I'll Take It From Here
A portly man, clearly deep in his cups, bellowed at the top of his lungs. "Who just insulted me?! Step forward right now! ...Wait, you lot?"
Cho Heun let out a cold sneer. "I’m the one who said it! Well, look at that—if it isn't the old teacher from the 6th Academy. Tsk, tsk! Still got that nasty temper, I see. Well? I’ve stepped forward! What are you going to do about it?"
The man who had barged into the room was none other than Gu Cheon of the 6th Academy. With his bloated physique, he was impossible to mistake. Gu Cheon was momentarily taken aback when he saw the faces of those in the room, but he quickly recovered with a mocking grin.
"I wondered who it was, but it's just the trash from the 3rd Academy. Ho ho ho, Dean Cho. I heard you took your students to Bukhwang Mountain for special training, got overconfident, picked a fight with some adventurers, and nearly died. I even heard you had both your arms cut off. Is that true?"
Cho Heun raised both his arms in response. "You damn pig! Come here and find out if you’ve got the guts!"
Gu Cheon hated nothing more than being called a 'pig.' Cho Heun hadn't just called him a pig; he’d added a 'damn' for good measure. His face turned a shade of purple as his rage peaked.
"Listen here, Cho! You come crawling back with some fake arms dangling from your shoulders and think you can take me? Do you honestly believe you’re the same man you used to be? Hahaha! Today, I’ll teach you a lesson you won't forget!"
With a sudden burst of speed, Gu Cheon lunged forward, his figure blurring as he thrust a palm toward Cho Heun. Despite his massive frame, his movements were surprisingly agile. His palm strike approached with a sound like rolling thunder—a level of power that could not be underestimated.
Facing the incoming pressure, Cho Heun didn't move an inch. Just as Gu Cheon’s palm was about to make contact, Cho Heun’s hand shot up and seized the man's hand mid-air. He tightened his grip with a surge of strength.
CRACK—!
The sound of splintering bone echoed through the room.
"AAAAAAAGH!"
Gu Cheon let out a squeal like a stuck pig. "My—my hand!"
He desperately channeled his Hyeongi, trying to yank his hand back, but Cho Heun’s grip was like an iron vice. Terrified, Gu Cheon stared at him. "T-This is impossible! How is your hand...?"
Cho Heun wore a chilling smile. "What? Surprised?"
Gu Cheon felt as if his palm were caught in a pair of steel pincers. There was no warmth in the touch—only the freezing cold of metal. Panic flooded his mind.
"You're wearing a metal prosthetic! N-No... even the most famous blacksmith in the world couldn't make a prosthetic that moves this naturally! What on earth is this thing?!"
Cho Heun increased the pressure, his fingers digging deeper. "What is it? It’s something your stupid pig-brain couldn't even begin to comprehend."
CRUNCH! SNAP!
The sound of bones being pulverized continued unabated.
"Gaaah! My hand! Cho Heun, let go of me this instant!" Gu Cheon screamed as he felt his hand being crushed like soft tofu. "I—I was only joking...!"
"Joking?" A cold light flickered in Cho Heun’s eyes. "You clearly knew I had lost my arms and was using prosthetics. That’s why you felt confident enough to attack me. You acted with the sole intent of humiliating me. And now you claim it was a joke? Gu Cheon! I will never forgive a piece of trash like you for insulting me and my students! I’ll ruin this hand so completely you'll never forget this lesson."
Cho Heun poured his full strength into the metal hand.
CRACKLE—!
Gu Cheon’s right hand was utterly shattered. Shards of bone pierced through the skin, and blood began to pour onto the floor. Only then did Cho Heun release his grip.
"AAAAAAAGH! Cho Heun, you monster! You actually ruined my hand! My hand! I’ll kill you for this! I’ll never let you get away with this!" Gu Cheon wailed, staring at his mangled, unrecognizable fingers.
The commotion quickly drew the attention of everyone else in Manseung-ru. At that moment, Jo Pacheon stepped into the room, his face clouded with a dark expression.
"Cho Heun, such a cruel display of violence. No one leaves this room until you have properly compensated us for what you just did."
"That’s a bold claim," Han Bul-bu said, standing up from his seat. "Jo Pacheon. I don't care what your status used to be; right now, you belong to the 6th Academy. You are just an ordinary student like the rest of us. By what right do you speak so arrogantly to a teacher certified by the Imperial Bureau of Education?"
A student was a student, and a teacher was a teacher. Even if they weren't from the same academy, there was a code of conduct to follow. Han Bul-bu, with his rigid sense of propriety, could not stand by and watch someone act so disrespectfully toward an elder.
"Heh, how amusing," Jo Pacheon sneered. "My enrollment in the 6th Academy is merely temporary. Therefore, even a Dean of the 6th Academy has no right to reprimand me. And yet, an ant like you dares to lecture me? You’ve got guts. What’s your name? I’ll make sure to remember it."
