“From now on, participants will be called to stand in front of their respective flags!”
Cheongryongdanju Yeok Jin-un briefly explained the format of the qualifying round and began calling out the names of the participants one by one.
There was no separate room for waiting. They just set up a large tent in a corner of the Daeyeonmujang where the qualifying round was held.
It couldn’t be helped that there were over 300 participants in the qualifying round, unlike the main event.
The audience cheered as the people whose names were called one by one gathered in front of their respective flags.
Waaaah—————!!
Daeyeonmujang was a place created for public martial arts, but it was a building with a structure like a colosseum where people could think and do whatever they wanted.
And now the surrounding seats were full. The Yongbongjihoe allowed even commoners to watch if they had a ticket.
From the perspective of the martial arts alliance, it was good to be able to recover some of the money spent on the Yongbongjihoe, and from the perspective of the commoners, it was good to be able to see a lot of martial arts battles that they had never seen before.
However, I wondered why so many people had gathered even though it was still the qualifying round… Now I know. It’s because the qualifying round is a battle royale.
There’s nothing we can do about a battle royale.
As I was looking for Hong Yeon-hwa somewhere in the crowd, Paeng Soso, who had understood my intentions, leaned over and whispered in my ear.
“Hong Unni will be sitting in the VIP box with her father. Over there.”
When Paeng Soso pointed in the direction, there was a high-class VIP box that was clearly distinguished from the ordinary audience seats.
There were several people sitting there who looked like they were high-ranking people. Were they representatives from each martial arts school or clan?
They wouldn’t send just anyone as a representative. At least they must have sent people who were elders or disciples of the highest level.
However, there were two people among them who stood out even more.
One was Paeng O-jin, who had a physique that could be mistaken for a giant and exuded an unusual energy.
And the other was Hong Yeon-hwa, who was surrounded by several female disciples and was eating snacks.
…What are you doing there, Cheonma-nim?
Amipa’s big bag with the surrender, the Hwasanpa’s female monk with plum blossoms embroidered on her sleeves, and the female swordsman in an expensive-looking palace outfit, whose affiliation I didn’t know.
All of them were handing over sweet treats to Hong Yeon-hwa with a happy expression, chatting and laughing.
Hong Yeon-hwa occasionally blinked her eyes or waved her arms while explaining something while munching on the snacks, and every time she did, the laughter around her only grew louder.
What the hell. Why is the atmosphere so cheerful?
It didn’t take long for the group assignments to be announced. I was in the 4th group, relatively early, and Paeng Soso was in the 23rd group, a bit later.
Now we’re back in the waiting room, watching the previous groups compete in the qualifying round and waiting for our turn.
The sight of the ten fighters battling simultaneously was quite thrilling. But, I don’t know… there was something off about it.
“Jin Gaga, did you just think it was a bit shabby?”
“…Did it show on my face?”
“I just know you too well.”
Paeng Soso chuckled and spoke up.
“It’s natural for the qualifying round. Even if you train with masters like Hong Unni and her father every day, the Yongbongjihoe is still a tournament for the top players, right?”
“Is that so…?”
The age of the top players was probably in their mid-20s at most. Most of them were from the first-class schools, and only a few reached the pinnacle.
Usually, those from the Odaese, Gupa-ilbang, or other top schools would have skipped the qualifying round by using a recommendation.
“But don’t let your guard down too much.”
“I know.”
The martial arts world is vast.
There are those who are naturally talented and can become strong even if they learn a mediocre martial art. And there are those who are disciples of powerful masters without any affiliation.
Either way, I just have to do my best.
Sometimes, people are reluctant to expose their martial arts skills.
Because of the nature of martial arts, it can be intimidating at first, but it becomes easier to deal with after seeing it a few times. Or they don’t want to reveal their true strength to their enemies.
Those people may have to hide their skills a little for when they really need them… But I don’t belong to either of those categories.
As I chatted with Paeng Soso, it was suddenly my turn after the third group finished their match.
“I’ll wait for you at the place where Hong Yeon-hwa and her father are after I’m done.”
“Yes. Then I’ll be here, watching Jin Gaga’s cool moves. Can I expect that?”
“It’s a bit daunting…”
I grabbed Paeng Soso’s nose, which she responded with a wry smile, and slowly climbed up to the martial arts arena.
One by one, the participants climbed up, including me, totaling 11 people. They all seemed to radiate a sharp aura.
I came to the Yongbongjihoe to gain experience, leaving the victory to Hong Yeon-hwa, but for them, it was like passing through the employment gate as a real martial artist.
