-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Pahwanggun's Frenzy
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Why are you so damn late…!"
A tall, gaunt man with pale skin grumbled irritably.
He kept glancing at the white tent in the distance where the entrance exam was underway, biting his nails.
"Second Young Master, it's confirmed."
One of his subordinates came running up to him, out of breath.
"Why are you only showing up now? Do you know how long ago I gave the order!"
"I'm sorry for the delay."
"How the hell are we supposed to compete with my eldest brother or the third one like this?!"
The subordinate bowed his head repeatedly at the sharp rebuke.
"There are so many watchful eyes in Cheonsubakryeonsa that it was hard to move freely."
"Whatever. That guy taking forever in there—that's definitely him, right?"
The subordinate nodded.
"Yes, it's Moyong Bi. We've also confirmed that the First Young Master and Third Young Master are inside Cheonsubakryeonsa. With this, it's official: all the Moyong Family heirs have applied for this term at Cheonsubakryeonsa."
"Those bastards…"
Moyong Gangcheon, the second son of the Moyong Family, bit his lip.
-Rumble…
The ground trembled faintly.
The exam time had long passed.
It had been over an incense stick's time since Moyong Bi entered.
The entrance exam, which had been progressing quickly, was now dragging on.
People were murmuring.
Even the proctor who should have been inside was standing at the entrance, clueless, peeling fruit.
From beyond the thick white tent came the faint clang of steel.
The subordinate glanced cautiously at Moyong Gangcheon before speaking softly.
"Young Master, your next orders…"
"Orders? What orders! We don't even know what that illegitimate bastard—who knows where he crawled out from—is doing in there!"
Unable to hold back, Moyong Gangcheon exploded.
"Damn it, what the hell is that filthy-blooded scum up to inside!"
***
"Hah! Hah!"
-Drip.
His bloodshot eyes welled with blood, shedding bloody tears.
He wiped them away with his trembling right hand.
This fucking…
Dogshit bastard.
He muttered, spitting blood-mixed saliva.
-Hiss.
The cheap steel sword had turned into scrap after one final technique.
They'd said to demonstrate two forms, but he'd never planned to show even that many.
Among the techniques he could currently perform, the only one that made sense and wouldn't raise suspicion was the Moyong Family technique he'd copied from Moyong Taese.
The Twin Dragon Whirlwind Sword of the Moyong Family.
He'd stalled as much as possible before executing it.
Almost at the end of the incense stick's time, he'd unleashed the Twin Dragon Whirlwind Sword in a surprise blitz.
Hoping this one move would end the exam, he'd poured everything into it.
The exam was just a one-incense-stick spar with a Pahwang soldier, after all.
Since it was a qi-intensive technique, he felt his scant reserves of internal energy depleted by more than half in that single go.
Truth be told, he'd been pretty confident.
Even a Pahwang soldier had imposed a 30% restraint on himself.
Plus, the unexpected powerful technique should have caught him off guard.
Of course, he'd block it.
Then, after barely defending, he'd nod in satisfaction and pass him.
That was the flow he'd envisioned.
And reality, as always, unfolded differently from his expectations.
"Uahaha! You brat. How can you wield the Twin Dragon Whirlwind Sword so masterfully at your age!"
Blood was spraying from Pahwanggun's body.
The one thing he'd overlooked.
'Crazy bastard.'
He hadn't realized Pahwanggun's battle lust ran this deep.
At his level, he'd recognize the Twin Dragon Whirlwind Sword's opening form instantly.
Common sense said he should've brushed it off effortlessly.
But he didn't.
The moment he realized it was the Twin Dragon Whirlwind Sword, his face lit up with ecstasy as he flung his arms wide and took the technique head-on.
"I never dreamed a applicant would execute a form this perfectly! Uahaha! Excellent, just excellent!"
Pahwanggun tore off his tattered upper garment.
His eyes gleamed with excitement.
Those were no longer the eyes of an exam proctor.
"Th-the incense stick has already burned out…!"
Wrong.
His eyes rolled back.
It was the gaze of a starving wolf eyeing a juicy hunk of meat—no more, no less.
"What a shame you limited yourself to 30% beforehand! But let's play a bit within those bounds!"
His opponent's form vanished.
'Ah.'
Chills ran down his spine.
This was no longer an exam.
He tried to dodge by moving.
But Pahwanggun was already in front of him. He twisted to evade sideways.
A fist filled his vision.
-Bam!
His toes lifted slightly off the ground.
"Gah!"
"Where're you going!"
His hair was grabbed.
His flying body jerked to a halt.
No time to breathe—a fist slammed into his gut.
-Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Excruciating pain like his organs bursting stabbed into his brain.
"Urk!"
Stomach acid and spit sprayed out.
'This a fucking exam, you psycho?'
Unable to resist, his hair ripped out as his body flew.
Before his toes could touch down, a brutal kick hammered his side.
His body lifted, then crashed into the marble floor, shattering it and bouncing away.
"Haa, haa!"
Head cracked and bloodied, he desperately crawled out from between the stone fragments.
"That's it! Don't pass out on me now! I knew it the moment I saw your eyes! I've missed it—a brat with killing intent like yours."
Pahwanggun approached.
It seemed he'd touched something this pervert shouldn't have.
