Chapter 74: Everything Has a Price (1)
Chapter 73 – Everything Has a Price (1)
Finally, the round of sixteen of the martial arts tournament came to an end.
It was truly a day of great upheaval.
As many as four people from the Dragon Heaven Academy, which boasted being the perennial last place, advanced to the quarterfinals.
Namgung Cheon, Paeng Su-hyeok, Yun Jong-seung, and even Jin So-hong!
Jin So-hong competed against a cadet from the Valiant Martial Academy, and by appropriately applying Namgung Cheon’s advice, she was able to advance to the next match without much difficulty.
However, because the previous ‘Rebellion of the Pushovers’ was such a shocking event, she received relatively less attention.
Besides them, Murong Gang, Yun Gyeong, Baek Mu-geuk, and Yu Hyeon advanced to the next match.
With Dragon Heaven Academy cadets occupying half of the quarterfinalists, it meant that the Dragon Heaven Academy had achieved the best results among the Three Great Academies.
People called this day the Day of the Ascending Dragon.
Literally, the day the little dragons of the Dragon Heaven Academy finally ascended to heaven!
Whenever not only martial artists but also the commoners gathered in groups, they spoke with one voice to praise and admire the little dragons of the Dragon Heaven Academy.
“From now on, I’m only going to cheer for the Dragon Heaven Academy!”
“Should I send my son to the Dragon Heaven Academy when he grows up?”
“Who says they’ll accept him?”
“Hahaha!”
Under these circumstances, the four members of the Blue Dragon Class, including Namgung Cheon, became heroes of the Dragon Heaven Academy overnight.
That was just the nature of the human heart.
When the weak overcame adversity and stood tall, people couldn’t help but cheer for them.
This was because everyone gained hope and courage from seeing that sight.
Thinking that perhaps such a miracle could happen to them too…
In this way, the great leap forward of the Dragon Heaven Academy cadets made even the ordinary commoners excited with hope and anticipation.
As a result, the inns and taverns of Wuhan unanimously ran generous promotions.
Namely, they would provide all drinks and snacks free of charge, exclusively for the cadets of the Dragon Heaven Academy!
“Wow! All of this is free!”
A Dragon Heaven Academy cadet who visited a tavern near the Martial Alliance gaped in admiration.
The cadet sitting next to him dabbed the corners of his eyes with a handkerchief.
“Ah… my eyes are tearing up… Have we ever been treated like this before?”
“It’s all thanks to Namgung Cheon. He was the most dramatic. From the official pushover to the cadet with the best performance in the Joint Conference so far!”
“Let’s not even bring up the term ‘official pushover’ anymore. Namgung Cheon is already a hope and a hero to me.”
“The bastards from the Blue Dragon Class must be regretting it by now, right?”
“Probably. Seriously, those who used to torment Namgung Cheon should gag themselves and reflect on their actions!”
As one cadet shouted angrily, two people who had been drinking in a corner of the tavern quietly stood up.
The gazes of several cadets turned toward them, harboring blatant hostility.
Those two were none other than Song Won-gyo and Baekli Hyang.
Public opinion was a scary thing.
As an atmosphere of revere for Namgung Cheon as a hero formed, Song Won-gyo and Baekli Hyang, who once ruled the Blue Dragon Class, completely lost their footing.
As the two placed money on the table and tried to slip out of the tavern, a cadet shouted loudly for them to hear.
“Anyway, those pieces of trash couldn’t even recognize our academy’s hero. It would be better if they all just dropped dead!”
“……!”
Song Won-gyo, who was walking quietly, bit his lip hard and hesitated.
‘These bastards…! Just because I’m staying quiet, do they really take me for a fool?’
With veins bulging on his forehead, Song Won-gyo turned around with a stiff expression and scanned the cadets.
“What did you just say?”
His voice was low and heavy. It was clearly felt that he was suppressing his surging anger.
The cadet who had shouted earlier slowly stood up.
“I said it.”
“Trash?”
“Why? Did I say something wrong? By any chance, are you that trash?”
The cadet asked, deliberately pretending not to know the facts he already knew.
At that, the surrounding cadets snickered and watched with excited expressions.
“This bastard…!”
Song Won-gyo clenched his fists and strode over.
Just because he had kept his temper in check, was it now at the point where any random nobody barked at him?
Fine, today was the day. His mood was already shit anyway, so why not have some fun?
But someone grabbed his collar.
It was Baekli Hyang.
“Lady Baekli?”
“Just ignore them. There’s no need to deal with each and every one of those things, is there?”
