Chapter 74

A few days later. The Guardian Corps officially announced the formation of the Guardian Eighth Division and appointed Jang Gong as its captain. Feng So-un, Deputy Master of the Inner Cabinet Hall, apologized for trying to handle public matters for personal reasons and voluntarily stepped down from his position. As a result, the Deputy Master seat in the Inner Cabinet Hall was left vacant, and fierce competition broke out among its members to claim it. While that series of events was wrapping up peacefully, Baekyeong Martial Academy was filled with a tense atmosphere like the calm before a storm. “Rank 2 intermediate student Wi Gamtae got taken down!” “Yoon Gong was ambushed on his way home!” Bad news began flying into Gwak Pyeong’s ears from all directions. Because of that, Gwak Pyeong called an emergency meeting. Many seats were visibly empty. “Are all the ones who aren’t here... the ones who got hit?” To Gwak Pyeong’s question, Rank 2 Ho Je responded. “Yeah.” “Even Sajin?” “Sajin... got hit yesterday. He’s being treated now at the Southern Medical Hall.” “The culprit... is it Red Shadow?” “Seems like it. Looks like they’re trying to scatter our strength before making a frontal attack.” “I was too complacent. Never thought they’d strike like this.” “What do we do? The losses are too great. If we clash with Red Shadow in this state, it’ll be dangerous.” Gwak Pyeong looked down at the paper in front of him. “Red Shadow picked a lowerclassman as their next candidate for number one, right?” “Looks like that guy’s the one who took down most of our people. Strangely... he uses a martial art with a shield.” “A shield?” “Yeah. It’s called Heavenly Armor Divine Art.” “Heavenly Armor? Never heard of that one.” “Apparently the name comes from the use of the shield.” “Anyway, according to Sima Jin, there’s no opening to attack. If you try, it’s blocked by the shield, and the opponent counterattacks with the shield, so you can’t land a hit. And apparently, he’s strong too...” Yeo Cheon, Gwak Pyeong’s aide, added to the explanation. “There’s even a rumor that Red Shadow’s number one, Jeon Yeokgi, lost to that guy.” Gwak Pyeong’s face stiffened at Yeo Cheon’s words. “This bastard... could he be trying to take over Baekyeong all by himself?” “No way...” “If he beat Jeon Yeokgi, his ego must be through the roof. He probably thinks he can conquer Baekyeong alone.” “Why do you think that?” “If he beat Jeon Yeokgi, no way he’s taking orders from him. And the Jeon Yeokgi I know isn’t the type to attack like this. So this ambush campaign must be this guy’s decision and doing.” “Then what should we do?” “We catch him. At this rate, there won’t be anyone left unscathed.” “He hasn’t touched the lowerclassmen yet, so I guess he’s ignoring them.” “He probably thinks if he subdues the intermediates and seniors, the lowerclassmen will naturally submit.” “But our lowerclassmen aren’t the type to just roll over.” As the two of them spoke, Seon Woo Baek, who had been quietly listening, stood up from his seat. “We’ll catch him.” When Seon Woo Baek stepped forward, Gwak Pyeong tried to stop him. “If we lose you too, that’s unacceptable. Let’s observe a bit longer.” “How long are we going to wait? Our seniors at the academy are getting taken out. If this keeps up, morale will collapse too.” “We have no intel on his martial art. Charging in blind would be suicide.” “If he blocks with his shield, we’ll just smash it along with the shield.” “Even if you go after him, he won’t come looking for you.” “Then we’ll make him come.” “How?” “I’ll go around calling him a coward who hides behind a shield. If he’s proud of his martial art, he’ll definitely come for me.” “You’re going to provoke him to draw him out?” “Yes.” “That’s a dangerous approach.” “Senior, I’m Seon Woo Baek. I’m strong too.” Ho Je sided with Seon Woo Baek. “Woo Baek’s right. He’s got the skills to stand toe-to-toe with that guy.” “Even so...” Gwak Pyeong couldn’t make a decision so easily. Seon Woo Baek was Baekyeong’s future. Though Gwak Pyeong couldn’t unite Baekyeong under