Chapter 28
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Worth a Shot
Namgung Ji-hu's gaze shifted toward the referee.
"In cases like this, we just subdue them and bring them to you, right?"
Wa Dragon Corps Instructor Bi Ga-yeong, from Seonui Valley, nodded.
"Of course. But go easy on them."
She knew the archers were from the Fierce Dragon Corps, which was why she added that caution.
Their figures at the base of Mokran Mountain, bows slung across their backs, had naturally drawn everyone's eyes.
"Then, let's regroup back here within this gak—about thirty minutes."
Upon the referee's confirmation, Namgung Ji-hu turned to the other three and spoke.
"Got it."
Yeong Ho-jun leaped off in one direction first. Cheong Wu-ja followed right after.
"Will you be staying here, referee?"
"I can't do that. I'll be moving with Lady Namgung."
Perhaps because they were both women, Bi Ga-yeong looked at Namgung Ji-yu as she replied.
"Understood. Then."
Namgung Ji-hu leaped off to one side as well.
Namgung Ji-yu picked up the arrow she had knocked away. A faint but distinct fragrance lingered on it.
She could guess who had shot it.
Namgung Ji-yu leaped off in the direction the arrow had flown from toward her.
One gak had passed since the pursuit began.
They had agreed to regroup within that gak, but it now seemed impossible.
They hadn't even caught a glimpse of the opponent's back yet.
Yeong Ho-jun scowled.
He hadn't expected them to move this swiftly through the mountains.
"Did I underestimate them too much?"
He muttered with a wry smile.
Even so, Yeong Ho-jun didn't lose the trail.
"They're fleeing at full speed, huh?"
The clear footprints stamped into the ground showed just how desperately they were running.
That made tracking all the easier.
The other three were in the same situation as Yeong Ho-jun.
'This is weird.'
Namgung Ji-yu followed the footprints, tilting her head in suspicion.
They would have trained in internal energy and could perform basic lightness skills.
If they were running all out, they should be using lightness skills—yet the prints were too clear for that.
The faster one moved with lightness skills, the lighter the body became, and the fainter the footprints—that was normal.
No matter how low their level, this went beyond that.
"It's like they're deliberately stamping them clearly to show..."
Namgung Ji-yu muttered softly, then froze mid-sentence.
It was a casual musing, but she sensed something in it.
She halted the pursuit and looked around.
She had no idea where she was.
She had simply followed the footprints deep into the mountains.
During the chase, occasional arrows had flown at her, forcing her to focus solely on pursuit without other thoughts.
Those arrows had stopped coming at some point.
A short distance away, Bi Ga-yeong watched Namgung Ji-yu with an intrigued expression.
Dang Jin-san, who had been running while carrying Dang Chu for some time, picked up his pace.
It was fast enough to shake off Dang Chu at a distance.
He didn't forget to stomp clear footprints into the ground. After running like that for a while, Dang Jin-san suddenly began erasing his traces as he moved.
The footprints Dang Jin-san left vanished at a certain point.
Moving without leaving tracks, Dang Jin-san cautiously headed toward the prearranged spot to shoot arrows from.
Everything was proceeding according to Yeon Ha-min's plan.
The opening had gone slightly off-script, but things had smoothed out since then.
"If we all scatter separately, they'll instinctively chase the direction of the arrows aimed at them. Reflexive, nothing special about it. Baek Ri-pyeong, you'll lead Namgung Ji-hu. Leave traces matching our level to keep him from getting suspicious, and head to the target point as fast as possible. If the tracks are too clear, he might catch on."
Baek Ri-pyeong was running at full speed, leading the referee along. It was entirely up to him who the referee followed.
Before shooting the arrows, at Yeon Ha-min's request, Muk Hae-jin had paired with Baek Ri-pyeong.
The reason was simple.
Baek Ri-pyeong's role was to lure Namgung Ji-hu to the designated spot. He didn't need to erase tracks, so having the referee along wasn't an issue.
It didn't matter if Namgung Ji-hu followed the referee's traces too.
The other four were different.
They needed to lure them deep into the mountains separately using those traces—if the referee's prints were left behind, it would be a problem.
There was no leeway to erase the referee's tracks while executing the scheme.
That's why they assigned the referee to Baek Ri-pyeong, who didn't need to worry about traces from the start.
Muk Hae-jin found it amusing.
Truth be told, he didn't have to honor such a request from these rookies.
But their movements were impressively serious.
From what he could see, their goal was clear.
Divide and conquer.
Scatter the five Hidden Dragon Corps members deep in the mountains and take them down one by one.
The first target: Namgung Ji-hu.
To Muk Hae-jin, it was an absurd goal.
For them to target Namgung Ji-hu at their level? Fat chance.
Yet watching their actions, he sensed something more.
That's why he'd gladly agreed.
It was entertaining to watch.
"The first one we have to eliminate from Hidden Dragon Corps Unit 1 is Namgung Ji-hu. No helping it. If he crashes in while we're dealing with the others, it's game over. For our revenge to succeed, we must take him out first, no question. Succeed there, and nine-tenths of the revenge is done."
Baek Ri-pyeong mulled Yeon Ha-min's words as he pushed forward with all he had. The spot was just a little farther now.
Namgung Ji-hu furrowed his brow.
This gak had already passed.
He hadn't expected to fail to catch his target in that time.
From the tracks, the guy knew lightness skills decently and was very familiar with these mountain paths.
That was the reason.
He was closing the distance bit by bit, but hadn't properly sighted the tail end even after the gak was up.
Still, it was almost over.
At this rate, half a half-gak and he'd see the opponent's back.
As he followed the remaining traces...
His view suddenly opened up to reveal a small clearing.
The kind of space that made him wonder if such a place existed in these mountains.
