The Martial God with Psychic Powers-Chapter 44

At Yeon Woo Jin’s words, everyone turned their heads toward the direction he was pointing.

Heo Wook and the others, who had been hiding, were now completely exposed.

“It’s not like we committed a crime. Let’s just stand up like men.”

Heo Wook rose confidently, and the other two followed his lead.

“Heo Wook?”

Seon Woo Baek’s face drained of all color.

“I-I didn’t bring them here! I swear!”

Seon Woo Baek looked at Yeon Woo Jin with a desperate, pleading expression.

“I know. Hmm... I still don’t want my identity spreading beyond this point.”

Yeon Woo Jin stroked his chin, thinking.

Then Jang Un, standing beside him, spoke.

“Now that Seon Woo Baek is the top lower-class student, he’ll constantly cross paths with them anyway. Might be better to let them know who you are and keep them under your thumb.”

“Yeah... they’ll cling to Seon Woo Baek no matter what. Can’t be helped. You’re right—it’d be better to just reveal myself and manage them directly.”

As Yeon Woo Jin and Jang Un talked, Heo Wook and the others descended the hill.

Heo Wook glanced back and forth between Seon Woo Baek and Yeon Woo Jin, then asked:

“What the hell is this? Why’s the top lower-class student groveling to him?”

“T-That’s...”

Just as Seon Woo Baek tried to answer, Yeon Woo Jin stepped forward.

“Enough. I’ll explain.”

“Mm.”

Heo Wook looked Yeon Woo Jin up and down.

“You’re dressed like a lower-class student too, huh?”

“That’s right. Same as you guys—Baekyeong Martial Academy, lower-class division.”

At that answer, Heo Wook and the others looked even more confused.

Heo Wook asked:

“Who the hell are you?”

“Me? Woo Jin.”

“Woo Jin? Never heard that name before.”

“Well, I’ve kept to myself, just studied quietly.”

“And you’re telling me the top student’s scared shitless of some quiet nerd? Unless you’ve got one hell of a background, this whole picture doesn’t make any damn sense.”

Heo Wook looked straight at Seon Woo Baek.

“You’d better explain this properly. If you don’t, I’m running straight to Senior Gwak Pyeong and spilling everything.”

“That would be a problem. I’d rather not have my identity exposed to others just yet.”

“Your identity? What are you talking about?”

This time, Jang Un stepped in.

“He’s the real top student of Baekyeong Martial Academy.”

“What?”

“The real top student isn’t Gwak Pyeong. It’s our Woo Jin.”

“What kind of bullshit—”

Fshhh—.

Before Heo Wook could finish, Jang Un’s foot stopped less than an inch from his throat, moving so fast it was nearly invisible.

Whooom—.

Only afterward did the wind catch up and brush past Heo Wook’s face.

“You just died.”

Gulp—.

Heo Wook swallowed hard.

Jang Un was telling the truth.

If there had been any killing intent in that move, he’d be a corpse right now.

A master on par with Seon Woo Baek—if not more.

Jang Un silently retracted his leg and returned to Yeon Woo Jin’s side.

Seon Woo Baek had already been standing quietly behind him, and behind him, dozens of students stood in perfect rows, their cold, intense gazes locked onto Heo Wook and his group.

It gave the illusion of an elite martial sect’s core disciples.

As Heo Wook stood there dazed, Jang Un spoke again.

“What’re you spacing out for? You almost died, you know?”

“W-What do you mean?”

Was he talking about the kick earlier?

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Heo Wook and the others looked confused.

“Look behind you.”

At Jang Un’s words, Heo Wook and his group turned their heads.

“Huh?! Wh-What is this?!”

“H-Holy shit...”

“This can’t be real...”

Floating in the air, aimed directly at them, were three swords.

But they weren’t just floating.

Something transparent shimmered around each of them, like an aura enveloping the blades.

It wasn’t sword energy.

It was far too beautiful for that. Almost entrancing.

Heo Wook, mesmerized, unconsciously reached his hand toward them.

That’s when Seon Woo Baek’s urgent voice rang out.

“Don’t touch them! That’s Sword Force!”

Startled, Heo Wook yanked his hand back.

Wait—did he hear that right?

Sword Force?

No way.

That wasn’t something martial artists at their level could possibly use.

At minimum, it took someone in the Profound Realm to manifest Sword Force—a highly advanced technique.

