Chapter 11: Undoubtedly the Best
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 11: Undoubtedly the Best
After Ki Mu-hyeok left.
An awkward silence briefly fell over the 3rd-year High School Division waiting room, which had been noisy with a flurry of curses and shouts.
The boys, who had been glaring at the door, one by one began to speak, grumbling.
“The General Division? Are you serious?”
“...He’ll just be a backdrop, obviously.”
“Go make a fool of yourself.”
Even as they badmouthed Ki Mu-hyeok, their expressions seemed complicated somehow.
He was challenging a goal they wouldn't even dare to dream of.
Regardless of the outcome, it was impossible for boys who dreamed of becoming Martial Arts Practitioners to feel nothing from Ki Mu-hyeok's actions.
“But was Ki Mu-hyeok always that reckless?”
“He’s always been a tough nut, though.”
“His eyes got really damn scary... Did he awaken something after failing the Constitution Test?”
“Even so, it’s impossible.”
The level difference between the High School Division and the General Division was, quite literally, on another dimension.
After all, the General Division Competition was for active Martial Arts Practitioners.
For a high school student who hadn't even properly begun Internal Energy Cultivation Method to win an award in the General Division was something only possible in novels, so no one thought Ki Mu-hyeok would win.
“Still...”
“If he actually wins something, that’d be incredibly cool.”
“He’d basically conquer the High School Division first.”
For Ki Mu-hyeok, who willingly chose a near-impossible challenge, some participants felt envy, some felt anger at the gap between themselves and him, and some felt admiration.
But one person was different.
“Ha! He’s even more of a fucking lunatic than I heard.”
Only Shin Kang-heon was chuckling to himself.
He had started martial arts later than other participants, so this was his first time seeing Ki Mu-hyeok in person.
Unlike Shin Kang-heon, who had participated in the Martial Arts Competition since his first year of high school, Ki Mu-hyeok had barely appeared in the competition since then.
“From the rumors, I thought he was just a boring guy who only knew martial arts...”
The Ki Mu-hyeok he saw in person was an alien presence, unbelievable for someone his age.
Most wouldn't have noticed, but Shin Kang-heon, born with senses more acute than others, could feel it.
That Ki Mu-hyeok had subtly revealed an extremely restrained Killing Intent.
And that with that Killing Intent, he had implicitly dominated the space.
‘How pathetic that these guys, who claim they want to be Martial Arts Practitioners, trembled and begged for forgiveness after just a few words.’
Shin Kang-heon's gaze turned to the ponytail guy and his gang, who had first started badmouthing Ki Mu-hyeok.
Their faces were still pale, making it seem unlikely they'd be able to show their true skills in the competition.
‘Well, it wasn't just those guys.’
Even Shin Kang-heon, who had never been intimidated by anyone in his life, had been reduced to silently watching Ki Mu-hyeok for a while.
Even though a considerable amount of time had passed since Ki Mu-hyeok left, the goosebumps on his arms showed no sign of subsiding.
“...Hmph. It’s been a while since I’ve felt this fired up.”
A competitive spirit boiled in Shin Kang-heon's eyes, having met a strong opponent.
Thump-!
Shin Kang-heon struck the floor with his practice sword and spoke as if for everyone to hear.
“Just you wait! I’m taking the gold medal in today’s competition, and in the winter competition, I’m challenging the General Division too!”
“...How many times do I have to tell you to stop being so loud?”
A testy voice countered Shin Kang-heon's boisterous one.
It was Pi Seung-hwa, one of the strongest contenders for the gold medal in this competition, which Ki Mu-hyeok wasn't participating in.
Shin Kang-heon grinned, provoking Pi Seung-hwa.
“You’ll have to settle for silver, you bastard.”
“It’d be quite a sight if you talk so confidently and then don’t win anything.”
“Are you introducing yourself?”
Shin Kang-heon, who had been glaring at Pi Seung-hwa as if to devour him, then let out a chuckle and spoke.
“By the way, where’s Lee Hyeon-seung? He’s pretty good too.”
“You mean Kim Hyeon-seung, right?”
“Oh, right. Ki Mu-hyeok called him Lee Hyeon-seung, so I got confused too. So, where did he go?”
Pi Seung-hwa shrugged as if to say, ‘How should I know?’
“I don’t know. Probably went to the bathroom or something.”
After their brief exchange, the two boys glared at each other for a moment, then returned to their respective spaces to focus on their final practice.
