The Storm of Doubt
Whoosh!
Right after Ran pointed his finger, an enormous gust of wind slammed down.
Crash!
Jubern’s tsunami, which had been holding its power, shattered against Ran’s gale like a toy with its strings cut, collapsing uselessly. Jubern flew away with a thunderous crash that sounded like two pieces of steel colliding, tumbling across the ground several times.
“Kuhk!”
Jubern was buried deep in the wave he had created and the sandy floor.
“Cough! I… I lost. I lost, Lord.”
“Captain! Are you all right?”
Teraden and the warriors, who had been watching the spar from the corner, rushed over in a panic and carefully helped Jubern to his feet.
“When I sparred with you, I noticed something strange. Although your Ineung’s size is impressive, you’re not using it properly where it counts.”
“Heh… Lord, I think it must be because I lack real combat experience.”
“How long has it been?”
“It was the first time I fought a yokai that attacked Seo-Wangdo last time.”
Jubern’s answer was truly surprising.
In other words, until very recently, he had no real combat experience at all.
So that was the first time? Even then he showed such ability. It’s not that he can’t use it well—it’s almost the opposite.
Ran thought Jubern’s potential would never fall short of his own.
He’s talented all right, but with no combat experience, his strengths and weaknesses are clearly defined. I’ll have to correct that gradually.
Ran rested his chin on his hand and pondered how he should temper Jubern going forward.
“Tsk. Tsk!”
Watching Jubern spit out the sand grains in his mouth, Ran put on a convincingly wicked grin. Jubern’s hardships were clearly visible.
“By the way, Lord, didn’t you say you had something to say to me?”
“Ah, right. I did. From now on, I’m taking a short break at Crow’s Duck’s request.”
“Lord alone? I’ll accompany you.”
“His request is something I must do alone. No one can join me. Besides, your current body condition seems a bit too much for you.”
By Ran’s words, Jubern’s condition was far from normal.
Not to mention the rat-like wet state from the water; several bones were broken or cracked, and his whole body groaned with every step.
“Haven’t I said before? When I’m gone, you must take over my role.”
Overwhelmed by his Lord’s trust that he adored more than anything, Jubern knelt on one knee and shouted in a resonant voice.
“I entrust you with it, Lord!”
Other warriors also knelt on one knee alongside Jubern.
“Thank you. With you here, I can leave without worry. Please guard them while I’m gone. When I return, it would be good to have sparring sessions every now and then, like today.”
Ran brushed the dirt off Jubern’s shoulder with envy before heading straight for the Imperial Capital to fulfill Crow’s Duck’s request.
After Ran left, Jubern and the warriors remained kneeling in place for quite a while longer.
“Kweeeeak.”
“Whoa, look at this guy—now he’s even snoring while standing up?”
Teraden turned his head toward the loud snoring coming from his side and couldn’t help but sigh in admiration.
After all, he had stayed up chatting with Teraden late into the night, and the guy woke up even earlier than him, so it was only natural he was exhausted.
“Aah! Look at the drool. I really can’t watch this disgusting sight.”
On the corner of Blanser’s mouth, while his head was buried in the desk and he spat out loud snores, a thin thread of saliva hung like a silkworm’s thread.
Unable to bear it, Teraden shook Blanser roughly to wake him up.
The dean, who had been passionately giving his speech on the stage, spotted them and smiled with a smirk.
“It seems my long-winded ramble has become boring for you. Getting old does make one speak more unnecessarily. Heh heh.”
Tremble.
“I hope that this place has taken root in your hearts not as a simple educational institution, but as a place of deeper meaning. Once again, I welcome your enrollment, and I will take my leave now.”
Clap, clap, clap!
After finishing his turn, the dean received thunderous applause and cheers, then left gracefully. After several boring procedures, the entrance ceremony came to an end.
This was the moment when life at the National Academy truly began.
At the National Academy, the curriculum consisted of two main stages: the preparatory course, or Yekwa, and the core course, or Bonkwa, each spanning three years.
The three years of Yekwa and Bonkwa were divided into levels of A, B, and C. We all entered as B-level students of Yekwa.
In the first semester of Yekwa B-level, the four subjects we would learn were Introduction to Ineung, Introduction to Cheneung, History of the Continent I, and finally Free Meditation and Sparring.
The long-awaited first class.
Grrr.
Upon opening the classroom door, an unfamiliar sight greeted us.
Even though dozens of students had already entered, the space was so vast that it didn’t feel cramped. The items carried by those who had passed through here were neatly arranged and arranged with care.
Among them, some that still gleamed brightly and hadn’t been there long carried the fresh scent of forest.
The tiered classroom became taller toward the back, and the desks curved around the podium like a horseshoe.
“This spot looks good.”
We chose a spot somewhere in the middle, not the very front but not the back either.
