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st Class (1)
For her, archery was something she both loved and hated.
Although she was doing her best to protect the prestige of her teacher, there came a time when her improvements with archery stagnated.
Her master’s best disciple had already reached the seventh level of archery, but she had only managed to reach the fourth.
Ever since being stuck at the fourth level, unable to step in the fifth level for over a year, she decided to clench her teeth, cut off travel and leisure time, and tried to polish her skills every night.
However, even with all that she didn’t show any signs of improving, and that fact made her extremely sensitive, and because of that she didn’t allow anyone to watch her practice.
“Die!”
Puck! Puck!
“N-Nayeon! I am not him…”
“Don’t spew nonsense and just die!”
Cho Nayeong frantically stepped on Kang Seo-ryang who was still laid out on the ground.
She didn’t really step on him to the point of killing, she just hit him in anger.
Her anger had only ended when the man had passed out.
“Haa… Haa…”
Now she felt a bit relieved.
She was wondering if Ki Majin was spying on her again, only to find out it was someone new.
She recognized it might have been a sensitive response, but why would someone come over to the training area when no one was there?
Because they didn’t want to be seen by others!
And still, someone had come over hiding and looking at her, which was no different from humiliating her.
“Uh… he passed out.”
At that, Cho Nayeon looked at the voice which came out.
There, she saw that Mumu was carrying over Ki Majin who had an arrow stuck in his butt.
Cho Nayeon frowned.
‘My arrow?’
So this one was watching too?
She grabbed the bow which was near her feet and nocked an arrow, pointing it at Mumu.
Mumu waved at her and said,
“Don’t shoot. I only need to take the senior out.”
“That sounds funny, especially when such things are coming from a person trying to steal someone else’s martial arts techniques.”
Pang!
As soon as the string was released, the arrow flew violently towards Mumu
Yet, with one hand, Mumu simply caught the arrow which came for him.
At that, Cho Nayeon narrowed her eyes.
She had loaded the arrow with enough energy to threaten the man, yet he had still grabbed it like it was nothing.
‘… he isn’t a normal one.’
Having never seen his face before, and with it looking so youthful, she had assumed he was a freshman.
However, looking at how he had caught the arrow, he seemed to have considerable martial skills.
Mumu, who had grabbed the arrow, tried to approach her.
“There has been some misunderstanding, I only came here to take this senior away…”
Pak!
Before Mumu could even finish the words, Cho Nayeon pulled out two arrows and shot them at Mumu.
At the same time, she nocked another arrow and increased the distance between her and Mumu by flipping her body round and round before letting the arrow fly.
Two arrows flew directly at Mumu along with one mysteriously curved one, but this was just one of her techniques.
‘Willow Song Arrow.’
It was the Willow Song Arrow, one of the best techniques she knew.
The arrow bent a little and flew for Mumu’s back.
This technique changed the path of the arrow, how could one avoid all the arrows which were coming from three directions?
At that time, Mumu let go of Ki Majin he was carrying and caught the two arrows with both his hands at the same time.
Papak!
“Ah.”
The woman groaned at it.
Unlike the first one, these two arrows had a ‘tremor’ in their movement, so their path was unstable.
Yet this man had precisely captured them, he had very good eyes.
But,
‘What is he doing?’
The Willow Song Arrow was flying in from behind and it looked like he wasn’t thinking of avoiding it.
Confused, she exclaimed.
“Behind you!”
Mumu shook his head and turned.
Pak!
Hearing the sound of the arrow hitting something, Cho Nayeon hurriedly went over to Mumu.
If this man was at least a little sensitive to energy, he could have guessed the direction of the third arrow and moved away from it, but he didn't, so now what should she do…
Wheiik!
When Mumu turned back to her, she noticed that he had caught the arrow with his mouth.
‘!?’
Cho Nayeon, who was approaching him, suddenly stopped.
She thought he needed to avoid the arrow, but instead he caught it with his mouth, she was completely amazed!
‘Wait, it was loaded with energy so how?’
Nayeon’s eyes widened, if that man hadn’t focused energy into his mouth at exactly that moment, all of his teeth would have been shattered and his mouth torn to ribbons.
Cruch!
At that moment, the arrow which Mumu was biting broke.
Mumu gently raised his hands, leaving the other two arrows on the floor.
“Ah… sorry.”
He said as if it was nothing.
“…”
Cho Nayeon stared at him with an absurd look on her face and lowered her bow.
‘Am I really not talented?’
Although this man had the tag of a floor leader, he was still a freshman who stopped her archery.
That too not by hand, but by mouth, The disappointment this brought was indescribable.
Mumu scratched his head and spoke while looking at her disappointed face.
“I feel like you are misunderstanding… Senior and I only came here to catch Ki Majin who left without permission.”
“… is that so?”
She was already exhausted emotionally, so she didn’t care about it.
He was only here to take back Ki Majin, and now his unconscious senior.
At that moment, Ki Majin who was on the ground muttered,
“Ummm…. Cho Nayeon… rather… than bow… sword… suits you… better… hmm.”
Those words came out while he was still passed out.
“Who are you!”
Upon hearing that, Cho Nayeon’s expression was terribly distorted and her face was flushed red.
Even if not for that, she was still trying her best to make up for the lack of talent she had in archery, she didn’t have to or want to hear such things!
Cho Nayeon, who hated those words, drew her arrow at Ki Majin’s other butt.
Mumu covered Majin with his body.
“Stop it.”
“Move out of the way.”
Cho Nayeon said with tears brimming in her eyes.
No matter what others said, she longed for the bow.
“Move!”
“It will be tough if both sides are hit.”
