THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!

Yayul Geuk felt a strange sensation.

He was definitely being hit, but he could no longer feel the pain.

Had his wounds festered so much that the nerves to feel any sensation had completely vanished?

Or did he now consider even feeling pain a luxury?

Conversely, his body couldn't even endure half the time it usually did before falling backward.

He wanted to hold out longer, but he no longer had any strength left in his legs.

"Then let's see each other again tomorrow..."

Through his naturally closing eyes, he could see Ak Jupyeong's despicable face.

Strangely, he didn't even feel the desire he had so desperately wanted until now: 'I just want to hit him once.'

'Ah... I have to get up.'

The sound of fading footsteps.

A silent area where nothing could be heard anymore.

Even the sound of the wind tickling his ears slowly faded away.

In the perfect silence, he gradually grew numb to the surrounding air that had felt a bit cold.

'I need to go home... If I go home, my oldest brother will be disappointed, right?'

Why had he survived?

Wouldn't it have been better if he had died and his second brother had entered the academy instead?

If his third brother hadn't been hurt, wouldn't his third brother have been able to perfect his martial arts?

Such vain thoughts tangled and tangled in his head.

He felt a sensation like sinking into a sea of unfathomable depth.

'I want to rest...'

If he got up and returned to the dormitory, he could wipe off the filth on his body and recover, even if only for a short time.

Then he could at least launch a small counterattack against Ak Jupyeong and his gang.

But what was the point of all that?

He would just get beaten up again the next day anyway.

His body had no strength.

No, his heart was not moved.

He just didn't want to do anything anymore.

'Maybe... is it fine just like this?'

Yayul Geuk, whose mental fortitude had been broken, completely lost even the will to move anymore.

A quiet darkness enveloped his body.

* * *

"Huff, huff, huff, huff."

Lee Jagon, who had been chasing Jin Sowoon after receiving an emergency summons, panted heavily.

'What kind of movement technique is...'

Moreover, Jin Sowoon had stopped by the dormitory and twisted both of Ak Jupyeong's feet in directions they shouldn't bend.

The instructors and drill instructors had joined forces to form a perimeter, but Jin Sowoon leisurely broke through the net as if he didn't care in the slightest and went somewhere.

'That's really Jin Sowoon?'

Even when he took the talent scout exam, Jin Sowoon's martial prowess was definitely at the level of an outstanding rising star.

But he had achieved this level of progress in such a short amount of time.

It was hard to believe this fact.

However, no one else was feeling a sense of alarm at his level.

The ignorant were merely scrambling to express their fragmented rage.

"They say he went to Yangsan Peak."

"We must not just sit by and watch this happen."

"To dare commit violence within the academy!"

Lee Jagon smiled bitterly.

Since when was violence within the academy such a major subject of sanctions?

Wasn't it the atmosphere within the academy to instead blame the victim who neglected their training?

'Is it because of the adults' circumstances?'

Looking at the faces of the instructors shouting at the top of their lungs, they were all people with slight connections to the White Path Council.

Since Ak Jupyeong had suffered this under their management, they wouldn't have the face to see the White Path Council in the future.

'Furthermore, the opponent is bad.'

All this while, Jin Sowoon had been fighting a lonely battle.

He thought he had been holding out quite well, but of all places, the incident erupted here.

'Didn't they say Ak Jupyeong's uncle works in the Inspection Pavilion?'

If a Murim Alliance position was added on top of the Murim Academy, which already suffered from severe overbearing influence, the situation would grow out of control.

For Jin Sowoon's sake, stabilizing the situation quickly was the top priority.

Right then.

A signal was heard indicating that the target individual had been found.

The instructors who arrived at a clearing on Yangsan Peak found Jin Sowoon kneeling there.

"Jin Sowoon! You bastard! How dare you commit violence within the academy! Come here at once!"

One of the drill instructors spoke sternly, but Jin Sowoon didn't even twitch.

The moment the instructors were about to approach Jin Sowoon to drag him away by force.

Lee Jagon, who noticed something strange, stopped them.

"Please wait a moment."

"Hmm? Drill Instructor Lee, that guy needs to be disciplined immediately..."

"No, that's not it."

Some child was lying in front of Jin Sowoon.

As Lee Jagon slowly approached, he could see the child's face.

An academy student he had often seen during classes.

The Yuhwan Sect, was it? He remembered him as a disciple of a sect so little-known that the name was confusing.

'Yayul... Geuk! But did that child have a relationship with Jin Sowoon?'

Jin Sowoon was a major target for observation even within the academy.

The drill instructors had already figured out in advance who he was close to and who he was likely to cause friction with.

'He was definitely a child who had no connection to Jin Sowoon...'

By the time Lee Jagon had that thought, a drill instructor who eventually couldn't hold back stepped forward.

"I will apprehend him first. There is a risk of flight. Get up, Jin Sowoon."

The drill instructor grabbed Jin Sowoon's shoulder and forcefully pulled him up.

CRACK!

