Episode 226: Return to the Demonic Sect
“Ugh…”
Groans echoed from the scattered bodies of the new recruits sprawled across the clearing.
Some had broken limbs, others lay unconscious, unmoving. There were those with bodies slashed and torn, and some who coughed up blood repeatedly.
“Damn it…!”
Baek Gong-bo gritted his teeth and crawled forward with determination.
He had thought that if all the new recruits banded together, they might stand a chance. But the Seol siblings were far from easy opponents. In fact, they were in a league of their own.
“Huff, huff, huff!”
He finally reached a boulder and leaned against it, trying to catch his breath.
Suddenly,
Whoosh, thud!
A dagger flew past, grazing his neck and embedding itself in the rock. Shards from the impact struck his face and neck.
“Ugh!”
Before he could gather his wits,
Whoosh! Thud!
Another dagger sliced through the air, nicking his earlobe before lodging into the boulder.
“Ugh!”
Baek Gong-bo squinted and looked up at the tree branch opposite him.
There sat Seol Seorin, the one who had thrown the daggers.
“Ah, it’s hard to hit just the ear when you keep moving,” she complained, glancing up at Seol Sumin beside her.
Seol Sumin chuckled softly in response. “Watch their movements. You’ll start to predict them.”
“Why don’t you show me, brother?”
“Shall I? Where should I aim?”
“Hmm… We can’t kill him, so how about just slicing his mouth?”
“Haha, that sounds good. Let’s make him smile since he’s frowning so much.”
“Great idea, brother! Let’s make him happy.”
“Alright.”
Seol Sumin narrowed his eyes, focusing on Baek Gong-bo.
Baek Gong-bo swallowed hard.
‘These crazy bastards…!’
Seol Sumin’s primary weapon was the ‘Meteor Dagger,’ a blade connected by rare silver silk, flying with the speed of light.
If he declared he would slice Baek Gong-bo’s mouth, he would undoubtedly do so.
Just as Seol Sumin was about to throw the dagger,
“Enough with the games.”
A gruff voice interrupted.
Seol Sumin and Seol Seorin turned to see Seok Tan-gang and Ong Gi-seung standing there.
Seok Tan-gang’s eyes blazed with fury.
“Oh my, look who it is! It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
“Heh, the dark one and the sleep-talker have arrived,” Seol Seorin sneered, followed by Seol Sumin’s mocking smile.
Seok Tan-gang stared at them, then took a step forward.
“I’ll go first.”
He was already seething from an earlier encounter with Yoo Song-ryeong.
Just as he was about to charge, Ong Gi-seung grabbed his arm.
Seok Tan-gang turned to him, and Ong Gi-seung spoke quietly.
“Be careful.”
Seok Tan-gang nodded and launched himself forward.
Whoosh!
At the same time, Seol Seorin leaped down from the branch.
“Oh, how delightful!”
In an instant, the two clashed.
Swish! Swish!
They exchanged dozens of blows in mere seconds.
Seok Tan-gang’s eyes narrowed.
‘They’re no ordinary fighters.’
He knew the Seol siblings’ martial arts were beyond comparison to most warriors.
But he hadn’t expected them to be this formidable.
Despite his improved skills, he couldn’t even graze their clothes!
Seok Tan-gang gritted his teeth and let out a battle cry.
“Haaah!”
A flash of light burst forth.
Thud!
Seol Seorin staggered back, momentarily off balance.
Seizing the opportunity, Ong Gi-seung dashed forward, swiftly swinging his sword.
Whoosh!
Slice!
‘Got her!’
He felt the distinct sensation of his blade cutting through something.
Thud!
Seol Seorin quickly retreated, her expression startled.
Her shoulder’s fabric was sliced, revealing pale skin beneath.
Blood trickled from the wound.
Seok Tan-gang pressed the attack, charging in.
Whoosh!
His sword sliced through the air, aiming diagonally at Seol Seorin’s shoulder.
Thud!
Seol Sumin stepped forward, pulling Seol Seorin behind him.
At the same time, he thrust out his palm.
Bang!
Seok Tan-gang was forced back, sliding across the ground.
His hands, gripping the sword, trembled slightly.
‘Strong…!’
Meanwhile, Seol Sumin glanced back at Seol Seorin.
“Are you alright, Lina?”
“Brother… I’m bleeding.”
“Stay behind me.”
“Be careful, brother.”
Seol Sumin turned back to Seok Tan-gang with a steely gaze.
“You’ve improved quite a bit.”
”…”
“But at best, you’re just a flying squirrel now.”
Seok Tan-gang and Ong Gi-seung silently assumed their stances.
Seol Sumin drew his Meteor Dagger.
“Come at me.”
In the next moment,
Whoosh!
The three of them charged at each other simultaneously.
**
Sa Bi-gang squinted his eyes.
Beside him, Chu Ryang stood with his mouth agape in shock.
“How… how could this…!”
In front of Sa Bi-gang’s quarters, the training ground was littered with what seemed like corpses of the new recruits.
They lay there, covered in blood.
Jeok Mu-rin, who stood nearby, approached and reported.
“They were like this when I first found them.”
“Hmm.”
Sa Bi-gang surveyed the fallen recruits.
Not a single one was unscathed.
Some were slashed all over, others had limbs bent and broken in unnatural ways.
They looked worse than corpses.
“What on earth happened here…?”
Chu Ryang muttered in disbelief, then his eyes widened as he turned to Sa Bi-gang.
