Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Five Elements Sunset Formation
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Hahu Yeon didn't return even after the sun had set.
Feeling uneasy about it, Yi Cheon Yeong called for Dang Ok Yi.
"Something must have happened to Hahu Yeon. I need to go look for him."
Dang Ok Yi felt the same way and followed after him.
"I'll come with you."
When the nosy Paeng Se Gi tried to tag along, Yi Cheon Yeong stopped him.
"If too many of us go out, we might catch the attention of the martial artists. Just wait here quietly."
He blocked Paeng Se Gi and vanished into the darkness with Dang Ok Yi.
Left alone at the lodging, Paeng Se Gi continued his martial arts training by the faint light.
Whoosh... Whoosh...!
Each time he swung the iron rod, the sound of it tearing through the air rang out.
Paeng Se Gi trained for more than half a shichen, but his squadmates still hadn't returned.
"Brother. This is weird. Something must have happened to the squadmates. I'll go look for them."
In the end, even Paeng Se Gi set out to find the others, and Se Yeong couldn't just stand by and watch.
'They've probably already been caught by the Murim Alliance martial artists.'
Se Yeong kept his guess to himself.
Paeng Se Gi took the lead, and Se Yeong followed behind.
"Once we pass through this forest, the granary is right nearby."
Sure enough, after pushing through the dense trees, several buildings lit up by lanterns came into view.
"Where's the granary?"
In response to Se Yeong's question, Paeng Se Gi pointed to the row of large buildings lined up in a neat line.
"Those buildings are all Murim Alliance granaries, but I don't know which one Hahu Yeon sneaked into."
There were over ten granaries—even searching them all in broad daylight would take quite a while.
As Se Yeong looked around the dozen or so granaries, he noticed something odd.
There were no patrol martial artists circling the granaries, even deep into the night.
"Let's hurry, Brother."
"Hold on."
Se Yeong raised his hand to halt Paeng Se Gi's steps.
"What's wrong, Brother?"
In answer, Se Yeong pointed to the buildings in the middle.
"Don't those granaries in the center feel farther apart from the others?"
Paeng Se Gi's eyes widened as he examined the lineup for a moment.
"Huh? Now that you mention it, the middle granaries do seem a bit more spaced out than the rest."
"It's because the space is distorted."
Se Yeong instantly recognized the array formation laid out around the granaries.
He might not know every detail of the martial world, but he was well aware that the Jegal Family excelled in such formations.
This array was undoubtedly the work of the Strategist.
"So... you're saying there's an array formation set up ahead, Brother?"
Paeng Se Gi was utterly flustered.
He had enough confidence in his martial arts to show off in front of others, but formations were beyond him.
As the scion of a prestigious family, he had studied them to some degree, but not enough to set one up or break it.
"We'll know when we get there."
Without hesitation, Se Yeong headed toward the granary.
"B-Brother. Can we just barge right in?"
Paeng Se Gi, however, couldn't bring himself to move.
"Or you can stand there like an idiot until dawn."
"N-No, I'll follow you in, Brother."
He hurriedly caught up and stuck close to Se Yeong's side.
The two kept walking toward the granary.
But the distance to the lined-up warehouses didn't shrink at all.
If anything, they seemed to be drifting farther away.
"Brother. The buildings keep running away from us."
Paeng Se Gi had been tense before entering the array.
But once inside, all trace of tension vanished.
'What, am I gonna die or something?'
Haa...
A long sigh escaped the three of them at once.
"It's all... my fault. I'm sorry."
Hahu Yeon removed the mask covering his face and hung his head.
"It's not your fault, so don't worry about it."
Yi Cheon Yeong consoled the deeply dejected man.
"The one who set up this array here is probably the Strategist. Come morning, he'll dismantle it and drag us in. He might even use this as an excuse to disband the Tenth Squad."
Dang Ok Yi, on the other hand, gave a more realistic take.
Her words made Hahu Yeon pull a miserable face.
Getting kicked out of the Murim Alliance over this wouldn't be a big deal for him.
He was alone in his family anyway, and alone in the Alliance too—returning home wouldn't change much.
But things were different for Yi Cheon Yeong and Dang Ok Yi.
They might have some personality quirks, but they were recognized geniuses from their sects and families.
Ha ha...
"I can just go back to Mount Hua Sect, tend the fields, and live a quiet life."
Yi Cheon Yeong forced a hearty laugh.
But that wasn't how he really felt.
He had joined the Alliance to revive Mount Hua—how could he return empty-handed?
"If I get kicked out of the Murim Alliance, I'll just snag myself a handsome guy like Paeng and get married."
Yi Cheon Yeong's heart was burning black inside, but Dang Ok Yi spouted carefree nonsense.
Normally, she would have thrashed about to find a way out.
But she knew the Jegal Family's formations were the best in the martial world—even her struggles would be futile.
'Damn it. If word spreads that I got booted from the Murim Alliance, all the good guys will run off...'
As she fretted over something ridiculous, Se Yeong and Paeng Se Gi suddenly appeared before the three.
"Shit..."
A curse slipped unbidden from Dang Ok Yi's lips.
Now every member of the Tenth Squad was doomed to be expelled from the Murim Alliance.
"Even Hero Han is here?"
