The Sowol Battle
A low murmur rippled through the crowd.
"The Young Sword Saint and Lady Cheon are sparring...?"
"I never thought I'd live to see this."
"Who do you think will win?"
"Well, obviously..."
I quietly closed my eyes at the sound of their voices.
...Damn it all.
I let out a silent sigh and regulated my breathing.
Even with my eyes closed, the noise didn't stop. Everyone was busy staring at us, their faces filled with excitement.
Slowly, I opened my eyes.
The crowd surrounding me showed no signs of losing interest.
A mixture of intense emotions poured over me from all directions.
I focused on the person standing before me.
Directly ahead. About ten paces away, by my stride.
A woman stood there.
She stood in a poised stance, looking at me with eyes as blue as the sky, her wooden sword hanging loosely in her right hand.
She was elegant, even noble.
Her striking beauty and cold impression only served to maximize her ethereal aura.
Even the noisy surroundings couldn't seem to penetrate her personal space.
She felt like someone who lived in a completely different world.
The Moon Dance Beauty.
Cheon Hye-in, the Moon Dance Beauty.
She was the daughter of Wolseongeom and one of the geniuses known as the Seven Great Talents.
She looked at me, offered a bright smile, and spoke.
"It's a pleasure to meet you."
"..."
It was a greeting I wasn't particularly glad to receive.
I stared at her and thought.
How did it come to this...?
How on earth did I end up in this situation?
To understand, I had to go back to my conversation with the leader of the Sowol Squadron.
"A condition?"
The leader of the Sowol Squadron had said there was a condition if he was to back me.
Hearing that, I was puzzled.
I had prepared a trump card in case he refused, but he was actually accepting it?
This was completely unexpected.
What did he mean by that?
Frowning, I asked the leader.
"What kind of condition are we talking about?"
At my question, the leader smirked and replied.
"Today. The Sowol Battle will begin shortly."
"The Sowol Battle...?"
The Sowol Battle? I racked my brain at the unfamiliar term. What was that? Just from the name, it didn't sound like anything good.
Just as I was about to ponder it further.
"My condition is simple," the leader said. "If you can secure even a single victory there, I will lend you my strength."
A single victory in the Sowol Battle?
He was making this a condition when I didn't even know what it was?
Should I accept?
Or should I refuse?
I began to hesitate, but it didn't take long for me to make up my mind.
What are you waiting for?
The ghost behind me urged.
"I'll do it."
Emboldened by his words, I gave my answer.
I figured it wouldn't matter either way.
I had a malicious spirit who was second to none in this field, so I would be fine.
That was my reasoning.
And damn it all.
This was the result of that decision.
...So this is what the Sowol Battle is?
I frowned as I looked at Cheon Hye-in, who was watching me.
It wasn't just her. A massive crowd surrounded the sparring arena, watching us.
There were countless onlookers. Aside from the martial artists wearing the standard uniform of the Blue Moon Sect,
those who appeared to belong to the Sowol Squadron occupied one side of the stands.
Furthermore,
even Wolseongeom and the elders are here.
Seated in the high chairs was the sect leader, Wolseongeom.
Behind him stood the leader of the Sowol Squadron, flanked by a large number of blue-eyed elders.
In other words, the sect leader and almost all the elder-level figures of the Blue Moon Sect were in attendance.
Which meant,
this is a major event for them.
It meant the Sowol Battle I was about to participate in held significant weight within the Blue Moon Sect.
...Son of a bitch.
The Sowol Battle.
Wondering what on earth it was, I had asked Yoo Chun-gil before coming here.
The Sowol Battle? It is nothing major, Yoo Chun-gil had replied indifferently.
They just send people up one by one to beat the crap out of each other.
"Beat the crap out of each other?"
Yes, a brawl. It is held once a year, and only members of the Sowol Squadron can participate.
"So..."
In short,
"it's a sparring tournament just for the Sowol Squadron?"
Indeed.
"..."
A headache was coming on.
The Sowol Battle. It was exactly as the name suggested.
They sent the members of the Sowol Squadron up to spar.
Here, the martial artists of the Sowol Squadron had to demonstrate to the elders and the sect leader how much they had grown over the past year.
While those away on missions were excused, anyone currently within the sect was required to attend.
It was a major annual event.
...But of all times,
it had to take place just a few days after my return.
And of all people,
my opponent
...had to be that woman.
Cheon Hye-in, the Moon Dance Beauty.
She was my opponent.
Thinking of this, I glared at the leader of the Sowol Squadron.
He was looking down at me with a smirk from behind Wolseongeom.
That bastard knew.
He knew the Sowol Battle was happening.
And he knew Cheon Hye-in would be my opponent.
He had proposed that condition knowing full well what would happen.
What a sly bastard.
Ultimately, this was his way of telling me that if I wanted to reach the young sect leader, I had to defeat Cheon Hye-in—my potential rival—and prove my worth.
Tsk.
I shifted my gaze from the leader to Cheon Hye-in.
She was watching me with her characteristically alluring eyes.
"...Lady Cheon... No, senior. Did you know about this?"
"Know about what?"
"That you would be sparring with me today."
"Of course. I knew. In fact, I was the one who requested this match."
"...What?"
I knit my brows.
Cheon Hye-in had requested this herself?
"I went to see you this morning to let you know... but unfortunately, I got stood up."
"..."
Ah.
So that was why she had visited so early in the morning...? No wonder she said she had business with me.
"I'm quite excited. I finally get to cross swords with our Young Master Bang—no, Junior Bang."
"I don't think it's anything to be excited about..."
