"What on earth is going on?"

Seong Moran's face stiffened.

Having received a Mu evaluation, she would be in danger if she was eliminated from the practical evaluation now.

"I can understand the Blue Army and White Army, but why on earth is the Red Army..."

The academy students stationed at the entrance of Mount Hong were opening a path as if it were only natural.

Everyone was left speechless by the absurd sight.

"Their intentions are so obvious it's not even funny."

Eunho let out a cold sneer.

"Should we be relieved that they aren't all acting together at least?"

Just as Eunho said, half of their forces still remained on Mount Cheong and Mount Baek.

"That's like a cat taking pity on a mouse."

Fighting other armies in the early stages is not a good strategy.

Because you cannot steal flags, nor can you increase your own unit's numbers.

They should be well aware that blatantly ignoring the intent of the exam during a strategy and tactics evaluation would negatively impact their own grades.

And yet, they were moving like this.

It could only be seen as a definitively malicious intention.

'It's been a while since I've felt such insidious and clinging malice.'

Unless it was a life-or-death battlefield, I had never felt this level of malice.

Regardless, I couldn't just let myself be swallowed by their malice.

I looked back at my squad members and spoke.

"If we wait like this, we'll end up surrounded. We'll make the first move."

"How?"

"Aren't their intentions obvious? Then we need to thoroughly crush those intentions."

I adjusted my grip on the Black Dragon Sword.

As I took my first step, my junior martial siblings of the Taiyi Sect took their positions in perfect order.

Now, they naturally began to form the White Tiger Sword Array even without me saying a word.

Seong Moran and Namgung Seonhwa, who had taken the standard exam with us, took charge of the left and right wings of the White Tiger Sword Array respectively, while Moyong Jaehwa nocked an arrow tipped with a weight instead of a arrowhead and climbed up a tree.

The personnel led by Jang Ujae followed behind our squad.

"Move aside if you're not going to fight!"

At my shout, there were a few squads that hesitated and stepped out of the way.

Those who aimed for our rear after we passed by were struck by the blades of Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran, who immediately turned around, and collapsed to the ground.

Especially when Seong Moran, who used an iron sword, struck their faces with the flat of her blade, several teeth would fly out and sail through the air.

"Get lost if you aren't going to fight fair and square! There will be no mercy!"

At Seong Moran's sharp voice, those charging at us hesitated and stepped back.

As Seong Moran and Namgung Seonhwa displayed their formidable might, the number of people attacking our rear noticeably decreased.

However, there were still many in the Red Army blocking our way.

THUD!

I swung the Black Dragon Sword like a club and struck a jaw.

As the battle began, Eunho stepped into the center of the array and shouted, "Advance!" and we, who were running, instantly maintained the White Tiger Sword Array and began to engage the White Army.

CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!

Blades clashed against each other, but without internal energy, the sharpness of the attacks was remarkably lower.

Because of this, the repulsive force of the blades was stronger than usual, inevitably leaving obvious openings.

I swung the Black Dragon Sword at the opponent's face as they left their jaw exposed.

Striking a jaw with a blade carried the risk of slicing the neck if done incorrectly, but when struck accurately, there was no method more effective.

THWACK! THWACK!

"Kuhak!"

"Gah!"

In an instant, two people collapsed with their eyes rolling back.

Swords filled with the shock and anger of losing comrades poured down on me like lightning.

I had plenty of leeway to dodge, but I deliberately chose not to.

CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!

Because I had a reliable shield blocking those five swords for me.

"Fuck! Isn't using a shield cheating?!"

"Do you not even know the honor of a warrior?!"

The academy students, unable to display their usual skills due to the Gunja Powder, spat out curses, but Geumpyo did not care.

Rather, he gripped his shield even tighter.

"Then you should use one toooooo!"

With a spiteful yell, Geumpyo forcefully pushed back all the swords blocked by his Vajra Shield.

Taking advantage of that opening, Dongryong slipped in.

The Taiyi Sect's Lesser Heaven Sword Technique was a fast sword that cut across the most efficient path of motion.

A sword technique that thrusts in a straight line was incredibly disadvantageous in this kind of environment, but it wasn't a problem for Dongryong.

SMASH-SMASH-SMASH!

He struck their jaws, hit their solar plexuses, and slammed his sword hilt into their temples.

Even without internal energy, the Heavenly Slaughter Star was still the Heavenly Slaughter Star.

Dongryong faithfully unleashed his restrained desire for killing intent and instantly subdued the enemies.

The White Army squads either fainted from being hit in vital spots before they even realized it, or retched as if their insides had been turned upside down.

