Chapter 42
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Then Who Is That?
“Ah, and this is Pang Gun-ho. The eldest grandson of the Pang family head.”
In response to Han Seol-bing’s introduction, Pang Gun-ho gave a curt nod with a sullen expression on his face.
“Pang Gun-ho.”
The eldest grandson of the Pang family head.
He had assumed his status alone would earn him instant awe from all these lowly insects gathered here.
But to think he was a disciple of the former Wudang Sect’s greatest swordsman and junior brother to the current Wudang Sect Leader.
Having his own introduction follow such an extraordinary background made him feel utterly insignificant.
Compared to Ju Woo-myeong, it was an appallingly rude greeting, but no one even glanced his way. They were still reeling from the shock of Ju Woo-myeong’s status.
“Whoa, so in terms of seniority…”
As Dang Jin-san started calculating something, Ha Mu-baek, who had approached with his younger sister, cut in.
“He’s technically your grandmaster’s peer or something, but who cares about that nonsense.”
His tone dripped with disdain for such formalities.
Whether Ha Mu-baek said it or not.
“W-W-Wow! We’ve got an absolute legend joining the Fierce Dragon Corps! First time meeting you, Grandmaster. I’m Dang Jin-san of the Tang Clan.”
His exclamation was followed by a greeting full of playful mischief.
“Uh, um, th-that’s… too much for me. Please treat me like just another trainee.”
Ju Woo-myeong was flustered by the address.
The members of Squad Seven chuckled at his reaction.
They knew what kind of guy Dang Jin-san was, so they understood it was just teasing.
“Puhaha! Alright, got it. How old are you? You look younger than me. I’m twenty-two. If you’re younger, call me big bro. If you’re older, sorry about that.”
Ju Woo-myeong was flustered again by Dang Jin-san’s booming laughter, but he soon replied.
“Nineteen, big bro. Looking forward to training with you again.”
Ju Woo-myeong bowed his head politely.
“Looking forward to it. I’m Dan Mok Un-roe. Eighteen.”
“Baek Ri-pyeong… here. Nineteen.”
Baek Ri-pyeong, from the Zhongnan Sect—one of the Nine Great Sects—hesitated briefly, wondering if he could speak casually to someone who was technically his grandmaster’s peer.
But five months in Squad Seven had made him a bit more flexible.
“Yeon Ha-min. Eighteen.”
“Nak Woo-jin here. Nineteen.”
“Ah, looking forward to working with all of you.”
As Ju Woo-myeong exchanged greetings with the rest of Squad Seven once more, Dang Jin-san sidled up and patted his shoulder.
“Come on, you said to treat you casually, but if you keep acting all formal, what’re we supposed to do? The rest of us are just friends and little bros.”
Ju Woo-myeong’s eyes trembled faintly at Dang Jin-san’s affable grin and easy charm.
Someone watched the scene with clear displeasure.
Pang Gun-ho.
Intentionally or not, Squad Seven was ignoring him right now.
The five had sized him up at first glance.
That Pang Gun-ho bastard’s even worse than Dang Chu.
Pang Gun-ho, unhappy with the situation, finally opened his mouth to say something.
“Hey, you…”
But he couldn’t finish. Dang Jin-san was faster.
“By the way, Instructor. So who’s that one?”
Dang Jin-san pointed toward Ha Seol-ran.
“Ah, right. Ha Seol-ran. And next to her is Instructor Ha Mu-baek’s little sister, or so I hear? That makes three in Squad Twenty. Let’s get along from now on. We’re nearby, so we’ll bump into each other plenty.”
At Han Seol-bing’s words, Dang Jin-san eyed Ha Seol-ran with a peculiar look.
“So, she’s a trainee in the Dragon Training Pavilion’s Fierce Dragon Corps too?”
“Yep.”
Dang Jin-san was chatting quite amiably with Han Seol-bing, despite meeting her for the first time today.
His gaze shifted from Ha Seol-ran to Ha Mu-baek.
“What?”
In response to Ha Mu-baek’s question.
“Go home. And with that, we’re done.”
Dang Jin-san tossed back the exact words they’d once heard from him.
“Huh?”
