It had to have been around 30 minutes.
The members of the Blood Strong Troops were running to the goal, and they continued to narrow the distance as they roughly split into three groups.
There was the main group ahead.
Next was the middle group with those keeping the distance from the first group but not falling too far behind. And finally those who were trying to not fall too behind despite being a mess.
Tatatak. Huk. Huk.
Of course, even if there was a member left behind, those who were currently participating were still fast. Even though they had to move with just their bodies, they were doing fine.
Papat
The movements of the group in the lead was really nice, it was like they were using internal energy and they were gritting their teeth to display their best.
“At all costs, we need to go ahead!”
“Let them know that here is a noticeable difference in our stamina too!”
Most of them were members ranked between the seventh to tenth of their troops. They were usually the first to place on the line. They were the strongest recognized by the leads, so they were not lacking in physical strength or endurance, and above all, they had the confidence that they were the best.
A total of 300 li—
To be honest, the distance of 100 li would not be too difficult for these people, but the problem was that the more one gets closer to their goal, the harder they push.
“Cough!”
“Ugh…”
In addition to that, on the south side of the mountain road, not just the strength of their bodies but their endurance will be tested.
The steep mountain path was difficult to traverse, but the downhill was also dangerous on a tired body. And the acceleration to the body for going up without internal energy when coming down would probably make them lose balance.
And that was why, unlike the third group which was gradually moving, the first and second groups were changing positions.
“Catch your breath slowly! Handle your bodies! When we step onto the mountain road, we begin to run in earnest!”
Step
The one leading the groups was someone who had proved his existence in the first class, the captain of a troop.
After realizing that his internal energy had disappeared, he thought on how to handle this situation.
While conserving his strength and that of the others, he made sure to guide them up until this point. He was even thinking of pulling back the members who were rushing too far ahead.
If there is something I do not like…
There were two new groups running alongside them. The woman called Ju Seorin was the one he was concerned about.
Some of the members still did not like her.
Papapat!
The group in the back was still running. And their eyes were glaring too.
“This is no simple physical test. Do not rush too much, we will get chances.”
There was something different about the members running ahead of the group, but they were all being optimistic now.
“…”
“…”
But the members did not respond to his words, and it seemed like an agreement.
And those at the end said nothing because they had Blood Killing Secret embers hidden in.
Tak. Tak.
On the other hand, there was one who was located in a place completely removed from their groups.
Unlike those who ran off suddenly, a man was walking down the path.
It was Seol-Hwi.
It takes about an hour for the effects of the poison to vanish.
He was determining how much the poison was left in his body, no, how long the poison in his head would take to vanish. Roughly calculating the amount of the oddness in the body, he was sure of it.
Even if those in the lead ran all out, their limit is 200 li. When the poison vanishes, those in the rear will attack first.
The more one was in the lead, the less stamina they would have to fight. But if one was too far behind, they will be left behind by the others in the front.
The emphasis of this place and test was simple, be calm and bold in your actions.
“And I think there is one more thing…”
Seol-Hwi thought.
He understood what this meant, but the more he thought about it, the more it felt like something important was missing.
Shhhh
Seol-Hwi looked at the mountain.
The south direction where they have to climb, if he passes over that and crosses the lake, the group will start to move.
It was a long single path that they had to follow and return from.
One had to get that done.
Is there any way to move faster?
For the existing members of the Blood Strong Troops, this place was basically their backyard. And simply put, those who knew the terrain would have an advantage.
It would be easy for them to know where to hide, attack, and plan ambushes.
Tak
Seol-Hwi, who was thinking about this and that, stopped walking. And he looked at the tallest tree which seemed to be on the mountain peak.
Right, if that is the way…
Finding a shortcut would be possible. For now, it was the most important strategy for Seol-Hwi.
He pictured the path in his head. There were mountains in the south, and on the way down was a lake. If he went up the road, he could see where they are heading
If he could get to the highest vantage point, he could see the road.
The road was windy, and he had to walk about 50 li.
This was the only way to cross. However, it was a rough road with thick canyons and cliffs. Its height was tall, but there were these strangely shaped rocks around, so if one ran clumsily around here, it was normal for one to die too.
“Huk. I-I can see the place…”
“About a 100 li left!”
