"Huuh..."
Gong Son-su calmly took a deep breath as he ascended the stairs leading to the martial arts arena.
He tried to appear composed in front of his fellow disciples from the White Dragon Hall, but he couldn't help but feel a tremor at this moment. 'Heh heh.
So many have come.' The audience seats were filled with people.
Among them, there would be few who would watch him closely.
Yet, even the fleeting glances felt burdensome.
The judges, who looked at him with expressionless faces, were intimidating.
Gong Son-su steadied his stiffening legs and climbed the stairs one by one.
At that moment, he heard voices.
"Oh? That elder, a few days ago here..."
"Isn't he the elder who fought that Jo Mak-seng?" "That's right. That old man won, but the loser cowardly ambushed him..."
More people recognized Gong Son-su than he expected.
Some greeted him warmly.
"Elder! Stay strong!" "You're quite impressive for your age. You seem similar to my father..."
"Elder, hang in there! Show those young ones how it's done!"
Middle-aged and elderly spectators clasped their hands together, shouting encouragement.
They saw themselves reflected in the only elder among the young applicants, Gong Son-su.
"Grandpa! You can do it!" Children holding their parents' hands waved their tiny hands.
"Heh heh..."
Surprised by the unexpected support from so many people, a smile bloomed on Gong Son-su's face, which had been tense.
As he looked around, his gaze finally met Baek Su-ryong's.
With a wink that seemed to say not to worry, Baek Su-ryong reassured him.
"Thank you."
Gong Son-su muttered softly and stepped lightly onto the martial arts stage.
Just then, his opponent was also stepping up from the opposite side.
At that moment, gasps and sighs erupted from the crowd.
"... What an honor. To think the student council president is my opponent."
The student council president, Dokgo Jun.
He was the top student of the Blue Dragon Academy, known for his impeccable manners and upright posture, standing before Gong Son-su.
"Do you think you are unlucky to be my opponent?" "On the contrary."
Gong Son-su smiled broadly and raised his sword.
He took a stance and said, "I think I'm very lucky. I prayed to the heavens to allow me to duel with you."
That was sincere.
He hoped for a regret-free match with the best opponent.
Dokgo Jun, who had been watching Gong Son-su for a moment, finally spoke.
"I’m sorry, but I believe you should not enter the Blue Dragon Academy." "…Hmm?" It was not an arrogant or rude statement.
Dokgo Jun's eyes held sincerity, and his tone was polite.
Thus, Gong Son-su became curious about the boy's intentions.
"Is this a personal feeling?" "No."
"Then why?" "…To speak frankly, you no longer have the potential to grow as a martial artist."
Those words were not only heard by Gong Son-su.
The nearby judges looked surprised, and the expressions of Namgung Je-hak and No Gun-sang also stiffened.
However, Gong Son-su's expression did not change much.
"Is that so?" "There are many talented and promising young people. I believe they should be the new students of the Blue Dragon Academy."
"Are you saying that I, being older, am not qualified? Should I yield my place to the young ones just because I am old?" "…I heard you received expensive tutoring from Teacher Baek Su-ryong."
It was surprising to hear Teacher Baek's name suddenly, but since it was true, Gong Son-su nodded willingly.
"That's right."
"You are probably wealthy and have lived a fulfilling life. After that, you turned your eyes to martial arts, didn't you?" "…."
Dokgo Jun's gaze was serious.
He knew that his words could be seen as rude to Gong Son-su.
Yet, he had no intention of changing his mind.
"The entrance exam for the Blue Dragon Academy is merely a pastime for you. But for someone else, it is a desperate goal." "…You speak as if you know me well."
"I don't. But I know who is more desperate."
Dokgo Jun raised his sword in a mid-stance, and a strong aura emanated from his body.
"If you wish to continue learning martial arts, invite a master to your home. The Blue Dragon Academy is not a place to learn martial arts as a hobby." "…."
"After this duel, please give up on entering."
"Give up?" In fact, Gong Son-su had no intention of entering the Blue Dragon Academy even if he passed the entrance exam.
He had a call from the royal palace, and even if he wanted to, he couldn't.
However, for Gong Son-su, this exam itself was a significant challenge in life.
"…Who says that just because one is old, they are not desperate?" With a firm grip on the sword hilt, Gong Son-su took a half step forward.
"I refuse your suggestion. I will pass the entrance exam and proudly earn the Blue Dragon badge." "…."
As their conversation dragged on, jeers erupted from the audience.
"Wuuuu!" "When are they going to fight?" "Hurry up and start!"
Neither of them had the desire to continue the conversation any longer.
Dokgo Jun lowered his sword and said, "I will give you three seconds. That is the only concession I can offer."
His words were similar to those of Jo Mak-seng from a few days ago, but the weight was entirely different.
There was not a single opening to be found in his stance.
Yet, Gong Son-su did not seek an opening and instead closed the distance.
Swish! In an instant, Gong Son-su's sword, filled with his internal energy, sliced down from above.
Dokgo Jun simply raised his sword to parry the strike.
Clang! 'It's solid.' That was the first thought that came to mind as his sword clashed with Dokgo Jun's.
Solid.
Like a wall.
It seemed as if no attack could shake it.
"There is one second left."
Dokgo Jun calmly raised his sword.
There was no hint of carelessness in his gaze.
Only pride in the sword he had mastered.
"Huuh..."
