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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: The Seed Sown by Maeng Ak
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Ha Gyeong was ascending the platform with his team members.
But his expression seemed unusual.
As if he were mulling something over.
Despite facing a crucial test that could determine his future, he showed no signs of nervousness. Instead, he clenched his fist tightly, as if making a vow, and muttered.
"Prove your worth in the next test."
These were the words he was replaying in his mind, the words Maeng Ak had spoken to him.
'Maeng Ak has proven his worth as a lord. Now, it's my turn. I want to be someone he needs. No, at the very least, I want to repay the grace I've received. I must use this opportunity to earn the right to truly serve him as my lord…'
His grip on his sword tightened.
He had to find the answer to the question of whether he was worthy to serve his lord in this test.
Among all the martial artists Ha Gyeong had met—no, among all the people—Maeng Ak was in a league of his own.
In truth, when Jo Gwang-uk had first called for him, he hadn't expected anything.
He had already gathered all his team members, so he had simply gone along out of boredom, with nothing better to do in his spare time.
But from that moment until now, Maeng Ak had impressed him at every turn.
And it didn't take long for that admiration to turn into deep respect.
He had unhesitatingly given him the inner core of a spiritual beast, more precious than any elixir, and had even taken the time to refine his martial arts.
His very existence was a fortuitous encounter in itself.
As their relationship continued, his own existence felt increasingly insignificant.
As Ha Gyeong saw it.
If someone like him, a common stone, stood next to a star like Maeng Ak, he felt he would only dim that star's light.
If the Ha Gyeong of the past had heard this thought, he would surely have cursed himself for being pathetic.
After all, his pride had once reached the heavens, so much so that he was cast out by the Five Phoenixes, One Dragon.
But that sky-high pride had plummeted to the ground in an instant.
He had realized that the sky he had envisioned was no different from the ground when compared to the even higher sky that was Maeng Ak.
Of course, at first, he had wanted to cling to Maeng Ak, even if it meant burying his head in the dirt.
He thought that if he were with him, he too could shine.
However, stars existed only in the sky.
The light he cast was the only thing that someone like him, on the ground, could reach.
It felt as though if Maeng Ak were to disappear, his growth as a martial artist would come to an end.
Is this right?
Can I still call myself a martial artist of the Divine Cult?
Doubt crept up on him without a sound.
He began to contemplate his own worth.
Just when he felt he might fall into Qi deviation if someone so much as touched him carelessly.
The star reached out its hand.
"I will be the one to judge your worth. Rise."
While Ha Gyeong was struggling to focus during their intense practice of the Demonic Array, Maeng Ak had offered him a hand of salvation.
Ha Gyeong had taken that hand in a daze. And now, at this very moment, he stood on the platform to let him be the judge.
Ha Gyeong spoke to his team members, and to himself.
"Let's win. We must win and prove our worth."
"What's this, Ha Gyeong? Finally snapped out of it? You've been spacing out lately..."
One of his team members chimed in.
The other members were the same.
"Ha Gyeong. If it's too much pressure, just pass on the team leader position. There's a line of people who want to look good for the lord."
"Hey, leader. You know if you get back in line, you start at the very back, right? This time, no one's going to listen even if you smash your head on the ground. Heheh."
"Are you all talking after earning the value of the inner cores you ate?"
The usually gruff team member who said this last part also had the corners of his mouth turned up.
Ha Gyeong's one statement about proving their worth, now that he was back to his senses, had boosted the team's morale.
The test began with Ha Gyeong's final words.
"Demonic Array, open!"
*Shhhk.*
Ha Gyeong's team members perfectly executed the Demonic Array, just as Maeng Ak's team had done.
The training ground stirred once again at their display of power.
* * *
The Chief Instructor, standing solemnly on the platform, opened his mouth.
"This concludes the second test, the joint battles. Details regarding rewards and the next test will be announced here in two days. For today, you are dismissed. Rest."
As soon as he finished speaking, the cadets scattered quickly.
Everyone was tired from the test, and also spurred on by watching the other teams' matches.
Even after the many cadets had disappeared, a lingering excitement remained in the training ground.
It was understandable, as an event worthy of being called a major upset had occurred.
Most of the guys who went off to train, spurred by what they saw, were likely motivated by that event.
If you were to ask what that event was, it was the overwhelming victory of Maeng Ak's team, which had been expected to struggle in this test.
