I had expected conflicts to arise, to be honest.
These were the chosen elite from Podalap Palace. They were individuals who could take pride in their understanding of their own skills and Surahana-hanjin.
And this is where the problems began.
Are they really elites? No. Sure, they might have achieved results in theory and training, but in real combat, they’ve executed the Array Formation zero times and have zero experience in Spirit Beast Hunting. They’re nothing but clueless kids.
Having no practical experience, they think of themselves as masters of Array Formation, and things aren’t going to go smoothly.
Naturally, they start blaming each other. “I’ve fully mastered this Array Formation, but I’m not seeing proper results because of you all!”
“Ha, your level is depressingly low! Isn’t it because of you that the Array Formation keeps getting disrupted?!”
“Hey, do you think you did better? If you flee far away, you’ll escape the attack radius, but even a three-year-old would know the flow of the Array Formation would be broken!”
“What did you say? Have you finished saying all that?”
“Finished? I’ve only just started! That’s only one out of a hundred statements!”
“Ha, I actually want to point out over two hundred flaws in you!”
The practitioners were caught in a fierce argument, each saying, “You’re not good enough!” “No, you’re worse!”
“Hmm.”
Rano Jingbu and I watched from a distance.
If we had enough time, I could just let those practitioners figure out how to cooperate on their own. Eventually, with continued practice, they might clear their vision and gradually understand the hardships of others involved in the Array Formation.
But to dilute the anger towards each other and foster a natural bond among the practitioners would take a long time.
Who has the time to wait for that?
“It’s definitely not something that can be resolved in a day or two.”
“Right, we can’t just leave a problem that may never be resolved unattended.”
“Hmm… But can cooperation be cultivated so easily?”
“Ha, of course not.”
If cooperation could easily be established just like that, then why is there such a thing as the bloody dance and why would a red hat be necessary?
“But I will use a proven method employed by the elite group of the Huang Nation’s Golden Guards. Those who undergo this training will inevitably be born into a tight-knit group with strong camaraderie.”
“Oh…”
Rano Jingbu looked intrigued.
After all, Rano Jingbu is a high-ranking individual. If I say we’re introducing the latest training techniques from the advanced Huang Nation to foster the practitioners’ sense of cooperation, it’s no wonder that interest would be piqued.
“Let’s execute it!”
The order from the Lady of the Palace was given.
“What? So you want to create shackles and handcuffs that would burden a Peak Expert?”
“Yes.”
Tang So-yeol sighed as he tossed a block of iron into the furnace.
“I’ve never made something so bizarre before, so I don’t know what the appropriate weight would be. Would twenty jun per limb be enough?”
That’s why I brought Tang Do-yeon.
“How does it look, Miss Tang Do-yeon?”
Since she swings iron chains and has practiced Surahana-hanjin with the practitioners, she should know the right weight.
After all, she is already at the Peak Stage herself.
Tang Do-yeon smiled brightly and said, “Double would be appropriate.”
A look of confusion appeared on Tang So-yeol’s face. If it’s double, that means 40 jun on each limb. That’s a total of 96 kg strapped to her limbs…
“Ha, I’m just trying to help with the practice. The energetic fellows complaining that the ‘flow of the whip is irregular’ and ‘the movements are different from before,’ and ‘is this how the Black Armored Dragon moves?’ This should be just fine for them.”
…Upon closer inspection, I could see veins popping on the top of Tang Do-yeon’s smiling face.
Tang So-yeol silently added another ingot to the furnace.
Hmm.
The practitioners are in for it.
—
The training hall where they practiced Surahana-hanjin was shrouded in silence.
Tang Do-yeon silently swung her whip. The iron chains left a large arc as they moved.
“Garu-ra’s Protection!”
Their basic stance was impressive, but as Tang Do-yeon’s chains began to slice through the air, the flow of the Qi became chaotic in an instant.
Even though the situation was precarious, with the Qi about to break, none dared to speak up.
The absence of communication!
Bzzzzzzzz!
The movement of the chains wielded by Tang Do-yeon became dynamically irregular. The heavy chains started to attack the practitioners forming the Qi.
“Tsk!”
“Ugh!”
