Chapter 355

Chapter 355
## Chapter 355. Encounter with the Enemy (2)

—

Following the return of Jin-so-un and Il-gak, the trainees from the institution were at last permitted to abandon the lethal gold-prison.

Above all else, the casualties who had merely been given basic first aid were transported to medical experts to begin undergoing comprehensive healing.

“The visitors are here! Gather everyone immediately!”

Torches and lamps illuminated the entirety of Mandok-mun, and every sleeping attendant was summoned to serve the weary academy youth.

The sleep-deprived individuals received comfortable bedding, while those suffering from starvation were served hot food.

Since the formal guest quarters and the secondary pavilions were insufficient to house the sheer number of people, even the private detached residences and the personal lodgings of the squad leaders were completely vacated for them.

“Please step inside through here.”

“……Wait, isn’t this a private detached estate?”

“It is a residence reserved exclusively for esteemed dignitaries of Mandok-mun.”

“Dignitaries……?”

The trainees were utterly bewildered by this treatment, which had shifted so drastically it felt like the world had turned upside down.

After all, Mandok-mun was recognized as one of the most formidable and terrifying adversaries of the Orthodox White Way Murim.

To the suspicious eyes of the academy youth, such lavish hospitality seemed to mask a sinister plot.

“Could they be planning to poison our food? Like offering a condemned prisoner their final meal…….”

“Hmm, perhaps they intend to slit our throats under the cover of darkness while we sleep.”

“……Honestly, I am just too completely exhausted to care.”

The hesitation, however, proved fleeting.

“I am closing my eyes now. If we get slaughtered or blindsided…… whatever. Just leave me be. I will happily welcome death in my sleep.”

“Count me in…… Besides, the *Dan-ju* surely managed the situation correctly on his own.”

“Exactly. That man, *Dan-ju* Jin, possesses incredible cunning.”

Completely drained of energy, the academy trainees surrendered to slumber, adopting a mindset of absolute surrender to fate.

“We brought the food…… Oh, goodness?”

“They haven’t opened their eyes yet…….”

“These individuals belong to the White Way; do they possess no fear?”

“Word is they endured unspeakable horrors within the Silent Forest.”

“Let us simply set the platters down and depart quietly.”

And so,

The moment they awoke with growling stomachs, they devoured the dishes placed right before them.

Any anxieties regarding lethal venom or sudden assassinations had been wiped from their thoughts quite some time ago.

In this manner, they dedicated two entire days solely to recuperation.

Once the physical vitality of the group had been largely restored.

“Honored guests have graced us with their presence, so how could I possibly remain idle! Keuhaha!”

A grand feast was thrown, personally arranged by the Sect Leader of Mandok-mun.

The academy youth who joined the celebration found themselves completely disoriented.

“Uh……. Where exactly are we?”

“Who even am I right now?”

While giving up personal living quarters could be rationalized to some degree, the notion that the absolute Sect Leader of Mandok-mun would personally host a celebration for them was entirely incomprehensible to these elite youths of the White Way.

Naturally, there was one individual present who defied comprehension even more than the host himself.

“The flavor of this wine is magnificent, *Mun-ju-nim*. Keuhaha!!”

It was none other than their own commander, Jin-so-un.

“Can you even process what is happening over there……? I am staring right at it, yet I cannot bring myself to believe it.”

“Truly…… To witness the Sect Leader of Mandok-mun and the chosen representative of the Murim Academy exchanging drinks in such a brotherly fashion…….”

“But why does our *Dan-ju* seem so completely relaxed? Any outsider would swear they were lifelong companions.”

Setting aside their status as figures representing the polar opposites of the Orthodox White Way and the Unorthodox Black Way, and ignoring the massive age gap separating a seasoned Sect Leader from a young student, Jin-so-un showed zero hesitation or discomfort in interacting with the master of Mandok-mun.

“……Even so, observing how he remains entirely unfazed before a titan of the Black Way, his sheer nerve is undeniable.”

“Did he not boldly claim back in the Silent Forest that he would guide us back alive? His grit is far from ordinary.”

