43 — Let’s See You Prove It. (3)

“We won!”

“Wahahahaha! Soso won!”

Baek Cheon and Jo Gul threw their arms up and cheered. Hae Yeon and Yoo Han-bin shouted and cried hurrah along with them.

“Acting all proud — serves you right!”

“What? Saying he’s a prodigy or whatever? Oh dear! How embarrassing for the club rep who has to go next!”

“They must not have known you can’t compare to the Tang Family with just throwing and shooting!”

The Mount Hua disciples balled their fists and taunted the students lined up opposite them.

Seeing that, Tang Soso squeezed her eyes shut.

“…sahyung. Please, have some dignity.”

But her words went unheard by the other sahyung sajaes.

Tang Soso shook her head and grumbled to Yoon Jong, who was still keeping his composure.

“Do something about these idiots, sahyung.”

“…If I could, I wouldn’t be living like this.”

“True enough.”

Tang Soso snorted and began to turn, then paused.

“But… why that look on your face, sahyung?”

“Hm?”

“You look a bit uneasy.”

“Hmm. Not so much uneasy as…”

Yoon Jong hesitated as if thinking, then asked Tang Soso tentatively.

“Soso.”

“Yes?”

“Just asking on the off chance — if you hadn’t been here, could we have won this contest?”

“I don’t know.”

Tang Soso blinked at the question and fell into thought.

“Hmm. It’d be difficult… I don’t think so. If Chung Myung sahyung could’ve stepped in, maybe, but since sahyung can’t enter every event, it would be awkward to send him for archery.”

“Right.”

“I don’t think anyone else could have won.”

“Wouldn’t think otherwise.”

Yoon Jong looked at the students with a slightly stern face.

‘It’s lucky Mount Hua has Soso; if she hadn’t been here, we’d have lost the first round.’

That meant the students’ level was higher than expected. Even Song Hyun would be more than worthy of being called a future master archer once he left here.

“…This academy is where all the world’s prodigies gather.”

“Yes?”

“No. It’s nothing.”

Yoon Jong stared at the students with a hardened expression.

Amid the Mount Hua disciples’ celebration, the watching students, as if by agreement, didn’t open their mouths even once.

In that heavy silence, Song Hyun’s shoulders sagged as if a great weight had been placed on them.

Step. Step.

Someone walked slowly toward Song Hyun. When he looked up and saw Jwa Go-Hak standing before him, his face stiffened.

“Lift your head.”

“…sahyung.”

Jwa Go-Hak smiled faintly.

“The six arts are a gentleman’s virtues, but a gentleman needn’t master them all. It’s good to win, but if you lose, it’s not the end of the world.”

“…”

“I only hope your crushed look won’t be what amuses them.”

Those words made Song Hyun lift his head.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right.”

Jwa Go-Hak patted Song Hyun’s shoulder as if it were nothing and turned away.

He seemed unconcerned, but Song Hyun knew that coldly looking away was Jwa Go-Hak’s true nature.

This place overflowed with prodigies; even small faults meant you didn’t bring along someone already slightly marred.

Song Hyun couldn’t say more and returned to his place. After turning, Jwa Go-Hak’s gaze grew cold, but he smiled faintly at the Mount Hua disciples.

“A fine match. As expected, the famed Mount Hua are no easy opponents. I hadn’t thought we’d lose the first bout, though.”

Baek Cheon grinned and replied.

“Oh, is that so? Then that’s a relief. We were actually a bit flustered because it was easier than expected.”

The Mount Hua disciples whispered behind Baek Cheon.

“We didn’t win with that much effort, did we?”

“Soso even bled, you know.”

“Just leave her be. That fellow is uncontrollable today.”

Jwa Go-Hak’s face twitched as he faced Baek Cheon’s smirk.

“Ah… is that so?”

“Yes. Hmm. You said this academy gathers all the world’s prodigies, so I had some expectations, but this is… ah, my apologies. That uncivilized archer made a rude error due to ignorance; please forgive him.”

Gnash.

