Episode 81: Return to the Martial Arts Academy
Swish! Swish!
Amidst the dense foliage, a subtle movement stirred.
It was the elite squad led by Sabikang.
Among them were five individuals, including Jomuntak and Mokdanhwa.
The rest of the cadets stayed a bit further back, under the protection of Maesellan and Dangihyeop.
Their first real mission.
A moment more crucial than any other.
After all, a first experience tends to linger in one’s memory for a lifetime.
Success or failure here could determine whether they grow or stagnate for some time.
Sabikang was determined to create an environment where the cadets could succeed no matter what.
Ideally, he hoped they would succeed with minimal intervention.
In that sense, it was significant that Danrijung, who was initiating the attack, had prior combat experience.
The rustling in the bushes came to a halt.
[Confirm the enemy’s position once more.]
At Sabikang’s telepathic command, the five cadets cautiously peeked out.
Beyond the bushes, about ten paces away, figures clad in red martial attire blocked the path.
[Once Danrijung fires the arrow, you will engage immediately. I won’t interfere, so do your best.]
At Sabikang’s words, Jomuntak, Mokdanhwa, and the other cadets nodded with determined expressions.
Jomuntak’s heart pounded as if it would leap out of his chest.
He had imagined countless battles in his mind.
But reality was different.
A mistake could mean death.
The precarious tightrope between life and death.
It was a moment that made the fate of a martial artist in the world of Kangho all too real.
Then it happened.
Crackle!
A sphere of light suddenly formed a few paces away.
‘What is that?’
Not only Jomuntak but the other cadets also turned wide-eyed to Sabikang.
Sabikang, with a calm expression, glanced at the sphere of light before turning his gaze to the enemies.
In an instant, the sphere of light shot towards the enemies at high speed.
‘Did the instructor create that? How?’
A martial art that conjures light in the darkness.
Such things were rare, but not unheard of.
Using energy, perhaps.
But to create such a perfect sphere of bright light was unprecedented.
Naturally, it was because Sabikang had used a spell called ‘Light.’
Crackle!
Meanwhile, the five Black Assassins on guard instinctively reached for their weapons at the sudden appearance of the light.
“Who goes there? Show yourself…!”
In a flash.
Pop!
The sphere of light vanished as if it had never been there.
Immediately after.
Whoosh!
Thud!
“Ugh!”
Thunk!
“Agh!”
An arrow pierced the throat of the man who had shouted.
Another arrow struck an enemy’s thigh.
One dead, one injured.
Sabikang’s eyes gleamed.
‘A successful strike.’
Ideally, both would be dead, but even one death marked a successful strike.
He had expected to wound at least one.
But hitting both, with one fatality, was a far better outcome than anticipated.
‘Danrijung has certainly improved.’
There was no need to signal ‘Attack!’
The cadets, having undergone near-real combat training, moved instinctively.
Thud!
Jomuntak was the first to leap forward, followed by Mokdanhwa.
The other three cadets also sprang into action, weapons in hand.
“Enemies! Sound the alarm…! Ugh!”
A Black Assassin tried to shout but clutched his throat and collapsed.
Jomuntak’s thrown dagger had embedded itself in his neck.
Only three remained, one of them injured.
“You scoundrels!”
One of the Black Assassins drew his sword and shouted.
Whoosh!
Clang!
He deflected the second flying dagger with his sword and lunged at Jomuntak.
In a split second, Jomuntak rolled to the side.
Clang!
The sword struck the ground with a metallic clang.
Then,
Thud!
“Ugh!”
The Black Assassin looked down at the sword piercing his chest.
‘How is it so fast…?’
He looked up, eyes wide, to see a female cadet, equally surprised, holding the sword.
It was Mokdanhwa.
As Jomuntak dodged, she had executed the first move of the Flashing Thunder Sword technique, piercing the enemy.
It was an adaptation of the wheel technique demonstrated by Sangchojin and Yesoryeong in a previous duel.
Swoosh!
Thud!
As the sword was withdrawn, the Black Assassin spewed blood and collapsed.
Even in his final moments, he couldn’t comprehend it.
‘A cadet…?’
He had been struck down by a cadet.
The one running over there was also in cadet attire.
‘How could they have real swords?’
‘And how could they be overpowered by mere cadets?’
With these questions, he breathed his last.
Meanwhile, Mokdanhwa looked down at the fallen Black Assassin, her breath ragged.
Her breathing was more labored now than before she struck.
It was her first time taking a life.
Her hand, gripping the sword hilt, trembled.
‘I… I killed someone.’
At that moment.
“Dan! Snap out of it!”
Jomuntak shouted sharply.
Mokdanhwa snapped back to reality, just in time to see a dagger flying towards her face.
‘Gah!’
She twisted her body to dodge.
Thud!
The dagger whizzed past her face and embedded itself in the Black Assassin standing behind her.
