NOVPUB“Heh heh heh. With skills like that, I’d be embarrassed to show my face. Can’t imagine walking around with a head held high.”
A mocking voice rang out, causing Gam Tae and Yun Gong to pause mid-training and glance in the direction of the sound. 𝘯𝘰𝑣𝘱𝑢𝘣.𝑐𝑜𝑚
“Who the hell are you?”
“Us? We’re from Cheongseok Martial Academy.”
“Cheongseok of the Western Region?”
“And who the hell are you, training in someone else’s territory? What, couldn’t train in your own backyard?”
“You’re using someone else’s land to train, so shouldn’t you pay a fee? Seems fair, right?”
“What are you talking about? This is the Southern Region—Baekyeong’s domain!”
“Oh, Baekyeong, huh? So the idiots who took over the South were you clowns?”
“Well, I mean... the South is full of weaklings.”
“True, but even so, this is just pathetic.”
“Must be the weaklings within Baekyeong itself. Why else would they be hiding here to train?”
“And the way they’re training? It’s a joke. Want us to show you how it’s really done? Keep training like that and you’ll die old and weak.”
“Shut your damn mouths! We’re ranked second and third among Baekyeong’s intermediate students!”
“What? Did you hear that? These clowns are ranked second and third?”
“Wow. That’s actually humiliating. I’d be ashamed to even say I was in the same division.”
“Maybe we should just take Baekyeong for ourselves next year and use it for sport.”
“Not a bad idea. If it’s full of trash like this, taking over would be child’s play.”
“Why wait for next year? Let’s take them down now. They’ll be senior students soon anyway—Baekyeong’s future pillars, huh?”
“Solid idea.”
“Cheon-ah, what do you think? Should we start breaking them in?”
“Can’t hurt to start early.”
“You heard that, right? Oh, you probably don’t even know who we are. Let me introduce him—he’s Baek Cheon, top-ranked intermediate of Cheongseok Academy.”
Gam Tae and Yun Gong’s expressions hardened.
Of all people, it had to be the top-ranked one...
There was no way they could win this fight.
“What’s wrong? Scared? Get on your knees and swear allegiance—we might let you walk away.”
The Cheongseok students grinned, toying with them as they watched Gam Tae and Yun Gong hesitate.
But even so, the two couldn’t make a move.
And then—
Boom.
Someone dropped from the sky.
“What the hell?”
The sudden figure made the Cheongseok students flinch.
It was Go Seung.
Gam Tae and Yun Gong stared, eyes wide.
“G-Go Seung...? What are you doing here?”
“Go Seung? That Go Seung? Baekyeong’s supposed top intermediate?”
“Heh heh. Oh, I’ve heard of him. The one who even lost to his own junior?”
“Baekyeong’s a joke. Seriously.”
“If we take him down too, Baekyeong falls to us by default.”
Go Seung looked at the sneering faces before him.
“You? Take Baekyeong? That’s a nice fantasy.”
“Doesn’t sound like much of a fantasy to me.”
“Cheon-ah, congrats in advance. Looks like you’ll be starting next year with Baekyeong in your pocket.”
From behind, Baek Cheon chuckled.
“Not a bad plan. Crush them all.”
“You hear that? Kneel now, and we won’t make your lives too miserable next year.”
Go Seung turned to Gam Tae and Yun Gong.
“I’m sorry. I placed too much weight on your shoulders. From now on, I’ll do my part. Just this once... believe in me.”
Gam Tae and Yun Gong, startled, looked at him—then nodded with steady eyes.
“Then show us. Show us that you mean it.”
Go Seung’s gaze turned sharp as he unslung the massive blade from ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) his back.
“You hear that? My people want to see Baekyeong’s strength.”
The Cheongseok students scoffed.
“What’s he rambling about? Everyone knows he’s weak.”
“Isn’t he supposed to be slow as hell with that oversized blade?”
“Let’s see that slow-ass technique up close, shall we?”
They still laughed.
Then—
“We’ll help too,” Gam Tae offered.
But Go Seung shook his head.
“You stay back. Let me prove I deserve to be top-ranked.”
“Go Seung...”
“I’m standing here not for myself, but so you can believe in me.”
With those words, he charged the Cheongseok students.
