SHWEEEING—!!!

With a sharp sound, a line was carved through empty air.

The tip of a swift sword left a trace, and sparks scattered at the same time.

CLANG—!!

“KGH!”

With a rough sound, someone was pushed back.

The young man’s name was Ma Seonwoo, a blood relative of the Shaanxi Ma Clan—one of the junior fighters his clan had placed significant expectations on, but still.

“Your flank’s open.”

Ma Seonwoo couldn’t find the pulse of the person in front of him. Watching the young man smiling brightly as he swung his sword, Ma Seonwoo’s face flushed.

“Goddamn it...!”

He shouted like it was unfair.

“Why the hell are you doing this! You’ve already gathered all the stones, haven’t you?!”

At Ma Seonwoo’s words, his opponent, Thunder Dragon Namgung Cheon, laughed awkwardly.

“It can’t be helped. Isn’t this the kind of thing that becomes a memory?”

“Bullshit...!”

What kind of nonsense was that. How was this a memory?

Ma Seonwoo was certain that Thunder Dragon had already met the passing conditions.

It couldn’t be otherwise. One of the Seven Prodigies wouldn’t have failed to gather stones up to now.

And yet—

“Even after collecting them all, you’re going to raid me like this...!”

Even in that situation, he was picking a fight with him to steal his stones.

Ma Seonwoo couldn’t accept this absurdity. And on top of that—

‘If it were only Thunder Dragon, fine.’

Even one of the Seven Prodigies was too much, but the other person was the problem.

The person leaning back over there, watching this without intervening.

A young man with a somewhat small frame for a male martial artist, but a ridiculously handsome face—and blue eyes.

Ma Seonwoo knew him. They’d already exchanged greetings at the banquet.

‘Little Sword Saint...!’

The Little Sword Saint everyone talked about lately.

He’d heard he was the successor of Sword Saint Yoo Cheongil, the strongest under heaven, the hero of the Central Plains—and that at that age he’d reached an unbelievable realm and piled up staggering achievements against unorthodox fighters in Sichuan.

He’d even heard he had talent that could put even the Seven Prodigies under his feet.

‘So....’

Was he not even going to step in for a fight?

While Thunder Dragon fought the two of them, the Little Sword Saint didn’t move an inch.

It was absurd enough that Thunder Dragon could handle it alone.

‘He’s really just watching?’

And he really was just watching.

‘Kgh....’

Was it that he didn’t even need to come out against them? Ma Seonwoo felt his pride crumbling, but—

“There’s no time to look away.”

“...!”

Without even time to feel that, Thunder Dragon’s sword charged in.

RUMBLE—!!

With a small sound of thunder, the blade flashed.

And when he opened his eyes, Thunder Dragon’s sword was touching Ma Seonwoo’s throat.

“...Ha....”

Letting out a hollow breath, Ma Seonwoo said.

“...I lost.”

“It was a good match.”

It wasn’t a good match.

It was overwhelming humiliation.

Ma Seonwoo knew it, and Thunder Dragon knew it.

But no one said it out loud.

That was the kind of fight it was.

In the end, Ma Seonwoo pulled a white stone from his robes and handed it to Thunder Dragon.

Seeing that, Thunder Dragon glanced at Ma Seonwoo’s robe.

He could make out two black stones in there, but—

“Hahaha. Thank you.”

He didn’t bring it up.

“...”

“Then take good care of your teammate, and I hope you pass.”

At Thunder Dragon’s words, Ma Seonwoo looked back. Far away, his teammate—already knocked out by Thunder Dragon—was visible.

“...”

Cheering him on while robbing him. It was ridiculous, but Ma Seonwoo didn’t have the standing to point it out.

“...Thank you.”

That was the only kind of thing he could spit out.

*****

After the fight ended, Thunder Dragon came up, spinning the stone he’d gotten around his finger.

“Hey, you could’ve helped instead of just watching.”

At the tone that made it clear he didn’t like it, I let out a snort.

“You could handle everything by yourself anyway.”

“Even so, there’s a taste to doing it together.”

Together, my ass.

‘You didn’t look like you needed it at all.’

He handled it all on his own.

All through this test, the moment Thunder Dragon spotted another enemy, he repeated the same thing: drawing his sword and charging.

He was fast as hell, too.

‘He’s nastier than he looks.’

