Chapter 24
Interest (1)
A lavish interior with sweet liquor and a grand banquet.
There, a middle-aged man with graying hair slicked back spun a liquor cup and joked in a raspy voice.
“This position of auditor at the Martial Association is bound to be a lonely one in the pursuit of justice. I, too, was quite lonely.”
“Heh. Vice-Chief, your stories from your days as an auditor for the Martial Association are always amazing to hear.”
“Haha. Is that so? Anyway, I threw them all in jail. The remnants of the Unorthodox Path, the bastards who took bribes from those Unorthodox Path factions… But among those bastards was our association’s Head Auditor.”
“Goodness.”
“Oh dear. How could that be?”
At his words, everyone let out a sigh.
The middle-aged man with graying hair glanced at the people, then raised his cup and spoke in a voice full of resolve.
“Head Auditor or whatever, this lonely Last Gambler, Dan Pil-hu, caught and threw them all in.”
“Kuhh.”
“As expected of Vice-Chief Dan Pil-hu!”
“With someone of such a strong sense of chivalry serving as the Vice-Chief of the Changcheon Martial Arts Academy, we can entrust our children to you with confidence.”
“Indeed. You are absolutely right.”
The banquet was the very picture of an amiable atmosphere.
Just then, a warrior opened the door, came in, and whispered something into the ear of the middle-aged man with graying hair—no, Vice-Chief Dan Pil-hu.
At this, Dan Pil-hu frowned for a moment before turning to the officials from various martial sects with a smile.
“I must excuse myself for some urgent business. Plenty of liquor has been prepared for the whole night, so my friends here will take care of everything.”
Leaving behind the disappointed officials, Dan Pil-hu went outside.
Outside stood a large, middle-aged man with his arm in a splint, as if it were broken.
He was one of the masters of the Changcheon Martial Arts Academy, Byeok I-mun.
Seeing Byeok I-mun’s state, Dan Pil-hu raised an eyebrow in disbelief and spoke.
“Is it true?”
“Can’t you tell just by looking? Vice-Chief.”
It was hard to believe even after seeing it.
Was this really the work of a guy who hadn’t learned any martial arts at all?
Even if he had been careless, thinking it was nothing, a master at the entrance to the Transcendent Stage had his wrist fractured just by being slammed into with a body.
It was truly a surprising event.
Dan Pil-hu, clicking his tongue at this fact, asked.
“So, are you asking this Vice-Chief to pressure the Head Supervisor on behalf of that examinee, Mumu?”
“Not pressure, I’m just asking you to request that he be treated leniently.”
At these words, Dan Pil-hu stroked his short beard and let out a smirk.
Then, he said to Byeok I-mun.
“To come all the way to a valuable entertainment meeting and make such a request of this Vice-Chief for an examinee you only saw for a moment, you must really like him, huh?”
At this, Byeok I-mun grinned and replied.
“Once you see that child, Vice-Chief, you too will be moved. Who knows? That child may become a great asset to you in the future.”
He believed the child was well worth it.
At Byeok I-mun’s words, Vice-Chief Dan Pil-hu clicked his tongue.
‘Interesting. Very interesting. So he’s that good, is he?’
He felt the urge to see for himself.
Zzzzz! Zzzzz!
Ha-ryun clicked his tongue as he looked at the boy sharing his temporary lodging.
It was that guy from the Haomun Information Sect, Haeryang or whatever.
‘Annoying guy.’
The guy was so pathetically weak it was a wonder how he even passed the entrance exam.
If that were all, he would have let it slide, but the guy kept pestering him about selling information, so he put him to sleep with a sleeping incense.
To fall for such a shallow poison technique, this bastard was among the useless ones.
Clack!
Ha-ryun sat down in the desk chair.
Now that he had put the annoying guy to sleep, it was time to treat his hand.
Looking at his swollen, purple-bruised palm, Ha-ryun ground his teeth.
‘Son of a bitch.’
The guy possessed an absurd level of monstrous strength.
Of course, he hadn’t used the False Mask Overlord Style, but a simple clash of palms was enough to cause a fracture.
This would naturally heal with time, but it wasn’t poison.
Ha-ryun took an antidote from his bosom and dropped a single drop of the medicine onto the area.
‘Thankfully, it’s a subtle poison.’
