Chapter 35 : Retribution
Thud—
The monk stopped in his tracks as people watched.
'Everyone... everyone is paying attention to me!'
At this very moment, the eyes of numerous people were focused on him.
If he were to defeat that brat named Ma Dongpal here, a tremendous cheer would surely erupt.
As he imagined that in his head, the monk felt like he was about to burst out laughing without realizing it.
"Ahem—"
Clearing his throat, the monk barely held back his laughter.
And he lightly raised one hand and greeted Ma Dongpal, who was in front of him.
"My name is Gwangcheon."
"...?"
"Because you are blocking the entrance now, numerous people here cannot enter. So would you please move aside?"
"Why should I?"
When Gwangcheon said that, Ma Dongpal just answered with a light laugh.
"As I said earlier, if you want to pass here, fight me. And if you're at a level that satisfies me, I'll open the entrance."
"Have you perhaps heard of the saying, 'what goes around comes around'?"
"...?"
When Gwangcheon suddenly asked, a sense of puzzlement appeared in Ma Dongpal's gaze.
"It means that one's present happiness and unhappiness are determined by the good and evil deeds of one's past life, and one's happiness and unhappiness in the next life are determined by the results of one's good and evil deeds in this life."
"...I'm not particularly interested in such difficult words."
"Then I will speak simply."
Gwangcheon said and lowered his posture, clenching the hand he had been holding out into a fist.
Seeing that, Ma Dongpal's gaze changed.
Feeling a momentum as if he were about to rush at him at any moment, Ma Dongpal instinctively picked up the saber he had placed on his right.
"Because you are doing a bad thing, you will now fall to my fist."
"..."
"If you obediently move aside from the entrance even now, I will forgive you with a merciful heart."
At that moment, a voice mixed with cheers was heard from behind.
"Yes! Get rid of that bad guy at once!"
"As expected of a disciple of the Shaolin Temple! So cool!"
"Please! Please defeat that bad guy and open the entrance!"
Heh—
Everyone was now cheering for him.
And so, Gwangcheon's face finally relaxed.
The sharp momentum that had been directed at Ma Dongpal until just now had disappeared, and now only a face smiling broadly, receiving everyone's attention, remained.
'Even I think I'm so cool right now.'
Now, if he were to knock down that big guy with a single punch, people would surely cheer for him with an even louder voice.
He had seen a lot of pretty young ladies earlier.
He didn't know what on earth he was imagining, but Gwangcheon began to laugh happily, his nostrils flaring.
'I'm glad I came down from the Shaolin Temple!'
It was then.
Ma Dongpal, who had gotten up from his seat with a huge saber slung over his shoulder.
As Ma Dongpal got closer with heavy footsteps, Gwangcheon returned to his original expression.
"You're going to defeat me? Even for a disciple of the Shaolin Temple, that's a very arrogant attitude."
"..."
"If you don't want to tarnish the name of the Shaolin Temple, I recommend you run away right now."
Ma Dongpal said and laughed as if he were very relaxed.
But just then.
As Gwangcheon's figure disappeared from in front of him, the smile on Ma Dongpal's lips also couldn't help but disappear.
"...!"
Gwangcheon, who had approached right in front of him, was floating in the air, pulling back his clenched right hand.
Gwangcheon, who had instantly risen to the head of Ma Dongpal, who was nearly eight feet tall.
Just then, the right hand that had been pulled back quickly shot forward.
Thump—!
Gwangcheon's fist was aimed precisely at Ma Dongpal's face.
But in the end, the blow did not reach Ma Dongpal.
As soon as he threw the punch, a huge saber quickly blocked its path.
"..."
Ma Dongpal could feel the impact transmitted from the blade with his whole body.
If he had been a little late in blocking it, he would have been exposed to that blow.
Although he didn't think he would be knocked down by a single punch, it seemed certain that he would have suffered a considerable injury.
'So he's at a level where he can talk big.'