Splat.
“Guhhhk!”
The student in front was flung backwards, smashed aside by Go Seung’s massive blade.
Crash, crash, crash!
“What the hell! That coward attacked out of nowhere!”
“You’re dead!”
The Cheongseok students drew their dull-edged practice swords and rushed in.
Clang-clang-clang!
“W-What the—!”
“How is he this fast?!”
“Shit! He’s swinging that monster blade like it’s a goddamn sword!”
“Crap! Dodge!”
Whooosh—
Clank!
One tried to block with his sword—but it didn’t matter.
“Guhhh!”
“Urgh!”
Crash, crash!
Three were down in an instant.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
Go Seung didn’t stop. That massive blade spun through the air with terrifying ease and speed as he pressed forward.
“D-Don’t come any closer!”
“This doesn’t match the rumors! What’s with that speed?!”
“I thought it was light because he was swinging it so fast, but it felt heavy as hell!”
“He’s swinging that monster like it weighs nothing?”
He was a monster.
“You bullied my people. That’s gonna cost you a leg apiece.”
“N-No! Stop!”
Whoooosh—
Go Seung ignored the plea and swung again.
Clang!
Stagger—
Suddenly, someone appeared and blocked his strike.
It was Baek Cheon, the boy who’d been lying in the shadows.
Go Seung steadied himself and looked at him.
“You’re Baek Cheon? The one next in line for Cheongseok’s top rank?”
“That’s right.”
“And with that strength, you thought it was okay to harass my people?”
“That strength? I haven’t even shown mine yet.”
“I saw enough from that one move. But hey, if you think it’s unfair—prove it.”
“Proving it’s easy. Problem is—I’m not sure I can do it without hurting you.”
“That’s fine. I don’t plan to hold back either.”
Baek Cheon smiled.
It was a chilling smile.
He was hiding something.
“I’ll know once we clash.”
Whoosh—
Go Seung swung his massive blade toward Baek Cheon.
Baek Cheon dodged effortlessly—and then the air split.
Fwhoop—Fwit-fwit-fwit!
Throwing weapons?
Go Seung quickly retracted his blade to shield his body.
Tink-tink-tink—
Small black iron spikes scattered across the ground.
As expected—throwing needles.
“Nice reflexes.”
“So, that’s your specialty—throwing weapons?”
“Huh? My specialty? You think it's throwing weapons?”
With a sly grin, Baek Cheon leapt lightly, circling around Go Seung.
Then, in one smooth motion, he leaned far back—and snapped forward.
Fwish-fwish-fwish-fwish—
A swarm of throwing needles exploded from Baek Cheon’s back, flying straight toward Go Seung.
He raised his massive blade to block.
But—
Whirr—
The needles curved midair, arcing high into the sky in a wide circle—then rained down like a storm aimed directly at his head.
Thump—
Go Seung kicked the massive blade into the air and spun it rapidly.
“Heaven-Crushing Whirlwind Blade!”
WHOOOOOOM—
The enormous weapon spun overhead like a shielded umbrella, knocking the downpour of needles away with a deafening roar.
Thunk-thunk-thunk—!
The deflected needles stabbed into the ground around the fallen Cheongseok students.
Shhk-shhk-shhk—
“Aaaah!”
Terrified, they scrambled out of the way, diving into the corners like scared rats.
Clunk—
Go Seung caught his spinning blade and charged at Baek Cheon.
Despite his large frame, his speed was terrifying. Baek Cheon panicked, retreating quickly while launching more projectiles.
Whirr—
Clang-clang-clang—!
“What the—?!”
Needles that couldn’t be blocked by a sword were all being deflected by that monstrous blade.
CRACK—
“Gah!”
Go Seung was suddenly upon him. The flat of the blade smashed into Baek Cheon’s chest, sending him flying.
For a split second, all the air left his lungs. The pain clouded his vision.
This... this strength...
Could the rumors have been wrong?
This was no weakling who lost to a junior.
Realizing something was deeply off, Baek Cheon tried to de-escalate.
But Go Seung didn’t give him the chance.
BAM—
He planted the blade in the ground—and began pummeling Baek Cheon bare-handed.
Baek Cheon desperately blocked the strikes.
