoy just seeing each other's faces.
"Still, the beggar emerging from the water doesn't stink of feet anymore. You're cleaner now."
"Brother Taek, using ice arts is pretty lame, isn't it?"
"Yeah, true to Coldwater Taek. But better than blindly crossing without thinking, claiming true lotus leaf walking."
"Says the guy who swung sword qi."
"Rude. Bow qi."
Debating who looked uglier, they changed clothes and resumed their steps.
It was summer.
* * *
Under the great leadership of I, who dominated in birthday, lightness skill, inner power, rank, and handsomeness.
We successfully set foot in Wuchangwon.
"Whoa..."
"What the hell happened here?"
The first thing we spotted was the traces of the bloody battle between Chicken Bro and Troll Bro.
A crater gouged artificially round, like a meteor strike.
The very spot where they'd cluelessly stuck their heads last time.
Troll Bro's domain expansion... no, unique mind-image.
Within the remnants of Martial Arts Return to Basics, the desolate scene remained barren—no plants, no animals, nothing alive.
Made me think how battle-crazed must someone be to make pure 1v1 fisticuffs without inner power their ultimate move.
Passing those devastating environmental scars.
"Huuuh..."
"Impressive swordsmanship too. Perfectly clean slaughter. Probably Sword Demon... senior, right?"
Moyong Taek glanced at me mid-sentence and upgraded the title.
Everyone around me knew where Troll Bro was staying, so it was consideration for me.
I nodded affirmatively.
It was pristine perfection, even to my eyes.
Stockades boasting clean cross-sections, half the mountain camp split by a single sword stroke.
Even after time passed, the lingering blood scent, buildings charred black here and there.
I'd thought it pure trolling till now, but considering he slaughtered other bandits here, Troll Bro had unknowingly helped.
No.
Thinking of him tying up Chicken Bro, it's total troll shit.
This is why people should age gracefully.
"So, where to now?"
"Expand your senses."
"What bullshit."
Possessed by a Shaolin monk good at roundhouse kicks, I closed my eyes and spread Northern Bright Divine Art qi around.
The evenly dispersed qi was suddenly sucked toward one point.
"That way."
The foolish mortals couldn't grasp my confident declaration, sending skeptical looks.
"If wrong, Yongtaek donates all his wealth to you, Hak."
"Brother Geum's magnanimity is unmatched. Heh heh."
"No, bet your own if you're betting, why my money?"
Securing 2:1 speaking rights.
I moved as Northern Bright Divine Art guided.
Soon.
"Shaanxi beggars will owe the Moyong Family a debt!"
"Just gut me instead."
In a natural cave that seemed empty, we discovered a massive stone gate.
Engraved in seal script were the two characters "Northern Sea" as Sword Demon Master had said, Include Hangul in the Nanum Gothic font..
Northern Sea Secret Vault – Shaanxi Province
['More Martial Arts Addition Mode' added treasure vault opportunity. For detailed mod info, check the 'Travelers' Inn' cafe.]
"What kind of writing is that?"
"Feels completely different from Hanja. Ominous aura."
"......"
Too meta to read aloud, I pretended not to see and infused Northern Sea True Qi to fling the stone gate wide open.
Shaanxi Province, huh.
Did other regions have secret vaults too?
Rumble──
Stairs descending underground appeared before us.
We exchanged glances.
The meaning was clear.
Who goes first to take the hit.
If petty pride or light situation, I'd have kicked the lazy maknae's butt in.
"Let this big bro take the lead."
I stepped onto the stairs first.
This was the eldest's fate.
True leader's footwork.
At the end of the deep-descending stairs.
We encountered another stone gate.
No Hangul this time, but unmistakably embossed in seal script: Bewitching Chamber.
No turning back now, so we boldly opened it and entered the room.
A peculiar fragrance filled the not-so-spacious stone chamber.
"──!"
"Poison?"
Tsk tsk.
This is why you don't hang with greenhorns who can't even pick Immunity to All Poisons.
"Doesn't seem like poison."
If poisoned, you'd feel the immune system tingling inside, but no such sensation.
I turned back confidently to declare.
However.
Unhak and Moyong Taek had vanished without a trace.
"Welcome! It's Puupuu!"
The surroundings had shifted to my previous life's faintening memories.
A sushi buffet.
Pure Korean voices flooded my ears.
Freshly grilled steak aroma.
Real-time sashimi slicing sounds.
Even the cool AC breeze.
My sharp insight immediately detected the incongruity.
Given the name Bewitching Chamber.
It showed entrants alluring visions to trap them in illusion.
Admittedly, I'd been craving sushi lately.
And cola.
But my Clear Mirror Still Water, unshaken by any emotional control, wasn't so flimsy to break to this.
"Hmm. Hallucination."
Muttering calmly.
The scene glitched, trying to revert to the stone chamber.
"Hmm. I'll believe it. This is reality."
The scene snapped back to the sushi buffet.
My mouth watered instantly.