"Hongtan!"

At Eunho's shout, the array transformed into an arrowhead formation.

While Dongryong tore through the squad, Saryeon leaped forward and subdued the other squad members.

SWISH—

THUD!

Two people collapsed helplessly at Saryeon's hands.

Whether it was the effect of her closed-door training, Saryeon's breathing remained undisturbed despite her rapid movements.

"Donggang!"

Soon, the array spread out from its arrowhead formation as Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran led the left and right wings and stepped forward.

Our squad surrounded the White Army squad as if embracing them, and instantly knocked down all the enemies.

When one of the White Army's squads was incapacitated in the blink of an eye, the squads of the Red Army, seemingly feeling a sense of crisis, began to move toward our squad.

Right then.

"You retarded bastards!"

Someone struck the rear of those squads.

"Do you not realize that our final victory is ultimately the Red Army winning?! You turtle-brained idiots!"

The one who was loudly shouting as if unleashing a Lion's Roar, despite having clearly consumed the Gunja Powder, was...

"Oh, our mole!"

"Enough with that mole, mole crap already...!"

None other than Nam Hwaseong.

He joined our side and glared at the other Red Army members as he shouted.

"Smash all the heads of those stupid bastards!"

"Yes, sir!!!"

Nam Hwaseong, who had formed a company-sized unit at some point, began attacking the rear of the Red Army members who were acting foolishly.

Even a slug has a talent for rolling; Nam Hwaseong, who used fist and kick techniques, swept through the battlefield like a hwacha.

SMASH-SMASH-SMASH-SMASH!

Knocking out six academy students in an instant, he became the primary target of the enemy and was eventually surrounded by other Red Army squads.

I changed direction toward where Nam Hwaseong was, seizing the flags of the Red Army squads that had opposed us one by one.

"Gasp! W-When!"

"I'll hear about whatever scheme you all plotted later."

"S-Scheme...!"

"Tsk, just shut up and guard your base. Because if that place gets taken by the White Army or Blue Army..."

I looked straight at the Red Army members who had their flags taken and made a throat-slitting gesture.

"Consider your remaining academy life over."

Leaving the pale-faced academy students behind, I assisted the surrounded Nam Hwaseong and dealt with the remnants.

"Pant! Pant! Jin Sowoon! Th-Thanks..."

"Why are you panting so hard? Don't you ever train without internal energy on a regular basis?"

The guy, who had worn a touched expression for a moment, soon spat out a curse.

"F-Fuck. I came to help you, and I still have to hear that crap?!"

"If you're going to help, help properly. Anyway, hand over your flags."

"... Fuck."

Nam Hwaseong looked as if he couldn't believe such a bastard existed.

But so what? What was he going to do about it?

"What? You wanna go right here?"

"..."

"Since you made a company anyway, you must have secured enough points already."

"... F-Fine."

Nam Hwaseong handed me the ten red flags tucked into his waistband.

I took the flags and pointed my chin forward.

"Do you know anything?"

"About what?"

"Don't you know anything about why those bastards are moving like that?"

The current situation was definitely not normal.

There was clearly some malicious machination...

"Isn't it just because everyone hates you?"

Huh? What kind of bullshit is that?

"Who? Why? Where else would you find a good-natured person like me?"

"... Are you crazy?"

Nam Hwaseong wore a dumbfounded expression, like a person who had just been told the sun rises in the west.

Then, he spat out with a sigh.

"I fucking hate you."

"You decided to stick to my side anyway, didn't you?"

"That's because you made a promise...!"

"Yeah, yeah. I'll keep the promise. Anyway, you're saying you don't know anything?"

"Right."

I looked at him and shook my head.

"You really are a useless mole."

"Fuck, I even handed over my flags and I still have to hear myself called a mole?!"

"Whatever! Redirect all your company members this way."

"Then the base will..."

"Is the base the problem right now? We're all about to get eliminated. We push the White Army back first."

"Understood!"

Despite saying he hated me, the guy didn't talk back a single bit.

Looking at Nam Hwaseong's back, a chuckle escaped my lips.

Soon, Nam Hwaseong's company formed up on both sides as if protecting our squad.

"Charge!"

Perhaps Nam Hwaseong had gathered people with similar dispositions from the start, as no one showed any resistance to his orders.

No, far from showing resistance, there were many who darted forward even before Nam Hwaseong.

But among them.

"Huh?"

Yayul Geuk, who was clearly inside the sword array just a moment ago, was also mixed in.

When did he rush out there?