“…”
A tear trickled down from her right eye. And she mumbled.
“You… what right do you have to say I don’t have a talent for bows…”
“Why are you so concerned with what others’ say?”
“What?”
At Mumu’s question, she frowned.
To her, who was puzzled and fiddling with the arrow, Mumu said.
“You see, my father told me that if there is something we lack, we can just fill it up, so he told me not to be swayed by the bad things that others have to say.”
“….”
Cho Nayeon’s cheeks trembled at those words.
She didn’t think she would be comforted by the words of a junior she had just met for the first time.
At that, she wiped her tears and smiled slightly.
“Your father seems like a wise-man.”
“He is.”
“Then do you think you can see what my archery lacks?”
It had been a long time since someone looked at and critiqued her archery.
She would practice with all her might, but now that she was readily accepting that she was lacking something she asked Mumu if he knew what it was.
Mumu tilted his head.
‘Hm.’
He hadn’t thought about it.
He was only concerned with catching the arrow. However, looking at Nayeon's sparkling eyes, who seemed to expect something from him, he said,
“Aren't you lacking strength?”
“… strength?”
At those words, she burst into laughter.
He did comfort her, but this freshman didn’t know much about bows.
The bow is a weapon where elasticity is important.
If she lacked strength, she would have trained for it in the past, but now that she was at a higher leve….
Pang!
At that moment, something brushed past her.
Her hair fluttered from the force.
Kwak!
A knock sound came from behind.
To Cho Nayeon it looked like Mumu had thrown something.
So she turned her head.
‘!?’
She saw her arrow embedded deep in the wall of the training center.
Jjkkkk!
The wall slowly cracked around the arrow, and then suddenly a hole, quite a large hole, was drilled into the side of the training center.
Her mouth opened wide in shock.
Unlike the other training centers, the special center was made up of a different kind of stone, so it wouldn’t break.
Even if it was hit with an energy loaded weapon it would take a lot of hits and time to damage the wall, meaning a single arrow shouldn’t have been able to do much.
But this arrow had pierced right through it, did that mean this wall couldn’t even survive a single hit?
‘Ha…’
To Nayeon, who was at a loss of words, Mumu simply said,
“If you are lacking strength, all you have to do is make some.”
“What insane logic is… ah!”
At that time, Nayeon’s eyes widened.
Till now, she was too obsessed with precision, trying to accurately hit the set target.
But that wasn’t the right answer, if strength was put into the arrow then the effect would be even greater than precision.
And an example of that was the training center wall.
“Ahhh!”
Her face brightened.
Finally, she got the clue to level up.
At that, she looked at Mumu with great joy.
‘To give me enlightenment this way!’
It was absurd.
To give enlightenment with vague words such as she ‘lacked strength’, this kid must have known what she was lacking.
And to even help her in the Heavenly Martial Arts Academy, where students compete with one another…
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Cho Nayeon, who was startled by Mumu’s question, shook her head and turned.
She seemed embarrassed,
“Thank you. Because of what you said I now know what I am missing.”
She wanted to express her gratitude, but she was a bit too embarrassed to look into Mumu’s eyes.
It was hard to guess what she was feeling.
“That is great. Then, I can leave. Phew.”
Mumu tried to carry both Kang Seo-ryang and Ki Majin on his shoulders.
‘Ah…’
All she did was look down on this guy, and he didn’t seem a least bit hurt about her actions.
“W-wait! What is your name?”
“Me? Mumu.”
“Mumu…”
An odd name.
After Mumu left, she repeated the name for a long time.
Next day.
Mo Il-hwa was holding her stomach as she laughed.
“Puahahaah! What is that? And so you were nagged by the senior who passed out last night?”
“Ugh… I am tired.”
She never expected Kang Seo-ryang to be so talkative.
Mumu waved his hand as if he was tired.
Seeing that, Jin-hyuk clicked his tongue.
He wondered how yesterday happened.
‘So stupid.’
That was then, Hae-ryang approached and greeted him.
“Good morning, have you completed the liberal arts application?”
“Of course!”
Mo Il-hwa took out a paper.
On the paper were several subjects which could be taken.
Among them, the names under red were compulsory subjects for the freshman.
[Understanding the elegant Light Footwork.]
[Close-combat.]
[Introduction to weapons]
[Defense martial arts methods for beginners]
[In-depth introduction to internal energy]
[Utilization of the energy]
[Practical battle]
[University]
These were the subjects that all first years would have to take.
In addition to these eight courses, freshmen should also take 3 to 4 liberal arts courses.
At first, Mo Il-hwa agreed to discuss liberal arts courses with the others as she had learned from Hae-ryang that it would be better to choose the course that one would like, as if a course was failed, then they would be forced to take a makeup one.
So, they all decided to take the liberal arts class that each one wanted.
“I picked this.”
[History of Murim]
[Basic Blood Points]
[Basics of removing poison.]
She chose those after carefully examining what she wanted. And they were the ones which could easily get her the grades she needed.
On the other hand, Jin-hyuk took.
[In-depth internal energy cultivation method.]
[Difference between internal and external energy]
[In-depth understanding of the Blood Points sealing.]
“… Ah those seem the least bit interesting.”
Mo Il-hwa clicked her tongue when she looked at it.
She didn’t know why pick the tough ones when they had to aim for good grades.
Mo Il-hwa looked at Mumu.
“And you?”
“Me?”
Mumu pulled out a paper and showed.
[Exercise and Physiology]
[Wise muscle training method.]
[Importance of external energy training]
Seeing that, Mo Il-hwa put her hands near her chin and asked.
“Do you really need to hear those things?”