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𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟐𝟒
Hwang Se-jin was called a genius by everyone in his family since he was young.
He was truly gifted with natural talent, and of course, no one among his peers could keep up with him.
However, after a few years, another monster named Hwang Ji-hak appeared in the Hwang family.
Hwang Ji-hak’s talent was not inferior to Hwang Se-jin’s, and he even seemed to be slightly ahead.
「. . .𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙙.」
Unlike Hwang Se-jin, who was used to praise from those around him and spent his early to mid-teens just fooling around, Hwang Ji-hak never wasted a single day.
Naturally, the gap between the two gradually narrowed, and now, even Hwang Se-jin couldn’t guarantee his superiority over Hwang Ji-hak.
For Hwang Se-jin, who was approaching his mid-20s, this was something that hurt his pride.
「𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙅𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙜-𝙬𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙬.」
Before Hwang Ji-hak had emerged, Hwang Hye-yeon, who was expected to lead the Hwang Jeong-wook faction in the future, had shown poor growth.
Since the Hwang Jeong-wook faction and Hwang Se-jin’s faction were in a symbiotic and competitive relationship, overseeing neighboring districts, Hwang Se-jin had unknowingly made fun of Hwang Hye-yeon.
It was around that time that he first met Han Kang-yoon.
「𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙜𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧.」
Han Kang-yoon was clearly inferior to Hwang Se-jin at the time, but he didn’t back down and expressed his opinions to Hwang Se-jin.
Hwang Se-jin was so annoyed by this that he never forgot Han Kang-yoon’s face from that day on.
「𝙃𝙪𝙝, 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙙𝙤 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙜𝙤𝙩 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙗𝙞𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙧?」
Of course, it seemed that he had developed his abilities to some extent compared to those days, but Hwang Se-jin didn’t think it was enough to be a problem.
“. . .There it is.”
Fortunately, he found the Yellow Feather Bird while heading towards the middle of the mountain.
Hwang Se-jin followed the bird’s path and finally found its nest.
There were a few trial and errors along the way, but it was clear that he was moving at a very fast pace.
If Hwang Se-jin had predicted Han Kang-yoon’s abilities, it would have been obvious that it would take him at least a day or two to catch the Yellow Feather Bird, no matter how bad he was.
「𝙄 𝙜𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙨 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙙.」
After about an hour of struggling and adapting to the Yellow Feather Bird’s movements, Hwang Se-jin was finally able to capture one of the birds he had been watching.
Hwang Se-jin returned to the starting point with such a majestic air.
It was exactly seven hours since the match had started.
Thud.
Thud.
“. . . . . .”
While walking, Hwang Se-jin stopped and squinted his eyes as he noticed something.
This was because Han Kang-yoon, his opponent, was already standing next to Hwang Jin-chul, the referee.
「𝙒𝙝𝙮. . . . . . .」
It was much faster than expected. Hwang Se-jin looked around Han Kang-yoon with trembling eyes. And then he realized that something was strange.
Han Kang-yoon was there, but the Yellow Feather Bird was not. Hwang Se-jin sighed with relief for a moment at that fact.
「𝙒𝙚𝙡𝙡, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚’𝙨 𝙣𝙤 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙡𝙮.」
The Yellow Feather Bird that Hwang Se-jin had experienced firsthand was a creature that was extremely sensitive to its surroundings and agile. It had abilities that could truly be called divine.
Even Hwang Se-jin, who had been lucky enough to spot the Yellow Feather Bird from the beginning, had taken this much time, so it was absurd to think that Han Kang-yoon had surpassed him.
However, it didn’t take long for Hwang Se-jin’s confidence to be shattered.
Whew.
As Han Kang-yoon whistled lightly, a clear birdsong was heard from somewhere and a gust of wind brushed past Hwang Se-jin’s head.
When he checked its identity with trembling eyes, he saw a Yellow Feather Bird perched on Han Kang-yoon’s shoulder, flapping its feathers without a care in the world.
「𝙏-𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙣’𝙩 𝙗𝙚.」
Han Kang-yoon hadn’t failed to capture the Yellow Feather Bird. Rather, he had already captured it and even tamed it.
Hwang Se-jin’s steps naturally lost their strength as he realized this fact.
Hwang Jin-chul, the referee, spoke to Hwang Se-jin as he returned to the starting point, gritting his teeth.
“Exactly 5 hours and 37 minutes difference. You know what I’m talking about, don’t you?”
Of course. It was clear that this was the time difference between Han Kang-yoon and Hwang Se-jin completing the purpose of the bet.
However, that’s why it was even more unbelievable.
“. . .Don’t joke around. Are you saying that that insignificant brat caught the Yellow Feather Bird in less than two hours? It’s impossible unless he cheated somehow.”
Hwang Se-jin was convinced. It was impossible for Han Kang-yoon to capture the Yellow Feather Bird in such a short time with his level of ability.
However, the one who answered him was not Hwang Jin-chul, but Hwang Gwang-soo, a powerful member of the Hwang Jeong-wook faction.
“There was absolutely no foul play in the match. I, the supervisor, guarantee it.”
If the other side came out like that, Hwang Se-jin had no way to respond.
So all that was left was the ugly struggle of a loser who couldn’t accept defeat.
“. . .Hwang Gwang-soo, your senses have dulled a lot too. Do you really think an outsider could clear the Yellow Feather Bird quest so quickly, something that exorcists from the Hwang family can’t easily succeed at? Do you really think that makes sense?”
“Oh, you still can’t get rid of that habit. What does it matter if he’s an outsider or not? Han Kang-yoon’s skills were simply better, and you were lacking.”
Hwang Se-jin bit his lip at Hwang Gwang-soo’s words.
