Having finished the matter with Ak Byeongbi and Ak Jupyeong.

My plan to spend the remaining day of rest leisurely was ruined when the old Senior Brother caught hold of me.

"Do you know what this is?"

The old Senior Brother tempted me by pulling out the fine liquors he had stashed away in the Academy Director's office, and I had no choice but to sit down and drink with him right then and there.

"Gulp... I'm not usually this weak to alcohol. This fine liquor is certainly strong. Ahem."

I didn't know how I returned to the dormitory last night, but when I opened my eyes, a maddening thirst and a pounding headache washed over me, making it impossible to sleep any longer.

As I drank the honey water the head maid prepared for me and confessed what happened last night, she let out a sigh as if she found me pathetic.

"Even the finest liquor in the world becomes a poison that destroys a person when mixed like that."

"... Did I say I mixed my drinks?"

"You listed all the different liquors you drank, saying the old Senior Brother treated you."

"..."

Just how much did I drink yesterday?

"I heard that those who have mastered martial arts can expel the effects of alcohol..."

Her cold gaze flew in and stabbed me like a dagger.

"Why didn't you do that?"

However, I would absolutely not be intimidated.

"... Because it would be a waste."

That was right. It would be a waste.

I wasn't someone who drank often, but I couldn't miss the opportunity to drink fine liquor.

Wouldn't it be an incredible waste to dissipate the natural intoxication of fine liquor, tasted through such a rare opportunity, by using inner qi?

Looking at my shameless expression, the head maid shook her head.

"For now, please wash your face."

"Underst—"

SPLASH.

The washbasin the head maid brought contained water so cold it instantly snapped me awake.

She wasn't the type to do this...

"... Um, didn't you usually prepare lukewarm water?"

The head maid replied without even meeting my gaze.

"I couldn't heat the morning water, so there's only cold water. Please just use it."

"..."

To think that the head maid, who had assisted me flawlessly until now, couldn't heat the water.

Was it just my imagination that the head maid's gaze felt even colder than the water in the washbasin?

I thought it was a ridiculous excuse, but the atmosphere was somehow too severe for me to argue further, so I just washed my face with the cold water.

"Ugh..."

After washing my face with water so cold it made my bones ache, my senses returned a bit.

Shortly after, the head maid came in with a tray full of food.

"It is breakfast. Please eat before it gets cold."

My stomach was so nauseous that it was hard to put anything in.

I was about to tell her to take it away, but the head maid held out a bowl.

"It is hot chicken broth. Please soothe your stomach with this."

"..."

Seeing the chicken broth wafting a savory aroma, I unknowingly swallowed a thick gulp of saliva.

As I gulped down the chicken broth, my stomach settled, and the other foods began to stimulate my appetite as well, so I picked at and ate a little bit of everything.

The head maid stood by my side, moving the side dishes I ate well closer to me.

"I trust you will not drink so heavily from now on."

It was certainly a chilly tone, but worry seeped out from within it.

She was nagging, yet I could feel her care.

It felt like a mother dealing with her immature child.

Sensing her feelings, I simply nodded.

"I will be careful."

After finishing the meal.

I put on the new clothes the maid brought me.

Because of yesterday's fight with the Ak Clan, I had suffered immense losses in so many ways.

The more I thought about it, the angrier I got.

'I need to make them pay for the clothes, too.'

I made a firm resolution and headed to the training ground with the head maid.

"Hah..."

The situation was more serious than I thought.

Not only were the marble tiles that paved the training ground destroyed, but the small hill surrounding the training ground and the wall separating the top student representative's dormitory from the main building were all ruined.

The head maid couldn't easily open her mouth either.

"... This is the first time something like this has happened since the Academy's founding."

"..."

"To think the most traditional place within the Murim Academy would be reduced to this."

Was it just my imagination that the corners of her eyes seemed to grow moist?

"Are you... perhaps resenting me?"

"..."

At my question, the head maid quickly turned her head away.

