Chapter 62

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Translator: MadScientist

Chapter: 62

Chapter Title: Geum Sihyeon in Crisis (3)

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Feeling an intense headache surging up, I took off the Mind-Image Sword Debate device.

"Hoo."

Having kept my nerves on edge right up to the end, a wave of exhaustion washed over my entire body.

Still.

I'd won, so that was what mattered.

Time for a drink!

"Tsk tsk. You had that much trouble just because your opponent had a polearm?"

Master, who was sprawled out in the corner of the room under the pretense of standing guard while fiddling with his smartphone, immediately scolded me.

"Hey, a win's a win."

I grumbled curtly, swapping out elder respect for elder aggression, but...

"Ack."

What came back was the usual smack upside the head with that earthenware club.

I must've picked the wrong master.

In fact, it wasn't a threefold stroke of luck—it was a threefold curse.

The real stroke of luck still hadn't come my way...

"In a real fight, you'd have been utterly crushed."

"No matter how you slice it, that guy was Peak Realm."

"I beat Peak Realm back when I was First-Rate."

"......"

Best to shut up.

Savoring my victory, I checked my smartphone to watch the other Round of 16 matches.

I replied sequentially to the messages from the Moyong crew.

Seol Noona seemed completely done in by Ice Ddu.

Her speech was getting cuter by the day.

And now she was tossing out emoticons without a second thought...

Both of them had seen my swordsmanship up on Mount Taebaek, so they must've recognized me right away.

A technique where a fiery phoenix bursts from the blade isn't exactly common.

For a moment.

Wait a sec.

Something ominous on a cosmic scale came crashing over me.

As if I'd foreseen it—

Luri, whose chest was so flat that even a poem praising its every inch would fall short—bluntly sent an emoji that clearly lingered with resentment.

"Hm......"

Tsk.

Better steer clear for a while.

After that, I leisurely watched the rest of the Round of 16.

Match 2.

The guys who'd potentially face me in the bracket were going at it fiercely.

I knew both opponents.

One side was Gareumjugoo, whom I'd already wiped the floor with three times.

Ilunja from the Wudang Sect, who'd tried to gank me in real life last time by siccing their sect leader on me.

On the other side was Neungwangja from Mount Hua Sect—Quick Sword Nanma.

The guy from that Mutube video with the Mount Hua Tempest Sword or whatever.

If possible, I'd prefer Ilunja advance—he was someone I'd met face-to-face and relatively easier to handle.

"Oh dear."

He must've been practicing nonstop since then, but trying some Yang's Heart Technique or whatever backfired, exposing a weakness and getting swept away by the waves of plum blossoms.

Ting.

That's not how you do it.

Anyway, even when we'd crossed swords directly in Mind-Image Sword Debate before, Neungwangja had a bit more depth.

So the match went as expected.

Rest in peace, Brother Ilunja.

I'll avenge you.

I briefly clasped my hands toward the southeast—presumed to be Mount Wudang—and prayed for his soul.

The next two matches featured people I knew.

Pancake Heavenly Demon Luri effortlessly pancaked her opponent, refusing to let her arm anywhere near her chest.

The casters were working hard.

Can't even call the Heavenly Demon by name.

But isn't this supposed to be an orthodox martial world party?

Is it okay for the young leader of the Demonic Cult to strut around so blatantly?

"I wrote a letter to the Alliance Leader myself. Luri can do whatever she wants."

When I asked Master, I got the most doting-dad response imaginable.

"Well, the championship's mine anyway."

"The moment you beat Luri, you're dead by my hand."

"You're joking, right?"

"Hm. Feeling like a game of Go."

"......Joking, right?"

Master left the room without ever answering.

Meanwhile, our Pancake Heavenly Demon Lady cleanly swept the spear user 2-0.

Timidly dropping that in chat to indirectly call out the Demonic Cult's atrocities.

In the final match shortly after.

Nine Rice Bag Sword hurled his sword right into the frozen opponent's forehead for a clean win.

Me vs. Plum Blossom Man.

Luri vs. Seol Noona.

Bracket confirmed, I shut off the broadcast.

The other side could wait until the finals were set.

As a quarter-disciple or so, I sent congratulations.

Hm.

Aren't all those "ungs" a bit much, humanely speaking?

Yeah.

If she's hurting, I get it.

When the body's in pain, the heart hurts too.

Time for the Ice Ddu exorcism ritual.

I'd planned to wait in the instructor's office.

But Moyong Seol couldn't contain her slight excitement and came out to the front of the academy to wait for Geum Sihyeon.

She'd watched me in the tournament.

And even left a congratulatory message.

That attention made her inwardly pleased.

Soon enough.

Geum Sihyeon appeared in the distance, clad in his long robe embroidered with a soaring dragon.

Walking steadily toward her.

Fortunately.

He wasn't with another woman today.

