Chapter 28: A Small Incident (1)

Five months had passed since the entrance ceremony at Shinmu Academy.

It was the day of the fifth sparring examination.

Students gathered in the small training ground, while instructors, including Chief Instructor Yeom-gwang, stood in the temporary sparring arena.

Yeom-gwang surveyed the twelve instructors around him.

“Is everyone here?”

“Yes, Chief Instructor.”

“Good.”

He nodded in satisfaction, but then a small hand shot up.

Yeo Mae-hong, her eyes darting nervously, spoke timidly.

“Um… Chief Instructor… Instructor Cho isn’t here yet.”

“Ugh, that man is never on time.”

Yeom-gwang had been about to pretend Cho Un-hwi was absent and disqualify him, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it with Yeo Mae-hong watching him.

‘The lovely Instructor Yeo keeps defending that man.’

Yeom-gwang was nearing forty and still unmarried.

It was only natural for him to be drawn to the few female instructors at the academy.

And Yeo Mae-hong, who stood out in more ways than one, had caught his eye.

‘Birds of a feather flock together. I need to guide her back to the right path before she falls for that scoundrel.’

He decided to invite her to the next instructors’ gathering.

“The Instructor Hunter!”

“The Ghost Boy of Dongcheon Hall!”

“Eek! The Ice Queen of the Baek Ri Clan is here too!”

“Oh my, it’s Mo Yong So-hye! Hi, Yul-seo!”

The students erupted in chatter as four students, accompanied by their instructor, entered the training ground.

Yeom-gwang’s face darkened.

***

“There are a lot of participants today.”

“This is the last sparring match before the midterm exam,” Jegal Tan explained. “Everyone’s here for a final tune-up.”

“Well, it’s a good opportunity to earn some points.”

Cho Un-hwi surveyed the crowd, then stopped.

It was time to head to the sparring arena, where the instructors were gathered.

He ignored Yeom-gwang’s condescending stare and turned to his students.

“Alright, here’s the plan.”

He lowered his voice and raised his index finger.

“You’re only going to win three matches each today.”

“What?”

Namgung Yun-ho squeaked.

But Cho Un-hwi was adamant.

“Don’t push yourselves. All that matters is whether you win more matches than you did in the previous sparring match.”

Don’t bother winning more than you need to.

It won’t help me get promoted.

Namgung Yun-ho frowned.

“Shouldn’t we be trying our best?”

“If you win ten matches this time, you’ll have to win eleven next time. It’s pointless.”

“But as martial artists…”

“Do you want to die as a martial artist?”

Namgung Yun-ho fell silent.

Baek Ri-seol, who had been clutching her forehead and moaning dramatically, suddenly leaned against Cho Un-hwi.

“Instructor, poor Seol-ah is feeling weak today. I don’t even have the strength to hold a sword.”

She sniffled and bit her sleeve.

“Whisper words of encouragement in my ear.”

“Go run around like a deer.”

“Hmm, that’s not quite right…”

Cho Un-hwi chuckled as Baek Ri-seol pouted.

‘Why is she called the Ice Queen?’

She was anything but cold and aloof.

“Anyway, Jegal, make sure they don’t overdo it.”

“So we’re focusing on earning just enough points for your promotion.”

“Exactly. Don’t even think about earning extra points. I’ll kill anyone who tries to raise the bar for the next sparring match.”

“…You’re exploiting the academy’s emphasis on student growth. I understand.”

Mo Yong So-hye raised her hand.

“What about me?”

“Don’t push yourself. We have to fix dummies after this.”

“Aww…”

Cho Un-hwi ignored her fake crying and clapped his hands.

“Go earn some points.”

Go!

My precious little money trees!

***

Namgung Yun-ho was the first to spar.

He stepped into the arena, his heart pounding with anticipation.

His opponent was a familiar face.

“Grrr… Namgung Yun-ho.”

