Chapter 71 – The Silent Path Blooms (桃李不言 下自成蹊)

Sweat droplets trickled from the tip of his chin. Exhausted from rigorous training, his trembling forearms revealed starkly protruding veins.

“Heo-eok, hee-eok.”

Jung Si-woo.

His damp hair veiled his fierce eyes. Breathing heavily with his upper body exposed, he was a far cry from the ever-smiling figure at the heart of his academy peers.

First-in-class (首席).

The word, gilded on the badge beside his name.

The weight it bore was far from light, like a single stroke of a brush.

-Thud.

Si-woo stumbled and slumped into his seat, his brow furrowed as if his vision blurred.

A broken wooden sword, the bloody traces of relentless effort.

Having lost his parents at a young age,
and his newborn sister,
it had been five years since he vowed to become stronger than anyone else in search of his lost family.

Jung Si-woo brushed back his hair. The glint in his eyes was paving the way for his next journey.

‘This quest… first place in the midterm exams. The reward is…’

His eyes suddenly widened.

[Quest Reward]
– Location Tracker

[In case of quest failure]
– No penalty.

His one and only younger sister.
He had found a way to locate her.

* * * * *

===============

【MainQuest 3: To a Higher Place】

▶ Good connections have been established, now is the time to showcase your abilities.

▶ The number of tasks assigned to you is [2].
– Rank within the top 20 in Korea.
– First place in written exams.

[Quest Reward]
– Supreme Potion x 5

[In case of quest failure]
– You will die.

===============

He thought it was about time for the quest to arrive.

As I perused the newly appeared quest, the rectangles obscuring letters within the sentences irked me. It seemed that even the quest details were no longer being properly displayed.

I sighed and spoke to Cheondo, who stood right beside me.

“The quest has arrived. We have to enter the top 20 in Korea for writing, and of course, if we fail, we die.”
“Is that so?”

Dormitory.

Wearing a gonryongpo that appeared several sizes larger than her body, Cheondo tapped her pipe and brushed off the burnt tobacco leaves. Her stoic visage, gazing out the window, seemed to sparkle even more in the sunlight.

“Not much time left.”

As she said, there wasn’t an abundance of time at our disposal.

My current ranking was 153rd. To reach the top 20, we would have to advance to at least the finals in the practical exam.

However, this was El Academy—a place teeming with numerous skilled individuals. No matter how high my latent potential, the gap in time was not something that could be easily bridged.

Perhaps this time, I truly might die.

I bitterly muttered to myself as my heart began to tremble.

“I thought you fought quite well, even managing to capture the ent.”
“Well, it’s only natural for you to be strong at your age. Who in the world could be captured in a dungeon and still make it back alive?”

Heaven’s words were undeniably true.

Indeed, I am strong. The issue lies in not knowing just how far my strength will reach.

I have grown so rapidly that I haven’t even grasped the depths of the one-way well known as the Academy. No matter how much I continue to develop, if asked whether I could defeat monsters like Jung Si-woo and Cornus… well, it’s uncertain.

In terms of skill, I might surpass Cornus, but I lose in magical battles. As for Jung Si-woo, he is such a monstrous figure that words aren’t even necessary to describe him.

To secure victory against them now, I needed a weapon that would place me a step ahead of everyone else.

A weapon akin to a finely honed, razor-sharp blade…

“You’ll need some skill.”

I nodded bitterly at Cheondo’s words.

“Trust me. A teacher is meant to guide their disciple to endure hardships.”
“Is that so?”
“Do you know the saying?”

I turned my gaze to look at Cheondo.

“Haja Seong-hye (桃李不言 下自成蹊).”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that virtuous people are followed by others without speaking a word.”

Cheondo dropped another cigarette into the ashtray and swept his hand under my chin, gently lifting it.

My head raised slightly.

“Who is the virtuous one?”
“Well, it’s not me, of course. I have such a devoted disciple, after all.”

Cheondo seemed to be choosing pleasant words today, perhaps in an attempt to ease my tension.

“And there’s also a saying about kindred spirits. Si-heon, virtuous people always find themselves in the company of other virtuous people, naturally drawn together.”

The conversation continued.

“I am number one.”

“You are the one who captured such a master. Shouldn’t we welcome such adversity?”

A gentle smile appeared.

I accepted it with a smile, feeling utterly satisfied.

“Indeed.”

The sensation of the tights touching the tip of my chin as it rested on Cheondo’s palm. I reached out and lowered Cheondo’s hand, gripping her fingers, yet her expression remained unchanged.

“That’s a pleasant thing to hear.”

“There’s something to prepare for. Until then, enjoy your life at the academy.”

“Where should I go next?”

Cheondo squeezed my clasped hand, her face resembling that of someone watching an intuitive child.

“Training will be tough, but don’t think about giving up. Once I’ve chosen a disciple, I don’t let go.”

Cheondo’s hand was cool and comforting.

It seemed that someone trustworthy was right beside me. With that realization, I couldn’t help but smile mischievously.

“Did you pounce on me because you didn’t want to miss out?”
“How many times must I deny it before you stop bringing it up?”

With a sardonic expression, Cheondo brushed off my hand and forcefully pushed my shoulder.
As expected, Cheondo didn’t falter this time either.

* * * * * *

“Um, would you like to join me?…for training.”

Azalea, who approached during our individual training session, quietly struck up a conversation.
It was quite a sight to see her twisting her hair while wearing a form-fitting battle suit.

“Sorry. Let’s do it later.”
“Oh…”

Although I wanted to, I declined moderately since I had a commitment with Cornus.

Scratching my stinging neck under Azalea’s gaze, I found Cornus lost in thought and poked her shoulder.

“?”

