I couldn't breathe properly.
My ears were ringing as if I were subrged in the deep sea, so I couldn't even hear what was being said around .
'I'm sorry, Captain.'
In his fading consciousness, Jong Seo-eon apologized to Namgung Il.
For the past ten days, thanks to Namgung Il's help, his Dog Beating Staff Technique had been able to grow noticeably.
He had wanted to show that growth to Namgung Il in today's duel... but in the end, due to a mont's carelessness, that had beco impossible.
"Ten days from now, prove it with your own hands in front of everyone."
"..."
"That the Dog Beating Staff Technique is superior to the Diamond Staff Technique. Just as you have proven to in this way."
He had reached right near it, but in the end, he had missed it right in front of his nose.
He no longer had the strength to move his body, nor the strength to lift his Dog Beating Staff.
"I am... the true... successor...!"
He could vaguely see soone approaching him.
Ah, he's coming to finish this duel.
Realizing that the person was Yu Ji-han, Jong Seo-eon thought so inwardly.
"..."
Even knowing that, Jong Seo-eon just stood there, staggering.
No, in fact, he couldn't say he knew this situation.
Seeing and properly recognizing were separate issues.
Jong Seo-eon was in such a dazed state that he couldn't even make that judgnt correctly.
'...I want to lie down.'
Then he felt as if all this pain would disappear.
In the end, his two eyes slowly closed.
When his eyelids completely covered his two eyes, Jong Seo-eon's body slowly began to tilt.
"Jong Seo-eon!"
Just then, he heard a voice calling him from sowhere.
He couldn't hear any of the surrounding sounds, but strangely, that voice was very clear.
"Jong Seo-eon, when do you think an attack is most effective against an opponent?"
"...When you attack first in the first move?"
"No, you're wrong."
"...?"
"It's when the opponent is confident of victory and rushes in."
Hearing those words, a form ca to Jong Seo-eon's mind.
However, during the past ten days, that form had never once worked properly on Namgung Il, and in the end, he had judged that it was impossible for him to properly execute that form at his level.
Flicker—
At that mont, Jong Seo-eon opened his closed eyes.
His staggering body had sohow regained its balance, and in front of him, Yu Ji-han was thrusting his staff in a straight line.
"...!"
The staff Yu Ji-han thrust cut through the air in vain.
Jong Seo-eon's figure, which had disappeared from in front of his eyes.
Just then, a threatening aura was felt from below his line of sight.
There, Jong Seo-eon was holding his Dog Beating Staff with both hands.
The Dog Beating Staff, which was being swung greatly with his upper body bent far back.
At that ridiculous movent, Yu Ji-han could not react at all.
Thwack—!
In the end, Jong Seo-eon's Dog Beating Staff accurately hit Yu Ji-han's abdon.
However, as if that wasn't the end, Jong Seo-eon pushed the Dog Beating Staff he was holding with both hands all the way up.
Due to that rebound, both of Yu Ji-han's feet left the ground.
Simultaneously, his figure rose several feet high.
Yu Ji-han's figure turned half a circle in the air and showed his stomach to the sky.
'What on earth is this...!'
Until then, Yu Ji-han had not properly recognized what he had been hit by.
He had thrust his staff to finish off a guy who was about to die... so why was he the one who had risen into the sky?
Yu Ji-han barely held onto his consciousness and tried to follow Jong Seo-eon's figure, which had disappeared from in front of his eyes again.
"...!"
However, Yu Ji-han was able to find Jong Seo-eon's figure right away.
A person looking down at him from a place higher than himself.
To think he was looking down at him in such a way... Yu Ji-han tried to move the staff in his hand to attack Jong Seo-eon.
"...Drunken Dog Flips Over."
"What...?"
After that mumble escaped Jong Seo-eon's lips, a blow like a thunderbolt struck Yu Ji-han's abdon.
An impact that was incomparable to when his own body had risen into the air.
Yu Ji-han even had the illusion that his body was being cut in two.
