Chapter 100
Chapter 100
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: The World's Greatest Latecomer Genius (1)
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"Eh, that brag about touching some money went on a bit long. Anyway, we should get moving now too. Chairman?"
"……."
"Chairman?! Kyong-ryong hyung!"
"...Hm? Huh? Oh! Speak, Vice Chairman!"
"Take the cadets competing in the polo match with the Athletics Director and head to Training Ground J first. I'll round up the seniors and my peers and head straight to the stands."
"Very well. Cadets Go Wan-san, Jeong Hyeon, Eun Ha-seong, Woo So-reung, and Gok Jun-pyeong—come with me."
"Yes, sir!"
With that, the friends selected for the polo team hurriedly left their seats.
"Seniors, you probably already know this, but among the events whose scores get tallied at the end, there's an attitude score. They grade based on cheering and order, right? We're not lumped in with the other dorms for nothing—good attitude alone won't put us ahead of them. With that in mind, let's pick up some trash on the way to the arena. Not to mention, with the General Affairs Director leading the way, and the deputy directors?"
"Deputy Director here. Your orders?"
"Deputy Director here too!"
"Deputies, grab these silver pouches, please. Just a word of caution—one leak, and you know my temper and the Director's, right?"
"Got it, got it."
"Yeah, we know."
"Thanks for the help. And Senior Seo Jin-hyo?"
"Hm? Me?"
"Yes. We need at least two people holding trash bags. I can't do it alone, so could you help?"
"Y-Yes, sure."
"But just now you were casually calling us 'this guy' and 'that guy' with informal speech, and suddenly you're polite?"
"……."
-Just let that slide! You punk!
And so, after a bit of light environmental cleanup with the Azure Bamboo Hall cadets, how long had it been since we started toward the polo arena?
Before we knew it, we'd arrived at Training Ground J, fully prepped for the polo matches.
There, in front of the betting tent run by a merchant group with academy permission, some people were arguing.
"If you hadn't kept yapping about me throwing away money like trash, I would've bet on Azure Bamboo for fun! Now I've wasted good silver because of you?!"
"Don't blame me. I at least manfully bet on Eon Yong-un in the finals and got my money back, but wasn't it you who bet on Jeon Gal-seolji back then?!"
"Tch. So you're betting on Azure Bamboo again this time?"
"You mad? Their opponent is Cloud Plum Hall. The hall with a perfect record of never reaching the polo finals."
"Well, did Yunguk Hall lose to Azure Bamboo because they had a history of failing to reach the crisis finals? It's new faces duking it out anyway!"
"Strictly speaking, that was Eon Yong-un's win, not Azure Bamboo's."
I pricked up my ears to hear what they were saying.
"That Eon Yong-un guy's just a freak."
"Exactly. New faces or not, take a look at the roster. No Eon Yong-un, right? Without him, it's just plain red bean paste without the beans—Azure Bamboo Hall's ragtag bunch hasn't magically fixed overnight."
"True. Just think back to last year's spring and fall tournaments. Even if it's not the team vibe, their gear was the issue too? Those rickety mallets snapping mid-game, straps rotting off the guards so some players were trailing bamboo splinters while running?"
"Right! Cloud Plum Hall all the way here! Even if we can't eat it, Cloud Plum!"
Stuff like that.
I could understand why their thinking flowed that way, but from my perspective, it was laughable.
'If I thought Azure Bamboo couldn't win polo without me, I wouldn't have splurged on fancy gear and handed it to the Athletics Director.'
Or maybe they picked polo over Go to claw their way up somehow.
Anyway, amid the gamblers' chatter.
One thing they got right.
'Crisis event win was Eon Yong-un's victory, not Azure Bamboo's.'
Since crisis—Go, that is—was an individual event, it made sense.
Thus, for boosting Azure Bamboo Hall's morale, experiencing wins in team events like polo or sparring was key.
Plus, polo gave eight points for first place, Go only five—three more.
Even knowing that, I chose Go rep because.
