Chapter 61

The moment those words left my mouth, I charged.

Unlike yesterday, today I controlled my strength and drove the four of them to the very edge.

From my standpoint, controlling my strength like this was harder.

If they were enemies, I could just send them flying.

Do they even realize it?

How carefully I’m paying attention—how cautiously I’m hitting them.

If they knew I wasn’t using full force, that I was handling them like fragile chicks, they’d panic.

*****

One month later.

The four of them could move without strain even with Black Braces strapped on.

Now they could wear two on each limb and still move easily.

WHOOM—!

A sword swung.

VMMMM—!

A spear whipped through the air.

WHAM—! WHAM—!

A fist drove forward.

WHOOSH—!

A saber came down.

They looked smaller than before, but it wasn’t that their frames had shrunk—every muscle in their bodies had been remade into a compact, combat-ready build.

Even while training, the four of them were shocked.

To change this much in just a month.

Even during energy-circulation breathing, they were shocked.

Internal energy flowed without blockage, filling their whole bodies with strength.

In this state, it felt like they could promote to the next rank right now.

After morning training, the trainees from Room Three headed to the dining hall to eat.

And there were eyes watching them strangely.

“Those guys have been training like lunatics lately, right?”

“They say they train with two Black Braces on each limb.”

“Black Braces? Really? That’s not a lie?”

“It has to be a lie. Do you know how heavy Black Braces are? And look at them. They’re even skinnier.”

“Yeah. If they trained with Black Braces, they should’ve put on more muscle.”

“They probably painted lightweight braces black.”

“Right. That’s the only way it makes sense.”

“They’re weak, so they have to flail around like that.”

Other Rank Seven trainees whispered while staring at the Room Three trainees.

Before, hearing that would’ve made them flare up.

Now they just laughed it off.

After sparring with me every day like their lives were on the line, the chirping of little chicks like that was something they could just smile past.

That’s when I tilted my head.

“What kind of confidence do they have to talk like that? I don’t think I’ve ever seen them train even once.”

At my words, Gam Taeseong shook his head.

“They don’t need to train, that’s why.”

“Hm? What are you talking about? If they’re not even going to promote, why are they here?”

“They already promoted.”

“Hm? Rank Six?”

“No. Same as us—Rank Seven.”

“Then what do you mean they already promoted?”

“There are opponents waiting for them in Rank Six, Rank Five, and Rank Four. If they challenge those opponents and win, they go up automatically. So why would they bother training?”

“...Ha.”

I thought Martial Star Hall was still fine, looking at Room Three.

Was it only Room Three that was fine?

I looked around the people gathered in the Rank Seven dining hall and asked,

“All of them here?”

“No. Not all. About half?”

No wonder there were so many people around, but so few training.

To think there was corruption this blatant.

It was the weakness of the Seven-Star Ascension Method.

If they’d just ranked everyone using only the Seven-Star Ascension Tower, this wouldn’t have happened.

“I heard the ‘challenge higher ranks’ method was added because the current Strategist proposed it.”

“The current Strategist?”

“Yes.”

“Then he would’ve anticipated this kind of mess.”

“I think so too. But since he doesn’t seem interested in fixing it... I suspect the Strategist introduced it with some purpose.”

Something prickled in the back of my mind.

A feeling that the biggest reason Heavenly Martial Castle was rotting might be the Strategist.

I decided I’d look into the Strategist in detail later.

We finished a sparse meal—just rice and stir-fried bok choy—and started to stand.

“Hey.”

Someone called out to the Room Three trainees in a picking-a-fight tone and walked over.

“You guys have been training with Black Braces lately, yeah?”

Gam Taeseong stood and blocked him.

“So what? Is there a problem?”

“No, no problem. I’m just curious. Are they really all Black Braces? Or are they lightweight braces painted black? I’m curious. Not just me—everyone here is curious.”

“Want me to prove it?”

“You will?”

Without a word, Gam Taeseong rolled up his sleeve.

Two Black Braces were strapped there.

He unfastened the Black Braces on his arm and held them out.

“You walk around wearing this?”

“Yeah. I wear them all the time.”

With a disbelieving face, the man took the Black Braces—

“HUP—!”

The weight slammed into him.

He hurriedly circulated internal energy to keep from collapsing.

His body swayed, and his face flushed red, as if he was embarrassed.

He glared at Gam Taeseong with wounded pride.

“Originally, you’re supposed to wear this without internal energy. If you use internal energy while wearing it, anyone here could wear it.”

“I’m not using internal energy right now.”

“That’s bullshit!”

“If I use internal energy, you’ll be done in a single move.”

Thinking it was a provocation, the man’s face looked like it might explode.

“Come out. I’ll make you regret what you just said.”

Martial Star Hall’s rule: if there’s a problem, solve it with fists.

Gam Taeseong looked at me.

When I grinned and nodded, Gam Taeseong said,

“Fine.”

The man felt strange after watching Gam Taeseong just now.

‘What? Wasn’t that guy the boss of Room Three? Why is he asking that guy for permission?’

If Gam Taeseong asked permission, that meant the person behind him was even stronger.

But he couldn’t worry about that right now.

Room Three guys were all the same anyway.

That guy would be one of them.

He had an unpleasant feeling, but he forced himself to ignore it and followed Gam Taeseong out.

*****

When Rank Seven trainees gathered in a circle, the Martial Star Hall administrators snorted.

