Chapter 140
Chapter 140
-----------------------------------------------------------------
>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 140
>Chapter Title: Scary Man (2)
>-----------------------------------------------------------------
“!?”
When Il-mok's face crumpled at her smile, So-hong visibly panicked.
‘B-but they said men are weak to smiles?’
While she floundered, unsure how to handle the unexpected situation, a saving voice rang out.
“Good question, Dokgo Gwan-do. The instructors have already paired everyone up for the sparring matches, and each of you will have three bouts.”
As Chu Il-hwan continued explaining the exam, Il-mok's gaze naturally shifted toward him.
After briefly finishing the exam overview, Chu Il-hwan pointed at So-hong with his hand.
“Starting after this exam, she’ll be taking over doctrinal instruction in place of Instructor Jeong Gyu-seok, who’ll be away. As a graduate of the Protectorate, her skills go without saying, and she’s thoroughly versed in doctrine and regulations, so trust and follow her.”
With that, Chu Il-hwan stepped back, and So-hong stepped forward.
She swept her gaze over the trainees, greeting them curtly with her usual cold expression.
“As of today, I am So-hong, assuming the role of instructor at the Demonic Path Academy.”
The Protectorate was the organization that enforced the cult’s laws, primarily handling the punishment of apostates and criminals.
Having done that work for over a decade, So-hong was accustomed to a curt, cynical demeanor in official duties.
But as she scanned the trainees and her eyes met Il-mok's again, she nearly flinched despite herself.
‘…Did it work?’
As if the crumpled face from before had been an illusion, Il-mok was beaming at her.
But the reason for Il-mok's smile was a bit different from what she expected.
‘No need to show I’m suspicious.’
There was no point in provoking the assassin, so Il-mok decided to play dumb for now.
After years dealing with unreasonable complainers as a civil servant, faking a smile was child's play for him.
* * *
After So-hong's introduction, the proper exam-cum-sparring tournament began.
Chu Il-hwan and the four other instructors, four assistants, and even Hall Leader Yeom Ga-hwi overseeing it.
Since these matches directly affected their grades, everyone was pumped up as the spars unfolded.
“Jeong-hyeon trainee and Choi Woong trainee, come forward.”
After several bouts, when two with some familiarity faced off, Il-mok showed a spark of interest.
‘Hmm. Has she overcome it by now?’
Jeong-hyeon had an extreme aversion to showing her martial arts in front of people.
To help her conquer that, he’d ended up cheering her on with Baek-cheon, which somehow led to starting a theater club.
He was curious just how much that theater club life had helped her.
“Jeong-hyeon trainee, you’ve got this!”
“Ohohoho! Show them the skills you honed in the theater club!”
“We believe in you!”
On top of that, the three women from her theater club started cheering her on.
It was something Il-mok had kicked off. Praise can make even Jeong-hyeon dance.
Somehow reminded of those times, Il-mok shouted his support too.
“Show them your superb archery, Jeong-hyeon trainee!”
At Il-mok's shout, Jeong-hyeon's opponent, Choi Woong, scowled.
‘Damn it. They’re cheering for their clubmate over there, so why not me?’
Il-mok was even the guy who’d forcibly dragged him into the meditation club, beyond just the theater club.
For that guy to cheer not just anyone, but her, his opponent.
“Fight on!!”
“We believe in you! Hahaha!”
In the midst of it, his two best friends, Seong-hwan and Mun-gyu, cheered him on.
‘Why am I stuck with just guys!’
He could only envy Jeong-hyeon, basking in cheers from the women.
Of course, Jeong-hyeon, receiving all of Choi Woong's envy, was mortified and at a loss.
‘I-I’m so embarrassed I could die.’
Just standing on the sparring platform with all eyes on her was driving her mad, so why were they cheering like that?
Afraid a heart demon would come if this kept up, Jeong-hyeon quickly closed her eyes, took deep breaths, and steadied her mind.
She hadn’t been slacking off all this time either.
She was gradually mastering control over the Ghost Spirit Divine Bow’s hyper-sensitivity.
“Sip. Hoo.”
Squeezing her focus to the limit, the shouts from all sides faded into distant murmurs.
Instead, her senses toward Choi Woong straight ahead sharpened to the max, letting her feel even the sway of his individual hairs in the breeze.
“Begin!”
With Instructor Chu Il-hwan’s faintly heard shout, Choi Woong charged in with lightness skill.
Swaeeeeek!
Faster still, an arrow left Jeong-hyeon’s hand, aiming for Choi Woong.
While he deflected that arrow, another already shot flew at him in succession.
“Kuh.”
As he blocked or dodged the rapid shots, an arrow slyly angled high fell down targeting him.
Somehow coping amid it all, Choi Woong tried closing in on Jeong-hyeon, but she kept stepping to maintain distance even as she fired.
Watching it all, Il-mok nodded in satisfaction.
‘To show her true skill even in front of nearly thirty, including instructors and assistants!’
For someone who knew her old self, it was a profoundly moving moment.
So Il-mok bellowed even louder.
“As expected, Jeong-hyeon trainee is number one in archery at the Demonic Path Academy!”
Il-mok was convinced. Praise can make even Jeong-hyeon dance.
* * *
Right after Jeong-hyeon and Choi Woong’s bout ended, the tournament’s heat surged higher.
