Chapter 95: Luck is Also a Skill
Chapter 94 – Luck is Also a Skill
Ruuuumble…!
Along with the vibration, a low rumble of thunder echoed from the cavern.
Gale Squad Captain Cho Rip-pyo, who was waiting at the emergency exit of the shelter, frowned deeply.
“What is that?”
His nerves were already on edge, having thought he heard an explosion from the waterfall a moment ago.
At that moment, a yellow signal flare shot up in the distance, cutting through the sky.
“Captain! It is a signal for reinforcements!”
The Vice Leader flew in like a bird and reported.
“Something must have happened. First Team Leader!”
“Yes, Captain!”
“Take your team and enter! The rest will return to the waterfall with me to support the Blue Wave Corps!”
“As you command!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, the First Team Leader led his team members and entered the emergency access route.
Cho Rip-pyo led the remaining members and leaped toward the waterfall.
‘I hope nothing is wrong…!’
* * *
Swish-swish-swish!
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Water sprayed continuously, and waves of qi erupted in all directions along with the sound of tearing air.
Whenever Paeng Su-hyeok unleashed the Qi-Controlling Divine Wind and fiercely pushed forward with his great saber, Yu Hyeon would find gaps like a ghost and attack.
Even so, the one-eyed man was no pushover; he moved flexibly like a flag fluttering in the wind, evading the sabers and swords.
At those moments, an annoying sword would fly in abruptly, wielded by none other than Ju Yeon-hwa.
“Tch!”
The one-eyed man clicked his tongue and retreated, performing Water Gliding.
Swish-swish-swish!
Splaaash!
Having retreated to the water’s edge, the one-eyed man twisted his single eye fiercely and gnashed his teeth.
“You brats are quite something!”
“You adult bastard are quite something too.”
Paeng Su-hyeok retorted, shrugging his shoulders.
He responded as if teasing, but he was entirely serious.
Just when he carried the Qi-Controlling Divine Wind even faster and executed an unconventional saber technique as Namgung Cheon had advised, he had felt confident that they might be able to win.
Furthermore, the combined attack technique he performed with Yu Hyeon and Ju Yeon-hwa synchronized surprisingly well.
However, the adult bastard was definitely different.
It was said in the Jianghu that the strongest person was not the one with the most powerful martial arts, but the one who survived the longest.
That saying could be a paradox meaning they survived long because they were strong, but it also meant that experience was just as important.
Yu Hyeon was surprised in his own right.
However, he was not surprised by the one-eyed man.
Yu Hyeon, who was capable of making relatively cool-headed judgments, had guessed from the start that the opponent was no easy target.
It was just that Paeng Su-hyeok and Ju Yeon-hwa’s martial arts were being displayed at a much higher level than he had expected.
‘What on earth happened to the two of them in the last few days?’
Paeng Su-hyeok’s martial arts had clearly improved beyond recognition, and Ju Yeon-hwa’s movements had also become less wasteful.
‘Even so… that man is indeed strong.’
They had already exchanged dozens of clashes.
Yet, the one-eyed man showed no signs of exhaustion at all.
Instead, as time passed, the one-eyed man figured out their combined attack technique and was gradually overwhelming them.
The only saving grace was that while the three of them were dealing with the one-eyed man, many of the Blue Wave Corps martial artists who had been suffering in the water mist were rescued.
And the water mist was also gradually thinning out.
“What did you do to Namgung Cheon?”
Paeng Su-hyeok growled like an angry wolf.
“Namgung Cheon…?”
After frowning for a moment, the one-eyed man soon let out an “Ah!” and nodded.
“Was the guy who got crushed and died in there your friend?”
“What…?”
“Don’t worry. I will make sure you meet him soon in the afterlife.”
At the one-eyed man’s words, Paeng Su-hyeok knitted his brow sharply.
“What did you just say…? Namgung Cheon is dead?”
“My apologies if you were close friends.”
As the one-eyed man replied with a sneer, Paeng Su-hyeok’s face flushed red.
“Don’t talk nonsense!”
