“I was really anxious that Rin might cause trouble.”
As we all moved toward the restaurant, Namgoong Ruby said that.
“Unlike me, I thought Rin would get beaten up without mercy since she’s just a regular person.”
At that, Dokgorin, walking beside her, responded with a huffy expression.
“I can tell the difference, you know.”
“Really?”
“…She might only break one of their arms or legs.”
“See! Rin has no mercy!”
Having shared a room, they had developed a bond, and now Dokgorin and Namgoong Ruby conversed quite normally.
While I watched them with a strange expression, Samajak beside me asked,
“So, what are you two doing out here?”
At that, Namgoong Ruby exclaimed, “Ah!” and waved her hands excitedly as she explained.
“I know a great tea shop, so I got her to come along. But we got tangled up with those guys earlier.”
“Is that so?”
Since it was a rather trivial reason, I nodded, intending to move on, but then I noticed Rin’s gaze fixed on my clothes.
“What’s up?”
“I’ve never seen those clothes before. Did you just buy them?”
“Oh, yeah. I was just browsing the market and thought they suited me well, so I got this set. They call this type of clothing ‘goryeoyang’.”
“Mm-hm.”
Dokgorin sniffed and looked me up and down, saying, “It looks good on you.”
Seemingly wanting to give a compliment.
‘How cute.’
I couldn’t help but think that as I realized we had arrived in front of the restaurant.
“Let’s go in.”
*
The place I had brought my companions to was a public restaurant I had visited with Dokgoseok when I was last in the capital.
I remembered enjoying the five-spice pork and the refreshing boiled meat dish, which was why I brought the three of them along.
“…This place.”
As Dokgorin looked around the shop, she mumbled, perhaps recalling old memories.
“Let’s sit down first.”
I said that and found a suitable table, then called for a waiter.
Soon, a boy about our age dashed over.
“Please bring the five-spice pork and the refreshing boiled meat, along with some noodles for the number of people.”
“Sure!”
The waiter glanced at Namgoong Ruby and Dokgorin as he took our order, and it seemed those two naturally drew attention just by being there.
‘Come to think of it, I was going to make a mask to replace the noodle mask.’
As soon as I spotted the black cloth Dokgorin was wearing, I suddenly remembered I needed to buy materials to make a mask before entering the academy and asked Namgoong Ruby.
“By the way, the midterms are coming up soon. Are you studying well for them?”
Namgoong Ruby, sipping her pre-meal tea, answered with a smile.
“No♡”
“…Aren’t you barely scraping by with your written grades? With those grades, you might not be able to stay in Class A.”
At that, Namgoong Ruby tilted her head in confusion.
“What does exam performance have to do with that?”
“The teacher said at the beginning of the semester that if midterm exam scores are low, you could be moved to a different class.”
At Cheonmu Academy, which firmly advocates meritocracy, exam scores determined whether you moved up or down in your class.
If a student in Class A significantly faltered, they would drop to Class B while the top performer in Class B would move up to Class A.
“……”
Namgoong Ruby’s expression suddenly turned serious.
It seemed she had no idea about this.
“Wh-what should I do?”
She looked at me anxiously, clearly worried.
But the only thing I could say to her was one thing.
“What do you mean, what should you do? You need to study from now on.”
Since there were about two weeks until the midterms, if she started studying now, she could at least avoid the worst outcome.
Students here preferred practical skills over written tests, so they typically didn’t study hard anyway.
“Hehe, then in two weeks, we won’t be seeing her in our class anymore.”
Dokgorin remarked, as if it were good news.
On the other hand, for Samajak, who competed with me for the top spots in class, it felt like watching the flames from afar.
Well, I would feel the same.
Just as we were deep into our discussion about studying, someone suddenly shouted,
“I found you!”
Suddenly, a group of burly men swarmed into the restaurant.
Among them, one stood out,
“Hey! That’s the guy!”
It was the hunting duo I had given a hard time earlier on the street.
*
“Is it you who’s been bothering my little brothers?”
A bald man with an impressive physique asked me with an arrogant demeanor.