“Don’t you remember? When we first met, that was your first order to us.”
Han Seol-bing watched the exchange with an amused expression.
“You told Un-roe that if he didn’t want his mother and little sister crying tears of blood two years later, he should go home.”
Dang Jin-san continued.
Then his eyes turned to Ha Seol-ran beside Ha Mu-baek.
“And yet! You brought your little sister to a place like this? What in the world is going on?”
Dang Jin-san’s question brimmed with a sense of betrayal. The expressions of the other four in Squad Seven shifted oddly as well.
They hadn’t said it aloud, but how heartbreaking had that moment been?
They’d all come here due to their own circumstances, with no other choice.
And the moment they arrived, he’d tried to kick them out, telling them to go home.
Of course, they knew it was because this place was so dangerous, out of concern for their safety.
They’d had some awareness of the Fierce Dragon Corps’ dangers themselves. That’s why they’d all swallowed their fear and forced themselves to endure.
But the instructor had told them to go home the instant he saw them.
That same instructor!
After spending the summer break.
Had brought his little sister to the Fierce Dragon Corps.
What on earth was this?
Ha Mu-baek faltered momentarily under Dang Jin-san’s question and the gazes of the other four squad members.
It was a perfectly reasonable doubt.
“Th-that’s…”
Ha Mu-baek tried to respond, but no words came to mind.
“Heh. Hehehe. Hihihihi.”
All he could hear was Han Seol-bing’s laughter.
“Well, now that introductions are done, we’ll be off. Looks like Squad Seven has some internal matters to handle.”
With that, Han Seol-bing whisked her trainees away like the wind.
It truly was like the wind.
Leaving behind a massive typhoon in Squad Seven.
“Instructor? Care to explain?”
Dang Jin-san’s voice was icy.
Yeon Ha-min’s eyes were chillingly cold.
Baek Ri-pyeong silently cast a heavy gaze.
Dan Mok Un-roe looked betrayed somehow.
Nak Woo-jin… was giving an utterly inscrutable look.
“Sigh. It’s just a family matter.”
“So you enrolled your pretty little sister in the Fierce Dragon Corps, where she’ll be used as meat shields and worn down in that hellish forest?”
Dang Jin-san pressed.
But a hint of playfulness had crept into his icy tone.
Ha Mu-baek wasn’t one to miss that.
These punks are grilling me on purpose right now.
“Hah. What the hell have you lot been up to during these two months of break?”
“Instructor, don’t change the subject~.”
The playfulness in his voice thickened.
“Whatever. Take these.”
Ha Mu-baek pulled something from the long leather sack slung over his shoulder.
A sword neatly sheathed in its scabbard.
He tossed one to each of them.
“Huh?”
“Wha…”
The five hurriedly caught the flying swords.
“What’s this?”
Dan Mok Un-roe asked.
“Your swords. Return them if you don’t need ’em.”
Dan Mok Un-roe shook his head vigorously first.
He still didn’t have a personal weapon.
Yeon Ha-min and Nak Woo-jin were the same.
Only Baek Ri-pyeong and Dang Jin-san had their own sword and whip, respectively.
“By the way, I made them myself.”
“Ah!”
“Ooh??”
Ha Mu-baek had escaped their playful interrogation for now.
“And these.”
Five wooden boxes flew toward them.
A strange fear flickered across the faces of the five as they caught them.
They were just the right size and shape to hold a single pill.
Last time, they’d been haphazardly wrapped in paper.
But one experience had left them with deep mental trauma. The sight of a wooden box evoking those pills filled them with instinctive dread.
“Th-this…”
Their voices trembled, their eyes trembled.
“Why the long faces? They’re great for your body. You’ve tried them once before. It’s been about two months, so the effects are wearing off. Time for another dose.”
Ha Mu-baek drove the nail in.
Even though it was exactly what they’d feared.
All five squeezed their eyes shut simultaneously.
They couldn’t not eat them, nor could they.
They’d done it once—couldn’t they do it twice?
But back then, they had no idea. They’d eaten because they were told to. Knowing what it was now made it even scarier.
“I’m not forcing you. Eat if you want to get stronger. Or don’t. Give it to someone else if you want.”
