Chapter 45: If You're Scared, Never Mind (2)
Chapter 44 – If You’re Scared, Never Mind (2)
Dismay flashed across Tang Wu-gi’s face.
‘H-How did he……?’
Namgung Cheon’s expression looked like a yaksha risen from hell.
Just how on earth did he notice?
That what was thrown just now was a specially made hidden weapon containing poison.
‘Just what the hell is this bastard’s identity? Is he really the official pushover of Dragon Heaven Academy?’
At this point, a doubt even arose as to whether the entire Dragon Heaven Academy had deceived them.
Why was the group containing two pushovers so strong?
Even when dealing with Jin So-hong, it was not easy.
When she was swinging the meteor hammer here and there, he had only thought she was a woman full of superficial style.
‘How dare she choose our clan as her opponent in the duel?’
However, once they actually crossed hands, such thoughts completely vanished.
It was because while the spike and the flying dagger frantically flew back and forth before his eyes, he could not even think about rashly scattering hidden weapons.
Since she handled the meteor hammer so well, he could somewhat understand her desire to fight the Tang Clan.
Although a meteor hammer was not a hidden weapon type, it shared similar aspects in the concept of throwing a weapon.
Just how long had they fought frantically like that?
The meteor hammer narrowly grazed past and cut his shoulder, and the dagger he threw also brushed against Jin So-hong’s collar.
However, when a famous person and an unknown person fought, the famous person’s mind was bound to become urgent.
In that sense, reputation was no different from a double-edged sword in actual combat.
As the fight dragged on, the blade called reputation began to point toward Tang Wu-gi.
‘Why……! Why is it like this……! Not a single one is hitting……!’
Irritation surged within him.
He could not tell how many hidden weapons he had already thrown.
Yet Jin So-hong, infuriatingly, was blocking the numerous hidden weapons while moving flexibly as if dancing.
Come to think of it, that silver silk thread connecting the spike and the flying dagger was incredibly troublesome.
He had clearly thrown the hidden weapons toward her openings, but without fail, they got caught in the silver silk thread and bounced off or had their direction altered.
The hidden weapons deflected by the silver silk thread even targeted his own vital points.
‘I need to close the distance!’
For the Tang Clan, a prestigious family of hidden weapons, to close the distance.
That in itself was a blow to his pride, but he had no choice if he wanted to win.
Clang!
At the same time as he deflected the spike, Tang Wu-gi quickly lunged into Jin So-hong’s embrace.
In an instant, Jin So-hong quickly threw the flying dagger while retrieving the spike.
In other words, it was a situation where the flying dagger flew from the front, and the spike targeted from the back.
‘Where do you think you’re going!’
Swish.
Tang Wu-gi, who kicked off the ground, tilted his body horizontally and spun like a wheel.
Swoosh! Rip.
As the spike and the flying dagger crossed, they lightly grazed Tang Wu-gi’s lower abdomen and shoulder.
Although minor wounds remained, this was something he was prepared to endure.
Tap, thud.
Landing on the ground, he kicked Jin So-hong’s calf.
“Argh!”
Jin So-hong screamed and retreated.
It was the leg that had been injured.
However, Jin So-hong, whom he thought would collapse just like that, quickly pulled the silver silk thread and targeted his back with the flying dagger.
“Huh!”
Startled, Tang Wu-gi quickly turned his body, but the flying dagger cut deeply into his left arm as it passed.
Slash.
“Argh!”
As fresh blood sprayed, Tang Wu-gi’s eyes rolled back.
“This dog-like……!”
Tang Wu-gi glared at Jin So-hong with a face distorted like a yaksha.
Yet Jin So-hong had no change in her expression.
Her calm gaze did not waver in the slightest.
Just what were these guys?
Even at the Righteous Chivalry Academy, when he held a dagger, everyone trembled and bowed their heads.
What made a mere Dragon Heaven Academy cadet so arrogant?
‘Unless every single one of them regards our clan as dog shit!’
Feeling a rage boiling up from deep within his stomach, Tang Wu-gi drew a hidden weapon from his chest.
‘Bastards who run rampant without knowing fear like you guys need to feel the true terror of our clan!’
