The World’s Greatest Martial Arts Instructor - Chapter 399

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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 399. This Feels Unpleasant

 

 

 

 

 

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

 

Four wooden coffins fell to the ground.

 

The moment Ha Mu-baek lightly waved his hand.

 

Crack.

 

The coffins shattered.

 

Those things with faces wrapped in bandages appeared.

 

When Ha Mu-baek waved his hand again, the bandages burned away and disappeared.

 

Those things opened their eyes.

 

“Grrrrrr.”

 

“Kuuuuu.

 

“Kaaaaaaa.”

 

“Kuhuuuuu.”

 

Those things that let out different sounds each.

 

“J-j-j-jiangshi…?”

 

The moment one of the Maengryong Corps cadets muttered questioningly with an expression of disbelief, looking at those things existing in the center of the formation.

 

“They’re called Death Jiangshi. They’re the most numerous entities in Sanwol Demon Forest, and also the weakest ones. From now on, you’ll defeat those bastards. Begin!”

 

The moment Ha Mu-baek’s voice struck the cadets’ ears.

 

Even though they had no intention of doing so.

 

Their bodies reacted first.

 

Following the movements of the Myeongshik Formation.

 

The cadets charged toward the Death Jiangshi with swords and shields.

 

“Kaaaaaaa!”

 

Seeing the countless cadets suddenly charging at them.

 

The Death Jiangshi let out rough cries and swung their arms, but.

 

Clang!

 

They were blocked by shields.

 

Slash!

 

They were cut by swords.

 

Ha Mu-baek quietly watched the process.

 

Even though it was their first time seeing jiangshi.

 

There was no hesitation in their movements.

 

Though their facial expressions were pale with fear.

 

Their arms and legs moved reflexively regardless of their will.

 

The qi energy that the jiangshi emitted.

 

Though it was far inferior to Ha Mu-baek’s from the previous day.

 

Their bodies moved first the moment they felt it.

 

Ha Mu-baek nodded with a small smile.

 

Yesterday.

 

It was worth pushing them somewhat hard during training.

 

The Death Jiangshi were prepared for them to first encounter what kind of beings jiangshi were.

 

This one time would serve their purpose completely.

 

‘The real ones are the Poison Jiangshi and Blood Jiangshi.’

 

In the case of the Poison Jiangshi, there was no problem with detoxification either.

 

As for the Blood Jiangshi, he had pulled out all their teeth.

 

During the last practical training in Sanwol Demon Forest.

 

Like the ones Ha Seol-ran had faced.

 

If by any unlucky chance they got bitten by a careless one, it would be a major accident.

 

He had prevented such incidents in advance.

 

The complex gaze of Pyeong Deok-jo watching Ha Mu-baek pull out all the teeth of the Blood Jiangshi.

 

Had no effect on Ha Mu-baek whatsoever.

 

Half of half an hour.

 

That was the time Ha Mu-baek had drilled the cadets’ formation.

 

When exactly that much time had passed.

 

The four Death Jiangshi had truly become four corpses.

 

With arms, legs, and necks all severed.

 

“Huff. Huff. Huff. Huff.”

 

“Haah. Huff. Haah. Huff.”

 

“Kuhuhuhuhuhuff. Huff. Huff.”

 

Only then.

 

The Maengryong Corps cadets let out rough breaths.

 

What had just happened to them, what kind of deed they had performed.

 

They were only now beginning to realize.

 

“Bleurgh!”

 

Someone vomited what they had eaten for lunch the moment their realization ended.

 

Was that a signal flare?

 

Several other cadets also began to feel nauseous.

 

Ha Mu-baek chuckled as he watched the scene.

 

Indeed.

 

Training them to directly face jiangshi under his control like this was the right thing to do.

 

Looking at their current state, if they had gone to Sanwol Demon Forest without any experience, at least a quarter of them would have died in the first clash.

 

‘Damn it. This isn’t just some tiger. A tiger would be much better…’

 

Someone grumbled inwardly, recalling Pyeong Deok-jo’s advice.

 

Jiangshi.

 

Those things didn’t seem like something that could be handled by pulling oneself together.

 

Right now, their bodies had moved on their own and fought the enemy while they weren’t even thinking straight…

 

 

 

“Jiangshi?”

 

Namgung Yu muttered as if surprised.

 

Namgung Hu beside her was equally surprised.

 

“That’s a jiangshi?”

 

Both of them were seeing jiangshi for the first time as well.

 

Father had said he faced jiangshi in Sanwol Demon Forest.

 

But the two siblings had never been to Sanwol Demon Forest yet.

 

“This feels unpleasant.”

 

The damp, eerie qi energy emanating from the Death Jiangshi reached even where the Namgung siblings were, albeit faintly.

 

Feeling it, Namgung Yu immediately frowned.

 

“Right. It’s not particularly interesting, is it?”

 

Namgung Hu nodded.

