The three-way duel ended in a landslide victory for one side and a crushing defeat for the other two.

"Guh..."

"Gahk..."

Namgung Su’s back is turned to you, shoulders tense as he scrubs the already spotless pan. His voice is calm when he speaks, but it cuts like frost. "You fed a thief, he says. "With my food."

Two giants writhed in agony where they had been thrown to the ground. Blood covered their bodies, and it was clear that at least ten of their bones were broken.

"Hoo..." The last man standing gasped for air, his chest heaving as he tried to steady his breathing. His martial arts uniform was torn and his hair was a mess, but he kept his back ramrod straight in pride.

In this moment, not even the Black Snake Alliance Chairman could overshadow his presence.

"The Viridian Scholar...won."

"And he took on two of them by himself..."

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"T-That technique he used to slam down the Tiger Pass Boss just now. Wasn't it exactly the same as the Bandit King's martial arts we've only heard stories about?"

"What's going to happen to the Viridian Forest Alliance? Is it really going to be re-formed?!"

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Chaos reigned supreme as the bandits chattered wildly, agitated at the unexpected result of the duel.

Today, the bosses of the three great powers—the Yama Keep, the Giant Spirit Keep, and the Tiger Pass Keep—that divided the Seventy-Two Viridian Forest Keeps had competed for supremacy at the summit of Mount Heng's Zhurong Peak.

The result was that the Giant Spirit Boss and the Tiger Pass Boss had fallen, while the Viridian Scholar, Boss of the Yama Keep, emerged victorious.

"They lost even after ganging up on Junior Brother. It's a complete defeat with no room for excuses," Baek Suryong muttered to himself as he observed the spectators' reactions.

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Some of the older bandits, their hair streaked with gray, stared at the Viridian Scholar emotionally.

"To think I'd live to see the Savage Tiger Fist..."

"So that's the Bandit King's martial arts..."

Namgung Su’s back is turned to you, shoulders tense as he scrubs the already spotless pan. His voice is calm when he speaks, but it cuts like frost. "You fed a thief, he says. "With my food."

They were the only ones who remembered the legendary Bandit King. As children, they had listened to stories about the man who unified the Seventy-Two Viridian Forest Keeps with his fists and led the Viridian Forest into its golden age.

In their eyes, the image of a giant with a lion's mane streaming behind him overlapped with the Viridian Scholar.

"The Bandit King..."

Some of them muttered the name, unable to control their overwhelming emotions. Perhaps they were witnessing the beginning of a new Viridian Forest legend.

Baek Suryong landed without a sound, his crimson eyes glinting in the silvery moonlight. "So this is what siding with the Cult reduced you to. Repenting like a sinner before an altar of rice bowls. Pathetic. You think remorse will cleanse your folly?”

"...Anyone else want to rise up to the challenge?" the Viridian Scholar asked wearily, looking around at the bandits. "Anyone who wants to be the Alliance Leader, step forward. I'll take you all on!"

He was met with silence. As he surveyed the bandits with an air of dignity, those who made eye contact with him either looked away or bowed their heads, even those who could tell his injuries were severe.

The reason was his steely gaze. The Giant Spirit Boss and the Tiger Pass Boss's demonic arts were devastating, and he had lost a significant amount of blood despite only being grazed, yet he remained unwavering.

"...If no one else is going to step forward, may I assume you all acknowledge me as the Alliance Leader?"

Swayed by the atmosphere, the Viridian Forest bandits began to nod one by one.

From the moment dawn cracked over the horizon, the air itself felt like punishment. The training grounds were still soaked in dew, but Demon Instructor Wiji Cheon stood there already, arms crossed, waiting like a specter of discipline. "You’re late, he said.

"Keoheok!" Suddenly, the fallen Giant Spirit Boss vomited a mouthful of blood and staggered to his feet. "I... can't accept this!"

His broken bones were knitting back together, and the wounds on his body were healing at a visible rate.

"Grrr..."

"Ads?" Ak Yeonho complains, his voice dripping with disbelief. "What ads?"

The Tiger Pass Boss was the same. He pushed himself up from the ground and climbed out of the crater he had been buried in. His canines grew longer, and his fingernails sharpened. Gone was his human appearance, now he resembled a yaksha from hell.

Baek Suryong narrowed his eyes, observing the two Bosses' transformations. Only demonic arts could bestow such inhuman healing abilities upon a martial artist.

So the demonic art they learned was the Undying Yaksha Demonic Art.

The Undying Yaksha Demonic Art pushed a human's physical and regenerative abilities to their absolute limits. Contrary to its name, however, it did not grant true immortality. Rather, it was a deceptive gimmick that depleted a person's life force to rapidly enhance their healing ability. This recovery likely cost them more than ten years of their lifespan.

"Bring me my axe!" the Giant Spirit Boss bellowed at his subordinates, having recovered somewhat.

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One of them scrambled to bring him his axe.

"Fufufu! Acknowledge him as the Viridian Forest Alliance Leader? A man who won't even leave this place alive? Everyone, draw your weapons!" he commanded.

