Chapter 74: How Can I

“Hahaha! If you want to live, hand over everything you have…!”

“Take them down!”

“Yes!”

The fifteen bandits, who had been operating deep in the nameless mountain, were quickly beaten to a pulp and dragged behind the group.

“Find their hideout!”

“Yes!”

Because the number of bandits tied up like dried fish had grown too large, those who had given up on raiding and holed themselves up in their hideout were tracked down and completely destroyed.

“I’ll take these guys to the local authorities, so everyone, take a break.”

“Yes…”

The bandits that were captured were personally handed over to the nearest county office by Baek Woo Jin, who collected the reward money. He then returned to his team, who were preparing to camp, with enough rations and supplies for a feast.

“Good, this is nice.”

Although he had ordered the subjugation of bandits to buy time for the purification of his core, that wasn’t the only reason.

He also wanted to give them some battle experience. Since the Divine Dragon team was small in number, they would often have to face larger groups. Bandits who typically operate in groups were perfectly suited to be their first opponents.

In fact, as they fought more battles, the team began to show increasing skill. They became adept not only at fully using their own strength against multiple enemies but also at pinpointing the exact location of their nearby comrades. This allowed them to coordinate joint attacks or separate their enemies with precision.

“Heh, hehe.”

“Just one more mountain to cross, and we’ll be at the academy…”

Their mental state had become slightly unstable due to the relentless forced marches, but that was to be expected; you gain some, you lose some.

The purification of my core is going smoothly…

The demonic energy that had filled his core had mostly been purified. By the time they reached the academy, only a small amount would remain, and he would be able to fully reclaim ownership of it.

While everything seemed to be progressing smoothly, there was one thing that wasn’t.

It was Tang Seon Yeong.

Why is she acting like that?

Ever since they left the Hundred Li Mountain, her personality had completely changed. Whenever he got close to her, she would quickly pull away, and when he tried to make eye contact, she would turn her head.

If she was simply embarrassed about that impulsive night they shared, he could understand, but that didn’t seem to be the case. There was no trace of shame or embarrassment on her face when she turned away.

“She’s difficult, really difficult…”

A woman’s heart was impossible to understand.

The large gates of the Jeongmu Academy, signaling the end of their much longer-than-expected journey through the martial world, were finally visible in the distance.

“We’ve arrived!”

“Hot water, give me some hot water!”

Jang Sam and Gu Wang Soo who had been lagging behind rushed forward.

“Look at those guys.”

They’d been complaining about how hard everything was, but it seemed they were just faking it.

I’ll have to remember this for the next training session.

The pace of the women also quickened. In truth, they too were desperate to soak their bodies in warm water.

“Ugh, it feels like bugs are crawling all over me…”

“Me too…”

After showing their academy badges to the guards at the gate, they stepped inside, and immediately, the curious gazes of passing students were drawn to them.

“What the… who are they?”

“Why do they look like that?”

“Were they being chased by someone?”

Their appearance was that striking after all.

They hadn’t washed for days. They were filthy, and their battle uniforms which were torn from repeated battles were about to become rags.

Though they had every reason to hurry off in embarrassment to their dorms, the discipline they had gained over the past few days kept them gathered in one place and waiting for Baek Woo Jin’s orders.

“You all worked really hard. Rest for about three days, and on the morning of the fourth, we’ll gather in the meeting room.”

With that, he dismissed them.

As soon as the words left his mouth, the team scattered. The only one who remained was Tang Seon Yeong.

“Miss Tang.”

Seeing the chance, he called out to her, but she turned her back without a response.

“You’ve worked hard. I’ll be off now.”

He wanted to call out to her once more, but he couldn’t. Her retreating figure radiated an unmistakable aura that warned him not to approach any further.

“This is frustrating, really.”

He replayed the situation several times in his head and started wondering if he had made a mistake while they were together, but everything had been perfect.

Tang Seon Yeong’s face was filled with happiness, and a smile never left her lips. She had been like that the whole time they had been together, up until the moment they had parted ways.

But after that night, from the moment they saw each other the next morning, she had changed.

“What could have possibly caused such a shift in her mood in that short time?”

If he could have just glimpsed what she experienced during that brief separation, he would have paid to see it, no matter the cost.

“Haaah.”

A sigh escaped him. Normally, he would have let it go, thinking she’d get over it eventually, but with her, he just couldn’t bring himself to do that.

She was the only woman he had met here who had formed a connection with him, not as “Baek Woo Jin” but as himself.

His honest feelings were that he didn’t want to let her go.

