Chapter 38
“Wh-what is this?!”
A shout so loud it made me doubt if it actually came from my mouth.
Maybe because of that, the Cheonma in front of me was momentarily overwhelmed by my voice.
But I didn’t have time to care about such things.
Only anger.
A fierce rage that tossed aside even the last bastion of politeness.
“How dare you insult Cheonma Michael Jackson?!”
“What kind of scum do you think you are to call yourself Cheonma?!”
“Shut your mouth!!!!”
The Cheonma was flustered, and I gritted my teeth, ready to fight back.
If any hunter caught a glimpse of this, they’d probably think I’d lost my mind.
But right now, that didn’t matter.
“Have you even watched any of his videos once?! Do you even know who he is in the first place!!!”
“I know! He’s just someone who dances a bit better than others, right?”
“A bit? A BIT?! Are you insane? Just a bit?!”
I couldn’t hold back my rage and slammed my fists on the desk.
Bang! With that sound, books and pens flew into the air.
Amidst the scattered items, my glare pierced through.
“Do you even know what Cheonma Gunrimbo is?!”
“Of course I do! It’s basic for Cheonma! It means walking like a lord over the world! How dare you ask?!”
“Can you shake the world with just your footsteps?!”
“Um, well, no.”
“Cheonma Michael Jackson moves the world and touches hearts with just a single step!!!”
My eyes were starting to bloodshot.
As if urging me to go further, my heart raced, and my fists were clenched so tightly they turned pale.
“And can you faint someone with just martial arts techniques?!”
“Who can faint someone with martial arts?!”
“Cheonma Michael Jackson can!!!!!”
“Don’t make me laugh! Where’s a martial arts technique like that?!”
“Do you look down on Cheonma Wolbo?!”
The Cheonma momentarily flinched and stepped back, overwhelmed by my momentum.
I immediately sprang to my feet and glared at him like I wanted to kill him.
“Cheonma Jajeon. Cheonma Bok Eumpa. He moves the world with countless techniques and strikes!!!”
“I-I can’t believe it!”
[Isn’t there also Cheonma Talkamgikong?]
‘That’s passive, you know.’
I quickly fiddled with my phone.
What I wanted to pull up was a video of Cheonma Michael Jackson.
“What exactly is this Cheonma Shin Gong you keep going on about!!!”
“Cheonma Shin Gong is more powerful than anything, overwhelming…”
I played the video and rushed out, holding it up to the Cheonma’s face.
“Is that his mere decoration on display?! Don’t you even know this is Cheonma Shin Gong!!”
“W-well…”
“Can you not recognize the finesse in every dance move he makes, the way he breathes, and each gesture he has!!!”
“…..”
I brought my phone so close it almost touched the Cheonma’s face.
As if to engrave this image into his eyes.
“B-bro, can you not see the brilliance of Cheonma Shin Gong captured in this?! Can you still call yourself Cheonma after that?!”
A moment of silence passed.
The only sound was coming from Cheonma Michael Jackson’s video.
I gradually calmed my breathing and returned to my seat.
The Cheonma was frozen, unable to say a word.
“Never disrespect Cheonma Michael Jackson again.”
With that, I began picking up the books and pens that had fallen to the ground.
The Cheonma sat still, not moving until I collected everything and sat back down.
“If you’re going to call yourself Cheonma, you better watch every single video of him while you’re at it.”
“……”
“And if you still refuse to accept it, I’ll gladly fight you anytime.”
“……”
His silence sparked my anger again.
“Answer me!!!!!”
“I-I got it! I promise to remember and watch them!!!”
“If you understand, then get the hell out!!!”
At my shout, the Cheonma turned and dashed out of the classroom.
Only then did the tension in my body begin to ease.
No regrets here.
How dare he insult Michael Jackson?
This was absolutely intolerable.
Looking beside me, Hyeji was staring at me with wide eyes, seemingly shocked.
Her expression said she never expected me to go to this extent.
Meanwhile, Jeong Ahyeon was pale, mouth agape, clearly in shock at seeing her idol flee.
“Shinwoo, I really think you might be a crazy bastard.”
“Master… are you in your right mind?”
“I have no idea, f*ck. That bastard insulted Michael Jackson.”
“Even so, are you really going to act like that towards the Cheonma?!”
It was surprising how Hyeji kept showing concern.
How famous could he be to warrant such chaos? I couldn’t wrap my head around it.
“But is that old dude really famous?”
“A bit famous? You really jumped in there without knowing anything, huh?”
At that, Jeong Ahyeon’s face began to brighten.
Her following ranting and tears in her eyes suggested she was a true fan.
“He’s the peak of martial artists and what they all strive to become!”
“Is it really to that extent?”
“It’s not just that! It’s natural for martial artists to aspire to be Cheonma!!”
“So your goal is to become Cheonma then?”
“Embarrassingly, yes. I also aspire to become Cheonma.”
Cheonma, not some idol, is the goal for martial artists.
[Isn’t there a Cheonma Girls?]
‘Oh, right.’
In that moment, Hyeji shot me a glaring remark.
“But Shinwoo, you just tore apart their idol’s reputation, hadn’t you?!”
“Be careful saying I tore it apart. Otherwise, it could be an election law violation.”
That phrase was genuinely sensitive.
I had already received discipline because of it.
Suddenly, Hyeji seemed to remember something.
“Shinwoo, what would you do if the Cheonma personally came to get you?”
“……”
“…You seriously didn’t think about it?”
“Ah.”
“I’m losing it, really.”
As I calmed my excitement, an objective fact came to mind.
Cheonma is basically a god to an academy student like me.