Gong Son-su took a few steps back to catch his breath before charging again. 'If it's internal energy, I should have the upper hand.' The first attack was to gauge the opponent's tendencies.
The real fight would begin from the second attack.
Wuuuu! The sword, filled with internal energy, trembled.
Gong Son-su's thrust, which he put all his effort into, split the air like a beam of light. 'He was so confident that he wouldn't dodge.' Just as Gong Son-su expected, Dokgo Jun did not evade.
He raised his sword and deflected Gong Son-su's strike to the side.
Clang! As their swords collided, both men spun in opposite directions to dissipate the force of the attack.
Swish! The wind whipped around their martial attire, and dust from the ground swirled into the air.
Amidst this, Dokgo Jun spoke.
"One second left."
"Try to take this!" Gong Son-su accelerated his body’s rotation and struck at Dokgo Jun in quick succession.
It was a decisive attack.
Clang clang clang! The swords clashed repeatedly, sending sparks flying.
The two men spun like tops in the whirlwind.
And then, "Three seconds. It’s over."
With a low voice, Dokgo Jun kicked off the ground and soared into the air.
Thud! Looking up at the sky, Gong Son-su could see that not a single drop of sweat was on Dokgo Jun's forehead.
"Be careful."
After kindly warning him, Dokgo Jun honestly brought his sword down.
Gong Son-su hurriedly raised both hands to block the attack.
"Kuh!" It was heavy.
It felt as if he were swinging a hammer instead of a sword.
Gong Son-su pushed back with all his strength against the downward strike and pulled his body back.
Having only blocked a single strike, his legs trembled. "…Unexpected."
Dokgo Jun looked a bit surprised.
He had thought he could bring his opponent down with one strike, but Gong Son-su had endured it.
With a pale face, Gong Son-su smiled.
"I trained hard. Perhaps too hard for a hobby." "…."
The second attack began without warning.
Dokgo Jun closed the distance with heavy steps and thrust his sword.
Watching this, Gong Son-su thought, 'He is as honest as his appearance.' A simple thrust without any tricks.
Yet the power behind that thrust was beyond imagination.
Clang! Dragging his feet on the ground, Gong Son-su was pushed back several steps and barely managed to keep his feet at the edge of the arena.
If he had retreated just a bit more, he would have been out of bounds. "…Again?" Dokgo Jun's thick eyebrows twitched.
He had not held back in his second attack.
He thought he could push him out of bounds easily...
Though his palm was torn and bleeding, Gong Son-su stood firm.
"Heh... Impressive."
After shaking off the blood from his torn palm, Gong Son-su gripped his sword tightly again.
His palm stung, but it was nothing to him.
He looked at Dokgo Jun with a genuinely joyful smile.
"Now it's getting interesting."
"…."
"This time, I will go first."
But the flow of the fight remained similar.
Gong Son-su charged, Dokgo Jun parried, and Gong Son-su barely held his ground.
Several times he almost lost his sword and nearly knelt, but Gong Son-su managed to rise again and charge forward.
"Why..."
A question arose on Dokgo Jun's face.
Gong Son-su looked a mess.
After enduring attacks that could break bones and tear muscles with just a slight mistake, it was only natural.
"Are you not giving up?" Some spectators recognized Dokgo Jun's sword technique.
"Dokgo Nine Swords!" The sword technique that established the Dokgo family.
It was one of the top sword techniques mentioned when discussing heavy swords in the martial world, and when mastered, it could destroy the opponent along with their weapon.
Yet, Gong Son-su showed no fear before it.
"I too am more desperate than anyone." "…."
Dokgo Jun was at a loss for words.
He had thought it was merely a pastime.
How serious could an old man who began martial arts at such an age be? But seeing Gong Son-su's desperate demeanor, he had no choice but to acknowledge that his thoughts had been shallow.
"I will retract my earlier statement."
"Hmm?" Though Dokgo Jun was often described as stubborn and inflexible, he was not so narrow-minded as to refuse to admit his mistakes.
"It's fine. There's no need to worry too much..."
"As an apology, I will show you my best sword strike." "…It seems there’s nothing good for me in this."
Gong Son-su began to sweat coldly, but soon he smiled and raised the trembling tip of his sword to aim at Dokgo Jun.
He had no strength left to swing his sword anyway.
Gong Son-su smiled brightly and said, "Come at me. I will also face you with all my heart."
Nodding, Dokgo Jun swung his sword.
Whoosh! For a moment, Gong Son-su felt as if a massive sword filled his entire field of vision. 'Impressive.' He admired as he swung his sword.
His full-powered strike was devoured by Dokgo Jun's sword, and the blade that had been slightly cracked eventually broke in half, appearing to happen in slow motion.
Crash! Clang! The broken sword fell to the ground.
Gong Son-su looked at his sword, which was now only half intact, with a bitter expression.
"Heh heh. I... lost."
Though tremendous applause and cheers erupted from the audience, they did not reach Gong Son-su's ears.
Instead, he could clearly see the young man he had admired in his childhood taking a stance against him.
"It was a good martial arts match."
"It was a good match for me as well. I will never forget today for the rest of my life."
Gong Son-su looked up at the sky.
It seemed like it was about to rain, as the world was shrouded in a gray hue.
Thus ended the brief escapade of the sixty-five-year-old elder... [Prepare yourselves.] The assassins began to move in unison.