“I’ll have to talk to her later….”

Baek Woo Jin, who hadn’t even confessed yet, couldn’t hide the bitterness on his face as he trudged back to his dorm. He felt as though he’d already been rejected.

***

There’s a saying that time heals all wounds. Just as even the hardest and most exhausting moments eventually turn into memories, every moment is bound to fade and blur in the face of time.

She suddenly had this thought while sitting in the dormitory chair.

If time really is the remedy, then how much time would need to pass for the pain, sorrow, longing, and desperate yearning that tormented her to finally ease?

I’ll never forget…

She needed to make an effort to forget. She had to clear the thoughts that crowded her mind and force herself to shake off what needed to be let go, even if it meant doing so against her will.

She hadn’t made even the slightest effort to forget. Even though she knew it was a shameful and disgraceful thought, she still dreamed and longed to return to the time she had spent with him.

The bitter cold of winter had given her the perfect chance to reflect on her life.

Despite all her inner turmoil, she didn’t believe her desires themselves were wrong.

The desire to rise to a higher position was something everyone had. The mistake she made was in the method and direction she had chosen to achieve it.

She could have risen on her own. Born as the daughter of a noble clan, all she had to do was relentlessly train and discipline herself until she reached a level where others would look up to her.

Without ever considering whether her martial talent could truly reach the heavens, she had simply chosen the easier path.

And this was the result.

She had lost everything, unable to distinguish between what was truly precious and what was not.

Now, Baek Woo Jin had become a brilliant sun in the sky. After enduring and persevering for so long, he had ascended to a great height on his own.

“If only he were still the same as before….”

If that were the case.

At least then she could have sought his forgiveness, but now even that was no longer possible.

If she were to beg for his forgiveness now, what would he think? Rather than believing she had come because she regretted her actions, he would probably think she had come crawling back only because he had become stronger.

Her mind was torn daily, waging a war between the thought that she should give up, that she had made a mistake too big to undo, and the feeling that she just couldn’t let go.

Her heart had become desolate, and it was beginning to show on the outside.

When she had become so haggard that even her title of Jeongmu Beauty which was given to the most beautiful woman of each year seemed meaningless—

Rumors reached her ears that Baek Woo Jin’s Divine Dragon Team had returned triumphantly after successfully subjugating a demonic beast that everyone had long feared and avoided.

“Gege…”

She thought of him and muttered the title she could no longer use.

Ever since they parted ways, he had grown day by day, but now, she couldn’t even begin to imagine what he might look like.

That made her angry.

At the very least, I should be able to imagine…!

When imagination was the one thing she could control, the fact that she couldn’t even manage that infuriated her.

Her anger sparked an impulse that forced her body which had been sitting still to stand up. And she suddenly began to run without thinking.

“Did you hear? Baek Woo Jin caught a beast that had turned into a demon!”

“I heard. They said he even submitted the inner core of the demon beast as proof.”

“The inner core? That’s undeniable evidence.”

Everyone she passed was talking about Baek Woo Jin.

While she was standing still doing nothing, he had once again achieved something that stirred the entire academy.

Conversations about him continued around her. She focused on the ones mentioning sightings of Baek Woo Jin and succeeded in pinpointing his location, then headed toward him without hesitation.

“He’s really incredible!”

“How did he manage to catch that demonic beast?”

“Come on, tell us a little bit!”

People were swarming around him like a flock of birds.

Between the heads in the crowd, she caught a glimpse of his face. The face she had wanted so badly to see that she had run all this way.

He looked even more different than he had during the Dragon and Phoenix gathering, and that image lodged itself deep in her chest.

You’ve really changed… so much.

In the past, he had always seemed like a younger brother, despite being the same age as her. But now he had transformed into a full-grown man.

She couldn’t even get close to the crowd surrounding Baek Woo Jin. She had to be content with catching occasional glimpses of his face from a distance.

A distance that reflected the gap between her and Baek Woo Jin. It was wider than ever. They were worse than strangers.

The part of her that had thought she should give up shattered completely and vanished without a trace.

All that remained was selfish desire.

How can I…

How can I close this distance again?

A burning thirst arose. Her entire body felt as though it would wither away. She longed to see his gaze, hear his voice, feel his touch.

How can I?

Her hollow eyes quickly filled with dark, sticky, and dirty desires. They were greed, longing, and possessiveness.

How on earth could she?

The gaze and smile he gave so freely to others.

How can I make them turn back to me again?

Yoo Hwa Yeon began to move forward as if she was possessed by something.