It’s an attention-grabbing situation.
It was a crazy thought.
I envisioned a fight with the Cheonma as the worst-case scenario.
One was the top hunter, Cheonma.
The other was an idiot who couldn’t even properly enhance his body.
From here, it already felt like a bad idea.
Plus, the Cheonma could fire a Death Beam. Which means he had plenty of range options.
On the other hand, all I could rely on was close combat.
Even if I got lucky and approached, I doubted my knife would even pierce that sturdy body.
[I’m screwed.]
‘F*ck, I can’t see a chance of winning!’
“Hyeji, if it comes to fighting, can you make some fire-emitting gloves for me?”
“Why would I do that?”
“I’ll just use them to mock him while slamming him, calling it Cheonma Punch.”
“Master! At least call it Cheonma Shin Punch!”
Jeong Ahyeon fiercely protested from the side.
Regardless, Hyeji offered me practical advice.
“Shinwoo, isn’t it more like Fire Punch since it emits fire?”
“True. Then it should be Volcano Punch.”
“Master. F*ck, seriously.”
[I wish to see this body endure the Cheonma Great Cataclysm.]
‘I’ll just carve the character using a machine gun, right?’
I thought that somehow, it would work out.
*
Anyway, the first and second classes today were under the Cheonma.
But the Cheonma’s mental state shattered, leading to an unexpected interruption.
So what does that mean?
It’s a free period.
We took this unexpected free time to move towards the snack bar for a brief break.
As we got there, we caught sight of some announcements on the bulletin board.
“Isn’t it the campaign season now?”
“Yeah, that’s right, Shinwoo. But that balding ear goblin’s candidate status got revoked, so he’s the only one left.”
“If he’s the only one, he’s gonna win pretty easily, right?”
“I’m not so sure. Want to take a look?”
We headed to the bulletin board to check out the election candidate posters.
As a representative candidate for the World Tree reception, it was, of course, an elf’s photo on the poster.
The figure depicted was a female elf.
She had butterfly-shaped earrings in sky blue on her right ear.
I guessed she was a High Elf as well.
The unique point was that her ears appeared to be somewhat short.
And her pink bob cut was definitely something I had never seen before among the elves.
“She looks completely different from that ear goblin we saw last time.”
“True. Just thinking about that ear goblin makes me sick.”
“So Jeong, Master. What do you feel when looking at this?”
Out of the blue, Jeong Ahyeon threw us a question.
Her eyes fixed on the photo of the female elf.
“First off, she’s pretty, probably because she’s an elf? High Elf? And pink hair?”
“……Those breasts are ridiculously big. How dare she as an ear goblin.”
Hyeji’s eyes glistened ominously.
Feeling a slight chill, Jeong Ahyeon began to explain calmly.
“Pink hair shouldn’t exist among elves. Even more so for a High Elf.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“High Elves are usually pureblooded. That’s why they look down on all other elves.”
“But why the hell does that ear goblin keep bothering me?!”
Hyeji suddenly lashed out at Jeong Ahyeon.
Jeong Ahyeon scratched her head awkwardly, making a confused face before speaking again.
“Well, that’s because the elf named Lucian is peculiar.”
“True. Sesshomaru hated humans with a passion too.”
“But how the hell did he manage to produce two half-demons?”
“After all, anti-marriage stances come to completion through marriage.”
As the conversation veered off topic, Jeong Ahyeon hurriedly guided it back.
“Anyways, this lady is a High Elf but has a hair color that shouldn’t be possible among purebloods.”
“So she’s not a pureblood and is mixed instead?”
“Exactly. Her ears are also slightly shorter than other elves, right? So she’s probably three-quarters or half.”
[I think she looks like she’s three-quarters.]
‘Three-quarters seem more likely.’
Then a thought struck me.
“Wouldn’t she be rejected by elves too?”
“Well, since she’s a High Elf, they won’t outright reject her.”
“Shinwoo, let’s hurry. I feel sick every time I look at this poster.”
Hyeji’s gaze was still fixed on the elf’s curvaceous chest.
Dark hatred was filling her eyes.
It seems the disgust for ear goblins has coupled with the mid-hate to create more issues.
Anyway, respecting Hyeji’s sentiment, we quickly moved away from there.
‘Don’t hate the chest too much. Those who don’t have them know better how precious they are.’
[Are you some kind of demon, you bastard?]
*
The next day.
Professor Pilyong returned.
But just before Professor Pilyong started the class, someone walked in through the classroom door unexpectedly.
It was none other than the Cheonma.
He was dressed exactly the same as yesterday, but one thing had changed: his eyes.
They looked rather haggard, and with dark circles, it seemed he had been up to something all night.
In that moment, the Cheonma suddenly strode boldly up to my desk.
With no sound of footsteps, he approached and began to glare at me with a menacing look.
In my horror, wondering what kind of attack might come next.
“I sincerely thank you for enlightening me on my ignorance.”
“……Huh?”
Suddenly, the Cheonma bowed at a 90-degree angle.
Nobody expected this behavior from him.
Everyone was stunned into silence.
Even Professor Pilyong looked surprised, indicating he was just as caught off guard.
Meanwhile, the Cheonma raised his head and spoke again.
“I realized it yesterday.”
“What do you mean?”
A slight smile spread on the Cheonma’s face.
He then took a prestigious pose and confidently proclaimed.
“Michael Jackson is the true Cheonma.”
I was taken aback.
Emotions rushed over me.
Finally, he had realized that Michael Jackson was indeed the true Cheonma.
[…Well, I’m relieved it went well.]
‘From today, the old man is also our ally!’
With a full heart, I also posed back at the Cheonma.