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< Martial Arts Competition (6) - Come Up >
The preliminary round of Yongbongbimu has begun.
“Contestants, check the back of the name tag you received! The number of the non-stage where you will be competing in the preliminary round is written there!”
Daein and Namgung Hyeon headed to the stage where the flag with the number “Oh” was planted. They were assigned to the same group.
“If this continues, the two of us won’t end up fighting in the preliminaries, right?”
“He said that’s not the way to do it.”
Even though this year’s Yongbongbimu was restricted to only those who had received a letter of recommendation, hundreds of participants flocked to the event.
Therefore, in order to save time, the preliminary rounds were divided into several groups.
The person in charge of the preliminary round 5 non-stage, Baek Joong-heon, looked around at the gathered reviewers and spoke.
“I will now call the names of the participants. Please raise your hands and answer loudly. Goo Yang-ho!”
“Island Master Gu Yang-ho! Here he is!”
Kuung!
A tall man stepped on the platform and thrust his fist into the air. Boom! The air burst out.
The name Goo Yang-ho was quite famous, and the people who knew him started gossiping.
Baek Joong-heon nodded roughly and called out the next name.
“I confess.”
“···Ilgeomjincheon Na Baekhan.”
The man with the cold impression drew his sword and cut through the air like lightning, then put the sword back in its scabbard and answered softly.
“···You called me?”
Exclamations of admiration erupted from all directions at the quick craftsmanship that was not easily seen.
The actions of the two people in front of them created a strange sense of competition among the later indices. The later indices that were called out also began to show their skills one by one.
“Haap! The wind and clouds are strong! We’ve arrived!”
“Ta-at! Baek Soo-na-ta Jung Cheon-gi! Victory is mine!”
“Diamond Yaksha Sopalbong! Eurachacha!”
One by one, as their names were called, the later index members began to show off their talents.
As I went on, the burden only grew. Sometimes I made a mistake and was laughed at, or I even hurt the person next to me.
Above all, it took up too much time. Finally, Baek Joong-heon could no longer stand it any longer and shouted.
“Go up on stage and show off your skills, and then answer the questions quickly!”
However, the long-term bragging of the later indices did not stop.
Yongbongbimu is the best opportunity for the later Jisoo to make his name known in the martial arts world.
Especially, those who thought it would be difficult for them to pass the preliminary round made a fuss.
“These guys···!”
The moment Baek Joong-heon was about to properly show his anger to his juniors in the martial arts world,
[Don’t be so picky. Aren’t you young people who came from far away to see just today?]
It was the message from the leader of the martial arts world, Yal-gi.
[But, my lord···.]
[Please bear with me. I think we should be able to overlook this level of youthful tantrums.]
“Ugh···.”
Baek Joong-heon groaned and looked around. Now he saw that the other non-staged people were in similar situations.
‘Oh, really. This isn’t Yongbongbimu, this is a gathering place for clowns.’
But if you have to be picky, what can you do?
Baek Joong-heon, who had half given up, called out the next name.
“Landlord!”
The man raised his hand and answered briefly.
“yes.”
“······.”
“···?”
“You’re not doing anything?”
“I told you not to do it.”
“Ahem. Oh, yeah, that’s right.”
Baek Joong-heon coughed and called the next name.
“Im Hyeon.”
Namgung Hyeon raised his hand next to the person and answered.
“yes!”
Baek Joong-heon smiled happily without realizing it at the girl’s beautiful smile. The short answer made him doubly happy.
However, it was embarrassing for the later indices belonging to the same group.
‘What are those?’
‘Why are you pouring cold water?’
When the two of them gave simple answers in the middle, those who were warming up and waiting for their turn became fools for a moment.
“Jang Hong!”
The man whose name was called next ended up answering without realizing it.
“Oh, yes!”
“Good. A man should be so serious. It’s no use swinging a weapon around to show off your mediocre talents. Next is long weapons!”
The bones in Baek Joong-heon’s words forced the next person to answer.
“···yes.”
Eventually, the long-term bragging of the later indexes ended as the big man ruined the mood. After that, everyone just answered quietly.
Ferocious gazes were fixed on the person who ruined the mood.
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‘What’s that kid?’
‘I don’t know where that country bumpkin came from, but he’s ruining the mood.’
‘That’s why I’m a newbie···.’
Most of the reviewers gathered around the stage had information about each other.
School, name, nickname, type of martial arts used.
Since they were all of the level of reviewers who received letters of recommendation from the famous scholars of the political faction, there was also exchange among them.
But nothing was known about Daein and Namgung Hyeon.
At best, he had a short-lived nickname, ‘The Sword of Righteousness’, and was known for beating up bandits.
‘How did you get the letter of recommendation?’
‘I guess you bought it with money.’
