Chapter 111: A Match Made in Heaven (6)

“Alright then, you try ambushing us!”

“Excuse me?”

Gwak Sul could only stare foolishly at the situation. But the two fools had already begun swinging their weapons as if they were prepared to be ambushed.

"......."

Gwak Sul watched them with a dumbfounded expression for a moment before letting out a light sigh and deploying his stealth technique.

Thanks to the four months of training under Instructor Eun Ryeo, Gwak Sul had become somewhat capable of erasing his presence.

How long had Gwak Sul been hiding while concealing his presence?

Dokgo Pae, who had been completely lost in his family’s martial arts, lowered his great sword to his side and shouted with a scowl.

"How long are you going to—!”

He never finished the sentence.

The instant he opened his mouth, Gwak Sul’s spear shot out in a surprise attack.

“Hup!?”

Startled, Dokgo Pae immediately stopped speaking and twisted his body, barely dodging the spear.

“You! What a dirty trick!"

"Hahahaha! Brother Dokgo has brought quite a useful comrade!"

Mak Ho-yeol bellowed from the side, his voice booming with what sounded suspiciously like a compliment.

"Haa!"

After dodging the first strike, Dokgo Pae launched his counterattack, and Gwak Sul collapsed before he could even last ten exchanges.

“Dammit…”

“Junior Gwak, you’ve got a good head on your shoulders, but you’re just too weak.” A look of genuine pity crossed the faces of the two intimidating brutes as they loomed over him.

Gwak Sul was a talent worthy of entering the Hall of the Demonic Way, so he was far from being truly "weak."

However, in terms of martial prowess alone, he couldn't compare to Mak Ho-yeol and Dokgo Pae, who were second place in their respective cohorts.

“Brother, I’m thinking we should just get his help with strategy during the exams. For now, we need to bulk him up.”

“My thoughts exactly, Brother Dokgo.”

Having reached an instant agreement, the two hauled the sprawling Gwak Sul to his feet.

"Still not enough! Here, strap on this leather pouch and try swinging your spear!”

"Build up your muscles first. If you lack strength, you can't properly utilize your internal energy!"

And just like that, they began putting Gwak Sul through the wringer.

***

Several days later.

Baek Cheon and Mak Ho-yeol's cohort, who had been staying at the Hall of the Demonic Way for over a month, left for their next practical training.

But even after they were gone…

"Stronger!! Faster!!"

Dokgo Pae, for some reason, is still diligently drilling Gwak Sul.

"Ohohohoh!"

And for some reason, Bang Mi-hwa was still completely lost in her world of acting.

With the departure of the senior year, the clearing was now home to only Il-mok and the four female students.

And for some reason, from that day forward, Il-mok found himself getting sudden chills while he napped.

'What's this? Is this place running low on yang energy now that the other guy is gone?’

Il-mok grimaced at the thought.

‘Heh. I’m really starting to think like a person of this era. Since when did I start believing in things like yin-yang and the five elements?'

Then again, in a world where things like qi, internal energy, martial arts, formations, and incantations were all very real, denying yin and yang felt just as foolish.

Il-mok closed his eyes again to try to sleep, dismissing such trivial thoughts.

Shiver.

He was plunged into a nightmare of being chased by Chu Il-hwan

A few more days trickled by, and the fifth test was upon them.

Like the first two exams, this one was conducted in teams, and Gwak Sul and Dokgo Pae were grouped together.

“You gave me your word that you would follow my orders, Team Leader Dokgo.”

Was it a result of being tormented by Mak Ho-yeol and Dokgo Pae? As Gwak Sul spoke, there was a hard glint in his eyes that hadn't been there before.

But Dokgo Pae seemed to like that look and laughed heartily.

“Hahaha! Don’t mention it, Disciple Gwak! I’m the one who went to Instructor Chu Il-hwan and asked for us to be a team after all!”

As Dokgo Pae said, he had asked Chu Il-hwan to pair him with Gwak Sul.

And Chu Il-hwan had gladly granted that request to prevent Dokgo Pae's reckless behavior.

Remembering this, Dokgo Pae’s face lit up with anticipation. “So, tell me! What’s the plan to fight Young Master Il-mok?”

