Qualification to Seize Opportunity (3)
Knowing the future offered countless advantages, but one couldn't lean on it entirely. The information was too often incomplete. Take the Heavenly Cave, for instance. The Murim Medicinal Herbs Compendium only noted that the Five Spirits Immortal Flower Oil had appeared at some point inside, while the Murim Alliance's Shaanxi Branch report merely recorded that Jongnam had ultimately claimed it.
One might dismiss it as 'typical scholar bullshit,' but even from an efficiency standpoint, jotting down only the essentials was the smarter play. If the world expected every trivial detail to be documented, he would've lost his mind memorizing the Myriad Communications Division's archives long before Gwak Gung's hand ended him in his previous life, rendering him useless.
So no need to gripe or feel shortchanged.
The ways of the world demanded overlooking the petty stuff. Unlike him, with his magnanimous vessel, his cute little junior brothers clearly didn't see it that way.
"What the—! hell! kind of! Huuuk—strategy is this?!"
"Feint east! Attack west?! No! Why...! are we! the decoy?!"
"What kind of! scammer! in the world! Huat! falls for! their own con...!"
"Uuuungh... this is haaard!"
The Taeulmun disciples had just run into their third batch of Jongnam sect disciples. Yet even as they clashed, they vented their complaints instead of battle cries, subduing their foes all the same.
Hmm. Judging by their controlled strikes, they'd definitely grown. So why did it leave a sour taste?
"...Was that meant for my ears just now?"
There was that old sage saying about how superiors shouldn't twist the words of their juniors. Checking just in case...
"Hoo! Hoo! Hoo! No!"
"Heok! Heok! Heok! No way! It's not!"
"Y-Yeah! That wasn't for you, Big Brother! Really, it wasn't!"
"..."
What? Why were they denying it so vehemently?
Everyone but Dongryong—who was pouting and dragging his feet—shook their heads furiously.
"Good."
"..."
"Didn't wanna pile on the iron balls and steel plates when you're already beat."
"..."
"What're you waiting for? Iron balls—want some?"
Touched by their big brother's boundless mercy, the juniors clamped their mouths shut from then on, methodically dispatching the Jongnam disciples.
In truth, even Jin Sowoon hadn't anticipated the plan going awry to this degree.
Did they scatter their disciples across the entire Heavenly Cave?
He'd deliberately timed the third entrance's opening to lag behind their own entry. That way, when Jongnam disciples rushed to block the sudden influx at the third entrance, his group could slip in from the opposite side amid the chaos and raid the empty nest.
But he'd overlooked one thing: Jongnam was even more idiotic than he'd figured.
Even with the entrances blocked, scattering their disciples this thin?
Did they think their barricades were impenetrable? Or that no one would dare breach the path guarded by mighty Jongnam?
Either way, their heads were so stuffed with elitist delusions they were overflowing.
Plus, they'd scraped together every disciple from their main sect, and the ones greeting his group were green kids whose bones hadn't even fully set.
"Huh? Who the hell're you?!"
"Intruders!"
The next cave's occupants—likely fourth-generation Jongnam disciples—yelped in surprise and bellowed. But as before, no reinforcements came rushing.
His juniors swarmed, pinning the Jongnam disciples. The four who'd drawn swords soon realized they weren't worth the blades and switched to bare hands.
"You villains! Draw your swords!"
"Eh, villains might be a stretch..."
"Tch! You dare mock Jongnam?!"
For kids who hadn't even filled their qi reserves, their swordsmanship was sharp. But...
Kaang!
"Huh?"
The Taeulmun disciples blocked the slashing blades with hands wrapped in iron balls, their tankiness—no, divine might—leaving the foes stunned.
"Th-they're wearing manacles! Go for the heart!"
The quick ones retracted and stabbed for the torso again. But...
Kaang!
"Urgh?"
...This time, the steel plates stopped them cold, chipping the blades and wounding only the swords.
"Sh-shit, what the...?"
What else? The fruits of grueling training.
Seeing the gold-silver-bronze brothers and Saryeon move nimbly despite the heavy steel-plated vests filled him with satisfaction.
"Never thought I'd handle Jongnam disciples this leisurely."
Tadak!Clang!
Eunho lightly unleashed Golden Claw Hand, snatching a sword and sealing the kid's meridian and pressure points. The boy crumpled.
It took less than a quarter-hour to subdue the five Jongnam disciples.
But their stamina had limits too.
"Big Brother, is this sustainable? We can't keep fighting our way out."
Eunho had a point. These were just fourth-gen, no issue. But not every group would be.
They could handle third-gen with effort, but mixing in second-gen or facing first-gen would go beyond mere subduing.
Detouring to empty caves? Jongnam disciples blanketed every direction.
Worst case, if we run into the North Dipper Sword Star...
No. Bad thoughts out.
Back in the Small Justice Squad, whenever someone jinxed it, reality obliged. 'Dead?', 'Win?', 'Survive?'—disasters followed. They eventually banned those words.
Then.
Twitch.
Dongryong at the rear perked his ears, glancing back at the caves they'd passed.
"What's up?"
"...Dunno. Just a bad feeling."
The Heavenly Killing Star's senses shone in superhuman ways, especially regarding survival and death—sharper than most masters.
Jin Sowoon fired his qi sense like an arrow.
Retracing their path through the caves back to their entry...
Shiver!
Hairs stood on end across his body.
They sensed my qi sense?
He'd honed his subtle qi control to perfection, compensating for his trash inner strength since Small Justice Squad days—no one could match it.
