Chapter 6: Smartphone in Murim Academy.

A New Encounter

‘Looks matter most — they’re the strongest form of narrative plausibility.’

If I had been the one stuttering and babbling up there, I’d have been tied to a stake and burned on the spot.

Even Unhak was booed before he started talking about martial arts.

Though once he did start talking about martial arts, they switched to cursing.

Because a man should always watch his mouth.

Me? I kept it dignified. Simple. Straight to the point.

Too bad most people don’t seem to understand such obvious logic.

But women? They’re different.

Especially cuteness in women —

It has the power to override every other condition and instantly grant forgiveness.

In fact, If we’re just talking about first impressions…

The Little Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect actually had rather sharp features, and her eyes, glowing a fiery red, could be a bit intimidating.

In other words, not exactly a “baby-faced” cutie.

“U-um… w-we of the… Orthodox… Murim s-sect… must join f-forces to…”

(TL: Seriously, its kinda hard to trace her words clearly)

But cuteness doesn’t come from looks alone—

It’s a total package: expressions, voice, gestures, behavior, everything else.

Thus began: The Soft-Spoken Speech Stumble Show of the Bumpkin Heavenly Demon Girlboss!

a.k.a. The Heavenly Demon Loli’s ASMR Public Address!

“Starting today, I renounce support for Wudang…”

“You moron, get a grip! Don’t fall into demonic temptation!”

“Sigh… our Young Sect Leader is off drinking again while that one…”

She earned massive applause.

If this was all part of the Demonic Cult’s propaganda,

Then whoever planned it deserved a Nobel for strategy.

Even after that—

“At… the soy… no, uh, in the square…”

More stutters.

“Where was I again… ah!”

Minor rerun.

“From now on… many… p-please guide and like… me…? Thank youuuu…!”

BOW!

Finally, the Soft-Stammering Cult Princess’s Variety Hour has ended.

A round of thunderous applause followed.

Even for someone from the Demonic Cult, the crowd clapped generously.

Truly, the spirit of Orthodox Murim at its finest.

“Nuooong!!”

“Uuoogghh──!”

“Cult Leader-chan is soooo cuuuute~~!!”

…Though, admittedly, some of those voices sounded less than pure.

As Bumpkin Heavenly Demon-chan stomped off the stage in triumph, a strange, complicated feeling welled up inside me.

Not because I wanted to join in with the ‘Uuoogghh crowd’.

But because she was one of the few characters whose ending I clearly remembered.

Her name was Cheon Ruri.

Nicknames: Nong-Cheonma (Bumpkin Heavenly Demon). Nongnong-I (Lil Nongy). Geunri (Cringe Ruri). …Also “Cheon-grab (Cheon Idol)” and “Geun-nerd (Literally cringe + nerd)”

(You know how the gallery kids are.) (Oh my god, translating these names kill me.)

Despite the protective instinct her adorably frail design inspired, both in-game art and in real life—

She was constantly harassed because of her name and voice.

Her in-game route? Let’s summarize:

In the Orthodox route, there were two paths:

If you managed her affection well, you could get the infamous:

“Ultimate Pedo Route/Greatest Pervert Under The Heavens” — a.k.a. Set■maru Ending.

If you failed to raise her affection properly, she blackened mid-game and became a mid-boss during the second year.

The Demonic Cult route was similar.

And no matter what path you took… Yes, even both major routes…

There was also a bad ending:

Human Pill.

...Isn't that too terrible as a final fate?

Now that I’d seen her in person, even though I’m definitely not a pedo, I felt… just a little, like I didn’t want her to end up that way.

While I was lost in such thought, the staff gave us a bunch of explanations, including academy facilities, services, etc.

After that, the entrance ceremony officially ended.

The faculty quietly disappeared, and in their place came those who had entered Hundred Flowers Academy a year before us.

A few of the second-year seniors stepped forward.

“Alright, freshmen! Great job enduring that long, boring ceremony!”

The one who began talking was the 2nd-year student president, a guy who looked big-hearted and jovial.

His face felt familiar, though I couldn’t place his name.

Then again, why bother memorizing the names of male characters?

In any case, the president had the aura of a decent guy, and he wrapped up his seniorly words of wisdom with a friendly tone:

“Sorry for the dull speech! Lastly, the Azure Sky Association sincerely welcomes all you passionate newcomers! If you’d like to help make Hundred Flowers Academy an even better place, don’t hesitate to knock on our door!”

