* * *Contrary to most common misconceptions, Superhuman martial arts were not just techniques ant to enhance the body.The Superhuman strength and speed were rely the external manifestation.The true foundation of martial arts lay in the philosophy and ideology of handling mana.It was what Superhumans often called the ‘True Intention’A single line from a book, a realization buried in a person’s heart, or soone’s earnest dream…That was what they called the true martial art. Thus, martial arts had beco a teaching for cultivating the mind and training to test the limits of the body.Of course, there were exceptions.In such cases, the very purpose of martial arts was to seek greater strength and faster speed.For example, many military Superhuman martial arts developed during the Cold War displayed such tendencies.Although those martial arts had naturally been phased out in modern tis, so were still being passed down.And the martial art Wesley practiced was precisely one such martial art.Its official na was classified by the military, but the dia called it Air Dominance, a super-speed martial art.As soon as Wesley said, ‘Here I co,’ he imdiately reached right under Yeomyeong’s nose.Wham!His fist traced a bold arc, and the wind struck Yeomyeong’s cheek first.Yeomyeong neither blocked nor tried to dodge the punch. Instead, he used his right fist to counter.A blatant cross-counter. Wesley withdrew his punch and blocked Yeomyeong’s fist using his elbow.He planned to deflect the fist and then deliver a follow-up blow.Crack!However, contrary to Wesley’s expectations, a chilling sound echoed from his elbow that t Yeomyeong’s fist.Horrific pain surged up Wesley’s arm, but he did not relent.Instead, he raised his knee, aiming for the lower body. It was blocked.Left punch, blocked. Shoulder strike while trying to close in, deflected. Headbutt, dodged.In the rapid exchange of blows, Wesley’s attacks kept failing repeatedly.Was the gap this big? Just as Wesley gritted his teeth and tried to continue attacking…Thud!Yeomyeong’s foot struck his abdon without warning and Wesley flew before crashing to the ground.The force behind the kick was so strong that the flooring broke with a cracking sound.Reactions to that scene were complete opposites. The students were in awe while the dormitory staff massaged their foreheads.Regardless of their reactions, Wesley rose from the ground with a look of grimace.“Motherfu— were you holding back?”Seeing Wesley spit blood, Yeomyeong shook his head.“No, I thought this much strength would have been sufficient. You’re sturdier than I expected.”“Ha!”Wesley bared his teeth and laughed. Even though his legs were trembling from the shock and blood flowed down his forehead, his eyes were full of determination.“It seems like you prefer using your legs instead of your fists. Don’t hold back; use your full strength.”“…Hmm.”If I go all out, you’ll die. Yeomyeong struggled to keep himself from retorting sharply.Although he was worried about the possibility of his statent being perceived as a taunt, he was more concerned about killing Wesley by accident.Controlling his strength was harder than expected. After all, did the need to control his strength ever arise?From the Necromancer to dragons and Mara. All the opponents Yeomyeong had faced so far were formidable in their own right, that if he didn’t exert every ounce of his strength, he would be putting his life on the line…“Are you thinking of sothing else during the fight!?”Seeing Yeomyeong remain silent, Wesley shouted angrily before charging again.It was a lightning-fast but straightforward attack. The martial art pursuing pure strength aid for Yeomyeong’s vital points.Starting with a punch aid at his neck, the exchange this ti was one-sided this ti as well. Rapid strikes and powerful blows, counters and evasions.But the exchange didn’t last long.At the mont Wesley’s mana showed signs of depleting, Yeomyeong suddenly reached out for Wesley’s neck.“Gack!”With his neck grabbed all of a sudden, a scream barely escaped Wesley’s mouth.If controlling his strength was proving to be difficult, Yeomyeong decided to just knock him out with a normal attack and grabbed his neck.