NOVEL WEB Chapter 8 - Episode 2: First Battle (2)
Chapter 8 – Episode 2: First Battle (2)
The events that had just transpired flashed through Im Jun-gyu’s mind..
* * *
“We should prepare to to repel the bandits.”
Zhuge Hyeonmong took command of the situation right then and there.
What do you have in mind?”
Im Chung couldn’t hide his surprised expression as he asked.
“I intend to deploy a Formation (陣法).”
“A Formation? Like the ones used in the military?”
Zhuge Hyeonmong shook his head.
“Similar, but different. What I’m going to do is maximize our advantages by utilizing natural terrain and force damage upon the enemy. If my plan works, they will be thrown into utter chaos.”
Zhuge Hyeonmong said this and began directing a few people to work on something around the perimeter.
Im Jun-gyu followed, observing the process but understanding none of it.
“Why are you breaking off tree branches and placing them like that?”
“And why are you piling up stones in that manner?”
Zhuge Hyeonmong didn’t bother to answer any of Im Jun-gyu’s questions as it would only waste his time. The Formation is something Im Jun-gyu couldn’t hope to comprehend. Moreover, because he was setting up a Formation larger than originally specified in the grimoire, his mind was constantly deconstructing, applying, and resizing the calculation needed to form the array.
Establishing a Formation on the spot while only using the natural terrain was inherently difficult.
Yet, as if guided by unseen hands, solutions arose the moment questions formed within his mind.
Soon the Formation was established, encompassing the surrounding terrain.
When Zhuge Hyeonmong finally placed a mana-infused item to complete the setup, Im Jun-gyu—now covered in dirt—furrowed his brow.
“So, what exactly is this supposed to do?”
“Didn’t we have an agreement earlier? Still don’t trust me?”
Im Jun-gyu’s face flushed.
“I, I wasn’t really going to cut it out.”
“Never mind. Just walk in. You only need to take three steps to see if it’s useful or not.”
Im Jun-gyu eyed the formation. It was an ordinary forest with nothing changed. Yet, he had been feeling a strange sensation since earlier—an unfamiliar sensation from what he normally felt.
“Are you scared?”
Im Jun-gyu bristled at Zhuge Hyeonmong’s words.
“Fine! I’ll go in! Like this… huh?!”
He marched forward defiantly, but when he glanced back, his eyes widened.
“W-where did everyone go?”
When he looked back, the people who had been watching him just moments ago had completely vanished, replaced by an endless expanse of forest.
“Hey! Damn you, Zhuge Hyeonmong! Where are you?”
He searched frantically, but there was no path to be found.
The inexplicable phenomenon sent his heart plummeting.
“Father! Where are you? Father!”
“Everyone is nearby.”
“Eek!”
Zhuge Hyeonmong’s voice, startlingly close, made Im Jun-gyu jump.
‘I didn’t sense his presence at all!’
Zhuge Hyeonmong was clearly just an ordinary man with no martial arts training.
The voice, which had been inaudible just moments ago, now sounded extremely close. Yet, his voice seemed to emanate from thin air.
When he turned around, he saw Zhuge Hyeonmong standing there.
“Young Master Lim, you’re more timid than I thought.”
“D-don’t talk nonsense! Me? Timid?!”
“Where did everyone go? Father!”
Im Jun-gyu’s face burned red as he got face-slapped by his own words.
Zhuge Hyeonmong smiled and turned away.
“Follow my steps. Don’t stray.”
Following Zhuge Hyeonmong’s instructions, Lim Jun-gyu took only a few steps before he found his colleagues from the escort agency—all gaping as if they’d seen a ghost.
“Ju… Jun-gyu.”
“Fa… I mean, Chief.”
“Did you not hear us shouting?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You were wandering right in front of us.”
“…..”
From that moment, no one questioned Zhuge Hyeonmong again.
Zhuge Hyeonmong nodded.
‘Things are going well.’
Explaining the mechanics verbally would’ve been tedious and unconvincing. Experiencing it firsthand would be far more effective
Though the Be wildering Maze Formation (迷離陣) was successfully deployed, there was still much to do.
‘The Formation won’t hold them for long.
If too many people entered or caused a commotion that accidentally destroyed the Formation’s components, its effectiveness would quickly diminish.
It would be better to maximize the initial confusion.
‘Strike the iron while it’s hot. Strike the bandits while they are in disarray.’
By using all of the spells he had learned, Zhuge Hyeonmong intended to amplify the chaos upon the bandits.
Of course, they wouldn’t be powerful enough on their own, so he needed to adapt them.
“Dig pits here, refill them with loose soil, then pour water over them.”
“This is the Life Gate (生門). We’ll lure enemies there—spread oil and prepare the nets as well.”
TL Note: Life Gate within a Formation usually refers to the entrance and exit of a Formation while the Death Gate is the most fatal spot within a Formation.
“Please attach your daggers to poles and create make-shift spears.”
After issuing orders, Zhuge Hyeonmong infused each prepared trap with magic.
Using his mana, he mixed the water and the soil within the pit and applied an earth-burrowing spell on it to deepen the depth of the pit.
On another area, he modified the spell he used to fix the carriage wheels and repurposed the spell to make it so that even a slight shift in weight would cause anyone to lose their balance.