This type of poison infiltrated over a long period, so a single prick wasn’t particularly fatal.
It was just that it reacted frighteningly with sustained exposure.
Just as he was slowly dripping the substance from the antidote onto the wound.
“Who did that to you?”
Ha-ryun was startled by the voice coming from behind him.
‘When the hell?’
He hadn’t heard the door open, nor had he sensed any signs of human presence.
But someone was already standing behind him.
Cold sweat trickled down the severely tensed Ha-ryun’s forehead.
A master of this level was, without exaggeration, on par with his own masters in Baeksagok.
No, perhaps he was at the level of the Third Master or even higher.
“Wh-who are…”
“Eight Evils Guard Family.”
‘!!!’
The moment he heard those words, Ha-ryun’s eyes widened.
The words of his First Master flashed through his mind.
[‘He’ will be waiting there for you before you arrive.]
It was definitely ‘him’.
Without hesitation, Ha-ryun immediately prostrated himself, touching his head to the floor.
And he spoke to the presence.
“Ha-ryun of Baeksagok. I greet Master Heo (虛)!”
The presence looked down at him with indifferent eyes and opened its mouth.
“Disappointing. I had high hopes, hearing you were a talented person from the Baeksagok branch of the Eight Evils Guard Family who passed the Wihye in half a shichen.”
“What do you mean…”
“You got injured in a mere entrance exam?”
At those words, Ha-ryun bit his lip tightly.
This was a completely unexpected accident.
There was no way he would get injured in such a low-level exam.
“It’s a misunderstanding…”
“Do not raise your head.”
“Y-yes, sir.”
Ha-ryun, who had almost raised his head unconsciously to explain, hastily slammed his forehead back to the floor.
His First Master had warned him not to try to uncover Master Heo’s identity.
He had almost made a mistake.
Then, the voice of the being he presumed to be Master Heo reached his ears.
“You’d do well not to disappoint me further. It has been a long seventeen years. If the Great Cause is hindered in any way because of you, you had better be prepared.”
“I-I will keep that in mind.”
“Wait until you receive instructions.”
Shhhk!
With that, the shadow vanished.
Ha-ryun, who had been keeping his head down and cautiously observing, slowly raised his head.
But the being known as Master Heo was already gone.
He was a master so skilled in stealth that the sound of the door opening was almost inaudible.
‘Damn it!’
Ha-ryun ground his teeth hard.
Because of that damn guy Mumu, the first step had gone wrong.
He had thoroughly tarnished the honor of Baeksagok.
‘Mumu!’
He would never forgive that guy, no matter who else.
Frustrated with anger, Ha-ryun opened his lodging door, thinking he needed some fresh air.
But down the lodging hallway, a group of five boys, who looked to be successful applicants of seventeen or eighteen years old, was rushing over.
‘What is it? What are they?’
“Where did they say that bastard’s room was?”
“I heard it’s on the top floor at the end of this building. An academy official said it, so it must be right.”
“So because of that guy, we couldn’t even have the entrance ceremony and have been stuck in our rooms for several shichen?”
“But will it be okay? I think they said he’s Yu Jin-seong’s younger brother…”
“Hah! So what? I’m Kang Seo-ryong of the Strong Principle Sect of Namyang. My older brother is a senior to that Yu Jin-seong guy. There won’t be any aftermath.”
“True. Who would dare stop you, Kang Seo-ryong?”
“Don’t you worry. We all suffered because of some guy who isn’t even from a prestigious martial family. You think we’ll just let it slide? A guy like that needs to be taught a lesson to come to his senses.”
Hearing their conversation, Ha-ryun’s lips twisted into a smirk.
‘This should be fun.’
It seemed they were the guys who had passed earlier and had been stuck waiting in the temporary lodgings.
Seeing them swarm like that, it looked like they had gathered to vent their anger.
There are always guys like that wherever you go.
But while the one called Kang Seo-ryong looked somewhat capable, the rest were barely at a level to pass the exam.
At that level, it would be difficult for them to do anything to that Mumu guy.
But if he lent a little help, the story would be different.
Ha-ryun put a hand into his bosom.
‘The top floor, was it?’
“Tch.”
Jin-hyeok, who had returned to his own room because he felt they were getting the wrong idea, headed back to Mumu’s room.
