Chapter 111
Chapter 111
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 111
Chapter Title: Endure
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The attack on the Hubei Martial Alliance caused quite a stir.
The news spread throughout Yichang so quickly it seemed someone was intentionally spreading rumors.
By the day after the attack, there was hardly a soul in Yichang who didn't know about it.
Along with it, whispers that another attack might be coming also circulated.
This created a situation where the people of Yichang were watching the Hubei Martial Alliance's every move.
The damage the Hubei Martial Alliance sustained from the first surprise attack was considerable.
Most of the warriors guarding the Alliance at the time were either seriously injured or killed, and several buildings were burned to the ground.
Of course, the number of guards wasn't large, so the actual casualty count was low, but from the perspective of onlookers, it was a different story.
Everyone believed the Hubei Martial Alliance had suffered a major blow.
Thus, the next surprise attack became crucial.
In truth, the best course of action would have been to conduct a massive search before the next attack, even enlisting the help of other organizations to find the culprits by any means necessary.
They should have prevented the situation for another surprise attack from ever arising.
But the atmosphere had changed too much to focus on that now.
The Hubei Martial Alliance had to perfectly fend off the next surprise attack and launch a counteroffensive.
If they failed to produce a meaningful result, their reputation would plummet.
A mere drop in reputation might be manageable, but if others used various methods to shake the Alliance afterward, its very existence could be jeopardized.
And that could plunge the entire Hubei martial world into chaos.
Given the circumstances, the Hubei Martial Alliance had no choice but to call in outside warriors and prepare thoroughly for the next surprise attack.
If no attack occurred, that would be a problem in itself, but it was still better than being hit again.
In any case, because of this situation, the area around the Black Iron Workshop where Byeok Taesan was staying was very quiet.
The Hubei Martial Alliance was too preoccupied to pay it much attention.
Not that they had paid it much attention in the first place.
Anyway, Byeok Taesan's entire group was gathered in the training grounds of the Black Iron Workshop.
The Divine Doctor of the Ages, the One-Needle Eccentric, Cho Seoran, the ten maids, Cheon Gyeongwan, Yu Seoyeon, and even those from the Underworld Sect—all of them.
They were all sprawled out across the training grounds, looking as if they couldn't lift a single finger.
The Divine Doctor of the Ages, who had been lying flat on his back, struggled to sit up.
"Ugh."
Following his lead, the others began to stir one by one.
They all remained seated, staring blankly at the ground.
It felt as if they had just taken a brief trip to hell.
The first among them to move was the Divine Doctor of the Ages.
The Divine Doctor of the Ages snapped his head up and looked at Byeok Taesan.
"Sob... Young Master, aren't you being too harsh?"
After spitting out the words filled with indignation, the Divine Doctor of the Ages quickly lowered his head when Byeok Taesan looked at him.
Byeok Taesan glanced over the group.
They were all clearly exhausted, but no one held any complaints.
Only Cho Seoran had a slightly ambiguous expression, but since she had voluntarily offered to participate in the training, she wasn't complaining either.
However, she did look over the group one by one with weary, no, rather pitying eyes.
If she had to endure such hellish training every day, could she really handle it?
She wasn't sure, but one thing was certain. If she could endure it, she would become truly strong.
'But studying medicine on top of this is impossible.'
How could anyone study medicine after pushing their body to such extremes? Cho Seoran looked at the Divine Doctor of the Ages and the One-Needle Eccentric with a new sense of wonder.
'Did those two manage to endure this?'
As Cho Seoran was lost in thought, Byeok Taesan spoke.
"First, let's eat."
At his words, everyone snapped their heads up and looked at Byeok Taesan. Their eyes trembled violently.
He had just said "first." That meant there was something else to do after eating. And that something else was likely more training.
Cho Seoran muttered to herself without realizing it.
"If we eat... won't we just throw it all up?"
Byeok Taesan turned his head to look at Cho Seoran and grinned.
"Don't worry. I'll make sure you don't."
