The World’s Greatest Martial Arts Instructor - Chapter 224

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 224. Those Bastards

 

 

“Hmm. Was it that potent?”

Ha Mu-baek watched the cadets take the half-dose pills from the academy rooftop.

Since several medicinal ingredients were missing, he had made a few as a test using only what was available.

The effect felt about half that of the original limitless pills, so he roughly named them half-dose pills.

He had personally tried one of the finished products.

Of course, he had pressed his own acupoints responsible for taste before eating it.

Since the medicinal ingredient that somewhat neutralized the terrible taste was also missing, he expected it to be even worse.

But Ha Mu-baek hadn’t known they would lose consciousness after eating that elixir.

A medicine that could knock out healthy people.

 

“What should we do?”

The Maengryong Squad Seven Cadets looked at each other.

Who would have thought it would turn out like this.

“Should we have made them press their acupoints before eating?”

Dan Mok Un-rae said while looking around at those who had collapsed.

Since they had eaten it normally, they thought it would be fine for these people to experience it once too, so they just fed it to them.

The result was disastrous.

Dang Jin-san removed his hand when Im Dae-chi’s retching seemed to stop.

“Ugh. This is…”

“I’m, I’m sorry.”

Im Dae-chi said with an embarrassed expression.

“No, no. I’ll go wash up for a moment.”

Dang Jin-san briefly left his spot, and Im Dae-chi continued to breathe deeply, inhaling the night air.

This seemed like the only way to make that taste of the pill that faintly remained in his mouth disappear.

“If you’ve calmed down a bit, circulate your energy. There’s nothing we can do about the other friends.”

At Yeon Ha-min’s words, Im Dae-chi immediately sat in cross-legged position.

Since they said it was good for the body.

He was actually looking forward to the effects.

Since they had made him eat such a terribly tasting pill.

The four lying down.

“This might actually be better. Rather than regaining consciousness and retching.”

At Baek Ri-pyeong’s words, everyone nodded in agreement.

Seeing Im Dae-chi just moments ago, it made sense.

“Just what kind of taste could it be…”

Ju U-myeong, who had witnessed all of this, muttered with an incredulous expression.

“I think I could get you some.”

When Nak U-jin replied like that, Ju U-myeong immediately shook his head.

“No, I’m not curious.”

“But it’s good for the body…”

Nak U-jin clicked his tongue regretfully.

However.

An hour later, Im Dae-chi, who had opened his eyes, tilted his head.

“…There’s no change at all?”

His expression was full of resentment.

“That’s a delayed-effect pill. Even if you circulate energy right after eating it, you won’t notice much difference. You’ll only realize how amazing it is after about a month. So you need to consistently circulate energy like you’re doing now.”

Dang Jin-san, who had returned after washing his hands, said.

Dang Jin-san stared intently at Im Dae-chi.

“Why, why are you looking at me like that?”

“Just what have you been eating to stay conscious?”

He asked as if genuinely curious.

At those words, the other cadets’ gazes also turned toward Im Dae-chi.

That was true.

Five ate it and four lost consciousness.

Then the four were normal, and one was strange.

“Well, that’s… in the North Sea, food is scarce…”

Im Dae-chi scratched his head and looked away.

While it was true that food was scarce there, if he was from Ice Heaven Palace, he should have eaten proper food no matter what.

It seemed his treatment had been worse than expected.

After more time passed.

Those who had lost consciousness opened their eyes one by one.

That day’s training ended with energy circulation.

They were in no condition to do any other training.

Neither body nor mind.

“Phew… I am alive, right?”

Eun Hwa-ryang muttered quietly as he walked with strangely trembling legs.

 

***

 

Half a month had passed.

Early dawn.

The expressions of the five members of Waryong Corps 20th Group who were circulating energy turned to shock.

They were finally beginning to feel the effects of that damned pill bit by bit.

“My, my internal energy…”

“In just half a month, it’s increased as much as I’ve accumulated so far…”

Eun Hwa-ryang and Sim Cheol-san muttered with incredulous expressions.

The other three had the same reaction.

Their internal energy had increased from at least double to as much as triple.

Since the amount of internal energy they originally possessed was so meager, even a small increase resulted in this.

“To think such a pill exists in this world…”

Im Dae-chi muttered as if he couldn’t believe it.

Since they had all lived in prestigious orthodox sects, they held fantasies and yearning about Gangho’s martial world.

Among those were things about elixirs.

Like Shaolin’s Great Return Pill, Azure Stone Milk, Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng, the inner core of a Thousand-Year Fire Carp.

According to what was passed down, such elixirs would melt and go down the throat immediately upon eating, or you had to operate superior internal energy methods immediately after eating to obtain vast amounts of internal energy.

Wasn’t that how it was supposed to be?

But what they had eaten.

Everything was different.

