Chapter 28
"I have five martial arts I learned from the Dark Scripture Pavilion."
"If you join my team..."
"I will allow all members to learn them and grow stronger."
"I will personally assist with every aspect of training."
"There will be no unfair treatment."
"I will lead according to clear rules and fairness."
"So anyone who wishes..."
"Come to me."
"I will walk your Demonic Path with you, like the Sacred Moon itself."
"And I am not looking only for companions inside the Dark Demon Well."
"Those who wish to follow where the light of the Sacred Moon leads even afterward..."
"Gather beneath me."
Jo Gyun had said one simple thing.
Form teams.
Then left.
Tension immediately filled the trainees.
Who should choose?
Who should be chosen?
Eventually...
It became an auction.
A-grade trainees stood before everyone.
Each tried to sell themselves as a team leader.
Cheon Gangwol spoke first.
As the top-ranked trainee...
His speech was polished.
His conditions attractive.
A team that would become stronger together.
For lower-ranked trainees...
It sounded incredibly appealing.
Especially the last part...
Smart.
He was implying responsibility after the Dark Demon Well ended too.
Who would refuse the opportunity to become a direct subordinate of the Fifth Young Master?
"Then..."
"Are you saying you'll accept everyone after the Dark Demon Well too?"
"I'm not saying I'll take you in."
"We will walk together."
"If you need me and I need you..."
"We'll remain together."
"Can even C-grade trainees apply?"
"Your current grade is irrelevant."
"As long as you possess the will to grow stronger..."
"Anyone may join."
"We will become stronger."
"Ohhhhh!"
I was certain Cheon Gangwol had another purpose.
He wanted his own faction.
A personal force.
He tried to hide it behind noble words...
But he was a transparent bear pretending to be a fox.
And his maternal family is already powerful.
Greedy bastard.
His mother's side had the Second Elder.
One of the biggest figures in the Divine Cult.
Still...
He wanted his own people.
Why had he entered the Dark Demon Well in the first place?
Everything about him raised questions.
Next came Bijo of the Punghwa Sect.
"I am Bijo of the Punghwa Sect."
"People of our sect know how to sail ships."
"How to read wind."
"The same applies to great trends and battlefields."
"I will lead this team like a ship."
"Trust yourself to me as a ship trusts the wind."
"This place values strength."
"Come to me."
"And..."
"I accept challenges."
"If you believe you can defeat me and become leader..."
"Come."
"Also..."
"I too am looking beyond the Dark Demon Well."
"That is all."
As expected of the Japanese-looking man...
The speech was blunt.
But I thought it was clever.
Especially the challenge.
He was using himself as bait to gather strong people.
And saying he also looked beyond the Dark Demon Well...
He was cautious.
Thinking ahead.
Then Ma Hapji stepped forward.
"I am Ma Hapji."
"Also known as the Black-Faced Wanderer."
"As you can see..."
"I am Outer Sect among Outer Sect."
"Hahaha."
"I know many of those inside the Dark Demon Well are Outer Sect members."
"I want to prove something."
"Not inside this place."
"But across the Divine Cult itself."
"I want to prove the Outer Sect can be strong."
"Let us gather our strength and show them."
Ma Hapji simply emphasized the Outer Sect.
Given the demographics of the Dark Demon Well...
It was a very effective message.
The speeches were also changing in tone.
Perhaps because everyone sensed we were entering the final half.
People were beginning to think beyond the Dark Demon Well.
The teams formed here might later affect our positions in the Divine Cult.
Then Gu Yangson stepped forward.
"I'm Gu Yangson."
"Just trust me and follow."
"I'll smash everything that stands in our path."
"I won't promise much else."
"But one thing..."
"I will always stand at the front."
"So keep your eyes on my back and follow."
"Hahahahaha!"
Simple.
Direct.
Perfect for his wild appearance.
The promise to stand in front rather than throw others forward...
Sounded dependable to many people.
Being a human shield wasn't a bad selling point inside the Dark Demon Well.
Then...
"Jaehee."
A small figure stepped forward.
Honestly...
I still couldn't tell at first whether Jaehee was male or female.
Small height.
Small body.
Terrifying weapon.
A chain sickle constantly spinning around.
"Everything should be fun."
"Anyone who wants to enjoy things..."
"Come to me."
"One promise."
"I don't discriminate against anyone."
"If people pointed at you and called you strange..."
"Come."
"I'll cut off every finger that pointed at you and bring it back."
"Same in the Divine Cult."
"Let's tear apart the mouths that laughed at us."
"Kahahahaha!"
Naturally...
The people attracted to Jaehee also looked abnormal.
A team I definitely didn't want to approach.
Eventually...
My turn came.
Even the speeches followed ranking order.
The sadness of last place.
Maybe that's why...
"Cheon Sowol."
"I don't know how to make a grand speech like the others."
"So..."
"Only people who can follow until the end should come to me."
"Let me make one thing clear."
"I'm last among A-grade."
"But I'm very strong."
"That's all."
Cheon Gangwol and Ma Hapji both covered their foreheads.
Question marks filled everyone else's faces.
"Uh..."
