Chapter 5: Stop Right There!!

Danmok Unrae kept glancing at the shade of the tree where Hamubaek was resting.

It had been about 30 minutes since Hamubaek gave him advice on his horse stance. After that, there was no further comment.

Did he meddle out of a momentary whim?

Danmok Unrae refocused his mind and concentrated on his horse stance.

Sweat dripped heavily from his entire body. It was truly excruciating. Despite the agony, he had no choice but to cling to the horse stance.

At this point, the horse stance was the only training method Danmok Unrae knew.

Among his team members, two seemed to definitely know martial arts. One was from the famous Sichuan Dang family.

And another cadet, Yeonhamin, also seemed to know something about martial arts.

Compared to them, he really knew nothing.

Two years later.

He would surely die in that cursed land the instructor mentioned. However, he couldn’t just do nothing.

He had to struggle, even if it was in vain.

For Danmok Unrae, that struggle was the horse stance. The only martial arts training method he knew.

Hamubaek was watching Danmok Unrae, half-closed eyes pretending not to look.

Time passed.

A shadow fell on the sunlit ground.

"You had another round, I see."

It was Hidden Dragon Hall’s head, Paeng Doyul.

"For something so trivial, to call it a round... Isn't that too petty, Master? And as I mentioned last time, I was just sitting quietly when they started making noise."

"Well, that's what I heard. Still, it ended more quietly than I thought."

"No point in making a fuss over a scoundrel."

"Not because you got schooled by a kid?"

Paeng Doyul asked with a teasing smile.

"What kind of nonsense is that?"

"Didn't you get called a loser, a runaway, and even trash by that kid? The great Hamubaek."

"I’ve long since stopped caring about the nonsense of a clueless brat."

"Wasn’t it because they hit the mark? Just now, I saw you giving advice to Dang Jinsan and Danmok Unrae."

Hamubaek opened his eyes and looked at Paeng Doyul.

"To an outsider, Fierce Dragon Corps might seem like a cesspool of corruption. So you might see this place as a temporary resting spot. But everyone has their own circumstances. So why not take good care of those kids? To ensure a survival rate above five percent."

"……."

"You can overlook Sa Do-gwang. But Jegal Myung... He's a young rascal who doesn't know fear. But he's the most responsible instructor here. That's why he, an instructor of Jamryongdae, is aware of Fierce Dragon Corps’s situation. He cares in his own way."

"What are you trying to say?"

"Just saying."

"By the way, is it really specified which Damryong Pavilion we can use?"

"Hmm. I wouldn’t know. There's no such provision in the rules. Well, take care."

With that, Paeng Doyul walked away.

Hamubaek watched Paeng Doyul’s retreating figure with a puzzled expression.

Time passed quickly, and the sky turned red.

The afternoon training session was over.

"Okay, that's it for today. Let's go eat."

Hamubaek got up and stretched.

"Yes."

Danmok Unrae, drenched in sweat, answered energetically. The others remained silent.

This time, they headed to the southern Damryong Pavilion.

It wasn't because of what happened earlier.

The trainees' dormitory, Fierce Dragon Dormitory, was closer to the southern Pavilion. They could head straight to Fierce Dragon Dormitory after dinner.

At the entrance of the southern Damryong Pavilion.

There were noticeably more people in shabby attire compared to the east. Hamubaek didn’t care about that.

He only scrutinized the menu posted at the entrance.

After checking the menu, Hamubaek halted.

It was different.

The menu here was different from the one in the east.

When they visited for lunch, the dinner menu was already posted. But this menu was drastically different.

The quality was noticeably lower.

The food quality at the eastern Damryong Pavilion was much better.

"Hmm."

Hamubaek sighed. Nevertheless, he decided to verify the food personally, so he entered the dining hall and got in line with a tray.

The line moved quickly.

It was soon Hamubaek’s turn, and he received his food.

Unlike the east, here the assistant cooks served the food directly. This meant the portions were small.

In the east, one could freely take as much food as desired.

Hamubaek’s eyebrow twitched.

In fact, when he first saw the food, his face had already turned icy.