The practitioners let out frustrated grunts as they dodged the chains. Although Tang Do-yeon was also at the Peak Stage, swinging the much heavier, longer, and thicker chains made it a very different situation.
If she were alone, she could have dodged everything with ease, but maintaining the flow of Qi limited their actions, making things difficult.
Not to mention, whenever someone became a target of the chains and moved to avoid them, they often ended up in a position that made it hard to keep the Qi steady.
Even when it was obvious an attack was coming, they sometimes found themselves walking right into danger just to maintain the formation. If one practitioner moved to dodge an attack, others had to adjust the Qi accordingly.
“Damn it!”
Practitioner Orha was forced to move to close the distance after another practitioner carelessly dodged the attack without considering the Qi’s flow.
And at that moment, the falling iron chain.
BAM!!!
Orha clicked her tongue as she tried to counter the chain. In reality, she was countering the chain, but in a real situation, she would have collided with an Entity. She had failed to execute the Array Formation.
The displeased gazes of the other practitioners fell on Orha. Orha couldn’t stand it and exploded with anger.
“What the hell! I can’t take this anymore!”
Was she not being blamed by the disapproving gaze of Sang Ge Rin Jin who had just executed reckless dodging without considering the flow of Qi?
Unable to bear that look any longer, she shouted.
“Is there really someone so shameless as to shift their mistakes onto others without feeling a shred of shame!”
“…Are you talking about me?”
“Ha! At least you seem to know your faults!”
Sang Ge Rin Jin was dumbfounded. When an attack comes towards someone, that person should consider the potential movement of others, but how could it be her fault when she was just watching from a distance?
“What, are you blaming someone else for your poor understanding of the Array Formation?”
“What?”
Just then, as a serious quarrel was about to break out!
“What in the world are you doing!”
Suddenly, the voice of the Lady of the Palace rang out.
The practitioners, who were about to raise their voices, quickly clasped their hands.
“You’re not even performing the recommended practice and just bickering around!”
“…We’re sorry, Lady of the Palace.”
Sudalcha and the practitioners bowed their heads.
“I’m disappointed in all of you practitioners!”
With a hundred mouths, the practitioners had nothing to say. They could only lower their heads at the Lady of the Palace’s reprimand.
“How can you operate an Array with such abysmal cooperation! From today onwards, you practitioners will enter teamwork special training under Ho Cheon-an, the magician! Do you understand?”
Teamwork special training? What is that?
The practitioners’ faces flashed with confusion, but they couldn’t dare voice their doubts. The elite ones were in a situation where they were bickering instead of training when they needed to go hunting for the Entity to obtain Spiritual Medicine for the Little Princess.
“Yes, we will!”
They had no choice but to nod and accept.
“The teamwork training conducted by Ho Cheon-an will be supervised by me from start to finish!”
“Yes!”
The practitioners responded vigorously. They thought it was a good turn of events. If the Lady of the Palace was observing everything, it would definitely be clear who the problem was!
While the practitioners were still dazed, looking around,
Step. Step.
They heard someone’s footsteps. Without realizing it, the practitioners turned their eyes to that direction and gulped.
Clad in blood-red robes and hat!
And through the shadow cast by the brim of the hat, the eyes of Ho Cheon-an were visible!
In those eyes, there was an overwhelming madness and pressure that made resistance feel impossible!
“Nice to meet you, practitioners. I am Ho Cheon-an. While you might know me as a magician, right now, with this hat on, I am your instructor.”
“The teamwork enhancement training from now on will draw out all the potential that lies within you. I won’t speak much. Form a line right in front of this instructor.”
The practitioners exchanged bewildered glances between Ho Cheon-an and the Lady of the Palace. The Lady of the Palace, who had received a prior cue, cleared her throat and urged the practitioners.
“What are you dawdling for? Anyone who doesn’t follow the instructor Ho Cheon-an’s orders will face severe punishment!”
“Form a line!”
Ho Cheon-an’s voice boomed!
Under the pressure from the Lady of the Palace and Ho Cheon-an’s sharp command, the practitioners hurriedly clustered in front of Ho Cheon-an.
“From now on, all answers will be given with ‘Aha.’ Understood?”
There was no response.
“Understood?”
“Aha!”
