Chapter 90
Chapter 90
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: Introduction to Martial Arts
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"...Somehow it feels like I've been had. Anyway, I look forward to working with you."
"Yes. The pleasure is mine, Athletics Director."
"Whew. Athletics Director? I never even thought of joining the student council, let alone taking a director position. I'm not sure if I can live up to your expectations."
"No need to worry. I'll only assign you tasks that play to your strengths, Senior."
"Tasks that play to my strengths?"
"Yes. All you need to focus on, Athletics Director, is how Blue Bamboo Hall can win the polo match against the other dorms in the upcoming spring inter-dorm tournament."
"Ah. If it's just that, then yeah, it's definitely within my wheelhouse."
All Ko Wan-san had to do was handle that one thing well.
Dig through the records of past polo matches from the other dorms, analyze their tactics, find ways to counter them, and raise Blue Bamboo Hall's forces to match those counters.
Do that properly, and he'd have fulfilled his role.
"You're sure that's okay? I thought the position normally involves boosting the cadets' skills, as well as handling health and hygiene."
"Yes. I'll take care of the rest. I've been overseeing Blue Bamboo Hall's overall skill development since the student council was formed anyway, right?"
"True enough. But what about health and hygiene? Those are core duties of the Athletics Director, as I recall."
"You mean medical services?"
"Exactly. It's not just oversight—the other dorms team up their athletics and general affairs departments to sell ointments branded with their dorm names to civilians for funding. Do you have deep knowledge in medicine or herbology? We'll need to secure some budget for the athletics department. Polo gear is pretty important, after all."
Hm.
I wondered why Ko Wan-san was bringing up medical services, but thinking about it, he was indirectly asking how we'd solve Blue Bamboo Hall's dire equipment shortage.
'In other words, "Do we actually have money?"'
His question made me snort with laughter without thinking.
But did he take it the wrong way?
Ko Wan-san looked embarrassed as he spoke.
"...Oops. The guy who made excuses to avoid the job starts talking money right after accepting. And I haven't even shown you anything yet. Haha. Sorry about that. And feel free to laugh louder."
"Ah, that's not why I laughed, Senior."
"Then?"
I'd laughed because there was no need to worry about money.
Hm.
How should I explain this?
"It'd be faster to just show you. Eun So-jeo, is the polo equipment estimate I asked for yesterday ready?"
"It's done on paper. Securing materials and artisans is another matter—we won't know until we start—but it could change. Shall I show the Athletics Director?"
"Yes, please."
When he checked the documents I'd had prepared in advance, Ko Wan-san's eyes nearly bulged out.
"...Th-this!"
"Yes. It's the requisition form for the polo equipment we're ordering."
"You're preparing polo mallets made from dragon-eye wood and water buffalo hide?!"
"Hm. If you don't like it, we can change it."
"No way I'd dislike it! I was going to get them myself, but held back because it felt like splurging too much on a hobby I couldn't even admit to!"
"Th-that. Calm down."
"How can I calm down?! Where have you been all this time? You should've come last year!"
But it was that intense.
So I decided to hand my senior off to Yin Xia Lian.
"...Eun So-jeo. Senior seems a bit excited. Explain it to him slowly. And tell him not to worry about money—if he needs anything, just say the word right away."
"Heh. Got it."
After dumping Senior Ko Wan-san on the general affairs department, I mulled over what he'd said.
'We should try running a business under Blue Bamboo Hall's name too.'
Of course, I had no expertise in pharmacology or herbology.
Thanks to my past life, I knew a bit about poisons and could handle basic emergency surgical treatments.
But not enough to compound medicines from this era's herbs.
'None of Blue Bamboo Hall's current or new students showed talent in that area either.'
The publicity director spot was empty like athletics, but we'd picked Ha-seong and So-rung as deputies since they fit. We hadn't even named a deputy for athletics for a reason.
But it wouldn't be a problem.
Knock knock.
"Come in. Dang Ok-gi."
"...How'd you know it was me?"
The perfect candidate had walked right in on her own two feet.
"You're the only one who knocks and comes in here."
"Hm? Dang So-jeo? I see you around a lot lately. Oh, right—we agreed to drop formalities last time?"
"...Y-yeah."
"I'm not used to casual speech. Ahem. Uh, h-hi?"
"Yeah! Hi, Ha-yeon!"
Watching Yin Xia Lian struggle awkwardly with casual talk.
It hit me that someone even more out of place was still here.
"...And who might you be?"
I quickly introduced Dang Ok-gi to Senior Ko Wan-san.
"Ah. Senior, this is my close friend. Dang Ok-gi from Fragrant Orchid Hall, as you can tell from her uniform. She's got no other friends, so she hangs around our student council room a lot. You'll be seeing her often."
"I have friends besides you! Lots of them!"
"Sure, whatever. Dang Ok-gi, this is our Athletics Director."
"Wh-what do you mean 'whatever'...! I mean, hi, Senior?"
"Y-yeah. Nice to meet you."
After introducing Dang Ok-gi to Senior Ko Wan-san, I turned my gaze back to her.
"So. What brings you here at the crack of dawn?"
"Our kids, obviously. Did you feed your kids?"
Dang Ok-gi's careless mouth filled the student council room with awkward tension once more.
"Kids?"
"K-kids?"
"...Spiders. Poison spiders."
"...Oh. Spiders. Thought it was something else."
"Poison spiders? P-poison spiders here?!"
"I keep them in my personal training room. Not in the council room. Senior? You can come down from the desk now."
- That hulking build, and he's scared of a tiny spider...? Is that guy's polo skill even legit?
'Please focus on the agility he showed hopping up there in a flash, Master.'
- ...Fair enough.
Anyway.
"Obviously I meant our Red Jade and Pomegranate. What else...?"
I wanted to flick Dang Ok-gi's forehead for not thinking before speaking.
"...Ah?"
Her face flushed, and since I had a job for her anyway, I held back.
'You're the one reviving Blue Bamboo Hall's special medicines, Dang Ok-gi.'
It wouldn't be a loss for her either.
In the original story, Dang Ok-gi tried to buy Blood Water Myriad Poison Brew around now but gave up on the steep price.
She judged the direction solid and got hooked on the idea of bringing it to the lab, starting as a TA early on—a shortcut to grad school.
'She wasn't attached to academy life anyway, so it happened naturally.'
In the end, she just kept getting dragged along.
She only started getting the results she wanted mid-semester, after securing the brew and ditching the TA gig to focus on her research.
'No need to make her follow the original path of repeated failures.'
I'll provide her a lab.
She does her research to her heart's content and helps revive Blue Bamboo Hall's special meds on the side.
Eventually, mass-produced Thousand Poison Pills and Myriad Poison Pills will come together naturally.
Best of both worlds, right?
"Anyway, Dang Ok-gi."
"Yeah?"
"Let's work together on something."
Of course, when she eats one egg, I'll eat two?
- Heh heh. Yong-un's roping in not just his dorm mates but now kids from other dorms too? Run while you can, Dang family heir!
I figured Dang Ok-gi had no reason to turn down my offer of a lab and proper funding.
"...Suspicious. You're definitely up to something."
"Sheesh, so distrustful. If you don't want it, forget it."
"Who said no?! Thanks! I'm in! Totally doing it!"
- ...Tsk tsk. She's twisting her own fate too.
As expected, she accepted.
'Publicity director can go to the dispatched senior when they return.'
That wrapped up Blue Bamboo Hall's student council assignments, more or less.
After that, I buried myself in paperwork for a bit.
Checked inventory and filed docs for the various research supplies Dang Ok-gi requested, meditated a little.
Before I knew it, lunchtime rolled around.
Today's lunch partner was Kyung-ryong hyung.
Our True Hall President.
"Well, it's your training room, so handle the Dang junior however you see fit, Vice President. As for Ko Wan-san, I eyed him last year too, but he flat-out refused, so I couldn't snag him. How'd you sway that stubborn monk? Seriously, without you, we'd have been in deep trouble. You're Blue Bamboo Hall's lucky charm!"
"Even without me, Senior Ko would've joined. He has more love for Blue Bamboo Hall than you'd think."
Just like in the original.
"Nah. With or without you is night and day. Best thing I did at Righteous Martial Academy was grabbing your pant leg and begging Professor No Sam to let you in."
