---

Chapter 300: The Eye Roll of Jegal Jinsun

My eyes were rolling around like crazy.

What in the world was going on here?

Cheol Jiseon.

No, in his real identity, Jegal Jinsun needed to get a grip on the situation.

‘What exactly is happening?’

Where did it all go wrong?

Why was he here?

Nothing made sense.

His mind felt like it was hardening into a rock.

“Would you like to try this?”

“Hey, Prince, do you know what happened earlier?”

“…”

The scene before him was still too absurd to believe.

‘On the left is Seolbong, and on the right is Dokbong…’

These were people he knew.

In the Late-Stage Talents circle, it was impossible not to recognize them.

They hadn’t formally introduced themselves, but—

Jegal Jinsun figured it out the moment he saw them.

‘And… the other one, I’m not sure about, but…’

There was one more unbelievably beautiful woman.

A stunning beauty that could leave anyone dazed just by looking at her.

She was gazing at him.

Facing those icy-blue eyes made Jegal Jinsun unconsciously turn his head away.

‘…What in the world is going on?’

If he were to pinpoint the beginning of the mess—

His greed was to blame.

Approaching the seemingly exhausted figure who was just shoving food into his mouth?

That was his biggest mistake.

‘…I should have just stuck to hunting demon beasts.’

While taking the tests, he thought nothing of the lunatic lying around carelessly.

In the midst of everyone vying for survival, someone lounging around carelessly must surely have something going for them.

Blinded by his greed, he had forgotten that.

‘No way, was that really Jin Ryong?’

He had thought it was just some scary-looking guy.

Turns out, he was an unexpected heavy hitter.

Jin Ryong. Gu Yangcheong.

A martial artist rumored to have reached the peak at the youngest age.

The brother of the infamous Dokbong from the Sword Group.

A dragon amidst countless stars, chosen out of the lot.

He was the Late-Stage Talent who bore the proud title of a true dragon.

His overwhelming strength at such a young age was already the talk of the Central Plains.

The new rumor had it that he could easily subdue both the Sword Dragon and the Sleeping Dragon in a martial arts sparring match.

What was it they used to say?

‘…A lecher surrounded by women, all of whom are stunningly beautiful.’

The Central Plains were always full of exaggerated tales.

You couldn’t easily believe everything.

But this one was particularly exaggerated.

‘How could someone that stunning have beautiful women flocking around him?’

It seemed the rumors were true.

His image was nothing short of a lecher enjoying a feast among beautiful women.

Of all people, he got caught by such a guy.

And considering he was the brother of the Sword Dragon, there were plenty of stories about his temperament.

‘…Worse than the rumors, for sure.’

It was the face of a predator with its prey before it.

He had played nice and tried to befriend him, but—

To Jegal Jinsun, it looked like this guy was thinking,

‘You touched me, so I’ll make your life miserable until you die…!’

He felt chills down his spine.

Hearing those words from such a fierce-looking face almost made him wet himself.

‘The issue is…’

Jegal Jinsun secretly clenched his fist.

He didn’t know why Jin Ryong dragged him here, but—

What was important was—

– Do you have any sisters?

The problem lay in what Jin Ryong had said while looking at him.

‘Could he figure it out?’

He was flooded with questions.

The moment he met Jin Ryong was certainly a coincidence that began with his own error.

But the things that followed made him incredibly suspicious.

– What’s your name?

When he told him his name—

– Add your surname.

The image of Jin Ryong asking sharply replayed in his mind.

The glare as if to say, if you don’t answer, I’ll break your arm, was genuine.

Was he really a master from a Righteous Faction?

He seemed entirely different from what Jegal Jinsun knew.

‘…He doesn’t know, right?’

He couldn’t know his true identity.

Jegal Jinsun had to swallow the rising anxiety inside.

There’s no way he’d been caught.

And nobody would know about his motives or his identity.

Even if by some chance he did uncover his motives and identity,

his sister’s existence must never be revealed.

By any means necessary.

