The Preliminaries End
The preliminaries of the martial arts tournament had ended, and just as expected, both Hwayeong and I advanced to the main competition.
“Those who have advanced to the main round should report to the tournament arena by the hour of the Dragon tomorrow—eight in the morning. Thank you all for your hard work. Please rest well.”
At the warrior judge’s announcement, people began filing out of the arena. Some wore expressions of disappointment for failing to advance, but others looked noticeably lighter on their feet.
Many had entered the competition simply for the experience. Since plenty of them had never expected to reach the main round anyway, a clean elimination actually felt like a relief.
Yet there were also those who had advanced but still carried clear dissatisfaction.
“Siin Sohyeop, don’t you have anything to say about that amusing nickname of yours?”
“Ha. Ha. Ha.”
A face-destroying fist. With that ridiculously flashy nickname that sounded like it belonged in a cheap action flick, I burst into a hearty laugh and avoided her eyes.
“You haven’t forgotten why I taught you the sword… have you, Siin Sohyeop?”
“Yeees……”
After stealing a glance at Hwayeong’s sword, I had promised to display the power of Cheonwol-mun during the tournament in exchange for her instruction. It was the path needed to prove that Cheonwol-mun was no nameless, mediocre sect.
And the reason she was giving me the side-eye right now was that unwanted nickname—Face Destroyer.
“What is Face Destroyer? Face Destroyer……”
“It was a bit much at first, but you did use the Cheonwol Divine Art at the end, didn’t you?”
“Yeah. That’s why I ended up with an even weirder title like Fist Ghost Sword Master.”
A sword-wielding ghost of the fist… I had no defense.
It wasn’t as if Hwayeong and I had signed some formal contract, but the truth was I had failed to keep my promise to elevate the prestige of the Cheonwol Divine Art through this tournament.
“Sigh… By the way, why didn’t you use your sword from the start?”
When I put on my most sincerely apologetic face, Hwayeong let out a long breath and asked.
Why I hadn’t drawn my sword. Honestly, part of me had wanted to observe the other contestants’ martial arts up close, but the biggest reason was simpler.
“My opponents were too weak…”
“Pardon?”
“I was afraid I might actually kill them.”
It might have sounded like a painfully cringeworthy line straight out of a middle-school fantasy. That I hadn’t gone all-out because I feared I would kill my opponent.
But anyone who had watched my path since the tutorial days would not take those words lightly.
The countless times I had charged forward with death breathing down my neck. The only moments I had ever drawn my sword during those times were when I truly intended to take a life.
“……”
Hwayeong’s expression hardened slightly. Even in a world called Murim, people who had fought life-or-death battles—staking everything regardless of the opponent—were not common.
Besides, Jeongmu Academy was an educational institution for learning martial arts, not a battlefield. Life-and-death duels were never the goal, and the masters never taught their students such lethal techniques.
‘Now that I think about it…’
Hwayeong’s eyes changed. She had never once seen the man before her swing a sword lightly. Every single motion carried absolute sincerity. Cutting down the opponent, claiming their life, accomplishing everything with the shortest, most efficient movements possible.
That was precisely why she had chosen to teach him the sword and placed her hopes for Cheonwol Sect’s revival on his shoulders.
“You were afraid you might kill them… I understand. No matter what anyone says, the fact that you are a warrior of Cheonwol-mun does not change.”
“You don’t need to worry. In the main rounds ahead, I will give it my all.”
I offered her a faint smile.
Assuming I reached the finals, four matches remained in the main tournament. I decided to expect that every opponent I faced from now on would be stronger than the Shaolin’s Jin Hwi.
The event ‘Predict the Main Round Advancers’ has concluded.
Victory: Kim Siin — 4.2x
Victory: Hwayeong — 1.6x
Payout: 100,800 coins acquired.
My mouth stretched from ear to ear.
I had expected solid profit from this bet, but watching fifteen thousand coins explode past one hundred thousand made the whole thing feel unreal.
“Heh heh heh…”
“Hic…!”
From behind my leaking laughter came the sound of the gambling house owner sobbing.
The heavy pouch he handed over. The moment I slipped more than a hundred silver coins into my pocket, the coin count in my status window began climbing in the most satisfying way.
◈ Betting profit from the preliminary round
◈ Current balance significantly increased
‘This feels incredibly reassuring.’
They say a man’s confidence comes from the weight of his wallet. And since these weren’t ordinary coins but ones that could raise my stats, a deep sense of mental ease washed over me.
But then—
The mission ‘Martial Arts Tournament’ preliminaries have concluded.