“Training involves no names for practitioners! Everyone will be referred to as ‘Kuro.’ From the first trainee to the twelfth. Understood?”
“Aha!”
“Then we will begin some very simple exercises to foster teamwork. The name of the exercise is ‘Bloody Dance’ and consists of 18 movements!”
…What did you just say?
The practitioners doubted their ears for a moment, but Ho Cheon-an immediately pushed on without regard for their confusion. Though it was only 18 movements, mastering them wouldn’t be hard.
“Okryong, distribute equipment to them!”
“Aha!”
Recalling her training days, Okryong quickly prepared the handcuffs and shackles.
“Ugh…”
“It’s heavy.”
“The training I will conduct is simple. If you fail to execute the Array Formation, you will perform a movement from ‘Bloody Dance’ and then resume the Array training. And of course, you will be doing so while wearing those shackles and handcuffs!”
“What the heck is this…”
“Is this punishment or teamwork…”
As the practitioners grumbled, they met the mad gaze of Ho Cheon-an and promptly shut their mouths.
“I can be both an angel and a devil. But I have already become a devil. The way you practitioners performed during the Array practice greatly disappointed me!”
The practitioners had no voice to protest, bowing in silence.
“I won’t take any complaints! Practitioners who fail to perform the Array they should have easily executed don’t deserve to go hunting for Entities! Understand! Practitioners!”
“Aha!”
The practitioners reluctantly replied. The Lady of the Palace glared at them from behind.
“Now, we’re going to start the Array practice! Positions!”
“Aha!”
The practitioners stood in their respective positions, and Ho Cheon-an signaled Tang Do-yeon.
Upon seeing Ho Cheon-an’s gesture, Tang Do-yeon smiled widely.
SWOOSH!!
She swung the chains with all her might.
That was a movement imbued with emotion! The practitioners were thrown into chaos by this sudden speed! They couldn’t maintain the flow of the Array and failed in no time.
“What the hell…”
“This is too much!”
The practitioners complained, but Tang Do-yeon simply flicked her ears unperturbed.
“Gather! Gather and put on your equipment!”
Beep! Beep! Beeeep!
The sound of the whistle rang out, and the practitioners murmured as they gathered in front of Ho Cheon-an, strapping on the shackles and handcuffs.
“Bloody Dance, movement one! High jump! The count is 32! Understood?”
“Aha!”
“Start!”
“One! Two!”
As the practitioners jumped high to the sound of Ho Cheon-an’s whistle, they realized something was off and stiffened their faces. No matter how peak an expert they were, the combined weight of the shackles would easily be that of a full-grown adult.
‘This one might be manageable…’
‘But if we keep messing up, it won’t be easy.’
After the first count of high jumps, the practitioners’ breaths became a bit ragged.
“Return to your original positions!”
Grumbling, they removed the shackles and constructed the Qi, their expressions now serious. As Peak Experts, they weren’t used to this kind of punishment! They even embarrassed themselves before the Lady of the Palace by failing to maintain formation.
SWOOSH!
Tang Do-yeon resumed swinging the chains, and the practitioners began to efficiently coordinate their Qi in response.
This time, unlike before, they started to dodge the attacks with increasing finesse. The excitement was beginning to show on Rano Jingbu’s face, and a hint of confidence emerged on the faces of the practitioners.
“Oops!”
“Whoa!”
Two practitioners nearly collided as they moved to dodge the chains. In doing so, others nearby had to move quickly, which caused the flow of Qi to sway wildly, ultimately breaking it apart.
“Why are you dodging that way!”
“That’s exactly what I wanted to ask you!”
“Ha, dodging to the right was the correct way to maintain the flow of the Array!”
Sudalcha intervened to stop the two.
“Enough! What kind of spectacle is this before the Lady of the Palace!”
The two fell silent.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
With the relentless sounds of the whistle, the two, now unsure if they could continue to argue, glared at each other while putting on their shackles before Ho Cheon-an.
“Movement two! Bend and touch your toes! The count is 78!”
Suddenly, the number increased significantly!
One practitioner protested.
“Why has the count suddenly increased this much?”
“Eight, the count is determined rationally. It took 78 seconds for you all to gather and put on your equipment before this instructor. Understand?”
