Chapter 140: A Terrifying Man (2)

"!?"

When Il-mok's face crumpled at her smile, Xiao Hong was visibly flustered.

'But... but I was told that men are weak to smiles?'

Just when she didn't know what to do with this unexpected situation, a voice came to her rescue.

"That was a good question, Disciple Dokgo. The instructors have already arranged the sparring matches, and each of you will fight three rounds."

Since Chu Il-hwan continued explaining the test, Il-mok's gaze naturally shifted to him.

After Chu Il-hwan finished his brief introduction to the exam, he pointed to Xiao Hong with his hand.

"Starting after this exam ends, Instructor Xiao Hong will be taking over doctrinal education in place of Instructor Jeong Gyu-seok, who had to leave his position. Since she's from the Law Enforcement Hall, not only is her skill unquestionable, but she's also thoroughly versed in doctrine and law, so I expect you to trust and follow her guidance.”

With those words, Chu Il-hwan took a step back, allowing Xiao Hong to step forward.

She swept her gaze over the students and gave a brief greeting with her original cold expression.

“I am Xiao Hong, and as of today, I will be serving as an instructor at the Hall of the Demonic Way.”

The Law Enforcement Hall was an organization that enforced the law, mainly handling the execution of apostates and criminals.

Having done such work for over ten years, Xiao Hong was accustomed to being blunt and cynical in official matters.

However, when she looked over the students and made eye contact with Il-mok again, she almost flinched without realizing it.

'...Did he figure it out?'

As if the crumpled face she'd seen earlier was just her imagination, Il-mok was looking at her with a bright smile.

But Il-mok's reason for smiling was a bit different from what she expected.

'No need to show that I'm suspicious.'

There was no need to provoke an assassin, so Il-mok decided to act like he didn't know for now.

For Il-mok, who had worked as a civil servant for years dealing with difficult complainants, putting on a fake smile wasn't difficult at all.

***

After Xiao Hong's introduction ended, the full-scale exam and sparring tournament began.

Four instructors including Chu Il-hwan, four teaching assistants, and even Hall Master Yeom Ga-hwi were observing the matches.

Since this sparring was directly related to grades, everyone was fired up and ready to go.

"Trainees Jeong Hyeon and Choi Ung, step forward."

After several matches had taken place, Il-mok began to show some interest.

'Hmm. I wonder if she’s gotten over it a bit now?'

Jeong Hyeon was extremely reluctant to display her martial arts in front of people.

To help her overcome this, he and Baek Cheon had been cheering her on, which somehow led to the founding of the Theatre Club.

He was curious to see how much her time in the club had helped her.

"Go for it, Jeong Hyeon!"

"Ohohoho! Show us the skills you've honed in the club!"

"We believe in you!"

On top of that, the three women from her club began cheering for her.

It had started under Il-mok's leadership. Praise makes even Jeong Hyeon dance.

(TL Note: Kek, the original saying is “Praises even make whales dance”)

Somehow reminded of that time, Il-mok also shouted to cheer her on.

"Show us your excellent archery, Jeong Hyeon!"

At Il-mok's shout, Choi Woong, Jeong Hyeon's sparring opponent, scowled.

'Damn it. Other people are getting cheered by others from the same club, but why don't I have anyone?'

What’s more, Il-mok wasn’t just someone in the same club; he was the bastard who had forcibly dragged him into the Meditation Club. And instead of cheering for him, that bastard was cheering for his opponent.

"Hang in there!!"

"We believe in you, buddy! Haha!"

Meanwhile, his two best friends, Seong Hwan and Mun Gyu, encouraged him.

'Why do I only have guys cheering for me!'

He was just plain envious of Jeong Hyeon, who was receiving the cheers of the ladies.

Of course, Jeong Hyeon, the object of Choi Woong’s envy, didn't know where to put herself.

'I-I think I’m going to die of embarrassment.'

Just being on the sparring stage was enough to drive her crazy, so why did they keep cheering like that?

Feeling like her inner demon was about to surface, Jeong Hyeon quickly closed her eyes, took repeated deep breaths, and gathered her thoughts. She hadn't spent her time idly, either. She was slowly getting the hang of controlling the hypersensitivity of the Ghostly Spirit Divine Bow.

“Ssssp. Huuu.”

As she pushed her concentration to its limit, the shouts from all around faded as if they were coming from far away. Instead, her senses toward Choi Woong in front of her were maximized to the point where she could feel every single one of his hairs fluttering in the wind.

"Begin!"

With Instructor Chu Il-hwan's faint shout, Choi Woong deployed his lightness skill and charged forward.

Swoosh!

But faster than him was an arrow that flew from Jeong Hyeon’s hand to his face.

While Choi Woong deflected that arrow, another arrow she had already shot was flying toward him in succession.

"Ugh."

And in that short span of time, she had angled and shot an arrow at a high trajectory, aiming for Choi Woong.

hoi Woong somehow managed to deal with it all while trying to close the distance but Jeong Hyeon kept using her footwork while shooting, never giving him an opening.

Watching the scene, Il-mok nodded with a satisfied expression.

'To think she can now show her true skills in front of nearly thirty people, including instructors and teaching assistants!'

For Il-mok, who knew her original self, this was truly a moving moment.

That's why Il-mok shouted even louder.

"As expected, when it comes to archery, Jeong Hyeon is the best in the Hall of the Demonic Way!"

Il-mok was certain. Indeed, praise makes even Jeong Hyeon dance.

***

Right after Jeong Hyeon and Choi Woong's match ended, the tournament's atmosphere became even hotter.

It was because of the cheering from the Theatre Club's ladies and Il-mok.

Naturally, the students began enthusiastically cheering whenever someone from their own club was sparring as if it were an inter-club competition.

