Chapter 156
Chapter 156
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 156
Chapter Title: A Rude Awakening
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“He’s amazing.”
“Tell me about it.”
Squatting by the water's edge, Wang Cheon and Ju Seung wore deep frowns on their faces.
It had already been two days since they’d stopped by the river.
In all that time, the bandit chief hadn't shown his face.
“Will that really help him transcend his senses?”
“Well… I don't know about his senses, but I'm sure his body will end up bloated like a prune.”
“Hmm…”
Just as Wang Cheon said, it looked like his body would not just swell, but rot away.
He spent nearly the entire day submerged, only surfacing occasionally to breathe.
He wasn't a fish. One would think he'd get tired of repeating the same training…
“Still, he looks like he's enjoying himself.”
“He does.”
Neung Un-bi was smiling as brightly as a child excited to play in the water.
“It seems he's gaining something from it.”
“Hmm… This isn't good.”
“Pardon?”
“It means our lord is getting stronger.”
“Why is that… Ah, you're right. This isn't good at all.”
Ju Seung nodded with a grave expression.
Their lord becoming stronger. As subordinates, it was something they should celebrate. For Ju Seung, who valued loyalty above his own life, it was a reason to dance for joy.
But if Neung Un-bi kept getting stronger?
They would become utterly useless as his guards.
A gap in strength was one thing, but if it became too wide, they'd be no different from servants running errands, let alone bodyguards.
“We need to… train, don't we?”
“…Seems so. And we need a way to grow stronger, fast.”
Nodding, Wang Cheon glanced over at Hyang-i.
She was the same, never tiring of the same action.
How many has she eaten already?
Even a delicacy becomes tiresome if you eat too much of it, yet she was eating fish caught by the water bandits for all three meals and even as a snack with her drinks.
At this rate, the fish in the area might go extinct… Anyway, she really can eat.
But this was no time to be marveling at her appetite.
“My Lady.”
“…Huh?”
Hyang-i, her mouth smeared with soot from eating a whole roasted fish, glanced at Wang Cheon as he approached.
“Excuse me, but could we ask you to guide our training?”
“Training? You're always training, aren't you?”
“I don't mean pointing out the flaws in our martial arts like you usually do.”
“Then what?”
“We want to become stronger. Strong enough to not fall behind our lord.”
“Hmm.”
Hyang-i thought for a moment, then nodded.
It was understandable they'd feel impatient. Compared to Neung Un-bi's growth rate, the two of them were far too weak.
Soon, Hyang-i smiled faintly and said,
“If you don't want to build a solid foundation from the basics… there is a way to grow rapidly.”
“What? Really?”
At Hyang-i's words, Wang Cheon and Ju Seung's eyes lit up.
She was much younger than them.
But what did age have to do with martial skill?
By that logic, they should have been much stronger than Neung Un-bi.
Yet Hyang-i, the youngest of the group, was the strongest. They couldn't even begin to fathom the depths of her power…
“But it's a bit tough. The pain won't be easy to endure.”
“It doesn't matter. Just tell us what to do, and we'll do our best.”
“Me too!”
Wang Cheon and Ju Seung raised their clenched fists, steeling their resolve.
“…You'll regret this.”
As Hyang-i frowned, Wang Cheon and Ju Seung shook their heads in unison.
Regret? Who had time for that?
Even now, Neung Un-bi was growing stronger.
And when he eventually took the Cult Leader's seat, they, his attendants, would have to be even stronger.
If it meant achieving that, they could endure any pain, even having their flesh flayed and their bones scraped.
“My Lady! We ask this of you. We are prepared.”
“Hmm… Well, if you insist.”
“…!”
As Hyang-i gave her permission, Wang Cheon and Ju Seung's faces brightened with excitement.
“But! Once you decide, there's absolutely no turning back.”
“Of course.”
“And if you happen to die, it's not my fault.”
“Naturally!”
Dying during training?
Ju Seung and Wang Cheon took it to mean that the training would be that difficult.
Besides, what was there to hesitate about when it promised rapid growth?
“Alright. So, who's first? The bandit chief might show up, so it's probably best to do this one at a time.”
“I'll go first!”
Wang Cheon raised his hand and stepped forward, and Ju Seung nodded, yielding.
“Alright, shall we begin?”
“Yes!”
As Hyang-i set down her fish skewer and stood up, Wang Cheon watched her with eyes full of anticipation and nervousness.
What kind of training could it be? For her to say it would be tough…
“Why are you so tense?”
“Ah, I didn't realize…”
“Relax.”
“Yes!”
“Then let's start the training.”
The moment Hyang-i grinned and reached out her hand, Wang Cheon felt a sharp sting as his body went rigid.
When did she… Huh?
For a moment, Wang Cheon saw the world before him suddenly flip upside down.
But it was his body that had flipped.
His stiff, frozen body lost its balance and collapsed.
“Huh? My Lady? Why did you suddenly do that to the Guard Captain…”
“Ah, my training method. It starts with death.”
“Pardon?”
Hyang-i explained with a bright smile, but Ju Seung, not understanding, just tilted his head.
“Ghhhh…”
Wang Cheon began to make a strange noise.
As Ju Seung watched in alarm, Hyang-i spoke in a calm tone, as if it were nothing.
“It's fine. He's just suffocating.”
“…Pardon?”
“I blocked his airway.”
“…”
Ju Seung's eyes went wide.
She had forcibly stopped him from breathing?
But Wang Cheon's condition seemed far too severe to be just from that.
His eyes, looking like they were about to pop out, were bloodshot, and veins bulged all over his body.
“Oh, I also blocked all his meridians.”
“His meridians too?”
At Hyang-i's words, Ju Seung's eyes grew even wider.
When had she done that?
