Book 20 Chapter 24

The crowds gathered, buzzing.

"Today is the day of destiny!"

"Goodness! The Senior Disciple hates stepping forward, yet he loves to make a big fuss."

Looking at the vast martial arts arena and the waves of people pouring into it, Elder Scholar couldn't help but speak.

"Senior Disciple said it. A rich man said, 'If you're going to live without thinking, fine, but if you're going to live thinking, it's better to think big.' Similarly, if you're going to make a fuss, the bigger the better,' he said. Don't you agree?"

Hyunwoon couldn't help but be impressed by the scale of it. What was most astonishing was that they had accomplished this themselves.

"That's true. Even though we're the ones who suffer because of it."

"That's true too."

The plan originated in the mind of Senior Disciple Billyeon, but the execution force to achieve it was the Suzaku Squad themselves.

"It was really hard. We barely slept for the past week, right?"

"Sleep… Come to think of it, there was such a thing. It was hard when we were doing it, but now that it's done, it feels rewarding, doesn't it?"

Was this what accomplishment felt like? Perhaps because of that, the desire to make it even better spontaneously arose. Without anyone forcing them, they found themselves meticulously scrutinizing various parts.

"Hmm, how about putting up a big banner with 'Bimu Chochin' written on it above this empty space?"

The space above the entrance to the martial arts arena caught Hyunwoon's eye. The empty space at the top of the wall tempted him with an unknown charm, making him want to hang something there. However, the person next to him thought differently.

"That's not right. Usually, something like that is hung when a beautiful and fresh woman is looking for a strong man through martial arts."

Damsam said.

"Are there still women who do that nowadays? That's a very dangerous idea, isn't it?"

"Well, it is a bit reckless. Just because someone's martial arts are strong doesn't guarantee their personality is also excellent. If it's their own choice, we should respect it. But it's not a method I'd particularly recommend. It's like marrying someone based only on money or status without considering their personality, isn't it? You're only looking at their abilities."

"That's true."

Damsam nodded.

"But isn't a woman's marriage at stake today the same? It seems like it would be fine to hang 'Bimu Chochin,' right?"

Geum Yeongho interjected.

"While that's true, it's a little different. Most importantly, what if people misunderstand and think that Miss Jin is looking for a groom?"

"That's also true. That would be a bit problematic…"

Hyunwoon looked around again, and the seats were almost full.

"Whee~"

Hyunwoon whistled softly.

"What do you think? Isn't my skill amazing, borrowing even the grand martial arts arena stage used only for special occasions like the finals of the Three Star Martial Arts Competition!"

Geum Yeongho boasted.

"That's great skill! You worked hard."

"Don't you want to hear how I borrowed it?"

"Later!"

Hyunwoon's answer was firm.

"Oh, what are those three people doing?"

Namgung Sansan asked.

"Ah, the invisible trio, you mean? They're managing the betting board over there."

Dan Moksu replied.

"Ah, that's why I couldn't see them."

"That's how they always are. Though, there are some people who wouldn't say a word even if you were right next to them,"

Hwa Seolok said, pointing to Ilgong, the shaven-headed monk.

"……"

Ilgong only gave a slight bow with his headband and returned to silence.

"Where is Miss Jin?"

"She's not here yet. She seems to be holed up alone in her room."

"Come to think of it, where is that fellow Gong Sang?"

Neither of today's protagonists were visible.

"Well, at this time, various thoughts must be swirling around in their heads,"

Namgung Sansan said understandingly.

"Indeed, today is an important day for her, just as it is for Gong Sang."

"It's either marriage or becoming a widow before marriage."

Geum Yeongho blurted out indifferently. That thoughtless remark ignited the anger of the women.

"Hey, you fat guy! Is that what a friend says?"

"How can you say something so ominous on a day like today?"

"That's right, that's right! Is having a potbelly everything? There are limits to how thoughtless you can be."

"Ugh, look at that mouth."

"Just shut it, forever!"

The women of the Suzaku Squad all flared up and shouted. It was their general consensus that it was mysterious how men sometimes spoke so thoughtlessly. Especially when they couldn't even fix their mistakes.

"Hey, you. You'd better apologize quickly. Before you get buried alive."

