Special Skills Supremacy (6)
The showdown between the two young sword prodigies, representing the righteous and evil factions alike. And the victor... was regrettably not my friend Meng Yuon, but the enemy camp's Tak Gong.
No matter how much we lamented or regretted it, the outcome of a match was absolute.
Drip, drip!
Meng Yuon's collar was sliced open, blood seeping from the wound, while Tak Gong stood unscathed. To be precise, Tak Gong had perfectly dodged Meng Yuon's strike.
The charm of this duel lay in whose blade touched first—and without question, that made it Tak Gong's victory.
'So close.'
The two swordsmen's skills were evenly matched, but experience ultimately decided it. While Meng Yuon struggled with his timid nature and latent demonic tendencies, this Tak Gong had undoubtedly amassed countless battles as a top-tier assassin.
Their gap boiled down to that wealth of experience.
"Damn it."
Defeated by the slimmest of margins, Meng Yuon—uncharacteristically—muttered a curse, unable to hide his frustration. And who could blame him? Anyone could see how close it was. In terms of pure speed, his sword was no slouch, rivaling even the killer blades of the Extreme Assassination Cult.
"...Impressive."
As proof, even the aloof, tight-lipped Tak Gong offered rare praise. Had he failed to evade Meng Yuon's straight thrust, he would've been the loser. Purely on blade speed, Meng Yuon had the edge; it was the life-or-death stakes where Tak Gong prevailed.
"Tak Gong of Paecheon Academy wins!"
Dan Ri-cheong looked just as disappointed but never blamed Meng Yuon. Instead, he commended the brilliant clash and declared the opponent's victory with a clear conscience.
Roooar!
Paecheon Academy, which had finally tied the score 1-1 after a hard-fought struggle, erupted in fervor.
'This puts them in a stronger position.'
The score was tied at 1-1, but we'd lost one specialty—quick-draw swordplay—due to the overlap. That left us with only Peng Jincheon's blade arts, while they still had two: Yeom Cheon Gyeong's Heaven Evil Fighting Fist and Im Cho-a the Ice Jade Lady's skills. They held a clear advantage.
"Heh heh heh. Well done, Tak Gong!"
Ok Ji-san, fully aware of this, was already gloating as if victory was assured.
"I'm sorry."
The winner's joy and loser's sorrow stood in stark contrast. As soon as Meng Yuon descended from the training ground, he apologized with a stiff expression.
"No, you gave it your all and showed the grace of a true loser."
No one scolded him. Dan Ri-cheong praised him instead, and Baek Ho Jun nodded, offering comfort. This defeat would fuel Meng Yuon's growth even more. The boy had never truly tasted loss before—his future stretched out like a vast plain of nine thousand li.
"It's fine. I'll cover for you."
Peng Jincheon stretched calmly, easing his friend's burden. Now it was Cheonmu Academy's turn to propose a specialty—and with this being our last, it fell to the Little Dragon Blade, Peng Jincheon.
"Next up is Cheonmu Academy. With the overlap, this will be your final specialty proposal."
Ok Ji-san, brimming with leisure, gestured for us to go ahead. They'd sacrificed a weakling in this round, so even a loss left them with two specialties—reversal seemed effortless. Especially with Yeom Cheon Gyeong and Im Cho-a remaining; deploying just those two promised certain victory.
"From Cheonmu Academy, we put forth the Little Dragon Blade, Peng Jincheon!"
In this crisis, Dan Ri-cheong had no choice but to send him out. Meng Yuon, defeated in the overlapped quick-draw, couldn't compete again—Peng Jincheon was our only option.
"Peng Jincheon's specialty is a blade arts duel!"
Paecheon Academy took it in stride. A late-stage prodigy like the Little Dragon Blade was well-known and analyzed even in evil faction circles.
"Knew it."
From here, Ok Ji-san and his camp had predicted it—no surprise, just flexible countermeasures. Among the current evil faction generation, no one excelled in blade arts. Better to forfeit than force Yeom Cheon Gyeong or Im Cho-a into it.
"Send out our youngest."
Ok Ji-san was as cunning as he was sinister. Like he'd planned it, he promptly pushed forward their weakest: Bae Mu-gyeol, the Sect-Swinging Blade of the Heavenly Blade Hall, a blade sect from the evil factions. He still had a boyish face, not even twenty yet.
"It'll be good experience for Gyeol."
Ok Ji-san wasn't expecting victory from Bae Mu-gyeol. As a sacrificial pawn, this was a chance to gain real combat insight against a future supreme blade master.
Clang! Clang-clang!
True to those low expectations, after barely thirty exchanges, Bae Mu-gyeol was utterly overwhelmed by Peng Jincheon's Heaven-Earth Chaos Origin Blade and admitted defeat.
"I lost."
Peng Jincheon dominated utterly for a clean win, but it didn't feel refreshing. The looming crises ahead overshadowed the immediate triumph.
