<THE DEMON LORD OF THE SWORDSMANSHIP FAMILY Chapter 8>
“Park Min-ji! Park Mi-in!!”
“…”
Park Min-ji, who was in the middle of tidying up her sword, looked up at her friend’s call.
“Wow! Min-ji, your younger sibling caused trouble again!!”
“So what?”
“Before I get to that, you need to manage your expression. Your pupils are dilated.”
She must have reacted reflexively to the word ‘younger sibling.’
Her friend, who had been making a fuss, pulled out her phone and shoved it in Min-ji’s face as if saying, ‘I knew it would be like this.’
“Look!”
Park Ki-hyuk’s “Is there an issue with your integrity?” disguised beating!
Victim K Mr.: “They threw me a protective guard before unleashing a punch without warning.”
‘The Group Leader’ gets too much authority. Experts criticize consecutively.
…
…
Is the Academy in Korea fine as it is?
“Driving me crazy! I heard he knocked down a 28-year-old! Bare-handedly! No weapon, apparently! Gah! So manly!”
“…”
“Someone from the Academy told me that everyone threw in all their magic and abilities.”
The younger sibling fought 28-to-1 with all their power unleashed.
Still, judging by the knights’ reactions, it seems like he thoroughly took them all down.
“I remember you saying that guy’s a genius of geniuses. Didn’t you even say your sibling, the older one, acknowledged him as a monster?”
“…When did I say that?”
“Three days and seven hours ago. At Tori Chicken, where we often go, while you were thoroughly drunk. Something about how if the youngest hadn’t contracted Mana Deficiency Syndrome, someone like me wouldn’t stand a chance against him.”
“…”
“What else did you say? That since childhood, your younger sibling was so cute. You’d snatch him away from your mom whenever she held him.”
“Stop it! That’s enough!!”
“Hee~ Min-ji’s blushing.”
“d*mn.”
In any case, it’s this booze causing problems. She must have said it while drunk again. Knowing Park Min-ji’s heart, her friend playfully laughed and lightly nudged her shoulder.
“Anyway, why don’t you forgive him?”
“…”
“Ki-hyuk wronged you and your family, that’s true, but think about it from his side. Also, he has amnesia, doesn’t he? He woke up one day to find himself hated for events he doesn’t remember. Poor guy.”
“Stop it. It’s about someone else’s family.”
“Hee~ Are we strangers? Really, I thought we were family, but you’re saying we’re strangers?”
“A, no. That’s not what I meant.”
“Kick, Min-ji flustered is cute too.”
The friend then hugged Min-ji tightly before speaking calmly.
“You seem to be making an effort. It’s a rumor spreading in the Academy! He apparently lives in the training grounds.”
“….”
“It’s not about forgiving for anyone else’s sake. It’s about Min-ji. You like your sibling, right?”
“I don’t care. Not interested.”
“Understood, understood. I’ll stop. I’m stopping.”
When the friend raised both hands, Park Min-ji resumed tidying her sword with her usual stoic expression.
“Anyway, how does Ki-hyuk plan to handle the ‘evaluation’? Looking around, it seems his group is short on members….”
Startle!
“Hee~ Min-ji reacted to that.”
This, in short, is a memory from the old days with the old master.
I was wandering the slums when I was chosen by the Master of the Black Tower and, overnight, my status changed.
Until here, it might sound like a rags-to-riches story, but is life ever truly that simple? When I entered the tower, all kinds of whispers began.
“What place is this for some lowborn to just waltz into!”
“d*mn, some people have spent years serving as apprentices, and yet this guy gets chosen just walking by. d*mn. d*mn!”
Jealousy, contempt, disdain…
This memory comes from when, despite all the discrimination, the old master had this conversation with me in secret, where I quietly shed tears.
“…So, are you upset with the scuttlebutt from the young masters, crying so much?”
“I, I’m not crying! It’s just the dust!”
“It’s okay. At your age, you’re supposed to cry and grow. That’s just how it is. Keuh keuh keuh!”