She'd blocked all of them, apparently. All he'd seen was a flick of her hand…
“Looking at the Guard Captain's state, he's probably experiencing something similar to Qi deviation.”
“Q-Qi deviation?”
“Yep. Like all his energy channels are flowing in reverse? It probably feels like thousands of ants are chewing on his body.”
“…”
What in the world was she talking about?
And was that something to say with a smile so wide her dimples showed?
“Ghhhhhh…”
Eventually, Wang Cheon's eyes rolled back and he began foaming at the mouth. His body trembled as if having a seizure, even though his pressure points were sealed, rendering him immobile.
“My Lady, the Guard Captain might die if this continues…”
“That's why I told you. It's not my fault if he dies.”
“…”
It was an incredibly irresponsible thing to say, but hadn't they already accepted these terms?
“Hehe, you're so easily startled. I'm kidding.”
“R-Right? Phew, why would you joke about something like that so seriously? I was worried for a second that the Guard Captain might actually die. Hahaha.”
As Ju Seung expressed his relief with exaggerated gestures, Hyang-i smiled even more brightly and said,
“I mean, I survived.”
“…”
At those words, Ju Seung's face stiffened again.
I survived… but?
That means everyone else might have died!
“Oh! Crescent Moon Captain?”
“Yes?”
“You're next. I told you, right? No backing out once you've decided.”
“…”
Why did I do it? Why did I make such a foolish boast?
It wouldn't have been too late to decide after seeing what Wang Cheon went through…
Ju Seung wanted to rip his own incautious mouth off.
“*Gasp, gurgle, gaaack.*”
“…”
Meanwhile, the sight of Wang Cheon struggling and making dying sounds made Ju Seung's mind go blank, and he collapsed onto the ground.
It felt as if he were looking at himself just a few moments into the future…
***
While Wang Cheon and Ju Seung were undergoing their harsh training (?) with Hyang-i, Neung Un-bi was also deep in his own practice.
The range of his senses was gradually expanding.
Even with his eyes closed and ears blocked, he could vividly see the flow of the water and almost hear its sound.
The powerful currents moving beneath the surface, the movements of the fish swimming around his body.
The underwater world he felt with his body was growing wider and wider.
As his feet touched the bottom, Neung Un-bi slowly began to move.
Lunar Eclipse, Lunar Halo.
As his hands traced a circle, the water swirled. Then, following his hands, the water pushed outward.
Feeling the fish within range scatter in surprise, Neung Un-bi gave a satisfied smile and unleashed the rest of the Lunar Eclipse forms.
*Fwoosh!*
Bubbles formed around his stepping foot, and Neung Un-bi's form moved with the Three Nothings Footwork.
Next, the Three Battles Sword unfolded from his hands.
The feeling of the edge of his hand slicing through the water was distinct.
But it was strange. These were martial arts he had always used, yet they felt brand new.
However, the strenuous movements inevitably shortened his breath.
It was time to get out of the water.
There was no need for disappointment. He was progressing little by little, step by step.
*Fwoosh!*
Just as he pushed off the bottom with all his might to shoot up to the surface, Neung Un-bi's brow furrowed at the feeling of a faint tremor in the water.
What… is this?
It was completely different from any sensation he had felt before.
The current was strong. Something was moving against it, heading straight for him.
Could it be a water bandit using a stealth technique?
No. The flow of water was completely different from what he felt when a person of similar size swam underwater.
Hadn't he already felt the movements of the water bandits as they scurried about catching fish?
Above all, it was fast.
Then this is… a fish.
Shaking off his momentary tension, Neung Un-bi shot his body upward.
But… what's with this thing?
It was still coming right at him.
W-Wait a minute! At this angle and this speed?
*Swisssh!*
The moment his face contorted at the speed, which was almost impossible to react to, something large slammed into Neung Un-bi's body.
*CRASH!*
“Keuk!”
A groan escaped Neung Un-bi's lips from the shock of the sudden blow to his back.
At the same time, the breath he had been holding to its limit burst from him.
The pain of the impact was one thing, but water began to pour into his open mouth.
*Gag, gurgle…*
This crazy son of a fish!
Feeling it leisurely circle around him as if mocking his pain, Neung Un-bi gritted his teeth.
*Grind!*
A mere creature… It should have been scared and fled at the sight of a person, but instead it launched a preemptive strike?
In pain and having swallowed water, a furious Neung Un-bi unleashed his demonic energy all at once.
It's too fast to pinpoint its exact location.
So?
I'll just blow up the whole area!
Just die! You damn fish!
True Lunar Eclipse, Setting Moon!
*Fwoooosh! Kwoooong!*
The demonic energy he had drawn to its limit followed Neung Un-bi's gesture, crushing the world beneath the water. Trapped and compressed by the pressure, the water could hold no longer and exploded violently.
*BOOOM!*
For a moment, the surrounding water was blasted away, creating a space, and Neung Un-bi gasped for air.
“Puha!”
Knowing the empty space would quickly be filled with water again, Neung Un-bi immediately shot upward and spotted something glittering above his head.
Scales…
That's the one.
Seeing it like this, it was huge. It looked to be well over five feet long.
You were lucky, you bastard.
My power was halved because we were underwater, and it seems it wasn't caught in the blast thanks to the distance between us.
But I won't let you get away!
Twisting his body in mid-air to change direction, he saw clear panic in the eyes of the fish as they met his.
Or so it seemed.
It thrashed wildly in the air as if trying to flee that very instant, but it was still airborne.
Flap your fins for a hundred days. See if you can move forward even an inch.
*Grab!*
Neung Un-bi's hand shot out and seized the fish's gill.
*Flap! Flap!*
Grinning at the madly thrashing fish, Neung Un-bi then used all his strength to fling it onto the land as if slamming it down.
You're heading straight for the grill