Episode 123
“Hey, you crawl in without running away. Don’t praise him for his courage.”
When we headed to the promised place, Hwang Jin-cheol and Hwang Se-jin had already arrived.
Taking a peek, it seems that Hwang Se-jin is really well prepared.
From the spirits that feel quite powerful, to the high-quality amulets and spirits that assist in the use of magic.
‘… Are you the type that is surprisingly cautious?’
Even if he pretended not to be, it was clear that he felt a great sense of crisis in the previous conflict with me.
To be honest, I can’t help but regret that it was better for my opponent to be vigilant.
Just as I was facing Hwang Se-jin, Hwang Ji-hak, who followed me, stepped forward and opened his mouth.
“I don’t like it in many ways, but since things have come to pass, is it okay if I put on one condition?”
“… What do you mean?”
“If you lose this match, apologize for all the insults you’ve spit on your sister.”
“It’s really rude. Well, that’s good. So, what are you going to bet on?”
“If Han Kang-yoon loses the match, I will resign as the next elder of the Hwang family.”
At those words, Hwang Se-jin and Hwang Se-yeon, as well as Hwang Jin-cheol and I, who were watching the situation, expressed their embarrassment.
What Hwang Ji-hak mentioned was just because the conditions were too great to bet on such a bet.
“Your boy. Are you crazy?”
“I do not care. Because Han Kang-yoon will win anyway.”
“… yes good Since Hwang Jin-cheol is a witness, I won’t be able to get away with it later.”
Suddenly, the burden on my shoulders became too heavy. When I looked at Hwang Ji-hak with trembling eyes, Hwang Ji-hak smiled without any sign of nervousness.
It seemed that I was really convinced that I would win the match.
‘In the end, it’s an accurate decision… … .’
It made me wonder how I could make such a judgment without knowing all my secrets yet.
“Looks like things have been sorted out. Then I will pass on the details of the victory.”
Hwang Jin-cheol’s bet was simple.
It was said that the first person to catch Hwangwoojo (黃羽鳥), a spiritual creature living in this mountain (韜嶨山), will win.
“At this time, although it is rare, he must have started his activities. There is no time limit. If I run out of stamina before the game is over, I will treat it as giving up.”
“When does it start?”
“From now on.”
As soon as Hwang Jin-cheol finished speaking, Hwang Se-jin started running up the mountain without looking back.
It was an attitude that was reminiscent of a real battle, and it seemed that he was not going to be careless at all.
‘Well, it’s an opportunity to destroy Hwang Ji-hak, a future competitor, without using any hands.’
But unfortunately, such determination of Hwang Se-jin will not be rewarded.
In fact, at the time when Hwang Jin-cheol raised such a condition, it was as if the match had already been decided.
‘… That’s right, catching Hwang Woo-jo is the mission the main character and the party did in the third part of the series.’
To be precise, it was one of the tasks that one of the elders at the time put forward to the three main characters who visited the imperial family for the purpose of training.
And, having played the mission myself, of course, I knew every detail of Hwang Woo-jo’s movement route, hiding place, and his habits.
If you put your mind to it, it will be possible to catch it in an hour.
“… Then I will go too.”
After moving for a few tens of minutes, I found a spot about halfway through the mountain.
‘Anyway, there is room for catching yellow cattle.’
So, for now, I wanted to confirm the one I was more concerned about.
Whoops.
“Incandescent Charm.”
Nettle juice!
blah blah!
An improvement-type technique of the Baekhwa Heat Wave (魄吙裂破) previously taught to Yoo Ha-on.
In response to the attack that flew in without warning, the figure of someone hurriedly deploying defense techniques from behind the bushes was revealed.
It was time to confirm the identity of the mysterious presence that had been following me for a while.
***
Hwang Kwang-soo is the henchman of Hwang Jeong-wook, the third elder of the current Hwang family, and is a high-ranking exorcist close to the first level.
And he wanted to monitor the parties to the bets that were taking place within the family, under the orders of the head of the family, Hwang Jeong-wook.
‘Chul-min went to Hwang Se-jin, is that kid in charge of me?’
Hwang Kwang-soo’s first impression of Han Kang-yoon was, literally, ordinary.
If I had to explain it, an exorcist who was just as talented at that age. It was just that.
‘Well, it’s natural that he’s not from a famous family.’
Hwang Ji-hak, son of Hwang Jung-wook, is also called the next-generation prospect within the famous family, and their talent is truly unmatched.
It was safe to say that there was a difference that ordinary people could not keep up with from the starting point.
I don’t know why the elder Hwang Jeong-wook is interested in him, but anyway, orders are orders, so I had no choice but to follow them.
Hwang Kwang-soo began to carefully monitor Han Kang-yoon’s every move without being fussy.
And immediately I could spot something odd.
‘This guy, the flow of spiritual power is very quiet.’
In fact, most exorcists simply stand still, and their momentum will be revealed to some extent.
Also, as the magnitude of the force increases, it becomes more difficult to control it.
Therefore, it is regarded as one of the important indicators of skill among the skilled.
‘… There is little difference between resting and active, right?’
What that meant was simple. I don’t know how much power he has, but it means that Han Kang-yoon is in complete control of it.
‘I even heard that he took the elixir just yesterday.’
With a body that had not yet absorbed all of its energy, such a controllable power could be said to be at a very high level.