Due to special conditions, your activity radius has been expanded.
You may now leave Jeongmu Academy until the main round begins.
Remaining time: 24:00:00
“Hm?”
A new window had appeared now that the preliminaries were over. Until now I had never left Jeongmu Academy. Or more accurately, I had never been allowed to.
‘But now they’re suddenly letting me go outside?’
Not only that, they had even given me a time limit. Was this simply a short break granted to those who passed the preliminaries? Or was it a stepping stone for a new event?
If I had to choose, the latter seemed far more in line with the purpose of this tower and the second floor.
“Hwayeong Sohye, shall we go get something to eat?”
“……? Isn’t it still a little early for dinner?”
“Even so, let’s go. I earned quite a bit this time, so I’d really like to treat my master to a proper meal.”
At my words, Hwayeong’s face filled with doubt. My behavior seemed slightly out of character, so she appeared to feel a touch of awkwardness. But that only lasted a moment.
After a brief pause, Hwayeong nodded. Cheonwol Sect barely had any disciples. Naturally the sect was not financially well-off, and Hwayeong was not the type to refuse a free meal.
Creak.
The first time stepping outside Jeongmu Academy. When we arrived at the guest house, the ornate wooden door hinges greeted us with a groan.
“Welcome! Table for two?”
A waiter who barely reached my shoulder approached with a bright smile. His neat, unwrinkled uniform and pleasant, non-intrusive appearance made it clear why this was considered an expensive establishment.
“Yes, we’d like to eat. Do you have any seats available?”
“Certainly! We have seating on the first and second floors, with slightly different prices. First floor is fifty copper coins. Second floor is two hundred copper coins.”
I made a slightly troubled face at the waiter’s explanation. I did carry silver and had used money before, but I had no idea how much that translated to in copper coins.
So I simply took out one silver coin and held it out to the boy.
“Would this be enough to sit somewhere?”
“Whoa……”
The boy’s eyes widened like saucers when he saw the silver in my hand. From his reaction, one silver coin seemed far more valuable than I had thought. Since it was worth a thousand coins, I had expected it wasn’t cheap, but still.
“Please prepare a seat on the second floor and serve us your recommended dishes. I’d appreciate it.”
“Ah, understood…! Please follow me.”
I read the situation and asked for a table. The waiter led us to a spacious table on the brightly lit second floor with a clear view of the entire guest house.
“There are quite a lot of people here.”
“It is the martial arts tournament period, after all.”
The waiter answered my comment with a professional smile. Just as he said, the timing of the tournament had filled the guest house with customers. Warriors wearing robes embroidered with various patterns, swords at their sides. There were also merchants and even ordinary civilians scattered among them.
“Your food will be ready shortly. Please wait a moment……”
The waiter hurried down to the first floor. Once he was gone, Hwayeong spoke carefully.
“Sohyeop, you don’t know the value of silver, do you?”
“……Pardon?”
Her sudden question left me momentarily speechless. Seeing my reaction, Hwayeong nodded with an expression that said ‘as I thought.’
“One silver nyang is worth about twelve hundred copper coins.”
“I… see?”
“That face tells me you don’t even know what twelve hundred copper coins means… Simply put, it is not an amount commoners can casually touch.”
She gave me a suspicious look.
“Just who are you, Siin Sohyeop?”
Her question made me fall into thought. It wasn’t that I was hiding some grand secret. I simply didn’t know how to explain it.
‘What am I?’
A former HR employee at Sky Games? A player climbing the tower? Or a martial artist? Having experienced the destruction of Earth and entered the tower for the constellations’ unknowable purposes, I couldn’t find the right words to describe myself.
But at that moment, a whisper that solved my dilemma drifted over from somewhere.
“……Preparations?”
“No issues.”
I saw a group seated at the table right beside us, engaged in quiet conversation. They wore distinctive black robes that caught the eye at first glance. Looking closer, I noticed hints of deep green mixed into the fabric.
‘Why didn’t I notice them before?’
It felt strange. The sensation was both unfamiliar and strangely familiar. When had I felt this before?
Quick Understanding (C-) activated.
Stealth (C-) detected.
Their conversation gradually grew clearer. Talk about Jeongmu Academy, scattered chatter about the martial arts tournament—it all began to reach my ears.
“Tomorrow, once the main round begins and everyone’s attention is focused on the finals, we begin the operation.”
At the very edge of one black sleeve, fierce characters seized my gaze.
Sichuan Tang Family.
They were warriors of the Tang clan—my second master Dang Huiso’s family.