As I extended my index finger while holding her shoulder, Cornus turned her head, and her cheek was pressed down.

“…What are you doing?”
“A prank that’s popular these days.”
“Is it fun doing this?”

A prank that Gu-seul once played on me. Teasingly nodding her head, Cornus stared intently at my finger before opening her mouth wide and biting down on it.

– Aaah!

Ouch!

Startled by the sharp pain, I pulled my hand away. A vivid tooth mark remained on the second joint of my index finger.

“A trendy joke these days.”

Cornus awkwardly imitated my laughter and even parroted my words. If she pulled this prank twice, I’d be left with no fingers.

“So, you’re going to train?”
“That’s why I came.”

As I casually wiped saliva on the hem of my clothes and blew on my finger to soothe the pain, Cornus picked up a wooden sword from nearby. Perhaps it was because she hadn’t trained in a while, but her movements were swift, and her eyes were full of vitality.

“Have you been training hard?”
“I did a lot… And the master? I saved our master, too.”

It had been quite some time since I had a proper match with Cornus. Well, she was an abundantly talented individual, so she must have grown in the meantime.

It might have been much more challenging to find a new mentor after White Peach’s training.

We relocated to the 1vs1 training room.

As soon as the opaque reinforced glass door opened, Cornus entered and assumed a stance. Even though her ample breasts were tightly compressed within her battle attire, they still managed to flaunt their fullness as they quivered once.

“Watch closely.”

Cornus lifted one foot, raised her sword, and aimed its tip at me.
It was a posture I had never seen before.
For a brief moment, I warmed up my body to gauge Cornus’s abilities and observed her in silence.

The first round would be without magic. Let’s test my skills.

*Click.*

I pressed the 10-second timer and entered the center of the training room, assuming a stance while facing Cornus.

*Tilt.*

Cornus’s posture appeared rather unstable.
Her bright yellow hair and chest swayed, aligning with the center of her inclined body, while the tip of her sword seemed to have lost its direction, wavering from side to side.

Can we truly fight like this?

At that moment, as I was pondering this thought.

“…Kui Kui.”

A dreadful sound escaped from Cornus’ mouth. She tilted her head adorably and mumbled.

“Um… What?”

This is unexpected.

“Cornus.”
“?”
“You’ve been watching ‘Tree Inside’ again, haven’t you?”
“How did you know? I even met my master there. The swordsmanship technique.”
“What kind of master teaches in a place like that… Besides, I told you not to visit that site. It’s a place that ruins people, isn’t it?”

Upon hearing my words, Cornus widened her eyes, puffed up her cheeks slightly, and scolded me in an accusatory tone.

“Ever since our training… Siheon, you haven’t been engaging with me in cultural studies. You didn’t even train. So…”

In other words, she went back to that den because I didn’t play along with her?

“…”
“Spicy Tteokbokki…”

It seems that way.
I rested my hand on my forehead and let out a weary sigh.

“Why insist on taking that path? What is this Siljang Sword Technique? The Siljang-“

– Beep.

Before I could even finish my sentence, the alarm sounded, and Sansuyu’s body abruptly leaned and shot towards me.

A crude sword.
Yet, her footwork was far from ordinary.

When it seemed like she would go left, she twisted right, and the chaotic center of gravity suddenly contorted and returned to the proper position.

The Siljang Sword Technique’s absurd name aside, it was a remarkably intricate bodily maneuver. A genius alters even the method to suit their preferences. That malicious talent was a fact she already knew from her own experiences.

– Whirik!

A longsword in one hand, Sansuyu approached me, concealing a dagger held in reverse in the other hand.

Choosing to close the distance against a martial artist damaged one’s pride. Striking the side of the longsword that was about to reach her neck with her right hand, she soon burrowed into Sansuyu’s embrace.

– Whiririk.

In the fleeting instant of a single second, my body and Sansuyu’s intertwine.
A fist and a sword slicing through the air. Far from landing an effective blow, we couldn’t even target one another’s bodies.

Yet, an attack always seeks to strike once more.

Sansuyu accelerates her body, aiming for my neck with the dagger she grips in reverse. I had already anticipated her rapid increase in speed, as she employed a unique swordsmanship that involved continuous shifts in her stance.

In response, I mirror her movements, leaning back, tilting my center, and extending my leg.

The leg spirals, pushing through the air as it rises. Her dagger lunges nimbly, poised to pierce the space between my brows.

Abruptly, both attacks halt just before making contact with one another.

We crumple to the ground, as if collapsing. Our thighs intersect and lock together.

“Heo-eok, hee-eok,” we gasp.
“Whew…whew.”

Catching our breath, Sansuyu and I face each other and present our cases.

“…I won,” she claims.
“That’s not true,” I counter.

It was a close call. Had it been a real battle, we might have both been killed. Lying down on my back, the hard, cold floor pressing against the back of my head felt surprisingly comforting.

“…Spicy tteokbokki.”

At Sansuyu’s words, I scratched my sweaty chin, perplexed.

“You trained hard.”

“Yeah, let’s go eat. Until we’re stuffed.”

This training session revealed an undeniable truth: I was far from being able to defeat Jung Si-woo. And to clear the quest, I couldn’t afford to be picky when it came to my methods.

I got up and helped Sansuyu to her feet by grasping her hand.

Oh, right.

“No tree inside.”

“…Huh?”

I couldn’t accept that, no matter what. Sansuyu lowered her head, looking dejected.

Was it because her mood had taken a hit? She didn’t seem to have an appetite, but that day, Sansuyu devoured three bowls of tteokbokki. She ate heartily, even bursting the yolk of the boiled egg as she went.

“I know the perfect word for moments like this. Belly rumbling!”
“Pfft.”

He may not have known much else, but he was undeniably skilled in online lingo.