 

Dang Jin-san’s promise that it would be fun was thus denied by both of them.

 

Instead.

 

“But it does seem to have meaning for sure.”

 

Namgung Yu nodded and muttered.

 

Just watching the jiangshi that the Maengryong Corps was facing in formation from the outskirts of the Great Training Ground felt this unpleasant.

 

If they had business in Sanwol Demon Forest.

 

And encountered jiangshi there for the first time?

 

They would have surely panicked.

 

If they had met those sagang-si, they could have managed somehow even while panicking.

 

But if they were unlucky and encountered much stronger entities?

 

There was no telling what might happen.

 

In that sense, experiencing even a faint taste of the spine-chilling revulsion that jiangshi emanated was certainly meaningful.

 

“Since it’s something Yeon Ha-min said.”

 

Namgung Hu also nodded as if in agreement.

 

Under their focused observation, the sagang-si was cut to pieces by the Maengryong Corps and fell.

 

 

 

Ha Mu-baek waited long enough for the Maengryong Corps cadets to recover from their shock.

 

Since they had handled their first clash admirably.

 

He was showing them consideration.

 

How long had he waited?

 

The retching finally ended, and one by one they calmed down as their eyes began to return to normal.

 

“How was the jiangshi?”

 

Ha Mu-baek’s voice, infused with internal energy, pierced the cadets’ ears, but no one answered.

 

“Horrifying, right?”

 

Cadets here and there unconsciously nodded their heads.

 

“As I mentioned at the beginning. That was the weakest one. The kind that fills Sanwol Demon Forest in countless numbers.”

 

At those words, several faces turned pale.

 

They had somehow managed to defeat it.

 

But if they kept encountering them.

 

Just imagining it was horrifying.

 

“Right now was an extremely easy situation. You had overwhelming numbers. You even used formation tactics. Sanwol Demon Forest is a forest. An incredibly dense forest at that. You absolutely cannot form such massive formations there.”

 

The cadets’ complexions darkened at Ha Mu-baek’s continued words.

 

Zhuge Ming hadn’t devised formation tactics for five people without reason.

 

He too had experience visiting Sanwol Demon Forest.

 

So he had devised martial arts optimized for that terrain.

 

The Ming Formation was such a martial art.

 

“It would be typical for one squad to face jiangshi. But those things don’t appear alone either. Multiple entities can appear.”

 

The cadets’ complexions grew even darker.

 

When Ha Mu-baek waved his hand, the remains of the dismembered sagang-si burst into flames and crumbled to ash.

 

“Ah, I forgot to mention. Sagang-si teeth contain jiangshi poison. If you’re bitten by them and die, you become a sagang-si.”

 

“….”

 

“….”

 

The Great Training Ground fell silent.

 

So quiet you could hear dust falling.

 

This was completely unknown information to the cadets.

 

The same was true for the Namgung siblings.

 

To think that being bitten by jiangshi and dying would turn you into one.

 

They were hearing such a horrifying story for the first time in their lives.

 

“As long as you don’t die, it doesn’t matter. The jiangshi poison gradually breaks down and disappears. Though it takes several months.”

 

Ha Mu-baek said with a slight laugh.

 

Still, silence prevailed.

 

No one could laugh, no one could say anything.

 

Reality was finally sinking in.

 

A reality they hadn’t felt even when fighting the sagang-si, or when vomiting afterward.

 

The reality that if something went wrong, they could die and become those horrifying monsters.

 

Of course, Ha Mu-baek had already removed all the teeth from both the sagang-si and poison jiangshi.

 

But there was no way to check inside the mouths of the sagang-si that had already burned away.

 

And during combat, everyone had been so out of it that they moved purely on instinct.

 

So they couldn’t remember what the sagang-si’s mouth had looked like at the time.

 

 

 

“So that’s why….”

 

Namgung Hu nodded softly, muttering as if he finally understood.

 

“Hm?”

 

Namgung Yu’s question.

 

“All those jiangshi had their teeth pulled out, not a single one left.”

 

Namgung Hu, who had watched the Maengryong Corps’ battle from outside the Great Training Ground, could clearly see inside the sagang-si’s mouth.

 

It wasn’t difficult at his level.

 

Since he had entered the threshold of the pinnacle.

 

“Really?”

 

Namgung Yu seemed not to have noticed.

 

Both their gazes turned toward Ha Mu-baek.

 

Indeed, there was thought and consideration behind all of that instructor’s actions.

 

“Should I say he’s a bit mischievous?”

 

Namgung Yu said, looking at the stunned Maengryong Corps cadets who remained unaware of this fact.

 

“It must be for realistic training.”

 

 

 

“Now we move to the next stage. Let me explain in advance – this time you’ll face a poison jiangshi. It has deadly poison in its claws. Meaning if you get scratched by its hands, you’ll be poisoned.”

 

“Gasp.”

 

“Gulp!”