Judging from the energy he was clearly feeling, Han Kang-yoon was inferior to him. But then why did things turn out this way?
Hwang Se-jin’s body trembled with an indescribable feeling as Hwang Ji-hak, who had been watching the situation, approached him.
“There’s no need to be so heartbroken. This was the obvious outcome.”
“. . .What?”
“Even if the opponent was me, I wouldn’t have been able to get such quick results. That’s how skilled Han Kang-yoon is now.”
“Ugh.”
“Han Kang-yoon, who you’ve always ignored as an exorcist, has now become one of the most talented people in the academy. Isn’t it time to change that narrow-minded thinking?”
Although Hwang Ji-hak’s words were so unpleasant, Hwang Se-jin couldn’t argue with them now.
The results he saw with his own eyes were too clear.
In the end, Hwang Se-jin had no choice but to admit defeat, barely suppressing his disappointment and humiliation.
“I-lost.”
It was the moment when the winner of the bet over the Yellow Feather Bird was decided.
🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷
Deep within a traditional-style house with an old-fashioned atmosphere.
A man sitting neatly on the floor is frowning and drinking glass after glass of alcohol.
He was Cheong Do-yool, one of the elders of the Cheong family and a special-grade exorcist.
“. . .Dammit. Those idiots.”
Cheong Do-yool’s faction has not been doing well lately.
The first reason was that the forces within the faction had begun to waver, and the second reason was that they had lost a considerable amount of support from the neutral forces.
And the cause of all this was the disappearance of the azure dragon, the guardian deity of the Cheong family.
「Things are really going downhill.」
He was already feeling down because he hadn’t received the azure dragon’s approval, and now it had disappeared altogether.
The azure dragon belonged to no one and was the guardian deity of the family, but since the Cheong Sa-woon family had been expelled, Cheong Do-yool was in charge of the area, so he had to bear most of the responsibility.
For Cheong Do-yool, this was like adding insult to injury.
「𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙣’𝙩 𝙜𝙤 𝙤𝙣. 𝙄𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙚𝙨, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙞𝙥 𝙞𝙣 𝘾𝙝𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙎𝙤-𝙝𝙖’𝙨 𝙛𝙖𝙫𝙤𝙧.」
That was something he had to prevent at all costs. Cheong Do-yool threw the glass he had been holding at the wall in a fit of irritation.
Whoosh!
Crash!
Clatter.
Click.
The shattered pieces of the glass flew everywhere, and soon someone who had entered from outside the door began to clean them up carefully. It was Cheong Lee Rin, who could be considered Cheong Do-yool’s right-hand woman.
Cheong Do-yool, looking at Cheong Lee Rin, barely suppressed his irritation and opened his mouth.
“. . .I guess it’s time for me to move directly.”
“Do you have something in mind?”
“Yes, first I will thoroughly clean up the inside of the faction. By deliberately creating friction with Cheong So-ha’s forces.”
There is no surer way to establish a clear atmosphere in an originally chaotic environment than to create a common enemy.
And there happened to be someone who was perfect for that role in the current situation.
“. . .I’m sure her name was Cheong Juhwa.”
“The daughter of Cheong Sa-woon, is it? Are you thinking of using her?”
“Yes. Cheong So-ha has just taken in that young girl, and the justification is on our side. There’s no reason to hesitate.”
The Cheong Sa-woon family, who had violated the taboo and been expelled from the family. And if it was said that the azure dragon’s wrath had been incurred because of the existence of Cheong Juhwa, the last of their bloodline, there would surely be those in the neutral forces of the family who would understand.
「𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙩𝙤 𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙪𝙨𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙯𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙤𝙣’𝙨 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙚𝙭𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩.」
If that happened, the next thing that would happen was simple. The Cheong So-ha faction, which was protecting Cheong Juhwa, would be pressured, and inevitably, a violent clash would occur.
A countermeasure that would weaken the Cheong So-ha faction, which had always been a hindrance, and at the same time, quell the negative attention on the faction’s internal atmosphere and the azure dragon incident.
Cheong Do-yool was convinced that it was the best judgment.
“Gather all the faction representatives. We will take action immediately, before the other side notices.”
“. . .Yes, I understand.”
Thus, the small crack that had formed within the Cheong family finally began to grow in size.
🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷
After admitting defeat in the match, Hwang Se-jin left after apologizing for his insults to Hwang Hye-yeon, his face pale.
Even that attitude was arrogant, but it could be said to be a complete victory for this side, which had actually received everything it had come for.
“I must also keep my word. Here, the Yellow Dragon Jade Pill we promised. I brought the one in the best condition, so I hope you use it wisely.”
“Thank you, Elder.”
I took the Yellow Dragon Jade Pill that Hwang Jin-chul handed me and went straight to the same place as last time, without missing a beat.
I didn’t have much time now, so I planned to quickly absorb the power of the elixir and leave the Hwang family’s district.
“What do you plan to do next?”
“Well, I’m sure I’ll be busy in many ways.”
“Then I guess we’ll meet again after we return to the academy.”
After absorbing the power of the elixir to the level I had aimed for through training with Hwang Ji-hak, I immediately began to move upon receiving a message from Cheong Ji-yeon that suspicious movements had been detected.
“. . .Will you come again later if you have time? There’s not much to do around here anyway.”
“I’ll drop by again when I have the chance.”
After saying goodbye to Hwang Hye-yeon, I left the Hwang family’s district, intuitively feeling that the incident was about to begin.
「. . . . . . .」
And soon after, an urgent message came to me.
The sender was Cheong Juhwa, who could be said to be the main character of the latter half of Chapter 3 of this story.