Chapter 139
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 139
Chapter Title: I'm Envious
Thud.
'Thud?'
The sound reached Dan Mok Un-roe's ears along with his sword coming to an abrupt halt.
A noise that couldn't possibly occur in the midst of a spar.
His sword had stopped right before his eyes.
Dan Mok Un-roe's gaze shifted sideways.
And there, he saw a hand.
Thumb, index finger, middle finger.
Just three fingers were gripping the blade.
The sword was frozen like that, unable to move forward or back.
Dan Mok Un-roe's eyes shifted again.
Joo Woo-myeong stood before him.
He was pouring even more power into his sword, determined to overcome the one who had blocked him.
Yet the sword didn't budge an inch.
'W-what is this?'
The situation left him utterly confused.
This was clearly a match on the sparring platform.
Yet an unidentified hand had stopped Joo Woo-myeong's sword.
Was such a thing even possible?
As the question arose, he moved his body.
He quickly retreated and took deep breaths.
"Hoo. Hoo. Hooooh."
Only then did the scene come into focus.
"I-Instructor."
Ha Mu-baek was holding Joo Woo-myeong's sword.
With effortless ease.
Joo Woo-myeong was still struggling fiercely. The surging aura rising from his body made it clear.
"Tch. Hiding such fierce fighting spirit, were you? Well, that explains why you went out of your way to join the Fierce Dragon Corps."
Ha Mu-baek raised his left hand, the one not gripping the sword. He crooked his finger.
'T-that's...'
Dan Mok Un-roe recognized what Ha Mu-baek intended to do.
'But he's out of range?'
Since he was holding the sword, Ha Mu-baek's fingertip couldn't possibly reach Joo Woo-myeong's forehead.
Yet Ha Mu-baek, unconcerned, snapped his finger through the empty air.
"Ack!"
Joo Woo-myeong cried out in pain, clutching his forehead as he crumpled to the ground.
Of course, he had released the sword.
The sword Joo Woo-myeong had let go of remained gripped in Ha Mu-baek's hand.
Between thumb, index, and middle finger.
Focus slowly returned to Joo Woo-myeong's eyes.
He too had awakened from his trance.
"You were in real danger this time."
Ha Mu-baek said that and casually tossed the sword toward Joo Woo-myeong.
Still dazed and bewildered, Joo Woo-myeong hastily caught his incoming sword.
Ha Mu-baek's gaze turned to the referee.
"As you saw, the winner is still Joo Woo-myeong. If I hadn't intervened, Dan Mok Un-roe would be dead or severely injured."
Leaving those words behind, Ha Mu-baek leaped away.
The referee, who hadn't even grasped what had just happened, stood there in a stupor.
He soon collected himself and nodded.
He knew Ha Mu-baek was right.
"Winner: Joo Woo-myeong!"
The judgment was declared.
But there were no cheers.
The match had ended in such an absurd manner.
It had been an excellent bout, but it ended with that man's intrusion once again.
He had interfered in the previous match too, taking in Yeon Ha-min.
Just who the hell was that guy?
The spectators unfamiliar with Ha Mu-baek buzzed in confusion.
***
The reactions on the platform were no different.
"That guy again!"
Several instructors vented their frustration.
They couldn't openly challenge him since Pavilion Lord Pang Do-yul remained silent.
"Pavilion Lord. Is it really okay for an instructor to keep interfering like that?"
This time, Hidden Dragon Corps Leader Neung U-dam couldn't hold back and spoke up.
Pang Do-yul's gaze turned to him.
"And if he hadn't? The referee couldn't even respond properly to what just happened. Are you saying we should have let an innocent disciple get killed or maimed?"
Pang Do-yul retorted in a voice laced with anger.
Anyone present could predict what would have happened without Ha Mu-baek's intervention.
They were all masters of that level.
"T-that's..."
Neung U-dam couldn't respond properly.
"We should be reprimanding that referee and assistant referee for failing to handle the situation."
His voice still carried irritation.
