## Chapter 61 – (12)
Namgung Hyuk stepped onto the sparring stage, and his opponent, a man named Dang Geon from the Sichuan Dang Clan, followed.
Dang Geon ascended with a nonchalant air, conspicuously brandishing a small dagger.
It was a form of intimidation, but Namgung Hyuk didn’t even blink.
“It’s coated with poison.”
“Unfortunately, it’s only a paralytic. Not lethal.”
Dang Geon clicked his tongue as if disappointed that, as this was a sparring match between students, he couldn’t use a deadly poison.
With his sharp, snake-like eyes and long face, he resembled a serpent in many ways.
Poison aside, both of them were wielding proper, genuine swords this time.
Under the condition that instructors would be on standby near the sparring stage, it had been decided that the matches would be fought with real weapons.
The instructors would intervene and stop the match if anyone’s life was in danger.
Part of me was worried.
No matter how skilled the instructors were, could they really jump into a fight between rising stars who represented the pinnacle of the orthodox sects?
Honestly, I’d never actually seen people who were called masters use their martial arts in earnest, so perhaps that’s why I had these concerns.
In reality, everyone except me seemed to accept the situation.
“Begin!”
At the signal from the man who seemed to be the announcer, Namgung Hyuk charged forward quickly.
It was a wise decision.
Daggers were fast, but they lacked weight and were weak in defense.
The dagger was too small and weak to properly block Namgung Hyuk’s sword.
Unable to even properly defend head-on, Dang Geon was forced to focus solely on defense, deflecting every attack to the side.
“Kuh-heuk!”
And it seemed there was a limit to that as well, as Dang Geon’s arm began to tremble.
When Dang Geon finally dropped his dagger after it collided with the sword, Namgung Hyuk seized the opportunity, making a large turn and swinging his sword.
It was at that moment.
“Tsk.”
Instructor Cheol Woong clicked his tongue, and the disciples on our side sighed in disappointment or frowned.
Everyone had seen it.
The moment Namgung Hyuk made a large movement, Dang Geon abandoned his dagger and immediately pulled out a hidden weapon from his chest.
Namgung Hyuk, belatedly noticing, muttered in surprise.
“He dropped his weapon…?”
“Just put it down for a moment.”
Thwack!
The hidden weapon that Dang Geon threw flew quickly towards Namgung Hyuk’s head from close range.
It wasn’t a speed that Namgung Hyuk, who was swinging his sword, could evade.
Then, bang.
A loud boom erupted, and smoke filled the air. Instructor Cheol Woong stood between Namgung Hyuk and Dang Geon.
With an expression so calm it was as if he had been there from the start.
He slowly examined the awl-shaped hidden weapon, which he held between his fingers.
“…Did something just pass by?”
I couldn’t see anything at all.
That huge man moving so quickly.
The spot where Instructor Cheol Woong had originally been standing was now a deeply cratered hole in the ground, as if a bomb had exploded.
So that’s what they meant by saying the instructor would be watching, so we could use real weapons.
“Isn’t the difference between a rising star and him a little too much, even so?”
I said with a hollow laugh, and Poong Woon said with a faint smile.
“They say that orthodox sect masters only start to grow after they become masters.”
According to Poong Woon, it was a characteristic of orthodox martial arts.
It took a long time to become a master, but in return, the rate of growth didn’t slow down even after becoming a master, so it was relatively easier to reach the level of a supreme master.
In comparison, in the case of unorthodox sects or the Demonic Cult, although they may have easily reached the level of a master through various tricks.
They were trapped by the walls of attainment and enlightenment, so only a handful reached the level of a supreme master.
“This isn’t a paralytic poison.”
“…Haha, you’re very knowledgeable about poisons.”
“I was just saying. Was it real?”
“…It’s just a poison that causes temporary fainting.”
When Cheol Woong said, looking at the hidden weapon, Dang Geon answered with an awkward smile.
So it wasn’t a real paralytic poison.
Namgung Hyuk looked at Dang Geon and Cheol Woong with a disappointed expression, then trudged off the sparring stage.
“…Sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
Jung Sun, who was next in line, offered Namgung Hyuk a light word of comfort and stepped onto the sparring stage.
The people watching the sparring match didn’t pay much attention to Jung Sun.
They were faintly admiring the previous match between Dang Geon and Namgung Hyuk.
“Still, I guess that’s the Namgung Clan for you.”
“I thought he was going to lose.”
“Ha! I didn’t have a single doubt…”
“Didn’t he scream like a girl when he dropped his dagger?”
The evaluation of Namgung Hyuk wasn’t bad.
Perhaps it was because the expectations for the Inmoo Academy were low.
Namgung Hyuk’s reputation was rising high for showing a good performance against Dang Geon.
Namgung Hyuk must have heard those conversations, because the guilt of losing and the praise of the audience were mixed in his head, and his expression wouldn’t settle down.