Jwa Go-Hak ground his teeth and, forcing a strained smile, nodded.

“If you’re disappointed… my apologies…”

The Mount Hua disciples watched with lifeless eyes, like fish left out of water.

“Why does he fall for such an obvious provocation? Didn’t they call him a prodigy?”

“How would we know?”

“That’s not the point. In life, everyone has at least one rival they desperately want to beat.”

“Seems sasuk has an unusually large number of those people.”

As the Mount Hua disciples watched the two exchange fiery looks, Jwa Go-Hak clapped to change the mood.

“Now then, let’s move on to the next event.”

“Whenever.”

“The next event is— horse riding.”

“Horse riding?”

Heeheeheeheehee-neigh!

No sooner had Jwa Go-Hak finished speaking than the sound of horses reached them and students led two steeds through the main gate.

A snow-white mare and an ink-black stallion, both glossy and proud — plainly renowned mounts.

“The rules are simple. Each representative mounts a horse and we compete to see who can circle this village fastest.”

Yu Han-Bin brightened at that.

“Perfect!”

“Hm?”

“Horse riding is a warrior’s specialty! It’s at least doable. Right?”

Yu Han-Bin looked hopefully at the Mount Hua disciples, but they hurriedly avoided his gaze.

“Masters…?”

“Uh… I’ve ridden an ox before.”

“I’ve once climbed onto a tiger’s back.”

Yoon Jong, aghast, scolded Jo Gul.

“Why the hell would you ride a tiger, you lunatic!”

“Huh? Aren’t you curious, sahyung? What it’s like to ride a tiger?”

“…”

“You’re curious, right? Honestly curious, aren’t you?”

“Well… I suppose a little.”

“Don’t you dare be convinced!”

Yu Han-Bin, who’d been listening blankly, was startled and berated the Mount Hua disciples.

“What! You can’t ride? That’s a joke, right? A warrior who can’t ride — is that even sane?”

“Oh. Nice wordplay. Want to try that one?”

“It’s not a joke!”

“Han-Bin.”

“Yes?”

Baek Cheon lightly gripped the angry Yu Han-Bin’s shoulder and smiled.

“Horses are expensive.”

“…”

“Bows are pricey, but horses cost even more. Mount Hua was practically a pauper sect until not long ago.”

“Th-then what about Brother Hae Yeon? He’s from Shaolin.”

“Heh heh heh. Amitabha. Have you, disciple, ever seen Brother Hae Yeon riding a horse in your life?”

“…No.”

“Exactly.”

Hae Yeon smiled as if it were obvious. Yu Han-Bin turned pale and scanned the Mount Hua disciples one by one.

“Wait, hold on. So there’s truly not a single person here who can ride a horse?”

“Soso, you can’t ride, right? You’re the rich family’s daughter.”

“I obviously learned horseback riding. But I just competed in archery, so I can’t go out again.”

“Even if we disguise you…”

“Don’t talk nonsense, Jo Gul sahyung. What about you? You must’ve driven a horse when you went on patrol.”

“I rode it in a cart…”

“So really, nobody knows how to ride a horse?”

“Seems that way.”

“Ha… haha.”

The Mount Hua disciples looked at each other and smiled indulgently. Worthless in the most useless ways……

“Should we forfeit?”

“Still, how can we forfeit? There’s pride.”

“Better to forfeit than endure the shame of falling off a horse you’ve never ridden. Seems less bruising to pride.”

“Mount Hua tolerates clumsiness, but not lack of guts. No way!”

“Then what do you expect? Will you go out yourself?”

“Ugh…”

Just then, Yoon Jong let out a world-shaking sigh.

“But do we even need to worry about this?”

“Hm?”

At Chung Myung’s voice, everyone snapped their heads around.

“Do you happen to know how to ride?”

“Me? I’m faster running — I’d be pissed having to ride something like that.”

“Right. I didn’t expect it. So what did you mean just now?”

“No, riding doesn’t necessarily mean the act of sitting on a horse, you know.”

“Hm?”

