<The Demon Lord of the Swordsmanship Family Chapter 139>
There was actually a part of Park Ki-hyuk’s thinking that was off.
He believed he lacked popularity (?). It was understandable given his reputation as a disaster. The rumors were indeed alarming. Even now, his peers often sidestepped him like they would an anxious puppy whenever they encountered him.
Taking this as a given made social interactions in the festival difficult and recruitments unnecessarily complex.
To cut to the conclusion, this was Park Ki-hyuk’s misconception.
Kim Yeon-hee was certain.
“If Ki-hyuk goes out, people will swarm around him like bees.”
Superhumans generally follow strength, especially at this age group between late teens and early twenties.
A time filled with hormonal surges where instinct often overrides reason. Park Ki-hyuk, known for being untouchably powerful whether for good reasons or bad, naturally became a focal point of interest for youngsters.
“So why did you tell Park about that?”
“You… how much longer are you going to keep calling him ‘Park’?”
Yoo Hae-ryun, drinking lemonade, widened her eyes and spoke.
“Why, do you want me to change it? To ‘Spring’s Dad’? ‘Summer’s Dad’? Just say the word.”
“…Isn’t Spring enough, what about Summer?”
“Our Jin Yu-ri has plans. Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter. How’s that for some good sense?”
“Haa…”
“Relax. I’ll take responsibility for raising them. As any mother-in-law would…”
“STOP! Enough, Hae-ryun. You’re insane.”
“So, let’s get back to the original question. Why did you say that to Park?”
Kim Yeon-hee paused momentarily, then smirked.
“He’s cute, isn’t he?”
Watching him, all awkwardness in front of his mother like a puppy, was just too much.
You can’t resist that.
“Cute? Wow… beyond saving.”
“What?”
“Even if I like Park so much, he’s certainly not cute.”
Kim Yeon-hee understood.
To others, her youngest child might seem like a bear, or perhaps something even more terrifying.
So what? I’m the mom.
To a mother’s eyes, her child is always just a baby.
“Is that all?”
“…Not entirely. But it’s mainly due to that.”
While cuteness was a factor, it certainly wasn’t the sole reason.
“They need to experience the festival and, this time, learn some social skills.”
He’s the type to leap into action first without thinking. He’s improved but still remains quite rough in forming human connections and communication.
Just then, Yoo Hae-ryun, who had been quietly listening, couldn’t help but snicker.
“What’s that? That unpleasant laughter?”
“You’re doing it, and it’s funny.”
“What?”
“Isn’t a ‘Sword Master’ generally like that?”
Jumping into action, limited social circles, interpreting ‘communication’ as ‘duels’ – all these are typical characteristics of a Sword Master.
“Your ambitions are admirable, Kim Yeon-hee. If character-building was that easy, wouldn’t Park Su-hyeok have grabbed the Academy professorship and Park Min-ji have spent her days wielding swords?”
“Younger ones are different.”
“…”
“Different!”
“I didn’t say anything.”
Though Yoo Hae-ryun thought,
‘Are they really different?’
In my opinion, they’re just as bad, if not worse. Mothers know a lot about their children, but sometimes they know them the least.
At that moment, Park Ki-hyuk, amid breaking apart the weapons of his juniors, was concluding his third ‘instructing session.’
Fear fades quickly.
When Park Ki-hyuk first stepped into the Academy as a freshman.
Back then, even as a first-year, he reigned as a living ‘disaster’ with his destructive and overwhelming power, instilling fear into everyone in the Academy.
No one dared to oppose him.
You don’t oppose a disaster; you prepare for it.
At that time, peers, seniors, and even professors all avoided him.
But time moves forward, and three years had passed. Three classes of freshmen had come along.
Now in his final year as a fourth-year student, Park Ki-hyuk’s image has gradually dimmed in the Academy.
For the 4th-year students, he remains a terrifying disaster.
For the 3rd years, he is treated as a living ‘legend.’
For the 2nd years, he is known as a ‘Sword Master.’
And the 1st year?
Just a senior. A somewhat renowned senior?
Among those who know the situation, he’s considered one of the strongest seniors in the Academy.