‘It’s… okay, I was meant to get closer anyway.’

Whether it was Seolbong, Dokbong, or even Jin Ryong, if he got accepted into Shinryong Temple, they all became his targets of approach.

But could he really do that?

‘Maybe this works out for the best.’

He was dragged here half-heartedly, but given the situation, it might be better.

After all, Jin Ryong had even taken care of his entry into the temple.

What a gain… or so he thought?

“…Oops.”

He locked eyes with Jin Ryong, the guy who dragged him into this mess.

As soon as their eyes met, he felt a tightness in his throat.

‘…This is seriously terrifying.’

Just back off a little, okay?

His gaze alone was enough to paralyze him with fear.

“Hey, buddy.”

“…Y-yes!”

That ‘buddy’ made his voice tremble.

Why did he keep calling him that?

Was Jin Ryong using another meaning of ‘friend’?

It had to be that.

He was undoubtedly being treated like a slave by Jin Ryong right now.

You not eating?”

Jin Ryong picked up a dish and showed it to Jegal Jinsun.

“…I-I’m just not in the mood.”

“Really? You should eat; you’re a young man after all, tsk tsk.”

Ignoring Jegal Jinsun’s lackluster reply, Jin Ryong stuffed his face again.

As he did, the side dishes quickly changed hands.

Seolbong and the silver-haired beauty were switching the items in front of Jin Ryong.

‘…They go that far?’

What the heck is Jin Ryong?

To Jegal Jinsun’s eyes, this was almost fantastical.

Even though it felt like something involving a fairy tale, it only tore down reality.

“Prince, are you thirsty?”

“Thirsty… no, what did you put in that?”

“Just a handful of leaves that are good for digestion?”

“…What’s the name of the leaves?”

“It’s called Hwiryeongcho.”

“That’s… a poison that paralyzes the stomach, right?”

“Oh, come on! Prince, if anyone drank this, would they be paralyzed? No way! It’s helpful when you feel bloated.”

“Usually, you call it poison because it can paralyze…”

Subtly handing Jin Ryong some deadly herbal tea was Dokbong.

The situation was odd.

He heard that Jin Ryong was engaged to the Sword Dance Hero of the Nangong Clan.

‘So… that stunning woman is…’

She must be Nangong Bi-ah, the Sword Dance Hero, right?

The chances of that were pretty high.

‘They said Anhui has the most beauties.’

And truly, it held water.

Among all the women Jegal Jinsun had met in his life, he had never seen anyone prettier than her.

“Oh, right, buddy.”

“Y-yes?”

“No need for formalities, we’re friends, right?”

Gulp…

“Answer me.” “Um… uh!” Friend? What friend?

Jegal Jinsun didn’t have many friends, so he wasn’t really sure.

At least he understood that this wasn’t the definition of friendship.

‘…Help me, sister.’

He bit his tongue, recalling his sister in his mind.

He had to endure this too.

– Crises are always bound to occur.

His sister had told him that before he set off for the Central Plains.

– I would rather you didn’t go, but if you must, be strong, my little brother.

‘…’

His sister had always been right since he was little, and it seemed the same now.

He shouldn’t have gone.

Ah, why is it that regrets always come too late?

Jegal Jinsun was just feeling more and more disheartened.

“Oh, by the way, I moved your lodging here.”

“…Huh? What do you mean…?”

“You said you were sleeping in some kind of stable, so I had all your stuff moved here. You’ll sleep here.”

Jin Ryong smiled sharply.

“ ”

Jegal Jinsun felt he had hit rock bottom.

That devil was definitely planning to keep him nearby and make him work like a slave.

He really picked the wrong person to annoy.

Should he run away now?

‘No…’

Not yet.

Jegal Jinsun reminded himself of his goals.

‘No matter what, I need to make a name for myself in Shinryong Temple.’

Meet many people.

Build connections.

Gain many things.

‘Save my sister.’

Moreover,

One day reveal his surname.

And restore his fallen and tarnished house.

