“I am Namgung Suhyeon! It’s an honor to fight against the rumored strong Bing Yeon’s disciple!”
“…This time, you’re not a fake.”
In the finals of the Yong Bong Gihwa, Bi Wol scoffed while observing the black-haired man taking his stance in preparation. She had seen him pretending to be a member of the Namgung Clan to lure her. No matter how she looked around, he was different from the illusion she had seen in the incubus’s dream.
“A fake…? Seems like you’ve met someone imitating me.”
“Indeed.”
Swish—
Bi Wol drew her sword from its sheath, confident in her abilities. This was a weapon gifted to her directly by her master, Bing Yeon.
“What a fine sword! Just from looking at it, you can tell how much effort the creator put into it!”
The blade was as dark as Bi Wol’s hair. Namgung Suhyeon’s eyes sparkled with interest at the sword in her hand.
“Ha ha, you’ve got an eye for things better than I expected!”
Seeing Namgung Suhyeon, who couldn’t hide his surprise, Bi Wol couldn’t help but smile broadly. This sword was a gift from her master, Bing Yeon. She could still vividly remember his nervous face as he hid the sword behind him, not knowing how to present it to her.
A man who seemed oblivious to women, looking naive and innocent. She admired him so much she wanted to paint him all in her colors.
“This is a gift from my master.”
“If the child of a famous sword clan has no eye for swords, what will happen?”
Namgung Suhyeon swallowed hard at the sight of Bi Wol. The way she held the sword revealed a tremendous warrior’s presence.
The opponent was a disciple of Bing Yeon, who had gained fame in the War of Good and Evil. He was recognized by the clan’s great elder, Mu Hwan Geomja, and had saved him when he almost got kidnapped as a child.
‘Can I win against someone like that?’
Moreover, Bi Wol had been rumored to possess immense talent in martial arts since childhood, said to have the Heavenly Martial Body.
It was unusual for such an incredible person to suddenly show up in the martial arts competition after years of absence.
‘I’ll definitely lose. But…’
Even knowing she would lose, the desire to fight burned within her—an inexplicable sense of competitive spirit and pride caused Namgung Suhyeon to draw his sword as well.
“I am Namgung Suhyeon, the youngest of the Namgung Clan! I swear on this sword to show you a duel worth remembering!”
It was a sign of respect and courtesy toward his opponent. Asking for teachings from someone more skilled than himself didn’t matter in terms of age or face.
“Your fighting spirit is good. Your hands tremble a bit, yet your gaze and stance hold firm.”
Seeing Namgung Suhyeon’s serious expression, Bi Wol couldn’t help but smile slightly. She had expected the child of a prestigious family to be a spoiled brat without proper upbringing.
“…I won’t give you a second chance, so come at me properly.”
“I understand!”
Realizing that she had a proper successor made her feel at ease that even if her master, Bing Yeon, stepped down from his position, there would be no problem.
‘If there are many kids like him, my master wouldn’t need to stay in the martial world and could settle down with me…’
If it were a remote village where no one knew her identity, no one would care about her master indulging in the pleasures of life.
She began to fantasize about being happy with Bing Yeon while leaving troublesome matters like maintaining peace in the martial world to such good people.
‘If it’s a son, I’ll name him Bing Bi Wol; if a daughter, Bing Bi Yeon.’
Bi Wol, already thinking about the names of her future children based on her and her master’s names, felt a tingle of joy.
—
While Bing Yeon thought about ways to defeat the other participants in the finals, there was someone else strategizing in the same way.
“Our semifinal opponent is the Sichuan Tang Clan, known for their poison and stealth. You might think that since you’ve mastered the Diamond Indestructible, it won’t affect you, but…”
Bing Seolhwa spoke while placing black stones on a Go board. She began strategically placing the pieces as if she foresaw the battle scenario.
Tap, tap—
The clear sounds echoed, and soon on the board, the black stones surrounded the white ones.
“Since my body won’t be affected by their poison, what’s there to worry about?”
“Airborne poison can only be avoided if you master the technique of being immune to all poisons,” Kim Hyul pointed out.
Bing Seolhwa nodded at his question. They both knew that the opponent would realize Kim Hyul had mastered the Diamond Indestructible through past fights, and would likely employ different tactics.