Should she go meet him halfway?

No, that might seem too forward.

Ugh, but still...

As vexations flooded in and she fidgeted.

"Instructor, why aren't you in your office? I could've come to you."

Geum Sihyeon had closed the distance before she knew it and greeted her.

"W-Well... I'm the one who asked."

Moyong Seol wasn't usually the chatty type.

But on the way to the training hall.

"Mm, spear arts are tricky, huh. Compared to other weapons, the reach makes it hard to close in, and from that distance control, he's probably from the Divine Spear Yang Family."

"I see."

"Your next opponent's a Mount Hua guy, right? Oh yeah! I saw it—Wudang Demon Sword. Just do like last time?"

"Ugh... Why Wudang Demon Sword of all things?"

"Better than Samsung Gano, no?"

"......"

For some reason, today words just kept bubbling up, and Moyong Seol chattered nonstop.

By the time she thought strolling another lap around the academy like this, chatting intimately, wouldn't be bad at all.

They'd arrived at the entrance to the instructor-only training room.

Moyong Seol's words dwindled rapidly.

Because.

From now on.

She had to bare her secrets to Geum Sihyeon.

She'd asked once before.

But for some reason, embarrassment surged even stronger this time.

"Uh, Sihyeon."

"Yes?"

"Eyes......"

"Ah."

She confirmed his eyes were closed once, twice, three times, then held her palm right in front of his nose and waved it to check his reaction.

Unable to contain her fluttering heart.

Moyong Seol undid her robe ties.

Swish.

Swish swish.

What color were her undergarments today...

Ah, white...

Ugh, nothing stained, right...?

Thump, thump.

Feeling her heartbeat louder than ever, Moyong Seol carefully folded everything that had covered her upper body and set it on the floor.

Shush!

Didn't forget to tuck her undergarments beneath her outer clothes.

She glanced down at her lower abdomen.

"......Ugh......"

"Something wrong?"

"No!"

Staring at the faint handprint still lingering.

Moyong Seol felt a strange impulse.

"You can... open your eyes nowww......"

Though turned away and unable to see Geum Sihyeon, she felt his steady presence drawing closer behind her.

Soon.

A firm, solid palm gently enveloped her back, making Moyong Seol shiver faintly.

"You okay?"

"Fine......"

Her words trailed off more and more.

Once again, she looked down at her abdomen.

Yeah.

It's to calm my qi.

It's training.

A more effective method...

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Uh......"

Moyong Seol's lips quivered.

She'd steeled herself that it wouldn't be a big deal.

"Yes?"

"N-No, nothing... Let's start."

She couldn't bring herself to say it.

Last time was a crisis.

It happened when she was out of sorts.

But now.

In a calm state.

In a not-that-dangerous situation.

Ask him to touch her belly.

To infuse warmth into her belly...

Shake shake!

"?"

"Ah, really, it's nothing......"

Moyong Seol shook her head vigorously to clear her thoughts.

And was grateful to be sitting with her back turned.

Unlike her snow-white, almost pale skin.

Her face was blooming with deep crimson rouge.

"S-Starting now!"

Afraid she'd melt from embarrassment at this rate, Moyong Seol hurriedly circulated her Ice Jade Divine Art.

Soon, a warm, soothing energy spread from her back through her body.

She shook off the thoughts filling her head and focused on directing her inner power.

Etched a bright red handprint on that snow-white back...

Saying it like that makes it sound pretty wild.

Anyway, Seol Noona's after-service maintenance was successfully completed.

"Thanks, Sihyeon."

"All in a day's help."

If anything, I was the one grateful.

The clearer I felt her qi circulating inside her, the more insights I gained on handling yin-cold energy and using ice arts.

Against Baldy, it was forced—barely channeling into palm power by twisting it.

Now, I could probably fire off an actual Ice Palm.

Seol Noona seemed to notice too.

But said nothing.

Stretching out my stiff body from the prolonged back-rubbing as we left the training hall—

Bam!

A beam of purple light shot in, and Seol Noona flicked her sleeve to deflect it.

The redirected energy beam slammed into the wall, kicking up a massive cloud of dust with a thunderous roar.

"......?"

An extremely familiar energy.

Looked just like a Heavenly Demon Death Beam.

No way.

"Cheon Luri, cadet. Martial arts are prohibited in the academy except during class or on the training grounds."

The soft voice she'd whispered to me with earlier was gone.

With icy chill in her tone, she scolded like a reprimand, flicking her hand once more.

The dust cleared in an instant, revealing.

"Hmph."

Luri, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wearing her usual sulk mixed with a few drops of anger.

......

They say a gentleman's revenge takes ten years but is never too late.

She must not have forgotten that "your gums are milky" diss and came for real-life payback.

One of Luri's eyes glinted oddly.

Meeting it sent chills crawling up my spine.