Chapter 37: Simulated Battle of the Flame (2)

‘This might actually be useful.’

It felt like I had found an amusing toy.

To be honest, the Three Serpents’ skills were practically trash.

In terms of pure martial ability, they were even weaker than the other two main members in our team.

‘They’re the type that fights using their innate killing intent and viciousness.’

If they survived for another ten or twenty years like this… yes, they might just become a textbook example of an unorthodox faction expert.

‘Their instincts are quite good. They still have potential.’

It didn’t seem like they had learned any proper cultivation techniques.

However, they compensated for their lacking martial skills with impeccable coordination and animalistic instincts.

‘Guys like that grow rapidly once you fill in their missing pieces.’

Alright, time to see what these guys are really capable of.

***

‘I will absolutely catch his eye!’

The eyes of Baeksa, Heuksa, and Jeoksa burned with determination.

The Demonic Three Serpents.

In truth, they came from the backstreets of Miok Fortress. By background alone, they were part of the absolute lowest social class—so much so that it would have been impossible for them to enter Thousand-Day Pass.

Though they gave themselves the grandiose title of “Demonic Three Serpents,” before joining the Thousand-Day Pass, those around them used to call them “Three Worms”, just three measly worms.

The only reason they had come this far was entirely thanks to the power of their godmother, the Lord of the Demonic Heaven Tower.

She hadn’t shown it openly, but the Tower Lord cherished these three quite dearly.

To these ones who yearned for martial arts, she had passed down techniques used by her tower guards—even if they were third-rate.

She had even gone so far as to lie with high-ranking members of the cult who visited the tower, all to get the three admitted into the Thousand-Day Pass.

‘I must succeed—no, I will succeed!’

The Three Serpents wanted to repay their godmother for opening the path for them.

The quickest way to repay that debt was to achieve great results in the Thousand-Day Pass and become successful.

And they had luck on their side.

The kind of “opportunity” that some never got in their lifetime had just shown up right before their eyes.

The eldest, Baeksa, grinned darkly while holding his sword.

“I fell for you at first sight, Young Master!”

“…Hearing something like that from someone with your face gives me the creeps.”

The expression and tone were exactly like some knife-wielding thug from the underworld.

“Th-that’s not what I meant!”

Baeksa frantically waved his hands in denial.

“I—Isaw you suppress Ma Chulsoo, the Young Master of the Blood Dragon Demonic Clan.”

“What? You saw that?”

That entire floor had been reserved, and both the Ma Clan and Jin Clan had their guards there. How?

Jeoksa spoke up shyly.

“W-we’re from the Demonic Heaven Tower where that happened. There are plenty of ways for us to witness such things.”

“Ahh, is that so?”

The Three Serpents swallowed hard.

I could see it in their expressions.

If I rejected them because of their lowborn background, that would be the end of them.

But fortunately for them, I wasn’t the type to care much about birth.

“Watching you that day, we thought—if we were ever to serve a lord, we’d want it to be someone like you, Young Master!”

“We’ll give our utmost loyalty! We know we still have a long way to go…”

“Enough.”

I raised my hand to stop them.

“I understand your enthusiasm, but we’re still in the middle of the mock battle, you know?”

Just like Isaid, I could feel the eyes from all around wondering what the hell these guys were doing, not even caring about friend or foe.

But the Three Serpents didn’t care in the slightest.

They had been through too much hell to feel embarrassed now.

And I liked their boldness.

“Alright, I get it. Let’s continue for now. I’ll evaluate everything after the battle ends.”

“Yes, Young Master!”

Determination blazed in the eyes of the Three Serpents.

***

The team that had won the first power struggle began gaining momentum.

“Temporary retreat!”

Team Four’s leader, Ju Guk-seon, barked the order with a scowling face.

“Switch to the Defense Formation!”

The defensive pattern of the Black Star Sword Formation, the Defense Formation, was used when the formation was being pushed back.

Using it this early on was already a negative point in itself.

“Damn it!”

Ju Guk-seon cursed toward the front lines.

