Her bombshell declaration delivered, the Mad Demon stepped back with a light smile, as though her part were done.
She had been enjoying the sight of Ha Jin standing frozen under every eye in the room, but the moment was brief—the martial arts instructor stepped forward again and cleared the air with a deliberate cough.
"Attention!"
The instructor began announcing the specifics of the new trial to the bewildered cadets.
"The second-stage trial will be conducted as a group exercise. Two cadets from the Transcendence Hall and six from the Thousand Days Hall—eight members per team—will have a set period of time to perfectly execute an assigned formation."
"A formation?"
"Us?!"
Several cadets reacted with visible alarm at the unfamiliar trial format. Formation work was somewhat at odds with the Demonic Sect's culture of prizing individual martial prowess.
The instructor, as though he had anticipated the reaction, continued in a firm voice.
"The formation you will be tested on is the Demon Path Eight Extremes Formation—a tactical formation in which eight members move in perfect coordination from designated positions to immobilize an enemy. One month from now, you will be evaluated on the completeness of your formation. Keep that in mind."
The instructor swept his gaze across the assembled cadets and made his final declaration.
"Starting now, you have three days to form your teams. The formation training trial begins on the fourth day, so I suggest you use the time to find compatible partners."
The moment these words landed, the training yard, which had been gripped by silence, began to stir.
"Form teams? With the Transcendence Hall people?"
"What is this? A cooperative trial? I've never even heard of such a thing!"
The cadets muttered one by one, faces full of disbelief at the situation.
Ha Jin was right in the middle of that chaos.
'I came to the Thousand Days Hall specifically to avoid the Transcendence Hall, and now I'm supposed to take a trial with them?'
His mind tangled. The scenario he had most wanted to avoid was materializing right before his eyes.
'What in the world is this about.'
The Mad Demon's shocking entrance, followed by this sudden change in the trial format. Everything was veering away from his plans as though mocking him.
While the wave of bewilderment was still crashing over him, someone slipped through the crowd to his side. Do Gyeong. He glanced around, then spoke in a low voice.
"Ha Jin, let's talk for a moment."
The serious air about him prompted Ha Jin to follow Do Gyeong to a quiet corner.
In the secluded spot, Do Gyeong scanned the area and dropped his voice further.
"Have you figured out the real intent behind this trial?"
"The intent?"
"Under the neat label of 'cooperation,' this trial is almost certainly a political arena—a proxy war for the Young Sect Leader's seat, where Thousand Days Hall cadets are expected to prop up whichever Transcendence Hall cadet they support."
"You think so?"
"I do. So—what are you planning to do, Ha Jin?"
A pointed question laced with the underlying query: whose side will you take? Ha Jin said nothing for a moment. He was perceptive enough to know that a careless answer could drag him into factional warfare beyond his control.
After deliberation, he answered briefly.
"......I'm still undecided."
The instant he heard this noncommittal reply, Do Gyeong's mind churned with complex thoughts.
'Undecided? He's already entered the Thousand Days Hall—there's no way he hasn't decided yet. He just doesn't want to reveal who he supports.'
Do Gyeong's eyes narrowed. Ha Jin was clearly still suspicious of him. He'd gotten that impression before.
'Of course, there's no way he could actually know I'm a spy, but why does this feel so uneasy.'
The words from their previous encounter—"I hope we'll be seeing each other for a long time"—kept circling back to haunt him.
Outwardly, Do Gyeong maintained his smile, but inwardly he raised his guard against Ha Jin another notch. This man was definitively not someone to be underestimated.
'It's not just his martial skill. He reads the political currents and knows how to hide his cards.'
He sank into thought. How could he read this man's intentions?
His spy-trained ability to read expressions was effectively useless here. Even now, Ha Jin wore a face so vacant it seemed devoid of any thought whatsoever. The man clearly knew how to wear a masterful mask.
'I need to extract information about who he supports, somehow......'
Do Gyeong's brow furrowed. If he couldn't discern Ha Jin's allegiance, it could throw a serious wrench into his plans going forward. He needed to find any pretext to keep the conversation going.
Just as he was about to open his mouth and try—
GRRRRRUMBLE—!
A vivid sound shattered the silence, striking both their ears. The source was none other than Ha Jin's stomach.
"......"
"......"
For an instant, a flicker of embarrassment crossed Ha Jin's otherwise blank face. He glanced down at his stomach and scratched the back of his head.
Watching this, Do Gyeong couldn't help but let out a small laugh. Seizing the awkward moment as an opportunity, he said—
"Let's get something to eat first and talk over food. As the saying goes, 'fill the belly before surveying the view.'"
He clapped Ha Jin's shoulder and jerked his chin toward the dining hall. Ha Jin nodded. After all, even the Diamond Mountains were best appreciated on a full stomach.
And so their delicate battle of wits entered a temporary ceasefire.
***
When Ha Jin and Do Gyeong stepped into the dining hall, it was already bustling with cadets. The clamor of voices and the smell of food mingled into a lively atmosphere.
And on one side of the hall, a sight captured Ha Jin's eyes: golden-brown roasted chicken, piled high like a mountain. A faint smile touched his lips.
'I love you, Heavenly Demon Divine Sect!'
Without a moment's hesitation, he grabbed a plate and loaded it generously from the towering heap of chicken. He found an empty table, sat down, and took his first blissful bite.
