The creation of the formation began under the favor of the Family Head.
“Please take care of it.”
Our formation creation was entrusted to Jegal Yeong-myeong.
Though young for a Master of Formation, Jegal Yeong-myeong was considered one of the rising talents representing the House of Jegal.
Their skills could certainly be deemed sufficient.
Above all, it seemed that the party also liked Jegal Yeong-myeong.
“If we’re stuck with the House of Jegal’s daughter…”
“It might be an excessive concern, but it’s better to cut the sprouts early, right?”
The party muttered among themselves, then actively threw their support.
“Are you saying we’ll form a barrier together?”
Jegal Yeong-myeong, assigned to create our barrier, glanced around at the party in response to my request.
To be honest, the request I presented to the Master of Formation wasn’t exactly pleasant.
Typically, barriers are operated at the sect level, unified by the same type of Qi.
Asking to create a formation that weaves together various types of Qi flips the very premise of formation creation.
In a way, it could be seen as quite a troublesome demand.
“Haha, this will be interesting.”
However, Jegal Yeong-myeong showed no sign of displeasure, smiling and nodding.
“First, I need to observe your Qi and movements, so let’s familiarize ourselves with the basic forming of the Three Talismans. Shall we start with that?”
We all nodded and formed a triangular shape.
A formation is like the Qi meridians drawn by a person.
According to the flow of Qi, inner strength accumulates in a person’s body, and just as it becomes colored, Qi gathers and diverges based on the formation’s path and usage.
Typically, formations called barriers require the contributors to absorb Qi from various directions and simultaneously emit it in various ways, but the formation we’re about to unfold is the Three Talismans.
Depending on the situation, it’s a simple formation that only requires directing Qi to the person on the left or right.
“Then… begin!”
Sssssss!!
Including Tang Do-yeon, the six of us unleashed our Qi simultaneously. And in that moment, I realized:
This wasn’t going to be easy.
The basic principle of a formation is to create a flow.
And the key to creating that flow is to push my inner strength so that others can indirectly access it.
Receiving the Qi from others, adding my own, and passing it to the next person – it’s like rolling a snowball; that’s what constructing the flow for the formation’s Qi means.
I stumbled right at the first step of receiving the Qi from others.
Sssssss!
I had no clue how to handle the Nine Yin technique coming to me from Black Cat.
The Nine Yin, passed along with everyone else’s Qi, was greedily consuming other Qi and growing in size; how was I supposed to manage that?
On top of that already difficult situation, the Brain Knife was causing trouble.
Uwoong! Uwoong!
The Qi from the Brain Knife refused to mix with the formation’s flowing Qi, acting like an oil slick floating on water, disrupting the operation of the formation.
Seeing Miss Yeo Il-ye’s grim expression after receiving Qi left no doubt as to the situation.
Kuwooong!!
To weave together the Nine Yin and the Qi of the Brain Knife with everyone else’s, Miss Yeo Il-ye chose to just envelop everything.
Basically, she pushed it all through sheer volume.
“Ugh!”
Then, Dokgo I-seol couldn’t handle the immense flow of Qi and let it spill everywhere.
With the separate Qi already in a mess, the enormous Qi from Miss Yeo Il-ye added onto that made it difficult for the next participant, Dokgo I-seol, to manage at all.
Despite desperately trying to rein in the flow and pass it to Tang Do-yeon, even she didn’t have a pleasant expression.
“Hmm…”
Despite being buried by me and Black Cat, Dokgo I-seol’s Qi was hardly the quiet type suited for the formation either.
Truly, it was a cycle of disaster.
Since we couldn’t manage the disparate Qi properly, the energy that should grow through the flow showed no signs of increasing.
It was a situation where everyone’s inner strength was just dissipating into thin air.
“I think that’s probably enough.”
Unable to watch any longer, Jegal Yeong-myeong stopped the formation.
The person who had been smiling all along had his lips curving downward by now.
“There are many individuals here with unique Qi, aren’t there?”
“I apologize for such a difficult request.”
“Haha, not at all. It’s well known that you, the Brain Knife, handle the Brain Qi. I anticipated this level of difficulty, so you needn’t apologize.”
However, as Jegal Yeong-myeong said that, their gaze briefly landed on Black Cat, Miss Yeo Il-ye, and Dokgo I-seol.
To be honest, I was equally confused by the whole situation and completely understood Jegal Yeong-myeong’s gaze.
I had anticipated that it wouldn’t be easy to harmonize a party with such strong individualistic Qi, but the disparity between vague imagination and reality was quite substantial.
Jegal Yeong-myeong smiled brightly.
“When faced with a difficult problem, the sense of achievement upon solving it is also significant.”
With those eloquent words, Jegal Yeong-myeong revealed their desire for challenge.
