Tremble- tremble-
The right arms of the people supporting themselves on the ground were trembling like an aspen tree.
At the sa ti, the soil in the training ground was soaked with moisture as if it had rained heavily.
Of course, it hadn't actually rained in the training ground. No, since water had fallen from above, in a way, it could be seen as having rained.
Drip-
Even at this mont, it was raining on the floor of the training ground.
A rain made of people's tears and sweat.
'I-I think I'm going to die...'
The people were still supporting their bodies with one right hand and repeating the motion of bending and extending their arms.
At first, everyone had done this action with ease.
That was only natural. For a martial artist, wasn't supporting one's own body with one hand as simple as eating with a spoon?
However, the people ca to realize for the first ti today that if you move a spoon without rest for a long ti, that also becos excruciatingly difficult.
'When on earth does this end?'
Only that thought was now in the people's minds.
A piece of cake? Who on earth is still thinking that way?
If such a guy were to appear in front of him, he would shove the bowl of porridge into that guy's mouth.
'I-it's painful...'
His body was already as heavy as a thousand pounds, and the amount of sweat he had poured out was like a waterfall.
This was by no ans an exaggeration.
At least, if you looked at the people who were barely holding on, trembling, here, that thought would disappear.
"Three thousand nine hundred!"
At that mont, a powerful voice was heard from the front.
The owner of the voice was Cheon Myeong.
It was a completely opposite appearance to the people who were making faces as if they were about to die from exhaustion.
And as much as the leisure felt from his voice, Cheon Myeong lightly bent and extended his arm.
'I-I hate it...'
He was now so sick of hearing Cheon Myeong's voice shouting the count.
Why? Because the mont that count was heard, he had to bend and extend this arm that was barely holding on.
For the people who had already reached their physical limit, that action felt similar to carving their own bones.
"Ugh..."
Still, the people followed Cheon Myeong and bent their arms.
Because if they didn't bend this arm, they would be eliminated and would no longer be able to enter the Chunguidae.
If a person did not bend and extend their arm before Cheon Myeong shouted the next count, they were imdiately eliminated.
Of course, even if they didn't bend it properly, they were eliminated.
There had been a great number of people who had already been eliminated for trying to be clever.
Thud-
In the end, those who could not overco the wall of three thousand nine hundred were eliminated one after another.
In fact, it was really amazing that they had held on this far.
The point at which the first dropout appeared was when it exceeded a thousand, and when it exceeded two thousand, more than half were eliminated, and when it exceeded three thousand, more than half of that were eliminated again.
After being filtered and filtered like that, the number of people remaining was now only three.
Until just a mont ago, there had been five, but two had collapsed at the sa ti.
"Ugh..."
"M-my right arm has no sensation...!"
One of the three survivors. The man glanced at the two who had collapsed.
With this, those two would be eliminated, but to be honest, it was also true that he felt envious.
At least those two could now escape from this hellish cycle.
If he had his way, the man also wanted to lie down comfortably on that floor, regardless of the Chunguidae or whatever.
'No... I've co this far.'
If he had felt this way at the mont it exceeded two thousand, he would have just given up.
But he had already done almost twice that number, and weren't there only three people left, including himself?
It was human nature that he couldn't give up easily when he felt the end was right in front of him.
Glance-
And one more thing. There was one more reason that made the man unable to give up.
"Three thousand nine hundred and one!"
Even now, Cheon Myeong was shouting the count with a vivid voice.
'Is that a person?'
How could he be so vivid even at this mont?
If Cheon Myeong had just stood still and shouted the count, the man would have questioned this action.
Because he would have thought that making them do such an absurd thing was just Cheon Myeong's stubbornness.
However, Cheon Myeong was shouting the count while moving himself.
So no one could complain and just had to follow.
In fact, the biggest reason why the man had been able to hold on this far was because he had been stimulated by Cheon Myeong.
'He's a great person.'
If he could enter the direct subordinate unit of such a great person, wouldn't there be no greater honor as a cult mber?
With that one thought, the man began to move his arm, enduring the pain.
