I'm The Lowest-Ranking Daughter Of A Martial Arts Villain - Chapter 36

“Hey, Na Rin. Long time no see.”

Na Rin’s answer to Gang San’s awkward greeting was a sword strike.

Flash!

The sunlight hung like dew on the tip of Na Rin’s sword as she spun her body around, adding strength and speed to her strike.

“I’ll teach you a lesson.”

Don’t worry, elder brothers.

It won’t hit you.

“Eh? Uh?”

The next moment, Na Rin’s figure disappeared from the trainees’ sight.

Na Rin leaped and soared, taking a high stance above even the adult men’s heads.

“Dodge!”

Boom!

The sword strike that would have reached the ground a few beats faster if there was sword energy, came crashing down with Na Rin’s small body.

“Uwaah!”

“Oh my!”

The training ground floor made of blue limestone shattered into pieces, as if a heavy hammer had been thrown with full force, and the trainees were knocked back several steps by the shockwave spewing rock dust.

It was a scene of carnage caused purely by physical strength and speed.

‘What if three of us attack at once?’

Blue eyes flashed through the settling gray dust.

‘Nonsense!’

The moment she took the next step in a different direction.

“We surrender!”

Ho Cheon, who was quick to judge the situation, shouted abruptly.

Gang San and Yu Un were a little surprised as they hadn’t thought that far yet.

However, if asked if they were confident to continue, they had no choice but to remain silent.

“Already?”

Na Rin shouldered her sword on her back and stood with one leg crossed, as if disappointed.

Come on, let me stretch my body a bit.

‘I won’t hit you, so show me the results of your training, elder brothers.’

The trainees’ faces turned pale at Na Rin’s reassuring smile.

“We surrender!”

“I surrender too!”

As Gang San and Yu Un quickly declared defeat, Na Rin had no choice but to smack her lips.

Na Rin twirled her sword and smoothly sheathed it.

Then she turned her body towards Elder Jeon Si-yeol, who had been watching her performance.

“Did you see that?”

She puffed out her chest and put her hands on her waist, looking quite proud.

Shouldn’t such an expression be made after accomplishing something at least a little challenging?

‘This is troublesome.’

Did Elder Eom Sa-hon fail in selecting talents?

Or did he deliberately pick weak children, hoping they would suffer humiliation at Bongma Cave?

Jeon Si-yeol naturally glanced at Eom Sa-hon and shook his head.

‘No, that’s not it.’

If that were the case, Elder Eom Sa-hon wouldn’t be standing there dumbfounded with his mouth wide open.

In fact, whoever the opponent was, what did it matter?

The training ground floor was reduced to that state.

He had thought she wouldn’t be an ordinary child, but this talent was beyond common sense.

‘She clearly said to dodge.’

Usually, the shouts made when attacking are hostile words like “Here I come!”, “Take this!”, “Die!”. It’s not meant for anyone to hear, but to boost one’s own spirit. However, the words that came out of Na Rin’s mouth were quite out of place.

‘She knows well that her strength is great.’

In reality, none of the trainees were able to block Na Rin’s single blow.

It was just a simple downward strike, without even a hint of internal energy.

“Now let me go to Bongma Cave.”

Na Rin approached Jeon Si-yeol, who was deep in thought, and urged him.

To anyone’s eyes, she was just a cute little child.

‘It’s still too early.’

The reason Jeon Si-yeol thought so was because he couldn’t feel even a pinch of internal energy from Na Rin.

‘We can’t lose such a talent at Bongma Cave.’

To be honest, Na Rin deliberately didn’t use her internal energy, but there was no way for Jeon Si-yeol to know that, so it was a natural conclusion.

“I acknowledge that Young Lady So’s strength is great. However, this cannot be considered a proper match. Didn’t you just break the training ground?”

Na Rin’s eyes widened.

This is…! A blind spot!

‘We’re in trouble. I promised not to hit them.’