“Keuh, l-let… go…!”Recognizing Yeomyeong’s intention, Wesley swung his fists frantically, but Yeomyeong’s grip around his neck tightened even more.As Wesley’s strength began to drain from his limbs and as the dormitory staff were rushing in to stop the fight…Soone’s foot ca flying from the central staircase railing.Thud!The dropped attack was aid precisely at Yeomyeong’s arm holding Wesley’s neck.Fortunately, Yeomyeong instinctively flung Wesley to the side; the force behind the kick would have probably broken his arm if he had accepted the blow directly.As if proving his judgnt right, the lobby floor cracked, and a cloud of dust was kicked up.Yeomyeong frowned while looking at the dust. Was he surprised by the surprise attack? No, that was not it. It was because he recognized the technique used against him.Quake Stomp.From what Seti told him, that technique could be considered the strongest attack of the Flying Kick technique.And as the dust settled, a familiar handso boy appeared.“…Jeon Yunseong?”The public enemy number one in Korea and, at the sa ti, he was considered as the most handso Korean by blood.Although Yeomyeong had never t him face-to-face, he glared at the other boy with a fierce expression.“That Flying Kick technique! Don’t say that… the one sent from Korea….”Just as Jeon Yunseong was about to say sothing, Wesley, who regained his senses, yelled at him.“Hey, Jeon Yunseong! Why did you interfere!”“No, I was trying to save you….”“Save ? Why? Did you think that a fight over a room was going to end in murder?”Wesley’s words made the other students’ attention shift to Jeon Yunseong simultaneously.And for so reason, there was not a trace of goodwill in their gazes.…It doesn’t seem like it’s just because he interfered in the fight. Is he being ostracized or sothing?Even Yeomyeong, who wasn’t very perceptive, noticed that the students’ gazes towards Jeon Yunseong were rather strange. It was almost like they were looking at soone who insulted their parents.And it wasn;t just Yeomyeong who felt this way. After mumbling to himself, Jeon Yunseong lowered his head deeply.“…Sorry, I misunderstood.”“Hey! You call that an apology?”“…I’m really sorry. I didn’t an to ruin the fight.”Jeon Yunseong bowed his head to Wesley, while the students glared at him coldly while the dormitory staff looked bewildered.After observing the scene for a mont, Yeomyeong dusted his clothes.Regardless of Jeon Yunseong’s circumstances, he had played around enough for the ti being.“Mr. Dormitory Head, what happens to the fight over a room if it ends like this?”“…Usually, it is considered to be a draw.”“Is that so? Then… shall we go to the originally assigned room. Was it Room 314?”Wesley, who had been listening to their conversation, was startled and tried to intervene.“A draw? It’s not over yet!”“…That’s what you think.”“No! I can still fight….”Yeomyeong gazed at Wesley without saying a word. Wesley’s lips twitched, before quickly turning away, his fists trembling.…What a brat.There was a limit to being honest with one’s emotions. Seeing soone who looked like they were not far off in age behaving like this really hit ho that he was actually at school.But to have his first day at the first school he ever attended turned out like this…Yeomyeong stifled a sigh before gathered his belongings. He then addressed Wesley, whose fists were still trembling.“…Be it a fight over a room or a duel, we can do it as many tis as you like.”“…What? You want to go another round?”“Yes, but not tomorrow… I have a prior appointnt. Maybe soti later this week.”Next ti, please fight in the dueling arena. As the dormitory head added silently, Wesley jumped up and burst into laughter.“Huh, I was defeated in skill and in character.”“…”“I heard you were a rcenary, but it turns out that you’re quite the sothing after all, huh?”As Wesley strode over and extended his hand, Yeomyeong struggled to keep the muscles in his face from twisting into grimace.…Is he as crazy as the Saintess?He sincerely hoped that such people weren’t common in the academy. Pushing away the ominous feeling, Yeomyeong shook Wesley’s hand.Reactions to their handshake were neither particularly good nor bad.Most students were satisfied with the entertaining spectacle, while the dormitory staff frowned at the damaged floor.So students, who were unable to read the mood, had question marks floating above their heads, but the majority began to disperse with the attitude that it was better to just let it go.As the commotion on his first day as a transfer student ca to an end, Yeomyeong followed the dormitory head, briefly locking eyes with Jeon Yunseong, who stood blankly in the lobby.Envy, disappointnt, and intense suspicion.Sensing those emotions of his, Jeon Yunseong averted his gaze belatedly, but Yeomyeong decided to rember that look, recalling Seti’s words about using him for revenge.