“……Weren’t you the very same people badmouthing Jin-so-un just the certificates, claiming he was utterly deranged?”

“Keu-heum!!”

While the trainees secretly harbored a sense of pride as they observed Jin-so-un’s composure,

The disciples of Mandok-mun began to mingle with the academy youths one by one.

“We received word that you broke through the unholy territory. By what method did you manage such a feat?”

“The Silent Forest represents a treacherous zone even for our Mandok-mun, yet you actually engaged in combat within its depths! It is a spectacular achievement!”

The academy youth, who had previously felt an instinctive dread toward Mandok-mun, gradually let down their guard as the Unorthodox martial artists engaged them with genuine warmth.

It remained difficult to act as if they had discovered a soulmate in the way Jin-so-un had, given that the historical animosity ran incredibly deep, but sitting in tranquility and sharing cups of liquor together was well within their capabilities.

Forty-eight hours later, the banquet of bizarre camaraderie drew to a close.

Right around the period when the most grievously wounded individuals gained the strength to stand and walk,

A contingent of roughly one hundred martial artists from the Kunming outpost of the Murim Alliance—who had been summoned via messenger bird—arrived at the gates of Mandok-mun.

“Welcom—……”

“Out of the way!!!”

The academy youth from the Murim Academy watched in utter disbelief as the newly arrived forces marched in, violently shoving the Mandok-mun hosts aside.

“Instructor?!”

“Instructor Gang-sun-tak!?”

The very mentors they had assumed perished in the wilderness had marched into Mandok-mun, completely unharmed and full of life.

Jong-chu-ak, who had mourned the passing of his seniors with greater sorrow than anyone else, dashed forward without even putting on his footwear, completely oblivious to his own lingering pain.

“Se-Seonbae-nim! You survived!”

Right at that instant, the arm of the advancing Gang-sun-tak whipped outward with blinding speed.

*Jjak!*

Accompanied by the sharp crack of impacting flesh, Jong-chu-ak’s frame collapsed heavily onto the ground.

As the stunned and reeling Jong-chu-ak slowly lifted his gaze,

“How dare you behave so insolently!!”

The furious shout of Gang-sun-tak exploded through the courtyard like thunder.

“How dare you tarnish the reputation of the Qingcheng Sect!! Who permitted you to lift your gaze to mine!”

“…….”

The biting stares of the arrival mentors, Gang-sun-tak included, swept across the gathered youths with freezing disdain.

In particular, by the time their vision landed on the trainees who had been enjoying casual chats with the disciples of Mandok-mun, their expressions flared with naked murderous intent.

“Ha……! To think you would stoop so low as to beg for salvation from the scum of the Black Way?! Unless you miserable wretches have entirely lost your minds…….”

As Gang-sun-tak’s verbal assault continued, Jong-chu-ak began to tremble with increasing violence.

Did these mentors have any inkling of the sheer torment they had survived just to crawl to this location?

In a flash, the horrors of the Silent Forest, which he believed he had finally suppressed, surged back into his mind like a suffocating mist.

The details of the memory were shifting, but the raw sensation of helplessness and agony he endured back then returned with overwhelming clarity.

Jong-chu-ak clenched his fists with immense force.

“*Seonbae-nim*…… I believe your judgment is far too merciless.”

“What did you say? You insolent brat, you still haven’t recognized your disgrace and you dare answer back!”

*Puk! Puk! Puk! Puk! Puk!*

Gang-sun-tak’s heavy boots began to strike him in a relentless barrage.

Consequently, Jong-chu-ak’s frame, which had only just begun to mend, was rapidly turned into a battered wreck once more.

“Can any of you pathetic cowards dare to call yourselves warriors of the White Way after this disgrace! Can you claim to be true descendants of the Qingcheng Sect when you pleaded for survival from the absolute dregs of the Black Way!”

As Jong-chu-ak’s form rolled across the dirt, his injuries multiplying by the second, not a single soul dared to step in.

Prior to their roles as mentor and trainee, the two shared a binding lineage as senior and junior disciples within the exact same martial family.