“Looks like they’re at it again.”

“It’s been quiet for a while, hasn’t it?”

“These days Martial Star Hall doesn’t have that old, blood-splattered passion and romance.”

“It’s Rank Seven kids. Nothing to see.”

Seeing the sparring was between Rank Seven groups, the administrators quickly lost interest and went back to their work.

Inside the circle, Gam Taeseong and the man faced each other.

The man gave a fist-and-palm salute.

“I’m Ju Dogi of the Six-Grand Sect.”

“Gam Taeseong of the Radiant Glory Sect.”

“My main weapon is the sword.”

“I’m also a swordsman, but I won’t draw it.”

“What?”

Ju Dogi’s expression twisted viciously.

“Don’t regret it later. Draw it.”

“No need. You’re not worth a sword.”

If I drew a sword here, someone would be deeply disappointed.

That scared me more.

“Fine. You asked for it, so don’t blame me later.”

“I won’t blame you.”

SRRRNG—.

“Then let’s begin.”

“Yeah. Begin.”

FLASH—!

Gam Taeseong’s body snapped in front of Ju Dogi in an instant—

WHAM—!

One punch put Ju Dogi on the floor.

The arena went silent.

No one opened their mouth.

Their eyes flicked back and forth between Gam Taeseong, standing there like it was natural, and Ju Dogi, foaming at the mouth and unconscious.

Ju Dogi wasn’t weak.

He was the boss of Room Five, and he trained pretty hard.

There was only one reason he’d gotten angry at the Room Three trainees.

He’d mistaken their training for a joke.

Then he realized Black Braces were real and understood he’d been wrong—but with so many watching, he couldn’t just admit it and let it go.

Just like the administrators expected, it ended absurdly fast.

Without a word, Gam Taeseong moved, came to me, and bowed his head.

“It’s over.”

“Good. If it went past one move, I wasn’t going to let it slide.”

At my words, Gam Taeseong felt a chill crawl up his spine.

Yeah.

One punch was the correct answer.

The fact that Gam Taeseong—who’d just displayed that kind of power—bowed his head to someone was a shock to the trainees here.

Someone stronger than Gam Taeseong?

Or someone of such high standing that Gam Taeseong had to bow?

All sorts of thoughts flashed through their heads.

The ones truly shocked were the trainees who actually trained hard.

The trainees who were already scheduled to go up treated it like entertainment.

“That guy’s really strong.”

“Later, I should tell my father we should recruit him.”

“Huh? I was thinking that too.”

“I said it first.”

They were bickering over something that stupid—

Not realizing I was hearing it all, staring at them with cold eyes.

******

A few days later.

I could see that a lot of people had changed.

But most of the ones who’d changed weren’t people who belonged in ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) a place like this.

They had that wily air—like they’d been through every dirty thing life could throw at them.

That’s when Gam Taeseong said,

“Cloud Ladders.”

“Cloud Ladders?”

“Yes. They’re the ones who go up and take money to help people promote. They call people like that Cloud Ladders. In a few days, they’ll promote again and be up there.”

It was ridiculous.

There were even professionals doing it.

‘Ah, Grandpa...’

Heavenly Martial Castle was shaking from the roots up.

If this keeps going, it could turn into a house eaten through by termites until it collapses.

If I wanted the details, I needed to hear it from the Cloud Ladders’ own mouths.

“Can I change rooms?”

At my question, Gam Taeseong nodded.

“If you get the administrators’ approval, yes. But it costs money.”

“...What?”

“You’re trying to go to a room where the Cloud Ladders are, aren’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“Then you’ll have to grease their palms. The administrators take the money the Cloud Ladders pay up, so they don’t send just anyone to them.”

How deep did the rot go?

It was layer upon layer.

But even with trash like that, there were also good ones like these.

So there was still hope.

Today, the Room Three trainees looked especially lovable to me.

“Tomorrow, all of you challenge the higher ranks.”

“...Pardon?”

“Go up first. I’ll follow soon.”

“Yes, understood.”

Hearing that I was coming too, the Room Three trainees relaxed.

“If any of you fail, brace yourselves. You know, right?”

“Yes! That won’t happen!”

“Good. Each of you, take one of these, do your energy-circulation breathing, and go to sleep.”

“What is this?”

“You’ve suffered, so you need to build your body back up. It’s good stuff. Eat it.”

If I said it was good, then it would be good.

They swallowed it without complaint.

Then they started energy-circulation breathing like I told them to—

And they almost sprang up in shock.

The pill’s energy spread through their whole bodies, and they’d never felt something this crisp and refreshing before.

It wasn’t a normal pill.

They finished energy-circulation breathing and opened their eyes with stunned faces.

“W-What is this?”

“Yeah. A tonic.”

“A... tonic? This isn’t just a tonic.”

“He’s right. My internal energy increased by half a cycle. How is this a ‘tonic’?”

“Come on. It’s nothing. If you train hard in Rank Six, they’ll give you things even better than this.”

It was unbelievable.

A person who handed out a spirit pill that raised internal energy by half a cycle—then acted like it was no big deal.

He even seemed mastered in formations, and he made weapons well enough to shock that picky Master Smith Cheon.

Most of all, he had strength that the Lord of the Castle acknowledged.

The trainees stared at me, dazed.

“What are you staring at?”

The one speaking—wearing a playful smile—

Was me, Jeok Wigang.