‘The woman might have bought it with a half-and-half face…’
Ignorance and contempt poured out as if it were natural.
The two felt the gazes from those around them, but they ignored them without any particular reaction.
Anyway, everything will change after a while.
***
Baek Joong-heon quickly called out the names of the remaining players on the list. Thanks to this, Group 5 of the preliminary round was able to confirm its members more quickly than the other groups.
Baek Joong-heon’s eyes lit up as he checked the last name on the list.
“Wow. There’s a potential winner.”
A contender for the title?
At those words, the later index members looked around, trying to find someone whose name had not yet been called.
Baek Joong-heon called the name.
“Youngho-sik!”
“······.”
“Youngho-sik? He’s not here?”
It was then that a new model soared high into the sky, not from the stage area but from behind it, in a place reserved for the audience.
“Wow!”
It was a very extravagant way of praying that was worthy of admiration.
A man who had flown through the air as if walking on clouds landed right in front of Baek Joong-heon.
When the young man lowered the fan that covered his face, those who recognized his face shouted.
“It’s a volcanic divinity!”
“Okgirin!”
Volcanic divinity, and jade dragon.
The young man who was known by two nicknames was a very handsome man.
He is the youngest disciple of the leader of the Hwasan faction, and has a handsome face that can steal the hearts of many women.
He was a perfect man in every way.
Younghosik smiled brightly while receiving the men’s jealous and envious looks.
“I’m sorry. I got lost because I couldn’t see the road well… I almost couldn’t attend the Yongbongbimu.”
Even the way he spoke like that must have seemed handsome, because the women in the audience were already screaming.
The man laughed in vain at the sight.
‘They’re playing. The kids are all ready.’
Anyone could see that it was a well-prepared performance. However, no one was brave enough to point that out to the disciple of the leader of the Hwasan faction.
Daeindo was also annoyed and stayed still. Baek Joong-heon looked around at the later indexes and said.
“Everyone is here. Then I’ll briefly explain the rules of the preliminary round.”
The rules for the preliminary round were simple.
3 wins in a row.
If you win 3 times in a row on the non-stage, you pass.
Or, if no one comes up on stage for half an hour (about 7 minutes), it was a qualifying round.
Because it proves that he is strong enough that there are no more challengers.
“Then we’ll start the preliminaries in a bit. In the meantime, take care of business and relax.”
The later index members were seen gathering with familiar faces to relieve tension through conversation, doing warm-up exercises alone, or sitting cross-legged and meditating.
Daein spent time eating sweets with Namgung Hyeon.
“This is delicious. Should I buy some more on the way?”
“Yes! Grandpa will like it too.”
“Excuse me, can I have one too?”
The owner of the voice that chimed in jokingly was Younghosik.
When the two turned around, he took the lottery ticket and greeted them formally.
“My name is Yeongho-sik. The seniors of Gangho gave me the generous nickname of Hwasan Shinseong.”
Since the man ignored him, Namgung Hyeon received the greeting instead.
“My name is Im Hyeon. I don’t have a nickname.”
“You are the current young lady.”
Younghosik wasn’t interested in men either. His gaze was focused solely on Namgunghyun.
‘There was such a beauty in the martial arts world that I didn’t know about. By the looks of it, she’s not even the daughter of a prestigious family, so she probably won’t have any troubles after that…’
Yeonghosik smiled softly, imagining the screams he would hear from her tonight.
“Excuse me, which temple did you study at?”
“Even if I tell you it’s a small sect, you won’t know.”
As expected, he is from an unremarkable background. The smile on Younghosik’s lips grew deeper.
“There is no such thing as big or small in martial arts. If you have a strong desire to learn, believe in it, and work hard, that’s all you need. So, there is no need to feel ashamed.”
Yeong Ho-sik kept mumbling plausible words to look good to Nam Goong-hyeon.
Usually, even just this much would have made most women fall for it.
But it wasn’t Namgung Hyeon.
“I didn’t say I was embarrassed?”
Younghosik was unusually flustered by the cold words he had heard from a woman for the first time in his life.
“Oh, that’s not what I meant···.”
‘How dare this woman? She knows who I am.’
Chimi suppressed her anger, and Younghosik tried to smile.
“There has been a misunderstanding. I guess I was nervous in front of a beautiful woman and made a slip of the tongue. Could you give me a chance to correct the misunderstanding after the preliminary round is over?”
He suggested that we have a cup of tea after work.
It’s even better with alcohol.
The two were met with envious and jealous looks from those around them.
Namgung Hyun drew the line clearly, but without being rude.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I have time for that. Confucius seems to be a busy man, too.”
“Haha. That’s okay. I can make time for you as much as I want.”
As the opponent persisted, Namgung Hyun also began to feel annoyed.