And with a little bit of student club promo slipped in, he made his exit.

Next came the dorm instructions.

“We’ll now show you to your dorms!”

“Boys, this way!”

“Girls, please gather over here!”

Ah yes…

As expected from the land of Confucian mustiness.

I briefly shuddered at the living quarters which are segregated by gender — truly a repressive gender discrimination culture.

Then again, even in modern South Korea, mixed-gender dorming is still taboo.

…Putting that dumb thought aside.

As the elite kids from the prestigious sects chattered among themselves in a self-important bubble,

I half-listened and followed a monkey-faced senior, who looked like he had more muscle than body fat.

Still stuck in that chilly in-between of winter and spring, we strolled beneath trees already blooming flowers in vibrant color despite the cold air.

“This here’s the male dorm — Azure East Hall! It’ll be your home from now on!”

Finally, the building that would cradle me through the coming nights for half a year revealed itself.

The game never really gave much detail about it.

But at least it looked better than a military barrack.

…Granted, compared to our Geum Family Estate, this place was a little shabby.

***

Azure East Hall, Building 1, Room 304. A triple room.

This was to be my new den for a while.

The long-awaited roommate number 1:

“Didn’t expect our fates to cross again so soon. Let’s properly introduce ourselves. I’m Unhak of the Beggar’s Sect.”

Ah yes, Mr. Martial Arts Mad Bird, Unhak.

And number 2:

“Oh! If it isn’t Young Master Geum who swept away my hard-earned gold. Thanks to you, I nearly took a loss on my own gamble!”

Still fiddling endlessly with a set of dice — a gambling addict named Moyong Taek.

From the feel of it, I could tell what kind of mix this was:

One from the Nine Great Sects.

One from the Ten Great Clans.

And one low-tier commoner like me from the general admission pool.

A standard distribution setup, it seemed.

After exchanging names, an awkward silence fell between us.

Aside from all being newly-drafted into the martial world, we didn’t share much in common.

Fidgeting, hesitating.

While unpacking the luggage, I even shook out my blanket unnecessarily like a bored cat.

Then—

“Freshmen, come downstairs and collect your daily necessities!”

The monkey-faced senior’s voice boomed through the hallway.

Looking out the window, I saw massive bundles piled up at the front gate.

Just as I was naturally about to step outside—

A soft hand rested gently on my shoulder.

“Hm?”

Moyong Taek was wearing a rather suspicious smile.

“We’ve got three strapping men here. Wouldn’t it be inefficient for each of us to go pick up our own bundles?”

After a short pause:

“Let’s pick one unlucky guy to haul all three. Wanna have a go, chickens?”

Cheeky bastard’s trying to play mind games?

“Just don’t come crying when you lose.”

Men with the Geum surname don’t lose in bets.

Neither do I.

A brief moment later.

“No way… This can’t be happening…”

Moyong Taek, who was clearly quite skilled at gambling, had lost.

But of course, it’s a law of the universe: whoever suggests the bet always loses.

“I’ll go with him and help—”

“Hold it right there. That would only insult Moyong Taek's honor as a man.”

“Mm…”

And with that very reasonable logic, I successfully blocked Unhak’s goodwill.

Sure, he was basically a walking PSA about proper martial arts etiquette, but there are some things a man must hold the line on.

After Moyong Taek huffed and puffed his way back to the room with all three bundles...

“No! I can’t let this slide! I demand a rematch!”

The gambling addict madman was officially fired up.

Unhak looked uneasy, but backing out after a win would make him a coward.

A few rounds of dice.

A few raised voices.

A few newly-issued daily necessities traded hands.

What ensued was an intense battle royale.

“Come on, knead it properly. That’s way too weak.”

“Gah… the shame…”

Hierarchy established.

As always, nothing bonds men faster than a good game.

“Hey, youngest. Go get us a snack.”

“Nngh… guhh…”

“Yo, don’t crack your teeth on that.”

Rank: 3rd place.

Unhak turned his head away dramatically, like he was in the middle of a late-onset puberty crisis.

Upset?

Hey, if you didn’t want to be bottom rank, you should’ve won.

***

After finishing a decidedly mediocre dinner, barely worthy of being called edible—

I wandered the academy grounds, soaking in the golden glow of sunset.

The campus was so massive it could practically be a small city.

Better to get familiar now than get lost later.

I passed the cafeteria and was heading toward the training hall when—

Flutter—

There it was again.

That now-familiar small animal darting into my view.

It was the Squirrel Girl’s squirrel.