As expected of a disciple of the Shaolin Temple, which was called the Mount Tai and Big Dipper of the martial world.
To think that the blade would tremble so much with just a single punch.
At this level, it seemed he could pass here, but Ma Dongpal decided to test Gwangcheon's skills a little more.
"You can't defeat me with this much!"
Shouting so, Ma Dongpal swung his saber.
At that moment, a tremendous wind pressure spread in all directions.
It was a power that could blow away the people nearby with just the wind pressure.
"Kyaaaak—!"
The strong wind was clearly felt by the people around.
But even though he was facing that storm head-on, Gwangcheon was standing firmly in his place.
As if his two feet were rooted in the ground, Gwangcheon did not get pushed back at all in the rough storm and stood in his place.
"Hmm?"
Seeing that, Ma Dongpal swung his saber again as if he found it amusing.
But Gwangcheon immediately relaxed his posture and disappeared from the spot.
As if he were no longer going to rush head-on, Gwangcheon wandered around Ma Dongpal with fast movements.
'Quick judgment. And the physical ability to withstand my saber wind...'
He liked it very much.
At this level, wouldn't he be a considerable big shot among the new students this year?
Even compared to the brats who had passed him and entered this registration office today, Gwangcheon was a quite coveted talent.
'It would be nice if this brat came to our side.'
Before that, he would have to pass the entrance exam first.
Still, since it seemed he would pass with a fairly high probability at this level, Ma Dongpal was already thinking about that in his head.
"Go for it!"
It was then.
A woman's voice was heard from the crowd.
At that moment, Gwangcheon, who had been wandering around and looking for an opportunity, suddenly changed direction and rushed towards Ma Dongpal.
'What is this?'
Until just now, Gwangcheon's movements had felt quite good.
But what was this... it was an attack that felt somewhat absurd.
He surely knew that he could no longer defeat him head-on with the previous attack.
Ma Dongpal couldn't understand Gwangcheon's action of suddenly rushing head-on foolishly like the first attack.
Thump—!
See? It was blocked so easily again.
But as if he didn't care, Gwangcheon continued to try to attack head-on.
In the end, seeing that, Ma Dongpal said to Gwangcheon, as if he were frustrated.
"What on earth are you doing?"
"..."
"You already know that you have no chance of winning head-on."
"...No, I will defeat you with a frontal attack."
Why on earth?
Although each of Gwangcheon's punches could be said to be heavy, they were not powerful enough to pierce through his saber.
Then it would be much more likely to win if he used his advantage and aimed for an opening like before.
Since he had thought of him as a quite coveted talent until just now, Ma Dongpal decided to ask Gwangcheon for the reason.
"Why do you insist on a frontal attack? Rather than that, you should use your legs..."
"Because that beautiful young lady is cheering for me."
"...What?"
"So I cannot back down! To repay that young lady's cheer, I must defeat you coolly from the front!"
"..."
What is this crazy brat who is talking nonsense so confidently?
The brat who had looked like an unpolished gem until just now looked like just a stone covered in dirt.
'...What a waste.'
His skills seemed decent, but he seemed to have some mental problems.
If he were to be in the same class as a brat like this, it would just be a headache.
Since there seemed to be no need to fight anymore, Ma Dongpal stretched out his empty left hand and grabbed one of Gwangcheon's legs.
Swish—
Ma Dongpal exerted his monstrous strength and threw Gwangcheon far away.
But Gwangcheon immediately got into a posture in the air and landed safely on the ground.
Seeing that, Ma Dongpal clicked his tongue as if it were a waste.
'His skills really seem decent.'
But why was he like that?
For a monk to be so fond of women... this was a situation that couldn't be said to be anything.
In the first place, Ma Dongpal couldn't understand at all why such a brat was a disciple of the Shaolin Temple.
'Still... he'll pass for now.'
His skills were not bad.
At this level, wouldn't it be okay to open the entrance?