“That’s not it at all, Old Master!!”
“Ku, lad. Adorable.”
Sweat-sweat.
The old master, stroking my head, continued.
“You knew, didn’t you? About not being welcomed here. You haven’t forgotten what your mentor told you the last time, have you?”
“…Think from their perspective.”
“The wise you would understand why they exclude and discriminate against you.”
“I understand, but it’s still unfair.”
“That’s right, it’s unfair. And yes, unfair it is. The only crime you’ve committed is being chosen by me. That’s why I just want you to think about it. There’s no need to understand.”
“Humph… just wait and see. I’ll bring them down a notch.”
“An excellent mindset. That’s exactly what I wanted from you.”
“…”
“I tell you, I’ve seen many talented people. There was the son of a great merchant who had been drinking magical elixirs like water since childhood, and the one born into a noble lineage who received blessings from the spirits at birth.”
“….”
“Prodigies, geniuses, geniuses upon geniuses. I’ve met countless talents. They’ve come bearing mountains of gold, hoping to become my disciples. Yet, I didn’t accept them. Why do you think so?”
“…Why?”
“I realized talent isn’t everything.”
“…?!”
“Of course, the ‘magic’ you possess is real. Don’t doubt it. It’s because I chose it as well. Compared to the talents I’ve witnessed so far, yours is no less. But what I want to say, I value you for more than just your talent.”
“Then what is it?”
“Courage, spirit.”
“Spirit?”
“Yes, spirit! The spirit that refuses to abandon dreams even in the worst of times! The spirit that refuses to give in no matter how many hardships you face. That fiery spirit I see in your eyes has bewitched me.”
In the end, it’s a human affair.
Achieving dreams, perfecting one’s talent.
In the end, these are things that humans must accomplish.
From that moment on, I lived completely immersed in magic.
I never took my eyes off the magic books day and night, often skipping meals. Later on, I even invented ‘light sleep’ magic to optimize my study time.
While others quit and compromised, I never halted. I paid no heed to societal judgments or the shackles of discrimination. I only looked ahead.
I turned pages with an aching urgency and desperately sought magic.
For ten years, I lived with that fiery determination in my eyes.
When I finally came to my senses, I found no one around me.
There I was, the successor to the Black Tower.
“…Eyes… Look.”
“…”
“Group leader, open your eyes please.”
“…!”
At the sweet voice, I opened my eyes.
“5 o’clock. Time’s up. No one’s come.”
“Guess that’s how it is.”
There was no significant difference compared to when my eyes were closed.
The princess looked at me with a mixture of concern, and the man, as usual, from our first meeting, was engrossed in his book.
That’s it. Only two of us.
Just the two of us.
It’s funny. With almost 30 people, we are reduced to this after just one punch. According to what the old master taught, we would’ve failed. It’s laughable.
“It’s not time to laugh. This is serious.”
“Serious?”
“Of course. There’s only the three of us. Groups of three don’t exist. We need to call someone right now.”
“Hmm, I thought you were lazy, but you’re more proactive than I expected?”
“I’m lazy. But you are much lazier than me.”
The pronunciation was fine, but the syntax was awkward.
So, in other words, this person normally wouldn’t move, but because we’re so flustered, they’ve decided to act. That’s what it means, right?
This person is unexpectedly cute. I smirk.
“You’re smiling? Haven’t recovered yet. If we continue this way, we’ll have to participate in the evaluation!”
“Alright, alright. I’ll move. If you move, it’s fine, right?”
I picked up the phone almost involuntarily.
She nods her head at the sight. She’s nodding satisfactorily, as if approving the decision.
Shortly after, what we were presented with:
“…What’s this?”
“It’s food. That’s pork cutlet, this is black bean noodles. There’s also soybean paste soup, and fried chicken is available too.”
“I know what those are. Didn’t you say you called our teammates?”
“Why would I call them? Let’s eat quickly. I prepared all this because I don’t know what you like. That guy over there has already started eating.”