And now, not only had Sword Force been projected—but it had been wrapped around three floating swords.

Not ones in his hands—floating in midair.

What the hell did that mean?

“Qi-Controlled Sword Force?”

A technique that didn’t belong to the Profound Realm, but to the Mythic Realm.

A divine-level martial technique.

And he wasn’t wielding just one—but three swords, all enveloped in Sword Force, floating in the air.

Thud—.

Heo Wook collapsed right there.

Was he dreaming?

How could he be witnessing something this impossible?

Someone his age—at the level of the Mythic Realm?

How was that even possible?

But if it was true—then it made perfect sense why Seon Woo Baek trembled before him, and why Jang Un called him the real top student.

Hell, forget Baekyeong Martial Academy—this guy could probably contend for the highest rank in the entire Martial God Sect.

Why was a monster like this even enrolled in a martial academy?

Shouldn’t he already be out shaking the world as a core powerhouse of the Martial God Sect?

Nothing made sense anymore.

“A little parlor trick. Sorry it was so unimpressive.”

A little trick?

He just performed a technique most dream of achieving in their entire lives.

Yeon Woo Jin slowly approached Heo Wook and his group, locking eyes with them.

Then he spoke.

“Sorry, but... I’d rather my identity not get out. So I’m going to put a little restriction on you.”

“R-Restriction?”

“It’s nothing serious. Just a simple spell. If you try to tell anyone about me, you’ll be overwhelmed with fear and pass out. That’s all.”

That’s all?

How was that not serious?

And wait—placing a restriction meant... if something went wrong, he could probably kill them.

Terror flooded through him.

He didn’t want to die.

Why had he even come here?

“P-Please... let me live...”

The words fell from Heo Wook’s mouth instinctively.

“I won’t kill you.”

Yeon Woo Jin stood up.

Wait—was he not going to place the restriction?

“A-Are you letting us go?”

“Hm? If you want to go, then go. I’ve already placed the restriction.”

What?

When?

When the hell did he do it?

There’d been no warning, no signs.

It couldn’t be true... could it?

He’d said if anyone tried to reveal his identity, they’d be crushed by fear and faint.

Heo Wook had to test it.

The moment he even thought of telling someone about Yeon Woo Jin—

A wave of indescribable terror consumed his entire body.

“Gahhhk!”

So intense he couldn’t breathe.

The fear hit like death itself.

Heo Wook gasped, choked—and then collapsed, foaming at the mouth.

Seeing this, Jin Jo and Gwak Oh were so terrified they wet their pants on the spot.

The very thought of revealing Yeon Woo Jin’s identity was instantly obliterated from their minds.

They were still just kids, after all.

Their close friend had passed out in agony before their eyes, surrounded by cold-eyed monsters glaring like they were ready to devour them.

And above all that—a true puppetmaster stood watching.

Yeon Woo Jin smiled and said:

“Let’s get along from now on.”

That smile sent Jin Jo and Gwak Oh into frantic nods, their heads shaking up and down like broken dolls.

****

When Heo Wook came to, hell had unfolded before his eyes.

When he first arrived at Baekyak Temple, the students had been normal. But now, they were in tatters, fighting each other like possessed demons, ready to kill.

He recognized familiar faces in the midst of the brutal melee.

“Jin Jo? Gwak Oh?”

What were they doing in there?

They were just as ragged as the others—but their expressions looked like they were about to burst into tears.

Unlike the rest, they seemed to be truly fighting for their lives.

As Heo Wook stared blankly at the chaos, a chilling voice crept into his ear.

“You awake?”

He slowly turned his head. Yeon Woo Jin was watching him with a smile.

Heo Wook didn’t know what to say.

Yeon Woo Jin nodded toward the battleground.

Where the kids were clashing like it was life or death.

“What are you waiting for? If you’re awake, get in there.”

“What?”

“You’re the top student of your class, aren’t you? You shouldn’t go down so easily.”

“You want me to go into that bloodbath?”

“Don’t want to? Then would you rather play with me instead?”

Instantly, alarms screamed in his head.

Run into the chaos now. Immediately.

But he was too slow.

“Alright then. I’ll play with you.”

“W-Wait...”

Wham—!

“Gahk!”

He didn’t even see the hit coming.

“W-Why are you doing this...?”

Heo Wook groaned, confused and in pain.