When students from the doctrinal study club, which boasted the most members, were sparring, various cheers burst out.

When Gwak Sul was sparring, Dokgo Pae roared like Zhang Fei at Changban Bridge, shouting with the force of dozens of men by himself.

"Gwak Sul!! Endure with your core strength! Show them the results of all the external arts training you’ve done!!!!”

In the midst of the successive matches, the one that caught Il-mok’s interest again was, surprisingly, Ju Seo-yeon’s match.

'...Her skills have improved quite a bit in half a year.'

In this exam, where each student was scheduled for three matches total, her first opponent was a student Il-mok had never even had a conversation with.

From the general atmosphere, he seemed to be from the Lower Class, but still appeared to be a top-tier fighter within the class.

Clang!

Clang! Clang!

But Ju Seo-yeon was relentlessly pushing that top-tier student.

Her short spear moved swiftly, creating countless afterimages in the air, and her opponent seemed to be struggling just to endure her offensive, let alone counterattack.

Recalling Ju Seo-yeon’s skills from the beginning of their term, this was truly a giant leap forward.

And the match ended with her spear, which had been endlessly pressuring her opponent, finally striking his side.

'...She might move up to the Upper Class soon.'

As if reading Il-mok's thoughts, Ju Seo-yeon, who had won her match, suddenly looked at Il-mok.

"Young Master! I won! Please wait just a little longer!!"

At her sparkling eyes, cold sweat ran down Il-mok's back.

When she first entered the hall, he had promised that if Ju Seo-yeon took second place, he'd take her as his attendant.

Of course, he had made that condition thinking it would be impossible for her since she was dead last at the time.

'...Did I run my mouth wrong?'

A creeping sense of dread crawled up his skin as the possibility of having a sasaeng fan as his attendant popped into his mind.

***

Meanwhile.

Xiao Hong, who was watching the students' enthusiastic cheering and sparring, felt a strange sense of unfamiliarity.

'Was the atmosphere at the Hall of the Demonic Way always like this?'

Although she hadn’t enrolled during the period when half the students were dropping dead, she vividly remembered that the competition in the Hall had been fierce.

Since everyone was each other's competitor, she had rarely seen such a mutually supportive atmosphere.

There had even been cases where best friends from before entering the Hall had become enemies after repeated competition.

As if reading her mind, a voice spoke up.

“Hahahaha! Isn’t it a good sight to see, Instructor Xiao?”

Cheok Il-so, who had approached her at some point, spoke with a hearty laugh.

"...The atmosphere seems very different from when I was a student at the Hall of the Demonic Way."

Cheok Il-so nodded at her words and looked at the sparring stage.

There, Il-mok and Dokgo Pae were just stepping onto the stage.

"It's all thanks to Disciple Il-mok. The reason the students are cheering for each other now is because they are cheering for their fellow club members.”

"Ah...."

Only then could she roughly understand the situation.

'Come to think of it, the clubs were also something the Eighth Young Master initiated.'

Rumors about Il-mok were already widespread throughout the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, and investigating targets before missions was basic protocol.

"I didn't know since I was at headquarters, but the clubs seem to have had better effects than expected."

As someone who had to seduce Il-mok, she praised his achievements, and Cheok Il-so laughed heartily in response.

"Haha! That's what I'm talking about! That Dokgo Pae there was also able to improve his skills by refining his external martial arts with me in the Bodybuilding Club!"

At Cheok Il-so’s words, filled with pride for Dokgo Pae, Xiao Hong just gave a light nod and looked at the sparring stage.

"Begin."

There, with Chu Il-hwan's instruction, Il-mok and Dokgo Pae's match began.

Clang!

And in just one exchange, the match was over.

"......."

Cheok Il-so, who had been praising Dokgo Pae enthusiastically, fell silent for a moment.

"Ahem. Disciple Il-mok is in a league of his own, so please understand."

Whether Cheok Il-so was embarrassed or not, Xiao Hong didn’t care.

She was once again in a state where her composure was shaken.

As someone selected to be an instructor at the Hall, her skills were also at a level that could be called an expert.

As someone who had risen to the position of Deputy Commander of the Law Enforcement Hall, it is to be expected that her skills were up to par.

Skills sufficient to be dispatched as an instructor, plus the looks to seduce a sixteen-year-old boy who was fond of women.

Among the people of the Law Enforcement Hall, Xiao Hong was the only one who met both conditions, which is why she was chosen.

Naturally, her eyes could accurately read how Il-mok's sword moved.

'...Is that really the skill level of a mere student?'

She was speechless at its sublimity.

He was certainly two or three levels below her.

However, that also meant he was at a level where he could exchange a few blows with a Deputy Commander of the Law Enforcement Hall.

'He has skills that would be more than sufficient even if we brought him to the Law Enforcement Hall right now.'

What’s more, this is only his seventh month at the Hall of the Demonic Way, far from his graduation day. Which means he still has plenty of room and time to improve.

'The Eighth Young Master started learning Demonic Art from age fifteen, right?'

Only then did the full scope of the situation dawn on Xiao Hong. Why does the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons treasure him so? Why the Chief she served was trying to win him over.

'A genius of that caliber might truly be worth seducing.'

She had already forgotten the fact that she had never once seduced a man in her entire life.

Meanwhile, Il-mok, who had subdued Dokgo Pae in just one exchange, was sighing. It wasn't because he had noticed Xiao Hong's interest.

He was simply terrified.

'Whew. Good thing I ended it in one strike.'

If he had swung his sword more, he felt like his compulsion would have kicked in again.

'Just two more times. Get it together, Il-mok.'

Il-mok was determined not to gain any enlightenment in this exam.