Five boys stood before a door, their expressions somewhat tense. They stared at the door, swallowing nervously with tense eyes.
[We're going to be quite busy from now on. Before the gate starts, we have to break the legs of all the group members except our own.]
At first, they were bewildered by Mok Gyeong-un's words. The very idea of breaking the other trainees' legs before the gate even began was astounding. But upon reflection, the strategy made a certain amount of sense.
The longer the gates dragged on, the fiercer the competition would become. But what if they eliminated the majority of the competitors beforehand?
‘The odds will be higher.’
Only a very small number would be chosen by the executives. Considering that, there was no need to be picky about the means and methods. One of the boys whispered, “Can we do it?”
“We should be able to.”
There were five of them, and two people inside this room. With a numerical advantage, a surprise attack would be enough to subdue them easily.
[The five of you should move together.]
[The five of us?]
[Can you handle it alone, then?]
[W-well, no, but......]
[Do it with five.]
[Wait, then are you, the group leader, moving with Yeom-ga and Mo Ha-rang? If so, it would be better if one or two of us supported you three.....]
[Why bother with the hassle? We're fine on our own.]
[........]
Right, since they've reached the Peak Realm, they could probably handle a first-rate master on their own. It was like a puppy worrying about a tiger. The boys looked at each other, exchanging glances.
“Let's do it.”
And they opened the door.
As the door opened, the gazes of the two boys who had been discussing how to find group members naturally turned towards it.
“Who is it?”
A handsome boy entered through the open door. The expression of one of the boys, who recognized the newcomer's face, contorted.
“You.....”
The boy was none other than Mok Gyeong-un. Having left such a strong impression from the very first gate, the battle for the steel beads, a good number of the boys would remember Mok Gyeong-un.
One of the boys, after a moment of confusion, asked, as if a thought had just struck him, “Are you, by any chance, going around looking for group members?”
“Ahh. You could say that.”
With those words, Mok Gyeong-un quietly closed the door. Seeing this, the boy who had been scowling did not relax his expression and said, “Hey. I have no intention of being in the same group as you.”
“Is that so?”
“So get out.”
“Hmm. That’s a problem.”
“What’s the problem? Go find some guys who want to be in your group. I have no intention of.....” -Pat!
Before he could finish his words, Mok Gyeong-un instantly lunged forward, grabbed the boy’s head, and smashed it into the bed frame. -Thump!
“Ugh!”
Then, he grabbed the boy’s right arm as he tried to resist and, just like that, -Crack! twisted it backward.
“Guuuh!”
The boy with the broken arm tried to scream, but Mok Gyeong-un quickly covered his mouth, leaving only a pained groan to escape. The other boy, sitting opposite him, could not hide his shock at this scene. Who would have expected a sudden attack when they had their guard down?
“W-what is this?”
“What do you think it is?”
Mok Gyeong-un smiled brightly and pressed his foot down firmly on the suffering boy’s left leg. -Squeeeze! -Craaack! The ankle twisted, and a bone pierced through the flesh, jutting out.
“Gaaahhh!”
The boy’s eyes widened as if they would tear, veins popping on his forehead as he writhed in agony. Soon, unable to bear it any longer, he fainted. Seeing Mok Gyeong-un do this without batting an eye, the other boy, terrified, hurriedly said, “I-I’ll join your group.
I’ll join, so plea.....”
“It's fine.”
“What?”
“I’ve already found all my group members. I just came to break your arms and legs.”
‘!?’
What is this guy? So his goal from the beginning was to injure them? For a moment, he was dumbfounded, but the boy knew that if he didn't run away right now, he would end up just like the fainted one, so, -Fwoosh! he threw himself towards the door.
However, -Thwack!
“Huk!”
His body, flying towards the door, was jerked backward as if pulled by something. Then, his neck was caught in Mok Gyeong-un's hand.
‘W-what in the world.....’
“I’ll make it painless.”
“What, what are you.....” -Tatatak!
Before he could say anything more, the boy’s vital points were struck, and he lost consciousness. With the boy lying on the floor, Mok Gyeong-un simply stomped on his right ankle. -Crack! He didn't just faint; his fainting points had been struck, so the boy didn't wake up even when his leg was broken.
Looking at the boy, Mok Gyeong-un's lips twitched as he muttered, “Four.” That was the number he had broken so far. -Are you really going to break every single one of them? Blue Spirit's voice echoed in Mok Gyeong-un’s ear.
To her question, Mok Gyeong-un answered nonchalantly, “Of course.” Rather than dragging out the gates and wasting time, if he eliminated most of them now, there would be no need to go to the next gates, would there? -You mortals are all the same.
Tsk, tsk.
Blue Spirit clicked her tongue. It was hard to even conceive of such a plan in the first place, and even if someone did, they would likely stop at targeting a few troublesome opponents. But Mok Gyeong-un's thinking was on a different level.
