Chapter 183: Think You Can Win?

    TL: FoodieMonster007

    To be honest, there was little Seonwoo Jin stood to gain from challenging Hyonwon Kang to a duel, and most of the Bladesmanship Research Society (BRS) executives shared that sentiment. Seonwoo Jin was still the overwhelming favorite in the election, so even if he won the duel, it wouldn''t benefit him much.

    However, if the opposite happened...

    The executives shuddered at the thought, but hesitated to speak out.

    Seonwoo Jin''s eyes gleamed with a crazed intensity as he declared, "At the end of the day, the essence of a martial artist is martial arts. If I display overwhelming martial prowess against Hyonwon Kang, his cheap tricks won''t work anymore."

    But what if you lose? The executives desperately wanted to challenge his confidence. If Seonwoo Jin lost, Hyonwon Kang would immediately gain equal or even greater prestige than Seonwoo Jin.

    After all, the students of Azure Dragon Academy were martial artists at heart. They couldn''t help but admire and be attracted to someone stronger.

    We gain nothing if he wins, but if he loses, it could cost him the election!

    You ought to read this at northbladetldotcom.

    Even so, the BRS executives kept their worries to themselves. Merely suggesting the possibility of defeat would wound Seonwoo Jin''s pride. Besides, he was already furious about the posters that had been put up today.

    In the end, they each nodded in agreement.

    "That sounds like a good idea."

    "We''ve held back until now because it wasn''t worth the effort."

    "President, please crush that guy in front of everyone."

    Why aren′t you reading this at northbladetldotcom?

    Normally, Seonwoo Jin wouldn''t have chosen a risky move like a public duel, even if he was confident of winning. After all, in a duel, one could lose to a hidden trump card prepared by one''s opponent. Unfortunately, the current Seonwoo Jin wasn''t in a state to make calm judgments.

    Hyonwon Kang! I''ll crush you thoroughly in front of everyone.

    He couldn''t forget how Hyonwon Kang had humiliated him during the campaign, the damaging content of the posters, or the looming threats from Baek Suryong. Anger and fear simmered inside him, building up to an unbearable degree.

    Should I sever one of his arms during the duel? Would that cause too much trouble? Maybe I can make it look like an accident...

    At the very least, Seonwoo Jin had no intention of letting Hyonwon Kang leave the duel stage unscathed.

    His eyes filled with killing intent, Seonwoo Jin asked, "Any objections? Feel free to speak your mind."

    Read this at northbladetldotcom, or else.

    Naturally, no one dared object. None of the executives truly believed that Seonwoo Jin would lose, anyway.

    I feel oddly uneasy, but unless something goes horribly wrong, the result is obvious.

    It would be another matter if the opponent was Peng Sahyuk, but there''s no way Hyonwon Kang can beat Seonwoo Jin.

    Even if that delinquent got stronger lately, there''s no way he can defeat the President.

    There was no doubt that Seonwoo Jin was one of the top ten prodigies of the Azure Dragon Academy, and even the egotistical Peng Sahyuk acknowledged his blade techniques. No matter how much Hyonwon Kang trained recently, it wouldn''t be enough.

    No matter how they looked at it, they couldn''t find any reason why Seonwoo Jin would lose this duel. Rather, they were more worried that Hyonwon Kang would refuse it. That delinquent was hardly the type to back down from a fight, but hadn''t he recently sustained serious internal injuries and wasn''t fully recovered yet?

    A sinister smile spread across Seonwoo Jin''s lips. "Do not worry. I''ll see to it that Hyonwon Kang won''t be able to avoid it."

    That night, Seonwoo Jin ordered all the slanderous posters around the Azure Dragon Academy to be taken down and replaced them with a formal duel challenge addressed to Hyonwon Kang.

    I am Seonwoo Jin, the President of the Bladesmanship Research Society.

    Recently, tensions between myself and student Hyonwon Kang have intensified ahead of the Club Union President election, causing unease among the student body. For that, I apologize. The posters that contained unverified rumors were taken down last night, and I swear on my honor that none of them are true for either party.

    From this moment forward, I vow to engage in fair competition.

    To this end, I formally challenge Candidate Hyonwon Kang to a friendly duel at the date specified below. As orthodox martial artists, I believe that facing each other in combat is a far better way to uphold our convictions than slandering each other behind the scenes.

    I await your response, Candidate Hyonwon Kang.

    You ought to read this at northbladetldotcom.

    —Seonwoo Jin

    A duel challenge had been posted at the main gate of the Azure Dragon Academy, drawing the attention of students on their way to class and instructors arriving for work.