“Those damned bastards! What the hell are they doing?!”

They should have been doing everything they could to take down the enemy, and instead they were messing around like this?

Those lowborn mutts had obeyed orders without complaint until now, and now they’re pulling this kind of stunt during a real match!?

‘Those damn commoners… I’ll never let them off later!’

Right now, without the Three Serpents, she couldn’t win this fight.

Ju Guk-seon’s gaze shifted to Baek Sang-ah, who was waving her flag from afar.

‘At this rate, I’m going to lose to her.’

She harbored a deep inferiority complex toward Baek Sang-ah.

That tiny girl from who-knows-where had dared to outperform her, a direct daughter of the prestigious Ju Clan within the cult.

And with her youthful looks and naïve behavior, she easily drew the attention of all the men—so irritating it couldn’t even be put into words.

‘I’ll definitely flatten your nose one day!’

Though not widely known among the team members, in truth, the team leaders could receive significant bonus points depending on the mock battle results.

Since they had to focus on different responsibilities for two more months than their peers, this kind of special treatment was expected.

‘The Jin Clan’s Young Master is better than I thought. That damned girl, how did she get someone like that as a teammate? He’d suit me so much better.’

Moreover, this team also had Ma Jinseong, a branch member of the Ma Clan.

In terms of sheer power, they were probably the strongest of all the teams.

‘Still… it’s not like I don’t have any options!’

Ju Guk-seon grabbed her flag.

“Switch to the Ascension Formation!”

At those words, the Three Serpents clicked their tongues softly and retreated from the enemy.

Absolute obedience—that was the Three Serpents’ greatest strength.

The moment the order to switch to the Ascension Formation was given, the tangled formation began to slowly realign.

But due to the earlier clash, the team members’ stamina had already been heavily depleted.

‘It doesn’t matter! This exam is about capturing the enemy commander!’

Even if they suffered total defeat, as long as they captured the enemy leader first, they’d win the match.

“Jeoksa, Heuksa! Move to the end of the Ascension Formation!”

“Yes, Team Leader!”

At Ju Guk-seon’s command, the two immediately moved away from Jin Yeomyung without hesitation.

Then—

“Baeksa, you’re the key. Wait for the signal and when I give it, make sure you break that girl’s flag!”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“You’d better. If we lose this mock battle, I’ll crush the Demonic Heaven Tower using the Ju Clan’s power.”

“…!”

Baeksa’s expression stiffened instantly.

Ju Guk-seon’s clan, the Heavenly Justice Ju Clan, was a top-tier family with over a thousand members.

No matter how prestigious the Demonic Heaven Tower was as the cult’s foremost pleasure house, it stood no chance against the Ju Clan.

“Your answer?”

“Y-yes… understood.”

The Demonic Heaven Tower was the home the Three Serpents would return to.

To protect that home, they had to win—no matter what.

Watching Team Four’s maneuvering, Baek Sang-ah quietly came to a conclusion.

‘They’re aiming for me.’

The Ascension Formation was designed to disrupt enemy lines with a single-point breakthrough.

It was usually employed to open a gap in the enemy’s formation before deploying the Battering Ram Formation.

‘But they won’t come straight in.’

Baek Sang-ah knew her peer, Ju Guk-seon’s, personality very well.

She was obsessively fixated on victory—so much so it bordered on pathological—and she had a tendency to mercilessly bite down on any weakness she sensed.

And sure enough.

Just before the clash, while charging in with the Ascension Formation, Ju Guk-seon gave an irregular command.

“Initial Roar Formation!”

“I-It’s the Initial Roar Formation! Move!”

Even though the command came right before impact, the members of Team Four tried to execute it as best they could.

However, because they hadn’t completely mastered it, their formation was inevitably sloppy.

And that gap—Baek Sang-ah saw it.

‘A-an opening!’

In that moment, a perfect counter to Ju Guk-seon’s strategy formed in Baek Sang-ah’s mind.

But it would come at the cost of her allies.

Her mind raced at lightning speed.