 

Sounds of shock could be heard from various places.

 

“If we’re poisoned by that poison, do we become jiangshi?”

 

Someone asked with a terrified face.

 

“The poison jiangshi’s poison isn’t jiangshi poison. Even if bitten, you’ll only be poisoned, not become jiangshi after death. However, that poison is quite vicious, so it’ll be quite painful. You could die if not detoxified.”

 

The Great Training Ground was once again shrouded in silence.

 

Many cadets looked at Ha Mu-baek with resentful eyes.

 

Resentment asking why he was doing this to them.

 

A few thoughtful ones actually brightened their eyes.

 

Knowing that if they couldn’t overcome this training here and now, they would die in Sanwol Demon Forest anyway.

 

“Don’t worry about poisoning. It’ll be painful if you’re poisoned, but I’ll detoxify you after training ends.”

 

Ha Mu-baek said with a slight laugh.

 

“Then everyone wait outside the Great Training Ground.”

 

At Ha Mu-baek’s instruction, the Maengryong Corps spread out widely to surround the Great Training Ground.

 

“Second Year First Squad, step forward.”

 

At the first call, the First Squad cadets stepped forward with stiffly hardened faces.

 

“Half an hour. Endure until then.”

 

As Ha Mu-baek finished speaking and waved his hand, a wooden coffin flew from the wagon’s cargo area.

 

Just like before, when it fell in the center of the Great Training Ground, the coffin shattered and a jiangshi revealed itself.

 

The bandages wrapped around its face burst into flames and disappeared.

 

When Ha Mu-baek withdrew the energy that had been restraining the jiangshi.

 

“Grrrrrrrrr.”

 

The poison jiangshi let out a disturbing cry while looking around in all directions.

 

Then, spotting the five closest to it, it moved with lurching steps.

 

Both arms stretched straight forward.

 

The claws at its fingertips gleamed with a dark purple sheen.

 

The First Squad cadets immediately deployed their formation to surround the poison jiangshi.

 

He raised his shield straight up.

 

His arms trembled, but there was no hesitation in his movements.

 

Truly disciplined actions.

 

“Kuheheng!”

 

The Poison Jiangshi charged toward the cadet in front.

 

Bang!

 

The Poison Jiangshi’s both arms were blocked by the shield.

 

The cadets rushed toward the jiangshi with full force.

 

It was definitely different from the Death Jiangshi.

 

Its movements were faster, stronger, and smoother.

 

Cutting down Death Jiangshi wasn’t difficult, but Poison Jiangshi were different.

 

Even their skin was tougher, so swords couldn’t easily penetrate.

 

The Seventh Group cadets quietly watched the scene.

 

“When we first went to Sanwol Demon Forest… didn’t they say you’d see one of those maybe once or twice a year?”

 

Dang Jin-san spoke as if suddenly remembering.

 

Yeon Ha-min nodded.

 

“But we really fought countless numbers of them, right? Considering how many Poison Jiangshi and Blood Jiangshi we faced, it would be like we spent decades in Sanwol Demon Forest. Tsk.”

 

Dang Jin-san shook his head as if recalling those terrible times.

 

Then he looked at the cargo wagon.

 

“Just how many did they bring in there?”

 

Dang Jin-san seemed genuinely curious as he kept glancing at the wagon’s cargo compartment, checking the wooden coffins loaded inside.

 

 

 

“Whew.”

 

The top floor of the Director’s Pavilion.

 

From the Administrator’s Office, he looked out the window toward the Great Training Ground.

 

Though there was quite a distance, everything was clearly visible.

 

By concentrating his internal energy into his eyes to enhance his eye power, distance wasn’t a problem.

 

He could see four jiangshi appearing and fighting with the cadets.

 

“They’re really doing that.”

 

He knew they would, but seeing it firsthand brought different emotions.

 

It was because the terrible memories from the Murim Tournament came flooding back.

 

However.

 

The Maengryong Corps fought much better than he had expected.

 

Though they had overwhelming numbers, he hadn’t expected them to cut down Death Jiangshi so effortlessly with such smooth movements.

 

It seemed Ha Mu-baek had properly taught them before bringing out the jiangshi.

 

“At that level… perhaps this batch of Maengryong Corps might see a dramatic increase in survival rate.”

 

Peng Do-yul muttered quietly.

 

Yesterday.

 

He had heard news about the Maengryong Corps whose service in Sanwol Demon Forest was ending this year.

 

Only three survivors.

 

Until last year, the number of survivors had been gradually increasing, so he had hoped for this year too.

 

But this year it actually decreased. To the worst possible outcome.

 

“Even with Instructor Zhuge’s shield technique passed down, if it’s still that bad…”

 

Peng Do-yul looked toward the Great Training Ground with worried eyes.

 

The cadets had retreated to the perimeter, and new jiangshi were just beginning to appear on the training ground.

—————
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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