Ya Mi-ang and Im Yeok
“I certainly didn’t expect to be the first one to compete.”
Bukjin slowly rose from his seat. The changing room door opened, and an education official entered, guiding Bukjin down the corridor leading to the arena. Bukjin followed the corridor, ascended the stairs, and slowly headed outside. The corridor was very dark. Only the light at the end of the passage caught his eye. Below his feet, only stairs leading up to the arena stretched out. And above the corridor’s ceiling, the spectator stands unfolded.
As Bukjin walked down the corridor, he could faintly hear the cheers of the audience. The moment Bukjin stepped out of the dark passage into the bright arena, an enormous roar of cheers erupted. Bukjin waved to the stands, greeting them. Suddenly, the chaotic, unruly cheers unified into three syllables.
“Im! Buk! Jin!”
“Im Bukjin! Im Bukjin! Im Bukjin!”
A massive wave of sound endlessly echoed within the arena, and soon Bukjin’s name swirled through the hall like a great storm.
“When did I get so popular?”
Bukjin was greatly surprised. ‘Could it be that my personality, cuteness, and outstanding charm have finally captured the hearts of all the citizens?’
Hearing 6,000 people shout his name simultaneously sent shivers down his spine. Bukjin was suddenly overcome with emotion. In this moment, Bukjin felt an unusual attachment to Unmong City, a place he had never felt any affection for before.
A moment later, Bukjin stepped onto the arena and faced his opponent.
Dongbang Jeon!
The saying about enemies meeting on a narrow bridge couldn’t have been more apt.
On the arena floor, the Hyeonmun Formation glowed. Soon, a translucent, pale blue membrane rose above the railings surrounding the arena. The translucent blue membrane enveloped the entire arena in a round, curtain-like fashion. There were no additional explanations or complex flowery phrases. The moment the formation’s membrane was drawn, the individual match was immediately declared to have begun.
Bukjin had no intention of attacking hastily. Dongbang Jeon wore a confident smile.
“The match we couldn’t settle at the Sword Trial has finally come to its conclusion! Im Bukjin! From now on, it’s the true order of the strong preying on the weak!”
Dongbang Jeon slowly walked to the center of the arena. Although he had been overwhelmed by Bukjin in the previous written and other martial arts tests, he had absolute confidence in his martial arts skills. This confidence was based on his experience at the Sword Trial in the City Lord’s mansion, where he had fought a close battle with Bukjin, only for Yeo Nak-yeon to intervene and stop them.
Dongbang Jeon had analyzed Bukjin’s past performances and various pieces of information, making him even more confident. He harbored the dream of turning the tables in the arena portion of this Academic & Martial Arts Competition. This was because practical combat was his forte, and his skills had greatly improved during his preparation.
At that moment, Bukjin turned his head and spoke to Lee Cheong-hyeon, who was standing outside the arena as the referee.
“Can I beat him up now?”
Bukjin’s voice echoed clearly to every corner of the spectator stands through the formation’s loudspeaker. A huge burst of laughter erupted from the stands, which had been quiet with tension for the match. Bukjin’s single remark was incredibly arrogant.
However, Bukjin and Dongbang Jeon, surrounded by the blue membrane in the arena, could not hear this laughter. The two representative fighters in the match were unable to hear any sound other than what the referee said.
Lee Cheong-hyeon’s lips twitched upon hearing Bukjin’s words.
“The match has already begun,” Lee Cheong-hyeon said.
“Oh… in that case.”
Bukjin raised his hand towards Dongbang Jeon, who was about five jang away, and unleashed a palm strike. From Bukjin’s palm, a wave of Hyeongi shot out with incredible speed, like a fierce sea dragon overturning rivers and oceans.
Seeing this, Dongbang Jeon’s face changed dramatically. He immediately channeled his Hyeongi into a defensive stance and met Bukjin’s incoming palm strike.
“Ugh!”
The moment he met Bukjin’s palm strike, Dongbang Jeon felt an impact as if he had collided with a giant iron-wheeled carriage speeding towards him. A massive amount of blood gushed from his mouth, and Dongbang Jeon was pushed back three jang, tumbling several times on the ground. Soon, he lay sprawled on the floor like a rag, twitching, then became motionless like a dead dog.
Baekbobyeoksinjang!
Bukjin’s palm technique was used in real combat for the first time.
“Did I… put too much power into it?”
Bukjin felt a little embarrassed and rubbed his brow. The current Dongbang Jeon felt less formidable than when they had fought before. Bukjin turned his head to look at Lee Cheong-hyeon, the referee. Lee Cheong-hyeon had already entered the arena and was checking on Dongbang Jeon’s condition.
The spectators all wore blank expressions.
‘I-is that it?’
‘That fast?’
They weren’t even ready to enjoy the match yet. Those who had been laughing at Bukjin’s remark, “Can I beat him up now?” before the match had barely wiped the smiles from their faces.
“First match. The winner is Im Bukjin!”
As the unconscious Dongbang Jeon was carried away, Referee Lee Cheong-hyeon declared Bukjin’s victory.