He intended to use the time given to rest and choose a group leader to eliminate all the other trainees. In a way, from the moment they were with Mok Gyeong-un, it could be said that misfortune had befallen this class of the Corpse Blood Valley.
“Sixty-four left now.”
Eighty in total. Among them, four were captured as spies, four had their limbs broken by Mok Gyeong-un, and finally, there were the eight group members including Mok Gyeong-un. Excluding them, sixty-four remained.
Mok Yu-cheon was lost in the depths of energy circulation. After circulating his energy for a long while, he opened his eyes, and for a fleeting moment, a sinister aura, different from his usual righteous energy, flickered within them. But it vanished just as quickly.
‘What was that just now?’
While circulating his energy, Mok Yu-cheon had been swept up by a strange emotion for a moment. Usually, when he circulated his energy, he felt his mind and body become clear, but just now, he had been seized by a pleasure he had never experienced before. The moment he surrendered his body to that pleasure, something incredible had happened.
‘My energy suddenly surged.’
Just in case, Mok Yu-cheon inspected his dantian.
‘!?’
And his eyes widened. Since he always circulated his energy, he knew better than anyone the size of his dantian and the level of his internal energy. But the size of his dantian, though minutely, had grown larger than usual.
‘This can’t be......’
How in the world did this happen? Even for a profound heart technique, could his internal energy really increase this quickly? At this rate, if he continued to circulate his energy steadily, it seemed he could shorten his usual gathering time by more than half.
He was about to feel good, but then his mind became unsettled. The strange pleasure he had tasted for the first time while circulating his energy made him strangely anxious.
‘Is this really okay?’
It was so different from the basic arts that he couldn't help but feel suspicious. Then, he shook his head. This wasn't just any technique; it was the profound heart technique that only the Manor Lord of the Lotuswood Sword Manor could learn.
Of course it would be markedly different from the basic arts.
‘Yes. That can't be it.’
He was worried that he might have circulated his energy incorrectly and was heading down a demonic path, but his mind was still upright and clear. Therefore, he believed that as long as he remained steadfast, there would be no problem. Just as he was about to start circulating his energy again, -Knock, knock! someone knocked on his door.
“Who is it?”
There was no one who would come looking for him right now. As he wondered, someone opened the door and came in.
‘Ah?’
It was a boy with a mature appearance, almost like a young man. The only flaw on his face was his sharp, narrow eyes, but even with that, he had a rather handsome face.
‘This guy is.....’
He had seen that face before. And for good reason. During the second gate, after losing his comrades, he had been in peril while trying to escape.
That was when this friend had appeared, leading a group, and helped him. His name was surely.....
“Mu Jang-yak!”
“Hello. It's a relief you remember.”
“How could I forget my lifesaver?”
Mok Yu-cheon rose from his seat and showed his respect with a cupped fist salute. Mu Jang-yak waved his hand dismissively and said, “Forget it. We’re the same age, what's with all the formalities?
We can just greet each other like friends.”
“Still, if it weren't for you, I.....”
He truly might have lost his life on the spot. That was why he was sincerely grateful. Mu Jang-yak looked at Mok Yu-cheon with an intrigued glint in his eyes and said, “You... your complexion doesn't look so good.”
“My complexion?”
Puzzled, Mok Yu-cheon wanted to check his own face, but this room was literally just two beds, so there was no way to confirm it.
“Is it that bad?”
“It has a bit of a brown tint.”
“Brown?”
At those words, Mok Yu-cheon frowned. This time, he had been circulating the Lotuswood Heart Transformation Technique without stopping, and it seemed the side effects were surfacing again. Something bothered him, but since there was nothing he could do about it right away, Mok Yu-cheon shook his head and said, “It's fine.
I might just be very tired.”
“If that's all it is, then I'm relieved.”
“So, what’s going on?”
To Mok Yu-cheon's question, Mu Jang-yak closed the door and said with a rather serious face, “A bit of a problem has come up.”
“A problem?”
“There was a friend I was supposed to form a group with. We decided to meet in the evening after circulating our energy. But he never came, so I went to his room and found him unconscious with a broken leg.”
“What?”
What in the world was this about? To the baffled Mok Yu-cheon, Mu Jang-yak said in a meaningful tone, “Just in case, I checked a few other rooms, and there were other guys with broken legs as well.”
“Don't tell me.......”
“It seems someone is causing trouble.”
“Why would they do such a thing?”
“It's a bit absurd, but I think they're trying to reduce the number of competitors as much as possible beforehand.”
“By breaking everyone’s legs?”
“I suppose so. There’s a rule against killing, but no restriction on injuring each other, right?”
“Ha!”