'Azure Bamboo has enough firepower to take the spring tournament win even without me.'
For good reason: in the original story, Azure Bamboo nearly beat Cloud Plum Hall, where Jeong Hyeon was, pushing them to the brink of defeat.
With far worse gear, poorer training facilities, thinner roster back then.
'Until Yang Geum-pyo, who pooled money under multiple names to bet big on Cloud Plum, smashed that senior's leg.'
So it was doable.
Way better gear than original, vastly improved training.
'I—Eon Yong-un—didn't exist in the academy until turning demon and attacking.'
For the spring tournament—open only to cadets with no prior participation, a rule meant for exchange students from beyond—we got admin approval so Go senior could compete as in the original.
And Yang Geum-pyo, who crippled that senior's leg? Booted long ago, so no freak injury for Go senior.
'Plus Jeong Hyeon—who should've been at Cloud Plum—Ha-seong punk, and So-reung kid.'
In the fall tournament with star seniors everywhere, maybe not. But spring? Azure Bamboo cadets just hadn't realized it yet, but to me, it screamed 'smells like victory.'
'That's why I comfortably took Go rep, aiming for overall tourney win.'
Thoughts there.
Match starting soon—betting tent about to close.
"Eun Sojeo! Deputies!"
I called the General Affairs crew and bet on Azure Bamboo Hall.
I don't know exactly how real East Asian polo looked.
At Murim Academy, from sword prodigies to Righteous Martial Academy's polo: using lightness arts, footwork, and polo mallets to seize a ball-shaped projectile.
Hit or kick it into the goals at either end, and the team with more points after two halves—one shichen each—wins.
'Like martial bouts mixed with soccer and hockey in the future?'
Anyway.
Sat down after betting silver with General Affairs on Azure Bamboo winning.
Azure Bamboo players in blue uniforms, Cloud Plum in red—five each, arrayed in formations.
Jeon Gal-min professor in yellow alone placed a fist-sized ball at center.
Suddenly—peep!—whistle blown.
Shwaaek—
Shwaaaek—
Both sides' first-ball chasers dashed out.
From the watchtower overlooking the field, a loud-voiced announcer boomed into the old-school megaphone funnel.
"Ball split! Azure Bamboo's No. 5, Woo So-reung takes it! Where to?!"
Snap!
"Yes! Mallet-passed back to No. 3 Jeong Hyeon, and she's charging forward! But No. 1 Go Wan-san already sprinting left! Azure Bamboo storming from kickoff! Which way, Jeong Hyeon?! To who?!"
Snap!
"Jeong Hyeon picks Go Wan-san! Cloud Plum's rear guard No. 1 Paeng So-cheon closing in. Both lowering stances, inching—!"
Thwock!!
"Oh!!! But Go Wan-san feints with a huge torso sway, slips it between the legs! Paeng So-cheon utterly humiliated! But more urgent—no one in front of Cloud Plum's goal!!"
Snap!
"Go Wan-san smashes it up with mallet!!"
Whack!
"Woo So-reung arrives, redirects—goal!! Azure Bamboo draws first blood!!! Is this the Azure Bamboo I know?! Unstoppable! Wait, bamboo crushing plum—so plum-bamboo charge!"
The Cloud Plum polo match kicked off strong with So-reung's early goal.
Silver Radiance's old blowhard days turned dragon Eun Ha-seong and natural talent Jeong Hyeon forming ironclad defense.
Senior Go Wan-san's and top newb footwork whiz Gok Jun-pyeong's skills.
Woo So-reung's speed.
And our Go senior collab: modern polo theory fused with future ballgame strat—anti-Cloud Plum sure-win.
Cloud Plum's complacency made four perfect factors; first half was pure Azure Bamboo onslaught.
Snap!
"Goal!! Cloud Plum No. 3 Cheon Jang-ho bends one in near-miraculously!! Can they overturn five points?! Yunguk fans, pray for that last shichen!"
After halftime break, second half.
Cloud Plum, heeding senior advice maybe, went heavy defense with counters for comeback—but momentum ours already.
