Chapter 4
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Well, Nothing to Know
Ha Mu-baek ignored the dumbfounded stares of the five and sauntered toward his quarters.
'Gotta get a good sleep today too. I crashed pretty late last night. Still, this kind of life isn't half bad. Plenty of leisure, nice and quiet.'
It was only his second day on the job, but Ha Mu-baek was already quite satisfied with his current situation.
The only annoyance was that he'd been assigned to this meat-shield factory run by those damn bastards.
He had no desire to contribute to it himself.
Eventually, they'd either assign a different instructor or pull him out.
With that thought, Ha Mu-baek sprawled out in his quarters and caught up on his sorely needed sleep.
When he opened his eyes, it was already around lunchtime.
Ha Mu-baek made it a point not to skip meals if he could help it. So he headed to the training ground first.
He figured he at least had to make sure the kids ate.
Ha Mu-baek made his way to Squad Seven's training ground.
Self-study time—or self-training, as it were.
He wondered what they might be up to.
Upon arrival, things were exactly as he'd expected, not a whit different.
Dang Jin-san was napping under a tree in the shade. Ha Mu-baek felt a twinge of envy. If it weren't for meals, he might've slept a bit longer himself.
Baek Ri-pyeong was diligently swinging his sword through the forms of the Zhongnan Sect's foundational swordsmanship, Four Directions Sword Method.
Yeon Ha-min was moving her body off to one side. From the faint traces of internal energy accompanying her motions, Ha Mu-baek guessed she was practicing the Yeon Clan's basic muscle and bone tempering technique.
And then there was Dan Mok Un-roe.
The guy who knew zilch about martial arts.
He was sweating buckets while drilling horse stance. Nak Woo-jin was right there with him.
These two really had no intention of going home.
Even after he'd so kindly explained what happened to Fierce Dragon Corps trainees once they finished training and got deployed to real combat.
"Phew. Let's go eat."
Ha Mu-baek let out a sigh and called out loudly. Only then did the four stop their training, and Dang Jin-san sat up with a tousled expression.
"What about afternoon training?"
Dan Mok Un-roe perked up and approached Ha Mu-baek.
"Self-study."
His curt reply wiped the enthusiasm from his face in an instant.
"Then why..."
"Figured you'd skip meals again like yesterday if I left you alone. All this is to keep you alive, so don't miss meals."
Ha Mu-baek took the lead, and the five followed behind.
The Dragon Training Pavilion had dining halls in all four directions—east, west, south, and north—for all personnel to eat.
Devouring Dragon Pavilion.
All four shared the same grandiose name, something about pavilions that fed dragons. Ha Mu-baek briefly wondered if the ones trailing him were really dragons.
He quickly shook his head to dispel the idle thought.
What did it matter to him? As long as the food was good and filling, that was enough.
"Oh, today's menu looks great. Dig in, everyone."
Ha Mu-baek checked the menu board at the Devouring Dragon Pavilion entrance, grinned, grabbed a tray, and joined the line for food. The five lined up behind him.
That was when it started.
He began feeling sidelong glances from those around them.
Ha Mu-baek wasn't one to miss such signs, but he ignored them.
"Um... Instructor."
Maybe because of those stares, Dan Mok Un-roe hesitantly called out to him.
"Yeah? What?"
"We're not supposed to eat here. We have to use the southern Devouring Dragon Pavilion."
Ha Mu-baek tilted his head at that.
At least according to the duty rules he'd been briefed on when assigned to the Dragon Training Pavilion, there was no such restriction.
They'd said anyone could use any of the four Devouring Dragon Pavilions freely.
Yet the Fierce Dragon Corps was limited to the south one?
Ha Mu-baek narrowed his eyes.
The eastern Devouring Dragon Pavilion was the closest to Squad Seven's training ground. The south one was farther away. Why force them to go there?
It rubbed him the wrong way.
Dan Mok Un-roe had spoken softly, but everyone present could hear that much, and curiosity flickered across a few faces.
"What fresh nonsense is that? They said we can use any Devouring Dragon Pavilion freely."
Ha Mu-baek smirked and spoke loudly enough for those around to hear.
Faces twisted immediately. Expressions full of clear displeasure.
They'd just been called out for forcing the Fierce Dragon Corps to use the south one.
But no one stepped forward directly. There was one who looked like an instructor, but he showed no reaction.
"Instructor Jegal! Eating here again today?"
Then a booming voice rang out as a burly, square-jawed man strode inside, ignoring the line entirely.
Ha Mu-baek scowled at the sight, but the cadets around seemed utterly unfazed.
