Chapter 398
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 398
Chapter Title: If You're Curious, Come Watch
Kwang!
A deafening clang echoed from the shield.
The cadet who took Hocheon Corps Leader Ha Mu-baek's attack first held up his shield properly and blocked the blow.
It didn't stop there.
He moved right away.
The rest of his squad did the same.
They formed the Myeong formation perfectly and shifted into motion.
Ha Mu-baek gave the tiniest nod of approval.
He pressed them relentlessly for the set time.
Their movements hesitated ever so slightly here and there.
But compared to yesterday, it was as good as flawless.
They moved swiftly.
Even as Ha Mu-baek continued radiating the aura of a dark blood jiangshi.
They had endured it in just one day.
Their pale faces suggested they hadn't overcome it entirely.
Simply...
The remnants of yesterday's brutal training lingered in their bodies.
Their bodies reacted first, with their minds following behind.
'Not bad.'
And so Ha Mu-baek spent the entire day like this.
Radiating the jiangshi's aura, he hounded the Fierce Dragon Corps cadets.
To etch the movements into their bodies.
Even if he exuded the jiangshi aura, confirming with their eyes that it was a person was different from facing a real one.
Aside from Squad Seven, none had experience with actual jiangshi.
Even on first contact.
He needed to make their bodies react naturally.
That was Ha Mu-baek's primary goal right now.
The first encounter.
It would be their one and only chance.
Even as night deepened, Ha Mu-baek didn't stop.
To uproot the last traces of hesitation in their movements.
This was something only he could do.
His master, Wi Ji-gun, couldn't emit a jiangshi's aura, nor could Han Seol-bing, who had fought alongside him through the horrors of the Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest.
Wi Ji-gun might figure it out after hearing the method from Ha Mu-baek and pondering for a few days.
But even those few days felt like a waste right now.
Ha Mu-baek pushed them, and pushed them again.
His figure grew faster and faster, to the point where it seemed to appear in twenty places at once.
Ha Mu-baek attacked all twenty squads simultaneously with minute time differences.
Which meant the Fierce Dragon Corps cadets had less time to rest.
Yesterday, after facing him once, they had to wait until he'd gone through all thirty-eight squads before their turn came again.
Now it was twenty, then nineteen.
Alternating nonstop, his attacks kept coming.
After half a squad's rest, the assault resumed.
The moment they caught their breath and recovered a bit of stamina, Ha Mu-baek came charging like lightning.
They blocked it, and blocked again.
Their scant inner energy depleted, their stamina bottomed out.
Yet Ha Mu-baek didn't stop.
Even when their trembling arms could barely lift sword and shield.
His attacks matched exactly that level of strength.
By sunset.
They couldn't even remember how they'd moved.
Whenever the whoosh of Ha Mu-baek charging reached them, their arms and legs moved on their own.
They had no idea why their bodies were reacting that way, but they did.
In that state, past midnight.
Only at Chou hour did the training finally end.
Everyone collapsed, utterly spent.
Over half couldn't even stand or sit.
Squad Seven's cadets were no different.
When facing them, he'd pushed even harder and more fiercely, matching their level.
Ha Mu-baek looked over the sprawled cadets and ascended the platform.
A few beads of sweat dotted his face.
Despite moving at that speed nonstop for so long.
"M-Mon... monster... huff, huff, huff..."
Dang Jin-san lay flat on the ground, muttering in awe at the instructor.
The others surely thought the same.
No matter how you looked at it.
He seemed stronger than the Hidden Dragon Corps Leader, the Wa Dragon Corps Leader—not to mention the Dragon Training Pavilion Lord.
No one had seen, let alone heard of, movements that struck twenty places at once.
Why was someone with such incredible skill at the Dragon Training Pavilion, of all places—and in the Fierce Dragon Corps, no less?
The question arose, then vanished.
They were too exhausted.
Their minds rejected thought itself.
"This should cover the basics. Tomorrow's real combat training. Dismissed."
With that, Ha Mu-baek vanished.
The Fierce Dragon Corps instructors who had watched from one side of the grand training ground were gone too.