The book-absorbed guy had already grabbed the pork cutlet and was eating it. Truly astonishing reflexes. And he didn’t take his eyes off the book even while eating. Sensory precision indeed.
Just like before, this guy is good.
Meanwhile, this girl, on the other hand, seems confused.
“I-I don’t know. There are only three of us in the group. We’re only three. So if we continue, our first semester will be with just three of us. And the Group Leader is ordering so much food. Is this how all Korean people act?”
“Let’s talk while eating. Here.”
I handed her a fried chicken leg. Her pupils dilated at the clearly crispy chicken, but eventually…
Crunch!
She succumbed.
I watched her with satisfaction and mixed feelings before stirring some black bean noodles and quickly devouring them.
“Don’t worry too much. To be honest, I expected this.”
“Neh? What do you mean?”
“That only the two of you would be left.”
It comes to you when you interact closely. You can sense how the other person feels toward you.
The old master called this ‘the body’s dialogue,’ and after years of experience, it’s proved to be a fairly accurate evaluation method.
Isn’t that why there’s a saying that the body is honest?
Because even though your mouth can lie, instincts never do.
“I gave them protective gear too. They even wore gloves, but they still went down with one hit. They were supposed to attack, but they gave up. It means they lack the will to fight.”
“You’re strong because…”
“That’s not an excuse. They’re not ordinary people, you know.”
Let’s get to the core of it.
Superhumans for what purpose?
Killing. That’s the essence, no matter how we try to dress it up with fancy terms.
Then, what is the Academy?
A place to grow stronger. A place to learn the art of cutting off an enemy’s breathing.
“And yet when the enemy is strong, they just fold. That’s serious. It means they lack the basic concept of power. Then I realized that these kids don’t have a clear goal.”
“You’re asking too much. That’s something we learn at the Academy. It’s normal that way.”
“Exactly. That’s why they didn’t come today and why the two of you are eating dinner with me.”
They don’t know why they need to get stronger or why they need to develop their skills.
But these two are different.
“You two… I keep referring to you as ‘you guys,’ it’s slightly awkward. Let’s exchange names. I’m Park Ki-hyuk. Your group leader.”
“I’m Princess Merhem. You can just call me Merhem. I’m from the Middle East.”
“Han Jun-woo.”
“Alright. Merhem, Han Jun-woo. What did you think after my attack?”
“…It was unpleasant. I didn’t realize you could break my ‘sand’ shield.”
“The next time will be different.”
“Right, exactly.”
Merhem feels offended, and Han Jun-woo denies it. That means they take pride in their own abilities, which were the result of years of effort.
But would they readily accept it? No, it makes no sense!
Ultimately, proving oneself is something only oneself can do.
At least to me, they’re normal, and those who crumpled after one hit and ran away are the abnormal ones.
“I can’t handle the group that doesn’t even have the basics down. Honestly, I don’t even see the necessity.”
“Just a moment, Ki-hyuk. Did I misunderstand? Are you saying you plan to form a group just with the three of us?”
“You understood correctly.”
“Oh my god… Do you think that’s reasonable? What about the ‘evaluation’? How do you plan to handle that?”
Here, ‘evaluation’ refers to ‘field capability assessment.’
Due to the curriculum that involves practical tasks and exams conducted at the Gate for safety measures, there’s an assessment to determine the minimum level of force one can use.
Originally, this evaluation is trivial because it measures the group’s overall strength rather than individual assessments.
“The average number of first-year group members across all editions is 13.3. If we fill that number, we pass the assessment. And you’re suggesting that the three of us should do this?”
Exactly.
Passing the Academy entrance exam implies meeting basic requirements.
If we meet the quota, passing the evaluation is a given.
But clearly, we are three.
This means the three of us must cover the equivalent of 13 members.
“Simple.”
Smiling, I pointed at Merhem with my finger.
“One out of you.”
Then pointed at Han Jun-woo.
“One out of you.”
Finally pointed at my chest.
“Eleven out of me.”
Total: thirteen.
“Settled?”
Is there a problem?