Martial God Sect in his time, Seon Woo Baek might be able to. “Leave it to me. I’ll relieve you of your worries, senior.” Gwak Pyeong looked at Seon Woo Baek quietly, then finally gave a faint smile and spoke. “Alright. Give it a shot.” “Yes!” In the end, Gwak Pyeong entrusted the matter to Seon Woo Baek. “Everyone, stay ready to support Seon Woo Baek at a moment’s notice!” Everyone nodded firmly at those words. **** “A martial art that uses a shield?” “Yeah. You know anything about it?” At Seon Woo Baek’s words, Yeon Woo Jin paused to think. “Could it be Heavenly Armor Divine Art?” “Yes! That’s the one! You know it?” “I think I remember. It’s a martial art that uses two shields to attack and defend at the same time.” “Two?” “Yeah. Shields that can completely cover the body like a walnut shell. The outer surface has several embedded spikes, and the rim of the shield is lined with sharp edges like a blade.” “So it needs special shields for that martial art.” “That’s right. It only works with the specific kind described in the martial arts manual. Judging from the fact that none of the victims died, he must be using a practice version without spikes or blades.” “Can’t you just smash the shield altogether?” At Jang Un’s question, Yeon Woo Jin chuckled and said: “Well, if the practitioner hasn’t mastered it to a high degree, that’s possible. But if they’ve trained it to its peak, it’s not that easy. They coat the shield with a barrier of inner energy — a steel aura membrane.” “Is there no way to break through it?” “You actually already gave the answer, Jang Un.” “I did?” “Yeah. It’s not that hard. You just break the shield with even greater force.” Easier said than done. Just how strong do you have to be to destroy a shield that has a steel aura membrane? “Good. Experiencing new martial arts like this helps you grow faster. Think hard about how you can break through it.” At Yeon Woo Jin’s challenge, everyone began a heated discussion with serious expressions. At first, Yeon Woo Jin listened with interest, but when one outlandish idea after another came out, he lost interest and closed his eyes. Then, suddenly, everything went quiet at one person’s comment. “If he’s our age, he probably can’t maintain a full steel aura membrane.” “Huh?” “Think about it. Someone our age covering their entire shield with a steel aura barrier? That would make him way above our level.” “That’s... true.” “Woo Jin mentioned the steel aura membrane as an example of mastery. But we just need to figure out how to break the shield itself.” “Right! That makes sense.” “If Heavenly Armor Divine Art truly had no weakness, it’d be the number one martial art in the world by now. But nobody even knows about it. There must be some big flaw.” “Probably because other martial artists looked down on it. A martial artist using a shield? Even a stray dog would laugh.” “That’s probably why the founder trained in secret.” “It’s a coward’s martial art.” The conversation was veering off-track. Jang Un stood up and clapped to bring the overheated kids back in line. “Guys! You’re going off topic. Let’s focus on how to break Heavenly Armor Divine Art.” That’s when Seon Woo Baek suddenly stood up. “Walnut!” “Huh?” He suddenly stood up and yelled “walnut”? “A walnut’s shell is tough, but the inside isn’t. Shake it and you can hear it rattle inside.” “Huh?” “The outside’s hard, but the inside isn’t. And there’s nowhere to dodge inside either.” “Oh! That’s right! Then we could use the strike-through-the-mountain method!” “Yeah! As long as we can read his movements, we can do it!” As the kids started coming up with solutions on their own, Yeon Woo Jin, who had been listening quietly, smiled. His time as their teacher was over. Now, they had to learn and make it their own. And they were doing just that. As Yeon Woo Jin stood up, all the kids’ eyes turned toward him. To them, he said: “You’re doing great, so I don’t need to stay here.” The kids’ faces lit up at Yeon Woo Jin’s words. “See you tomorrow.” Leaving those words behind, Yeon Woo Jin walked out. The kids stared at his