The office space was decorated with antique furniture; a lamp brightly shined in the room, and one man was standing with his arms crossed in front of the window.
Master Yang Baek-jeon looked at him and said,
"I don't see any reason for us to be concerned."
"No reason to be concerned?"
"When I called the officer to check it, it was said that the strength wasn't dependent on the item."
At his words, the man's eyebrows rose. It was because the answer was different from expected. At that, he stroked his chin and asked.
"… are you sure?"
In response to that, Yang Baek-jeon remembered what happened 2 hours back. The conversation he had with Dan Pil-hoo.
[Then you mean he entered to find his parents?]
[Yes.]
[For just that…]
[It might seem like that for you, but not for a child who has been adopted for 17 years.]
[… I think you might be overestimating.]
[No. even I had trouble with that child. Just like you.]
[And this is the result of it?]
[Yes.]
Dan Pil-hoo knew the power Mumu had. Yet, he closed his eyes to the issue and let him continue to stay here.
[As you know, this child didn't learn martial arts.]
[I checked that.]
It was certain that Mumu didn't learn martial arts. The way he moved was enough to know this. People just chose not to believe it because of the strength he has.
[…he has strength beyond what he can control. I think we can see the item he is wearing for that purpose.]
[The item?]
[Yes. That is to control his strength. You didn't know that?]
[… Ahem. Of course, I knew about it. how can I, as the deputy head, not know of it.]
[Is that so?]
[So I have a request to ask of you]
[Don't tell me you want me to close my eyes like you?]
[Yes.]
Yang Baek-jeon felt lost at what he heard.
The power in Mumu's hand was beyond common sense, but why was Dan Pil-hoo trying to hide it?
And was asking for the others to hide it too?
[I am not just asking you to turn a blind eye.]
[What do you mean?]
[As you can see, the child is relatively innocent and kind. However, if he keeps bumping into wrong things in the world, we can never know how he will change.]
[…]
[Imagine that child with such strength being pushed into the world without knowing how it is out there.]
[… something terrible could happen.]
[Yes, so I, the deputy head, want the child to know what is right and wrong and to control his own power here in the academy.]
He was surprised at the unexpected words.
He never thought that Dan Pil-hoo was this committed as a teacher. People in the academy knew that Dan Pil-hoo was obsessed with rising to the top, and he had such refreshing emotions?
[… it seems like I didn't know the true heart of deputy head. I apologize for dragging this.]
[Huhuhu.]
[I understand your intentions, and I will help you.]
On the spot, it was decided to help each other.
They thought they were doing their best to help Mumu control his strength and become a nice person. They would have to get the people who doubted Mumu to know Mumu was normal.
"I am sure. That item we talked about isn't for manipulating muscles, but merely for the purpose of training the body by increasing the weight, like sandbagging."
"To train the body?"
"Yes, it is a bit strange, but it is nothing special."
"… is that so?"
"Yes. In any case, when I met him, he seemed like a good natured kid. If taught well, he will become a good person."
"A good person…."
"I informed you what I saw, so I will leave."
Yang Baek-jeon bowed to the man. And the man in the shadow of the window smiled softly.
"I am glad that it is different from our concerns. I was worried that a situation breaking the rules would appear, but thank you for letting me know."
"Yes, I will take my leave."
As Yang Baek-jeon left the office, the man in the shadows erased the smile and opened the window. A cold night breeze came in.
Shhh.
And the man moved out of the window. He climbed up the roof of the building with great ease, jumped to another, and headed somewhere. After working hard, the place he arrived at was.
[Discipline Hall]
In the vicinity of the hall, there was a signpost saying 'expansion' and saying 'No entry' attached to it. The sudden expansion meant that the deputy head had initiated it. He was in charge of the budget and administration, so only he had the right to pass the budget for a sudden expansion.
Whup!
And there were people around with torches in their hands.
'So bothersome.'
The man flew from one building to the next. When he entered the hall, the third-floor window was left open.
'This?'
It looked like an ordinary hall he saw every day, but with everything blown away when viewed from the inside.
The expansion couldn't have started yet, but signs of wreckage could be seen. Seeing that, the man narrowed his eyes.
'The power of that item?'
The destruction came out of nowhere. Feeling suspicious about the building, which was suddenly blocked, and Yang Baek-jeon, who was hiding the truth.
'Did he hide this?'
And the chance of the deputy head being in on this. Every time Mumu did something, the deputy head was there to take him out of the mess.
But it was shocking that Yang Baek-jeon, too, was siding with the child. Given his personality, he wasn't the kind to bow down to others, so this was most unexpected.
'I thought Dan Pil-hoo was just a foolish person trying to covet the position of academy head….'
Was he too unaware of what was happening? It was when he was thinking that.
Startle!
The man who sensed another presence turned his head there; standing behind a pillar was a man quietly looking at him. And he was.
'Deputy head?'
It was Deputy Head Dan Pil-hoo. The man narrowed his eyes.
It was just a moment, but he didn't know that Dan Pil-hoo was so good at stealth.
'Then was it true that he previously belonged to an assassins group before joining the academy?'
It was unexpected, and he was puzzled as Dan Pil-hoo opened his mouth.
"When I heard how the information came to Master Yang, I knew I should keep an eye out, so I waited just in case and here you came."
At these words, the man said,
"I have no idea what you are talking about. I just stopped by as I was curious to know the Discipline Hall was being expanded."