As time passed, the empty seats gradually filled up, and the classroom became so noisy that it was impossible to tell whether it was a school or a bustling street.
Slither.
The classroom door opened carefully, and a girl who seemed unable to hide her nervousness entered.
She carefully walked toward the podium, and when she took steps, she seemed startled to see hands and feet moving on the same side at the same time.
As her appearance brought the noise around her to gradually die down, and all eyes focused on the girl standing at the podium, her face gradually flushed red like the autumn leaves of an autumn day.
“Ah! I’m sorry, everyone! Please wait just a moment!”
Pat pat pat!
Covering her blushing face, she ended up with a few hiccups and dashed out of the classroom in quick steps.
…What?
After a while, the girl who had run out in panic reappeared, squeezing a thick book thick enough to be nearly a foot long under her arm.
She must have panicked and run out because she forgot the book.
Kwung!
“Haah… haaah.”
After wiping the beads of sweat from her forehead and taking a short, deep breath, she simply introduced herself as the professor of Introduction to Ineung and began the lecture by flipping through the pages of the book.
“Everyone, what do you think Ineung is?”
A fine flame flickered precariously on the finger she raised.
She briefly turned her head left and right to observe the students’ reactions, then extinguished the flame and spoke again.
“Ineung can be considered each of you as your unique individuality. Just as people are different, your Ineung now and in the future will vary greatly. Excluding elements, of course.”
This was content I had already heard from Ran before and already knew.
“The number of Ineung is truly boundless. There are countless more that exist but are still being researched, unknown, or only passed down in history. Isn’t that incredibly exciting?”
This professor—ah, no, the professor—was so passionate about the lesson that her sparkling eyes and clenched fists could not be contained.
“The stages of handling Ineung are divided into two main ones. In Introduction to Ineung, we will study the first stage, Release, and what is needed to reach the realm of Release, and finally the characteristics of Ineung together.”
Hmm, so Introduction to Ineung… Release and Ineung… and finally the characteristics of Ineung….
Mem… mem….
Days later, during Free Meditation and Sparring class.
Crack!
Someone’s wooden staff mercilessly struck Blanser’s crown.
Blanser’s opponent, who believed in his victory, wore a triumphant smile.
Crack!
“Eh? Eh? Why… is it breaking…?”
Contrary to the smile, the neck produced a weak sound like a dry branch and snapped in half.
The opponent stared alternately at the broken neck and Blanser with disbelief, then froze and went rigid.
Blanser, who had been hit in the neck, didn’t even flinch and turned his neck side to side, making bone-cracking sounds.
“I just used your neck to smash my head, so now it’s my turn, right?”
Kung! Kung!
Every time Blanser got closer, the opponent stepped back and waved his hands frantically.
“No, wait! I lost…!”
Crash!
“Ugh.”
Thud.
Blanser’s fist properly connected with the opponent’s face, and after rolling around for a while, he twitched intermittently before slumping still.
“Quick, bring a stretcher! Hurry! His face has caved in!”
With the instructor’s urgent voice, the sparring ended in Blanser’s victory.
“Ehehe! I won!”
Blanser, who had won the sparring, raised both hands high into the sky with all his strength and rejoiced.
“Whoa, that guy’s no joke. If we two fight together now, we still won’t be able to beat him.”
Teraden, watching Blanser’s martial prowess, clicked his tongue.
“Heh, tsk tsk. What a brainless guy. What a foolish appearance.”
On the other hand, Crow’s Duck, who had been watching from afar with the mid-level teachers of the National Academy, clicked his tongue with an unsatisfied face.
Due to Crow’s Duck’s discomfort, the teachers and professors around him had no peace of mind.
Only the dean smiled freely with a “heh heh.”
“Your Highness the Grand Duke, is there any aspect that displeases you?”
“Whether such childish play will actually help that child is questionable. Seeing that child’s smiling face, there’s nothing I can do but force him along, or something.”
At Crow’s Duck’s grumbling, the dean smiled kindly and comforted him.
“Please trust us, Your Highness. Can there be any doubt that this place will be called the best educational institution on the continent? Heh heh.”
“Tsk. I trust only you, sir. After the lecture ends, please call that child.”
After the lecture ended, Blanser followed the professor’s guidance to Crow’s Duck.
“Oh, Ranseol! Come here quickly.”
“Huh! Master! What’s the matter?”
“Kid, why does it have to be some urgent matter to see me? I called you because I have important news to share with you.”
Crow’s Duck’s hand, which looked rough, gently stroked his beloved disciple’s head.
Blanser, who accepted Crow’s Duck’s touch with pure joy, and Crow’s Duck, who saw that, smiled bitterly for some reason, as if a part of his heart ached.
“This master is about to return home soon. Unlike me, seven weeks are busy for you, so I can’t hold you for too long. So, do you have no intention of returning with this master?”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Blanser answered with a bright smile to Crow’s Duck’s cautious suggestion.