## Chapter 58 – (9)
The day of the decisive battle was only a day away.
I had arrived in Shanxi, where the Cheonmu Academy was located.
And I was more exhausted than ever.
“Haa…”
The accommodation that Cheonmu Academy provided for us was so much better than the dorms we usually used that it felt almost insulting to compare them.
A large room all to myself, with bedding and a clean interior.
Honestly, it was better than I expected.
Nevertheless, what made Cheonmu Academy feel underhanded was the fact that the friendly match was being held at their location.
“I miss cars and trains…”
If there was one thing that was most inconvenient since coming into this martial arts world, I could now confidently say it was
‘Transportation.’
I had been riding in a carriage for two days.
The carriage, already shaking to the rhythm of the horse’s movements, left the vicinity of the city and began to travel through the mountains.
Honestly, it felt like my butt was being beaten by the carriage.
Every time a pebble got caught in the carriage wheel, my body would float up.
I wondered if this was what it felt like to ride a rollercoaster without a safety bar.
The others somehow managed to fall asleep or read martial arts manuals in the carriage.
Every time I saw that, I couldn’t help but think that martial artists were different.
“Haa…”
I collapsed onto the bed in the accommodation.
Knock, knock.
Someone knocked on the door, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask who it was.
All I could do right now was lie sprawled out and focus on regulating my breathing.
The person who opened the door and came in was none other than Seol-yeong.
“…What are you doing?”
Seol-yeong looked down at me as if I were pathetic.
…Actually, she didn’t really look at me that way.
She was expressionless as always, but I felt that way because I was feeling guilty.
I hesitated for a moment before answering her question.
“…Motion sickness…”
“…”
She didn’t react much, so I felt embarrassed for no reason.
In the end, I got up from the bed.
“What’s up?”
“…They said to come to dinner.”
“…I don’t feel like eating anything right now.”
“…The instructor said to attend no matter what…”
There was no way to resist what the instructor said.
I slowly got up, intending to just go, sit down, and come back, but Seol-yeong blocked the door and stared up at me blankly.
When I subtly moved to the side, Seol-yeong subtly followed.
She looked like she had something to say.
“…What’s up?”
“…I’ll come to this place tonight.”
“What?”
She said that and strode out.
What was that?
It wasn’t a suggestion, but a notification.
Well, that wasn’t really the problem.
The real problem was that I didn’t know why she was coming.
Could it be—
“…These days, Jeong-seon is making my head spin in that direction.”
These days, Jeong-seon was, well, not human.
I don’t mean that in a bad way, but more like…
A seductress, closer to a nine-tailed fox.
She had acquired the knowledge of countless courtesans in the Hao Moon, and these days, she was even trying to do something using her inner energy.
It seemed like a fox’s tail would soon grow above Jeong-seon’s butt.
“…Is my illness getting worse?”
Actually, it didn’t seem like Seol-yeong would come to my room with that intention.
If so, it was probably a problem related to her illness.
Fortunately, I had managed to raise the level of the Solar Heart Sutra quite a bit thanks to Jeong-seon.
I succeeded in raising the Solar Heart Sutra to level 6 and my inner energy to level 4.
But now I was starting to worry.
How far did I have to grow to cure Seol-yeong’s Nine Yin Severed Meridians?
It was a disease that was treated as close to incurable.
I wouldn’t even be able to think about it at a normal level.
Did I have to reach at least level 10?
“…Sigh, let’s go to the dining hall for now.”
I headed to the dining hall on the first floor of this accommodation.
There was no detailed explanation about the dining hall, so this was probably it.
As I expected, when I entered the dining hall, I could see our group, including Poong-woon and Seol-yeong, sitting in a semicircle around a huge table.
But on the opposite side, another group of people was sitting in a semicircle.
Considering that they were sitting together nicely at a large round table, the atmosphere was unusual.
“…”
I had motion sickness for two days, so my condition was worse than ever.
And right now, Poong-woon’s expression looked even worse than mine.
It wasn’t because of motion sickness.
A woman and a man from Cheonmu Academy were glaring at Poong-woon.
“Ah, I really don’t want to go.”
Just imagining having to go into that atmosphere made my motion sickness worse.
Was this the atmosphere of a friendly match?
Even a rivalry wouldn’t have this kind of atmosphere.
The only ray of light was the warm gaze of Jeong-seon, who was sitting right next to me.
Even in that atmosphere, the highlight was around Poong-woon, the main character.
Namgoong Yoo.