After chatting over lunch with Kyung-ryong hyung.
It was time for my first class of the day per schedule: Introduction to Martial Arts, mandatory for all freshmen.
The grand training ground, packed with freshmen from all four dorms.
The professors hadn't arrived yet, so the new cadets clustered by uniform color, chattering away.
Of course, my dongsaengs from Blue Bamboo were part of the noise.
"I heard Introduction to Martial Arts starts with spars. Can I do okay?"
"Young Eun. We're here to learn—does skill even matter? If you're lacking, fill it in over time. That's something to welcome. Overflowing talent? That's what to watch out for."
"...Stiff as ever, but you're right today, Jeong-hyeon Sword Hall. My master said something similar."
"Tch. Jeong-hyeon Sword Hall's already acknowledged by Yong-un hyung, so that's why. Your sister got the same from Sword Witch Professor. Right, Woo dongsaeng?"
"Haha. Haha. I dunno about that stuff. I heard challengers nominate first, then the rest draw lots.... Hope no one nominates me. Surely no one hates me that much?"
A few caught my ear mid-convo.
More precisely, Ha-seong and So-rung seemed to be veering off track, so I spoke up.
"Eun Ha-seong. The Namgung sword style you learned isn't inferior to Jeong-hyeon's Wudang sword or Professor Sword Witch's Jade Maiden Sword."
- It falls short of our Heaven-Splitting Swordsmanship, though.
"Our Hea... Anyway, don't rush. Just do like you've been practicing."
"Yes, hyung..."
"And Woo So-rung."
"Yes?"
"If someone nominates you, it won't be hate. Underestimating you, maybe."
"Y-you think?"
"Yeah. Your quicksword's tricky in its own way, so have some confidence. You'll lose winnable fights like that. If you can't muster your own, borrow my name or Blue Bamboo Hall's."
"Burn your name or Blue Bamboo Hall's?"
"Yeah. Think of it as: if you lose, I'll step in."
"...Ah."
That was when.
As I steadied Eun Ha-seong's recent impatience and Woo So-rung's usual lack of confidence.
A group of professors in green robes entered the training ground.
- Lots of new faces, huh?
As Master said, some were unfamiliar.
Not unusual, though.
Entrance exams only pulled some professors as proctors, and non-dorm advisors weren't required at ceremonies.
Some declared seclusion for personal training or research.
'Professor Sword Witch, Eun So-jeo's master, is a prime example.'
But the first class of Introduction to Martial Arts—all freshmen sparring one-on-one—would pique even their interest.
Anyway.
Amid the crowd of professors, a relatively familiar one stepped to the center and spoke.
"Fragrant Orchid cadets have seen me separately, but others might not know my face. I'm Chang Ryang, one of the co-professors for Introduction to Martial Arts."
Swordsman claiming the last spot among the World's Ten Great Swords, and Fragrant Orchid's dorm advisor: Huashan White Plum, Chang Ryang.
His words had Fragrant Orchid's black-uniformed cadets beaming with pride, noses high.
Ah, not all of them. Exclude Dang Ok-gi.
"The first class is spars among yourselves. Why? Entrance exam ranks divide you, but they don't purely reflect martial prowess."
Why's he looking at me?
"We'll gauge your actual skills with the professors here, then use those ranks to guide the class going forward."
Anyway.
Chang Ryang soon announced the start.
"You've heard from seniors, but since it's my class, I'll explain the format briefly. Opponents are drawn by lot normally. But fighting spirit in a warrior is praiseworthy, so if any freshman wants to challenge someone specific, speak before lots. Anyone? Raise your hand."
At Chang Ryang's call, yellow-uniformed Zhuge Seolji from Yunguk Hall raised her hand and stepped forward.
"Yes. Yunguk Hall's Zhuge Seolji. Who do you want to spar?"
As Chang Ryang asked, Zhuge Seolji's gaze aimed at me, ready with her answer.
'I told her she's not ready to tangle with me yet.'
I mouthed to her.
'Want me? Beat the dongsaengs first, like we agreed.'
Her teeth ground audibly.
Then her pointing finger passed me and landed on the guy beside me.
"...Jeong-hyeon-nim. I'll spar with Jeong-hyeon-nim."