Martial Arts Competition (4)

Fist King Kang Taejin doubted his eyes.

That Lee Dojin’s hand showed a perfect flow.

The fist technique of this swordsman guy was too perfect.

Without even using strong qi in his hand, he completely subdued the opponent with a bare-handed palm strike.

To ignore the opponent’s fierce sword energy and strike with a bare hand – that was impossible without a belief bordering on self-assurance.

The man before his eyes had done that nonchalantly.

“He seems to have something.”

Indeed, it was skill sufficient to have the confidence to use a wooden sword.

Spear King Lee Jigwang showed a sour expression.

“That guy seems to have a bit of a cold-blooded side too.”

Even if one feels a difference in level, the proper attitude of a martial artist holding a martial arts match is to let a swordsman taste defeat by the sword.

That was the commonly known significance of the martial arts competition. But that guy finished off a swordsman who came at him with a sword using his palm.

As if to prove the overwhelming difference in skill.

That student called Choi Hyungwoo will probably engrave today’s event firmly in his mind.

It wouldn’t have been often that he experienced such a humiliating defeat from a peer.

Fist King Kang Taejin slowly shook his head.

“He seemed too kind in the advice he just gave to the fallen guy to be cold-blooded.”

The Ten Venerables, those who had entered the Transcendent Realm, could all hear the words Lee Dojin had given as advice to Choi Hyungwoo before stretching out his hand.

Lee Dojin’s attitude could be described as that of a gallant martial artist rather than lacking manners.

In the audience seats were not only the judges, but also about 50 students. All were upperclassmen whose turn for the martial arts match had not yet come.

“…Did you see it?”

A man with a sword on his back muttered. The man wearing gauntlets next to him nodded.

“I saw it, kid. I’m a fist user. If I couldn’t see a fist like that, I should go die.”

“Yeah, I did see it. But could you strike so artistically at that timing? Without even using strong qi. Against a guy swinging sword energy.”

To the swordsman’s question, the fist user nodded ambiguously.

“It was possible because he had confidence that he had perfectly grasped the blind spot. It’s amazing, for sure. That movement is amazing too. But he must trust himself that much. That’s even more amazing.”

The rest of the students who happened to overhear the conversation between the two third-years nodded.

Word of Lee Dojin’s first martial arts match began to spread widely through the students’ mouths.

“Oh, my disciple says it’s almost her turn.”

Spear King Lee Jigwang got up hurriedly. Like a doting parent.

---

I didn’t think much of it.

I just ended it as quickly as possible because the gap was so clearly visible.

Probably if I fight once more in the afternoon, today’s martial arts schedule will be over.

My opponent, Choi Hyungwoo, was carried out on a stretcher. I approached the judge, Heo Jiun.

“Is it okay if I watch other students’ matches?”

Heo Jiun stared at me intently for some reason before slowly opening his mouth.

“Of course. There are no restrictions on students observing each other’s matches.”

That was fortunate then.

I took out my phone. My acquaintances had informed me via KakaoTalk which arena they were fighting in.

I headed to Arena A where Choi Bit-na was having her match.

The timing could match up this perfectly, huh.

Choi Bit-na was stepping up onto the arena. The opponent standing in front of Choi Bit-na was someone familiar to my eyes too. It was Kim Yerim, the female student who had interrupted when Choi Bit-na and I were talking at a cafe about the mock dungeon exam issue before.

She was the daughter of the <Taehwa> Guild master, if I remembered correctly.

Clearly, from what Choi Bit-na had told me, she said she had beaten this friend.

Even looking now, it didn’t seem like Choi Bit-na would lose to this friend.

Choi Bit-na’s voice was heard.

“Seems like we’re seeing each other often.”

Kim Yerim’s voice was also heard.

“I’ll win this time. Last time my condition wasn’t good.”

Choi Bit-na raised the corner of her mouth in a sneer.

“Yerim, your mental has grown a lot. You can even self-hypnotize that getting thoroughly beaten was because your condition wasn’t good.”

“W-what did you say?”

Kim Yerim opened her eyes wide.

Her long hair shook violently.

I found Choi Bit-na’s words quite funny. Now I know this is Choi Bit-na’s true personality.

“Prove it.”

Choi Bit-na pointed her spear. Towards Kim Yerim. The spear blade scattered sharp flashes of light.

“Don’t just run your mouth. Prove it with that spear.”

With those words from Choi Bit-na, the judge’s voice announcing the start of the match was heard.

Choi Bit-na and Kim Yerim’s feet left the ground simultaneously.

Their spears thrust towards each other at the same time. The start was simultaneous, but the end was different.

Neither landed an effective hit. Because their spear shafts locked together.

However, even with just this single exchange, one could tell whose martial arts was superior.

Kim Yerim’s body retreated far back.

“You, you… what the!”

Kim Yerim’s brow furrowed deeply. The one who most keenly felt the difference in level would be the person herself.