"Well fought."
Dan Ri-cheong praised the victor.
"Thanks."
Meng Yuon expressed gratitude to the friend who'd salvaged Cheonmu Academy's honor in his stead.
"Well then, our turn again?"
Ok Ji-san, sly as a fox, seized control despite knowing full well. He was already pondering whether to send Yeom Cheon Gyeong or Im Cho-a first.
The score was 2-1 in our favor, but we'd exhausted our specialties while they held two—disadvantageous.
"From Paecheon Academy, we field the Ice Jade Lady, Im Cho-a."
Desperate to tie it, they surprisingly chose not their top prodigy Yeom Cheon Gyeong, but Im Cho-a. A sly ploy, as it turned out.
"Im Cho-a's specialty is a women's duel... Any female expert from Cheonmu Academy may step up."
Ok Ji-san flashed his signature sleazy grin. They knew we lacked standout female experts.
'Tie it with Im Cho-a, then reverse with Yeom Cheon Gyeong.'
Their blatant scheme was obvious, leaving us no choice. Dan Ri-cheong and Baek Ho Jun couldn't hide their anger, faces twitching.
"This is bad."
Dan Ri-cheong sensed the crisis, but sadly, none of us women could beat the Ice Jade Lady. How I missed the Moon Palace experts right then.
"Ice Jade Lady Im Cho-a wins!"
Paecheon claimed an overwhelming default victory, tying the score at 2-2.
"Now, it was originally your turn, but the quick-draw overlap nullified it, right?"
Ok Ji-san drawled smugly, prodding Dan Ri-cheong's nerves while savoring the moment.
Dan Ri-cheong nodded silently, awaiting the final outcome.
"Our turn then. Naturally, we'll send out Yeom Cheon Gyeong of the Heaven Evil Fighting Fist!"
Before Ok Ji-san finished, Yeom Cheon Gyeong boldly claimed the training ground. His stance was so bold and imposing, it felt like he'd annexed a chunk of Cheonmu territory.
Hot rage surged as I watched. 'Please propose something that overlaps with me!'
Fortunately, Yeom Cheon Gyeong wasn't a swordsman or bladesman—he was a fist expert like me. If he suggested something I could do, duplicate entry was allowed, shattering their hopes.
It was right then.
"Cheon Myeong, was it?"
Something astonishing happened. The man, calmly enduring the righteous experts' stares atop the arena, called my name?
"What?"
I'd been watching quietly from below and startled, blurting a response.
"Got a specialty you want?"
Unbelievable. Out of nowhere, Yeom Cheon Gyeong seemed eager to face me too?
It was an open challenge: name your strong suit, and I'll call it—we'll fight.
'No wonder his eyes gleamed when I crushed that Iron Black Bear bastard.'
He wanted to prove who was strongest between Cheonmu and Paecheon Academies.
Swish!
I glanced around first—for Dan Ri-cheong and Baek Ho Jun's approval.
Nod.
"Do as you wish."
Permission granted instantly. Duplicates needed opponent consent anyway—no issue. With the leadership urging me on, refusing would've branded me a coward.
"What're you confident in, Brother Yeom?"
I stretched leisurely, projecting my own ease. Audacity wasn't his monopoly.
Ooooh!
Gasps erupted at my unflinching wit and boldness, rivaling Yeom Cheon Gyeong's.
Ok Ji-san had eyed a safe win, but my acceptance silenced any restraint on Yeom—he fully trusted his ace.
"Hah hah, gutsy one, aren't ya?"
Yeom sized me up like a senior master, then continued with a condescending smirk.
"Don't bluff. Pick something you're good at."
An invisible battle of wills unfolded between us.
"How about this? We're both fist fighters..."
No need to drag it out.
"Fist arts full-power duel as the specialty?"
Let's end it here. I matched Yeom Cheon Gyeong without flinching—in fact, my boldness stunned the crowd.
Roooar!
"He's up against the Heaven Evil Fighting Fist."
"Practically the evil faction's top prodigy."
"No matter his external arts, he can't beat Heavenly Throw Sect's young lord."
They buzzed because I seemed weaker, the underdog.
Even in our Cheonmu camp, few saw high odds. Baek Ho Jun, the Flame Flower Divine Army, kept sighing deeply.
"Heh heh."
Some believed, though. Led by Vice Headmaster Dan Ri-cheong's reviving smile, Meng Yuon and Peng Jincheon predicted my win.
And one more.
'I'll win this for sure.'
I trusted myself completely.
"Fist arts full-power duel it is."
Yeom was a mad dog too—no backing down, he went all-in.
Thus, the Cheonmu vs. Paecheon exchange match climaxed with my duel against Yeom Cheon Gyeong.
Righteous vs. evil, Cheonmu vs. Paecheon. Each side cheered wildly, eyes gleaming with anticipation.
What end would it bring?