The Cheongryongdanju, who checked the number of participants, nodded his head and opened his mouth.
“I’ll explain the rules once again.”
There’s nothing special about the rules.
Don’t use poison.
Don’t intentionally cause serious injuries.
Memorization is allowed, but excessively high killing power is not allowed.
Poison is strictly prohibited, and so on.
If someone violates these rules, they will be disqualified, and depending on the severity of the offense, they may be sent to prison or have their employment canceled.
Just as the Cheongryongdanju finished explaining and was about to leave the martial arts arena…
“Wait a minute! Canceling employment… Isn’t that too severe?”
One of the participants raised his hand and objected.
“Too severe… Do you really think so?”
“Yes? Yes… It means that the life of a martial artist is completely over.”
The Cheongryongdanju chuckled.
“That’s right. You won’t be able to live as a martial artist anymore, let alone what you’ve built up so far.”
“Then…!”
“However, canceling employment is only in cases where you intentionally cut off the opponent’s body or break the employment gate. If you harm someone’s future, you should be treated the same way.”
“Ah…”
The participant nodded with a stupid expression, apparently understanding.
“Of course, since I’m watching, such a thing won’t happen.”
The Cheongryongdanju said that and left the martial arts arena, and soon after, the bell signaling the start of the group martial arts rang.
At the sound of the metallic noise ringing in their ears, the 11 participants drew their weapons at once.
Perhaps because they thought they might be attacked from all sides, no one rushed forward.
Then, the only option was to attack from this side.
I drew my sword in one breath and swung it at the sword of the guy who was just standing there, swallowing his saliva.
Clang!
With the enhanced physical ability and sword energy of the Muryeongshingong, it wasn’t that difficult to break a weapon.
Of course, it would be difficult even if it was mixed with at least one steel like the sword I inherited from my master.
“What…!”
Unfortunately, it seemed to be just an ordinary iron sword.
The opponent looked at the broken sword in disappointment and let out a bewildered voice, but I couldn’t hear what he said next.
“Haahhh!”
“Where!”
“Darn it! I don’t even have luck!”
When the bell rang, the participants who were quiet until then started swinging their weapons towards each other as soon as one person was eliminated.
I also stepped back with my right foot and turned my body with force.
With the rotational power of the Hwangsogeom, I accurately hit the side of the sword that was quietly coming from behind.
Crack!
The opponent who had a disappointed expression broke his sword again with the white sword energy.
I felt a great sense of injustice, but what can I do? I should have used the sword energy to block it if I was annoyed.
Passing the second eliminated person, I slammed the ground. My target was the martial artist and the swordsman who were entangled with each other.
The swordsman swung his weapon heavily, aiming for a gap. But intentionally revealing the gap, the martial artist waited and hit the back of the sword with force.
“Kkut?!”
I didn’t miss the sword, but I received the shock and my body leaned forward, and at the moment when the martial artist was about to swing his long sword towards my exposed chin.
“Huep!”
I kicked the martial artist’s side with the same momentum.
I am stronger than Paeng Soso in terms of pure physical ability. I tried to push him away as gently as possible, as his ribs could easily break.
“Kkeok!”
It was a big shock, and the martial artist screamed and flew outside the martial arts arena.
The guy who was attacking suddenly and got hit outside the ring had a smile on his lips.
Is he planning to reorganize his posture like this? Of course, I won’t give him that chance.
I kicked him and brought my hands together in front of my chest. As one foot that was floating in the air touched the ground again, I quickly thrust my arm forward.
I aimed for a point and thrust.
Clang!
The posture was unstable, so I couldn’t break the sword like the previous two times, but the power was enough to make the opponent let go of his sword.
“Damn it….”
The guy who confirmed that his sword had flown far away had a distorted expression again.
After that, I eliminated one by one among the participants who were wandering around.
Fortunately, my group only had top-notch martial artists, so it wasn’t that difficult.
Those who clashed with me and my sword were prone to breaking or losing their weapons with just one or two moves, and I was too fast compared to them.
Around the time when the remaining participants had decreased to less than half, the three survivors formed a temporary alliance and fought together. However, even if they tried to coordinate, their teamwork was far from perfect.
I jumped towards the sword that was coming straight at me and continued forward, breaking the opponent’s weapon without stopping.
As a result, I was able to break through the encirclement while pushing the opponent in front of me, and the two on either side of me turned towards each other and started attacking.
There is always a gap after an attack.
I swung my sword towards the two who were standing still in an awkward position.
Wha——!!
And the surrounding cheers echoed.
…This should be cool enough, right?