Regardless of how unjust the punishment seemed, a junior defying a senior was an unforgivable transgression in the martial world.

Recognizing this reality, Jong-chu-ak simply endured the one-sided beating without fighting back.

Gang-sun-tak, who had sustained the assault while panting heavily for a considerable duration, snorted with absolute contempt.

“Considering that you worthless brats have lost your sanity as a collective unit, this disaster is undeniably the handiwork of that specific scoundrel.”

“…….”

Thereupon, as though searching for the primary instigator, he spun his head around sharply to scan the area.

“It is blindingly obvious that that worthless cur Jin-so-un planned to deliver you all directly into the jaws of the Black Way!!”

At that very moment,

Jong-chu-ak’s eyes widened in fury, and his muscles tensed as he prepared to spring at Gang-sun-tak.

“Cease your slanderous tongue—!”

Just as Jong-chu-ak’s fist was about to ignite a clash,

*Tak—*

A figure stepped in, intercepting the path directly ahead of Jong-chu-ak.

*Puk.*

And without a moment’s hesitation, they slammed a fist squarely into Gang-sun-tak’s visage.

Gang-sun-tak, who was sent reeling back a continuous *Zhang*, wore an expression of sheer disbelief before grasping what had occurred and snapping his head back up.

“You dare…… do you possess a death wish!!!”

The individual responsible for delivering the blow was none other than Nam-hwa-seong.

He let out a low, vibrating growl, resembling a beast fighting to keep its rage from exploding.

“The one who appears to have a death wish is you. After deserting the academy trainees and fleeing to save your own skins, what grand achievements have you accomplished that allow you to waltz in here and play the grandmaster?”

“……You lunatic. You shall find yourself tossed into the gold-prison as well, under the clear suspicion of operating as an agent for the Black Way…….”

“Quiet, shut your mouth, I genuinely cannot tolerate another syllable of this garbage.”

In an instant, Nam-hwa-seong’s martial garments ballooned outward as if ready to rip apart from the surging energy.

“Do you have any concept of the living hell we crawled through to reach this sanctuary……”

Then, he launched himself toward Gang-sun-tak like a released projectile.

“Do you arrogant bastards even possess the right to know!!”

Nam-hwa-seong’s fist swung forward, propelled by a titanic reservoir of strength.

“I swore an oath to myself, over and over. That if you miserable instructors were still drawing breath, I would beat the life out of you with these very hands!!!”

His spirit was formidable. Yet spirit alone could not bridge the gap.

The sole reason that initial strike had successfully landed was due to the absolute certainty that an academy student would never possess the audacity to strike a mentor.

Regrettably, it was virtually impossible for a standard trainee to overpower an individual possessing the capabilities of a squad leader.

*Tak.*

The iron-hard fist, which represented Nam-hwa-seong’s signature technique, was snared by Gang-sun-tak’s palm as if drawn by a magnetic force.

“You piece of trash…… I received word that you willingly chose to serve as Jin-so-un’s loyal dog?”

*Ta-ta-ta-tak!*

The lethal Seventy-Six Paths Formless Finger was unleashed directly against Nam-hwa-seong’s lower limbs, causing his legs to buckle as he sank to his knees, his face now positioned beneath Gang-sun-tak’s glare.

“Excellent. I shall break and reshape your arrogant mind so that I might earn a gesture of gratitude from your own Sect Master.”

*Puk! Puk! Peo-peo-peo-puk!*

Blows rained down without mercy.

The Heavenly Wind Formless Divine Fist.

Could it be deemed a relief? Or perhaps it was the final shred of leniency he offered in his capacity as an instructor?

True internal power was left unchanneled within Gang-sun-tak’s striking fists.

*Puk! Puk! Peo-peo-peo-puk!*

The merciless beating directed at Nam-hwa-seong continued to unfold.

Nam-hwa-seong attempted to launch counter-blows in the intervals, but his efforts were swiftly neutralized by Gang-sun-tak’s oppressive techniques.

