TL: FoodieMonster007

    "Fuck... Fine, I''ll help you. What''s your mission?" Hyonwon Kang said begrudgingly. As long as his pouch was being held hostage, he had no choice but to cooperate with Yeo Min.

    "I''ll tell you when I need to."

    "What?"

    Yeo Min winked and waved Hyonwon Kang''s pouch around playfully. "If I tell you now, you''ll immediately start thinking of ways to sabotage me, won''t you, Senior?"

    Hyonwon Kang scowled. For some reason, he found Yeo Min''s smile particularly irritating today. "Do you think everyone is like you? You scammer..."

    "Excuse me? Who''s the one who scammed poor, innocent Cheon? Not me, for sure."

    "...You saw that?"

    "I didn''t have to see it to know what you did. Do you expect me to believe you took Cheon''s sword by force? Your clothes are still neat and tidy, without a single tear."

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    Hyonwon Kang turned away and cleared his throat, his face flushing with embarrassment.

    Yeo Min snickered. "Listen, Senior. This isn''t a test of martial arts prowess. It''s one that evaluates who can fool or exploit others the best."

    "I know that!"

    "If you know that, then why do you feel so guilty about scamming Cheon?"

    "...Why do you keep bringing him up all of a sudden?"

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    "Under normal circumstances, you would never have shown me such an obvious opening. I can tell. You were easily fooled by me because you felt sorry for tricking Cheon."

    "......" Hyonwon Kang was speechless. Yeo Min had hit the nail on the head.

    Slapping him lightly on the back, Yeo Min said, "Get a hold of yourself, you softie. For someone who looks so rough and tough, you''re actually the most sensitive person among us, aren''t you?"

    "Shut up, you impudent..." Hyonwon Kang began, but since he was unable to refute Yeo Min''s words, his voice trailed off and he ended up just sulking.

    Yeo Min smiled. Perhaps it was because she had grown up experiencing all kinds of hardships, but she was one of the few students who understood the true intention behind Baek Suryong''s exam.

    "Follow me," Yeo Min said, kicking off with her movement arts.

    The distance between her and Hyonwon Kang quickly widened, but she didn''t bother telling Hyonwon Kang where they were going.

    Panicking, Hyonwon Kang hurriedly chased after her. "Is your mission to steal something from someone else, like mine?"

    "I told you, my mission has nothing to do with you, so don''t worry. If you really were my target, I''d have finished my mission a while ago."

    "You seem unusually curt today."

    Yeo Min glanced back. "Does it bother you that much?" she teased.

    "......" Hyonwon Kang involuntarily cleared his throat and tried to hide the pounding of his heart.

    Why is she smiling and looking back like that?

    Ever since Yeo Min started practicing the White Ice Divine Art, she had stopped taking the medicine that kept her hair from turning white. Under the moonlight, the combination of her pale hair and the way she danced through the air with her long legs made her look otherworldly, like a celestial fairy descending to earth...

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    SMACK!

    Hyonwon Kang slapped himself so hard that his cheek instantly swelled up.

    "What are you doing?" Yeo Min asked, startled.

    "I won''t fall for your honey trap!" Hyonwon Kang bellowed.

    "...What on earth are you talking about?" Rolling her eyes, Yeo Min turned away, not realizing that a small smile had formed on her lips.

    Some time later, Yeo Min crouched down on the roof of the Azure Dragon Academy''s main building, and Hyonwon Kang followed suit.

    "We''ll observe the situation here before making a move," she said.

    Hyonwon Kang grumbled, "Are you still not going to tell me what your mission is?"

    "I''ll tell you after I confirm who the worst scammer among us is."

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    "The worst scammer?"

    "Yes, I need to find that out to complete my mission."

    Hyonwon Kang initially tilted his head at her cryptic words, but seeing Yeo Min staring at the Student Council building, he asked, "Is the worst scammer among the people there?"

    "...Something like that," Yeo Min replied, giving Hyonwon Kang a surprised look. With a hint of expectation, she asked, "Who do you think is the best liar among us?"

    "If it were limited to the White Dragon Manor, I''d say you or Senior Sangwoong, but there are people in our class I hardly know, so..."

    Yeo Min shook her head. Fortunately, she didn''t have high expectations of Hyonwon Kang''s intelligence, so she wasn''t disappointed by his answer. Besides, although there were twelve students in the Defense Against the Unorthodox Arts class, Hyonwon Kang was acquainted with only about half of them.

    "Wrong. I think the most dangerous scammer among us is the model student who paid the most attention in class."

    "Who''s that?"

    "Isn''t it obvious?"

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    All the gathered students stared at Dokgo Jun in shock, making the atmosphere even more frigid. The meeting was on a downward spiral, long past the point of no return.