    "Looks like Seonwoo Jin is preparing for a showdown. Well, after being falsely accused, it''s no wonder..."

    "You know the Club Union started it first, right? Even though Hyonwon Kang''s known as a delinquent, he''s nowhere near as much of a scumbag as the posters made him out to be."

    "Will you accept?"

    Hyonwon Kang''s eyes gleamed with a fierce determination. "Of course. I''ve been wanting to test myself against him for a while anyway. I''ve heard he''s the strongest bladesman in the Azure Dragon Academy after Peng Sahyuk."

    Baek Suryong finished his warm-ups and folded his arms smugly. "Think you can win?"

    Y aren′t you reading this at northbladetldotcom?

    Hyonwon Kang lifted his blade and flicked the side with his finger.

    TING!

    As the clear sound echoed, he grinned. "More or less."

    "From what I saw yesterday, Seonwoo Jin is no pushover. It won''t be easy to take him down," Baek Suryong remarked in a sardonic tone that made one wonder if he was worried about his student or subtly riling him up.

    "......" Once, such words would have incited Hyonwon Kang, but no longer. Although his eyes still burned like molten lava, they carried a new lucidity and composure.

    Baek Suryong continued, "I heard his martial arts rank among the top ten in your grade. When it comes to the blade, they say he''s currently the best in the Azure Dragon Academy..."

    Grinning roguishly, Hyonwon Kang raised his blade and pointed it at Baek Suryong. "Soon, he won''t be the best anymore," he said, releasing an overwhelming wild aura.

    WHOOSH!

    His true nature hadn''t vanished—it had merely been restrained and held in check. Now that it was unleashed, merely standing across from him felt like having one''s entire body torn to shreds.

    This kid... Though he did not show it, Baek Suryong was impressed. It had been a while since he had last felt the aura of the Asura Blood Heaven Blade, the supreme martial art left behind by the Crazy Demon. Hyonwon Kang''s progress had exceeded his expectations.

    "While I was stuck recovering, I thought long and hard about what wielding the blade means to me," Hyonwon Kang said, a refined madness flickering in his eyes.

    "You''ve come a long way, punk," Baek Suryong praised.

    Although he''s still far from matching Master Crazy Demon, who perfected his blade technique through a hundred life-and-death battles, he seems to have properly inherited the will that Master left behind.

    This is a free translation. You should not be seeing ads.

    Smirking, he reached out toward the weapon rack, and a blade hanging there flew into his hand. He had prepared a customized lesson for his student, who had an important duel coming up.

    "I''ll sharpen the blade that dulled while you rested. Let''s start with quick-draw techniques," he said.

    Hyonwon Kang nodded determinedly. "Got it! Please guide me!"

    Baek Suryong lunged forward like a lightning bolt and swung his blade with blinding speed.

    CLANG!

    Hyonwon Kang barely blocked the first strike, but the second attack followed immediately.

    CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

    Gritting his teeth, Hyonwon Kang blocked and deflected Baek Suryong''s attacks coming from all directions. His martial arts uniform was soon torn and cuts appeared on his skin, but he pushed through the pain and concentrated fully on swinging his blade.

    I can see it. It''s becoming clearer.

    At first, even following Baek Suryong''s blade with his eyes had been difficult, but gradually, he got used to the rapid tempo and started trusting his instincts, sharpening his reflexes.

    Three days passed like that.

    Baek Suryong skillfully polished Hyonwon Kang''s bladesmanship, restoring the edge that had grown dull during his hiatus.

    SWOOSH!

    northbladetldotcom welcomes you.

    Finally, Hyonwon Kang spotted an opening in Baek Suryong''s defenses. In an instant, he swiftly closed in on Baek Suryong, thinking, CUT HIM!

    RIIIP!

    A sliver of blue fabric fluttered to the ground, no larger than a fingernail, but to Hyonwon Kang, it meant the world. This was undoubtedly the best slash he had ever delivered.

    "I... I really cut him..." Hyonwon Kang panted, staring down at his blade, hands trembling with a newfound sense of accomplishment.

    "Well done," Baek Suryong commended, smiling faintly as he patted Hyonwon Kang''s shoulder.

    Fortunately, his dumb student hadn''t noticed that he had deliberately let himself get cut.

    Time flew by, and the day of the duel finally arrived.

    Translator''s Note: I''m going on a hiking trip tomorrow, so there will be fewer releases this weekend, maybe 4-5 chapters.