The corners of his lips went up and down.
He couldn’t calm down at all.
Come to think of it, he has a strong desire for recognition.
Could it be that he didn’t get much praise because he had a talented younger sibling?
“Ready.”
On the sparring stage, Jung Sun and Dang Geon were facing each other.
Dang Geon, having already used it once, had put the dagger in his chest and was looking at Jung Sun with an awl-like hidden weapon in his hand.
Jung Sun lightly held his sword and stretched his legs, loosening his muscles.
Watching that scene, I smiled bitterly.
How should I say this.
It seemed like it would be a slightly new experience for Dang Geon.
With the start signal, the two people immediately did what they were best at.
Dang Geon widened the distance, throwing hidden weapons, and Jung Sun, like when he sparred with me in the past, put his massive internal energy into his whole body and kicked off the ground, narrowing the distance with Dang Geon.
“Huh?”
A weak voice flowed from Dang Geon’s mouth.
Had he ever hit a target moving at that speed?
Probably not.
Usually, even if they moved, they wouldn’t waste internal energy like that, using it only at necessary moments.
“This bastard!”
Dang Geon threw hidden weapons at the target moving left and right, scattering internal energy without holding back.
The hidden weapons were stuck in the floor where Jung Sun had been a few seconds ago, and Jung Sun was getting closer and closer.
Now they were close enough to touch if they reached out their hands, and eventually Dang Geon gave up throwing hidden weapons and took out a dagger from his chest.
“Die!”
Saying words that a rising star of the orthodox sect shouldn’t say, Dang Geon quickly swung his dagger.
As expected of someone from the Cheonmu Academy.
The dagger, swung with quick improvisation, was as fast and swift as throwing hidden weapons.
“…What?”
Whoosh—
However, even that dagger cut through the air.
Jung Sun, who had been approaching quickly, suddenly stopped in his tracks this time.
Then he aimed his sword at Dang Geon’s abdomen.
Dang Geon twisted his body to avoid the sword, but his clothes and abdomen were slightly cut, leaving a shallow wound.
Blood was lightly flowing from the wound.
It was a shallow wound that wouldn’t interfere with the match, but Dang Geon seemed to have realized it with this one clash.
That he couldn’t win.
With a resentful expression, Dang Geon muttered softly.
“I lost…”
“Jung Sun wins!”
The man who was conducting the sparring shouted, and a loud cheer was heard from some of the audience seats.
Judging by the sound, it seemed like the people who had bet on us were cheering.
Most of the audience was silent, as if shocked.
Some criticized Dang Geon, but not many people could voice criticism towards the Sichuan Dang Clan.
“That’s the best! Jung Sun!”
“That’s it!”
Because of that, we were receiving stinging gazes from the people around us, but those people, drunk on the underdog victory, started cheering for us without paying attention to the gazes around them.
They even started singing a cheer that I had never heard before.
Jung Sun turned around and looked at me.
With an expression as if asking, ‘Did I do well?’, I smiled and applauded.
He seemed quite satisfied with that reaction, as he grinned and looked straight ahead.
“Why, already…?”
Looking to the side, I saw Poong Woon with a shocked face.
Was Jung Sun winning that shocking?
The surprising thing was that Jung Sun had also caught another Cheonmu Academy disciple after that.
The Cheonmu Academy instructor was even dumbfounded by that sight.
“Huh, such ignorant internal energy…”
I agreed with those words.
My level of internal energy had also increased a lot, but I couldn’t say anything even if it was said that it was insignificant compared to Jung Sun.
After Jung Sun defeated two people, the man who came up next had a somewhat familiar appearance.
Strangely, he was particularly memorable…
“Ah, the one who was emitting killing intent towards Poong Woon…”
“Huh? Towards me?”
The person himself seemed to have forgotten it quickly.
The man was Jeon Poong from the Jongnam Sect.
Jeon Poong, who had stepped onto the sparring stage, didn’t even look at Jung Sun.
He was only looking at Poong Woon with sharp eyes.
“Ready, begin!”
Even after the sparring match started, Jeon Poong’s eyes were only directed at Poong Woon.
Taking advantage of that gap, Jung Sun quickly narrowed the distance, but Jeon Poong, who had already drawn his sword from his waist, was pointing his sword at Jung Sun’s neck.
“Ugh…”
“…Jeon Poong wins!”
The level was different from the previous Cheonmu Academy participants.
You could tell just by looking at Jung Sun being helplessly defeated.
Poong Woon’s face also became serious at that sight.
“Poong Woon, what number are you?”
“Fourth.”
“Good. I’ll be waiting.”
It felt like I was watching a conversation between the protagonist and the rival.
“I’ll go out.”
Seol Young said, looking at me.
She was still emitting cold Yin energy, but today it was somehow a little different.
And I slowly watched Seol Young move.
“Hmm…”
Perhaps Jeon Poong might not be able to fight Poong Woon.
