CRACK!

The moment the sword broke.

Even as his body was sent flying, Cheol Sunjik could not avert his gaze.

He was clearly a disciple of the Taiyi Sect who used a fast sword and a phantom sword.

And yet, the Jukhyeon Gang's Cheongjuk Sword Technique had just unfolded from his hands.

"How..."

Jin Sowoon, whose face was completely filled with exhaustion, twisted the corners of his mouth and smiled.

"Did you forget that I have a good memory?"

"Even so..."

Furthermore, the Cheongjuk Sword Technique he used was uniquely his own.

It was a sword technique he had layered and built up over countless years, yet Jin Sowoon had perfectly replicated his exact method just by watching it.

Then, he spoke leisurely.

"Just as you have your own way of fighting, I have my own way of fighting."

"Hah...!"

As the immense shock faded, a wave of resentment surged in its place.

In the end, it was his defeat.

His operation, which had been certain of victory, failed,

and his opponent's operation, which had been certain of defeat, succeeded.

As he grasped reality, a sudden surge of unfairness and frustration welled up within him.

Why had he lost?

Cheol Sunjik's gaze turned to the people standing near Jin Sowoon.

The comrades who had faithfully followed the crazy operational command to charge right into the middle of enemy lines.

They were injured in various places and looked like they were barely keeping themselves standing, ready to collapse at any moment.

If it had been anyone else, they would have thrown their hands up and given up on the evaluation long ago, yet not a single one of them had let go of their weapons.

On the other hand, most of the members of his own squad at Mount Baek were standing perfectly fine.

It meant that very few had truly committed to his operation.

"How can there be such a difference?"

"..."

Cheol Sunjik's gaze shifted to Nam Hwaseong.

Nam Hwaseong turned his head away from that resentful stare.

Cheol Sunjik clenched his teeth and repeated himself.

"How can all of you be so united in purpose?"

He and Jin Sowoon were not all that different.

Lacking background, possessing an outstanding mind, and even having the will to not yield under pressure.

They were both existences desperately clawing their way up from the bottom.

And yet, his comrades were not afraid to jump into a place of death alongside him.

The daughter of the Iron Sword Sect, which had been the Taiyi Sect's enemy; the precious youngest child of the Namgung Clan; and the disciple of the Samwon Sect, who had been a competitor during the standard exam.

He simply could not understand it.

"I'm asking why only you guys are acting like this!"

Sharing profits, and creating a common enemy.

There was clearly no difference in what Jin Sowoon and he had done, yet it had produced different results.

He had never resented the heavens for making him be born in the same generation as Yong So-ah, Ilmyeong, and Tang Seo-hee.

Because he considered them to be existences who possessed different weapons from the very beginning.

However, a tremendous resentment—greater than anything else—dwelled within him for being made to live in the same generation as Jin Sowoon.

Because he felt like an insurmountable wall.

"Answer me! Jin Sowoon! Why is there such a difference?!"

Despite his outburst, Jin Sowoon simply picked himself up from his spot as if he had nothing to say.

"Why... why..."

In the end, tears began to drip from Cheol Sunjik's eyes.

He, who had never once cried out of frustration, poured out tears at the stifling feeling he was facing for the first time.

And right then.

"... It's... it's not over yet. Sunjik..."

Cheol Hyeonjik, who had collapsed in a faint, used his sword as a crutch to stand up.

"Brother..."

Holding his sword with trembling arms, Cheol Hyeonjik staggered toward Jin Sowoon.

"... I... I will complete your operation for you."

"Brother...!"

Cheol Hyeonjik barely managed to run forward, dragging the blade of his sword along the ground as if he didn't even have the strength left to lift it.

The Ten Thousand Transformations Invincible Fist unfolded from the hands of Jin Sowoon, who had been watching him with apathetic eyes.

THWACK-THWACK-THWACK-THWACK-THWACK-THWACK!

Cheol Hyeonjik lost consciousness and collapsed once again from a single strike.

"Brother!!!"

Jin Sowoon spoke to Cheol Sunjik, who was staring blankly at the sight in a daze.

