Episode 237: Return to the Demonic Training Grounds
It had been eleven days since Sa Bi-gang left the Heavenly Palace.
“Master!”
Just as Sa Bi-gang reached the dormitory, Seol Seorin, who had been training in the practice yard, came running with open arms.
Sa Bi-gang let out a small sigh and cast a spell.
“Stone Wall.”
In an instant, a massive wall of stone erupted from the ground, blocking Seol Seorin’s path. Her voice echoed faintly from the other side.
“Oh, come on! I missed you!”
She grumbled, and then—
Boom!
The wall shattered as Seol Seorin emerged, holding the tail of a makhan. Her cheeks were streaked with red lines, and the makhan’s tail bristled with sharp spikes, aimed directly at Sa Bi-gang.
Her tone turned icy. “If you keep doing this, I’ll have no choice but to break through.”
In a flash, she launched herself into the air.
Swish!
The makhan’s tail sliced through the air, hurtling towards Sa Bi-gang.
Clang!
The tail wrapped around Sa Bi-gang’s sword, Berthas. He quickly pulled Berthas back, and Seol Seorin was yanked into his arms.
Tap, tap, tap!
Sa Bi-gang swiftly pressed a pressure point on Seol Seorin, causing her to go limp and collapse into his embrace.
“You’re as intense as ever,” he remarked, laying her gently on the ground. “But it seems you’ve gotten the hang of it.”
“I practiced just like you taught me,” Seol Seorin replied with a bright smile, unable to move.
Watching the scene, Choo Ryung shook his head in disbelief. “I just can’t understand her.”
It was impressive, though. Not long ago, Seol Seorin would lose control whenever she wielded the makhan’s tail. But with the breathing techniques Sa Bi-gang taught her, she had gradually regained stability and could now control the tail at will.
“The pressure point will release in half an hour,” Sa Bi-gang said nonchalantly, turning to leave.
Suddenly, a swarm of new recruits descended upon him.
Leading the charge was Bang Gak, who swung his twin blades with a fierce cry.
“Hah!”
Choo Ryung stepped in front of Sa Bi-gang, letting out a battle cry of his own. Bang Gak’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.
“What? This little fish dares to interfere?”
He thrust his blade forward, but—
“Shield!”
Choo Ryung shouted with all his might, and a translucent barrier formed around him.
Clang!
Bang Gak’s blade bounced off the shield, his eyes widening in shock. “What? This kid knows how to use a protective barrier?”
Choo Ryung stared at his hands in disbelief. “I did it! I made a shield!”
Behind him, Sa Bi-gang chuckled. “That was the most spectacular shield I’ve ever seen.”
“Hehe!” Choo Ryung scratched the back of his head, grinning.
“Out of the way!” A sudden shout rang out, followed by a sharp attack.
“Huh?”
Sa Bi-gang pushed Choo Ryung aside just as Seok Tan-gang’s sword came slashing down.
Swish!
Sa Bi-gang caught the blade between his fingers, grinning. “Focus on one thing at a time—speed or strength.”
With that, he flicked Seok Tan-gang’s forehead.
Thwack!
“Argh!”
Seok Tan-gang flew back, crashing into a tree and rolling to the ground.
Sa Bi-gang looked at his hand, satisfied. “Not bad at all.”
His internal energy had grown significantly, and the stability from his long meditation was evident.
Meanwhile, five more recruits charged at him, led by Maeng Ga-sook.
“Hyaah!”
“Die!”
A spear thrust towards him, followed by a flurry of daggers. Three more recruits attacked from all sides.
Sa Bi-gang closed his eyes, smiling.
In the next moment—
Whoosh!
He vanished, reappearing a short distance away.
Normally, Maeng Ga-sook’s group would have collided and fallen over each other. But this time, they moved with practiced precision, avoiding each other with ease.
Impressed, Sa Bi-gang nodded. “They’ve gotten better at countering my blink.”
This was the direction the new recruits needed to take. Their opponents would be demons, using all sorts of magic in battle. They had to adapt and find ways to exploit the demons’ weaknesses using martial arts.
But first…
“I’ll have to train them even harder!”
Sa Bi-gang quickly regrouped and cast another spell at the approaching recruits.
“Ice Field!”
A chilling cold swept over the area, freezing the ground solid.
Maeng Ga-sook’s group quickly circulated their internal energy to keep warm, but the biting cold forced them to retreat.
“Attacking as a group isn’t always the best strategy. Spread out and come at me,” Sa Bi-gang advised, though he was secretly pleased.
Not long ago, none of them could have withstood the Ice Field’s power. They would have been frozen or suffered heart attacks. Their rapid improvement was remarkable.
The speed at which they were advancing was faster than the Heavenly Destruction Squad. Those who practiced orthodox martial arts had stable but slow progress, while those who practiced unorthodox arts advanced rapidly, albeit with less refined energy.
Just then, a sharp sound pierced the air.
A volley of ten meteor darts, trailing invisible threads, encircled Sa Bi-gang.
