Chapter 41
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Corps Leader?
"Today's the day."
Dan Mok Un-roe dragged his stiff body out of the hut. During the break period, he'd stayed at home and commuted to the Dragon Training Pavilion. He could've remained in the Fierce Dragon Dormitory even during the summer break, but he'd been worried about his mother and younger sister.
And that had been the last time yesterday.
The first day of the ninth lunar month.
Today was the reopening day for the second half of the year.
Now he'd have to live in the Fierce Dragon Dormitory for the next four months again.
Dan Mok Un-roe's face brimmed with anticipation as he headed to the Dragon Training Pavilion, his eyes alight with confidence.
His training over the two-month break had yielded tremendous results.
Especially his internal energy cultivation, which had advanced beyond all else.
'What the hell was that weird pill, anyway?'
He still couldn't forget it—the indescribable, bizarre taste that had been utterly revolting.
But the effects had been extraordinary.
There'd been no immediate change after taking it, but his internal energy had surged dramatically over the past two months of training.
And it wasn't just him. Everyone else in the squad who'd taken the pill had experienced the same.
How could he ever thank Ha Mu-baek enough?
The Dragon Training Pavilion's entrance, which he'd passed every day, felt different today.
Probably because of the reopening ceremony.
But there wasn't much to it. True to the Pavilion Lord's dislike of pompous rituals, the second-half reopening ceremony had been skipped entirely.
They only held a brief one for accepting new initiates in the first half.
"I wonder how much they've replenished the Fierce Dragon Corps with..."
Dan Mok Un-roe muttered softly. Squad Twenty, which trained right next to them, had even disbanded completely due to mid-term dropouts.
As he headed to the training ground...
"Huh?"
Dan Mok Un-roe's eyes widened. A stunningly beautiful woman he didn't recognize had just passed by him.
Thanks to Yeon Ha-min, he had some immunity to feminine beauty, but even he was momentarily stunned by hers.
He was even more impressed by her confident stride and poised posture, which subtly exuded the air of a master.
'Could she be one of the new instructors?'
She certainly didn't look like an initiate. Since he'd never seen her at the Fierce Dragon Corps training ground, she had to be a replacement for one of the instructors who'd left.
But oddly enough...
She was heading the same way.
It almost felt like he was following her.
Did she sense it? She stopped abruptly and turned back toward him with a sharp whirl.
"You."
A curt call.
"Y-yes?"
"Are you a Fierce Dragon Corps initiate by any chance?"
"Yes. That's right."
At his answer, the woman smiled brightly, her eyes sparkling.
"Then, are you in Squad Twenty?"
"Ah, no."
"Too bad. I thought you might be one of my initiates since we were headed the same way."
She clicked her tongue once, gave Dan Mok Un-roe a light wave, and hurried off.
"She's Squad Twenty's new instructor..."
His voice carried a hint of regret.
Her bright smile still lingered in his mind.
"Hey~."
Then a familiar voice called from behind.
It was Dang Jin-san.
"Who was that stunning lady you were chatting so amiably with?"
He must've seen them as he approached.
"Squad Twenty's instructor."
Ignoring the silly joke, he gave a curt fact.
"Ah... I heard on the way here that they hadn't fully replenished numbers, but they still formed Squad Twenty."
His cheerful, sociable nature had let him pick up all sorts of rumors around the Pavilion in the meantime.
After the Summer Combat Festival ended, opinions of Fierce Dragon Corps Squad Seven within the Dragon Training Pavilion had turned extremely favorable.
Dang Jin-san hadn't missed the chance during the summer break to befriend everyone from the Pavilion staff.
He'd kept up with his training too, and Dan Mok Un-roe couldn't help but marvel at how he'd made all those connections.
"Let's hurry. Assembly time's a bit loose since it's reopening day, but... our instructor might suddenly say, 'Go home now.' Heh."
The two months of break spent just with the five Squad Seven members had made their bond even tighter and more casual.
When they arrived at the training ground, the three who lived in the Pavilion dorms were already there. Dan Mok Un-roe turned to look at Dang Jin-san.
"It happens sometimes. Don't give me that look."
Dan Mok Un-roe couldn't help but smirk at the response.
"Hm. You all get along much better now."
A voice came from one side of the training ground.
How had he appeared without any presence at all?
The instructor was like a ghost.
"Alright, then now..."
Just as Ha Mu-baek opened his mouth to speak...
Dang Jin-san shouted first.
"We're not going home~!!"
"Kuk."
"Heh."
Baek Ri-pyeong and Yeon Ha-min let out short laughs as he beat them to it.
Ha Mu-baek stared at Dang Jin-san with a dumbfounded look.
"When did I say go home?"
"W-when you first arrived..."
"That was then. After feeding you that precious medicine, you think I'd just send you off? I'm going to work you properly."
All five faces twisted at Ha Mu-baek's words.
Not because of the "work" part.
Because of the medicine.
That revolting taste came rushing back.
"Right! Instructor! What the hell was that godawful pill..."
After they'd finished taking the pills, Ha Mu-baek had assigned them homework to diligently cultivate their internal energy and bolted before they could say anything.
Dang Jin-san was venting his frustration about it when Ha Mu-baek cut him off.
