Chapter 451
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 451
Chapter Title: What About the Spell Formation?
"They're here."
Someone muttered as they gazed at the massive wall looming before them.
The Fierce Dragon Corps.
The overwhelming wall that greeted them.
Mountain-Crossing Great Wall.
They had arrived at the west gate.
"It's been a while."
Dang Jin-san murmured softly.
"Yeah..."
Baek Ri-pyeong chimed in agreement.
The eyes of seven squads—twenty-seven members in all—remained fixed on the wall.
"Tomorrow, we enter the Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest. Get a feel for the atmosphere there, then cautiously make our way to the Demon-Sealing Corps. Rest up today. Keep night watches to a minimum."
At the command of Man Ya-do, squad leader of the squad tasked with antagonizing the Demon-Sealing Corps, the Fierce Dragon Corps sprang into orderly action.
The journey to the Demon-Sealing Corps was uncharted territory for them.
No one had told them anything.
Those who knew would be the seniors from previous Fierce Dragon Corps batches, already deployed ahead.
But their survival rate was abysmal, and those who did make it back never returned to the Dragon Training Pavilion.
Man Ya-do exploited that very blind spot.
Under normal circumstances, they wouldn't enter the Demonic Forest until after arriving at the Demon-Sealing Corps and receiving squad assignments.
Yet Man Ya-do had made the decision unilaterally.
The reason behind that choice.
His gaze swept over the Corps members as they prepared camp, then stopped at one spot.
Where Yeon Ha-min and Ha Seol-ran were.
'Heh heh. When they catch sight of the Demonic Forest's true nature and freeze in terror, if I swoop in to save them...'
The Demon-Sealing Corps members had no idea just how exceptional this batch of the Fierce Dragon Corps truly was.
News from the Dragon Training Pavilion hadn't spread properly.
And interest in the Fierce Dragon Corps was minimal to begin with.
They viewed them as nothing more than disposable shields.
Besides, they'd seen the state of every new batch upon their first deployment.
The way they trembled in fear at their initial encounter with the zombies.
Pissing themselves was the least of it.
And on top of that.
From some point onward, the dangerous zombies had vanished.
Only the occasional evil zombie sightings now.
Perfect conditions for venturing in with rookie Fierce Dragon Corps members.
Two of his squad mates had shown worry at Man Ya-do's abrupt decision.
But after he'd secretly shared his plan with them, they'd grown even more enthusiastic.
Practically begging for a chance to win some favor.
Wi Ji-gun watched the scene from the shadows.
'What fools. Tsk.'
He'd held back from intervening for a simple reason.
They hadn't reached the Demon-Sealing Corps yet.
And their scheme, for now, only aimed at gaining favor.
Had it involved slaking their lust, none of the three would have walked away alive.
"We haven't even reached the Demon-Sealing Corps, and we're entering the Demonic Forest first?"
Yeon Ha-min muttered in bewilderment.
"It's weird, isn't it?"
Dang Jin-san nodded.
Ninety-seven Fierce Dragon Corps members accompanied by just three Demon-Sealing Corps escorts.
Having experienced the Forest themselves, they knew full well how reckless it was.
"It's... the Demonic Forest feels off."
Ha Seol-ran cut in.
All six gazes turned to her.
"I can barely sense any zombies."
This was her first trip to the Demonic Forest since awakening her qi sense.
She'd already felt their presences from the specimens Ha Mu-baek had prepared back at the Pavilion.
So sensing them here should have been no problem.
But there were hardly any.
Just the presences of evil zombies, like those at the Pavilion.
No poison zombies or blood zombies.
Not even when she expanded her sensing range as far as it would go.
She explained the situation carefully.
Doubt clouded the six faces before her.
"Something's going on in the Demonic Forest..."
Baek Ri-pyeong said cautiously.
"Maybe it's the calm before the storm?"
Yeon Ha-min murmured uneasily.
Some ominous premonition gripped her.
The fact that things were different from the norm.
That alone was cause for alarm.
"This is the spot."
Pung Geon halted and spoke.
All eyes turned toward the section of wall facing the Demonic Forest.
Severe damage indeed.
The wall caved in deep.
"What about the spell formation?"
Righteous Heaven Alliance Leader So Hwi-woong asked Ma Jin-gi.
"Hmm. Good thing we came. The damage extends to the formation along with the wall. At this level... a dark blood zombie might even try to climb it."
Faces hardened at Ma Jin-gi's response.
Low-level evil zombies merely approached and howled.
Anything stronger never drew near easily.
That made it a safe zone.
But a dark blood zombie scaling the wall?
That would render the safe zone meaningless.
At least in the damaged sections.
"This damage came after an attack, though. Everywhere else is untouched."
"What does that imply?"
So Hwi-woong asked carefully.
Something foreboding lurked in those words.
"It means a zombie appeared—one unaffected by the formation I set up."
A calm reply.
But its implications were anything but.
So Hwi-woong, Gong Son Mu-oe, and Jo Go-pung all paled in shock.
A zombie immune to the Mountain-Crossing Great Wall's spell formation?
"Then..."
"It could cross the wall. Judging by these traces."
The Black Corps members' faces drained of color.
"D-Does that mean it could have crossed back then too?"
Pung Geon stammered, voice shaking.
Ma Jin-gi nodded.
"No idea why it turned back then... but if it could inflict this much damage, crossing wouldn't be impossible. Hmm."
"......"
Silence fell at Ma Jin-gi's words.
Dam Mu-hyun's face grew rigid.
'That monster was capable of this...?'
That day.
He'd chased after it raggedly, catching only the battle's tail end.
Even so, he'd witnessed that monstrous form.