That was the purpose of going to the Central Plains.

Even amid all this,

Jegal Jinsun recalled the solemn words his sister had once given him.

– Jinsun.

His sister had held his pale, skinny face with her dry arms and pleaded.

– No matter what happens, don’t use that power. Promise me.

They had pinky-sweared with their fragile fingers shaking from lack of strength.

He steeled his resolve.

‘You can do it, Jinsun.’

Jegal Jinsun reminded himself of who he was.

Right now, he was the Cheol Jiseon of the Eulpyung Clan.

And watching that Cheol Jiseon was Gu Yangcheong, his eyes shining brightly.

Watching Jegal Jinsun with his tough expression, he thought,

‘This guy’s eyes are rolling around nonstop.’

It seemed like he had a lot on his mind.

Perhaps he had made some kind of determination by now.

‘He’s definitely hiding something.’

His reactions were especially telling.

He likely wasn’t used to such scrutiny.

It showed, very well.

‘This is good.’

From my perspective, having him around is better.

So I can keep an eye on him.

‘For now, I’ll keep him close.’

Having realized that earlier, I had to keep him around and smooth-talk him.

Becoming friends would be ideal, but—

I wasn’t wholly sincere in that regard either, so keep it moderate.

I wasn’t someone good at forming friendships, but—

I guess I could give it a shot, though it felt uncertain.

For now, things were looking promising.

We had grown closer under the guise of friendship.

Even though it was said he was sleeping in some bizarre stable, it was raised to a proper lodging, so:

He’d be happy about it, right?

‘That was a fast bond we formed.’

I nodded.

As expected, it felt like I was doing wonderfully well.

So much growth for Gu Yangcheong! Making friends, even!

Occasionally, he would glance at me with a frightened expression, but—

I figured he’d handle it.

Most likely.

After hastily filling myself and taking a sip of tea…

“…?”

My tongue felt prickly.

What was this strange sensation?

I immediately looked toward Tang Soyeol.

She averted her gaze slightly.

“Do you want some?”

“Eh heh.”

“Eh heh…?” “No way…. It’s really good for digestion, Prince. Try it.”

“An average person would die drinking this…”

There’s no way I’d drink it.

Tang Soyeol insisted on giving me the poisonous tea.

“Come on, it wouldn’t kill me… might not, right?”

Why the hesitation? Scary!

“…Why do you keep trying to make me drink poison?”

“Poison? The toxicity increases, but it won’t harm me. Plus, it tastes good.” “ ”

There’s no way Tang Soyeol was actually trying to kill me by making me drink poison like this.

“Drinking this won’t raise toxicity or improve flavor.”

Really, unless you shovel spoonfuls of it.

Or bathe in toxic water, you wouldn’t build up resistance so easily.

Moreover, if you did either when pre-existing toxicity was not established, you’d normally die first.

‘Unless the Tang Clan’s health martial arts were something else.’

The Tang Clan’s health arts were the source of their toxic techniques, allowing them to engage in covert assassination activities while being part of the Righteous Faction.

For that reason, it was possible for Tang Soyeol to nonchalantly enjoy poisons like this.

‘Immunity to all poisons…’

Just like the phrase itself.

It meant that they were almost immune to all kinds of poisons.

It was the ultimate goal the Tang Clan dreamt of.

The reason Tang Soyeol’s one eye was glowing in a brilliant green was because she was getting closer to that Immunity.

The legendary Poison Empress from his previous life was said to have truly reached that state.

Judging by it, even if her martial arts were uncertain,

Her talents regarding poison could tirelessly put her as the best within the entire Central Plains.

‘Still murky, but…’

As a martial artist, Tang Soyeol was at an ambiguous level.

But she wasn’t someone who wouldn’t try her best.

As time passed, her realm would naturally rise.

Would she one day inherit the name of Poison Empress?

Of course,

‘The future will be different.’

He would make sure her end was unlike that.

He didn’t want her to die in such a miserable manner.

