Chapter 300: Who's messing with my kid? (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 300: Who's messing with my kid? (1)
What a mind-numbingly boring affair.
They announced the third, second, and first-place winners. And even after the top three were settled, the Qinghai Swordmaster droned on without end.
…and with this, we shall march forward…
This old man really knew how to drag things out.
To be fair, his words weren't without merit. He spoke of relentless training, of how this dedication defines a true martial artist and prepares us for the dangers ahead. The core message was that every graduate of the Heavenly Dragon Academy must become strong enough to stand on their own.
A fine speech, in essence…
But after listening to him for hours on end, how could I not be bored out of my skull?
I’d heard the first day was supposed to be a simple orientation, just telling us about our accommodations. I should have known it wouldn't be that easy.
This guy’s speech is eating up at least half the day.
Having now experienced it, I realized just how painful this schedule was. How absurd.
…and lastly, the future shall be illuminated by the light you all carry…
By the way, this was the fifth time I’d heard him say ‘lastly.’ I swear I was going to lose my mind. This had to be one of the most excruciating days I’d experienced recently.
To make matters worse, all the so-called Young Prodigies standing below were staring up at me on the stage. And I knew exactly what—or rather, who—they were all staring at.
They’re not even trying to be subtle, the bastards.
Their eyes were glued to Wi Seol-Ah. Honestly, if I were down there with them, I’d probably be staring at her too. Her blossoming beauty was potent enough to captivate anyone.
I wanted to use my qi to veil her presence a little, but I hadn't fully recovered yet. Attempting anything with the Qinghai Swordmaster right in front of me would be reckless. All I could do was commit the faces of those staring bastards to memory.
…But with so many of them, remembering all of them is impossible.
Most of the male Young Prodigies were blatantly staring, paying no attention to the speech. The female prodigies weren't much different. Whether he noticed or not, the Qinghai Swordmaster continued his cheerful monologue.
As my gaze swept across the crowd, I spotted one bastard staring with particularly lecherous intent.
You, I’ll definitely remember you.
I didn't know his name, but I etched his face into my mind. After memorizing that bastard’s features, I glanced at Wi Seol-Ah beside me.
She stood perfectly still, eyes half-lidded, posture ramrod straight. The Wi Seol-Ah from before would have been fidgeting, trying to whisper to me without a care for the Swordmaster nearby. I would have told her to be still or briefly indulged her cheerful chattering.
But now…
What about her now? I could see her golden pupils through her slightly parted eyelids. She breathed steadily, her lips pressed into a tight line. The once-vibrant girl now carried herself like a well-bred noble descendant. It felt different, creating a strange distance between us.
She’s becoming more like the Wi Seol-Ah I knew in my past life.
Her demeanor was turning cold and wintry, devoid of emotion—a familiar sight. For some reason, seeing her revert to that left me feeling disappointed.
My prolonged stare must have caught her attention, as Wi Seol-Ah glanced in my direction. Our eyes met. Hers widened slightly. Her golden pupils reminded me of both the moon and the sun; I couldn't decide which.
Not that it matters.
Whether moon or sun, it made no difference. Wi Seol-Ah was all of it. Her lips twitched as she kept looking at me, as if she wanted to say something. Just as I focused on her mouth…
…and with this, I shall conclude my speech.
The Qinghai Swordmaster finally finished. After such an interminable lecture, it was over at last.
The Young Prodigies began to move, guided by the instructors. As Wi Seol-Ah turned to follow, I grabbed her wrist, stopping her. Her wrist felt cold in my grasp.
“At least tell me what you were about to say,” I said. It would be a shame to leave it unfinished. She needed to complete the thought.
“A-Ah, it’s, um…” She was clearly flustered, not expecting me to stop her. Judging by her wide eyes, she hadn’t changed too much yet. But was that something to be glad about?
“Food…” she mumbled.
“Hmm?”
“I was going to ask… if you’ve eaten yet.”
…If I’d eaten? What a random question.
“I have. What about it?”
“…I just… wanted to ask.” Wi Seol-Ah began to stutter, sounding more confused than I was. It was as if something within her had cracked.
“I-It’s nice weather today, huh…?” she ventured.
“Does that look like nice weather to you?” I retorted. The sky was choked with dark clouds. No matter how you spun it, it was far from ‘nice.’
“…”
It was obvious she hadn’t even looked up. After a quick glance at the gloomy sky, Wi Seol-Ah clamped her mouth shut. Even she knew it was a poor excuse. After stammering incoherently for a moment, she quickly walked away, her mouth firmly sealed.
“Hey, where are you going!” I called out, but she didn’t look back.
I smirked as I watched her retreat. What on earth was she trying to do?
* * *
With the orientation finally over, it was time for room assignments. It was insane—a three-hour speech was pure torture.