"Be quiet."
Dan Pil-hoo said as he walked from the pillar.
"Sa Muheo, one of the people helping the Heavenly Martial Arts Academy."
"Why are you suddenly bringing up…."
"Ten years ago, you suddenly appeared like a comet in Guangdong province and turned famous overnight, and eight years ago, you defeated Ha Sang-hee of the Academy and took his place."
"Deputy head. I don't know what you are…."
"However, no matter how much research was done, the deeds you did before coming into the light cannot be found. Not a single record existed in the Murim Association either."
The man, no Sa Muheo, looked at the deputy head and wiggled his fingers. From the index and middle finger ran a deep chill.
And in a low tone, he asked.
"What are you tryin to say??"
"I don't know with what intention you decided to enter the Academy. But know that the deputy head has his eyes on you."
"Intention…"
"You are my kind. We are the same."
Dan Pil-hoo's eyes gleamed.
"…"
"I am warning you. The Heavenly Martial Arts Academy isn't a place where someone who hides himself can covet. So don't do vain acts."
At his warning, Sa Muheo immediately collected the energy going around the fingers. He was ready to use his hands if things were going to escalate.
And Sa Muheo said,
"How can I have any ambition with the deputy head here? I have no such ambition."
"Things like that are being said, but the excessive closeness with Elder Hang, who is the head of the library and training and each of your moves is annoying."
Sa Muheo's eyes went sharp at the words. This man was paying such close attention to his actions?
And Dan Pil-hoo turned around as he touched the pillar.
"I definitely warned you. Let go of this greed you have. And I saw that you are looking into the child Mumu. Stop digging into it."
Jjjkkk!
As soon as he said that, the pillar cracked around Dan Pil-hoo's hand, and the firm pillar holding the building collapsed like powder.
And Dan Pil-hoo's form scattered. And when he completely disappeared, Sa Muheo released the fingers he was clenching.
'Dan Pil-hoo.'
This guy was going to be annoying. Strong ambition known to everyone. It seemed like the competition had leveled up.
Cho Na-yeon was hesitating, walking in front of someone else's door.
The door was of the office of Master Baek Yeon, a teacher in the Academy. There was one reason she was hesitating here.
It was to get stars. But she couldn't bring herself to knock on it.
'Do I have to show my body for it?'
She wondered if the information from Mumu was accurate. Even so, a teacher, one of the best masters, gave out stars by looking at the body?
Wouldn't it be a problem?
Thinking, she bit her lip.
'… no, maybe I misunderstood something.'
Maybe the fact that Mumu had to show the body wasn't just for sight. Besides, rumors are just rumors, right?
The teacher looked great and wasn't married yet.
"Phew."
Exhaling, she knocked.
Knock.
-Yes.
When she knocked, she heard the voice of Baek-yeon from inside.
"Master, I am Cho Nayeon, 3rd year student. Can I talk with you?"
-Come in.
When the permission fell, she opened the door. The vast office of the master opened up in front of her, but when she tried to enter, she couldn't.
'!?'
Her face hardened.
It was because Mumu was lying half-naked in the office with just the underwear and Dan Baek-yeon was on top fiddling with the body?
"What is it?"
Dan Baek-yeon asked her.
"…"
Cho Nayeon had a red face as she took a step back.
"Student?"
Bang!
And she closed the door. And then with a scream of 'Kyaaaa!' and running from outside.
Dan Baek-yeon frowned. She said she wanted to talk but then ran away?
"Uh?"
Mumu, who was lying down, couldn't understand why she ran away. He was puzzled, but Dan Baek-yeon didn't care and pressed Mumu's body again.
"Let's keep going."
"Ah.. yes."
Baek-yeon, who was pressing on Mumu's body, frowned. She wanted to study the muscles, these muscles which were different from ordinary people.
It seemed like this wasn't a simple coincidence that he could release the sealed blood points with just muscle strength.
'Amazing.'
All muscles were developed. And she wondered how this was possible.
'If the muscle is developed enough to release the sealed blood point, can it also reject the internal energy?'
It wasn't like it couldn't be.
Using muscles to twist the structure of vessels and throw out the internal energy. If this was possible, then many theories she had read about could be overturned.
Dan Baek-yeon said to Mumu.
"I will infuse internal energy. Since you haven't mastered cultivation, you will feel it as some warm flow, but try to feel it and control it with strength."
"Strength?"
"Yes. Something like trying to relive that sealing on the blood point you did earlier."
"Um… yes."
Saying that, she placed her hand on Mumu's abdominal muscles, which were like a washboard. No matter how she looked at him, Mumu was like a kid with clothes and a beast without.
Despite trying to look at him from a researcher's point of view, she couldn't stop her pounding heart.
"You wont do it?"
At Mumu's question, Dan Baek-yeon coughed.
"Hm."
It felt like she was caught up in her thoughts. A genuinely mystical body.
Dan Baek-yeon cleared her mind and induced internal energy into Mumu's abdomen. She wondered if the muscles would be able to reject the energy.
Dan Baek-yeon frowned.
'!?'
Something felt strange.
She tried to see how the energy would be repelled, but the energy was being sucked somewhere instead of being thrown out. Soon she took the hands off the abs.
And looked at Mumu like she couldn't understand.
"… what is this?"
"Huh?"
"You… How did you create a dantian in just one day?"