"There is someone right here who follows your will too."

"..."

"Think carefully about what the difference is between your brother and the Twelve Peaks and Castles. Then the reason for your defeat in this battle will become clear."

Having finished his words, Jin Sowoon turned around without hesitation.

At some point, a flag had appeared in his hand, and it was raised unhesitatingly into the sky.

Soon, the Red Army's flag was planted in the White Army's base.

"WAAAAAAAH!"

"WAAAAAH! We won!"

"We've captured the White Army's base!"

While watching the few remaining survivors erupt into cheers, Cheol Sunjik spoke with a stiff expression.

"But this is the end for you too."

"..."

"Hasn't your squad already been completely wiped out while capturing the White Army's base?"

Cheol Sunjik looked around at Jin Sowoon's people and sneered.

"You might be right that there is something different between you and me. But... my operation ultimately succeeded anyway. The two people from your representatives. Seong Moran and Lee Geumpyo will end up dropping out in the end."

Raising his hand, which had been injured by the sword's fragments, he continued speaking.

"Look. The Blue Army, which has merely been observing the state of the battle and preserving its forces until now, will soon sweep in and claim final victory by exploiting the aftermath."

"..."

"In the end, you failed to overcome the wall that is me. Hahahahaha!"

Looking at the Blue Army that Cheol Sunjik had pointed at, Jin Sowoon shrugged his shoulders.

"That's good."

"Huh?"

Jin Sowoon chuckled and gestured forward with his head.

"Look closely."

"..."

Cheol Sunjik stopped his forced laughter.

Because his tone sounded as if he were stating something entirely obvious.

"Look at how high we'll climb."

Because his comrades began to move with absolute certainty.

Following Jin Sowoon's gaze, Cheol Sunjik's head turned as well.

His squad members, who were as few in number as the fragments of the broken sword, began to take steps forward one by one.

People who were already so exhausted from the fierce battle that it wouldn't be strange if they collapsed on the spot.

Those very people naturally began to gather at Jin Sowoon's side.

Cheol Sunjik could not take his eyes off of him.

* * *

"Are you okay?"

Geumpyo's face violently distorted.

His expression seemed to say, Are you really asking that?

"I feel like I'm gonna die."

"Me too."

Phew, a sigh naturally escaped me, and I really couldn't hold back—no, why should I even hold back in the first place...?

SMACK!

I smacked Geumpyo right on the back of the head.

"That's why you shouldn't have gotten three Mu evaluations!"

"..."

When Geumpyo, having been hit, lowered his head like a sinner, Seong Moran, who was standing on the opposite side, reacted sharply.

"Young Master Jin, are you saying that for me to hear by any chance?"

I answered politely.

"Of course."

"..."

Seong Moran's expression stiffened rigidly, as if she had been hurt by that.

I looked back at Seong Moran and Geumpyo and spoke firmly.

"I absolutely do not intend to see you two get kicked out. So we absolutely cannot lose this time."

At this, Seong Moran's expression softened a little, and she nodded.

"But our opponent is the bald—... no, Ilgak."

In the first place, the best method would have been to conserve our strength while the Blue Army and White Army fought, and for the Red Army to face the Blue Army after they had defeated the White Army but lost all their energy.

Unfortunately, things had turned out this way.

It was a situation so bad that I wondered if it could possibly get any worse.

'Anyway, I knew that damn monk would grab me by the ankles someday.'

I looked at the remaining squad members one by one and asked quietly.

"Even so, we can't just quietly back down, can we?"

Soon, the instructors began to wave red flags.

It was the signal that the end of the evaluation was not far off.

Now, both the Blue Army and the remaining Red Army had no choice but to engage in an all-out war.

I adjusted my grip on my sword once more.

"Prepare the sword array."

"Yes, sir!"

At my command, the squad members moved swiftly and seamlessly.

It wasn't much, but this was the only thing we could do right now.

"Erase any thoughts about the enemy being from the Nine Sects and One Gang or the Shaolin Sect. They are just the enemy."

