"Whooo!" The eyes of Ungeom, looking at Cheongmyeong, were blank. 'If you look at him like this, he seems like an ordinary child.' But this child is definitely not ordinary. 'Is he really okay?' His thick robe was completely soaked with sweat.
Even though he was just standing still, droplets of sweat dripped down his sleeves.
His face, flushed red from blood rushing to it, looked like it might burst at any moment, and his legs trembled from exhaustion.
Even his lips were quivering.
"Ah, will you sit down?" Ungeom, who valued manners and rules as if they were his life, unconsciously offered Cheongmyeong a seat.
It was unavoidable.
Just like anyone would want to reach out to a puppy caught in the rain, Cheongmyeong's current state looked far more pitiful than a drenched puppy.
"Ah, I'm fine. More than that, could I have some water…?"
"Someone go and fetch water! Right now!"
"Yes!" One of the children, who had been sneaking glances, dashed off to get water.
"Okay. That…."
But Ungeom closed his mouth again. 'What should I ask?' He had called out, but he didn’t know where to start.
This absurd situation was something he had never encountered before.
"What on earth is going on here?" Thus, he had no choice but to ask the obvious.
Upon hearing Ungeom's question, Cheongmyeong casually looked around before speaking calmly.
"It's nothing much."
"…What?"
"Starting today, we all decided to do morning exercises together, but I didn't realize it was the first day and may have overdone it a bit. Everyone was just so eager."
Eager? Ungeom glanced at the children behind Cheongmyeong.
They were desperately shaking their heads, keeping their mouths tightly shut.
But as Cheongmyeong turned his head slightly back, the children's hands quickly dropped.
'Look at that?' It was utterly ridiculous.
He had no idea how things had turned out this way, but one thing was certain: all the top disciples were completely intimidated by this one child.
Ungeom was not someone who lacked perception.
He had been dealing with children for nearly ten years.
By now, he could mostly figure out how things were going just by watching their eyes roll.
No, even without that level of insight, it was strange not to notice this scene. 'The disciples of the volcano…' Are they scared of a newcomer? Ungeom tilted his head slightly. 'No, that’s not it.' Upon reflection, the abilities of these children were by no means low.
Most children of martial artists their age would not even dare to lift their heads in front of them.
Even if they were a bit spoiled, they were still from the volcano.
So, it wasn't that the children were pathetic; it was this kid who was strange.
"You said morning exercises?"
"Yes, that's right."
"This kid."
Ungeom spoke firmly.
"The Baekmaekuan has its own rules. Who allowed you to arbitrarily reduce sleeping hours and train?"
Even though he tried to mix in a bit of anger, there was no change in Cheongmyeong's expression.
He maintained his calm demeanor and spoke as if it were nothing serious.
"Then I won't do it."
"…Huh?"
"I thought training would be helpful. But since you say it's not allowed, I won't do it."
"…."
Uh, this isn't right? Ungeom felt a bit flustered.
This was not the reaction he had hoped for.
"You thought training would be helpful?"
"Yes."
"Why did you think that?"
Cheongmyeong's eyes showed disbelief.
"Isn't it not helpful?"
"…."
"…."
A slightly awkward silence passed between them. 'Ugh.' Ungeom, who let out a small groan, began to speak.
As if he understood Ungeom's feelings, Cheongmyeong opened his mouth first.
"The martial arts are taught by the master, so that is sufficient, but I thought there might be ways for the disciples to make efforts on their own. All martial arts originate from the body, so if we can train our bodies, it would also help with the sword."
That was a valid point.
It was a reasonable argument with no flaws.
"What you say is correct."
Ungeom readily acknowledged that fact.
"But tell me this: Can training done under coercion be considered right?"
"Coercion?" Cheongmyeong turned slightly to look back and chuckled.
"Oh, Master. How could I possibly coerce my seniors? I simply said I wanted to train, and they wanted to join me."
That was nonsense.
It was an obvious lie.
But to press this lie, he would have to say, 'Did you not force your seniors to come with you?' But… 'I can't say that.' That would mean everyone was doomed.
The top disciples would become fools who couldn't handle a single newcomer and got beaten and dragged out, while Ungeom would become the fool teaching that fool.
And Cheongmyeong would become the villain who bullied and coerced his seniors despite being the youngest.
If he said that, everyone would be ruined.
"Well…" Just as Ungeom was searching for words, Cheongmyeong quickly spoke up.
"As long as it doesn't interfere with other training, it could be a good training method. At least within a month, results should show."
'Hoh?' Although he spoke of training, the hidden meaning was slightly different.
A month.
He meant to leave them alone for about a month.
Then he would surely produce results. 'Look at this kid?' He didn't sound like a child.
Wasn't he using the rhetoric of a seasoned martial artist who hides meaning within his words?
Ungeom, feeling a bit shaken, poked gently.
"A month, huh? That could be possible. But training itself doesn't seem that simple. Can the children really train for a month?"
