Chapter 108: A Match Made in Heaven (3)

In response to Il-mok's question, Bang Mi-hwa lifted her chin and stared into the distance.

“When I’m acting, I feel myself being pulled into the story, becoming the female lead of that play. Sometimes I become a woman who overcame an unfortunate past and stands tall, and other times I become a pure and pitiful woman with unwavering devotion to her beloved."

Her eyes, fixed on the empty air, seemed to glaze over as if in a trance.

“And with each new woman I embody, I fall more in love with myself, with all the different charms I can display.”

"......."

Seeing her flaunt her narcissism with the fervor of a cultist meeting their god, Il-mok nodded.

It wasn’t a nod of understanding, but one of weary resignation.

‘I’m the one at fault here, trying to understand a lunatic.’

For Bang Mi-hwa, who was already intoxicated with herself, what Il-mok thought and what attitude he displayed didn’t matter.

"I've been thinking too simply all this time. I failed to realize that there are so many different charms and beauties in this world. No, I believed that only the charm I possessed was the only one that mattered. But through acting, I've come to realize that there are countless beauties in this world. And..."

Bang Mi-hwa, who had been staring into the void, paused for a moment, then she lowered her head, hiding her face behind her fan as her eyes fell upon Il-mok.

“I have come to realize that I… am capable of embodying every last one of them.”

By now, a brilliant light shone from her eyes.

Il-mok knew for sure.

‘That’s it. Those are the eyes of a true lunatic.’

First Baek Cheon and Ju Seo-yeon, and now Bang Mi-hwa. Il-mok had finally reached a level where he could distinguish between true insanity and pale imitation.

***

Lacking the confidence to reason with a true lunatic, Il-mok ended up heading to the clearing with Bang Mi-hwa. If there was a silver lining, it was that she wasn’t interested in Baek Cheon.

'Those weren't the eyes of someone lying.'

After more than a year of dealing with mental patients, Il-mok knew one thing for sure.

These bastards might spout ridiculous nonsense, but they don’t lie.

And so, the evening proceeded as usual.

"Ohohohoho!"

"Ahahahahaha!"

A woman intoxicated with herself and a man hungry for attention burst into deranged laughter as they practiced their craft.

"Excellent, Disciple Jeong!"

“You’ve gotten even better in such a short time!”

When Jeong Hyeon demonstrated archery, everyone cheered her on together.

As per their routine, Baek Cheon would offer his thoughts after the spar between Ju Seo-yeon and Jeong Hyeon ended. It was then Bang Mi-hwa voiced her question.

“Excuse me, but are Disciple Jeong and Ju the only ones permitted to spar here?”

“I feel I've made some progress in my martial arts recently, so I'd like to try expressing it through a duel."

And hearing her words, Baek Cheon replied with a pleased expression.

“Hahaha! Of course! Acting’s one thing, but we’re warriors of the Cult! Why would we limit it to those two? Young Master Il-mok and I will watch to prevent any accidents, so feel free to go for it.”

With that, Baek Cheon suddenly winked at Il-mok, like a dog seeking praise.

The gesture made Il-mok’s brow furrow in disgust, but he didn’t deny Baik Cheon’s words.

“Go ahead. Since Disciple Ju and Jeong have already fought, it would be better for Disciple Bang and Disciple Ha to duel this time."

At the end of the day, it meant he didn’t have to get involved.

‘If the five of them take turns sparring and training with each other, eventually there will be no need for me to get involved.’

As for Jeong Hyeon's romantic campaign, Il-mok was sure that it would sort itself out eventually if she just kept hanging around Baek Cheon.

Now that he had confirmed that the obstacle named Bang Mi-hwa had no interest in Baek Cheon, he had no intention of getting involved further.

There was no reason for him to force the issue, and love wasn't something that could be forced to begin with.

"Huaaaaam."

While Il-mok yawned languidly as if about to take a nap, the sparring continued.

Bang Mi-hwa and Ha Young dueled, and Baek Cheon engaged in instructional combat with Jeong Hyeon.

He spaced out for a long while, watching the five of them take turns sparring one after another.

By the time the surroundings were completely submerged in darkness, Il-mok rose to his feet and spoke. "It's getting quite late now, so it would be good to head back."

At Il-mok's suggestion, Ju Seo-yeon, who had become covered in sweat and dust, said with bright eyes.

"That's a good idea, Young Master! Since it's late, it would be good for us to bathe together!"

For some reason, though Ju Seo-yeon had an innocent expression, Il-mok felt that her eyes were full of impure intentions.

"Disciple Ju's skills are still lacking, so I'll give her a bit more guidance. You four go ahead and bathe first."

To prevent a crime from happening, Il-mok had no choice but to hold Ju Seo-yeon back.

Ju Seo-yeon, however, thought that Il-mok was preparing her for the position of his attendant and gazed at him with a moved expression.

“I knew you believed in me, Young Master! I swear I will live up to your expectations!”

Faced with those sparkling, radiant eyes, Il-mok subtly turned his head away.

Just as he’d planned, the two of them remained in the clearing.

Baek Cheon returned to the Black Tiger Hall while Bang Mi-hwa, Ha Young, and Jeong Hyeon headed to the women's bath at the Black Dragon Hall.

As Bang Mi-hwa shed her dirty uniform, Ha Young, who could be called Bang Mi-hwa's personal echo chamber, let out a gasp.

“You’re amazing, Mi-hwa! How can you have such elegant curves when we ate the same things?"

"Ohoho. What are you saying? Young-ah, you’re perfectly wonderful yourself.”

As the two women praised each other while preparing to enter the bath.

Swish.