As he gave these instructions, Zhuge Hyeonmong felt a strange sensation. Never in his life had he imagined himself capable of such things.
He had a hunch, but he never imagined that things would actually proceed this way.
Yet, here he is, effortlessly leading the men as if fate itself guided his hands.
“Haa…”
He wiped sweats from his brow as the preparations concluded.
‘It’s strangely exhausting.’
It wasn’t simply from physical exertion.
Setting up the Formation and casting spells had significantly consumed the mana within his Ring.
He had been using them so efficiently until now that he hadn’t felt any particular burden, but casting so many spells in such a short time had taken its toll.
“Are the preparations complete?”
“Yes. All that’s left is to wait for the enemies.”
* * *
And everything unfolded exactly according to the plan.
“Now! Throw the nets!”
At Zhuge Hyeonmong’s command, the escorts threw the nets they had painstakingly woven from ropes over the bandits who had fallen into the pit.
Trapped in a pit full of mud and now covered with nets, the bandits were thrown into utter confusion.
“Argh!”
“Mo, move! Get off me!”
There were unexpected effects as well. In their panic and confusion, the bandits stabbed each other, staining the mud crimson.
“Now! Strike them!”
While the bandits were flailing about, the escorts acting in unison and stabbed them with their make-shift spears.
The bandits weren’t entirely passive either.
“Attack!”
Not all of them had fallen into the pit, nor had all of them slipped.
The bandits in the rear avoided the slippery areas and the pits and immediately targeted the escorts.
“You’ll regret crossing the Great Dragon Escort Agency! Attack!”
But this, too, had been anticipated.
Im Ching with sword in his hand led the escorts to intercept them.
Though he usually seemed like a frivolous uncle, Im Chung also had the nickname was also a master known as the “Bloodthirsty Sword.”
He would undoubtedly be able to defeat the enemies without major issues.
At that moment.
“….!”
An inexplicable premonition struck Zhuge Hyeonmong and he turned around.
As his gaze swept the rear lines where their forces clashed with the bandits, he thought he saw something ripple through the air.
Unconsciously, Zhuge Hyeonmong cast a spell. Night Vision, created to see his surroundings while relieving himself at night, piercing the darkness
In that vision, he saw a group approaching.
“Rear! Enemies are approaching! Chief!”
“!”
Im Chung turned back. The moment his gaze met the leader of the group, the bandits roared.
“Attack!”
Im Chung quickly made a decision.
“First Squad Leader, you stay here! The rest of you, with me, to intercept the enemy from the rear!”
As Im Chung and the warriors withdrew, Zhuge Hyeonmong seized the opportunity.
“We’ll advance forward!”
“Where to?”
“We’ll fill the gap left by the Chief.”
“But if we push the front, who’ll protect you?!”
“I can protect myself.”
“…..”
It wasn’t empty boasting.
However, Im Jun-gyu couldn’t accept it as is. He understood how valuable Zhuge Hyeonmong was in this situation.
“Eeek!? What, what! Krrraaaaah!”
One of the escorts stabbing into the pit was pulled in.
Moments later, the bandits’ corpses stirred, and a blood-soaked arm emerged.
What emerged was a man caked in gore and sludge, as though clawing his way from hell itself.
His eyes bulged with ruptured veins, their crimson glow flickering like demonic fire
“Kahahaha! These dog-like bastards!”
Just from the murderous intent in his voice revealed he was no ordinary martial artists.
A First-rate martial artist, at the very least.
Zhuge Hyeonmong looked at Im Jun-gyu.
Im Jun-gyu also sensed the same thing. He stepped forward, shoulder-to-shoulder with the First Squad Leader, their blades raised against Gyo Jin.
“Move aside, pathetic wenchs. Or bring the tall scarecrow standing behind you.”
“Over our corpses!”
Facing the surging killing intent, Im Jun-gyu swallowed nervously but held his ground.
Gyo Jin didn’t waste any words.
In an instant, Gyo-jin’s body twisted.
His great axe extended so long it nearly touched the ground.
At that seemingly wide-open posture, Im Jun-gyu’s eyes gleamed.
‘Dodge the strike, exploit the opening—’
But the moment he moved, instinct screamed.
“Dodge!”
Kwang!
Sparks flew.
Im Jun-gyu was shocked that he had barely blocked the attack despite being prepared. He was further shocked to see his sword deeply chipped despite deflecting the blow from the great axe.
“Careful, First Squad Leader! That great axe is no ordinary weapon!”
“What difference does it make if you know!”
Gyo Jin laughed wildly, whirling the great axe like a storm.
A single direct hit would splinter weapons and bodies alike.
Im Jun-gyu and First Squad Leader avoided direct confrontation, parrying or dodging the attacks, but…
‘They won’t last long.’
Watching this, Zhuge Hyeonmong easily predicted the outcome.
The only reason they could hold out, lacking in both strength and martial prowess, was their numerical advantage and the fact that Gyo Jin had fallen into the trap.
Zhuge Hyeonmong looked back. Behind him, Im Chung was engaged in an intense battle with Gyo Eom, and since both were formidable masters, they were maintaining a stalemate.
In other words, the outcome would be decided here.
Silently, Zhuge Hyeonmong gathered his mana.