The woman from Cheonmu Academy who had a conflict with the main character asked him.
“Gaga, why did you run away to a place like Inmu Academy? Why when I’m at Cheonmu Academy?”
“Gaga…? We’re not even married…”
“What are you talking about, Gaga…? You held my hand and hugged me!”
“Well, even so, marriage is…”
“I won’t forgive you, I won’t forgive you, I won’t forgive you.”
Poong-woon was making a terrified expression towards Namgoong Yoo, who was muttering at an incredible speed.
Even I, who was watching from afar, felt a little eerie.
I realized that’s what real killing intent was like.
Then, Namgoong Hyeok, who had won the 5th spot on our side, said.
“Sister, marriage just because of a hug is… a bit of an overreaction.”
“Brother, aren’t you also having a one-sided love for the server whose finger brushed against yours while placing a wine glass?”
Come to think of it, there was a participant on this side with the Namgoong surname.
I didn’t expect it, but they were siblings.
But the difference in talent was like heaven and earth.
The younger sister was showing her talent even in Cheonmu Academy, and the older brother barely managed to win a spot in Inmu Academy.
Even the clothes they were wearing were different.
Namgoong Yoo’s clothes had a luxurious feel from the material to the embroidery, but Namgoong Hyeok’s were… ordinary.
They weren’t much different from my clothes.
If it weren’t for the name, I wouldn’t have noticed that he was the son of a famous family.
I felt anew that the world of martial arts was cold.
…By the way, what’s going on with the Namgoong family?
To have two late-blooming talents with extreme views on romance.
When Namgoong Yoo’s story ended, it was the turn of the man who had been glaring at Poong-woon.
“You haven’t been neglecting your training since you went to Inmu Academy, have you?”
“…Who are you again?”
“…I’m going to kill you.”
One more person was emitting killing intent towards Poong-woon.
The other three weren’t that interested in Poong-woon.
Rather, the other three from Cheonmu Academy were quietly eating or occasionally admiring Seol-yeong.
Jeong-seon, who was next to me, whispered to me.
“She’s there too. Your ideal type.”
“…”
Jeong-seon was secretly pointing to Namgoong Yoo under the table.
She was a woman, and she liked someone else, so the conditions were right.
Honestly, she was beautiful in appearance.
But the occasional crazy expression was, well, terrifying.
[Sexual Preference: Sadist, Possessiveness, Destructive Urges, Bold and Active Man]
Of course, her sexual preferences were also unusual.
At least the last one was within the normal range.
For some reason, the women I was appraising were rarely normal.
Were the sexual preferences of the women in the quests all becoming strange?
Even in the suffocating atmosphere, food was served as it was a dining hall.
“D-D-D-Dongpo pork!”
The employee trembled as they placed the food down.
It was killing intent that was not easy for an ordinary person to endure.
I calmly reached out and picked up a piece of Dongpo pork.
I definitely had motion sickness, but when I saw the greasy meat dish in front of me, I thought one bite wouldn’t hurt.
It tasted better than I expected.
It was a taste I had never had before with a lot of spices, but meat never failed.
And somehow, I forgot about the motion sickness and was able to have a pretty satisfying meal.
Compared to me, Poong-woon couldn’t eat easily.
He endured the glares from both sides and only picked up a piece of egg dish and chewed on it.
After finishing the meal, I returned to the accommodation.
When I opened the door, Seol-yeong, who had arrived a step faster than me, was sitting on the bed.
She was wearing much thinner clothes than usual, revealing the outline of her body.
How many men would be able to endure seeing this sight?
I also tried not to show it, but something between my legs was trying to wriggle.
“…I know it’s a difficult request, but please warm my body, even if it’s just a little…”
“…”
If you didn’t think about Seol-yeong’s situation and just listened to the words, it sounded like she was saying something amazing.
For a moment, I thought she was seducing me.
But Seol-yeong’s condition didn’t seem normal.
Even though the weather had warmed up a lot, Seol-yeong’s breath was visible, and her hands were shaking slightly.
I slowly approached the bed and sat behind Seol-yeong.
Seol-yeong also noticed what I was trying to do and moved her hair forward, giving me her back.
She was cold and even exhaling, but cold sweat was flowing from Seol-yeong’s back and neck.
Her condition seemed much worse than before.
I gathered my inner energy as if I were meditating.
I slowly moved my inner energy to my palms and carefully placed my hands on Seol-yeong’s back.
“Then I’ll start.”
“…Okay…please…”