The practitioners gasped. So that was why the whistle kept blowing! It was all being counted as part of their exercises!
“And no whining to me. Movement two, count, 88! Understood?”
“….”
“Hundred! Understood? Practitioners?”
“Aha!”
Finally realizing that kicking and complaining would only serve to hurt themselves, the practitioners accepted this.
“Start!”
“One!”
Okryong watched the practitioners sweating bullets as they executed the second movement, thinking.
The hardships for the practitioners had only just begun.
—
Where does teamwork come from?
It arises from the will to achieve a common goal.
There’s a saying that a thirsty man digs a well. Yes! Desperate people take action. Group projects often reflect this too.
Isn’t it notorious that the one most desperate for grades ends up taking on the burden of those slacking off?
So, what’s the method to draw out the teamwork of all members?
The answer is simple.
Make every member desperate.
Ah, there goes the Qi.
I immediately blew the whistle again.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
The practitioners dashed to secure their shackles and handcuffs the moment the Qi broke.
“Eighth! Twisting the body! 30 counts!”
“Aha!”
“Start!”
“One!”
I matched the rhythm with my whistle as I watched the twelve pairs of dancing feet.
What could have been the reason the practitioners felt comfortable enough to blame or pass blame? Well, I can’t pinpoint just one reason. They might have believed their way was right or, conversely, genuinely thought the person next to them was lacking.
It’s impossible to know every practitioner’s thoughts and methods.
What’s important is that all those individual thoughts ultimately didn’t help complete the Qi.
“Three times in!”
“Practitioners, prepare yourselves.”
“Aha!”
The practitioners readied themselves again as Tang Do-yeon’s chains moved.
Three days after starting the teamwork training.
The practitioners were dazzlingly improving. The organization they displayed was incomparably better than the mob they had been three days prior.
“Three steps forward!”
“Two steps left!”
Instead of keeping silent and thinking only of themselves, they communicated their paths of escape to their teammates. The teammates adjusted the flow of the Qi based on the escaping practitioner’s information or moved to positions suitable for maintaining the flow.
Active communication is the basics of a proper cooperation system.
Simply resolving the absence of communication transformed the Qi’s movements into something more organic.
“This is truly an amazing achievement…”
Rano Jingbu approached, speaking in an awed tone.
“To be honest, when I first heard this idea, I thought it was nonsense. How could such tyrannical training yield results among Peak Experts? But the latest techniques from your great nation are indeed different. I never expected this kind of pressure training could bring about results.”
Truth be told, it was a training method from the K-esque military, but, well… it’s not wrong to say it’s a training method from the Huang Nation. The techniques that Kang Chumo-ru would soon introduce.
So it’s not a lie. Yes.
SWOOSH!
“Gandalba’s Nurture!”
With Sudalcha’s command, the formation changed in perfect unison. Compared to three days ago, the practitioners exhibited breath-taking movements. Rano Jingbu continued to voice her admiration at what she saw.
Hmm.
I couldn’t help but wonder if the training we were performing now would be adopted in the Array training of Podalap Palace.
To break through the crisis where K-style training might take hold in Podalap Palace, I shifted the topic.
“Now that the practitioners have become skillful, it seems we should start preparing for our expedition.”
“Hmm.”
SWOOSH!
“Strike!”
“Concentrate, everyone!”
“The rest move in to apply pressure!”
One practitioner was focused on warding off Tang Do-yeon’s attacks while the surrounding ones eased the burden of Qi maintenance, allowing the attacked practitioner to concentrate on dodging.
The members of the formation were rallying together to support one assaulted practitioner. There were certainly areas that still needed improvement, but now, the practitioners were finally displaying how to properly operate an Array.
Surely, they deserved passing marks.
“Yes, with that level of camaraderie, they should be able to overcome any Entity.”
Truthfully, they weren’t at that level yet, but there was no reason to dampen the spirits of the proud commander, no, the Lady of the Palace.
“Yes, they can do it.”
“Alright. I’ll leave it to you, Ho Cheon-an. Get the materials needed to treat Sara by defeating the Black Armored Dragon.”
The permission of the Lady of the Palace had been granted.
It was time to embark on our first Spirit Beast hunt in the martial world.
