Chapter 43
“Infinite~”
“Staminaaaa!”
“Body~”
“Remodelingggg!”
“Stamina is~”
“National powerrrr!”
“Stamina is~”
“Real combatttt!”
“Look at your voices, is that all you’ve got?”
“Real combatttt!!”
“Good!”
Today, as always, the spirited shouts of young men and women echoed on Jiryong Mountain's Manhwa Peak.
In truth, it was closer to screaming than spirited shouting.
These were the students of the Human Division and So-ah.
“Morning training is over. Afternoon training will begin soon, so rest well until then!”
With the end of the morning training that had lasted from dawn until noon, the students were met with a sweet rest.
Well, as for rest, it was all about throwing up what they had eaten and massaging their limbs that felt like they were about to break.
“Gasp… gasp…”
“There’s really no getting used to this, no adaptation at all!”
“Dammit! It’s been over 20 days and I still haven’t been able to hit that mad dog once. When will I ever get to land a punch on that guy’s face, sigh!”
Even while catching their breath, the students vented their complaints towards So-ah.
“Ahem, Han Baek! I can hear everything. If you’re going to curse at me, at least do it when I’m not around. You’ll shit blood if you keep that up.”
At So-ah’s words, the student Han Baek flinched and had a fit.
‘Bl-bloody stool!’
Han Baek knew better than anyone what So-ah meant by bloody stool.
“Oops! Instructor… no, sir! You must have misheard something… hehe!”
Han Baek stood at attention, rubbing his hands together like a fly, and put on a friendly-looking smile.
Though he was cursing inwardly.
‘Ugh! His hearing is sharp too. What are the ghosts doing, not taking that guy away! Ugh…’
Of course, Han Baek became tight-lipped, knowing that if he spoke his thoughts out loud, he would surely shit blood.
“Han Baek.”
“Yes, Instructor.”
“You brat, don’t you even know the saying, ‘King, Teacher, and Father are one body’? You guys wake up at the hour of the Tiger, right? I wake up at the hour of the Ox, boil the medicinal water for your baths, write up the training schedule, and even do the threshing myself. Is that all? After the day’s work, I also do office work in the office and even treat the severely injured students with massage and healing arts. Where in the world is there an instructor like this? You don’t even know how to be grateful and you curse at me? Hah… you’re too much.”
“Ah… Instructor…”
Han Baek’s face turned red.
At that, So-ah,
‘The brat… he seems to know how to feel sorry and ashamed.’
He indulged in his own imagination.
But the truth was a form completely different from So-ah’s imagination.
‘Don’t give me that ‘King, Teacher, and Father are one body’ crap! You old man! I’m just enduring and enduring again to land a punch on your face someday!’
The reason Han Baek’s face turned red was not because he was sorry to So-ah, but rather because of his anger at wanting to punch him.
Without knowing that, So-ah shrugged his shoulders at the students who were panting heavily and spoke.
“It’s been a while since we started training, right? The fact that there have been no dropouts so far is a great achievement. Although it’s because your bodies are so weak that I had to lower the training intensity a lot. Anyway, your reflexes, dynamic visual acuity, explosive power, agility, and perseverance. Your bodies are developing by leaps and bounds. Let’s work harder so that we can defeat the Heaven Division by the end of the year!”
‘Whaaaat?!’
‘Defeat the Heaven Division?’
‘Us?! Crazy…’
The students snorted at So-ah’s words.
But So-ah was serious.
‘Haha, Jin So-ah. You’re really incorrigible!’
Myo-seon felt a strange emotional stir as she looked at So-ah.
Although it was a miraculous story, she thought that So-ah might be able to transform the Human Division into a student body comparable to the Heaven Division.
“Excuse me! Instructor Jin!”
Myo-seon said with a bright expression.
“Oh, yes. Go ahead, Myo-seon.”
“It’s tomorrow, right?”
“Huh?”
“The duel with Young Master Namgung.”
For a moment, the eyes of the students who were struggling to catch their breath sparkled, and at the same time, their gazes were shot towards So-ah.
“Yeah, it’s already tomorrow.”
“It’s a public duel, so a lot of people will gather. Aren’t you nervous?”
“What? Myo-seon, you’re joking too much. What do you take me for…”
So-ah scratched his head with an indifferent expression.
