The sun was already hanging high above Evernight Gate, spreading heat that was beginning to evaporate the remaining morning dew. However, the atmosphere in the central kitchen and the apprentice barracks was anything but calm. In accordance with Han So-Wol's liquidation plan, all of Elder Gong's supply lines had been officially cut off this morning. The surveillance unit led by Jin-Pyo had just completed the forced seizure of three secret warehouses containing high-quality food and essential medicines that had been hidden for sale on the black market.
Han So-Wol stood in front of the large kitchen door, holding a hand-made wooden walkway. She no longer looked like a weak administrative administrator; her eyes were sharp, scanning every sack of rice and crate of meat that had just been unloaded from the confiscated cart.
"Remember the Foreman's instructions,"
So-Wol's voice echoed, halting the usually sluggish work of the cooks.
"A hungry soldier is a fragile structure. Starting today, no more watery porridge or rotten meat. We are undergoing a 'Recasting' of our students' physiques. If I find any of these quality ingredients leaking out of the kitchen, the perpetrator will immediately be placed on the permanent termination list."
Jin-Pyo entered the kitchen area, wiping sweat from his forehead.
"We've collected all of Elder Gong's stock of 'Fake Essence Pills,' Brother. There are twelve crates in total. What should we do with this trash?"
"Destroy them all,"
So-Wol replied without hesitation.
"We didn't build this sect with defective materials. Use the gold we confiscated from Elder Gong's residence to purchase pure supplements from the Namgung clan. The foreman wants us to increase the 'Muscle Density' of the Year 1 and 2 students in less than a month. We need high protein and a steady energy intake, not the illusion of strength from those trash pills."
On the training field, the atmosphere changed drastically. The students of Classes 1 and 2, who were usually only given one small meal a day, stared in disbelief at the wooden trays being distributed. A thick slab of roast beef, fresh vegetables, and water steeped in herbs for meridian healing were laid out before them.
Ru-Chen, a small student of Class 1, held the meat with trembling hands.
"This... is this really for us? Not the Elder's share?"
"Eat it,"
Jin-Pyo said, walking through the ranks of students.
"Young Master said your bodies are 'Company Assets.' If those assets are damaged by malnutrition, it is a failure of management. But remember, this nutrition is not a free gift. It is fuel to help you endure the training load, which will be twice as intense starting tomorrow morning."
The moment those words were spoken, a dense and cold aura began to envelop the field. From the corridor of the main pavilion, the figure of Moen Kang Yo emerged. His black robes were clean of the bloodstains of the previous night, and his pale face looked fresher now that his emergency hibernation phase had ended. His dim blue eyes scanned the scene before him, watching his students begin to receive proper nutrition.
"Their body blueprints are starting to show green, Foreman,"
The voice of the original Moen Kang Yo echoed in Yoe Choin's inner space.
"But there are still many cracks in their meridians due to the poison from the old pills."
"We will perform a complete 'Refurbishment,' Boss,"
Choin replied mentally as he stepped closer to So-Wol.
"The audit report is in hand, Young Master,"