Hwang Kwang-soo, who was interested, started to observe Han Kang-yoon by getting a little closer.
And it continued even after the bet with Hwang Se-jin began.
‘Have you not noticed me yet?’
It seemed that there was no need to gradually disappear, so Hwang Kwang-soo tested Han Kang-yoon by gradually reducing the intensity of the concealment technique.
About ten minutes passed like that, and Han Kang-yoon, who finally noticed Hwang Kwang-soo, fired the drink first.
Whoa!
‘Is this enough? It’s fast too.’
Hwang Kwang-soo, who had stopped the ceremony, was taken aback by the power beyond his expectations, then quickly changed his expression and opened his mouth.
“Hey, can you detect my cover-up at that age? You are indeed a close friend of the master.”
“… Is it the one sent by the elder?”
With just one conversation, he discovered his identity. Compared to aspiring exorcists at Dong Nai University, their brains are quite good.
“okay. That’s it. I have no intention of doing anything in particular, so I can focus on winning.”
“Thank you for your consideration. He showed momentum in the middle, so I wondered if he had any other plans.”
Even Hwang Kwang-soo could not hide his embarrassment at those words.
‘What, have you noticed that before?’
If this is the case, it is not at the level of having excellent detection ability for its age.
Hwang Kwang-soo asked Han Kang-yoon a question to make an accurate judgment.
“Can you guess since when I have been following you?”
“… The first time I recognized the spirit was when we were promising each other to win with the mediation of senior Jin-cheol.”
Hwang Kwang-soo hardened his expression at that answer. It’s practically the same from the very beginning.
‘The concealment technique is not my main specialty, but I haven’t neglected to train it.’
That would mean that Han Kang-yoon’s skills are excellent. He was definitely a talent that Hwang Jung-wook would be interested in.
Hwang Kwang-soo opened his mouth again with admiration.
“Awesome, this might not be an easy fight for Hwang Se-jin.”
However, immediately after, Han Kang-yoon answered Hwang Kwang-soo with a meaningful expression.
“Sejin Hwang will never be able to win this match.”
“… Is it okay if I take it easy like that? Although opinions are divided now, Se-jin Hwang was once even called one of the greatest talents of his time.”
“Yes. No problem.”
Kang-yoon Han’s words after that were really unexpected for Hwang Kwang-soo.
“Actually, Hwang Woo-jo has already been caught.”
***
The entrance of Dohaksan (韜嶨山) where Hwang Jin-cheol, the witness of the match, and Hwang Ji-hak, the spectator, are waiting.
There was an unexpectedly long silence.
Then, suddenly breaking the silence, Hwang Ji-hak opened his mouth.
“Who do you think will win the bet?”
“It’s nothing special. You ask all those questions.”
Hwang Jin-cheol, who brushed his beard and smiled lightly, continued his speech immediately.
“Honestly, I don’t know. Usually, we talked mainly about business, but I have never seen Kang Yoon-kun’s skills with his own eyes.”
However, that also meant that, despite not being able to confirm Han Kang-yun’s ability, he could not be sure of Hwang Se-jin’s victory.
“You are truly a wonderful friend. In particular, I thought I would dispose of the Dark Stone that I had previously received from me within a few days, but he overturned all those expectations.”
“I heard that they used it as a material to create a shikigami.”
“okay. So why not be surprised? Clearly, he is a questionable being.”
It was like that when I saw that he was preparing for the second Baekgwi night trip with confidence alone.
Although Han Kang-yoon was a delusional, he was by no means an ordinary person.
Immediately after the two nodded and confirmed each other’s will, Hwang Se-yeon, who had been praying somewhere all along, carefully opened her mouth.
“… What do you think, Jihak?”
With his eyes full of anxiety and impatience, Hwang Ji-hak smiled and gave the answer to my sister.
“If I thought I would lose, I wouldn’t put such a condition on it.”
“… No matter how I think about it, it was too much. Don’t do that again.”
“i get it. sorry.”
About two hours after the betting started, I started to feel someone’s presence near the foot of the mountain.
Hwang Ji-hak, who felt it, turned his gaze, and Hwang Jin-cheol, who was beside him, yawned and opened his mouth.
“Don’t lose your strength for nothing, just wait patiently. Your father never succeeded in less than half a day at his age.”
“… … .”
Just as Hwang Ji-hak resigned and turned his head again, this time Hwang Jin-cheol’s expression changed.
It was a sign of agitation that was never easily seen in him, who had been through ups and downs as much as his age.
“Hey, what is this?”
“… uh? Hey, aren’t you here?”
At Hwang Se-yeon’s words, Hwang Ji-hak also hurriedly turned his gaze. Obviously, it was Han Kang-yoon who showed up first.
And behind him, Hwang Kwang-soo, my father’s subordinate, whom I have seen familiarly, follows.
It was as if he had seen something indescribable, with an expression on his face.
Han Kang-yun, who returned to the entrance of the mountain, had nothing in her hands.
When Hwang Jin-cheol looked at it with a questioning expression, Han Kang-yoon gently raised his right hand to shoulder height.
Immediately after, an intense flapping sound was heard and a huge bird that flew in an instant got on Han Kang-yun’s hand.
[Good profit!]
Pearler-!
And at the corner of his mouth was the Hwangwoozo (黃羽鳥), completely frozen in fear in front of a predator.