It was Sagon from the Shinyeong Sword Clan.

The former prodigy of Dongcheon Hall glared at him, his eyes filled with resentment.

“Long time no see.”

“Hmph! Long time no see? Yes, it has been a while. You seem to be doing well.”

Sagon’s appearance suggested otherwise.

He had fallen from grace after being defeated by Namgung Yun-ho, the so-called Ghost Boy of Dongcheon Hall.

Namgung Yun-ho had won several sparring matches since then, but his first victory over Sagon was the one that everyone remembered.

“I’ll never forget the humiliation you caused me…”

He had been mocked by the other students, and Chief Instructor Yeom-gwang, who was obsessed with his own achievements, had abandoned him after his defeat.

“I’ll defeat you and reclaim my honor!”

He raised his sword menacingly.

Namgung Yun-ho remained silent.

“Don’t underestimate me just because this is a sparring match. Hehehe.”

He wasn’t afraid of Sagon’s bluster.

‘I just need to anticipate his movements.’

He could now predict his opponent’s moves, thanks to Cho Un-hwi’s training.

He recalled his instructor’s words:

*Your strength lies in your perseverance. Master the Shinmu Sword Technique. That’s all you need to build an impenetrable defense and unleash devastating attacks.*

Build an impenetrable defense and unleash devastating attacks.

‘Alright.’

Boom!

The drum sounded, and Sagon charged at him like a whirlwind.

His footwork was so powerful that it cracked the floor of the arena.

“I’ll finish you with one strike!”

Namgung Yun-ho muttered as Sagon’s attack approached.

‘Impenetrable defense.’

He raised his sword, deflecting Sagon’s attack with a diagonal slash.

‘Devastating attack.’

Whoosh!

“Gasp!”

Sagon stumbled backward, his sword broken in two.

Namgung Yun-ho’s sword was inches from his throat.

Sagon scrambled backward, his eyes wide with fear.

Namgung Yun-ho sheathed his sword.

“Next!”

***

“Sigh… where are you looking?”

Her opponent frowned as Baek Ri-seol bit her lip and gazed dreamily into the distance.

“Are you going to spar or not?”

“Hmm, poor Seol-ah is about to engage in a dangerous spar… wait a minute, that foxy instructor who’s talking to Instructor Cho… what was her name again…?”

“Student Baek Ri-seol!”

She finally turned her attention to her opponent, who was trembling.

Her opponent’s face was beautiful, but her expression was cold and aloof. Only her eyes seemed alive.

They were a pale shade of blue, and they seemed to burn with a golden fire.

“Well, well, well.”

Screech!

Her wooden sword scraped against the floor of the arena.

It was just a wooden sword, but it felt like a blood-soaked blade was pointed at Baek Ri-seol’s throat.

“I believe we were in the middle of a spar.”

Swish!

Her opponent spun around gracefully, balancing on one leg.

“A dangerous spar.”

Crack!

Her opponent gasped as her wooden sword shattered into pieces.

“You’re the one in danger.”

A cold smile played on Baek Ri-seol’s lips.

Crack!

Her opponent’s eyes rolled back, and she collapsed to the ground.

***

The sparring matches continued smoothly.

Namgung Yun-ho won three matches without moving a single step, his unwavering stance radiating an aura of impenetrable strength.

Baek Ri-seol toyed with her opponents, her movements unpredictable and playful, before defeating them with ease.

Jegal Tan was unremarkable.

He was a skilled martial artist, even though he was a bit of a troublemaker. He easily defeated his opponents from Dongcheon Hall.

Mo Yong So-hye, who had been Cho Un-hwi’s biggest concern, exceeded his expectations.

“Waaaaah!”

She unleashed a flurry of punches, her tiny fists moving like the wind.

“I’m sorry!”

Despite her apologetic cries, her punches landed with pinpoint accuracy, striking her opponent’s solar plexus, collarbone, throat, and jaw.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

“Ugh!”