Hyunwoon nudged his right side with his elbow and whispered.

"We might have to bury a corpse today…"

Damsam whispered, forcefully striking his remaining left side.

"Th-that's… I-I'm sorry. I misspoke. Please forgive me. I'm truly a damnable wretch. This mouth is my curse, my curse!"

Slap, slap!

As if unable to bear the pressure from the surroundings any longer, Geum Yeongho slapped his own mouth and apologized.

"Then die!"

The women's anger was not easily appeased. It is easy to lose goodwill, but hard to earn it.

Meanwhile, Jang Hong and Hyo Ryong had taken their seats in a corner of the audience, watching the martial arts arena. Yoon Junho was also beside them. Missing such a historic confrontation would have been a great pity. It was awkward to call their friend 'good,' but at least they had secured good seats thanks to having him.

"Speaking of which, the popularity of the Ami Goddess is truly amazing. Most of the people gathered here must have come to see the Ami Goddess, right, Brother Jang?"

Hyo Ryong exclaimed in admiration, looking at the bustling crowd.

"That's probably it! I hate to say it, but that friend, Namgung Sang, is just like a stage prop."

Due to Jin Soryeong's presence, the surrounding attention on this match was immense.

"I met Chairman Bi Yeontae, the lifelong chairman of the Aesoo Society, just a while ago, and he was so excited he was almost out of his mind. He even gathered a lot of painters, eight of them, no less."

"Has that person still not graduated?"

Jang Hong nodded.

"He seems to have failed the grade again."

"Again? He failed last year too, didn't he?"

"He did."

"But where will they use all those painters?"

Hyo Ryong retorted.

"I don't know the specifics, but they say it's to capture the Goddess's appearance from all angles."

"Truly meticulous."

It could be said to be typical of Bi Yeontae.

"Tsk, no wonder they say it's Bi Yeontae…"

Jang Hong clicked his tongue and replied.

"By the way, Brother Jang, who do you think will win?"

"Well, even with the restrictions, wouldn't it be the Ami Goddess? They say she'll only use one technique, but from what I've heard, that one technique is 'Using Qi to Control Swords' (以氣御劍)!"

"Using Qi to Control Swords? Really?"

"Really."

"Then it must be the Ami Goddess's victory?"

Hyo Ryong calculated in various ways, but the answer was one.

"Why? You're not betting on Namgung Sang, are you?"

"Ah, no. How could that be? Hahaha!"

Seeing his flustered expression, Jang Hong suddenly said.

"It looks like you are."

"How is it, Ryeon? Do you think there's a chance of winning?"

"As of now, it's about fifty-fifty."

"Half and half?"

"Why? Don't you think so?"

"It's not because she's a woman, but her spiritual energy is incredibly outstanding. I can clearly feel it from afar, a spiritual energy like a sword."

"She is certainly amazing. However, I believe we have made sufficient arrangements for that. The rest depends on what that friend does. The problem is his timidity… I just hope he doesn't get intimidated. If he does, it will be a complete failure."

"Is that really possible?"

"We'll have to wait and see."

Now, everything depended on Namgung Sang.

"Amazing."

Do Seong marveled, looking around.

"I agree. To accomplish such a big event under student autonomy, whoever it is, their methods are incredible."

Geom Seong said with admiration.

"Right? Whoever it is, they have considerable skill."

Geom Hu also agreed.

The name Billyeon was nowhere on the list of organizers of this martial arts event. Therefore, these Heavenly Five Stars had no idea that Billyeon was involved in this matter.

"Then shall we place our bets too?"

Geom Hu said with a mischievous expression.

"That's a good idea. Let's do it."

"Geom Hu, you'll obviously bet on Soryeong…"

"Naturally."

"Do Seong, who will you bet on?"

"Hmm… it's a difficult choice."

"The winner treats us to a meal, right?"

"Of course. Although I doubt I can afford to treat even if I hit the jackpot…"

Geom Seong mumbled, trailing off.

"What? What did you just say?"

"Ah, it's nothing. Nothing at all. Well, isn't that right, Do Seong?"

"Huh? Ah, yes, yes, of course! Hahaha!"