The square-jawed brute headed toward the only apparent instructor there but halted abruptly upon spotting Ha Mu-baek's group.
"Fierce Dragon Corps?"
He recognized their affiliation from their uniforms.
The uniforms bore insignia indicating their squad.
"That's us."
Ha Mu-baek stepped forward in reply.
"Hah. Unbelievable. What makes you Fierce Dragon Corps nobodies think you belong here?"
"Where else? It's a dining hall."
Since the man spoke informally, Ha Mu-baek gave it right back.
The brute's eyebrow twitched at Ha Mu-baek's retort. Fury at the insolence of being talked back to.
"I am Sado Gwang, Chief Instructor of the Hidden Dragon Corps. Who the hell are you?"
"Ha Mu-baek. Instructor for Squad Seven of the Fierce Dragon Corps."
"Instructor? Hah. No Fierce Dragon Corps insignia, huh. Thought you were just some worthless cadet. Why's an instructor here? Instructors eat at the northern Devouring Dragon Pavilion."
The Fierce Dragon Corps had no age limit, so there were cadets Ha Mu-baek's age.
"I eat wherever I damn well please."
"Like hell that's up to you. Sure, on paper anyone can use any of them, but custom has it set: east for Hidden Dragon Corps, west for Wa Dragon Corps, north for instructors and pavilion staff, south for laborers and Fierce Dragon Corps."
He emphasized "laborers and Fierce Dragon Corps" with particular venom.
Ha Mu-baek's gaze swept over the man's face.
What gave him the balls to act like this? He didn't recognize the face, so he wasn't anyone important.
When he'd been set to lead the Hocheon Corps, he'd made a point to memorize the faces and backgrounds of the alliance's key figures.
It was crucial for protecting the alliance leader.
An unfamiliar face meant a nobody.
"So get lost already. Don't pollute the eastern Devouring Dragon Pavilion. Wouldn't want the Hidden Dragon Corps cadets catching your pathetic stench."
The five behind Ha Mu-baek flinched at the insult.
Ha Mu-baek just chuckled.
"If anyone's pathetic, it's you."
"What? You, a mere Fierce Dragon Corps instructor, dare speak to me like that?!"
"What, like it's some big deal. Heh."
At Ha Mu-baek's laugh, Sado Gwang's robes fluttered wildly. His clenched fist trembled.
Ha Mu-baek eyed him steadily as the man gathered his internal energy, poised to strike any moment.
Right then.
"Chief Instructor, that's enough."
Another instructor present intervened.
"Instructor Jegal, step aside. I'm going to teach this arrogant scum a lesson today."
"Scum? Seems like the one's picking a fight out of nowhere is the real scum."
Ha Mu-baek's eyes gleamed sharply.
"Instructor Ha, you too."
The one called Instructor Jegal tried to rein in Ha Mu-baek as well.
"Jegal Myeong?"
Ha Mu-baek murmured lowly, prompting the man to ask.
"You know me?"
"Weren't you with the Heavenly Eye Pavilion?"
Jegal Myeong's eyes narrowed at Ha Mu-baek's question. Few knew of his former affiliation.
It made sense.
The Heavenly Eye Pavilion.
One of the Righteous Heaven Alliance's four halls under the Seven Units from the previous war, better known by its nickname, Military Affairs Hall.
Being part of it was classified information in its own right.
For Jegal Myeong, it was third-level classified.
"Who knows."
So Jegal Myeong answered vaguely.
But it was Sado Gwang who reacted more strongly.
The fist he'd been ready to swing loosened slightly.
No wonder.
This nobody he'd dismissed had just named the Heavenly Eye Pavilion—and casually, like he knew something.
Meant he wasn't just some scrub.
Starting a brawl with a guy like that here could cause a scene, and if he had backing, it'd be a headache. Sado Gwang had risen to chief instructor on pure skill, with no patrons of his own.
That made him fiercely proud of his title, and in turn, he looked down on the Fierce Dragon Corps.
A twisted pride.
Jegal Myeong didn't miss Sado Gwang's subtle shift.
"Chief Instructor, show some magnanimity here. Plenty of cadets watching."
"Hmph. Hmph. If Instructor Jegal insists. For your sake, I'll let it slide this once with my boundless mercy. Ah, drop by my office later."
With that, he shot Ha Mu-baek a final glare and hurried out of the Devouring Dragon Pavilion.
The tense standoff dissolved into nothing.
"Mind stepping aside now? It's my turn."
Ha Mu-baek gestured to the serving line. Amid the commotion, those ahead of him had vanished.
"Ah, sorry about that."
Jegal Myeong stepped to the side. Ha Mu-baek approached the serving area and piled his tray high with his favorites.