His big build, countless scars on his skin, and the visible muscle from long-term training showed he was no ordinary fighter.
Right after that, the short-haired man who had been beaten spoke up confidently.
“This is Ma Dongcheol, the ‘Black Forest’s Great Tiger’! Even a crying child would stop with him around!”
People in the restaurant began murmuring.
“Ma Dongcheol of the Black Forest…?”
“Blood Wind Great Tiger?”
“Why is such a master here…?”
Having never heard of such a title, it seemed he was quite famous in the capital, as customers began to subtly distance themselves.
Seeing this, I stood up.
I didn’t want to cause unnecessary trouble for the patrons of the restaurant.
“I’ll step outside for a moment.”
“Are you okay on your own?”
“If it’s tough, just let me know at any time.”
“At times like this, let me save some face too.”
While I couldn’t compare to the top fighters like Namgoong Ruby and Dokgorin, I had grown quite strong over time.
So, I wanted to show that I could handle this much on my own.
As I separated from my group and stepped outside, Ma Dongcheol, surprisingly following me, spoke.
“Hey, kid. Why don’t you call your friends back now? You seem to be acting all brave as if you’re a martial artist.”
I shrugged my shoulders and replied.
“I’m fine.”
“Oh? Don’t regret it.”
With those words, Ma Dongcheol gestured to his henchmen.
Soon, his men began to surround me gradually.
‘That’s eighteen in total.’
This was the largest number I had ever faced in a fight.
Feeling a bit tense, I started reciting the incantation of the Immortal Body Technique in my mind, and soon that tension melted away like snow.
“Attack!”
At Ma Dongcheol’s command, his subordinates charged at me all at once.
Although it seemed they were trying to coordinate their attacks, unfortunately, they weren’t very skilled at it.
‘When fighting against many, it’s crucial to seize the initiative.’
It was advice I received from Tang Hochang while learning the Way of the Dagorum.
Following Tang Hochang’s guidance, I thrust my fist toward the man with a club at the front.
‘Praying Mantis Rejects the Wheel!’
My fist shot out sharply like a praying mantis’s sickle, landing cleanly on his face.
Seizing the moment as he froze in pain, I kicked his stomach hard, sending him staggering back, then bound the hands of the other two rushing from both sides with the Tangjang technique, pulling them forcefully to slam their faces together.
“Die!”
But before I could catch my breath, yet another guy with a dagger came charging at me.
Acting reflexively, I struck his wrist, making him drop the dagger, then grabbed the belt at his waist and swung it like a whip.
The man, hit all over by the belt, let out a pained scream and retreated, causing his mates to hesitate in approaching.
‘Fourteen left.’
As I threw the belt I was holding at the henchmen measuring their distance, I slid under to escape.
Swish!
The Tangjang ties fired from my sleeves ensnared the legs of five nearby men.
As I crossed my arms, the five men whose legs were bound tried to move in different directions but ended up tangled and fell simultaneously.
‘Now, there are nine left.’
With half of them gone in an instant, sensing the threat, they hesitated to charge in one by one, opting to rush me all together instead.
By using the fifth technique of the Way of the Dagorum, Huaganjie, alongside the sixth technique, Waguazi, I dodged the attacks and fought back fervently, realizing soon that only a few stood before me.
‘Only three left.’
Unlike me, who felt relatively at ease, my opponents seemed anxious as their companions fell, unable to engage me easily while only exchanging glances.
Then a booming voice echoed from behind.
“You idiots! You can’t even catch a single brat?!”
That voice belonged to Ma Dongcheol, who stepped forward as he watched the fight unfold.
With an exasperated look, he glared at me.
“Kid, you seem to know how to fight decently, but I’m different.”
At that moment, a tremendous punch flew toward me.
“!”
I reflexively dodged the attack but felt the numbing power behind it. I widened my eyes as Ma Dongcheol smirked.
“So, how’s it feel? My punch isn’t easy to deal with, is it?”
“Well, not really.”
I didn’t want to admit it, so I replied vaguely, and Ma Dongcheol flexed his muscles, stating,
“In that case, I’ll beat you until you admit it!”