As she spoke, Baekli Hyang glanced sideways to point out the other cadets.
Only then did Song Won-gyo realize that the tavern was full of cadets glaring at him with hostility, and he gritted his teeth.
‘Shit…’
While Song Won-gyo hesitated, Baekli Hyang spoke to the cadet in a clear voice.
“Haven’t you also played mischievous pranks at the academy? Ours was just a prank, too.”
“Ha! I have never driven a comrade to the brink of death for a prank, though.”
“We never told him to die, either. It was the other party’s heart that refused to accept a prank as a prank.”
At the staggering sophistry, the cadets in the tavern gaped in disbelief.
It was then.
“A prank?”
At the chilling voice heard from behind them, the bodies of Baekli Hyang and Song Won-gyo froze like ice at the same time.
Step, step.
The sound of low-pitched footsteps echoed.
Song Won-gyo and Baekli Hyang turned around like stiff logs.
“Na-Namgung Cheon…!”
Slap! Slap!
Namgung Cheon, who had approached, slapped Song Won-gyo and Baekli Hyang across the cheeks without warning.
Because it happened so quickly, the watching cadets could only stare with their jaws dropped.
Namgung Cheon let out a voice cold as a wintry wind.
“Sorry. Were you surprised? I was just playing a prank. Are you okay?”
“……!”
Song Won-gyo and Baekli Hyang could not bring themselves to retaliate and gritted their teeth, while Namgung Cheon continued with a cold sneer.
“Do you know what the most despicable and evil bastard in the world is? It’s a bastard who kills people while smiling like this. Just like you bastards did not too long ago.”
“I-I’m sorry. Back then, we…”
Slap! Slap!
Under the slaps that flew like lightning once again, Song Won-gyo and Baekli Hyang staggered once more.
The sound of one of the watching cadets dropping their cup and rolling on the floor could be heard.
“Come on, come on. Smile. I said it was a prank, didn’t I? For your information, I don’t accept that apology. I don’t think that reluctant apology of yours is sincere at all. Even if it were sincere, I have no intention of forgiving you. Got it? Apologizing is easy, but forgiveness is fucking hard as hell.”
“…….”
“People don’t change. Even assuming you bastards have turned over a new leaf, you still have to experience several times the hell my son… no, I went through, and endure it until you want to die. Only then would the world be fair. Don’t you think so?”
With every word Namgung Cheon spoke, the expressions of the two turned as pale as drowned rats.
“Just you wait. There will never be an opportunity for success in your lives. Whatever you do, what you bastards did will follow you like a shackle. It probably doesn’t feel real yet. Your families are influential, and well, my current position isn’t threatening either. You probably think you can cover it up if worst comes to worst. But I won’t let that happen. Every time an opportunity for success arises for you bastards, I will make sure an indelible tag follows you. A brand worse than the brand of the Great Killing Star will be engraved on your foreheads. So that the whole world will turn its back on you. I will make sure you bastards can never hold your heads high and live in the Jianghu.”
“……!”
The complexions of Song Won-gyo and Baekli Hyang grew increasingly pale.
If anyone else had said it, they would have snorted.
But because the opponent was Namgung Cheon, it did not sound like a bluff.
A man who was reborn from the official pushover of the Dragon Heaven Academy to its hero overnight. Having witnessed an unbelievable miracle right before their eyes, if he said so, it felt like it would truly happen.
Chills ran down their spines.
Namgung Cheon drew closer and muttered quietly.
“So, don’t be greedy in this life and just live quietly in the shadows. Until you die and turn into white bones. If you try to fly even a little, falling deeper than hell will be nothing. Well, if you’re curious about what it feels like to be rejected by the world, why don’t you try showing off spectacularly?”
Namgung Cheon’s words ended, but Song Won-gyo and Baekli Hyang could not utter a single word.
There seemed to be an invisible power in those words that were close to a curse.
In fact, it felt as if all kinds of blame and criticism were pouring down from the gazes of the cadets filling the tavern.
“Get lost.”
As Namgung Cheon’s words fell, Song Won-gyo and Baekli Hyang forced their stiff legs to move.
Just before the two stepped out of the tavern, Namgung Cheon spoke again.
“Ah, for your information, I’m not doing this because I hold a grudge. It’s all for the realization of justice.”
As the two disappeared into the darkness outside the door, the cadets, who had been silent for a long time, began to applaud at some point.
Clap clap clap clap…!
Coincidentally, at that exact moment, Yun Jong-seung entered the tavern.
Yun Jong-seung, who was bewildered for a moment, put on a silly grin at the cadets and waved his hand.