Sim Cheol-san drew his sword.

And deployed the Flowing Dragon Sword Technique.

It flowed smoothly without obstruction.

There had definitely been parts that were choppy due to insufficient internal energy.

Seeing this, the other four also drew their swords.

As expected.

The blockage was gone.

“This is incredible.”

Na Jung-cheon muttered with a dazed expression.

His eyes turned red.

As if he never expected such a day would come to him.

He thought he would spend his entire life doing menial tasks at Cheolgi Workshop.

To actually perform proper martial arts.

He was overwhelmed with emotion.

The other cadets seemed to feel the same way, as their eyes were all tinged with red.

“You said we’re going to the wild mountain near Muchang tonight, right?”

Yeong Hu-in said, hurriedly composing himself.

Everyone nodded.

They couldn’t go to Moklan Mountain, but they were told they would camp and train in guerrilla warfare at a nearby wild mountain.

Escape, concealment, ambush, surprise attacks, and so on.

By now, their internal energy should have improved to some degree, hadn’t it?

The five looked at each other.

Maengryong Corps 7th Unit.

They were truly remarkable people.

Now they felt genuinely grateful for their help.

 

***

 

“Come on, come on. Let’s go quickly.”

Seven people who had finished preparing for camping.

As soon as Maengryong Corps’ group training ended, they immediately headed to Waryong Corps 20th Group’s training ground.

It was dinner time, but they departed without eating.

Tomorrow was a rest day.

They planned to hurry out of Gyoryong Hall now, camp at a nearby wild mountain, and then train in the mountain forest all day tomorrow.

Ha Seol-ran’s face showed small expectations as she followed behind.

This experience was also her first.

“Are you all ready?”

Dang Jin-san asked, looking at the five people at the training ground.

“Yes!”

Their answers burst out simultaneously.

“What about dinner?”

“We didn’t eat.”

Eun Hwa-ryang answered as their representative.

Dang Jin-san nodded with a satisfied expression.

“Let’s go!”

After exiting through Gyoryong Hall’s main gate, Dang Jin-san took the lead and ran.

Once they reached a place with few people, they ran at full speed using their movement techniques.

Getting there was also part of their training.

Near the northwest of Muchang Castle.

An unnamed wild mountain was located there.

Though it was a small wild mountain, the dense trees made it perfect for learning mountain combat.

Dang Jin-san and Dan Mok Un-rae led the way deep into the mountain to find a suitable location.

“We’ll camp here.”

At Dang Jin-san’s words, the expectation in Ha Seol-ran’s eyes grew even stronger.

‘We’ll make a campfire and have a meal, right?’

Expectations as if she had come on a picnic.

Though it was called training, since they were camping overnight, such thoughts naturally occurred to her.

It was natural for her to have expectations since this was a new experience.

However.

“Move as quietly as possible and find a place where you can hide. Wrap yourself in a blanket and sleep quietly.”

Yeon Ha-min said in a low voice.

At her words, Ha Seol-ran’s eyes trembled slightly.

The camping she had expected wasn’t like this.

“Um, what about meals…”

Im Dae-chi asked cautiously in a small voice.

“There are none. You’ll go hungry for dinner tonight.”

At Dang Jin-san’s sudden words, everyone’s faces hardened.

If this was the case, they should have eaten dinner at Damryong Pavilion before departing.

When they were told to leave quickly without eating, they thought they would eat after arriving at their destination.

“First, secure your sleeping spots, then listen.”

Dang Jin-san checked the cadets’ sleeping arrangements.

Yeon Ha-min looked after Ha Seol-ran’s sleeping spot, whose lips were pouting.

This would be her first such experience.

Yeon Ha-min smiled slightly at her expression, understanding the reason for her reaction.

Ju U-myeong, having experience from Wudang Mountain, found a reasonably suitable spot.

“Everyone listen carefully.”

Yeon Ha-min spoke in a small voice like a whisper.

However, perhaps due to the quiet mountain night, her voice could be heard clearly.

“The elimination tournament continues until only one group remains. It might last more than one night.”

“…”

Everyone remained silent.

“This is training for that time. To endure a night without food. To be able to fight until the next day. Moving at night is suicidal. You have to endure like this until dawn breaks.”

“Did you seniors do this too?”

Eun Hwa-ryang asked cautiously in a small voice.

Bitter smiles appeared on the Seventh Group Cadets’ lips.

“No. We couldn’t endure one night. Our purpose was different from the start.”

Dan Mok Un-rae answered.

The final survivor of Group Seven at that time.

“Our purpose was different from yours. Now you’re preparing with the goal of surviving as long as possible.”

Dan Mok Un-rae’s voice was calm but kind.

“What was your purpose?”

Im Dae-chi’s question.

“Revenge, vindication.”

Dang Jin-san answered.

Last time, hadn’t he roughly explained the situation at the tavern?

