Episode 79: Return to the Demonic Sect
The third drumbeat echoed through the forest.
The Black Assassins, who had been crouched in the underbrush, sprang into action with agility.
Black Tiger issued a command through telepathy.
[Detonate the incendiary bombs we planted earlier.]
[Understood!]
With a swift response, Jo Liang led the Black Assassins into the woods.
Black Tiger adjusted his mask and slowly stood up.
“Well then, shall we stir things up a bit?”
He was about to step forward with a sense of excitement when—
“Hm?”
Jo Liang, who had just dashed into the forest, was now running back towards him.
[What’s going on?]
[We have a problem!]
[What kind of problem?]
[It seems a significant number of the incendiary bombs have disappeared.]
[What? Lead the way!]
Without hesitation, he followed Jo Liang at a sprint.
Jo Liang guided Black Tiger to the nearest ambush site.
[Here it is.]
Jo Liang pointed beneath a rock.
Upon landing and inspecting the area, Black Tiger found clear signs of tampering.
‘How could this happen?’
He looked at Jo Liang with a shocked expression.
[Are you sure they were planted here?]
[Absolutely. We made sure they couldn’t be found by chance.]
The conversation itself seemed absurd.
Black Tiger knew Jo Liang was quite competent.
The fact that White Earth had assigned the Black Assassins to him was proof enough.
There was no way they had carelessly planted the bombs.
They would have left only the fuses slightly exposed to ignite them.
This wasn’t a coincidence.
Someone had pinpointed the exact locations and dug them up.
‘Did our information leak? But how?’
Could it have been when the secret line was intercepted?
The possibility was slim, but not impossible.
Or perhaps a defector?
‘No way… What would a defector gain? They’d be lucky not to be killed by the righteous alliance.’
In any case, this was no ordinary situation.
[How many are missing?]
[We’ve confirmed seven are gone. We need to go deeper to check the rest….]
[Cancel the detonation of the incendiary bombs for now. We need to….]
Just then, another Black Assassin descended beside them.
[We have another problem!]
[What now?]
Black Tiger asked, his expression darkening.
The Black Assassin replied with a troubled look.
[The uniforms of the guards… they’re different from the intel!]
[What?]
[They’re all wearing white combat uniforms.]
[This can’t be…!]
Black Tiger’s voice trembled.
Something was terribly wrong.
Terribly, terribly wrong.
‘Damn it! What on earth is going on?’
He gripped his sword, his hand shaking with anger.
**
Boom!
A rock shattered with a loud noise, sending dust swirling into the air.
Through the dust, a man strode forward confidently—it was Sang Pil-ji.
Behind him, the students of the Nang-a Squad followed.
Swish! Swish!
The guards blocked their path.
The Nang-a Squad had just dismantled a mechanical formation and emerged.
They needed to confirm casualties.
Sang Pil-ji glanced at them coldly, then smirked and gestured with his chin.
Three students stepped forward reluctantly, their expressions filled with dissatisfaction.
One was marked with red dots all over his body.
The other two had red dots on their vital points.
They had been hit inside the mechanical formation.
The guards scanned the other students, then nodded to each other.
“Three casualties confirmed. You may proceed.”
The three students deemed casualties approached the guards, while the rest followed Sang Pil-ji.
“Hehehe.”
Yo Gwang let out a strange laugh.
No Chi-eun, walking beside him, glanced at Yo Gwang and asked in his usual listless voice.
“What’s… so funny?”
“Just… hehehe. I love how they try to provoke me. Luring us into a mechanical formation… I never saw it coming. Hehehe!”
“Seriously, that guy’s a real weirdo.”
Jo Mi-mi, walking behind them, scoffed coldly.
Yo Gwang wiggled his fingers like spider legs and muttered.
“Hah, hah. I can’t wait to see them. They’re really getting my madness going. Hehehe!”
Yo Gwang lifted his head, his eyes bloodshot like a madman’s.
As they walked, Sang Pil-ji, leading the way, suddenly stopped.
He looked at No Chi-eun and asked.
“Which way do you think?”
“Hmmm.”
No Chi-eun surveyed the surroundings with sleepy eyes, craning his neck like a turtle as he looked around.
After a moment, he pointed with a long finger.
“That way, I think.”
Sang Pil-ji nodded.
“Well done. Lead the way.”
“Alright, then….”
No Chi-eun, still with his turtle-like neck, walked ahead.
His pace wasn’t particularly fast, but his long legs made him quicker than the other students.
**
“Is this far enough?”
Gok Bo-ok looked back at Maeseol-ran.
But Maeseol-ran shook her head.
“No, we need to go further.”
“At this rate, we’ll leave the grounds.”
“Just follow me.”
Maeseol-ran strode ahead with determination.
The third drumbeat had sounded not long ago.
That meant the time Sa Bi-gang had mentioned had come.
As the number of people dwindled, Maeseol-ran became even more vigilant.
‘Why is she acting like this?’
Jo Mun-tak also sensed something was off and tilted his head in confusion.
Maeseol-ran’s tension was palpable to the students.
As an instructor, she should keep the students calm, but she couldn’t help but feel tense, given her responsibility to protect them.
Then.
‘A presence!’
Maeseol-ran quickly crouched and signaled the students to be cautious.
The students instinctively lowered themselves.
But then….
“Huh?”
Neung So-so suddenly stood up, her face lighting up.
“So-so! What’s wrong?”
Maeseol-ran quickly cautioned her.
“Instructor!”
Neung So-so suddenly shouted and ran forward.
Maeseol-ran didn’t have time to stop her.
She hurried after Neung So-so, just as a group of people emerged from around a cliff.