“Ah, yes, yes. Hehe. Thank you, everyone. Hehe.”
A few cadets burst into laughter at that sight, but the applause did not stop.
Namgung Cheon called Yun Jong-seung over and sat down together.
“Since you had a hard time getting beaten up, pick something. My treat today.”
“Oh! Really? No, wait… Isn’t it originally free today anyway?”
Namgung Cheon cast his gaze out the window and clicked his tongue.
“You’re quick-witted.”
* * *
At the eatery located a short distance from the Martial Alliance, there were also people quietly celebrating.
They were none other than the Gold King and Jin So-hong.
The Gold King stared at his daughter and spoke.
“I wanted to buy you something better, but…”
“We eat good things all the time anyway. I wanted to eat noodles here. It’s not well known yet, but it’s secretly a delicious restaurant.”
“Haha, still, seeing you eat with such relish makes this father feel full already.”
“You try some too, Father. It’s really delicious.”
“Yes, yes.”
The Gold King took a few bites of the noodles. True to his daughter’s words, they tasted quite good. However, right now, he wanted to look at his daughter even a little bit more.
The Gold King smiled warmly.
“This father was truly surprised. To think you would grow this much.”
“Thank you, Father.”
“It was truly amazing.”
“Don’t mention it.”
“Hmm…? I was talking about Namgung Cheon, not you.”
“What? You weren’t talking about me winning the match?”
As Jin So-hong gave him a gentle glare, the Gold King roared with laughter and waved his hand.
“I’m sorry. You were also truly amazing. But Namgung Cheon stood out so much…”
Glare.
As Jin So-hong narrowed her eyes like a flatfish, the Gold King quickly cut himself off and slurped the noodles.
At that sight, Jin So-hong burst into a giggle.
Only then did the Gold King lift his head and praise her.
“Our daughter was amazing too. You did very well.”
“Hmph, forget it. Father, you are so bad at lying. How do you run a business when your inner thoughts are so transparent?”
“You silly girl, I’m only bad at it with you. You are my only weakness.”
“Pfft.”
“You will understand once you have children of your own someday. Come to think of it, when did you grow up so much… It feels like only yesterday when you begged me to melt gold ingots to make a teddy bear.”
His eyes growing moist, the Gold King lightly dabbed the corners of his eyes with a handkerchief and continued.
“Today was truly amazing.”
“Yeah, yeah. Namgung Cheon, not me.”
“No, you.”
“Even so, compared to Namgung Cheon…”
“That’s not what I mean.”
“……?”
“Your eye for recognizing a Hidden Dragon. I have no choice but to acknowledge it.”
At that moment, Jin So-hong brightened up and raised her head.
“Really? The tournament isn’t even completely over yet.”
“Of course, there is still room to keep watching. With the mindset of testing a stone bridge before crossing it. In fact, I’ll test it. Since it’s not an urgent matter.”
“Right.”
“However, if I had no time and had to decide immediately… I would probably bet my fate on the fact that the boy is a Hidden Dragon.”
“As expected!”
Jin So-hong sprang to her feet.
For her father to say this much, it meant he was at least eighty percent certain.
The Gold King continued in a calm voice.
“However, the aftermath is the problem.”
“I think I know what you mean.”
“Yes. It’s a matter of whether we ascend to heaven by riding the Hidden Dragon, or get swept away by the Hidden Dragon’s thrashing. A Hidden Dragon is still clearly a dragon. If a dragon thrashes in my front yard, tearing it to pieces is child’s play. It is that dangerous.”
“I will keep that in mind, Father.”
“I trust that you will do well. This father will take a step back and watch.”
The Gold King looked at his daughter with a reassuring gaze.
It would surely be a difficult journey.
But if Namgung Cheon was truly a Hidden Dragon… and if his daughter had the ability to ride that Hidden Dragon and ascend to heaven with him…
‘In the future, she will look at the world from a different position.’
“By the way, your next opponent is Yu Hyeon, right?”
“Yes, a cadet of the Valiant Martial Academy and a disciple of the Mount Hua Sect.”
“Haha, along with Murong Gang, he is the most difficult opponent.”
“That’s true. But I expect I will be able to learn a lot.”
“Yes, always be careful.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Now that I think about it… is Namgung Cheon’s next opponent Murong Gang?”
“I think so.”
“Why is it that I don’t feel any tension in your answer at all?”
Jin So-hong finished even the remaining broth in the bowl completely and smiled brightly.
“That’s because the Hidden Dragon I claimed will win overwhelmingly.”