Sweating profusely, they vehemently denied it.

"Hmm, really?"

Geom Hu shot a sharp glance at the two who were pretending not to know. Only Geom Hu, one of the Heavenly Five Stars herself, could make more than half of the Heavenly Five Stars sweat profusely.

"Haa…"

Standing on the martial arts stage surrounded by a multitude of crowds, Namgung Sang sighed softly as he looked around. His eyes fell on people emptying their pockets to participate in the appraisal of taste in a corner of the martial arts arena. That was currently the most crowded place. The odds were obvious without even looking. His overwhelming disadvantage! It was natural. That was common sense, ordinary common sense…

'Common sense…'

"Haa~"

Namgung Sang sighed once more.

'Breaking common sense. Truly a scenario Senior Disciple would love…'

Realistically, based on common sense and objective judgment, it was impossible for him, Namgung Sang, to defeat Jin Soryeong, one of the Heavenly Five Swordsmen. Namgung Sang himself admitted this. Therefore, anyone who wanted to win their bet had no choice but to bet on Jin Soryeong, who had overwhelmingly high odds. People who didn't bet on him felt the same way. No one wants to lose money. Therefore, his popularity plummeted, and the odds conversely soared. Even so, the risk was too great. It was literally gambling. However, if Senior Disciple Billyeon were involved, the situation would change.

He would break existing common sense and make the unconventional conventional. In a sense, he would turn the world upside down. And then he would pocket all the money. Even if it was an exceptional event, the exception was still a reality.

"Look at this incident alone…"

He had prepared a way to win when he shouldn't have been able to, even if the probability was one in ten thousand. To distribute the high risk he might have to bear, he created new rules, limited Jin Soryeong's abilities, and rapidly enhanced his own abilities in preparation.

'Thanks to that, I almost died…'

It was a miracle that he was alive and well now, considering how harsh the training had been for the past two weeks. Thanks to that, a sliver of hope arose from the despair that was close to nothing. Of course, whether he could grasp that sliver of possibility, that hope, depended entirely on his own abilities.

Just before stepping onto the martial arts stage, he recalled what Senior Disciple Billyeon had said to him.

"Hey, Gong Sang! Have you ever seen me bet on a losing gamble? No, right? It's the same this time. You're going to win this time. Because I bet on it. And I always win."

His tone was filled with confidence, as if that was the only truth in the world.

"Isn't that a bit of a different issue? The order of cause and effect seems contradictory."

The timid Namgung Sang revealed his timid doubts timidly.

"Shut up! Don't worry about trivial matters. Do you think I wouldn't have prepared for the possibility of losing money? So stop trembling. Relax and be confident. If you're carrying my money, you should be a bit stronger, shouldn't you?"

Despite the strange confidence and the strange threat disguised as encouragement, Namgung Sang felt strangely reassured.

"Is it natural common sense for Ami Goddess Jin Soryeong to defeat Suzaku Squad Leader Namgung Sang? Then go break that common sense. That's what my disciple should do!"

"B-but that's forcing it…"

"So what if it's forcing? That's the charm of deviation. A world that always repeats itself according to common sense is a stagnant world. A dead world! Have you ever seen this world stagnate even once? No! Of course not! Then why does it keep changing? Annoyingly."

"W-well…"

"It's because there are always exceptions. Disturbances that reject the stagnation of the world. Remember this! Only those who can boldly create disturbances in the stagnant flow of a repeated world can change the world. Instead of being swept away by change, wouldn't it be better to be at the center of change? That's how you become something, and you can make money."

Billyeon's words struck Namgung Sang's mind for the last time.

"Common sense is just a tool, it's not the whole picture. The possibilities of the future are infinite anyway. Choosing what you want is up to your will. It's up to you to decide whether to be bound by the shackles of common sense or to be the one who breaks those shackles. You're someone who has died and been reborn. Have confidence! Go and change the world a bit, so it's not so boring!"

"Yes, Senior Disciple! I'm off."

Namgung Sang, already ensnared by Billyeon's eloquent rhetoric, replied stoutly and strode towards the entrance to the martial arts stage.

"Waaaaaaahhhhhhh!"

As he stepped out into the light, a thunderous roar greeted him.