To Cho Seoran, the smile playing on Byeok Taesan's lips somehow seemed demonic.
And this place, where a demon was conducting the training, was hell.
* * *
The entire group collapsed.
Byeok Taesan's words that they wouldn't throw up even if they trained after eating were true.
No one threw up.
But it wasn't because it was any less difficult. It was so hellish that their bodies refused to vomit, breaking down every bit of food they consumed and converting it into nutrients.
It was only two hours of training, but by the end, they all felt like they might die of hunger.
As they lay there collapsed, a bowl of porridge was placed in front of each of them.
It was porridge that had been prepared before the training began.
No one even noticed when the bowls were placed there. They just frantically shoveled the porridge into their mouths.
The amount of porridge wasn't much, but it was enough to temporarily quell their immediate hunger.
After satisfying their initial hunger, they prepared a proper meal and ate heartily.
Byeok Taesan merely watched.
As they neared the end of their meal, they all began to watch Byeok Taesan with anxious eyes.
The pace of their eating gradually slowed.
Byeok Taesan watched them, chuckled, and said.
"That's all for today's training."
At his words, their faces brightened, and they quickly finished the rest of their food.
They figured that since the training was over, they could finally rest. The faster they ate, the sooner they could rest.
"Rest well. But don't let your bodies get stiff. Stretch periodically so you're ready to move again at any moment."
With those words, Byeok Taesan went inside the building.
The group could only watch his retreating back with anxious eyes once more.
* * *
They truly rested well.
After the training and the meal, they rested for about four hours, occasionally stretching as Byeok Taesan had instructed.
In any case, after resting so thoroughly, their bodies had completely recovered.
It was actually quite surprising.
To have completely recovered after just four hours of rest, following training that was more intense than, no, worse than torture.
They hadn't taken any special medicine; they had simply rested.
The only unusual thing was that Byeok Taesan would occasionally visit, stay for a moment, and then leave.
Anyway, after those four hours passed, the sun had set, and darkness began to fall.
It was a little past dinnertime, but they weren't hungry since they had eaten so much earlier.
They all chose to rest a little longer rather than have a meal.
If they got hungry, they could always grab something to eat later.
Meanwhile, Byeok Taesan was sitting on the bed in his room with his eyes gently closed.
He wasn't resting but expanding his senses to monitor the area around the Black Iron Workshop.
He had a feeling those bastards would come here tonight.
How much time had passed? Byeok Taesan's eyes suddenly flew open.
"They're finally here."
The bastards itching for a beating had arrived. They hadn't entered the Black Iron Workshop yet, but a large group had gathered and was surrounding the entire place.
Byeok Taesan got up from the bed and went downstairs.
The maids were staying on the floor directly below.
They had insisted on staying on the floor below, arguing they needed to be as close as possible to serve Byeok Taesan at a moment's notice.
When Byeok Taesan came down, the maids hurried out of their rooms.
"Young Master, is there anything you need?"
Byeok Taesan nodded and said.
"Gather everyone."
As soon as the order was given, they all rushed downstairs.
Byeok Taesan then went back up to his room.
A short while later, everyone staying in the building had gathered in Byeok Taesan's room.
They all looked at Byeok Taesan with tense expressions.
He couldn't have gathered them at this hour for training, surely.
Still, you never knew.
The Divine Doctor of the Ages asked very cautiously.
"Young Master. Perhaps... a night training session, or something of the sort?"
At those words, Byeok Taesan's eyes glinted for a moment.
"Hmm, night training... It's true that training at night has a different feel than during the day."
Everyone was horrified as he muttered this, stroking his chin with a serious expression.
All eyes shot toward the Divine Doctor of the Ages like arrows.
And the One-Needle Eccentric, who was standing next to him, jabbed him in the ribs and said through clenched teeth in a hushed voice.
"Hey, hey. Are you crazy? If you want to die, die alone. Why are you dragging us into it? You better take responsibility and fix this."
The Divine Doctor of the Ages swatted away the finger poking his ribs.
"Brother, this is troublesome."