This was by no means because he liked the guy.
He was only going because his father and mother had asked him to look after the guy.
It definitely wasn’t worry.
Thump!
Opening the lodging door and stepping inside, Jin-hyeok frowned.
The room was empty, with only a bundle, presumably Mumu’s luggage, sitting on the table.
Mo Il-hwa was gone too, having seemingly returned.
‘Where did he go?’
He was told to wait inside, so there was no way he would have gone somewhere else.
Jin-hyeok glanced around the room, closed the door, went inside, and sat on the edge of the bed.
‘He must have gone to the latrine.’
That was the only place he could have gone.
When the guy comes back, he should suggest they go to the main building together to see the supervisors.
‘Hmph.’
The guy would probably grin foolishly again, thanking him with a bright smile.
It seemed his father had raised a good-natured fool who resembled him.
No matter how much monstrous strength he had, being so naive and unable to get angry made him an easy target for being deceived or backstabbed.
‘But why is this bastard so late…’
Knock, knock!
‘Huh?’
Someone knocked on the door.
There was no way the guy would knock on his own lodging door before entering.
Jin-hyeok approached the door without much thought.
“Who…”
CRACK!
In that instant, a hand burst through the door paper, and some kind of dust powder covered his face.
Having no time to dodge, Jin-hyeok was hit by the dust powder and ended up inhaling it.
“Cough, cough!”
Coughing, Jin-hyeok hurriedly threw the door open.
But the culprit had vanished.
He didn’t know who had done it, but it was a malicious person.
‘Could it be poison?’
Panicked, Jin-hyeok went into the room, hastily sat in the full-lotus position, and began Ki Circulation and Regulation.
If it was poisonous energy, it would react to the Ki Circulation and Regulation.
However, after circulating his ki for a while, there was no rejection response, suggesting it wasn’t poison.
His internal energy was also circulating normally.
‘What is it?’
Was it just a prank?
If so, that was truly absurd.
‘Does someone hold a grudge against that Mumu guy?’
It was hard to say who it could be, but because of Mumu, the entrance exam had been delayed and the entrance ceremony postponed until tomorrow, so it seemed quite a few people held a grudge over it.
‘Damn it.’
He had come with good intentions, only to face this ordeal.
To be tricked like this.
Just as he was about to get annoyed, Jin-hyeok frowned.
He felt the signs of human presence of a crowd rushing down the hallway.
There seemed to be about five of them, but it didn’t feel like Mumu or the unidentified person who had thrown the dust powder earlier.
As he was wondering, the door was violently thrown open.
SLAM!
Jin-hyeok released his full-lotus position and stood up.
“What is it? Who are you to barge into someone else’s room?”
In response to Jin-hyeok’s question, the boy who seemed to be about eighteen years old and was leading the group spoke.
“Are you that guy, Yu Jin-seong’s younger brother or whatever?”
“……..”
At his words, Jin-hyeok let out a faint sigh.
Everywhere he went, his older brother’s name came up first, not his own.
He respected his brother, but things like this sometimes felt like a restraint.
“Yes. But why have you all swarmed to someone else’s room to find me? It doesn’t look like you came for any good reason…”
Fwoosh!
Before he could even finish his sentence, the boy rushed at him with a fist.
In response, Jin-hyeok took half a step back and crossed his arms to block the boy’s fist.
“What are you doing?”
“You ask because you don’t know? It seems a mere brat from a lowly literati family has gotten arrogant relying on his brother. I’ll teach you some manners today.”
“What?”
Thwack!
The boy’s knee suddenly aimed for Jin-hyeok’s chin in a surprise attack.
Jin-hyeok easily blocked it with his hand and immediately kicked the boy’s head with a leg technique.
THWACK! Shhhk!
The boy, whose head was struck unexpectedly, was pushed back about three steps to the side.
The other boys shouted in surprise.
“Seo-ryong!”
“Are you okay?”
Kang Seo-ryong gestured to the boys that he was fine, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and muttered.
“Not bad.”
His head was dizzy, but as a member of the Strong Principle Sect of Namyang, he couldn’t show himself faltering here.
‘This bastard is strong.’
He was stronger than expected, which surprised him inwardly.