Thunder Dragon’s sword was far more intense and vicious than the image I’d had in my head.

If that Little Azure Sword bastard with the same Namgung blood had a more refined, calmer feel—

‘What the hell is this guy?’

Thunder Dragon used a sword completely different from that.

It’s ridiculous for me to evaluate the Namgung Clan’s sword arts, but just looking at it, that’s what it felt like.

‘No hesitation—why does he move like such a beast?’

He looks like a noble young master more than anyone, but his fighting style is pure barbarian.

Like he enjoys swinging the sword, Namgung Cheon moved his blade while dragging thunder along with it.

It was thunder itself.

Yeah. Saying it like that fits.

‘Thunder isn’t some neat, clean shape.’

Rough, and layered with all kinds of things.

Namgung Cheon used a sword like that.

‘He’s strong.’

He’s strong.

Watching him for a long time with my own eyes, I can tell.

That bastard was strong. The name Seven Prodigies wasn’t a joke—he was on a completely different level from other junior fighters.

‘We did fight together a few times.’

But in the end, that was just me helping.

‘He really plays by himself, so there’s nowhere to jump in.’

Whether it was two or one, he just took care of it, so the most I did was throw in a bit of interference.

It’s comfortable, at least.

‘And we ran into the right opponent, too.’

The only time we ran into other Seven Prodigies was right at the start of the second preliminaries. After that, we didn’t see any.

Maybe because of that, my pockets are fat.

‘What did we collect... let’s see.’

Ten black stones. Eight white stones.

For fighting until almost sundown, it doesn’t feel like a lot, but—

‘Are they hiding well?’

In a mountain this wide, just finding other enemies in the first place was a little hard.

‘Still, at least this much.’

The haul isn’t bad.

Thinking that, I started sorting the stones I’d gathered, when—

“But hey.”

Thunder Dragon spoke to me.

“Yes?”

“Looks like the test is almost over, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah. Well. Right.”

I looked up at the sky. The sunset was fully dropping.

At this point, it felt like the second preliminaries were about to end completely.

‘Did the others do fine?’

Cheon Hyein and Poison Dragon don’t matter, and if there’s anyone I’m actually worried about, it’s Cheon Eujin and Do Hyeong.

Considering we didn’t run into them on the mountain, I trusted they handled it.

‘Not that I’m in a position to worry about them.’

It’s lucky I teamed up with Thunder Dragon. If I hadn’t, this side might not have been so comfortable.

Remembering that, I looked back at Thunder Dragon.

“Then.”

Thunder Dragon smiled brightly as he spoke.

“Since the test’s almost over, why don’t we mix swords once?”

“...What?”

All of a sudden?

I stared at him, eyes wide, at Thunder Dragon’s suggestion.

Mix swords, out of nowhere?

“A spar? Right now?”

“That’s right. The time’s basically up anyway, and it’s a pain to go looking for someone else, and it’s boring—so for a bit of fun, why don’t we do it?”

“...Do we have to?”

We could just stay still. Why would we have to mix swords? I looked at him with suspicion, and—

“That’s right. We have to.”

“...”

Looking into Thunder Dragon’s eyes, I realized.

‘Ah. So that’s it.’

This bastard—was this what he wanted from the start?

‘He wanted to fight me.’

Maybe all through these preliminaries—

That might’ve been the only thing in his head.

That was the kind of look it was. A desperate look that said he had to spar me no matter what.

“...Uh...”

I really don’t want to. While I was looking at Thunder Dragon, thinking whether I really had to fight—

“Ah, don’t worry.”

Thunder Dragon waved his hand as he spoke.

Oh, what? Even if I refuse, it’s fine—

“This wasn’t me asking permission.”

SHIIIING—!

...So it’s not.

‘...So it was a notice.’

A notice that I’m going to fight you from now on.

Making that clear, Thunder Dragon drew his sword again.

‘What a hassle.’

He fought just fine up front, so for a moment I forgot the Seven Prodigies were a pack of lunatics.

‘I forgot this guy clicked with Black-Grand Saber.’

Thunder Dragon approached me with eyes full of battle aura.

“You really have to fight your teammate?”

“Fight? This is just play. Play.”

“Then take the edge out of your eyes before you spit bullshit. Seriously.”

Even trying to stop him is pointless, huh.

I let out a sigh.

‘Hmm.’

