SIMB Chapter 330: Should I Try It?
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TL: FoodieMonster007 If you see this, you are at the wrong site!
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
From early morning, the clear ring of metal echoed ceaselessly around the mountain villa. In consideration for any herb gatherers, woodcutters, or passersby who might be startled by the sounds of violence, a large signpost was planted at the villa's entrance.
[Azure Dragon Academy Swordsmanship Research Society Summer Vacation Training Camp]
"Haaaap!"
"Yaaaah!"
Boys and girls crossed swords in the courtyard under the brilliant sunlight. Each time a loud clash rang out, startled mountain birds took flight in unison from the trees surrounding the villa.
"Everyone, breakfast is ready!"
When the students on cooking duty called out, the trainees immediately ceased their sparring and gathered in the dining hall. The appetizing smell made everyone's mouths water.
"Food! Food!"
"Good, I was starving."
"So it's you guys on duty today? Looks like we can expect something scrumptious."
The SRS had rented the entire mountain villa for their training camp. The goal was to sharpen each other's sword skills while eating and living together for a month.
This camp also served as an opportunity for seniors and juniors who weren't usually close to get to know each other better.
"Is the spot I accidently injured earlier okay?"
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"It's fine. You only grazed my arm slightly."
"Sorry, my sword deviated mid-swing…"
"Would you mind putting some wound salve on it for me, Senior?"
"Uh, is that okay?"
When young men and women lived and ate together in one place for about a month, it was natural for some couples to form. Sweet glances were exchanged here and there, and affectionate whispers could be heard everywhere. After more than ten days in the camp, many students were now walking around in pairs.
Of course, while some guys had all the luck in love, others simply…didn't.
"Damn couples…"
"What are they doing during our sacred training camp?"
"It's so annoying I can't even watch."
"I'm planning to train wearing an eye patch starting tomorrow."
The students who hadn't found a partner devoted themselves to training, hoping to at least gain something in swordsmanship. Needless to say, their sword techniques grew more polished by the day.
Regardless, Yoo Yiran was feeling displeased.
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"……"
"Hey President. Is it just me, or have you been in a bad mood lately?" Vice President Jeong Yeonhee asked mischievously.
Yoo Yiran looked at her friend. "Me? What reason would I have to be in a bad mood…?"
"Since the very first SRS summer camp, we have had a tradition of matchmaking many couples."
"Couples…"
Unconsciously, Yoo Yiran's gaze shifted to a pint-sized boy eating among the male students at the opposite end of the dining hall. Although hidden by the unnecessarily large male students surrounding him, she could vividly imagine Wiji Cheon stuffing his cheeks with food and chewing diligently.
"Look at that gaze. You've got it bad," Jeong Yeonhee whispered, nudging Yoo Yiran's side. "Half the camp is already over. Are you just going to let it pass without doing anything?"
"What am I supposed to do…?"
All her life, Yoo Yiran had never been interested in boys, let alone made an effort to attract their attention. Or rather, it was usually the other way around, which made her habitually cold towards men.
"Honestly, I'm not even sure exactly what these feelings are…" she mumbled hesitantly.
"Wow, everyone around you knows, so how come only you don't, President?" Jeong Yeonhee sighed deeply. "Aren't you being too complacent? Technically, you're not even his girlfriend. What will you do if someone else snatches him away?"
"…Someone else? Who?"
"Anyone." Jeong Yeonhee folded her arms. It seemed some shock therapy was needed. She lowered her voice further and whispered, "He's skilled with the sword and has a good personality. Plus, he's Mr. Baek Suryong's top disciple. There must be plenty of girls aiming for him besides you."
Yoo Yiran's eyes narrowed sharply. "Don't tell me you too…"
Jeong Yeonhee firmly shook her head. "I prefer bulky guys. If I had to pick, someone like Senior Hyonwon Kang?"
"…I-I see." Yoo Yiran sighed in relief, but she still had absolutely no idea how to express her feelings.
Sighing, Jeong Yeonhee decided to offer her some subtle help. "This afternoon's training session. Isn't it your turn to teach the first-years?"
"Hm? Yes, it is."
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"How about using sword instruction as an excuse to talk about various daily lifestyle things? Or maybe casually brush hands…"
"Y-You want me to do such a shameless thing?!"