"Young Master Jin, don't you know that telling someone not to think about it only makes them think about it more?"

"Just erase it anyway. Because that is the only way."

"..."

If I tell them to do it, they just have to do it.

You shouldn't overcomplicate things in your head on the battlefield.

"If it's survival, it's survival; if it's attack, it's attack. You must think of exactly one thing. I, as the commander, will think and make judgments on the rest, so all you have to do is follow."

"You're telling us to just put all our faith in you in this situation, Young Master Jin?"

"Do you have any other way, then?"

After pondering for a moment, Seong Moran shook her head.

"... I don't. Instead, if I drop out and go to the Murim Alliance as a lower-class warrior later, put me in your squad, Young Master Jin. I don't want to take orders from other bastards."

"I promise."

The Blue Army, which had initially been approaching the Red Army, had also stopped in their tracks as the battle between the White Army and Red Army intensified.

While the White Army and Red Army fought fiercely, the Blue Army had finished sorting out their hierarchy and preserved most of their personnel, so their numbers were not much different from the beginning.

"Amitabha."

Soon, Ilgak approached, leading a number of people that looked to be at least ten times ours.

It seemed that damn baldy had become the leader of the Blue Army after all.

Well, was it obvious in a way?

"Say, aren't you being a little too underhanded for someone who studies under Buddha?"

Ilgak smiled brightly, as if he hadn't taken any damage from my words.

"Buddha's teachings say that if one establishes oneself properly, the wicked will naturally fall away on their own."

Anyway, look at that glib tongue. I wouldn't be surprised if he was secretly eating meat somewhere.

"To say that, weren't you too petty in the beginning?"

"Among Buddha's teachings, it is said, 'He who covers the evil karma he previously committed with good karma will illuminate the world, like the moon breaking through the clouds.' Since I have already covered my evil karma with good karma, you could say I have become a new man."

"Goodness, it's sure easy to become a new man."

Ilgak beamed and subtly asked me.

"Benefactor Jin, you look quite exhausted. How about you just give up?"

"Then wouldn't it be better if you, bald—... no, monk, gave up for the sake of the people who will drop out here, out of Buddha's compassion?"

"That is not the righteous will of Buddha. Namu Amitabha."

If I knew this would happen, I should have memorized some Buddhist scriptures.

Then couldn't that baldy have hesitated and backed down?

"I don't like it. I guess that's why I'm not a disciple of a Buddhist sect."

"There is a Buddha inside Benefactor Jin's heart as well, so you need not worry. Furthermore, the Black Maitreya..."

"Ah, seriously!!!!"

"Ahem."

Clearing his throat, Ilgak asked me once again.

"Are you really going to continue?"

"Wasn't there a saying like that among Buddha's teachings?"

I continued speaking as I drew the Black Dragon Sword.

"Make no one else, but only yourself, your guiding light."

Ilgak beamed at my words.

"See? As expected, Buddha is in Benefactor Jin's heart as well."

I smiled brightly back at him.

"Let's see whose side Buddha takes, then!"

This time, instead of Nam Hwaseong, I stood at the very front alongside Geumpyo.

* * *

Cheol Sunjik did not avert his gaze from the front for even a single moment.

It was partly because he had reached his physical limits and couldn't move his body, but more than that, it was because he wanted to engrave Jin Sowoon's end into his eyes.

"You will fail as well."

Just like I did.

Cheol Sunjik barely held his exhausted body together.

In the first place, the final victory of the Blue Army wasn't important in his operation.

His only goal had been to eliminate Jin Sowoon and his squad members.

In fact, according to the plan in his head, it was only right for the White Army to be defeated by the Blue Army after Jin Sowoon had been eliminated.

Therefore, Jin Sowoon, you too.

"You will surely... fail..."

While he repeated those same words, the Blue Army and the Red Army clashed.

The difference in numbers, which amounted to ten times as many, ultimately allowed them to construct an encirclement.

An encirclement quickly exhausted people and eventually led to their annihilation.

"Surely... surely..."