Only Pyeong Deok-jo and Han Seol-bing remained.
"Ruthless. Truly ruthless."
Han Seol-bing shook her head, murmuring.
"Yeah. When he really pushes, it's like this."
Pyeong Deok-jo muttered anew, realizing how much leniency he'd received in the Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest.
"No. He can be even more ruthless... He stopped here because this is their limit."
With that, Han Seol-bing left.
Pyeong Deok-jo's face paled.
Just what kind of hell...
Had Ha Mu-baek crawled out of?
Chirp. Chirp. Chirp.
Coo coo. Coo. Coo coo. Coo.
Birdsong filtered through the window.
Ha Seol-ran opened her eyes at the sound.
Sunlight streamed through the closed window cracks.
"Ugh."
Sitting up in bed, she groaned from the muscle pain.
She forced herself to open the window, and bright sunlight filled the room.
The sun was high in the sky.
"Slept in completely."
Checking the time, Ha Seol-ran murmured calmly.
When you're this late, the urge to hurry fades.
The morning classes at the academy...
She wouldn't make them today.
Her gaze turned to the opposite bed.
There.
Yeon Ha-min was just opening her eyes, wincing from muscle pain as she rose.
The night before.
No, today.
Training ended at Chou hour.
She didn't remember how she'd made it back to the dorm and fallen asleep.
No chance to circulate qi, naturally.
The price was this full-body ache.
If she'd at least circulated for a weeknight's sleep, it wouldn't be this bad.
Ha Seol-ran's and Yeon Ha-min's eyes met.
They nodded and settled into meditation, better late than never.
To ease this brutal soreness.
Ha Seol-ran used the Infinite Formless Heart Method.
Yeon Ha-min used the Full Moon Harmony Heart Method from the Ten Thousand Flowers Moon Dance Sword Dance manual.
It happened to every Fierce Dragon Corps cadet.
Not a single one woke on time that day.
All opened their eyes only after the sun hit midday.
Then dove into meditation amid the throbbing pain.
Morning passed like that.
By lunchtime.
Squad Seven of the Fierce Dragon Corps gathered and headed to the Devouring Dragon Pavilion.
"Hey."
On the way to the Devouring Dragon East Pavilion, they ran into Namgung Hu and Namgung Yu.
They were just leaving the academy.
"Heard last night was intense?"
Dang Jin-san shook his head at Namgung Hu's question.
"Can't even talk about it. Whew."
A deep sigh.
Namgung Hu chuckled at the complaint.
"Lucky. Having an instructor who trains you that hard."
Three heads nodded at Namgung Hu's words.
Baek Ri-pyeong, Joo Woo-myeong, Dan Mok Un-roe.
The mad ones smiling even as they collapsed at Chou hour.
"Speaking of, our instructor hasn't come by lately?"
Last year.
When Namgung Hu was still Namgung Ji-hu.
He'd occasionally seek out Ha Mu-baek for spars and train with Squad Seven.
Come to think of it, this semester, it had stopped around some point in the first half.
"Seems like he doesn't have time for me."
True enough.
He'd been away from the Dragon Training Pavilion often and focused on group training.
"Then join our group sessions. We've got spots. With you two, it'd be perfect."
Twenty squads, two per squad originally.
Now seven per squad.
Add Namgung Hu and Namgung Yu: five and four.
Two full squads.
Namgung Yu smiled faintly at Dang Jin-san's words.
"I'll pass."
She wasn't as obsessed with martial arts as Namgung Hu.
At her response, Namgung Hu wore a strange, regretful look.
"How do you keep up without knowing the Myeong formation?"
Only then did Namgung Hu resign with a nod at Namgung Yu's point.
She was right.
Participating without knowing their training arts would just be a nuisance.
Dang Jin-san's eyes widened at Namgung Yu's words.
"You know the Myeong formation?"
"Heard Instructor Ha's teaching it to the whole Fierce Dragon Corps. Got curious and looked into it."
"How?"
"Instructor Jegal created it, stocked it in the library when passing it to the Corps."
"Ah..."
Dang Jin-san let out an exclamation.