Bang—!
Yu Ji-han's figure, which had risen into the air, instantly rushed to the ground.
As if to show how fast that speed was, cracks ford in all directions on the floor where Yu Ji-han had fallen.
"..."
Jong Seo-eon was striking down with his Dog Beating Staff on the abdon of Yu Ji-han, who was lying on the floor.
The training ground, where a silence was flowing, was so quiet that the roar that had occurred just before was colorless.
Yu Ji-han lay with his mouth open, not even moving.
'That one move just now...'
Everyone in the training ground was surprised by this scene, but Namgung Il was amazed in a different sense.
The form Jong Seo-eon had just executed was Drunken Dog Flips Over.
It was one of the forms called the Three Ultimate Moves of the Dog Beating Staff, and it was one of the most difficult forms among the Dog Beating Staff techniques.
"..."
Drunken Dog Flips Over was a form that displayed its true power only when it accurately aid for the opponent's opening.
It induces the opponent's carelessness and attacks that opening.
Because of that, it was a form that was not easily used in actual combat because it often created situations where one put oneself in danger... but Jong Seo-eon's Drunken Dog Flips Over just now was at a level that could be called excellent.
'It was enough to fool even .'
Since it was enough to fool even him, Yu Ji-han would have had no choice but to be hit.
How well one could create an opponent's opening, that was the part that could be called the core of Drunken Dog Flips Over.
To think he had mastered that on his own in just ten days... As expected of his junior disciple.
"Winner, Jong Seo-eon!"
Just then, Cheon Hong-ryeong's voice broke the silence of the training ground.
He had wondered what would happen for a while, but to think he would really win the duel.
Just then, Namgung Il discovered Namgung Cheon staring at Jong Seo-eon with wide eyes.
"Jong Seo-eon won."
"..."
"Thank you. Thanks to you blocking , this side won."
Namgung Il said so, still with their swords crossed.
At that mont, Namgung Cheon's brow furrowed slightly.
Just by looking at that reaction, one could tell that Namgung Cheon had not expected this situation.
"What should we do. Should we continue too?"
"..."
"Since we've already drawn our swords, isn't it a sha for you to end it like this?"
Namgung Il said with a very provocative smile on his lips.
However, Namgung Cheon, returning to his expressionless face, sheathed his sword.
Glancing once more at where Jong Seo-eon and Yu Ji-han were, Namgung Cheon turned his body and left the training ground.
"..."
Seeing that, Namgung Il also sheathed his sword.
Although he seed to be maintaining his composure on the outside, he was probably boiling with anger on the inside.
For now, that fact alone was enough.
Swoosh—
Namgung Il imdiately approached Jong Seo-eon.
Jong Seo-eon was still standing in the posture of striking down at Yu Ji-han with his Dog Beating Staff, and Namgung Il lightly touched Jong Seo-eon's shoulder from behind.
"Jong Seo-eon, the duel is now over..."
Namgung Il realized sothing in the middle and swallowed his words.
Although he couldn't tell from the outside, Jong Seo-eon was now unconscious.
"..."
When on earth had Jong Seo-eon lost consciousness?
When the duel ended? Or the mont he struck down with his Dog Beating Staff from the air?
'He must have been unconscious since then.'
From the mont he allowed the attack to Yu Ji-han and staggered, Jong Seo-eon was probably not fully conscious.
In other words, all the movents that had led to Drunken Dog Flips Over had been perford in an unconscious state.
Namgung Il realized that he had not been fooled by Jong Seo-eon.
"..."
To think he had created that one move with just his instincts in an unconscious state.
As soon as he realized that, a hollow laugh escaped Namgung Il.
'A monstrous fellow.'
As expected, Jong Seo-eon was the successor of the Beggars' Sect.
And a successor who far exceeded his expectations.
Namgung Il seed to have discovered a new potential in Jong Seo-eon in this duel.
"That kid, he's amazing, isn't he?"
It was then.
