Chapter 24

## Chapter 24. Half the World is on Our Side

"…If this continues, my face will be ruined."

I thought it would be better to dodge the flying darts coming from all directions.

After all, while you can dodge darts, there's no way to avoid the burning gazes coming from all sides.

Glance, glance.

Mutter, mutter.

From the moment we entered the main gate of the Blue Dragon Academy, gazes started to gather, and now it seemed like everyone inside the academy was looking at us.

"Hmm…"

Not only the competitors who came for the interview, but even the students peering down from the dormitory windows.

I was very uncomfortable with this situation, as it was my first time experiencing it.

"Indeed, clothes are wings. It's not just about a handsome face."

"…."

Beside me, Eok Yeon-ho, the culprit of all this, walked proudly, enjoying the attention.

Although he didn't openly laugh due to the dignity of a noble family's offspring, he was subtly smiling with his eyes, which was very…

"Oh my!"

"Kyaa! Did you just see me?"

The women who met his subtle smile blushed and were in a frenzy.

"Hehe."

Eok Yeon-ho bowed slightly to the girls with a gentle smile and walked past them, fanning himself with his fan.

It seemed like he had sprayed some perfume, as a sweet scent lingered where he had passed.

'This guy would have become a notorious seducer if he had been born in the evil sect.'

In contrast, I just walked forward.

Because I wasn't used to the attention, my expression was stiffer than usual, and my steps were more rigid.

Fortunately, most of the women were only interested in Eok Yeon-ho, not me.

"Ahem…"

While the candidates were whispering about the incident, an old man standing in the center of the grand martial arts hall shouted in a clear voice. The power in his voice made those with weaker inner strength wince in pain.

"Please remain quiet until it's your turn."

After saying this, the old man looked around, warning everyone.

He seemed to glare at me particularly strongly… but it must have been a mistake.

"Who is that guy?"

"He's the student supervisor."

"Is that why he looks so strict?"

"He keeps looking at us. Do you know him, sir?"

"I'm here for the first time. How would I know the student supervisor?"

Student supervisor?

It vaguely reminded me of something… but if I couldn't remember, it probably wasn't important.

While chatting with Eok Yeon-ho, the waiting line gradually shortened.

The interview was conducted in groups of five, where they would enter the hall, talk to the interviewers, and then come out.

"Who are the interviewers inside?"

"The headmaster, the vice-headmaster, and the famous one-sword master Namgung Su."

When I asked Eok Yeon-ho, who had been chatting with the other candidates (mostly women), he immediately shared the information he had gathered.

'If it's the headmaster… it must be the old man with a thousand arms, Nogunsang.'

Nogunsang (千手觀音), the old man with a thousand arms.

He was one of the hundred great martial artists mentioned even decades ago when I was in the Blood Sect.

In the righteous sect, he was known as a hero, but to the evil sect, he was a demon.

Nogunsang had killed dozens of people from the evil sect.

'I've never seen him in person, but I remember his appearance was quite striking… After so many decades, he might have changed.'

In any case, he was a person to watch out for.

Next, the vice-headmaster, Huoyan Dao Guo Tie-wu.

He seemed to use a Yanggang-style sword technique, but it was a name I had never heard before.

And the last interviewer was Samjeol Geom Namgung Su.

A descendant of the Namgung family and the representative one-sword master of the Blue Dragon Academy.

He was also my goal.

"One-sword master… I've always wanted to see how well he teaches. This is good."

"Can you tell that just by looking at his face?"

"At my level, I can tell just by looking at his face."

"…Master, do you think I'll pass the interview today?"

I was killing time with Eok Yeon-ho, who was cracking jokes.

The interview took longer than expected.

Each group took at least an hour, sometimes up to half a day.

We had left early in the morning, but because we were assigned a later number (due to all the people clinging to us), there were still a few groups ahead of us.

'I'm getting bored.'

I turned my head to look around the Blue Dragon Academy.

As expected of one of the five great academies of the martial world, it was large and well-equipped.

However, the level of the students and teachers…

'Frankly, I'm disappointed.'

It wasn't just their skills, but their attitudes that disappointed me.

Usually, disciples of prestigious families or major sects walk with confidence and have a strong presence.

But I didn't see that in the students or teachers of the Blue Dragon Academy.

What can I say…

"They all look like they're trying to grab one last piece of the pie before a wealthy family goes bankrupt…"

"…Why don't you just curse them?"

