Just as a white snake stands out among dark-colored ones, bastards with excellence were bound to stand out above others.This was especially true in the gathering place of the Orthodox Faction, the Heavenly Dragon Academy of the Central Plains.
This meant they shone even brighter than the genius Young Prodigies, boosting their pride and fame.
As a result, the rumor about cliques forming in the Academy caught the attention of many students, as it was a chance to either make or break their future.
It was clear that almost no one came to the Academy solely to learn.
They probably actually welcomed this, since they were waiting for something like this to happen.
This caused the rumor to spread quickly.
The Snow Phoenix is acting directly to form cliques. She has already won over merchants and a few blood relatives of noble clans.
The Meteor Sword has formed cliques mainly consisting of sword-wielding martial artists.
Students from the Sects are gathering together to form one big clique.
A group of bodyguards is being formed for the Sword Dancer and the Sword Venerable’s descendant. These were some of the major rumors circulating.
What the heck is the last one?
I couldn’t help but laugh when I heard the last rumor.
A group of bodyguards?
I honestly thought I’d misheard at first.
Are they insane?
Just what do they intend to do with their lives?
They seriously must have nothing better to do.
“Did you see it?”
“…Hmm?”
“Those guys are supposedly your bodyguards.”
I paused eating for a moment and asked Namgung Bi-ah who was dozing off next to me.
Namgung Bi-ah just shook her head in response. Does she really not know about it?
Then was it a fake rumor?
That was possible.
After all, rumors aren’t always true.
However,
“I saw it.”
In the middle of my thoughts, Gu Jeolyub suddenly joined in.
“Saw what?”
“The group of bodyguards.”
“…So they do actually exist?”
“Yes…”
Gu Jeolyub’s face was filled with exhaustion.
According to him, his instructor was obsessed with the Demons, so he had to memorize an absurd number of details.
But was it really bad enough to make him look like this?
“How is it?”
“…Well, they definitely don’t seem to be normal.”
Of course not—if they were, they wouldn’t have formed such a group to begin with.
“Because of that, Wi- “
Wi?
“…Never mind.”
Gu Jeolyub stopped midway.
What was up with him?
I let it slide, figuring there must be a good reason for Gu Jeolyub to stop.
Though of course, I planned to ask him later.
“Then is the rumor about you also real?”
I asked Moyong Hi-ah this time.
Moyong Hi-ah paused, carefully putting food in her mouth, before reacting to my question.
“No.”
It was a firm response.
That made sense. How could see win over merchants and noble clans in such a short amount of-
“It’s not all correct. I still have some things left to do.”
“…Huh?”
“There were more merchants than I expected. There was also an unnecessary amount of arrogant people who didn’t know their places. Because of that, I think it’ll take longer than I expected.”
“…”
“But I don’t think it’ll take that long, so you need not to worry.”
I’m sorry, but even if the world were ending, I don’t think I’d ever worry about Moyong Hi-ah.
I was horrified when I saw her sparkly eyes.
How did she manage to accomplish so much in just a few days?
“Why go to all that trouble? You should take it easy.”
“Master, the world isn’t as easy as you think.”
Moyong Hi-ah wasn’t wrong.
Yes, I knew better than anyone how messed up the world could be.
“If I start preparing now, it’ll benefit you in the future, Master Gu.”
“…How is it supposed to help me when you’re the one doing the work?”
“…”
I noticed Moyong Hi-ah’s eyes turn a bit colder after I spoke.
Did I say something wrong?
“Master Gu, I didn’t say anything harsh to you yet, right?”
“I think so?”
I’d heard endless bitter remarks from the Snow Phoenix in my past life, but that hadn’t happened yet in this one.
It just showed how different our relationships were.
“I want that to continue, but it’s not easy.”
“Why?”
“You don’t need to know, stupid.”
After saying that, she turned her head away, sulking.
What the—did I actually do something wrong?
I glanced at Namgung Bi-ah and Tang Soyeol for answers, but they both avoided my gaze.
Judging by their reactions, it seemed like I was the one at fault here.
In situations like this, it was best to just eat in silence.