All eyes in the dining hall turned towards the two of them, and even Wiji Cheon tilted his head in curiosity.
Yoo Yiran froze. She must have unconsciously raised her voice.
Jeong Yeonhee pressed a finger to her lips, then sent a message telepathically to Yoo Yiran. [Who said anything about seducing him outright? What I meant was, show him your charms as a woman, not just a swordswoman.]
[I understand what you mean, but…]
[Ugh, this is so frustrating. Okay, this is what you have to do…]
Jeong Yeonhee gave Yoo Yiran various pieces of advice.
Yoo Yiran nodded. Although she had no intention of following her vice president's words exactly, she decided to muster her courage just once.
During the summer training camp, the third and fourth years took turns teaching the first years every day. Today, it was Yoo Yiran's turn to teach.
Wearing her finest martial arts uniform, Yoo Yiran stood in front of the first-years. "First, I'd like each of you to demonstrate the swordsmanship you're most confident in. After that, we'll have a guided sparring session. Then I'll observe your free sparring with each other. Understood? Then let's begin."
""Yes, ma'am! We look forward to your instruction!!""
The tense freshmen demonstrated their swordsmanship one by one. Most of them were too nervous to demonstrate their skills in front of the president and repeatedly made mistakes.
Each time, Yoo Yiran offered advice to her juniors, from general tips on their swordsmanship to suggestions on how to tweak minor movements.
As expected from the SRS President, she had a very keen eye.
"Thank you!"
"Thank you!"
The juniors all looked deeply moved by Yoo Yiran's priceless advice.
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Finally, it was Wiji Cheon's turn.
"I'm Wiji Cheon," he greeted, then unsheathed his Soul Sword and began his demonstration.
Yoo Yiran marveled at the smooth, flowing movements.
There's nothing to correct.
There were moves she might have executed differently, but that was simply due to differences in physique and gender, not because his form was wrong.
Wiji Cheon instinctively traced the movements that suited him best, fully exploiting his dazzling innate talent.
However, Yoo Yiran wasn't just admiring him.
"…Excellent, but when you executed the third technique earlier, what if the opponent responded like this?" Drawing her sword, she countered the technique Wiji Cheon had just shown her.
Even though Wiji Cheon was stronger than her, it didn't mean that she couldn't criticize his swordplay. After all, there were definitely flaws that one couldn't perceive on their own.
"You're right… That's amazing, Senior!"
"W-What? It's nothing."
Yoo Yiran subtly avoided Wiji Cheon's brightly shining eyes and addressed the other first-years. "Alright, let's move on to guided sparring, one by one. Come up in the same order as before."
Again, Wiji Cheon was a crane among chickens. While the other first-year students struggled to block even ten of Yoo Yiran's strikes, Wiji Cheon easily dealt with her blows, equaling or even surpassing her.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Sword slashes flashed back and forth, too fast for most students' eyes to follow. Despite this, both fighters maintained their composure.
Since this wasn't a duel with victory or defeat on the line, the two occasionally paused their exchange to engage in discussion.
"Senior. Just now, I think it would have been better to shift your center of gravity further back and relax your wrist more."
"Why?"
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"It's more advantageous to deflect the attack first and then counterattack. Since your wrist is more flexible than mine…"
"I understand. Let's try again."
The deeper she got into her swordplay, the more Yoo Yiran forgot about showing Wiji Cheon her charms as a woman.
It didn't suit her anyway. She was most beautiful when she swung her sword with all her might.
The SRS executives watched from afar, sighing.
The Vice President Jeong Yeonhee muttered with a look of resignation, "…How can he not fall for her after seeing that side of her?"
"You know… what if the feelings we feel when we observe the President are the same feelings the she feels when she observes him?" one of the executives suggested.
Everyone else unconsciously nodded in agreement.
The days of diligent training in the mountain villa quickly turned into nights.
Countless stars dotted the night sky. Looking up from the mountains, the sky was literally an alternate world, mesmerizing enough to make one lose track of time as one stared blankly upward.
Most importantly, the freshly barbecued meat the students shared under the stars tasted the best in the world.
"Who caught that huge wild boar?"
"Wiji Cheon!"
"Are you good at hunting too?"
"I lived in the mountains with my grandfather when I was really young, hehe."
