Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: The Order to Kill
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The words "kill him." They couldn't literally mean to kill him. This was Uicheon Academy, and students killing each other was never tolerated.
But Jeong Mi-ju had told Seo Baek to kill Wi Seong-cheon. Even if those words didn't mean "kill him for real," Jeong Mi-ju was the master whom Seo Baek served. Whatever she said, Seo Baek obeyed. He didn't interpret the hidden meaning. He simply followed orders.
That was why there was no hesitation in Seo Baek's killing intent. The murderous aura enveloping Wi Seong-cheon was honed to a razor's edge, genuinely intent on taking his life.
Thud!
Wi Seong-cheon's foot kicked the table upward. The soaring table was pulverized in an instant.
Sawdust rained down like snow, and Jeong Mi-ju took another puff from her pipe.
Wi Seong-cheon, who had been sitting in front of her moments ago, was nowhere to be seen. He'd kicked the table up as a shield against the barrage of hidden weapons, then immediately vacated the spot.
The classroom was fairly spacious. And completely sealed off. Seo Baek leaped across the walls, floor, and ceiling as if they were flat ground.
Sharp daggers were already gripped between his fingers.
Whoosh!
Seo Baek hurled the daggers. Wi Seong-cheon twisted his body, reading their trajectories. They grazed past him by a hair's breadth.
But they didn't fly all the way. The daggers that failed to pierce him halted midair. Wi Seong-cheon spotted thin silver threads, almost invisible to the eye, tied to each one.
'No wonder. The daggers he threw earlier had vanished.'
Four in each hand, eight in total. Every dagger had a silver thread attached. They weren't just for throwing and retrieving. Four of the missed daggers had embedded themselves in the floor, ceiling, and walls, connected by the threads.
Thud!
Seo Baek kicked off the wall. He yanked the threads from the grounded daggers, accelerating even faster.
The threads weren't just for restricting movement. Charging in bare-handed, Seo Baek swung his gripped dagger down at Wi Seong-cheon.
"Excuse me."
Crack!
Wi Seong-cheon's fist bent Seo Baek's body into a V-shape. But the impact was shallow. Just before the fist sank into his abdomen, Seo Baek released the threads to slow his acceleration and hurled a dagger at the ceiling.
The Heavenly Wave Splash he'd unleashed at that range was dismantled head-on.
"Getting jittery with graduation around the corner, so I lost control and went wild... Would that work? Or should we say Seo Baek, you attempted treason against me?"
Jeong Mi-ju muttered as she rose from her chair.
Seo Baek's arms were pinned. Wi Seong-cheon let out a long-held breath and shook his head.
"That was close."
"...You mad..."
He'd seen it clearly with his own eyes. A rain of hidden weapons overwhelming him from all sides... Wi Seong-cheon had shattered it head-on with both hands.
Smashing some aside, deflecting others, subtly twisting his body to evade—pushing through the onslaught to seize Seo Baek's hands.
"Well done."
"...Miss."
"You did well too."
Jeong Mi-ju chuckled, consoling Seo Baek.
"Is this enough?"
Wi Seong-cheon glanced back at Jeong Mi-ju and asked. ...It was hot. No illusion. The room had grown even hotter.
The sudden heat caused heat haze to rise, making Jeong Mi-ju's figure shimmer.
"I get how strong you are now, junior. Impressive enough to take down Hwangbo junior."
"Thanks for saying that, but Hwangbo Seong-u didn't turn into a bear."
"Playing humble now? No need. Even if Hwangbo junior had turned into a bear, the outcome wouldn't have changed. Matchups matter in martial arts, right?"
Jeong Mi-ju glanced at Seo Baek's face as she spoke.
"Seo Baek's weaker than me, but the matchup gap is huge. How was Hwangbo junior's martial arts?"
"Heavy. Honest."
That was why he'd chosen Hwangbo Seong-u first. Fist techniques using punches were predictable despite feints, due to various factors.
Plus, Wi Seong-cheon's Heavy Hand Divine Might could easily redirect attacks emphasizing brute force.