"Aaagh!"

However, it was Jin Sowoon who grabbed the drill instructor's hand, twisted it, and threw him to the other side.

It was a bizarre hand technique, leaving it entirely unknown what kind of move he had even used.

At Jin Sowoon's single move, the drill instructors and instructors took a battle stance.

Some even drew their swords.

"Jin Sowoon! What kind of outrageous act is this! To dare attack a drill instructor! Is this a challenge against the academy!"

Jin Sowoon spoke while still sitting with his back turned.

"... Why did you people come here?"

Jin Sowoon's voice was low and heavy.

"Is running around the campus a little bit something to make such a fuss over as to use the word 'apprehend'?"

"Jin Sowoon! You harmed another academy student within the academy!"

"Is that guy dead?"

Was it just Lee Jagon's imagination that his low, heavy voice sounded ominous?

The cold voice, as if harboring a blade, made his throat feel dry.

"... This kid has been beaten to death by those bastards for months."

Jin Sowoon turned his head and stared at the faces of those surrounding him one by one.

"Perhaps among the drill instructors and instructors here, there are those who know this kid's face?"

"..."

The sound of people gulping down their saliva could be heard here and there.

"If you want to dish out some punishment to me, punish Ak Jupyeong and his gang first. Because until then, you people have no right to discipline anyone."

CRACKLE!

On one side, the drill instructor who had flown away with a twisted arm stood up and popped his dislocated arm back into place.

"Ugh! What are you all doing! This is a challenge to our authority!"

The hesitant instructors regained their posture at the drill instructor's words.

Jin Sowoon slowly stood up from his spot and looked at the drill instructor who had given the order.

"After seeing a pathetic sight like this, I couldn't look at you favorably even if I tried."

"What the hell are you babbling..."

SWISH.

Jin Sowoon's abruptly halted figure slowly faded away like smoke.

SMASH!

And a loud sound of impact erupted from a short distance away.

'Before I knew it...!'

Leaving only an illusion behind, Jin Sowoon had already smashed the drill instructor's jaw.

He had hit him so hard that three white fragments popped out of his mouth.

Starting with that, the other drill instructors and instructors, deciding they couldn't just stand by, tried to rush at Jin Sowoon.

Just then, Lee Jagon discovered something and shouted out loud.

"S-Stop!!"

As his resounding voice echoed across Yangsan Peak, everyone looked at Lee Jagon.

Lee Jagon slowly approached Yayul Geuk and examined the child's condition.

Not only were there bruises on his face, but his entire body was covered in blood-filled bruises.

With this level of injury, it was only natural for him to look like a dead person.

'But!'

Lee Jagon definitely saw it.

Yayul Geuk's chest moving, even if only slightly.

'He has breath!'

It was so faint that it was hard to feel, but he was breathing.

When he checked his pulse, it was irregular and weak, but it was faintly beating.

"H-He's still alive!"

"He's alive?"

Jin Sowoon suddenly appeared next to Lee Jagon.

"Q-Quickly, to the Medical Hall."

Before Lee Jagon could reach out his hand, Jin Sowoon picked Yayul Geuk up in his arms first.

And without saying another word, he vanished like the wind.

SWOOOOOSH.

Watching Jin Sowoon leave, Lee Jagon couldn't shake off his uneasy feelings.

Somehow, it didn't feel like this matter would end simply.

The expression on Jin Sowoon's face as he disappeared was not easily forgotten.

* * *

Upon arriving at the Medical Hall, Jin Sowoon ignored the female medics telling him to register for treatment, went inside, and laid Yayul Geuk down on a bed.

Then he immediately checked his pulse.

'H-He's alive!'

Before he even had time to rejoice, uninvited guests intervened.

"You can't just barge in here like this!"

The sharp voices of the female medics.

However, Jin Sowoon swiftly looked around his surroundings.

"Where are the medicinal herbs here?"

"What... You can't just casually..."

"Where are the medicinal herbs!"

At Jin Sowoon's unhesitating behavior, the hesitant female medic eventually pointed in one direction.

Jin Sowoon entered the herbal storehouse without delay and, as if he already knew them, familiarly began to put the herbs into a container one by one.

At that moment, a man stepped inside.

"What on earth is going on?"

"P-Physician! Just now, some man suddenly..."

Sama Jeong, the Hall Leader of the Medical Hall, alternately looked at the new patient lying on the bed and Jin Sowoon, who had entered the herbal storehouse, before speaking to the female medics.

"I will take care of this place, so everyone go back to your work."

"Pardon? But..."

"Well, looking at him, the young friend seems to roughly know the treatment method. At times like this, it's better to just watch."

"..."

Thinking that perhaps because he was from the Murim Alliance's Medical Pavilion, his way of thinking was different from the previous Hall Leaders, the female medic eventually left the spot.

"Hmm...?"

Sama Jeong approached Yayul Geuk and checked his pulse.

'His pure qi is damaged, and his whole body is filled with severe blood congestion... What on earth happened to make his condition like this?'