Namgung Hu's gaze shifted to her.
He hadn't known either.
"Where's the manual?"
Namgung Yu shook her head.
"You're busy with other stuff now, aren't you?"
Instead of answering, she pointed that out.
Namgung Hu nodded.
Peak entry level.
After reaching it with Ha Mu-baek's help.
King's Sword Forms felt entirely new.
He was consumed with training it.
A path to higher realms lay before him.
And above all.
He wanted to get closer to his father's level.
By then, they'd arrived at the Devouring Dragon East Pavilion.
They got trays, sat, and picked up chopsticks.
Mid-meal, Dang Jin-san spoke as if remembering.
"Oh yeah, he said today's combat training. Bet he'll bring that out."
"Probably."
Baek Ri-pyeong replied.
"What's that?"
Namgung Hu asked curiously.
"If you're curious, come watch. It'll be fun."
Dang Jin-san grinned mischievously.
He turned to Namgung Yu too.
"Fun and meaningful experience."
But his face was full of mischief.
Namgung Yu glanced at Yeon Ha-min.
"Really?"
"Not sure about fun. But meaningful, yeah."
Yeon Ha-min lowered her veil slightly as she ate and spoke.
"Told you it'll be fun."
Dang Jin-san insisted.
Namgung Hu and Namgung Yu scanned the other Squad Seven cadets' faces.
No clue.
Some nodded like Dang Jin-san was right.
Others shot looks saying tone it down.
Mealtime ended.
Afternoon training time.
Fierce Dragon Corps Squad Seven headed to the training ground, naturally.
Namgung Hu and Namgung Yu hesitated briefly, then went to the grand training ground.
They didn't enter but climbed nearby tree branches of suitable height.
To watch the training.
Not because they skipped their own.
Not even Dang Jin-san's words.
Yeon Ha-min's "meaningful" piqued their curiosity.
All Fierce Dragon Corps cadets gathered at the grand training ground.
An instructor moved among them, encouraging.
Pyeong Deok-jo.
The Namgung siblings didn't know him.
"Today's training will be rough. Steel yourselves."
Not just his squad.
He checked on every cadet.
Ha Mu-baek's intent kept him from details.
"They say even if a tiger bites you, keep your wits and you'll live. Nonsense or not, keep it in mind."
The cadets tilted heads at Pyeong Deok-jo's advice.
Natural, not knowing what was coming.
Ha Mu-baek appeared, other Fierce Dragon instructors too.
Pyeong Deok-jo had come early from worry.
He'd experienced it recently.
Han Seol-bing and Wi Ji-gun were present.
Ha Mu-baek took the platform.
"Fierce Dragon Corps."
"Yes, sir!!!"
His qi-infused call rang clear to all.
They roared back.
"What day is it?"
"October twenty-eighth!"
Another thunderous reply.
Mornings and evenings now bitingly cold.
Ha Mu-baek nodded at the resounding answer.
"You know well. Second-years, you know graduation nears."
"......"
Silence fell over the grand training ground.
"Then you'll head to the Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest. Land of death, demonic beasts, curses. Some saw it last year."
"......"
Some bowed heads.
"Real combat starts then. You'll wield sword and shield against jiangshi, dancing life and death."
Ha Mu-baek paused, scanning the cadets.
"First times are hardest, toughest, riskiest. Your biggest losses will be the first mission. Facing jiangshi for the first time. Anyone here seen one?"
No answers, no raised hands.
Squad Seven too.
They had experience but weren't so dense to say now.
"To cut first-mission losses, combat training starts now. Fierce Dragon second-year Squads Seven and Twenty, sit out. Rest, form four formations. Execute!"
"Execute!"
They shouted and moved fast.
Four large formations formed instantly.
Basic five-man, but Myeong formation scaled with numbers.
Hence Squads Seven and Twenty made seven-man formations.
Preparation done.
Day three already.
Ha Mu-baek eyed the lone wagon by the grand training ground, no horse, no explanation.
That instant.
Clunk.
The cargo door flew open.
Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh.
Four wooden coffins soared through the air, each hurtling toward the center of a formation.