Chapter 57

Chapter 57.

Bang!

The heavy gate of the Black Dragon Gang, which had not been repaired for long, screamed under a fierce kick.

The gate rang again and again from the crude kicks being delivered from outside.

“Come out! You brat who calls himself Black Dragon, or is it Earth Dragon—earthworm?”

“To think you would claim the title of dragon when you are merely ranked one-hundredth on the Wind and Cloud Ranking! I will cut down that arrogance with a single stroke today!”

“You Black Dragon Gang bastards, open the gate! Are you so afraid that you have hidden in a rat hole?”

Beyond the gate, the loud voices of martial artists and wanderers who had flocked in like moths to flame in pursuit of fame crossed the wall and sullied the training ground.

As shouts mixed with curses and mockery flew about, the area before the main gate instantly became as noisy as a marketplace.

However, the firmly closed gate showed no sign of opening.

It was not because of fear, but solely to avoid breaking the flow of training.

Whooooo—.

Inside the wall, the air of the training ground was strangely cold, yet also hot.

“.......”

More than a hundred gang members were practicing Black Dragon Dynamic Art in perfect order.

Their rough breathing filled the training ground.

As if they could not hear the vulgar noise from outside in the first place, the gang members’ gazes were fixed only on one place atop the platform.

Rustle.

On the platform, Uncheon slowly straightened his body after finishing his demonstration of Black Dragon Dynamic Art.

In the eyes of the gang members who had witnessed the new Gang Leader’s martial prowess before them, a heat that seemed ready to soar to the heavens had settled.

‘Now they are not shaken by noise.’

A satisfied look passed through Uncheon’s eyes.

Until only a short while ago, they had been thugs who swung their fists first at a single insult.

Those same men were now maintaining immovability like boulders, even at the provocations coming over the wall.

The Black Dragon Gang was truly undergoing Bone-Exchange Rebirth.

When Uncheon lightly lowered his hand, his voice settled low over the training ground that had sunk into silence.

The voice imbued with inner arts swallowed the uproar outside the gate in an instant and struck clearly into the ears of the gang members.

“Withdraw your force and pay attention for a moment.”

When the voice imbued with inner arts struck their ears, the gang members all adjusted their postures at once.

“Since you have trained your bodies by learning basic dynamic arts until now, starting today, the Black Dragon Gang will divide itself into weapon divisions and rebuild the foundation of the sect. Remember this. You are no longer street rabble wandering through the marketplace. You are martial artists of this gang who pursue martial power.”

A declaration for reconstruction.

A strange feeling called pride bloomed in the gang members’ hearts.

At that moment, one gang member standing near the front of the line carefully asked.

“Gang Leader, how will the weapon divisions be divided?”

Instead of answering, Uncheon pointed in turn to the four assistants standing beside the platform.

Then Uncheon called the names of the four instructors.

“Spear arts will be handled by Jin Sowol, saber arts by Yayul Hui, and sword arts by Drunken Sword Yi Mok. And Little Dragon, you will carry out the duties of Chief Steward while also teaching fist arts and external arts.”

At Uncheon’s call, the four of them stepped forward.

Traditionally, there was a saying passed down in the martial world: a hundred days for the spear, a thousand days for the saber, and ten thousand days for the sword.

It meant that the spear’s basics could be laid in a hundred days, the saber took a thousand days, and the sword required ten thousand days—in other words, a full thirty years—to understand its principles.

People commonly used this saying to mean that the sword was the most profound weapon, but Uncheon’s thoughts were a little different.

‘If something is difficult to handle, that also means it takes longer to turn into combat power.’

A sword had blades on both sides and could even thrust, so it was truly an all-rounder.

However, because of that, one had to be able to handle diverse and irregular sword paths, and the slender blade also had to endure heavy weapons, so it was difficult to wield properly.

On the other hand, the spear made it easy to take advantage of distance, and the saber showed quick progress in actual combat through tyrannical power.

Uncheon was curious what path this rabble would choose according to their own natures.

As it happened, the Black Dragon Gang had gathered three experts capable of showing the essence of the spear, saber, and sword.

Jin Sowol of the ever-changing spear, Yayul Hui of the mad-wind swift saber, and Yi Mok of the strange and wondrous sword.

“This is your chance to prove your aptitude. Each of you, stand before the weapon you wish to receive instruction in.”

No sooner had Uncheon finished speaking than the gang members began their silent battle of glances.

“Move.”

The moment Uncheon gave the short command, more than a hundred gang members all moved their feet at once.

There was no sign of the confusion they had shown in the past.

Having run at dawn while enduring the weight of Black-Steel Cold Iron, they now clearly knew the direction their instincts led them.

