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Chapter 196

“Hello.”

“Oh, yeah. Hello.”

Choi Yeon-woo, who attended the class of the Count King, received a greeting first from Baek In-hwa. They exchanged pleasantries without thinking much about it, but something felt different about Baek In-hwa today. Was it more vibrant than usual? Or more energetic, perhaps?

‘I’m just glad they aren’t avoiding me… but still…’

It felt a bit awkward. After all, he had no idea what had led to her avoidance. The fact that it resolved itself without either of them knowing was slightly unsettling.

As Baek In-hwa began to stretch beside him, Yeon-woo opened his mouth. It felt a bit awkward indeed.

“Did you rest well?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. You seem… a bit tired.”

“Do I look that tired?”

He actually felt tired, but he never expected to be told he looked exhausted twice in less than 12 hours. Surprised, he asked back, and Baek In-hwa nodded with wide eyes.

“Isn’t it good to rest?”

At her smooth yet concerned comment, Yeon-woo washed his face and shook his head. He had already gone through a sparring session, but it wasn’t to the point of being unable to attend class.

While they were exchanging such conversations, Hyuk Mu-ryeon appeared, fluttering in like a flickering flame. It seemed like he jumped down from somewhere, given that a slight wind swept by. That guy always made a dramatic entrance.

“It’s been a while, you greenhorns!”

““Greetings, Count King!!””

At his boisterous greeting, the students bowed their heads in unison. Satisfied by their reaction, Hyuk Mu-ryeon stroked his beard and then cleared his throat to speak.

“It’s been seven months since I started teaching authority to these greenhorns. I can imagine that you have all learned a great deal in that time.”

The expressions of the students changed at his words. Some were basking in his words, while others thought he was a crazy old man but couldn’t outright deny his statement.

The former were mostly people like Kim Yoo-min. Those brain-muscle types…

“So, starting today, we’ll practice what you’ve learned until now with a simple sparring session. Remember, it’s not about attacking earnestly, but rather getting each movement right.”

At Hyuk Mu-ryeon’s words, gasps burst from the students. The academy’s classes often included sparring and practice. Many professors believe that actual combat is the most important.

Even so, Hyuk Mu-ryeon focused on solidifying the basics rather than sparring. He emphasized the fundamental aspects like lower body training and how to clinch a fist, truly concentrating on the most essential of basics up to now.

So hearing that they would finally have a sparring session from him was something. No matter how much the Count King established the stance, it was only natural that a sparring session would feel way more fun than just aimlessly throwing punches in the air.

“Now, find your pairs for the lesson. Of course, if I notice any areas for improvement during the spar, I’ll jump in immediately, so keep that in mind.”

As those words left his mouth, Yeon-woo and Baek In-hwa made eye contact. It felt like they were cursed by the name of trainers, destined to fight whenever their eyes met.

After a brief awkward moment of staring at each other, Yeon-woo suddenly voiced a thought.

“Come to think of it, we’ve never fought, right?”

“That’s true.”

Baek In-hwa agreed with his statement. Though Yeon-woo had sparred with many people during the semester, he oddly didn’t have any memory of sparring with Baek In-hwa.

They knew enough about each other, so it felt fine skipping the spar, but it wouldn’t hurt to give it a try this time.

“Then how about we give it a shot?”

“Sure, sounds good.”

With a response that made Yeon-woo think, “Is it really good?” he casually got into position. As Baek In-hwa adjusted her stance in response, the lesson began.

*

Human greed is fierce. Just looking at how they covet what lies within can tell you that. Over time, the greed will undoubtedly surface. Like discovering a treasure buried in the sand.

A man with greedy eyes knelt before a girl perched on a fancy chair and said, “It’s not just anything; it’s a dragon, Demon King. Just imagine the great profits we could rake in if we manage to acquire even one of them…!”

“Hmm, yes.”

The girl called the Demon King merely nodded nonchalantly to the man’s words as he lay flat with his head down.

The man found her reaction strange. How could she, the most greedy being in this world, respond so blandly to the ‘product’ that is a dragon?

Did I say something wrong? That can’t be. I conveyed everything correctly. I thought this would be enough to get precious resources for the job—

Before he could finish that thought, the moment he raised his head to speak again, he realized something was spilling out of his mouth.

Choking, he looked down to confirm what was rising up his throat, and with a flop, he fell over.

Instead of a person, he had become a golden liquid, flowing down. Soon, a beautiful attendant walked over, gathering it with something resembling a dustpan.

“You see, this is why people rolling in the alleyways just can’t do. They lack dignity, lacking dignity. We claim to only engage in lawful commerce.”

Tsking at the sight, the Demon King settled back into her plush chair, a wide smile spreading across her face.

“It really pays off to spend big bucks on such a chair.”

As she merrily jiggled in her seat, the attendant who had cleared away the golden liquid approached her.

“Please, maintain your dignity, Levi. Your majesty is slipping away.”

“I know, I know. But Behi, I’ve always wondered about one thing. If I sell that gold, am I engaging in human trafficking?”

“…It’s not for sale. Would you sell something like that?”

Behi coldly retorted with a look of disgust, causing Levi to whine in defeat, resting her elbows on the armrest and propping her chin up.

“So, what do you think? I want to maintain good relations with promising individuals as much as possible. Behi, how about a bet? Do you think that fellow will yield to human greed or not? I bet on the latter.”

“I won’t wager with you since I’ve never won.”

“Aww, that’s boring.”

Saying that, the young girl sitting on the throne swung her legs nonchalantly, her eyes shining bright with madness that screamed for greed.

The Demon King, known as the ‘The Suppressed Friday,’ led the largest trading group in the world while mingling among humans, revealing her sharp teeth as Leviathan smiled.

*

Though it was called sparring, the class proceeded slowly overall. The rules that were hard to grasp from mere explanations began to clarify once the sparring started.

Yeon-woo struck his fist with a straight posture. Slowly, fully aware of perfect form, he halted his punch and opened his mouth.

“This is a strike for containment. I didn’t care much about the power—it was meant to restrict your movements. You’d probably counter with a dodge, right?”

Adding intent and explanation to each strike was the rule of this sparring.

If we were to talk like in martial arts, it would be akin to a discourse that accompanies action. At first, students slacked off, wondering what the point was, but soon, they began exchanging serious dialogue with earnest expressions.

“If that’s the intent… I’ll pivot my body to dodge while delivering a strike to push you back, inflicting some damage. Keeping my distance gives me the advantage.”

Baek In-hwa fluidly twirled and dodged as she extended her right arm. The overwhelming power of her strike almost grazed his body by a hair.

I’m focused on hand-to-hand combat while this girl masters both martial arts and footwork. This is being unreasonably unfair.

The sparring between Yeon-woo and Baek In-hwa was surprisingly peaceful. Unlike other groups, there was hardly any intervention from Hyuk Mu-ryeon.

Occasionally, there were tips about the movement or emphasizing proper weight distribution, but it was more like fine-tuning rather than any major corrections.

This more or less made sense since half of the graduating class hadn’t even reached the mid-tier of Aura Experts. Now, here in the first-year elite ranks, they were on a whole different level.

Yeon-woo had also reached the mid-tier of Aura Expert, beginning to hold his name among the highest levels of his year.

At this point, their understanding of the body had grown so unique that they could quickly grasp simple movements without needing the refined techniques of martial arts.

When you are overly outstanding, you end up having to sacrifice a bit in these scenarios.

During the spar, Yeon-woo found himself on the losing end. There was no way around it. Baek In-hwa was already familiar with unarmed combat, whereas Yeon-woo was still just a makeshift solution based on his past experiences.

Of course, while that makeshift worked reasonably well, in a situation where he had to explain his intentions entirely, it wasn’t particularly useful.

‘Guess I was relying more on psychological warfare than I expected.’

It posed no problem against an opponent he could understand, but against one he couldn’t, it would lead to disaster. It might be smart to practice pure strength or techniques too.

“I’m going in for a jab to the abdomen, aiming to push you back.”

Baek In-hwa began to accelerate her movements. It was particularly challenging to respond without utilizing distance.

A fraction of a second hesitation could mean losing the chance, and like a speed quiz, she unleashed a series of relentless strikes.

Yeon-woo blocked and dodged numerous punches. He attempted to retaliate, but Baek In-hwa smoothly responded, cleverly using his counter to launch her own attack.

Seeing the rare excitement in Baek In-hwa’s eyes made it hard for Yeon-woo to call for a stop, so he decided to keep going until the end.

Just barely extending his punch grazed Baek In-hwa’s hair, and as a counterattack came flying back, Yeon-woo stepped back to block.

A follow-up was bound to come. Knowing there was no way she’d let this opportunity slip, he adjusted his posture.

Thud, and he felt his back hit against the wall. When he looked up in surprise, he noticed a stunningly long path of fancy footprints had been etched against the floor.

In that moment, Baek In-hwa’s pursuit slammed against the wall beside Yeon-woo’s head with a loud smack.

‘…Isn’t this what they call a wall bang?’

Panting heavily, those thoughts drifted through his mind when Baek In-hwa, whose arm hadn’t retreated from hitting the wall, suddenly spoke.

“I think I like you.”

“…Huh?”

“Just keep that in mind.”

With the same tone that was no different from usual, Baek In-hwa abruptly turned and slowly walked back to her original spot. What was that, a confession? Who confesses like that, all nonchalantly…

‘Ah.’

Oh, maybe it isn’t so nonchalant.

Her ears, clearly visible between her beautiful silver hair, were bright red, almost impossible to miss.

‘Choi Yeon-woo, when did you become such a sinful man…!!’

(Continued in the next chapter)

 

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