Beyond that, some people took it a step further.
A group emerged with the idea of capturing Park Ki-hyuk to rise in fame—a group filled with crazy notions.
Here are the freshmen, the top-ranked, and second-ranked students, Sunwoo Garam and Sunwoo Seulgi, who belong to this category.
“We can do it. We can beat him.”
“This time, we’ll finally defeat the Sword Master.”
Seemingly on cue, the two looked at each other.
“It’s just bothering me that I have to team with this crazy woman.”
“It’s annoying to coordinate with this oaf.”
“But as the older brother, I should bear with it.”
“As the sister, I have no choice if we want to beat the Sword Master.”
The two were sworn enemies, as visible as the sun. They were siblings.
The fraternal twins from the ‘bl**d Horse’ family, renowned for their spear techniques.
Everyone in Korea knows the Sword Master and the True Dragon, but are there only two such bloodlines?
Certainly not.
Korea is blessed with many bloodlines and not just Gates.
Among them, ‘bl**d Horse’ ranks just below the ‘Pae-ung’ and ‘Qinglang’ as a notable martial family.
“…When your legs are not properly trained, gaps like this inevitably appear. If you drag time while calmly targeting the lower extremities, you can overcome even the skill gap. What is the lesson here, you over there with the green hair?”
“Leg training!”
“Yes, it’s never enough to emphasize how important legs are. Whether man or woman, fighter or mage, having strong legs is essential. Let’s move on.”
After finishing his explanation to the gathered juniors, Park Ki-hyuk turned around.
His sharp eyes noticed a hint of fright in the Sunwoo twins but they didn’t avert their gaze.
Impressive.
With a light exclamation of admiration, Park Ki-hyuk smiled faintly.
“Hello.”
“Hello, sir!”, “Hello, sir!”
“Introduce yourselves.”
“I’m Sunwoo Garam.”, “I’m Sunwoo Seulgi.”
“Twins?”
“Yes!”, “That’s correct!”
The overlapping voices continued. They didn’t seem likely to yield to each other anytime soon.
“A bit chaotic. Who should go first?”
“I’m the older brother!”, “I’m the older sister!”
“Haha!”
Such amusing kids.
Park Ki-hyuk chuckled with amusement.
“I like it. What do you want to know?”
Surprisingly, what’s happening right here, in the “No Exit Hell” club booth, isn’t a duel but a ‘training session.’
Though it has a somewhat ‘vivid’ element, it’s fundamentally an educational setting where information is clearly conveyed with examples, staying within the realm of training.
Even those who were thrown around earlier have taken some valuable learning from the session.
However, the Sunwoo twins were different.
Training? Learning? They didn’t show up here with any such soft-hearted intentions.
They brought their halberds, emitting fighting spirits.
“As members of the bl**d Horse family—”
“—We challenge you, Senior.”
“Ah, impressive!”
Of all the students he’d encountered today, they were the most striking, and they didn’t disappoint.
It’s tempting. He’s got to make a move.
‘You’re the ones I’ve chosen.’
A deeper smile spread across Park Ki-hyuk’s face.
“Do you understand the meaning of this challenge?”
“Yes, we do.”, “Yes, we do.”
“Alright. I accept your challenge.”
Smiling, Park Ki-hyuk wiggled his fingers.
“Come at me.”
The moment the distinct, icy bl**d aroma of the ‘bl**d Horse’ bloodline hit their noses, twin streams of bl**d energy surged toward Park Ki-hyuk.
Park Ki-hyuk withdrew a sword from the displayed weapons.
Not long after,
KWAANG—!
An enhanced iron wall shattered, and two figures tumbled to the ground.
Dust filled the sports field, and the two figures, barely regaining consciousness, attempted to escape in different directions.
But,
“…”
“…”
An enormous hand pierced through the dust and shoved their heads into the ground.
“Khuhk!”, “Khurk!”
“Did I win?”
Everyone has plans, but they only last until they get punched.
Fear fades quickly?
All one needs to do is reinforce it, deeply enough to scar.
“Hani, bring the membership application form!”