I thought they would easily give in if I just showed them my strength, but this Jeon Si-yeol is unexpectedly not easy.

What should I do? Should I bring up the discourtesy Elder Eom Sa-hon committed earlier and scold them?

Then Jeon Si-yeol spoke.

“Elder Eom.”

“Yes?”

“Just defend.”

A surprised look flashed across Eom Sa-hon’s face.

Even so, to have an elder step up against such a child.

Normally, Eom Sa-hon would have protested, saying it’s unfair and accusing them of looking down on him, but the situation was different now.

‘It’s a golden opportunity to teach the brat who disrespected Geomwangjeon a lesson about the world’s harshness!’

Eom Sa-hon cupped his hands and shouted in a loud voice.

“I accept the Elder’s command!”

However, there was one more fact that Eom Sa-hon was unaware of.

He wasn’t the only one welcoming this situation.

‘What a stroke of luck!’

Of course, Na Rin didn’t forget her promise to Gong Son Wu.

It was a promise like this.

‘I will not hit the trainees, harm them, or crush them!’

That’s right. The targets Na Rin must not hit are strictly the ‘trainees’, not the elders.

Jeon Si-yeol said to Na Rin.

“Now, let’s have another match…”

Swish!

Before he could finish his words, Na Rin’s body shot forward.

Once on the sparring stage, it’s just an excuse to say one was off guard.

The moment Eom Sa-hon’s hand grasped the sword handle to block Na Rin’s body rushing in at high speed.

A cold killing intent flashed in Na Rin’s eyes.

‘Let’s test it out.’

Although she had only learned it once.

Heavenly Dragon Sword Technique, 1st Stance. Heavenly Dragon Probing Claw.

The ever-changing sword energy bursting from the tip of the wooden sword overturned the training ground floor as it writhed.

Like a water snake cutting through the currents, like a mole digging through a well-plowed rice field. Na Rin’s stance traversed the training ground unhindered, instantly penetrating right in front of Eom Sa-hon.

“Ugh!”

Eom Sa-hon instinctively threw his body and rolled on the ground.

It was the so-called Lazy Donkey Roll.

Named after the image of a lazy donkey rolling on the ground, it was a practical and useful martial art technique chosen as a last resort when it was impossible to block or dodge the opponent’s attack.

If there was a drawback, it would be that it looked too unsightly.

“Not bad.”

Na Rin nodded her head with a pleased expression.

A weakling like Eom Sa-hon should at least discard his pride if he wants to survive against the great Blood Plum Blossom, Lady Ju Na Rin, right?

On the other hand, Jeon Si-yeol’s eyes widened as he witnessed Na Rin’s move right in front of him.

‘What did I just see?’

It’s not perfect.

No, it can’t even be said to be complete.

There was no internal energy felt, and the details were just a rough imitation.

But if someone asked about Na Rin’s swordsmanship, he could only say this.

“Heavenly Dragon… Sword Technique.”

The moment he uttered it out loud, a shiver ran through his entire body.

The Martial Tiger of the East. The Heavenly Dragon Sword Technique of Gong Son Wu, the Guardian King.

It was a unique martial art that wasn’t even passed down to the elite Blue Dragon Brigade.

‘There was a reason for sending the Blue Dragon Medallion with the child.’

Eom Sa-hon, who narrowly dodged the attack, turned red in the face at the sight of Na Rin not even intending to make the next move. Since he dodged using the Lazy Donkey Roll, the match was as good as over, but to be beaten so one-sidedly.

“Ugh…! Co, cowardly! The starting signal wasn’t even given!”

“What cowardly. We ain’t righteous folks either.”

Na Rin ignored Eom Sa-hon’s nonsensical protest with a single snort and turned her body towards Jeon Si-yeol.

“Now do I have it?”

“Uh… Pardon?”

“My exam pass.”

Na Rin spread out her small hand and extended it towards Jeon Si-yeol, grinning.

There was no other way.

“I understand. A promise is a promise.”

“Hehe.”