Then, without thinking, I set my hand on my waist.

Sparring with Thunder Dragon?

Thinking about it, I let out a snort. It felt ridiculous.

‘I’m thinking it’s not bad.’

Fighting that monster bastard—it’s not like I hate it completely.

Remembering that I’m feeling that way, I let out a hollow laugh.

‘Ah, I’m screwed....’

Feels like I’m getting stained in a weird direction, too.

‘I don’t want to do fights that don’t profit me.’

What’s the meaning of this?

It really is, just because.

A thing I don’t even need to do, and I’m still going to do it.

I’m someone who really hates taking losses, too.

SHIIIING—!

I was drawing my sword.

A fight with Thunder Dragon is nothing but a pile of things for me to lose, but—

‘That’s only if I lose.’

If the problem is what happens when I lose, then I just win, don’t I?

‘Thunder Dragon is strong, but...’

Is he strong enough that I can’t win? About that, I had a strange thought.

I’m a lunatic too.

‘To feel like it’s worth trying the Seven Prodigies.’

Maybe I got arrogant after swallowing too many fortuitous encounters.

It’s something I wouldn’t even have imagined before.

“You won’t regret it?”

I narrowed my eyes and said to Thunder Dragon.

Hearing that, Thunder Dragon smiled with his eyes like a crescent moon.

“Regret? Sorry, but—”

RRRUMBLE—!!!

As the sun sank out of the sky, storm clouds gathered around Thunder Dragon’s sword.

“I’m not the kind of person who does that.”

“That’s a really cool personality....”

Sword force that carries the essence of the Namgung Clan.

Thunder Dragon gripped it and was about to rush me.

Watching that, I was also setting up Third Form: Radiant Moon Annihilation-Overturn and starting to reset my stance when—

CRACK.

“...!”

“...Mm!”

At the presence from the side, both of us instantly turned our heads.

There—

“Ah. Well, this is awkward.”

A young man, ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) stepping on a branch, wore an embarrassed expression with someone on his back.

“...Did I interrupt? I’m really sorry. Hahaha....”

Noticing we’d spotted him, he forced a smile as he spoke.

Thunder Dragon frowned at him.

More precisely, not at him, but at the other young man he was carrying.

“...Seo Pyeong?”

Unbelievably, the one being carried was Seo Pyeong.

Wudang Cloud Dragon Seo Pyeong—out cold, slung on the young man’s back.

“Ah.”

Catching Thunder Dragon’s gaze, the young man said.

“I just ran into an incident a moment ago... my teammate got knocked out, so I was bringing him along.”

Seo Pyeong got knocked out?

While Thunder Dragon and I were still thrown off by that—

“A-ah, don’t mind me. Young Lords, just finish what you were doing. I’m just passing through.”

The young man spoke urgently and tried to move.

Seeing that, Thunder Dragon started to approach him—

“Stop there.”

Someone appeared in the center of us.

I flinched. I hadn’t felt any presence at all.

When I turned my eyes, it was a Martial Alliance martial artist with his face covered.

“The preliminaries are over. Further combat is forbidden.”

“...”

“Damn....”

At that, Thunder Dragon showed how disappointed he was.

“Tch... I really wanted to go at it....”

Grinding out his complaint, he shoved his sword back into its scabbard.

“We must confirm the results, so follow the guidance.”

The Martial Alliance staff member spoke and moved.

Thunder Dragon followed him. I was about to follow too, then I suddenly turned back.

I met the young man’s eyes.

He looked slightly startled at me, then put on a friendly expression and dipped his head.

“...”

I gave him a small nod back.

But—

‘That bastard.’

Inside, I was thinking something else.

‘...It’s him.’

Now I know. I was wondering where I’d seen him.

‘The back Yoo Cheongil was watching.’

The black rain cloak that passed me in the county seat.

Yoo Cheongil, staring at it without being able to look away.

Remembering that moment, I was sure.

‘It’s him.’

That bastard is him. The one Yoo Cheongil was focused on.

Which means—

‘He’s got something going on.’

It means there’s something to him.

And even if it weren’t that—

The young man in front of my eyes was smiling like he was harmless, but I could tell.

‘That malevolent aura is that deep?’

At minimum, presence at the level of a malicious ghost.

A filthy aura so vicious no human could ever give off—

was pouring out of that young man.