The two signed with the bl**d they’d spilled, still pressing their heads into the ground.
No Exit Hell
Sunwoo Garam (1st Year) joined.
Sunwoo Seulgi (1st Year) joined.
“Welcome, younger members.”
Hmm, I have to admit it.
I seem to have become a lot more gentle.
Back in the days, what’s this ‘training’ nonsense? I would’ve immediately thrown down my gloves and opted for a real fight.
Yet, strangely, strangely enough…
How do I put this… definitely dark individuals, yet somehow… cute.
Yes, they’re cute!
They resemble young chicks full of dreams, and I want to help them for no good reason.
Sincerely. Even I can’t get used to this new version of myself.
Take a look at these twins who challenged him.
Back then, I would’ve probably snapped their legs with a “How dare you challenge an elder arrogantly!” But now, I just patted them, treated them with care, and healed them.
Sunwoo Garam, Sunwoo Seulgi, right?
When I told my mother about them at home, she said these two hailed from a prominent family.
Their specialty is horse-riding combined with spear techniques. Their leg training, which I always emphasize, was quite notable.
Having entered as top and second in their year, they surely deserve those rankings.
Looking back, I can confirm their skills were exceptional.
“You alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine!”, “I’m fine!”
“You don’t have to shout. Didn’t you hear about our club from Kim Hani yesterday? If you have questions, ask her.”
“Understood!”, “Understood!”
“Oh, right. By the way, it’s lunchtime.”
By the way, teasing these kids is fun too.
“Go order lunch. It’s our club’s tradition that the youngest orders lunch.”
“I…”, “I’m the youngest.”
“YOU, as the youngest. Understand what I mean?”
“…”
Glaring daggers at each other, the twins disappeared. They probably headed to the club room — it’s one of the best places to have a fight.
Still, they are cute.
Enough of the cuteness.
We continued recruitment afterward.
Though, it was a bit disappointing that none of the new recruits matched the charm of the Sunwoo twins. They were just decently competent.
Personally, they didn’t impress me.
But, what can I do? Kim Hani and Mary pushed strongly.
“Senior Ki-hyuk! You can’t only accept those who meet your standards!”
“What Hani says is right. You can’t judge everyone by your standards.”
“If someone has a good reputation, a good personality, and decent skills, we should accept them first. Got it, Senior?”
When the parties concerned express themselves like this, what can I do?
I have no plans to be tied down to the club, and after we leave, Kim Hani will be responsible for the club. So, supporting her is the right thing to do.
That’s how we filled our ranks with energetic and capable youngsters.
Occasionally, a skilled one would appear.
Majuri was one such example.
“Divine Lord, finally, I meet you, Sir Ki-hyuk! Phew phew, stay calm, Majuri. You can do this.”
“Nice to meet you! Friend of Kim Hani! I’m Majuri!! ‘Little Giant’ vice-president… Hic!”
“Hahaha. Senior, she’s feeling a bit unwell. Her head, her head hurts.”
…Though her first impression wasn’t exactly stable, her skills were commendable.
Her physical training and divine power were both strong. A capable individual who met all the criteria one would expect from a paladin, one who could easily be accepted into the imperial holy knight squad.
It always hits me how this world is filled with more talents than their apparent abilities suggest.
Watching this talent flourish is quite engaging.
“The festival might actually be pretty good.”
Who knows what other talents will emerge tomorrow?
Anticipated.
Unbeknownst to me, I was enjoying the festival.
*
Meanwhile, within the dormitory filled with festival fervor.
A group of students gathered around a muscular-looking man.
“Hyun-tae, everyone’s here.”
“Good work.”
As mentioned earlier, a group appeared with the bold plan to capture the top-dog Park Ki-hyuk and raise their standings accordingly.
This is that group.
Their name is ‘Fight Club’.
A circle formed by the second-year students, regarded as the Academy’s next generation of golden knights, who aimed to claim the Academy’s mainstream position.
The man scanned the room with sharp eyes under the attention of everyone present.
“Comrades, today we…”
The strange eyes, with only black pupils, gazed at the children.
“Will capture Park Ki-hyuk.”
“Wowaaaa!”
