196. The Uninvited Guest at the Academy
“They’ve reset your leg properly... but hm... even if it heals fully, there’ll be lingering side effects.”
The physician’s calm voice crumpled Ak Jupyeong’s face like paper.
“B-bullshit! Don’t you dare blame your incompetence on me!”
“……”
“Send me to the Murim Alliance’s Medical Pavilion!”
“……Only official Alliance members can go to the Murim Alliance Medical Pavilion. You’re not one yet.”
Ak Jupyeong’s face flushed red and purple at the physician’s firm refusal.
“You quack! If our family’s doctors can fix it, how can’t you?!”
The physician’s face grew icy at the continued abuse.
“You’ve got quite the mouth on you.”
“Wh-what’s your name? I won’t let this slide!”
“Sama Jeong. Fifth-grade special member of the Murim Alliance.”
Ak Jupyeong’s expression soured at Sama Jeong’s words. Reaching fifth-grade at that age meant he wasn’t just any ordinary doctor.
“What? Got a problem with that?”
“……”
“I’m making an issue of your words today.”
“……”
“So let’s wrap up the treatment quickly.”
With that, Sama Jeong left the room.
“Hah!”
Ak Jupyeong let out a long sigh, grinding his teeth. He wasn’t scared of some lowly physician making threats. His family’s influence was already spread throughout the Murim Alliance, and his uncle was a power player in the Inspection Hall, the top oversight body.
But the fact remained: he’d been ambushed by Jin Sowoon and suffered a major injury. Even if he tore Jin Sowoon apart later, his shattered pride from this incident wouldn’t recover.
“Jin Sowoon... I’ll rip you, your juniors, and your entire sect to shreds.”
Bang.
Ak Jupyeong’s brows furrowed deeply as someone suddenly flung open the door.
“Who the hell sneaks in without a sound...”
He clamped his mouth shut upon seeing the intruder’s face.
The uninvited guest dragged a chair from the center of the room, scraping it slowly toward Ak Jupyeong.
Screeeeech──
The chair’s eerie scrape on the floor created an ominous atmosphere.
Ak Jupyeong forced down the inexplicable fear tightening his body and glared at the intruder.
Screeeeech──
Thud.
The sound stopped. The intruder sat with the backrest facing forward, staring blankly at Ak Jupyeong.
“Jin Sowoon...”
Ak Jupyeong gnashed his teeth.
“You bastard... after pulling this shit...”
“Don’t dream of me letting it slide.”
“……”
The interrupted words clicked into place perfectly, sealing Ak Jupyeong’s mouth shut.
Jin Sowoon draped his arm over the backrest and tilted his head slightly.
“Ak Jupyeong. You crossed the line.”
“……”
Tap, tap, tap.
Jin Sowoon drummed his fingers rhythmically on the backrest.
“Crossed it by a mile.”
He propped his chin on his hand, scanning Ak Jupyeong’s body impassively. His eyes were utterly emotionless—yet chillingly cold.
“Right now, I just want to snap your limbs, crush your dantian.”
Ak Jupyeong shuddered involuntarily, then bit down hard before retorting.
“I-I’m Ak Jupyeong of the Shandong Ak family! You think you can do whatever you want?!”
Snort.
Jin Sowoon smirked, lifting one corner of his mouth to his ear.
“You think this is Ak family territory?”
“……”
“Even if the Ak family shows up after you’re crippled, what’s the point? You’ll spend the rest of your life rotting in bed anyway.”
“……”
Only then did reality sink in for Ak Jupyeong, making him tremble again.
Gulp.
As Jin Sowoon reached out, Ak Jupyeong flinched and recoiled. But a solid wall pressed against his back. He squeezed his eyes shut instinctively.
No sensation came even after time passed. He cracked his eyes open.
“……Gasp!”
Jin Sowoon’s hand, headed for his throat, halted. Then it shifted, patting his shoulder.
“Don’t worry. I’m not getting my hands dirty personally. If I did, that kid would come charging at me instead of you.”
“……What?”
“So recover quick and get back to academy life. The sooner you’re up, the sooner that kid’s rage turns to you instead of me.”
“What the hell...”
Ignoring whatever Ak Jupyeong sputtered, Jin Sowoon turned and headed for the door. Then he stopped abruptly.
“Oh, right. Don’t even think about dropping out.”