No one came to intervene.
"This isn't the end, right? Show me the Twin Dragon Whirlwind Sword again! I want to see it! Your killing-intent-laced techniques!"
Even if someone came now, it'd be too late.
All they'd find was his corpse in chunks.
He'd have to resolve this himself.
But how?
How the hell?
The exam wasn't the issue anymore.
If this continued, he'd die.
Legitimacy didn't matter now.
"Moomyeong! Get ready!"
[What? No way.]
Moomyeong cried out urgently.
[Wait, host. This is righteous faction territory. What if he recognizes it? How do you plan to deal with the fallout?]
"Pray he doesn't!"
[You think that makes sense right now?]
"Otherwise I die! Right fucking now! You hear me!"
[…Fine.]
-Zing!
His eyes bulged with blood vessels, turning crimson.
"What's this?"
Pahwanggun's steps halted.
His pupils quivered, staining red.
His aura shifted.
"…This is no joke."
The smile vanished from Pahwanggun's face.
His eyes flashed.
Gritting his teeth, he regripped his sword.
The technique he'd channel was the strongest among those he'd copied!
-Possession Experience Synchronization
Rank 2, Blood Killer Sect's Blood Demon Snake Wheel Brush Sword
A red serpent resonated with his will, screeching as it tore through the air.
-Kyaaa!!
The essence of the Blood Demon Snake Wheel Brush Sword, the Blood Killer Sect's secret art, activated in a blaze of crimson flames.
Blood-red serpents like liquid gore coiled around his arms as the Blood Demon Snake Wheel Brush Sword lashed out.
-Kwakoowa!
He slammed nearly all his energy into it.
His intent to rip the opponent apart permeated the technique.
The red serpent shattered the training ground's floor as it lunged at Pahwanggun.
"A technique I've never seen!"
Pahwanggun's face hardened.
Blue haze gathered in his hands, then whipped out in sharp waves.
-Mysterious Dark Divine Palm
Blue waves and red serpent clashed, tearing into each other.
In an instant, the red serpent pulverized the blue waves and charged at Pahwanggun.
"No!"
Pahwanggun's eyes widened in shock.
A red shockwave engulfed his form.
The marble floor fragmented, shards flying everywhere.
-Sizzle.
A stone chip grazed his cheek, tearing it.
His clothes hung in rags.
Dust choked the air.
For that split second, he thought it landed.
Then Moomyeong's urgent cry pierced his mind.
[He's coming!]
From the thick smoke, Pahwanggun's shout rang out.
"This is the Phantom Great God Step, famed for its ultimate efficiency in basic footwork!"
Blue lightning.
Pahwanggun's body, moving at terrifying speed, was wrapped in azure thunderbolts.
His afterimage split into two, both rushing him.
'Damn.'
He couldn't tell which was real.
He tossed the scrap iron sword and curled up in panic.
"Pathetic!"
A fist smashed into his cheek.
Twice into his gut.
His knee buckled from a side kick, then his jaw was booted.
A back sweep nearly snapped his neck as he tumbled.
"Aaagh!"
Spitting blood, he somehow staggered to his feet.
Now it was clear.
That bastard could knock him out but wasn't.
He was toying with him.
Like a cat savoring wounds from a mouse baring its teeth.
"Strange brat. You show masterful techniques, then that pathetic defense—what's that about? Insulting me?"
-Swish.
His form split into two as he closed in.
Black blood dripped from his mouth.
With trembling gaze, he watched ahead.
Unlike before, Pahwanggun approached cautiously, on guard.
Arms behind his back, he circled like a lion toying with its prey before the kill, narrowing the distance.
'I need footwork!'
He had no legs fast enough to match that speed.
The footwork he knew was too crude—barely better than a sprint, embarrassing to even call footwork.
'Hard to breathe.'
The metallic stench of blood filled his ragged breaths.
'What do I do?'
Regret flooded him.
He should've prepared countermeasures for footwork earlier.
Soyeomgyo's movements were elusive.
He should've paid attention.
That held more true value than flashy techniques.
With footwork, he could at least flee.
For survival-first him, footwork was paramount, but he'd dismissed it as third-rate.
Failing to prepare led straight to this near-death.
Regret choked him as his opponent's flickering form loomed like the Grim Reaper's.
"Haa, haa."
Even to his eyes, it was simple, honest movement.
He understood what Pahwanggun meant: the most basic footwork, yet supremely efficient.
The perfect technique is the basics.
Pahwanggun's footwork was endlessly concise, short repetitions.
"Wait."
A thought flashed through his mind.
"No way, that method."
He didn't know if it'd work.
Never tried it under such pressure.
But the target was a simply structured technique.
It might be possible.
"Fuck it, whatever happens!"
He spread his palm.
-Zing!
His aura changed.
His eyes burned scarlet.
-Possession Experience Synchronization
A damp voice pierced his mind.
Acrid burning stench assaulted his nose from his whole body.
Whether poison or rice…!
He clenched his teeth.
Screaming as if vomiting blood.
"Mind Image…!"
His final card without feet.
Real-time copying of Pahwanggun's current footwork.
"…?!"
The grin faded from Pahwanggun's face.
The Heavenly Demon Copies Martial Arts