Chapter 87

Chapter 86. What the hell is this? I'm the strongest! (1)

"Ugh..."

The moment he regained consciousness, a terrible pain surged through him. Baecheon groaned from the pain that felt like his head was splitting, and he managed to open his eyes with great effort.

'How long have I been out?'

He couldn't grasp the concept of time. It felt like a very long time, yet it also felt like he had just opened his eyes. Seeing the dark sky as soon as he opened his eyes, it seemed he hadn't been out for more than half a day.

"Ugh..."

When he turned his head slightly, he saw Yui Seol slowly swinging his sword a short distance away.

'It doesn't seem like much time has passed.'

Of course, those who fall into a state of no-mind sometimes don't return to reality for a day, or even three to four days, so it's impossible to determine the time just by her appearance.

Baecheon, who had barely managed to get up by pressing his hands on the ground, heard a voice that was both familiar and unfamiliar.

"Are you awake?"

"..."

His head snapped around.

Chungmyeong, with a wooden sword slung over his shoulder, was squatting in his field of vision.

Startled.

Baecheon's body, his head, reacted before he could think, and he recoiled in shock.

"You got a scare."

Chungmyeong grinned.

Baecheon, who had opened his eyes wide and stared at him, sighed.

'I lost.'

No, he didn't lose.

The fight just a moment ago was so embarrassing that he couldn't even talk about who won or lost. He still couldn't understand how such a thing could happen, but the conclusion was clear.

He had been completely defeated.

Baecheon raised his hand and pressed it against his head, which still felt like a bell ringing from the blow by Chungmyeong.

But it wasn't a situation where he could complain. The junior disciple who had just knocked him down was watching him with wide eyes.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"…How can you be so strong?"

"Hmm?"

Chungmyeong looked at Baecheon with renewed interest.

'He's amazing.'

Usually, people who experience such unbelievable situations refuse to accept reality. They rant and rave, saying they can't believe or accept what's happening right in front of their eyes.

Especially those with a strong sense of pride often refuse to acknowledge it until they punch the person who's nagging at them.

But Baecheon, who looked like someone who lived on pride, quickly accepted the current situation.

That alone could be considered a strength...

"It's not that I'm strong, but that you're weak."

"Me?"

"Yeah."

Baecheon's eyes twitched.

"You're saying I'm weak?"

"Yeah."

Baecheon staggered to his feet and glared at Chungmyeong with a murderous look.

"Don't underestimate me. I am Baecheon. The eldest senior disciple and the best among the White Crane disciples, and I will become the leader of Huashan and lead it one day."

"Ah, that's right."

Chungmyeong nodded readily. There was nothing wrong with what Baecheon had said.

Except for one thing.

"But that doesn't mean you're not weak."

"..."

Just as Baecheon was about to counter, Chungmyeong pointed at him.

"A frog in a well."

"..."

"That's exactly what you are, a frog in a well. A well so narrow that other frogs passing by wouldn't even think of entering. A frog that puffs up its belly in that well."

Baecheon's face contorted in anger.

"You're calling me a frog?"

"Yeah."

"Me?"

Chungmyeong smirked at Baecheon, who couldn't accept it and kept questioning.

"Hey, senior disciple."

"..."

"Do you already know that Huashan has fallen?"

"Of course I do."

Although the word "fallen" is harsh, he couldn't deny the fact that it had declined.

Reviving the fallen Huashan was Baecheon's role. He had lived believing that.

"But because of that, I have been working hard. To somehow revive Huashan..."

"Senior disciple?"

Chungmyeong looked at Baecheon with a bewildered expression.

"When?"

"..."

Chungmyeong's reaction left Baecheon speechless for a moment.

"From what I see, you don't seem to have worked hard at all. You play around with the kids, have a drink on the way back, and when the Huazong meeting is almost over, you torment the junior disciples. Is that what you call working hard? Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah