Who Moved My Elixir?
"Y-You bastard, what do you think you’re doing? Right now… owww. You can do this to me and still… sob…?"
After taking a thunderous flick to the forehead, Tang Soyeong began showering me with praise.
That hurt a lot, did it?
Good. I hit her so it would hurt.
I felt refreshed.
"Hic… You son of a bitch, do you really think you’ll get away with this…? I, I’ll…"
"This is the men’s dormitory. Get out now!"
I hadn’t just flicked her at random.
Just as I expected, it was time for the inspector on patrol to make his rounds.
"B-But…."
"I won’t hear excuses. Leave this instant, or I’ll have you brought before the disciplinary committee."
At the inspector’s firm words, Tang Soyeong had no choice but to back down.
"……Understood, Inspector."
Finally, she’s leaving.
I could feel her presence receding into the distance.
I wasn’t exactly free enough to sit and listen to her complaints.
If she’d been going to do something, she should have done it from the start.
Coming back only after weighing the options wasn’t sincerity.
Gulp—
I closed my eyes, sat down, and took a single elixir into my mouth.
I needed at least some internal energy to protect this body.
It was an elixir stolen from a bunch of nobodies, but it was better than nothing.
"Jin Sojin… you’ll regret this!! I’ll make sure of it…!!"
"Shut up. Get out already!!"
Ignoring Tang Soyeong’s furious screaming, I carefully gathered the elixir’s energy, piece by piece.
For a long time, I did nothing else.
Then I put another elixir in my mouth.
Its energy spread through my whole body.
I replayed the exchange I’d had with Namgung Jin earlier.
The sheer amount of inner energy he possessed was almost unbelievable for someone supposedly at the Peak realm.
As for me, I was only at the first flower of Ilwol Eumyang Singong—which, put simply, meant I had just learned how to walk.
I probably could have subdued someone like Namgung Jin somehow, but if I’d fought a skilled swordsman with the same level of internal energy, I would have had a high chance of losing.
It was a shame, but in the Central Plains, carelessness and arrogance were poison.
Only objective judgment could keep you alive.
I’d need to reach at least the tenth flower before I could use any of the sect’s techniques or hidden arts, so until then, it was best to keep a low profile…
And how long exactly am I supposed to wait for that?
I kept opening up the meridians throughout my body and restoring myself, but the road ahead was still long.
Cheon Sojin’s body was trash. No, it was trash beyond trash.
I wasn’t exactly gifted in martial arts myself, either….
For now, I could cover for that with experience, but if I met a real master, I’d be butchered without mercy.
"Tsk."
I clicked my tongue and finished my breathing exercises.
Ilwol Eumyang Singong was one of the strongest arts in the world I came from, but it had one fatal flaw.
Its rate of advancement is slower than a snail’s.
After absorbing all the elixirs, I refined them and scattered away most of the internal energy.
It might have seemed absurd to throw away hard-earned power, but purity was everything with the energy of the sun and moon.
That said, there was another way.
If I lacked internal energy, then I just had to make some.
Beat the problem with sheer volume.
There happened to be a place inside the academy where elixirs were stockpiled, even if they weren’t on the level of Yin-Yang Pills.
*
Under the moonlit night, the disciples who had trained late into the evening were making their way back to the dormitories one by one.
But there were two people who still hadn’t left…
"You bastard! How dare a runt like you summon me? Have you lost your mind?"
"Hey, good to see you. How’s your body doing?"
I waved a hand and greeted him cheerfully.
A pig with a cross-shaped scratch on his forehead strode toward me, eyes glaring up and down.
It was the all-too-familiar face of Jin Rinmu.
"You damn Sojin. You used a dirty sneak attack? You happened to win once and now you’re looking down on me? Arrogant bastard…"
Crk—
Jin Rinmu ground his teeth.
Well, if he’d gotten knocked unconscious by someone he looked down on, I supposed he’d be angry too.
"I figured you’d be unhappy with the result, so I called you out."
"What? Hahaha! You idiot, you’ve dug your own grave. A third-rate punk like you getting all cocky… Say your prayers, bastard!"
Rinmu laughed loudly and bounced in place.
I hadn’t expected him to be this happy about getting hit.
If he liked it that much, I’d have to do it more often.
He raised his energy and settled into a stance.
…His momentum was sharper than I’d expected.
"……."
"Kek… The so-called Jin family isn’t even from that impressive of a line anyway, is it? No wonder you turned out like this. Bwahahaha!!"
Apparently still furious about being beaten unconscious, the bastard threw his head back and laughed by himself, clapping his hands.
But he was bringing up my parents?
They weren’t my parents, but the intent to insult them came through just fine.
This idiot needed to be taught a lesson.
"You pathetic loser."
"W-What…? What did you just say?"
"Didn’t you hear me? I said you’re a pathetic loser. By your own logic, if you get knocked out by a third-rate punk, what else would you call that but pathetic? A clown?"
"You bastard!!"
It was hard to believe he could blow up this badly over such a light provocation, but Jin Rinmu came charging at me at once.
One of the important things in a fight was calm.
If you got too angry, you lost your composure; and if you lost your composure, you couldn’t read the situation.
