After finishing our late lunch, we headed towards the Murim Alliance.
Upon entering and asking around the Inspection Department, I learned that a meeting was still in progress.
Well, I guess it’s better to do what we need to do since they’ll come out once the meeting is over.
“Where do we take the grade exam?”
Sayoon asked with a slightly nervous voice, to which Chaeran smiled. She then led us to a certain part of the Murim Alliance.
Inside the seemingly quiet building, the sounds of battle or weapons clashing could be heard.
“Here we are. Since it seems there aren’t many people around, we can get started right away.”
“…Oh, who do we have here?”
At that moment, an unfamiliar voice drew my attention. Looking over, a tall girl, seemingly in her late teens with a menacing aura, was approaching us.
The moment Chaeran saw her, she frowned.
“Who are you?”
“Well…”
While the others may not know, I certainly recognized the figure at the front.
Namgoongje Yeon. One of the members of the Namgoong Clan, she briefly appears in Chaeran’s main story as one of her adversaries.
She’s not an overly significant character, but after getting beaten up by Chaeran during a quarrel, she ended up creating a connection with the Namgoong Clan and disappeared from the story.
“You still hang around those weirdos?”
With a smug look, she casually remarked, prompting a deep sigh from Chaeran.
“Why not just go away instead of picking useless fights?”
“That would be troublesome. I need to repay my debt from last time.”
Namgoongje Yeon smiled and extended her fist. So that’s what the “debt” was about. Did she lose in a duel?
“You lost, didn’t you?”
Seems so.
“Speaking of which, your sister keeps throwing herself into fights even after losing, right?”
Chaeran shrugged. Well, Chaekin did do that.
“Looks like you want to be treated like someone important while hanging around weaker people. How about we have another round here?”
With a grin, Namgoongje Yeon provoked her, but after a moment of thought, Chaeran shook her head.
“Fighting you would be boring.”
“…What?”
“You’re weak, aren’t you? Just a rank D.”
“…Cough!!”
Namgoongje Yeon’s expression hardened. Just then, as she reached for the sword at her waist, I chuckled and intervened.
“I’m Yu Wol from Seomhwa Village. Even if you two don’t get along, is it really appropriate for someone from the Namgoong Clan to draw their sword on a whim? How about showing some restraint…?”
She stared at me intently before responding.
“And who are you?”
“I told you, I’m Yu Wol from Seomhwa Village.”
“…Damn. A country bumpkin without a nickname dares to stand in my way?!”
She gritted her teeth and reached out. Rather than striking, it was a weak push intended to shove me away.
While I commend her for not using killing moves, pulling out martial arts so blatantly is a bit rash for someone from a prestigious family.
I intercepted her push with a Tai Chi move. Lightly deflecting her hand, I seized the opportunity to grab her shoulder and gently shove her back.
I lightly pushed away her hand, seizing the opportunity as her direction changed to hold her shoulder and gently push her back.
Sure enough, as someone from the Namgoong Clan, her stance was surprisingly heavy, almost making me unable to catch it. But somehow, I managed to, and as Namgoongje Yeon staggered and clumsily struck at the air, I smiled and said.
“It might be better not to make mistakes in the heat of blood. How about stopping now?”
“…What kind of sorcery is this?!”
“…Isn’t it the Tai Chi of the prestigious Moonjeong? Calling it sorcery is a bit much.”
Unintentionally, I glanced at Chaeran, and she smiled back.
Though she was smiling, it was evident she was angry.
“Tai Chi?! So you’re from Moonjeong!! Good!! I am the next successor of the Namgoong Clan…!!”
“The successor is already stable, though.”
Chaeran scoffed as Namgoongje Yeon flinched and continued.
“…I’m the first among the candidates!!”
“But the first among the candidates is your sister Namgoong Yeonhu.”
“…It’s Namgoongje Yeon!! The martial art I use is the Cheonpung Martial Art! Since you haven’t drawn your sword, I won’t use mine!!”
“…Your sister Namgoonghwa was a heroic figure. You’re different.”
Whoa.
