Chapter 39
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Selecting the Squad Members
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After Zhuge Mun-hyeon left, I was once again lost in thought.
As I had declared to him, I planned to select the squad members based on my instincts.
Although I was the Alliance Leader of the Martial Arts Alliance in my past life, I didn't know every single member.
Therefore, I intended to choose martial artists who gave me the best impression—in other words, those with the greatest potential.
And I already had someone in mind to be the vice-captain who would help lead the Evil-Repelling Sword Squad.
It was Hwang Yeop, the captain of the Black Tortoise Squad.
Hwang Yeop.
He was a martial artist who received the backhanded compliment of being 'quick-witted'.
His martial arts were average for a captain, but his skill in minimizing casualties and returning to the Martial Arts Alliance from rear operations was the best among all the captains.
However, his martial prowess was, in fact, at the very bottom.
For this reason, Hwang Yeop wasn't highly regarded.
Nevertheless, there was another reason I had my eye on Hwang Yeop.
As the captain, I would lead the squad members and focus on combat, and I could rest easy leaving the rest to Hwang Yeop.
When venturing far to conduct a mission alone, there were a great many things to prepare.
He also had another strength that others didn't know about: his sense for grasping the battlefield.
By synthesizing the information provided by the Alliance with what he gathered on-site, he accurately assessed situations, knowing when to press forward and when to retreat.
That was why his squad members suffered minimal casualties.
‘It would be great if Hwang Yeop handled all the tedious tasks. After all, someone with good martial prowess is bound to emerge from among Seong Hwi or the other members. I only know how to fight; it would be exhausting if the vice-captain were the same.’
Thinking of Hwang Yeop, I let a faint smile grace my lips.
When I opened my eyes, Seong Hwi was staring at me intently.
“Young Master. No, Captain.”
“Yes. You're a squad member now, too. Speak.”
“I overheard you earlier. What does it mean to select members by instinct?”
“It means I'll be selecting those with great potential.”
“How?”
“During a spar, if you heighten your sense of ki to its maximum, you can grasp the opponent's martial prowess to some extent. Examining their pulse up close gives an even more accurate reading.”
“Ah, I'm envious.”
Seong Hwi nodded as if he understood.
Of course, I wouldn't rely solely on this.
I would mobilize all five of my senses, honed over the past eighty-two years of my life.
In my past life, I had focused solely on one thing: martial arts, training, and fighting against evil and unorthodox sects.
There's a saying that it takes a master to know a master.
At my level, I can instantly tell the wheat from the chaff.
A few days later.
I visited one squad per day, selecting a total of forty martial artists over three days.
When I also selected Hwang Yeop, the squad commanders, including the Black Tortoise Squad Commander, showed surprised reactions.
Finally, after selecting ten martial artists from the Red Tiger Squad and departing, Sak Cheon-hyeok's expression hardened.
“Brother.”
Gang U-chung, the Black Tortoise Squad Commander, approached.
“You're here?”
“What do you think?”
“Well, it's hard to say. To be honest, it's surprising.”
“I was a bit surprised myself. There were quite a few with strong martial arts, but they were all passed over. He only picked out those who seemed like they would be worth cultivating. Was it the same for the Red Tiger Squad?”
“Yes. He's truly a remarkable person.”
“Could someone have leaked information?”
“He heightened his sense of ki to the maximum and checked each person one by one. It was as if he was assessing their martial aptitude and reading their faces. Then he had a brief conversation with them. He repeated that all day without showing the slightest sign of losing focus. He's truly incredible. I have to admit it. To have such firm principles, perseverance, and outstanding martial prowess at his age.”
“It's been a long time since I've seen you praise someone, Brother.”
“You had Hwang Yeop taken from you. Are you alright with that?”
Sak Cheon-hyeok changed the subject.
“Honestly, he's the one with the weakest martial prowess. It's a relief.”
“Why would he take him? In terms of martial prowess alone, there were many other fine martial artists.”
“Because having Hwang Yeop around is convenient. Because of this.”
Gang U-chung tapped his head with his finger and sneered.
A martial artist who couldn't compete with his martial arts and instead showed strength in other areas was never highly regarded.
“Now, go back and get your squad in order. With ten martial artists gone, the atmosphere will be unsettled.”
“Don't worry. This sort of thing happens all the time.”
Gang U-chung clasped his fist and returned to the Black Tortoise Squad.
Sak Cheon-hyeok furrowed his brow, looked up at the sky, and then returned to the Red Tiger Squad.
**
The Evil-Repelling Sword Squad.
I ordered the new members to pack their belongings from their former squads and come to the Evil-Repelling Sword Squad's barracks, then sat down with Hwang Yeop.
“Do you find this surprising?”
“To be honest, yes.”
“You just need to act as you always have. I'll handle the fighting, so I need you to take responsibility for everything else.”
“Understood.”
Hwang Yeop let out a sigh of relief.
He had been anxious, worrying that I might have great expectations and make strange demands, like telling him to improve his martial arts.
“Hold on a moment.”
I reached out, took his wrist, closed my eyes, and began to check his pulse.
“Stay calm.”
I sent my ki flowing into him to examine his body.
By examining him directly like this, I could grasp the state of his body more accurately.
As expected, he was at an intermediate level.
“You use a saber, don't you?”
“I do.”
“From today, you will use a sword. I'm going to teach you a fast sword art, so just master that. If you do, you'll reach a much higher realm than you're at now.”
“A fast sword art?”
A look of bewilderment flashed across Hwang Yeop's face.
“The saber doesn't suit you. It may feel awkward at first to set down the familiar saber you've trained with for so long and pick up a light sword, but you'll be satisfied in time. I'll bestow upon you a fast sword art that is perfectly suited for you.”