The place where the largest crowd gathered was before Yayul Hui.

Swift saber arts and tyrannical power. To them, who had come from a background as thugs, the saber was the most familiar and seemingly powerful weapon.

Yayul Hui looked at the dozens of gang members lined up before her and coldly raised the corner of her mouth.

“I will say this in advance, but I cannot teach you the saber arts of the Mad Wind Yayul Family.”

At that moment, the crowd gathered before Yayul Hui flinched.

“......!”

“However... I received permission to pass on the Mad Blood Saber Art, so there is no need to be disappointed.”

“The Mad Blood Saber Art?!”

“Mad Blood Saber Je... Jeok Mugwang!”

“Even if it is not the saber art of the Mad Wind Yayul Family... that is more than enough!”

Jeok Mugwang, who was also an instructor of the Hidden Demon Cave, was highly famous within the school.

Yayul Hui gave a faint laugh.

‘I wonder if they know that the one who fought on equal footing with Instructor Jeok Mugwang was Uncheon.’

When Uncheon first proposed that she become an instructor of the Black Dragon Gang, Yayul Hui had been dumbfounded.

[You want me to become an instructor? I am not an insider of the Black Dragon Gang, only a guest retainer...?]

However, after hearing the explanation that followed, she had no choice but to accept it.

[If you want to teach others, you have no choice but to look back on yourself. Right now, you have learned the Mad Wind Saber, the Mad Blood Saber, and even the Wind God Dance not long ago. However... it seems you have yet to harmonize the three martial arts. This will be a chance to calmly look back on yourself.]

In truth, Yayul Hui had secretly pondered until dawn every day to harmonize the three martial arts, but she had not yet found an answer.

[If you put it that way, I have no choice but to accept....]

In the end, she had accepted Uncheon’s proposal.

However, once she had taken responsibility, she had not the slightest intention of doing it half-heartedly.

“If you look down on saber arts as easy, you will suffer badly. A higher martial art that can reach the Peak Realm is on an entirely different level from what is learned in the military!”

Yayul Hui spoke as she glared at the gathered gang members.

Quite a few gang members also gathered before Jin Sowol.

They were those fascinated by her, who symbolized the legitimacy of the Black Dragon Gang, and by the splendid yet overwhelming majesty of the banner spear they had witnessed yesterday.

Jin Sowol lightly struck the training ground floor with the banner spear engraved with the Black Dragon’s pattern.

Thud—!

The Black Dragon Gang’s flag attached to the end of the spear shaft fluttered.

The flag instinctively drew the gang members’ eyes.

“If you stood before me thinking of the splendor of the banner spear, turn back immediately.”

“......?”

The gang members wore puzzled expressions.

“A long weapon is a weapon that dominates the opponent’s distance. A real long-handled weapon is far removed from splendor. Moreover, the flag is the symbol of the gang. Its weight is heavier than anything else! Are you prepared to shoulder that?”

Jin Sowol’s voice was cold and firm.

Even as she spoke to the gang members, she was reflecting on the words Uncheon had given her.

[People often call the spear the king of all weapons. It has a long reach and is easy to handle. However, that also makes it difficult to become an expert. Especially the flag—it is nothing but an obstruction if you are not sufficiently skilled.]

Jin Sowol nodded.

That was why she had removed the flag from the spear and used it like an irregular spear art instead of using the banner method that employed the banner spear.

[However... if you properly master the banner method, the flag is not an obstruction but a weapon in itself. One that can even perform attacks impossible with a spear.]

“...!”

[Therefore, removing the flag is nothing but degradation. Even if you have difficulty handling the flag for now, realize the original banner method.]

Jin Sowol realized that the path she had thought was a shortcut had instead been the road that circled far around.

‘The Gang Leader’s words match Father’s words...!’

After that day, Black Dragon Heaven-Churning Spear regained the original name it had lost.

Black Dragon Heaven-Churning Banner.

Swoosh!

When Jin Sowol swung the banner spear, the black flag cut through the air and let out a sharp tearing sound.

“To hold the flag means you are the first to stand out in the enemy’s eyes. It is also the pride of your allies. Only those confident they can bear it should remain!”

The gang members gulped dryly at her razor-sharp force and straightened their backs.

The most unexpected sight unfolded before Drunken Sword Yi Mok.

There were only seven applicants.

They were the fewest in number, but each of their gazes was blazing, and a strange venom was settled within them.

They were the small number of oddballs who wished to pursue the difficult-to-handle sword, and among swords, the principles of the Drunken Sword that twisted common sense.