So I watched comfy.
"Azure Bamboo! Azure Bamboo!! Azure Bamboo!!"
So comfy, amid cheering peers, I glanced elsewhere.
'Hm. But isn't the silver pouch count from my Go earnings a bit short?'
Couldn't rally all Azure Bamboo for betting; stuck to savvy junior Eons and deputies for copying silver.
Even so, way short.
'Elevenfold vs. Sama-rang, six vs. Jeon Gal-seolji—should be more.'
So I straightforwardly asked Yin Xia Lian why.
"Eun Sojeo."
"Yes?"
"Got a question."
"Ask away."
"Just calculated—silver's short of my count."
"...Ah, that."
"Nothing to hem-haw between us? Not blaming—just say it straight."
"...Our summer dorm upgrade budget's tied up heavy? So... just in case."
"You bet solo at first?"
"Y...Yes."
That fit the math perfect.
Not knowing Master, her best call.
Having seen me learn Go stones from Dang Ok-gi, vs. hyped Sama-rang, she played safe.
'Over-adventuring ain't good merchant.'
Mystery solved.
Just curious, no blame.
Her cash-mob power for Bloodthread Venomwine? This chump change.
So I said calmly,
"Good work."
But Yin Xia Lian's reaction odd.
"S-Sorry."
For what?
Why sorry?
No clue.
For blindly trusting me? But money managers avoid that.
Told her so, but gloom lingered.
"Match over! Upset! Upset! Seven to three—Azure Bamboo topples Cloud Plum!!"
Post-polo poetry test.
Her brush spat this wild verse on prompt "sparrow":
『Threshing the grain,
Sparrows swoop in, pecking away.
Plenty of kernels scattered already,
Why peck so relentlessly?』
Others sang cute or timid lyricism; hers this.
First seeing her poem pinned, I blinked.
"……."
But result good.
Poetry winner by vote: permitted folk read, drop colored ball for fave dorm into jar.
Tied early.
Then grad seniors post-lunch.
"...Hm. Like Breakfast's Seven-Step Poem in meter."
"Yeah. But that's fratricide lament... this feels like us.... Huh? Why tears?"
They all-in voted hers.
Anyway.
Azure Bamboo took poetry too.
Next, polo finals.
Foes: Yunguk, who'd crushed Fragrant Orchid.
"Azure Bamboo! Unlike semis vs. Cloud Plum, attacks fizzling! Yunguk's Turtle-shell defense blocking shots! Not flashy, but suffocating formation!"
Yunguk polo.
Stuffy moments vs. extreme D strat.
But,
"Oh! Go Wan-san shakes defenders! But Yunguk D closing!! Wait—no one on Eun Ha-seong! Go Wan-san's mallet like ruler—drops right at Ha-seong's feet! Feet! Splats!! Eun Ha-seong! Goal!! Yunguk's smother-polo that crushed Fragrant Orchid crumbles!!!"
"Whoooaaaa!!"
What exclamation even is that.
"Seeing, Azure Bamboo?! Watching, Yong-un hyungnim! Kyong-ryong hyung! Sisters! Everyone seeing?!"
Saw it.
Damn, next one's so stuffy I'll play.
Anyway, swept Yunguk too—three straight wins.
Azure Bamboo: 18
Yunguk: 12
Cloud Plum: 4
Fragrant Orchid: 4
-Let's see, assuming attitude scores even, martial first=8, second=6, semis out= this? Semis advance basically locks win?
'If we flop semis and Yunguk wins finals, sure—but yeah.'
As martial events ramped proper.
Prelims dodging wipeout meant trophy ours.
"Now drawing sparring brackets. Semis first: Azure Bamboo! And... hm! Fragrant Orchid! Cloud Plum vs. Yunguk second!"
Met Fragrant Orchid here.
Their spring martial rep.
World's Greatest Latecomer Genius.
Flying Dragon Sword Namgung Yun sound-transmitted at me.
[Step forward as vanguard.]