“Oh, it’s So-so.”
Fortunately, it was the Jeokmyeol Squad led by Sa Bi-gang.
Only then could Maeseol-ran breathe a sigh of relief.
‘How does that child sense presences so accurately?’
Unaware of the spirit’s whispers, Maeseol-ran found Neung So-so’s ability fascinating.
At least in terms of sensing presences, she seemed to be at the level of a master.
For So-so, who could hear the spirit’s whispers, it wasn’t a difficult task.
Sa Bi-gang smiled at Maeseol-ran.
“You made it here safely.”
“There were a few close calls, but everyone did well.”
“Good work.”
“The students deserve the credit more than I do.”
Meanwhile, Dang Ihyeop appeared and handed real weapons to the students of the Gwigap Squad.
“Instructor, what’s all this?”
Jo Mun-tak asked, bewildered.
Some students were already eyeing the Jeokmyeol Squad students holding real swords.
But the Jeokmyeol Squad was just as clueless.
Finally, Sa Bi-gang addressed the special class students.
“From now on, you’ll be engaging in real combat.”
“Real combat?”
“Yes. The real combat you’ve all been eager for since the training expedition.”
“What do you mean? You’re not saying we should use real swords against other students….”
“Your opponents aren’t students. They’re martial artists from the demonic sect.”
“Martial artists from the demonic sect?”
“What I’m about to tell you isn’t a drill. This is a real situation. Listen carefully and follow instructions. Today will be your first real combat experience.”
The students stared at Sa Bi-gang in stunned silence.
**
Sang Pil-ji ran.
The Nang-a Squad students followed closely behind.
Dusk was falling.
It would be harder to find the enemy in the dark.
To find them before that, Sang Pil-ji had taken the lead.
‘Is it there?’
He sensed a faint presence beyond the cliff corner.
Faint but undeniably strong.
And this feeling.
‘It must be Sa Bi-gang.’
Compared to other martial artists, this aura was distinctly different.
As Sang Pil-ji stopped, the Nang-a Squad students arrived one by one.
“Beyond that corner is the special class. Carry out your assigned tasks well.”
“Of course. Hehehe.”
Yo Gwang chuckled, licking his dagger.
Jo Mi-mi smeared dye on her practice sword and smirked.
“You really are a crazy one.”
“Hehehe. I’ll take that as a compliment.”
As Yo Gwang spoke, No Chi-eun interjected in a weary voice.
“That’s not a compliment.”
“Anyway! Let’s go! Hehehe!”
Yo Gwang, his face alight with excitement, kicked off the ground.
The Nang-a Squad students followed him around the corner.
But then….
“Huh…?”
Yo Gwang, who had been running excitedly, came to an abrupt halt.
Sa Bi-gang and the special class were indeed there.
As if they had been waiting.
Looking directly at them.
But that wasn’t the surprising part.
“These guys… are they crazier than me?”
Yo Gwang pointed at the special class students with wide eyes.
Jo Mi-mi also stopped abruptly, her expression troubled.
Yo Gwang turned to her and muttered.
“Aren’t they… more extreme than us?”
Every student in the special class was holding real, lethal weapons.
Yo Gwang looked down at the practice dagger in his hand.
Just then, Yeom Ja-ryang stepped forward, frowning.
“Who are you?”
“That’s… against the rules….”
Yohgwang scratched his head, utterly baffled.
He never imagined that the special class would be wielding real swords.
Just then, Sangpilji emerged from behind him.
“What on earth is going on here, Instructor Sa?”
“I’m planning to hunt down some of those rogue bastards.”
Sangpilji shook his head in disbelief.
“No, no… right now, it looks more like you’re the rogue.”
“What? You guys are the rogues?” Yohgwang exclaimed, shocked.
Sangpilji narrowed his eyes and said, “Shut up and step aside, Yohgwang.”
“Oh, uh… sure,” Yohgwang mumbled, scratching the back of his head and shrinking back.
Sangpilji fixed a sharp gaze on Sabigang.
“Was this your plan all along, Sabigang?”
“Hmm. It seems there’s been a misunderstanding…”
“A misunderstanding? You’re arming cadets with real weapons for a mock battle?”
“I was just trying to deal with the rogues…”
“And what proof do you have that you’re not the traitor?”
At that moment, both Sabigang and Sangpilji turned their heads simultaneously.
Someone was sprinting towards them from the forest.
Bursting through the trees came Cheon Saemyung.
Thud, crash!
Cheon Saemyung stumbled and fell, unable to keep his footing. His body was covered in wounds, and his face was smeared with blood.
“Captain Cheon…?” Sangpilji frowned, looking at him.
Cheon Saemyung struggled to stand, gasping for breath. “Hah, hah! I’ve… found the traitor.”
Sangpilji’s brow furrowed slightly. “Who is it?”
“Un…”
Swish!
Thud!
An arrow shot through the forest, piercing Cheon Saemyung’s side.
“Captain Cheon!” Sangpilji rushed to support the collapsing Cheon Saemyung.
With his last ounce of strength, Cheon Saemyung whispered, ”…Unbyeok. Unbyeok has betrayed the sect…”
“Unbyeok…!”
Unbyeok was the first-year archery instructor, wasn’t he?
The unexpected name visibly shook Sangpilji’s composure.
Sabigang approached. “It seems the traitor has been revealed.”
As Sangpilji looked up, Sabigang snapped his fingers.
Once again, Mucheon appeared, carrying a large coffin on his shoulder.
With a wave of Sabigang’s hand, the coffin lid flew open.
“Just in case, I prepared some extras. Distribute them to the cadets; they’ll find them useful.”
As expected, the coffin was filled with lethal weapons.