"Jinu's different from Hwangbo junior."
"So I might lose?"
"Hard to say offhand."
The heat subsided.
"Look, I don't care if you beat Jinu or not. Win or lose, I lose nothing."
"Then?"
"Simple, right? Forget the gains—just focus on what entertains me. Can't promise, but for the Uicheon Tournament... I'll give it a shot."
Wi Seong-cheon broke into a wide grin. He wanted to fight third-years like Jinu or Woo Ha-yeon at the Uicheon Tournament. But he couldn't control the brackets.
The Golden Name Escort Agency, the academy's biggest patron, could slip his name into the fixed brackets.
Sure, it wasn't right, but few would think Wi Seong-cheon profited from rigged brackets...
Who'd believe Little Buddha Jinu, the center of the Young Phoenixes, would lose to him?
"Depending on the tournament results, I'll consider your other request too. Finding that person."
"Thank you."
"Save the thanks—it's gonna be fun. Oh, and."
Jeong Mi-ju raised her hand. The Youth Society application form, floating far away, drifted over to her.
"You're in. Show up every Saturday from now on."
"...Uh, do I have to?"
"No big deal if you don't. Just means our relationship cools off accordingly."
Jeong Mi-ju grinned mischievously. It was blatant blackmail. Wi Seong-cheon chuckled awkwardly and nodded.
"...Yes, senior."
* * *
"...Are you really going to do it?"
Seo Baek glumly cleaned the wrecked classroom. Professors who rushed in, startled, grilled them on what happened, but Jeong Mi-ju brushed them off, claiming graduation nerves had made her edgy.
"It's not hard. Think of all the money our agency has poured into Uicheon Academy so far. You think we can't swing this?"
Jeong Mi-ju sat in the sole surviving chair, puffing her pipe.
During her time at the academy, she'd never once asked the Golden Name Escort Agency for a favor.
Classes or whatever, she handled alone. Sure, the academy might've quietly favored her, but that wasn't her concern.
She'd never requested it, after all.
"Besides, it's fun. And intriguing."
"...Miss, you're not planning to bet on the rigged brackets, are you?"
Seo Baek glanced at her. Jeong Mi-ju burst out laughing, exhaling smoke.
"As if. For some pocket change? Anyway, I genuinely have no clue who'd win between Jinu junior and Wi Seong-cheon junior."
"...Isn't it because you dislike Jinu that you're granting Wi Seong-cheon's request?"
"Not that much. I told you—it's fun and intriguing. As far as I know, Heavenly Flower Sect hasn't done anything noteworthy in the righteous martial world for a century. Not even back in their Black Society days."
And yet, suddenly.
"They enrolled their young leader at Uicheon Academy. With a recommendation from Great Master Won-gwang Buddha himself. And that young leader... he's a Hidden Dragon. Sure, rumors are scarce due to Heavenly Flower Sect prejudices and his life spent mostly there. But his skills rival the Young Phoenixes."
That wasn't all. Tai Chi Sword Lord, one of the Ten Heroes whose presence at the academy was unknown, would start teaching Wi Seong-cheon next week.
"No harm in getting friendly with him, right? As long as he doesn't drop dead unexpectedly, his reputation will grow with his talent. Depending on him, Heavenly Flower Sect might even become a renowned sect. You heard him too—wants to be a Heavenly Dragon, not just a Hidden Dragon."
Not all talk. He had the skills. Heavenly Flower Lord... Four Heroes' Wi Ju-seok. He'd raised his son into a dragon.
Kept him wrapped up tight, then released him into the world. At this Uicheon Tournament, the world would see Heavenly Flower Sect differently.
"Eek!"
Woo Ha-yeon burst through the door, screaming in shock.
"What is this?! What happened while I was gone?!"
Rushing in, she whipped around the classroom, making a fuss. Oh, right. While diligently cleaning, Seo Baek recalled his earlier talk with Jeong Mi-ju.
"Ha-yeon."