But why was it? Jin Sowoon's squad did not fall easily.

"How..."

The sword array they were deploying was the White Tiger Sword Array, which every academy student knew.

It was nothing special in a situation where internal energy was entirely sealed, yet they were stubbornly holding out.

"How on earth..."

No, it was a little different.

The current sword array looked a little different from the White Tiger Sword Array he knew.

They filled in each other's gaps and created moments for counterattacks, shaking up the opponent.

As if it had been created from the very beginning by flawed humans to compensate for one another, it was perfectly faithful to the fundamental effects of a formation.

"Hah..."

Neither the Shaolin Sect's fist and kick arts nor the martial arts of the Nine Sects and One Gang were working properly against them.

The personnel who had been waiting at Mount Cheong could not handle the urgency and began to climb Mount Baek one by one.

The number of Blue Army members surrounding Jin Sowoon gradually increased.

"This is unbelievable..."

But at the same time, a sense of doubt also arose.

In any case, victory was far out of reach for Jin Sowoon.

With that small number of people, they couldn't possibly reach the Blue Army's base, nor could they break through the numbers of the Blue Army that had already established an encirclement.

Even so, Jin Sowoon and his squad members were stubbornly continuing a fight they were destined to lose.

As if they could win.

"There's no way."

Ilgak and the rest of the Blue Army drove them back even more fiercely, as if showing no mercy.

Finally, a member of Jin Sowoon's squad collapsed, and the sword array staggered.

They were resisting with all their might, but the sword array could not be properly restored once it was disrupted.

FLAP, FLAP!

The instructors waved black flags.

The signal that the end of the evaluation was imminent.

The Blue Army must have seen it too, as they began to push even harder to finish things.

The corners of Cheol Sunjik's mouth twisted upward.

"Yes, this is it. This is their strength."

Although his operation had failed, he thought he could consider it half a success.

Because Jin Sowoon was already thoroughly exhausted, and most of his squad members had been split up and scattered in all directions.

As expected, Jin Sowoon had also failed, just like he had.

Just as he was about to sneer at him in satisfaction.

'Scattered?'

Cheol Sunjik's eyes began to move rapidly.

'They're gone. They're not here!'

A few of Jin Sowoon's squad members were nowhere to be seen.

He scanned the entirety of Mount Baek, wondering if they had dropped out on the way, but they were not visible anywhere.

Right then.

"WAAAAAAAH!"

Twenty people were frantically sprinting up Mount Cheong.

"S-Stop them!"

"AAGH!"

"Move out of the way, you bastards!"

They didn't stop, and they didn't fight.

They merely sprinted forward, ever forward.

They abandoned falling comrades, and even when enemy fists flew at them, they did not engage but simply dodged and ran toward the peak of Mount Cheong.

And in the midst of the startled cries of "Uh— Ah!", fewer than ten people planted a flag in the Blue Army's base on Mount Cheong.

"WAAAAAAAH!"

"WAAAAAAAH!"

"WAAAAAAAH!"

Cheers rang out from Mount Cheong in the distance.

A little over ten Red Army members, including Lee Eunho and Yayul Geuk, had planted a red flag in the base at Mount Cheong.

"..."

Judging by the dejected expressions on the faces of the Blue Army members who had been guarding the base, they had not anticipated the Red Army launching a surprise attack.

Cheol Sunjik trembled all over as if he had been struck by lightning.

'Did defeat not even cross his mind from the very beginning?'

Otherwise, how could he have thought to pull out personnel and form a surprise attack group in the midst of such a disadvantage?

Cheol Sunjik turned his head and looked at the great mountain that had handed him a sense of defeat yet again.

Hanging onto the shoulders of Ilgak, who had blankly opened his mouth in dismay...

"CHOMP...! Ugh, salty!! Ptooey, ptooey!"

... At Jin Sowoon, who was unhesitatingly committing the sacrilegious act of biting the monk's shiny head.

"Just what... are you..."

Feeling even more devastated than when he had seen Yong So-ah, he could not take his eyes off of him for a single moment.