And now, the formation proved useless against it.
It could scale the Great Wall's barrier.
He knew the Alliance Leader had come to the Demonic Forest himself because of that annihilation zombie.
But the situation was graver than he'd imagined.
A zombie shrugging off the Great Wall's spell formation.
Gwan Ha-gyeong shuddered.
Memories of that day resurfaced.
That horrifying aura.
"Well, given the circumstances, we'll need to reinforce the formation. Make sure even that thing can't cross."
Ma Jin-gi's nonchalant voice pierced the silence.
Gazes refocused on him.
"I didn't leave it unchanged. I'm old with nothing better to do—my hobby's tinkering with formations."
The Heavenly Constellation Full Moon Monster-Repelling Formation.
An enhanced version had been completed a year prior.
Studying and refining the knowledge gleaned from Shin-seo.
He'd wondered if it'd ever see use.
And now this.
"I-Is that possible?"
Even So Hwi-woong's voice trembled with astonishment.
Ma Jin-gi nodded.
"It'll take some time, though. About a month?"
For overhauling the spell formation across this vast Great Wall, a month was practically swift.
"We'll provide every resource you need."
So Hwi-woong replied instantly.
Relief rippled through the group.
"But can it definitely hold, Elder?"
Gong Son Mu-oe ventured cautiously.
"Probably."
He didn't sound entirely certain.
"We have to try something. That's why I came to the Demonic Forest."
Ma Jin-gi nodded at So Hwi-woong's words.
"Same here. That's why I'm at the Demonic Forest."
Ma Jin-gi smiled faintly.
Then he leaped lightly, landing inside the forest.
And began adjusting the formation.
An hour later.
"This section's more or less done. To upgrade it fully to the Myriad Castle Full Moon Repelling Formation, I'd need to rework the whole thing. For now, I've just restored the formation here."
In the meantime.
The sun had set.
The moment they decided to camp here tonight.
A flood of information poured in.
Il No reviewed it all.
After the zombies vanished from the Demonic Forest.
Herb gatherers had filled the void.
Countless herb gatherers had crossed the Great Wall.
Il No was the one who'd orchestrated it.
He'd spread rumors in nearby villages to draw them in.
It hadn't been his plan from the start.
The idea struck while sifting reports—noting the surge in herb gatherers.
Their numbers brought two key advantages.
One.
Blood Cult herb gatherers could blend in and ramp up operations.
Two.
They'd become zombies themselves.
The Forest had been short on zombie fodder, causing their numbers to dwindle.
But this many people?
Delightful.
'To think of this method. Should've sooner. Tsk.'
The more, the better.
News from Blood Cult infiltrators posing as herb gatherers.
A new Fierce Dragon Corps had arrived.
'They crossed the Great Wall? Those chicks?'
Unprecedented.
Usually, they headed to the main base first, then entered cautiously with escorts.
This year, the whole group had crossed into the Forest domain.
Yeon Ja-kyeong's promised trainees had reached the base too.
They'd join the Demon-Sealing Corps soon and head for the wall.
A smile tugged at Il No's lips.
The biggest reason he could smile like this.
'No Ha Mu-baek. That bastard's absent.'
No trace of Ha Mu-baek anywhere.
So Hwi-woong was there, sure.
But one man? Manageable.
The Guardian Gods were stirring awake, bit by bit.
Fastest one's progress: two days out.
The rest wouldn't lag far behind.
The prime Guardian God would take three days still.
The Cult Leader's corpse.
Progress was steady but timelines fuzzy.
"Hmm. Lure in a few more, then sweep them all at once."
A cruel smile curved Il No's lips.
The Hidden Dragon Corps and Wa Dragon Corps cadets arrived near the Demon-Sealing Corps headquarters, faces etched with exhaustion.
From the moment a messenger pigeon arrived.
Their pace had shifted.
Full-throttle lightness skill the whole way.
"Cadets should handle this much," they'd said.
No other reason.
It was Yeon Ja-kyeong's urging, relayed through the Demon-Sealing Corps.
Do Sim-geuk had been a wreck since So Hwi-woong's visit.
Yang Bi-chang was holding things together as best he could.
Sudden orders from his master, but nothing suspicious—he'd carried them out.
In his view too, with zombies gone, now was ideal for trainee maneuvers, reason unknown.
The Dragon Training Pavilion cadets, arriving at sunset, wasted no time on rest and dove into action.
Squads formed, Corps escorts assigned.
Instructors paired with them too.
Chaos reigned until thick darkness fell.
"Straight into the Forest tomorrow?"
Namgung Ji-hu muttered incredulously.
Nonstop full-speed march.
And deployment the very next day.
For training, it was a forced march.
"The Demonic Forest's in a weird state right now."
Namgung Ji-yu calmly summarized the rumors swirling around.
"Shouldn't that mean extra caution?"
Namgung Ji-hu cocked his head.
"Zombies are gone. Only a few evil ones left... poison zombies, blood zombies, dark iron zombies, dark blood zombies, and other variants—all vanished."
Namgung Ji-hu's eyes widened round.
"Possible?"
Namgung Ji-yu shrugged.
"Guess the Corps figures it's a prime training window. A normal Demonic Forest burdens them plenty."
No arguing that.
Not with so many trainees.
"No telling how long the anomaly lasts. They'll push to wrap training quick."
"There's a schedule, though?"
"Three days starting tomorrow: enter Forest, scout surroundings, hands-on training. After that, play it by ear based on Forest changes."
"Hmm."
Namgung Ji-hu crossed his arms, lost in thought.
A flicker of regret in his eyes.
At the prospect of facing only evil zombies.
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