But even the defense wasn’t enough. Every blow crashed through his guard, rattling his core.
This brute...!
Still, with the blade set aside, he saw a chance.
If that sword’s out of the way—
Thud—
“Urgh!”
A fist slammed into his gut while he was distracted by strategy.
Choking on pain, Baek Cheon forced himself to stay conscious—then hurled a prepared needle straight at Go Seung.
“Die, you bastard!”
Fwish-fwish-fwish—
Thud-thud-thunk—
The needles struck, but Go Seung blocked with his forearm, thick like a tree trunk.
Drip—
Blood seeped between the embedded spikes.
Go Seung, eyes gleaming with fury, ripped the needles from his flesh and stared Baek Cheon down.
Baek Cheon grinned darkly.
“You dumb fuck. Those needles were coated in poison. Heh. You're done for!”
“Is that so?”
“If you kneel and beg, I might give you the antidote.”
Go Seung said nothing.
He just started walking toward him.
“H-Hey! I said kneel! Stay back!”
Baek Cheon stumbled backwards—
And then—
CRACK—
SPLAT—
A fist like a boulder smashed straight into his face.
The impact hurled him backward in a straight line, slamming him into the wall and dropping him like a sack of meat.
The remaining Cheongseok students could only gape, paralyzed in horror.
Go Seung didn’t even glance at them.
He walked over to Baek Cheon’s crumpled form and began searching his pockets.
“You said you’d give me the antidote if I kneeled... That means you’ve got it on you. So instead of kneeling, I’ll just beat your ass and take it.”
He rummaged around and found a small blue vial.
“This it?”
He sniffed it.
A fresh, cool scent.
Without hesitation, he drank it down.
Gulp—
“You idiot!” shouted Gam Tae. “What if that wasn’t the antidote?!”
Go Seung turned to him with a bright, innocent grin.
“Aw, were you worried about me just now?”
Gam Tae looked at him, stunned for a moment—then let out a sigh and shook his head.
“Yeah, you idiot. You’re Baekyeong’s top intermediate. You can’t let some damn poison take you down.”
Hearing that—words of recognition—Go Seung’s grin deepened.
“Don’t worry. I think it was the antidote. The dizziness is fading.”
And as he said, the darkened color in his face was beginning to clear.
Go Seung looked over at the rest of the Cheongseok students.
“So? What’s the holdup? Not coming at me? Should I come to you?”
“N-No! W-We surrender!”
“Kind of a stiff way to surrender, don’t you think?”
The students dropped to their knees and bowed in a panic.
Gam Tae and Yun Gong felt a rush of emotion rise in their chests.
“What should we do with them?”
“You're the top-ranked now. Your call,” said Gam Tae.
Go Seung blinked.
“We? Did you just say we?”
“Yeah. You’re our top intermediate. Who else would it be? Them?”
“You’re really... calling me the top?”
Gam Tae and Yun Gong nodded without hesitation.
“T-Thank you. I swear, I’ll do my best from now on!”
“No—thank you. We’ll follow you with everything we’ve got.”
“Same here.”
As they declared their loyalty, Go Seung’s eyes welled up—his heart swelling with a warmth he hadn’t known he needed.
All the pain, the doubt, the ridicule—washed away in that moment.
He quickly turned away from them, facing the Cheongseok students to hide his tears.
But his red, tear-filled eyes and clenched expression only made him look more terrifying.
Like a demon standing in the flesh.
“Aaaah!”
“W-We’re sorry! We’ll never mess with Baekyeong again!”
“We’re begging you—please, just let us go!”
Go Seung growled.
“You’re lucky my people are kind enough to let you walk. From now on, if you see someone wearing Baekyeong’s uniform—you turn the hell around. Got it?”
“Y-Yes! We’ll stay far away from this area too!”
“Then take your leader and get lost. I don’t want to see your faces again.”
“Y-Yes! Thank you! Really, thank you!”
“We’ll never forget this mercy!”
“Get lost already.”
The Cheongseok students picked up the unconscious Baek Cheon and stumbled away, pale with terror.
“Let’s go home,” Go Seung said.
“Yeah!”
Behind him, Gam Tae and Yun Gong followed with bright, proud smiles—watching the strong, unshakable figure leading the way.