As a result, Ki Mu-hyeok's provocation seemed to have pushed their concentration to its peak.
‘Just you wait. The gold medal is mine!’
‘Even if it’s just for my pride, I have to win the gold medal.’
Meanwhile, at that very moment, Kim Hyeon-seung, another strong contender for an award in the competition, was alone in the restroom adjacent to the waiting room.
“Hoo... Hoooo...”
Kim Hyeon-seung was trying to steady his ragged breathing.
It wasn't just from nervousness. He was trembling like an aspen leaf, to a degree that anyone would find strange.
“...I have to win the gold medal. This time, I absolutely have to.”
Muttering to himself, Kim Hyeon-seung pulled something from his pocket.
It was a Strange Yellow Paper.
It was palm-sized, with dozens of the Chinese character ‘Ma (魔)’ written in crimson black, and an ominous aura surged from it.
-Please show us good results this time. Only then can we decide whether or not to use you for something important, can’t we?
Recalling the conversation they'd had before the competition, Kim Hyeon-seung slowly brought the Strange Yellow Paper in his hand to his mouth.
-If you use this talisman, you’ll be able to avoid doping tests. The choice is yours, but... don’t disappoint us anymore.
He put the Strange Yellow Paper in his mouth and chewed it with a crunching sound.
The tough paper went down his throat, giving him a repulsive feeling, but he endured it and swallowed.
Thump!
“Cough...!”
Kim Hyeon-seung grabbed the sink to steady his swaying body.
On his forehead, reflected in the mirror, the character ‘Ma (魔)’ momentarily appeared in black script. His eyes were bloodshot red.
“Hey! When are you coming out?! I gotta take a dump too!”
Bang bang bang!
Someone outside was banging on the restroom door. Kim Hyeon-seung instantly spun around and yelled.
“Shut up! Before I kill you-!”
The voice from outside vanished, and a moment later.
Kim Hyeon-seung's bloodshot eyes slowly returned to normal, and the character etched on his forehead scattered and vanished like melting snow.
“...”
The boy who emerged from the restroom began his competition practice as if nothing had happened.
I left the 3rd-year High School Division waiting room and immediately moved to the General Division waiting room.
‘The atmosphere is different from the High School Division.’
A quiet waiting room, where not a single sound of conversation could be heard.
Everyone was either lightly warming up or sitting cross-legged in meditation, creating an overall calm atmosphere.
‘I wondered if they might ignore me for being young or try to assert their seniority...’
It felt like everyone was focused on themselves, paying little attention to other participants.
I quietly observed the participants.
Most wore the insignia of their affiliated Martial Sect or organization on their sleeves or shoulders.
In other words, they were true Martial Arts Practitioners who had begun Internal Energy cultivation.
They had reached a stage where they could infuse and project qi into their hands, feet, or weapons.
If the High School Division was a process of refining the body to create a vessel, the General Division was where individuals truly entered the realm of what could be called ‘superhumans’.
‘So this is where the real Martial Arts Practitioners begin.’
While no members of arrogant major sects were visible, disciples from fairly well-known Mid-Sized Sects occasionally appeared.
They were likely the strong contenders for awards in the competition.
“The competition will begin in 10 minutes. Participants with numbers 1 through 5, please move to the backstage area and prepare!”
“Yes.”
At the staff member's words, five people stood up simultaneously, without making even a small sound.
As I watched their backs as they left the waiting room, a man with a gentle impression approached me and spoke.
“I haven’t seen your face before. Is this your first competition?”
Feeling no particular ulterior motive, I nodded and answered readily.
“It’s my first time in the General Division.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, may I inquire about your affiliated Martial Sect?”
“I’m still a high school student.”
“...A high school student?”
Upon hearing ‘high school student,’ the participants turned their heads and looked at me. Some of them approached with curious expressions and spoke.
“My goodness! A high school student participating in the General Division?”
“Wow, a genius.”
“Wait a minute. Ki Mu-hyeok? I think I saw that name on a community forum. Isn’t he one of the top ten Rising Stars?”
Suddenly, interest gathered around me.
Their eyes seemed full of curiosity and interest towards me.
‘This isn’t caution, but...’
The General Division participants under 25 (at least by current age) welcomed me as if I were a youngest sibling or a nephew.
“Haha! A high schooler, how cute!”
“Has a high school student ever won an award in the General Division?”
“It’s been almost twenty years, hasn’t it? Richard Han swept the General Division Competition for those under 30 before he became naturalized, I think?”
