Chapter 117: It is not a special skill (2)
In any group, there were people who were underestimated compared to their abilities. It may be because they wanted a certain thing, and sometimes it was because of the system. Seongjin was the latter of the two, and since the class changes at the end of each semester, there were cases where he remained, even though he had much better skills.
‘But the situation here is different.’ Cheonmu Palace could take the promotion test immediately if the student wanted it, and the skills to be taught varied depending on the number of grades. In other words, under the Cheonmu system, there was no reason for students to hide their skills, but the woman in front of them was different.
‘At least 10 stars. It wouldn’t be strange even if I go on active duty.’
Since Cheonmu’s 10 stars were at the top of the diamond class, it was safe to say that she was almost an A-class hunter. By the way, such a disciple came out with 8 stars? He didn’t know what the purpose was, but the purpose of crushing this side was clear.
‘It's strange. Why on earth did he do this?’
He understood, but was there any reason why Cheonmu, who was trying to conciliate himself, would provoke Lee Byung-ho, who was close to him, by touching him? No matter how one was to look at it, it was a strange attempt to say that Lord Cheonmu prepared it.
While Kang Yoo-sik was lost in thought for a while in a situation where it was unknown who took the initiative…
“…Yes, you. Anything more responsive?” From there, he looked at the woman who was standing on top of the training ground with an embarrassed expression on her face.
“I can never forgive you… Well, isn’t it the right time to attack me while saying that I will deal with you instead?”
Kang Yoo-sik made a puzzled expression at the woman's expression with a slightly lost one of his own. “Why should I?”
"It's because the guy you're close with was beaten up."
“Did you enact any foul play?
"There's no way I could do something like that!" While hiding her strength, the woman screamed out loud, probably thinking that cheating during sparring was cowardly, and Kang Yoo-sik laughed.
“Isn’t that a problem? Isn’t Dalian originally about fighting each other and competing with each other?”
“Yeah, but….” She had thrown a provocation, but seeing no reaction at all, the woman's eyes turned to one place, and Kang Yoo-sik immediately followed her gaze.
Lips stretched out in a straight line with an expression like a wooden stone. He was a man with a deep scar on the left side of her forehead, but he had a lot of energy. ‘That guy… ‘
Because of his distinctive appearance, Kang Yoo-sik's memory came to mind quickly, and the words were listed through his memory map.
(Liang Jin)
(Gwiho Sword)
(Shinku Zhao's Disciple)
A-rank Hunter Liang Jin, a disciple of Zhao Xinku, the lord of Heavenly Mu Palace, and the future leader of the Blue Dragon. He was a powerful figure within Cheonmu Palace, and he was quite famous as he was known to be close to an S-class Hunter even though he did not update his armed forces.
‘Hmm. indeed. Is that how it happened?’
He could understand why the picture was so clumsily provocative. Kang Yoo-sik, who grasped the situation, looked at Lee Byung-ho, who was sitting on the floor. “Byung-ho.”
"Yes… Yes….”
“If you fight fair and lose, don’t be shy. Losing in Dalian wasn’t even a mistake, right?”
“… … .”
“Rather than that, think about how to win next time. You know what I mean?”
"Yeah….”
Lee Byung-ho lowered his head and answered Kang Yoo-sik's call. If he was ashamed of simply losing before, now he was ashamed of being shaken by such trivial things.
‘It’s good that I don’t build up my pride like before.’ Kang Yoo-sik looked at Ba Yun-fa with satisfaction at Lee Byung-ho’s quick understanding. “How often are friendly matches held?”
“Basically, we plan to do it once a week.”
“Hmm. okay?" Kang Yoo-sik, who turned his head to the side of Cheonmu Palace’s disciple, met eyes with Liang Jin, who was staring at him intently. “Then, next time I will participate too.”
With that she answered, raising the corner of her mouth. “Only using martial arts.”
* * *
After the friendly sparring, Cheonmu Palace and Seongjin's cadets moved separately, and the woman who had won against Lee Byung-ho, Bao Lin-sen, swept his arms. "Wow. Isn't that the king behind that san-nim? When he provoked me, I stared at him, but it seemed like his tongue was actually rolled upside down.”
Bao Lin-sen trembled as he recalled Lao Chang, who was standing quietly behind Kang yoo-sik. If he hadn't been in a hot state right after the sparring, he would have taken an unsightly look by stepping back without even realizing it.
“….” Hearing Bao Lin-sen's words, Liang Jin moved her steps without saying a word, and she slightly grasped her mood from her appearance and spoke while scratching the back of her head. "That… … sorry. You didn't do it right.”
"It doesn’t matter." Liang Jin's blunt answer made Bao Lin-sen slightly nervous.
‘Damn… Aren’t you going to go to Gyosim-dong again?’
Gyosim-dong 矯心洞. It was a place where disciples who caused trouble in Cheonmu Palace stayed, and Bao Lin-sen was also staying there until recently til a year ago. It was because during the 10-star screening, he had overpowered his opponent, a teacher, and blew off his right arm and left leg just because he was excited.
‘If I go in this time, I have to fill the remaining two years… … .’
