The Underage Martial Tournament (2)
After I knocked Jangcheon down and stepped off the stage, hundreds of eyes slammed into my back like arrows.
Shock, envy, curiosity, and more besides. It was only natural. A ten-year-old brat had just smashed one of the tournament’s top contenders into the wall in two moves.
But the sharpest gaze of all belonged to Jangcheon’s master.
He muttered something along the lines of, “To think you’d reduce my disciple to that…” and then went to look after Jangcheon.
“Oh, looks like it’s Jin Sohee’s turn.”
My match must have ended just in time for her to go up next.
Her opponent seemed to be a promising boy as well, one who was also approaching his coming-of-age ceremony next year.
But instead of her usual delicate swordplay, she drew a blade steeped in ferocious blood qi and forced her opponent to his knees, practically tearing him apart with every exchange.
It was the kind of match that deserved the word overwhelming.
She’s really going to drown someone in blood someday.
After that, both Jin Sohee and I crushed our opponents in the remaining matches and wrapped up the first day’s preliminaries with ease.
When we returned to the dormitory after the preliminaries, some of our classmates came back with wins, but most of them had already been eliminated.
They were still young, so it was only to be expected. The dorm was noisy with everyone swapping stories about the bouts.
And in the middle of all that, an unwelcome guest showed up at my window again.
“You were amazing today. My heart practically jumped out of my chest when you sent that idiot Jangcheon flying.”
Baek Yeon sat on the windowsill with a small bottle of liquor in her hand.
“Why do you keep coming here?”
“Let me think. Because I wanted to see you?”
“Aren’t you afraid of Jin Sohee?”
“Heehee, that cute little miss? She’s probably over in the practice yard working herself to the bone right now.
She seemed pretty shocked by the martial art you used earlier.”
Baek Yeon slipped lightly into the room and came toward me. The sweet scent of flowers drifting off her made my nose itch.
“By the way, Death Blood Divine Art? That’s quite the grand name. As expected, you’re not ordinary.”
“Get to the point.”
“My, aren’t you cold? It’s nothing much. I just took a sneaky look at tomorrow’s bracket.
That Blood Fist Red Tiger fellow seems to have gotten properly riled up.”
“Blood Fist Red Tiger?”
“Puhahaha! So you really don’t know him? He’s Jangcheon’s master, and one of the sect elders.
Since he’s put his hand on it, tomorrow’s opponents are going to be a lot fiercer.”
“If Jangcheon was a favorite to win, then it doesn’t matter.”
At my answer, Baek Yeon pressed her lips close to my ear and whispered, “You really are cool. Just like the man I picked.”
Then it happened.
Bang—!
The door flew open hard enough to look like it was about to break, and Jin Sohee stormed inside. In her hand was a sword swarming with blood qi, as if it were burning.
“You shameless witch! How dare you come here again?”
“Oh? Looks like training’s over. See you tomorrow, then. Make sure my cheering wasn’t wasted, okay?”
“DIEEE!!!”
Just before Jin Sohee’s sword could reach her, Baek Yeon’s figure blurred and she leapt out through the window.
Her tinkling laughter rang out from outside.
Inside the room, only Jin Sohee—breathing hard with rage—and I, who simply wanted this whole mess to go away, were left behind.
Unfortunately for my peace and quiet, Jin Sohee’s eyes were already on the verge of losing all reason.
“Wang Saryeong… what exactly were you talking about with that woman?”
“Just the bracket for tomorrow.”
“Don’t lie! Just now, I clearly saw—”
“Enough. There was absolutely nothing strange going on, so go prepare for tomorrow’s tournament.”
I shoved the wildly flailing Jin Sohee out of the room and sent her into the hallway.
“Hah. Finally quiet.”
I was just about to lie down on the bed and get some proper rest when…
Knock, knock.
Someone was knocking at the door.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, can’t I rest for five minutes?”
At this point, I was sick to death of Baek Yeon’s sultry teasing and Jin Sohee’s murderous jealousy.
But the voice that came from outside the door belonged to someone I hadn’t expected.
“Wang Saryeong, it’s me, Cheolgang… are you asleep?”
Surprised, I furrowed my brow and opened the door.
There stood the hulking Lee Cheolgang, looking thoroughly intimidated.
“What is it at this hour?”
“Well… I watched your bout with Jangcheon hyung earlier. And I saw that Jin Sohee girl fight too.
Then I looked at the other participants in our group, and the answer was obvious.”
Lee Cheolgang slipped into the room and poured out his grievances.
“I got lucky today and beat some weaklings, sure, but if things keep going like this, I’m getting knocked out tomorrow for sure!
Saryeong, please, you have to save me! If I can make even a little progress in this tournament, then maybe I can keep up with you guys by the tips of my fingers!”
For all his size, Lee Cheolgang was fairly quick on the uptake. He knew perfectly well that his own skill wouldn’t get him through, so he had come to me for help.
Honestly, I could use a decent piece on the board too. Jin Sohee was gifted, but lately she’d been far too emotional.