“Wow! Then that legend might be re-enacted today!”
If the elementary, middle, and high school student competitions were fierce survival contests to break through a narrow gate and become Martial Arts Practitioners, the General Division was closer to a venue where young martial artists, participating purely to showcase their abilities, competed in good faith.
‘This kind of atmosphere is quite novel.’
In my previous life, I had engaged in fierce competition with high school brats for the dream of becoming a Martial Arts Practitioner, and after becoming a Vagrant, I had only experienced brutal dog-eat-dog struggles to survive in the Underworld.
Such a welcome was so unfamiliar that my skin tingled.
On the other hand, I thought it was a good thing I refused the Blood Tiger Gang's offer at the Hidden Tower.
“This is the Orthodox Faction...”
This must be what Martial Arts Practitioners who live in the light, bright and unblemished, look like.
As if he heard my muttering, Oh Jung-min, the participant who first spoke to me, laughed, “Ahaha!”
“You’re an interesting kid. When you first came in, your eyes were so fierce, like you were going to stomp someone, and now you’re suddenly getting emotional all by yourself?”
“...Was I like that?”
“I thought you were looking for an enemy or something. Even if they pretend not to look, everyone is aware of each other. You know what I mean, right?”
“...”
At Oh Jung-min's advice, I quietly nodded.
It seemed like a habit from my Vagrant days, making me wary when meeting other martial artists.
‘I need to be careful.’
Fortunately, once it was revealed that I was a high school student, the atmosphere shifted to one of ‘Oh, he must just be nervous,’ and they moved on.
Then Oh Jung-min looked at me with a slightly worried expression and said.
“Just think of today as a good experience. The General Division Competition... it’ll be a bit different from what you expect.”
He phrased it indirectly so as not to hurt my pride, but I fully understood what he meant.
‘He means I won’t even be able to compete, so I shouldn’t be too disappointed.’
All General Division participants are Martial Arts Practitioners who have begun Internal Energy Cultivation Methods.
Although using Internal Energy is forbidden in the competition, simply becoming skilled at handling qi also improves one's ability to control their body.
To exaggerate a bit, it's like the difference between someone who's driven a sports car and someone who's just gotten their driver's license.
“So don’t get too hung up on the results.”
Of course, my situation was a bit different, but since it was advice given out of concern for me, I readily nodded.
“Thank you.”
I didn't overestimate my abilities.
Even with 20 years of living by the sword as a Vagrant in the Underworld, I knew that didn't guarantee an award in the competition.
Because all the competitors in the General Division were talented individuals, Martial Arts Practitioners who had trained for several years in proper Martial Sects.
However...
‘To not even consider me a competitor is a bit much.’
I didn't overestimate my abilities, but I didn't underestimate them either.
If I had judged that I couldn't even compete here, I wouldn't have participated in the first place.
“Participants number 40 to 45! Please move to the backstage area!”
While we were talking, the turns of the previous participants ended, and my turn drew near.
“Good luck, kiddo!”
“Everyone, be sensible and go easy. So our youngest can take home the prize money. Got it?”
“Hahaha! Win the prize money and make your parents proud!”
Receiving cheers from participants behind me who didn't consider me a competitor, I headed backstage.
A faint smile.
“I guess I’ll have to make them all nervous.”
I wasn't particularly displeased or anything.
Rather, it felt like my competitive spirit was boiling over for the first time in a long while.
“Participant Ki Mu-hyeok. It’s almost your turn, please wait a moment.”
“Yes.”
From backstage, I watched the Sword Dances of the participants before me.
They performed Sword Dances they had prepared, choosing one of several songs selected by the organizers, each showcasing their individual personality and strengths.
But that was all.
So far, no participant had made my heart pound.
“Next, Participant number 42. Please come up!”
At the staff member's words, I walked up the stairs and stood on the stage.
Brighter lights than I expected shone down, and I saw the impassive faces of the judges.
Screeeech-
<Ghost Dance Moves>
The eerie prelude of the Sword Dance song I had chosen began to play.
Matching the timing, I drew my sword from the sheath at my waist.
Shing.
The moment my fingers curled around the sword hilt, I realized something big had happened.
‘I’m really feeling it today, aren’t I?’
The way the sword hilt settled in my hand felt excessively good.
An exhilaration that made me feel as if I could fly through the sky on this sword.
Undoubtedly, my condition was at its peak.