Tatak!
The temporary trainees began to run into the forest.
It was a place where dense trees were spread beside the valley. It was truly a setting which was suitable for tactical training and worthy for stealth training.
Seol-Hwi was the last of the five member group.
All five members—
Fortunately or unfortunately, there were just four members of the Blood Strong Troops, no one from outside joined him.
The man who was at the forefront, raised his right hand and extended it open, and then clenched it.
-Wait.
It was a hand sign which anyone could understand. While the group looked at him, he climbed a tree.
Papat
His body seemed very light despite being exhausted from the day-long session.
It seemed like he was naturally good at climbing.
Step
In the silence which lingered for a while, the familiar sound of leaves rang out.
“No worries. All safe.”
Step.
Softly saying so, he came down without sound. He should have the weight of an average human, but he landed so smoothly that it felt like nothing.
“Let’s introduce ourselves. Call me Kang, friends.”
And he smiled at the nervous members.
“Uh… if it is Kang, the leader of the second group?”
“For now.”
“Huh. It said that you are like a flying leopard. They say there is no one who can follow you.”
“That is too much. And enough of such talk. During training, everyone here is of the same rank.”
Everyone nodded at that.
Even the captains were trainees here, so it was better to treat each other as equals.
“So, you?”
“I am the leader of the eleventh squad, Jin Kwon. I am confident in sensing energy.”
“Oh, nice to meet you.”
Similar leader level.
Then, Mu Ong and Mak Hwa also introduced themselves. After that, everyone focused on their final member, Seol-Hwi.
“I am Seol-Hwi. The Earth Demon sent me.”
“…!”
“…!”
“…!”
Nervousness and looks of shock could be seen on their faces.
Actually, they people had a rough idea on who he was. No matter how much they were fighting each other, they had all been in this training regimen for too long now.
So they realized that Seol-Hwi was someone they were seeing for the first time today. And him being the subordinate of one of the Heavenly Demon’s disciples was something they expected. Of course, even when expecting something, it was shocking when they agreed to it.
“Woah… that is a good sign. The Earth Demon’s subordinate, who is all mysterious.”
When the atmosphere was about to turn awkward, the man called Kang intervened.
“In this group training, we need strong and reliable allies. We need to work together. This is the most important test. Nice to be in the same group, Seol-Hwi.”
“Thank you for saying that.”
Seol-Hwi nodded.
Certainly Kang was someone worthy of being the group leader.
In a situation where everyone was exhausted from the training since early in the morning, they gained some time to check their surroundings and climb around. And in that short time, they spoke and formed a sense of familiarity.
It felt very natural, and he could see that this was not a first for them.
“I am Mu Ong. Nice to meet you.”
“I am Mak Hwa. Look after me.”
“Me too, I am glad that I don’t have to worry about being back stabbed.”
Mu Ong made a sarcastic remark, but thanks to Kang lightening up the atmosphere, everyone smiled.
One by one, after everyone briefly introduced themselves, Kang spoke again.
“Now, then. I think it would be better to take a position before the instructor arrives.”
“I agree. The place here…”
Rustle
Mu Ong pulled something out shirt chest, a map. The material was parchment, and there was a map drawn on it. Paper was easily damaged if it came into contact with water, so it seemed like he prepared in advance.
“…About 10 miles. The large ones are rough. Bamboo growing on the right side, and pine trees on the left. I think it will be easier to hide in the pine forest than the bamboo.”
Swish
Mu Ong drew the design on the ground and said,
“It will be better to find the tallest one and head there. Since it is high, we can see the area and movements of others too.”
“Hmm.”
At those words, Mak Hwa nodded. Jin Kwon also agreed, but Kang looked a little worried.
“Not a good idea.”
Seol-Hwi openly said he did not like this, and that made everyone look at him. He made a round circle and drew on the picture Mu Ong had made.
“It is good for us to go higher and observe where the others are, but at the same time, this position can be easily discovered.”