The faces of the five trainees also showed signs of bewilderment. This was vastly different from the eastern Damryong Pavilion at lunchtime. This was their first visit to the southern Damryong Pavilion since the entrance ceremony.

On the first day of training, they skipped lunch and went out for dinner with Hamubaek. They skipped breakfast and headed to the training ground, making this their first visit since the entrance ceremony. At least on the entrance day, it wasn’t like this.

The food quality was abysmal. There were few options. The food didn’t even match the posted menu.

Moreover, the portions were small.

Too little to satisfy anyone.

As the five trainees were about to sit, Hamubaek’s chilling voice echoed.

"Do they expect us to eat this dog food… Just wait."

Hamubaek disappeared in an instant. He grabbed the menu posted at the entrance.

He moved like a ghost.

Hamubaek’s figure vanished again, reappearing at the eastern Damryong Pavilion.

He took the menu from there and inspected the dining hall.

He repeated this at the western and northern Damryong Pavilion.

After checking all four Damryong Pavilion, Hamubaek’s face was twisted with anger.

"Hoo. Hoo."

Hamubaek took quick breaths to calm his excitement.

He should have done it slowly, but it wasn’t possible.

Food was something Hamubaek was serious about, so his anger surged to the top of his head.

"Paeng, Master…."

Hamubaek's voice carried a trace of murder as he muttered.

Hamubaek headed straight to the master’s office, exuding a menacing aura.

The lights were still on, indicating work was ongoing.

"Master. This is Hamubaek. May I have a moment?"

The sentries were flustered by Hamubaek’s sudden appearance, but he didn’t hesitate to call out.

The door to the master’s office opened, and Paeng Doyul appeared.

"What brings you here so suddenly?"

Paeng Doyul’s face showed a hint of expectation, but upon seeing Hamubaek’s expression, it soon hardened.

The atmosphere Hamubaek emitted was intense.

"Come in."

The door to the master’s office closed.

"Take a look at this."

Hamubaek placed four sheets of paper on the table.

They were the menus from the eastern, western, southern, and northern Damryong Pavilion.

"What’s this?"

Even at a glance, they were sheets with dishes and meals listed.

"Menus from the eastern, western, southern, and northern Damryong Pavilion."

"So why bring these to me?"

Paeng Doyul’s eyebrow twitched as he looked at the menus.

One sheet caught his eye. He wasn’t knowledgeable about cuisine.

He ate when hungry and was satisfied as long as the food wasn’t too awful.

But even he noticed something about this menu.

"The southern one."

Hamubaek spoke bluntly.

"Did you know? That’s a heavily embellished menu."

"……."

"Have you been to the southern Damryong Pavilion?"

"No. As you know, the master’s office is closest to the north, so I mostly use that one."

"Then you know how the food in the north is served."

"Indeed."

"Let’s go then."

"Where?"

"To the south."

"……."

Paeng Doyul remained silent. Hamubaek’s eyes shone fiercely.

"This is unacceptable. It's about survival, and those Fierce Dragon Corps kids will end up as meat shields in two years. Playing with food? Are you even human?"

Hamubaek’s eyes turned menacing as he glared at Paeng Doyul.

Paeng Doyul stood up.

"Let's go."

"Let's go at full speed."

The command was to run to the southern canteen at full speed. Pang Doyul's eyebrow twitched, but he had no choice. If he didn't comply, it seemed like Ha Mubek would grab him by the collar and drag him there himself.

Instead of opening the door, Ha Mubek flung open the window.

Biting his lip, Pang Doyul leaped out.

As a martial arts master, he demonstrated his superior skills, dashing towards the south. Ha Mubek followed right behind.

The sudden movement of the instructor prompted the accompanying guards to follow hastily.

In no time, they arrived at the entrance of the southern canteen.

The cooks, alerted to the instructor's arrival, hurriedly ran to the entrance.

They blocked Pang Doyul’s path with various excuses.

The pleasant smell of food began to waft out from the canteen.

As Pang Doyul's face began to twist with displeasure, a chubby man with narrow eyes hurriedly ran out.