It was a perilous situation where his breath could stop at any moment.

His curiosity was piqued by the fact that in such a situation, rather than seeking a physician, the young man was preparing the herbs himself.

When he stood up and looked into the herbal storehouse, Jin Sowoon was already trimming the herbs one by one.

Some he ground into powder, and some he cut into large pieces.

After wrapping the processed herbs in a cotton cloth, he grasped it with both hands.

'Hmm?'

Then, after a moment, white smoke rose from his hands, and black medicinal liquid began to drip down.

'He's preparing medicine like that?'

It was a method he was seeing for the first time in his life.

He was worried that doing it that way would cause the medicinal efficacy to disappear, but Jin Sowoon's expression was far too filled with certainty to say that.

After filling a bowl to the brim like that, Jin Sowoon untied the cotton cloth, picked out a few of the herbs, and ground them into powder again.

Then, he mixed the powders with honey and formed three medicinal pills.

"..."

Having finished preparing the medicine, Jin Sowoon looked at Sama Jeong, who was blocking the doorway.

Sama Jeong suddenly snapped to his senses and stepped aside.

"Ah, my apologies. I was watching because it was fascinating. Please, go ahead."

Then, Jin Sowoon passed by without a reply and headed toward Yayul Geuk.

Jin Sowoon opened his mouth and slowly fed him the medicine.

"Do you know how to perform acupuncture?"

"... I will leave it to you."

"I'm glad I have something to do."

While Sama Jeong performed acupuncture, Jin Sowoon crushed the medicinal pill he had made again, mixed it with the decoction, and fed it to Yayul Geuk.

Sama Jeong checked Yayul Geuk's pulse in between placing the needles.

Amazingly, Yayul Geuk's pulse was springing back to life and beating vigorously in real time.

'What on earth is this...'

Normally, it was difficult for decoctions to have an immediate effect.

However, the medicine Jin Sowoon had manufactured in an unusual way was causing a reaction fast enough to be considered immediate.

As if Jin Sowoon knew this, he subsequently crushed the second pill and fed it to Yayul Geuk.

At that, the pulse grew even stronger once again.

"Um... May I ask you a question?"

"..."

Sama Jeong knew how dangerous it was to get on a martial artist's nerves when the atmosphere was unusual, but as a physician, he too couldn't hold back without satisfying his curiosity right this instant.

He soon realized he hadn't even introduced himself and hastily added.

"Ah! I am Sama Jeong."

"Sama Jeong? Cheonmyo..."

Jin Sowoon stopped mid-sentence.

"Cheonmyo? What is that?"

"It's nothing. Are you affiliated with the Medical Hall?"

"No. I was originally in the Alliance's Medical Pavilion."

For some reason, Sama Jeong felt as if Jin Sowoon's eyes flashed for a moment, but he continued his question.

"May I ask some questions? It seems there will be some time before feeding him the next pill anyway."

Jin Sowoon, who looked at Yayul Geuk for a moment, nodded his head.

"Please speak."

"I know that it is difficult to produce such an effect in such a short period with a decoction and a pill. How on earth did you do it?"

"... Don't you already know?"

While looking for the underlying meaning of those words, a thought flashed like lightning in Sama Jeong's mind.

"Could you have possibly used poison?"

"Yes. Doesn't the poison of the Nine Yin Snake have a side effect that spreads rapidly through the blood and paralyzes the body?"

"Hah! You really used poison?"

Jin Sowoon shrugged his shoulders as if it was no big deal.

"Instead, I also added Yangyang Grass to slowly chase after the Nine Yin Snake's poison and detoxify it."

"I see, you use the Nine Yin Snake's poison to spread the medicinal efficacy and slowly detoxify it with the Yangyang Grass."

As Jin Sowoon nodded, Sama Jeong marveled inwardly.

It was a method that even he, a physician, had only hypothesized about in his head.

Yet a young man who looked barely past the age of twenty was able to use poison so skillfully.

Sama Jeong became incredibly curious about the young man's identity.

Subsequently, as if it was time, he fed him the third pill.

The vigorously beating pulse gradually began to find stability.

"Hah... You really saved him."

Color gradually began to return to Yayul Geuk's pale face.

His eyelids, which had been closed as if dead, trembled and slowly opened.

Yayul Geuk, who opened his eyes drowsily, looked around before discovering Jin Sowoon and violently crinkling his face.

"Jin Sowoon, you... I'm sure I warned you that I would never forgive you if you appeared in front of me..."

Sama Jeong, who was listening from the side, was bewildered.

He would have been dead if not for this young man.

And yet, the very first thing he said upon waking up to his savior was a curse.

Not even able to grasp what in the world was going on, Sama Jeong looked at Jin Sowoon with a tense expression.

However, contrary to his expectations, a slight smile hung on the lips of Jin Sowoon, who had been wearing a stiff expression all this time.

"Haa, this rude bastard..."

A strange sense of relief lingered on Jin Sowoon's dumbfounded face.