And the clean victory of Ha Gyeong's team, from which nothing had been expected. These were the two things.
These two events were significant enough to be called incidents. The higher-ups, who would soon hear of these results, would surely be surprised.
After all, the despicable tricks they had arranged had been splendidly thwarted.
Furthermore, they would probably be quite bitter. From the next test, the duels, they wouldn't even be able to use those useless tricks.
The Chief Instructor, a member of the Council of Elders, smiled as he imagined the twisted expressions of the higher-ups.
"Heh. They must be feeling quite sick to their stomachs at the appearance of an unexpected hidden dragon."
"That aside, Maeng Ak. He might, contrary to the name of the Divine Hall of the Latent Demon, become a true Demon and reign supreme..."
The Chief Instructor suddenly recalled Ha Gyeong's team's match.
"They definitely swore loyalty to Maeng Ak after the match ended."
Just as he said, Ha Gyeong's team had successfully proven their worth by achieving victory.
And they had immediately gone down from the platform and formally sworn their loyalty to Maeng Ak once more.
It had happened unexpectedly, triggered by the team leader, Ha Gyeong, suddenly dropping to his knees, but its impact was tremendous.
It was no wonder, as Ha Gyeong's team had proven their skill by delivering an unexpected performance.
In other words, it was enough to surprise the Three Phoenixes, One Dragon and the other cadets.
Naturally, their eyes had turned red with greed, and they had decided to bring Ha Gyeong's team under their wing.
But before they could do anything, the team had abruptly sworn loyalty to Maeng Ak right in front of them.
Watching this, the Chief Instructor realized that the surprising growth of Ha Gyeong's team had also been orchestrated by Maeng Ak.
"I'm greatly looking forward to the next test."
He thought of Maeng Ak, who displayed his skills in front of everyone.
The third test, the duels, seemed to him a perfect stage for Maeng Ak.
If the Council of Elders saw Maeng Ak's talent, unlike the Cult Leader and the Five Heavenly Pillar Gates, they would provide all the support necessary for him to grow as a hidden dragon.
Because they were old monsters from a bygone era who sought not personal gain, but only the revival of the Divine Cult.
If that happened, he would likely be free from the various dangers posed by the Cult Leader and the Five Heavenly Pillar Gates.
Five years at most. That was the Chief Instructor's prediction for Maeng Ak's growth.
Of course, this didn't refer to his limits. On the contrary, it was an estimate of the time it would take for him to grow strong enough to protect his own people without the help of the Council of Elders.
In his opinion, in five years, Maeng Ak would become a master capable of withstanding the pressure from the Cult Leader and the Five Heavenly Pillar Gates.
In truth, anyone who heard this would call it absurd.
How could Maeng Ak, currently a mere cadet, stand alongside the cult's greatest masters in just five years?
However, in his eyes, Maeng Ak was no mere cadet.
He had already demonstrated his ability to draw out the utmost potential from Ha Gyeong's team, something even the instructors couldn't do.
Maeng Ak. He was a dragon whose talents overflowed, not just as a cadet, but even as an instructor.
The Chief Instructor was curious what reaction the monsters of the Council of Elders would have when he told them this story.
"Well then, shall I go see the old folks first?"
He turned his steps not toward the drinking party he had promised the other instructors, but toward the Hall of Elders.
* * *
A back alley in the Divine Hall of the Latent Demon.
Geom Cheon-ha was harshly berating a cadet.
"You utterly useless bastard..."
"...I'm sorry."
The cadet bowed his head, apologizing repeatedly. His name was Kim Mu-myeong.
He was the leader of the team that had suffered an overwhelming defeat at the hands of Maeng Ak's team, and one of the promising rising stars that the Sword Heavenly Pillar Gate had been grooming as Geom Cheon-ha's subordinate.
Thanks to him, even Geom Cheon-ha, who had arranged the match between Maeng Ak's team and Kim Mu-myeong's team, had to listen to unpleasant remarks from the Sword Heavenly Pillar Gate.
"The Gate has decided to give you one last chance. You must succeed this time."
"I will lay down my life...!"
"I don't want a life like yours. You will simply infiltrate the infirmary and wait quietly. In the next test, the higher-ups will personally send that orphan, Maeng Ak, to the infirmary."
Geom Cheon-ha spoke as if Maeng Ak would be carried to the infirmary without fail in the next test.
Having already failed once, Kim Mu-myeong didn't dare refuse and simply nodded.