Myo-seon found that appearance cute and smiled even more brightly.
“Haha. Instructor, aren’t you looking down on Young Master Namgung too much? It’s publicly known that Young Master Namgung’s martial arts are actually superior to the instructors’.”
“So, Myo-seon, you also think I’m going to lose?”
“Of course, I have no doubt that you will win, Instructor.”
‘Of course.’
‘That monster will lose? To Young Master Namgung?’
‘Not Young Master Namgung, even if the Namgung Family Head came, he wouldn’t be able to beat that monster, sigh!’
The students thought so.
For the past 20-odd days.
They had clearly realized what kind of person So-ah was.
First of all, So-ah’s stamina was not human.
So-ah made the students run from the entrance of Jiryong Mountain to the summit three times every day, and this terrible stamina training was added for the last place.
Every time, So-ah committed the persistent act of running together to check if the last place was performing the penalty properly.
In a word, So-ah was expending at least two to three times more stamina than the students.
And yet, So-ah did not even breathe heavily once.
Was that all?
During the dawn beating training, he swept away the entire Human Division of about thirty people like autumn leaves by himself.
This part was incomprehensible no matter how much they thought about it.
No matter how outstanding a master was, at this point, it was natural to make at least one minor mistake.
But for So-ah, there was no such thing as a mistake.
On top of that, in addition to making the mysterious medicinal water, So-ah’s massage and healing arts healed the pain of the flesh and bones with just one session, so the students even thought that So-ah might be a demon who had descended from the celestial realm.
Of course, all of this was learned from the God of War, Moyong Cheon.
“That Namgung Daemun or whatever his name is. He’s nothing special. I’ll show you tomorrow, so you gentlemen watch carefully.”
So-ah mutters perfunctorily with a look of amusement.
At that, the crumpled Han Baek once again opened his mouth softly.
“Excuse me… Instructor!”
“What is it, Han Baek?”
“It’s a matter of course that you will win, Instructor. But isn’t it no fun if you just win?”
“Right?”
“Then please win with one condition.”
“What condition?”
“For example, winning by using only your right hand?”
At Han Baek’s words, curiosity appeared on the faces of all the students.
It seemed they thought it was a really interesting proposal.
“That’s cool. Alright. Then tomorrow, this instructor will crush Namgung Daemun using only his right hand.”
“Woooow!!”
“For real?”
“Look at that manly spirit! He’s taking it?!”
A commotion broke out.
Taking advantage of that, So-ah smiled sinisterly.
‘Why is that bastard smiling like that again?’
‘That expression… it’s not good.’
‘Please… please!’
Why do bad premonitions never go away?
“Since I’ve received a proposal, you guys should also do one thing for me. Huh? No. This isn’t a request, it’s an order…”
“Shut u… no, what is it again? Huh?!”
Han Baek cut off So-ah’s words and asked with a momentum as if he would hit him at any moment.
“Tomorrow, there will be difficulties in training due to the duel event, right? But there are no holidays in our Human Division’s dictionary, right? Then there’s only one way, right? We’ll do tomorrow’s training today. Today, we’ll train until the hour of the Pig. Everyone, be prepared!”
“What?!”
“Yeeees?”
“Now, now! There’s no time. Everyone throw up in advance. It’ll be a pain to clean up if you throw up when you get back to the academy.”
‘Young Master Jin! You’re really too much!!’
This time, even Tang Il-gi couldn’t help but badmouth So-ah inwardly.
***
The next day.
—Murmur, murmur!
For the first time in a while, the White Martial Academy was crowded with people.
Around the spacious grand training ground, the seats of honor for the prominent figures of the martial world and about a hundred general invitation seats were all filled, and the crowd could not control their pounding hearts.
‘I’m finally seeing the disciple of the God of War!’
‘According to rumors, he faced the Right Heavenly Demon Sword, No Yeong-myeong, one-on-one.’
‘Is the rumor that he single-handedly beat the Ghost Demon Jiangshi true?’
Some with anticipation for So-ah,
‘Can the once-in-a-millennium prodigy of the Namgung Family, Namgung Mun, really defeat the disciple of the God of War?’
‘If Jin So-ah is defeated by Namgung Mun, then after today, the Moyong Family will disappear into the back of history.’