“We succeeded in that.”

Baek Ri-pyeong said with a chuckle.

He was remembering that time.

For the first time in his life, he had trained with all his might for one goal.

And for such a fierce goal as revenge and vindication.

“The elimination tournament’s progress was a matter for after that. We fought our vindication battle first.”

Nak U-jin’s words.

He too spoke as if recounting memories.

The Waryong Corps 20th Group cadets listened quietly.

This was a story they had heard once before.

But that had been Dang Jin-san and Yeon Ha-min’s story.

When Baek Ri-pyeong, Dan Mok Un-rae, and Nak U-jin spoke, the feeling was different again.

“Do you think we can succeed too?”

It was Na Jung-cheon.

His voice sounded anxious.

“You can do it. No, you will do it.”

Baek Ri-pyeong said with a strong voice.

“Actually, if we had only aimed for survival back then… wouldn’t we have gotten at least second place?”

“But then we wouldn’t have gotten our revenge.”

Those were the words of Nak U-jin and Dan Mok Un-rae.

“The Tournament is a group battle. And it’s guerrilla warfare. It’s also possible to take advantage of others’ fights.”

Yeon Ha-min interjected.

“That’s right. That’s how we got caught.”

Dan Mok Un-rae said as if remembering.

“You induce battles between other groups and strike the backs of the final survivors.”

Dan Mok Un-rae told them about what he had experienced back then.

“Isn’t that a bit cowardly?”

Eun Hwa-ryang asked with a reluctant voice. Ju U-myeong was also nodding slightly.

“No.”

The five members of Maengryong Corps 7th Unit answered in unison.

“It’s not a martial duel, it’s combat. Victory and survival come first.”

Dang Jin-san’s words.

“And that’s the tactic you need to employ in the Tournament.”

Yeon Ha-min’s explanation.

“For that, fast movement techniques and stealth are essential. You also need to learn guerrilla warfare methods.”

Baek Ri-pyeong added.

“We’ll do plenty of that tomorrow. Now let’s sleep.”

Dang Jin-san spoke last and closed his mouth.

“Snore…”

Only Ha Seol-ran’s low snoring sound, unlike typical snoring, echoed.

She had fallen asleep at some point.

 

***

 

“Kya! This is great!”

Cheol Ryeong said as he downed his drink.

“P-please try this too.”

The gisaeng beside him picked up some delicious-looking food with chopsticks and brought it to his mouth.

Her hands trembled slightly.

She had no choice.

In the corner lay an unconscious gisaeng with one cheek swollen red.

This man before her had slapped her face, saying she couldn’t even serve properly after spilling a little food.

Cheol Ryeong gulped it down.

“Oh, you can at least use chopsticks properly.”

As Cheol Ryeong said this, his hand slipped into the gisaeng’s front garment.

“Oh my. Very nice. Why are you covering this up?”

While chewing his food, Cheol Ryeong’s hands moved busily.

The gisaeng dared not resist.

This bastard caused such trouble just short of crossing the line.

Considering the money these bastards spent, the pleasure house wouldn’t intervene over something like this.

Trash-like bastards.

The other four people giggled as they watched Cheol Ryeong.

Indeed, pleasure houses were better than taverns.

Tomorrow was a rest day.

It didn’t matter if they played here all night.

Whether Gyoryong Hall’s doors closed or not.

“Those bastards are leaving Muchang to go into the mountains, right?”

Tak Mu-jeon, who had been groping various parts of the gisaeng beside him, said as if remembering.

They had roughly grasped the movements of Waryong Corps 20th Group.

Others were keeping them informed.

“Idiots.”

Byeok I-gyeom snickered.

“No matter what, vermin are still vermin.”

Byeok I-gyeom downed a drink in one gulp.

“After we win, what should we make them do in the second half?”

Gong Gu-pae said with anticipation.

“Yeon Ha-min. I’ll take that bitch.”

Cheol Ryeong said with a sly smile.

“What!”

“That’s ridiculous!”

“Hey!”

“I’ll take her.”

The four people spoke simultaneously.

The five people looked into each other’s eyes.

They all snickered at once.

It meant they all had the same thoughts after all.

“Let’s do this.”

Byeok I-gyeom said as he put down his drink.

“Whoever takes down the most cadets gets to have that bitch first.”

Waryong Corps 20th Group wasn’t even in their consideration.

They naturally thought they would survive longer than them.

Instead, they were planning the order for claiming Yeon Ha-min.

“That sounds good.”

“Good! I’ll properly show my skills that day.”

The five people continued drinking and carousing while groping the gisaengs’ bodies.

They became intoxicated with alcohol and excitement.

On the rooftop of the tallest pleasure house in Muchang.

Ha Mu-baek, lying comfortably and looking up at the night sky, muttered quietly.

“Idiots.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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