“What do you mean? This is stealth…”
“I think the instructor will agree with you.”
“Ah…”
Mu Ong, who was shocked, went silent, and Kang nodded his head.
No matter how the instructor would be, they would say that getting to the highest point was a good one.
Because getting a good look at their surroundings was a good idea.
“It is best not to.”
Even if their stealth skills were exceptional, it would be difficult to avoid the eyes of those looking for traces of them.
And even if these five were skilled, the opponent will be an instructor. And he was sure to be more talented than the trainees.
“…So. Your thoughts are?”
As soon as he expressed his opinion, Mu Ong, who was refuted, asked for a solution.
Seol-Hwi looked down and then mumbled,
“Do we hunt? Or do we want to be the prey?”
“…?”
“…?”
Seeing their puzzled gaze, Seol-Hwi added more,
“Everyone is so obsessed with not being caught by the instructor, but this is tactical training. It means that it isn’t the instructor who is important.”
“…What are you talking about?”
“Right, so there is no need to hide. It is a fight where the other group has to be caught by the instructor before we are.”
“…!”
“…!”
“…!”
For a moment, everyone opened their mouths, because this was a unique approach.
“Hunting? That is what it means to not prey.”
Kang laughed. He understood where Seol-Hwi was going with this.
It was not about hiding and waiting for the time to run out. Rather, they should be proactive and leave traces of other groups and make it easier for the instructor to find them.
“Hunting is more fun than being the prey.”
“Of course.”
“I agree.”
Everyone agreed with the words, and Kang smiled again.
“Everyone knows basic tracking right?”
It would be difficult to fool the instructor with their stealth. But this also meant they would be able to find other trainees.
Because wouldn’t it be easier to find the signs of other troops?
Swish
The first thing they saw was a blade, it was covered with mud and leaves.
Next, grass and tree parts were put onto their clothes.
Step
It was a problem if their camouflage did not work, and if it was too much, they would stand out. They put the right amount of grass on their bodies, so if they were going to pass through a grassy place, no one would find them.
“How do I look?”
“Good. Me?”
“Too much. Lighten up more.”
“Damn it.”
All the members put mud onto the visible body parts and checked each other. Another person was brushing off excess grass.
By the time they were done, they looked like they would be missed in the woods.
Look at him.
Kang narrowed his eyes, looking at Seol-Hwi.
Rustle
Seol-Hwi, like this, was covered in mud and grass. But he added one more thing.
It was the bird poop. Or the animals secretions which have marked their lands, all rubbed to his body.
Body smell.
It was quite an important part in stealth, the smell.
When people perceived their surroundings, they relied heavily on their vision. The top priority was to properly hide with grass and mud.
But the sweat and the smell, it was the smell which gets noticed way too easily. And for this reason it was not just the appearance but even smell which should be handled.
“Pretty good.”
“Right.”
Of course, it was natural for the Blood Strong Troops who are used to executing ambushes. Everyone covered themselves well.
However, to see an outsider do such a thing, and spread animal poop on themselves without making a scene was something else.
In addition, Seol-Hwi surprisingly buried his weapon in the ground. And those who did not like Seol-Hwi before now looked embarrassed.
“That one. Seems pretty fine.”
This guy. Where is he from?
Kang wondered about it. Judging by his actions and how prepared he was, he would pass for someone in their troops.
But was there training like this under the Earth Demon? He thought about it, but could not think of anything.
The Earth Demon has hidden troops, but what else do they have?’
And this was a thing unique to their hall. Everyone used strong words, like Strong, Blood, Death, and Slaughter, so unless it did not stand out, one would not know about it.
“…How do you plan to hunt?”
Kang was trying to understand Seol-Hwi and asked,
“The party which catches my eye.”
Seol-Hwi said, narrowing his eyes.
“Where are they? You see them?”
“No, by smell. They are far, but not too far.”
