Chapter 57
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: One Day Left Until the Decisive Battle
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(9)
One day remained until the day of the decisive battle.
I had arrived in Shaanxi, where the Heavenly Martial Academy was located.
And I was more exhausted than ever before.
"Hoo..."
The lodging provided by the Heavenly Martial Academy was so luxurious that it felt almost insulting to compare it to the dorms we usually stayed in.
A large room for me alone, complete with fine bedding and a spotlessly clean interior.
Honestly, it exceeded my expectations.
Even so, the Heavenly Martial Academy felt underhanded because the friendly match was being held at their own academy.
"I miss cars and trains..."
If I had to name the most inconvenient thing about coming to the martial world, I could confidently say it now.
'Travel.'
I'd ridden in a carriage for two whole days.
The carriage, already jostling along with the horse's gait, left the city outskirts and plunged into the mountains.
Honestly, it felt like my butt was getting beaten by the damn thing.
Every time a wheel hit a rock, my body would float up into the air.
It was like riding an amusement park ride without safety bars.
The others somehow managed to sleep in the carriage or read martial arts manuals.
Whenever I saw that, I couldn't help but think that martial artists really were built different.
"Hoo..."
I collapsed onto the bed in my room.
Knock knock.
Someone knocked on the door, but I couldn't muster the energy to ask who it was.
Right now, all I could do was lie sprawled out and regulate my breathing.
The person who opened the door and entered was none other than Seol-yeong.
"...What are you doing?"
Seol-yeong looked down at me with what seemed like pity.
...Actually, she wasn't looking at me that way.
Her face was as expressionless as always; I was just feeling self-conscious, that's all.
When she asked what I was doing, I hesitated for a moment before answering.
"...Motion sickness..."
"..."
She didn't react much, which only made me feel more embarrassed.
In the end, I forced myself to sit up.
"What's up?"
"...They said to come eat."
"...I don't feel like eating right now."
"...The instructor said we have to attend."
There was no resisting if the instructor had ordered it.
I slowly dragged myself up, thinking I'd just go sit for a bit and come back, when Seol-yeong blocked the door and stared up at me blankly.
If I slipped past her to the side, she slipped right along with me.
It looked like she had something to say.
"...What's wrong?"
"...I'll come to your room tonight."
"What?"
With that, she strode out.
What the hell?
It wasn't a suggestion—it was a notice.
Well, that wasn't really the issue.
The real problem was that I had no idea why she was coming.
Could it be—
"...Lately, because of Jeong-seon, my mind's been going straight to the gutter."
These days, Jeong-seon wasn't human anymore.
Not in a bad way, but... how should I put it?
She was starting to resemble a seductive fox spirit, a gumiho.
She'd absorbed the knowledge of countless courtesans from the Hao Clan, and lately, she'd even been trying to use internal energy for that.
Pretty soon, a fox tail was going to sprout above her butt.
"...Has it gotten worse?"
Honestly, I doubted Seol-yeong would visit my room with that kind of intention.
Which meant it was probably related to her illness.
Fortunately, thanks to Jeong-seon, I'd leveled up the Solar Heart Technique quite a bit.
I'd successfully raised the Solar Heart Technique to level 6 and my internal energy to level 4.
But now, I was starting to worry.
Just how far did I need to grow to cure Seol-yeong's Nine Yin Severed Meridians?
It was treated as an incurable disease.
No ordinary level would even come close.
Did I need at least level 10?
"...Sigh, let's head to the dining hall first."
I made my way to the restaurant on the first floor of the lodging.
Since there were no specific directions, this had to be it.
Sure enough, as I entered the dining hall, I spotted our group—Pung-un, Seol-yeong, and the rest—seated in a semicircle around a massive table.
But on the opposite side, another group was seated in a matching semicircle.
For people supposedly gathered amicably around a big round table, the atmosphere was anything but friendly.
"..."
After two days of motion sickness, my condition was the worst it'd ever been.
And right now, Pung-un's expression looked even worse than mine.
It wasn't from motion sickness.
A man and woman from the Heavenly Martial Academy were glaring daggers at Pung-un.
"Ah, seriously, I don't wanna go."
Just imagining myself walking into that atmosphere made my motion sickness flare up again.
There was only one empty seat at the round table, and naturally, it was mine.
As I slowly made my way to it, everyone's eyes turned to me.
'...This is making me nauseous for real.'
Was this really the vibe for a friendly match?