No, that human Ak Byeongbi was the one at fault, so why was I the one getting scolded?

"Ahem... Look on the bright side, how great is it that we can rebuild it all new?"

At my optimistic reaction, the head maid's glare grew even sharper.

"Rebuild it? It will not cost just a penny or two, so the Academy will not easily approve it."

Under her scary gaze, I subtly avoided eye contact and waved my hand in the air.

"Ah, you don't have to worry about that. The Ak Clan agreed to compensate for everything."

"..."

I wasn't the type to just sit back and take a beating, after all.

At my confident attitude, the head maid's face began to soften a bit.

"Someone from the Ak Clan will probably come in the afternoon. If you tell them about the damaged parts, they'll fix everything, so go ahead and demand it all without holding back."

"That is a relief."

I nodded and then swept my gaze over the training ground floor once more.

My, my, this wouldn't do, would it?

"Hmm... First, please ask them to restore the training ground floor with 'blue steel stone' just like it was before."

At my words, confusion spread across the head maid's face.

"Blue steel stone? Originally, this training ground had marble..."

I immediately shook my head.

"Ahem. The head maid must not have visited the training ground very often."

"Pardon...?"

"The training ground floor was definitely paved with blue steel stone."

"..."

That expression, it was definitely a look saying 'What kind of bullshit is that?'

I looked straight into her eyes and spoke.

"It's true."

Eventually, the head maid let out a small sigh.

"I will convey that."

"Oh, right!"

"What else..."

"Didn't you mention last time that the servants' quarters were a bit small?"

"Pardon?"

I looked at the servants' quarters attached to one side of the pavilion.

Since the pavilion was originally built as a detached house, the servants' building had been hastily constructed temporarily, making it cramped and old.

I racked my brain to see if there was anything else I could squeeze out of them.

"Hmm, come to think of it, the bathhouse I use seems a bit small too. And didn't you say the kitchen was too small for several people to use at once?"

The head maid just blinked her eyes without answering.

It couldn't be helped.

I swung my hand and blew off the roof of the servants' building attached to the pavilion.

CRASH.

There, now it had no roof.

"W-What are you doing right no..."

"Oops! The roof is gone! What should we do... I'm pretty sure the Ak Clan bastards were stomping all over the roof yesterday."

"..."

I grabbed my chin with my hand and pretended to agonize over it.

"It's obviously their fault anyway, so wouldn't it be great to rebuild it entirely while we're at it? Tell that to the person who comes from the Ak Clan."

The head maid showed a slight hint of anxiety.

"... Will they really do everything we ask?"

It was a reasonable concern.

But I had a tremendous weapon.

"Ah! If by chance they refuse to listen, just tell them this."

"..."

"Ak Jupyeong."

"What is that?"

"It's a name that makes the impossible possible."

I'll suck you dry as much as possible. Hehe.

After telling the head maid all the parts that needed to be newly repaired, I headed straight for the academy representative's office.

No, I was about to head there.

"Hmm?"

Something stuck in a corner of the ruined training ground caught my eye.

Seeing it motionless like a corpse, I furrowed my brow deeply.

'I'm sure no one died in yesterday's battle.'

As I approached where the human figure lay, I began to hear an ominous muttering.

"Ak Clan... I'll kill you. Jin Sowoon... I won't let this go. To think you'd abandon me and leave."

"..."

"Ak Clan... I'll kill you. Jin Sowoon... I won't let this go. To think you'd abandon me and leave."

The familiar voice continued like a Buddhist chant.

Haa.

Why is this guy acting like this here?

"Ak Clan... I'll kill you. Jin Sowoon... I won't let this go. To think you'd abandon me and leave."

Perhaps hearing my footsteps, the human figure lying on the floor, unable to move an inch, just rolled his eyeballs around.

Soon, those bloodshot eyeballs fixed on me.

"... What are you doing here?"

The identity of the figure was none other than Yayul Geuk.

The guy struggled with his unmoving body.