At Seol-Hwi’s words, Kang smiled back at his crew who were done preparing.
“Nice. Let us hunt.”
On the other hand,
Yo Su-gwang, in the fourth group—
Kwak!
“Kuak! Kua…”
One of the members was grabbed by the collar and pinned to a wall.
“Just shut up and follow me before I kill you all.”
“Kuak…”
“…”
“…”
Everyone else went silent. All of them were members of the Blood Strong Troops and could have spoken back, but they did not disobey this man.
They were all warriors who were skilled, but the one in front of them was Peak Demon.
Damn it…
There was someone stronger than Yo Su-gwang in their group, and it was Heol Sabi.
Shit. Still, I cannot come out…
Since he was pretending to be a member of the Blood Strong Troops, he could not display abilities greater than the role he was given.
“Change your breathing pattern. This place is different from water. If you want to stand on a tall tree branch, you will have to make your hand lighter.”
The hiding place Yo Su-gwang chose was up a tree.
Burying oneself in soil or hiding in the crevices of shady rocks was a good way to hide, but if someone approached, one would have to hold their breath and wait for them to pass.
So they wanted to prioritize getting a good look of their surroundings first.
This was why they chose trees which were tall and added camouflage on their clothes. Even if they moved, they could not be seen completely from below.
“It doesn’t matter if we get caught. We will move to the south. And I will lure the instructor and move north.”
Yo Su-gwang’s decision came from his skill.
It did not matter if he got caught. It was the thought that if it happened, after giving the instructor his location, he would move to not get caught and get extra points.
“…Fine. I will trust you.”
“Well. I think you will do well.”
At Yo Su-gwang’s words, the members did not respond.
They did not hate it, and it was impossible to speak back when the difference in the skill was this high.
On top of that, the idea of making an attack on the instructor sounded great.
And since he shouted loudly, he should do something.
“Uh?”
Then, one of the four members lowered his head. It was because they felt something odd.
Did I hear it wrong?
The forest was noisy. The birds chirped, and there were bugs. There was a lot of noise from even the dry leaves around.
It could be a bird… he turned his head to try to hear it better.
Crack
The sound of the tree branch being broken.
“You, who are you?”
“Hmm…?”
Yo Su-gwang reacted to it.
There was a figure covered in camouflage. Perhaps a member of a different group was breaking the branches to hide traces of their feet on the ground.
“Ehh. You want to die?”
Despite the words which were a clear warning, the guy did not care. But the other ones surely did.
“Such a cheeky one!’
Yo Su-gwang reacted swiftly.
Puak!
Spreading his technique out, he came down in an instant and slammed the opponent’s head down, trying to knock him down with a single hit.
Puak!
“…!?”
However, the opponent avoided it too easily. And he managed to move head on.
“…What are you doing!”
Yo Su-gwang was enraged now.
The mask, the clothes, and in addition, the opponent had this disgusting smell and grass on him. His face could not be seen, but somehow, he could not laugh at him.
“What am I doing? I am hunting.”
“…What?”
“I marked it from the exit until here. But now… when the instructor comes, he will follow the trail and run.”
“What an insane bastard….”
“Wouldn’t that be enough? Are you yelling for the instructor to come here?”
“…!”
Yo Su-gwang’s eyes turned bright red ,and his head began to work. The opponent intentionally created this situation for him to be discovered.
“It is rather good. If I defeat you now, won’t you be discovered?”
Seol-Hwi nodded at those words.
“Ah, there is one way.”
“I should just not kill you.”
Seeing the other person, Yo Su-gwang was convinced. There was no weapon on the opponent, so one hit should do.
When he dug in—
Tatatat!
He could feel the presence from afar. And someone stepped in.
“But what do we do now?”
Seol-Hwi said it like he had been waiting for that moment.
“I think the instructors are almost here.”
It was going to be a situation where two groups get hit at the same time. And even then, Seol-Hwi had the last laugh.