On the other hand, Lee Cheolgang might be lacking in skill, but he did exactly what he was told. Even back in Black Valley, he had faithfully stayed where I told him to and waited at the entrance.
“You want to get stronger?”
At my question, Lee Cheolgang nodded vigorously.
“And you don’t care what method it takes?”
“Just don’t let me die! No— even if I die, that’s fine! If I get kicked out like this, useless and powerless, I won’t be able to survive in the Blood Cult anymore!”
“You do know training doesn’t make you strong by tomorrow, right?”
“I just thought maybe there’d be some way if it was you…”
Power wasn’t something you could seize in a single gulp. That was true in my past life and in this one.
Magic had to be forged over a lifetime. Martial arts had to be forged over a lifetime.
So if you asked whether there was a way to become strong in an instant, my answer was yes.
There was.
“It’s not impossible to get stronger in one shot.”
“Really?”
Of course there was. A way to become strong all at once.
The necromancer legion. When I raised the rank of a spirit under my command, I sometimes forced an awakening.
But the problem was…
“You might die.”
If one spirit died, I could just replace it with another and raise the rank that way. Humans didn’t have that luxury.
Dead was dead. Could Lee Cheolgang accept that?
“I’m serious. You really might die.”
Lee Cheolgang seemed to hesitate for a moment, then nodded.
“I was already prepared for that the moment I came looking for you.”
“Is there really a need to stake your life on this? Even if it’s not this tournament, you’ll have plenty of chances.”
“We’re in the same group, aren’t we? If I try to follow you, my legs are going to split open.”
Well, if he was prepared, that was that. It wasn’t my problem either way.
The suffering would belong entirely to Lee Cheolgang. If it worked, I’d get a loyal subordinate. If it failed, Lee Cheolgang would be the one dead.
“Then clench your teeth and endure.”
I stuffed a cloth into Lee Cheolgang’s mouth.
“Mph—wh—”
“I’m starting, so keep your head on straight.”
I placed my hand on his body and pushed a thread of death qi into him.
“Ugh, aaahhh!”
Lee Cheolgang twisted, screaming. This method had been designed for spirits, after all, so I had no idea what it would do to the living.
My job was simply to guide the death qi.
“Stay focused and follow my energy. Your own qi only needs to keep up.
If you want to chase after me, even if it’s just clinging to my ankle, then prove you can do this.”
At that, the light in Lee Cheolgang’s eyes sharpened. He clenched his teeth and began to follow my energy.
His qi was shoved aside by the death qi, and the death qi drove through blocked meridians, tearing them open. As it passed, fresh energy rushed into the empty channels and forcibly opened them up.
All through the long night, the process continued. Lee Cheolgang’s eyes rolled back more than once as he lost consciousness, and each time I slapped him awake again.
.
.
.
The next morning, the sun rose on the second day of the martial tournament. Lee Cheolgang’s eyes, with his cheeks still swollen from all the slaps, were completely different from yesterday’s.
“Main bracket match number eight: Lee Cheolgang versus Jo Cheol!”
Jo Cheol was a fairly capable fighter who had easily won his preliminaries and advanced to the main bracket.
When he saw Lee Cheolgang, he let out a derisive snort.
“Lee Cheolgang? That big lug who got lucky yesterday and climbed up by meeting only easy opponents?
You’ll be taking a quick win again this time, huh.”
Jing—!
The moment the gong rang to signal the start of the match, Lee Cheolgang moved first.
His fist shot toward Jo Cheol, and Jo Cheol raised his arm to block.
Kwaaaang—!
“Guhk—!”
Jo Cheol had clearly wrapped his body in qi to defend himself. But Lee Cheolgang’s movement was twice as fast as it had been yesterday, and the qi driving his fist crushed Jo Cheol’s own qi, ripping straight through the defense.
Jo Cheol coughed up blood and collapsed.
One exchange. The elders seated in the high stands began to stir.
“That Lee Cheolgang boy—he wasn’t like this yesterday, was he?”
“Getting that much stronger overnight is strange. He must have used some kind of trick.”
“At that level, it’s not just a simple boost from a pill or elixir.”
Lee Cheolgang paid the elders no mind at all. He stared blankly at his own fist for a moment, then bowed his head toward me.
Jin Sohee, watching from the side, narrowed her eyes. She had probably already guessed that I’d done something to help Lee Cheolgang.
“Wang Saryeong… what exactly did you do to Lee Cheolgang?”
“I helped him a little.”
“You’ve never helped me even once…!”
“Well, that’s because you do fine on your own.”
Jin Sohee went quiet at that. Then her name was called, and she headed up to the practice arena.
“Begin!”
For some reason, she was putting on an act against an opponent she could have beaten in a single move.
Jin Sohee let herself be pushed around for dozens of exchanges, pretending to breathe hard, while her opponent was the one drenched in sweat and swinging his sword in a sloppy mess.
In the end, the opponent grew exhausted and cried for a concession.
Jin Sohee hurried down from the ring and said to me, “Now help me too.”
What was wrong with her?