‘How shameless.’
Now I think I finally understand why my grandfather told me to dress up as a man.
Namgung Hyun’s tone of speech naturally became cold.
“I refuse. Could you please just leave?”
“Is it because you have a lover in mind?”
Namgung Hyun hesitated for a moment before shaking his head.
“No, but.”
Namgung Hyun spoke clearly to the fool who thought that all the women in the world would like him.
“I’m not interested in weak men.”
“···Puhahaha! Even your jokes are funny.”
Yeongho-sik laughed sincerely. However, there was no change in Namgung-hyeon’s expression.
“No kidding. I don’t like anyone who isn’t as strong as my brother.”
Namgung Hyeon then linked arms with the man.
The man who suddenly became the center of everyone’s attention frowned.
[Why are you dragging me in?]
[I can’t get rid of a kid who looks like a parasitic brother.]
Only then did Younghosik’s eyes catch the big picture. His eyes trembled slightly.
“Excuse me, but the relationship between the two of you is···.”
“He is my brother. And he is much more skilled than Confucius.”
“haha···.”
Although he was smiling, there was a cold smile on Younghosik’s lips.
‘How dare you compare me to this guy?’
Many eyes were watching this exciting conversation.
Rejection in front of many people.
Moreover, the excuse was a masterpiece.
“Does what you say mean that I am weaker than my brother next to me?”
“yes.”
An answer without even a second of hesitation.
For the young man who was called the Volcano God, it was a greater insult than being told to go away.
Younghosik looked at the man with a cold smile.
“Your younger brother has such great affection for you. He can’t even tell right from wrong…”
The man replied with a sly smile.
“He didn’t say anything wrong?”
We came here to win anyway.
I didn’t want to be the one to start a fight, but if they came at me from that direction, I wouldn’t just let it go.
“what?”
“I’m more of an expert than you.”
“haha···!”
At that moment, Baek Joong-heon shouted at the later indexes.
“Then, we will begin the preliminary round. When your name is called, come up to the stage…”
Before he could finish speaking, Younghosik pulled Shinhyeong into the air.
Whirlyrick!
Once again, showing off his impressive aerial skills, Younghosik landed in the middle of the stage.
And he provoked the man by swinging the fan he was holding.
“Come up. Let us see your amazing skills.”
“What are you doing now!”
Baek Joong-heon glared like a tiger at those arrogant words and actions.
After Younghosik took the lottery ticket from him, he spoke loudly with his voice full of energy so that everyone could hear.
“Dear senior, the merciless guest. I am here as a representative of the Hwasan faction. But just now, I was told by a Yongbongbimu participant that I am weak. How can I remain silent in the face of such an insult? Please give me a chance to restore the honor of Hwasan.”
Although it was a bit far-fetched, Baek Joong-heon looked embarrassed when the reputation of the Hwasan faction was brought up.
“But there is a set order…”
At that time, the leader of the martial arts world, Yulgi, sent a message to Baek Jungheon.
[It would be perfect to liven up the excitement of the competition.]
[yes?]
[Take a look around.]
Baek Joong-heon looked around as Maeng-ju had said.
Everyone who came to see the Yongbongbimu dance was looking at Yeonghosik standing on the stage.
It was because of his identity and appearance, as well as the words that Younghosik had just shouted out with all his inner strength that had piqued his interest.
‘What a clever guy…’
[Do whatever the Volcano Deity wants.]
[Your Majesty. Then the fairness of the competition will be···.]
[Is there a problem? Anyway, isn’t Volcano Divinity’s ability enough to easily pass the preliminaries?]
‘Then what will be the opponent?’
Baek Joong-heon wanted to ask that question, but he did not dare to challenge the authority of the leader of the martial arts world.
[···All right.]
Baek Joong-heon looked at the man and spoke in a bitter voice.
“Will you come up? It doesn’t matter if you abstain.”
“Of course I have to go up.”
Daein didn’t show off his flashy new skills like Yeongho-sik. He just walked up to the stage.
Soon the two men stood facing each other in the center of the stage.
“······.”
“······.”
One side is the disciple of Gupaebang and a strong candidate for victory.
On the other hand, a young man who has just entered the world of martial arts.
The result was obvious to anyone who saw it. Still, the audience waited with excitement for the show to begin.
A match between one of the contenders for the championship.
Just seeing the volcanic eruptions will be a feast for the eyes.
‘···The young man will become the victim of this ridiculous clown show.’
Baek Joong-heon, the indifferent guest, let out a light sigh and said.
“Let’s get started.”
A while later, as he had expected, a young man fell victim to the clown’s prank.
-Bam
But the face was different from the person I had thought.
< Martial Arts Competition (6) - Come Up > End
ⓒ Ganjjajang