‘Is it truly justified to save those I have killed with my own hands?’

This thought generally gnawed at him every time he looked at Tang Soyeol.

And that’s why he felt an overwhelming need to protect her.

“…Anyway, I’m good, so you drink it.”

“Uh… Prince.”

“What?”

“Can I drink from the mug you were using?”

“…?”

“I was… joking. Hehe….”

Judging by my slightly disgusted expression, Tang Soyeol turned away, claiming it was all a joke.

Surely it was a joke, right?

As she sat next to him, slightly shuddering,

Nangong Bi-ah, who was pouring me water, interrupted.

– You know…

It was a telepathic message.

– Huh?

I answered right away, but—

This was a problem.

Just sending a psychic message caused a slight pain in my lower dantian.

– What’s up with him…?

Nangong Bi-ah asked, gesturing towards Cheol Jiseon.

Of course, she was asking about him.

– What do you mean? I said he’s a friend, didn’t I?

I responded, wondering why she was asking.

But Nangong Bi-ah looked at me with sharp eyes.

As if to say that couldn’t be.

‘Quick on the uptake, huh?’

Anyway, given how often she’s been clueless in the past, it was remarkable how sharp she was at this moment.

Maybe she had been pretending all along.

Nangong Bi-ah always seemed to have a sharp wit hidden behind that hazy exterior.

It made me think such thoughts.

Looking into her eyes, I came up with a response.

– A dagger.

– A dagger?

– Yeah, a dagger.

The very dagger I wanted.

Able to pierce through the life of Jang Seonyeon.

The dagger that could sever through all that was happening now.

….

!

The power he possessed was worth such value,

And that Cheol Jiseon represented that very meaning to me.

So, I had to keep him close and not let him escape.

Cheol Jiseon and I locked eyes.

He still looked tense, so I smiled at him once.

It was meant to ease him up a bit.

But—

“Ugh…!”

Seeing my smile made him cower as if he had seen something horrifying.

As if he had glimpsed something he shouldn’t have.

‘…This little punk?’

We were friends, so it should be okay if I teased him a bit.

It should be fine, right?

After all, that had been the case in my previous life.

Normally, it was me who ended up hitting others.

This time, however, it might be different.

Three days passed since then.

The trials conducted by the sects had concluded,

And the day to officially enter Shinryong Temple had come.

Fortunately, no one among our group had dropped out.

That was only natural.

Though I worried about Gu Yeonseo a bit, it appeared she had persevered through everything with fervor.

As we climbed up the opposite side of the testing mountain,

A mountain resembling a snake’s body emerged before us.

While it had its own name, most referred to it simply as Snake Mountain.

Weirdly, its simplicity was refreshing.

Following the path straight to the summit,

A colossal building came into view—the Shinryong Temple he had long aspired to enter.

It was beyond enormous.

The buildings he had seen with Nangong Bi-ah or within the Tang Clan had all been imposing, but—

The magnitude of Shinryong Temple felt altogether different.

One could call it a fortress.

‘What a waste of money.’

There’s no way merchants or commoners were donating funds for this.

What were they thinking, building something so extravagantly?

That’s all I could think about from my perspective.

As I entered deeper, following the guides,

I arrived at a place filled with people.

The energy emanating from the gathered crowd was sharp and refined.

Great clans and great houses.

All the successful candidates gathered, so the atmosphere was inevitably unique.

‘Still, they all look quite juvenile.’

The sharp gazes from time to time were clearly those of future greats.

And in the distance,

An elder stood on the podium.

Cheonghae Ilgeom.

The current sect leader of the Gunlun,

One of the top five martial masters in the Central Plains when it came to sword mastery.

The martial artists standing around were all perhaps disciples of the Gunlun.

‘What a different aura.’

Who knew I’d see that old man here.

He was someone I had ties to from my previous life as well.

That wasn’t quite a pleasing thought.

As time dragged on,

Once all the Late-Stage Talents had gathered and the time was right—

– We welcome the stars entering Shinryong Temple.