It wasn't a curse but an honest evaluation from my heart, so I was confident.

I was looking at the students who were peering at us from the dormitory windows.

"Why aren't the numbers decreasing?"

"Instead, they seem to have increased since earlier."

"Tsk tsk."

This was some kind of entertaining spectacle.

I should have practiced my sword skills during this time.

'But a few of them show promise…'

While looking for students who seemed to have potential, I noticed a girl holding a piece of paper and quickly sketching something.

Swoosh, swoosh.

Her hand movements were not ordinary, and more importantly, she kept making eye contact with me while drawing.

That meant,

"Is she… drawing our appearance?"

"It seems so."

Eok Yeon-ho smiled and lowered his fan, adjusting his posture.

"…What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to make her feel comfortable. We have plenty of time anyway."

"Ha…"

Feeling like a monkey in a zoo, I sighed deeply and covered my face with my hand.

"I wish the interview would start soon."

"There's only one group left."

Just as we were chatting and waiting for our turn,

"Hey? You!"

One of the men who had just finished the interview noticed us, widened his eyes, and started walking towards us with big strides.

"Oh! I've found you two!"

The towering man walked towards us threateningly.

His distorted, fierce expression made him look like a bandit coming to collect tolls.

Eok Yeon-ho turned to me and asked,

"Do you know him?"

This guy always tries to pass the buck to me whenever trouble starts.

I recognized him immediately due to my good memory.

"That's the pig you chased away at the inn."

I whispered, but it seemed he heard me.

"Who are you calling a pig!"

The man, who had been called a pig, glared at me and pointed accusingly.

"Listen up! I am Shinryeok-do Gwak Doo-yong!"

Seeing the man's red face, Eok Yeon-ho seemed to remember him too.

"Oh… the pig we met back then?"

The day I first met Eok Yeon-ho.

The man had been causing trouble in the inn and fled after being humiliated by Eok Yeon-ho.

"Ha! You two still haven't come to your senses. You're here for the interview at the Blue Dragon Academy, right…"

Unlike the time he fled like a wild boar with its tail on fire, today he seemed confident, his shoulders tense.

He laughed coldly and lowered his voice.

"Do you know who's here? It's me, the…"

Whack!

A shoe flew from somewhere and hit Gwak Doo-yong's head precisely.

He staggered as if he was about to fall but managed to regain his balance and turned around.

"Who did that!"

The answer came from the dormitory.

"Move, you ugly guy! You're blocking the view of the two teachers!"

The girl who had been sketching us was now threateningly waving the other shoe.

"How dare you talk to a teacher like that!"

Gwak Doo-yong's face turned bright red with shock.

But his troubles were just beginning.

Whack!

A half-eaten candy flew from somewhere and stuck to Gwak Doo-yong's shoulder.

This time, it was a different girl.

"Why are you picking on these gentle teachers!"

"Ugly and mean too!"

"You'll get a zero in student evaluations!"

"Ugh!"

…A man was being beaten by girls just because he was ugly.

No, that wasn't the only reason.

The students saw Gwak Doo-yong coming over to pick a fight with us, so they were all angry.

"The girls of the martial world have been taught not to stand by when evil oppresses the good."

Eok Yeon-ho looked at the students with a proud expression and laughed.

I stared at him with a bewildered look.

"Is it just my imagination that the absolute standard for judging good and evil is appearance?"

"…Sir, appearance isn't the absolute standard for judging people. Character, conduct, and tone of voice are also important. But…"

Eok Yeon-ho covered his face with his fan and chuckled.

"How can you know someone's character, conduct, and tone of voice when you first meet them? A handsome face makes people seem nice."

"Ha…"

"Do you understand now why I said your appearance is a powerful weapon and why you need to dress up?"

Snap!

Eok Yeon-ho folded his fan and looked up at the girls.

The girls who met his gaze screamed, "Kyaa!"

"See? A handsome man can make half the world his ally."

"…"

His demeanor made him look like a great master imparting wisdom to his disciples.

In fact, I had a realization from Eok Yeon-ho's words and fell silent in thought.

While we were standing there chatting, Gwak Doo-yong was being pelted with various objects.

"Ugh! Ow! Stop! Please stop!"

Because he was a large target, everything thrown hit him.

Now, not only from the girls' dormitory but also from the boys' dormitory, all kinds of objects were flying at him.

I asked curiously,

"Why are the boys doing this? Could it be because of our appearance too…"

"They're just doing it for fun. Boys are like that."

"…"