“Be careful, Master!”
“Hmm?”
“This could be a trap! They might be pretending to be unconscious, ready to attack you!”
“I doubt it…”
“I’ll check first!”
Chu Ryang swallowed nervously and approached the fallen recruits.
He cautiously poked Seok Tan-gang with the tip of his wooden sword.
Of course, the unconscious Seok Tan-gang didn’t move.
Once more…
Poke, poke.
Still, Seok Tan-gang didn’t budge.
Chu Ryang crouched down and felt for a pulse on his neck.
It was there.
“Master, it seems… huh?”
As Chu Ryang spoke seriously, he noticed Sa Bi-gang was already among the recruits, checking their bodies without hesitation.
He even turned over a prone recruit with ease.
“Master! If you do that, they might…!”
“Quiet. They’ve all been taken down.”
“But who could have…?”
“There’s even a letter here.”
Sa Bi-gang found a bloodstained letter in Ong Gi-seung’s pocket.
On the surface, it read, “To Instructor Sa Bi-gang.”
We caught the ones trying to assassinate you and taught them a lesson. No need to thank us.
Jeok Mu-rin smirked inwardly at the letter’s contents.
The signature ‘Seol’ made it clear it was the work of the Seol siblings.
Their intentions were obvious.
They aimed to disrupt the training.
‘Heh. It seems you’ll have a tough time this time, Instructor.’
Jeok Mu-rin glanced at Sa Bi-gang.
Indeed, Sa Bi-gang’s reaction was different from usual.
Though his face was expressionless, there was a hint of anger.
“Quite the amusing stunt.”
Sa Bi-gang muttered quietly, then turned to Chu Ryang.
“Move them inside.”
“What? But if they suddenly wake up and attack… sigh, understood.”
Seeing Sa Bi-gang’s determined gaze, Chu Ryang reluctantly nodded.
Jeok Mu-rin looked at Sa Bi-gang with a slight sneer.
“The main sect will take issue with this.”
“For what reason?”
Jeok Mu-rin continued as if it were obvious.
“The recruits are severely injured. They won’t just let this slide.”
“There’s no need to worry about that.”
“What?”
“They’re already healed.”
Jeok Mu-rin frowned slightly.
He couldn’t understand what Sa Bi-gang meant.
Sa Bi-gang patted his shoulder and walked into the quarters.
“So there’s no need to report this to the higher-ups.”
Jeok Mu-rin watched Sa Bi-gang’s back with a smirk.
Was he trying to sweet-talk him?
If so, he underestimated him.
‘Instructor, I’m not on your side yet.’
Jeok Mu-rin sneered and turned away.
**
That afternoon.
Dok Go-jin strode purposefully forward.
‘Finally caught you!’
At first, he had felt sorry for the one taken as a hostage.
But now, he acted as if he owned the place.
He demolished old buildings to erect new ones and cleared forests to create a proper garden.
And with what confidence did he order the recruits to assassinate him?
‘Hmph! I knew this day would come!’
The Seol siblings had returned.
Sa Bi-gang’s bold actions had piqued their interest.
And they disrupted the training in an unexpected way.
According to Jeok Mu-rin, many of the new recruits were severely injured.
This was clearly something the instructor had to answer for!
Bang, bang, bang!
Dok Go-jin pounded on the door of the quarters.
Before formally reporting to the sect leader, he intended to confirm the situation and hold someone accountable.
A short while later, Sabigang appeared.
“What brings you here, Master Dokgo?”
“I came to check on the team.”
“All of a sudden?”
“Hmph! I heard there was an incident last night. They said many of the team members were injured.”
“That’s just a rumor.”
Sabigang replied without batting an eye, causing Dokgo Jin to raise an eyebrow in disbelief.
‘Now he’s lying too?’
This might actually work in his favor.
If Sabigang was going to play it this way, Dokgo Jin could push even harder.
“Whether it’s a rumor or not, I’ll see for myself! Step aside!”
“The team is resting after their lessons.”
“Then it shouldn’t matter, should it?”
“I’m concerned about disturbing their rest.”
“Hahaha! Since when did you care so much about them? Anyway, move aside!”
With a firm expression, Dokgo Jin shouted, and Sabigang shrugged as if he had no choice and stepped back.
He glanced intently at Jeokmurin, who stood behind Dokgo Jin.
Jeokmurin simply stood there, chin raised.
[Seems like you enjoy tattling.]
Sabigang’s voice echoed in Jeokmurin’s mind, and he chuckled softly in response.
[I merely reported according to protocol.]
Meanwhile, Dokgo Jin’s voice cut through sharply.
“Where are they? Where are the team members?”
“Follow me.”
Sabigang led the way.
**
“What… how is this possible?”
Even Jeokmurin, usually so silent, found himself muttering in disbelief.
The team members should have been lying there, gravely injured.
Yet, in the underground training room, they lay without a scratch in sight.
Their breathing was steady and even.
Sabigang grinned.
“They’re just exhausted from intense training. Let them sleep.”
It was exactly as Sabigang said.
They weren’t injured; they were simply in a deep sleep.
They had minor injuries, but nothing as severe as Jeokmurin had reported.
[What on earth is going on here!]
Dokgo Jin demanded through their mental link, but even Jeokmurin had no idea about the healing potion Sabigang possessed.
Sabigang spoke with a smile.
“Now, if you don’t mind leaving? It’s about time to wake them for their next lesson.”