“Ugh!”
Jomuntak had aimed for that Black Assassin from the start.
The one hit in the thigh by Danrijung’s arrow.
Mokdanhwa had nearly lost her life to him.
“Now’s your chance!”
Jomuntak shouted.
Though he had stopped the attack with his dagger, he hadn’t killed the enemy.
As the Black Assassin staggered back, clutching the dagger in his shoulder, Mokdanhwa’s sword sliced through the air.
Slash!
“Ugh!”
The Black Assassin, his throat cut, spewed blood and died.
Four down.
The last one was busy fending off three cadets.
“Ugh!”
Seeing the unfavorable situation, the Black Assassin reached into his robe for a signal flare.
At that moment.
‘Gravity!’
Sabikang focused his mind and cast a spell, causing the flare, which should have shot skyward, to plummet to the ground.
Thud!
Gokbo-ok appeared just in time to stomp out the flare before it could ignite.
Meanwhile, the Black Assassin was pierced by the cadets’ swords and fell.
Thud!
With the last enemy down, the cadets clenched their fists and quietly cheered.
“We did it!”
“We won!”
Danrijung joined them, celebrating their victory.
Meanwhile, Mokdanhwa bit her lower lip and bowed her head.
The lingering sensation in her hand gnawed at her heart.
The chilling feeling of her sword tearing through flesh was not easily forgotten.
“Remember this.”
Sabikang, who had approached unnoticed, spoke suddenly.
”… It was a mistake.”
“That one mistake could cost you your life, your comrades’ lives, and put your organization in danger.”
”…”
“The sensation in your hand now is something you must become accustomed to from the moment you decided to become a martial artist. Reflect on it daily and let it become second nature. The path you walk will not be a path of flowers but a road of blood.”
With those words, Sabikang walked away.
Jomuntak approached Mokdanhwa and spoke.
“Are you okay?”
He was concerned, seeing her pale complexion.
In the past, Jomuntak wouldn’t have dared to approach her, but now he did so comfortably.
‘Have I really become this approachable?’
Yet, for some reason, it didn’t feel entirely unpleasant.
Still, the words that came out of her mouth were cold.
“Do I look so pathetic that I need your concern? Or do you think I’m easy?”
“Uh? No, it’s just that you don’t look well.”
“Stop worrying about me and worry about yourself.”
“Well, that’s a relief.”
Jomuntak shrugged and walked away.
“Wait.”
Mokdanhwa called after him.
“Hmm?”
When Jomuntak turned, Mokdanhwa, looking off into the distance, muttered.
“Uh, thanks for earlier.”
“Oh? Ah, it was nothing. Just doing what I should.”
Jomuntak grinned and walked off.
‘Tch, what’s with that confidence? So annoying!’
Mokdanhwa pouted but looked at the cadets with a newfound sense of camaraderie.
The cadets, celebrating together, felt closer and more familiar than before.
Sabikang gathered all the cadets.
Maesellan and Dangihyeop arrived with the rest of the cadets.
Maesellan surveyed the fallen Black Assassins and inwardly marveled.
‘They really took them all down?’
And so cleanly.
Who would believe cadets had done this?
Sabikang looked over the cadets and spoke.
“You all did well. But there was one mistake. Do you know what it was?”
“I failed to eliminate two of them.”
Danrijung replied with a bitter expression.
But Sabikang shook his head.
“No, you’ve done your part. Injuring even one of them is enough. But you took one down and wounded another. That’s more than sufficient.”
When the cadets fell silent, he called over Jo Muntak and pointed to the bodies of the fallen Black Shadow members.
“Who looks like the strongest among them?”
“This one.”
Jo Muntak indicated the one who had tried to attack him but ended up with a sword through his heart, courtesy of Mok Danhwa.
Sabi Kang nodded in agreement.
“Correct. In an ambush like this, you should always aim for the leader first. Once the head is gone, the rest will be thrown into chaos. From now on, before launching an ambush, identify the leader and target them first.”
“We’ll remember that.”
The cadets responded in unison.
**
In the middle of the forest stood an unusually large rock, towering over its surroundings.
Gathered beneath it were the cadets of the Pilseong Squad, led by the assistant instructor of the Nang-a Class.
The assistant instructor, So Seop-rang, stood atop the rock, his senses on high alert as he scanned the area.
With the sun setting, the real survival battle for those left was about to begin.
Just then, he noticed movement in the bushes and crouched down, frowning.
But then…
“What?”
Emerging from the bushes was none other than Instructor Sang Pil-ji.
Following him were the cadets of the Nang-a Class, each armed with lethal weapons.
“What on earth? How did they get their hands on live weapons?”
So Seop-rang quickly leaped down in front of Sang Pil-ji.
“Instructor, you’re here?”
“We have a problem.”
Sang Pil-ji’s expression was grave.