One thing that concerned me, though, was Cheol Jiseon, who couldn’t stop his eyes from trembling.
“Your eyes might fall out at that rate, friend.”
“…Huh? Oh, yeah…”
“Why are you shaking so much, did I threaten you or something?”
“No…”
I tried to lighten the mood with a joke, but it only made Cheol Jiseon shrink even further.
It seemed as if he was thinking, ‘Why am I here?’.
Though I understand why he is acting this way.
He was probably thinking about the cliques that were being formed and things related to it.
The biggest rumor spreading around the Academy,
The True Dragon is trying to dominate the Heavenly Dragon Academy.
Was something along those lines. I was speechless when I first heard it.
Dominate my ass, for fucks sake…
Why would I bother with such a hassle?
This rumor likely started because of my fight with my instructor and the mess I made of Jang Seonyeon’s group.
Even the names in this rumor sounded ridiculous.
The fierce and vicious leader, True Dragon.
The right hand of True Dragon, Pe Woocheol.
The hidden mad dog, Cheol Jiseon.
Etcetera…
Just hearing these names almost made me lose consciousness.
Why do they come up with such names?
Vicious? Vicioouus?
Who’s calling who vicious? I’m doing my best to be as kind as possible.
Putting that aside, the real problem was with Cheol Jiseon.
The hidden mad dog huh.
Thanks to the mess I made in his group, they stopped picking on Cheol Jiseon, but it also isolated him from the others a bit too much.
The man who is friends with the True Dragon.
He may look weak, but we can’t let our guard down. He must be similar to the True Dragon in strength!
Maybe Jin Eesuk just got lucky? It was probably better for him to be punished by the True Dragon before he got bitten by the mad dog.
Rumors like these spread everywhere.
Four more days passed after that incident, and Cheol Jiseon’s reputation hit an all-time low in that short time.
In response, Cheol Jiseon wore a frustrated expression, hoping everyone would understand he didn’t do anything, but he couldn’t stop the rumors from spreading.
One thing that was actually true about the rumor though,
Was the fact that I saved the bastard named Jin Eesuk.
The bastard who picked on Cheol Jiseon.
It was technically true that I saved the bastard.
I crushed him before Cheol Jiseon was able to use his power.
Cheol Jiseon barely moved his chopsticks due to the lack of appetite, but he probably knew it was better to be by my side right now.
Though his face was pale as he sat next to me.
Cheol Jiseon’s isolation wasn’t part of my plan, but it was fortunate that it happened.
It made my job easier after all.
So what is it?
I still had so many questions.
If Cheol Jiseon was the Zhuge Jihee I knew of, I wanted to know if he was dressing up as a guy or a girl, and why he came to the Heavenly Dragon Academy using a fake name.
and lastly, how I could get Cheol Jiseon to use his power in the way I want him to.
What do I need to do first?
First, I needed to get him to show me ‘that’ power of his.
In order to do that,
I either needed to force him to use it, or he needed to use it on his own.
I didn’t plan to use the former plan.
I wouldn’t have gone through the hassle of becoming friends with him if I was going to.
Then, I need to somehow make him show me on his own.
If I want that to happen…
I thought for a moment.
Many ideas came to mind, but only one seemed reasonable.
“Friend.”
“H-Huh?”
“I have something I want to ask fro- “
“Brother.”
Right as I was about to speak to Cheol Jiseon, Pe Woocheol suddenly interfered.
“…You scared me.”
“Sorry to interrupt your meal. Older brother Cheol and the other sisters are here too, huh?”
“A-Ah, yes… nice to meet you.”
Cheol Jiseon became very confused for a moment when he was called an older brother.
As soon as Pe Woocheol heard that Cheol Jiseon was my friend, he started calling him ‘older brother.’
Cheol Jiseon insisted he stop, but Pe Woocheol wouldn’t listen.
Pe Woocheol also called my crew, older sisters as well.
…I thought he was incapable of reading situations.
Despite having large muscles, Pe Woocheol was quick with his thinking which was unexpected.
Compared to the first bad impression I had on him, he got much better. It was as if he was learning how to adapt to the world.