Four to five people per room.
The assignments and locations were posted on a large wooden board. The dormitory buildings were impressively large, each over six stories high. The male dormitories alone were comparable in size to my entire Gu Clan estate.
Though, to be fair, my clan isn’t that big.
Still, the expenditure on these dorms felt like a colossal waste. I also found it odd that we didn’t get single rooms. With buildings this massive, couldn’t they have given us individual quarters?
I turned to Gu Jeolyub, who was examining the board beside me. “What floor are you on?”
“The third floor.”
“The third, huh… So they grouped all the sword-wielding bastards together there.” It wasn’t just him; other well-known sword prodigies were assigned to the same floor. They were categorizing us by specialty.
I’m on the fifth floor?
It seemed they really were sorting by specialty. I wondered if it was necessary, but they must have had their reasons. Climbing all those stairs was going to be a hassle.
After confirming my floor, I asked another acquaintance. “Friend, what floor are you on?”
“…F-Fourth,” Cheol Jiseon answered, his voice trembling. So he was on the fourth floor. It was unexpected—he must be a sword user. To be fair, he did wear a sword at his waist, though I’d never seen him draw it.
“Do you know what we’re doing tomorrow?”
“I heard we’re just doing some greetings tomorrow.”
“With what, demons?”
“With the instructors in charge of each group…”
“Lame. What’s the point of greetings?” What a waste of time. Why not just dive straight into training? Time was precious.
As I scanned the board, sighing repeatedly, I noticed something odd.
They’re all separated.
The real troublemakers—the Sleeping Dragon, the Sword Dragon, the rest of the Six Dragons, the Three Phoenixes—were mostly assigned to different rooms. Was it a coincidence, or intentional?
Why go through the trouble of separating us? There must be a reason.
As my eyes traveled down the list, a familiar name jumped out.
Huh? That bastard’s here too? I haven’t seen him until now.
Hwangbo Cheolwi. His name was listed as a blood relative of the Hwangbo Clan. It made sense for a Young Prodigy like him to be here. Had I missed him because he was in the first group during the exams? That was possible. But since I never saw him, he’d likely been hiding on purpose.
Are things not going his way? I hadn’t given much thought to what I’d said to him back then. I should look into it later; Hwangbo Cheolwi was probably feeling the pressure.
The others are separated too.
Moyong Hi-ah, Tang Soyeol, and Namgung Bi-ah. Just like in the male dormitories, they seemed to be split up. However, Gu Yeonseo was rooming with Namgung Bi-ah, which was strange. What were they planning? Or were they planning anything at all?
Putting that aside, I grabbed Cheol Jiseon, who seemed to be in a hurry. “Hey, friend.”
“Yes? I-I mean, yeah?”
“If anyone gives you trouble, make sure to tell me. Don’t hold it in.”
“…O-Okay.” Cheol Jiseon’s expression was odd, as if he found my concern strange.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Have I ever harassed you? What’s with that face?”
“O-Of course not… You didn’t harass me…”
“Right? We promised to be good friends.” I gave his shoulder a couple of friendly smacks. The bastard nodded along. Look at him, joking around. Hehe.
“…”
“What?”
“Nothing…” Gu Jeolyub was staring at me strangely. When I questioned him, he just shook his head.
This ungrateful bastard… I’d picked him up when he was rolling in the mud, cleaned him up, and put new clothes on him. And this was the thanks I got? I’d have to re-educate him someday.
As Gu Jeolyub shivered from a sudden chill, I decided I’d seen enough and started to move. I’d check out the rest tomorrow. Dragging my exhausted body, I went to find my room.
Having the dorms inside the Academy was convenient, but it had its drawbacks.
Creak.
I opened the door to my room and was greeted by a large space filled with the heated tension of clashing qi.
“You bastard, how dare you talk back to me!”
“Are you looking for a fight?”
I was immediately met with stereotypical dialogue I was sure I’d heard somewhere before. Where did they even learn to say such things?
“Let’s settle this by rank!”
Good grief. What a mess had I walked into? A bunch of guys were snarling at each other as I entered.
Sigh.
I sighed deeply at the sight. Five. There were five of us in this room, including me. Seeing this, I realized something.
I should’ve known.
I’ve said it before: the Heavenly Dragon Academy is packed with Young Prodigies from noble clans and major sects. Moreover, these were the ones who had passed the rigorous entrance exams. This place was a breeding ground for bastards who thought they were geniuses, their pride soaring sky-high because they knew their own talent.
I doubted any of them knew what it felt like to be intimidated. The defining trait of these egotistical maniacs was that they refused to see others as their equals. Whether they were from the Six Dragons, the Three Phoenixes, or just thought they were above everyone else, they all lived in their own delusional worlds where they had to be the top dog.
And they put four or five of these guys in a single room?
