WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

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◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈

Chapter 271: Someone's Malice (2)

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“What in the world is going on?”

Seong Moran's face hardened.

Having received a Mu rating, she would be in danger if she failed this practical evaluation.

“I can understand the Blue Force and White Force, but why is the Red Force...?”

The Academy students stationed at the entrance to Red Mountain were opening the way as though it were only natural.

Everyone fell silent at the absurd sight.

“Their intentions are so obvious that it isn't even funny.”

Eunho sneered coldly.

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

As Eunho said, half their forces still remained on Blue Mountain and White Mountain.

“How kind of the cat to spare a thought for the mouse.”

Fighting the other forces at the beginning was not a good strategy.

They could neither take flags nor increase the number of people in their own unit.

The others had to know that openly ignoring the purpose of an examination meant to assess strategy and tactics would not reflect well on their own evaluations.

Yet they were still moving like this.

There was no other explanation. Their intentions were malicious.

‘It's been a while since I've felt malice this slimy and persistent.’

Unless my life was on the line on a battlefield, I had never felt hostility this intense.

Either way, I couldn't let it swallow us whole.

I looked over my platoon.

“If we wait here, we'll be surrounded. We'll make the first move.”

“How?”

“Isn't their intention obvious? Then we'll crush it completely.”

I tightened my grip on the Black Dragon Sword.

As I stepped forward, the Taeul Sect disciples moved into position without a word.

They naturally began forming the White Tiger Sword Formation.

Seong Moran and Namgung Seonhwa, who had taken the regular examination with us, took charge of the formation's left and right wings. Moyong Jaehwa fitted an arrow with a weight in place of its head and climbed a tree.

The group led by Jang Woojae followed behind our platoon.

“Move aside if you don't want to fight!”

A few platoons hesitated at my shout before clearing the way.

Those who tried to strike at our rear after we passed were immediately met by Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran's blades and sent sprawling to the ground.

Whenever Seong Moran struck someone's face with the flat of her sword, several teeth flew into the air.

“Get lost unless you're going to fight fair! We won't show mercy!”

At Seong Moran's clear, ringing voice, those rushing at us faltered and backed away.

After Seong Moran and Namgung Seonhwa displayed such frightening skill, the number of people attacking our rear dropped sharply.

Still, plenty of Red Force platoons remained in our path.

Thud!

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

Once the fight began, Eunho moved to the center of the formation and shouted, “Advance!”

As we ran, we maintained the White Tiger Sword Formation and began engaging the White Force.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Our blades collided, but attacks without internal energy lacked their usual sharpness.

The recoil between the blades was stronger than usual, making every opening that much clearer.

I swung the Black Dragon Sword at the face of an opponent whose jaw was exposed.

Striking the jaw with a blade carried the risk of cutting off someone's head if I made a mistake, but when done precisely, few methods were more effective.

Thud! Thud!

“Urgh!”

“Gah!”

Two people rolled back their eyes and collapsed in an instant.

Swords full of shock and anger at losing their comrades rained down on me like lightning.

I had more than enough time to dodge, but I didn't need to.

Clangclangclangclangclang!

I had a sturdy shield blocking five swords for me.

“Fuck! Isn't using a shield cheating?”

“Don't you have any martial honor?”

The Academy students, unable to perform as well as usual because of the Gentleman's Powder, spat curses, but Geumpyo didn't care.

Instead, he gripped his Vajra Shield even tighter.

“Then use one yourselves!”

With a desperate battle cry, Geumpyo shoved away every sword caught against the Vajra Shield.

Dongryong slipped through the opening.

The Taeul Sect's Lesser Heaven Sword Art was a swift sword art that followed the most efficient paths.

A sword art built around thrusting in straight lines was at a terrible disadvantage in this environment, but Dongryong had no trouble with it.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

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

A Heavenly Killing Star was still a Heavenly Killing Star, even without internal energy.

Dongryong gave full play to his restrained urge to kill and subdued his enemies in moments.

White Force platoons collapsed unconscious after being struck in vital areas without warning, while others vomited as their stomachs churned.

“Spearhead!”

