Chapter 59
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: How about a Round? (4)
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The classification of all the escort guards who had applied for recruitment was complete.
"A-already done?!"
"That many people?"
"How the hell did they do it so fast? It should take at least three months!"
"Last year, the Cheongsan Escort Agency took four months to sort through just two hundred applicants!"
With over five hundred applicants, everyone—from the agency leader on down—had expected it to take several months.
Sorting that many people usually required a minimum of three to four months.
Yet Kang Moo-jin had obliterated that timeline entirely, finishing the entire process in a mere three days—an astonishingly short period.
Gap Group: Those who hadn't trained in martial arts, or whose skills were weak, and had no escort experience.
Eul Group: Those with excellent martial prowess but no escort experience.
Byeong Group: Those with escort experience, regardless of their martial level.
He had neatly divided everyone into these three groups, achieving a systematic and lightning-fast classification.
"Brother, there are sixty passers in Gap Group and forty in Eul Group."
"Got it. Good work, Yu-hwa."
Moo-jin nodded at Yu-hwa's report.
"Great Hero Kang. No, Leader Kang. Byeong Group has a total of twenty."
The Black-White Twins finished their report and sat in chairs off to one side of Moo-jin's office.
"That makes a total of one hundred twenty."
"Yes, exactly. We hit the numbers you specified, Brother."
"We've matched the count here as well."
They hadn't accepted every applicant just because escorts were in high demand.
Moo-jin knew full well that padding the ranks with useless people wouldn't help—it would only cause trouble.
"This number should be more than enough to keep the escort operations running smoothly."
Kang Moo-jin nodded in satisfaction, his gaze shifting to the desk in the office.
There lay small rectangular slips of paper bearing the names of the one hundred twenty new recruits who had passed the escort selection.
"Black Fiend. Out of the twenty in Byeong Group, these five will transfer to the Iron Fist Division."
Moo-jin handed Black Fiend slips with the names of five people, including Black Leopard Beom-heuk.
"Send the rest all to the Gold Escort Division."
Moo-jin planned to assign most of the new recruits to the Gold Escort Division.
With the Diamond Escort Agency's most pressing need being to handle regular escort requests, he aimed to maximize the number of standard escorts.
"Should we send these to the Iron Fist Division? Or the Reformation Division?"
"Doesn't matter if they're from an evil faction or not. Send all the newbies to the Reformation Division. They'll need a lot of training anyway, since they lack escort experience."
Reformation Division Leader Ma Du-gwang might be second-rate as a martial artist, but as an instructor for escorts, he was a peak master.
His teaching skills were so exceptional that the Reformation Division recruits hailed him as a star instructor.
"Understood. We'll do that."
"Oh, wait. Send Black Leopard Beom-heuk to the Iron Fist Division. He shows promise—I'll raise him myself."
Black Fiend blurted out his honest reaction without thinking.
"Oh dear."
"...?"
"I-I misspoke."
Under Moo-jin's gaze, Black Fiend began sweating bullets, and White Fiend hurriedly changed the subject.
"The rest of the new escorts—once training's done, do they jump straight into missions?"
"Hm, no. I was going to, but I've changed my mind."
The two brothers had suggested short training followed by immediate deployment to gain experience, but Moo-jin opposed the idea.
Doing so would mean a high chance of the carefully selected new recruits getting cut down by blades.
In escort runs teeming with bandits, pirates, horse thieves, and worse, survival demanded top-tier skills and instincts.
"So what do you plan to do, Brother?"
Yu-hwa tilted her head, eyes brimming with curiosity as she watched Moo-jin.
She was eager to see what brilliant stroke he'd pull off this time to astonish everyone.
"Nothing special. Just the usual training, but short."
"The kind that's brutally tough but won't kill you?"
Moo-jin grinned and nodded at Black Fiend's words.
"Spot on."
* * *
A thick night where the full moon hung dead center in the sky. Ghost Dream Master Ha-ran hummed a tune as she powdered her cheeks.
"Hm hm~."
Even bare-faced, Ha-ran was stunning enough to outshine the famed courtesans of top brothels. With makeup, her beauty was downright jaw-dropping.
If you named the top beauty of Shanxi Province, her name would come up dozens of times.
"Calling me so late at night. Leader's got some nerve."
Makeup complete, Ha-ran glided toward Moo-jin's office with steps as light as if she walked on clouds.
The hour was late, all the buildings dark—except Moo-jin's office, where lantern light flickered.
"You called for me, Leader."
"Come in."
Ha-ran opened the door demurely, entered, and sat primly in a chair.
Moo-jin kept staring at the documents spread on his desk, not sparing her a glance.
"Leader?"
"Hm. One moment."
Ignoring Ha-ran as she fidgeted like she needed to pee, Moo-jin finally looked up at her.
"...?"
"Why are you staring like that? It's embarrassing."
Under his piercing gaze, Ha-ran shyly averted her eyes.
"Why'd you slather so much paint on your face? Bored?"
"P-paint?!"
Ha-ran gaped, stunned—no woman had ever phrased it that way to her before.
