“Baek Woo Jin wins!”
Watching Baek Woo Jin easily claim his third victory, Baek Moo hyeok made his way through the crowd toward his younger brother.
“Congratulations, Woo Jin-ah.”
“It’s just the preliminaries.”
Baek Woo Jin replied faintly before turning his head as if he was embarrassed by the congratulations.
Baek Moo hyeok smiled softly at his brother’s reaction.
“You’ve really gotten strong.”
His younger brother had worked tirelessly. Baek Moo hyeok had been so anxious watching him struggle with the lack of reward for his efforts.
Seeing Baek Woo Jin so much stronger now and certain to grow even stronger, the phrase “great things come to those who wait” came to mind.
“Father would be proud.”
“Do you think so?”
Baek Moo hyeok could only smile bitterly as Baek Woo Jin responded with a skeptical attitude.
The clan had wronged Baek Woo Jin terribly. They had placed high hopes on him due to his exceptional physique at birth only to cast him aside in disappointment later on. This left him with a deep emotional scar.
The one who benefited from this was none other than Baek Moo Hyeok himself. Even though it wasn’t his intention, he often felt guilty for the harm done to his younger brother.
“So, where will you go now? Ye Hwa is in Group One, and Miss Jegal is in Group Two.”
“Oh….”
A tricky situation. However, the answer to the question came surprisingly quickly.
“I’ll go to Miss Jegal, so you go to Ye Hwa.”
Baek Moo hyeok asked with a big smile.
“Ye Hwa will be very disappointed, you know?”
Baek Woo Jin shrugged his shoulders. He was confident that wouldn’t be the case.
“There’s no way she will be, not with you going.”
She would probably be even happier.
“I don’t know about that. I think otherwise.”
Baek Woo Jin frowned at his brother’s cryptic words.
Seeing the reaction he wanted, Baek Moo hyeok stepped back with a satisfied expression on his face.
“Then see you tonight. We should also meet Father then.”
“…Alright.”
With an uneasy feeling in his heart, Baek Woo Jin headed to group two preliminary martial arts stage in the west.
A martial arts match was in full swing. Two students whose names he could barely remember were fiercely fighting until one of them made a critical mistake and the fight ended instantly.
“Lee Moo Saeng wins!”
“Waaaah!”
The student who secured the overwhelming victory shouted with joy.
Baek Woo Jin circled around the martial arts stage and started searching for the least crowded spot.
“She should be around here somewhere….”
The timid and gloomy Jegal Yeon Ji instinctively sought out the most secluded place.
“There she is.”
Sure enough, he found Jegal Yeon Ji hiding behind a large tree while glancing at the stage.
“Hey.”
He tapped her lightly on the shoulder and she turned with a start, letting out a small yelp.
“Yo-Young master Baek….”
A bright smile spread across her face. She was clearly not expecting him to be there.
“This isn’t the time to smile. You have a match, don’t you?”
“T-That’s …”
There was no time to be doing this. Thirteen finalists had already emerged in group two.
He grabbed her hesitating hand and her fidgeting fingers.
“Come on, let’s go.”
“Ah!”
She was helplessly led by his hand and her face turned bright red.
After the recent martial arts battle, the stage was empty. Everyone was subtly watching and bidding their time.
“Get up there.”
“M-Me?”
“Are you going to drop out like this?”
“N-No, but….”
She was clearly concerned about the eyes of those around her.
What to do now?
There was no doubt that this timid side of hers was part of her charm. However, he knew that sometimes this side of her could lead to moments where she would get hurt by others, so he needed to change her to some extent.
“Confidently win the match, then I’ll grant whatever you wish.”
“R-Really?”
Her eyes which were previously hidden now shone with an unprecedented light.
“But if you tremble and lose embarrassingly on stage, I won’t see you again.”
“I-I don’t want that.”
Just the thought of it was horrifying, and she shook her head vigorously. He wanted to comfort her but now was not the time.
I need to raise her strong, yes.
Though it didn’t seem like it, she was quite quick-witted and good at assessing situations.
She had even volunteered to persuade the county governor and lead the government troops in the last mission.
Baek Woo Jin intended to get the “divine dragon” position through the Dragon and Phoenix Martial Arts Tournament. If he succeeded, he would become a team leader and lead his own team. At that time, having Jegal Yeon Ji as an advisor would undoubtedly be a great help.
But it might be a bit difficult in her current state.
As mentioned before, her gloomy and timid nature had become part of her charm. Maybe not to others, but at least to him.
However, he wished that she could maintain this demeanor while still being able to clearly convey the necessary words to others.
