80 Chapter 79 (1/2)
”There's no need to hesitate. Only if you attack with all of your vigour will you be beaten less.”
Kang-hyuk moved as he spoke.
And…
*Bba-ak!*
*Pok!*
*Po-ok!*
The mere sound of Kang-hyuk's strike was enough to make someone flinch. The students screamed out since being hit with the attendance book was more painful than expected.
”Argh!”
”Seo-seonsaengnim! We surrender! Surrender!”
”There's no such thing as surrendering! Why aren't you attacking me when I've told you to attack?”
”Arghhh!”
It wasn't that the students didn't want to attack, but it was that they couldn't attack.
They missed each time they attempted to strike Kang-hyuk.
It also didn't help that their physical stamina was almost completely exhausted from the journey to the mountain.
While the students were enduring Kang-hyuk's violent attacks, Shim-gu and Byeok Ae-rin were in stealthy movement.
Their goal was the rotting powder in the students' luggage.
They were both hidden under the invisibility technique, and the students were busy being beaten up, so they had no idea that their rotting powder had disappeared.
It soon grew dark.
”Ahh….I can't move anymore….”
”This is enough for today….”
The exhausted five students were sprawled out on the floor near the bonfire.
The power of Kang-hyuk's attendance book had taken them by surprise.
Whilst the pain ran throughout their entire body, there was no sign of bruising.
Moreover, they felt strangely refreshed and pleasant.
'Cou, could it be?'
'How could I feel this despite being beaten…'
'Am I pervert?'
'Arghhhh! That's not it!'
The students fell asleep whilst denying their sudden thoughts, but all five of them were sleeping with their arms wrapped around their luggage.
Byeok Ae-rin burst into laughter as she watched over them. ”Ah really, it's cute. Hahaha.”
It was obvious why they were sleeping with their arms tightly clasped over their luggage.
'The rotting powder has already left your luggage bags though.'
Byeok Ae-rin looked back as she heard Kang-hyuk approaching.
”What happened regarding what I said earlier?”
”They've all been collected.”
”Good work.”
They were referring to having taken the rotting powder out the students' luggage, and collecting them all elsewhere.
”Tomorrow morning, I'm going to have to see their expressions.”
”Go ahead.”
Morning had finally arrived.
The students practised Qigong as soon as they woke up, then went to the nearby valley to wash up.
Su Seon-tae too was headed to the valley, with his luggage bag in his hands.
He found a secluded location, and after hurriedly washing himself, he searched his bag for the rotting powder.
Unfortunately, he was unable to find it.
The rotting powder had disappeared.
”Wh-where is it? Where has it gone? I definitely brought it here with me!”
His face had completely paled.
He ransacked through his luggage, but the rotting powder was nowhere to be found.
'I-if it's gone, then I….'
He became desperate, merely contemplating living without the rotting powder for three days.
The other four students were in a similar state.
Therefore, they felt as though they had no choice but to give up on the training they had begun with great hopes.
”Hoh? Are you saying that you're giving up on the training?”
A student nodded in response to Kang-hyuk's question.
”I am.”
The other students likewise stepped forward, saying that they likewise were giving up on the training.
”What's your reason?”
The students hesitated as they attempted to concoct a reason.
”Well, that...the thing is…”
”Is it because you're finding the training difficult?”
”Y-yes, that's it.”
Kang-hyuk clicked his tongue.
”If you were successful with this task, all of you would have obtained a great amount of points.”
”....”
The students had nothing to say.
It wasn't as though they didn't wish to obtain the points, but it was that they had no faith in their abilities without the rotting powder.
Kang-hyuk looked at them pitifully.
”You can't even handle this level of difficulty. I thought you were all fellows that were crazed after success.”
”Pardon?”
”Isn't it because you were all crazy for success that you consumed the rotting powder despite being aware of its dangers?”
”...!”
The five students were taken aback.
They hadn't expected their secret, which they had put all efforts towards concealing, to have been found out.
”I noticed it during yesterday's training- that your internal energies aren't harmonious and consistent.”
”....”
”And so, I searched through your luggage and found this.”
Kang-hyuk unfurled his hand. Standing atop his palm was a bamboo container containing the rotting powder.
”I have confiscated your supplies of the rotting powder. If you have any excuses, you can try them out right now.”
The students had no excuses in mind. They flopped down onto the ground, realizing that the situation they had feared had now arrived.
They were each surprised at the discovery that every student present was also utilizing the powder, but that wasn't the most pressing issue on their minds.
The issue of the rotting powder was an extremely sensitive one.
Despite knowing this, they chose to consume it. Nonetheless, all that filled the students' thoughts was the dishonourable expulsion they were now likely to experience. They knew that if they were expelled, their lives were essentially over.
Therefore, they began to beg.
”We're sorry, Seonsaengnim!”
”Please help us!”
”We don't want to die!”
Kang-hyuk responded to them with anger.
”I don't know how I'm going to face Shim Jangro-nim like this, finding that all five of you that he personally selected for this task are consuming the rotting powder!”
”I have wronged!”
”Please don't let us be expelled!”