With his expression completely distorted, Tang Wu-gi instantly scattered hidden weapons toward Jin So-hong.
Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!
Sure enough, that loathsome silver silk thread deflected the hidden weapons wildly this time as well.
‘But the real deal is this one!’
Tang Wu-gi spun around and threw the hidden weapon he had pulled out earlier toward Paeng Su-hyeok.
Swoosh.
The hidden weapon, shining exceptionally with black light, flew toward Paeng Su-hyeok’s vital point.
Tang Wu-gi wore a satisfied smile.
‘With this, engrave the terror of our clan into your bones!’
However, another variable occurred.
“Step back! Paeng Su-hyeok!”
Out of nowhere, Namgung Cheon appeared, struck down the hidden weapon, and completely blew away the scattering poison.
Flutter!
As if he had known from the very beginning.
And now, he was growling like a wild beast while glaring at him like this.
Just how did he know?
As if to answer that question, Namgung Cheon muttered coldly.
“Among the weapons of the Sichuan Tang Clan, there is something called the Black Dart. The Black Dart is a hidden weapon loaded with poison. This hidden weapon, made intentionally of a fragile material, is slightly larger and shinier. It looks perfect for anyone to swing a weapon and block it. However, the moment you strike it down, the real attack is revealed. That is, deadly poison.”
“……!”
“Because of the care, time, and money required to make a single Black Dart, they do not load it with cheap poisons like paralyzing poison. Ten times out of ten, they load it with a lethal poison that threatens life. And that is what this son of a bitch threw in the middle of the exam just now.”
Tang Wu-gi’s pupils shook at Namgung Cheon’s chilling tone.
Namgung Cheon glared fiercely at such a Tang Wu-gi.
‘You must be surprised.’
Because I know it in too much detail.
However, I know this fact better than anyone else. Because damn it all, I once fell victim to that poison.
Back then, I did not know how much I wandered all over the Jianghu looking for an antidote.
Although, thanks to that, it became the catalyst for meeting the Thousand Poison Elder.
Tang Wu-gi flinched and spoke.
“W-What does that matter! I was planning to give the antidote once the exam ended anyway.”
“Ah, is that so? I suppose it is a relief that you have at least a sliver of conscience. I will also brew some medicine for you after this exam ends.”
“What?”
Swish.
In an instant, Namgung Cheon kicked off the ground and rushed forward like a gale.
It was a speed so fast that there was no room for anyone to intervene.
Swish.
Although Tang Wu-gi hurriedly retreated, it was not enough to shake off Namgung Cheon’s lightfoot technique.
Namgung Cheon was already fast, but after consuming the Golden Blood Rat’s inner elixir, he was incomparably faster than before.
Grab.
“Kegh!”
In an instant, Namgung Cheon dug into Tang Wu-gi’s chest and grabbed him by the collar.
“You said it with your own mouth. That we are those helped by heaven.”
“Cough……! T-This is…… a foul……! Why did you…… intervene……!”
Thwack.
At that moment, Namgung Cheon swung his scabbard and struck Tang Wu-gi in the face.
Crash!
Blown back just like that, Tang Wu-gi rolled on the ground for a long time.
Namgung Cheon walked toward the fallen Tang Wu-gi with steady steps.
“A foul……? In the first place, you guys were the ones who stepped forward as two on your own whim. This time, I intervened on my own whim. Is it fair when you do it, but unfair when I do it?”
“Even so, to suddenly intervene like this……”
“Shut up. Seeking fairness in a world that is unfair since birth. You still have not outgrown infancy.”
Whoosh, thwack!
Namgung Cheon raised his scabbard and struck him down mercilessly.
Tang Wu-gi screamed and collapsed.
He was in so much pain that he could not even stand up properly to counterattack.
Furthermore, the battle spirit currently radiating from Namgung Cheon was suffocatingly fierce.
In fact, Namgung Cheon was angry.
Because he could not stand the sight of someone else talking about a fair world.
Was he himself not the victim of unfairness?
Without having committed any wrongdoing, he was branded simply because his talent was dangerous, and he had to fight lonely against death for his entire life.
That was how the world was.
That was the Jianghu.
And yet, what? Unfair?