"The will of my seniors is so high that I naturally want to emulate it. Even though the training is tough, none of them have complained."
He had tried to roll it out once, but no one spoke up.
It was a message that they shouldn't worry because he had made sure they couldn't speak up. 'No, where did this kid crawl out from?' Ungeom couldn't hide his astonishment as Cheongmyeong turned around and smiled at the top disciples.
"Isn't that right, seniors?"
"…Well, I guess."
"You can work hard. Work hard."
"…We worked hard today too."
Cheongmyeong turned around again.
"With such high will from my seniors, how could the results of training not be good?"
The faces of the children behind him soured.
They were dumbfounded and speechless.
But even amidst that, Ungeom's mind began to race.
So, although a day had passed, Cheongmyeong had already completely taken control of the top disciples, and he intended to use that control for training, not for frivolous things.
And whether he had other intentions would be revealed in about a month.
'Good grief.' The more he listened, the more absurd it became.
Suddenly, where did such a monstrous kid come from to dominate the children? But… 'From my perspective, this isn't necessarily a bad thing.' As the head of Baekmaekuan, his biggest problem was securing training time.
The volcano was always short on manpower.
Originally, Baekmaekuan was not a place he could manage alone.
At least ten instructors were needed.
But now, only three were helping him and focusing on Baekmaekuan.
As a result, a whole day would pass just taking care of the children, and his growth as a martial artist had stagnated.
If this kid could take charge of the children, it would undoubtedly be a great help to him.
"I'll ask one more thing."
"Yes."
"It wouldn't be easy for you either, but why do you insist on training from dawn?"
Cheongmyeong tilted his head.
"I don't understand what you mean, Master."
"Mm?" This child couldn't suddenly not understand what he was saying.
"Entering the volcano means learning the sword, and learning the sword means becoming stronger, right? To become stronger, training is natural. It is the duty of a disciple who has received the volcano's grace to explore the realm of the sword and, furthermore, to spread the name of the volcano far and wide."
"That's right."
"Of course, the teachings given by the master are sufficient for becoming strong, but I believe that if effort is added, the speed can be increased. To put in enough effort, it is natural to save sleeping time, isn't it?"
"…That's right."
There was no need for any more reasons in the training process. 'I was wondering why the headmaster, who said he wouldn't take in any more disciples, suddenly accepted a new one.' If it were this kid, it might be worth nurturing.
Although his talent had not yet been confirmed, if he had this much eagerness, he could achieve results even without talent.
And even if he couldn't become a top martial artist himself, just having a good influence on the other children would be a good thing.
"…Training seems very tough."
"It's just the first day."
"Still, it looks tough."
"People become stronger the more they are rolled around."
The corners of Ungeom's mouth twitched. 'This is something.' Doesn't it perfectly align with Ungeom's philosophy? If a kid with such a philosophy were around, it would be fine to support him for a while.
After all, there had always been a hierarchy among the children that had nothing to do with distribution.
"What is important in dealing with your seniors?"
"Respect. I will follow the words of the eldest senior as if they were the heavens."
It meant that he would not look down on the higher-ups too much and would respect the eldest senior to maintain hierarchy.
Every answer pleased Ungeom.
He nodded vigorously and looked around.
The children, who had not grasped how things were going, looked at Ungeom with trembling eyes.
"Ahem."
Ungeom cleared his throat to dispel the awkwardness and slightly averted his gaze before speaking.
"You all voluntarily participated in training from dawn, and this master is very touched."
"Ma-master!"
"Lord!"
Shouts mixed with panic and astonishment rang out, but Ungeom tried hard to ignore their voices.
"If you continue to train steadily, you will surely achieve good results. It seems this child knows the training methods well, so do your best."
'Damn it.' 'Wow, he's throwing us away like this.' 'Look at him avoiding our gaze.' Despair clouded the faces of the disciples who realized Ungeom's thoughts.
"Then make sure to eat on time and come out for morning training. I will take my leave now."
Ungeom turned to leave but suddenly stopped.
"Oh, right!"
Of course! After all, he was the head of Baekmaekuan, so he wouldn't just abandon people… "It would interfere with training, so you don't need to come for morning greetings anymore. Training is the priority. Ahem, of course."
Ungeom chuckled and turned to leave.
The disciples reached out in a panic without realizing it, but Ungeom vanished like a mirage, leaving them behind.
"…."
Suddenly, a chilling sound echoed as Cheongmyeong turned his neck slowly.
He smiled.
It was undoubtedly a gentle smile, but the veins popping on his forehead made the meaning of that smile unclear.
"Master, please save me, okay?"
"…."
"Come on, seniors, I'm not saying I'm going to kill you. Just come in for a moment. I have something urgent to discuss inside Baekmaekuan."
"…."
"Hurry."
"…Yes."
It was the moment when dreams and hopes vanished from the volcano.