"W-What am I doing? Who do you think left me here...?!!!"

"Didn't the Ak Clan warriors release you?"

"Are you crazy! Is that even a question...?!"

With his paralysis acupoints still sealed, Yayul Geuk had been lying in the training ground all night, cursing the Ak Clan.

I had completely forgotten about him.

No wonder I felt like I had forgotten something.

"Tsk... Anyway, the ones who sealed your paralysis acupoints and left you here were all the Ak Clan's doing. You know that, right?"

I tried to soothe the guy in my own way, but.

GLARE!

Yayul Geuk's two eyes grew so large they looked ready to pop out.

"Jin Sowoon! Don't you remember! You walked past here singing a song last night!!!"

I did?

No, when?

"I... I called out to you so much! You just looked at me and kept walking!"

"..."

At Yayul Geuk's voice, which somehow carried a hint of moisture, the memories of last night began to surface.

Soon, the scene from yesterday was vividly drawn in my mind.

Right, I definitely sneered at Yayul Geuk, who was lying pathetically on the training ground floor, and then...

["Oh, how many evils are there in Jianghu~♪"]

["I seek to protect the world with a single sword~♪"]

... The image of myself walking away while singing popped vividly into my mind.

'Ugh. Why did I just walk past him?'

Even I had to admit, he had a right to be upset about this.

"Still, wasn't the singing at least decent?"

"Fuck, does that even matter right now!"

Watching Yayul Geuk growling like a wounded wildcat, I seriously debated whether it was the right move to unseal his paralysis acupoints right now.

* * *

"I won't lay a hand on Ak Jupyeong anymore."

Hoping to slightly ease Yayul Geuk's resentment, I told him everything that had happened with the Ak Clan.

But it seemed I had only provoked him instead.

"To make such a dirty deal, I'm disappointed in you!"

Yayul Geuk, who had been sulking, was suddenly glaring at me fiercely.

"Just because you made that deal, do you think I'll stay quiet?!"

"Of course not."

"Huh?"

For a moment, the guy made a dumbfounded expression.

I gave him a wide grin.

"And you shouldn't, either."

I crouched down in front of Yayul Geuk and continued explaining.

"The promise I made was only that 'I' wouldn't lay a hand on him anymore, right?"

"S-So?"

"What do you mean, so what?"

I patted his shoulder a few times.

"It means I never promised that you wouldn't touch him."

"..."

Yayul Geuk's expression changed strangely.

I couldn't tell if he was happy or angry.

"Anyway, you still need to know your limits. You saw it yesterday, right? The Ak Clan people mobilized immediately and tried to drag me to the Inspection Pavilion."

"... F-Fuck! I'm not scared of that stuff at all! Once I master the Flowing Cloud Divine Art anyway...!"

"Sure, sure. You're not scared. Still, if the Inspection Pavilion tries to arrest you, come to me. I can at least block that much for you."

Yayul Geuk didn't reply.

What's this, that guy looks a bit touched right now?

After rolling his eyes for a long time, Yayul Geuk finally spoke.

"... W-Why?"

"Why what?"

"W-Why are you helping me?!"

I chuckled and ruffled the guy's hair.

"When have I ever not helped you?"

"..."

The guy's expression grew even more peculiar.

Seeing him make such a stupid face, it seemed he had some similarities with Yayul Jae after all.

"Anyway, if you want to quickly master the Flowing Cloud Divine Art and take revenge on Ak Jupyeong, you won't have time to dwell on petty grudges, right?"

"..."

Rolling his eyes, Yayul Geuk looked at me with a slightly softened gaze.

"... You mean I should forget about you ignoring me and singing while walking away yesterday. Is that it?"

Wow, this brat really is quick on the uptake.

Feeling like I had finally connected with Yayul Geuk for the first time, I exclaimed.

"You really are a guy who understands what people are saying!"

"..."

However, Yayul Geuk was still staring at me with a cold glare.