Have you guys ever properly felt true unfairness?
Insignificant garbage.
Swoosh, clang!
In an instant, the scabbard was blocked by a sword blade and stopped.
The vibration transmitted along the sword blade traveled all the way up through his palm to his forearm.
When Namgung Cheon glared and turned around, Murong Gang stood with an expressionless face, holding a sword.
“Stop there.”
A voice cold as ice flowed out.
Namgung Cheon chuckled as he looked at Tang Wu-gi, who was sprawled out and covered in blood.
“Did I go a bit too far?”
“The sun will rise soon.”
At Murong Gang’s words, Namgung Cheon glanced toward the east.
Indeed, it felt as though the sun would rise in just a little while.
Namgung Cheon glanced at Murong Gang.
“So? Are you planning to step forward and go all the way too?”
“……!”
In that instant, Murong Gang clenched his teeth.
It was not because he was angry.
It was to withstand the terrible killing intent felt from Namgung Cheon’s entire body.
‘What is this……? This sensation……?’
It was not simple killing intent.
Namgung Cheon’s killing intent possessed an indescribable desolation.
While all killing intent was bound to be desolate, Namgung Cheon’s was different.
It was as if he had instantly turned this place into a bloody battlefield.
It would not be strange at all even if countless corpses were strewn around them.
Such a savage, desolate, and chilling killing intent penetrated the skin of his entire body.
If it had been an ordinary person, standing on two legs would have been difficult.
How could a cadet who was barely twenty years old reveal such killing intent?
On the other hand, Namgung Cheon was acknowledging him in his own mind.
‘This guy is no ordinary person either.’
It seemed he was not a complete reckless fool who ran rampant without knowing anything.
His knees should be shaking by now, yet he stood firm without any change in expression.
He did not avoid his gaze either.
Even though his insides must have been boiling, he did not show any emotion either.
At this point, rather than just being praiseworthy, he even felt pity.
How strict and grueling must the training have been for him to develop such courage and cold composure at such a young age?
Of course, Namgung Cheon was not the kind of person to treat an opponent softly out of consideration for such circumstances.
“If you’re not going to fight, get lost, you bastard.”
For the first time in a while, his old temper flared up, and he threw out a harsh word.
Adding a spit to that.
“Ptui!”
This served as a sort of punctuation mark.
Because even in his past life, after hacking his pursuers to pieces, he had always spat.
After doing so, those who barely had breath left would turn pale and run away.
Indeed.
From that perspective, my spit was an expression of generosity, meaning, ‘I will at least spare your life.’
How generous a spit was this?
In any case, whether Murong Gang understood Namgung Cheon’s meaning, he took a step back.
Namgung Cheon glanced at Tang Wu-gi collapsed on the ground, then gestured with his chin toward his companions standing blankly in the distance.
“Let’s go.”
“Huh? Ah, right……”
“Jong-seung, grab that cat.”
“Ah, okay.”
While Yun Jong-seung quickly grabbed Red Cat Seol-ah, Paeng Su-hyeok grumbled as he followed behind him.
“Do not order me around, Namgung Cheon.”
“Then do you want to stay here and enjoy the sunrise?”
“Urgh……!”
“Come on, hurry up, there’s no time.”
“I told you not to order me around!”
“Then here, the sunrise……”
“Shut up!”
Namgung Cheon’s group entered the east gate while bickering.
Yue Goeng approached Murong Gang’s side.
“Brother Murong, I am sorry.”
“Forget it. Grab that and wake the kids. The sun will rise soon.”
“But that rat……”
Without even turning back to look at Yue Goeng, Murong Gang spoke coldly.
“It is a Golden Blood Rat. I mean it is no mere rat.”
“Yes? Really, then……?”
“It is a special-grade spiritual beast.”
“Ah…… but is it okay even if it is dead?”
“We will take it for now. Since they did say to use any means necessary.”
“Understood.”
Only then did Yue Goeng return with a relieved expression and pack the corpse of the Golden Blood Rat.
On the other hand, Murong Gang stared in the direction Namgung Cheon had vanished with an expression that still blew a cold wind.
‘Namgung Cheon……!’
Hummmm.
The sword he held let out a low cry.