“You……”

At that juncture, Jong-chu-ak, unable to endure the spectacle any longer, prepared to intervene.

Nam-hwa-seong thrust his arm outward, blocking his approach.

His gesture silently but fiercely demanded that he remain entirely out of the altercation.

Immediately following that, additional trainees gripped the edges of Jong-chu-ak’s robes, dragging him backward.

When he raised his eyes to identify the person holding him, it was none other than Cheol-sun-jik.

Jong-chu-ak thrashed against the hold and cried out.

“Unchain me! *Sasuk* Gang is going to……”

“We might escape the consequences, but you would be branding yourself with the sin of turning on your mentor and destroying your own lineage. I implore you to stay back.”

规…….”

Only at that moment did his clarity return.

Jong-chu-ak panted heavily from the sheer adrenaline, surveying the chaotic scene.

Then he stared up blankly at the man who had restrained him, Cheol-sun-jik.

Had this man intervened solely to protect his future?

But for what reason…….

“Are we not all comrades of the Sahwal Unit?”

At Cheol-sun-jik’s words, delivered as though it were the most obvious fact in the world, Jong-chu-ak felt an intense warmth suddenly swell deep within his torso.

“…….”

“And we, as well.”

Shortly after, Cheol-sun-jik fixed his gaze upon Gang-sun-tak with freezing, analytical eyes that had not surfaced even during their darkest days in the gold-prison.

“Have become sufficiently aggravated.”

“…….”

He closed the distance toward Gang-sun-tak and unleashed a piercing *Ji-pung*.

Gang-sun-tak, who was occupied with his unceasing assault on Nam-hwa-seong, snapped his arm around to deflect the oncoming gale.

“!”

The tone of Gang-sun-tak, who was now staring at his torn martial garments which featured a fresh hole ripped right through the fabric, turned violently hostile.

“Cheol-sun-jik……. Have you truly summoned the audacity to assault a mentor?!”

“I acted simply because it appeared he would perish if you maintained that display.”

“Hmph, he will survive. Seeing as I have adequately restrained my internal energy, it remains inconsequential—”

“My statement was directed at you, Instructor.”

“……What?”

Cheol-sun-jik gestured toward the immediate environment with a slight movement of his jaw.

His tone was more frigid than at any point prior, dripping with lethal intent.

“Do you harbor a desire to meet your end in this place?”

What Cheol-sun-jik was calling attention to was nothing short of Gang-sun-tak’s own survival.

“…….”

Not merely Gang-sun-tak, but even the accompanying instructors whose capacity for logic had been blinded by the rebellious conduct of the students had failed to observe the shift until this precise second.

“These pathetic excuses for mentors……!”

“Ha, they were breathing this entire time? Unbelievable, and they only choose to display their faces at this hour?”

“You hit the nail on the head. They are shameless past the point of belief.”

Presently, the academy youth encircling them from every vantage point were all drilling their eyes into Gang-sun-tak and the other instructors as though they desired nothing more than to tear them apart.

A blatant, unmasked animosity.

‘Ah!’

Only in that instant did Jong-chu-ak truly comprehend.

The notion that the survival of the instructors was a cause for celebration was a sentiment restricted solely to himself, who belonged to the identical sect.

Within the Silent Forest, inside the unholy territory, and throughout the grim crises that followed,

The mentors who were duty-bound to lead from the front and safeguard them, the trainees, were completely absent.

Furthermore, only after the youths had cheated death itself and arrived safely at this destination,

Did these men, who rightfully should have been corpses, manifest once more in a state far too pristine and untouched.

For that sole reason, the trainees possessed zero incentive to mask their rage.

Regrettably, Gang-sun-tak had still failed to properly register the depth of that fury.

With thick veins twisting along his neck, he unleashed a booming roar directed at Cheol-sun-jik.

“You…… complete lunatic! Has the 12th Peak Star granted you an extra soul to squander! Or has Jongnam formally recognized you as a true heir!”

Gang-sun-tak’s fury instantly pivoted away from Nam-hwa-seong, locking entirely onto Cheol-sun-jik.