Charging forward like a gale, Paeng Su-hyeok swung his saber with greater ferocity than ever before.
Swoosh!
Even the mist parted before the blade swinging diagonally.
Clang!
When the one-eyed man raised his sword to block, a heavy impact reverberated through his entire body.
Splaaash!
Water droplets shot straight up in all directions.
‘What kind of brat has this much strength…!’
The one-eyed man’s pupils trembled.
“Haaap!”
Paeng Su-hyeok immediately spun his body and executed the Iron-Blood Returning Wind stance.
Chwaaa!
The water surface surged as if pulled by the blade, creating a wave.
“Impertinent brat!”
Clicking his tongue, the one-eyed man used lightfoot technique to retreat—or rather, he tried to retreat.
But to his surprise, Paeng Su-hyeok pursued him closely.
His movement was incredibly agile, unlike a cadet who was unleashing heavy attacks while swinging a great saber!
‘How can a mere cadet show such movements…!’
The one-eyed man pointed his sword forward with a look of disbelief.
In truth, there were two facts he did not know.
One was the fact that Paeng Su-hyeok was a descendant of the Hebei Paeng Clan.
The martial arts of the Hebei Paeng Clan had the characteristic of being derived from real combat.
Because of this, as they grew increasingly domineering in the midst of fierce battle, their delicacy and sharpness were also refined.
In short, unlike others whose hands and feet became disorganized when their emotions grew intense, the characteristic of the Hebei Paeng Clan was that they instead approached a state of selflessness and drew closer to the true principles of martial arts.
Second was that Paeng Su-hyeok’s skills had improved rapidly after meeting Namgung Cheon.
At first, he had only gotten faster.
However, through this tournament, he had even realized the way to become stronger and more ferocious.
But now, he was told Namgung Cheon was gone.
What? Sorry if they were close friends?
Claaaaang!
Splaaash!
With their weapons locked, Paeng Su-hyeok bellowed like a lion’s roar.
“Cut the crap! We weren’t close friends; that guy was my enemy!”
“……?”
Even in the midst of the chaotic fight, the one-eyed man wore a bewildered expression.
Not close friends, but enemies?
Then didn’t this guy also want Namgung Cheon to die? Why on earth was he acting so agitated and throwing a fit?
Even as he wondered, Paeng Su-hyeok’s strength was so formidable that the one-eyed man had no choice but to channel his internal energy.
‘Tch, my internal energy consumption is too high from fighting three of them simultaneously in a water battle…!’
Regardless, Paeng Su-hyeok opened his mouth wide and kept shouting.
“Do you hear me?! He wasn’t my close friend, he was my family’s enemy! The guy I was supposed to kill with my own hands…! You bastards…! You pieces of shit killed him!”
In that instant, veins bulged on Paeng Su-hyeok’s forearm, pushing the one-eyed man back.
Bang!
“Khh!”
Surprised by the bull-like strength, the one-eyed man widened his eyes, but Paeng Su-hyeok did not charge anymore.
‘That guy…! He poured all of his remaining energy into a single strike!’
He looked to be on the verge of complete exhaustion.
However, Paeng Su-hyeok was not the problem.
“Haaat!”
With a shout erupting from the right, Yu Hyeon flew in, scattering dazzling sword techniques.
Swish-swish-swish-swish!
As variations and feints ran rampant, water droplets continuously splashed up from the water surface swept by the energy wind, dazzling the eyes.
Since a faint red energy fluttered like petals and water droplets splashed everywhere, it was as if plum blossoms were scattering among crystal grains.
‘Mount Hua!’
Taking advantage of the brief lapse in concentration while dealing with Paeng Su-hyeok, Yu Hyeon relentlessly pushed the one-eyed man back.
‘Dammit, to think I would be pushed by these kinds of brats…!’
No more screams were heard from the surroundings.
Perhaps his last remaining subordinate had also died.
Just then,
Sssssst!
Like a snake, a silver stream penetrated toward a vital point.
It was Ju Yeon-hwa’s sword.
“Don’t get cocky!”
The one-eyed man quickly struck back with his sword and shouted.