At Dokgo Pae's question, Seong Hwan from the Upper Class and the female disciple from the Lower Class of their team let out deep sighs.

He wanted to fight the Young Master right off the bat. This exam was doomed.

But surprisingly, it was Gwak Sul who stopped that bulldozer.

"We plan to face Il-mok's team last. Survival should come first, shouldn't it?"

"But...."

Before Dokgo Pae could argue, Gwak Sul cut him off.

“You said it yourself, didn’t you, Team Leader? That you wanted to learn how to use your head to get as strong as Young Master Il-mok. In that case, you will follow my orders. If you don’t, you will never catch up to him.”

"!!!"

At those words, which bordered on harsh criticism, Seong Hwan and the female disciple nearby looked at Gwak Sul with expressions full of surprise and worry.

They were sure he was about to be pulverized.

Indeed, Dokgo Pae's face had turned bright red and his body was trembling as if he might draw his sword at any moment.

Yet even facing this terrifying sight, Gwak Sul’s expression remained strangely placid.

‘Go on. Hit me. I'd rather get beaten up this time and just end it.'

That was Gwak Sul's inner thoughts.

Rather than continue enduring what he'd suffered these past few days, Gwak Sul wanted to just get beaten up once and be done with it.

However, his expectations were shattered.

Dokgo Pae, whose face had turned red with anger, suddenly burst into hearty laughter as if some other thought had occurred to him.

"Hahahaha! Disciple Gwak has finally become a true man! Yes! A man must be willing to put his life on the line for what he believes!”

Though Dokgo Pae laughed heartily, the expressions of Seong Hwan and the female disciple, who had been listening to their conversation were strange.

‘…So you have to risk your life just to disagree with him.’

‘…He was actually going to kill him.’

To think he would try to kill someone just for stopping him from fighting the Young Master.

There was no longer any doubt; the man was completely insane.

On the other hand, Gwak Sul let out a sigh with a bitter expression.

'I wish he'd just hit me and be done with it.'

His face grew cold as he gave instructions with an indifferent expression.

“We’re moving. Staying in one place for too long will give away our position.”

"Where should we go?"

As if he’d had a plan all along, Gwak Sul answered Dokgo Pae’s question without hesitation. “From what I saw before we scattered, Young Master Il-mok’s team headed east. To avoid them, we should…”

Gwak Sul thought to himself that this exam would be won by whichever team encountered Il-mok's team last anyway.

The judgment had already been made in the previous exam. The Young Master was simply in a different league from the other disciples.

It didn’t matter that his team this time was made up entirely of Lower Class students. Gwak Sul was certain Il-mok could take on all four of them by himself.

With the stubborn and impulsive Dokgo Pae following his orders to the letter, the other two team members soon began to look to Gwak Sul for direction as well.

How long had they been moving around the exam grounds while hiding their traces?

"I've found tracks."

Gwak Sul, who had found a team that didn't include the Young Master, gave detailed instructions.

"Attack!"

"Hahahaha!! Hand over your tokens immediately!"

The instant Gwak Sul gave the word, Dokgo Pae bellowed and charged forward with a roar.

Seong Hwan and the female disciple, who were hidden on the flanks for the ambush, looked back and forth between the reckless Dokgo Pae and the calm Gwak Sul who gave instructions from behind.

‘They are truly a match made in heaven.’

***

The day after the exam ended.

"Congratulations, Disciple Dokgo."

It was their usual meeting, but this time, the words that came out of Chu Il-hwan’s mouth were praise.

First place had gone to Il-mok, as expected. However, breaking everyone's expectations, Dokgo Pae secured second place again.

It was thanks to following Gwak Sul's instructions.

After ambushing and subduing one team, Gwak Sul had them focus solely on fleeing for a while.

Thanks to this, while Il-mok swept away all the remaining teams, they could last the longest and even set up traps before fighting Il-mok’s team.

In the end, Il-mok had wiped the floor with them all, but not before they had managed to defeat the other three members of his team, securing them a high score.

The man who had actually earned second place, however, looked anything but satisfied.

"I'm still lacking, Instructor."

In the final battle, he had been defeated by Il-mok without lasting even three exchanges.

This was despite following Gwak Sul's instructions and even launching a surprise attack from an ambush.

“Even so, you’ve grown considerably. It’s a fine result. Reflect on your shortcomings and aim for the next exam."

"Actually, I'm planning to meet with Disciple Gwak this afternoon to do just that.”

Seeing the fire burning in Dokgo Pae’s eyes, Chu Il-hwan had a thought.

‘Gwak Sul, was it?’

Chu Il-hwan began to feel sorry for that disciple.

***

That afternoon.

"Disciple Gwak!!"

True to his word, Dokgo Pae set out to kidnap Gwak Sul.

"Sigh. I'm here."

When Gwak Sul, who had already accepted his fate, answered with a sigh, Dokgo Pae asked, “What were your thoughts on yesterday’s exam?”

"I think Young Master Il-mok is truly incredible."

“No, not that! You were watching my duel with the Young Master from behind, weren’t you? Did you notice any weaknesses in my martial arts, or did you feel anything about Young Master Il-mok's martial arts?"

The two began discussing martial arts. What started as a simple conversation about Il-mok turned into a review of all the battles from the exam.

After talking for quite a while.

"This won't work."

"???"

"You may have a good head, but your body is the problem! Your analysis is excellent, but you can't apply it because you can't physically demonstrate it!"

“Excuse me?”

How in the world am I supposed to replicate the swordsmanship of that monster?

‘If I could do that, do you really think I’d be letting you drag me around like this?’

Words boiled in Gwak Sul's throat, but he couldn't voice them.

"Come! Swing harder!"

"Aaaaah!!"

Before he could protest, Dokgo Pae’s hellish special training had begun all over again.

'This is all because of the Young Master!'

Though the source of all this trouble came to mind, he couldn't dare voice it.

As terrifying as Dokgo Pae was, Young Master Il-mok was far, far scarier.

***

"Is someone talking about me?"

Il-mok, who was crossing the Hall of the Demonic Way toward the clearing, muttered while picking at his ear.

He had just finished bathing, but his ear suddenly felt itchy, which was quite suspicious.

Just then, a distant sound—half scream, half shout—reached his ears.

"Aaaaah!"

Il-mok turned his head toward that direction and nodded with a satisfied expression.

'What a perfectly matched pair.'

Whether before the exam or during the exam, Dokgo Pae and Gwak Sul had surprisingly good chemistry.

Moreover, thanks to Dokgo Pae clinging to Gwak Sul, he no longer came looking for Il-mok, which was truly a pleasant sight to behold.

It never once crossed his mind that he was the cause of it all.

***

Late at night, somewhere in the Hall of the Demonic Way.

—Did that man continue to linger near the Young Master?

—He did, sir.

Two figures, separated by a wall, conversed through sound transmissions.

—As expected, it seems the Hall Master has caught on. To think he’d station his favorite pet dog by the Young Master’s side.

—If you hadn't tipped us off, there would have been trouble.

The man leaning against the wall in the shadows nodded.

Since the last incident, they had been cautiously observing, just in case.

During this time, an unshakable feeling of unease had prompted the man to investigate the Young Master’s surroundings, where he belatedly discovered Chu Il-hwan’s constant presence near the Young Master.

It was only possible because the man's caution and cultivation were higher than Chu Il-hwan’s.

Right after that, the man informed his follower of this fact.

While the man was recalling that incident, a sound transmission came from beyond the wall.

—Were there any separate instructions from that person?

—...He said that surveillance might tighten due to the recent incident and advised us to cease contact for the time being. He told us to handle the situation on-site, at our own discretion.

The man who sent the sound transmission gritted his teeth silently.

“Discretion” sounded nice to say, but it really meant they were already half-abandoned due to the previous failure.

If they couldn’t deal with the Young Master before he graduated, they wouldn’t just be half-abandoned; they’d be cut loose completely.

‘I will not waste my life teaching brats.’

He was not content with his current station.

When the current Heavenly Demon ascended, that person would rise to become the next Cult Leader. If he succeeded in this mission, his own position would rise far higher.

The problem was that the infuriatingly inflexible damn Hall Master and his pet dog had somewhat caught on.

'The Hall Master often leaves his post, but that pet dog… how can I…’

They say where there's a will, there's a way.

While the man was deep in thought, an idea occurred to him.

‘What if… instead of eliminating the pet dog… we used him?’