Mok Yu-cheon clicked his tongue at those words. It truly seemed there was no such thing as fair play in this place. Everyone was itching to backstab someone at any moment.
“Crazy......”
“Yeah. He definitely seems crazy. That’s why I came to you with a proposal.”
“A proposal?”
“Have you found your group members yet? Or are you planning on becoming a group leader?”
To Mu Jang-yak's question, Mok Yu-cheon shook his head. He had no ambition to be a group leader anyway, so he was just circulating his energy with the thought of joining any group. At this, Mu Jang-yak smiled faintly and said, “If you haven't found a group yet, would you like to join mine?”
“What?”
“It's unfortunate, but that friend who was in your group seems to have been taken in as a spy.”
“..........”
At his words, Mok Yu-cheon fell silent. It seemed he had seen it. Then, Mu Jang-yak waved a hand and said, “Ahh.
I’m not suspecting you. If I were, I wouldn't have made this offer in the first place. And I made the offer back then, too.”
“Yes. You did.”
After saving him, Mu Jang-yak had offered him a spot in his group, saying there was one opening. But at that time, he had refused, saying he needed to be with his scattered group members. This time, however, the situation was different.
“I......”
“Frankly, it'd be better for you to be a group member. Because of that psycho running around, all my group members have decided to gather in one room.”
“Ah.......”
“That way, we can protect each other’s safety. What do you think?”
At Mu Jang-yak’s reasonable proposal, Mok Yu-cheon saw no reason to refuse. Even though he had reached the Peak Realm, he had seen several other trainees who had reached a similar level, so he couldn't let his guard down. In that respect, it might be better to be with them, just as Mu Jang-yak said.
“Alright. If you'll have me, I'll do my best.”
At Mok Yu-cheon's words, Mu Jang-yak extended his hand.
“I'm the one who should be thankful. To have an outstanding friend like you with us.” -Clasp!
And so, the two shook hands. But the moment their hands clasped, Mok Yu-cheon couldn't help but be inwardly surprised.
‘....... This guy.’
He hadn't realized, but the energy he felt from his hand was superior to his own, definitely not weaker. He found out when the other boy revealed his energy for a moment, likely to gauge his level as well.
“You're as strong as I expected.”
“You too.”
At Mu Jang-yak’s words, Mok Yu-cheon also nodded in agreement. Then, he asked with a puzzled expression, “By the way, are you left-handed?” The hand Mu Jang-yak had extended was not his right, but his left.
To Mok Yu-cheon’s question, Mu Jang-yak smirked and said, "Who knows.”
And so, a night passed. Early morning, at the beginning of the hour of the dragon. The time to decide on group leaders and members was over, and it was time to gather in the square behind the living quarters.
Someone knocked urgently on the Corpse Blood Valley Master’s office door. -Bang, bang! -Valley Master!
Valley Master!
At the knocking, the senior guard who was assisting beside him said, “It seems they are ready.”
“So it seems. Come in.”
Presently, a young guard wearing a red sash rushed inside. Seeing the guard’s somewhat stiff expression, the senior guard thought something was strange and asked, “What is the matter?”
“Well, there’s a bit of a problem... no, a big problem has occurred.”
“A problem, you say?”
“You must go to the square at once.”
What in the world could it be? The puzzled Corpse Blood Valley Master, Lee Ji-yeom, nodded and rose from his seat. And so, Lee Ji-yeom and the senior guard followed the guard out of the office.
They had to check who had become group leaders anyway, and they had to proceed with the third gate, the sword formation test. When they went to the back of the lodging building, ‘!?’ The Corpse Blood Valley Master, Lee Ji-yeom, and the senior guard simultaneously stopped in their tracks, utterly dumbfounded.
And for good reason. There were only a total of 16 people outside. There were exactly two groups.
The senior guard frowned and asked the guard, “Why are only these guys out here?”
“Th-that is......”
“Speak quickly.”
At the senior guard’s urging, the guard looked at the lodging building with a troubled expression and said, “The rest of them can't attend this gate because all their legs are broken.”
“What?”
The senior guard momentarily doubted his own ears. All the people who didn't come out had their legs broken?
“What are you talking about right now?”
“....... I checked a few rooms, and really, all the guys who couldn’t come out had their legs broken.”
“What in the world.....”
While the senior guard was flabbergasted, the eyes of the Corpse Blood Valley Master, Lee Ji-yeom, visible through the gap in his mask, turned to someone standing in the square with his hands behind his back. He was none other than Mok Gyeong-un. Lee Ji-yeom recalled the words he had spoken yesterday.
[Would it be alright if I thinned the numbers a little?]
Did he have some rivals to keep in check for the gate? If it was something like that, [As long as you abide by the restrictions, it's not a big problem.]
[Hoo. That's a relief.] he had said, but to think he would cause trouble on this scale.
'This is "a little"...?'