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

While Dongryong tore through the platoons, Saryeon shot forward and subdued the other enemies.

Swish!

Thud!

Two people fell helplessly at Saryeon's hands.

Perhaps her closed-door training had paid off. Even though she was moving hurriedly, Saryeon's breathing did not falter.

“Spread out!”

The formation opened into an arrowhead as Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran led the left and right wings forward.

Our platoon surrounded the White Force platoon as if embracing it, then brought down every opponent at once.

When an entire White Force platoon became unable to fight in the blink of an eye, the Red Force platoons seemed to sense the danger and began moving toward us.

Then someone attacked those platoons from behind.

“You fucking idiots!”

“Don't you understand that the Red Force winning is our ultimate victory, you turtle-brained morons!”

The one shouting as loudly as if he were unleashing a Lion’s Roar despite having taken Gentleman's Powder was...

“Oh, traitor!”

“Enough with calling me a traitor already...!”

It was none other than Nam Hwaseong.

He joined our side, then shouted at the other Red Force members.

“Crack open the heads of those idiots!”

“Yes, sir!”

Nam Hwaseong had somehow gathered enough people to form a company, and they began attacking the Red Force members causing trouble from behind.

Even a grub had its tricks. Using his fist and kicking arts, Nam Hwaseong swept through the battlefield like a war chariot.

Thudthudthudthudthud!

After knocking out six Academy students in moments, he became the enemy's highest-priority target and was eventually surrounded by another Red Force platoon.

I turned toward Nam Hwaseong and took the flags of the Red Force platoon opposing us one by one.

“Huh? When did you...?”

“I'll hear later what you all plotted.”

“P-Plotted...?”

“Shut up and guard your position. If the Blue Force or White Force takes it from you...”

I looked directly at the Red Force students whose flags I had taken and drew a finger across my throat.

“Consider the rest of your Academy life over.”

Leaving the pale-faced Academy students behind, I helped the surrounded Nam Hwaseong deal with the remaining enemies.

“Huff, huff! Jin Sowoon! Th-thank...”

“Why are you gasping like that? Don't you train without internal energy normally?”

For a moment, he looked touched. Then he cursed.

“Y-You bastard. I came to help you, and this is what I get?”

“If you're going to help, do it properly. Enough, hand over your flags.”

“...Fuck.”

Nam Hwaseong looked at me as if wondering what kind of bastard I was.

But what was he going to do if he didn't like it?

“Why? Want to settle this here?”

“...”

“You already formed a company, so you must've earned enough points anyway.”

“...A-All right.”

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

I took them, then gestured ahead with my chin.

“Do you know anything?”

“About what?”

“Do you know why those bastards are moving like that?”

This situation was anything but normal.

There had to be some malicious scheme behind it...

“Isn't it just because everyone hates you?”

Huh? What kind of bullshit was that?

“Who? Why? Where else would you find a good man like me?”

“...Are you insane?”

Nam Hwaseong wore the expression of someone who had just heard that the sun rose in the west.

Then, as if sighing, he said, “I hate you more than anyone.”

“You still decided to join my side.”

“That's because you made a promise...!”

“Yeah, yeah. I'll keep it. So you don't know anything?”

“Right.”

I shook my head at him.

“What a useless traitor.”

“Fuck, I even gave you my flags, and you're still calling me a traitor?”

“Enough! Bring everyone in your company over here.”

“Then our position...”

“Is that position the issue right now? We're on the verge of being eliminated. Push back the White Force first.”

“Got it!”

He claimed to hate me, yet he didn't argue with a single word I said.

Watching Nam Hwaseong's back, I let out a small laugh.

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

“Charge!”

Perhaps Nam Hwaseong had gathered only people with personalities similar to his own. No one showed any reluctance at his command.

No, some rushed forward before Nam Hwaseong did.

Then, among them...

“Huh?”

Yayul Geuk, who had definitely been inside the formation until a moment ago, was there as well.

When did he get out?

“You dog bastards!”

Yayul Geuk attacked without mercy, as if he had encountered enemies he could never forgive.

Crack! Thud!

“Argh!”