A terrifying killing intent radiated from Jin Sowoon’s entire body, enough to make teeth chatter.
“Or I will hunt you to the ends of hell and kill you.”
With that, Jin Sowoon left the room.
“Hah... hah... hah...”
Only after he was gone did the tension release from Ak Jupyeong’s body. Humiliation surged at how rattled he’d been by Jin Sowoon of all people.
“……Jin Sowoon! You damn bastard!! I’ll get revenge... I swear!”
The sound of Ak Jupyeong’s grinding teeth echoed hollowly through the room.
# On the way out after warning Ak Jupyeong.
I couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of the approaching instructors and supervisors.
Hearing my laugh, they all turned to me in unison.
“Jin Sowoon... You’re supposed to be under disciplinary review. Who said you could wander around?”
“Disciplinary review?”
I tilted my head, and the lead supervisor’s face twisted.
“The instructors’ meeting has already begun discussing your punishment. In the worst case, you could be expelled. Didn’t you know?”
Hah, these clowns peddling threats.
“Hilarious.”
“What?”
I scoffed in disbelief.
“It’s not finalized until the academy head approves it.”
“Y-you!”
Do you know who I am? Huh? I’m the guy who shares a master-disciple bond with your academy head!
“Jin Sowoon, show some respect to the supervisor.”
“Respect? Whatever.”
As I picked at my ear and eyed them indifferently, the supervisor and instructors behind him began to tremble.
“Expelling an academy student requires Myriad Communications Division approval—a major decision. And when investigating, the negligence of the academy’s supervisors and instructors will come up. You okay with that?”
“……You insolent brat!”
Whoa, high praise. That was basically the supervisor admitting defeat in the argument.
“This’ll be fun. Supervisors and instructors who let an academy student get beaten half to death. And me, who beat the perpetrator to save that student. Who do you think gets the heavier punishment?”
“……You think Baekdohoe and Shandong Ak family will let this slide?”
“Plus, supervisors and instructors who should stay neutral, cozying up to one faction and favoring certain students.”
“Eek!”
I pointed with both hands at the room where Ak Jupyeong lay.
“Go lick his ass quick. He’ll love it more when his heart’s this fragile.”
I strode between the supervisor and instructors.
Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran were waiting in the medical hall courtyard, faces full of worry—they’d heard the gist.
“Young Master Jin, what on earth happened?”
“Nothing much.”
“Nothing much?! The whole academy’s in an uproar over it...!”
“I’ll probably get some minor punishment, but nothing like expulsion. Ak Jupyeong’s misdeeds were too severe.”
Despite my words, Seong Moran and Namgung Seonhwa couldn’t relax.
They exchanged glances, then Namgung Seonhwa spoke up.
“The Shandong Ak family holds the most key Murim Alliance positions among the Five Great Families.”
“Hm... is that so?”
I knew that much, but played dumb in front of Namgung Seonhwa.
Regardless of my feelings, her face was stiffer than usual.
“Especially, they’ve got a lot of people in the Inspection Hall.”
“Pardon?”
Huh? What’s this about?
I quickly rifled through my mental library for the personnel records.
Meanwhile, Namgung Seonhwa continued.
“You know the Third Division of the Inspection Hall is the most ruthless, right? Even black path martial artists say once you go in, you don’t come out unscathed.”
“……”
She nodded.
“The Third Division head, Blood Ghost Flying Spear, is Ak Jupyeong’s second uncle.”
“……”
Right on cue, reviewing past life Inspection Hall records around this time, I spotted the Third Division head’s name: Ak Byeongbi, unmistakably from Shandong Ak family.
# ‘Ugh... mm...’
Yaryul Geuk jolted awake, eyes widening at the unfamiliar ceiling.
“Wh-where is this...!”
“Awake?”
He whipped his head toward the sudden voice.
“J-Jin Sowoon!”
He’d just seen that detestable mug in his dream, souring his mood.
“You... if you cross my path...!”
Yaryul Geuk instinctively bared his teeth, forcing out killing intent. But from his unrecovered body, it was feeble.
Jin Sowoon looked at him impassively, as if sensing nothing.
“Why’d you give up?”
A baffling question.
Yaryul Geuk said nothing, so Jin Sowoon stepped closer and asked again.
“Why’d you give up?”
“Wh-what’re you talking about?!”