As Namgung Il was about to support Jong Seo-eon and carry him, Cheon Hong-ryeong approached with a faint smile.
"I saw a good duel after a long ti."
"..."
"When that kid regains consciousness, tell him so."
Leaving that one sentence, Cheon Hong-ryeong was about to leave the spot.
However.
"Wait."
At Namgung Il's voice coming from behind, Cheon Hong-ryeong stopped walking.
As she turned her head back again, Namgung Il was glaring this way with sharp eyes.
"Why didn't you stop the duel?"
"..."
"Anyone could see it was a dangerous situation. As an observer, you should have naturally stopped it."
Although the duel had ended with Jong Seo-eon's victory, Namgung Il was still angry about that fact.
If Jong Seo-eon hadn't acted unconsciously, what on earth would have been the result?
It was a situation where it wouldn't have been strange at all if the person collapsed on the floor was Jong Seo-eon, so it was a very lucky end.
"With your judgnt, Jong Seo-eon could have died."
"..."
"Why didn't you stop it then?"
A clear anger was showing in Namgung Il's tone.
He had almost lost his junior disciple in that one mont.
Thinking so, it was very natural for Namgung Il to be angry at Cheon Hong-ryeong now.
"..."
Cheon Hong-ryeong did not answer Namgung Il's question imdiately.
Until then, Namgung Il was still glaring at Cheon Hong-ryeong with sharp eyes.
A will was felt in Namgung Il's gaze that he would not let it go, no matter how much she was the student council president, depending on the answer that ca out.
"I knew it wouldn't end like that."
Just then, Cheon Hong-ryeong broke the silence and said.
"You knew... what on earth does that an?"
Namgung Il naturally couldn't understand those words.
Wasn't it a mont where anyone could see that Jong Seo-eon's defeat was certain?
In fact, Jong Seo-eon had created this result in a state where he was not fully conscious.
"It ans I knew that kid would show sothing."
"..."
Namgung Il silently looked at Cheon Hong-ryeong, who was smiling brightly at him.
She knew that Jong Seo-eon would show sothing… How on earth should he understand this?
If that were really true, it ant that Cheon Hong-ryeong had seen one step ahead of what he had not seen.
'No matter how much closer she watched the duel than ... is that possible?'
The insight to see a move ahead. That was one of the most important abilities for a martial artist.
An ability that could be said to be even more important, especially in a fight between masters.
It was quite common for the victory or defeat in a fight between masters to be decided by that one thing.
"..."
But was Cheon Hong-ryeong's ability superior to his?
To be honest, he couldn't easily believe it.
Because the insight to see a move ahead was often based on experience, and he would have lived a much longer ti than Cheon Hong-ryeong.
For his insight to be inferior to Cheon Hong-ryeong's, it was naturally sothing he couldn't easily accept.
"I by no ans left that kid to die."
"..."
"I just wanted to watch the duel to the end; it wouldn't be fun if I stopped it in the middle. Right?"
Although Cheon Hong-ryeong asked that, Namgung Il did not answer.
And a mont later, still with a smile on her lips, Cheon Hong-ryeong turned back again.
"Hurry up and take him to the Cheonuidang."
With those words, Cheon Hong-ryeong walked away.
Namgung Il stared at her back for a while, then lifted Jong Seo-eon with one hand.
'Cheon Hong-ryeong... as expected, an incomprehensible woman.'
It felt as if she was more incomprehensible than Namgung Cheon.
Where on earth had such a person co from... As expected, she was a person he didn't want to get deeply involved with.
"..."
Just then, Namgung Il was about to take a step, but he stopped and turned his head.
At the end of Namgung Il's gaze, Yu Ji-han was still lying unconscious, and Namgung Il sighed slightly and approached him.
'This guy is also my junior disciple in a way.'
To make his grandmaster work like this... As expected, both were very high-maintenance junior disciples.
The Beggar Young Master of the Namgung Clan
User Comments
0 comments from readers