This World Is Truly Unfair
"This ends now!" Jo Pacheon laughed uproariously.
His cultivation continued to surge, reaching the peak of the 3rd Grade Master Realm in an instant. Golden Mystic Energy erupted violently from his body, staining his entire form in a brilliant gold as if he had been dipped in molten metal. The fluid, graceful intent of the White Cloud Sword Style gradually vanished, replaced by a spreading, suffocating bloodlust. The White Cloud Sword in his hand radiated a terrifying pressure, slowly forcing Ya Mi-ang back.
Something is wrong, Ya Mi-ang thought, her brow furrowing. Based on her assessment, Jo Pacheon’s cultivation shouldn't be this powerful. Was he hiding his true strength during the previous trials? No, that’s impossible. He pushed himself to the point of vomiting blood in several tests just to suppress Brother Jin. While his natural talent is remarkable, he isn't as brilliant as he thinks he is. There was no room for him to hide his strength.
That means... his power increased right before the team battle began. I heard from Master that White Cloud City possesses several secret techniques capable of rapidly boosting one's strength in a short period. However, the backlash is said to be severe enough to damage the very foundations of the body. Did this man really use such a forbidden art, regardless of the cost, just to claim victory?
He made a life-and-death bet with Brother Jin, so if he loses, only death awaits him. It wouldn't be strange for him to risk his life on a forbidden technique... but the problem lies with Im Yeok and the others. They didn't make a lethal wager like Jo Pacheon. Why would they feel the need to boost their strength at the risk of such side effects?
Ya Mi-ang was highly intelligent and possessed keen judgment. Though she grasped much in a short moment, many questions remained unanswered.
"Jo Pacheon, did you take a forbidden drug to temporarily boost your cultivation?" Ya Mi-ang asked in a low voice. "As you well know, that is strictly prohibited in the Academic & Martial Arts Competition."
Jo Pacheon sneered. The medicine Baek Hae-geum had procured for him was obtained through special means—a type that the Education Bureau's current methods could not detect. While it would leave him in a weakened state for three days once the effects wore off, it carried no other permanent side effects. Thus, he wasn't worried about any questions or suspicions.
"Junior Sister Ya, you should watch your words," Jo Pacheon said, swinging his White Cloud Sword fiercely. With every stroke, sharp, powerful Mystic Energy lashed out. He countered her question with a cold glare. "And... do you have any idea what kind of consequences follow such accusations in the middle of a battle?"
Anger flared in Ya Mi-ang’s eyes. If only Jo Pacheon’s cultivation had surged, she might have considered it her own miscalculation. But since his teammates, including Im Yeok, were in the same state, it was undoubtedly a boost achieved through special drugs.
To think a proud disciple of White Cloud City could fall this low.
"In that case..." Ya Mi-ang exhaled a long sigh and spread the sword wings on her back wide. Powerful sword intent erupted from the wings, hurtling toward Jo Pacheon.
"The sword energy shines under the bright sun,"
"So the grace of my Lord God pervades the whole land!"
Floating in the air with her wings fully extended, Ya Mi-ang recited a hymn to her god. As she formed a hand seal with her slender, beautiful fingers, exquisite lotuses made of sword energy bloomed and withered repeatedly in the air. A sublime aura, one that could only be described as divine majesty, flowed gently from her body.
The power cultivated by the priestly lineage was none other than Divine Power. This wasn't merely a term for a god's strength; it was a crystallization of pure, attribute-less Mystic Energy. In other words, it was a force where Mystic Energy of all attributes was harmoniously blended. In the North Sea Empire, only priests who worshipped the god with profound faith and offered the most noble sacrifices could be recognized by the Temple to receive and wield this power.
Divine Power was a form of Mystic Energy imbued with divine authority, allowing the user to perform martial arts of any attribute. However, its power was most devastating when combined with the secret techniques of the Temple.
The sword wings Ya Mi-ang was currently using were one of the three great Temple techniques passed down through the Sword Lord Temple. Its name was Lord's Protective Light. Upon reaching the stage of Great Completion, one could unfold wings made of seventy-two swords to sweep away all enemies.
Though Ya Mi-ang’s talent was extraordinary, she was still quite young. The level of cultivation she was displaying now was enough to shock anyone. But it was in that very moment—
Boom!
With a strange, piercing sound of air being torn apart, two new wings erupted fiercely from her back alongside her prayers. A massive amount of Mystic Energy began to oscillate violently around them.
Four wings!
A brilliant silver light, reminiscent of moonlight, radiated from the sword wings. Ya Mi-ang’s cultivation aura began to climb sharply. The power of the Divine Grace Blessing she was casting surged once more.
