Chapter 105

“Gasp! Cough, cough!” After a period of clutching her stomach and gasping, Cha Jo-Ah finally managed to catch her breath as the oxygen reached her brain. I got cut without realizing it. What had she just gone through? Her eyes twitched as she recalled it step by step. It was shocking and confusing in many ways. Kang Jae-Hyeok had only been level 10 during his re-examination two months ago. Yet now he dared to go against Noble? And what was that strength? No, in the first place, what did he have to do with the Shooting Club? Why did he come to rescue Roh Jun-Yeop with the Shooting Club? Cha Jo-Ah turned her attention to Jang Yeon-Ju. This granddaughter of the Bow Saint could’ve made a name for herself as a top student in Lion’s Castle had she not clung to archery despite her lacking talent. But she had. And there were widespread rumours of her hostile relationship with the Shooting Club’s Roh Jun-Yeop. Cha Jo-Ah had judged that the possibility of her getting involved in this situation was low. Yet here she was. And she was also here with an unexpected variable. Shit. Cha Jo-Ah took her eyes off Jang Yeon-Ju and glared at Kang Jae-Hyeok. No matter how she thought about it, this cheeky freshman had to be at the center of this situation. Kang Jae-Hyeok was a lunatic who claimed to stand at the top of Noble’s class-based society. He’d even compared himself to an emperor. They say the madness of those with nothing to lose is the most terrifying.Such people should be avoided as much as possible. Cha Jo-Ah realized she would suffer if she tried to deal with Kang Jae-Hyeok directly, so she organized her thoughts and said, “Jae-Hyeok... no, Young Master, you’re right. I failed to grasp the situation earlier. But I’m ready to talk now.” She stood and smiled awkwardly. Her best option was to appease Jae-Hyeok temporarily while assessing the situation and coming up with a plan. However, there was a problem. “I’m telling you to disband, so what’s the point of a conversation?” Jae-Hyeok was unlike ordinary people, who understood and compromised according to the social structures and connections between people. His highest priority was following his convictions, as that was what it meant to be an aristocrat. “The Noble Club is harmful. Allowing a group that acts based on a sense of superiority is no different from leaving cancer untreated. What would happen if your behavior spreads? Are you going to make South Korea regress to the Middle Ages?” “That’s an extreme argument! Besides, you’re the one using the power of a duke to go on a rampage! You are no different than us, yet you act as if you’re the only one awake!” “The Kang family has no power, so what type of power am I trying to borrow?” Jae-Hyeok looked around at the Noble members, who were blushing in anger. Then he said bitterly, “At least for now, the Kang family is borrowing my power.” That’s why it’s my obligation to restore the family name. Click. Jae-Hyeok unsheathed his sword, and the startled Noble members quickly stepped back, still fearful after his previous demonstration of the Kang family’s swordsmanship. Jae-Hyeok saw this and shook his head. “As expected, a beating is the answer. Arrogant people like you have to suffer your stick’s other end to realize your mistakes.” Earlier, the reason Jae-Hyeok had pressured them with the title of duke was to teach them what it felt like to be oppressed by the class hierarchy, just as they did to others. Of course, in the process, he used violence to pay them back for insulting the Kang family, and also for their crime of kidnapping, imprisoning, and assaulting Roh Jun-Yeop. “I wasn’t beaten up!” Roh Jun-Yeop cried out after understanding the meaning of Jae-Hyeok’s words, but it was meaningless. Baek Do-Jin looked at his blood-stained face with pity. “How many times did you get hit for your face to end up like this? So ugly.” “Fuck! Who is calling who ugly!” Roh Jun-Yeop hadn’t been as upset when Kang Jae-Hyeok had called him ugly; after all, in the eyes of that handsome guy, most people would be ugly like a squid. However, wasn’t Baek Do-Jin just as bad as him? No, I’m better.I’m much taller... “You think I look like a kid? You think I’m short, huh?” “What the hell? Do you have a mind-reading Skill?” “Grrrr!” “Aaack! This damn dog bit me! That’s it. Someone untie the rope!” “......” The Noble members' attention, which had been focused on Jae-Hyeok, turned toward this new commotion. Few students were so composed and disciplined that they could ignore Baek Do-Jin and Roh Jun-Yeop's outbursts. There was only one exception. Cha Jo-Ah calmly assessed the situation. It’s quite unfavorable.Above all, it hurts that the Shooting Club seized the high ground. In addition, Noble was outnumbered, which was no surprise. Noble always had few members because aristocrats were rare and not all joined. Currently, the only Noble members at school were thirteen second-year students. However, each member of Noble was among the top in the year, and they had at least one retainer under their command, so even considering Jae-Hyeok and Jang Yeon-Ju’s skills, a full-on confrontation with the Shooting Club would ordinarily end in Noble’s victory. If it weren’t for the dozens of Shooting Club members occupying the second floor with their bows drawn, Cha Jo-Ah could’ve commanded her members to charge and have been done with it. “The disbandment of Noble... ” Her skin underneath her uniform turned