"Bored? Perfect. I've got a job for you."
"P-paint...?"
Ignoring her stunned mutter, Moo-jin slid a few sheets of paper her way.
"This is a summary of spaces I experienced in the Linked Qi Realm. Can you replicate something like this with formations?"
"...Hold on."
Sensing no romance in the air, Ha-ran sighed and examined the documents.
"Hmm... Yes, it's possible. But not alone—I'd need other formation masters."
"How many? And how long?"
Ha-ran replied confidently.
"Four more, and I can have it done in a week."
Creating a world with formations was no small feat.
Even crafting one mimicking reality took several formation masters months of effort.
In other words, manifesting a world with different laws required dozens of masters over years.
"Just a week?"
"Others might take years, but I can do it. I'm that good."
Ha-ran lifted her chin and shrugged.
As she said, this was feasible only because she was an exceptional formation master.
Only three others in the Central Plains matched her caliber.
"But as you know, hiring formation masters costs a fortune. You okay with that?"
Ha-ran eyed him warily, knowing Moo-jin's sensitivity to money.
His nickname included "Golden Ghost," after all.
"No choice. It's essential. I'll back you fully—round up the masters."
"...!"
Ha-ran's pupils quivered wildly.
The Golden Ghost freely greenlighting funds.
That meant total trust and support!
'He does have feelings for me!'
No way trust could form so fast with someone he'd just met—it had to be rational affection.
No, definitely rational!
"Got it, Leader! I won't let you down."
Flames of determination blazed in her eyes as Ha-ran clenched her cute little fist.
"I'll cut their salaries in half!"
"...?"
Moo-jin tilted his head at her fierce declaration.
No need to go that far...
He spent when he needed to—not some miserly fool.
* * *
The new recruits gathered at a makeshift training ground behind the Diamond Escort Agency.
"This is gonna be good."
"Tell me about it. Finally learning martial arts from Great Hero Kang."
"Heh. The day I've been waiting for."
Word of special training starting today had them buzzing with excitement.
"Heard we're getting meat with our meals starting today?"
"Yeah! Thought I was starving to death without proper sides."
"Heh. Plain rice for so long, now meat. Mouth's watering already."
Besides the training, their hype stemmed from another perk.
Kang Moo-jin, who'd fed them nothing but rice and one side for a week, declared meat dishes starting with today's special training!
"I want chicken. Chicken!"
"Pig's fine by me. Hell, any meat'll taste like heaven."
The new escorts chattered happily, cheeks grinning ear to ear.
Oblivious to the hell awaiting them.
"Good to see you all. No long speeches—straight to training."
"Woooah!"
"Golden Ghost Indestructible! Golden Ghost Indestructible!"
The recruits cheered at Moo-jin's concise style, skipping the boring preamble.
"Ha-ran."
"Yes! Ready!"
"If you would."
"Activate formation!"
At Ha-ran's shout, the four formation masters at the cardinal points poured internal energy into the array.
Wuuung-!
The sky shook, the ground turned black. Like ink spreading on white paper, the surroundings blackened, plunging the world into darkness.
"Wh-what the hell!?"
"What's going on...!?"
Panicked voices from the new recruits filled the array.
Swaaaah-
Moments later, like a waterfall cleansing all, the darkness washed away, revealing new scenery.
"...!"
"...!"
The escorts' eyes widened as they scanned around.
The Diamond Escort Agency's compound and vast grounds were gone. Endless dunes of sand stretched everywhere—a vast desert.
"Wh-where... Ugh!"
"Kuh. What?! Why's my body so heavy?"
"C-can't move!"
The staggering recruits flopped face-first into the sand.
Double the normal gravity crushed them, legs giving out.
"Wh-what is this?!"
"An attack?!"
"Eyes front."
Moo-jin's single command silenced the chaos, drawing all attention.
No need for infused voice—his natural aura of dominance compelled obedience.
"This is the Six Paths Heavy Heaven Array."
Six Paths Heavy Heaven Array: An advanced formation that intensified gravity to over double normal, mimicking heaven's crushing weight.
"Your bodies feel heavy because gravity's doubled."
"Gr-gravity? What's that?!"
A few recruits struggled up onto their knees, panting.
Some stood firm without collapsing or kneeling—including Black Leopard Beom-heuk.
"Gravity? ...Never mind. Just think of it as your body weighing more."
Skipping the tedious explanation, Moo-jin addressed the hundred twenty recruits.
"This marks the start of stamina training. Those who chop that tree over there and return get meat tonight."
"...!"
All eyes bulged.
"N-no, not everyone! Only those who earn it."
"Meat is for the qualified."
"Even so, that's too mu—"
"Raaagh!"
A shout cut off the complainer.
"...?!"
Everyone turned, faces puzzled, toward the source.
"Hraaaah!"
A warrior dragged himself toward the tree, one grueling step at a time, yelling what might have been a shout or a kiai.
It was Black Leopard Beom-heuk.
"Can you see, Leader?! I'll take first place and claim that meat!"