"I will obey your command."
*Whoosh!*
Without waiting for an answer, Geom Cheon-ha turned his back and disappeared.
Kim Mu-myeong felt a sense of doubt at his master's attitude, which had flipped like the palm of a hand, but he couldn't betray the Gate that had raised him, so he had to head for the infirmary.
'Lie in the infirmary for a few days, and when Maeng Ak arrives, take care of him. That's what he means, right?'
He opened the small wooden box Geom Cheon-ha had given him. Inside was a poison pill that looked nauseating just to look at.
No matter how much of a monster Maeng Ak was called, his insides were likely those of an ordinary person.
If I just secretly dissolve this poison pill in his medicine…
*Grip.*
Kim Mu-myeong thought, clenching the wooden box containing the poison pill.
However, both Geom Cheon-ha, who gave the poison, and Kim Mu-myeong, who held it, were overlooking something.
And that was the existence of Dang Hyeon-woo.
They might not have known it, but in the infirmary, after the Demonic Doctor selected the ingredients for a patient's decoction, it was the youngest apprentice, Dang Hyeon-woo, who brewed it.
As someone from the Sichuan Tang Clan, there was no way he wouldn't recognize the poison pill, meaning their plan was flawed from the very first step.
Because Dang Hyeon-woo was none other than Maeng Ak's first subordinate.
As if to prove this, Dang Hyeon-woo was currently in the infirmary, hearing news of Maeng Ak from the cadets.
"Is that really true?"
"It is. Physician Dang. Because of that guy Maeng Ak, major upsets are happening left and right in the Divine Hall of the Latent Demon."
"Your injury, cadet, is it perhaps?"
"Ah, I didn't fight him directly. I just watched... Phew. He's a monster, a real monster."
The cadet telling Dang Hyeon-woo about the events in the Divine Hall of the Latent Demon shook his head with a look of disgust, as if recalling something.
The image of Maeng Ak etched into his mind was nothing short of shocking.
If he had actually fought him, he felt he wouldn't be able to recount it so calmly.
Seeing the cadet's reaction, Dang Hyeon-woo cheered inwardly.
He knew his master and lord, Maeng Ak, was no ordinary person, but hearing it directly from someone else was a different feeling altogether.
It had been a while since he had seen him, so he had many questions. Just as Dang Hyeon-woo was about to ask the cadet another question.
Someone approached from behind him.
"Junior Brother. Sorry to interrupt, but we're a bit busy right now..."
It was Ma Hye-cheon, Dang Hyeon-woo's Senior Brother and the Demonic Doctor's second disciple.
For words from a senior to a junior, they were strangely polite.
Originally, Dang Hyeon-woo's senior brothers, Ma Hye-cheon and Ma Dong-won, did not like Dang Hyeon-woo, whom their master had picked up.
He had no basic knowledge of medicine, and aside from being somewhat knowledgeable about poisons and hidden weapons, he was of no help.
What's more, Dang Hyeon-woo was from the Orthodox Faction.
Their roots were fundamentally different, so they couldn't bring themselves to like him.
Because of this, they had knowingly and unknowingly ostracized him and refused to acknowledge him as their junior brother.
However, that structure had begun to warp at some point.
Yes. It was that day. The day of the first test at the Divine Hall of the Latent Demon.
They had beaten him up for being away from his post during a busy time, but it seemed they had messed with the wrong thing.
From the next day, the guy's frame grew larger and stronger, making him difficult to treat carelessly.
They had no way of knowing it was because of the heart sutra verses of the Divine Arts of the Green Forest Tiger that Maeng Ak had taught him.
The current situation was the same.
Patients were flooding in due to the aftermath of the second test, the joint battles, yet here was the youngest, chatting with a cadet.
If he had his way, he would beat him up like before.
But look at that build.
Nagging him, as his other senior brother Ma Dong-won had ordered, was the best he could do.
There was no way Dang Hyeon-woo himself wouldn't notice.
He casually placed a hand on his senior brother Ma Hye-cheon's shoulder and said.
"Oh dear. Look at me. My apologies, Senior Brother Hye-cheon. Haha."
It was a disrespectful attitude that would have been unimaginable in the past, but Ma Hye-cheon could only smile bitterly.
"Ha. Ha. No, no. It's fine, you might not have known. Now, hurry up and change that patient's bandages."
Where Ma Hye-cheon pointed, a cadet named Kim Mu-myeong was lying down.