Chapter 109: A Match Made in Heaven (4)

Chu Il-hwan calmed the raging homicidal impulse within him and spoke with a smile while veins bulged on his forehead.

“And you still feel that way, even knowing you could be demoted to the Lower Class?”

Even as he asked, Chu Il-hwan felt something was strange about the situation.

Under normal circumstances, Dokgo Pae would never fall to the Lower Class.

If you removed Il-mok from the equation, Dokgo Pae was easily the strongest among his peers.

The problem was that martial skill was all he had.

‘If it weren’t for the Young Master, he’d probably be competing with Bang Mi-hwa for the top spot.’

Bang Mi-hwa was a couple of steps behind Dokgo Pae in raw martial skill, but she consistently maintained good scores across the board. Dokgo Pae, on the other hand, was focused solely on combat.

If Il-mok hadn't been there, the two of them would have likely spurred each other on, creating a healthy rivalry.

But Il-mok was an ecosystem-destroying invasive species.

Unlike Bang Mi-hwa, who used every trick in the book to avoid a direct confrontation with Il-mok and secure her grades, Dokgo Pae charged head-on every single time, only to be utterly crushed.

As a result, his grades continued to plummet. He was eliminated so pathetically early each time that it was impossible to give him a good evaluation no matter how skilled he was in martial arts.

But even as Chu Il-hwan exercised his patience and showed a shred of pity, Dokgo Pae’s answer remained the same.

"If one is a martial artist of the Divine Cult, shouldn't one naturally seek answers through martial might?"

"...I understand your intentions, so you may leave now."

Realizing there was no more advice he could give, Chu Il-hwan had no choice but to issue an order to leave.

If he continued conversing with that stubborn fool any longer, he would bring dishonor to Hall Master Yeom Ga-hwi by murdering a student before he even got the tails of the rats hiding in this place.

***

I hadn’t been lounging in the corner of the training grounds for long when I saw Dokgo Pae emerge from the pavilion after his meeting with Instructor Chu Il-hwan.

And for some reason, Dokgo Pae was glaring at me as if he wanted to kill me.

‘What’s with the crazy eyes now?’

Yesterday's incident suddenly came to mind.

The sight of Dokgo Pae charging at me with his eyes frenzied the moment the test began.

Back then too, I had gotten goosebumps all over my body and swung my sword to subdue Dokgo Pae.

The only reason why I didn’t beat this bastard half dead is that the memories of the fiasco with Mak Ho-yeol were still fresh in my mind.

I get the feeling that this crazy bastard is the same kind of pervert as Mak Ho-yeol who would grin blissfully with every blow delivered.

I had decided it was best not to associate with perverts, so I’d been trying to ignore him.

‘He’s going to burn a hole through my skull at this rate.’

Dokgo Pae spent the remaining class time staring holes through my skull.

And that afternoon.

After classes ended, I finished bathing and headed to the dining hall...

"Young Master Il-mok!"

That perverted bastard finally caught me.

I had no intention of managing my expression, so I looked at him like I was looking at a bug, but he seemed utterly oblivious to my disgust.

"Please give me one more chance."

"...What chance are you talking about?"

I hadn't given this man any chances, ever.

"Just like what you did for Brother Mak, please give me guidance too."

"......."

So that was it. Just like Mak Ho-yeol, he wanted to be beaten to a messy pulp.

"I refuse."

I had more than enough desire to pummel him, but hitting someone who enjoyed it wasn’t punishment; it was a reward.

Dokgo Pae, who somehow looked even more perverted than before, spoke with a grave expression.

“Then, at least, please tell me one thing. How can I become as strong as you, Young Master?"

It was an unexpected question. Normally, I would have just ignored him and walked on, but a useful idea sparked in my mind.

"I'll teach you, but there's a condition."

"A condition? What is it?"

“From now until we graduate from the Hall of the Demonic Way, and unless explicitly told by the instructors, never request a duel with me.”

This was my chance to peel this leech off for good.

Under the condition I presented, Dokgo Pae made a face as if he might fall into Qi Deviation and fell into deep thought.

"How could you..."

But that was brief.

Dokgo Pae seemed to have made a decision and answered with a serious expression.

"I agree."

Though Dokgo Pae accepted the proposal, one problem remained.

‘What the hell am I supposed to tell him?’

How did I become strong?

‘I just got stronger naturally from having to deal with all these psychos…?’

From my Master and Jin Hayeon to Jang Hwi’s ambush. Baek Cheon’s rampage, Chu Il-hwan’s attack, and even the senile Peach Blossom Ridge Lord.

I’d been forced to become strong simply by surviving the endless barrage of weirdos.

But I couldn’t just tell him that.

‘He’s already crazy about fighting as he is, and if he hears this kind of story, he’ll forget any promise he made and start ambushing me every damn day.’

After much deliberation, I decided to sell him some snake oil instead of telling the truth.

“What is strength, in your opinion, Disciple Dokgo?”

My sudden question drew a strange look from him.

“Strength is strength. What else would it be?”

"So you think just swinging a sword powerfully is strength?"

"Though I may be the eldest son of the Dokgo family, I do not believe a strong sword is the only measure of strength. Isn't high martial arts mastery what strength is?"

“And why do you think that?”

As our conversation continued like a Zen riddle, Dokgo Pae tilted his head but answered with pure sincerity.