Bao Lin-sen’s talent was outstanding, and the teacher’s wounds were treatable, so he avoided imprisonment, but punishment was unavoidable. Therefore, the punishment imposed was three years of probation in Gyosim-dong, and this time Liang Jin said that she would shorten his probation period, so he got out earlier.
‘Ah-oh. I can’t really get out of Cheonmu Palace.’
Probation at Gyosim-dong was not compulsory, but if you didn’t complete it, you couldn’t graduate from Cheonmu Palace. In other words, all the privileges that could be received as graduates would disappear, and there may be setbacks in being hired by a giant guild in China
Liang Jin answered calmly. “Anyway, the goal is to bring him out. You can even call it a success because they even put restrictions on using only martial arts.”
“Is that right?!” Bao Lin-sen responded lively to her positive response, and Liang Jin glanced at him.
“Rather than that, how did you convince him?”
“When I stabbed him and asked if he planned to rot here for 10 years, he responded. I think it will come out if you provoke him well.”
“Be sure to take it out. Then, even if you fail, I’ll give you a year off.”
“Uh! If you change your mind later, will you resort to an exposure?"
When Bao Lin-sen shouted in surprise, Liang Jin answered calmly. “Go and convince me.”
“Great. Just wait!” Bao Lin-sen ran towards Jiao Shen-dong, and Liang Jin, who looked at her back, put on her calm expression. The purpose of this time was to show her celestial powers to Seongjin and at the same time to imprint her existence firmly on her teacher Zhao Xinku.
It may seem a bit excessive, but the Blue Dragon master, who was no different from an agent, did not stop it, so it was no different from allowing it. ‘Perhaps she intends to test me with this matter.’
She knew the moment she met Kang Yoo-sik, but she didn’t waste enough time to fight against such an arrogant guy.
‘I'll crush that cheeky face…' Liang Jin, whose eyes lit up, moved on silently.
* * *
“Why did you do that?” After visiting Cheonmu Palace, he was now on his way to Taeheomun.
Lao Chang, who was driving, asked as if he did not understand. "What?"
“You mean you fight using only martial arts.”
“Ah. That's what you mean.” When Kang Yoo-sik answered lightly, Lao Chang looked at him with a worried expression.
“All of Cheonmu Palace’s 10-star disciples have mastered martial arts systematically with the skills of an A-rank hunter, and are specialized in interpersonal combat. To fight such an opponent with only martial arts….”
“I have something in mind, so you don’t have to worry.”
“…All right."
Seeing Lao Chang worrying about him, Kang Yoo-sik looked out the window. ‘However… People who don't know will think they're crazy.'
Hunters basically used a mixture of martial arts and magic, but there were certain areas that were more specialized. In particular, Kang Yoo-sik had recently been showing a completely specialized appearance in magic, but he suddenly only dealt with martial arts here. Perhaps, in the eyes of others, it would appear that he was just anxious to be beaten.
‘If someone you don’t know sees it.’
There were a lot of debts that have been sown, and this time he had been looking for a lot of fertilizers to refill them. Kang Yoo-sik, who decided to take this opportunity to pick up all of her decent skills, smiled and looked at Lao Chang. “Can you spam me later?”
“We will only do so within a line that does not interfere with the escort.”
“Thanks."
Not long after, the car arrived at Taeheomun's main building, and Kang Yusik looked at it as he got out. If Cheonmu was modern style, Taeheomun was built in a traditional style. It was built near the forest inside Cheonmu Palace, so the atmosphere was quite well harmonized.
“Let’s go in.” Two people got out of the car and went inside, and this time, another person came out to meet them.
"Welcome." Perhaps it was because of her short stature and youth, but her face felt neutral. It was Tao Fei's grandson, whom he met once at Round Academy.
Kang Yoo-sik smiled at Tao Lan's appearance. “It's been a while. How are you?"
“…Ah. I’ve had a good time.” Tao Lan made a slightly strange expression at Kang Yoo-sik’s friendly greeting. He felt embarrassed.
‘The grandpa is noisy… … The grandson is very blunt.’
Kang Yoo-sik, who decided to treat him as kindly as possible, moved on to the main topic. “Where is Lord Taeheomun?”
"He's waiting for you in the door room. Come this way….” Following Tao Lan to the top floor, the two went straight into the door room where Tao Fei was. The spicy smell of medicinal herbs and the scrolls and books piled up on the bookshelves. It had an old-fashioned feel reminiscent of an old bookstore, but the room itself was quite tidy.
‘It looks like a room used by someone who can’t throw it away.’
In a way, it felt like a room that fits perfectly with Tao Fei. When Kang Yoo-sik was looking around him with a curious expression, Tao Fei, who was sitting at the desk, stood up. "Come on….”
Tao Fei, who was about to shout loudly, looked at Lao Chang, who was standing next to him, eyes widening. “…Why is Ilhwa Danju next to you?”
“He is acting as an escort.”
“Ilhwa Danju?”
"Yes."
An S-class hunter, even carrying the king of swords as an escort. At Kang Yoo-sik’s reply, Tao Fei glanced at Lao Chang beside him with a bewildered expression. “Please take good care of me.”
“Uh, um. I see.”