In the original work, the person known as the Poison Dragon from the Sichuan Tang Clan had a plan to use an intangible poison that had no shape, color, smell, or taste, merely to kill the Heavenly Demon, Bi Wol. Though it had never been used in practice, it had been the goal.
“Initially, hold your breath during the fight. Be cautious from the moment you step into the arena.”
Creating poison that flowed through the air would be something easy enough to teach the disciples.
Knowing this well, Bing Seolhwa explained the countermeasures to Kim Hyul, but he shook his head, expressing his disapproval.
“That’s not a good strategy. If the opponent focuses on defense or simply runs away, they’ll inevitably have to breathe at some point.”
He suspected the opponent would anticipate them holding their breath. Even among lower-ranking warriors, they were people who hailed from the prestigious families and enjoyed a reputation.
Like recent cliché characters in new martial arts novels, though there might be a few spoiled brats, there wouldn’t be any powerful figures sent to such a martial arts tournament.
The strike from someone with poor talent who swung a sword a million times was more fearsome than someone who had no intention of mastering it but had been gifted talent by the heavens.
“Then how about covering our noses and mouths with cloth? If moistened, it could perhaps block some poison.”
“No. If we do that, the opponent might not use poison but turn to alternatives instead. It’s better to lure them out.”
At that moment, Zikhart raised his hand, offering a counter-opinion.
Normally, it would be best for these master-disciple relationships to defer to Bing Seolhwa, but the main characters in the original story oddly exhibited a reluctance to follow her suggestions.
“I think it would be safer to show signs of being affected by the poison in the first round, and leave the victory to Kang Si Woo and me.”
Without a proper rationale, the previously vengeful protagonists found themselves devoid of a reason to confront the final bosses due to Bing Yeon’s remarkable contributions.
“Our ultimate goal is the finals, isn’t it? Creating an opportunity to face that man, Bing Yeon…”
“That’s true,” Bing Seolhwa sighed heavily. Her inability to fully control her own body troubled her immensely.
Every action she took was being watched by the Outsider, Shub Niggurath, not to mention Han Dohyun, her past lover, who was subtly trying to instill hatred toward her.
‘Did Dohyun get my true feelings?’
Biting her lip, Seolhwa pondered. The duration of her lucidity was rapidly diminishing, as if she were fading away from her very own body.
The last thing Yoo Seolhwa wanted in this world was to die.
Having experienced death once, she had thought that ending her life would mean the end of everything, but…
‘I want to see him…’
The fact that she could never meet her lover, Han Dohyun, again hurt her deeply.
The cold breath that seemed to burrow into her bones, mixed with the warm sensation of blood and pain—dying felt worse than the approach of death itself.
However, she had no leisure to voice that or even think about it. The only freedom she was allowed was her left eye.
‘…Was it a mistake to come back?’
Yoo Seolhwa accepted the Outsider Shub Niggurath’s proposal out of her own selfish desires. There was no way to revert herself, who had been crushed beyond recognition.
Even if she became mere entertainment, she didn’t care. She wanted to meet that person once more.
Though she frequently had moments of unconsciousness, Seolhwa’s spirit fought to remain unbroken.
“Right now, I feel like I could defeat anyone. Why not just kill Azazel?”
At that moment, Kang Si Woo raised his smartphone and spoke up.
Unlike a few days ago, as he expressed hostility toward Azazel, Seolhwa realized something was off.
“What? Why the sudden change?”
“The situation has shifted. Did you forget that you put in the effort?”
Now, his mind was filled with the thought that if he couldn’t have it, he should destroy it.
“If I can’t kill her, making her a half-cripple would be nice.”
Recalling Azazel, who had laughed at him alongside the white-haired man, he clenched his teeth.
To him, Azazel was merely an ordinary game character—an illusionary figure he could control.
The humiliation of being disregarded by such a trivial existence was why he couldn’t endure it.
“Do you really believe that’s the right way to go about it? You?”
“I disagree. I’ll ensure that you can’t have your turn.”
In light of the shocking statement, Kim Hyul and Zikhart expressed their dissent and attempted to stop Kang Si Woo.
Even if loved ones were taken hostage, they could never kill someone innocent.
The protagonists, guided by Han Dohyun, were acting differently from the original story.
“….”
Seeing them like this, Seolhwa hung her head in despair.
It was like watching rebellious sons go off course during their teenage years.