“If we’re gonna play, I need to know how good you [N O V E L I G H T] are. Come at me.”

Some instinct screamed that attacking would be a terrible idea.

“Actually... all three of you come at me.”

“Huh?”

All three?

But he was alone—

Just then, a voice sighed from behind.

“Haah, do we really have to do this? Can’t we just fight the kids instead?”

“You think you’re on the same level as them? Stay out of the kiddie pool. All three of you—come at me.”

He turned around and saw Jang Un and Seon Woo Baek, both with incredibly reluctant expressions.

“If you don’t, then starting tomorrow it’s daily sparring with me.”

The moment those words left Yeon Woo Jin’s mouth, both Jang Un and Seon Woo Baek exploded into motion.

“Shit! No way we’re doing that!”

“What are you doing, you idiot?! Snap out of it and attack already!”

Seon Woo Baek yelled at Heo Wook, who was frozen in place.

A dazzling barrage of kick after kick from Jang Un lit up the air, followed by a thunderous burst of Seon Woo Baek’s palm force—all flying toward Yeon Woo Jin.

Clang—!

Smash—!

Jang Un’s kicks and Seon Woo Baek’s palm strikes hit Yeon Woo Jin squarely.

But neither of them let their guard down. They immediately launched follow-up attacks with everything they had.

As he watched the two of them pour their entire strength into their attacks, Heo Wook didn’t know what the hell to do.

“Hey! You bastard! Attack already! That’s an order from the top lower-class student!”

Seon Woo Baek shouted again, and Heo Wook scrambled up and launched himself toward Yeon Woo Jin.

“Not half-assed! Imagine you’ve got your lifelong enemy right in front of you and throw everything you’ve got!”

“Today, I swear I’m landing a hit on that smug bastard’s face!”

Jang Un screamed with rage as he launched his strike.

Heo Wook could see it clearly.

Their attacks weren’t doing a damn thing to Yeon Woo Jin.

“Goddamn Body-Forging Qi Barrier!”

Even that?

He really was a Mythic-tier martial artist, at that age?

“What are you doing?! If you don’t satisfy Woo Jin, you’re not going home tonight! Give it everything you’ve got!”

“W-What? Okay!”

Not going home?

No way.

Never had home felt so far away to Heo Wook.

****

“Huff... huff... hurk!”

Heo Wook dry-heaved, unable to even sit up straight.

Jang Un and Seon Woo Baek looked exhausted, but not completely drained like him.

“Not bad.”

That was Yeon Woo Jin’s evaluation of Heo Wook.

“Looks like he’s got some talent too.”

At that, Seon Woo Baek chimed in.

“He might look like a mess, but he went through hell training under Senior Gwak Pyeong. He’s got stamina and can take a hit better than most.”

“You trained him properly. That Gwak Pyeong guy’s pretty impressive.”

“Right? I thought so too.”

Heo Wook now understood why Seon Woo Baek had become so strong.

Anyone who’d been through this kind of madness would be.

More than anything—what terrified him was that someone like Yeon Woo Jin, a literal monster, was hiding in the same grade.

With power like his, no wonder he didn’t care about the games the kids were playing.

Even making Seon Woo Baek the top student was probably just to make things more convenient for himself.

“Still not enough. If I want to make Baekyeong the strongest academy under the Martial God Sect, everyone needs to be stronger.”

The strongest academy?

Wait—was he planning to conquer the whole upper division?

In Heo Wook’s eyes, all the students here, including Seon Woo Baek, looked like Yeon Woo Jin’s pieces on a game board.

Turning Baekyeong into the strongest academy didn’t even feel like a goal—it felt like a personal hobby for a being without rivals.

Yeon Woo Jin walked over to Heo Wook and smiled.

“Good work today. Go home and get some rest.”

“You’re that strong... but why hide it?”

“Because I’m not allowed to be known.”

“Why?”

“If people knew how strong I was, I’d be pulled into the competition for the next Martial God Sect Leader. I’m not interested.”

Of course.

There was a competition—an official battle between candidates to become the next Lord of the Martial God Sect.

To Heo Wook, it was obvious.

If Yeon Woo Jin entered, he would win.

No matter how talented the other candidates were, none of them were at the Mythic Realm.

And if the current Martial God Sect Leader saw Yeon Woo Jin’s strength, he wouldn’t bother with the competition—he’d just name him heir on the spot.