I was startled by her icy voice as I tried to respond to Namgoongje Yeon and turned to the side, where the others also looked towards Sayoon.
Her usual bright smile had completely vanished.
With a blank expression, she stepped forward.
“I’m Sayoon of the Hongseong Clan. I will fight in place of the Innkeeper.”
With that, she slowly extended her fist. It wasn’t just Namgoongje Yeon who was startled by the mention of Hongseong.
As others began to murmur, Namgoongje Yeon gritted her teeth.
Did she think retreating here would hurt her pride?
“Damn it! The great Hongseong is going to fight the Namgoong Clan because of some country bumpkin?!”
“I’m not fighting the Namgoong Clan.”
Extending her lightly clenched fist, Sayoon coldly replied.
“I’m just punishing someone who dares to touch our benefactor from Hongseong.”
“Gah…!!”
“Also, the Innkeeper is not someone who deserves to be called ‘that.’ If you sincerely apologize now, I’ll forgive you.”
Chaeran, surprised by Sayoon’s emotionless voice, asked me.
“Seems like Sayoon is really mad.”
“Seems so.”
I had never seen her like this before. Still, shouldn’t I be stopping her?
“Sayoon. I’m okay, so it’s fine to stop…”
“If Sayoon hadn’t stepped up, I would have. As Sayoon said, the Innkeeper is our benefactor. In other words, touching the Innkeeper is like touching our Hongseong, so just watch.”
I looked at Hyunhwi, who spoke to me. The one I should be stopping was just standing there with her arms crossed, watching.
“When warriors clash, it’s usually resolved with martial arts.”
With Chaeran saying that, what could I possibly say?
I might as well just watch.
I don’t think Sayoon will lose.
“Since we have an empty arena here, please come up.”
As soon as Sayoon said that, Chaeran told a martial artist from the Murim Alliance something. A moment later, Sayoon and Namgoongje Yeon climbed up to the arena.
And soon after, Sayoon and Namgoongje Yeon step onto the martial arts arena.
“Let the match begin.”
As a referee steps up, he accepts their weapons and hands them wooden swords.
Casting a sideways glance at him, Namgoongje Yeon draws her sword and aims it.
At that moment, Sayoon lightly unleashed her martial arts.
*
To Sayoon, Yu Wol was quite a special person.
From the moment they first met, he had helped her. And continuously after that.
He always reached out to her, and even when she politely declined, he somehow took care of her.
Above all, he was the one who had greatly aided the precious Hongseong Clan.
She felt grateful and cherished him like her “Mister.”
Yet, how could someone call such a person a “rural bumpkin” and attack him on their own accord?
Even though Yu Wol had brilliantly defended against that attack, she couldn’t let it slide without at least a single apology.
And what about that technique?
Sayoon knew how hard he worked. Operating an inn, helping many in Seomhwa Village, and doing so much for the Hongseong Clan, he always put in the effort.
She could never forgive someone for belittling that effort with such ridiculous words.
Thus, her mind grew colder than ever.
Hongseong Divine Art is a martial art that strengthens with the movement of the heart.
However, if overwhelmed by anger, it merely becomes a barbaric form of martial arts.
Having been constantly taught this by the Sword Saint and Hongryeon, Sayoon swung her sword with cold calmness.
“Ugh! Ugh!”
The sword technique of the Namgoong Clan resembled the sky.
That’s why they’re called “Changgung.”
But the Hongseong Divine Art is a star that pierces the sky. No matter how vast the heavens are, they cannot obstruct the movement of a star.
“Haaah!!”
In a dizzying display of swift and smooth sword strikes, Namgoongje Yeon desperately defended with the Cheonpung Sword Art and Changgung Muae Sword Art.
The infinitely free and expansive sword technique of Changgung couldn’t catch the fierce and free star-like sword.
“Damn it!! I’m Namgoongje Yeon!! The next candidate for the Namgoong Clan’s master…!!”
Grinding her teeth, Namgoongje Yeon swung her sword more fiercely. Her blade painted the blue sky.
But that was only for a moment. Each strike split the blue sky, gradually staining it red.