Ma Dongpal thought so and was about to declare Gwangcheon's pass.
"That's enough. You've pa..."
It was then.
A loud noise was heard from behind.
At that sound, Ma Dongpal swallowed his words without realizing it.
'This sound...'
It was a sound coming from the entrance of the registration office.
Swish—
As soon as he heard the sound, Ma Dongpal turned his head that way.
At the same time, his eyes widened in astonishment.
At the entrance, a person who he didn't know when had gone there was standing.
And...
"The entrance... is open?"
Ma Dongpal couldn't believe that fact even after saying it with his own mouth.
Who on earth had split that huge rock like that?
Thanks to that, the entrance that had been blocked until now was now wide open, so much so that the inside was clearly visible.
"...!"
Just then, Ma Dongpal's gaze turned to the person standing at the entrance.
Could it be... that that brat had split the rock that was blocking the entrance like that?
At that moment, Ma Dongpal came to his senses and realized that this situation was not good.
'No! If the entrance opens like that...!'
His role was to let only those who were qualified in here.
But if the entrance were to open like that, what kind of situation would occur?
No matter how much it was him, if the people here were to rush to that entrance at the same time, it would be impossible to control them anymore.
Phat—
As soon as he realized that, Ma Dongpal hurriedly ran towards the entrance.
First, he would drive away the brat standing there, and then he would hold the entrance.
In this situation, Ma Dongpal thought that was the best move.
"What on earth are you doing!"
When Ma Dongpal shouted, the person standing at the entrance turned his head.
"I'm a passerby."
"...!"
"So don't mind me and continue what you were doing."
The person speaking in a calm voice was none other than Namgung Il.
While Ma Dongpal was focused on Gwangcheon, he had secretly approached the entrance and broken the rock.
Since Namgung Il's purpose was, after all, to register for the entrance exam, he had opened the entrance like this without fighting Ma Dongpal.
"...!"
Of course, if that had been possible from the beginning, all the other people here would have done so.
And at this very moment, the entrance was wide open.
Belatedly, as if they had come to their senses, the people shouted in an excited voice.
"The, the entrance is open!"
"Now's the time! We have to go in now!"
"Let's go!"
People began to rush to the entrance like mad bulls.
In the end, what Ma Dongpal had been worried about had happened.
Ma Dongpal confirmed that and ran towards the entrance even more hurriedly.
'Not yet. It's not too late!'
If he held the entrance, he would be able to control it a little.
But before that.
"Get out of the way!"
He had to get rid of Namgung Il, who was there first.
Swoosh—
As he got closer to the entrance, Ma Dongpal raised his saber high.
Of course, he wasn't really going to cut Namgung Il, but was just planning to threaten him.
However.
Flash—!
A strong light arose, and Ma Dongpal's vision was momentarily blinded.
And when his vision returned to normal, Ma Dongpal realized that something was wrong with his saber.
"...!"
The blade was now broken.
Ma Dongpal instinctively knew that the person who had broken his saber in half was Namgung Il.
"You... what on earth are you?"
"..."
Thud—
"A new student."
"...!"
"Then I'm busy, so I'll be going."
With those words, Namgung Il ran into the building.
Ma Dongpal stared blankly at Namgung Il's back.
For a mere new student to break his saber in half, Ma Dongpal didn't know how to accept this situation.
'This year's new students are all...'
It was then.
"Ma Dongpal!"
"...?"
Ma Dongpal turned his head at the sound coming from behind.
And the huge body that collapsed, swept away by the tremendous crowd.
Soon, countless kicks poured down on Ma Dongpal like a shower of rain.
"You bad guy! Who do you think you are, blocking the entrance!"
"Your weapon is broken, right? Serves you right, you brat!"
"Even if I can't register today, I'm going to beat you up before I go!"
Retribution.
Ma Dongpal was experiencing the meaning of those words to the fullest.
(End of Chapter)