Mok Geun-han and the other three girls felt their depleted Mystic Energy rapidly refilling. Soon, a powerful strength surged within them, as if they had broken through to a new realm of existence. With this, the girls—who had been pushed back by Jo Pacheon’s teammates—gained the combat power necessary to face them once again.
Im Yeok, Dongbang Jeon, and the others were utterly stunned.
This is a total cheat! Cold sweat poured down their backs. If Jo Pacheon hadn't shown foresight and prepared various means beforehand, they would have already been defeated.
"Damn it!" Jo Pacheon’s expression twisted. Four wings? This girl hasn't even been appointed as a High Priestess yet, and she can already manifest four sword wings?!
Jo Pacheon, who had expected an easy victory, seemed caught off guard by this unexpected turn of events. Why is a girl capable of manifesting four wings staying in a small place like Unmong City? With that skill, she would be treated as the greatest genius even in the major temples of the Four Great Prefectures of Pung-eo-haeng-do.
While shocked, Jo Pacheon was also enraged. He could not afford to lose this battle. I have no choice but to pull out the card I saved for Im Bukjin.
Jo Pacheon activated the small seed of Mystic Energy he had quietly hidden within his dantian. At that moment—
The silver wings merged into a single, massive blade of light, descending with the weight of heaven.
Ya Mi-ang shouted in a clear, resonant voice. A massive transformation occurred in her aura. Silver light erupted from her eyes. Her expression became void of all human emotion, and her voice sank into an icy, frozen depth. Not a single ripple of feeling could be felt from her as her figure ascended further, floating thirty meters high in the air.
Her eyes, radiating cold silver light, looked down as if a high deity were observing ants in the mortal world. The hand seal she had been forming was finally completed. Divine Power erupted with intensity. A powerful sword intent exploded in all directions from the wings on her back. The four wings crossed and merged with the screeching sound of clashing metal.
Soon, the sword wings transformed into a massive, fifteen-meter-long silver sword that hung loftily in the sky. The air around the silver sword churned, creating a vortex. Then, the gargantuan silver blade swung down with overwhelming force toward Jo Pacheon.
"This is bad."
At the Sword Lord Temple, Jin Ju-je, who had been praying before the divine statue, stood up with a startled expression as she felt a faint vibration from afar. Her figure moved with blurring speed. Stepping outside, the High Priestess’s beautiful eyes turned toward the vast sea stretching out beyond the cliffs.
"That child! How dare she even think of using power of that magnitude! She's being too impulsive!" A complex expression crossed Jin Ju-je’s face. "She's forcibly drawing out power that exceeds her current level! I have to stop her!"
After a moment's hesitation, Jin Ju-je unfurled a massive pair of sword wings—ten meters wide—from her back and shot toward the sea with the speed of a falling star.
At the City Government Office, Im Jin—who had been stretching and yawning with a bored expression in the detached pavilion—suddenly stiffened. Her beautiful pupils contracted several times. Simultaneously, the color of her eyes shifted three times. Im Jin squeezed her eyes shut tightly, and when she opened them again, her discolored pupils had returned to normal.
She rested her chin on her hands and gazed toward the distant harbor. A faint smile played on her lips.
"This world is truly unfair," she murmured to herself, as if conversing with an invisible friend.
Below the pavilion stood a paulownia tree that had been planted fourteen years ago. The sunlight shone through the leaves, creating small, coin-sized spots of light on the ground. A gentle breeze caused the spots of light to dance and flicker like stars scattered across the universe.
Jin Ran-seo was sitting on a stone chair beneath the paulownia tree. She held a book in her hand, appearing to be reading. In truth, she was monitoring her daughter, Im Jin. After confirming that the aura of Im Jin atop the pavilion had returned to normal, Jin Ran-seo exhaled a soft sigh, clenched her fist, and then slowly relaxed it.
Boom!
Two forces of terrifying destructive power collided head-on. Jo Pacheon’s figure was relentlessly pushed back by the massive silver sword radiating moonlight.
"Guaaaaah!" Jo Pacheon roared in fury. His eyes were bloodshot. Damn it! Even after using the Seed of Sword Mystery, I can't block this cursed priestess's power?!
The White Cloud Sword in his hand emitted a powerful, vibrating resonance. Soon, cracks began to appear on the blade. Jo Pacheon spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. He desperately tried to stabilize his Mystic Energy, unleashing all the power contained within the Seed of Sword Mystery. Yet, he continued to be pushed back, looking as if he would be swallowed by the silver sword light at any moment.
It was then that something no one could have imagined happened.