Just as some were anxiously wondering about Namgung Mun’s prowess and the future of the Moyong Family.
“Waaaah!!”
“Division Head! You must win!”
“How about the Division Head becomes an instructor this time? Go for it!”
With the cheers of the Heaven Division students, Namgung Mun stepped into the center of the training ground.
‘He’s truly worthy of being called a dragon among men!’
Regardless of gender or age, people exclaimed in admiration at Namgung Mun’s posture.
A tall stature and a face that was not lacking even if he were called the most handsome man in the world.
In addition, Namgung Mun’s shining eyes, which were as calm as a deep lake, were reminiscent of a great master of the Jianghu.
“Hoho… seeing Young Master Namgung’s figure, the rumor of a once-in-a-millennium prodigy seems rather insufficient. Namgung Family Head. Congratulations. You must be proud that your family’s eldest son is so outstanding.”
The person who spoke was Moyong Baek.
He was seated in the highest seat of honor on one side of the training ground, and in the audience were the Martial Alliance Leader, Ha Won-sang, at the center, the Namgung Family Head, Namgung Won, Abbess Hong-ryeon, Hong In-geol, and the head of the Wudang Sect, Master Jong-ryeo.
“You flatter me. Isn’t it the Moyong Family Head who has received a great blessing? He is far lacking compared to the child named So-ah. How amazing must he be for the Dragon Head Great Hero Hong, the esteemed Sword Empress, and the Alliance Leader to recommend a child not yet twenty as the chief instructor? Isn’t this an unconventional event that could break the conventions and order of the Jianghu? I have high expectations.”
Namgung Won seemed to be praising So-ah at a glance, but there was no one foolish enough to take his words at face value.
This was a sarcastic remark about the Martial Alliance’s unconventional personnel appointment, and at the same time, it was a subtle ridicule of So-ah and the Moyong Family.
Just then.
“The monster is coming out!”
“Senior Brother, you have to win, no matter what. Got it?”
“Instructor Jin. If you lose, I will withdraw from the Human Division! Do you understand?”
A thunderous roar erupted from the place where the students of the Human Division were gathered.
In that moment.
Finally, the long-awaited appearance of So-ah followed.
“Hohoho, it’s So-ah! The brat… he seems to have become more dignified since I last saw him.”
“Hehe! How much has his martial arts improved in the meantime?”
Abbess Hong-ryeon and Hong In-geol burst into a hearty laugh as they saw So-ah’s appearance.
The two, who had been quiet even when Namgung Mun appeared, were so openly happy at So-ah’s appearance that the Alliance Leader, Ha Won-sang, flinched and glanced at Namgung Won.
But to make matters worse, even Moyong Baek acted out of character.
“Hahahahahot! So-ah will not disappoint the expectations of the esteemed Sword Empress and Chief Hong! A single student is nothing, just crush him!”
His wife, Yeon So-so, who was astonished by that appearance, poked her husband Moyong Baek in the side and furrowed her brow.
—Poke!
“Honey!”
“Oops! Ahem. I’m sorry, Namgung Family Head. I saw our So-ah after a long time and acted rashly without realizing it. Please don’t mind it.”
As Moyong Baek apologized urgently, Namgung Won just let out a small laugh.
“It’s alright. I understand.”
But a wisp of killing light flashed in Namgung Won’s eyes.
***
“Mr. Namgung Daemun. Relax your eyes a bit. You look like you’re about to eat someone, sigh.”
The two people standing in the center of the training ground.
The first to speak was So-ah.
“As of today, your bluffing will also come to an end.”
“Your determination is good. But it won’t go as you wish.”
“Huhu, you’re showing off until the end.”
“Actually, I’m not usually like that. But I feel like I have to be like that to you.”
“If you lose to me today, leave the academy. You have that much sense of shame, right?”
“Alright. If I lose, I’ll leave the academy. But if you lose?”
“I will grant you what you want.”
“A man’s word is.”
“Worth a thousand gold pieces.”
“I know you’re not the type to go back on your word… I won a bet recently, and this condition was quite useful.”
“Your tongue is long. Just tell me what you want.”
“If you lose this duel.”
“…”
“From now on, you will serve me as your older brother.”
(End of Chapter)