Neung U-dam fell silent and stepped back.
The referee for that match was an instructor from the Hidden Dragon Corps—one of his subordinates.
In the end, it boiled down to his team's failing, leaving Neung U-dam speechless.
Pang Do-yul's words were irrefutable anyway.
Sang Gyeong-mun said nothing, merely observing the mood. The two assistant referees were from the Wa Dragon Corps.
They too had done nothing in that moment, so they had no reason to insert themselves and invite the Pavilion Lord's wrath.
Joo Woo-myeong and Dan Mok Un-roe.
Dan Mok Un-roe and Joo Woo-myeong.
The two descended the sparring platform with dazed expressions.
What on earth had happened to them?
"S-sorry."
Joo Woo-myeong apologized first.
It had truly been a dangerous situation.
"It was a match. No big deal."
Dan Mok Un-roe brushed it off lightly. Despite having faced a life-or-death crisis.
After returning from the Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest, he had come to realize the nature of the martial world and steeled his resolve.
"More importantly, what happened?"
Dan Mok Un-roe asked.
"Beats me..."
Even Joo Woo-myeong couldn't answer properly.
By the time they returned to their spots below the platform.
Faint memories began to resurface for both.
About what had transpired in their trance.
"Ah..."
Joo Woo-myeong let out a small exclamation, glanced at Dan Mok Un-roe, and gestured with his hand. He then promptly sat cross-legged and sank into meditation.
Seeing Joo Woo-myeong's posture and gesture, Dan Mok Un-roe immediately followed suit into meditation.
Baek Ri-pyeong watched the two silently and stood guard beside them.
"I'm envious."
Baek Ri-pyeong murmured softly.
He too had entered a trance before. But nothing had occurred that demanded he dive straight into meditation like this afterward.
There was one hour left until the final match.
Hoping their meditation would end by then, Baek Ri-pyeong also sat cross-legged and began circulating his energy.
"Ho. Quite the serendipitous encounter."
Gong Son Mu-wai muttered as he watched the two enter meditation.
"But I'm not sure an hour will be enough."
He glanced up at the sky.
"It's their own fateful connection."
Ha Mu-baek replied calmly.
"Aw, man. If only we had two hours to spare. But then the sun would set..."
They couldn't hold the finals.
It couldn't be postponed to tomorrow either.
All they could do was hope Joo Woo-myeong's meditation ended within the hour.
"No need to guard them?"
Two were meditating, one circulating energy.
"They're already being guarded."
Ha Mu-baek answered curtly.
Gong Son Mu-wai merely nodded in acknowledgment.
After witnessing that lightning-fast movement earlier.
He had no choice but to accept it.
"What did you say to that kid Joo Woo-myeong, anyway?"
Gong Son Mu-wai asked curiously.
"Just that he has strong fighting spirit."
"And that's a problem?"
"That fighting spirit nearly led him into heart demon territory."
Gong Son Mu-wai's face registered surprise at Ha Mu-baek's words.
"No wonder his sword strikes felt off."
"If it had gone another five or six forms, he definitely would have fallen to the heart demon."
"Heavens, a heart demon in a trance state? That's rare. Good thing you stopped it."
Ha Mu-baek shook his head at those words.
"I intervened because the match had concluded. If it hadn't, I would have let it play out."
Gong Son Mu-wai's eyes widened.
"Even if he fell to the heart demon?"
"It's a match. Can't interfere with the outcome. Real combat would be different."
Gong Son Mu-wai shook his head in disbelief.
"Then you didn't even warn him about the heart demon."
Ha Mu-baek nodded.
"I carelessly mentioned his fighting spirit. Maybe I shouldn't have said that much."
As Ha Mu-baek gazed at the two in meditation, Gong Son Mu-wai wore a resigned expression.
Yeon Baek-jin arrived in front of the Graceful Dragon Dormitory.
The fence marking the boundary.
Yeon Baek-jin stood before it, gazing at the dormitory building.
Beyond this point was forbidden territory for males.