And there, standing in front as if waiting for him, was a man.
"Baek Ri-pyeong, was it?"
He knew the basics from the briefing. Even the face.
A Zhongnan Sect disciple who joined the Fierce Dragon Corps.
Probably on orders from his sect leader.
This guy seemed to have some unspeakable backstory too.
Namgung Ji-hu chuckled.
Unspeakable backstory, my foot.
He himself didn't even know his own. Why he had to join Hidden Dragon Corps was a mystery.
He'd just followed the family head's orders.
What about this guy? Did he at least know his own story?
Useless thoughts.
He needed to take down the opponent and hurry back to the starting point.
He'd been drawn too deep.
A bad premonition stirred.
Namgung Ji-hu scanned ahead once more.
Baek Ri-pyeong stood there, sword and shield in hand, face tense as he stared back.
A bit farther off was the referee instructor.
'At least that's good.'
With the referee watching, he could subdue faster.
No way the opponent would keep fighting without yielding.
And beside him, another instructor.
'Fierce Dragon Corps instructor? Overkill.'
Namgung Ji-hu thought that upon seeing Ha Mu-baek.
Rules allowed supervising instructors to move together. But almost none did—none at all, really.
Yet here one was, boldly tagging along.
A scoff nearly escaped, but he steadied himself.
He had to neutralize this guy quick and return.
An inexplicable unease gnawed at his chest.
"No intention of surrendering?"
Namgung Ji-hu spoke to Baek Ri-pyeong.
His final courtesy to the opponent.
"None at all."
Baek Ri-pyeong shrugged, raising his sword and shield.
'Three Talents Sword mixed with Jegal instructor's shield techniques?'
He knew at a glance.
It was just Fierce Dragon Corps shield work, but he'd seen it once out of curiosity since a Jegal genius had devised it.
"Then I'll end it quickly."
Namgung Ji-hu drew his slim sword and assumed the starting form of Heavenly Bow Limitless Sword.
In that instant, a heavy aura emanated from him, engulfing the surroundings.
Baek Ri-pyeong swallowed hard.
He'd expected it, but facing a peer radiating such presence tensed him up automatically.
It was the kind of aura he'd only seen from senior sect brothers.
The guy before him was truly a monster.
Ha Mu-baek frowned at Baek Ri-pyeong's reaction.
The aura was impressive, sure—but hadn't he faced down five of Unit 7 with even greater pressure?
He'd experienced it, yet the kid was acting like this. Frustrating.
'First real fight nerves...'
Ha Mu-baek swallowed his irritation, chalking it up to that.
Baek Ri-pyeong shook his head, refocused, and began circling slowly around the clearing's center.
He positioned himself with the dense forest at his back.
He stood firm there, gripping sword and shield, glaring at Namgung Ji-hu.
"Why don't you come at me first? Otherwise, you won't get a chance to attack."
Namgung Ji-hu's idea of mercy.
It was the Summer Combat Festival, after all—being subdued without swinging once would be a shame.
"......"
Baek Ri-pyeong said nothing, just stared. The corners of his eyes trembled faintly.
"Fine, I'll come to you."
With those words, he surged forward in an instant, his sword slicing toward Baek Ri-pyeong's neck.
Bang!
A loud clash rang out.
Baek Ri-pyeong raised his shield to block Namgung Ji-hu's sword. But the force sent him staggering back two steps.
In that moment, his eyes lit up.
'Weak.'
Having clashed, he could tell.
The power behind the strike was only about eight-tenths of Instructor Ha's. He could handle it alone.
The realization hit.
'Worth a shot.'
He'd faced stronger foes before.
Ha Mu-baek spotted the shift in Baek Ri-pyeong instantly and nodded faintly. A small smile tugged at his lips.
As Baek Ri-pyeong blocked the strike, a flicker of surprise crossed Namgung Ji-hu's eyes.
But as he moved for the follow-up, he frowned.
The surrounding trees were the issue.
They interfered with Heavenly Bow Limitless Sword's strokes. He could ignore and chop the branches, but that would introduce tiny errors in his path.
Unacceptable for perfectionist Namgung Ji-hu.
His movements grew smaller as a result, allowing Baek Ri-pyeong ample room to respond.
A blend of Three Talents Sword and shield techniques.
Baek Ri-pyeong somehow parried the majestic sword assaults bearing down on him.
From above to below, left to right.
Aiming at head, then legs, sometimes chest—lethal strikes, yet none landed fatally.
Namgung Ji-hu's frown deepened.
Zhongnan disciple or not, he hadn't expected his sword to be blocked this well.
With mere Three Talents Sword and shield work, no less.
'This won't do.'
Namgung Ji-hu finally resolved himself.
Perfect swordsmanship mattered, but subduing the opponent came first.
They were well past the promised time.
If he was stalled like this, the others were likely worse off.
And they hadn't missed the group's presence either.
'Smash anything in the way.'
His majestic sword aura gained a tyrannical edge.
That was when it started.
Chopped branches and leaves scattered everywhere.
Baek Ri-pyeong gradually fell on the defensive.
'Ugh.'
Namgung Ji-hu's strikes now packed maybe eight-tenths? No, seven-tenths of Ha Mu-baek's power.
Too much for Baek Ri-pyeong alone.
Baek Ri-pyeong moved as Namgung Ji-hu pressed, gradually toward the clearing's center.
Namgung Ji-hu was maneuvering him to the most convenient spot for going all-out. A small smile played on his lips.
He regretted not unleashing perfect swordplay, but overwhelming the foe felt good.
Then he startled.
'Satisfied with just dominating one Fierce Dragon Corps cadet?'
Absurd, yet here it was.
Something sat wrong. His face hardened sharply.
In that instant.
Swoosh~!
Two arrows flew toward Namgung Ji-hu's back.