Just how many times a day does that girl film “The Great Squirrel Escape Saga”?

“Kyu!”

The little critter dashed up and with light, practiced hops — tap tap tap — and landed cleanly on my shoulder.

Then, right in my ear—

“Kkyu! Kkyuit! Kkyu! Kkyuit-kkyu?”

It tried to communicate in Squirrel language.

……How the hell is a human supposed to understand squirrel?

As I was looking into those bright, round eyes…

Yup. Here she comes.

“Ah! There you are!”

Squirrel-thunder-girl appeared.

She was, like me, dressed neatly in Hundred Flowers Academy’s uniform.

“Ohhh…”

I couldn’t suppress the sound that rose from deep inside my soul.

Whoever made the “Exposure Patch” mod—

Are they a god?

The way her chest had that perfect ventilation gap… and seeing the cool breeze blowing through it…

It made my lungs feel like they could finally breathe.

And… dots. Dots.

Holy hell. Dots.

“Hehe, fancy seeing you again here at the academy, Young Master Geum. Congrats on placing first!”

“Thank you.”

The squirrel jumped nimbly from my shoulder to hers, and the empty space it left was filled with puff.

“Come to think of it, we never introduced ourselves properly, did we? Let me formally introduce myself. I’m Myo Narang of Nanman Beast Palace. You can just call me Lady Narang, if you like!”

For a moment, I just stared blankly at her face.

Nanman Beast Palace…

That meant she was from the Far Southern Wilderness.

The very land where Meng Huo roared and Lady Zhurong whipped her way to legend.

Aren’t people from that region supposed to be… a bit darker-skinned or something?

The moment my eyes met squirrel girl’s — no, Myo Narang’s —

I realized I’d just committed a discourtesy.

“Ah… I apologize. I’m Geum Sihyeon of the Warring Gold Fields.”

I added a belated apology with my introduction.

“Hehe. I get that a lot — ‘you don’t look like you’re from the Southern Wilds.’ So don’t worry about it.”

But Myo Narang just smiled brightly.

Wait a second. This girl…

Could it be… is she interested in me?

Could this be the start of spring in my life?

Who cares about backgrounds? I’ll let myself be captured and recaptured seven times if needed──

“Actually, I asked Darami to find you because I had a small favor to ask. It’s a little sudden, so I wanted to be careful…”

Ah.

So there was another motive.

I reeled in my fluttering heart like a fishing line, keeping myself in check.

“What is it you need help with? If it’s something I can do, I’ll try my best.”

Regardless, this was a great opportunity to raise affection.

Unlike Bumpkin Heavenly Demon Girlboss, this girl wasn’t a character I remembered from the game.

But this wasn’t a game anymore.

In real life, it’s always smart to maintain good relationships wherever possible.

“Well, I heard that the valedictorian gets access to the Heavenly Martial Library to pick a martial art… A-ah! I’m not asking you to give up your choice! I just wanted to see if a certain manual is in there. It’s really important to me…”

She trailed off a little awkwardly, clearly worried she was overstepping.

I watched her for a moment then nodded readily.

“Of course. Just tell me the title. Looking it up isn’t any trouble at all.”

Stars twinkled in her eyes.

“It might not be in there, but… it’s called the Heavenly Beast Heartbind Art.”

“Alright. I’ll check when I go in.”

“Thank you! Thank you so much…!”

She bowed repeatedly, causing her upper body swaying with enthusiasm…

For some reason, watching that movement made my own chest swell with emotion.

“Then how should I get the results to you?”

That question was very much intentional.

Fortunately, Myo Narang picked up on it perfectly.

“Ah! I’ll give you my smartphone number!”

This was a historic moment.

Across both past and present lives, this was the first time a girl had voluntarily given me her number.

If I had a status window, I swear it would’ve popped up with an achievement now.

“Th-then! I’ll be waiting to hear from you! Thank you again~!”

As Darami wagged its tail and butt from her shoulder like it was waving goodbye, we parted ways.

She was a cheerful and energetic girl, but the moment she said the name of that martial art, there had been a flash of sorrow in her expression.

She must have some kind of backstory.

But I wasn’t about to pry.

After all, I was planning to go to Heavenly Martial Library today or tomorrow anyway, to exercise my valedictorian privilege.

Only one manual could be taken out, of course.

But I could still read the others inside.

That would be enough.

As long as the Heavenly Beast Heartbind Art was in there… I could just memorize the whole thing.

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