Of course, this bastard would still get beaten even if he stayed calm.
*
Creak—
Someone opened the door and walked in.
"Aren’t you Jin Sojin? Hah! It’s good to see you. How have you been?"
"Yes, Master. Have you been well? I apologize for coming so late at night."
"No matter. I heard the news that the false accusation against you was lifted. That’s a relief. So, what brings you here? Is your body hurting somewhere?"
"I’m sorry. I fell over again…."
I rolled up my sleeve and showed him my arm, where a blue bruise bloomed clearly beneath the skin.
Baek Yugang, master of the medical hall, sighed and shook his head.
"What are you saying? If someone’s hurt, it’s the medical hall master’s job to treat them. Don’t give it another thought. Those trash bastards… always pulling this sort of thing."
"No, it’s fine. I just… sparred. Master… thank you for looking after me."
At my weak voice, Baek Yugang gazed at me with pity.
"Hoo…. If that’s what you want, I won’t say more. Sojin, you may be a little weak in martial arts right now, but if you keep working at it, you’ll get results. I know pride means everything to a martial artist, but if it becomes too hard to bear, tell me. Martial arts aren’t the only path."
"…I’ll keep that in mind."
"Yes. You’re a sharp one, so I’m sure you’ll handle it well."
Soon after, I took some simple medicinal herbs and lay down on the bed inside the medical hall.
"Cough…."
I heard someone clear his throat.
I already knew why, but I asked Baek Yugang anyway, pretending I had no idea.
"Is something wrong?"
"No, nothing at all."
"Hall Master, it’s about time you left. The other masters are waiting for you."
Before Baek Yugang could even deny it, his chief disciple came in and delivered the message.
It was the best possible situation for me.
Of course I’d come here aiming for the monthly gathering of the masters.
"……Ahem."
"How could I, as a disciple, interfere with my master’s rest? I’ll stay here and get plenty of sleep, so please go without worrying about me."
"Oh! Have you ever seen the medical hall master leave a patient behind? I don’t mind at all."
"It looks like I’m becoming an inconvenience to you, Master. I don’t feel at ease, so I’ll go back to my room."
As I made my intentions clear and got up, Baek Yugang coughed repeatedly and hurriedly pressed me back down.
"Ahem… no. Rest here. Since that’s what you want, I’d rather not, but I’ll be going."
"I’ll lie quietly in bed."
Of course, it wasn’t just that—he also knew Sojin’s usual behavior.
Baek Yugang nodded and called another disciple over.
"Aechim! Come here and take the key."
"Hall Master, you called?"
"Aechim, if Jin Sojin wakes up tomorrow morning, take out a Jangnaedan and make him take it."
"Understood, Hall Master."
"Please go and come back safely, Master."
"I’ll be back. Sojin, rest well."
Creak—
Thunk.
Not long after Baek Yugang left—
Snore—
Grrr—
The snoring of disciple Aechim echoed through the medical hall.
He must be tired. He should sleep.
Sleep well.
Thwack!
Smack!
Ugh… what the hell?!
I opened my eyes at the pain stabbing through my whole body.
"You beast even less worthy than livestock!!"
I clearly… uh, can’t remember.
Master Yugang, his face flushed red, glared down at me with a scowl.
Behind him, several disciples stood holding ropes and clubs in their hands.
"Ugh, ngh…."
The pain seeping all the way to my bones every time I moved told me my body was in no normal state.
"So you really are insane! You actually thought you could rob the medical hall!!"
"Huh? W-What are you talking about…?"
Jin Rinmu got to his feet and turned his head.
All around me were piles of goods and herbs, turning the place into a huge warehouse.
And where I’d been lying was….
W-What…? Why am I here?
Right in front of the empty elixir storage box.
"Master… it wasn’t me!"
"This bastard still won’t admit it!!"
Smack!
With that bright, snapping sound, a stinging pain spread across my face.
"M-Master!! I’ve been wronged! I know nothing about this!!!"
"You shameless worm. You couldn’t find anywhere else to steal from, so you decided to raid the medical hall’s elixir storage? You know your crime, and yet you still deny it!!"
"It wasn’t me!! It really wasn’t me!"
The more I protested my innocence, the harder Baek Yugang’s expression hardened.
The looks from everyone around us turned colder too.
"And yet you, who are supposed to become a member of the righteous faction, keep lying to the end!! Clean out your mouth before you speak!!"
"Huh? What…?"
Startled by Baek Yugang’s rebuke, I wiped at my mouth—and found it covered in elixir crumbs.
At a glance, they weren’t all from the same kind of elixir, either.
W-When did I…?
"You fool… I knew you had a greedy appetite, but your own greed has exposed you. Mongyudan does help increase internal energy, yes, but did you really think that stuffing yourself with it like some brute wouldn’t knock you out on the spot?"
"Ah…."
Cold stares from all around pierced my chest like knives.
I did that?
"N-No, this is unfair! How would I even get in here in the first place?"
"You bastard!! You dare mock me?"
The normally restrained Baek Yugang finally shouted.
"Huh?"
To my shock, Jin Rinmu had a key to the elixir storage box in his hand.
##