"Yeah? What, Brother Seo Baek?"
Startled but beaming, Woo Ha-yeon turned to him.
"Why was Jeongcheon Society called?"
The moment he asked.
Her smile vanished. Caught off-guard by the sudden change, Seo Baek flinched.
"...W-well, you know that new first-year who enrolled. Wi Seong-cheon from Heavenly Flower Sect."
"...Pardon?"
Jeong Mi-ju burst out laughing. Just as she'd said. The Jeongcheon Society meeting wasn't about the Demonic Cult—it was about Wi Seong-cheon.
"Most of it was chewing out Seong-u over him. ...That brat Jinu told Seong-u to leave Jeongcheon Society. Said it tarnished the Young Phoenixes' and society's reputation."
"...Is that true?"
"Yeah, I got so mad hearing about it! Seong-u's an idiot too—if he'd stayed quiet, I would've shut Jinu up from spouting more nonsense."
Just because you're a Young Phoenix doesn't mean you win every fight. Demanding resignation over one loss, tying it to prestige. She couldn't stand hearing more.
So she stood up and confronted Jinu,
"Enough. I'm grateful you're leaving. Don't bother me anymore."
Woo Ha-yeon lowered her voice, mimicking Hwangbo Seong-u.
"Then he just walked out. I was so shocked I tried to stop him..."
"Why stop him? Let him go."
"...Figured as much, so I didn't."
Woo Ha-yeon drooped her shoulders at Jeong Mi-ju's jab.
"And? That's it?"
"...They mentioned the Demonic Cult too. With a spy infiltrated, Jeongcheon Society needs to lead in calming the students."
"See? They did bring up the Demonic Cult."
"You idiot, the main point was Wi Seong-cheon junior. Jinu has his position too—if they only trashed Wi Seong-cheon junior with the Young Phoenixes there, it'd look silly, right?"
Jeong Mi-ju clicked her tongue.
"Junior?"
Woo Ha-yeon whipped around to stare at Jeong Mi-ju.
"What? What? Sis, you know that first-year? You've never even met—why act all chummy?"
"I have."
"When?!"
As Woo Ha-yeon gaped in shock, Jeong Mi-ju grinned and held out Wi Seong-cheon's application.
"You'll see him plenty starting next week."
Woo Ha-yeon's eyes widened as she scanned the form.
The ceiling threads pulled taut, sending Seo Baek's body soaring upward. At the same time, his kicking shin targeted Wi Seong-cheon's jaw.
'No room for mercy here.'
Not against this opponent. Heavenly Flower Chain Skill drew up his inner energy. Wi Seong-cheon's hand shot out.
Instead of the leaping Seo Baek, he seized the thread on the floor-embedded dagger. Seo Baek's eyes flew wide.
'The Silver Sword Thread with bare hands? It'll slice his hand off...'
It didn't. Wi Seong-cheon deftly snatched the Silver Sword Thread and yanked. His grip was gentle, but the pull was anything but.
Seo Baek's body jerked toward him. Panic flashed in Seo Baek's eyes, then turned icy cold. A chill ran down Wi Seong-cheon's spine.
Heavenly Wave Dagger Origin Art.
Heavenly Wave Splash.
Seo Baek's clothes shredded and burst apart. Fingernail-sized hidden weapons shot from his entire body, engulfing Wi Seong-cheon. He dragged his foot back, dropping into a low stance. He'd already released the thread, raising both hands.
"What excuse should we use?"
Jeong Mi-ju muttered.
The classroom was a disaster. Hidden weapons had blasted desks and chairs to splinters everywhere, leaving claw marks scarring the walls, ceiling, and floor.
Yet around Jeong Mi-ju, no such traces remained. Only dark ash from incineration drifted nearby.
Seo Baek's Heavenly Wave Dagger Origin Art. Of which the Heavenly Wave Splash derived from the pinnacle of Tang Clan hidden weapon arts, Thousand Heavenly Flowers Rain. Even if Seo Baek hadn't reached its zenith,