Chapter 46: You Wanna Go At It Now?

Chapter 46: You Wanna Go At It Now?

Namgoong Su was having trouble blocking Myeong Il-Ohs flurry of attacks.

Whats going on? All of a sudden he!

It was shocking and confusing. In the blink of an eye, the new instructor candidate who couldnt even touch the hem of his sleeves transformed into a master martial artist capable of pushing him to his limits.

CLACK CLACK CLACK CLACK!

Wooden sword and wooden stick clashed. The instant Namgoong Su lost a bit of his balance, Myeong Il-Oh unleashed a fierce wave of blows.

Damn it!

He hadnt broken a sweat in over a hundred exchanges, but barely a dozen exchanges after Myeong Il-Ohs change in tactics, his back was drenched.

I cant let things continue like this!

Namgoong Su rooted his feet to the ground and brandished his sword, even though he knew that as long as he took a few steps back, he would be able to catch his breath and counterattack.

His pride just wouldnt let him show even the tiniest hint of weakness or break the handicap he had put on himself: The imaginary circle. He hadnt declared the handicap out loud, but before the duels had started, hed already decided that the moment he left this circle, he would consider himself defeated.

Y arent you reading this at ?

HAAA! For the first time, he shouted out loud to reinforce his conviction.

SWISH!

He drew a large, smooth circle with his wooden sword and perfectly deflected all of Myeong Il-Ohs attacks, which had been pouring down like rain.

Myeong Il-Oh hurriedly stepped backward.

WOAAAH! As expected of Mr. Namgoong!

Yeah, you cant let it end like this!

The instructors and students exclaimed in admiration at Namgoong Sus skill.

However, Namgoong Su was not the least bit satisfied with the result. He predicted what I would do and retreated out of my range

Originally, he had planned to counterattack immediately after blocking Myeong Il-Ohs flurry, but Myeong Il-Ohs retreat widened the distance between them, forcing him to abandon this strategy.

Huff Huff Myeong Il-Oh coolly steadied his breath for the next round of exchanges.

Seeing this, Namgoong Su finally realized that he was trapped by the imaginary circle of his own making.

One more time! Myeong Il-Oh shouted before lunging forward once again.

Unfortunately, Namgoong Su hadnt yet caught his breath and couldnt reply.

TAKTAKTAKTAKTAK!

Myeong Il-Ohs offensive was daring and relentless. Taking advantage of Namgoong Sus inability to move out of the imaginary circle, he darted in and out of his opponents reach.

If youre seeing this, you are at the wrong place.

SWOOSH! WHOOSH!

At first, Myeong Il-Ohs distancing wasnt very precise, but as time went on, his attacks became more and more measured, as if he had Namgoong Su completely outmaneuvered.

Contrary to Myeong Il-Ohs growing confidence, Namgoong Su felt as if he was being toyed around with. To make things worse, Myeong Il-Ohs weapon of choice was a staff, which had a much longer reach than Namgoong Sus sword.

Is this guy really the same person as before? Even if he had a hidden trump card, this is too much! Its as if someone else is controlling his body Wait, thats it. Someone is helping him!

The more Namgoong Su thought about it, the more convinced he became. Unlike before when he hesitated at every step, Myeong Il-Oh was now too confident, like he had stopped thinking and was just focusing on his footwork and attacks.

Even though his base strength and skill hasnt changed, he no longer has any wasted movements. That alone is enough to make a huge difference! But who the hell

WHOOSH!

Without even looking, Myeong Il-Oh deftly turned his head to avoid Namgoong Sus sword. At that moment, Namgoong Su saw a young man about his age in the audience stand.

Baek Su-Ryong?

HEH.

The moment their eyes met, Baek Su-Ryong grinned and Namgoong Su realized what was going on.

CRACKLE CRACKLE!

SO ITS YOU!!! Namgoong Sus body shook with rage and his eyes burned with unbridled fury, but unfortunately for him, that moment of inattention was a costly one.

Where are you looking in the middle of a duel?

!!

Y arent you reading this at ?

Namgoong Su somehow blocked the staff while bent over backward and bounced back to his feet. Meanwhile, Myeong Il-Oh stepped backward in surprise.

Fuck, you should have kept charging at him with the intention of killing him, not back off!

So far, Myeong Il-Oh had done much better than I expected with my limited instructions. I would be satisfied even if he lost now, but what Namgoong Su did next was completely unexpected even for me.

ROOOOOOAR!

A pure white sword qi coated Namgoong Sus blade even as one of the instructors or students yelled, The Lightning Sword!

The Lightning Sword was one of the famed techniques of the Namgoong Clan, the strongest among the Five Great Clans.

I immediately jumped on the stage, shouting, Stop, you crazy bastard!

However, I was one step too late. Namgoong Sus sword qi exploded, dyeing the stage in a blinding white flash.

AHHHHHHH! Myeong Il-Oh screamed as he was sent flying.

I leapt into the air and gently caught him, then landed as lightly as I could.

H-Hyung-nim Keuk! he coughed, spitting out blood.

Dont talk.

Myeong Il-Ohs injuries were severe. Splinters from his shattered wooden staff were embedded in various parts of his body, and his blood was flowing like a river.

TAP! TAP! TAP!

I quickly sealed his acupoints to stop further blood loss, but this was not an injury that could be cured with a day or two of rest.

I-Is he okay? Jaegal So-Yeong asked, rushing to my side.

Y arent you reading this at ?

I handed the now unconscious Myeong Il-Oh to her, saying, His life isnt in danger. Can you help me look after him until the physician gets here? I need to have a word with the guy who did this.

Leaving Myeong Il-Oh in Jaegal So-Yeongs care, I stood up and glared at Namgoong Su. He was looking at me, too.

Were you trying to kill him?

Im sorry. In the heat of the moment, I unintentionally used Sword Qi, Namgoong Su gave me an apologetic look, but I knew it was an act.

Youre sorry? I laughed as I swaggered onto the stage. Without realizing it, I was slipping back into my old Blood Cult habits. Do you think a simple sorry is enough? What if Il-Oh actually died? Are you still going to say sorry in front of his grave and call it a day? It must be nice, being from a good family.

What more do you want from me?

I stopped a few steps away from Namgoong Su. He met my gaze and didnt back down. With the unexpected casualty, the tension between us had reached a maximum.

The eyes of the entire audience were on us.

You wanna go at it now?

I sized up Namgoong Su. Certainly, he was stronger than I had predicted, and perhaps he had even more tricks up his sleeve. However, the difference between us wasnt so great that I couldnt overcome it

ENOUGH! A gravelly voice rang out, sending vibrations throughout the entire arena.

It was Noh Gun-Sang.

Candidate Baek Su-Ryong and Mr. Namgoong Su, please return to your seats. I will not tolerate any more disturbances.

If youre seeing this, you are at the wrong place.

Neither of us moved, to the annoyance of the Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva.

Have the two of you gone deaf? Noh Gun-Sang scolded, then released his aura.

ROOOOOOAR!

Kkh

Ugh

Both I and Namgoong Su groaned from the overwhelming pressure, and even those in the audience were not spared from Noh Gun-Sangs wrath as many faces turned pale.

This is my last warning. Both of you, please return to your seats, Noh Gun-Sang said sternly.

Namgoong Su spun around, muttering under his breath, You got lucky today.

I gave one final glance at the departing Namgoong Su, then slowly turned around.

Why arent you reading this at northbladetl.com?

Somehow, I had a feeling that this was the start of a very, very long rivalry.

In other words, the limbo dance position.