Episode 83: Return to the Demon Sect
Dan Lijeong took a deep breath and drew the bowstring taut.
He inhaled and exhaled softly, his breath barely audible in the stillness.
The tension in the air mirrored the tightness of the bowstring, coursing through his entire body.
This was his favorite moment.
When Sabigang first suggested he try archery, Dan had been skeptical.
He thought Sabigang had given up on him due to a lack of talent.
But he was wrong.
He did have talent—just not with a sword, but with a bow.
Still, it wasn’t without its drawbacks.
Using a bow as a primary weapon could be disadvantageous in one-on-one combat.
Yet today, he felt the importance of an archer more keenly than ever.
He was the beginning of every battle.
Sabigang included Dan in every real combat scenario.
That’s how crucial an archer was in organized warfare.
Whoosh.
A gust of night wind swept through.
The chill crept into his collar, but Dan felt no cold.
He had long since adapted to the changing weather, pulling the bowstring until exhaustion.
How long had he been waiting?
Suddenly, a sphere of light appeared in the distance, moving swiftly.
Dan held his breath.
In an instant.
Thwack!
Three arrows, nocked and ready, sliced through the darkness simultaneously.
**
Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!
Thud! Thud!
“Ugh!”
“Aaargh!”
“Attack! We’re under attack!”
Twenty warriors guarded the path.
A sudden sphere of light appeared, followed by arrows that killed one and injured two others.
Clang!
The Black Kill Squad drew their swords in unison.
Flash!
The blinding light vanished as if it had never been.
“What the…?”
Then!
Splash!
Eight figures erupted from the pond beside them, water spraying everywhere.
“Gasp!”
Shing!
While the Black Kill Squad was caught off guard, the eight shadows swiftly swung their swords.
Slash!
“Aaargh!”
Clang! Clang!
A couple of them screamed and fell, but the rest of the squad quickly regrouped.
‘The strongest one!’
Mok Danhwa targeted the Black Kill Squad leader from the start, unleashing her signature move.
Shing!
Clang!
The sharp metallic sound echoed as Jang Yeom, the squad’s second-in-command, twisted his body to block Mok Danhwa’s sword.
His eyes widened in surprise.
‘A cadet…?’
To his shock, the attacker was a young cadet.
Then.
“Charge!”
A battle cry erupted from the forest, and a group of cadets rushed out, weapons in hand.
‘Why aren’t they using practice weapons…?’
But there was no time to ponder.
Mok Danhwa spun, aiming for his legs.
‘Not so fast!’
Jang Yeom swung his sword to block the attack.
‘What?’
Mok Danhwa’s sword split into multiple paths.
It was her favorite technique, Chaos Thunder.
Jang Yeom, caught off guard, leaped back.
Slice!
Her sword grazed his thigh.
Jang Yeom’s face twisted in pain.
To be bested by a mere cadet!
“Don’t get cocky!”
He lunged at Mok Danhwa, slashing downwards.
Clang!
“Ugh!”
Mok Danhwa barely blocked the blow, staggering back.
Jang Yeom pressed his advantage, swinging diagonally.
Clang!
The metallic clash rang out again.
Mok Danhwa gripped her sword with both hands, her arms trembling from the impact.
‘This is the end!’
Jang Yeom spun, confident of her demise.
But then.
‘What?’
Something was wrong.
His movements felt sluggish, as if he were moving through a dream.
‘What’s happening…?’
Time seemed to slow, his body heavy and unresponsive.
Meanwhile, his opponent remained swift.
Shing!
Mok Danhwa stepped back and executed her Thunder Flash technique.
She had corrected the flaw Sabigang had pointed out, turning defense into a perfect counterattack.
With Jang Yeom’s slowed movements, her strike became a turning point.
Slash!
“Aaargh!”
Jang Yeom’s hand, still clutching his sword, was severed.
He fell, writhing in pain.
In an instant.
Thud!
Gok Bo-ok appeared, smashing Jang Yeom’s head with a fist.
His head burst like a watermelon, killing him instantly.
“The leader is down!”
Gok Bo-ok and Mok Danhwa shouted in unison.
The Black Kill Squad’s morale visibly wavered.
The fact that their attackers were cadets only added to their confusion.
To be overwhelmed by mere cadets!
Meanwhile, the cadets’ spirits soared, driving them forward with renewed vigor.
Sabigang watched the battle with a calm expression.
He had no intention of intervening unless absolutely necessary.
However, Mok Danhwa’s encounter with the leader had been risky.
That’s why he had cast a Slow spell on Jang Yeom.
Under its effect, Jang Yeom’s movements slowed, allowing Mok Danhwa to counterattack successfully.
‘She took my advice to heart.’
Her Thunder Flash had been executed flawlessly.
Even without his intervention, Mok Danhwa would have emerged unscathed.
Sabigang watched the cadets’ battle with satisfaction.
This was the most frequented and widest path to Yongcheon Hall.
Thus, it was heavily guarded by the Black Kill Squad.
‘That’s three locations secured.’
Every cadet had gained real combat experience, achieving their objective.
Then he noticed Black Kill Squad members struggling against a gust of wind.
On the opposite side stood Neung Soso.