The Mount Hua disciples tilted their heads. What kind of odd nonsense was this now?

“Riding is the way to ride a horse, idiot!”

“No, think it through. As long as you can make the horse move how you want, doesn’t it count? You sit on it only because you can’t run as fast as the horse alongside it.”

“What a strange idea… The problem is there isn’t anyone who can mount the horse and control it, isn’t that right?”

Chung Myung smirked.

“Right. There’s no person.”

“Hm?”

“But you know what — there is something. Not a person.”

Those who couldn’t grasp Chung Myung’s meaning stared blankly at him, then, as if on cue, all turned their heads sharply.

Kii?

Baek Ah, standing on two legs beside Chung Myung, blinked his black eyes and tilted his small head. The Mount Hua disciples, dazed, exchanged indescribable expressions.

“This is, uh…”

“This might… possibly be a horse…?”

“It’s not impossible, right? We even put a Mount Hua uniform on it.”

“It’s not about possible or not… there’s really no other option, to be honest.”

For now, we have no choice but to push forward with momentum!

---

“…Are you joking right now?”

“Yes. I expected as much. My apologies.”

Baek Cheon bowed sharply to the other party, then turned back.

“They say it’s no good.”

“…That’s common sense, I suppose.”

“Just because you dressed it in a uniform doesn’t mean it’ll work, I tell you!”

As the Mount Hua disciples slumped, Chung Myung interjected casually.

“No, that’s the problem — the method is wrong.”

“Eh?”

“I didn’t mean make this one the representative. Anybody can go out. That one’s just supposed to sit on its shoulders.”

“…”

“Surely no one will protest that bringing your own animal is cheating.”

The Mount Hua disciples looked at each other again. A similar realization passed across their faces.

---

“Go-Gul! You can do it!”

“You’re the only one!”

“Make sure you win, sahyung!”

Tears of sorrow fell from Jo Gul’s eyes as he sat astride the snow-white horse.

“So why is it me…”

But what could be done? The youngest had already competed once, and there was no way he could beat that mad dog of Mount Hua.

Kiii!

Baek Ah, perched on his shoulder, thumped his chest as if to say ‘trust me,’ then tapped the back of Jo Gul’s head with a forepaw.

“…All right, thanks.”

It wasn’t a joke — this creature was truly the only one to trust. Called the king of spirit beasts, it’d show something. But that was Jo Gul’s perspective; his opponent apparently didn’t see it that way.

“…You’re my opponent?”

It’s not good to judge by appearances, but the man before him looked perfectly suited for this match.

He surveyed Jo Gul head to toe and frowned.

“Have you ridden a horse before?”

“Why do you ask that?”

“Your posture doesn’t look like someone who’s ridden a horse.”

“I’ve ridden before. I have.”

That made the man frown harder.

“Why are your legs tied?”

“…So I don’t fall off.”

“But you’re a warrior?”

“…I said I’d be fine, but the sahyung insisted.”

No, they probably just wanted to tease. Damn them.

Jo Gul looked down at his legs, bound tightly to the horse’s body, and sighed.

“And that marten of yours — what’s with it?”

“…Do I have to answer every single question?”

“Hah, really.”

The man on the black horse shook his head.

“This is pointless either way. We’ll be lucky if it even gets off the line properly. Be careful — fall off those beasts and you won’t be done with just a broken bone.”

Jo Gul agreed it was risky. The issue was they faced opposite directions.

“Now. We’ll start!”

Jwa Go-Hak stood between the two horses lined up in front of the main gate.

He raised his hand high, glanced at the two riders, then sharply brought his arm down.

“Go!”

At that moment, the snow-white horse shot forward like a beam of light.

“Huh?”

The man on the black horse, just about to start, froze and gaped.

“W-what! What on earth is that thing doing?!”

Snow Thunder — the white horse’s name.

A beautiful steed that always carried unmatched elegance and the students’ affection, it suddenly galloped as if a tiger rode its back, eyes rolling and foam at its mouth, charging at an astonishing speed none had ever seen before.