Thanks to the theater club women and Il-mok’s cheering.
Naturally, trainees cheered fervently whenever someone from their club was sparring.
As if it were an inter-club competition.
When doctrine research club members—who boasted the most members—sparred, cheers erupted in variety.
When Gwak Sul fought, Dokgo Pae bellowed alone like a Jangpanpa cheer squad for dozens.
“Gwak trainee!! Hold with your waist power! Show them the results of your hard external art training!!!!”
Amid the nonstop spars like that, the one that caught Il-mok’s interest again was, surprisingly, Joo Seo-yeon’s bout.
‘…Her skills have grown a lot in just half a year?’
With three bouts per trainee in this exam, her first opponent was someone Il-mok had never even spoken to.
From the vibe, he seemed upper-mid tier in the Yi Class, even if Yi Class.
Chaeng!
Chaeng! Chaeng!
But Joo Seo-yeon was relentlessly pressing that Yi Class upper-mid trainee without respite.
Her short spear created countless afterimages in the air, moving nimbly, while her opponent struggled just to endure the onslaught, let alone counter.
Compared to the Joo Seo-yeon he’d seen early on, it was a massive leap.
And after endlessly pushing her opponent, the spear shaft finally smacked his side, ending the bout.
‘…She might climb to Gap Class soon?’
As if reading Il-mok’s thoughts, the victorious Joo Seo-yeon suddenly looked his way.
“Young Master! I won! Just wait a bit!!”
Her eyes sparkling as she shouted, Il-mok felt cold sweat trickle down his back.
Back at the start, he’d promised that if she took last place in her class, he’d take her as a maidservant.
He’d thought it impossible for her, who’d been dead last overall.
‘…Did I speak too carelessly?’
An ominous feeling crept up that he might end up with this stalker fangirl as a maidservant.
* * *
Meanwhile.
Watching the trainees’ heated cheers and spars, So-hong felt something off.
‘Was the Demonic Path Academy always like this?’
She hadn’t been here when half the trainees were dropping dead, but even in her trainee days, competition had been fierce.
Since everyone was a rival, she’d rarely seen them cheering each other on like this.
Even lifelong friends before entry could turn to enemies through rivalry.
As if reading So-hong’s mind.
“Hahaha. Isn’t it a fine sight, Instructor So?”
Cheok Il-so, who’d sidled up to her unnoticed, boomed with hearty laughter.
“…It feels very different from my trainee days at the Demonic Path Academy.”
At her words, Cheok Il-so nodded and looked to the platform.
Just then, Il-mok and Dokgo Pae were stepping to the center.
“It’s all thanks to Trainee Il-mok. The reason they’re cheering each other now is because they’re clubmates.”
“Ah….”
Only then did she grasp the situation.
‘Come to think of it, they said the Young Master started these clubs.’
Rumors about Il-mok were rampant in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult to begin with, and investigating the target was basic before a mission.
“I didn’t know from Heavenly Myriad Mountains, but the clubs seem to have had better effects than expected.”
Having to seduce Il-mok, she praised his achievements, and Cheok Il-so laughed heartily.
“Hahaha. That’s right! Even Trainee Dokgo Pae over there honed his external arts in the Body Appreciation Club with me and boosted his skills!”
So-hong merely nodded lightly at Cheok Il-so’s proud words about Dokgo Pae and turned to the platform.
“Begin.”
There, Instructor Chu Il-hwan’s signal had just started Il-mok and Dokgo Pae’s bout.
Chaeng!
And in one exchange, it ended.
“…….”
It took a moment for Cheok Il-so’s mouth—who’d been praising Dokgo Pae—to close.
“Ahem. Trainee Il-mok is the exception, so understand.”
Whether Cheok Il-so was embarrassed or not, So-hong didn’t care.
Her composure was shaken once more right then.
Selected as an instructor, her own skills were certainly at expert level.
No, at thirty-two, rising to mid-level Deputy Commander in the Protectorate meant her skills were no joke.
Only those with dispatch-level prowess qualified as instructors. Plus the looks to seduce a sixteen-year-old womanizer.
Among the Protectorate Leader’s subordinates, So-hong was the only one fitting both, hence her selection.
Naturally, her eyes could precisely track Il-mok’s sword movements.
‘…Is that really the skill of a mere trainee?’
Its profundity left her speechless.
Clearly two or three levels below her.
But conversely, that meant he could somewhat hold his own against a Protectorate Deputy Commander.
‘He’d more than pull his weight if I dragged him to the Protectorate right now.’
And factoring in that he’d only been here seven months, no.
‘They said the Young Master started learning demonic arts at fifteen.’
Only then did it all truly sink in for So-hong.
Why the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons treasured the Young Master so. Why her own Protectorate Leader wanted to win him over.
‘A genius like that might actually be worth seducing for real.’
She’d forgotten she had zero experience seducing men in her life.
Meanwhile, Il-mok, having subdued Dokgo Pae in one exchange, let out a sigh. Not because he noticed So-hong’s attention.
He was just scared.
“Phew. Good thing I ended it in one.”
Swinging his sword more might trigger his compulsion again.
‘Just two more. Get it together, Il-mok.’
For this tournament, he vowed not to gain any enlightenment.