Jin Sowoon’s eyes flashed sharply.
“Their beatings were harsh, but not fatal. Why give up?”
“……”
He hung his head, forgetting his anger at Jin Sowoon.
“Why give up?”
Persistent questioning.
“N-none of your business!”
He tried rebelling.
“Why give up?”
Jin Sowoon kept cornering him.
“Why’d you give up?”
Finally, Yaryul Geuk’s eyes turned feral.
“Wh-what do you know...! Who are you to butt in?!”
“So you did give up.”
“……Crazy bastard.”
Jin Sowoon fell silent briefly, then asked in a voice laced with chill.
“Feel better after giving up?”
The question ripped into his chest again.
Sharper than a kick.
More painful than a punch.
But the cold voice didn’t stop.
“I’m asking if running away felt comfortable.”
All Yaryul Geuk could do was glare.
Jin Sowoon smirked as if it were pathetic.
“If it were me, I’d think of my brothers.”
“……!”
Fire ignited in Yaryul Geuk’s eyes.
But Jin Sowoon’s emotionless voice continued.
“Your second brother who died, or the crippled third.”
“Y-you...!”
Jin Sowoon slapped his forehead as if remembering.
“Oh! Your eldest worked his whole life and still showed up on time for trash like you? Poor guy. How pathetic must he feel wasting his life on someone like you.”
Yaryul Geuk felt something snap in his head.
“You... you son of a bitch...!”
He lunged at Jin Sowoon without thinking.
Body condition didn’t matter. He had to lash out or explode.
Leaping from the bed, Yaryul Geuk unleashed Strong Brain Fist Technique at Jin Sowoon’s vitals.
Tat-tat-tak.
But Jin Sowoon casually dissolved the strikes with one hand and sealed Yaryul Geuk’s pressure points.
Yaryul Geuk thrashed wildly.
“R-release me! I’ll kill you!”
“This is the medical hall, with patients around.”
Jin Sowoon hoisted him up with one arm and headed out to the training ground.
In the empty small training ground, he tossed Yaryul Geuk down and released the points.
Looking down, Jin Sowoon taunted.
“Go ahead and make a scene here.”
Yaryul Geuk’s eyes darted wildly as he yelled.
“You damn bastard!”
Strong Brain Fist Technique erupted from his hands.
Lightning-fast and fierce strikes.
Jin Sowoon didn’t dodge, grabbing his shoulder, tripping him, and slamming him down.
Thud.
Yaryul Geuk scrambled up, but Jin Sowoon yanked his nape, dragging him forward. He rolled messily like a pratfall.
“What? Gonna kill someone with that level of skill?”
“Raaaaagh!”
Storm Palm Technique poured out, covering Jin Sowoon’s three vital zones.
Jin Sowoon blocked without dodging, his movements effortlessly light.
“No need for martial arts here.”
“……”
Yaryul Geuk held his breath, aiming for one last move.
Jin Sowoon approached casually.
“Now I get why Ak Jupyeong obsessed over you. Big mouths like you always look the part.”
Jin Sowoon’s fist swung brutally.
Yaryul Geuk watched the trajectory to the end, then grabbed it and unleashed Yuyun Divine Art Lotus.
A sure-kill move that had felled Ak Jupyeong’s gang multiple times before they adapted.
Got him...!
Yaryul Geuk looked at Jin Sowoon triumphantly.
Jin Sowoon’s body lifted, spinning half-turn in the air.
Smashing him down would stun him. Then follow up...
“Trying Transferring Flower Connecting Wood without basic body control understanding.”
Yaryul Geuk doubted his ears.
He should be panicking, yet Jin Sowoon spouted nonsense mid-air.
Click.
He landed smoothly, shifted his grip, and yanked Yaryul Geuk.
An irresistible pull dragged Yaryul Geuk into the air.
Th-this is Transferring Flower Connecting Wood?
No one in Yuyunmun had ever generated such force.
Bam.
Slammed down, Yaryul Geuk’s body felt shattered. His head went blank, ears ringing.
His own force returned multiplied.
His unrecovered body screamed, but shock overrode the pain.
Th-this is...
What all of Yuyunmun had sought.
The ultimate Transferring Flower Connecting Wood—true Lotus.
“Wh-what are you, Jin Sowoon?!”
It had manifested from the hated Jin Sowoon’s hands.
Undeniably.