Baek Woo Jin bent down to meet her eye level.
“I’m not asking you to do the impossible.”
“Young Master Baek….”
“You can do it. Trust me.”
His unwavering eyes looked straight at her without a hint of hesitation.
Jegal Yeon Ji was captivated by those strong eyes. No one had ever believed in her so firmly before.
I don’t want to.
She didn’t want to betray that trust.
If she lost this too, she would truly be alone.
I don’t want that!
She could lose everything else, but not Baek Woo Jin.
“I understand …”
After glancing at Baek Woo Jin one last time, she walked toward the arena with small steps.
“I-I can do it.”
I can do it…
As she stepped onto the arena, she felt eyes on her from all directions. Each gaze seemed to be trying to dissect her completely.
However, she did not retreat.
“I will take the challenge.”
“No, I will…!”
Other challengers began to swarm her. It was obvious that they were underestimating her and trying to take the first win in an easy way.
After the enthusiastic cheers, the one who climbed onto the stage was a female student with a mid-level score.
“What confidence brought you up here first?”
As soon as she got up, she mocked her. This student was one of the women who usually bullied Jegal Yeon Ji.
Since she was born as the daughter of a minor sect leader, she had entered Jeongmu academy with some luck only to realize that she was insignificant in this world.
The Nine Great Sects, the Five Great Clans, and even powers comparable to them—she felt a fear that if she spoke out of turn toward one of them, her world could be destroyed overnight.
Detestable wench!
That’s why she hated Jegal Yeon Ji. This girl who was born as the daughter of the Jegal clan was living in such a clumsy and foolish way. The female student felt as if she was mocking someone as insignificant as herself.
From then on, she began to subtly bother her. At first, it was light pranks that could be passed off as jokes between friends, though fear was always at the forefront of her mind.
The timid Jegal Yeon Ji couldn’t even get angry at anyone. When the female student realized this, her pranks escalated to a level that could no longer be called mere jokes.
“Why don’t you just forfeit and step down now?”
Conscious of the eyes of those around her, she spoke in a feigned friendly tone but Jegal Yeon Ji shook her head.
“No…”
“Ha! Can you even fight while trembling like that?”
“I will win.”
She had to win.
Jegal Yeon Ji decided to focus solely on that. By concentrating only on defeating her opponent and grasping victory, she was able to ignore the piercing stares around her.
She grasped the iron fan and assumed the starting position. The female student pointed her sword at her with a mocking smile.
“You’ll regret this.”
Jegal Yeon Ji who was completely absorbed in her concentration didn’t hear her.
“Begin the duel!”
As the duel began, the female student moved lightly. No matter how foolish she might seem, Jegal Yeon Ji was still a member of the Jegal clan. Defeating her decisively would bring some semblance of fame to her.
“Ha!”
The sword, embodying its master’s greed, struck the opponent on the stage.
The wide-open iron fan drew a graceful arc and deflected the sword’s incoming tip.
“Ah!?”
When the sword pointed in an unexpected direction, the female student lost her balance.
For a warrior, complacency is poison. Hwangbo Jun Geol also fell to Baek Woo Jin after letting his guard down.
She was no different. A warrior must always consider the next move and the one after that when attacking. She forgot this fundamental principle. When her forceful attack missed its mark, the situation spiraled out of control toward a disastrous outcome.
Jegal Yeon Ji didn’t miss this opportunity. She moved forward and thrust her palm into the female student’s exposed chest.
Bang!
“Kyah!”
As her powerful blow landed on the female student’s chest, the sound of leather bursting echoed, and her body was lifted into the air before crashing to the ground.
“Aargh…!”
Palm strikes are a martial art that targets the opponent’s internal organs rather than the exterior. Though she appeared unharmed on the outside, the female student felt intense pain in her chest and her body trembled violently.
Her pained expression was directed at Jegal Yeon Ji and her eyes were wide with disbelief.
The referee immediately intervened.
“Jegal Yeon Ji wins!”
“Ah….”
It wasn’t until she heard the victory declaration that Jegal Yeon Ji emerged from her state of intense concentration.
“This young lady is impressive.”
“Shh, she’s from the Jegal clan!”
“As expected of a noble clan’s descendant.”
As if a dam that had been blocking her awareness had burst, the gazes and noises that she had been ignoring began to flood her senses.
And like a newborn chick searching for its mother, Jegal Yeon Ji turned her head to find Baek Woo Jin.
He stood not far away. Although his expression remained strict and serious, she noticed a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.
When she saw this, she felt the tension that had gripped her body gradually begin to ease.
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