The sound of fabric hitting the floor came from beside them. A dumbfounded exclamation escaped from the lips of Ha Young, who had just been showering Bang Mi-hwa with praise.

“Whoa…”

Bang Mi-hwa, who had been holding her head high, curiously followed Ha Young’s gaze.

"......."

And she froze solid.

"...I've never seen anything like that before. Right, Mi-hwa?"

Ha Young was right.

Sure, Jeong Hyeon was tall for a woman, but… how was a size like that even possible?

Wait, had she been hiding that with just bandages this whole time?

While the stunned Bang Mi-hwa was having such thoughts, Jeong Hyeon, startled by Ha Young’s voice, yelped and tried to cover herself.

Only then did Bang Mi-hwa, freed from her paralysis, subtly turn her head to look downward.

"......."

She felt an unfamiliar, gut-wrenching sense of defeat.

'No.'

She couldn't accept this. Nothing could exist that surpassed her, the most charming and beautiful being in the world.

Having recently leveled up her narcissistic personality disorder thanks to her recent breakthrough, she demonstrated masterful mental gymnastics.

“Hmph. Young-ah, size isn’t everything. The true principle of the universe is harmony and balance, wouldn't you agree?”

But for some reason…

Despite her supposed victory…

Glance.

Throughout the entire bath, Bang Mi-hwa couldn’t stop her eyes from drifting toward Jeong Hyeon.

***

The days fell into a steady rhythm.

Time flew by like an arrow as they spent their time in classes, took turns sparring with each other, or practicing their acting in the clearing.

As time passed like this, the fourth test arrived.

The day after the exam, which, like the third, had been an individual competition.

As usual after the exams, Instructor Chu Il-hwan was giving one-on-one guidance sessions to the Upper Class students about their exam scores.

Taking advantage of the instructor's absence, Bang Mi-hwa and Ha Young approached Il-mok and his three stooges as they lounged about.

“You truly are something else, Young Master. I never imagined the gap would grow to be quite this wide.”

In the individual competition, the person who had claimed first place with an overwhelming score was, unsurprisingly, Il-mok.

Yet, for some reason, her praise was met with nothing but a listless expression.

Honestly, he wasn't happy at all.

'Damn enlightenments.'

It was because his realm had risen unnecessarily high.

His realm, already heightened by the duel with Baek Cheon and Chu Il-hwan, reached its peak during his time at the Peach Blossom Ridge, thanks to being hounded by Elder Kang.

Il-mok’s skills were now in an entirely different realm from his peers.

Far from competing with his peers, if he fought seriously, he could probably even give the assistant instructors a run for their money. However, there was still quite a gap between him and the instructors.

Still, the elevated realm wasn’t without its perks.

In response to Bang Mi-hwa’s compliment, Il-mok just shrugged.

“I just tried a little harder this time, thanks to failing the last one.”

“Hmm. You didn’t look like you were trying very hard to me.”

Ha Young and the three stooges nodded their heads in agreement.

Il-mok watched them but didn't bother to comment.

Because it was true.

‘It really had been a cakewalk.’

The chasm between him and his peers had grown so vast that he no longer needed to go all out.

In fact, it had felt less like an exam and more like a stroll through the neighborhood.

He’d simply subdued every student he came across in one exchange, and that naturally put him in first place.

His obsessive-compulsive disorder had worsened due to his higher realm, but thanks to his higher realm, the exams had become this easy.

Il-mok couldn't tell if this was a good or a bad thing.

However, the biggest talk of this exam wasn’t Il-mok’s absurd level of skill.

"Speaking of which, did you hear about that one student?"

“I heard he was lucky to be alive.”

Il-mok nodded at Bang Mi-hwa's answer.

A disciple from the Lower Class had been grievously injured in this exam. It wasn’t by his hand; the power gap between him and his peers was so large that anyone he subdued came away unharmed.

A fight had broken out between other disciples, and one of them, blinded by ambition, had used a lethal technique and critically wounded his opponent.

The disciple who caused the injury was currently being punished, and the seriously injured disciple was immediately transported to the main headquarters.

Though the Hall of the Demonic Way had a medical wing, it wasn’t equipped for injuries that severe.

‘…Maybe it’d be better if I faked a serious illness and got transferred out?’

Il-mok dreaded the thought of another ‘enlightenment’ striking him during some random class or exam.

But he soon shook his head.

If he were caught faking it, he’d get his head lopped off by his Master or Jin Hayeon. And more importantly…

‘You can’t wash when you’re seriously injured, can you?’

For Il-mok, who suffered from hygiene obsession, not being able to bathe was a horrifying thought.

***

While the student chattered about the injured student, Instructor Chu Il-hwan conducted his interviews in a pavilion.

He looked at the cadet seated before him and inwardly let out a sigh.

It wasn't because talking with this bastard made his homicidal impulses flare out.

‘In any other era, this one would have been a talent competing for the top seat. But thanks to the Young Master, he's become neither here nor there.'

Surprisingly, it was a sigh filled with regret and pity.

But he couldn't very well sigh right in a student’s face.

Returning to his usual playful expression, Chu Il-hwan asked, “Disciple Dokgo, do you plan to take all the remaining exams in this manner?"

“As the eldest grandson of the Dokgo Family, how could I possibly shy away from a head-on clash?”

At that brazenly confident answer, Chu Il-hwan's right hand twitched.

He was a talent who entered the Hall of the Demonic Way in second place and was the heir of the Dokgo Family, one of the Five Great Demonic Families, but he placed last in this exam.

Because as soon as the exam started, he rushed at Il-mok and was subdued in a single, humiliating exchange.