Jegal Myeong lingered nearby instead of leaving.
"What?"
Ha Mu-baek glanced at him.
"You don't seem like an ordinary sort. Instead of just making sure your cadets eat, why not teach them some martial arts too?"
"Martial arts? That flimsy stuff? Has it or not, they die all the same."
"Not everyone dies."
"Hah. Listen, kid. You know what kind of place that is before mouthing off?"
Ha Mu-baek halted, his face turning cold.
"I don't think I'm kid enough to call myself that... but I know what it is. The cursed land where the Blood Cult's main headquarters stood. Where demonic beasts pour out nonstop thanks to their sorcery and poisons. The Fierce Dragon Corps' five-year survival rate is a measly five percent."
"You know your stuff. Still saying that crap? If it's so hopeless, send your own students instead. Knowing it from books ain't the same as reality."
Ha Mu-baek resumed walking. His tray was full; now he sought a seat.
Jegal Myeong spoke to his back.
"I don't know how well you grasp it, Instructor Ha. But all the more reason you can't shirk your duties as instructor. You say they'll die regardless of training, but clearly five percent make it back."
Jegal Myeong spoke in a flat, emotionless tone. Ha Mu-baek sat without responding.
Only the five squad members trailing him shifted uncomfortably. They hovered awkwardly around Ha Mu-baek's table, unsure whether to sit or stand.
All five knew the man before them was a Hidden Dragon Corps instructor—and a famous scion of the Jegal Clan to boot.
They'd seen him introduced at the entrance ceremony.
Even the Fierce Dragon Corps had joined the Hidden Dragon and Wa Dragon Corps for that, though they'd been like straw men shoved in the corner of the grand training hall.
Hidden Dragon Corps: talents from the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Clans.
Wa Dragon Corps: promising youngsters from the New Eight Schools.
And the ignored Fierce Dragon Corps.
"An instructor should at least try to get the cadets he's teaching into that five percent. Abandoning them because 'they'll die anyway' is the act of a truly shameless piece of trash."
The five watched Ha Mu-baek anxiously.
First the Hidden Dragon Corps chief instructor, now a Jegal Clan instructor. Could their own instructor—who'd done nothing but self-study all day—handle this?
Their eyes brimmed with doubt and worry.
"Ditching the cadets you're responsible for like that just admits you're a loser and a coward. Even if you call me a kid, I won't become one of those."
With that, Jegal Myeong turned and left the Devouring Dragon Pavilion.
'Loser and coward, huh...'
Ha Mu-baek mulled over Jegal Myeong's sharp barb and cracked a faint smile.
The five cadets finished their meal—whether they were chewing food or sand was unclear—and headed back to the training ground.
Soon, lunchtime ended, and the afternoon schedule began.
The five turned expectant eyes to Ha Mu-baek.
He glanced at them and said,
"Self-study."
With those brief words, he leaned against a nearby tree in the shade and sat.
The five hesitated but resumed their morning training.
Dang Jin-san, who'd lounged all morning, couldn't very well nap with Ha Mu-baek right there, so he pulled out his whip for some sham practice.
Ha Mu-baek watched them impassively.
'Make these five part of the five percent survivors? Heh. Easy to say. If these five make it, that means all the rest die?'
He chewed over Jegal Myeong's words.
His expression hardened, though he didn't realize it.
In truth, Ha Mu-baek had no strong feelings about being an instructor.
He just saw it as a temporary bounce from the Righteous Heaven Alliance headquarters' power struggles.
He'd vaguely known there was a Fierce Dragon Corps combat unit, but not that it was such an ugly meat shield.
'Jegal Myeong...'
He'd brushed off the "kid" jab without a care. And he shone with pride and responsibility for his instructor role.
'Yeah, he seemed decent. Minus the excessive Five Great Clans pride, he was humble, diligent, good character—not what you'd expect from one of them.'
Suddenly, he recalled evaluations from Hocheon Corps Vice Leader Han Seol-bing and Staff Officer Dam Mu-heun.
"Dang Jin-san. Dancing with a whip?"
Dang Jin-san flinched at Ha Mu-baek's remark.
"Dan Mok Un-roe. Straighten your back more. Spread your legs wider. Knees are sticking out too much. Better not to do horse stance at all than with that form."
"Yes, sir!"
Despite the critique, Dan Mok Un-roe's face brimmed with energy.
No surprise.
It was the first time the instructor had taught him anything.
"Five percent survival rate. Fine, maybe I'll humor it a bit. Jegal Myeong."
Ha Mu-baek muttered under his breath, too quiet for anyone to hear.