‘No hesitation!’

Even a brief moment of doubt would cost them the entire match!

And right then—

—Don’t worry, I can cover for any mistakes you make as team leader.

A voice reached her ears, and Baek Sang-ah made her decision.

“Rapid Flow Formation! Right flank!”

At thesame moment, a response came from the front line as if perfectly coordinated.

“Rapid Flow Formation, right side!”

“Pull them in!”

“Huh? Wh-whoa?!”

Team Four’s members panicked at the seamless maneuver of the opposing team.

Baek Sang-ah’s team had begun pulling Team Four inward like a spiral.

This wasn’t just breaking through—it was creating a space for them to be drawn into.

‘A brawl!’

Ju Guk-seon was flustered.

It was a tactic that dragged the fight into an all-out melee, regardless of injuries.

She never imagined the side with the upper hand would initiate a Rapid Flow Formation first!

“Kraagh!”

“My arm! My arm!”

As the melee broke out in full, injuries erupted across the battlefield.

But Ju Guk-seon didn’t notice any of those sacrifices.

Only one thought consumed her mind now.

‘She read my intent!’

Now, she couldn’t use Baeksa. If she tried to reorganize the formation clumsily, they would lose momentum and be crushed.

‘Nicely done.’

I was the one who shouted Rapid Flow Formation and rallied our team.

From the start, we held the upper hand in terms of power.

At this rate, victory was all but certain.

‘Oh? Still not giving up, huh?’

At that moment, Baeksa and the rest of the Three Serpents were desperately trying to push through the chaos to get to Baek Sang-ah.

‘They might actually break through.’

If so, then I’d better make sure we land the final blow.

I quietly raised my hand toward Baek Sang-ah.

It was one of the pre-planned signals in case we ever encountered this kind of opponent.

Seeing my hand, she nodded slightly.

“Battering Ram Formation! Open!”

“It’s the Battering Ram Formation! Disengage the melee!”

The team members began retreating in perfect unison.

Normally, withdrawing from such a chaotic melee would be no easy feat, but Team Four was already on the verge of collapse.

They were even thankful for the retreat initiated by our team.

“Stop them! I said stop them!”

Ju Guk-seon screamed.

In their current state, Team Four couldn’t stop the charge from our team aiming for a breakthrough.

“Block them somehow, you idiots!”

But the team was too sluggish to execute any new orders.

The only ones still able to move were the Three Serpents, hardened by their vicious intent.

They stepped forward to block my path.

“So the situation is reversed this time.”

“We won’t let you pass!”

“You seem exhausted.”

“If we let you break through here, we’re not qualified to call ourselves your subordinates!”

They stood their ground with desperate resolve.

But the world doesn’t run on resolve alone.

“Well, you don’t have to let me through.”

“…What?”

“Because I’m not the main attacker.”

“N-no way?!”

Baeksa snapped his head back.

“What the hell?!”

His eyes widened in horror.

While all the attention and strength had been focused on me, Ma Jinseong—who had gone largely unbothered the entire time—had sprung toward Ju Guk-seon.

“He—he got through!”

“Stop himmmm!”

By default, a team leader only commands with the flag and doesn’t engage in combat.

So when the formation is broken or a gap is revealed, they’re completely defenseless.

“Damn it!”

Baeksa cursed and tried to retreat.

“Where do you think you’re going? If you really want to be my subordinate, shouldn’t you stay focused on me to the end?”

I blocked Baeksa’s path with a smug grin.

“To think you’d resort to something so cheap!”

“Yeah, it’s a cheap trick that normally wouldn’t work. But you, coming from the back alleys, should know better than anyone.”

Baeksa’s eyes trembled.

“That once you fall for a cheap trick like this—you lose everything.”

Even if Ju Guk-seon was a senior cohort, without a weapon, there was nothing she could do against Ma Jinseong.

Crack!

And so, the flag in Ju Guk-seon’s hand snapped in two under Ma Jinseong’s assault.

The mock battle ended in our victory.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep