NOVPUBEunho's smile and voice were affectionate, but his attack on Heukho was not.
Eunho completely read Heukho's clumsy attacks, and completely blocked Heukho's use of energy and musical instruments with his throwing weapons and traps.
To those who didn't know anything, it looked like Heukho was struggling and getting out of the ring.
Those with good eyes were impressed by Eunho's skills, but those who weren't were convinced that Heukho was too weak to handle.
Heukho, who left the training ground with his shoulders slumped, had no time to read the atmosphere.
'I wanted to show the newbie how cool I am!'
Heukho was so sad and embarrassed that he wanted to leave the training ground quickly, but he couldn't do that because he thought the newbie would come.
While he was trembling, Heukho was surrounded by tigers in an instant.
"Huh?"
The color drained from Heukho's face when he saw the tigers surrounding him.
In the first duel, there were some fierce and ignorant clans who fought so fiercely that the floor was shattered, and one of them, Baekho, stood before his eyes.
In addition to Baekho, there was Hwangho with sparkling eyes, Cheongho who watched them quietly as if watching them, and Eunho with a gentle face.
On the other side of the path that could be used as an escape route, there was Red Tiger who was glaring at the back of Baekho’s head with a scary face.
Black Tiger screamed, “Wow!” and tried to run away, but Baekho grabbed his nape before he could.
“Let go!”
“... ... .”
He tried to struggle to escape, but Baekho’s forearm, which was holding Black Tiger in the air, did not move at all.
White Tiger watched Black Tiger silently.
It seemed as if he was trying to remember the sound of Black Tiger’s presence, as if he had remembered that he had failed to find Black Tiger when they had last met.
“It’s close and moving, but its presence is faint. It’ll be hard to find it once it hides!”
“It’s just as Eunho said. But Hwangho, why are you here?”
“Didn’t Eunho declare early on that he would drop this body! We need to watch to see if it runs away or gets eliminated before this body and Eunho meet.”
Hwangho and Cheongho talked calmly while watching Heukho struggle.
When he finally gave up and relaxed his body, Heukho suddenly realized something.
‘There’s no hostility... ... .’
The only people who bothered to find Heukho, who always ran away to avoid people’s eyes, and talk to him were those who called him Mukho.
They had hostility, big or small.
Those who harbored hostility became even more aggressive when they realized that Heukho didn’t have the strength to fight back properly.
However, the tigers in front of them were different.
They seemed more curious than hostile.
Although the enemy-like feeling was felt from the enemy who was watching from a distance, it was directed at the white tiger, not the black tiger.
Also, they did not try to attack or use violence even when they saw the defenseless black tiger.
“It seems that the black tiger has noticed. Brother white tiger, please let me down.”
“If you hide again, it will be difficult to find me.”
“Do you think you would miss me even though it is right in front of you?”
“... ... That is not true.”
Only after Eunho spoke provocatively did the white tiger put the black tiger on the ground.
I thought he would throw it or let it go without sincerity, but the white tiger properly applied force.
When the black tiger stood on the ground, Eunho spoke softly.
“Black tiger, don’t worry about the results of today’s sparring.”
Before the black tiger could respond, the red tiger shouted.
“Don’t mind it? You lost like a snail in the first match, how can you not mind it! You’ll know how much it hurts when you lose.”
“Hahaha! Jeokho, are you really mindful of losing in the first match? I’ll win for you too. Just watch with peace of mind.”
“You won’t be able to beat my brother.”
“Eunho is talking. Be quiet.”
Heukho made a blank expression at the sight of the clans bickering.
Those who had seemed far away, like they were above the clouds, now felt like tigers like Heukho.
Eunho, who had been looking at Heukho without caring about the other clans shouting or spitting out murderous intent, smiled deeply.
“Jeokho, you lost in the first match too, but you’re so full of energy. Heukho, cheer up too.”
Jeokho cursed, but was soon drowned out by Hwangho’s laughter.
“I realized Heukho’s abilities in advance and prepared a plan, which is why I ended up like this. If someone else had faced Heukho, they would have had a hard time.”
“Really?”
“Yes, Heukho was born with a rare talent. So is Hwangho. That’s why I plan to take Hwangho down early, just like Heukho.”
Hwangho laughed louder, saying, “Hahahaha! If you want to try, try!” so Eunho couldn’t hear him for a moment.
In addition, the other clans kept joining in.
“Even if I faced Heukho, I wouldn’t have had a hard time.”
“White tiger, be quiet.”
The clans continued to exchange pointless words, and in the meantime, Heukho’s vigilance gradually weakened. 𝖓𝖔𝖛𝔭𝖚𝖇.𝔠𝖔𝔪
They didn’t ignore or push away Heukho, even when he mustered up the courage to join in on the conversation.
When he came to his senses, Heukho stopped running away or hiding and started watching the remaining sparring with them.
‘This is the first time I’ve had such a friendly conversation with anyone other than a rookie!’
When Eunho and Hwangho’s duel ended with Eunho’s overwhelming victory, Heukho laughed out loud without realizing it.
This was the first time Heukho had laughed like this.
Hwangho spoke awkwardly.
“Hmm, I’m in the same situation as Heukho! Heukho, how about asking Eunho to rematch with me? Let’s fight again. I’m asking for a rematch!”
“I don’t want to!”
While Hwangho was bothering Eunho alone, Baekho and Cheongho, who had finished their match, returned.
Baekho, who had figured out the situation, spoke coldly.
“Why are you trying to do another match where you’re sure to lose anyway? Heukho is smarter than you.”
“This is a good time. Baekho, let’s spar with me! This body is good at handling energy, but I will fight using only martial arts according to the rules suggested by the Heavenly God.”
“How arrogant of you to suggest something.”
Hwangho, who tried to spar with me here and there, finally lost to Cheongho, and only then did he calm down a bit.
And when Eunho, who had advanced to the finals, withdrew and Baekho won, the Heavenly God’s representative and three officials came down from the sky.
Black tiger was very happy when he saw the representative’s face.
‘Shinin!’
The Shinin looked even more beautiful and kind under the sunlight, not the moonlight.
That day was the happiest day for Black tiger.
Not only was he able to meet Shinin during the day, but he also made friends.
Black tiger became friends with the clans that symbolized colors, and stayed by Eunho’s side, helping him become the first leader of the clans.
In particular, when it came to pranks, Hwangho and Juk got along well.
“Heukho, you came at a good time.”
Hwangho’s eyes sparkled.
He seemed to be thinking of pranking again, and Heukho also liked the pranks.
Eunho didn’t just let bad pranks go, but he tolerated the fierce and persistent revenge against those who had bullied Heukho, so most of his pranks were revenge.
Jeokho always hung out with them while cursing them and telling them not to do petty things, and Baekho would join in whenever he felt like it.
Cheongho mostly played the role of stopping them, but he would hang out with them when he was trying to show those who were too much of a lesson.
However, there were times when he was just trying to play a pure prank.
“The younger brother of the new person has descended to this land. Let’s go see his face and say hello!”
“The younger brother of the new person? I’ll go!”
“I thought you’d participate. I called Jeokho, so go.”
“What about Baekho?”
“Baekho decided to hold on while drinking tea with Eunho.”
Hwangho and Heukho excitedly headed to Yeong-in’s residence.
Jeokho, who had been waiting in advance, said something like, “Those guys with nothing to do,” but he searched for the most diligent route to invade the residence.
“Pungbaek and Woosa are watching. Heukho, we’ll distract you, so you go first.”
“If you get caught by them, they’ll throw rain and wind at you.”
“Sometimes, sacrifices are necessary.”
“You were just joking around, but you spoke so solemnly and fell.”
Jeokho spoke sharply, but he and Hwangho played the role of bait.
The two were eventually caught by Poongbaek and Woosa, but Heukho succeeded in sneaking into the residence.
If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.
The black tiger chose a shady place and perfectly killed the presence, but was discovered by Yeongin.
Yeongin was a being that manipulated shadows, and hiding in the shadows of Yeongin’s residence was reckless.
The black tiger froze in front of Yeongin, who was like the moon.
Yeongin looked very similar to the new person, but unlike the new person, he was dark and static.
“Go away quietly.”
He expected to be stern because he was a completely different being from the new person, but Yeongin spoke as if he was protecting the black tiger.
Yeongin’s shadow was covering the black tiger.
“The heavens do not like me. The same goes for you, who are rare and have a similar color to me. If you find fault with me, I will not forgive you.”
The black tiger came to see Yeongin without thinking, but he heard how the new person’s younger brother was treated.
If Yeongin’s words were true, it would not have been strange for the black tiger to have been ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ struck by lightning.
During the day, the sky god could see this land clearly, so Young-in seemed to be worried about Heuk-ho.
He wanted to repay his concern, but he didn’t want to make Young-in worry if he got along with him.
Heuk-ho hesitated and said.
“Okay, okay. Then do you want to come listen to the performance at night with Shin-in?”
He asked based on the shallow thought that it would be safe to come with Shin-in at night.
Young-in opened his eyes slightly wide at Heuk-ho’s words and made his shadows darker.
Instead of saying that he would go, Young-in said.
“... ... My brother often praised your performance. You will definitely play well.”
Young-in sent Heuk-ho away without giving a definite answer.
In the end, Young-in never came to listen to Heuk-ho’s performance.
He might have come secretly enough that Heuk-ho didn’t notice and listened to the performance, but Heuk-ho never noticed it.
Meanwhile, Heukho's playing skills were getting better and better, but his playing had never been used in rituals or ceremonies.
When Heukho was troubled by this, Eunho spoke up.
"Heukho's playing is the best among the Hojok. If you don't like the accompaniment, you won't sing, so you'll be able to hear Heukho's playing.
“You always sing, don’t you?”
“But the new man sings even when the shamans play. The grass flute I play is lowly and lacks dignity, so it’s difficult to use in rituals... ... .”
Heukho’s voice gradually became quieter.
The only thing Heukho could boast about was that he was good at hiding and playing.
However, unlike the shamans of the heavens who played instruments imbued with divine energy, Heukho picked up leaves that fell on the ground and played them on the spot.
Heukho liked playing the grass flute, but he worried that he was lowering the status of the new man every time he played the accompaniment.
“Are there still such impudent people? How dare you say that the sound that the new man cherished and praised is lowly?”
Eunho's soft voice was warm like the spring sunshine, but it was filled with anger.
After that, Eunho asked a few questions about the insolent ones, but Heukho stuttered and couldn't answer properly.
However, with a small clue, Eunho quickly identified Baekho and said a few words, and a few dozen seconds later, screams erupted here and there in the territory of the Hojok.
"Heukho, the reason why we don't use Heukho's performance in the ritual is not because there are no high and low instruments. It's because we can't show off Heukho's precious talent carelessly."
Eunho said the same thing when they first met and had a duel.
Heukho believed everything Eunho said, but he was half-believing that one.
As Eunho said, Hwangho was truly born with precious and powerful power, but Heukho wasn't sure about his own power.
"The time will come soon when Heukho's power will prove its worth."
Eunho said with a slightly sad expression.
And soon, as Eunho had said, the time came to show the power of the Black Tiger.
The peaceful time passed, and an external enemy invaded the Korean peninsula, and war began.