As expected, Neung Soso had summoned a Sylph to hinder the enemy’s movements.
“Ugh! What’s with this wind…?”
The Sylph whipped up a storm of dust, blinding the Black Kill Squad.
Then, cadets like Yeom Jaryang and Yeon Woo-gyeong seized the opportunity to strike.
Shing! Slash!
Screams echoed continuously.
At some point, a cadet lit a torch.
With a sharp whistle, arrows began to rain down.
Dan Lijeong was shooting.
Thwip!
Thud! Thud!
“Damn it! Retreat!”
Finally, one of the Black Kill Squad members shouted, retreating.
It was the second-in-command, Mang Jeolso.
The others quickly followed.
Whoosh!
Another gust of wind pushed them back.
“Ugh! What is this…?”
In the end, only Mang Jeolso managed to escape.
Yeom Jaryang raised the torch and shouted.
“I’ll pursue him!”
[Woo-gyeong, follow him.]
At Sabigang’s command, Yeon Woo-gyeong quickly joined Yeom Jaryang in pursuit.
Sabigang issued another order.
[Hong Yeom, follow them.]
[Understood.]
With that, Hong Yeom, who had been quietly observing, vanished.
**
Mang Jeolso glanced back repeatedly, gritting his teeth.
“Damn it! Fleeing from mere cadets!”
Why were cadets wielding lethal weapons?
And their skills…
Were they really cadets?
Or were they instructors in disguise?
But the youthful faces he glimpsed were undoubtedly cadets.
After running for a while, Mang Jeolso glanced back again.
He saw the torch-bearing pursuers.
“Damn it! Persistent… Wait a minute.”
He stopped abruptly and turned around.
Yeom Jaryang and Yeon Woo-gyeong stood before him.
A sly grin spread across Mang Jeolso’s face.
“What? Just the two of you?”
”…”
Yeon Woo-gyeong and Yeom Jaryang exchanged glances.
Mang Jeolso’s demeanor was entirely different from before.
He adjusted his grip on his sword.
“You kids think you can take on an adult? I’ll make you pay for that!”
No need for words.
He needed to deal with these brats quickly and plan his next move.
Shing!
Mang Jeolso lunged without hesitation.
His first target was Yeon Woo-gyeong.
Clang!
“Ugh!”
Yeon Woo-gyeong staggered back, barely maintaining his balance.
Mang Jeolso twisted his body, kicking out.
Thud!
Yeon Woo-gyeong crossed his arms to block, sliding back several feet.
In an instant.
Mang Jeolso changed direction, charging at Yeom Jaryang.
‘Fast!’
Yeom Jaryang instinctively retreated, swinging his sword.
Clang!
His hand recoiled from the impact.
Mang Jeolso swung his sword again.
Yeom Jaryang had no choice but to block with the torch.
But Mang Jeolso’s true target was the torch itself.
Slice!
The torch was cut in half, flames flickering out.
The torch, severed from its handle, fell towards Yeom Jaryang, igniting his collar in an instant.
“Ugh!”
It all happened in a flash.
Yeon Woo-kyung rushed over, shouting.
“Jaryang!”
But Mang Jeol-so was much faster.
He leaped through the air, bringing his sword down towards Yeom Jaryang.
“Die!”
In that moment, as Yeom Jaryang stumbled backward, he saw Mang Jeol-so bearing down on him.
‘Damn it, I don’t want to die like this…!’
He had let his guard down.
The difference between having Sabigang at his back and not was staggering.
Everything had been going so smoothly, he had let it go to his head.
And now, he was paying the price.
“Damn it all!”
Yeom Jaryang cursed, squeezing his eyes shut.
At that moment, something strange happened within him.
A cold energy seemed to burst from his heart, rapidly concentrating at his fingertips.
Instinctively, with his eyes still shut tight, Yeom Jaryang thrust his hand forward.
Crackle!
A brilliant white energy gathered in his palm, beginning to glow.
Mang Jeol-so, who had been descending with his sword, widened his eyes in disbelief at the bizarre sight.
‘What the…!’
Finally, the ice that had formed in Yeom Jaryang’s hand shot straight into Mang Jeol-so’s chest.
Boom!
“Argh!”
Mang Jeol-so coughed up blood as he was flung backward.
Crash!
He hit the ground hard.
Yeon Woo-kyung, witnessing the scene, looked back and forth between Mang Jeol-so and Yeom Jaryang in astonishment.
“How… how did you do that?”
But Yeom Jaryang was just as bewildered.
He stared at his own hand, confusion etched on his face.
Meanwhile, Mang Jeol-so staggered to his feet, his chest covered in a white frost.
“You little… where did you learn that trick…!”
His breath came out in white puffs, his lips turning a pale blue.
Yeon Woo-kyung quickly ran to Yeom Jaryang.
“Can you do that again?”
“Probably.”
Yeom Jaryang nodded absently. He didn’t know what to call the technique he had just used, but the sensation was as clear as if it had been ingrained in his body.
Come to think of it, the flames that had been on his chest had vanished without a trace.
Yeon Woo-kyung nodded and said, “Then try it again.”
“Now?”
“Unless you want to wait until tomorrow?”