“Today, we’re having fish dishes!”
“Fish dishes from the inland area must have been quite the hassle to transport.”
At Ha-jin’s words, everyone nodded in agreement. Fish dishes from Hubei in this era?
How on earth did they manage to transport it all the way here? As I looked at the steamed fish marinated with a slightly sweet seasoning, I couldn’t help but marvel. Though I didn’t know the name of the dish, just the sight of it was making my mouth water.
Being able to eat such a dish at such a low price—was the Martial Alliance only made up of Great Heroes?
Surely, I should submit my membership application to the Martial Alliance soon—
“Aye?”
“What is it?”
“Is it delicious?”
“Ah, it is. I was just marveling at the fact that I can have such food at this price.”
“You seem to really enjoy eating.”
“You’d feel the same way after spending a month in the battlefield.”
A week of not eating anything while continuously fighting, surviving on some unrecognizable gruel, trying to make soup with wild herbs…ugh, just thinking about it makes my appetite disappear.
I need to start eating quickly to bring back my appetite.
“Great Hero Wi, would you like to order more?”
“Well, that would be great for me.”
One serving was clearly not enough. Glancing over at Ha-jin ordering more, I picked up a dumpling about the size of a fist with my chopsticks and put it in my mouth.
The dumpling wrapper had a slightly chewy texture, with flavorful juices oozing out from the torn wrapper. The minced meat inside was tender yet firm, and the neutral taste spread through my tongue.
Ah, this is what a proper dumpling should be like.
“Here, try this too.”
“There’s no need for you to transfer it over.”
Hye-ryeong placed various dishes onto my plate with a look that seemed to say, “Watching you eat brings me joy.”
“…People might think we’re already engaged…”
“Ha-jin, shut up.”
What will you do if you give me your share? Looking at the mountain of food piled onto my plate, I sighed. Though I could eat all of it, I wasn’t about to eat someone else’s portion.
“You should eat too.”
“I’ve had enough.”
In that case,
I proceeded to devour the dishes served on my plate one by one. Despite the greasiness making my stomach feel a bit heavy, it was manageable after drinking a cup of tea.
Unlike before I reincarnated, I can handle greasy food now.
“Aye, what do you plan to do after eating?”
“I also applied for the Martial Prohibition Tournament and will have to practice. Haven’t been able to train much during my travels.”
“Sharpening the body and mind is certainly an important task for a martial artist. Hye-ryeong, why don’t you focus on training now? You’re almost at the First-Class level, aren’t you?”
“Haha, I guess I’ll need to train then.”
First-Class.
Thinking back, it felt like such a distant level when I first started.
Even though I grew faster than most of my peers, it still took me close to a year and a half to reach the mark. Come to think of it, isn’t this considered extremely fast, making any comparisons kind of pointless?
“I intend to fully focus on swordplay before the Martial Prohibition Tournament.”
“Mun-gwang, I will teach you more during my spare time.”
“Thank you, Master.”
“I’d also like to join in the training, but I might be busy with matters from the sect for a while.”
Of course, as the next Sect Leader, there’s a lot to do.
Building up connections, attending meetings with Elder Baek. Fortunately, I’m an outsider, so I don’t have to involve myself in such matters, but it’s still good to know the content eventually.
Even the smallest piece of information can sometimes be the key to turning the tide.
“If you need help, let me know. I’ll do my best to assist where I can.”
“Thank you, Elder.”
“…”
Everyone seems to have their own tasks. Maybe we won’t be able to gather like this for meals so easily anymore.
Our schedules might not align perfectly, and some might eat outside. It looks like I might be eating alone for a while.
…Though even if I try eating alone, Hye-ryeong would probably stick to me anyway.
“It’s been a while since I last swung my sword, and just thinking about it gets my heart racing!”
A sword. I should take some time to correct and practice my stance in the empty space within my quarters again.
First, I’ll focus on mastering the control of my enhanced aura and refine my mana manipulation skills.