The realm created by the Changgung Muae Sword Art was being trampled by the Hongseong Divine Art.
“Kraaaah!!”
– Crack!!
And it ended with a blow to her arm. The impact echoed through her entire body.
Naturally, her body recoiled, and the sword technique that was meant to portray the vast sky lost its momentum.
– Crack! Crack!
With two strikes landing, her left arm and right shoulder were hit hard.
Should she be praised for not screaming?
As Namgoongje Yeon ground her teeth and moved her left arm to unleash the Namgoong Clan’s signature move, Cheonloesamjang, Sayoon made her move too.
The Pasongjang and Cheonloesamjang clashed in mid-air, with the winner being Sayoon’s Pasongjang.
“Kkerk!!”
Pushed back from the collision of their energies, Namgoongje Yeon stumbled. But it wasn’t over yet.
– Boom!!
Sayoon’s decisive blow crashed into her abdomen. The Meteor Fist. As she buckled under the torrent of starlit strikes, Sayoon’s knee smashed into Namgoongje Yeon’s face.
She struck the air. A meteor strike. As she staggered under the barrage of starry attacks, Sayoon’s knee smashed into Namgoongje Yeon’s face.
“Ugh!!”
As Namgoongje Yeon toppled, Sayoon bared her teeth and growled.
“Apologize.”
-Patch.
Seeing the battered Namgoongje Yeon struggle to rise, Sayoon calmly stated.
“For your rudeness towards Innkeeper Yu Wol.”
“…Pfft. You think I will?”
Spitting blood from her split lip, she reacted sharply, and Sayoon just smiled.
Ice-cold.
*
Sayoon took a few hits from the resisting Namgoongje Yeon, but each was merely a ploy to create openings, so the actual hits were minimal.
As Namgoongje Yeon rolled on the floor, getting up only to be knocked down again, almost on the verge of tears, I was contemplating stepping in when a group of people converged towards us.
“Uh…?”
Among them was a familiar face.
Namgoonghwa. The daughter of the Namgoong Clan I met at Changwunguan.
Did they call her from the Murim Alliance seeing Namgoongje Yeon getting pummeled like that?
“Oh my? Isn’t that the Innkeeper?!”
Surprised, she looked back and forth between us and the sparring match. Then she asked Chaeran for an explanation and smiled brightly after hearing her story.
It was a smile full of glee.
“That girl. She’s been chirping about becoming the heir after learning the Changongmuaekgyeob technique. Can’t even see her own level of absurdity. Ah, she finally met her match today. Pummel her, Sayoon! Really take her down!!”
Namgoonghwa openly cheered for Sayoon.
And then it happened.
“…Elder Deputy!”
A middle-aged man with a cold demeanor entered the building.
As the Murim Alliance warriors greeted him, he waved casually and approached us.
Then, noticing Namgoongje Yeon getting thrashed in the spar, he turned his gaze to us and declared.
“I am Namgoongseongyul, the Cheongcheon Sword Master of the Namgoong Clan and Elder Deputy of the Murim Alliance.”
“I am Yu Wol from Seomhwa Village.”
“Oh, so you are the one. I’ve heard stories about you from the Poisonous Deep Dragon and the Falling Sun Sword, as well as the Moonlight Blade. They should be on their way here soon.”
“Ah, yes. Nice to meet you.”
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, he looked back at the spar.
Watching Sayoon overwhelmingly dominate Namgoongje Yeon with an indifferent expression, he listened to Namgoonghwa recount what had just happened and remarked gruffly.
“I knew she was all bark and no bite since the moment she got cocky thinking she was an heir candidate with skills and character so lacking. I told everyone she was a bad egg… But who is that little girl? Judging by her swordplay, she looks like she uses Hongseong Divine Art.”
“She’s Sayoon, the youngest of Hongseong Clan.”
“I see. The last disciple taken by the Sword Saint.”
He said earnestly.
“Well, if you’re going to beat her, I hope you give her at least a year worth of whippings. She really needs to learn how harsh the world can be, otherwise, she might just get stabbed and die somewhere someday.”
What in the world has she been doing that everyone is so eager to see her get clobbered?
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