back for a moment, then returned to their heated discussion. **** A rumor began to spread. That Bang Un of Red Shadow Academy was a coward who hid behind a shield and attacked from within it. Naturally, that rumor reached the ears of Bang Un, the top lowerclassman of Red Shadow Academy and its next successor. Bang—. Upon hearing the rumor, Bang Un stood up, his face flushed red, breathing heavily. “Which bastard went around spouting that kind of shit?!” “B-Baekyeong Academy’s Seon Woo Baek.” “Seon Woo Baek? The heir to Baekyeong Academy?” “Yeah.” “That fucker! I let it slide since he was just a lowerclassman, but he goes around spreading bullshit like that?” Bang Un didn’t have a particularly large build. Because of his smaller frame, he could fit entirely inside the shield. Clank— Clank—. As he grabbed his shields, Bang Un muttered: “I need to go meet that damn bastard.” “Wait. If he provoked you, that means he’s already gathered information about you. Meanwhile, we know nothing about him.” “What the hell does that matter? Didn’t you see? No one’s ever gotten through my shields.” “They couldn’t react properly because they were unfamiliar with your martial art.” “Whose side are you on?” “I’m always on your side. Just wait a bit. We need to learn about the enemy first.” “Hmph! No need! You’ve seen how strong my martial art is. No one can break my shield!” “Bang Un! I’m telling you not to move ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) rashly!” “Shut it! Just sit back and watch what I do. I’ll show you — the first lowerclassman to dominate a regional senior academy.” Ignoring the advice of his longtime friend, Bang Un strapped on his shields and stormed outside. Chasing after him in a hurry— Was Mak Son-oh, Bang Un’s longtime friend, second-ranked lowerclassman of Red Shadow Academy, and his strategist. **** “See? I told you. You can’t just charge in and expect to meet someone.” “He ran! No doubt about it! He heard I was coming!” At Bang Un’s accusation, Mak Son-oh put a hand to his forehead. There was no reasoning with him. Normally he listened well, but whenever someone mocked Heavenly Armor Divine Art, he became completely irrational. Mak Son-oh understood. He knew why Bang Un reacted so sensitively. Heavenly Armor Divine Art was not a respected martial art. Even if you mastered it, it had too many weaknesses — against real experts, it was helpless. That’s why Bang Un’s family had spent generations researching how to overcome those flaws. After countless refinements, they finally created a near-complete version — what Bang Un now practiced. Unlike the past, Heavenly Armor Divine Art had transformed into a martial art that aggressively used the shield as a weapon. Before, it was about cramming one’s body into the shield and throwing it along with yourself to attack. Now it had completely evolved — and Bang Un was proving its power. Even as a lowerclassman, he had dominated Red Shadow Academy. After pacing near Baekyeong Academy for a while, Bang Un eventually turned back toward home. That’s when it happened. “Stop right there!” A sharp voice made him turn — and there stood a group of kids glaring at him with hostility. “Since you’re carrying a shield, you must be Bang Un of Red Shadow!” “I’m Bang Un. And who are you?” “I’m Ho Je from Baekyeong Academy!” “Ho Je? That second-ranked guy from Baekyeong?” “That’s right!” Clank—. Bang Un lowered his shield to the ground with a grin. “So I wasn’t going back empty-handed after all. Baekyeong Academy’s number two... not bad.” Ho Je’s face twisted at Bang Un’s words. “You arrogant bastard! I’ll get revenge for all the kids you’ve taken down!” “If you can, go ahead.” “Get him!” At Ho Je’s command, the kids around him charged at Bang Un all at once. Clank—. Bang Un raised his shield and took his stance. “I’ll show you the greatness of Heavenly Armor Divine Art.” As the kids rushed at him, Bang Un charged in return. “Don’t let him hide inside the shield!” At the word “hide,” Bang Un snapped. “I don’t hide!” Shu-kang—! Bang Un hurled his shield at the charging kids.