black. Water, ink, blood, sweat, saliva—she armed herself with the mana control of the Cha family, which had the property of assimilating liquids into a formless armor. “The history of Noble is like the history behind Lion’s Castle. Even if we want to disband, the OBs won’t allow it. Besides, Young Master Jae-Hyeok, you don’t have the authority to order the disbandment of Noble.” Cha Jo-Ah turned to Jang Yeon-Ju. “Miss Yeon-Ju, please try to talk some sense into the Young Master. If he continues to force us, won’t the position of the Shooting Club be difficult as well?” She was talking with a smile, but it was a clear threat. If Jae-Hyeok crossed the line any further, the Shooting Club, which shared some type of relationship with Jae-Hyeok, would also suffer. Jang Yeon-Ju pulled the lollipop from her mouth and laughed—her lips, red from the candy, contrasted with her jade-white skin and sky-blue hair, accentuating her beauty. “No matter our position, it’ll be better than Noble’s.” “Hmph. You don’t have to worry about Noble. The OBs are firmly backing us up. In fact, just having the third-year students currently on assignment return will easily resolve this incident. Huh?” Cha Jo-Ah was speaking with an arrogant expression when she hurriedly waved her arm. With a heavy crash, Cha Jo-Ah was pushed back a few steps. Cha Jo-Ah got chills down her spine. If she hadn’t wrapped herself in her magic armor beforehand, she would have broken her arm just then. She glared at Jae-Hyeok as if she were going to kill him. “Isn’t it dishonorable to ambush someone who’s talking? For one claiming to be the heir of a great family and preaching about honor, you aren’t setting a good example.” “‘Wah～I’m going to tell the OBs.’ ‘Wah～I’m going to tell the seniors.’ I would’ve pretended to listen if you whined moderately, but you’re too grating.” “...Whining? Is that how you took my warning?” “That was a warning?” Jae-Hyeok tilted his head as he tucked the scabbard that he had just struck Cha Jo-Ah with back into his waistband. He wondered, “How is that a warning? The OBs and seniors you talked about are all farther away than my sword.” “......?” What was he saying? The puzzled Cha Jo-Ah suddenly turned pale. Bang! Another heavy force crashed into her, and this time, she’d been unable to react. The back of Jae-Hyeok’s blade had moved at a speed incomparable to when he’d swung his scabbard and directly struck her abdomen. “Uweeeek!” The magic armor was useless in the face of such force. Cha Jo-Ah knelt down and vomited, fully revealing what she had eaten for lunch that day. The pain was secondary; her ears turned red with shame. The sword drawing technique! She had already witnessed it several times today, but she still couldn’t fathom its speed. It seemed to transcend the laws of physics. She knew the advantage of sword-drawing techniques lay in speed, but wasn’t this too much? “I told you. My sword is closer. Will threats work just because you mention the OBs and seniors?” “Perhaps you don’t know my father... ” In the end, Cha Jo-Ah brought up her father. The mischievous expression on Jae-Hyeok’s face disappeared. He responded with a question. “Don’t you know who my father is? You... dare use your father’s status in front of me?” "......!" Cha Jo-Ah’s heart sank as she stared into Jae-Hyeok’s dark eyes, which increasingly reminded her of an abyss. Fear came over her. Then, a surge of anger. “...You brat! The son of a vegetable thinks he can trample on Noble and threaten me?” Her father was Black Wind Cha Seung-Min, an elite praised as the heart of South Korea’s military. He was a living, breathing person and the future of South Korea, on a completely different level from a living corpse like the Yaksha. So what was with this brat’s tone? Cha Jo-Ah’s eyes turned gold with anger. [Bloodline Skill: Devouring Shadow] The magic armor that had been hidden by her school uniform spread across her entire body. It was beyond being covered in tattoos. She looked as if she had become a three-dimensional shadow. A terrifying shockwave spread out, causing the entire Noble Hall to shake. Cha Jo-Ah’s figure disappeared without a trace, leaving behind a crater where she’d been standing moments ago. Bang! There was an ear-splitting explosion as Cha Jo-Ah appeared beside Jae-Hyeok. Her leg rose through her long skirt and wrapped around Jae-Hyeok’s neck. Cha Jo-Ah grinned ominously as she slammed her leg down to drive Jae-Hyeok’s face into the ground. Boom! However, it was her who hit the ground, not Jae-Hyeok. Cha Jo-Ah was stunned. She stared up confusedly at Jae-Hyeok, who stood over her unharmed. “You stole Kang Hyeon-Ah’s technique.” Jae-Hyeok’s face approached hers. “I think I know what type of person your father is.” “Cough!” He pressed his green scabbard, which represented the Kang family, down on Cha Jo-Ah’s throat. The Cha family’s Devouring Shadow was said to block even artillery shells. It boasted tremendous durability, but those wearing it were human beings after all. Even if the magic armor remained unbroken, the human body within would still experience pressure. Cha Jo-Ah’s eyes rolled back as she fainted. Jae-Hyeok shifted his gaze away and sighed, feeling a sharp pain in his neck as if he’d been burned. Even behind bars, she’s still causing trouble. He felt bad every time he thought of that fool in prison. Then he frowned and waved to the mesmerized Noble members. “Everyone, gather under me.”