"..."
How much ti had passed like that?
This repetition, which had lasted for nearly two hours, now seed to be coming to an end.
"Three thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine!"
As Cheon Myeong shouted the count, the man bent his arm.
However, his right arm, which did not co up right away, as if it had already reached its limit.
No, if it were the limit, it had already been reached a long ti ago.
"This...!"
The man clenched his molars and barely extended his arm.
Tremble- tremble-
His right arm was shaking abnormally.
Just by looking at him, it would not be strange if he collapsed right away, but the man was barely holding on, thinking that there was only one left.
'Four thousand... if I just do four thousand, it will all be over.'
In fact, no one had said that that was the end.
But if he didn't think like this, it seed that the man would not be able to hold on.
Since he had already reached his limit both physically and ntally, he needed a support to lean on.
"What, you haven't collapsed yet?"
"Even if I do it with one finger, I won't collapse faster than you."
At that mont, hearing a voice from sowhere, the man looked at that side with a blank expression.
Then, Seopung and Yu Daeha, who were growling at each other there.
The man was looking at them with a face of disbelief.
'Did I just... hear things?'
What are those guys?
It was a situation where it would not be enough to just concentrate on not collapsing, but to be arguing like that.
He was barely holding on, looking only at the four thousand, but those two looked as if they didn't care about that at all.
"Collapse quickly."
"I refuse. You collapse."
"It's hard, isn't it? It's hard."
"Not at all."
"Then shall we lift one leg each? You said you're not that tired."
"Fine."
Seopung and Yu Daeha made a compromise and began to do sothing they hadn't been told to do.
The two who were supporting their bodies with only their right hands and left feet, each lifting their right foot.
Even though their bodies were trembling, the two were glaring at each other as if they would not lose.
'What is this...'
Why were those guys making it harder for themselves?
From the looks of it, it seed that those two had also reached their limit, just like him.
But to push themselves to the limit while having such a childish argunt.
No matter how much they were sworn enemies, the man could not understand those two at all now.
"Four thousand!"
At that mont, Cheon Myeong shouted the count from the front.
Even though they had lifted their right feet, Seopung and Yu Daeha imdiately bent and extended their arms as if they would not lose to each other, and the man who was staring at them blankly also belatedly bent his arm.
'Th-this is the last one!'
If I just endure this, it's over.
The man thought so and forcibly bent his arm. And he tried to extend his bent arm again, but.
"...!"
Since a while ago, the images of Seopung and Yu Daeha kept flickering in his mind.
What on earth is going on?
The man couldn't understand why those two kept flickering in his mind.
'What are you doing! Get a grip!'
The man chided himself and concentrated again.
Then, the man's right arm, which began to slowly extend.
When his arm was almost more than half extended, another voice was heard in the man's ear.
"Give up quickly and collapse."
"Seeing that you're saying that, you must be tired."
"Not at all. Who would be tired from sothing like this?"
"The sa goes for ."
"..."
Now he knew.
Why the images of those two kept flickering in his mind.
'I'm desperate. But why do those two seem like they're not?'
At that mont, a sense of emptiness that ca in like a flood.
Why on earth am I doing this?
Looking at those two, the man no longer felt any aning in this.
Also, on the other hand, he thought that perhaps only those who could endure in this extre situation could enter the Chunguidae.
Thud-
In the end, the man who could not overco the wall of four thousand and collapsed on the floor.
At this mont, only three people, including Cheon Myeong, were maintaining their posture.
"..."
After shouting the count up to four thousand, Cheon Myeong raised his head and looked at the front.
'In the end, only those two are left.'
Cheon Myeong also knew that only three were left at the end.
So he had a little bit of expectation, but as expected, it seed that the only ones who had followed to the end were Seopung and Yu Daeha.
'What amazing guys.'
To think that they were growling at each other like that even in this situation.
At this point, shouldn't he acknowledge those guys?
Perhaps in their past lives, those two were sworn enemies.
Swish-
At that mont, Cheon Myeong stood up from his spot with a light movent.