Her opponent, a fellow martial artist who seemed to know her well, was caught off guard. He doubled over in pain, clutching his stomach, then his face contorted as she struck his pressure points.

‘The Chain Fist technique was the right choice.’

He had been worried that she would hesitate to use such a brutal technique, so he had drilled it into her subconscious while she was fixing dummies, making sure she could execute it even in her sleep.

And it had worked.

“Hehe!”

She had turned her friend into a punching bag.

“Ugh… sniff…”

She started to cry, overwhelmed by guilt.

‘Don’t worry, this is the Murim world. There’s no room for friendship here.’

Cho Un-hwi, who had just forced her to sever ties with her friend, felt no remorse.

The other students, who seemed to know Mo Yong So-hye, were horrified.

“Oh my god, our sweet little Yul-seo has become a bloodthirsty monster.”

Yul-seo.

Chestnut Rat.

It was a fitting nickname for the small and adorable Mo Yong So-hye, but it was about to become a relic of the past.

“Her hands are covered in blood! How could So-hye do such a thing…?”

Welcome to the Murim world, kids.

Call her the Bloodthirsty Chestnut Rat from now on.

Cho Un-hwi beamed with pride as Mo Yong So-hye, despite her tears, prepared for her next sparring match at Jegal Tan’s signal.

“Your students are all improving so quickly,” a soft voice said.

He turned to see a female instructor in her thirties, her expression stern but her eyes twinkling with amusement.

He had seen her a few times in the instructors’ office. She was a fellow new instructor.

‘What was her name again?’

He remembered.

“Instructor Jo Hyeon, right?”

“You remember me.”

She seemed surprised.

“You never come to the instructors’ office, so I didn’t think you would.”

“Of course I remember you.”

They chatted for a bit, and then she smiled.

“I used to teach Mo Yong So-hye. She was a bright and cheerful girl, but she was also quite timid. I thought it would take her a long time to improve.”

That would have been true.

If she had been taught using conventional methods.

“But it seems I underestimated her. She’s already a second-rate master…”

“Not quite.”

Mo Yong So-hye had definitely improved, but she still had a long way to go.

“She just happened to discover her talent for hand techniques.”

“Hehe, discovering one’s true talent is every student’s dream.”

“She was lucky.”

As they were chatting, Yeo Mae-hong nudged him in the ribs.

“Instructor Cho, what happened?”

“What do you mean?”

“Namgung Yun-ho, who just defeated three opponents, suddenly collapsed like a wooden dummy.”

“Oh, how unfortunate.”

Just as planned.

“And Jegal Tan and Baek Ri-seol are acting strange too. And Mo Yong So-hye…”

Mo Yong So-hye, who had just turned her third friend into a punching bag, was sobbing uncontrollably.

“…It doesn’t look like they’ll be able to continue sparring.”

“What a shame.”

“You sound like you’re reading from a script. You didn’t rig the matches, did you?”

Yeo Mae-hong’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Cho Un-hwi turned away.

Just then…

“Instructor Cho! What is the meaning of this?!”

Yeom-gwang stormed over to them, his face red with anger.

“Are you treating the sparring matches like a joke?!”

He was furious that his students were losing so badly.

Cho Un-hwi shrugged.

“Of course not.”

“Then why are they all forfeiting their fourth matches?!”

“They must have been exhausted from fighting such strong opponents. I wonder who taught those students? My students are having a hard time against them.”

“I-is that so?”

Yeom-gwang’s nostrils flared.

He was pleased.

“They must have been really tough opponents. My students look exhausted. Please excuse them.”

“Hmm, I’ll let it slide this time.”

Yeom-gwang walked away, his expression a mixture of confusion and satisfaction.

Cho Un-hwi clenched his fist.

“You planned this, didn’t you?”

Yeo Mae-hong’s eyes narrowed.

Cho Un-hwi whistled innocently.