Ha Mu-baek smirked.
Then he casually turned to leave.
“Where are you going?”
“Hm? That’s it for today. It’s the first day—why push so hard? Real classes start tomorrow.”
Ha Mu-baek gave them a look like what’s the big deal?
“Oh, and for reference, my little sister took one two weeks ago.”
With those final words, Ha Mu-baek vanished like the wind.
The ones left behind.
The five sat in a circle, staring down at the wooden boxes before them with complicated expressions.
They wanted to complain about why they had to endure this torment, but he’d fed it to his own sister too.
No, if they thought about it properly, they knew they should be grateful for such spirit pills—several times over.
“Damn it. At least make ’em taste good. I’m not asking for much. If they didn’t taste like shit, I’d eat ’em no problem.”
Dang Jin-san grumbled sincerely.
“Even if it tasted like go-sam root?”
Nak Woo-jin suddenly asked out of curiosity. He occasionally showed these quirky sides.
Dang Jin-san smirked back.
“If you had a pill with the same effect but tasting like go-sam, and this one—which would you pick?”
“Ah.”
Nak Woo-jin let out a small gasp.
It was a foolish question.
He’d pick the go-sam taste too.
That would be far better.
Compared to the goddamn taste that defied description.
Click.
Someone opened their wooden box.
Yeon Ha-min.
Without the slightest hesitation, she popped the pill in her mouth and started chewing. She knew delaying only made it worse.
It was the fastest she’d ever chewed anything in her life.
Next, Dan Mok Un-roe squeezed his eyes shut and shoved the pill in. He had a desperate need to grow stronger.
Hesitating like this when the path to power was right there was luxury in itself.
Then Baek Ri-pyeong.
Nak Woo-jin and Dang Jin-san eyed each other.
“Fuck.”
“Damn.”
Curses spilled from both their mouths at once, and they quickly shoved the pills in and chewed fast.
After swallowing, the five immediately began circulating their energy.
The internal energy that had grown tremendously over the past two months surged vigorously through their meridians.
All five sensed it simultaneously. The amount of energy accumulating was noticeably greater.
The second dose was different from the first. Back then, they’d felt no change right after taking it.
They’d already been noticing their gains slowing lately.
They were bodily feeling the effects wearing off, just as Ha Mu-baek said.
And yet, more than the first time.
That’s why he’d said to eat if they wanted to get stronger.
He was infuriatingly hateful, yet not hateful at all.
All five thought so.
And they could guess why there was no class today.
All of Squad Seven’s members were lost in meditative circulation.
How long had it been?
The sun was high in the sky before they knew it.
Lunchtime. The training grounds grew slightly bustling here and there.
Everyone heading to eat.
Squad Seven’s five rose and made for the cafeteria.
On the way, they ran into Squad Twenty.
Instructor Han Seol-bing was personally leading them.
They were about to give a slight bow and pass by.
When Dang Jin-san stopped dead and turned toward Squad Twenty.
“Um, excuse me, Miss Ha?”
Squad Twenty halted at the sudden call. Han Seol-bing’s eyes sharpened slightly. She didn’t think he was up to no good with her there, but she stayed wary.
“Yes? What is it?”
Ha Seol-ran tilted her head curiously.
“This might be rude, but… I heard from the instructor that you also took that pill…”
“Ah!”
Ha Seol-ran realized what he meant and smiled brightly.
“Yes. About two weeks ago.”
At the follow-up, Ha Seol-ran cocked her head.
“Um, I wouldn’t know. Master sealed my taste and smell acupoints before making me take it… Well, we’ll be going now.”
Perhaps due to her waiting instructor and squadmates, she gave Dang Jin-san the answer he wanted, bowed lightly, and hurried back to her group.
Squad Seven’s five froze stiff at her response.
Such a simple method existed…
Why hadn’t they thought of it?
No, why hadn’t the instructor told them?
“Damn it! He’s the kind of instructor you can’t help but hate!”
Dang Jin-san muttered through gritted teeth, full of righteous fury.
This time, the other four nodded in agreement.
“Tsk tsk. Looks like you’re having quite the fun time.”
Far off, a sturdy old man sweeping the grounds chuckled to himself.