“What’s wrong? Making such a fuss just because your spear path was read once.”

At Choi Bit-na’s words, Kim Yerim couldn’t even think to close her gaping mouth.

“Keep coming.”

Choi Bit-na let her right arm holding the spear droop.

Composure.

The confidence that she could block whatever spear path the other showed. That was clearly visible in Choi Bit-na’s mind just from looking.

Tadadadang!

Their spear paths clashed dozens of times.

And at the end of that exchange of spear paths, it seemed the bead of self-esteem that Kim Yerim had strongly held had completely shattered.

The spear paths that tried to land a fatal blow on Choi Bit-na were all negated just before reaching near her neck or chest.

Kim Yerim’s expression completely hardened. In contrast, Choi Bit-na was expressionless. She seemed to be reviewing the spear exchanges in real-time.

The movement of Kim Yerim’s arms gradually stopped. She had lost all motivation. Choi Bit-na’s footsteps moved flexibly.

It seemed to be a type of illusion technique that shook the opponent’s vision and mind. Kim Yerim, whose mental had already been shattered, couldn’t penetrate the essence of those nimble movements.

Choi Bit-na instantly gripped her spear in reverse and thrust. The blunt end of the spear struck Kim Yerim’s chest.

“Kuk!”

Kim Yerim’s body collapsed ungracefully. She obviously didn’t have the presence of mind to wipe the saliva that spurted from her mouth.

“Surrender.”

The rules of the martial arts competition.

The result prioritizes the judge’s decision, but before that, if the participant wishes to forfeit, they can become the loser by saying ‘surrender’.

“You felt the difference in level, right?”

Choi Bit-na didn’t mock Kim Yerim. She was just staring at Kim Yerim with a firm expressionless face.

Kim Yerim chewed her lips with saliva dripping from the corners of her mouth. She seemed very frustrated.

Kim Yerim mumbled while sitting on the ground.

“…Surrender.”

In the end, Kim Yerim had to declare surrender.

Choi Bit-na nonchalantly put away her spear and came down from the arena.

And she spotted me sitting in the front row of the audience seats.

The maximum number of martial arts matches per day was two. Since Choi Bit-na and I had won our morning matches, we had to fight one more match in the afternoon. And that meant we were free until the afternoon match schedule came out.

Perhaps that’s why, as soon as she saw me, she ran around to the audience seats without much thought.

“Master!”

Choi Bit-na looked at me.

“…”

I looked at the audience seats behind. I could see Spear King Lee Jigwang’s face.

No, why are you calling me master while leaving your real master aside?

As I expected, Lee Jigwang’s face was completely hardened.

“Master, I’m going to keep winning from now on!”

Choi Bit-na wrapped both arms around my shoulders. Choi Bit-na is also a martial artist. Rather than a light sensation, the feeling of heavy muscles tapped my shoulders.

“Yeah, yeah.”

But why don’t you also greet your real master who’s emitting killing intent at me from back there?

I ended up gesturing with my chin.

“Your master is over there too.”

“Oh, you’re right!”

Only then did Choi Bit-na notice her master Lee Jigwang sitting in the upper audience seats and raised the corners of her mouth.

“But it’s okay. Master told me not to run to the audience seats just because I won once. He said to come up only when I’ve beaten someone worth celebrating victory over.”

It was an extremely martial artist-like mindset.

“So now I can just play with you, master.”

“Stop calling me master in front of your real master.”

The short-haired spear user tilted her head.

“Why?”

Choi Bit-na stared at me with an expression of genuinely not understanding why.

It was quite scary because she seemed to be asking because she really didn’t know.

The problem was that it was even cuter than that. I patted Choi Bit-na’s head. Without even realizing it.

At that moment, I felt a strong killing intent erupting from behind.

It must be Spear King’s killing intent. Seeing that people around Choi Bit-na and me had no reaction, it seemed he was adjusting to direct the killing intent only at me among these numerous people, befitting a martial artist who had entered the Transcendent Realm.

I pretended not to notice that killing intent for now. Because I could endure it sufficiently. No, to be honest, it didn’t affect me at all.

After facing the killing intent of the Sword Demon elder, killing intent below that level didn’t really instill fear in me.

It did arouse some fighting spirit though.

“What do you mean why, it’s obvious. It’s not just been a month or two now. If you call me master in front of your master who will keep teaching you, um, wouldn’t he feel a bit uncomfortable?”

“Nah, it’s not like that.”

Choi Bit-na snickered and shook her head. And her words continued.

“Surely our noble master, the Spear King, wouldn’t be such a petty person to mind something like this? No way. Master is magnanimous.”

As soon as Choi Bit-na’s words ended, the killing intent that Lee Jigwang had been directing at me vanished like magic.

Bit-na, I almost wanted to tell you that your master does indeed seem to be petty, given such a drastic change of attitude.

I had to grit my teeth and hold back the laughter that was about to burst out.