Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Friendly Tournament (5)
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The judge shouted.
“Winner, Black Bamboo Sect’s Ryu Seoran!”
A thrilling three consecutive victories born from a desperate score gap.
Even the last one had turned the tables with an unbelievable masterful move when she’d been pushed to the brink.
Not only Black Bamboo Sect but the other two sects waiting for their next matches cheered fervently as well.
Amid the boiling crowd, Ho Hye-mun remained outwardly composed.
But unlike her appearance, her heart was pounding like it would burst.
Right now, Ho Hye-mun was shedding tears in her heart.
It was all because of Seoran’s kicking technique that had sparked the comeback.
Who knew fist-and-kick arts could be so beautiful.
The relaxation and contraction of muscles, and that astonishing flexibility too.
That single move had delivered tremendous inspiration to Ho Hye-mun’s unique aesthetic sense.
In that exquisite footwork, Ho Hye-mun felt a certain emotion.
It was infinite love for fist-and-kick arts.
Such a technique couldn’t be created without affection.
Through a leap of logic, Ho Hye-mun reached a conclusion.
Investigator Ryu, you truly love fist-and-kick arts, don’t you?
Now that you’ve claimed victory with a technique perfected through bone-grinding pain, what are your feelings?
You must be happier than anyone, right?
Of course, it was all Ho Hye-mun’s delusion.
Seoran was currently so exhausted she felt like dying.
And she didn’t particularly love fist-and-kick arts either.
But Ho Hye-mun didn’t doubt her own conclusion.
In her mind, Seoran was already a fist-and-kick arts enthusiast.
A comrade who, like her, loved fist-and-kick arts so much that she chose the thorny path.
Investigator Ryu, your love has certainly reached me.
I’ll become your true understanding companion.
Let’s develop fist-and-kick arts together.
Just as Ho Hye-mun was solidifying that resolve, the match ended with Seoran—who’d been getting pummeled excitedly—collapsing.
*****
Seoran ultimately lost to her fourth opponent.
It was actually inevitable.
She’d taken too many hits from the second opponent, and she hadn’t held anything back against the third.
She probably would’ve lost even against the crane girl.
But regardless of the result, it had been a magnificent fight.
The girls swarmed around Seoran as she left the arena limply.
They were all Yi Agum’s friends.
Dozens of girls hoisted Seoran up and gave her a shoulder ride.
On top of that, the area was rowdy with people whistling and chanting Seoran’s name.
Not just Black Bamboo Sect but cultivators from the other sects praised her spirited performance.
The fervor of the crowd even delayed the next match for a bit.
Once the commotion settled, the tournament continued.
In the end, there were no further upsets.
Golden Forge Sect crushed their finals opponent with an overwhelming score gap to claim victory.
With the grand award ceremony concluded, the friendly tournament came to an end.
Now it was time to return to their sects.
As Seoran was packing her things, someone approached.
“Hey, you. What’s your name?”
It was Geum Yeongyeong, the one who’d passed out after a single kick.
“I’m Ryu Seoran.”
“What a pretty name! I’m Geum Yeongyeong!”
“Ah, nice to meet you.”
Seoran gave a standard reply.
But Geum Yeongyeong just stood there silently with an expectant look on her face.
Suddenly, the content of their recent exchange flashed through Seoran’s mind.
“Investigator Geum has a really pretty name too.”
“Thanks!”
It seemed Seoran’s guess had been spot on.
Having heard the praise she wanted, Geum Yeongyeong got straight to the point.
“I lost regrettably today, but next time we meet, it’ll be different. That’s when I’ll show my true strength. We’ll go all out against each other!”
Just like that?
Seoran felt perplexed.
And so she unconsciously reacted as she had in her previous life.
“Yes, let’s definitely meet sometime.”
It came with a social smile too.
She hadn’t intended anything specific.
In her previous life, Seoran’s default when flustered was to smile first.
“Great, it’s a promise! I have a feeling we’ll get along really well.”
Geum Yeongyeong, who’d never experienced office life, didn’t catch the nuanced implication in the smile.
She was simply pleased with the satisfying response.
As she was about to say more, she heard someone calling from afar and looked regretful.
“Ah, Senior Brother’s calling me. I gotta go. Don’t lose to anyone else until I beat you and get my revenge!”
Geum Yeongyeong left those words and dashed off toward where her sect members were gathered.
The once-noisy spot was left with just two people.
Ryu Seoran and Ho Hye-mun.
Ho Hye-mun, who’d been watching it all from the side, spoke up.
“You’ve got a good rival now. A friendly rivalry—how exciting, right?”
No, it’s just troubling.
But she couldn’t say that outright.
She didn’t want to embarrass Investigator Ho.
So she just smiled.
*****
After the friendly tournament ended, many changes came to Black Bamboo Sect.
For the first time since the sect’s founding, the Martial Valor Hall’s indoor training ground reservations were completely full.
Inspired by Seoran’s brilliant performance, disciples rushed to the Martial Valor Hall one after another.
Even Jang Ok-gi, who thought he might die if he tried too hard, pounded the training dummies for several days.
That had been the purpose of holding the friendly tournament in the first place.
They wanted disciples who admired the high-level martial artists to develop a drive for self-improvement.
Even if it was just a three-day effort, two days of diligent training was fine.