* * *The Author held his breath, listening intently to the sounds coming from outside the door.
The chatter about Jeon Yunseong and the confrontation between the transfer student and Wesley continued until it suddenly fell silent.Were Wesley and the transfer student fighting? In the ensuing silence, the Author recalled the scene they had seen at the airport earlier.The fight between the transfer student and Hong Seti, that crazy bitch.While Jeon Yunseong and Soe Miri, who were watching the duel alongside him, expressed their admiration… the Author felt differently.To be honest, it was terrifying.Was it because it was his first ti witnessing a fight with Killing Aura and mana erupting?While that was partly the reason, what truly frightened the Author was the transfer student’s skills.Not only was he able to coat his sword with mana, but he could also execute Sword Aura.Being able to execute Sword Aura ans that he has reached at least the level of releasing mana… Damn, are these people already ssing around from the start of Chapter 1?Compared to him, who was still on the verge of becoming a Superhuman, the difference was as vast as heaven and earth.And if the transfer student was truly from reality… the gap was one that he would never be able to bridge, no matter what he did.The Author buried his head between his knees and trembled.What if he discovers my identity?Should he propose an alliance or request his cooperation? Perhaps he could even use the strange fated events he knew about as bait to recruit him as a subordinate…Damn, if it’s you, would you agree to that?It was a matter of perspective. After all, didn’t he himself think that this world belonged to him?What if that guy was another person from reality? He would have gotten the Author imdiately, without a second thought.Indeed, staying at the academy no longer seed like a good idea; perhaps escaping and finding another way would be better…- Knock knockWhile the Author was contemplating his next move, soone knocked on the door. Startled, he looked toward it.“Wh-who is it?”- It’s the dormitory head. May I co in?Why was the dormitory head here at this hour? Feeling a sense of foreboding, the Author answered.“Ah, yes, Mr. Dormitory Head. Please co in.”The door opened imdiately after he gave his permission.And the next mont, the Author bit his lip to suppress a scream.Behind the dormitory head who opened the door, was the transfer student… Yeomyeong.No way, no, it can’t be.“Mr. Cheon Yeomyeong, this is the room you will stay in from now on. The dormitory rules are on that desk, and for the blankets and pillows….”His worst-case scenario had co true. The Author thought of the assassin’s dagger and poison needles he had hidden under his pillow but soon shook his head.They might have worked against those novice freshn, but it wouldn’t be effective against a Superhuman of this guy’s caliber.Thus, he had only one remaining option…I have to ensure that my identity stays hidden by any ans necessary.He swallowed his saliva and forced himself to appear calm.As the Author desperately suppressed his trembling lips, the dormitory head finished his explanation and left the room.Left alone with the transfer student, the Author covered his trembling legs with a blanket.anwhile, the golden-eyed student scanned the room with a calm expression before frowning.Did sothing upset him?Damn it.After taking a deep breath, the Author opened his mouth to speak to Yeomyeong, who was putting down his bag.“Um… Um… hi? Shall we introduce ourselves first?”“Cheon Yeomyeong.”“…I-I’m Baonic L-Lerac. Nice… n-nice to et you.”Damn, my tongue won’t move properly. As the Author muttered curses inwardly, Yeomyeong stared at him with a strange expression.“…Lerac? Are you a part of the Lerac Household?”“Uh… Y-yes. Do you know my family?”Of course, he did. The Lerac Household was more famous than most royalty beyond the Dinsional Portal.Although not for good reasons.“Of course, I know your family. I’ve seen your family ntioned in docuntaries a few tis.”“D-docuntaries…?”“The series about families beyond the Dinsional Portal. Your family was the second one featured… though you might not know that.”The transfer student replied while taking sothing out of his bag.Startled.Baonic trembled upon seeing the hilt of a sword sticking out of the bag, but what Yeomyeong took out was sothing else.A portable broom and dustpan. Items Baonic would have never been able to predict.“…”While he was montarily speechless, Yeomyeong asked.“The room is a bit dirty. May I clean it up?”While the Author was surprised that Cheon Yeomyeong was much friendlier than expected, he was even more taken aback by how well he cleaned.
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