She had light brown bobbed hair and clear red eyes. Instead of the confident smile that always held a place in his memory, there was now anxiety and depression on her face.
“W-Woo Jin-ah.”
Her voice was shaky and lacked confidence but Baek Woo Jin could easily recognize her.
“Ye hwa.”
He didn’t know why she was trembling so anxiously, but Baek Woo Jin was quite happy to see her.
The reason was simple. One of the reasons he had started reading this damned novel when he was on Earth before becoming Baek Woo Jin was because her illustration on the cover was drawn so beautifully.
“Good, hmm…”
He felt a slight disappointment for a moment because she looked so close to his ideal type, but he quickly brushed it off. Even if they weren’t related by blood, it was impossible for him to harbor feelings for someone who might become his brother’s partner.
“Are, are you okay?”
“Of course, I’m fine. I almost died for a moment, but an old herbalist passing by helped me out.”
“Y-You almost died?”
Something about the atmosphere had become strange. Although he had almost died, he spoke in the lightest tone possible to convey that there was no need to worry since he had returned alive and well.
“S-Sorry…”
Seeing her suddenly apologize like that, Baek Woo Jin tilted his head in confusion and tried to recall his memories once more.
There’s nothing.
No matter how he thought about it, she hadn’t done anything wrong to him. Even if she had, it wouldn’t matter. All those matters were left with the other “Baek Woo Jin” who had departed from this world already.
“What are you sorry for? Did you do something wrong?”
“I-I… hic! I should have taken better care of you…”
So that was it.
Thinking back, in the days leading up to his mission, she had spent more time away meeting Baek Moo Hyeok than with him.
As a result, Baek Woo Jin fell into a groggy state and completely stopped eating and drinking. He eventually got hit in the side by a bandit’s axe during the mission.
No, wasn’t that only natural?
Even if they were childhood friends who had been together for years, they didn’t share the same body. Isn’t it natural that the time they spent apart would be longer than the time spent together?
“Hey, you’re not my nanny. How could you possibly take care of everything? You did nothing wrong, so stop crying.”
“Hic… hic! Woo Jin-ah…”
Shin Ye Hwa was sniffling and she ran towards him with her arms outstretched.
Baek Woo Jin naturally stepped aside and put his arm around her neck.
“Hey.”
When he whispered softly in her ear, her body seemed to tremble momentarily.
“Did you make any progress with Hyung while I was gone?”
“Wh-What are you talking about…”
It was obvious that there had been no progress at all.
What a frustrating guy. He had good hardware, so why wasn’t he using it?
“Hey, just make a move.”
“A move… what move…!”
“Just make any move.”
Baek Woo Jin taught her the most devastating temptation a woman could use.
“If a pretty girl like you makes a move, a guy is bound to fall for it.”
“P-Pretty… me?”
Hearing the word “pretty” from her childhood friend for the first time, her face turned bright red as if she was reaching her critical point.
“Make a move all the time. Highlight your strengths… no, make sure they are clearly imprinted in his mind.”
“M-My strengths… what are they?”
Baek Woo Jin grinned mischievously and brought his mouth even closer to her ear.
“Your chest.”
“He-Hey!”
Her chest was indeed very large.
Over the weekend, the instructors teaching first-year students and the Vice Headmaster met to discuss the commotion that occurred yesterday.
“Instructor Yeom Cheol Jin.”
“Yes.”
“Please make your report.”
The man with a stern face sitting in the center of the conference room stood up.
Yeom Cheol Jin was once a first-rank spy warrior active in the Moorim Alliance, but he had long since retired from frontline duties due to a severe injury he sustained during a mission. He was recognized for his past contributions and was now working as a theory Instructor at the academy,
“After investigating the bandits Baek Woo Jin captured yesterday, we determined they were all bandits from a nearby mountain. As a result of retracing the route according to the order in which they were captured, we estimated that the student traveled from Yeongam Mountain, where he went missing, over the mountain rather than through flatlands to reach this academy.”
A sigh escaped from the Vice Headmaster’s mouth.
It made sense that even a search team of ten first-rank warriors couldn’t find Baek Woo Jin. After all, it was he who had ordered the investigation to focus on the villages along the path to Yeongam Mountain.
“The exact number of bandits is 66, and we confirmed the destruction of five bandit camps. As for noteworthy points…”
Yeom Cheol Jin’s words trailed off. Even though he was looking at the report he had written himself, he seemed to be debating whether to say it or not.
“Don’t beat around the bush, just say it.”
“Yes… Most of the 66 bandits were third-rank and not particularly noteworthy, but one of them was identified as a first-rank warrior, who had a bounty on his head from the nearby authorities.”
First-rank.
In the vast world of Moorim that was teeming with experts, being first-rank wasn’t enough to boast about.
However, if the person who faced him was Baek Woo Jin, the story changes slightly.
The Vice Headmaster who had been silent spoke up.