“What is the name of the sword art?”
“It has no name. It's a sword art I created to match your constitution. You can name it later.”
Hwang Yeop's conversation with me was a series of bewildering moments.
‘This feels strange. Am I being scammed?’
Hwang Yeop was overcome with anxiety.
“Follow me.”
I led him to the training ground, took his saber, and tossed him a thin, light sword.
“Watch closely. This sword art is specialized for you.”
I took a deep breath, raised my internal energy, and began to perform the fast sword art with the Ghost Soul Sword.
A sharp, cutting aura began to slice through the air.
From start to finish, there were no variable moves, only fast ones, which flustered Hwang Yeop quite a bit, but he soon became engrossed in the sword art I was demonstrating.
I demonstrated the fast sword art three times.
“Now, you try it.”
“I don't know if I can. I've only ever held a heavy saber my whole life.”
“Have confidence. You will not regret switching to the sword.”
The sword art he performed was somehow clumsy.
I continuously corrected his posture and adjusted the flow of his internal energy.
After I spent a full two hours helping him, Hwang Yeop's swordsmanship began to look quite plausible.
“That's a little better.”
I taught him so diligently that I wondered if I had ever taught anyone with such effort before.
The ultimate principles of martial arts were infused into this sword art.
Of course, I wasn't expecting an extremely high level of martial prowess from Hwang Yeop, so I created it at a moderate level, but if he mastered it to its peak, few would be able to stand against his fast sword art.
‘Forget the peak, I'd be happy if he just mastered about eighty percent of it. Well, even mastering eighty percent would make him much better than before.’
As I stepped back to watch Hwang Yeop train, one of the squad members came running.
‘Already?’
I was surprised he had arrived so quickly.
It should have taken some time to say goodbye to the squad members he had been with for so long.
“Captain. I am Jeok Yo-san.”
“You were in the Vermilion Phoenix Squad, right?”
“Yes, sir. You remember me.”
“Of course.”
“Thank you.”
Jeok Yo-san clasped his fist with a deeply moved expression.
“A world of hardship awaits you.”
“Captain. Didn't the vice-captain originally use a saber?”
“He did. The saber didn't suit his constitution, so I had him switch to a sword. I also bestowed a new sword art upon him. Are you ready?”
“Sir? For what?”
“To suffer. But I promise that if you learn properly, you will reach a higher level of martial prowess than you have now.”
“I will do my best.”
Jeok Yo-san stood at attention and answered in a loud voice.
Indeed, just seeing how quickly he arrived, I could guess his enthusiasm.
“Perform the martial arts you know. Don't explain.”
Jeok Yo-san raised his internal energy and began to perform his sword art.
After watching for a while, I furrowed my brow.
He performed his sword art as if he were a grandmaster.
His sword art incorporated speed, weight, and variation all at once.
Of course, this was not a compliment.
It's difficult enough to achieve greatness by focusing on just one—speed, weight, or variation—but by trying to do all three at once, he had become a jack of all trades and master of none.
“Stop.”
“*Pant, pant.* How was it?”
“Your sword art is too cluttered. Discard speed and variation, and focus only on weight. Yo-san, you are naturally strong.”
“Then wouldn't it be better to switch to a saber?”
“No. Just use a sword. Your sword is a heavy sword, so it's fine. Watch closely.”
I boldly discarded the fast and variable moves from his sword art and began explaining from the parts that dealt with a heavy sword.
Jeok Yo-san's eyes sparkled with concentration.
After finishing my explanation, I personally demonstrated the sword art, and I corrected his movements when he performed it.
As we repeated this process, he gradually became accustomed to the sword art I had modified.
Jeok Yo-san certainly had more aptitude than Hwang Yeop.
He absorbed it all as quickly as a sponge absorbs water.
“Thank you so much, Captain. This sword art fits me perfectly, like clothes tailored just for me.”
“I modified it after observing your constitution. Train hard.”
“Thank you, Captain.”
Jeok Yo-san's eyes welled up with tears.
He had never before received instruction given with such heartfelt effort.
The Martial Arts Alliance was overflowing with talent, and many new talents were recruited from the outside every year.
Because of this, if one didn't distinguish themselves early on, they were pushed aside and eventually had to leave the Martial Arts Alliance.
Therefore, squad commanders and captains focused more on elevating the martial prowess of their existing outstanding members rather than trying to improve the skills of those who were lacking.
If you can't adapt, you're replaced.
This was the common mindset among the squad commanders.
Hwang Yeop and Jeok Yo-san began training on the grounds, dripping with sweat, and Seong Hwi joined them.
I watched them, continuously pointing out their mistakes, demonstrating personally, and correcting their stances.
The rest of the squad members also gathered one by one.
I ordered them to perform their martial arts and observed them with a cool eye.
Since many had gathered at once, and more kept arriving, I couldn't examine and correct them in as much detail as I had with Hwang Yeop and Jeok Yo-san.
Their training continued for a long time.
I called them up one by one, meticulously checked their constitutions, and examined their martial arts.
It was an extremely difficult and exhausting task for both me and them, but neither side gave up and remained serious.
“Rest.”
When dusk fell, I finally ordered a break.
“Everyone, return to the barracks and rest.”
They headed for the barracks, groaning in pain.
The strengths and weaknesses of the forty squad members' constitutions and martial arts were stored perfectly in my mind.
‘Over the next few days, I'll have to observe them and create and impart a sword art tailored to each one. A tough road lies ahead.’
The thought alone was daunting, but because there was hope, I could manage a bright smile.
If we train diligently like this for just one year, the prestige of the Evil-Repelling Sword Squad will rise in an instant.