A melodramatic scene swept through the meeting room and passed. Around the time Shin Ye Hwa was also resolving old grudges with Gu Wang Soo, who was apologizing sincerely for all the wrongs he had done, the last person arrived at the meeting room.
“Is this the Divine Dragon team?”
A man abruptly opened the door and asked.
He was dressed in clothes mixed with blue, red, green, and white. He looked unmistakably like a shaman.
This was the final member of the Divine Dragon team, personally chosen by Baek Woo Jin.
His name was Jang Sam, a disciple of the Huangshan Sect, which was a small to mid-sized martial arts sect based in Huangshan, Anhui Province.
“Haha! Nice to meet you all. Let me introduce myself…”
“You’re Jang Sam of the Huangshan Sect, right?”
“……”
“……”
Jang Sam, who was just about to boast happily, was interrupted by Baek Woo Jin, and his face turned sullen as he nodded his head.
“Yes… I am Jang Sam.”
“What, the fake fortune-teller?”
Shin Ye Hwa made a surprised face, just like when she first met Gu Wang Soo.
He was a famous person in the academy.
Jang Sam flared up and shouted in anger.
“Ha! A fake fortune-teller, you say! I am a descendant of the Huangshan Sect, the legitimate successor of the Mosan Sect, and have devoted myself to mastering the ancient arts of talismans and shamanism—”
His tongue rolled smoothly and he was spewing words without pause.
He was a disciple of the Huangshan Sect and claimed to be the successor of the Mosan Sect, which had disappeared centuries ago.
The Mosan Sect was known more for its proficiency in shamanism and talisman arts than martial arts. Similarly, the Huangshan Sect also tried to continue that legacy, showcasing various shamanism and talisman arts, but none of them were particularly impressive and often drew ridicule.
Jang Sam was no different. Since he claimed to be a descendant of the Mosan Sect, he carried dozens of talismans tucked in his waistband, yet not a single one possessed any power. The fortunes he spouted sounded convincing at first, but none of them were accurate. This earned him the reputation of a fake fortune-teller long ago.
“He’s so noisy…”
Shin Ye Hwa frowned as she watched Jang Sam, who couldn’t stop talking.
Baek Woo Jin threw the iron plate straight at him to cut him off.
“Ugh!”
Startled by the iron plate flying toward his face, Jang Sam gasped and managed to catch it just in time.
“Looking forward to working with you.”
“Ahem, as long as I’m here, there’s no need to worry about the fortune of the Divine Dragon team. I will reveal every detail of your destiny through my divinations—”
Baek Woo-jin smiled bitterly as he watched him seize every chance to ramble on.
What a strange fellow.
The reason Jang Sam who was known as the fake fortune-teller and one of the lowest-ranked students was placed in the Divine Dragon Team was simple.
His energy is different.
The energy flowing around him was unlike that of others. It was heavier, stickier, and darker compared to the usual natural energies.
Baek Woo Jin who sensed this was convinced. There had to be something hidden behind the image of this so-called fake fortune-teller.
Let’s shut that mouth first.
As Baek Woo Jin began to look around for something else to throw, Jang Sam felt his intentions, finally closed his mouth, and sat down.
At last, all five members of the Divine Dragon Team were in place.
“Glad to see you all.”
He started with a light greeting.
“I assume you all know each other already, so let’s skip the introductions.”
Everyone glanced at each other and nodded slightly. Even Jegal Yeon Ji, who had the weakest presence among them, had her face and name etched into everyone’s memory since the last Dragon and Phoenix Martial Arts Tournament.
“We are the Divine Dragon Team, the smallest team in the history of the Jeongmu Academy.”
His light expression had turned serious, and his voice carried more weight.
“I prefer a few trustworthy comrades over a large number of people.”
Comrades who could be relied upon completely in moments of life and death.
In the fantasy world, it had taken him a long time to gain such comrades. Back then, everything was new, and he was terrible at judging people. He got stabbed in the back, both literally and figuratively, and was even ambushed while asleep.
But now he was better than he had been back then. At the very least, he could now tell whether the person in front of him would stick a knife in his back or not.
Having spent a considerable amount of time together, Jegal Yeon Ji and Shin Ye Hwa were beyond any suspicion of betrayal.
Even Gu Wang Soo, whom he had met through a twisted fate, had little chance of betraying him.
After he was abandoned by Namgong Soo, he was no different from a kite with a severed string.
Having been badly burned in relationships driven solely by profit, he was starved for affection. How desperate must he be to feel moved by mere sweet talk and pledge his loyalty of his own accord?
Poor guy.
Baek Woo Jin resolved to look after Gu Wang Soo diligently and make him into a proper person.
The only one left is that guy.
Jang Sam was the only one who remained a complete mystery. Apart from being annoyingly talkative like a chirping bird, his skills, talents, and personality were all unknown.
He was chosen purely because of the unusual energy that flowed around him, so it would be necessary to keep a close eye on him from now on and figure out what kind of person he really was.
“I’m not forcing you to have a sense of camaraderie with each other.”
Baek Woo Jin knew very well how a sense of comradeship formed.
Just grind them hard!
All he had to do was push them into all sorts of pits.
Then, at the most basic level, you could determine whether someone was capable of developing a sense of camaraderie or not.
Those who had no regard for their comrades at all would run away without looking back; they only cared about their own survival. It was here that those incapable of developing camaraderie would be filtered out.