"You dog-like bastards!"

Yayul Geuk unleashed his moves without mercy, as if he had met sworn enemies.

CRACK! THWACK!

"Aaaagh!"

If one were to pick the most effective attacks in a situation where internal energy could not be used, the techniques of Shifting Flowers and Grafting Trees and Four Taels Deflects a Thousand Catties could not be left out.

Just as much as Nam Hwaseong's squad using fist and kick techniques, Yayul Geuk was also making a complete mess of the opponent's formation.

Well, it's certain that guy is a useful asset too.

While our personnel, spearheaded by Nam Hwaseong and Yayul Geuk, annihilated the White Army.

"Just who could it be..."

In between dealing with the enemies, I observed the entire battlefield.

The Three Armies battle had broken out even before the hierarchy within each army was sorted out.

A development heading in such an illogical direction was impossible without someone's intent.

Because the enemies' own eliminations were also on the line in this evaluation.

Even if our squad was eliminated early, the only ones among us who would be expelled from the academy were Seong Moran and Geumpyo.

If they were eliminated early due to a flawed strategy, they themselves could be expelled from the academy depending on their exam scores.

Nevertheless, they were going against the original intent of the evaluation to focus their attacks on our squad.

'Hah, this is pissing me off, isn't it?'

The desire to crush the bastard who orchestrated such a malicious setup slowly crept up on me.

Right then.

"Pant! Pant! Representative!"

Jang Ujae, sweating buckets as if exhausted from the intense movements, approached me.

"Pant, pant, I know it's an urgent situation, but I feel like I have to tell you this."

"What is it?"

"Phew, a strange rumor circulated before the exam started."

I turned my gaze to Jang Ujae.

"A rumor?"

"Yes. The rumor was that you didn't properly form the representatives because of your own personal gain."

A rumor about the operation of the representatives, huh...

Cheol Sunjik's stiff face as he left the office a few days ago came to mind.

Jang Ujae kept his guard forward as he continued his report.

"For us, it's something that happens all the time, so we just let it slide, but..."

As soon as I heard Jang Ujae's story, the pieces began to fall into place one by one.

From when he had first come to the representatives with that nonsensical plan called the 'Council of Councilors.'

And all the way up to the illogical events currently unfolding in the strategy and tactics evaluation.

From the start, in Cheol Sunjik's position, he had nothing to lose no matter what choice I made.

If I accepted his proposal, he would dominate the representatives through the Council of Councilors.

If I refused, he would use that as an excuse to execute this malicious operation in the strategy and tactics evaluation.

Pegging his own benefit to every possible outcome.

"Hah...!"

The exact same thing he had done during the Orthodox-Demonic Great War in my past life, he was now doing within the academy.

"Wow, this brilliantly wicked bastard."

"Pardon?"

"Ah, I'm talking about Cheol Sunjik."

I calmly explained to Jang Ujae.

"We've fallen into a scheme he hatched from the very beginning."

"Then did that guy really use such a ridiculous rumor?"

Since it sounded incomprehensible to plain common sense, I could understand why Jang Ujae was making that expression.

But the opponent was Cheol Sunjik.

If it was him, he would have easily taken a few of my words and used his snake-like tongue to fabricate and incite the masses.

I slowly scanned Mount Baek.

Sure enough.

I saw Cheol Sunjik and his group forming a company near the White Army's base.

While using others through schemes to drain our squad's strength.

He was leisurely expanding his unit size and preparing for battle.

"Ha, hahaha!"

A scoff escaped me.

Even though I knew the bastard's intentions, I had still fallen right into it.

It had been a very long time since I was outmaneuvered while knowing the opponent's intent.

But unlike in my past life, I wasn't engulfed by helplessness and despair.

Instead, I made the slowly rising anger explode in a single instant.

"Eunho!"

At my shout, Eunho, who was operating the sword array, immediately turned his head.

"Yes!"

"We're going to Mount Baek."

"Right now?"

I nodded, containing a quiet rage.

"Yeah. The bastard who orchestrated this is over there."

At my pointing, Eunho looked at the base on Mount Baek and soon asked me with a stiff expression.

"Are you going to teach Cheol Sunjik a lesson?"

I gave Eunho a faint smile.

"Yeah."

In my past life, I was dragged along helplessly because I couldn't do anything, but now, I had no intention of letting anyone drag me along like before.

Rather, excitement boiled up inside my chest.

"That bastard will pull this kind of trick whenever he can. So let's use this opportunity to thoroughly carve a lesson into him."

"Your command!"

This time, I really need to smash his head in.