"What is? We're already in trouble!"
"Do you want to see me cause an incident so big that this trouble will feel like nothing?"
The One-Needle Eccentric flinched.
"H-how dare you threaten me?"
"So..."
The Divine Doctor of the Ages was about to continue but stopped, sensing the strange atmosphere, and cautiously looked around.
Everyone was staring at him with shocked eyes.
And right in front of them, Byeok Taesan was standing, looking down intently at the Divine Doctor of the Ages and the One-Needle Eccentric.
"Why stop? Go on."
The Divine Doctor of the Ages laughed awkwardly.
Byeok Taesan clicked his tongue and returned to his original spot.
"This is no time for jokes."
At Byeok Taesan's words, a chilling tension once again filled the room.
"We're about to be ambushed. There are quite a few enemies, but most of them are clumsy oafs, so it won't be difficult."
Everyone swallowed hard at Byeok Taesan's words.
They didn't believe the part about "clumsy oafs." They had to remember that the standard for "clumsy" was based on Byeok Taesan's perspective.
Byeok Taesan glanced over the group.
Compared to the people he brought from Wuhan, the ones from the Underworld Sect were of a somewhat lower caliber.
At least their combat senses were heightened thanks to the intense training over the past couple of days, so they wouldn't die easily.
"There are many enemies, so I can't tell you not to get hurt."
At that, everyone's eyes widened slightly. They looked at Byeok Taesan with tense gazes.
If Byeok Taesan was saying that, didn't it mean it was truly dangerous?
"Don't die, and don't get seriously injured."
The tension heightened even more.
"Because that would make me a little angry."
As he spoke, it was as if lightning crackled in Byeok Taesan's eyes.
Everyone shuddered as if they had been struck by lightning.
A similar shock shook their very core.
Byeok Taesan said calmly.
"They're coming. Let's go."
Byeok Taesan led the way, and the group followed.
Leaving the building, Byeok Taesan headed for a large training ground nearby.
"Hold out here until the end."
Hearing this, Hwaok asked Byeok Taesan with a troubled expression.
"Do we have to be in this exact spot?"
When Byeok Taesan looked at her, she quickly continued.
"The space is too wide. The enemy will come from all sides, and it's not a suitable structure for a defense."
Byeok Taesan shook his head.
"You must hold out here."
"Pardon?"
Hwaok's eyes widened slightly. But soon, she nodded with a determined expression.
"Yes. We will hold out, no matter what."
Byeok Taesan wouldn't have brought them here without a reason. There had to be a purpose.
Byeok Taesan nodded at Hwaok's response.
And the rest of the group also steeled themselves. Today, they had to hold out here.
Byeok Taesan looked over the group, then chuckled and turned his head to look somewhere.
"They're in. Now, hold out well."
With those words, Byeok Taesan took a large step forward.
In that instant, Byeok Taesan's figure vanished from their sight.
They all stared blankly at the spot where Byeok Taesan had just been standing.
They had been watching him intently, without even blinking, yet they had missed his movement.
He had vanished without a trace, as if he had never been there in the first place.
"Just... how skilled do you have to be to do that?"
Cho Seoran muttered unconsciously, looking at the One-Needle Eccentric.
It was with the hope that perhaps the One-Needle Eccentric had caught even a sliver of Byeok Taesan's movement.
But the One-Needle Eccentric just shook his head with a bitter smile.
"We just need to do our part."
His next words made everyone's expression harden.
"If the Young Master gets angry... what do you think will happen?"
They all looked at each other with determined expressions.
Holding out here today wasn't something one person could achieve alone.
They all had to do well together.
And they had to fight as a cohesive unit. They had to be each other's hands and feet, actively helping one another and sharing any leeway they had.
A commotion began in the distance, the sound growing louder and louder.
It seemed the enemy was finally coming.
And at that moment, a strange energy began to flow throughout the entire Black Iron Workshop.
"A formation?"
The tension skyrocketed at the Divine Doctor of the Ages' murmur.