Even rivalries didn't feel this tense.
The only ray of light was the warm gaze from Jeong-seon, sitting right next to me.
And in that atmosphere, the star of the show—Pung-un's spot—was the absolute worst.
Namgoong Yoo.
The woman from the Heavenly Martial Academy who'd had some trouble with the protagonist asked him.
"Honey, why did you run off to a place like the Gentle Martial Academy? I'm right here at the Heavenly Martial Academy, so why?"
"Honey...? We're not even married..."
"You held my hand and hugged me!"
"E-even if that's true, marriage is..."
"I won't forgive you, I won't forgive you, I won't forgive you."
Pung-un wore a look of pure terror as Namgoong Yoo muttered at an insane speed.
Even watching from afar, I felt a chill.
So this was what killing intent really felt like.
Then, Namgoong Hyeok—the guy who'd snagged the fifth slot on our side—spoke up.
"Little sis, marriage over just a hug? You're overreacting."
"And what about you, big bro? You're head over heels for that server girl whose finger you brushed while sharing drinks, aren't you?"
Come to think of it, we had another Namgoong family member on our side.
I'd suspected as much, and sure enough, they were siblings.
But their talents were worlds apart.
His little sister had shone at the Heavenly Martial Academy, while her big brother had barely scraped by for a slot at the Gentle Martial Academy.
Even their clothing screamed the difference.
Namgoong Yoo's outfit exuded luxury from the fabric to the embroidery, while Namgoong Hyeok's... was plain.
No different from mine.
If not for the name, I wouldn't have guessed he was from a famous clan.
The martial world suddenly felt brutally harsh.
...Speaking of which, what was up with the Namgoong Clan?
Two descendants with such extreme views on romance.
Once Namgoong Yoo finished, it was the turn of the man who'd been glaring at Pung-un.
"You didn't slack off on your training just because you went to the Gentle Martial Academy, did you?"
"...Who are you again?"
"...I'll kill you."
One more person added to the list directing killing intent at Pung-un.
The other three didn't seem all that interested in him.
Instead, the Heavenly Martial Academy trio quietly ate their meals or occasionally glanced at Seol-yeong in admiration.
Jeong-seon, sitting next to me, whispered in my ear.
"She's there too. My ideal type."
"..."
Jeong-seon was secretly pointing at Namgoong Yoo under the table.
She was a woman, and she liked someone else—checks out.
Honestly, she was beautiful too.
But that occasional crazed expression...
It was terrifying.
[Fetish: Sadist, possessiveness, destructive urges, bold and aggressive men]
Her fetishes were no joke either.
At least the last one was normal.
Lately, it felt like every woman whose emotions I read was abnormal. Coincidence?
Were all the women in these quests just wired wrong?
Even in that suffocating atmosphere, the food came out since it was a dining hall.
"Th-th-this is twice-cooked pork!"
The server set down the dish, hands and voice trembling.
It was killing intent too much for an ordinary person to handle.
I calmly reached out and grabbed a piece of the twice-cooked pork.
I definitely had motion sickness, but with greasy meat right in front of me, I figured one bite couldn't hurt.
It was surprisingly good.
The heavy spices gave it a novel flavor I'd never tried before, but meat never failed.
Before I knew it, I'd forgotten the nausea and enjoyed a satisfying meal.
Unlike me, Pung-un could barely eat.
Under glares from both sides, all he'd managed was one bite of an egg dish.
After finishing, I returned to my room.
When I opened the door, Seol-yeong was already there, sitting on the bed—ahead of me by one step.
She wore much thinner clothes than usual, revealing the outlines of her body.
How many men could resist a sight like this?
I tried not to show it, but something between my legs was starting to stir.
"...I know it's a selfish request, but please... make my body hot, even just a little..."
"..."
If I didn't know her situation and just heard the words, it sounded incredibly provocative.
For a moment, I wondered if she was seducing me.
But no—her condition was off.
Even though the weather had warmed up, white mist escaped her mouth with every breath, and her hands trembled faintly.
I slowly approached the bed and sat behind her.
Seol-yeong seemed to know what I was about to do; she swept her hair forward and bared her back to me.
She was shivering and breathing out mist from the cold, but cold sweat actually beaded on her back and neck.
Her condition looked much worse than before.
I gathered my internal energy as if meditating.
Slowly channeling it into my palms, I cautiously placed my hands on her back.
"Alright, let's begin."
"...Yeah... please..."