Yi Mok gulped down liquor, then looked over them with hazy eyes.

“The sword... is an elite few, it seems. Heh heh. But what can I do? My sword cannot be learned while sober.”

Yi Mok staggered and drew his sword.

The moment he gripped the sword, the flow of the air changed.

“The sword is something whose end cannot be known even if one trains in it for a lifetime. Especially my sword pursues not the proper, but the strange. Any bastard who wants to walk the same path as everyone else can go to the saber or spear even now.”

Despite Yi Mok’s warning, the seven gang members did not move.

To them, Yi Mok’s strange and wondrous movements were far more attractive than the martial arts of the Orthodox Faction.

Moreover, Yi Mok was an expert much older than Yayul Hui or Jin Sowol.

Lastly, those gathered before Little Dragon were all big men with bear-like builds who looked strong enough to use their strength.

They were martial brutes who trusted their fists and bodies more than weapons.

Little Dragon welcomed the gang members while showing off his muscles, which looked ready to burst.

“The Black Iron Steel Body reinforced by the Gang Leader is no longer the mediocre external art of the past.”

After receiving Black Dragon Dynamic Art, his Black Iron Steel Body had begun to open up a new realm.

When Little Dragon circulated Black Iron Steel Body, a dark red-black sheen rose on his skin.

“I do not know about changes or techniques like the other instructors, but I do know one thing. If you put in the effort, anyone can become strong. The body is honest.”

“......!”

“Only those bastards who are confident they will work harder than anyone, even if their bones break and their flesh splits, should stand before me!”

If Little Dragon, who had been the Young Gang Leader, were only an ordinary fool who played petty tricks, the Black Dragon Gang would have collapsed long ago.

The damaged formula.

The years he had protected the Black Dragon Gang alone without any expert to guide him.

Even so, Little Dragon had trained in Black Iron Steel Body every day, and at some point, he had reached a First Rate level with only an incomplete external art.

It was truly a victory of tenacity.

There were not few gang members who followed such Little Dragon.

The heat and shouts erupting from all directions filled the training ground.

Uncheon sat cross-legged atop the platform again and looked down at the gang members moving in perfect order, divided into four sections.

They held different weapons, but there was only one common will settled in their eyes.

The primal desire of martial artists to become stronger than yesterday.

‘These bastards... belong to the Demonic Cult, but it cannot yet be said that they have been dyed by the Demon.’

Uncheon’s eyes sank coldly.

The enormous monster called the Demonic Cult kidnapped and brainwashed countless people, using them as expendable tools of the “Demon.”

However, if one looked into their essence, they too were merely martial artists with a desire to become stronger.

What if they could be led not toward the madness of the Demonic Path, but toward the path of pure martial power?

‘That will be the path of raising my own power while also gnawing at the roots of the Demonic Cult from the bottom.’

The Demonic Cult was, in the end, a place ruled by the logic that The Strong Are Exalted.

If he could prove overwhelming strength without following the Demon, then there would be no need to sell one’s soul to the Demon’s madness.

‘Separate the Demon and martial power from inside the Demonic Cult!’

Beyond simply rebuilding a sect, he would cultivate a group in the heart of the Demonic Cult that revered pure martial power untainted by the Demon.

That was the beginning of the greatest revenge Uncheon had designed.

“It seems everyone has chosen a weapon division.”

Uncheon’s gaze turned to the firmly closed gate.

“You cowardly bastards! Do you really plan to hide behind the gate until the sun sets?”

“Black Dragon Gang Leader, crawl out here immediately!”

The gate had now reached its limit under the fierce kicks.

Uncheon quietly opened his mouth.

“Is everyone ready?”

“Yes, Gang Leader!”

When all the gang members raised their voices and answered with all their might, the martial artists outside the gate, who had been pounding on it, flinched.

“Wh-What? What is happening inside?”

“What are those shouts...?”

Then Uncheon gave an order.

“Little Dragon. Go and lift the bar.”

“I obey your command!”

At Uncheon’s quiet order, Little Dragon grasped the heavy bar with a savage smile.

Clack!

“As those dogs are barking like that, continuing to pretend not to know would not be proper etiquette as the Gang Leader.”

Creeeeeak—!

The firmly closed gate of the Black Dragon Gang opened wide.

Under the pouring noon sunlight, the martial artists who had been shouting outside the gate froze all at once.

What they faced were not frightened thugs.

Beneath the fluttering Black Dragon flag stood more than a hundred martial artists lined up in formation.

The gang members were emanating a razor-sharp force.

At that sight, the challengers unconsciously took one step back.

“Those who wish to challenge the Black Dragon Gang, step forward!”