You bastards…!
This setup was practically designed to make them fight to establish a pecking order. Did the Academy think it was better to sort out the hierarchy early, since they’d be here without their usual servants?
Ugh… I’m exhausted, and it’s only the first day.
Watching these idiots flaring their qi angrily was giving me a headache. I thought I understood why they crammed multiple prodigies into one room. Given the size of the buildings, they could have easily given us single rooms. Instead, they made larger rooms and packed us in together.
There was also a reason they separated the big names like the Six Dragons and Three Phoenixes.
They need someone to take charge if things get out of hand.
That’s always how it worked. The weak naturally yield to the strong. I wasn’t sure if the Academy was encouraging this, but it didn’t seem like a good idea to me. They should have just given everyone their own room. What a pointless setup.
They claimed that background didn’t matter here, that everyone at the Heavenly Dragon Academy would be treated equally. But would that really work when everyone knew the power of fame? Did the Murim Alliance not realize this? No, they knew—they just let it be. It was more convenient for them that way.
The clever ones were already observing everyone, moving around to build connections on the very first day. When I glanced around earlier, they were all so quick about it. Kids these days learn too fast.
Back in my day… Wait, was I just bad at this? I regret even thinking about it. Even if there were other talented youths outside the Academy, this was the prime place to build connections.
It’s also a perfect stage to flaunt your strength.
Building a reputation here would do wonders for one’s future fame. All these chest-thumping bastards were the same. Especially on my floor, where they’d gathered all the combat-loving maniacs—none of them were going to have pleasant personalities.
I guess my own bad personality comes with being a close-combat martial artist. Judging by every other close-combat specialist I’ve met, they all had shitty dispositions. It must be a side effect of the martial path.
I would’ve been the nicest person ever if I’d been a swordsman.
[Grrr?]
Why are you refuting that all of a sudden? Go back to sleep.
[…Grr.]
I shoved the beast’s rude interruption aside and observed the room, which was on the verge of exploding.
“Let’s see, how about I break your nose to shut you…”
“Shut up,” I cut in, my voice cold. “Lower your voice. My head hurts. Seriously, do you bastards think being louder makes you stronger?”
“What?” The guy I interrupted turned to me, his gaze sharp enough to kill. He looked genuinely murderous.
“What did you just…”
“Wake me up last in the mornings, since I sleep in. And memorize the next day’s menu in advance.”
“What are you babbling about, you bas…”
He started walking toward me. Just then, another guy in the room seemed to recognize me. “Wait, that person… he’s the True…!”
Crack-
But my hand was faster.
“Ugh…!”
The jaw of the bastard who was about to swing at me was now facing the wrong direction. Using qi to hold back would make my dantian ache, so I hit him without restraint. He probably wouldn’t wake up until tomorrow morning. I honestly wanted to resolve this as quickly as possible. I was tired and needed rest.
Thud.
As the guy—whose name I didn’t even know—crumpled effortlessly to the floor, the others who had been flaring their qi fell into a stunned silence.
“Hey.” I turned to the other guy who had been arguing with the one I just knocked out.
“…Y-You’re talking to me?” From his speech, he seemed to be from a sect, not a clan.
“Obviously. Who else is there?”
“W-What do you want?”
“What’s this bastard’s name?”
“He said… Pe Woocheol.”
Pe Woocheol. Never heard of him. For a guy with such a big build, he went down like a sack of potatoes. I kicked the unconscious body into a corner of the room.
“Starting tomorrow, if you need anything, ask Woocheol. This bastard is the youngest in the room.” It was his own fault for running his mouth the moment I walked in.
“…What do you mean by that?” the sect guy questioned.
I frowned slightly. “I don’t like people who are slow on the uptake. Do you want to be the youngest instead if you disagree with my decision?”
“I shall take good care of our youngest brother as an older brother should,” he immediately amended.
“You have good sense. You can be the second oldest.”
“Thank you, big brother.”
Unlike some others, this guy knew how to read the situation. Not bad.
The atmosphere calmed down considerably after I knocked out Pe Woocheol. They’d all seen my name on the board; they knew I was assigned to this room. I didn’t know why they’d started this nonsense. For my own comfort, it was better to establish the hierarchy now rather than later.
I addressed my new roommates with a smile. “Let’s all get along from now on, yes? Anyone have any objections?”
After my question, they all exchanged silent looks. I was fully prepared to offer a ‘kind’ treatment to anyone who objected.
“If so, speak up now. I need to sleep, and I’ll need to put you to sleep first.” I was, of course, referring to knocking them out. It would hurt more than usual since I couldn’t control my strength properly right now, but that wasn’t my problem.
It seemed my generosity touched them, as they all nodded in agreement, showing no objections. Seeing that, I smiled and nodded back.
I was glad to have such reasonable roommates.