TL: FoodieMonster007
Baek Suryong recalled his past conversation with Maeng Ho'ak.
"Bait? Do you mean a small animal that spirit beasts eat?"
"Good heavens, you know nothing but martial arts, don't you? If you use a tiny animal as bait, other animals will snatch it before the spirit beast even shows up."
"...Then what should we use?"
"Humans, of course."
At the mention of using humans as bait, not only Number 27, but the other masters listening to Maeng Ho'ak's story all stared at him in surprise.
The Crazy Demon's eyes, in particular, were filled with scorn. "Bandit or no, surely there is a line you shouldn't cross. Are you saying that you sacrificed people just to catch a spirit beast?"
"Huh?" Finally realizing that his words were ridiculously easy to misinterpret, Maeng Ho'ak hastily explained, "Did I say anything about chopping people up and using them as bait? No! I just sent someone who's fast and smart to lure the spirit beast out! Do you think I'm some kind of monster?!"
The Crazy Demon scoffed. "...Idiot, you should've just said that from the start."
The Ice Moon Goddess remarked, "Since you two get along so well, I thought you were talking about human sacrifice too."
"Hoho, it's good to hear that's not what you meant... You're sure about that, right?" the Sword Saint asked doubtfully.
Maeng Ho'ak shook his head and sighed, "Is that how you guys thought of me all this time? Hmph, in that case, I'll only share the secret with my disciple."
Leaning close to Number 27, Maeng Ho'ak whispered, "Anyway, the key to the whole operation is how tempting you make the bait. Listen closely, this is my secret recipe..."
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Baek Suryong smiled faintly, remembering Maeng Ho'ak's mischievous expression and how the other masters pretended not to listen while craning their necks to eavesdrop.
Back then, I only listened to his stories for fun.
As there was no entertainment inside the prison, when the masters were bored, they mostly chatted about random things.
Since the Sword Saint and the Crazy Demon had been obsessed with martial arts for most of their lives, and the Ice Moon Goddess had also spent most of her life in the North Sea Ice Palace, however, it turned out that Bandit King Maeng Ho'ak was the one with the most stories to tell.
Contrary to his rough appearance, he was an incredibly clever man who had freely roamed the jianghu for decades.
"You add elixirs or spiritual herbs to the bait."
"...Elixirs? Do I look like I have infinite money?"
"Did I say you should use something expensive like the Great Cycle Pill or ambergris? Of course, the pricier it is, the better it works, but cheap stuff will do. Anyway, you grind up the medicine and apply it to the bait."
"If it fails, won't it be a waste of precious elixirs...? Whatever, tell me the rest of the it."
"Don't make the scent too obvious, those guys are incredibly perceptive. The secret is to apply it to the armpits or groin to dilute the scent."
"That's disgusting... Anyway, what's next?"
Fortunately, Baek Suryong had just received plenty of elixirs and spiritual herbs from the Namgung Clan, so he created the bait mixture and applied it to the students' armpits. Ȑ
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"Now, you get the bait to start running around the mountains like their lives depend on it, and eventually, the scent of the miracle herbs will mix with their natural body odor, making them seem like living elixirs. This drives the spirit beasts crazy."
"Oho... That's pretty convincing."
Right now, Baek Suryong's students were running around the mountain to lure out the spirit beasts.
"Honestly, I had my doubts about Master Maeng's method... but it seems to be working already!"
ROAR! GROWL!
Although they weren't spirit beasts, large animals that ruled the area had already sought out the students.
If those big guys are lucky and live long enough, they'll eventually become spirit beasts. Unfortunately, since true spirit beasts are very cautious, they haven't made a move yet. Still, they're probably hiding somewhere and observing.
Master Maeng had said that in order for a spirit beast to appear, he would need to use the bait for at least three days, maybe even up to a month.
Even if we don't catch a spirit beast, this is still a great experience for the students.
"Hell yeah! I caught something!"
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Grinning wickedly, Baek Suryong quietly snuck toward Ya Suhyeok's location.
"Yaaaaaawn..." Sprawled on the cave floor, Ya Suhyeok yawned as he scratched his full belly.
Thanks to the thick layer of leaves he'd collected, the ground was soft and comfortable, and beside him lay enough meat to last him another day.
If only I had some alcohol...
Ya Suhyeok's father was a woodcutter. After his father died from a tiger attack, he was taken in by the Viridian Forest Bandits and lived in their mountain keep.
Therefore, having spent his entire life in the mountains, he felt more at ease here than in any city.
Anyway, I should tell them who I am soon...
For quite some time now, Ya Suhyeok had been on the fence about whether or not to reveal a secret. Unknown to his classmates and teachers, he was actually a member of the Viridian Forest Bandits.
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When he entered Azure Dragon Academy, his original intention was to hide this truth from everyone until he graduated. However, living with everyone at the White Dragon Manor fostered a sense of camaraderie and belonging with everyone else.
Thus, as time went on, the weight of his deception grew heavier, and he began to feel guilty about hiding the truth from his teacher and seniors.
I don't think those orthodox geeks will completely ostracize me if I tell them I'm a bandit... but would they faint in shock?
Ya Suhyeok frowned and sighed, wondering if he had done too good a job of acting like an orthodox martial artist.
"...Maybe I should've dropped a few hints. I guess being an amazing actor can be a problem sometimes."
Muttering words that would shock his seniors at the White Dragon Manor for a completely different reason than he thought, Ya Suhyeok sighed again.
What to do...
Just then, a small animal took advantage of his momentary inattentiveness and slipped into the cave.
SNIFF SNIFF...
Having gone days without eating, the little animal could no longer resist the aroma of fresh meat.
SNEAK, SNEAK...
Ya Suhyeok still seemed completely oblivious to its approach. Its small size was a blessing!
As the animal crept closer to its prey, the smell grew stronger, until finally it pounced.
OMNOMNOM!
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The little animal dug into the boar meat, chomping and chewing with abandon.
"Huh? What's this?"
Finally noticing the animal, Ya Suhyeok sat up. Although he had felt something moving around in the corner, he'd thought it was just a bug... but there, half-buried in the massive pile of meat, was a ball of white fur barely larger than his fist.
"What are you?" Ya Suhyeok shouted, reaching out and grabbing the ball of fur.
Trapped in his giant hand, the small animal bared its teeth and hissed, but despite its attempt to appear menacing, its tiny teeth only looked cute.
"What's that?" Baek Suryong asked curiously, entering the cave and staring at the small spirit beast in Ya Suhyeok's hand.
"Mr. Baek?" Ya Suhyeok looked back and forth between Baek Suryong and the white furball.
Baek Suryong smirked. "Oh my, is that... a kitten?"
"MEOW! MEOW!"
The white furball desperately tried to escape Ya Suhyeok's grasp.