Students who loved the sword crossed blades daily for a month. It was enough time to open up to each other and have honest conversations. Before they knew it, they had all become quite close.
The conversations they had while sitting around after dinner had no real theme. They just chatted aimlessly about this and that until someone suddenly brought up a topic of interest.
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"Seniors, what are you going to do after graduation?"
The third- and fourth-year students who were about to graduate had many worries about their future after leaving Azure Dragon Academy. The juniors were also curious about the seniors' thoughts.
Everyone gathered around the campfire, and starting with the seniors, they shared their dreams one by one.
"I plan to take over my family's business and run our escort agency. I want to expand it under my leadership."
"I want to get a job at one of the Ten Great Companies and tour the jianghu. I'll be able to make money and travel, killing two birds with one stone!"
"For me, it is obviously the Murim Alliance. I'm going to take the entrance exam for the Divine Sword Corps."
"Won't you fail the background screening?"
"We get opportunities for internships after allying with the Murim Alliance, remember? I'm aiming for one of those spots."
While there were those with such realistic goals, others held more romantic notions about the jianghu.
"I'll roam the jianghu, helping the weak and punishing the villains."
"I want to hone my swordsmanship and become one of the top 100 swordsmen."
"If you're talking about the romance of the jianghu, isn't it being a freelancer?"
"Freelancing is a bit…"
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"It's dangerous and the pay sucks. You'll die penniless."
The conversation started by the seniors naturally flowed down to the juniors. The juniors also talked about their own goals and dreams. It was the kind of atmosphere where everyone felt they should share.
"Hey, Wiji Cheon. What are you going to do after graduation?"
Curious, everyone's gaze turned towards Wiji Cheon.
How would he answer?
To them, Wiji Cheon was a prodigy of the sword. Moreover, his master was the Azure Dragon Hero, one of the Ten Supremes. Even if he declared that he was aiming to become the world's strongest swordsman, no one would laugh.
Wiji Cheon's face turned red as a ripe persimmon as attention focused on him. In a voice barely louder than an ant's, he stammered nervously, "Ah, me… I-I want to become a teacher."
"A teacher?"
The completely unexpected answer made everyone's eyes widen.
Wiji Cheon scratched his cheek, looking embarrassed. "Well, the person I respect the most is Mr. Baek Suryong. Ah, excluding my grandfather, of course."
Wiji Cheon slowly began to tell the story of how he first met Baek Suryong, though naturally, he omitted the parts related to the Blood Cult.
"…Mr. Baek saved me when I was suffering from qi deviation. After that, he helped me enroll into the Azure Dragon Academy. It's all thanks to him that I was able to meet all of you… Also, whenever I heard the voice of the evil sword, he helped me stay on the right path."
Wiji Cheon was not a very good speaker. He was also very shy, so when many people looked at him, his face would turn red and his voice would get softer and softer.
Nevertheless, the boy's sincerity reached everyone.
"…That's why, I also want to become a teacher." Wiji Cheon lowered his head deeply after finishing his explanation.
A brief silence fell over the group following Wiji Cheon's unexpected confession of his dark past.
Until finally, Yoo Yiran broke the silence, asking, "Then how about a trial run?"
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"Pardon?"
"Tomorrow, for one day. Why don't you try instructing everyone in the SRS on swordsmanship?"
"W-What? But that's so sudden…"
"What does everyone else think?" Yoo Yiran turned to the rest of the club members.
The SRS executives readily nodded in agreement.
"The Sword Wonder's instruction is highly welcome."
"I wanted to learn from you anyway."
"Sounds fun. You could probably put this on your resume later, too?"
As the unimaginable became reality, Wiji Cheon's eyes widened. "R-Really? But I'm only a freshman…"
"What does that matter? You're the best swordsman here," Yoo Yiran grinned and patted Wiji Cheon's shoulder, giving him her full support.
After hesitating for a moment, Wiji Cheon replied with a determined expression, "Understood. I'll do my best!"
Unfortunately, no one knew the consequences of their decision at the time.
The next day, Demon Instructor Wiji Cheon graced the SRS training camp.
Translator's Note: This chapter marks the exact halfway point of the novel. We're half way there~ Take my hand, we'll make it, I swear~ Oh-oh, livin' on a prayer
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