Yi Cheon Yeong smiled, but it was a smile devoid of any energy.
"It's all my fault. I'm sorry."
Hahu Yeon, slumped with drooping shoulders, bowed his head deeply.
Paeng Se Gi didn't like the sight of them all so listless and raised his voice with a smile.
"Chin up, everyone. When we meet the Strategist tomorrow, we just insist we were out for a stroll and accidentally stumbled into the array."
Dang Ok Yi snapped at his forced excuse.
"You think that bullshit will fly with the Strategist? Might as well try blocking the sky with your palm."
Paeng Se Gi raised his voice in return.
"Hey, you wanna just take the humiliation like this?"
"Humiliation isn't the issue right now. We could get kicked out of the Murim Alliance."
"No way they'd boot us over something like this."
"What better excuse could they have? Even our families won't be able to complain if we get expelled."
As the two bickered, the quietly seated Yi Cheon Yeong spoke up.
"Does Hero Han have any way to get us out of this array?"
He wasn't really expecting an answer.
But he was desperate enough to grasp at straws.
"Yeah."
Could there be a shorter reply?
Yet its impact was tremendous.
Paeng Se Gi and Dang Ok Yi shut their gaping mouths in shock, while Hahu Yeon jerked his head up with wide eyes.
"B-Brother... Did you really just say that?"
Se Yeong nodded at the dazed Paeng Se Gi.
"You came in without even knowing that?"
"Well... you told me to come along, so I did."
Hoo.
'This guy's something.'
Impressed, Se Yeong moved his stance toward the empty clearing.
The way to make them his own was surprisingly simple.
What desperate martial artists craved most was powerful martial arts—teach them that, and they'd be loyal.
But there was no guarantee they wouldn't betray him later.
A blade from your own man hurt more than one from the enemy.
"Follow me. Step only where I step, and don't move anywhere else."
"Got it, Brother."
Paeng Se Gi followed first, and the squadmates hurriedly moved as well.
"The forest we need to return to is behind us, so why are you heading left, Hero Han?"
That was Yi Cheon Yeong's question as he trailed behind.
The squadmates who entered first had tried heading for the forest to escape the array.
But the more they walked, the farther the forest seemed to recede.
Se Yeong countered.
"You entered first, so you should know."
"Yes. The more we walked, the farther the forest got."
"Don't trust what you see inside an array, especially an absolute formation—the spatial distortion is severe, and the direction you're heading might not match what you think."
This answer wasn't for Yi Cheon Yeong.
It was for Paeng Se Gi, following right behind.
As Se Yeong walked forward and then shifted left, his figure vanished from the squad's sight.
Paeng Se Gi immediately followed left.
Se Yeong's back reappeared, then he veered right.
The moment he did, Se Yeong vanished again from Paeng Se Gi's view.
The squad lined up and shifted right.
When the granary appeared before them, they couldn't hold back their awe.
Ah...
It was the granary they could never reach no matter how far they walked.
"Brother... Weren't we trying to escape the array?"
Paeng Se Gi stared blankly up at the granary.
"We went through the trouble, so we might as well achieve our goal. Go inside and grab all the dried abalone that's left."
Hahu Yeon, who had been standing there slack-jawed, sprang into action.
"Thank you, Hero Han."
His previously dull eyes sparkled brilliantly the moment he grabbed hold of the building's outer wall and started climbing.
His movements, using gaps in the wall as footholds, were like watching a squirrel.
'Not your average thief.'
Se Yeong was genuinely impressed by his light, agile form.
A martial artist needed nimble movements regardless of build, but Hahu Yeon was stealthier and quicker than most.
"The Strategist will be furious, Hero Han."
"It's fine. Without evidence, he can't punish us on suspicion alone."
The unusually long night passed, and morning sun rose.
The Strategist moved swiftly as soon as day broke.
"Summon all the Elusive Squadron members to the granary."
"Understood, Strategist."
After issuing the order to the martial artists, he exited the room with leisurely steps.
Soon, the true nature of the Tenth Squad would be laid bare before the Elusive Squadron.
It didn't matter if they weren't holding stolen food—it wouldn't change anything.
'I wonder how many got caught.'
He figured all the Tenth Squad members were likely trapped in the array.
If one didn't return, the rest would surely come looking.
Arriving at the granary, he stopped and inspected the array.
'No damage anywhere.'
He nodded with a satisfied smile.
The array around the granaries was the Jegal Family's absolute formation, the Five Elements Sunset Formation.
No matter how much the Elusive Squadron was made of geniuses, none could dismantle this without a trace.
"What the hell is going on?"
"Beats me."
The Strategist didn't so much as twitch at the voices behind him.
"Everyone's assembled, Strategist."
The martial artists approached and bowed; he turned to survey the nearly two hundred Elusive Squadron geniuses.
These gathered geniuses were the future pillars of the martial world.
Every one of them had sharp eyes and heroic bearing.
"What's this about, Strategist?"
Namgung Seok, leader of the First Squad, spoke on behalf of the members.
Among the heroic Elusive Squadron, he stood out even more.
His face was refined like jade, shoulders broad, and a subtle aura emanated from his whole body.
The Strategist addressed the assembled Elusive Squadron.
"I've gathered you here to catch the thieves who infiltrated the Murim Alliance."