It was only natural that the martial arts instructor’s lips stayed curved up to his ears.
Seoran’s daily life changed a lot too.
First, the leadership issued rewards.
A few days later, Seoran moved to a two-story hall.
The second floor was living space, the first floor a training ground.
It was a house so nice it felt burdensome to have all to herself.
Her new residence was close to the women’s dorms.
So firewood and daily water were delivered every day, and they even did her laundry for her.
Most of the housework Seoran had done herself vanished.
Yi Agum, who came for a housewarming, marveled.
“They bring firewood and water. They do the laundry. Meals are at the cafeteria. Soon they’ll even bathe you. Sister, what exactly do you do all day?”
“Uh, cleaning?”
Yi Agum looked at a nearby table surface and said.
“No, it’s covered in dust. Look at this—anyone seeing it for the first time would think the table was originally gray.”
“No, I was planning to do it soon. I’ve only been here two days.”
“Two days and you’ve been living with this dust without a full cleanup? Wow, you’re tough. Really tough.”
Seoran tried to make excuses, but it was no use.
Yi Agum’s nagging—honed by cleaning duty at the Medicine Hall that everyone avoided—didn’t end.
“Don’t be too hard on her, Junior Sister Yi. Investigator Ryu isn’t neglecting cleaning out of laziness. She just didn’t have time because of unavoidable duties.”
At that moment, Ho Hye-mun—who’d also come for the housewarming—defended Seoran with novel logic.
Initiating conversation with others first.
It was something utterly difficult for the usual Ho Hye-mun.
But when talking to someone meeting certain conditions, she suddenly became a silver-tongued orator.
The first was children at least ten years younger than her.
To twenty-three-year-old Ho Hye-mun, thirteen-year-old Yi Agum was practically a baby.
The second was someone who loved fist-and-kick arts like her.
The person in question had no idea, but Ho Hye-mun’s internal affinity for Seoran had already maxed out.
Curious about the grandiose phrasing, Yi Agum asked.
“Unavoidable duties? What’s that?”
Truth be told, Seoran was curious too.
Did I have some important mission?
Then why don’t I know about it?
Ho Hye-mun answered without a moment’s hesitation.
“It’s precisely the task of spreading the greatness of fist-and-kick arts across the world.”
Even now, fist-and-kick arts suffer unjust persecution and disdain from martial technique devotees. Things like, “Why fight bare-handed when you have perfectly good weapons?” or “For emergencies, just learn the basics of fist-and-kick arts—that’s enough.”
Hard as it is to believe, there are really a lot of such ignorant people in the world. That’s why those of us who love fist-and-kick arts like you two have a duty to steadily hone our skills and correct these misguided public perceptions.
It’ll surely be a thorny path, but you won’t be lonely.
She gazed at Seoran for a moment with an enigmatic look and continued.
“That’s why Investigator Ryu is so busy every day. Cleaning for a prodigy who’ll elevate fist-and-kick arts to the heavens? That would be a loss to the entire universe.”
After her lengthy speech, Ho Hye-mun suddenly turned to Seoran and asked.
“I’m right, aren’t I, Investigator Ryu?”
Clear eyes like a deep lake fixed on Seoran.
She felt exactly like a frog before a snake.
Following her shrieking instincts, Seoran replied immediately.
“Yes, exactly. It’s like you’ve read my mind.”
As Seoran nodded enthusiastically, Ho Hye-mun’s cheeks flushed red.
“I knew you’d understand, Investigator Ryu. For the advancement of fist-and-kick arts, let’s work hard together.”
Ho Hye-mun smiled softly—rare for her.
Seoran’s face filled with smiles in response.
But only her pupils vibrated intensely.
Yi Agum, rolling her eyes between Seoran and Ho Hye-mun, quickly shouted.
“Oh right, I had something to do today! No helping it—let’s do the housewarming later, Sister!”
And she fled outside the building in a hurry.
“Junior Sister Yi moves fast, doesn’t she? Being diligent is a good thing. Shall we sweat together for the advancement of fist-and-kick arts too?”
“Sweat? When?”
“Right now.”
Ho Hye-mun’s calm voice echoed through the empty building.
For some reason, Seoran had a bad premonition.
Her sharp mind found an escape route.
“But right now, my cultivation is on the verge of a breakthrough. I’ll need to focus on mental refinement for a while. What a shame.”
Ho Hye-mun looked slightly surprised.
“Already at Foundation Establishment? Investigator Ryu truly overflows with talent. Well, no helping it then. But don’t be too disheartened. We have plenty of time.”
Leaving those meaningful words, Ho Hye-mun returned to her dorms.
Left alone, Seoran let out a sigh of relief.
She didn’t quite get it, but it felt like she’d escaped a tremendous crisis.
Was that person always so talkative?
Carrying the unresolved question, she headed up to the second floor.
It was her daily meditation time, never skipped.
In truth, saying Foundation Establishment was near wasn’t just an excuse.
Her disproportionately advanced body was pulling her spirit toward the goal.
Seoran had genuinely almost reached Foundation Establishment.
Just one step away from Qi Refinement perfection.
As expected, she’d become a Foundation Establishment cultivator within days.
Cherishing pleasant imaginings, Seoran meditated as usual today.
But even after several weeks passed, Seoran couldn’t break through Qi Refinement.