Bloodshed (3)

An airplane was gliding through the air.

The people on board were clearly hunters to anyone who looked. This was because each had their weapon beside them.

“Are you going straight to the academy?”

The middle-aged man asked the white-haired old man respectfully.

“I should. I haven’t seen the faces of this year’s new students even once. And I should watch the finals of the martial arts competition, shouldn’t I?”

The middle-aged man began to pour out the topics he had prepared.

“Vice Director Cecilia has conveyed that there’s a freshman we must come and see.”

“I see.”

The white-haired old man nodded and continued speaking.

“When the Tower opens, how many masters capable of entering are left?”

“The two Ten Venerables who didn’t receive an invitation to the Tower 10 years ago, I think their chances are high this time too.”

It was rare worldwide for a master who had entered the Transcendent Realm not to receive an invitation to the Tower.

According to the data sent by the World Order Alliance, <Yormungandr>, to a very small number of top officials in each country, those who are not invited by the <Tower> despite having outstanding strength seem to be problematic in terms of personality.

If that data is true, those who didn’t receive an invitation 10 years ago despite being Ten Venerables were likely not to receive an invitation this time either.

Because a person’s inherent personality doesn’t change so easily.

“What about the Four Superhumans?”

“I know that Sword Demon’s health is very poor. I understand the other two former Superhumans are still robust. Since all current Four Superhumans have a history of receiving Tower invitations, the probability of being invited next year is high.”

The white-haired old man tapped the armrest of his chair with his index finger. This was because he recalled Sword Demon Jung Yong-ha in his mind.

“That friend is enduring for a long time considering how much he’s been eroded by demonic energy. His mental strength is amazingly strong.”

The white-haired old man, Jin Un, the Director of Iroaz Academy, recalled his close friend.

“If it wasn’t Sword Demon, they would have already gone mad or died.”

Jin Un agreed with his secretary’s words.

Jin Un wasn’t paying much attention to the freshman representative Lee Dojin yet. This was natural since he hadn’t seen him with his own eyes yet.

“We’ve received news that since March this year, there have been low rumbling sounds and flickering deep green light from the World Tree branch stored in the <Library>.”

Jin Un’s eyes widened at the secretary’s words.

“From the World Tree branch?”

“Yes, the manager informed us.”

“Did they say what kind of rumbling it sounds like?”

“They didn’t say anything like that. The tone was that they don’t understand why.”

Jin Un narrowed his wrinkled brow.

“Since March… Is it trying to resonate with something? Should we ask the Japanese miko? Coming out after 4 months, there’s a lot to resolve.”

An SS-rank dungeon that appeared in New York.

From the moment it appeared on the dungeon notification window, it was a dungeon with a minimum attack period of about 3 months.

If a dungeon break occurred in an SS-rank dungeon, there was a possibility of global damage, not just to the United States. That’s why they recruited Jin Un, the Academy Director who is one of Korea’s Four Superhumans and recognized for his outstanding ability as a commander.

When dungeons of SS-rank or higher occur, <Yormungandr> takes charge of clearing control for that dungeon.

Except for countries like North Korea, China, and Russia that have antipathy towards <Yormungandr>, most countries rather welcomed <Yormungandr>’s intervention.

This was because there wasn’t a single organization that studied dungeon and gate attacks more thoroughly than Yormungandr.

Yormungandr was clearly having a positive impact worldwide. But it was also an organization shrouded in mystery.

Jin Un brushed back his white hair.

“What a damned world.”

There was too much to think about.

To the point where he thought facing monsters would be preferable.

---

Lee Dojin gripped his wooden sword.

Jung Jiwoo was standing in front of him.

Jung Jiwoo smiled. He had been grinning continuously since earlier.

“Match begin!”

The shout announcing the start of the battle echoed in the arena.

Jung Jiwoo’s dantian boiled.

Along with blood flow, 3-star inner power surged. Facing Lee Dojin, the desire to use proper swordsmanship now welled up intensely.

“You’re my idol.”

Jung Jiwoo raised his sword to his shoulder. And aimed at Lee Dojin with the sword held up like that.

Sheouk-

He lightly cut the back of his hand with a dagger.

Unlike the light wound, a large amount of blood gushed out from that gap.

Blood flow swirling like a vortex, drawing spirals.

I want to see it.

The blood of my dear idol.

Jung Jiwoo’s aura was quite martial artist-like, unlike that twisted, gloomy desire.

Red blood wrapped around the black sword energy.

Kwang!

He stepped forward fiercely, trampling the ground. The blood flow split the air.

Lee Dojin carefully observed Jung Jiwoo’s movements.

The direction the sword tip was pointing.

The direction his eyes were looking.

Where his toes were pointing.

Jung Jiwoo’s sword path was instantly predicted in Lee Dojin’s mind.

And─

Kwak!

He twisted the axis of his foot.

Just before the red sword could crush his skull, Lee Dojin avoided Jung Jiwoo’s attack by a paper-thin margin and grabbed Jung Jiwoo’s face.

With his palm open.

Of course, all of these series of movements were according to Lee Dojin’s plan.

Barely.

Left to chance.

There wasn’t a single element that relied on such vague factors.

As he entered the Transcendent Realm, his combat calculations literally transcended the human category.

To be precise, Lee Dojin had slowly reached this point.

Beyond the perspective of ordinary people.

To the world of transcendents.

Lee Dojin, who had grabbed Jung Jiwoo’s face, pressed his head against the ground of the arena.

Chwaaaaaaak!