No matter his position as deputy pavilion lord, he couldn't just enter.
Only the elderly workers handling chores moved inside as usual.
Yeon Baek-jin could only stare worriedly at the window in the direction of his niece's room.
Just then.
He ran into Han Seol-bing emerging from the Graceful Dragon Dormitory.
"Ah, Deputy Pavilion Lord."
Han Seol-bing cupped her hands in greeting and bowed.
"What brings you here... Ah!"
Having questioned his sudden appearance, Han Seol-bing let out a realization.
"Ha-min's fine. Just exhausted from overexertion. A good night's sleep, and she'll be okay."
Yeon Baek-jin's eyes widened at Han Seol-bing's words.
Did she know about his relation to Ha-min?
In the Dragon Training Pavilion, only Pavilion Lord Pang Do-yul knew she was his adopted niece.
Ah, Ha Mu-baek knew too.
"Instructor Ha told you?"
Han Seol-bing smiled at Yeon Baek-jin's question.
"During the Fierce Dragon Corps Group Seven's field training last time. My group joined too, of course—including me."
"Ah..."
He understood from her words.
"A lot happened there, so I found out. The kids don't know."
Yeon Baek-jin nodded slightly at Han Seol-bing's words.
"Then."
Han Seol-bing bid farewell and headed back to the sparring platform.
The platform was quiet upon her arrival.
People murmured here and there, but it didn't feel like a place where matches were underway.
What caught Han Seol-bing's eye.
Was Ha Mu-baek holding Joo Woo-myeong's sword.
"What the hell happened now?"
After observing briefly, Han Seol-bing confirmed the three sitting cross-legged and approached them.
Ha Mu-baek.
That damn guy might be watching, but it wasn't the same as guarding right beside them.
She shot a glare at the rooftop where Ha Mu-baek was, arriving at the trio's side moments later.
One hour felt long.
To the spectators seated in the stands, at least.
On this chilly day.
Just sitting there blankly for an hour wasn't easy.
Some shivered in the cold wind.
Even bundled up thickly, it was cold.
The sun was dipping westward, cooling the air and stirring the breeze.
Gong So-yu and Dan Mok Un-hye had slowly finished the rice balls they'd been eating.
They'd forgotten to eat during Dan Mok Un-roe's match, but hunger hit after it ended, and they devoured them quickly.
"Come to think of it, it's nice and warm today. Yesterday was pretty cold, though."
Gong So-yu remarked as it occurred to her.
She'd nagged Dan Mok Un-hye so much to dress warmly for today.
Indeed, it had been cold even visiting her home.
Her ears, waiting for him, had been bright red.
Yet watching the matches here, she hadn't felt cold at all.
No wind, and even pleasantly mild.
Glancing at Dan Mok Un-hye, she too showed no sign of feeling the chill.
Gong So-yu turned to her grandfather.
Well, a master of his caliber probably didn't feel the cold much. Such weather was nothing to him. She turned back to the platform.
"Hm? In this cold?"
Gong Son Bi-yeon's question reached Gong So-yu's ears.
She was indeed hugging her arms.
The chill she hadn't noticed amid the focus during matches now assaulted her doubly in the break.
"Huh?"
Gong So-yu tilted her head curiously upon seeing Gong Son Bi-yeon's face faintly flushed behind her veil.
"Instructor Ha must be looking out for you. Heh."
Gong Son Mu-wai chuckled knowingly.
Indeed, Ha Mu-baek was warming the air around Dan Mok Un-hye and Gong So-yu with his internal energy. He was even blocking the wind.
"Ah!"
Realizing why, Gong So-yu bowed toward Ha Mu-baek.
"Thank you."
The quick-witted Dan Mok Un-hye also understood why she'd felt warm and bowed to Ha Mu-baek.
"Sneaky..."
Gong Son Bi-yeon grumbled softly, in the tiniest voice.
"Those kids are only three days recovered."
Gong Son Bi-yeon could only draw up her internal energy against the cold at Ha Mu-baek's emotionless words.