At that, Kang Seo-ryong assumed the opening stance of the Strong Principle Embracing Fist, the True Body Fist Art of the Strong Principle Sect, to show his real skill.
Watching him, Jin-hyeok’s eyes sharpened.
‘He endured my Seven Stars Internal Power.’
He took a direct hit to the head from the Five Stars Kick, empowered by my Seven Stars Internal Power.
The fact that he withstood it meant that the martial prowess of the guy called Seo-ryong had, like himself, reached the edge of the first-rate.
He couldn’t be careless.
Even as he thought that, a fighting spirit began to fill Jin-hyeok’s eyes.
‘My first duel.’
It was his first time sparring with a peer.
Perhaps that was why his heart was starting to pound a little.
Mak Il-ung, his First Master of the Three Heroes of Jiangxi, had said that one of the fastest ways to grow was to spar with many opponents.
He didn’t know the reason, but this could be an opportunity.
As Jin-hyeok assumed his opening stance and began to raise his internal power…
‘Huh?’
His body lost strength, and he felt dizzy.
He couldn’t even clench his fists; his whole body felt powerless.
‘Could it be from before?’
The moment he detected the abnormal signs, Kang Seo-ryong shot forward.
Fwoosh!
Although it was just one punch that he should have been able to block, Jin-hyeok’s legs gave out, and he couldn’t avoid it.
Thud!
“Keuk!”
Jin-hyeok, struck in the chest, fell over.
“Ooh!”
“As expected of Seo-ryong.”
At this sight, the boys who came with Kang Seo-ryong let out cheers.
They had wondered if Kang Seo-ryong, on the verge of the peak stage, was being pushed back, but as expected, he did not disappoint them.
Kang Seo-ryong, too, grew triumphant at the sight of the fallen Jin-hyeok and shouted.
“Get up. This is just the beginning.”
At Kang Seo-ryong’s provocation, Jin-hyeok gritted his teeth.
He wanted to get up, but with no strength in his body, there was nothing he could do.
Kang Seo-ryong sneered at him and said.
“I don’t get how a guy who can’t even withstand a single move managed to wreck the exam hall and delay the entrance exam.”
‘!?’
At his words, Jin-hyeok was momentarily dumbfounded.
Had these guys mistaken him for Mumu, who had caused the trouble?
No wonder he thought it was strange for them to swarm in like this.
‘Mumu, that bastard…’
Any little bit of affection he’d started to feel was about to completely disappear.
Kang Seo-ryong gestured at the flabbergasted Jin-hyeok and said.
“It’s not over yet, so hurry up and get up. Or else…”
“I think you guys are mistaken… It wasn’t me.”
At Jin-hyeok’s words, Kang Seo-ryong snorted and said.
“Crazy bastard. You said with your own mouth that you were Yu Jin-seong’s younger brother, and now you’re lying because you’re at a disadvantage?”
At that, Jin-hyeok looked somewhere, his face flushed red, took a deep breath, exhaled, and then gestured with his head.
“The guy you’re looking for is behind you.”
“What?”
At that, Kang Seo-ryong and the other boys turned their heads.
There stood Mumu, who had opened the door and was tilting his head in confusion.
Seeing Mumu’s simple-looking demeanor, which contrasted with his handsome face, one of the boys scoffed, approached the door, and said.
“Can’t handle the aftermath, so now you’re shifting the responsibility to someone else?”
Then he tapped Mumu’s shoulder and said.
“Hey. Do you know that guy? I don’t know what’s going on, but if you get involved in this, you’ll end up just like him…”
“Were you guys just bullying Jin-hyeok?”
“Bullying? We were fairly teaching him a lesson…”
BAM! CRASH!
In that instant, the boy’s head smashed through the ceiling and got stuck.
‘!!!’
The pupils of the boys who witnessed this scene up close shook like crazy.
‘W-what is this…’
The guy had just lightly tapped his chin with his palm, and he ended up in that state.
The boy with his head stuck in the ceiling seemed to have fainted, his body dangling limply.
Flustered, Kang Seo-ryong shouted.
“Y-you, what are you?”
“Me? Mumu.”
With those words, Mumu approached them, his face expressionless.
Even Jin-hyeok, who had only ever seen the bright look in his usually listless eyes, couldn’t help but gulp at this uncharacteristic appearance.