"So? No effect? You all look like you've made huge progress just from the past two months."
Dang Jin-san shut his mouth at the question.
It was undeniable fact.
Training the same internal energy method, the results before and after the pill were worlds apart.
It was all thanks to that pill.
"Well, at least you trained diligently."
"We couldn't even go home."
"Huh? Why not? Who told you not to? And you said Sichuan was too far anyway."
Ha Mu-baek looked at the grumbling Dang Jin-san like he was some weirdo.
"No, I mean... we trained that hard."
As Dang Jin-san protested indignantly...
"Corps Leader~!"
A woman's voice called from the side.
There was no one here worthy of being called "Corps Leader," yet she was heading their way.
"Corps Leader?"
"Huh?"
Dang Jin-san and Nak Woo-jin tilted their heads.
At that moment...
"Oh? We meet again? So you were Squad Seven initiates!"
The mature, beautiful woman waved at Dan Mok Un-roe.
Ha Mu-baek's face twisted at the sight of her.
"Corps Leader, you're out early?"
The five followed her gaze.
Ha Mu-baek was there.
"You're the Corps Leader? The instructor?"
"Huh?"
"What?"
The squad members gaped in unison, stunned.
Corps Leader.
In the Righteous Heaven Alliance, a Corps Leader wasn't a low position by any means.
There were countless corps, but they were still in charge of one.
It was incomparable to a regular instructor in the Dragon Training Pavilion's Fierce Dragon Corps.
'Ah, that makes sense now...'
Baek Ri-pyeong finally felt some pieces fall into place.
His skills were outstanding even for a Corps Leader, but it was more believable than a mere Fierce Dragon Corps instructor.
But Squad Seven's shock didn't end there.
An even bigger bomb dropped.
"Big brother!!"
This time, it was a young girl's voice.
"?!?"
"???"
"!?!"
Big brother?
Who here could be called that?
Dan Mok Un-roe had a little sister, but she was still a sickly child who couldn't even speak that loudly.
The five men's eyes darted around frantically.
Then a girl of about ten came running up and threw herself into Ha Mu-baek's arms.
"!!!"
"Gasp!"
"Cough!!"
An unbelievable scene unfolded before them.
What kind of horrific sight was this? A young girl hugging that enigmatic instructor.
"Wait..."
Dang Jin-san murmured as realization dawned.
"The instructor's the Corps Leader... and big brother???"
As the question spilled from Dang Jin-san's mouth, all five gaped wide.
Ha Mu-baek floundered in embarrassment, at a loss.
It had only been three months together, but this was a new expression on him the Squad Seven members had never imagined.
"Instructor. What the hell is going on?"
Dang Jin-san recovered first from the shock and asked.
"Huh? Corps Leader, these guys don't know about you?"
Han Seol-bing asked teasingly, having guessed the situation from their reactions as she approached.
His already embarrassed face twisted further.
"Shut that mouth of yours."
A growl escaped Ha Mu-baek's lips.
"Oh? Our Corps Leader's gotten so soft. You used to just tell me to shut up..."
Han Seol-bing grinned playfully, glancing at Ha Seol-ran.
She knew he was holding back because of his little sister and was poking fun at it.
When had she ever seen him like this?
The Dragon Training Pavilion.
Things were getting interesting right from the start. She was satisfied.
'Good thing I came.'
The Squad Seven members' eyes turned back to her at her teasing.
Behind her trailed a hulking brute with a sour expression and a refined, elegant youth.
As their gazes focused on her, she beamed and spoke.
"Nice to meet you all. I'm Han Seol-bing, Squad Twenty's new instructor. The Corps Leader and I are old comrades—I was his vice corps leader. I came to drag him back after he ran off one day."
Ha Mu-baek's face twisted again. It hadn't relaxed once today.
"And these are our Squad Twenty members. We couldn't fill up completely, so it's just the three of us. Take good care of us from now on."
"Looking forward to it!"
Dang Jin-san stepped forward first and declared loudly.
"Sigh. Why the hell did you come here?"
"Why? I just came out to the training ground, so I figured I'd greet the squad right next door. And now that we're both instructors, don't treat me like some subordinate."
Her beaming smile was utterly infuriating.
"Also, my initiates really wanted to meet Squad Seven once."
As soon as she finished, the elegant youth stepped forward, clasped his hands in salute, and bowed.
"I'm Joo Woo-myeong from the Wudang Sect. I've heard much of Squad Seven's feats at the Summer Combat Festival. Please guide us well."
The four were slightly surprised at the introduction. A Wudang disciple saying that to them?
And Baek Ri-pyeong's jaw dropped in shock.
"J-Joo Woo-myeong... that must mean..."
Han Seol-bing chuckled at his trembling voice as he trailed off.
"Looks like there's a Nine Great Sects disciple here too. As you guessed, he's the disciple of the previous Wudang Sword Immortal Mu Yeon-jin. Same generation as the current Wudang Sect Leader."
She deliberately emphasized his status.
The one whose face twisted at the introduction was Pang Gun-ho standing behind her.
It was a detailed intro to keep the thug in check.
A subtle warning: someone with an even greater background than you is here, so don't act out relying on yours.