While forming these plans in my mind, I mechanically continued eating, and before long, my chopsticks hit the plate.
Didn’t eat much, but it seems I’m done.
I set down the chopsticks and stood up.
“That was delicious. See you this evening.”
“Please go ahead, Great Hero Wi.”
“Aye, come with me!”
As Hye-ryeong’s voice rang in my ears with the sound of her chair scraping,
…we ended up being just the two of us after all.
Thankfully, it was nearing the end of lunch, so the restaurant was quiet, making our exit smooth.
Once outside the door, the harsh sunlight hit my face.
Ah, the bamboo hat.
“Aye, don’t forget your bamboo hat!”
“Thank you.”
“Haha, you’re welcome.”
Would you stop twisting around so dramatically? People are staring.
“Aye?”
“The place to register for the Martial Prohibition Tournament, do you know where it is? Let’s go quickly.”
“Yesss~”
We headed toward the registration booth for the Martial Prohibition Tournament.
—
“Silver Knight, did you sleep well?”
“Did you manage to rest well?”
“Yes.”
We awkwardly exchanged formal bows, looking at each other.
The atmosphere was different from the night before, filled with unease.
Given that we were the ones threatening each other with swords last night, it was hard not to be awkward running into each other like this.
“Silver Knight, are you participating in the Martial Prohibition Tournament?”
“In fact, are you?”
Though I already knew he was participating, I threw out the question to keep the conversation flowing. He nodded in response to my inquiry.
“Yes. It would be impossible for a martial artist not to desire the prize.”
“Absolutely! I’ve heard it’s some incredibly rare elixir!”
It is incredible, indeed.
If absorbed properly, it could even grant a decade’s worth of internal energy. Or maybe even more?
Anyway, with such a prize on the line, it was only natural that countless martial artists would queue up to participate.
And I am one of them.
Of course, the vast majority of people in the seemingly endless queue will probably not even pass the preliminary rounds.
With age restrictions in place, and while there are many martial artists, only a handful reach the First-Class level. Among them are but a few at the Summit Level, and even fewer at the Supreme Level. As far as I know, there won’t be more than five Summit Level experts, including me.
The champion is most likely to be chosen from among these five.
Though it’s not a certainty that someone of a lower level can’t defeat someone of a higher level, it is generally advantageous to have a greater likelihood of success.
…Upon reflection, the person standing right in front of me could be the exception to that rule.
That time where he exploited the cracks in a top-tier Summit Level expert’s defense and managed to win… That experience eventually helped him ascend to the Summit Level himself. The more I think about it, the more incredible his talent appears.
…Though I shouldn’t be making comments on that.
Still, I have survived in the most extreme situations, so perhaps I deserve some leniency in my situation.
“Aye, let’s go quickly to the queue! It already seems to stretch for ten li!”
Hye-ryeong grabbed my hand and urged me forward. Given her words, if I hesitate any longer, we might only be able to register after lunchtime. So, I followed her to the end of the line, with Mok-kyeong joining us.
“Aye, what does the queue look like from above?”
“The line?”
Is that what you’re curious about?
I stood on my tiptoes and looked ahead. With so many people lining up to reach the registration booth, it would be difficult for someone of average height to see the booth, but that wasn’t a problem for me.
At least there were barely any people here taller than me.
“It’s endless. The booth looks like a mere dot from here.”
“Can you see the booth from here?”
“Uh…there’s no one taller than me here.”
“I want to see too…”
“Restrain yourself.”
I can’t give an adult woman a piggyback ride and let her see the line now, can I? Even if it’s for a joke, that’s unacceptable.
“Just kidding! Though it would be nice at least once to…”
What are you thinking?
“Hye-ryeong, focus! There are people around.”
“…Hehe.”
Hye-ryeong shyly stuck out her tongue and turned away.
To what extent are you trying to get affectionate?
“Ah, Aye! Now that I think about it, we’ll need to write down your name for registration. Under what name should I register you?”
“…”
That’s right.
I remembered something I had long forgotten.
What name should I use?
—