Without internal energy, Flower-Grafting and Four Ounces Move a Thousand Pounds were among the most effective methods of attack.

Yayul Geuk was making a complete mess of the enemy formation, no less than Nam Hwaseong's platoon of fist and kicking artists.

Well, he was definitely useful too.

While our forces, led by Nam Hwaseong and Yayul Geuk, wiped out the White Force...

“Who could it be...?”

I watched the entire field whenever I found an opening between fights.

The three forces had begun fighting before the ranks within each force had even been sorted out.

Such an irrational development was impossible without someone's intent behind it.

This evaluation also put the students themselves at risk of elimination.

Even if our platoon was eliminated early, only Seong Moran and Geumpyo among us would be expelled from the Academy.

If the others were eliminated early because of a bad strategy, they too could be expelled depending on their examination scores.

Even so, they were going against the original purpose of the evaluation to focus their attacks on our platoon.

‘Hah. This is really pissing me off.’

The desire to beat down whoever had set up this malicious situation gradually rose within me.

Then...

“Huff! Huff! Representative!”

Jang Woojae approached, sweat pouring down his face as though he had been worn out by the intense movement.

“Huff, huff. This is an urgent situation, but I thought I should tell you.”

“What is it?”

“Before the examination began, a strange rumor spread.”

I turned my gaze toward Jang Woojae.

“A rumor?”

“Yes. A rumor that you didn't properly form the Representative Corps because you were pursuing your own interests.”

A rumor about how I ran the Representative Corps...

I remembered Cheol Sunjik's stiff expression as he left my office a few days ago.

Keeping watch on the front, Jang Woojae continued.

“We assumed it was the usual sort of thing and let it pass...”

The moment I heard Jang Woojae's story, the pieces began falling into place.

It had started with Cheol Sunjik bringing the absurd idea of a Council to the Representative Corps.

And now there was this irrational situation unfolding in the strategy and tactics evaluation.

From Cheol Sunjik's perspective, he had never had anything to lose, no matter what choice I made.

If I accepted his proposal, he would control the Representative Corps through the Council.

If I rejected it, he would use that as justification to launch a malicious operation like this during the strategy and tactics evaluation.

He had tied his interests to every possible outcome.

“Hah...!”

He was doing exactly what he had done during the Orthodox-Demonic War in my previous life, even within the Academy.

“Wow, that fucking bastard is clever.”

“Pardon?”

“Oh, I mean Cheol Sunjik.”

I calmly explained it to Jang Woojae.

“We fell into the scheme he set up from the start.”

“Then did he really use that absurd rumor?”

It made sense that Jang Woojae looked like that. It was hard to understand through ordinary logic.

But our opponent was Cheol Sunjik.

He would have been more than capable of repeating a few of my words in his own voice, then using that snake-like tongue of his to fabricate and incite.

I slowly swept my gaze across White Mountain.

Just as expected.

Near the White Force position, Cheol Sunjik and his group had formed a company.

While he used schemes and others to wear down our platoon, he was leisurely expanding the size of his own force and preparing for battle.

“Hah, hahaha!”

A hollow laugh escaped me.

I had known his intentions, yet I had still fallen for it.

It had been a long time since I had been caught by someone even though I knew what they intended.

Still, I wasn't overcome with helplessness and despair like I had been in my previous life.

Instead, I let the anger rising within me explode in an instant.

“Eunho!”

Eunho, who had been directing the formation, immediately turned his head.

“Yes!”

“We're going to White Mountain.”

“Now?”

I nodded, quiet anger filling me.

“Yes. The bastard who set this up is over there.”

At my gesture, Eunho looked toward the White Mountain position, then asked me with a hard expression.

“Are you going to teach Cheol Sunjik a lesson?”

I gave Eunho a faint smile.

“Yes.”

In my previous life, I had been dragged along helplessly because I couldn't do anything.

This time, I had no intention of letting anyone drag me around as they had before.

Instead, excitement boiled in my chest.

“He'll pull tricks like this whenever he gets the chance. So let's make sure he remembers this.”

“Understood!”

This time, I really needed to crack his skull.

Footnotes:

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