“I heard Baek Woo Jin was second-rank.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Did he have a small enlightenment in the process of nearly losing his life?”
“That is the most likely possibility. If he has risen to first-rank, it is not impossible. There is a big gap between a carefully trained first-rank warrior and a first-rank bandit who learned things randomly.”
The Vice Headmaster recalled the brief encounter he had with Baek Woo Jin from the previous day.
A strange fellow.
Even though his face and gestures were full of life, his eyes were quiet and he was always hiding his true feelings.
It was hard to believe that such a person had remained second-rank until now.
“Yesterday, Baek Woo Jin made a request to me.”
“Yes? What kind…?”
“He wanted to receive contribution points for capturing the bandits.”
“Most of the bandits he captured are third-rank or even less, so it’s a bit much to call it a contribution. However…”
Yeom Cheol Jin paused briefly and checked the Vice Headmaster’s expression before continuing.
“Catching a first-rank bandit is worthy of recognition, so I believe awarding him four points, which is equivalent to an intermediate mission, would be just appropriate.”
“Hmm.”
The Vice Headmaster tapped the table with his index finger as if he was deep in thought. Then he spoke.
“Bring student Baek Woo Jin here.”
….
What is the first thing martial artists do when they wake up in the morning?
It is the practice of circulating their qi.
Qi circulation is the foundation for martial artists. It builds internal energy, removes body impurities, and maintains peak condition at all times.
So Baek Woo Jin opened the gourd early in the morning.
“Ha, I really have no choice but to build my internal energy.”
The Drinking Wine cultivation technique he learned from The Drunken Immortal was different from other cultivation techniques.
It circulated the energy contained in the alcohol and stored it in his dantian. Therefore, he had to drink alcohol.
Ugh, this is tough.
He hated daytime drinking the most, yet he had to force himself to do it.
A helpless smile lingered on Baek Woo Jin’s face as he shook his head.
As the alcohol entered his body, the energy contained within it began to circulate through his body according to the principles of the Drinking Wine cultivation technique and it eventually accumulated in his dantian.
“Hmm.”
Although he had emptied a whole bottle of alcohol, he still didn’t feel satisfied.
It wasn’t that he lacked alcohol, but the amount of internal energy he had gained from drinking it was not enough.
The Drinking Wine cultivation technique could extract energy from any type of alcohol. The difference was in the amount of energy extracted which varied depending on the type of alcohol.
“Are there any good spirit herbs or spirit pills around?”
The Drunken Immortal had said that the best alcohol was a special brew made by adding the inner core of a spiritual creature, spirit herbs, or spirit pills.
When mixed into the alcohol, one could absorb the potentially harmful energy comfortably, and if it aged well, it could produce even greater effects.
The problem was that the inner core of a spiritual creature or spirit herbs were so rare that finding even one after searching through countless mountains would be a stroke of luck, and spirit pills were made by the major sects of the Nine Great Sects and were only shared among themselves.
Usually, most protagonists who find themselves inside a novel seem to recall its contents and monopolize the fortuitous encounters that happen inside the story, but here…
“How can I recall anything if I haven’t seen it….”
He had abandoned the novel out of frustration. From the parts he had read, he remembered the protagonist participating in the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering martial arts competition in late autumn.
“Weren’t there prizes at the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering…?”
This information was lodged in Baek Woo Jin’s memory.
The Dragon and Phoenix Gathering was held at the end of the first year. Special prizes that included spirit pills were awarded to the best participants who earned the title of Dragon Star.
Let’s make that the first goal.
Now that he had set his goal, he took another sip of alcohol in high spirits.
Knock, knock!
Someone knocked on the door.
With a sense of regret, he smacked his lips and tied the gourd to his waist before opening the door.
A man dressed in a blue martial uniform stood in front of the door with a stern expression on his face.
“Are you student Baek Woo Jin?”
“Yes.”
“The Vice Headmaster has summoned you. Go to the conference room on the Tang floor of the main building.”
The man finished speaking and turned away as if his business was done here.
Baek Woo Jin who was left alone frowned deeply.
“What….”
Who in the world calls someone out on a golden weekend?
“Oh, right, this is China.”
He accepted it.
He changed into a clean black martial uniform and left the dormitory.
As he crossed the wide training ground, he felt several gazes directed his way.
Although Baek Woo Jin’s skills were among the lowest in the first year, his reputation in the academy was no less than that of the top students.
“Was it ‘Dragon Face’?”
This was the nickname others gave him to mock his excellent appearance. But it was one that Baek Woo Jin quite liked.
“Not bad.”
Martial skills could always be improved. No matter how untalented he was, one could break through a wall or two by training until the brink of death.
But the face—that was different. Even in the fantasy world he had experienced a complete transformation, but some things just weren’t possible.
As he enjoyed the attention while crossing the training ground and headed toward the main building, it happened.
“Baek-gege.”
Yoo Hwa Yeon appeared before Baek Woo Jin.
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