And Cheon Myeong said to Heo Cham, who had approached him.
"Heo Cham, what do you think of those two?"
"..."
As Cheon Myeong asked, Heo Cham's gaze turned to Seopung and Yu Daeha.
The two who were still growling and glaring at each other.
What should I say about the way they were fighting like that, even lifting one foot... he couldn't think of anything to say.
"...Their perseverance certainly seems good."
Simply having good stamina would not be enough for most people to endure until now.
Since Heo Cham had also done the sa thing in the past, he knew well that this required trendous ntal strength rather than physical strength.
And the fact that Cheon Myeong had stood up from his spot now ant that those two had t the criteria Cheon Myeong required.
"Right? I also noticed that their ki sense seems to be on the excellent side."
"..."
"How about it?"
What do you an, how about it... from his voice and gaze, it seed that Cheon Myeong already liked those two very much.
Since this was a selection that had started with Cheon Myeong's criteria from the beginning, if Cheon Myeong liked them, Heo Cham had no intention of raising any objections.
"...I think they're good too."
Although it seed that he would have a pretty hard ti if he had those two as mbers.
Heo Cham swallowed that worry in his mind and said to Cheon Myeong.
"You said you liked them?"
"...Yes?"
"Don't say sothing else later."
Why is he talking in such an unsettling way?
However, before Heo Cham could say anything, Cheon Myeong was already walking to where the two were.
"Lift your leg higher. I'm higher than you."
"Nonsense. I'm much higher."
"What? Are your eyes open? How are you higher!"
"Or maybe your legs are short."
"What! This bastard..."
Seopung and Yu Daeha, who were in the middle of a fight, stopped talking at the sa ti.
And the two who slowly moved their heads to the front.
"...!"
Discovering Cheon Myeong standing in front of them, the eyes of the two widened at the sa ti.
Cheon Myeong, who had warned that he would kick them out if they fought one more ti.
Since he had said that he would beat them to a pulp so that they couldn't even crawl, the faces of Seopung and Yu Daeha couldn't help but turn pale.
"Y-Young Master Cheon Myeong. We weren't fighting..."
"This guy started it first. It's not my fault."
"What? This sneaky bastard...!"
At that mont, Cheon Myeong said to the two.
"Get up."
As Cheon Myeong said that, the two who quickly stood up from their spots.
Cheon Myeong watched the two silently and said calmly.
"Congratulations."
"...Yes?"
"You passed. You two have now beco mbers of the Chunguidae."
"..."
The two who were looking at Cheon Myeong with blank eyes.
Co to think of it, the two now realized that they were the only ones standing in this place.
'I just did it with the thought of collapsing later than that guy, even if I die...'
To think that he had passed.
If other people had known this fact, they might have shed tears of blood and wailed.
"Did we really pass? Thank you, Young Master!"
"..."
Seopung, who was happy after belatedly realizing that he had passed, and Yu Daeha, who was just maintaining his silence.
Looking at the two, Cheon Myeong said with a aningful smile.
"Congratulations."
"Thank you!"
"And now, let's get beaten."
"...?"
As Cheon Myeong said that, the two looked at Cheon Myeong with the sa face at the sa ti.
To get beaten after a congratulatory ssage. Isn't the combination strange?
As the two were looking at him with that question, Cheon Myeong raised both his hands and clasped them.
"I said I would kill you if you fought one more ti, right?"
Crack-
"Don't worry. Still, since you've beco mbers of the Chunguidae from now on, I won't kill you."
Crack-
Cheon Myeong said to the two, smiling.
"..."
Seopung and Yu Daeha, who were looking at each other without a word.
And, as if they had made a promise, they turned around and started to run away.
'Look at these guys?'
To think that they still have this much stamina left.
Yes, isn't it more fun to hunt a lively guy than one that's already dying?
"This is fun."
With that mutter, Cheon Myeong's figure, which disappeared from that spot.
That night, it is said that a mysterious scream was continuously heard from the Changcheon Training Ground.
(End of Chapter)
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