"I am Hong Ocheol, head of the Southern Canteen, greeting the instructor."

Sweating profusely, Hong Ocheol bowed hastily.

"Head Hong, why are the cooks blocking my way?"

"This is not a suitable place for the instructor. It's still not fully organized. If you wait a moment, I will personally guide you."

"Then what about the people eating inside?"

At Ha Mubek's question, Hong Ocheol clenched his teeth.

"He's right. I can freely enter the northern canteen anytime. Why am I being blocked here? Make way."

"The circumstances of the north and south are different..."

"Didn't you tell me earlier this afternoon that all four canteens are the same? That it's according to the regulations?"

Due to the surrounding onlookers, Ha Mubek unusually used formal language.

At these words, Pang Doyul nodded firmly.

"Well, I know the regulations too, but there are practical circumstances at play..."

Meanwhile, the aroma of the food grew stronger.

"If you don't move, I'll force my way in."

Ha Mubek glared at him, a fierce aura emanating from him.

“Ugh.”

Startled by the overwhelming presence, Hong Ocheol hesitated.

Ha Mubek stormed inside, and Pang Doyul followed.

“What is this…”

The workers were busily throwing away food from trays, and the shelves, where food should have been, were empty. Instead, loud cooking noises came from the kitchen.

The appetizing aroma was coming from there.

"Freeze! Everyone, stay where you are!"

Ha Mubek's voice, charged with inner power, echoed.

The effect was immediate. Everyone froze.

"Take a good look around."

Pang Doyul inspected the workers still holding food trays. Members of the Fierce Dragon Corps were also visible.

He frowned deeply.

"This..."

This was the food they had been serving.

He felt both anger and shame.

It had only taken Ha Mubek three days to discover what Pang Doyul, an instructor for years, had missed.

He prided himself on being diligent, patrolling everywhere during work hours. He'd even heard about the commotion at the eastern canteen that day and had seen Ha Mubek briefly instructing students.

Yet, he had overlooked the canteen issue.

In all his years, he had never visited any canteen other than the northern one, assuming they were all the same.

It was a careless assumption.

Hong Ocheol, who had followed inside, shut his eyes tightly when he saw Pang Doyul's expression.

"Head Hong."

Pang Doyul’s voice was cold and harsh.

"Y-Yes, sir."

Hong Ocheol's voice trembled.

"You claimed the food at all four canteens was the same. Yet here, in the southern canteen, you serve this garbage to the Fierce Dragon Corps and laborers? How impressive."

Ha Mubek's sarcastic comment was accompanied by a dry laugh.

Pang Doyul's face turned crimson.

It wasn't anger; it was shame.

How long had it been since he confidently told Ha Mubek that all canteens were the same?

Yet, here was this appalling situation.

'How humiliating.'

Just then, busy workers began bringing out dishes from the kitchen.

They were unaware of the commotion in the dining hall.

The cooks and assistants froze at the tense atmosphere.

"Let's get everyone served first."

With proper food now coming out, Pang Doyul looked around and said.

At that moment, Pang Doyul's guards arrived in a hurry.

Seeing them, Pang Doyul, as if relieved, gave an order.

"Perfect timing. Arrest Head Hong. Search his office thoroughly."

Hong Ocheol's face turned pale at the cold command.

"Don't mess with food. Everyone's struggling to survive day by day."

With that, Ha Mubek disappeared. ---------------------------------

The five students in the dining hall watched Ha Mubek's departing figure in bewilderment.

Pang Doyul, still flushed with embarrassment, watched Ha Mubek until he was out of sight.

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 [T/L: the first 5 chapters are complete! THAT was really difficult for me because its murim + korean and i dont even understand some words. If you see any mistakes or any mistranslated words PLEASE post a comment. If there are at least 3 Reviews on Novel Updates and 3 Comments here on this Chapter then i promise to post 5 chapters next time. Obviously you have to review the truth on what you think about the novel. Good or bad doesn't matter.

I am unsure about the "Murim Alliance / Heavenly Spring Alliance" part.

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