"Because I believe in our Divine Cult's doctrine. To punish the wicked who torment the common folk with martial might, doesn't the strongest person rise to the position of Cult Leader?"

At Dokgo Pae's answer, I cheered internally. This was exactly how I expected these cult fanatics to respond.

"You're only half right. Our Divine Cult's doctrine aims to punish the wicked who torment the common folk. Its purpose is not martial arts itself. Martial arts are merely a tool.”

"!!!"

“In our Divine Cult, strength means the ability to better punish those wicked people. The Cult Leader is the one who can punish them most effectively. That is why the strongest ascends to the throne.”

My little wordplay seemed to have sparked some sort of epiphany in Dokgo Pae, yet he also looked utterly confused.

“Th-then what am I supposed to do?”

“Well, obviously, you have to use your head, don’t you?”

I said, tapping my temple. He asked back, “Do you mean I should use my head to headbutt my opponents?”

"......."

I was speechless at the ignorant answer, but barely managed to collect myself and replied, “No, not that. I mean you need to use your head in how you approach the exams.”

"If one is truly strong, wouldn't it be enough to solve everything with power without needing to use one's head? If I lose, it's simply because my skills were lacking."

"Tsk. And you call yourself a member of the great Heavenly Demon Divine Cult? Think of it as a real battle, not a test. You train yourself in martial arts to punish the wicked who torment the common folk, but what if you die? Are you going to say, ‘Ah, my skills were lacking.’ And dropped dead, is that it? You must win at all costs.”

As the words left my mouth, memories from my past life as a civil servant came flooding back.

—Is ‘sorry’ all you have to say!? You have to do something about it!

—You take our tax money and you can’t even do this? A bunch of thieves, the lot of you!

The shouts of entitled citizens demanding benefits they didn’t qualify for echoed in my ears.

As they railed against me, my superiors were busy pretending not to see, and I was left to find solutions within my capacity, as my superiors certainly had no intention of taking any responsibility themselves.

Looking back now, I wonder if those troublesome bastards weren't poor common folks but the wicked ones.

As I was lost in those dark memories, Dokgo Pae asked with a conflicted expression. “But… even if it is for the sake of the people, how can a warrior of the Divine Cult resort to such underhanded tricks…?”

“Even if you have no intention of using such tricks yourself, it’s all the same. You must use your head to avoid falling victim to them. Have you forgotten what happened to you in the first test?”

"Ah!!"

A cry of realization escaped him as he finally remembered being ambushed while eating.

I continued speaking to drive the point home.

“The same goes for your martial arts. From what I’ve seen, you’re only interested in your own techniques and pay no attention to your opponent's martial arts."

"Well, if I can just swing stronger and faster, I can win, can't I?"

"Tsk. Even if you swing with the same strength and speed, between hitting where the opponent is prepared and hitting where they don't expect, which one works better?"

Dokgo Pae nodded seriously.

"I'll say it again, use your head. Even if you have no intention of using ambushes or joint attacks, practice for situations where you might be ambushed or face joint attacks. The same goes for martial arts. If you observe and analyze your opponent's martial arts, you'll find things to learn."

"I will engrave your teachings deep in my heart, Young Master."

Dokgo Pae bowed to me with a serious face, then turned around refreshingly and headed somewhere.

Watching his retreating back disappear into the distance, I thought, ‘I just fed him a bunch of bullshits, but I’m sure it’ll work out somehow.’

I had no idea if using his head would actually make him stronger.

But I’m sure that if he used his head, his exam scores would improve. He’d probably stop getting eliminated right at the start by blindly charging in.

‘And if not, whatever.’

As long as that guy doesn't come looking for me anymore, that's enough. Whether his skills improved or not was none of my business.

Right after Dokgo Pae left, Il-mok headed for the clearing, thinking, ‘So, Chu Il-hwan is the only one I have to watch out for now?’

It was a subtle feeling.

Mak Ho-yeol and Dokgo Pae were, at the very least, weaker than him.

Until now, he had avoided them because he didn't want to get involved with perverts and was worried about the side effects of drawing his sword unnecessarily. They weren’t opponents he feared.

But Chu Il-hwan was different.

‘I should avoid him as much as possible from now on.’

Just as Il-mok made that resolution, a dark shadow, hidden by stealth techniques, was watching him.

***

After getting advice from Il-mok, Dokgo Pae hurried off to find his sworn brother, Mak Ho-yeol, to share what he had learned.

"Brother Mak! I’ve just heard something wonderful from Young Master Il-mok!"

After his beating from Il-mok, Mak Ho-yeol had realized his own shortcomings and had been dedicating himself to training.

He felt it would be disrespectful to challenge Il-mok again without improving his skills first.

Since this was news about the man he had set as his goal, Mak Ho-yeol’s interest was naturally piqued.

“From Junior Il-mok, you say? Hahaha! I’m quite curious to hear what it is.”

"What Young Master Il-mok taught me was the secret of strength, Brother Mak."

"Really! What is that secret?"

At Mak Ho-yeol's question, Dokgo Pae's lips curled into a smirk and answered.

"Young Master Il-mok said to use your head."

At Dokgo Pae's overly brief explanation, Mak Ho-yeol tilted his head.

“Does he mean I should use my head to headbutt my opponents?”

Sworn brothers indeed.