After passing the lake, the members at the forefront raised their voices. The fact that the second point was near meant that the third point of their destination was approaching. Now, a little further down the road which wraped around and it will be done.
As everyone gradually saw their destination, their faces turned red in happiness. However—
“Uh?”
“What is this…?”
The faces of the members changed one after another. And they felt it later. Their internal energy was coming back.
“This… This wasn’t the usual poison.”
“The effect is…”
As their internal energy came back, their eyes changed. Everyone was now thinking about their condition right away, their physical condition, and their current location.
And a word which came out of the middle was,
“Fuck…”
It gave them goosebumps. It was an intuition that it had changed from running to hunting.
“Hide!”
“Find cover!”
All the members ahead stopped moving and began to disperse. To increase their internal energy when their stamina was depleted. This meant there was no stamina to use footwork.
In other words, they were simple prey.
Jeok Heol-myung, a member of the Blood Killing Secret, was stepping on a tree branch on the mountain, looking around.
“Huk, huk…”
As soon as their internal energy returned, a bloody fight had unfolded, especially in the lead group. The second group which had conserved their strength was able to salvage the situation.
And the last group did not move so far, so a fight broke out where they were.
Yo Su-gwang. That guy is the culprit.
The guy knew.
He was the one who joined the last group and waited for the right time. As soon as his internal energy came back, he cut the arms and legs of the others.
A few people attacked him, but they all collapsed.
What are the disciples of the Heavenly Demon thinking?
Even if they turned a blind eye, they have talented people who reached Peak Demon. The moment combat started, it swiftly ended. The battle around Yo Su-gwang did not last any longer.
Swish! Pak.
It was because of the Blood Killing Secret members.
Since the elite warriors who guarded the troops joined them, Yo Su-gwang could not fight so easily.
The ones who died…
When he peeked at the lead group, several of them had already turned into corpses.
One was standing in the center.
It was a monster who was short and had a hand near his chest.
Ghost Incarnate.
He knew the name of the guy. No matter how many members were there, these people were different.
Ju Seorin doesn’t have any intent to kill.
Was it because she already did her part? She was not taking out her blade.
But a fight was bound to happen. The guys in the same place will aim for a surprise attack
A fight would break out again.
But… why am I not seeing another?
Jeok Heol-myung looked around tilting his head. It was said that a total of four people came, so there should be one from the Fourth Disciple here.
However, no matter how much he looked around, he could not see the Fourth Disciple’s subordinate.
I don’t understand what happened.
Swish
After looking around several times, he could not see the Fourth Disciple’s subordinates, and he roughly recorded what he could see and began to tie it to the leg of the hawk next to him.
Tak!
The contents of his report would soon be delivered to their captain and the Bloody Death Warlord. After sending off the entire report, he turned to rejoin his people.
Uh?
And his eyes caught a person.
The man was climbing up.
At first glance, he looked like a member of the troops, but his actions did not seem like it. The leisure walk, the way he looked around the scenery after noticing him—
As if observing the whole situation.
No way…
The eyes of his which were trying to ignore this man shone. The glance felt irritating.
In the end, he could not hold back and asked him.
“You, who are you!”
“…”
Jeok Heol-myung blocked his path.
When he looked at the uniform of the other guy, he shouted.
“Blood Strong troops do not carry out their training like this! Why are you doing this!”
He could not understand it. However, Seol-Hwi smiled like he was waiting for such a reaction.
“That bird now. Did you send the report?”
“…?!”
“The fact that there is one who is reporting it back… and saying that I am no member.”
The expression of the guy distorted. As for the manner this new man spoke, he could feel the intimidation.
“Right, as you said. I am not an ordinary member. And you… uh?”
For a moment, his mouth stopped.
And the opponent ahead, his face turned normal.
“The fact that I am not a normal member…”
Seol-Hwi smiled and continued,
“What if you report it to the top?”
Jeok Heol-myung’s eyes widened. And then aiming at the person ahead, he used footwork.
Puak
But just one step and his attack was blocked. The outstretched finger was held by Seol-Hwi’s other hand.
“You, no…”
The fingers blocked at once. Seol-Hwi held onto the finger and said,
“Right. Right.”
Jeok Heol-myung felt it.
The person who had this level of internal energy. And if it is this level of agility and skill—
Then there was just one.
“The subordinate of the Earth Demon, Seol-Hwi.”