The instant juices burst across his palate, Do Gyeong, seated across from him, opened his mouth.
"My position hasn't changed from before. I still believe Yun Geom of the Sword Demon Sect is the most fitting candidate for Young Sect Leader......"
Just as Do Gyeong was laying out his pitch and building toward his point, uninvited guests appeared.
"Oh! You're Cadet Four Hundred—Ha Jin, right!"
"The one the Mad Demon mentioned!"
Several cadets spotted Ha Jin and approached with awkward grins to introduce themselves. Between his reputation as Ghost Hand's disciple and the Mad Demon's declaration, Ha Jin was practically a celebrity in the Demon Path Hall by now.
After the Mad Demon's announcement, those with transparent schemes to curry favor were flocking to him in droves.
"I never expected you to come to the Thousand Days Hall. You're Ghost Hand's disciple, right? Why didn't you go to the Transcendence Hall?"
"More importantly, what did the Mad Demon mean by saying she came here because of you? Have you met with her privately since the trial?"
The cadets each chimed in, circling Ha Jin like moths to a flame. But amid the barrage of questions, Ha Jin sat with a piece of chicken in his mouth and showed not a flicker of reaction. The unexpected attention was decidedly unwelcome.
Then one cadet got to the point.
"Have you decided on a team yet? The trial's in three days—nothing else matters. If you haven't settled on a team, would you consider joining the one I'm putting together?"
At this, the surrounding cadets' ears perked up. Do Gyeong's brow tightened. Every one of these people was a fly buzzing around his plans.
He maintained his smile with effort and spoke up.
"Sorry, but we were in the middle of an important conversation. If you have business, perhaps later......"
Just as Do Gyeong was politely trying to shoo them away—
"Aw, come on, don't be like that."
The most aggressive among them plopped right down in the seats beside Ha Jin. They grinned with brazen familiarity, as though they'd been friends all along.
"Let's all talk together! If it's an important conversation, shouldn't it be shared among fellow Thousand Days Hall cadets?"
The smile vanished from Do Gyeong's face. He was well aware of their transparent scheming.
'Should I just deal with all of them?'
A dark thought flickered through his mind. Silencing these yapping flies was hardly difficult.
Not necessarily here and now—but quietly dealing with them later would be no challenge at all. A cold killing intent crept into his eyes.
Ha Jin, meanwhile, paid the surrounding commotion no mind and continued to methodically strip a drumstick.
'So noisy. They say even dogs aren't bothered while eating, but these people have no manners.'
He side-eyed the chattering cadets.
'Then again, expecting manners from Demonic Sect members might be the strange thing here.'
Lost in this idle thought, he was cleaning the last scrap of meat from a bone when one of the cadets beside him asked.
"Come to think of it, Four Hundred! Which Transcendence Hall cadet are you planning to team up with?"
Every eye turned to Ha Jin. He chewed the bone for a moment, then answered as though he hadn't given it much thought.
"Hmm, I haven't really thought about it."
And that was the truth. He didn't even know which cadets were in the Transcendence Hall. If he had to name one, Cheon Ha-rin would be the most awkward choice.
"I'll probably avoid Cheon Ha-rin, though."
Teaming with her would be exhausting beyond measure. At Ha Jin's remark, the area fell briefly quiet. Several cadets pulled back. Apparently they had decided they couldn't align with Ha Jin after all.
In that instant, Do Gyeong—who had been clenching his fist beneath the table—perked up. His mind began spinning again at full speed.
'So he's definitely not backing Cheon Ha-rin.'
If not the Sect Leader's daughter, the remaining leading candidates were likely bloodline or disciples of the Demon Lords. The problem was that Ha Jin's attitude didn't suggest he was actively supporting anyone in particular.
'Who is he backing? Or does he truly have no agenda? That can't be right.'
Do Gyeong sank into deep suspicion once more. The more he learned about Ha Jin, the more the man seemed like impenetrable fog. He quietly unclenched his fist. At the very least, now was not the time to deal with these interlopers.
'I need more information. And to get it......'
Just as Do Gyeong was trying to reclaim control of the conversation, the cadets around them suddenly began murmuring. Their gazes converged on a single point.
'What now?'
Only then did Do Gyeong sense someone approaching from behind. He slowly turned his head. A woman stood before him.
Brown hair tied back neatly without a single adornment, and a somewhat blunt demeanor. But her presence alone was enough to overwhelm the surroundings.
Do Gyeong recognized her immediately.
The Blade Demon's daughter, and alongside Cheon Ha-rin and the Poison Demon's disciple, one of the Demonic Sect's Three Flowers.
'Why is So-yeon over here?'
This was a dining hall, so she had every right to be here. But approaching their table was another matter entirely. As Do Gyeong puzzled over this, So-yeon spoke.
Her gaze, he now realized, had been fixed on Ha Jin—specifically on Ha Jin holding a chicken bone—from the very beginning.
"Cadet Four Hundred. If you haven't decided on a team yet, would you join mine?"
At this single sentence, every sound in the dining hall died as though someone had flipped a switch. Do Gyeong's mind felt as though a bomb had gone off inside it.
'After the Mad Demon? Now So-yeon is showing interest in him too? Why?'
Do Gyeong was more shocked than he had ever been. Events had completely outstripped his predictions. And Ha Jin felt no differently.
'And who might you be......?'
The bewilderment was mutual.