Cheonghae Ilgeom began his speech.

In a nutshell,

It was an unbearably long, tedious speech.

Welcome. Congratulations. Work hard. You are our future!

That was about it.

In truth, I had tuned out halfway, so I didn’t recall much.

It wasn’t particularly important anyway.

– Lastly, we will introduce the stars who excelled in this entry exam.

– First, from Group 1, Jang Seonyeon.

With a familiar voice, I finally tuned in.

A buzz erupted around me.

– Jang Seonyeon? A Holy being? She’s truly remarkable, coming from the rumors.

– She looks quite young, but obvious talent!

– I heard her demeanor is great, but her looks are exceptional; she must have it all.

– I happened to be there during the exam… and she, you won’t believe it, shattered the test stone…

With ears itching from the gossip, the crowd buzzed as they watched Jang Seonyeon receiving congratulatory pats from Cheonghae Ilgeom.

– Congratulations.

– Thank you…

As Jang Seonyeon paid her respects, she didn’t seem over the moon.

‘Can’t even control her expression properly, huh? Poor thing.’

Is her pride being hurt?

That girl has no idea how full she can really be.

Then, Cheonghae Ilgeom immediately called on the next person.

– Next up… from Group 1, Wi Seol-Ah.

At that moment, I almost choked.

‘…Why is her name here?’

Wi Seol-Ah.

That was somewhat out of nowhere.

The shockwaves rippled through the other Late-Stage Talents as well.

– Who is Wi Seol-Ah? Which house is she from? A martial faction?

– Overcoming a Holy being, and we’ve never heard her name before?

Swish.

Amidst their murmurs,

Someone stepped forth.

Eyes fixated on her.

Wi Seol-Ah had removed her commonly worn outerwear.

Wow.

Someone couldn’t help but let out an awe-struck gasp.

Her hair gently caressed by the wind,

Her golden eyes seemingly shimmering, showing that Wi Seol-Ah’s beauty had reached full bloom.

– …Aah, the Sword Sovereign…! The successor of the Sword Sovereign…!

– What?

– That young lady is truly the successor of the Sword Sovereign…!

The word had already spread like wildfire in the Central Plains.

It was an evident martial art; there’s no way to conceal it if she used it.

‘…Can she really handle it?’

The destructive weight of the title “Sword Sovereign’s successor” made

Jang Seonyeon’s name seem forgettable, barely even a fade away.

She was almost larger than life.

– Congratulations.

– …Thank you.

Wi Seol-Ah offered her thanks before standing next to Jang Seonyeon.

In that brief moment, their eyes met.

Seol-Ah seemed to share a moment of understanding with me, a slight smile reassuring me that she was alright.

‘What a ruckus.’

This wasn’t part of my plan.

Amidst the commotion stirred by Wi Seol-Ah’s entrance,

– With the Sword Sovereign’s successor holding the title, who could possibly hold the last position?

While the question loomed in the air,

Cheonghae Ilgeom finally called out the last person.

– Finally, the number one.

The last person to ascend the stage.

With two unexpected talents emerging,

This last person would draw all the attention and focus.

A chilly sense ran down my spine.

Looking back, of all times, I knew the name wouldn’t be something else.

‘Please don’t let it be…’

– From Group 2, Gu Yangcheong.

Right then, hope shattered.

Why did the world feel like it was trying to sideline me this time?

Sure, I had put in the work and not received acknowledgment, but hearing about Gu Huibi was already strange.

Depressed by the palpable buzz around,

People moved as if to say,

‘It’s him, the brother of Jin Ryong…’

– His sister is renowned; Jin Ryong himself holds quite the fierce reputation too, you know…

– Shh, be quiet. You need to keep it down.

Buzz, buzz, buzz.

Rumors certainly spread like wildfire, huh?

This was all Gu Huibi’s doing.

It wasn’t my fault.

As I neared the stage, I reflected.

‘This isn’t a great start, is it?’

This was a downright terrible beginning.

 

---