"I am—" As Han Bul-bu started to answer, Cho Heun raised a hand to stop him. He didn't want the boy getting dragged into this. He knew Jo Pacheon was a petty, cruel individual who would hunt down anyone he held a grudge against until they were broken.
Cho Heun narrowed his eyes and glared at Jo Pacheon, drawing the youth's attention back to himself. "Listen here, brat. You dare demand compensation in front of me? Let’s hear it then. What kind of 'compensation' are you talking about?"
Jo Pacheon shot a sharp glance at Han Bul-bu, as if burning the boy's face into his memory. Then, his lips curled into a smirk as he spoke in a calm, detached tone.
"You ruined Teacher Gu Cheon’s hand. Therefore, you shall compensate us with that prosthetic of yours."
Cho Heun stared at him blankly for a moment before bursting into a mocking laugh. "Brat... you really are a shameless traitor to your own sect. I see now—you’ve got your eyes on my Heavenly Horse Meteor Arm! If you want someone else's property, the first step is to see if you actually have the skill to take it! If you want it, come and try!"
Cho Heun beckoned Jo Pacheon forward with a flick of his finger. Jo Pacheon’s face flushed with fury.
"You dare defy the will of White Cloud City!"
Cho Heun’s expression shifted to one of pure contempt, as if he were looking at a complete fool. "Brat. Neither you nor your master can represent the will of White Cloud City. Do you even know where you are right now, acting this high and mighty?"
"Why you! Insolent fool!"
Enraged, Jo Pacheon unleashed a powerful aura and lunged forward. Under the tutelage of the Sword Saint Baek Hae-geum, Jo Pacheon had spent three years mastering the various techniques and secret arts of White Cloud City. He was already a high-level expert at the 4th Grade Master Rank. His previous loss to Bukjin during the sword trial had been a fluke—a result of Bukjin’s tricks, not a lack of skill. In a fair fight of pure martial prowess, he believed he could have crushed Bukjin dozens of times over.
Unmong City. His strength was the foundation of his unbridled confidence. His three years in White Cloud City had instilled in him a sense of elitism and a 'Path of Hegemony.'
He had been shocked to see Cho Heun return with a mysterious metal arm after losing his original ones. He immediately realized how valuable the manufacturing method for such a limb would be, and greed had taken hold. Claiming to avenge Gu Cheon was merely a pretext to seize the arm. However, even after invoking the name of White Cloud City, Cho Heun hadn't budged. Accustomed to getting his way, Jo Pacheon decided to take what he wanted by force.
As Jo Pacheon released his aura, everyone in the room felt a crushing pressure, as if a massive boulder were weighing down on them. Breathing became difficult. Just as Cho Heun was about to strike back, Im Bukjin slowly rose from his seat.
"Dean Cho. I'll take it from here."
The faint sound of flowing water seemed to echo from nowhere as a blue light of Hyeongi began to shimmer around Bukjin’s body. Cho Heun didn't stop him. Unlike Han Bul-bu, Cho Heun knew that Bukjin and Jo Pacheon were already destined to be mortal enemies. There was no point in trying to shield him now.
"Hahaha, you? You really don't know when to stay out of things, do you? Fine! I’ll use this opportunity to show you just how much of a fluke your victory that day really was!"
With a look of derision, Jo Pacheon thrust a palm toward Bukjin. A golden energy erupted from his hand, transforming into sharp, sword-like shapes that threatened to pierce through bone as they surged toward Bukjin. Jo Pacheon had awakened the Gold Attribute—one of the most lethal and aggressive elements.
The sheer power behind his palm strike was enough to make everyone gasp.
"Watch out...!" a startled Ban Oe-min shouted, trying to warn Bukjin.
But Bukjin didn't retreat. He met Jo Pacheon head-on, thrusting his own palm forward. It was the Hundred-Step God-Slaying Palm—the ultimate technique used by the leader of the rogue adventurers on Bukhwang Mountain. This was the first time Bukjin was using this 3-star palm technique in actual combat.
A blue, watery light erupted from Bukjin’s palm, manifesting into the shape of a giant hand. The blue palm solidified instantly, looking as if it were carved from pure crystal, before colliding with Jo Pacheon’s golden energy.
BOOM—!
A violent shockwave of energy rippled through the room. The gold and blue Mystic Energies clashed with terrifying force.
CRASH! BANG! BOOM!
The wooden walls of the room, unable to withstand the pressure of the colliding energies, shattered into splinters and collapsed. Seeing the destruction, Ban Oe-min and Cho Heun acted simultaneously, shielding Han Bul-bu, Baek Geum-un, Ak Hong-hyang, and the table of food from the blast.
Bukjin’s figure staggered as he was pushed back three steps. With each step, his feet left deep, clear imprints in the floor. Jo Pacheon, on the other hand, though his body shook violently from the impact, did not retreat a single inch.
It was only one exchange, but the difference in their raw power was immediately apparent. In a direct confrontation, Jo Pacheon held the upper hand. However, the gap between them was far narrower than anyone had expected.