He deftly deflected them with Berthas, sending the darts flying into the ground and nearby trees.
As Seol Soo-min hesitated, Sa Bi-gang blinked right in front of him.
“Throw your darts as if you can’t retrieve them. Be more cautious.”
With that, Sa Bi-gang extended his hand.
“Burn Flare.”
A wave of intense heat engulfed Seol Soo-min.
“Ugh!”
He quickly retreated as the flames exploded, sending hot winds in all directions.
Seol Soo-min sat down, focusing his energy to withstand the heat. It was a technique Sa Bi-gang had taught him, and it was the only reason he could endure.
But Sa Bi-gang wasn’t finished.
“Fire Wave.”
A wave of fire washed over Seol Soo-min, who concentrated fiercely to withstand the heat.
‘They’ve all improved a lot.’
But there was still a long way to go. As they were now, they wouldn’t stand a chance against the Heavenly Destruction Squad.
As Sa Bi-gang moved forward, a swift shadow approached like an arrow.
It was Ong Gi-seung.
Sa Bi-gang sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the blade that sliced through his sleeve.
‘Impressive.’
Even after casting high-level spells in succession, having his clothes grazed was commendable.
Ong Gi-seung, eyes closed, swung his sword backward, his body following the blade’s lead.
It was the hallmark of the Sleep Sword Technique.
“Ha, you’re quite the sleep-talker!”
Sa Bi-gang praised, blocking the attack with Berthas.
Clang!
“Ugh!”
Ong Gi-seung grimaced, retreating a few steps.
I awoke.
Not fully, but in that hazy realm between sleep and wakefulness.
The recent shock had disrupted my internal energy flow—a clear sign of my lapse in concentration.
Thankfully, it wasn’t severe enough to cause internal injuries.
Yet, even a small mistake like this could be a significant opening in a battle between masters.
“Rune Flare!”
As Sabigang cast the spell, a fiery spear materialized in mid-air and shot straight toward Ong Gisung.
Whoosh!
“Whoa!”
That jolted me fully awake.
My eyes snapped open.
Thud, thud, thud!
Ong Gisung kicked off the ground repeatedly, leaping backward in a swift retreat.
Clang!
His sword deflected the fiery spear, which then dissipated into nothingness.
Sabigang quickly followed up with more spells.
“Inferno! Fire Wall!”
Flames surged forward in a straight line, and a wall of fire erupted from the ground, racing toward Ong Gisung once more.
“Ugh!”
Ong Gisung swiftly summoned a gust of sword energy, dispersing the incoming flames. But the wall of fire was unavoidable, forcing him to roll out of its path.
His clothes were singed black, narrowly escaping further damage.
The onlookers, standing awkwardly nearby, gaped in astonishment.
“What… what kind of martial arts is that?”
“I’ve heard it’s strange, but I’ve never seen anything this extreme.”
Fortunately, the spells weren’t as threatening as they could have been. Properly cast, they could have incinerated everyone present. But Sabigang had moderated their intensity.
This, however, led to excessive mana consumption. Casting high-level spells while restraining their power was no easy feat.
Yet, there was another reason for this display beyond training the team’s adaptability: testing his enhanced internal energy.
He wanted to see how long he could sustain it when converted to mana, now that it had increased threefold.
Just then, a dark shadow descended from the sky.
“Ha!”
It was a golem.
Sabigang extended his hand, using telekinesis.
In an instant,
Thwip, thwip, thwip!
The meteor shards embedded in the ground and trees were yanked free, swiftly ensnaring Yusongryeong like a spider’s web.
“Argh!”
Suspended in mid-air, Yusongryeong was utterly immobilized.
Sabigang smirked.
“Not a bad attempt, but you’re still too slow. As I mentioned before, there’s a slight issue with the golem’s center of gravity.”
“Tch.”
Just as Sabigang was about to move, the ground suddenly bulged upward.
Simultaneously,
“Hyaaaah!”
With a powerful shout, Baek Gongbo burst forth.
Thunk!
Sabigang casually stepped on Baek Gongbo’s head, pushing him back into the ground.
“Ugh!”
“Stealth isn’t your forte with that size.”
Leaving Baek Gongbo buried once more, Sabigang strolled away.
Before entering the quarters, he glanced back and extended his hand.
The golem, entangled in the meteor shards, slipped from Yusongryeong’s grasp and flew into Sabigang’s hand.
“I’ll fix this up and return it soon.”
With that, Sabigang entered the quarters, leaving the remaining team members speechless.
Finally, Dobicheon blurted out, “Do you think that instructor uses dark magic?”
“Could be. It’s beyond normal comprehension.”
Baek Gongbo nodded as he crawled out of the ground.
Then Maeng Gasuk casually remarked, “Who cares if it’s dark magic or not? We just need to beat him!”
“You’re just worried you’ll be the first to kick the bucket, old man.”
“What was that? You planning to die before you even get old?”
Maeng Gasuk snapped back at Banggak’s teasing, but there was no malice in it.
Somehow, they had come to genuinely enjoy this strange contest with Sabigang.