* * *

Contrary to our agreement, the despicable brat lunged at me the moment his paralysis acupoints were unsealed.

I had no choice but to seal his sleeping acupoint to knock him out.

I only sealed it lightly, but seeing how he fell asleep immediately, it seemed he hadn't slept a wink all night while paralyzed.

'What a tenacious bastard... He could have just slept. To think he stayed up all night cursing them.'

He would probably just sleep straight through the day today.

'Well, he's not the type to care that much about missing classes anyway.'

Like that, I headed to the academy representative's office.

"Representative Jin."

I met Jang Ujae on the way.

Following him, Namgung Seonhwa, Seong Moran, Lee Eunho, and Hong Saryeon also joined up.

"Why does your face look so dead?"

Lee Eunho, whose complexion looked terrible, sighed and spoke.

"I had to listen to Nam Hwaseong's lamentations until dawn."

"Lamentations?"

"About how he's not a spy."

At Lee Eunho's words, the others snickered amongst themselves.

Only Lee Eunho remained unable to relax his expression as he spoke.

"Eldest Senior Brother, could you stop teasing him about being a spy? I'm scared he'll keep holding onto me in the future."

"Tsk. If he keeps bothering you, just kick him away."

At my violent response, Lee Eunho scratched his head.

"Could I even handle Nam Hwaseong on my own? Plus, he doesn't seem like such a bad person either."

Since when did these two get so close?

When we arrived at the building housing the representative officers, Nam Hwaseong was waiting at the entrance.

"Spy! You're here early."

"..."

Whether Nam Hwaseong and Lee Eunho's faces crumpled or not, I was about to enter the building.

"Hmm?"

A group of academy students was gathered on the side of the road.

Then, as soon as they saw me, they started approaching our side.

"Representative!"

The academy students cupped their fists in greeting as soon as they saw me.

As I examined their faces,

Some were members of the Orthodox Council.

Some were Jang Ujae's friends.

And some were even members of the 108 Peaks.

It was a bizarre combination.

What the hell is this combination?

When I returned their greeting with a confused expression, a smile appeared on the lips of the person who called out to me first.

"Are you surprised that we suddenly came to visit?"

"Well, is there anything to be surprised about?"

"Actually, we wanted to arrange a separate meeting to apologize for our past disrespect."

I tilted my head.

"Haven't we shown a lot of behavior refusing to acknowledge you as the representative?"

As he scratched his head in embarrassment, the others also coughed awkwardly or blushed.

Come to think of it, looking at their faces again, I could see it.

Some came to the academy as disciples of lay sects,

And some as disciples of powerless sects.

They were people in a position where they naturally had no choice but to mind the gazes of those around them.

"Didn't you all have your circumstances? I understand."

It was always like that.

Those without power couldn't do anything and were swept away by the situation.

I was the same in my past life.

Because there was nothing I could do. Because I thought it couldn't be helped.

But if these weak people muster the courage to take just one step forward, they can become the main figures causing the winds of change.

That was why I was glad for their courage.

However, despite my consolation, they couldn't easily raise their heads.

"We will make sure to continuously repay for our past wrongdoings from now on."

The academy student lowered his voice and continued speaking.

"... More importantly, we came because something a bit strange happened."

"Something strange?"

He nodded with a serious expression.

"Yes. There was talk that a group calling themselves the new representative officers is hosting an event and telling us to attend."

"New representative officers?"

The academy representative is right here, so what new representative officers are they talking about?

At that moment,

"The first academic schedule for the second semester has been completed!"

"The candidate list for the second academic schedule, 'Inviting Notables', is out."

"I will head to the Mantong Bureau to get the budget proposal approved."

Noisy sounds started coming from one side.

We looked at those working as if they were the academy's representative delegation.

"No, what is this..."

"Just... who are they?"

Seeing the emblem engraved on their clothes, Jang Ujae spat out a groan.

"It's the White Path Council..."

"The White Path Council?"

Why the hell are those bastards suddenly acting up?