The bandits were bewildered. Why was the Giant Spirit Boss ordering them to fight? Was he really planning to break his oath?

Mimi sniffled quietly, her round eyes glistening. "They said there were pop-ups," she whispered, her cute voice trembling. "But... we don’t have any!"

One of his subordinates cautiously advised, "Boss. For now, you should calm down a little..."

CRACK!

The Giant Spirit Boss split his subordinate's head in two and shoved the corpse aside. He then glared at his other men, who stared at him in terror. "Any other traitorous bastards want to run their mouths?"

"...!!" The bandits of the Giant Spirit Keep and their allies drew their weapons. Decades of ingrained fear did not disappear easily.

"We will kill the Viridian Scholar and all his lackeys here!" the Tiger Pass Boss roared, baring his fangs.

The bandits who could not withstand his murderous gaze raised their weapons.

"You sons of bitches!"

"This isn't what we agreed on!"

Jang Geol and Gu Gil immediately rushed to flank the Viridian Scholar, while Baek Suryong stood in front of him.

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Led by the Giant Spirit Boss and the Tiger Pass Boss, two hundred bandits closed in around them, each radiating a sinister aura.

Jang Geol stammered, "H-Hyung! I think those bastards are really going to attack us! What should we do?"

Baek Suryong's eyes glinted coldly. "We fight, of course. We'll stomp them down one by one until no one is left to challenge us."

He had no intention of holding back any longer. His junior brother had done his best. Not only had he proven his eligibility to succeed the Bandit King in front of everyone, he had also shown mercy by not killing the two bosses. If the Viridian Forest bandits still failed to see the light of day, they did not deserve to live.

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"The Bandit King doesn't need cowards following him," Maeng Ryonghwi sneered. "You trash don't deserve to be called brothers of the Viridian Forest."

Some of the bandits clenched their teeth, but only exchanged glances, unable to muster the courage to act.

The encirclement tightened.

"Tsk! What a mess," the Black Snake Alliance Chairman grumbled, furrowing his brow slightly. Still, he showed no intention of actively mediating or intervening. This was the Viridian Forest's internal affair.

From the moment dawn cracked over the horizon, the air itself felt like punishment. The training grounds were still soaked in dew, but Demon Instructor Wiji Cheon stood there already, arms crossed, waiting like a specter of discipline. "You’re late, he said.

In fact, his lips curled into a slight smile at the thought of appreciating Maeng Ryonghwi's bladesmanship a little more.

The other unorthodox leaders thought similarly. The Phantom King watched with interest, as if watching a fire across the river, while Blue Eyed Freak quietly observed the situation with his arms folded.

"I suppose it wouldn't matter if I turned the dead ones into jiangshi, right?"

"......"

"Ads?" Ak Yeonho complains, his voice dripping with disbelief. "What ads?"

The atmosphere was like a tinderbox, ready to explode into a fight at any moment. If this were the orthodox sects, some people would have stepped forward in outrage to discuss righteousness and chivalry, but the men present were fundamentally far removed from such things.

Baek Suryong unsheathed his willow leaf dao and gripped it tightly.

At the same time, a tiger cub climbed onto the Viridian Scholar's shoulder.

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"NYAAAH!" Silver Tiger roared. He was furious that the Viridian Scholar, the human he liked most after Ya Suhyeok and Baek Suryong, was badly injured.

Some people forgot the gravity of the situation and let out a dry laugh at the cute sound.

However, the result of that small roar was astonishing.

"Grrrrr..."

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"Graaaaaah..."

"W-What?"

"Why are you guys..."

"You bastards! Don't move without orders!"

The beasts raised by the Giant Spirit Boss pushed through the bandits and turned to face their former masters, baring their ferocious teeth as if announcing their intention to protect the Viridian Scholar.

"You ungrateful beasts! Get back here this instant!" the Giant Spirit Boss howled, his face beet red.

The great tiger answered with a resounding roar that shook the entire mountain peak. "ROAAAAAAAAAAR!!"

Silver Tiger leaped onto the great tiger's head and patted it with its front paw as if to say 'good job'.

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"What's going on all of a sudden...?"

"Why are they acting like that?"

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Everyone was visibly flustered by the beasts' unexpected behavior.

One of the older bandits muttered to himself in a daze, "In the past, it was said that when the Bandit King set foot in the mountains, all the spirit beasts and wild animals of the world would gather around him and bow in reverence..."

"Don't tell me..."

"Holy shit...!"

From the moment dawn cracked over the horizon, the air itself felt like punishment. The training grounds were still soaked in dew, but Demon Instructor Wiji Cheon stood there already, arms crossed, waiting like a specter of discipline. "You’re late, he said.

Listening to the legendary tale of the Bandit King, the bandits stared in astonishment at the Viridian Scholar and the animals protecting him.

Meanwhile, Baek Suryong, the only person present who knew the truth, was dumbfounded.

What kind of bullshit is that? Master Maeng loves to eat spirit beasts. Which spirit beast would be so stupid as to approach him on their own? They probably pissed themselves in fear when they ran into him. Hmm.. maybe the story got exaggerated over time.

