Nano Machine Chapter 28: Remember, This Is All Of Your Own Making (E)

With the crowd gathered and his mortal enemy in front of him, Cheon Moo Geum was ready to get the show started.

"Did you enjoy yourself while you hid away in the dispensary, you filthy-blooded chicken shit?

At the words 'filthy-blooded', Cheon Yeo Woon's eyes turned cold as death. Delighted by Cheon Yeo Woon's response, Cheon Moo Geum prodded him more.

"What? You mad? You filthy…"

"Are you insulting the Grand Master?"

"What?"

"Are you not insulting the Grand Master when you say I have filthy blood?"

At Cheon Yeo Woon's unexpected rebuttal, Cheon Moo Geum's face turned stiff. He was referring to Cheon Yeo Woon's mother when he used those scoffing words, but Cheon Moo Geum was at a loss for words at Cheon Yeo Woon's clever sleight of words.

"I didn't know you were in a position that surpassed that our faction's sovereign, the venerable Grand Master."

"I, I obviously didn't mean…"

There was not a single soul in the academy regardless of age, sex or status, who didn't pledge whole-hearted allegiance to the Grand Master. No matter if they were Grand Prince candidates, it was imperative that one didn't blaspheme the Grand Master in such a way. The expressions on the crowd's faces turned sour.

"Kids from Buk Ma clan are truly stupid."

Eum Ma clan's Cheon Won Ryeo snorted as she grumbled to herself. It was pathetic to see Cheon Moo Geum lose in a verbal exchange with of all people, Cheon Yeo Woon,

-What a loser… Losing your cool over a low-life like him.-

Besides her, Cheon Gyeong Woon, the Grand Prince candidate of Geom Ma clan was also on the sidelines. He stopped to see the spectacle on his way to his room. He was shaking his head and expressing his disproval.

"Tsk tsk."

"Aarrgghh!"

After a moment of hesitance, Cheon Moo Geum turned bright red as his shame turned to rage. He was planning to first humiliate Cheon Yeo Woon first and give him a good beating, but the tables have turned now and he saw and hear the mockery of the crowd aimed towards him.

"You darned bastard! I will tear open your…"

*Puk!*

"Aagghh!"

The crowd silenced after a loud gasp. Even before Cheon Moo Geum could finish his sentence, Cheon Yeo Woon's punch landed like a lightning bolt onto his face. After being punched like he did a blitzkrieg on his face, Cheon Moo Geum's nose poured out blood.

"What was that again? Tear open what?"

"Keu-aahhh aahhh!"

At the sight of his own bloody nose and Cheon Yeo Woon's continual mockery, Cheon Moo Geum flipped as he went into the ready stance of Buk Ma clan's fighting form, Bukma Gonggweon.

*Hwik!*

But Cheon Yeo Woon, who had launched the preemptive strike, took everyone off guard when he fled the scene. Nobody in the crowd expected Cheon Yeo Woon to run away after all that.

"Keu-aahh aahhh! Get him!"

"Oh, oh okay!"

The enraged Cheon Moo Geum ordered his henchmen to pursue him in a vehement fit of rage. After being dumbfounded by Cheon Yeo Woon's bold strike, at Cheon Moo Geum's command they all ran after him into the wooded area behind the dormitory. Cheon Moo Geum was also in hot pursuit, air-traveling as he went.

While all the rest of the cadets watched this action-packed scene unfold with great intrigue, Cheon Won Ryeo of Eum Ma clan and Cheon Gyeong Woon of Geom Ma clan observed Cheon Yeo Woon from afar with amazement.

His six pursuers also became a little befuddled at the moment. It was only fourteen days ago when they confirmed the fact about Cheon Yeo Woon having zero inner power, let alone receive a single day of training throughout his whole life. However, his speed seemed to invalidate that fact. The more they pursued him the distance between him and them grew wider and wider.

"Huhk huhk!"

"How is he so fast?"

It was weird how he was outrunning them at a good distance, yet the gap wasn't fluctuating at all. Among them, Cadet Number Two Hundred Three, who was the smarter one of the bunch wondered.

-Is he intentionally provoking and luring us?-

It was just a passing thought, but how Cheon Yeo Woon was running by keeping a suitable distance seemed like he was trying to make them follow him.

"What the hell are you hesitating about?"

*Shoong!*

The late starter, Cheon Moo Geum, who was wiping the blood from off of his face whizzed by the other cadets with great speed. It looked like he would not have peace until he could get his hands on Cheon Yeo Woon, stomp on his face, and break all his bones. After running for a good period, Cheon Yeo Woon glanced back and stopped in his tracks.

"Darned bastard! Are you done running?" Cheon Moo Geum shouted as he ran towards Cheon Yeo Woon with his fist clenched.

Then Cheon Yeo Woon with a slight grin on his face made a cheeky comeback.

"Run away? You're funny. It's more like I made you chase me."

"What?"

"There's no need for everyone else to see what I'm about to do, you know?"

*Hwik!*

With those words, Cheon Yeo Woon's feet kicked off from the ground with a swift dash as he went for his opponent's face, this time with a palm heel strike. Although it was another preemptive strike, unlike before, it fully prepared Cheon Moo Geum to deflect the strike as he mustered up his inner power. He then crossed his two arms and blocked Cheon Yeo Woon's attack.