Tao Fei, who gave a vague answer, cleared his throat and looked at it. “More than that, are you not hurt anywhere? I heard that the fire was quite large….”
"Yes. no problem."
“Good luck, then. ruler. Now….”
Tao Fei, who was just about to start talking, found Lao Chang behind Kang Yoo-sik and spoke slightly awkwardly. “I want to talk to you alone, but is it okay for a while?”
“That's….”
“I see. Please go out and wait.”
"All right." Lao Chang, nodding, eventually went outside, followed by Tao Lan, and closed the door behind her. The two of them, who were left alone in the door room, sat down and began to discuss.
“Since you put an escort on it, it must mean that you are trustworthy, but you don’t know what will happen after you see the item. If you feel uncomfortable, please understand.”
"Sure. Rather, where is the item…?”
“Wait a minute.” Tao Fei stood up and headed for the bookshelf containing the scrolls, pulled out three of them, and returned. It appeared to be a seemingly ordinary scroll. There was a bit of magical power wriggling inside, but it was at a weak level like magic applied for document preservation.
‘But something feels a little different….’
Tao Fei unfolded one of them. With a slight ripple, an item appeared on top of the scroll, and Kang Yoo-sik, who saw the process, burst into admiration. "Is it an enchanted item?”
“I just figured it out right away…"
An enchantment that could store things inside and an enchantment that could hide magical power. Kang Yoo-sik, realizing that the two items were double-hanging scrolls, looked at them with a curious expression.
‘This should be worth it.’
The existence of an enchanter itself was rare, but the evaluation varied depending on the type of enchantment. It was a considerable thing, especially if it was enough to neatly hide this amount of mana.
“Did you buy that scroll too?”
“I got it as a gift when I was young. Enchanters in the first generation didn't really hide their identities.”
“Ah. Well. okay."
After Tao Fei's explanation, Kang Yoo-sik didn't ask any more. As he had said, the first-generation enchanters did not hide their identities, and after entering a certain period of stability, they all ended up getting kidnapped or killed.
‘The person who made this is probably dead too.’
As the atmosphere grew slightly strange, Tao Fei held out a thick, ink-colored bracelet from a scroll to evoke it.
“This is an AA-grade equipment called Jamryonghwan. It has the ability to accelerate growth and also has the effect of temporarily amplifying power.”
It was not special, but the performance itself was good, so it was considered a decent item that belonged to the top ranks, and all the top-level hunters who raised disciples had their eyes on it. ‘I can write… If you do something, you can lend it to someone else.’
If one were to set the right mood and hand it over, the debt would rise rapidly. “And next….”
Tao Fei opened another scroll with her trembling hands, and a golden object appeared above it. A rectangular object the size of a fist with patterns the size of a fingernail engraved on it. On the surface, it looked like a processed gold bar, but in reality, it was different.
“It’s S-class equipment called Nata’s Money. Absolute hit and recall. Also, it is a throwing weapon with power enhancement through magic absorption and amplification.”
It was sure to hit, and immediately after that, it returned to the owner's hand. It was a simple but very powerful throwing weapon, and it contained the user's magical energy and amplified it to increase its power. It was a product that varied greatly depending on who was using it, and there was a huge accident related to it before returning.
‘One S-class hunter killed or crippled dozens of A-class hunters, maybe… ’
It happened within three months of falling into the hands of a catastrophic demon, so one could really tell how great its versatility and power were. ‘It has a good synergy with Percival or Aketrav… Overall good.’
Jamryonghwan and Nata’s money. It was one of the best things Tao Fei had, and Kang Yoo-sik looked at it with a satisfied expression. “What about the other one?”
"Well… Before that, there is one thing I want to point out for sure.”
"Yes?" Kang Yoo-sik looked at him curiously, and Tao Fei looked at him with a serious expression. “It is my choice which S-class item to give. Right?"
"Yeah… What…? Yes."
"That’s good."
Seeing Tao Fei nodding her head in satisfaction, Kang Yoo-sik smiled inwardly. ‘I guess this time it's a bit cheesy.'
He decided to give the remaining one as S-class, so it was a good piece of equipment, but there were bound to be some bad ones out of it. He was bleeding heavily while giving Nata Gold Coin and Jamryonghwan, so this time he must be thinking of giving him something less.
‘Well, I have to admit at least one.’
He had received two good ones, but maybe he could also obtain one that wasn’t as good. Thinking so, Kang Yoo-sik watched as the scroll opened. An unusual object appeared with clear energy.
“…Uh?" An octagonal object with the Bagua engraved on the outside and Taegeuk drawn in the center. As soon as he saw it, the memory map popped up information as if it was almost running out of control.
(Baguaro)
(Chinese National Treasure)
(Strongest Attribute Auxiliary Equipment)
It was an S-class equipment that was powerful enough to be counted with Percival during liberation and was designated as a national treasure by the Chinese government after Tao Fei's death. Among the items Tao Fei owned, an item of unapproachable value was put in front of his eyes.
"This….”
“I can give you one of the remaining S-ranks with this.”
Tao Fei looked at Kang Yoo-sik with serious eyes. “In exchange, help me. Just this once.”