In the same breath, the moment the Seventy-Six Paths Formless Finger, unleashed with a concealed, lethal presence, was poised to puncture Cheol-sun-jik’s vital points,

*Hudu-duk.*

Cheol-sun-jik, who had dismantled the finger strike by flinging his sweeping robes wide, spun his frame and unsheathed his blade.

*Chaeng!*

It was merely a standard *Gi-su-sik* adopted after neutralizing the finger art, but the display only served to make Gang-sun-tak lose his composure entirely.

Because he had just been shown the reality of his own technique being pushed back by a raw novice who had yet to even complete his academy training.

“You miserable worm! Abandon all hope of leaving this place alive!”

Gang-sun-tak, completely oblivious to the fact that he was currently standing within the borders of Mandok-mun, unleashed a titanic *Gwon-gyeong* with the totality of his power.

*Peo-peo-peong!*

The Heavenly Wind Formless Divine Fist that had previously battered Nam-hwa-seong now materialized a devastating gale of force, roaring forward to pulverize Cheol-sun-jik.

Cheol-sun-jik unleashed a wave of sharp sword-qi directly into the approaching *Gwon-gyeong*.

Then, in perfect synchronization, he forced a collision with the sword-qi, triggering a violent burst of energy.

*Peo-peo-peong!*

He had flawlessly recreated the exact tactical maneuver Jin-so-un had executed back in the Silent Forest.

“Cough, cough!”

When an abrupt squall of debris and dust whipped backward to blanket his vision, Gang-sun-tak reflexively shut his eyes.

Cheol-sun-jik did not let that split-second opportunity slip away.

*Swaeek—*

Right at the fractional second when the blade-force, freezing and sharp as an icicle, was set to rip across Gang-sun-tak’s torso,

*Hwi-ing…….*

A foreign current of energy entered the fray like a sudden breeze, safely deflecting Cheol-sun-jik’s strike off to the flank.

“What!”

As a result, Cheol-sun-jik, pushed completely off balance, rapidly shifted his footing to leap backward out of range.

And following that, a sound echoed.

“Are you oblivious to the reality that raising a blade against an instructor constitutes a severe breach of our laws?”

A clear, resonant tone.

Cheol-sun-jik’s entire musculature locked up as his brow furrowed intensely.

“!”

To think this specific individual would emerge from this location.

Nam-hwa-seong, who had scrambled up from the dirt, froze solid like a statue upon recognizing the source of the voice.

“……Y-you are…….”

The reaction was identical among the remaining trainees.

They collectively choked back their breathing at the mere presence that had suddenly materialized in the square.

“Unless your intention is to proceed with this madness, sheathe your weapon.”

Despite staring directly at the point of a blade extended toward them with complete indifference, not a single soul found the strength to take a step.

Because the individual standing before them was precisely that caliber of warrior.

At that exact junction,

“Wow……”

A voice delivering a playful comment drifted out from the midst of the gathered trainees.

*Teobok, teobok.*

The figure whose arrival had caused the trainees to freeze also directed his gaze toward the approaching individual with those singularly detached eyes.

“Jin-so-un.”

“To think our paths would cross in an environment like this……. A man truly must endure a lengthy existence to witness such wonders.”

Jin-so-un’s vision swept briefly across the three bodies scattered across the earth and settled on Cheol-sun-jik. After fixing a cold glare onto Gang-sun-tak,

“This is an absolute farce.”

He shifted his focus back to the individual clad in azure martial robes.

Jin-so-un offered a playful grin, entirely consistent with his usual demeanor.

Yet, peculiarly, the surrounding trainees

Detected an unidentifiable sense of dread lurking beneath that casual expression.

Jin-so-un spoke in a low murmur while locking eyes with the figure in azure martial robes.

“Why would an esteemed figure choose to dirty themselves in such a pathetic squabble? Hm? Why don’t you offer me an explanation.”

“…….”

“Yong-so-a.”

The warrior garbed in azure garments, Yong-so-a, maintained his unblinking, analytical gaze fixed directly upon Jin-so-un.