But the silver snake wrapped around his blade as if by magic, and then lunged straight for his shoulder.
Stab!
“Ugh!”
Swish-swish-swish!
Feeling the pain, the one-eyed man quickly retreated three steps.
However, without giving him a moment to catch his breath, Yu Hyeon and Ju Yeon-hwa swung their swords and rushed at him.
Swish!
Moreover, Paeng Su-hyeok, who somehow still had strength left, ran over while letting out a throat-tearing battle cry.
“Haaaaap!”
Clang!
Two of the three weapons were blocked by the one-eyed man’s sword.
However, the sword Yu Hyeon brandished was staining the one-eyed man’s flank with blood.
“Khhh…!”
The one-eyed man realized that his end was near.
Of course, he would not die from an injury of this level.
It was because he sensed multiple presences beyond the gradually thinning water mist.
Sure enough, dozens of shadows soon emerged through the mist, and Cho Rip-pyo’s voice rang out loudly.
“You bastard! Do not move!”
“Heh. You arrived quickly.”
The one-eyed man twisted his lips, reached into his robe with his left hand, and pulled something out.
“Thunderbolt Bomb!”
Cho Rip-pyo cried out in horror.
“Everyone, fall back!”
However, the fuse of the Thunderbolt Bomb was already lit.
He had lit the fuse using the Samadhi True Fire method from the moment he drew it from his robe.
Considering the explosion radius of the Thunderbolt Bomb, no one in the pool could be guaranteed to survive!
Just then, a barrage of arrows poured down, piercing through the faint mist.
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh…!
Thud-thud-thud…!
The one-eyed man, who became a porcupine in an instant, staggered and took a step back.
Yet even in that state, the one-eyed man did not fall into the water.
“Ho, how tenacious…!”
Paeng Su-hyeok’s eyelids twitched.
In the meantime, the fuse burned down completely.
The one-eyed man smirked.
“Let’s go together. To hell…”
“Khh!”
Paeng Su-hyeok closed his eyes tightly.
Yu Hyeon and Ju Yeon-hwa also clenched their teeth, bracing themselves for the end.
However…
“Hmm…?”
Squinting his eyes open, Paeng Su-hyeok looked at the Thunderbolt Bomb still held in the one-eyed man’s hand.
If it were going to explode, it should have done so long ago.
The one-eyed man was equally bewildered.
‘Is it a dud…? Of all times…!’
His face contorted violently before he chuckled, as if letting go of everything.
“Brats… you are lucky.”
Splash!
Having finished speaking, the one-eyed man collapsed like an old tree and soon sank into the water.
Only then did Paeng Su-hyeok slump down, as if the strength had left his legs.
“Haaah.”
“S-Seniormate…! We survived, right?”
“It seems so.”
Yu Hyeon and Ju Yeon-hwa also looked at each other and let out sighs of relief.
Belatedly, Cho Rip-pyo approached the three of them and questioned them.
“What were you guys doing here?!”
“We were moving the wounded and punishing that bad adult bastard.”
When Paeng Su-hyeok retorted sharply, Cho Rip-pyo wore a dumbfounded expression before instructing coldly.
“Still, you should have been careful. The Jianghu is not as easygoing as you think. Where are Namgung Cheon and Jin So-hong?”
At those words, dark clouds cast over the faces of the three.
Cho Rip-pyo pressed impatiently.
“Where are Namgung Cheon and Jin So-hong…!”
“They are dead.”
Hearing the voice from behind, Cho Rip-pyo widened his eyes and turned around.
Murong Sin, who had sustained relatively light injuries, looked at the collapsed cave entrance with a bitter expression.
“The two of them are dead. There were also quite a few casualties in the Blue Wave Corps.”
“How…!”
As Cho Rip-pyo shut his mouth with a serious expression, Murong Sin gave a brief order.
“Send the fastest runner to the Alliance as soon as the casualties are assessed.”
“Understood.”
Once Cho Rip-pyo withdrew, Murong Sin let out a sigh and turned away.
‘In the end, the aching tooth was extracted… but it feels like a healthy tooth was pulled out as well.’