“Dongbang Jeon eliminated!”
And only then did a huge uproar erupt in the arena.
“Too fast!”
“I protest! This isn’t even worth the ticket price!”
“So boring!”
“Rematch!”
“Im Bukjin! You scammer! Give us our money back!”
Many people’s complaints exploded, and some even cursed. The citizens who had been cheering Bukjin’s name were now agitated and angry, and the atmosphere in the arena was becoming increasingly ominous. Faced with the audience’s reaction, Bukjin was speechless.
‘Hmph! I’ve never seen such fickle people! I’m ashamed of myself for being moved just now.’
Bukjin was guided by the education official back through the corridor to his changing room, number 22.
This was Bukjin’s first-round match. Once 20 more competitors were eliminated, the second round would begin, and the final 10 would be selected to become the leaders of the team competition. In other words, Bukjin was now just one match away from being among the final 10.
Soon, the names of the students participating in the first round’s second match appeared on the crystal screen in the changing room. This match was between Im Hyeon and a boy named Mo U-chon.
There were no surprises in the outcome of this match. The taciturn boy, Im Hyeon, listened to Mo U-chon’s provocative insults for about three sentences, then defeated him in just three moves, claiming victory.
Following them, Chang San-seol, Mi Yeo-yeon, Ju Ga-a, and Wang Hyeong-yeo each secured victories. Their opponents were all relatively weaker in skill.
Now, it was Ya Mi-ang’s turn. Ya Mi-ang’s match garnered a lot of attention in this competition. The young priestess Ya Mi-ang’s opponent was Im Yeok, who, like her, was ranked within the top 10.
Watching the crystal screen, Bukjin found himself intrigued by the appearance of Ya Mi-ang and Im Yeok. Im Yeok was very pretentious, but his skill was genuine. In the preceding test categories, Im Yeok had achieved good results in all of them and was ranked within the top 10, making him a highly anticipated student.
‘How many moves will Im Yeok be able to withstand from Ya Mi-ang?’
The arena.
“I didn’t expect my first opponent to be Priestess Ya,” Im Yeok said, channeling his Hyeongi. A faint reddish light subtly emanated around Im Yeok’s body. The Hyeongi Im Yeok had awakened was of the fire attribute. It was one of the five major attributes, the most destructive and combat-oriented. It was also the most effective attribute in practical combat. The fire attribute Hyeongi was a source of Im Yeok’s confidence.
Ya Mi-ang, standing in the center of the arena, smiled and said, “Im, please make the first move.”
Im Yeok merely chuckled in disbelief. “Are you suggesting, Priestess Ya, that if you make the first move, I won’t get another chance?”
Ya Mi-ang smiled beautifully. “You can think that.”
“Haha, in that case, I won’t refuse.”
Im Yeok unleashed his movement technique. He flashed forward like a streak of flame, moving rapidly. The sight was dazzling, and his form, enveloped in red light, was like a blazing fire. And soon, a longsword, filled with a crimson aura, extended from his hand. The blade was ablaze with the light of burning Hyeongi. Instantly, the temperature in the arena sharply rose.
The spectators watching the match cheered ceaselessly. The 10 students who had competed earlier also enjoyed high popularity. But compared to the two currently fighting, it was true that they paled in comparison. And between Ya Mi-ang and Im Yeok, Ya Mi-ang’s popularity was even higher, which was understandable given her status as a beautiful young priestess. Beyond her background as a sacred priestess of the Sword Lord Temple, her stunning beauty and formidable skill captivated people’s hearts. People felt a sense of comfort just by looking at her sweet smile. Beautiful faces were indeed justice.
However, the skill Im Yeok displayed was also powerful enough to surprise many. The sight of his dark crimson fire attribute Hyeongi blazing was enough to mesmerize the audience. Currently, a two-jang radius around Im Yeok was dyed red, and hot air spread in all directions. And the continuously rising temperature of the fire attribute Hyeongi had already changed from dark crimson to orange, slightly singeing Im Yeok’s own hair as he held his sword.
“Go!”
As Im Yeok moved with his movement technique, a powerful burst of fire attribute Hyeongi exploded from his entire body, and soon a giant sphere of fire shot like an arrow towards Ya Mi-ang. Where the sphere of fire passed, heat haze shimmered, distorting the vision. The blazing flames enveloped everything, approaching Ya Mi-ang like a wave of fire, and Ya Mi-ang’s small figure seemed as if it would be swallowed by the flames at any moment. At this, the spectators gasped in surprise. Some even covered their eyes with both hands.
“Yeonok Hwayeomcham! (Purgatory Flame Slash!)”
Im Yeok’s loud voice echoed through the arena. A crimson sword light, filled with flames, engulfed Ya Mi-ang’s surroundings, and at the peak of its power, it caused a massive explosion. And soon, the most lethal killing move of the Yeomgwang Geombeop (Flame Light Sword Art) revealed its true power. Yeonok Hwayeomcham was Im Yeok’s strongest move, which he had kept hidden until now. He knew Ya Mi-ang’s skill, and from the very beginning, he unleashed his most powerful attack.