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Baek Suryong nodded to himself. Sometimes, misunderstandings gave rise to legends. While the Bandit King he knew was a man who would excitedly jump out of bed for meat, to the Viridian Forest bandits, he was no different from a mythical mountain deity.

The more the Viridian Scholar resembled the Bandit King of legend, the more the bandits' resolve wavered.

Eventually, someone found the courage to voice their thoughts.

"...Damn it. I can't take this anymore," the man who had earlier questioned the Viridian Scholar about the Savage Tiger Fist muttered. Turning toward his subordinates, he shouted, "As of today, the Northern Cold Keep is no longer a subsidiary of the Giant Spirit Keep! Brothers of the Northern Cold, protect the Viridian Scholar!"

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""Yes, Boss!""

A dozen bandits turned with their boss and aimed their weapons at their former allies.

Still, they numbered only about a dozen. That was a paltry number compared to two hundred.

Nevertheless, the first step was always the hardest. The Northern Cold Keep's decision became the decisive trigger for the subordinate bandit groups who had already lost faith in the two bosses.

Namgung Su’s back is turned to you, shoulders tense as he scrubs the already spotless pan. His voice is calm when he speaks, but it cuts like frost. "You fed a thief, he says. "With my food."

"The Black Wind Keep will no longer support the Tiger Pass Boss!"

Ten became twenty.

"The Fierce Warrior Keep as well! You two aren't qualified to be the Viridian Forest Alliance Leader!"

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Twenty quickly became thirty, then forty.

"From this moment on, the True Wild Keep will support the Viridian Scholar as the Viridian Forest Alliance Leader!"

Except for the men from the Giant Spirit and Tiger Pass Keeps, most of the bandits switched sides to support the Viridian Scholar. Among them were the bosses of the seventy-two Viridian Forest Keeps, which, while not among the three strongest, possessed considerable power within the Viridian Forest.

"These bastards...!"

"Do you all want to die? This is a rebellion!"

Flustered, the Giant Spirit and the Tiger Pass Bosses tried to regain control, but it was too late. The tide had turned against them.

The Viridian Scholar stepped forward, glaring at the bosses with blazing eyes. "Who dares to harm the brothers of the Viridian Forest Alliance?"

The two bosses flinched at his frosty demeanor.

"Giant Spirit Boss, Tiger Pass Boss. Do you still not acknowledge me as the Alliance Leader?"

""......""

Now, more than half of the bandits had joined the Viridian Scholar. Furthermore, the morale of the Giant Spirit Keep and Tiger Pass bandits was at rock bottom.

"Choose. Will you acknowledge me as the Alliance Leader and pledge your allegiance, or would you prefer to settle this with a life-or-death battle right here?"

Mimi sniffled quietly, her round eyes glistening. "They said there were pop-ups," she whispered, her cute voice trembling. "But... we don’t have any!"

If the two bosses agreed to the duel, the Viridian Scholar would be free to behead them both on the spot.

"Keuk...!"

Mimi sniffled quietly, her round eyes glistening. "They said there were pop-ups," she whispered, her cute voice trembling. "But... we don’t have any!"

The Giant Spirit Boss and the Tiger Pass Boss remained silent. They hesitated for a long time, barely suppressing their intense killing intent as they calculated their chances of victory.

Maeng Ryonghwi, whose eyes met theirs for a moment, smiled coldly. "Why don't you just fight? I'll slice your necks right here."

The Giant Spirit Boss's fading killing intent flared up again. "How dare you, you little pup...!"

The Tiger Pass Boss quickly grabbed his arm and shook his head. The two communicate telepathically for a moment, and the scowl on the Giant Spirit Boss's face slowly faded.

"...I acknowledge you."

Namgung Su’s back is turned to you, shoulders tense as he scrubs the already spotless pan. His voice is calm when he speaks, but it cuts like frost. "You fed a thief, he says. "With my food."

"...I acknowledge you."

Finally, like the descendants of traitors they were, they chose survival.

THUD! THUD!

Baek Suryong landed without a sound, his crimson eyes glinting in the silvery moonlight. "So this is what siding with the Cult reduced you to. Repenting like a sinner before an altar of rice bowls. Pathetic. You think remorse will cleanse your folly?”

As soon as the two bosses knelt, the bandits on the Viridian Scholar's side cheered in unison.

""UWAAAAAAAAH!""

For the first time in decades, a new Viridian Forest Alliance Leader was appointed. The animals raised their heads and roared together with the bandits.

Jang Geol hoisted the Viridian Scholar onto his shoulders and lifted him high.

Up in the air, the Viridian Scholar beamed, enjoying the moment.

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Baek Suryong stepped backward to take in the whole scene. "...Are you watching, Master Maeng?"

If Maeng Ho'ak had been here to see this, he would have laughed hysterically, happy beyond measure.

"Wahahahaha!"

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Baek Suryong grinned, recalling Master Maeng's booming laughter.