Thanks to that, more rumors about me were spreading rapidly.
“Why did you show up all of a sudden? You startled me.”
When I spoke with a frown, Pe Woocheol flinched and spoke.
“I’m sorry, it’s nothing major, but-“
Pe Woocheol lowered his head midway, as if he was trying to be careful with his words.
“…Instructor Cheol Hwanho was looking for you.”
“…Why are you saying that so cautiously?”
I was nervous for nothing.
When I asked in a speechless tone, Pe Woocheol was the one who put on a confused expression.
“Huh? I-I honestly thought this was a life-and-death situation…”
“What kind of nonsense are you on about?”
“Since you are thinking of dominating the Heavenly Dragon Academy, I thought that you were trying to get rid of the instructors first.”
“…”
I take my words back about when I said he was smarter than I expected.
Is he crazy?
“Do not worry, brother. As a younger brother, I shall follow you wherever you- “
Pow.
“Ugh!”
I kicked Pe Woocheol’s shin, and he doubled over, screaming.
“I think you are the cause of the rumor.”
“W-What are you talking about…”
“…Be honest, you are not from the Orthodox Faction, right?”
“Pardon…?”
Ugh, my back.
I ignored Pe Woocheol, who was clutching his leg, and stood up.
I didn’t even finish eating.
“I’ll be leaving first.”
“…You’re going?”
Namgung Bi-ah woke up from her dozing and spoke.
She looked a bit disappointed, probably because we hadn’t spent much time together, but I couldn’t stay long.
However, I was still concerned about her gaze, so I gave her some head pats.
“See you next time.”
“…Okay.”
Then,
“Hmm?”
I turned around.
I thought I felt a sharp gaze just now, didn’t I?
The problem was, there was nothing when I turned around to check.
I only saw the girls continuing their meal.
I considered sharpening my senses to confirm my suspicion, but I couldn’t pinpoint the source since the gazes came from so many directions.
…Was I just mistaken?
I’m almost fully healed from my injuries though, so was I really mistaken?
I was a bit concerned, but I decided to leave since I had to meet with Instructor Cheol Hwanho.
“So where is instructor Cheo- …What are you doing?”
I was asking for his location, but Pe Woocheol was glaring at someone.
It was Gu Jeolyub.
What are they doing? Were they having a staring contest?
There was no way grown adults would do that, but then what were they doing?
Gu Jeolyub himself didn’t seem like he knew why Pe Woocheol was glaring at him.
He was instead looking at me in confusion.
What was going on right now?
There is no point in asking me.
I didn’t understand that strange bastard either.
Then, Pe Woocheol spoke to Gu Jeolyub.
“I heard a lot about you.”
“…?”
Gu Jeolyub put on a strange expression after hearing Pe Woocheol.
I too showed the same reaction.
“You must hate a rock that suddenly rolls in from nowhere, but what can you do? That’s just how the world works.”
What was he suddenly talking about?
His serious tone only confused me more.
“…Are you talking to me?”
“Unfortunately for you, I am the right hand of my older brother from n-“
“You crazy bastard.”
“Ugh!”
I pulled away Pe Woocheol who was talking nonsense.
“Stop speaking nonsense and lead me to the instructor.”
“U-Understood.”
I forced Pe Woocheol out of the scene.
I had no idea what he might do if I left him here, so I dragged him along and went on my way.
During this, Gu Jeolyub continued to watch Pe Woocheol with a confused expression.
Once Gu Yangcheon left,
“Then… I shall also- “
Cheol Jiseon also tried to stand up as he was awkwardly left alone.
He didn’t want to be left in this situation.
Cheol Jiseon quickly realized the tense atmosphere that formed among the girls whenever Gu Yangcheon was out of sight.
He wanted to approach every single one of them as he knew just how impressive each one of them were, but he didn’t want to do it all at once and preferred to do it one by one.
Just as Cheol Jiseon was about to stand up, leaving his meal unfinished,
“Wait…”
Flinch.
Someone called out to Cheol Jiseon, stopping him in his tracks.
It was none other than the lady called the Sword Dancer, Namgung Bi-ah from Namgung Clan.