"Is that so? You might not realize it, Junior Bang, but there are plenty of people here who want to spar with you. Can't you see them?"
At her words, I looked around.
She was right.
What is up with their eyes?
The martial artists of the Sowol Squadron were staring at me.
Every single one of my so-called seniors was looking at me with eyes full of jealousy.
Then,
"The successor who inherited everything left behind by the Sword Saint."
Cheon Hye-in spoke as if explaining it to me.
"The Young Sword Saint who unleashed a brilliant sword-light to execute an absolute master of the unorthodox faction... There are more than enough people who want to experience your sword firsthand."
"..."
Only after hearing her explanation did I understand.
The rumors that had spread far and wide were the reason they were so interested in me.
This is so annoying.
They only showed moderate interest at first. What am I supposed to do now that it has exploded like this?
I don't even have time to get used to it.
"Sigh."
I let out a heavy sigh. Annoyance rushed to the top of my head.
"Junior Bang,"
Cheon Hye-in said to me.
"Just so you know, it's fine if you forfeit."
"..."
I stared at her.
"I don't mind such things. Though I might be a little sad and disappointed."
The way she said it with a bright smile was incredibly grating.
"You sound like you're trying to provoke me... but to be honest, I really do want to forfeit."
Did she think I was standing here because I wanted to?
"...And yet?"
"But unfortunately, I can't. I have my own reasons."
Sowol Battle my ass.
I wanted absolutely nothing to do with anything that drew this much attention.
The leader of the Sowol Squadron is one thing, but Wolseongeom is ridiculous too.
When I reported my mission, he only mentioned the Yongbong Association.
He hadn't said a single word about the Sowol Battle.
Did he keep quiet on purpose too?
It was highly likely.
Tsk.
Clicking my tongue internally, I gripped my sword.
"So, you're saying you won't forfeit?"
"Yes. I can't, and I won't. And..."
Whoosh! I spun the sword once, lightly loosening my wrist, and pointed the tip of the wooden sword at her.
"There's no need to, anyway."
"No need?"
"I'm going to win anyway, so why bother?"
"...!"
At my calm declaration, not only Cheon Hye-in but also the murmuring crowd fell instantly silent.
A heavy silence enveloped the arena.
I wondered if what I said was really that shocking.
Bwahahaha!
Meanwhile, Yoo Chun-gil's boisterous laughter echoed in my head.
Your talent for getting under people's skin never ceases to amaze me.
I couldn't tell if that was a compliment or an insult.
The girl looks like she's just been slapped.
Cheon Hye-in stood frozen with wide eyes for a moment before her expression returned to normal.
Though her face looked the same as before, I could tell.
A single crease had formed between her fine brows.
"...You really are arrogant, aren't you?"
Sway.
The tip of Cheon Hye-in's sword swayed gently.
"I'll be looking forward to this."
Watching her, heat rose in my body of its own accord.
Her slight movement instinctively put me on high alert.
At that moment,
I saw Wolseongeom calmly raise his hand in the distance.
"You'd better be able to back up those words. Otherwise..."
And then,
"I think I'll be very angry."
"Begin the match."
With Wolseongeom's declaration,
Flash!
Cheon Hye-in vanished from right in front of my eyes.
My eyes darted around.
My energy-infused Moon Eye traced a path.
Though I had lost sight of her physical form, the thread of energy she left behind created a clear trajectory.
I twisted my sword.
Clang!
Urgh!
A wooden sword dug into the blade I had angled to the left.
It was Cheon Hye-in's sword. Having closed the distance in an instant, she launched her assault.
"Oh?"
Cheon Hye-in let out an exclamation of admiration, seemingly surprised that I had blocked her attack.
At that moment, my body lifted slightly off the ground. I was being pushed back by her sheer strength.
This was ridiculous. How could a woman possess this kind of raw power?
Excellent!
Yoo Chun-gil shouted in delight, clearly pleased by Cheon Hye-in's attack.
Look at this crazy old man. Whose side was he even on?
Grit. I clenched my teeth and moved.
I slightly shifted the angle of my sword. Cheon Hye-in's blocking sword slid along the adjusted angle.
Using the force directed at me against her, I broke Cheon Hye-in's stance.
Her deflected sword pointed toward the ground.
Seeing this, I twisted my lower body.
Moon Wave.
A crescent moon flew toward Cheon Hye-in—
Crack!
Crazy bitch.
The tip of my wooden sword was deflected toward the sky. Cheon Hye-in had recovered her stance in the blink of an eye and struck my sword upward.
Hahahaha! Look at this cheeky girl!
Yoo Chun-gil roared with laughter.
The reason he was so delighted was simple.
This is exactly what that old man did.
Countering the Moon Wave.
It was the same counter he had used when borrowing my body to spar with the Sowol Squadron martial artist named Seom Seong-gyeong.
And Cheon Hye-in had just replicated it perfectly.
However,
it's a bit different from that time.
The Moon Wave Seom Seong-gyeong had used wasn't the modified version created by Yoo Chun-gil.
Since there was a clear opening, he had targeted it to counter the move.
But this is just due to my lack of mastery.
My Moon Wave was the evolved sword technique refined by Yoo Chun-gil.
The only reason Cheon Hye-in could counter it was my own lack of proficiency.
It should have been faster. The application of my energy should have been tighter.
Because it wasn't, an opening had formed, and Cheon Hye-in had seized upon it.
And she did it
the very instant I executed it.
In that brief split second when the Moon Wave was unleashed.
What a monster.
A hollow laugh escaped my lips.
It was a moment that made me realize exactly why people called the Seven Great Talents geniuses.