“…It seems that relying solely on oneself is going to be difficult.”
A week later, Jegal Yeong-myeong raised a white flag, looking worn out.
But I wasn’t disappointed. Behind the exhausted Jegal Yeong-myeong stood three seasoned middle-aged people.
“Please take care of it.”
There’s a saying about experience for a reason.
With their wealth of experience, it would be much smoother to deal with situations like ours compared to novices. With three experienced Masters of Formation, they should be able to find a solution.
“Haha, I’ve handled formations for thirty years, yet I’ve never received an assignment like this!”
“Still, working with these delightful young ladies invigorates me! If I had a daughter like that, I’d be set for life!”
“Thanks to you, I can stretch my legs and relax at the House of Jegal, so I’ll do my best!”
“Yes! Please take care of it!”
With the newly recruited personnel, I felt reinvigorated, and the party was equally fired up.
I thought this time would definitely work out as I collaborated with the three newly assigned Masters of Formation.
An atmosphere where success was just waiting to happen had formed.
We earnestly engaged in formation training, and the four from the House of Jegal exchanged ideas while also collaborating to devise formations.
And so, after two weeks of pushing each other along in the formation development, the results were utterly astonishing!
We were perfectly stagnant!
The enthusiasm of two weeks ago had grown cold, and the Masters of Formation and my party had become awkwardly distant.
“I’m truly sorry. It seems our abilities just can’t handle it.”
“No, it can’t be helped.”
I suppressed a sigh and offered the four a fruit of my labor. With their eyes already hollowed out, the four had put in sufficient effort.
Even if they had brought four capable Masters of Formation from the House of Jegal, if we still couldn’t do it, then it was an impossible task from the start.
If anyone would have the hope of solving our party’s unresolved issue, it might be those who had mastered formation techniques.
However, Masters of Formation who had achieved such mastery are incredibly hard to meet.
How can one easily encounter Masters hidden within the formations?
The purpose of seeking out a Master is to make a request, but you can’t just smash through those formations, so it takes luck and a long time to find them.
In the game, there were designated times and events where such Masters could be encountered, but at this moment, the closest event was next year. Moreover, the flow of the Martial World I knew had already changed completely, so whether that event would unfold as expected was uncertain.
Would the countermeasure for the Blood Sect’s summoned Entities come about in a different way?
As I pondered over that, trying to soothe my complex thoughts…
“Great Hero.”
Jegal Yeong-myeong approached.
“Thank you for all your hard work, Jegal Yeong-myeong.”
“Hard work? I haven’t been able to help at all; how can I call this work? I feel just sorry to have wasted your precious time without providing any assistance.”
Hands clasped in an expression of regret, Jegal Yeong-myeong took my hand.
“…What do you mean by that?”
In response to Jegal Yeong-myeong’s actions, I momentarily stiffened. It wasn’t because a man was holding my hand in a creepy way, but because Jegal Yeong-myeong’s hand crept into my sleeve.
Jegal Yeong-myeong had placed something in my sleeve.
It was an angle unseen by the three Masters of Formation who were smiling cheerfully, saying how nice it was to see us growing close as junior talents.
“Please achieve great success.”
An ordinary phrase, yet quite profound given that it was spoken after putting something in my sleeve.
Could it mean that what they just slipped into my sleeve could assist in creating my intended mere training barrier?
I didn’t know what it was, but it seemed that Jegal Yeong-myeong was suggesting some taboo from the House of Jegal to me.
“I’m deeply indebted.”
Now, I really was in debt.
“Not at all! I owe you a great deal.”
Jegal Yeong-myeong disappeared while smiling so naturally that it seemed unbelievable they were the one who just made that suggestion.
Even if someone had witnessed Jegal Yeong-myeong’s actions, it would almost seem like I had imagined it, given their perfect expression acting skills.
…Is this the level of the House of Jegal, famous for its schemes?
It’s fortunate it was goodwill; if they were a real foe, my hair would have stood on end.
With an acting performance that could put professional gamblers to shame, Jegal Yeong-myeong vanished, and I took out what was in my sleeve where no one could see.
What Jegal Yeong-myeong placed in my sleeve was a palm-sized token and a piece of paper.
The note was short.
—Saman-hyeon, Mount War Dragon.
The content written on the note was brief but sufficient to convey its significance.
The token for Saman-hyeon, Mount War Dragon, indicates that there is an outstanding Master of Formation associated with Jegal Yeong-myeong, and this token serves as a pass to enter and leave that place.
Hold on, I was just joking, but now I really am in debt.
In thinking that I must give them a good amount of beneficial spiritual medicine once everything is wrapped up, I stood up.
Saman-hyeon, Mount War Dragon.
A new destination had arisen.
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