As the remaining ones were continuously pushed to their limits, a natural sense of affection and appreciation for their comrades would start to grow.
It was the kind of camaraderie that came from skimming off the frothy bubbles on top, leaving behind a rich and deeply simmered bond.
“Camaraderie will form naturally, so don’t worry; just follow my lead.”
He let out a low laugh as he spoke, and the four of them felt an inexplicable sense of unease.
“I plan to focus on training until spring arrives. When the weather warms up, we’ll take on team requests.”
This was at least a piece of good news.
Some team leaders who were eager to get ahead made the foolish choice of leaving the academy for requests in the dead of winter.
“Does anyone have any questions?”
Jang Sam eagerly raised his hand.
“Do you already have a first request in mind? If not, I’ve heard some incredible news that could—”
“I do.”
“…Oh, I see.”
Jang Sam closed his mouth with a sullen look on his face.
Meanwhile, Baek Woo Jin’s smile grew wider than ever, and he licked his lips as if savoring his thoughts.
“The Divine Dragon Team’s first request will be the subjugation of a demon or a monster.”
““What?!””
Gu Wang Soo and Jang Sam gasped at the same time.
***
Hundred Li Mountain was located at the passage between Xi An and Qinghai. It had long been known for its treacherous terrain.
Though the mountain was rugged, it wasn’t particularly high, so it was often climbed by martial artists in a hurry.
“Huff, huff…!”
A traveler, with urgent matters to attend to, crossed the Hundred Li Mountain as the day was ending.
“This is bad. I was in such a rush that I didn’t prepare anything…”
He had thought he could cross the mountain by today, but he lost his way early on, which caused a delay that forced him to spend the night in the mountains.
He expected to reach the village on the other side of the mountain by dusk, so he hadn’t prepared anything for camping, which made the situation even more difficult.
“What should I do…?”
The night that fell over the mountain was so dark that even the eyes of a martial artist like the traveler could hardly pierce through it.
In such darkness, taking a step in the right direction seemed nearly impossible.
It was while he was deep in thought for quite some time.
“You there.”
Suddenly, a voice came from the darkness.
“Who, who’s there?!”
The startled traveler drew the short sword from his waist and pointed it in the direction of the voice.
Beyond the dark forest, a faint light flickered.
Out of the darkness emerged a middle-aged man holding a torch.
“Apologies if I startled you. I simply came because I was worried, seeing that you seemed to be wandering in the mountains at night.”
The traveler examined the middle-aged man’s attire. His outfit was so simple that he appeared to be someone living nearby rather than a drifter.
“Do you happen to live around here?”
“There is a small village in the mountain valley.”
The traveler’s face lit up instantly.
“I was just struggling after losing my way, as you said. Could you perhaps guide me to your village? I will surely repay your kindness.”
At the traveler’s earnest request, the middle-aged man nodded his head readily and replied.
“I’m also on my way back, so it’s no trouble at all. Come, follow me.”
The traveler thanked the man and followed him closely. He found himself curious as he observed the middle-aged man’s simple attire.
“But, may I ask why you’ve come out of the village so late at night?”
Even if the village was nearby, it felt strange for someone dressed like a hunter to be wandering in the mountains at night.
“It’s winter, so food is scarce. I came out to search for some. The time got away from me, so I’m on my way back now.”
“Ah, I see.”
In a mountain valley village, it made sense that food would be scarce in winter. There was little farmland, and most wild animals would be in hibernation without showing a trace, so they would probably have to dig up tree roots to survive.
“Huff, huff.”
The traveler’s breathing became rough. He had been using his movement technique since the afternoon, and now his internal energy was nearly depleted, and his body was nearing its limit.
He hoped they would have reached the village by now, but the middle-aged man continued walking in silence.
“How much farther do we have to go?”
“We’re almost there.”
“Hmm…!”
A strained sound escaped between tightly pressed lips.
The traveler was encouraged by the middle-aged man’s words that they were almost there and continued on, but soon he sensed that something was wrong.
Villages usually had at least some faint light seeping out. The man had said the village was close, yet no matter how far they walked, all he could see was darkness.
Feeling uneasy, he was about to call out to the middle-aged man walking ahead.
“We’ve arrived.”
The man who hadn’t seemed to tire finally stopped.
The man stepped aside and revealed a huge cave shrouded in darkness. It was even darker than the thick night around them.
“This, this isn’t a village!”
It was only then that the traveler realized he had been deceived. He drew the short sword from his waist and pointed it at the man.
At that moment, there was the sound of wind from inside the cave’s darkness.
Crack!
At the same time, a chilling sound echoed, and the traveler’s arm, which had been extended with the sword in hand, dropped to the ground.
Thud.
“Ugh, ugh, aaaargh…!”
A deflated scream that was stifled by pain forced its way out between teeth clenched so tightly they nearly drew blood.
When the traveler clutched his bleeding arm and collapsed, the middle-aged man with the torch approached him.
“Thank goodness. I thought I’d be returning empty-handed again today, but here you are at the last moment.”
The moment he forced his upper body up to see if he could beg for his life,
He saw it.
Beyond the cave’s deep darkness, two gleaming eyes were staring back at him.
“Ugh, Uaaargh!”
Crunch!
“P-Please spare….”
Snap!
The mountain quickly regained its quiet. As if nothing had happened.
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