    Geo Sangwoong chuckled, "You stepped out alone for a moment earlier, didn''t you? That''s more than enough time to forge a mission slip."

    "Are you accusing me of being a fraud?"

    Geo Sangwoong smirked. "If you''re so confident, show me your mission slip again and we''ll check if my accusation is false. If I''m mistaken, I''ll get down on my knees and apologize to you. How about that?"

    Dokgo Jun''s expression slowly warped into a twisted grin. "There''s no need for that."

    "I knew it! Cunning bastard!"

    The four students with faint presences immediately jumped up and gathered around Geo Sangwoong, but unfortunately, they were outnumbered by the Student Council members who barged into the office.

    Geo Sangwoong looked around warily. "Are you really going to have the Student Council attack us?"

    "This is my exam. I would never do such a thing," Dokgo Jun replied, his eyebrows twitching as if his pride had been insulted.

    "Really?"

    "Everyone, get out! I''ll tackle this exam myself."

    The Student Council members turned to leave...

    "Wait! I have an offer for all of you," Geo Sangwoong suddenly said. "I''ll pay ten silver taels to anyone who helps me beat up Dokgo Jun."

    "What...?!"

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    As the son of a great merchant, Geo Sangwoong was familiar with how money could make even ghosts dance. In any other class, bribing martial artists would be condemned as cowardice, but this was Baek Suryong''s exam, where the end justified the means.

    "Is ten too little? Then I''ll raise it to twenty. Are you just going to pass up this easy money?" Geo Sangwoong taunted, taking out a heavy pouch. "No, I''ll make it thirty taels. As the successor of the Golden Dragon Trading Company, I''ll show you what it really means to splurge."

    "T-Thirty taels..."

    Thirty silver taels was an enormous amount of money for even the richer students. This was an offer they couldn''t refuse. The eyes of some of the Student Council members wavered, and some shamelessly reached for their weapons.

    "Haha! Good thinking! The Student Council President won''t kick you out for helping me, will he? Because this is how this exam is supposed to be!" Geo Sangwoong laughed.

    Dokgo Jun gritted his teeth. "...You guys can help him if you want. Don''t worry about the consequences, I won''t blame you for this."

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    Dokgo Jun was indeed a virtuous gentleman. Even though he knew it would put him at a disadvantage, he would tolerate the Student Council members'' treachery.

    Geo Sangwoong flashed a victorious smile. The momentum has shifted to my side now!

    Dokgo Jun was a very proud person. Even if he had been influenced by some bad eggs lately, he wouldn''t abuse his power recklessly. After all, this was a matter of pride for an orthodox martial artist.

    But I''m different.

    There was a glaring difference between a son born into a family of martial artists and a son born into a family of merchants, and a difference between a student who was beaten daily by Baek Suryong and a student who learned only in class.

    The Student Council members who accepted the offer of thirty silver taels drew their weapons and pointed them at Dokgo Jun. There were more than ten of them.

    "Junior Dokgo, how about surrendering and confessing the true contents of your secret mission? I''m not trying to bully you for no reason, and we can still collaborate. No matter how strong you are, you can''t take on this many people, right? So..."

    "Hahaha!" Dokgo Jun burst into laughter.

    "...Why are you laughing? Do you not realize the situation you''re in?"

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    "Senior, money can''t buy everything."

    Geo Sangwoong scoffed. "Are you seriously talking about stuff like friendship and love? In this situation?"

    "No, I''m talking about our Vice President."

    "What...?"

    Geo Sangwoong suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. One by one, the students who had changed sides under his bribe crumpled to the ground.

    Poison! Geo Sangwoong realized, but it was too late. His strength was draining away and his vision blurring.

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    "Ohohoho!" Tang Soso giggled, entering the Student Council President''s office. Picking up one of the scented pouches on the table, she rubbed it against her cheek lovingly. "This is the secret key that will allow me to meet him next semester..."

    Dokgo Jun flinched at the sight of his Vice President sniffing the scented pouch like a pervert, but he refrained from saying anything. It was only thanks to Tang Soso that their plan had gone smoothly.

    "Vice President, everything has played out exactly as you predicted. Your foresight is nothing short of amazing," he praised.

    "Surely his hand must have touched this... What? Oh, of course. Reading the mind of someone as simple as Senior Sangwoong was child''s play," Tang Soso said, her heels clicking as she approached Geo Sangwoong and picked up the wallet he had dropped. "Thank you for your generous donation to the Student Council''s operating expenses, Senior."

    "You cunning foxes... Don''t tell me... you planned this from the very beginning!" Geo Sangwoong glared at Dokgo Jun and Tang Soso alternately. Realizing that he had been completely fooled, he felt his blood run cold.

    The more agitated he got, though, the faster the poison spread.

    "My precious money...!"

    THUD!

    Geo Sangwoong blacked out and collapsed.