Jung Jiwoo’s face was roughly scraped against the ground. Half his face was covered in blood.

It wasn’t a fatal wound. The parts of his face that were scraped and torn off were immediately restored by the blood technique.

Lee Dojin pressed his knee against Jung Jiwoo’s waist as he tried to raise his body.

Jung Jiwoo felt as if his body was pinned down by a nail.

And his face was scraped against the floor once again.

Kwadududuk!

“Fu-uck! You son of a bi-itch!”

Jung Jiwoo had to forcibly chew on the terrible taste of blood lingering in his mouth.

The feeling of calling Lee Dojin his idol was scraped away along with his face.

Lee Dojin smashed Jung Jiwoo’s face into the ground again with an expressionless face.

The skin repeatedly recovered and disappeared countless times. Lee Dojin dragged Jung Jiwoo’s face and body to the bottom like this a total of four times.

And his pride too.

The reason Lee Dojin was doing this to Jung Jiwoo was simple.

It was to crush Jung Jiwoo’s pride.

He didn’t feel displeased by the process of Jung Jiwoo toying with Cha Dahye. He thought that level of toying was something a strong person could sufficiently do.

Separately from that. He just wanted to crush that pride that blindly believed it could pose a threat to him.

Without using sword energy. Or martial arts. Or any seemingly impressive techniques, I can neutralize you.

He wanted to show him that.

Because it wasn’t even worth considering.

Spear King and Fist King, sitting in the audience seats, were watching the current situation where Jung Jiwoo’s face was being smashed into the ground with interested expressions.

“He’s a bastard with showmanship.”

Spear King Lee Jigwang didn’t dislike the scene Lee Dojin was producing.

As a strong person, it was also a skill to produce that strong appearance. In the end, the key to instilling fear in the opponent was to make them clearly recognize the difference in ability.

He was accurately fulfilling the premise of that fear production.

Fist King Kang Taejin also added a word.

“The ability to read the flow of battle and reflexes, that bastard. It seems he’s entered the Transcendent Realm after all.”

The 100 or so academy students in the audience seats were dumbfounded.

Students who had overheard the conversation between Lee Dojin and Jung Jiwoo in the morning checked the afternoon martial arts match schedule and were ready for some sweet popcorn action.

To think that a match between Jung Jiwoo from Class 1, who so easily toyed with the skilled Cha Dahye from Combat Class 2, and Lee Dojin, the Wooden Sword Lord from Class 1, would be realized.

News about the martial arts match currently being held spread quickly among the 1st and 2nd year students of the academy. Quite a few 3rd year seniors were mixed in as well.

The fact that Lee Dojin had single-handedly taken down an estimated S-rank magical beast was something that even most 4th year students, who rarely set foot in the academy, knew about.

So there wasn’t a single student who thought Jung Jiwoo would win. Still, quite a number of students thought it would be a somewhat interesting battle.

This was because Jung Jiwoo had shown an overwhelmingly dominant performance in toying with Cha Dahye.

“Wow, fuck. He’s just playing with him?”

But he wasn’t even using sword energy, let alone his wooden sword, and was just suppressing Jung Jiwoo with pure grip strength.

“It’s not just suppressing with brute force. To be able to do this, he must understand everything – the moment when resistance is impossible, the position, everything.”

A 3rd year student continued speaking while staring at Lee Dojin with eyes filled with jealousy.

“…Those damn talent-blessed bastards.”

The scene of nearly 100 students nodding their heads simultaneously at those words was quite a spectacle.

Only after bestowing four humiliations did Lee Dojin loosen the strength in his grip. He also removed his knee that had been pressing down on Jung Jiwoo’s waist.

Jung Jiwoo rolled on the ground in what’s commonly called a turtle-on-its-back pose, widening the distance between him and Lee Dojin.

“Huk, heuk…”

Jung Jiwoo wiped his left face, which had become a bloody mess, with an expression filled with anger.

“F-fuck. Why are you doing this to me?”

“Why.”

“Use your sword! Fuck! That wooden sword!”

Lee Dojin glanced at the wooden sword in his right hand and then shrugged.

“Make me need to use it.”

Lee Dojin’s words were heard by everyone in the audience. The students in the seats showed various reactions to Lee Dojin’s line.

“Is he saying the opponent isn’t even worth using the wooden sword on? Is that it?”

“Wow, I’m getting immersed in Jung Jiwoo’s position so I can’t laugh at this. Ah… I think I’m going to cry.”

Jung Jiwoo was literally angry to the top of his head.

Clear killing intent dwelled in his eyes. And distinct murderous aura rose from his body.

Lee Dojin didn’t bother to awaken his own aura in response. Because the opponent wasn’t at a level worth unleashing his aura against.

A huge red circle was drawn behind Jung Jiwoo’s sword.

The name of the technique was Red Moon Wheel (적월륜).

It was a red moon made of viscous blood.

“Die, you bastard!”

Jung Jiwoo gritted his teeth and swung his sword.

All the muscles in his body screamed. Inner power from his dantian was suddenly depleted all at once.

The red moon covered the vast arena.

Lee Dojin gripped his wooden sword with a disinterested face.

And lightly swung the wooden sword vertically.

Sheogeogeok───

A streak of white light bisected the bright red moon.

The density of Lee Dojin’s sword energy. The air pressure of the white light evaporated the bisected red moon itself.

The hundreds of red blood drops that formed the red moon reversed course.

Hundreds of red streams shot up towards the sky.

Jung Jiwoo was sitting on the ground.

Lee Dojin’s wooden sword was pointing at his neck.