*Puk! Ta tak!*

After the successful block, Cheon Moo Geum's feet shuffled backward about two steps. When he put his crossed arms back down, it was clear from his expression he was a little shaken up.

"How… how did you…"

The chase maddened Cheon Moo Geum so much he couldn't assess the situation Cheon Yeo Woon put him into, but after seeing and getting a taste of his opponent's inner power, he realized that this would not be a walk in the park like he expected. Cheon Yeo Woon's strike was not something to belittle and taken for a grain of salt.

The power it carried had a tremendous amount of weight, it made Cheon Moo Geum roll a few steps backward after blocking it.

-His power and skill level are quite formidable.-

Cheon Moo Geum always disregarded him as a negligible weakling, considering Cheon Yeo Woon's pledge to never train himself in martial arts, but the kid standing in front of him now was not the same person he knew from the past.

-Now's my chance!-

Cheon Yeo Woon used the opportunity while he caught his opponent off guard to execute the second form of Jeopmoo Dobeop.

*Sa-leu leu leu!*

The swift movements in Hwewon Jeopgyeong, the second form of Jeopmoo Dobeop, involved a lot of spinning, was a defensive battle form effective when the opponent was close in proximity. It was as versatile as an effective offense as well.

*Pa pa pak!*

Although he performed it with his bare hands, once Cheon Yeo Woon circulated his inner power through the fighting form's qi route, his right hand looked as sharp as a real sword. His arms moved with such great velocity and power that the wind pressure coming from his hands served as a makeshift weapon in and of itself.

"Sir gongja! Watch out!"

After arriving late to the scene, one of Cheon Moo Geum's six henchmen shouted an urgent shout to him.

As Cheon Yeo Woon thrust forward in a spinning motion with his sword-like bare hands, Cheon Moo Geum, who a second ago was standing there speechless, did a quick sweep backward as he got into his ready stance.

-He dodged it?-

Cheon Yeo Woon, who had executed the attack to deal the decisive blow on his opponent while it still stunned him, cringed a little. Cheon Moo Geum sprung forward as he threw two consecutive punches at Cheon Yeo Woon's chest.

It was the third fighting form of Buk Ma clan's own martial art, Tayeon Gyeokgong.

*Puk!*

"Aghh!"

The unexpected attack caught Cheon Yeo Woon off guard this time, leading him to take the first punch though he dodged the second.

But, that was just the beginning.

Right after his double-punch, Cheon Moo Geum used the forward momentum to pivot his body to the left as he struck Cheon Yeo Woon's right shoulder with his elbow. Even though Cheon Yeo Woon lifted his left arm to block the attack, the inner power inherent in the strike was one notch above his own as it steamrolled through the wrist into his shoulder.

?Ta ta ta tak!?

His feet rolled to the left about four steps.

-I guess I'm still a little behind in terms of inner power.-

Cheon Moo Geum had come into the academy with at least thirty-years' worth of inner power training.

That meant after consuming the manna orb all the cadets received after round one, his inner power increased even more.

-I'll still give you a fight for your money.-

The one saving grace for Cheon Yeo Woon was that Cheon Moo Geum could not absorb the manna orb's full potential as much he did. Growing up ingesting a routine dosage of medicinal herbs, Cheon Moo Geum's body had already built up a significant level of tolerance to its potency, and his impatience prevented him from concentrating on the absorption process of the manna orb.

-I shouldn't give him time to throw another counterattack.-

As Cheon Yeo Woon geared up into Jeopmoo Dobeop's fighting form, his arms fluttered like a butterfly's wings leaving a mystifying afterimage in its wake. He thrust his arm into Cheon Moo Geum's right shoulder.

"Where did he learn such an elite fighting form?"

At the sight of Cheon Yeo Woon's unexpected mastery, Cheon Moo Geum's six henchmen couldn't hold back their amazement. Not only did he master a particular fighting form, but it was one superior to their own. If they knew it was the martial art of East Grand Lord Seop Maeng, they would have all been absolutely dumbfounded.

"Not bad!"

Along with a short exclamation, Cheon Moo Geum dodged the strike as he bent his body backward at almost a ninety-degree angle from the knee, while further closing the gap between him and Cheon Yeo Woon. The martial art of Buk Ma clan was a strict offensive style, its emphasis on flexibility made each motion fluid. As Cheon Moo Geum rose from his bent position, he turned his body with a kick towards Cheon Yeo Woon's upper body.

*Puk!*

"Aagghh!"

After being hit on the left side of his head, Cheon Yeo Woon flew to the ground as he rolled in the dirt.

Although he had learned the fighting forms of Jeopmoo Dobeop, he hadn't yet learned to break a fall through the use of a forward roll. After rolling in the dirt a few times he pushed himself back up on his feet in an awkward manner.

-I was looking out only for his punches. I wasn't expecting a kick.-

The blow took him aback. He felt a little dizzy from taking a hit on the head. After stumbling to find his balance, Cheon Moo Geum stared at his opponent with a look of disdain as he cracked a big grin.