Other than coming up with another plan.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Where are we going like this?”

Na Rin’s cheeks puffed up like a blowfish.

It was a habit of hers when something displeased her.

To be exact, stage 1 was sticking out her lower lip, and when she was even more upset and entered stage 2, she would puff out her cheeks.

Na Rin was currently at stage 2.

“I never said you would enter alone.”

“Then what’s the point of the exam!”

Na Rin pointed her finger at the mid-teen Geomwangjeon trainees preparing to enter Bongma Cave behind her.

“An escort!”

“Not an escort, but taking the exam together. In other words, they are your fellow examinees.”

Jeon Si-yeol spoke with a nice excuse, but anyone with eyes could see that it was nonsense.

Because the examinees were standing in a circular formation surrounding Na Rin.

‘If I knew this would happen, I should have just beaten them to a pulp.’

Na Rin was having thoughts that would make Eom Sa-hon faint if he knew, but even if she had, Jeon Si-yeol’s decision wouldn’t have changed. He couldn’t put the Martial Tiger’s disciple in danger.

Just to be sure, he even separately confirmed with a trainee who had become a Blue Dragon Brigade member.

Then, as if he had been waiting, Jeon Si-yeol’s trainee peer said. How did he know?

‘I was also told that she would become the future master of Dongcheon Palace.’

It wasn’t an empty fuss. Since Gong Son Wu had only one disciple, Na Rin, if there were no variables, the next Martial Tiger would be Na Rin.

It wouldn’t hurt to make a good impression.

“The path in Bongma Cave is one-way. When you reach the end, there will be an exit, so just come out from there. There is no time limit.”

“I know.”

“I wish you good luck.”

Rumble!

As the stone door opened, the sound of it scraping against the stone floor filled the air, and the interior of Bongma Cave, filled with darkness, was fully revealed.

What’s so great about walking through a dark cave that one would need good luck?

Na Rin waved her hand dismissively, not needing it, and stepped inside.

However, Na Rin would soon come to regret this decision.

Good luck.

She should have accepted it.

Bongma Cave.

The name literally means a place where demons are sealed.

However, regardless of the impression from the outside, the character ‘Ma’ (demon) was as common in the Demon Cult as the character ‘Ryong’ (dragon) in the Imperial Palace.

In other words, it was just a universally good character attached anywhere.

Therefore, Na Rin thought that Bongma Cave, contrary to the brutal atmosphere its name evoked, would just be an ordinary artificial cave.

In fact, that thought wasn’t entirely wrong.

Bongma Cave was indeed an artificial cave.

If one had to say, it wouldn’t be wrong to call it ordinary.

If only it didn’t have this.

“Aaargh!”

Ping! Splatter!

Screams burst out from the trainees’ mouths as a rain of arrows flew in from somewhere.

The arrows weren’t flying at a fast speed, so if one reacted calmly, it wasn’t too difficult to dodge or deflect them, but…

‘Still, it’s not easy in the dark.’

The arrows set up by a mechanism, not a person, flew in from the darkness.

Since it was a machine, naturally there was no detectable energy.

The indiscriminate attack characteristic of inanimate objects, pouncing from unseen places.

This kind of terror was designed to feel twice, thrice as dangerous to those unfamiliar with it.

‘Not a bad test.’

Na Rin nodded her head, acknowledging the meaningfulness of the Bongma Cave exam.

Because when it comes to distinguishing martial artists from ordinary people, guts are more important than skill.

Swish!

“Hup!”

At the sound of air being sucked in, Na Rin squatted down on the spot.

A dart flew past the spot where Na Rin’s head had been just a moment ago, grazing the chest of a trainee standing right next to her. The boy, who was startled and fell on his bottom, shouted with a pale face.

“T-this is absurd. I’m going back to protest!”

“Yeah! We can’t die in a place like this!”

As if they would die from darts not even smeared with poison.

Na Rin spoke as if dumbfounded.

“Tsk tsk. What are you so afraid of?”