“Pardon…?”
“…Finish… your food first…”
Her blue eyes shimmered.
That alongside her absurd beauty made Cheol Jiseon feel uncomfortable.
Because of that, he wasn’t able to look into her eyes for a long time, so he naturally avoided her eyes.
“…Eat first.”
“Yes…”
Cheol Jiseon sat back down, compelled by Namgung Bi-ah’s words.
…What’s happening?
Why did she tell me to sit down again?
She’s practically telling me to get sick to tell me to eat in a situation like this.
Perhaps,
Then, Cheol Jiseon remembered.
That beautiful lady was the fiancée of the vicious True Dragon.
That alone validated his suspicions.
…Is this a new form of torture?
He was convinced she was picking on him.
Namgung Bi-ah kept her strange gaze on Cheol Jiseon, and eventually, he resumed eating, unsure of what else to do.
The Snow Phoenix remained silent, Tang Soyeol sipped her tea quietly, and Namgung Bi-ah continued to stare directly into his eyes.
He could barely tell what he was eating.
…Sis, I’m having such a hard time.
Cheol Jiseon thought about his sister who was far away from him, but it didn’t make his situation any better.
******************I headed to the instructor with Pe Woocheol leading the way.
Instructor Cheol Hwanho hadn’t looked at me kindly since our bet, but he had kept his promise, which was true to his character.
“I heard you called me.”
When I asked the instructor, Cheol Hwanho spoke to me after a small sigh.
“I heard you caused quite a stir.”
So it is about that after all.
I was thinking about why Cheol Hwanho looked for me on my way to him.
There was only one reason he’d call me.
It was likely the mess I caused with Jang Seonyeon’s group, just as Cheol Hwanho mentioned.
Of course, I didn’t expect to be let off easily since I did stir up a lot of trouble.
As I expected, Cheol Hwanho started to talk about things regarding this.
“It is allowed for the students to have a spar with one another, but I heard that wasn’t what happened in this case. Am I correct?”
“Yes.”
That’s right, it wasn’t a spar.
I beat them up in a very one-sided way.
Cheol Hwanho asked,
“Why did you do it?”
I responded without hesitation.
“I wasn’t fond of that bastard’s attitude, so I taught him a lesson.”
“…What?”
Cheol Hwanho’s eyes widened in surprise.
Did he think that I was going to give a proper excuse?
There’s no way I would.
“A bastard was picking on a student weaker than him, yet no one was stopping him. So I just ended up doing it myself.”
“This is a problem they need to solve themselves. Besides, you aren’t part of that group. You must let others handle their own issues, as everyone in the Academy is a martial artist.”
Cheol Hwanho was telling me that people needed to overcome their own hardships as they were martial artists.
That’s right, I agreed with him.
However, Cheol Hwanho didn’t seem to understand my main point.
I said it clearly the first time too.
“Yes, I did it because I got annoyed.”
I know that I shouldn’t do such a thing, but I was pissed off.
“Sigh…”
Cheol Hwanho let out a deep sigh this time.
“You don’t even have an excuse, huh? This isn’t something we can let slide easily. You know that, right?”
But that didn’t mean that I was going to be suspended.
It was possible that I wasn’t going to be excused from my morning training anymore, but I was fine with it as I expected that much to happen.
“Then what do I need to do?”
I was curious about what kind of punishment I would get, and Cheol Hwanho gave me an unexpected answer.
“The Head of the Academy is looking for you.”
“Pardon?”
“The Head will decide your fate.”
My eyes widened at Cheol Hwanho’s words.
The Leader of Kunlun Sect, Qinghai Sword. The man who was the Head of this year’s Heavenly Dragon Academy.
He was looking for me.
Cheol Hwanho seemed to think I understood the gravity of the situation from my expression, but that wasn’t why I was so shocked.
Whether it was the Qinghai Sword or whoever,
“Wait, you should’ve just sent me to the Head’s room from the start. Why call me here first? What a hassle.”
“…”
“Ugh, the Head’s room is in the opposite direction from here… Sigh.”
Cheol Hwanho put on a big frown after hearing my response.