And not just sensing his stealthy probe—they fired back killing intent, announcing their presence.
No ordinary master.
"Ha..."
Fuck.
First-gen disciple? Division head level? No clue. But one thing was clear: that dangerous figure knew they'd entered the caves.
Tremble.
Dongryong's face paled beside him.
"B-Big Brother... c-can we just... go now?"
Dongryong charged fearlessly at raw malice, but cold reason overrode his Heavenly Killing Star when intellect demanded.
If Dongryong was spooked, it was that bad.
"Yeah. Let's move."
He stopped his juniors from slipping into Ghost Walk as usual.
"No Ghost Walk or Cave Pupil from now on. Move fast as hell."
"..."
Traces galore, and it could draw more pursuers—a nightmare choice. But shaking this tail came first.
[Jongnam will pay any price to secure the Five Spirits Immortal Flower Oil.]
Cheol Sunjik's words echoed relentlessly.
#
"Kwaak!"
"Kuk!"
"Euk!"
Jongnam disciples fell.
These were third-gen mixed in. Time had passed a quarter-hour since relocating.
Spreading his qi sense would just ping the enemy, so he eyed Dongryong.
"Dongryong!"
"...Still coming!"
Damn it.
Dongryong's face stayed ashen. He barked orders.
"Blow past 'em!"
"Brother! That'll draw more!"
Two groups had already merged in pursuit. Jongnam disciples choked every path. No time for despair.
"Speed up instead!"
He summoned his Five Evils qi and unleashed Great Heaven Sword Method in one stroke.
Cha-cha-cha-chang!
The cramped space filled with countless sword afterimages, panicking the Jongnam disciples. Torchlight made illusions and real blades indistinguishable—especially for third- and fourth-gen.
They flinched back from the onslaught, letting his juniors break through.
He lingered rear guard, slashing sword qi at the ceiling above their heads.
Shwaaak!
Shwaaak!
Shwaaak!
A section collapsed, rocks half-sealing the entrance. As he prepped to finish it...
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
Jongnam palm strikes hit the falling debris simultaneously.
Crazy bastards—using palm arts in a cave? Shrapnel everywhere, no dodging.
Whooosh—
Sure enough, head-sized boulders cannoned out.
Shit...
No clue how sturdy the cave was, but counterattacking risked collapsing the whole area.
To shield his juniors, he'd have to block the rocks.
"Everyone back!"
As he swung Cartoon Invincible Fist at the incoming barrage...
"Hup!"
A shadow blocked his front.
Puk-puk-puk!
It was Geum Pyo.
"Brother, you okay?"
Blocking with his Diamond Shield, then checking on him.
Jin Sowoon nodded wordlessly. Geum Pyo turned his back, facing forward.
"I'll hold the rear."
Solid back. He smirked.
"Yeah. Count on you."
Breathing room thanks to Geum Pyo.
Rumble!
Sinister groans as the ceiling caved. The palm shockwaves had spread, collapsing the vicinity.
"Run!"
Kwarung!
Far more rocks and earth than his earlier cut rained down.
He extended qi sense ahead, guiding juniors away from Jongnam clusters.
"Left!"
"Right! Right again!"
Five forks later, the quakes eased.
"Heok! Heok! Holy shit, we almost died."
"Fucking lunatics... who fires palms in a cave."
"Big Brother, we good now?"
Good? Hell if he knew. Fleeing the collapse had veered them off course.
Biggest issue: that master's whereabouts from earlier.
Best if the cave took him out. But...
"Dongryong."
"...Yeah."
Dongryong shook his head uncertainly, clearly blaming himself for suggesting they bail.
Jin Sowoon met his eyes.
"Doesn't matter if it's spot-on. Just tell me your gut."
Heavenly Killing Star instinct was all they had.
Dongryong clenched his fists at the gaze.
"...Still uneasy."
Damn.
Path behind blocked—the master would reroute. No predicting where he'd pop now.
"Move."
Keep going. Meeting him here? Unthinkable consequences.
"Left."
"Left."
"Left."
"Right."
He led them to the emptiest paths to escape the master's range.
Thankfully, no one else sniffed his qi sense like that guy. Dongryong's color gradually returned—the best sign.
As breaths grew ragged...
"Rest here."
Juniors slumped, circulating qi. He unfolded the mental map.
Haomen's fresh Heavenly Cave map—filling in the three-tenths Open Faction omitted.
Way off the original route.
If Jongnam lacked the full map, hope remained. But per Cheol Sunjik, Open Faction handed it over.
Pray that damn master was map-illiterate.
Then.
Snap.
Dongryong bolted up post-circulation, rabbit eyes on him.
"..."
"..."
No words needed. He was coming again.
Juniors caught on, prepping instantly.
"Go."
They raced emptiest paths again. But Dongryong's expression stayed grim.
How close?
Lost in thought...
"Ha."
At a three-way fork, he halted.
"Big Brother?"
Damn it...
Presences in all three caves. Crowds, too.
Which way? No answer.
But.
At least not back.
He gripped the Black Dragon Sword.
"Battle ready."
"..."
Juniors drew swords with grim faces—
Rumble.
Figures poured from all three caves simultaneously.
"Huh? What's this? Guests already?"
"Jongnam disciples?"
"Nah, not Jongnam uniforms."
Mismatched attire, weapons galore—swords, greatswords, staffs, spears.
Exactly the martial artists protesting at the third entrance.
"Big Brother..."
"No way..."
In the mad dash, they'd looped near the third entrance.
Shit.